In the deep mountains, no kidding, whether you have a partner or not, the level of danger is different.
Now Miao Xiaohu didn’t say anything either.
Lu Yang, who brought up the topic, said, “…”
Lu Yang changed the subject and said to Miao Xiaohu, “You look familiar to me. Have we met before in Chenjiawan?”
Lu Yang had been married off shortly after following Chen Lao Ye home. He knew many people in the village, but they were mostly married couples, with few young men and women. At that time, everyone was busy arranging marriages, and the young people didn’t visit each other.
Lu Yang: “…”
It was his oversight.
Lu Yang didn’t ask about anything else. He just asked who else from Chenjiawan had married into Lizhai: “We’re from the same village, so we can hang out together in the future.”
Miao Xiaohu said, “I have an older brother who also married into Li Village. He gets along well with Chen Fulang. Chen Fulang is Chen Jiu, the wine brother. You should recognize him; he’s your relative.”
Lu Yang: “…”
Is there such a relative? Why doesn’t he remember?
Chen Lao Ye had already contacted all the relatives; he shouldn’t have forgotten.
Li Feng said, “He’s my uncle’s younger brother.”
Lu Yang suddenly understood.
“Oh, it’s him.”
His younger brother had mentioned him—the one who always picked fights when they met.
What a pity he didn’t see him today.
But it doesn’t matter. Li Feng still has to deliver New Year’s gifts to his uncle later. Hmph.
Li Feng looked at Lu Yang with a mischievous expression and was speechless.
With the same face, how come he didn’t notice it earlier?
It’s so obvious, yet Sanmiao didn’t notice it either.
Li Feng said, “Sanmiao, your eyesight isn’t good.”
Sanmiao was confused: “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
They chatted and laughed all the way, putting aside the worries of the past few months in the mountains.
When they reached the intersection of Chenjiawan, Li Feng looked at the amount of goods on the two vehicles, unloaded two jars onto Sanmiao’s car, and left the rest.
Sanmiao asked, “Should I keep them at my place or send them to yours?”
Li Feng said, “Keep them at your place.”
Er Tian isn’t trustworthy; we have to be careful.
Lu Yang said, “My brother can’t handle it.”
They called out to Lu Yang, “Brother Yang, have you struck it rich?”
What time of year is this? We’ve already bought all the wine we need.
Lu Yang had only been married for a month, but Lu Sanfeng already looked old.
In a few moments, Old Man Chen came out.
He wanted to see what New Year’s gifts Lu Yang and Li Feng had brought.
………………………………
Old Man Chen stood at the door, his eyes sharp. With just a glance, he took in the items on the cart and then broke into a smile.
“You’re here? It’s a few days later than I expected. You said you wouldn’t come before the New Year. Come inside and sit down. Have a cup of tea to warm yourselves up.”
Li Feng wasn’t in a hurry. He bought glutinous rice and sent New Year’s cakes, passing by Chenjiawan on both the way there and back, but didn’t stay. He waited until now and came back with Zhen Lu Yang.
He thought that Chenjiawan was, after all, Lu Liuming’s maternal home, so he couldn’t make it too awkward. He bought two pounds of meat.
This was a very respectable New Year’s gift for a farmer, and no one could find fault with it.
Lu Sanfeng wiped her hands and followed behind, watching as Li Feng only took out two pounds of meat from the basket, then looked at the cart full of goods and let out a half-hearted “Oh my.”
Lu Yang didn’t respond, but followed Li Feng, smiling and greeting Old Man Chen, while also reading Old Man Chen’s expressions.
Old Man Chen didn’t reveal his shrewd calculations, instead being polite and kind.
No matter what, he still wanted money.
The group went inside and sat on the bed.
Old Mr. Chen then asked them how their lives were going. He kept looking at Li Feng as he asked, while Lu Yang was happy to have some downtime and didn’t interrupt. There aren’t many opportunities for work in the village, so we started a small business as peddlers. Now we’ve spent all our silver, and I don’t know when we’ll break even.”
Old Mr. Chen chuckled twice, but didn’t give Lu Yang a warning glance or glare at him. Instead, he said, “That’s how business works. You have to invest a lot of capital to stock goods, and once you put them out for sale, every day is a struggle. It’s the same for me. I just bought a batch of beans recently, and they’re still sitting in my hands. Business in the village isn’t good, so I’m thinking of going back to the county seat, renting a shopfront along the street, selling goods in the front, using the back as a workshop, and renting two small rooms for living quarters.”
It’s a good thing he’s willing to look for a shop.
Lu Yang thought that if it’s feasible, he could chip in and help out a bit.
After all, they owe him a favor, so as long as Old Chen doesn’t object, they can just treat it as normal family relations.
Lu Yang said, ” Business in the county will definitely be better than in the village. Every household in the village grows vegetables, unlike in the county, where people have to buy them. The vegetables they grow in their courtyards won’t last a season. Tofu can be made all year round, so it’s a good business. Our father is capable, so once he gets to the county, he’ll definitely make a fortune!”
Old Chen remained calm and continued to smile, “That’s right.” You’re clearly a stubborn person, and our Yang Ge is also stubborn. How can you two get along? I felt sorry for him because he had a hard life before, so I wanted to find him a good family so he could eat well, dress warmly, and not have to work so hard.” Tofu has to be sold early; if you wait too long, the customers’ coins are already spent. Tofu doesn’t keep well, so we have to get up early and work late every day. After finishing work, we still have to handle all the chores in the backyard and hurry to wash the beans.
“I still remember when he was eight years old, staring at the tofu and crying because he was hungry. I gave him some tofu to eat. His mother was heartbroken to see the tofu being eaten and refused to let him have it, scolding him repeatedly. He stopped eating. How could a mother not feel sorry for her own child? When his mother wasn’t around, I gave him more tofu to eat. He ate it with tears streaming down his face, saying he loved his father more than his mother. Listen to that—it’s just childish talk. Is there any mother in the world who doesn’t love her child?”
