The children you raised have gone to earn money for someone else.
Chen Lao Die suddenly spoke with a sense of righteous indignation. “The firewood at home is running low. Your family lives by the mountains, so you can help me bring some over.”
Li Feng agreed.
Chen Lao Die, attempting to maintain politeness, asked, “How much is it per cart?”
Li Feng had plenty of firewood piled in his empty house, so sending a cart over to his father-in-law wasn’t a big deal. He said, “No need to pay, just don’t ask for money from me. I’ll send it over in the next couple of days.”
Chen Lao Die: “……”
So stingy, and still so big.
The official road west of the county was narrow. When Chen Lao Die arrived at the intersection of Chenjiawan, he saw Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian from a distance.
He hadn’t seen them in over ten years, and they looked unfamiliar. He gave them a brief glance before turning his gaze away and hurriedly urging his mule cart down the official road, heading back to Chenjiawan.
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian, when they got close to Chenjiawan, felt like they were walking near a wild beast. Their heavy steps quickly accelerated, almost to a run, until they could no longer see Chenjiawan and finally collapsed by the side of the road, sitting down to catch their breath.
Three carts passed in front of them, each with six men, carrying some red items. It was clear they were preparing for a wedding.
A young man who was driving one of the carts said, “San Miao, what are you afraid of? No man is more formidable than Da Feng’s husband! He dares to slap the table and glare at Da Feng! After they got married, Da Feng’s all smiles when he talks about his husband.”
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian looked up but couldn’t tell which one was Da Feng. They weren’t sure if he was referring to the Da Feng from Li Village, so they continued to watch as the carts passed by.
The men laughed heartily, and Li Feng noticed the two middle-aged men by the roadside and looked over.
They were a married couple, around the same age as his mother. Their faces were covered in dust and weariness, and even though it was cold, they were sweating, their bodies still radiating warmth.
Li Feng pulled his mule to a stop and asked them, “Where are you heading? If it’s on my way, I can give you a ride.”
Lu Erbao knew it wasn’t on the way but still responded to the kindness, “We’re going to Shangxi Village.”
The couple wasn’t very talkative. They added, “We’re going to see our child.”
Li Feng noted that Li Village was to the west, and Shangxi Village was to the east, a three-mile distance. He looked at the sky, then at the weary couple, and feeling pity for the parents, said, “I’ll give you a lift.”
He instructed San Miao to switch carts and take away the empty basket.
“You can tell my husband that I’ll be back later.”
San Miao laughed and said, “Don’t worry! When we reach the village, I’ll go to your house first and then return to mine!”
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian felt awkward, repeatedly thanking Li Feng and saying it wasn’t necessary.
Li Feng tugged at his mule, turning the cart towards them. “The mule moves faster. You should get on.”
The other two carts were ready to go. Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian glanced at the distant road, then at Li Feng, and thanked him once again before getting on the cart.
It was a rare chance to ride. Normally, they only got to ride when their uncle went to the county and there was space in the cart.
It was much more comfortable than walking, even if the ride was bumpy.
Lu Erbao, trying to strike up a conversation, awkwardly said, “Are you going to the county to buy things for a wedding?”
Li Feng, who wasn’t shy, replied, “Yes, a young man from the village is getting married. They’ve set the date for the eighth of December. Today, I’m selling rice cakes and buying meat, vegetables, and other wedding items.”
At the end of the year, many weddings took place. November was fine, but once December started and through to the New Year, every good date was filled, and the banquets seemed endless, running from place to place.
Wang Fengnian added, “Our family also had a wedding recently, my child got married on the 20th of Winter Month.”
Li Feng raised his eyebrows, “What a coincidence! I got married on the same day. Which village are you from?”
Lu Erbao replied, “Lujia Tun.”
Li Feng didn’t think much of it, as he didn’t know anyone in Lujia Tun.
“My husband is from Chenjiawan.”
At this, both Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian fell silent, staring at Li Feng’s back as if they were burning holes in it.
While Li Feng chatted, he could sense the couple’s awkwardness. As the conversation slowed with no further response, he decided to change the subject.
The three-mile journey took nearly a quarter of an hour.
When they reached the intersection of Shangxi Village, Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian got off the cart, thanking Li Feng again.
Wang Fengnian had been thinking about it the whole way and finally found a reason to ask Li Feng his name. “We’ll come find you to thank you later.”
Li Feng didn’t need to, these were small matters.
For hunters like them, who often went up the mountain, there was always a bit of ritual involved. Doing good deeds was also considered accumulating merit, and by doing more good deeds, the mountain god would favor them, helping them turn bad situations into good ones when on the mountain.
Wang Fengnian didn’t get the answer he wanted, so he decided not to ask further.
They stood by the roadside for a while, watching as Li Feng walked away, then tidied their clothes and headed towards Shangxi Village.
Shangxi Village, Xie Family.
Xie Yan wasn’t able to go to the county today, so he stayed home to do some “social homework.”
On the day of their return visit, Lu Yang had specifically instructed him on how to handle things, with a detailed list of steps to follow.
As a result, today, Xie Yan had spent the entire day at his desk working.
His mother, Zhao Peilan, was quite pleased and had burned incense three times throughout the day, once in the morning, at noon, and again in the evening, for Xie Yan’s deceased father.
Xie Yan: “……”
He silently hid the papers he had written and discarded, planning to throw them into the stove later to burn them.
His mother knew some characters, and if she discovered that he wasn’t being serious, she might cry until she fainted.
As the day wore on, Xie Yan grew increasingly uneasy.
Lu Yang had said he would return before noon, and now it was almost dinnertime.
Unable to sit still at home, he went to the door and stood there for a while. He found the courtyard was obstructing his view, so he stepped outside. But then he was bothered by the sight of the other houses in the village. Slowly, he walked to the village entrance and stood under a large tree, craning his neck to look out, becoming the “Wangfu Stone” (the stone that waits for the husband to return).
The “Wangfu Stone” (the wife waiting for her husband) didn’t get the return of her husband, but instead, she waited for her two fathers-in-law.
The fathers-in-law, looking travel-worn and heavy with thoughts, passed by him without even noticing his presence.
Xie Yan watched them as they walked past, standing still, before glancing back toward the official road. He saw a donkey cart approaching from a distance and a smile of delight appeared on his face.
“Liug’er!”
The call made his two fathers-in-law shiver.
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian turned around and saw Xie Yan, who looked like an old man, hands tucked into his sleeves, his long neck hidden inside a neckcloth, wearing a big fur hat that made him look nothing like a scholar. They were speechless for a moment.
Xie Yan waved to his fathers-in-law, saying, “Dad, Liug’er is back!”
Lu Erbao responded with an “Eh!” as if surprised.
They had come all the way here, and Xie Yan didn’t seem surprised at all. He really was carefree.
Wang Fengnian: “… Didn’t you see us earlier?”
Xie Yan replied, “I saw you, but you didn’t see me. I was about to follow you, but then I saw Liug’er coming back.”
Wang Fengnian had no words to say.
“Liug’er, Liug’er.”
Do you even know who you married, calling him Liug’er like that?
Lu Yang came back late today. It got dark early in winter, and while he could still see the light on the horizon when he approached the village, by the time he entered, it was already getting dark.
The four baskets of vegetables and a bundle of steamed buns he had taken out to sell were all sold, and the cart was now full of goods to bring back.
This was something he had decided on a whim, to go to the East City Gate to buy things.
He could buy goods anywhere, but taking care of business with familiar people could build relationships and also report to Luo Dayong about his business to reassure them.
As he expected, leaving a few hours later meant he didn’t encounter anyone familiar, and he felt at ease walking the road.
Entering the village, he saw his two fathers-in-law and Xie Yan waiting at the village entrance. A smile appeared on his face. “Why are you all standing here? Come on, let’s go home.”
Xie Yan cheerfully followed him, asking, “Did you go buy things? I was wondering where you were and almost went to the county to look for you.”
Lu Yang had never seen such a clingy little guy like Xie Yan. He pretended to complain but secretly enjoyed it.
“You couldn’t find me? You should just stay at home and wait for me.”
