Chapter 105 - The New Combined House is Completed...

September 29th, autumn is approaching. Fog rose at night, and dewdrops clung to the branches and leaves of the roadside weeds.

As the sun rises, its rays pierce through the thin mist and envelop the tranquil village.

Wisps of smoke rose from the village. The Wang family had exchanged betrothal gifts and were preparing for the wedding day. The whole family was beaming with joy.

Their courtyard wall wasn't high. The neighbor saw Wang Quan's mother, Zhang, humming a little tune as she went in and out, and asked, "Oh, sister-in-law, have you chosen a wedding date for Quan-ge'er?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Quan's mother, Zhang, smiled and said, "I haven't seen it yet, but I'll take a look in the next couple of days and then I'll decide. Sister-in-law, please help me cook then."

"Of course, that goes without saying."

In their village, the Wang family members are all related, some more closely and some more distantly.

The person who just asked the question was Hu, Wang Quan's second aunt.

"You'll be relieved after Quan Ge'er gets married. I don't know when my A Tie will be able to get married."

Zhang smiled and said, "A-Tie is still young, in another two or three years."

As the two were chatting, a voice suddenly called out, "Second Sister-in-law! Come quick!"

Zhang looked at the person who had come in; it was Feng, Hu's sister-in-law. Seeing that she was panting heavily, Zhang asked, "What's wrong?"

Feng sighed deeply, propping herself up on her knees, before saying, "A fortune teller came to the village entrance, and he's incredibly accurate! Second sister-in-law, didn't you say you wanted your fortune told? Hurry up, he's leaving soon."

Upon hearing this, Hu put down the dustpan in her hand and was about to leave with Feng.

Zhang, who was standing next to her, quickly put down her work as well, saying, "Wait for me, I'll go with you."

At this moment, many villagers were gathered at the village entrance, all waiting to have their fortunes told.

When Zhang and her family arrived, the old Taoist priest was examining Zhang's mother-in-law. The old Taoist priest had examined several people before, and his predictions were all very accurate and insightful. If a fortune teller says something is good, then it must be good.

Wang Quan's grandmother couldn't bear to listen and squeezed to the front to have her fortune told first.

The old Taoist priest looked at her palms and then at her facial features. He then frowned, as if he had many unspeakable secrets.

The people around her became increasingly curious, and the old lady grew very anxious.

"Master, how is it?"

The old Taoist priest hissed coldly, then said, "Your fate is both good and bad. It was very good at first, but you went astray."

"How so?"

The old Taoist priest said, "You have a big grandson, who is fair-skinned and chubby, right?"

The old lady nodded vigorously, and the old Taoist continued, "He was born into wealth and honor, but unfortunately, he was ruined by someone. The closer you get to that person, the worse the child will become."

While the old lady was still in shock, Zhang rushed over, "Who rushed at me? I always said my son was clever and cute when he was little, but he's grown up to be like this. Who was the heartless bastard?"

The old Taoist priest sighed: "This child has an aunt, doesn't he?"

The old lady nodded: "Yes, there are three."

The old Taoist priest asked, "Did one of them marry into a village nestled between two mountains?"

Zhang and the old lady frowned, thinking that "Two Mountains Between Roads" was a place name, and muttered, "No, there isn't one." A villager nearby said, "Isn't it Shuangzizhai? That's a place with two big mountains in front and behind, and the village is right between the two mountains."

Zhang and the old lady suddenly realized what was going on. The old Taoist priest said, "This child's aunt is very good to him, isn't she? You don't know, the better the aunt is to him, the worse his fate is. If I'm not mistaken, this child was born on the day his aunt got married, right? All his good fortune was taken away by his aunt. If his aunt hadn't been good to him, he could have been better off. It's a pity that his aunt is too good to him!"

After hearing this, both Zhang and the old lady turned pale. Zhang, thinking about the engagement that had just taken place, swallowed hard and asked, "So my son and her daughter are engaged..."

The old Taoist priest suddenly looked up at Zhang: "Foolish! If this marriage goes through, your son will at least lose a hand or a foot, or worse, lose his life!"

Zhang was so frightened that she fell to the ground. The old lady asked tremblingly, "Master, can you solve this?"

"Whether you resolve it or not is entirely up to you, after all, she is the child's own aunt."

Everyone was stunned when they realized that everything was fine except for Zhang's case. They stood quietly to the side, waiting to see what else Zhang and her family wanted to ask.

After a long silence, Zhang asked, "Master, if we want to find the solution, what should we do?"

The old Taoist stroked his beard. “If you want to break off the engagement, you can’t agree to it. You have to cancel it. Her aunt gave the child something before. Keep it all safe and return it. I’ll draw a talisman for you and put it in the package when you return the items.”

As he spoke, the old Taoist priest made a flourish of his brush and drew a strange talisman on a piece of yellow paper, which he then handed to the old woman and accepted six coins.

Just as the old lady and Zhang were about to leave, they heard a child's scream. Fearing something had happened to their child, the villagers quickly asked, "Who's wrong?"

"It's Quan Ge! He fell from the tree!"

Zhang's eyes widened, and she pushed through the crowd and ran away, with the old lady following closely behind.

The old Taoist priest stroked his beard and asked, "Has their engagement been set for more than a few days?"

The villagers started talking all at once.

"I heard that the other side wasn't happy about it even a few days after it was set. It was the girl's aunt who insisted on marrying her daughter to her nephew, and that's how the marriage was arranged."

The old Taoist priest exclaimed, "How foolish!"

As he was packing his things to leave, the villagers hurriedly called out, "Master, Master, please take a look at me too."

The old Taoist priest shook his head: "I won't look at it today. It would reveal too many heavenly secrets. I will come to your village again in the future. Let's look at it next time."

After saying that, he carried the bamboo pole and canvas away.

The villagers watched his retreating figure stride away and said regretfully, "We wonder when the master will return."

"Go check on Wang Quan. If he doesn't recover properly, it might really be like what that old Taoist priest said: he'll lose his hand and leg."

The old Taoist priest, who had just left the village and reached the mountain path, quickly took off his outer robe and hat, rubbed off the stuff stuck to his face with his beard, put away his canvas and bamboo pole, and rushed toward the mule cart parked on the other side of the mountain path.

Zhang Qingqing, Lin Chuntao, and Lin Qingqing were sitting in the donkey cart.

"Sanbao, how is it?"

Sanbao's eyes lit up: "It's done! This is too incredible. Qingqing, your cousin, after I told him that if he didn't break off the engagement, I would cut off his arms and legs, and then guess what, he fell off the tree!"

Lin Qingqing was stunned.

"Oh, really, your arms and legs are broken?"

Sanbao shook his head: "I don't know, I ran away quickly, I was too nervous."

Lin Qingqing took a deep breath. "I hope he's alright." Wang Quan is mentally challenged, and this wasn't his idea, so she couldn't blame him.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Lin Chuntao said, "There shouldn't be any problems. You guys go back now, I'm going back too."

Lin Qingqing said, "Sister Chuntao, thank you!"

"You're welcome. If they come to break off the engagement, I'll talk to you."

After saying that, Lin Chuntao got off the mule cart and went back to the village, while Lin Qingqing and the others drove the mule cart back to the county town.

Everything is ready; now we're just waiting for the Wang family to break off the engagement.

Wang Quan fell from a tree and dislocated his ankle. He had to ask the village doctor to set it.

After bringing Wang Quan home, Zhang Shi gathered up all the things Wang Shi had given Wang Quan and packed them all together. After finishing, she said to the old lady, "Mother, for Quan-ge'er's sake, we have to break off this engagement!"

The old lady nodded as she looked at her eldest grandson's tearful face.

"Go now."

Lin Chuntao went to the new house first after entering the village. The only part of the courtyard wall that was not finished was the front gate. It was left to be finished. Sun Hu and the others started building the roof beams, installing windows and doors today. After that, they would lay thatch and wait for the roof to be built. Then they would install the courtyard wall and gate, and the house would be completely finished.

The trees haven't been cut down yet, but Lin Chuntao and her group went to the other side of the forest to look at the trees and selected three. These three trees will be all the timber Lin Chuntao needs for building the house, including the bed and cabinets.

The house wasn't finished yet; the bed and cabinets hadn't been moved in. Lin Chuntao had visited Sun Hu's house and was quite satisfied with the workmanship.

Yu Meixi said to Lin Chuntao, "Chuntao, we're installing doors, windows, and roof beams today. We estimate we'll start laying the roof later, and by the third day of the tenth lunar month at the latest, we'll be all done. You can then go and check on the moving date."

That means in four more days.

After living in the old house for so long, she could finally move into her own house. Besides having a housewarming party, since she had lived in the village head's old house for so long, she decided to buy each of the elderly couple a piece of clothing as a way of thanking them when she went to get her bedding.

As Lin Chuntao came out of the new house, she saw a group of people appear at the entrance of the village.

She stood there and watched as the person went to Lin Qingqing's house.

Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, "They arrived in less than half a day."

Because Lin Qingqing had not yet been found, and she had fought Li Honghua to the point of bloodshed, the atmosphere in the third branch of the Lin family was somber. Even the usually lively Lin Jiaye and his family were much quieter, afraid of accidentally stirring up trouble.

Lin Changhua and Wang Shi also had a big argument, and at this point neither of them spoke to the other.

At this moment, the Wang family suddenly arrived, carrying a large package. Wang thought that her family had come to deliver the engagement date. Lin Qingqing was nowhere to be found. If the old lady found out, wouldn't she scold her terribly?

She propped her face up and opened the door. Before she could even say a word, her sister-in-law, Zhang, threw a package into her arms!

"Oh, Wang Yuqin! I was wondering why you were so kind, sending things to Quan Ge'er every year. I even thought you were a good aunt, but I never expected you to be so vicious!"

Wang was stunned, and everyone in the Lin family was stunned when they heard this.

They then realized that Wang had been sending gifts to her nephew's family every year, and that big bag in her arms was full of them.

"Sister-in-law, what do you mean?" She gave her own nephew something, and he got it wrong?

Madam Zhang said, "I was so surprised to learn that my son was so chubby and clever when he was born. How did he end up like this? Now I know the reason. From now on, you must never set foot in my house again. Quan'er will pretend that you are not his aunt. As for the marriage, please return the betrothal gifts and other items. We are not worthy of this marriage!"

Zhang's face turned ashen. Because of this marriage, Lin Qingqing had disappeared, the Lin family disliked her, and now even her own family was dissatisfied with her.

Did they know that Lin Qingqing had run away?

But what does this have to do with the things she gave Wang Quan?

"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying!"

Zhang raised her chin, looking furious. The old lady next to her said, "Yuqin, just listen to your sister-in-law. Call off this marriage. It's better for Quan'er."

"Why are you so good to Quan Ge'er?" Wang asked, pressing for details. Zhang snorted coldly, "If you want to know, I can tell you. Today, I went to a fortune teller, and the master said that you are unlucky for Quan Ge'er. You will get married when Quan Ge'er is born. Every time you take these small favors, you are taking away Quan Ge'er's good fortune. It is because of you that Quan Ge'er has become like this!"

Hearing this, Wang's eyes widened, and she shook her head repeatedly, "That's impossible!"

“What’s impossible? The master also said that this marriage could at least break Quan’er’s arms and legs, or at worst, kill him. Wang Yuqin, this morning Quan’er fell from a tree and broke his leg! Isn’t that a fact?”

Wang was stunned. Not only Wang, but everyone in the Lin family was stunned. They found it absurd and even wanted to laugh. Where did this master come from?

Lin Jiaye almost burst out laughing, but he quickly covered his mouth and glared at her fiercely.

"Hurry up and bring back the betrothal gifts, then we can pretend this engagement was never made."

Being engaged and then having the engagement broken off, even though the other party was mentally challenged, would definitely affect Lin Qingqing's future marriage prospects. Wang's mind was buzzing.

Seeing Wang Shi standing there in a daze, Lin Qingqing's grandmother immediately said, "They've already come to our door demanding the return of the betrothal gifts, why aren't you taking them out? What are you staring at?"

Wang looked at her blankly. The old lady was in a bad mood and said fiercely, "What are you looking at me for? Go get it!" In her opinion, even if it had an impact, it was still better than letting Lin Qingqing marry a fool.

Pressed down by her mother-in-law, Wang went into the room and took out all those things.

Zhang took the things and turned to leave!

After her sister-in-law left, Wang looked at her mother, only to see the old lady saying to her, "For the sake of Quan'er, you should try not to come back in the future. Just live your life well."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Wang fell to the ground, tears streaming down her lifeless, bewildered eyes.

The Lin family's courtyard was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear the sound of the breeze.

Lin Changhua looked at the package on the ground, then kicked it out of the courtyard gate. Wang Shi hurriedly got up and picked it up.

The engagement was called off, but Lin Qingqing still hasn't been found.

Holding the package, Wang was unsure whether she felt regret or hatred, or perhaps nothing at all, just an empty space, devoid of anything.

Her nephew, born on the day of her wedding, was chubby and fair-skinned. She even bought him a silver bracelet on her return visit home. She felt guilty at the time for not being able to hold him right away.

Wang Quansheng was fair-skinned and chubby, and very obedient. Every year, she would use her savings to buy him a piece of cloth, make him a piece of clothing, or make him a pair of pants. She was afraid that Lin Changhua would object, so she always gave it to him secretly.

After all these years of giving, it turns out that giving things still took away Wang Quan's good fortune?

Zhang's voice was quite loud; everyone in the neighborhood could hear it clearly.

Lin Qingqing's engagement was broken off. Wang Shi had offended her nephew's good fortune, and her family told her never to come back to her parents' home again.

When Li Honghua, who was lying in bed, heard the child talking about breaking off the engagement, she laughed twice, then pulled at her wound and cried out in pain.

Before noon, the news of the annulment of the engagement had spread throughout the village.

Everyone was whispering among themselves. This Wang family insisted on marrying their daughter to that mentally challenged nephew, and now look what happened, the mentally challenged family doesn't want her anymore. She was jilted by a mentally challenged man. It's really a nasty thing to talk about.

Since they were from the same village, and Lin Qingqing had run away, everyone only talked about it in private and didn't dare to approach Lin Changhua and his family.

In the afternoon, Lin Chuntao and the others were working in the yard when Sun sighed a few times.

"I wonder how Qingqing is doing? Where is she staying? I hope she's safe and sound. The adults are making such a fuss, it's like a theatrical performance. If something happens to her, it would be such a waste."

Lin Chuntao said, "Good people are always protected by heaven. Grandma, don't worry, Qingqing will definitely be alright."

Madam Sun sighed again, turned to Lin Chuntao and said, "We've been searching for so many days and still haven't found it. How can we not be worried?"

Aunt Guizhi knew that Lin Chuntao and the others had gone to look for them. That very night, she even borrowed a mule cart from her. When they returned, they said they hadn't found them. Chuntao was slightly better off, but Chunxing was completely dejected.

But she noticed yesterday that Lin Chunxing was no longer so discouraged; on the contrary, she was quite happy.

Aunt Guizhi suspected that Lin Chuntao and her group had found Lin Qingqing, but they did not tell Lin Changhua what they meant.

Then think about how the Wang family came to break off the engagement today. They made such a ridiculous statement, saying that the Wang family had ruined their nephew's good fortune and that he had even met a master. How come no master had been able to predict this for so many years, but today's master has already predicted this?

Thinking about it carefully, it's just too coincidental. It's just that the Wang family cherishes their eldest grandson and eldest son too much and underestimates Wang Shi, which is why they rushed to break off the engagement.

If she wasn't mistaken, Lin Qingqing would probably come home in a few days.

Sun didn't pay attention to these things, but was genuinely worried about the younger generation, Lin Qingqing. Aunt Guizhi interrupted and asked Lin Chuntao, "Chuntao, I heard from Madam Yu that your house will be finished in three or four days. Will you move in as soon as it's finished? If so, you can go and choose an auspicious date."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I was just about to say that. We'll move in as soon as the house is built and cleaned up. We'll move as soon as possible. Auntie and Grandma, I'll have to ask you all to help me cook for a day when we move into our new house. I'll treat everyone to a meal."

Sun said, "Just tell me which day you want to move in. Do you still need to invite anyone?"

Aunt Guizhi chimed in, "That's right."

Lin Chuntao looked at Hu Shi and Deng Shi, "You two aunts also need to help me. Pei Ying and I didn't have a wedding banquet. My uncle's relatives weren't even notified. I'll take advantage of the move to invite them over. There are a lot of people in our village, so we'll probably have to eat at many tables."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, they were somewhat surprised. Madam Hu asked, "Are you going to hold a banquet?"

Lin Chuntao shook her head: "It's just a meal, not a banquet."

Madam Deng said, "You didn't have a banquet when you and Xiao Pei got married. Moving is a big deal, and you might only move once every few decades. Why don't you just hold a banquet?" What Madam Deng really wanted to say was that since it was such a big event, she would have to give gifts to other people's families. It would be better to just keep an account, notify everyone, and let them come if they wanted to, and it wouldn't matter if they didn't want to.

Given the current relationship between the families, it would be troublesome to invite them to meals repeatedly without accepting gifts.

After listening to her third daughter-in-law's words, Madam Sun shared her thoughts with Lin Chuntao.

Lin Chuntao hissed coldly and said, "What Grandma said makes sense. Let's hold a banquet then, and each family can borrow a table."

Mrs. Hu said, "Don't worry about that. Just bring two sheets from each family."

Lin Chuntao nodded, "Then I'll go to Grandpa's to check the almanac later."

The moving date was chosen to be the eighth day of the tenth lunar month. The next day, Lin Chuntao went to see Lin Qingqing, told her about breaking off the engagement, and also talked about moving.

"Come back when we move."

Lin Qingqing remained silent, while Lin Chuntao said, "You can't stay away forever, so take this opportunity to go back. You had dinner at my house that day too."

If she suddenly went back on an ordinary day, everyone would definitely be watching her. But that day, Lin Chuntao was hosting a party, and it was lively, so maybe no one would notice her.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get out if I go back." Lin Qingqing was still a little worried. Lin Chuntao said, "Then, should you tell your parents about this?"

Lin Qingqing said, "I'll go back after I get my first month's salary."

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly, respecting her decision, and advised, "People outside are treacherous. Think things through carefully. If you have any difficulties, you can talk to me or Chunxing."

Lin Qingqing nodded. "Sister, I know."

After finishing her business, Lin Chuntao was about to leave when Lin Qingqing hurriedly called out to her, "Sister, do you know how my mother is...?"

Lin Chuntao shook her head, not wanting to say anything, but after hesitating for a moment she spoke anyway.

"She must be feeling terrible. It's a good thing to see some relationships clearly when you're young. It's definitely painful to realize in your fifties that the family members you deeply love and trust don't actually love you at all."

Lin Qingqing pursed her lips. "Sister, I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

Lin Chuntao looked at Lin Qingqing, thinking of the first day they cut weeds in the field, and how she and Lin Chuntao held hands intimately. They were just thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls. Lin Chuntao patted her head.

“You did nothing wrong. Even if your mother is in pain, the root cause is your maternal grandmother and your uncles, not you.”

Lin Qingqing nodded, and Lin Chuntao said, "I'm leaving now, I still have things to take care of at home."

On the third day of the tenth lunar month, the house was completed, but it hadn't been cleaned yet.

Yu Meixi said to Lin Chuntao, "Chuntao, we'll come back tomorrow to clean your house and move your bed and cabinets in. That'll be all done!"

"Go and take another look tomorrow, and see if there's anything we haven't done properly!"

Lin Chuntao nodded in agreement and said to Yu Meixi, "Then we'll take a look tomorrow, and settle the bill after we're done. By the way, the tree hasn't been cut down yet."

Sun Hu said, "If we have enough time, we'll do the chopping tomorrow; if not, we'll do it the day after. Chun Tao, is that alright with you?"

"Okay, thank you for your hard work these past few days!"

After seeing Yu Meixi and the others off, the sisters were very excited and shouted that they wanted to go to the new house for a walk.

Actually, they had watched the house gradually being built over the past few days and had gone inside to look around many times, but today seemed a little different because the house was finished. Tomorrow, all they had to do was clean the house, move their things in, and they could move into their new house.

The thought of living in a new house made not only Lin Chunxing and the others excited, but Lin Chuntao couldn't help but feel happy too.

There was also a well in the backyard, which made Lin Chuntao very happy that she wouldn't have to fetch water anymore.

The courtyard was very large, and the three sisters ran around inside, going through one gate and coming out through another. Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying stood in the main courtyard, and she said to Pei Ying, "Once we move in, we'll plan the details, plant some bamboo, plant some flowers and grass, and we can also build a small vegetable garden."

Pei Ying took her hand and softly agreed, "Okay, you arrange it, and I'll do it."

Lin Chuntao laughed upon hearing this. She looked up at the sky, where the colors of the evening sky were beautiful. White clouds tinged the blue sky, and a wisp of colorful sunset hung in the middle, colors that no painter could mix. It was breathtaking.

The next day, Yu Meixi and her group brought the bed, tables, and chairs. They swept the dust off the ground and wiped the doors and windows of the house in the front yard. After moving the bed inside, they wiped it again. They cleaned very carefully, and Lin Chuntao was quite surprised by their service.

Although the house cost a lot of money to build, Yu Meixi and the others didn't cause her any trouble. Lin Chuntao paid the final payment and gave her a red envelope as a token of her gratitude.

It was quite interesting. Yu Meixi also made one. The two of them looked at the red envelopes in each other's hands and suddenly laughed. Yu Meixi said first, "Little sister, your brother and I may not have time to come when you move. We'll make you a red envelope first to congratulate you on moving to your new home."

Lin Chuntao accepted it without hesitation.

"On the evening of the eighth day of the lunar new year, you and my brother must come for dinner. If Lao Ma and the others are free, you should also invite them. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Thank you."

Yu Meixi refused to accept the money, repeatedly saying, "Sister, this is what we should do."

Lin Chuntao said, "I've been building this for over a month, and I know you've all been helping me rush the work every day. You've all worked so hard, so please accept this as a treat for us to have a hot pot. Please take it, sister-in-law."

Lin Chuntao shoved it directly into Yu Meixi's hand.

After the bill was settled, Sun Hu and his men cut down the trees and hauled them away in the afternoon, and the matter was finally settled.

While Lin Chuntao and the others were cutting down trees, Niu Hongxi and his group also cut down two trees and sold them for five taels of silver.

Sun Hu and his group took away the main trunk, and Lin Chuntao and the others kept the pruned branches for firewood. They brought them all home. The trees were big and had lush foliage, leaving a large pile of branches from the three trees. Fortunately, Sun Hu and his group also helped bring some back.

After the new house was cleaned, it was very clean and bright. The windows were large, so the light was great. The rooftop was made of new slabs, and the walls were made of yellow clay. But because straw had been pounded inside, the color wasn't dark. It looked very clean, which made me feel happy.

After the sisters were assigned rooms, Lin Duo'er and Lin Chuntao said, "Sister, I really want to move in tonight."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Tomorrow we'll go to the county town and buy the straw mats to put on. I'll also check if the quilts and covers are ready. We'll bring them back early to wash and dry them, and we'll move in on the eighth day of the new year."

"Okay! Sister, will we each have our own blanket?"

Lin Chuntao clicked her tongue. "You don't believe me? That's right, one bed per person."

Lin Chunhe laughed from the side, "If we don't each have our own bed, are we going to take turns using the same bed tonight and then you using the same bed tomorrow night?"

Lin Chunxing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Lin Duo'er snorted at Lin Chunhe, "I'm angry!"

Lin Chunhe imitated her movements, and the two sisters immediately started playing around, chasing each other in the yard.