Chapter 49 Leaving is better; at least I won't be bullied by Mom anymore. ...

Li Cuiping felt a mix of emotions at that moment, with anger being the majority.

She didn't know whether she hated her mother for ruining her hair or felt sad that her mother had finally revealed her true colors.

What a perfect marriage! A cripple, a lecher, an old man.

Her mother must have put in a lot of effort to find such a person.

Just to ruin her?

But why exactly?

Li Cuiping asked herself if she had ever done anything to betray her mother or her family.

When her father was alive, she could play like a real child. But since his death, she has been working like an ox, taking on all the chores, big and small, around the house.

Chen Mian always said she was silly, and she really was silly, wholeheartedly believing that she should take good care of her mother and younger brother for her father.

She felt sorry for her mother, who had raised her and her siblings all by herself. When they were young, her mother often didn't come home at night because she was busy earning money.

Li Cuiping always backed down, giving the best things to her mother and younger brother, and volunteering for the hard and tiring work.

Even now, when my baby's hair was cut, I just had tears in my eyes and wanted to ask why.

But she didn't know that some people and some things simply don't have a reason.

Looking at her daughter's hair, which looked like it had been chewed by a dog, Li Huandi felt a rare pang of guilt and unease.

She awkwardly tossed her curly hair. "Cui'er, Mom didn't mean it. I just lost control in my anger."

"How about I trim it for you again? You look good with short hair. You're still young, you don't need to grow it long."

As he spoke, he picked up the scissors again, intending to go over and trim her hair a bit.

"Don't touch my hair!" Li Cuiping immediately scoffed. "Now you're saying I'm too young? Then why were you in such a hurry to marry me off?"

Li Huandi was speechless, and feeling embarrassed, she scolded, "You brat, you went out for a while and all you learned was how to talk back?"

Li Huandi: "I was only doing that for your own good. A woman's youth only lasts a few years. In the blink of an eye, she'll be old and faded."

Of course we need to hurry up and find a husband. Mom admits that she does want you to marry a rich man, but that's for your future.

"Qian Laosi's family is really well-off. After you marry into their family, and your younger brother graduates from university, he can even take him along to do business."

Li Cuiping remained standing in front of the mirror, glancing at her mother out of the corner of her eye. When she heard the last sentence, she suddenly smiled.

"why are you laughing?"

"I laugh at you, you're such a good mother."

Li Huandi's expression softened slightly, clearly pleased with herself; she was, of course, a good mother.

But Li Cuiping paused for a moment, then continued, "You've gone to great lengths for your son, so you must be preparing such a large dowry for him, right?"

"Slap!" Li Cuiping raised her hand to cover her swollen cheek.

Li Huandi's little scheme was exposed, and she was a little angry. She immediately frowned and scolded, "What did you say? Look around here, if a family doesn't give a bride price when they get married, they'll be laughed at by others."

"I think you've really gone astray. This marriage is settled. Don't even think about going anywhere before you get married."

“Stay away from your brother too, and stop acting like a vixen all the time,” Li Huandi added.

"Mom, am I really your daughter?"

Li Cuiping felt utterly powerless. After asking the question, she seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't care whether she would get an answer or not; she just wanted to take her things and leave the house.

Never come back.

What biological mother would guard against her daughter like a thief? She used to fear her daughter seducing her husband, and now she fears her daughter seducing her son.

How ridiculous! How absurd!

Whenever Li Cuiping thinks about this, she can't help but wonder if her mother has some kind of hysteria.

Otherwise, why would such a ridiculous idea come to mind?

She couldn't understand it.

Li Cuiping shook her slightly dizzy head, and with her uneven hair still sticking out, went back into the house to get her luggage, preparing to leave.

Fortunately, she had hidden all her money with Chen Mian before going home.

Li Huandi stretched out her arms to block the doorway, preventing her from leaving.

"If I leave, who will I use to pay for my son's dowry? I've raised you all these years, and I'd be better off raising a dog. Even a dog knows to wag its tail."

Li Cuiping coldly replied, "How much money did it cost you to support me? I'll pay you back."

Upon hearing this, Li Huandi's face lit up instantly; how could she not have thought of that?

Her eyes darted around, and she made an outrageous demand: "You can leave, but give me 1,500 yuan, not a penny less."

Li Huandi thought she was a genius. First, she emptied her daughter's pockets so she couldn't run away, then she married her off—killing two birds with one stone.

Li Cuiping remained silent, silently calculating how much money she still had.

Li Huandi was standing happily at the door when she was suddenly pushed away by a strong force.

"You're dreaming, you old hag!" Chen Mian pedaled her bicycle, executed a perfect drift, and stopped right in front of the Li family's house, knocking Aunt Li aside.

"Get in the car, I'll take you away!" She winked at her friend who was standing there dumbfounded.

Li Cuiping picked up her luggage, jumped onto the back of the bicycle, and casually put her arm around Chen Mian's waist.

The black bicycle rode away into the wind and snow, carrying the two girls.

Only the youngest brother of the Li family was left standing there, bearing the brunt of his mother's anger alone.

The Chen family.

When Lin Huijun saw Li Cuiping following Chen Mian into the room, she didn't ask any questions. She simply took the luggage from Li Cuiping's hands and told her to settle down.

The stove in the main room had been restarted, and the aluminum kettle was still filled with hot water.

"You two sit down by the stove and warm yourselves up," Lin Huijun said, turning to Li Cuiping. "Tell me what you'd like to eat, and I'll make it for you."

After she finished speaking, she noticed that Li Cuiping's hair seemed to be shorter, and there were marks on her face. She couldn't help but think to herself that Li Huandi was really a scoundrel.

He was irresponsible when he was young, and now that he's old, he still bullies such a good kid.

If this were her daughter, she wouldn't bear to touch her even a single finger.

Lin Huijun took out scissors from the sewing basket and gently trimmed Li Cuiping's hair a few times.

He patted her head again, "It's okay, good girl."

Feeling the warmth on her head, Li Cuiping suddenly burst into tears. She turned around and threw herself into Lin Huijun's arms, crying loudly.

Lin Huijun didn't say anything, but continued to gently stroke her back, offering silent comfort.

After a moment, Li Cuiping gradually stopped sobbing. She raised her eyes, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said firmly, "I'm going to Xinjiang ahead of schedule. I will never be able to come back to this place in my life."

Chen Mian was surprised to hear this and quickly advised, "No, why don't you stay at my house for now? We'll go together after the fifteenth."

“No,” Li Cuiping shook her head. “She’s determined to use me to get money this time. She’s already brought me home.”

“If I don’t run away, she will definitely come to your house and cause trouble, which will ruin your New Year’s mood.”

Li Cuiping looked at Chen Mian and pleaded, "Don't worry, I can manage on my own. When I get to Xinjiang, I'll be waiting for you at the wolfberry farm."

"Okay, then you must be careful on the road."

"Yes..."

In the following days, Li Huandi indeed came to the Chen family and made a scene, demanding her daughter back.

Chen Mian didn't indulge her. He just sat down at the door with a chair and watched her throw a tantrum.

If things got too heated and attracted villagers to watch, she would start telling them about the good deeds Li Huandi had done.

After this happened several times, Li Huandi was too embarrassed to come anymore.

Only Li Yaozu sneaked over to the Chen family home, wanting to see if his sister was alright.

"Your sister has gone to another city and won't be coming back."

Li Yaozu was stunned, standing there dumbfounded. After a moment, he asked in a dry voice, "Did she say anything when she left?"

"No."

"Does she have enough money on her?" He secretly slipped a few dozen yuan into his sister's clothes; it was money he had saved from digging for wild produce.

"That's enough."

"That's good……"

Li Yaozu turned around, lowered his head, and slowly walked towards his home.

It's good that she's gone; she won't be bullied by her mother anymore.

I no longer need to be dragged down by that good-for-nothing younger brother...

The tenth day of the first lunar month.

"Crackling and popping..."

Chenjia Village was bustling with activity early in the morning.

Every household carried a table and placed it outside the courtyard gate, on which were placed cigarettes, alcohol, and red silk.

The children ran around and played, guessing where the "Shehuo" (a traditional folk performance) had gone.

Those who were eager to join the "Shehuo" troupe had already gone to their homes, hoping that the Spring Official would come to their homes first.

May the coming year bring good fortune.

"The sound of firecrackers and gongs never stops, and I wave my feather fan and say, 'I've come to pay my respects to the Spring Festival.'"

Firstly, we wish the whole family a happy reunion, and hope that good family education and traditions will be passed down from generation to generation.

Secondly, paying respects to elders brings happiness, a peaceful mind and a healthy body, and more movement leads to less anger, allowing one to enjoy a peaceful old age.

"Thirdly we come to worship Heaven, a joyous occasion with both son and daughter; sons marry and daughters are married, a perfect union..." [1]

The "Spring Official," dressed in a black robe and wearing a black hat, has finally arrived.

He wore sunglasses, was draped in several red silk ribbons, held a feather fan, and muttered incoherently, exuding the air of a scholar.

The poem recited by the Spring Official changed its content in each place he visited.

The convenience store wishes for booming business, the traditional Chinese medicine clinic wishes for miraculous healing, and the farmhouse wishes for a bountiful harvest and family harmony.

The position of Spring Official is not easily attained; it is generally filled by people of high prestige and culture within the clan, who must also be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

He speaks of mountains when he encounters mountains, and of water when he encounters water, relying on his witty doggerel or rhyming verses to travel the world.

With Chen Yongliang's literary talent, he could have become a court official, but he was too shy to do such public things.

At most, I would help prepare a few short poems in advance when the clan was making preparations.

Following the Spring Official was a whole lively folk performance troupe.

Some people were banging drums and gongs, some were performing the Yangko dance, and some even dared to do the splits on stilts.

When Chen Mian was a child, she and her younger sister were coaxed into playing the role of a money-giving boy.

Everyone in the group was wearing heavy makeup, and there was even a man dressed as a clown, also known as "the womanizer".

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Author's note: The annotations and information about Shehuo and Chunguan are adapted from online searches and should not be taken too literally.

Cuiping is finally going to live her own life! Hooray!