It would be strange if Song Yan wasn't curious; Aunt Wei was known for her exceptionally good temper. But she was furious today, and Liu Shitou clearly didn't dare to breathe too loudly. Moreover, it seemed that Liu Shitou also knew about the grudges and grievances of the older generation.

The Liu family is clearly in the wrong.

When Song Yan arrived at the brigade leader's courtyard, she realized she hadn't asked where the Liu family lived. She turned around and walked back.

The brigade leader's wife chased after him, "Song Zhiqing, why are you leaving like this?"

Song Yan smiled and said, "My mother-in-law is going to Wei Ping's aunt's house. I wanted to borrow a carriage, but I forgot to ask where she lives. I need to go back and ask."

Before and after the New Year, villagers would visit relatives, and those traveling far would borrow horse-drawn carriages from the village. If the relatives were on the same road, several families would arrange to travel together. Whoever was visiting the farthest relatives would manage the carriage. On the return trip, they would then bring the villagers back. If all the carriages were already booked, then there would be no one to use them.

"Oh, it's the Liu family. They live in Daxi Ridge Village. Come in and ask your uncle if he still has a car." The brigade leader's wife warmly ushered Song Yan into the house. These educated youths were all benefactors to her husband.

Song Yan politely explained his purpose.

“Daxi Ridge Village is far away. If you plan to go and return on the same day, you’ll have to get up early!” the brigade leader asked.

“That’s what my mother-in-law said,” Song Yan said.

"Alright, I'll leave you a carriage. If you're still heading towards Daxi Ridge, have him find you. Who's going from your family? Do you know how to drive?" The captain asked with concern. "Or should I find you a driver?"

Song Yan: "Xiao Hu can drive the carriage, he'll go with us tomorrow."

“Your two families haven’t seen each other for many years, have you? Relatives always get closer the more they visit each other,” said the brigade leader’s wife.

"What do you know? That's their business. If you plan to go back that day, be sure to come back as soon as possible. The road over there is remote, and there used to be wolves at night; it's not safe," the captain instructed.

They meant well, so Song Yan naturally listened attentively.

Clearly, the brigade leader's wife knew about the Wei family's affairs, and Song Yan had set the stage for it. "Auntie, my mother's temper is as good as it gets. But I've noticed that she doesn't like the Liu family."

One sentence was enough to elicit a whole lot of gossip from the brigade leader's wife.

"Wei Aiguo's father was the eldest son, with a younger brother and a younger sister. He only got married after his younger brother and sister were all married."

Therefore, Uncle Wei's children are older than his eldest brother's children.

Wei Xiaogu met Liu Wang when all the brigades sent people to repair the roads that year.

At that time, the concept of free love and marriage autonomy had just begun to emerge. Wei Xiaogu took a liking to Liu Wang and was determined to marry him.

The older brother never intended to sell his sister, but he still had to inquire about the man's family.

Daxi Ridge Village is located deep in the mountains, making it inconvenient to travel out, and the village is even poorer. Liu Wang's family isn't exactly known for their good character; his mother is notoriously difficult to deal with. Such a mother-in-law is hard to please.

Therefore, the elder brother disagreed with his sister's marriage. But Wei Xiaogu was determined to marry him, and even threatened to go on a hunger strike.

That's how the marriage was arranged, and his brother predicted everything that would happen after the wedding.

Wei Xiaogu's mother-in-law was exceptionally cruel to her daughter-in-law. And since Wei Xiaogu hadn't had a child in two years of marriage, her mother-in-law became even more ruthless.

Once, when Aiguo's father went to visit, he saw that his younger sister had a bruised and swollen face. Under questioning, Wei Xiaogu said that she had been beaten by her mother-in-law.

His own sister was being bullied like this, how could he stand for it? Aiguo's father was a formidable figure, a renowned hunter for the surrounding area.

He beat Liu Wang so badly that he couldn't get off the bed.

Wei Xiaogu's mother-in-law said her family was unlucky, having married a barren woman. They didn't want such a daughter-in-law.

When the older brother got angry, he actually brought his younger sister back home.

With the Liu family's reputation, where would he find a wife? Two months later, Liu Wang came to pick up his wife.

He swore that he would never let his mother touch his wife again. Even if his wife couldn't have children, he wouldn't mind.

And so, Aunt Wei went back home.

She didn't have any more children after that. Later, she had a child. That child seemed to be a little older than Aiguo.

The older folks always say that if you don't have any children, you can just ask someone else to bring you children. And that was true in her family. Later, Aunt Wei got pregnant, and the child she was carrying was her only son, Liu Shitou.

Your mother-in-law is someone who rarely loses her temper. I saw her lose her temper that one time, so I remember it very well.

It seems your father-in-law went to visit your sister and found out that her family was treating the baby badly because your sister-in-law was pregnant. Your mother-in-law is a kind person, and she couldn't bear to hear this, so she got very angry.

When Aunt Wei was trying to conceive, I heard the baby was very healthy. But before her own child was born, that baby died. It's really hard to say what really happened.

At that time, your husband was seriously ill, very ill. By the time he recovered, he was emaciated. Your father-in-law didn't have time to visit his sister. Later, you heard that the child she wanted had died.

It seems that your mother-in-law's family stopped having contact with them after that.

The reason why the brigade leader's wife knew so much was because she had relatives in Daxiling Village.

…

The Liu family's way of doing things is really... The mother-in-law said that Liu Shitou is the eldest son of the younger sister, which means that his family did not rank the child they wanted.

No wonder my mother-in-law said, "These two children call your sister-in-law 'Auntie,' but they haven't called her 'Mother' yet." She dotes on these two children like they're her own eyes. There are countless heartless people in the world; they'd all leave your family.

There must be something fishy about that child's death.

Song Yan also dislikes the Liu family!

Seeing Liu Shitou eating so heartily at lunchtime, Song Yan had originally planned to bring him something. However, she decided to remain silent; her mother-in-law's word was law—she would only bring what her mother-in-law said she would, otherwise she wouldn't.