Chapter 74

The Chen family is now in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward. When Meng Qi and his group arrived this morning, they had already attracted the attention of the villagers.

At this moment, everyone in the village gathered in front of Chen Qing's house, ready to watch the excitement.

The Chen family had a bad reputation in the village, and for some reason, the village children, who should have been as resilient as reeds, were particularly difficult to raise in their village, where many families only had one child.

The Chen family had many children, so they were very proud in the village. Because they had many brothers, they could bully other children of the same age in the village at will.

In recent years, it seems that the Chen family has been punished. Chen Dabao, who got married early, still has no children, and the other brothers in the Chen family are also unable to have children.

The villagers vented their anger, but they still didn't dare to openly break ties with the Chen family until today.

The people guarding Chen Laosan's house all looked like people you couldn't afford to mess with; their swords gleamed coldly in the blazing sun.

Chen Hu's other two sons, who were pregnant with twins, rushed home, grabbed kitchen knives, and led the way, shouting, "What are you afraid of? Let's fight them!"

The two of them stepped forward and met Zhou Yuan's gaze as he stood at the door. Zhou Yuan had been suppressing his anger for the past two days. He did not consider the Chen family to be Chen Qing's relatives; they were merely the murderers who had harmed Chen Qing.

Grandma Chen pulled the two brothers back and stepped forward herself. She looked around at the people guarding the front of the house, but Chen Qing was nowhere to be seen.

She chuckled: "How much did that slut Chen Qing pay you to come here?"

Zhou Yuan disliked what Old Mrs. Chen was saying, labeling Chen Qing with the word "cheap" over and over again. So he didn't say anything, but instead looked at Old Mrs. Chen, flicked his wrist, and a dagger flew out, grazing Old Mrs. Chen's face, taking her headscarf with it, and embedding itself in a tree not far away.

The sensation of the dagger grazing her cheek made Old Mrs. Chen's knees buckle instantly, and she collapsed to the ground, leaving small watermarks on the already dry floor.

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice, "If I hear you curse Aqing again, your head will be the one flying out next."

The twin brothers rushed forward, trying to slash Zhou Yuan with their knives. Before they could even see Zhou Yuan's movements clearly, the kitchen knives flew out of their hands, and Zhou Yuan caught one in each hand effortlessly.

Then the other people from the escort agency came forward. Chen Qing heard the noise and ran out. When he saw Zhou Yuan confronting the Chen family, he immediately went up and down to check on Zhou Yuan, afraid that he would get hurt again.

Zhou Yuan touched his hair: "I'm fine."

Then Chen Qing saw Old Mrs. Chen slumped on the ground and her two older brothers who had just been disciplined.

Chen Qing walked up to Old Mrs. Chen and looked down at her. Old Mrs. Chen was still trembling. The boy who was always timid and hesitant in her memory had grown up. In the past, how could he have dared to stand in front of her and speak?

“The house was built by my father and my stepfather, and this land also belongs to them. Whether you burn it down or level it, I will not let your family enjoy the house that they worked hard for half their lives to get.” Chen Qing’s voice was steady, without the trembling it used to be.

"I just don't understand, they're all your children, how can you be so biased?" These are the questions that Father should have asked himself, but Father will never be able to ask them again.

"What do you mean 'my child'? He's just a bastard." Old Mrs. Chen couldn't stand up because she was wet. "I've already been merciful by giving him food and raising him. What more do you want from me!"

It turns out that Chen Qing's father was not Chen's mother's biological son at all, but was brought back from outside by Chen's grandfather. Chen's mother firmly believed that he was an illegitimate child born outside by Chen's grandfather, so she would beat and scold her father at any time and thought it would be better if he died.

After receiving the money from the murderer, she felt that Chen's father finally had some value in living. His foolish husband even wanted to report her to the authorities, so she also gave him a good scolding.

It wasn't until Chen Qing sold himself and never came back that she felt her life was finally at peace. She never expected that the bastard's son would dare to come back and cause them trouble!

Hearing what Old Mrs. Chen said, Chen Qingcai finally felt relieved: "No wonder it was like this."

Although Old Mrs. Chen was not kind, Father was filial. Even when their own family was poor, they would still give Old Mrs. Chen money. Presumably, this was to thank her for raising them. Father had already repaid enough.

"No matter how much trouble you cause today, I will never let your family live in this house again," Chen Qing said. "I have official documents from the government and the deed for this land. If you still want to cause trouble, we won't hold back. No matter what, I'm in the right."

"You little..." Old Mrs. Chen wanted to scold Chen Qing, but she caught a glimpse of Zhou Yuan standing to the side like a demon, so she had to swallow the rest of her words.

Seeing so many people, the Chen family had no choice but to give up, and Chen Dabao's family temporarily stayed with the old lady.

Building a house in the village is no easy task. Lin didn't want to serve her parents-in-law, let alone the old lady, so she found an excuse to go back to her parents' home. The remaining Chen family members were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Chen Qing was no longer the young man they could bully. He was married, and the man he married seemed to be very rich and powerful. It was no longer possible to get anything good from him.

“He’ll leave eventually, won’t he? We can just move in after he leaves!” said Chen Hu’s unmarried daughter. “Why do we have to snatch it now?”

The girl's name is Chen Mei. Although she is eighteen years old this year, matchmakers are practically wearing out her door, but the Chen family has been picky and choosy, so she is still not married and has to sleep with her grandmother at night.

Although the Chen family had a bad reputation in the village, everyone in the village wanted to marry one of their sons or daughters, just to see if Chen Mei was as fertile as the Chen family.

“What do you, a young woman, know!” Chen Hu’s wife said. “We can’t let the eldest son still live with us now.”

Chen Mei snorted, pushed open the door, and went out.

Although the Chen family was extremely anxious, they were helpless. The whole family lived crammed together in one courtyard. Especially when they heard that Chen Qing wanted to hold a belated funeral for his two fathers, Old Mrs. Chen was so angry that she smashed the bed.

When the old man died, they didn't hold a funeral, and they couldn't even afford a coffin. They just wrapped him in a straw mat, set off a string of firecrackers, and that was it. Now, that little hussy Chen Qing wants to hold a funeral for someone who has been dead for so many years. This is a slap in their face.

They were helpless; they outnumbered the attackers, and they dared not even utter a curse, for who knew if Chen Qing, that man, might go mad?

The day after the confrontation with the Chen family, the escort agency's men went back first, leaving Meng Shuanzi there to keep watch over the house when Chen Qing and his men went out.

Chen Qing took Zhou Yuan to his father's grave.

Calling it a grave isn't quite accurate; it's just a mound that's become unrecognizable after so many years of wind and sun.

Following his memory, Chen Qing found his father's grave. Before he could even speak, he burst into tears. Zhou Yuan knelt down beside him but didn't wipe away his tears. He needed some time to vent his emotions.

"I...I'm back, Dad. I'm sorry I'm only just getting back..."

"I am unfilial, I failed to protect my father..."

"I……"

Zhou Yuan pulled him over: "Don't cry, Aqing."

“Dad, I’m married. This is Zhou Yuan. He’s a good man. If it weren’t for him, I might not have been able to come back.” Chen Qing wiped away his tears haphazardly. “I came back this time to take you back to our current home. It’s a very, very nice place. There’s no sandstorm, and lots of trees and water. It’s very, very nice.”

Chen Qing finally understood why Grandma Sun kept rambling on when she went to the grave. She always had so much to say. Zhou Yuan just quietly accompanied her. She kept talking and talking, and she even talked about the pigs she raised at home.

After a long while, Chen Qing stood up and said, "Father, I need to go see my uncle now."

Father and Uncle were not buried together. Father's grave was dug with the help of the Chen family, but Uncle's grave was dug by him alone, so it was very simple. When Chen Qing was digging, he was afraid that he would not be able to find it, so he specially found a place with a reference point. It was not far from the Hun River, and there was a poplar tree. Uncle was buried under the poplar tree.

The wind and sand are strong here, and only poplars can grow.

When Chen Qing saw the poplar tree, the sandstorm had completely blown away the grave mound. Chen Qing knelt by the tree. His feelings for his stepfather were complicated. During the time he was wandering, he actually resented him to some extent.

They could clearly live a good life together, so why do they have to be so pessimistic?

After meeting Aunt Sun and experiencing the pain of losing her son with her, Chen Qing finally understood his stepfather. He was soft-hearted and timid. In the village where the Chen family was rampant, he felt that he couldn't survive with Chen Qing. Chen Qing could get married. Should he follow her after she got married?

According to Brother Du Feng, he went to see Du Feng before he left. How desperate he must have been to go to Du Feng, who was not very old at the time.

"Little Father, I'm back." Chen Qing gently patted the ground. "I'm doing well now, can you see?"

"The husband I've found is just like you described." Chen Qing touched the ground in front of him. "You should be relieved now, right?"

Chen Qing cried too much today, and started sobbing. Later, he even started hiccuping from crying. Zhou Yuan kept patting him to calm him down, and it took a while for him to calm down.

They ate dinner at Aunt Du's house. Aunt Du cooked a lot of hometown dishes. She couldn't remember what Chen Qing liked to eat anymore. She also remembered that when Chen Qing was little, he didn't really have the right to say whether he liked something or not. It was good enough if he could fill his stomach.

After they finished their worship, Meng Shuanzi rode back to town, while Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan stayed at Aunt Du's house for dinner.

During the meal, Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing barely touched their chopsticks. Zhou Yuan spent most of the time talking to Du Feng, thinking that since Du Feng was a peddler, he must have a way to get his goods.

“I can take you there, but you’re asking for too much; they might not have that much,” Du Feng said.

"Thank you, Brother Du. Having acquaintances makes things easier."

Du Feng nodded. He didn't look at Chen Qing; he had truly let go. Aunt Du was already looking for a matchmaker, and he believed he would soon be able to attend Du Feng's wedding.

Chen Qing smiled and said, "We probably won't be able to attend Brother Du's wedding. We'll go home after things are settled here."

"Oh, right, Auntie, there's one more thing. The person who killed Aqing's father back then..."

Aunt Du slapped her forehead: "I knew I'd forgotten something! It's that person, who died two years ago."

Chen Qing stood there, stunned: "Dead? Dead?"

Zhou Yuan squeezed Chen Qing's hand, also somewhat incredulous.