Chapter 9 Molly is getting married

The Zhao family's courtyard was already piled high with firewood, but Li Xiaoju didn't tell Molly to stop, explaining that there would be plenty of firewood to burn in winter, and it was better to have extra just in case.

Molly spent her days gathering firewood and searching for mushrooms, traversing many mountains and venturing into very deep places.

One day, she discovered a small patch of wild yams.

Because of the drought, the yams didn't grow very well, only as thick as a little finger, but they were very long, with the longest one even longer than Molly's.

Molly digs up nine stalks every day, three for herself, three for Ji and Feng, and three for her sister.

With her feeding, her sister's complexion improved a lot, but she was still very thin.

The work in the fields lasted for about ten days, and it's finally finished.

"The brigade has decided to dig an irrigation canal, one from the neighboring town. The team leader said that once the canal is completed, our brigade will have water to irrigate our fields in winter," Li Xiaoju said excitedly.

It was early autumn, and if the sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes that had been planted were not irrigated and were left to rely on the weather, the harvest would be worrisome.

Mo He and Zhao Shangxun were also very excited. Zhao Shangxun grabbed Mo He's hand and said, "Xiao He, we won't have to go hungry this winter."

Mo He nodded, her eyes red.

"The brigade leader said that each family should send two people with their own food rations. In order to complete the irrigation canal as soon as possible, the people who went to dig the canal would live in the wild and not go home at night."

As she said this, Li Xiaoju looked at Molly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

The digging of the irrigation ditch was urgent. Before dawn the next day, Mo He and Zhao Shangxun went out. When Molly got up, she only saw the two of them leaving side by side.

"Stop looking, come sit down, I have something to tell you."

Li Xiaoju brought out two stools, sat on one herself, and gestured for Mo He to sit on the other.

"Everyone in the village calls you a burden, you know that?" Li Xiaoju got straight to the point. This Molly looked a bit silly, and she was afraid that if she spoke too euphemistically, the other person wouldn't understand.

"I know." Molly had a bad feeling.

"Is your sister good to you?" Li Xiaoju continued to ask.

"Okay." That's beyond question.

"Since you know your sister is good to you, how can you bear to be a burden to her?" Li Xiaoju's voice suddenly rose. "You are not your sister's child. Your sister has no responsibility or obligation to raise you. Your sister has already worked hard enough. How can you bear to be a burden to her?"

Molly was speechless, wanting to say that she could work and support herself, but Li Xiaoju didn't give her a chance to speak, and continued, "Your sister will have her own child soon, and then her burden will only get heavier and heavier. If you continue to stay by your sister's side, are you trying to drag her down?"

"........"

"I may not necessarily drag my sister down with me, but it's true that your Zhao family can't tolerate me."

"You're not stupid; you know your place. Since you know we can't tolerate you, then leave today."

"Okay, I'm leaving."

It wasn't because the Zhao family couldn't tolerate her. She wasn't afraid of Li Xiaoju, Zhao Shangxun, or those disdainful looks and harsh words... She just didn't want her sister to work so hard for her sake and ruin her health.

Because of her presence, my sister was treated as inferior in the Zhao family, forced to do the hardest work and endure her mother-in-law's temper.

She couldn't bear to see her sister working so hard.

After leaving the Zhao family, Molly didn't want to go back to the Mo family. She wanted to have her own house, but she only had two yuan saved up, which was one hundred and ninety-eight yuan short of two hundred yuan.

Molly looked towards the foot of the mountain, at the few lonely houses, and a bold idea came to her mind: she could marry Ji Hefeng, then she would have a house.

Molly didn't consider whether Ji Hefeng would marry her; all she cared about was the house. She hurried to Ji Hefeng's house, where he was washing up and Aunt Guihua was cooking breakfast for him in the kitchen.

Ji Hefeng was somewhat surprised to see her. "Is something the matter?"

Molly glanced at Aunt Guihua but didn't say anything.

"Sit down first, we'll talk later."

After washing up, Ji Hefeng sat down at the dining table with his cane. Breakfast was served then, a bowl of sweet potato porridge in an enamel basin.

"This is Molly? Jian'an mentioned her to me." Aunt Guihua looked Molly up and down, wondering why this little girl was running to someone else's house so early in the morning, especially the house of a man living alone.

"Yes, that's Molly. Molly, this is Jian'an's mother, you can call her Aunt Guihua."

"Aunt Guihua."

"Hello."

The atmosphere was a little awkward. Aunt Guihua wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Then I'll go back first and come back in the evening. You don't need to wash the dishes after you finish eating; I'll wash them when I come back."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Auntie."

After Aunt Guihua left, Ji Hefeng tapped the table with his long fingers. "Speak, what brings you here?"

Molly took a few steps and sat down in front of Ji Hefeng, her dark eyes staring intently at him. "Ji Hefeng, will you marry me?"

Ji Hefeng was stunned.

"I can gather firewood, dig for wild vegetables, hunt, and roast meat..."

"stop!"

Ji Hefeng sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Molly, you're only sixteen this year, aren't you?"

"No, she's already seventeen."

"Seventeen is still young. Do you know how old I am? I'm twenty-four, seven or eight years younger than you. We're not a good match in terms of age."

"They're only seven or eight years old, not seventy or eighty."

"..." This girl's openness opened his eyes.

“The Zhao family kicked me out, and I don’t want to go back and burden my sister. The Mo family won’t accept me either. They say no one will want to marry me, Ji Hefeng. Do you also look down on me?”

"Your physical defect is not your fault, and you don't need to feel inferior because of it."

"But you despise me, so you don't want to marry me."

"That's not the reason. Like Jian'an, I only see you as a younger sister."

"I can't be your sister. We're not blood-related siblings, so I can't rightfully move in here."

"......."

It turns out they weren't after him as a person, but rather his house.

"You're so eager to marry me, even if I suddenly die on the battlefield one day?"

"Hmm. Besides you, I don't know who else I could marry."

"Okay, I'll marry you."

I married you just to give you a place to stay.

Molly couldn't move in without a clear explanation, so that evening, Ji Hefeng invited the brigade leader and Zhao Jian'an's parents to be his and Molly's witnesses.

"You said just a few days ago that you had no plans to get married." Aunt Guihua couldn't understand what was wrong with Ji Hefeng this time. Why would he marry someone with a physical disability instead of someone who was physically able?

"I suddenly wanted to get married." Ji Hefeng didn't quite understand why he agreed.

The captain's expression was complicated. "Marriage is not a game. Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through. Molly isn't old enough to get a marriage certificate yet. I'll submit the marriage application to my superiors once she turns eighteen."

Captain: "It's fine once you've thought it through."

The brigade leader and Zhao Jian'an's parents had a meal at Ji Hefeng's house and gave their blessings to the newlyweds. Molly and Ji Hefeng were now officially married.

Their wedding was rushed, hurried, simple, and they couldn't even gather enough people for a table.

Ji Hefeng felt like he was dreaming. He turned to look at Molly beside him and saw her beaming with joy, her whole being coming alive.

That's fine, let it be.