Chapter 340: It Won’t Last

Li Juanhua and Grandma Douzi talked for a long time in the house. Li Juanhua came out with a smile:

"Sister Chunlan, good things don't wait for anyone. Wait until Douzi comes back and talk to her. I'll come again tomorrow."

Li Juanhua walked away with pomegranate flowers on her head.

Grandma Douzi was lying on the bed, with no joy on her face. She just turned over and sighed.

Ning An didn't want to eavesdrop on people's conversation, but the thatched hut was not soundproof, so Ning An heard about 70% of it.

She heard Li Juanhua tell Douzi's grandmother that she wanted Douzi to live with Mr. Zhang.

Li Juanhua said that Douzi was already fifteen years old and had not found a husband yet. Her family was so poor and she had a grandmother who needed medical treatment and medicine. No good family would want Douzi as their daughter-in-law.

But if Douzi could marry Mr. Zhang's family and, with luck, give birth to a son for Zhang Erlang, she would never have to worry about food and clothing in the future.

Ning An was surprised to hear this.

Douzi is so thin and not tall.

Ning An always thought Douzi was younger than her, but she didn't expect that Douzi was actually one year older than her.

Ning An didn't know who Mr. Zhang was, let alone what his son Erlang looked like.

But Li Juanhua's tone of voice and Grandma Douzi's reaction made Ning An feel that something was not right.

Ning An asked the villagers.

The villagers said, "Mr. Zhang is a wealthy man in our area. His granary is so full that he can't even finish eating it all!"

"But Mr. Zhang is over sixty years old, and now his eldest son is in charge."

Ning An asked, "What about Mr. Zhang Erlang? Is he married?"

After being asked this question, the villagers spoke in a lower voice.

He told Ning An this matter, which was no longer a secret, in a tone as if he were telling a secret.

Zhang Erlang is already forty years old. He seems to have been born with a bit of stupidity. At the age of forty, he still doesn't know anything. Except for his family members, he can't recognize anyone else.

Sometimes I would go crazy and hit people and throw things uncontrollably.

Everyone said that the Zhang family must have lost some good karma when they made their fortune in their early years, and the retribution was now being shown to their descendants.

Even if there was retribution, with the wealth of Mr. Zhang's family, it would not be a problem for Zhang Erlang to get married. The Zhang family had married Zhang Erlang more than 20 years ago, and later took him a concubine.

However, it seemed that none of Zhang Erlang's wives and concubines were able to conceive. Over the years, they had only given birth to two children, both daughters, and no sons.

The Zhang family then sent people to the nearby countryside to find a girl and bring her into Zhang Erlang's room, thinking of ways to continue Zhang Erlang's family line.

The Zhang family was quite generous in this regard. When they sent someone to pick up the girl, they would give her a sum of money, which was enough to cover the food and clothing expenses of the villager's family for several years.

"You still dare to say anything good?!" Ning An was so angry that his lungs were about to explode.

Forty-year-old Zhang Erlang is almost as old as Grandma Douzi, but Li Juanhua actually wants Douzi to give birth to a child for Zhang Erlang.

Ning An regretted not grabbing Li Juanhua and throwing her out.

The villagers also saw Li Juanhua coming in the morning.

Li Juanhua doesn't wear flowers on weekdays. When she wears flowers, it means she goes to the Zhang family and wants to persuade the girl to marry into the family.

When the villagers saw the bright and shining pomegranate flowers on Li Juanhua's head, they guessed what was going on.

Any villager with a decent financial situation would not send their daughter to the Zhang family, but some really poor families would do so.

Two years ago, a family in their village sent their daughter away, and since then they have never heard from her again.

And Douzi's family is even poorer than that family.

Every family has its own troubles. After the villagers sighed about the suffering of Douzi's family, they went to do their own things.

By the afternoon, Douzi came back.

As soon as Douzi came back, he pulled Ning An into the house and took out a small cloth bag from his arms with shining eyes:

"Ah Xiang, I have exchanged all your beads and underwear for money, look!"

The small cloth bag was wrapped around many times. It was brought back by Douzi nervously.

"Take these for now, and leave some with me so I can buy you a mule."

The cloth bag was opened, revealing some copper coins and a little silver.

When Ning An saw Douzi happily holding the small cloth bag, she felt as if the brine from the salt pond during the day had poured into her chest, making her heart salty and bitter.

"Thank you for your hard work, Bean."

Ning An took the cloth bag and did not mention Li Juanhua's visit today.

Ning An didn't mention it, but Douzi still knew about it.

After Douzi gave the cloth bag to Ning An, he went to another room to see his grandmother.

Grandma Douzi and Douzi talked for a long time in the house.

It was getting late, so Douzi came out to light a fire and cook.

Ning An came over to help scoop water.

The firelight illuminated Douzi's face, and his eyes were dull, no longer as bright as when he just came back.

The next day.

Douzi went to work in the salt pond as usual, and Ning An went to help.

Li Juanhua came again.

This time he came directly to the salt pond and said to Douzi with a smile:

"Douzi, do you know what Auntie told your grandma yesterday?"

Ning An glared at Li Juanhua.

Douzi, who was stirring the brine, said without even looking up:

"Aunt Juanhua, I'm not done with my work yet. Please go to my house and wait for a while."

"Okay, okay." Li Juanhua knew something was going to happen when she saw Douzi's reaction, so she turned around and walked towards Douzi's house.

Salt flakes floated on the surface of the brine and were stirred into a whirlpool by the wooden rake in Douzi's hand.

Ning An noticed Douzi's abnormality and called out, "Douzi?"

Douzi put down the rake and said, "Axiang, I'm going home for a bit. I'll be back soon. Can you help me scrape the salt crystals off the edge of the pond?"

Ning An asked: "Are you going to go back and scold her? Do you want me to help you?"

Douzi smiled, said nothing, turned around and walked home.

Ning An used a wooden shovel to scrape off a pile of white salt at the edge of the salt pond.

The sunlight shines through the salt crystals, casting a colorful halo on the ground.

Ning An looked at the salt crystals and her heart suddenly jumped. She dropped the wooden board in her hand and quickly ran to Douzi's house.

As soon as I ran to the door of Douzi's house, I saw Li Juanhua coming out with a smile on her face, saying:

"...It's settled. There will be a good day this month when the Zhang family will come to pick us up."

Douzi stood at the door of the thatched hut and watched Li Juanhua leave without a smile.

Ning An's blood almost rushed to his head, and he rushed to Douzi and asked:

"You agreed? You want to go to the Zhang family?! Do you know what kind of person Zhang Jia Erlang is? He..."

"Axiang, keep your voice down and don't disturb grandma." Douzi pulled Ning An to the thatched house next door.

Ning An's chest heaved with anger: "Grandma, don't you know? Did Grandma agree to send you to the Zhang family?"

Douzi was very strong at this moment and pulled Ning An away.

Grandma Douzi lay on her side on the bed with her back to the outside, quietly wiping her tears with her sleeve.

She heard Ning An's words.

Of course she agreed.

Douzi was her only granddaughter, so of course she felt bad for her. But Li Juanhua was right; a good marriage was impossible for a family like theirs.

She didn't want to drag Douzi down, so it was better for Douzi to go to Zhang's house than to suffer here with her, an old woman.

Grandma Douzi started coughing while crying, and her throat was filled with the taste of blood.

She didn't have much experience. She only knew that she had spent her entire life drying salt, and that the days ahead would become increasingly difficult, with no hope of ever ending. If Douzi stayed here, she would only repeat the hardships she had endured and the path she had walked.

If I go to the Zhang family, at least I won’t be trapped in the mud for the rest of my life and won’t have to worry about food.