Chapter 79
After they returned home, Wen Xing went to the kitchen to make a pot of dandelion tea that could moisten the lungs, brought it to the dining room, and poured a cup for each person.
A cup of hot tea goes down my throat and my whole body feels warm.
Fu Wei put down his cup and told the purpose of his return.
When Fu Zhen and his wife heard where the Wen family was and that the government would hold a court hearing tomorrow, they were both shocked.
Fu Zhen mentioned this to his wife when he was in the county seat.
The wife said that after returning home, her brother's wife would ask her second brother to help find out where her parents' home was so that she could get justice.
Fu Zhen never doubted whether his second brother would help, but he didn't expect that they would find it just three days after returning from the county seat.
Fu Zhen came back to his senses, his face suddenly pale, his palms clenched into fists, and he asked in a deep voice, "Where is the person?"
Fu Wei said, "Zhou Zhixian has already sent people to arrest them, and they will also find the yamen runner who previously handled this matter. If the yamen runner admits to accepting the money, then tomorrow I will just ask my sister-in-law to identify whether it is a member of the Wen family."
He paused briefly, then added, "At most they'll receive a beating and then be imprisoned for a period of time. They'll also be required to pay labor service silver, but considering their family's circumstances, they can forget about paying that."
Three years have passed since the incident. For Fu Zhen, the most important thing is no longer whether he can get the military service silver back, but whether he can teach them a painful lesson.
"How many times will he be beaten with boards, and how long will he be imprisoned?" This is the question that Fu Zhen is most concerned about.
Fu Wei, having probably seen similar cases before, replied, "Twenty strokes of the cane and three months' imprisonment."
Fu Zhen immediately frowned: "The punishment is too light!"
Not only did they want to sell Xingniang, they also planned to make her do hard labor. They were so vicious that this punishment was really too light for them!
Fu Wei's expression was calm, but he also said meaningfully: "Although he was only imprisoned for three months, who can know what happened in the cell?"
Yu Ying and Fu Zhen both understood what Fu Wei meant.
——Lessons in secret.
Yu Ying might not have agreed with Fu Wei's idea in the past, but this era is not a society ruled by law. Moreover, what the Wen family did to their eldest sister-in-law was inhumane, and the punishments were indeed too light.
Hearing this, Fu Zhen looked at his second brother and asked, "Can you let me go to jail?"
Fu Wei smiled and said, "They are not serious criminals, why not?"
Hearing this, Fu Zhen felt relieved and said, "Then Xingniang and I will go to the city together tomorrow."
Fu Wei said: "They have just finished beating me. When they are almost ready to be released from prison, I will arrange for my eldest brother to visit the Wen family in prison."
Fu Zhen nodded.
Wen Xing didn't say anything, just lowered her head to drink tea, but her hand holding the cup was trembling slightly.
Yu Ying recalled how, back in the county seat, when she had mentioned this to her eldest sister-in-law, she had been so excited she'd tossed and turned for half the night, anticipating her aunt's retribution. Now that it was finally happening, how could she not be excited?
After they agreed on when to go to Yu County tomorrow, they came out of the dining room.
When Fu Wei came back, Yu Ying had to live in the same room with him.
The single bed that Luo Shi previously slept on and the bed that Fu Wei slept on were not sent to Yu County and are still there, but the problem is that there are no extra thick bedding.
Yu Ying pushed his wheelchair into the house. When she closed the door, Fu Wei also stood up and placed the bag containing his clothes on the single bed.
Yu Ying turned around, looked at him, and asked, "Shouldn't the yamen runners have come to Lingshui Village to inform us about this? Why did you come back when it was so inconvenient for you?"
Fu Wei turned around and looked at her.
When looking into Fu Wei's dark and deep eyes, Yu Ying seemed to understand what he meant in an instant.
She understood the longing in his eyes, and when he opened his mouth, she interrupted him: "Okay, I know, you don't have to say it."
Fu Wei smiled and put back into his heart the words "I came back because I wanted to see you."
Yu Ying simply tidied up the bed and said, "Rest for a while. I'll call you when it's time for dinner."
Yu Ying left the house and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner with her sister-in-law.
While the sister-in-law was stirring the rice, Yu Ying took a piece of previously cured lean meat.
Although it is lean meat, some fat is left in to make the bacon more fragrant.
After cutting the bacon into thin slices, blanch it briefly in water and then drain it in a bamboo sieve.
While draining the bacon, Yu Ying picked up the winter bamboo shoots that had been soaked in the morning, washed them several times, blanched them in water, and then put them directly into a pan without oil to stir-fry excess water, which could effectively remove the astringency.
The moisture of the winter bamboo shoots was fried dry. Yu Ying added a little salt and poured it into a dish after a while. She began to stir-fry the shallots and ginger slices, and then added the bacon.
Since salt had been added when the cured meat was cured, Yu Ying did not add salt either, but only added a spoonful of soy sauce.
We used to have no salt at home, but now we always have oil, salt and soy sauce on hand.
The aroma wafted out, and the bacon was fried until shiny. Yu Ying then added the winter bamboo shoots and stir-fried them together.
Wen Xing only knew how to simply stew the dishes. Whenever she saw her sister-in-law cooking, she would come over to learn from her. When she saw the colorful and fragrant dishes in the pot, she couldn't help but sigh: "Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are really good. I guess the chefs in the restaurant can't cook as well as you."
Yu Ying, who only knew how to cook some home-cooked dishes, smiled and said, "The restaurant has more than just this skill."
At this time, Fu Ning also came back from playing at the He family's house. Following the aroma, she ran to the kitchen. The little girl sniffed the aroma hard and said softly, "It smells good."
Yu Ying smiled and said to her, "It will take a while before we can eat. Go back to your room and chat with your uncle first."
Fu Ning's face was blank, thinking he had misheard, so he asked, "Uncle, are you back?"
Wen Xing nodded: "Just got back."
When Fu Ning heard that his uncle had returned, he immediately ran towards the house excitedly.
Wen Xing saw her daughter's happy back and sighed softly.
After learning to speak, Ningning has become much more cheerful and is no longer so shy.
To be honest, even though she knew that her ex-uncle was taken away by mistake and had to live a hard life for twenty years, she felt sympathy for him.
But after she came back, she heard that her uncle's leg might have been broken by someone sent by her former uncle, and her daughter might have been mute for several years because of her former uncle. It was hard for her not to feel resentment.
Fortunately, the uncle who came back was easy to get along with.
Yu Ying said, "Ningning really likes Erlang."
Wen Xing smiled and said, "Not only Ningning likes him, Anan also likes my uncle."
*
After dinner, it’s almost dark and time to wash up.
It’s cold in the mountains. If you take a shower any later, you might get cold air entering your body.
Yu Ying, who was washing her hair in the kitchen, saw Fu Ning coming out of the bathroom and asked her to go back to the house quickly.
Fu Ning returned to the room and saw her uncle busy at the table. After rolling around on the bed, she felt bored.
She looked at the stuffed doll given to her by her mother, hesitated for a moment, then ran out of bed to play with her mother.
Here, Wen Xing was sewing clothes absentmindedly, thinking back to when she was twelve and her grandmother passed away. She lived with her aunt at home, and not only did she have to do housework for the whole family every day, but she was also often beaten and scolded. Whenever she thought of it, her hands couldn't stop shaking.
Even after so many years, she still can't forget the fear and despair she felt at that time.
She couldn't help but look at her husband who was weaving a straw mat and said, "I feel a little nervous and scared when I think about seeing my aunt and her family again tomorrow."
Fu Zhen stopped what he was doing, stood up, and walked to his wife's side. He stretched out his arms and took his petite wife into his arms, whispering comfortingly: "Don't be nervous, they don't dare, and they don't have the chance to harm you again."
Wen Xing felt a strong sense of security from her husband. She stretched out her arms, hugged her husband's tight waist, and let out a soft "hmm".
Fu Zhen patted his wife's back gently.
At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the door, and the couple was stunned.
Fu Zhen stood up and said, "I'll go open the door."
He opened the door, but saw no one. Then a soft voice came from downstairs: "Dad."
Fu Zhen lowered his head and saw his little daughter standing outside the house with her little feet exposed and her cheeks flushed.
When Fu Ning saw his taciturn father, he blinked awkwardly.
Their eyes met for a few breaths, and Fu Zhen said, "It's cold outside, come inside quickly."
When Wen Xing saw that it was her daughter who came to see her, she was pleasantly surprised and her worries disappeared immediately. She quickly got up and walked over, pulling her little daughter into the house.
After sitting on the bed, he asked gently, "Why are you here?"
Fu Ning gradually fell in love with the gentle mother in front of her. Her eyebrows and eyes suddenly curved, and her expression was completely different from when she faced her biological father.
Fu Zhen looked at his little daughter's smiling face and suddenly realized that in this family, in his little daughter's heart, it seemed that her mother, brother's wife, wife, and son were tied for first place, her second brother was second, and he... was third.
Thinking of this, Fu Zhen felt a tightness in his chest.
After all, he is my biological father, how come he is not as good as my uncle?
*
Yu Ying had to go to Yu County the next day, so she washed her hair at night. When she returned to her room, shivering and hunched, she didn't see Fu Ning. She asked Fu Wei, who was writing on bamboo slips at the table, "Where's Ningning?"
Fu Wei put down his pen, turned around and looked at the bed in a daze, puzzled, "Just now I saw her playing with a doll on the bed, I don't know where she is now."
The stuffed doll Ningning had been clinging to for the past few days was nowhere to be found on the bed. Yu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go check in my sister-in-law's room."
After saying that, he turned and left the house.
When she arrived at her sister-in-law's room, Yu Ying knocked on the door.
After a while, the eldest sister-in-law quietly opened the door, whispered to her, and said, "Ningning must be tired today. She fell asleep in a short while after getting into bed."
I went to bed before it was completely dark, which shows that I was really tired from playing today.
Wen Xing looked at her sister-in-law expectantly: "Let Ningning sleep in my room tonight?"
Although she gradually became closer to her daughter during this period, she also had the idea of asking her daughter to come back and sleep with her, but after trying it out, her daughter was unwilling. Wen Xing didn't want to force her daughter, so she could only take it slowly.
Yu Ying was speechless. Ningning was originally her eldest sister-in-law's daughter. It was only natural for her to be taken care of by her eldest sister-in-law. She couldn't cross the line.
Yu Ying said softly to her sister-in-law, "Okay, I'll go back."
After saying that, he turned around and breathed a sigh of relief.
It had been a long time since Yu Ying had slept alone with Fu Wei, and she felt a little uncomfortable.
When she returned to the house, Fu Wei didn't see his niece and asked, "Where's Ningning?"
Yu Ying said, "She fell asleep in my sister-in-law's room."
Fu Wei was slightly startled, then glanced at the big bed, was silent for a moment, and looked back at her: "If you mind, we can sleep together. I'll go to the room where my mother used to live. I can cover myself with clothes and light a fire so I won't feel cold."
Yu Ying glanced at him, then walked to the bedside, picked up a towel, sat down, and wiped her hair. She said softly, "Let's do it the same way as before."
Fu Wei also walked to the bedside and sat beside her, whispering, "I understand your concerns, but if you think it through and choose to have a home here, then I hope that the person you choose to start a family with will be your first and only choice."
Yu Ying didn't think he would bring up this matter again, so she slowed down her wiping movements.
The two of them sat on the edge of the bed, and time passed slowly and silently.
After a long while, Yu Ying finally spoke: "If one day I could go back to the past, I would choose to go back without hesitation. But if there was a deep love before that, after we parted, not only would I be in pain, but the other person would be in pain too."
Even if she separates from everyone in the Fu family in the future, she will miss them, but at least when she thinks of them, it will not be as heartbreaking as when she thinks of her family now.
"Aying." Fu Wei called softly.
Yu Ying turned and looked at him.
Under the firelight, the black spots faded away, and Yu Ying, with all her black hair falling on the other shoulder, looked exceptionally gentle and peaceful.
Fu Wei suppressed the urge to caress her cheek, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "No matter what the future holds, even if you're not by my side, you're my only wife."
Yu Ying saw the sincerity in those clear and handsome eyes. She opened her lips slightly and looked at him intently.
She has seen too many fast-paced relationships, breaking up and getting back together, being together if it's right, and moving on to the next one if it's not. Growing up in that era, she knows very well how rare a true relationship is.
If she didn't have so many concerns, perhaps she would try to accept this relationship.
"When you're gone for a day, I miss you. When you've been gone for more than half a month, I'm even more worried about you. You're in my dreams and in reality."
Yu Ying's heartbeat slowed down.
"You don't need to worry about whether I will be miserable in the future, because even if you leave now or in the future, my feelings will remain the same."
Having said this, he slowly leaned closer to her.
Seeing Fu Wei getting closer, Yu Ying's breathing became slower and her heartbeat quickened.
Fu Wei supported himself on the bed with his palms, and stopped when he was half an arm's length away from her. He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Ah Ying, don't just keep rejecting me or asking me to be nice to you. You don't need to invest too much emotion in me. Even if you leave in the future, it won't be so painful."
Yu Ying secretly tightened the handkerchief in her hand, her heart beating like a drum.
…
Half a minute later, in the house.
The brothers Fu Wei and Fu Zhen stared at each other in silence.
Half a moment ago, Yu Ying, who grew up in the open era, for the first time ever didn't know how to deal with such an... irresistible danger, so she ran away.
She pushed away Fu Wei who was standing nearby, ran out of the house in a panic, and knocked on her elder brother and sister-in-law's house again.
When she saw her sister-in-law, her cheeks flushed as she said, "I can't sleep without Ningning in my arms."
Just when Wen Xing was disappointed and thought her sister-in-law was going to take her daughter back, she heard her sister-in-law ask, "Can I sleep in your room tonight with you, Ningning, and me?"
Fu Zhen and his wife looked at each other.
Wen Xing only then realized that even without Ningning, she could still sleep well when she was in the county government.
My brother's wife suddenly ran over, definitely not because she couldn't sleep without holding Ningning, but because of something else.
After figuring it out, Wen Xing looked directly at her husband and said, "Da Lang, let your sister-in-law sleep in our room tonight, and you can go sleep with your second brother."
Fu Zhen, who originally planned to sleep with his youngest daughter for one night and start developing feelings with her the next day, was driven to share a room with his second brother.
Fu Weibucheng didn't realize that he had pushed the man too hard, and not only did the man run away, but he also had to share a room with his elder brother.
The two grown men looked at each other, both trying not to reveal the disgust in their hearts and turned their heads away, then they couldn't help but sighed.
——Eh.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
