Liu Yihong's gaze gradually hardened, and he nodded. At that moment, he finally understood Xie Yan's good intentions.
No wonder he always says strange things from time to time, and he usually pays a lot of attention to girls.
Not long after Xie Yan and Liu Yihong finished talking about this, something happened in Xiliu Village that completely overturned the worldviews of all the educated youth.
Xie Yan thought that after the apprenticeship saga, his perception of the male elders in Xiliu Village had reached its lowest point. He thought this was the limit, but reality kept pushing his boundaries.
The word "bottom line" seems to be cursed, with many people and things appearing one after another like malicious ghosts, just to ruthlessly shatter it.
That day, Xie Yan slept in late as usual, and when he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. He groggily took out his watch and saw that it was already past ten o'clock.
Thinking that he didn't have to go to work or get up early, Xie Yan stretched comfortably while hugging the blanket, slowly got up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and muttered, "This life is so comfortable! This is the life a person should live."
He dawdled as he got dressed, still not wanting to get out of bed, so he sat by the window in a daze, when he saw Yu Yuehui and her mother Qian Hong push the door open and come in.
Xie Yan was startled and quickly slipped off the kang (a heated brick bed). He grabbed a few handfuls of his hair, trying to make himself look more energetic, at least not like a lazybones who had just woken up.
After all, one should be mindful of one's image in front of elders.
After getting off the kang (heated brick bed), Xie Yan added a few pieces of wood to the stove. The firelight reflected on his face, making his features appear even more deep and handsome.
This scene completely stunned Yu Yue, who had just entered the room, leaving her standing there, as if she had forgotten how to move.
"What's wrong with you, kid? Why are you blocking the doorway?" After saying that, he tucked the shoe insole under his arm and shoved Yu Yuehui, who was blocking his way, aside.
Yu Yuehui was pushed and stumbled, then awkwardly moved to the side.
Qian Hong glared at Yu Yuehui, then stepped into the house and saw Xie Yan making a gesture. She asked with a smile, "Xie Yan, are you boiling water?"
Xie Yan feigned an agreement, saying, "Yes, Mother, would you like some hot water?"
Qian Hong waved her hand, pulled up a chair and sat down. Before Xie Yan could react, she started complaining nonchalantly, saying, "That guy Qian Jin in the bend ahead, he beat his wife to death!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yan froze on the spot, the firewood in his hand falling to the ground with a clatter. His eyes widened, unable to believe what he had just heard.
Yu Yuehui was also startled, her eyes widening, her voice trembling slightly: "Mother, are you sure it was his wife? You beat her to death? Really?"
Qian Hong sighed, her tone full of helplessness, yet also revealing a numb acceptance of it all: "Yes! Apparently, the fighting started at the village entrance and continued all the way to their house."
"Several people tried to stop him, but they couldn't. You know, that Qianjinzi is a madman, who could stop him!"
"Some people saw that his wife's head was covered in blood, it was a terrible sight. He dragged her all the way home, and she died not long after they got home."
After saying that, she let out a long sigh, as if she were lamenting the loss of an insignificant old garment.
Xie Yan's legs went weak upon hearing this, as if he had been nailed to the ground by an invisible force.
He swallowed hard, unable to believe what he was hearing. He could understand each word individually, so why did they sound so unfamiliar when put together? His voice trembled slightly as he asked, "Mother, doesn't this aunt have a son or daughter?"
What he really wanted to ask was, "Didn't anyone care about this poor woman?"
Qian Hong glanced at him in surprise, as if wondering how Xie Yan could not even know this, but still explained, "Yes, he has them! He has one son and two daughters!"
Xie Yan could hardly believe his ears. Anger burned fiercely in his heart. He gritted his teeth and asked, "So his son just stood by and watched his father beat his mother without doing anything?"
Qian Hong waved her hand dismissively, "Jinbuzi, that child is so filial! That's his father, what can he do?"
"Besides, what can he, as a son, do? He can't just hit his father, can he? That's his father; what kind of son hits his father?"
Xie Yan felt a surge of absurdity rush to his head. He stared wide-eyed at Qian Hong in disbelief, then gave a sarcastic smile.
Seeing this, Yu Yue quickly came over, held his hand tightly, and looked at him with concern in her eyes: "Don't get too excited, okay?"
"This is not something we can handle. We juniors have no say in this kind of thing."
She knew Xie Yan's personality well; he was a bit stubborn and naive. Don't be fooled by his usual nonchalant attitude; he was actually incredibly soft-hearted.
He disapproved of many things in the village, but because he was powerless to do anything about it, he acted as if he didn't care or pay attention to anything.
This incident greatly affected him, and he might very well start arguing with his mother.
She really didn't want Xie Yan to argue with her own family over other people's issues.
Xie Yan could understand Yu Yuehui's concerns. He was just a little provoked, but he wasn't so stupid as to not be able to distinguish right from wrong. What did this have to do with Qian Hong? Even if he was angry, he shouldn't be taking it out on Qian Hong, right?
Xie Yan merely sneered, his tone full of sarcasm: "Oh, so this is what filial piety is all about!"
Qian Hong seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Xie Yan's words, and continued to explain, "He calls that a filial person? He's filial to money! All the money in their family is in his father's hands."
After saying that, she sighed deeply, "Your aunt, she was also unlucky. She never had a good day in her life, and as a daughter, she was not well-liked in her own family."
"Later, she found a wife for her younger brother, who married that scoundrel Qianjin, which made things even worse!"
"From the time I married into the Wang family when I was young, I never had a good day. I was beaten every day, and I couldn't escape it even when I was old. It would be a relief if I died."
After saying that, she sighed again, as if she was relieved for the woman's "liberation", but there was also a sense of loneliness that she herself did not know.
Xie Yan felt an unnamed rage churning in his chest. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.
They'll fight from their youth to their old age!
A lifetime! A lifetime!
A woman's whole life!
Even though this didn't happen to him, why did he feel so aggrieved and angry?
Yu Yue held his hand tightly, her eyes filled with worry, "Don't be angry, don't be angry..."
It's not worth getting angry like this.
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