"Good soil..."
"Shut up! Do you think I want to talk to you?" Wen Yiquan's face flushed red, he glared at him, and then continued, "Back then, it was really difficult to have free love. My family was dirt poor. Although your mother's family was also quite ordinary, she was really beautiful, a famous beauty for miles around..."
He spoke slowly, as if lost in memories of the past, especially when he talked about Su Juan, a faint smile would appear on his lips.
Because the whole story is too science fiction, the plot of a poor boy falling in love with a village beauty is rare in reality. Almost as soon as Su Juan reached the right age, matchmakers practically wore down her doorstep.
Wen Mo was initially skeptical. Looking at his mother's still-attractive face, even though she was almost forty, he couldn't imagine her being with a father like that.
"So, you two just naturally ended up together?"
Upon hearing this question, Wen Yiquan remained silent, but instead let out a slow sigh. "How could that be? I was naive back then, and I acted impulsively. After the initial excitement wore off, I realized how ridiculous my words were. I suggested that your mother and I get together right after meeting you. Didn't I even consider whether I was good enough for her..."
Su Juan took his words to heart and was deeply moved by the promise to make her happy for the rest of her life.
But the father-in-law obviously didn't listen. He almost swept him out with a broom, his face flushed. He was furious that this young man, who was struggling to make ends meet, dared to lay his finger on his daughter.
Fortunately, even though her father-in-law didn't support the relationship, Su Juan still secretly started a clandestine affair with him, and in the end...
Su Juan is pregnant.
Wen Mo was also stunned. He started counting the details on his fingers, pointing incredulously at his own father's face, "I knew it! No wonder my mom gave birth to me when she was only twenty! Oh! So that's what you were thinking, indulging in momentary pleasure..."
"It was her idea!" Wen Yiquan hurriedly explained, but then realized that their positions had reversed, so he resumed his usual serious expression. "Your mother said that since the parents don't agree, we might as well do it first and ask them later..."
To act first and inform later, to make the deed done—a very reasonable plan.
"That idea seemed pretty exciting? What happened next?"
"Yeah, your grandpa had a good time hitting me..."
Recalling that day's experience, Wen Yiquan still shudders. At the time, his father-in-law's face was as black as Bao Gong's, and then he was as angry as Guan Gong. He picked up the broom in the house and slashed at himself like a crescent blade.
The yard was in complete chaos, with chickens running and dogs barking about, until finally Su Juan shouted and knelt on the ground in tears to beg for mercy, at which point her father-in-law slowly stopped.
Wen Yiquan was beaten so badly that not a single inch of his body was unscathed, especially his back, which was burning with pain. Even so, he stayed by Su Juan's side, enduring the pain in his legs, and knelt down with a "thud," sincerely clutching his heart as he proposed marriage to his future father-in-law.
He also reiterated his initial agreement with Su Juan once again.
"I will make her happy for the rest of her life!"
The father-in-law was so angry he was speechless. His beard twitched with his breathing, his lips trembled slightly, and he didn't utter a word for a long time.
The two knelt on the ground for a long time. In the end, the mother-in-law couldn't bear to watch any longer. She sighed, took her husband's arm, and said a few words.
I don't know what she said, or perhaps they discussed it, but in the end, the father-in-law, rubbing his aching temples, waved his hand and told the two of them to get lost.
Su Juan laughed, then cried. She clung to her father's arm and cried for a long time before grabbing Wen Yiquan's sleeve and pulling him out of the house.
"So convoluted..." Wen Mo listened with a chill down his spine, especially when he heard the part about his father being brutally beaten by his grandfather. He couldn't help but feel sorry for his father for three seconds.
Wen Yiquan sighed softly, reached into his pocket, pulled out an opened pack of cigarettes, lit it skillfully, and exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Back then, it was so difficult to have a free-choice relationship..."
"Dad, I think I understand now."
Wen Mo lowered his head and murmured thoughtfully.
I thought my dad didn't understand anything, but it turns out he understood better than anyone how difficult it is to fall in love when there's a rift between two people.
Not only did her family object, but the eyes of those around her were always sharp. But thankfully, even the most difficult relationship eventually came to fruition.
“You don’t need to understand me, and you can’t understand me.” Wen Yiquan shook his head. Perhaps he had been smoking too fast, because his throat was itchy and he coughed twice. Then he looked up at him with mixed feelings. “It was difficult for me and your mother to fall in love, but it will be even more difficult for you and Xiaolian.”
The difference in family background is relatively small. Compared to family background, the unchangeable relationship between these two is the most distressing aspect.
Wen Mo fell silent, as if lost in thought and confusion. After a long while, when he raised his head again, his eyes were full of determination.
“I don’t care, all I need is for her to be by my side, and I want to marry her.”
"...What a waste of time." Wen Yiquan extinguished his cigarette and threw the butt into the ashtray. Perhaps he had guessed this outcome, for there was no surprise on his face. "Fine, whatever, just don't regret it."
"Dad, did you ever regret being with Mom?"
"Nonsense, if I regretted it, where did you come from?" Wen Yiquan laughed and cursed, slapping Wen Mo on the back of the head, making Wen Mo grimace.
Wen Mo's chest rose and fell with his breath. He stared blankly at the clean ceiling for a moment, then pulled his legs up and sat cross-legged on the sofa, lost in thought.
"Chinese New Year..."
"Hmm...?" Wen Yiquan looked up, just about to get up and call out Xia Lian and Su Juan, when he heard a small response from behind him, "What?"
Wen Mo grinned, sprang to his feet, patted his shoulder casually, and said, "I said, she and I will go back for the New Year."
"...I was just trying to scare you guys back then, hoping to get you to compromise and that you two could stay in Linchuan for the New Year."
“I know, but I still want to take her back home for the New Year.” Wen Mo shook his head.
"You two don't need to do this. I can't guarantee there won't be any rumors when we go back to our hometown."
“I went back because I knew there would be rumors.” Wen Mo smiled easily, as if he had figured it out. “If we cared about those words, the relationship wouldn’t last long.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Yiquan fell silent, his face showing a mixture of helplessness and mockery.
"Alright, you two can go back now. After your final exams, pack your bags at home and wait for me to come pick you up."
Wen Mo nodded, then suddenly smiled and patted his shoulder, "By the way, ask Grandpa how he beat you."
"You son of a bitch!"
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