Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Making Trouble
On this day, Kang He and Fan Jing were going to send Dafu to Fan Xin's private school. It was the first time for Dafu to go back to school on his fifteenth day to start his education.
Early in the morning, after having breakfast, Dafu couldn't sit still, so he put on a pair of new tiger-head shoes made by Fan Jing and him, and ran to the village main road outside his house to wait for Shiwu.
He stepped on the pebbles on the road, stretched his neck to look around. The fog over the village was still quite heavy in the morning, making it difficult to see far.
The weather in April is slightly cool but not hot. It is the perfect spring season in the village and it is quite comfortable.
The Fan family and the Xu family are in the same direction, but the Fan family is closer to Fan Xin.
Da Fu waited for about a quarter of an hour before he saw Fifteen, his young father, and his father leading the fog towards him.
He ran over to greet him. When Shiwu saw Dafu waiting on the road, he also ran towards him happily.
The two little friends met and were extremely happy. They held hands and ran ahead, leaving their father behind to go to the private school.
"I was just afraid he'd get into trouble again by acting like a spoiled brat. I tried to comfort him this morning, but I was worried he'd make a scene at the private school. But now he seems quite cheerful, so I can rest assured."
Xu Yang chatted and laughed with Kang He who came out.
"When we sent Dafu off to school, everyone in the room felt the same way. It's amazing that both of these children are so eager to learn."
The four of them went to the private school together. Fan Xinqie had just finished breakfast and found it quite lively. They all gathered together and happily chatted with their sons.
The two little guys went into the classroom early. Dafu heard that Fifteen also wanted to study with his uncle, so he asked Fan Xin to reserve the seat next to him for Fifteen.
Now the two of them sat together, feeling only joy and happiness.
When the time came, Fan Xin went into the classroom to teach. Kang He and Fan Jing glanced at Dafu, who stood with his back straight and read aloud the text. They had been used to this for a long time.
However, Mr. and Mrs. Xu Yang felt uneasy when they sent their child to school.
However, the two did not stay here for long. During the spring plowing season, Xu Yang was busy with farm work, and even his old father, who was worried about his child, had no time to accompany him in his studies.
I asked Zhang Jingui to come home if the child was noisy and ask Yuan Ge'er to come over.
Well, the two of them went home first.
Kang He and Fan Jing didn't stay here for long, as they had to go out and kill the pigs soon.
Before leaving, he asked doubtfully, "Why don't I see you?"
Zhang Jingui said, "He ate his food early in the morning, wiped his mouth, and went out. Lately, he's been having fun with some old men. He's been having a lot of fun."
Kang He smiled and said, "It's a relief that you're willing to go out for a walk. It wouldn't be a good thing if you stayed at home."
When Grandma Fan was still alive, the two elders were always together. If you saw one, you would definitely see the other. Grandma Fan was in poor health and often curled up on the kang, so Father Fan would also curl up on the kang with her. The two of them kept each other company and had a very good relationship.
When Kang He told this to Fan Jing, Fan Jing said that Grandma Fan was Dad Fan's cousin, three or four years older than him. When she was young, her family suffered a misfortune, so she was taken in by Grandpa Fan's family to be a child bride. The two of them had indeed been in love since childhood.
Zhang Jingui nodded. "That's right. We were all worried that he'd be stuck at home all the time, thinking about his wife and feeling sad."
After talking about Fan Bingbing for a few minutes, the couple went home and drove out.
Let’s talk about this Mr. Fan. Today he went out to play with the idle old man from the Kong family. The two of them were not willing to work and were wandering around the village with nothing to do.
When they reached the western suburbs, they happened to see the hired farmers of Fan Jing's family tending the fields.
The hired farmer didn't know Mr. Fan very well. Seeing the two old men standing there with their hands behind their backs and looking around, he spoke to them and asked them what they were doing.
Mr. Fan said, "The fields here belong to my second son. I came over to take a look. Is the land easy to cultivate this year?"
When the hired farmer heard that it was the Fan family, he immediately became polite and said to Mr. Fan in a kind voice that the land here was fertile, easy to tend, and produced a lot of grain.
Forget it, Fan Ye Yan is in good spirits and looks healthy, like a middle-aged man in his forties.
He then took some seasonal fruits and shared them with Fan Ye, making her very happy.
Old Man Kong benefited from Master Fan's help and also reaped the benefits. He said to Master Fan, "You are truly remarkable. You raised two capable sons. Now in our village, apart from the village head's family, your second son's family is the most powerful."
General Fan Ye was very good at saving face in front of his old brother, and now that he was flattered by him, he felt even more elated.
"It's not as good as you say. It's just a facade."
Old Man Kong shook his head and said, "You need something to see it. Your family has so much land and a huge house with more than ten or twenty rooms. It's so spacious. And they have a huge number of livestock. Not only our village, but even the surrounding villages have to rely on renting your livestock for work."
"Speaking of which, your second brother's house is so nice and has so many rooms. Why don't you go over and enjoy your life there? If it were me, I would have moved to the big house long ago."
Mr. Fan said, "When the family was divided, it was decided that I would follow the eldest brother. The land and money were divided like this. How can we get by now?"
"That was in the past. No matter how you divide them, aren't they all your children? Now you're all alone, living your life on your own. You should make the most of it. As for your children being filial, they should follow your wishes. It's not impossible that your second son has been wanting to honor you for a long time, but he just doesn't know what you mean."
Fan Ye listened to what Old Man Kong said, but he didn't take it to heart.
Near noon, the two of them went home to eat and said goodbye.
Mr. Fan was walking back alone, and happened to pass by the second house on his way back. He looked at the second house's big house from afar, with its green tiles and high stone walls, which looked really luxurious.
"Dad, why are you walking around outside at this hour?"
When Fan Shoulin came home from the field, he saw his father standing outside looking at him blankly.
"I was strolling with Old Man Kong today and was just passing by your place on my way back."
"Why are you going back? We're already at the door. Come in and eat."
Fan Shoulin called his father in, "It's just right for the two of us to have a drink together."
"If I don't go back, your elder brother and elder sister-in-law might come out to look for me."
Upon hearing this, Fan Shoulin called out to his fourth brother, "Brother Lian Si, go to my brother's place and tell him that Dad is having lunch in my room."
Lian Si Ge said, "Then I'll take Dafu's food with me, so Xiaoxiang doesn't have to make another trip."
Fan Shoulin responded and then called back into the house, "Xiaoxiang, fetch some water so my father can wash his hands. Get some wine and get ready for dinner."
"Hey, Master, would you like some lamb wine or some wine tonight?"
"Have some lamb and wine."
Mr. Fan watched quietly and saw that his second son was very stylish, no longer as timid as before in front of his parents.
At noon, Father Fan and Grandpa Fan, father and son, ate in the side room. The rest of the family was outside, so it was inconvenient to set up a large table for eating.
In the past, when Father Fan was alone at home, he would eat whatever he wanted, either in the side room or with the people below him.
Fan Ye saw a plate of pork with mashed garlic, a plate of fried chicken with leeks, a plate of braised meat, a basket of meat buns and a bowl of bean sprout soup on the table. It was such a sumptuous meal.
"I was having a drink with Dad, and I asked Xiaoxiang to add a bowl of braised meat to go with the wine. It was brought home from the shop, and I used to send it to Dad often. I wonder if Dad has gotten tired of it."
Fan Ye picked up the chopsticks and started eating the meat: "How can I get tired of meat? I love it."
Seeing this, Fan Shoulin said, "When Sanfang comes home, I'll ask her to bring some back so she can give it to Dad as a filial gift."
At noon, the father and son ate wine and meat and filled their stomachs.
In the morning, Fan Shoulin went to the fields to fertilize the new pepper trees that he had planted last month, and also took care of the konjac field. He put in quite a bit of effort.
After dinner, I felt tired, so I called Dad Fan to go into the house and sleep for a while.
Fan Shoulin didn't sleep for long and got up in just one stick of incense.
He took the rake and was about to go to the fields, but he saw that Mr. Fan was still sleeping in the side room and didn't call him.
Although Fan Ye said she didn't want to sleep, she actually slept until the afternoon.
After getting up, Xiaoxiang brought some water and taught him how to wash his face and hands. After he woke up, he went out to the yard and bowed to Erxi who came back to get tea.
Even his fourth brother Mou Dalang and Liu Laoer gave him considerate greetings.
When she returned home, Fan Ye's nose and eyes started to look different.
He felt that everything in the house was unpleasant to his eyes: old, dilapidated, dim... There were no servants or farmhands who kowtowed to him, only a lazy daughter-in-law who knew how to dodge work, and a shrewd grandson's wife who was very clever and controlled the family...
Fan Ye curled up in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
That day, Fan Jing ate some food and felt sick to his stomach. Kang He gave the task of slaughtering the pig to Zhang Shili, and Chen Sanfang and Qiao'er also looked after the shop.
He asked Fan Jing to rest at home for a day, saying that he was going to take care of the household affairs so that he could keep others company.
Fan Jing felt nauseous for a while, so Kang He went out and picked some sour plums from the tree and gave them to him to eat. Fan Jing felt better, so he took off his shoes and lay on the couch, only to find that his feet were swollen.
Seeing this, Kang He took some warm water to soak his feet, and then gently massaged his feet.
Fan Jing frowned and said, "I didn't walk much yesterday."
Kang He said: "This is a common phenomenon during pregnancy. You don't need to worry."
"Doctor Zhu said that nausea usually only lasts a month or two. It's been so long now, why is it still like this?"
Now his feet are swollen, and Fan Jing can't help but think too much.
Kang He saw his worry and said to him, "It varies from person to person. It's not always the same. There will always be some discrepancies. I just asked Doctor Zhu yesterday, and he said there's nothing wrong with your body. It's just that the child might be a little fussy."
After hearing Kang He's words, Fan Jing felt relieved. He found a soft pillow, lay down on the couch, and let Kang He massage his feet.
The massage actually made him feel comfortable and his body felt much more relaxed. Just when he was feeling drowsy, Xiaoxiang came into the room and saw Kang He sitting on the couch massaging the barefoot Fan Jing. His face was slightly flushed and he wanted to leave.
Kang He didn't notice anything, so he called her and asked, "What's the matter?"
Xiaoxiang lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at the two of them, and said, "Mrs. Zhang from the main room came over. She said Old Master Fan is not well, and asked me to go over and take a look."
Kang Heyan understood and left soon.
"I saw you a few days ago, you were in great spirits, hanging out with people outside. How come you're not feeling well now?"
Fan Jing sat up and prepared to go over and take a look: "Maybe he caught a cold during the change of seasons."
Kang He put on his shoes with Fan Jing, and they went to the main house together.
When I got there, I saw Fan Ye lying on the bed, crying out in pain and saying she was not feeling well.
"Master, what's wrong with you?"
"Sanlang and Dajing are here."
Fan Ye pried open her eyelids, glanced at the two of them, and said, "I feel dizzy and weak all over. Maybe your grandma is feeling lonely down there and wants me to go down and keep her company..."
Kang He frowned when he heard this: "You are talking nonsense. I want to live a hundred years."
Seeing Mr. Fan's sickly appearance, Fan Jing asked Mrs. Lu, "Have you asked Doctor Zhu to come and see him?"
"I checked it out, but he said he couldn't see anything wrong. He just prescribed some tranquilizers and said maybe I was craving milk."
Kang He pricked up one ear to listen, then asked, "Isn't it typhoid fever? Or something else?"
"Doctor Zhu didn't say anything wrong."
Fan Ye on the bed here screamed even louder: "Maybe it's your grandma calling me. Last night I dreamed that she was sleeping next to me, and when I woke up today I was covered in cold sweats. I can't survive, it's so painful~"
Several people looked at each other.
Kang He noticed something was wrong and asked Mr. Fan, who was lying on the bed, in a gentle voice, "You are so unwell, and Doctor Zhu can't cure you. Why don't you ask me to take you to the city to ask two doctors to take a look at you."
When Fan Ye heard Kang He say this, he waved his hands and said, "I'm just teaching your grandma to make a fuss. No matter how many doctors you see, it will be the same. Why should I teach you to worry about this?"
Kang He said, "But what if Master is so uncomfortable?"
Fan Jing said coldly: "Then invite a master."
After hearing what Fan Jing said, Mr. Fan's eyes widened and he said angrily, "Even if there's a ghost in the house, it's your grandma. Why invite some master? Are you going to kick your grandma out of the house?!"
Kang He secretly pulled Fan Jing. Although he thought what he said was a little funny, he was afraid that he would make Fan Ye angry, so he signaled him to stop talking.
"Looking at you two, I feel less bored talking to you."
Mr. Fan said weakly, "When your father is done with his work, ask him to come and talk to us. As people get older, they tend to have many things that make them unhappy. Thank you for your concern."
Kang He and Fan Jing stayed here for a while before going home. On the way, Fan Jing said, "I don't think he has any serious illness or pain. He just wants to cause trouble."
"I haven't been a meddlesome person before, so I guess this isn't right."
Kang He said, "I see he has something he wants to say today, but he won't explain it to us. I guess he wants to talk to his son."
At noon, when Fan's father heard that my father was not feeling well, he rushed over to see him, but he didn't come back for a long time.
Later, even Chen Sanfang and Qiao'er came back from the county. After hearing about what happened to Mr. Fan, they went to see him.
Kang He and Fan Jing did not go because they had examined the patient in the morning and felt that he was not seriously injured, so they just prepared dinner at home.
After a while, the three of them came home together and saw Chen Sanfang with a dark face from a distance.
"Don't even think about it. When the family was divided, they followed my eldest brother. All the extra land and nice houses were given to the eldest wife. When they were most capable, they worked hard for the eldest wife and let them enjoy all the benefits. Now that they are old and need filial piety, they have the audacity to come to our family to enjoy the good life."
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Chen Sanfang started cursing: "I've known for a long time that he favors my eldest brother, and now he's even more partial. I don't tolerate any of them, and I'm really angry. Don't even think about teaching me to serve him."
Father Fan scolded Chen Sanfang until he was covered in dirt and dust, and said in a weak voice: "Dad, you said you want to move because you can't live with your eldest brother.
"Mom wants to scare him, and he's scared. He can't sleep at night, and he can't eat. Big brother's shadow is everywhere, and he can't help but think about it all the time. I haven't mentioned these things before, and I don't mean to bother you."
"He's done nothing wrong, why should he be afraid of you? He clearly just wanted to come live here, so he found an excuse to pretend to be sick to coax you, my silly son, and you just believed it."
Chen Sanfang was furious: "If he wasn't pretending, why would he hold your hand and talk about this? Sanlang Dajing went to see him this morning and he didn't say anything. Now I just went there and he still hasn't said anything. He just wants to take advantage of you, a soft-hearted person!"
Kang He and Fan Jing heard the noise and came out to ask, "What happened?"
Qiao'er snorted softly, "Grandpa wanted to move in with us, but he couldn't bring himself to ask for help, so he pretended to be sick. Dad is kind-hearted and a filial son, so he wanted to take him in."
Kang He frowned. He had sensed something was wrong in the morning, and sure enough, it turned out to be true.
After all, he is an elder of a different generation, and Mr. Fan's two sons are still in their prime, so it is not his turn to interfere in the arrangements made by the elders.
He then asked, "What do the uncles mean?"
"What does that mean? He's probably just waiting for your grandfather to come over so that they can let their guard down."
Chen Sanfang said angrily, "Your grandfather said he couldn't live at home anymore, and your uncle remained silent, pretending not to know what to do. So your father rushed in and said he wanted your grandfather to live here. Who knows whether your grandfather really wanted to come here, or if they just coaxed him into coming?"
Kang He couldn't say anything bad about Father Fan. After all, Father Fan was Master Fan's biological son. How could he bear to see his father unhappy?
Besides, Father Fan is still such a filial son. When Grandma Fan passed away a few years ago, he cried secretly several times.
"Let's discuss this matter carefully first. Maybe the master will be well again in a couple of days. Old people are like children. When they are unhappy, they will make trouble."
At night, Father Fan and Chen Sanfang were still arguing about this matter in the house. Kang He and Fan Jing were also in the house and could occasionally hear some noises.
Kang He and Fan Jing rubbed their swollen feet and said:
"We have many rooms at home, so if we want to invite Fan Ye to live here, we won't have to worry about not having enough space. We have hired help from outside, so we don't need to serve her much on a daily basis. We can just do what we want as usual."
"When the family is well-off, it's only natural for sons to want to honor their fathers. Dad is much better than those people out there who have no affection for their parents."
Fan Jing knew that Kang He said these words to comfort him, so he was willing to talk to Kang He more: "It's natural for Dad to want to be filial to Grandpa. It's what a son should do. It's also natural for Mom to be unhappy. Grandpa and Grandma looked down on her and often had to eat with her first. Now they want to come and live under the same roof. How can she be happy?"
After saying that, he looked at Kang He again and said, "Besides, the current situation of our family is not due to Dad."
Kang He knew that Fan Jing wanted to say that the family's prosperous life was due to his planning, and said, "That's right. Our family's current situation is the result of the concerted efforts of the whole family. Everyone has contributed a lot and given a lot of support.
Although I don't care whether he comes to live here or not, if he does come, we can live peacefully and harmoniously. But if he keeps causing trouble, that won't work."
Fan Jing said, "Don't worry about it. Let them work it out. Family matters are complicated. If anything goes wrong, it won't be your fault."
Previously, the two elders were in a bad mood and refused to go up the mountain. They were frightened by the bandits while staying at home. Grandpa Fan kept complaining that if they had gone up the mountain earlier, Grandma Fan might not have suffered from heart palpitations and would have lived a few more years.
Here, his uncle was about to come out and confess his faults, crying that he had not taken good care of his mother.
Fan Ye held her son's hand and said kindly that she didn't blame him.
If I don’t blame my own son, who should I blame?
Although it was not explicitly stated that Kang Heshun meant that something was wrong with the mountain, Fan Jing felt unhappy when he heard such words.
If he really comes to live at home, don't expect him to be in a good mood.
Kang He also knew some of the previous events, and although he didn't take them to heart, he couldn't help but feel warmed when he heard Fan Jing defending him like this. He said, "Okay. I'll listen to you."
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