Chapter 23 It's Chinese New Year
The sound of firecrackers at the end of the year has already begun sporadically.
As dusk fell and darkness descended, Zhao Fei drove his small truck back to the courtyard house with a weary Wen Bin in tow.
Wenbin is nine years older than Wen Xiaoxiao. He is about the same height as Zhao Fei, but thinner and has darker skin.
He was carrying two bulging snakeskin bags when he entered the door and called out, "Xiaoxiao!"
"Brother!" Wen Xiaoxiao was already waiting in the courtyard. When she saw her older brother, her eyes instantly reddened, and she hurriedly went to greet him.
Wenbin put down the bag and carefully examined his sister. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly; his sister was thinner than when he last saw her.
He brushed the dust off his clothes and smiled憨厚ly: "Brother brought you some dried goods from the south, dried longan, dried lychee, and some seafood. Make soup to nourish your body."
Hearing the commotion, Li Yugu came out of the kitchen with a big smile: "Wenbin's here? You must be tired from your journey! Come in and warm up, dinner's almost ready!"
Zhao Fei helped carry the luggage into the main room.
During a simple welcome dinner, Wenbin didn't say much, but he was very polite. He toasted Li Yugu to thank her for taking care of his sister.
At the dinner table, he asked, "Xiaoxiao, where's Qingda? Hasn't he gotten off work yet?"
Wen Xiaoxiao paused in her chopsticks, lowered her eyes, and said, "He... is busy driving his truck at the end of the year and is never home."
Li Yugu's smile froze for a moment, then he chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, busy. That's how it is for drivers of sports cars. Come on, Wenbin, have some vegetables. Try this fish; it's fresh."
Zhao Fei poured Wenbin a glass of wine and said casually, "Brother Wenbin, will you be able to stay a few more days this time?"
"It depends. The construction work over there is finished, and there haven't been any new jobs contacted yet."
“That’s perfect,” Zhao Fei put down his wine glass and said seriously, “There’s a lot going on at my pig farm at the end of the year, and we’ll be expanding the pens in the spring. We’re short of a reliable helper. Food and lodging will be provided, and the salary… will be the highest standard for skilled workers in our area. If you don’t mind, could you come and help out? It’s close to home, so you can keep an eye on Xiaoxiao.”
Wenbin's eyes lit up when he heard that.
He came here to visit his sister and also to find a job nearby.
Zhao Fei's offer was very reasonable, and he was also the cousin of his sister's husband's family, so they knew each other well.
"Really? That's great! I'm strong enough, especially when it comes to raising pigs..."
"Don't worry, I'll teach you, it's not difficult," Zhao Fei said with a smile.
"Alright! Thanks a lot, brother!" Wenbin picked up his glass, clinked it with Zhao Fei's, and drank it all in one gulp.
He only has one younger sister. His parents passed away early, so it would be best if he could be closer to his sister.
After dinner, Li Yugu took Zhao Yidi to the alley entrance to watch others set off firecrackers.
Only Wen Xiaoxiao and Wen Bin remained in the room.
Wen Xiaoxiao poured her older brother a cup of hot tea. After a moment of silence, she began to recount in a low voice the situation of the past two years, especially Zhao Qingda's actions, Wang Juan's matter, and the beatings and humiliations she had endured.
By the end, her voice choked with emotion, but she managed to hold back her tears.
As Wenbin listened, his face grew increasingly grim, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he suddenly stood up: "Damn it! That bastard! I'm going to find him! I'll kill him!" His eyes blazed with fury, and he turned to rush out.
"Brother!" Wen Xiaoxiao quickly stopped him, grabbing his arm tightly. "Don't go! It's not worth it for someone like that! What will you do if something happens?"
"Are you just going to watch me get bullied like this?!" Wenbin roared, veins bulging on his neck.
“Brother, don’t worry.” Wen Xiaoxiao’s calm demeanor revealed a sense of desperation. “I can earn money now. I learned a trade at the tailor shop and got paid this month. I’ve made up my mind. If things really don’t work out… I’ll get a divorce. I can support myself.”
"Divorce?" Wenbin was stunned.
In his simple mind, a woman's divorce is a huge deal; she will be gossiped about and will face difficulties in the future.
"Xiaoxiao, you can't say things like that so easily... What will happen to a divorced woman in the future? She can be drowned in gossip."
“I know.” Wen Xiaoxiao lowered her head. “But brother, I don’t want to live like that for another day. If we get divorced, even if people talk about us, at least… at least I won’t have to live in fear every day, and I won’t have to suffer new wounds.”
She looked up at her older brother, her eyes filled with tears and pleading, "Brother, now that you're here, I feel a bit more confident. This matter... don't worry about it for now, I know what I'm doing. Just focus on working for Brother Fei, okay?"
Wenbin sighed heavily, sat back in his chair, and silently smoked.
He couldn't accept the divorce anytime soon, but the suffering his sister had endured was real.
After a long pause, he said in a hoarse voice, "Don't overthink it. I'm here. If Zhao Qingda dares to lay a finger on you again, I won't let him get away with it! As for anything else... we'll talk about that later."
That night, Wenbin stayed overnight at Zhao Fei's main house.
The two men smoked and talked until late into the night, mostly about the pig farm, but also Zhao Fei's subtle request to Wenbin to "take good care of Xiaoxiao."
The next morning, Wenbin went to the pig farm with Zhao Fei.
He was a hard worker, willing to put in the effort, and quick to learn, mastering the skills in no time.
As expected, Zhao Fei kept his word, arranging his food and lodging, and even giving him a portion of his salary in advance for the New Year.
Wenbin felt much more at ease, thinking that Zhao Fei was an honest and kind person.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Sister Hu paid Wen Xiaoxiao her wages for the year before the new year.
Because there was a lot of work at the end of the year, she received more than 600 yuan! It felt heavy in her hand.
When Wen Xiaoxiao walked out of the shop, her steps were unsteady.
This is the largest sum of money she has ever earned with her own two hands!
It's more than all that Zhao Qingda has given her over the years!
She first bought her older brother a thick new cotton-padded coat, then went to the supply and marketing cooperative and gritted her teeth to buy Zhao Fei a pack of "Hongtashan" cigarettes, which were considered good at the time.
She carefully wrapped it up with an old scarf.
When Zhao Fei returned in the evening, Wen Xiaoxiao quietly slipped him a cigarette wrapped in a scarf and whispered quickly, "It's for you."
Zhao Fei was taken aback. He felt inside and found a pack of cigarettes. Looking at Wen Xiaoxiao's bright eyes, he instantly understood.
He glanced quickly to the left and right, and seeing no one in the courtyard, he suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulled her into the shadows behind the main room door, and kissed her hard on the lips.
Wen Xiaoxiao's face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head and walked away quickly, but her heart felt like it was filled with the joy of a little bird.
Zhao Fei held the cigarette that was carefully wrapped in a scarf.
This woman has feelings for him.
Wen Xiaoxiao had already finished making new clothes for herself, and when she tried them on, her complexion became a little rosier.
She used the leftover fabric to make Zhao Yidi a new pair of pants in the same color scheme.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, she took Yidi to the street and bought a pair of beautiful red leather shoes for the child, and also picked out a pair of soft-soled, warm cotton shoes for Li Yugu.
Li Yugu took the shoes and said repeatedly, "Why waste this money?" but he couldn't stop smiling and immediately tried them on.
Lunar New Year's Eve, a family reunion dinner.
Zhao Qingda was also forcibly summoned back by Li Yugu.
With Wenbin now on the table, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Zhao Qingda still had bruises on his face and a gloomy look in his eyes, but under Wen Bin's extremely oppressive gaze and Zhao Fei's cold stare, he didn't dare to act recklessly and ate his meal unusually "well-behaved" and even in silence.
That night, he unusually stayed in the east wing and didn't run out again. He slept properly, although the two of them were still one at the head of the kang and the other at the foot of the kang, with a cold distance between them.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, according to custom, Li Yugu took Wen Xiaoxiao out to pay New Year's visits to the elders in the alley.
Wenbin went back to the pig farm to take care of the pigs. Although it was the Chinese New Year, there were still dozens of pigs to feed, and he couldn't leave them unattended.
The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day to visit one's maternal home.
Early in the morning, Zhao Fei took Zhao Yidi and Li Yugu by car to Li Rui's parents' home in a neighboring county.
Li Rui's mother, the old woman who lost her only daughter, embraced Zhao Yidi and wept bitterly upon seeing her granddaughter and son-in-law.
Li Yugu, weeping beside her, kept comforting her: "Sister-in-law, don't cry. Look how well Yidi has grown up and how sensible she is... Feizi is also devoted to the child. Things will get better and better..."
Zhao Fei stood silently to the side, looking at the desolate courtyard of his deceased wife's family home and the old man's gray hair, his heart heavy.
At this moment, only Wen Xiaoxiao remained in the courtyard.
A rare moment of peace and quiet.
She leisurely tidied up the house, heated up the leftover food from the New Year, and ate it herself.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and she sat in the yard for a while, but then she found herself getting a little bored.
After thinking for a while, she packed some New Year's goods and snacks and went to Sister Hu's house to pay her a New Year's visit.
Sister Hu lived alone and was very happy to see Wen Xiaoxiao. She insisted on having dinner with her, and the two even opened a bottle of red wine, which was a rare treat at the time.
We chatted about interesting things happening in the shop and looked forward to business at the start of the new year, and before we knew it, we had drunk a bit too much.
It was already completely dark when I left Sister Hu's house.
When I got home, the yard was dark and quiet.
Zhao Qingda has been missing since New Year's Eve.
Go wherever you want.
For the first time, Wen Xiaoxiao felt a sense of relief about Zhao Qingda's whereabouts.
She opened the door to the east wing, and without lighting a lamp, she groped her way to the kang (a heated brick bed) and lay down, using the dim light coming in from the window.
The bed was cold, but she no longer felt the emptiness and despair she used to feel.
She closed her eyes and, in her drunkenness and exhaustion, fell into a deep sleep.
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