"Fifth Brother," Old Man Huang, sitting at the head of the table, seemed to be thinking, "you mean the whole village will work together this year?"
"Hey," Uncle Huang smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits, "we all share the same ancestor, we're all connected by roots."
"Back then, there was no other way. No one was well-off, and everyone was trying to take things from others. It wasn't that they were heartless, but they were afraid of hunger; it was too hard to live on an empty stomach. Nobody wanted to live like that forever."
"Can this work?" Huang Shi expressed his doubts. "The land in the village is different. When everyone works together, some people will suffer losses while others will benefit. We don't want our good intentions to end up causing trouble."
The initial intention was good, but the problem is that others might not be willing to accept it.
Over the years, he has come to understand the gossipy women in the village. They are not particularly good or bad, but they are all scheming and calculating. They would rather have their husbands help their wives' families with chores than help others.
Everyone has their own degree of closeness and distance. In their eyes, the clansmen of Huangjiakou are more important, but in the eyes of these women, besides their own men, their own maternal family is the most important.
"Let's see who dares!" Uncle Huang slammed his hand on the table. "We didn't let them live a good life before, and the men of the Huang family were in the wrong. We let them make a fuss, but if they still want to make a fuss now, they should get back to their mother's home. Our village doesn't keep people who can't tell the difference between inside and outside."
“That’s right,” Uncle Huang coughed and agreed, “If a woman isn’t on our side, she should just go back to her parents’ home to avoid causing trouble later.”
After saying that, he deliberately glanced at Huang Laisheng.
“Seventh Uncle,” Huang Laisheng explained, blushing, “I’ve already sent that woman back to her parents’ home. All that’s missing is a divorce certificate!”
"How are the Tie brothers?" Uncle Huang suddenly thought of this. "Have they been released yet?"
“No, I heard that the higher-ups are going to investigate Qingfeng Temple thoroughly, and the county government is on edge,” Huang Laisheng shook his head. “The three of them got involved in such a big matter, they won’t get away so easily. They’ll be lucky to escape with their lives.”
“It seems that,” Huang Shi said thoughtfully, “that we have now completely formed a grudge with Tiejiazhuang.”
"Afraid of them?" Huang Laisheng sneered. "Although there are many of them, they are all cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong!"
Such a big thing, someone from Tiejiazhuang should at least come to apologize. They're still acting like nothing happened. Aren't they just afraid of being implicated?
What can be accomplished if we stand idly by instead of working together to fight against external threats?
He felt that Tiejiazhuang acted unfairly last time, and this time they are even more despicable!
“This is a perfect example,” Uncle Huang Wu snorted, then continued, “If it weren’t for my wife’s gossipy nature, how could she have caused such a big disaster? It’s only natural to side with one’s own family, but there has to be a limit. Since she’s married into Huangjiakou, she’s a member of the Huang family. If she doesn’t want to stay, she should just get out and stop disturbing the peace of the village.”
Upon hearing this, Huang Laisheng immediately lowered his head in shame.
"What Fifth Uncle means is," Huang Shi said in a deep voice, "that everyone must plant rice together this year?"
“That’s right. It’s a good opportunity to see which other disloyal women there are and get rid of them as soon as possible to avoid causing trouble.”
As he spoke, he gave Huang Sheng a warning look.
"Don't worry, Fifth Uncle," Huang Sheng immediately assured him, "My son has long since reformed and will never be as competitive and troublesome as before."
"That's for the best," Uncle Huang's expression softened considerably after hearing the explanation. "Your wife may be bad in many ways, but she's loyal to the Huang family and won't move her things back to her parents' home. Just for that reason alone, as long as she doesn't make any big mistakes, if anyone in Huangjiakou dares to deliberately cause trouble, this old man will be the first to not let them off the hook!"
Upon hearing this, Huang Sheng was very excited. "Fifth Uncle, with your fair words, I am no longer afraid."
Since the clan elders have said so, let's see who dares to talk back because of what happened before!
“This is what your wife deserves,” Uncle Huang sighed. “Ten years ago, when you were seriously ill, your two sons were crying for food. It was your wife who went back to her parents’ home alone, risking her life to carry back a bag of mixed flour, which saved your lives. Even though she has many faults, she has done a good job for the Huang family’s offspring.”
Liao fainted as soon as she reached the village entrance. She lay there all night before waking up. Even when she was unconscious, she was still clutching the flour sack tightly in her hand and wouldn't give it to anyone.
Although the clan elders don't usually get involved in affairs, they each have their own set of rules and keep their own accounts.
Liao committed such a serious crime and yet someone protected her, while Tie didn't even have anyone to speak up for her; that's the difference.
Tie did not consider herself a member of the Huang family, and the elders of the Huang family clan in Huangjiakou would not consider her one of their own.
“Yes, my nephew still remembers,” Huang Sheng said, his eyes reddening. “To be honest, I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore that time.”
The family's silver was all spent, the grain was all sold off, and even the firewood for cooking was exchanged for copper coins to buy medicine.
In the dead of winter, when even wild vegetables couldn't be found, he felt that God was going to take the lives of his whole family.
His wife told him that she was going back to her parents' home to ask for food, but he didn't believe her. He thought his mother-in-law was the type to give away food and not take it in. But in the end, his wife actually managed to get a bag of mixed flour.
Huang Sheng didn't know how his wife had managed to do it. He only saw his wife being carried home, her face covered in bruises, her body covered in wounds, and her body covered in mud.
Perhaps this stimulus gave him a boost, and his body, which had been sick for more than half a month, actually started to recover slowly.
From that moment on, Huang Sheng vowed in his heart to treat his wife well for the rest of his life and to work hard to earn money so that she could live a good life.
"As the old saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune," Uncle Huang patted him on the shoulder. "The good days are yet to come, don't worry."
Seeing this, Huang Laisheng felt a little envious.
The difference in treatment is too obvious, but I spoiled my wife like that, so I have no face to blame others.
Fortunately, we've already sent her back to her parents' home, and no one will take our belongings anymore. With a few years of hard work, things will definitely get better.
Even at its worst, it can still feed the whole family.
“Since you all agree,” Old Man Huang decided, “our village will work together this time!”
When Old Man Huang was young, the Huang family bloodline wasn't as dispersed as it is now. Back then, the Huang family worked together in the fields and reclaimed wasteland. The elderly man was a brother, and they weren't so distant; they did everything together.
As more and more people came, the relationships grew more distant, and gradually the intimacy of the past faded.
I never imagined that I would witness such a scene in my lifetime.
For a moment, I felt a mix of emotions!
“That’s how it should be,” Uncle Huang said, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “Second Brother, do you still remember when we were kids, we would sit on the edge of the field, counting on our fingers as we watched the elders chatting and laughing as they worked? That kind of atmosphere was truly wonderful!”
Unfortunately, after the ancestors passed away, Huangjiakou never had that atmosphere again!
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