“Parents always have such a heart,” Huang Da Sao sighed. “Ya Ya’s idea makes a lot of sense. Labor service can really kill you. The spring labor service is a bit better, but the autumn labor service is something that people with poor health simply can’t endure. Your nephew almost lost his life there the year before last. Since then, the family has only allowed him to do the spring labor service.”
“Sister-in-law,” Jiang Nuan took her hand and gently advised, “If you have any spare money at home, you might as well use it to pay off this spring’s labor service. The corvée labor is too heavy and will take a toll on your health. Once you’re in bad shape, it will take at least half a year to recover.”
“That’s not how it works,” Sister-in-law Huang said, instantly realizing what was going on. She couldn’t help but slap her thigh. “Although we’re not rich, we can at least eat our fill. Your nephew may be a bit dark-skinned, but I’ve raised him to be strong and healthy. But every time he comes back from his corvée labor, even if I serve him good meat at every meal, he still can’t gain weight. I reckon his body is just too weak.”
“Yaya,” Old Lady Huang said, “You’re quite clear-headed about this matter. No wonder you’d rather suffer a loss yourself than have Da Chuan and the others perform corvée labor.”
Grandma Huang turned to her sister-in-law and said, “If we had spare money, we wouldn’t go to the mountains anymore. We can’t see it now that we’re young, but we’ll know we’ll suffer when we’re old.”
"Your father suffers from pain and can't sleep whenever it's cloudy or rainy. We've seen many doctors, and they all say it's from catching a cold. Although the eldest son hasn't said anything, he's not as agile on cloudy days. Now that I think about it, it's probably a lingering ailment from his labor service when he was young. Otherwise, why don't we women have it too?"
“Mother is right.”
Four taels of silver a year is a huge expense. Going to school costs only two taels of silver. To be honest, it's a bit hard to bear.
However, thinking of her son, Sister-in-law Huang finally gritted her teeth and nodded.
...
After rambling on about all sorts of things, Old Man Huang finally returned from outside.
Upon hearing the noise, Jiang Nuan went outside to open the door. "Father, how is it? Did the clan leader say anything?"
"What could he say?" Old Huang's beard twitched with pride. "He agreed as soon as I opened my mouth. He should at least call me 'Uncle.' He'll give me that much face."
"That's good," Jiang Nuan said, helping Old Man Huang up. "Thank you for your hard work, Father. You made a special trip for your daughter-in-law. Tomorrow's family reunion banquet will require your presence and my elder brother's presence. With you here, the family has a pillar of support."
"Don't worry, Dad's here. I'll take care of everything for you," Old Man Huang said sadly, patting Jiang Nuan's arm. "You've suffered a lot since Second Brother left. I know you wish you could go with him right away. This is Second Brother's good fortune."
But Yaya, we can't do this. We have to move on. Second brother is gone, life goes on. How can we sacrifice a living life for a dead one?
These words nearly made Jiang Nuan's jaw drop.
Why does it sound like she was going to commit suicide for love?
Suppressing her doubts, Jiang Nuan replied meekly, "I've remembered what Father taught me."
"Just remember that," Old Man Huang stroked his beard. "Don't forget, you still have a few children to look after. The second son has already passed away. You can't be like him, otherwise, Da Chuan and the others will suffer."
"Daughter-in-law understands, Father, don't worry."
Jiang Nuan escorted Old Man Huang to the hall, and despite the three men's attempts to persuade her to stay, she returned home as quickly as possible.
Upon entering, he immediately called Xiao Si over.
"Little Four," Jiang Nuan pursed her lips, feigning sorrow, "I dreamt of your father last night. He said he missed me and wanted me to keep him company."
These words terrified Huang Xiaosi, who turned pale and immediately grabbed Jiang Nuan's leg with red eyes, asking, "Mother, are you trying to kill yourself again?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan's eyes flickered, and she deliberately said, "Originally, six years ago, I should have..."
“Mother, that’s not how it is,” Huang Xiaosi retorted in one breath, “Six years ago, Mother tried to hang herself for Father. Since she didn’t die, it means Father didn’t want you to be with him.”
"Mother, don't overthink it. You just miss Father too much; what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Besides, dreams are often the opposite of reality. Father just wants you to live a good life."
Just as I expected.
Having gotten the information out of him, Jiang Nuan stopped trying to scare Xiao Si and softly agreed, "Xiao Si is right. I was overthinking things. I haven't even seen you get married and have children yet. How could you take your own life?"
Patting Xiao Si on the back, Jiang Nuan comforted him, "Don't worry, Xiao Si, for your sake, your mother can't be lenient."
“Mother, you must remember your words,” Huang Xiaosi’s voice was choked with sobs, “You must never try to kill yourself again. If you die, we will become motherless children, just like Fatty.”
These words touched Jiang Nuan, and she paused for a moment before speaking, "Don't worry, Mother won't."
To distract him, Jiang Nuan shared some good news from the day before: "The clan has agreed to the family reunion. The family reunion banquet will be held at your grandfather's place the day after tomorrow, and Little Fatty will soon be able to stay with us."
"Really?" Huang Xiaosi instantly perked up and gave Jiang Nuan a big hug. "Mom, you're the best! I'm going to tell Fatty the news."
"She's still just a child!" Jiang Nuan shook her head with a smile.
Just a moment ago she was terrified, but after saying just one sentence, she jumped up happily.
Inside the room, the fat man was still asleep.
He always felt very sleepy, perhaps because he was too weak.
"Fatty," Huang Xiaosi nudged someone who was sleeping, "wake up, I have some good news for you."
The fat man opened his eyes, yawned, and asked listlessly, "What good news?"
"Fatty, my mother just said that the clan has agreed to the family reunification ceremony, and the banquet will be held the day after tomorrow."
"Really?" This question roused the fat man. He sat up and grabbed Huang Xiaosi's arm tightly. "Is Fifth Aunt really going to become my godmother?"
“That’s right,” Huang Xiaosi grinned, smiling broadly. “From now on, you’re part of our family.”
“Yes, yes,” the fat man’s eyes reddened, “Little Fourth, I will repay the kindness you and Fifth Aunt have shown me by working like a cow or a horse for the rest of my life.”
These words made Huang Xiaosi very unhappy. He yanked the fat man's hand away, "What nonsense are you talking about? We're brothers."
“Yes, we’re brothers,” the fat man put on his shoes and ran out without looking back. “Little Four, I’m going to thank Fifth Aunt. Wait a minute, I’ll be right back.”
Upon seeing Jiang Nuan, the fat man kowtowed three times without saying a word.
Although the yard was dirt and not very hard, he bumped his head so hard that his scalp bled.
However, in his excitement, he didn't notice, "Fifth Aunt, thank you, thank you."
"You silly child," Jiang Nuan sighed, wiping his wound with water, "it's not even time for the family reunion banquet yet, and you've already kowtowed so early."
"It's not early," the fat man chuckled sheepishly. "I'm happy to kowtow to Fifth Aunt, no matter how much."
"You can't be that honest, he's bleeding from the head."
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