Chapter 95
Chen Qing originally planned to get up to cook and fetch water, but he didn't want to go out and confront Zhou Yuan right now, so he had no choice but to lie in bed for a while and see if Zhou Yuan would go out before getting up.
But he was really tired a few days ago, and because Zhou Yuan came back and his grandmother had medicine to take, he relaxed and fell asleep again.
When Grandmother got up, Zhou Yuan had already filled all the water tanks in the house. Chen Qing used to do this work, but he wasn't very strong and could only fill two buckets halfway each time, requiring several trips. Zhou Yuan, however, filled them all in one go as soon as he came back.
"Xiaoqing hasn't gotten up yet?" Grandmother saw that only Zhou Yuan was in the yard, and there was a layer of dust in the yard, so she knew that Chen Qing hadn't gotten up yet.
"Yeah, I woke up around 5 a.m. and talked for a bit, but I just checked on me and I saw I'd fallen asleep again." Zhou Yuan sat leisurely on a recliner in the courtyard.
"Xiaoqing was a bit tired recently, let him get some rest. What would you like to eat? Grandma will make it for you." Grandma seemed to be in high spirits, and she looked very energetic.
"I really didn't know that I would love to eat anything you make," Zhou Yuan said.
Grandma was also very happy: "Then let me cook you some noodles? There's still some meat broth left from last night, I'll make a topping."
Previously, their family couldn't afford it, so the flour they bought wasn't refined wheat flour, but flour mixed with other grains. The noodles made from this flour weren't very chewy, but it was the best choice they could make.
Zhou Yuan followed his grandmother, helping her start the fire in the clay stove, and also told her about his situation.
“Because I made a contribution, the court gave me a lot of money when I returned.” Zhou Yuan said while tending the fire, “Grandmother, life will be much better from now on.”
Grandma was kneading dough, and she was particularly energetic at the moment: "Then you must live a good life with Xiaoqing."
“This is what I’m thinking: I want to rebuild the house,” Zhou Yuan said. “I’ll also find a job in town, and then I’ll stay here with you.”
Grandmother smiled and nodded: "The house can be repaired, there's no need to build a new one."
“But the house is too cramped. It’s still manageable now, but what about when we have children?” Zhou Yuan said. “We’ll have to renovate it.”
After he finished speaking, Chen Qing hurriedly came out of the room, his hair disheveled and his clothes not properly dressed. His face was a little red: "Grandmother, I overslept."
"It's alright to sleep a little longer." Grandma has been smiling a lot these past two days. "You've been working hard these past few days too."
He saw his grandmother kneading dough, so he quickly washed his hands, took the basin from her, and took over the task.
Zhou Yuan sat on a small stool by the stove watching him. His hair was a bit messy, yellow and tangled from not eating well. But when he kneaded the dough, his hands were strong and his movements were very efficient.
By all accounts, he seems like a suitable candidate to be a husband.
Zhou Yuan suddenly remembered something. Although everyone in the village knew that Chen Qing was the husband his grandmother had bought for him, they hadn't officially started dating. They had even slept together last night. Zhou Yuan had to give Chen Qing a wedding, otherwise, what kind of relationship would it be if he had just followed her without a word?
He asked, "Grandma, when will we get married?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing stopped what he was doing, but his ears were already bright red.
Grandmother thought for a moment and said, "You've been gone for so many years, and the villagers have basically stopped interacting with us. I don't want to deal with them when you get married, so I think it would be better if our family stayed home and did it behind closed doors."
Zhou Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "Won't this make you feel wronged?"
These words were naturally directed at Chen Qing, who quickly replied, "No, it's not."
He had been in the village for so long but didn't know a single person. The thought of getting married and having to meet so many people made him very anxious. Fortunately, his grandmother's suggestion was very good, and he couldn't be happier.
“Alright then,” Zhou Yuan said. “Grandmother, please tell me which day would be auspicious.”
Grandmother immediately agreed and went back into the house to find the date. Zhou Yuan walked to Chen Qing's side and looked down at him: "Are you sure you won't be wronged?"
Chen Qing lowered his head and said, "No, I don't like those things."
Chen Qing quickly prepared breakfast. Zhou Yuan ate a big bowl. After finishing, he saw Chen Qing washing the dishes, using water very carefully. He took the bowl from Chen Qing and washed it clean in a few strokes: "You don't need to be so frugal with water. I'll do the water carrying from now on."
Chen Qing stood there, watching him finish his work, casually wipe his hands dry, and then go back inside to get his knife. Chen Qing instinctively called out to him, "Where are you going?"
Zhou Yuan slung the knife over his back and said, "I have to go out for a while. You take good care of Grandma at home and wait for me to come back."
After saying that, he went out the door.
Chen Qing was a little worried. He went into his grandmother's room and saw her looking at a perpetual calendar. Chen Qing went over and said, "Grandmother, Zhou Yuan has gone out."
Grandmother put down the perpetual calendar in her hand, naturally knowing what Zhou Yuan was going to do. She sighed and said, "Let him go. Yuan knows what he's doing."
Although Zhou Mu was her son, their affection had been exhausted over the years, especially after Zhou Yuan left. How did that family treat her? They never showed her any respect, and even exploited her during holidays. If she hadn't bought Xiao Qing back, she might have died long ago.
Ah Yuan needed to vent his resentment. She believed that Ah Yuan knew what he was doing and wouldn't cause any death. She just couldn't let Xiao Qing see it, lest he be afraid of Ah Yuan in the future.
On Zhou Yuan's way to Zhou Mu's house, the villagers all came out to watch the commotion. The incident at Zhou Mu's house yesterday had already spread throughout the village, and everyone wanted to see how Zhou Yuan would treat Zhou Mu's family.
To be honest, Zhou Mu was really a heartless person. When Zhou Yuan's father passed away, Zhou Mu took over the family property but didn't support the orphan. He even kicked the old woman out.
Zhou Mu has two sons, both of whom are a little older than Zhou Yuan. They are now married. After getting married, Zhou Yuan's second brother separated from the family and moved away with his wife. In the first few years after Zhou Yuan left, his grandmother was able to get through the winter thanks to the second brother's private assistance. However, the second brother's life was not easy either, and he could only barely make ends meet.
As for the eldest brother, he's just like his father—selfish, cowardly, and incompetent. He was the one who suggested doing the dirty work, and Zhou Mu took the blame for him.
Zhou Yuan carried the knife to Zhou Mu's door, but the door was tightly shut and there was not a sound.
He walked to the door and politely knocked, but there was no response from inside. Zhou Yuan took out his long knife and slashed it into the door with a dull thud.
Zhou Yuan smiled and kicked open the gate of Zhou Mu's house with a strong kick. As he walked in, he immediately saw Zhou Mu's family standing in the yard. Standing at the front were Zhou Yuan's older brother's two children. The two children must have been born when Zhou Yuan left. They had just turned four and were looking at Zhou Yuan with blank expressions.
Zhou Yuan cursed inwardly as shameless. Not wanting the neighbors who were watching the spectacle to continue watching, he turned around and closed the door.
Zhou Yuan had lived in this house in his younger years. Back then, his parents were still alive, and he spent a wonderful time here. The house is no longer what it used to be. Many valuable things have been sold off, and now this once large house is just an empty shell.
His family used to be quite well-off, but his parents passed away too early. His father died suddenly from a serious illness, and his mother also passed away due to excessive grief.
Zhou Mu took over everything in the house, and his family drove his grandmother and him out of the house, not caring whether they lived or died.
They were already trembling with fear when Zhou Yuan chopped at the door. Zhou Yuan walked towards them step by step: "Knowing I'm back, are Second Uncle and Second Aunt going to throw a welcome-back party for me?"
No one answered him. Zhou Yuan looked at the bewildered child, found the child's mother among the group of people, and called out, "Sister-in-law, aren't you here to welcome me back? Aren't you taking the child to the kitchen?"
Zhou's wife was trembling and quickly took the two children away.
After the child left with the others, Zhou Yuan picked up the corner of his clothes and wiped the wood shavings off the knife. Looking at Zhou Mu and his wife, the family was quite well-fed, while his own two children were skin and bones.
"Second Uncle, are you happy with how you spent my money? When do you plan to pay me back?"
Zhou Mu had no money left to repay him. After getting the money from Old Mrs. Zhou, they had already spent it on eating and drinking extravagantly, and had never thought that Zhou Yuan would come back.
Although he was terrified, he still maintained his authority as an elder: "I am your elder, shouldn't you be respectful to me? What's wrong with me spending some of your money!"
Zhou Yuan nodded, took out a dagger from his pocket and threw it. It grazed Zhou Mu's scalp and drove straight into the pillar behind him.
Zhou Mu's legs went weak and he sat down on the ground: "A Yuan, we're all family, no, there's no need to resort to violence..."
The eldest son of the Zhou family was indignant at this moment. He rushed up to Zhou Yuan, pointed his finger at him, and said, "We're all family, blood is thicker than water. Why are you being so aggressive? It's just a few of your dirty money!"
Zhou Yuan twisted the finger that was pointing at him and broke it. His previous attitude of being able to negotiate was completely gone. The two of them saying "family" at the same time really disgusted him.
He never actually intended to get the money, because he knew the family's habits well; once the money was in their pockets, it would never come out again. He just wanted to vent his anger.
In front of Zhou Mu, he gave Zhou's eldest son a severe beating. Zhou Yuan had been living a life of constant danger in the military camp for years, and how could the pampered eldest son be a match for him? In no time, he was lying on the ground, motionless.
Leaving aside the eldest son of the Zhou family, Zhou Yuan carried the knife and approached Zhou Mu.
Zhou Mu's legs trembled: "A Yuan, A Yuan, let's talk this over. We, we took your money to find you a wife. Your second aunt's niece is in her prime, very beautiful, and a perfect match for you."
Zhou Yuan scoffed, "No need for you to worry. My husband is perfectly fine."
As they were talking, the eldest son of the Zhou family, who had just been knocked unconscious, woke up. His whole body ached, and he looked at Zhou Yuan fiercely, saying, "I'm going to report this to the authorities!"
Zhou Yuan turned around, placed the knife against his neck, and said lightly, "Go ahead and sue me."
The eldest son of the Zhou family kept shrinking back. There was a large water stain where he had been sitting, which Zhou Yuan thought was dirty.
This courtyard is no longer the same as it used to be; it bears no resemblance whatsoever. The Zhou family has ruined it so much that it no longer resembles the courtyard of his childhood.
He gripped the knife tightly and, like a madman, smashed and destroyed the entire house. Everything he could see in the yard was hacked and chopped down.
Zhou Yuan, leaning on his knife and panting heavily, looked at the Zhou Mu family huddled in a corner, and walked up to Zhou Mu: "Second Uncle, this matter is not over yet."
As Zhou Yuan walked out of the Zhou family home, he heard a heart-wrenching wailing coming from the courtyard.
He shrugged, feeling a little relieved.
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