Chapter 2 Object Do you want four brothers-in-law?
"Cooking? Did you and Jigang eat the pancakes that were delivered yesterday?"
Bai Xiuzhen asked as soon as she entered the room.
As the saying goes, if you take something from someone, you will be grateful, and if you eat something from someone, you will be soft-hearted. She brought this up first, and even though the two families had a bad relationship before, Yan Xue couldn't give her a cold shoulder, so the rest of the conversation would naturally be easier.
Yan Xue didn't give her a cold shoulder. She smiled and went to open the cupboard. "There are two left. If your family doesn't have enough, take them back. I still have sweet potatoes here."
Bai Xiuzhen's prepared words got stuck in her throat, and her emotions were incoherent. "That's not what I meant."
She was clearly the one who did the favor, but after Yan Xue said that, it seemed as if she was stingy and wanted to ask for the things back after giving them away.
Yan Xue hadn't really intended to return it, so she just put it back. "What do you want?"
After a few words, Bai Xiuzhen's arrogance when she entered the room was beginning to fade. She paused before organizing her words. "Didn't I just look at the calendar a few days ago and find out you're almost 18? When I was your age, your older brother would have been crawling all over the floor. You should hurry up and make some time."
So it was for this. Yan Xue couldn't say that she had expected it, but she had indeed guessed in this direction.
Yan Jigang was hiding in the inner room, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but stick half of his head out.
Bai Xiuzhen didn't care and continued to talk to Yan Xue. "He's a pretty good-looking guy. I'm sure you'll like him when you meet him. The key is that his family is also very understanding. I heard that you have a younger brother, so I asked you to bring Jigang with you. It's not easy to find a family like him."
Both parents are dead, and she has a younger brother who is a burden. Once she gets married, she will become a father. It is indeed difficult for such a girl to marry.
Moreover, her parents were both deceased, which was a sign of conflict. Although the "Four Olds" campaign had been going on vigorously for many years, rural people were particularly concerned about it. Who knew if she would still bring bad luck to others?
Yan Xue lowered her head, a look of embarrassment on her face, and her voice became softer, "Auntie, I'm still in mourning."
"It's a new society now, who still cares about this? Besides, you've already been here for a year, haven't you? If you really wait three years, you'll be an old maid, and by then the flowers will be cold."
Bai Xiuzhen didn't take it seriously. "I just saw how hard it was for you to raise Jigang alone. Find a man, at least he'll be the backbone of the family. It's better than you having to handle everything on your own. Don't go out for the next couple of days. Find some time to find a date first, and get married before the end of the year."
They even arranged when to get married, which was more urgent than Yan Xue, who had to raise her younger brother alone, support the family and pay off debts.
Yan Xue didn't say anything else, just lowered her head even more, "Wait a little longer, I... I'm not even eighteen yet."
Seeing that she had no intention of objecting, Bai Xiuzhen thought she was just shy. "That's fine. It won't matter if you wait a few days. Think about it carefully. If you find a husband sooner, you can be more relaxed sooner, right? I won't keep you from cooking."
As soon as the person left, Yan Jigang immediately came out from the inner room, ran over and grabbed the corner of Yan Xue's clothes.
The young boy looked up, his clear eyes showing worry and concern, but he pursed his lips and said nothing.
Yan Xue pinched his little face and said, "I'm not looking for a wife for you, why are you in such a hurry?"
Yan Jigang's face turned red immediately.
Yan Xue dragged this big tail and returned to the pot to continue cooking. "My aunt introduced this person to me. I think he looks good."
Yan Jigang blinked, seemingly not understanding why she said that.
Yan Xue slowly explained to him, "When people want to sell something, they will constantly highlight or even exaggerate its advantages, while avoiding mentioning its disadvantages. My aunt-in-law keeps asking me to meet people, so she must be confident that I will like her after meeting her, otherwise her work would be in vain."
Although Yan Jigang did not dare to go out and had never been to school, he was actually more mature than other children of the same age because he lost his mother first and then his father.
Yan Xue told him, and he looked thoughtful. "Then... the rest..."
"Since my aunt didn't mention it, there must be something unsatisfactory. It depends on which aspect it is."
Yan Xue has always been a very realistic person. The experiences in her past life did not allow her to be unrealistic. "Most people are not satisfied with their lives. Just know what you want most. Hold on to what you want most. Don't let go of the unimportant things. That's all you have to do."
This time Yan Jigang was silent for even longer, and it was unclear whether he understood or not.
After a long while, he finally asked his sister, "Who are you going to meet?"
"If the conditions are right, it wouldn't hurt to meet him." Yan Xue smiled and looked towards the west side of the main house. "But before that, I have to ask around first."
That's why she bought herself a few days on the grounds that she was a minor.
In Yan Jigang's case, it would be best for him to change his living environment so that he can relax, stop thinking about those nightmares, and no longer have people imitating his speech all day long.
In this era, it's unrealistic for women to remain single. It's not that they can't support a family, but single women without a man are always being targeted, especially those living in rural areas.
When her biological father passed away, her mother raised her alone and almost had someone sneak in. That person was her third uncle...
Since it involved their own son, her grandparents definitely couldn't help her mother and even accused her mother of losing control and seducing her own son. Otherwise, her mother wouldn't have resolutely taken her to remarry so far away, even changing her last name and completely severing ties with her original family.
If Yan Xue was wearing the style of the 1950s, or after the reform and opening up, she would go to the city to see if she could find an opportunity.
But it was 1969, and all city dwellers had to go to the countryside as educated youth. Without getting married, she couldn't even leave the village.
Yan Xue served the cooked dishes and said to Yan Jigang, "You eat first. I'll go take some to our second grandma." She went to the cupboard and got another bowl.
Unexpectedly, Yan Jigang went into the house and put the plates away, then quickly ran out and wanted to go with her.
It is cold in winter, and most of the windows on the north side of the pass are blocked with yellow mud bricks to block the wind, leaving only the windows on the south side for light.
While their uncle's family was having dinner, the brother and sister went around from the back of the house to the west room of the main house. They raised their hands and knocked on the window three times. After a while, the sound of pulling out a bolt was heard from inside.
The second old lady of the Yan family was widowed at a young age. Her husband died when she was only in her twenties, and her two children also died young. She has been living with her eldest uncle, Grandpa Yan Jigang's family.
At that time, the villagers were saying that her son was a fake husband. She herself was also taboo in her heart and never remarried. She only symbolically adopted her eldest uncle's second son, Yan Baishan, Yan Xue's stepfather, as her adopted son.
But in reality, it was just a formality to prevent her from being adopted by someone else and the house and land from falling into someone else's hands. Yan Baishan never lived with this adopted mother, but continued to be raised by his parents. The old lady didn't seem to care either. She kept silent and ignored everything in the Yan family, living like an invisible person.
Yan Xue didn't pay attention to it before, but after living for a while, she looked back on her several interactions with this adopted grandmother and found that she was definitely a person who saw through things.
"Grandma, have you eaten? I just made salted fish stewed with radish." She handed the bowl in through the open window.
Although not much oil is used, the chopped salted fish is still fried until it turns slightly yellow. Paired with dice-sized radish pieces, it looks appetizing.
The second old lady always spoke slowly. "If you make it, just eat it yourself. Why would you send it to me?"
"Over the years, you've helped Jigang and me make clothes and shoes. Otherwise, we'd all be left with nothing but my needlework."
Yan Xue had a face with soft lines, and her eyes curved when she smiled, making her particularly lovable. Her small mouth could also speak. The second old lady's prematurely aged face was visibly smiling, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Then he asked in a low voice, "Your aunt just went to your place, didn't she?"
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you." Yan Xue was not surprised.
The second old lady didn't mean to beat around the bush. "You weren't home these past few days, and your aunt's distant cousin who married in Duogou Village came over twice."
There was no need to say more, Yan Xue understood.
Duogou, as the name suggests, means stones piled up.
That village was a notorious impoverished village for miles around. The soil was thin and unproductive, and the rocks on the mountain were also unproductive. Year after year, they failed to meet the state's mandate. Not only were the girls from other places unwilling to marry, but even the girls from the village had all run away. In a village of fewer than a hundred households, there were over thirty bachelors.
If it's because of poverty, it's understandable that she's willing to bring her brother along.
Unexpectedly, the second old lady looked at Yan Jigang again, and it was obvious that she had something else to say.
Yan Xue immediately covered her brother's ears.
The second old lady lowered her voice even more. "She said I know that family. They have five sons. A few years ago, the eldest son got married, but he only went back to his parents' home after three days and never came back."
It's only been three days, is it because the man beats his wife or...
Yan Xue had just thought about it when she heard the second old lady say something suggestive: "Someone saw their second son's back covered in blood."
The eldest got married, and the second's back was covered in blood...
Yan Xue couldn't help but gasp. No wonder she didn't let Yan Jigang listen. "Could this be the boss they introduced me to?"
"No, they introduced you to the third brother. A few years ago, when there was nothing to eat, the eldest brother went to the island with others to catch seafood, and when they came back, the boat sank."
This incident was well-known in the local area. Yan Xue was still young at the time, but she had heard about it. It was said that the boat was leaking when they were returning, and the boatman ordered them to empty the buckets. The people on board were so frightened by hunger that no one was willing to do so. In the end, more than 20 people drowned, with the largest number of people in a family losing two.
But even if he's not the eldest, the third one is also dangerous, okay?
You can't bet the rest of your life that he's only interested in your sister-in-law, right?
I heard that the second oldest child is still unmarried and has two younger brothers who have just reached adulthood...
On the way back, Yan Jigang kept looking at Yan Xue, as if he wanted to ask something but didn't know if he could.
Yan Xue, who had been eating gossip online for a long time in her past life, was still very upset and didn't pay attention to it for a while. It was not until Yan Jigang was still absent-minded during the meal that she organized her words and asked her brother, "Do you want four brothers-in-law?"
"Four?" Yan Jigang almost choked, and immediately shook his head when he came to his senses.
"I don't want to either, so let's find another way."
So Bai Xiuzhen counted the days and came to ask Yan Xue how her preparations were going. Yan Xue once again found an excuse to delay.
Bai Xiuzhen was a little unhappy and went back to tell Uncle Yan Songshan about it. "She thinks she's some rich girl. She's asking for trouble when I introduce her to a date."
Yan Songshan frowned, "Could it be that she knows?"
Bai Xiuzhen wasn't worried. "What could she possibly know? Who would have the time to tell a teenage girl about this? Besides, it's all nonsense, just rumors out there."
That was true, but Yan Songshan still felt uneasy.
Ever since Bai Shan passed away, Yan Xue always gave him a feeling that something was not right, but he couldn't tell what exactly was wrong.
"We still need to add another layer of insurance." Yan Songshan's brows remained unrelieved. "Doesn't that girl still owe money to the production team? If not, why don't you talk to her family and ask them to pay it back first."
Now that she has a debt relationship, she has no say over whether she likes the man or whether she wants to marry him or not.
"Let them pay it back? Then what they told me before..." Bai Xiuzhen hesitated to speak.
What does it have to do with them whether they have enough money or not?
Yan Songshan glanced at his wife and said, "If it really doesn't work, forget it. It's not like they are the only ones who can help you."
He didn't seem very determined to make this happen, and even changed the subject to something else. "Ji Zu and his girlfriend have been together for about half a year, right?"
When talking about her eldest son, Bai Xiuzhen's face turned gloomy again. "That's right. If we hadn't had no place, we could have gotten married by the end of the year."
The Yan family had a small yard and many children, so there was no room for their son to get married. They had to find a way to build another house, which was troublesome and expensive.
What's more, they have more than one son, there are three more waiting to be raised. What will happen to the second and third sons if all their money is spent?
Thinking of this, Bai Xiuzhen wanted to get rid of Yan Xue's siblings as quickly as possible. "I'd better go talk to their family. Since they want to get married, they can afford this little money." She wrapped her scarf around her neck and walked outside.
As soon as I walked out of the main house, I saw a little donkey stopping outside the courtyard gate.
Bai Xiuzhen knew the man on the donkey. He was Yan Xue's mother's cousin, who was married in Shanjia Village, ten miles away. It was she who introduced Yan Xue's mother to the Yan family.
However, although this person was only ten years older than Yan Xue's mother, she had bound feet, which made it inconvenient for her to walk long distances. Usually people went to her side, and she was rarely seen coming to the Yan family.
Just as she was wondering, the old lady with bound feet had already gotten off the donkey and greeted her with a smile.
"Is her aunt home too? It's just right. I've introduced Xiaoxue to a guy, so you can help her with some advice."
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