Chapter 44: Slap You should know why I slapped you. ...
The young boy probably hadn't seen his sister for too long. When he opened his eyes and saw Yan Xue, he was stunned for a moment, and then closed his eyes again.
That little expression was as if everything in front of him was just a dream, and as long as he closed his eyes, he would not wake up from the dream.
Yan Xue felt a pang of pain in her heart. She softened her voice and pinched his skinny face, "Why? You really don't want to see me?"
The touch felt too real, and the young boy opened his eyes again, with a hint of surprise in his big eyes that looked 70% similar to Yan Xue's.
But he opened his mouth, but still couldn't utter a word. He thought of something, and tears gradually gathered in his eyes as he looked at Yan Xue.
"It's all right, it's all right." Yan Xue patted him lovingly. "Haven't you always been curious about what your brother-in-law looks like? I'll let him come in and show you."
As she spoke, she lifted a corner of the bed sheet and knocked on the window. "Qi Fang, come in for a moment."
The little boy in his arms immediately tensed up and even shivered, obviously very scared of the window.
But soon, Yan Xue retreated to her original position, and Qi Fang came in from outside, shaking the water off his hands. "What's wrong?"
Yan Jigang squinted one eye and looked, seemed to be stunned for a moment, then opened the other one.
This kid must be obsessed with looks. Yan Xue shook him and said, "This is your brother-in-law. What do you think? He's handsome, right?"
It was the first time that Qi Fang heard Yan Xue say that he was pretty, and he glanced at Yan Xue with his peach blossom eyes.
Yan Jigang immediately grabbed the corner of Yan Xue's clothes, opened his eyes wide and wanted to say something, but couldn't.
Yan Xue extended her palm to him and asked, "Have you forgotten all the words I taught you to write?"
Yan Jigang shook his head and stretched out a finger to write on her palm: "Good, look."
"It seems you haven't forgotten." Yan Xue rubbed his head.
Yan Jigang pursed his lips, revealing a small smile, and couldn't help but look at Qi Fang.
Qi Fang is the youngest in the family and has been skipping grades in school. He is surrounded by people who are several years older than him. He has never come into contact with such a shy and fragile child.
Seeing Yan Jigang secretly glancing at him, he didn't know how to get along with him, so he simply imitated Yan Xue and rubbed the other person's head, "Hello."
It was a very adult way of greeting, and Yan Jigang blushed and was speechless. He could only pull Yan Xue's hand and continue writing.
"He said you're fine too." Yan Xue helped translate, paused, and then smiled, "He also calls you brother-in-law."
Qi Fang hummed, seeming to feel a bit cold, and then said, "I've reserved a room for you at home."
Yan Jigang immediately turned to look at Yan Xue, his eyes shining.
"I have reserved a room for you." Yan Xue gave him an affirmative answer, "But you have to eat well and take your medicine well. You can leave with us only after you are well."
This time, Yan Jigang wrote much faster, and Yan Xue could hardly keep up, but she guessed that he was making sure to eat well and take medicine properly.
"It's just that you fell asleep before taking the medicine at noon, so take it now." The second old lady went out and brought in a bowl of medicine.
Yan Jigang's face fell when he saw it, but he still took it obediently and tried hard to swallow it. He almost vomited it out several times.
Yan Xue helped him along his back and said, "Drink slowly, there's no rush."
The second old lady had already poured a glass of water and was waiting on the side. When she saw him finish drinking it, she immediately handed it to him.
Unfortunately, seeing his frown, it was obviously still bitter, Qi Fang simply opened the bag and handed him a biscuit.
"Eat it." Yan Xue took it for him and reached out to catch the biscuit crumbs for him.
Yan Jigang did not rush to eat, but first wrote two words on her open palm - "Thank you." Then he looked at Qi Fang, obviously talking to Qi Fang.
Yan Xue's heart softened, and she simply took Qi Fang's hand and spread it out, "You talk to him yourself."
This was the first time Yan Xue took the initiative to pull Qi Fang, and in order to make him open his palm, she even grabbed a few of his fingers.
Slenderness and length were entangled together. Qi Fang wanted to tighten his palm, but when he looked at the sickly boy in Yan Xue's arms, he held back.
Yan Jigang didn't know if he had seen it wrong, but it seemed that the coldness of this tall brother-in-law was less. He mustered up the courage to thank him on the other party's hand.
Then he received another pat on the head, "Your sister has prepared something for you."
This made Yan Jigang unable to help but look at Yan Xue, with surprise and anticipation in his eyes.
"I can't tell you now." Yan Xue deliberately kept him in suspense. "When you get better and go back with your sister, you'll know."
There was obvious disappointment on Yan Jigang's little face, but he didn't chase after her. Instead, he hugged his sister tightly.
He is really a well-behaved child, so well-behaved that it makes people feel sorry for what he has been through.
There must have been some tranquilizing ingredients in that bowl of medicine. Not long after, Yan Jigang's eyelids began to twitch.
Seeing that he was trying hard not to sleep, Yan Xue patted him and said, "I'm not leaving. I came back with your brother-in-law this time just to pick you up."
But Yan Jigang still didn't want to sleep, so he just looked at her, holding her tightly in his hands.
Yan Xue thought about it, and then leaned in close to him and asked in a whispering tone: "Then tell me what you saw."
There was no way around it last time, but some problems are best solved at the root if they can be solved at the source.
Yan Jigang was now even afraid of the windows in the second old lady's house, but he had been on both a car and a boat all this way, so who didn't have windows? There was no way his new house couldn't be without windows.
After hearing this, Yan Jigang began to tremble, and fear appeared in his big eyes.
He opened his mouth eagerly wanting to say something, but nothing came out except "ahhh".
"It's okay, my sister is here." Yan Xue hurriedly hugged him tightly, "If you can't say it, we can write it down. There's no rush."
Yan Jigang immediately grabbed her hand and quickly placed it on it.
It took a long while before Yan Xue could vaguely make out two words - "there is a ghost".
Her heart and eyes sank at the same time. When she raised her eyes, she found that Qi Fang was also looking at her with a cold look in his eyes.
Yan Xue patted her brother in her arms and said, "But there are no ghosts in the world. Jigang, are you seeing things?"
Yan Jigang shook his head and held her hand again to ask her to write.
Yan Xue's voice became increasingly gentle, yet firm, "There really are no ghosts in the world. If you don't believe me, ask your brother-in-law. He's a college student."
Qi Fang hadn't told Yan Xue about this yet, and he immediately looked over when he heard it.
But thinking about what Miss Yan had said about returning to the institute, and how she had been alone with Miss Yan before, he didn't delve into it further and sat down across from Yan Jigang. "There really are no ghosts in the world. Many legends that people believe are about ghosts are either hoaxes or people just scaring themselves without understanding science."
He gave Yan Jigang an example. "For example, the so-called will-o'-the-wisp fire is caused by the spontaneous combustion of phosphine, which is converted from phosphorus in the bones during the decomposition process and then comes into contact with the air and undergoes an oxidation reaction with oxygen in the air."
Qi Fang had a cold expression and a faint voice. When he spoke of these things, he naturally had an unscientific and retreating temperament.
Yan Jigang was stunned after listening for a long time before he pulled Yan Xue's hand to write.
This time, he couldn't write a word, so he used pinyin. Yan Xue organized it in her mind and said, "You mean a ghost wall? You scared yourself."
She touched the boy's leg and said, "People's right legs are naturally stronger than their left legs. It's dark and you can't see, so of course they move in circles. If you don't believe me, close your eyes and walk a few steps on the ground. I guarantee it won't be a straight line."
She spoke seriously, and Qi Fang beside her nodded coldly. Yan Jigang was confused. Could it be that he really saw it wrong?
Seeing the young boy's expression, Yan Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask, "The ghost you saw was the same shape as a human, right?"
Yan Jigang nodded hesitantly.
"Is there anyone as tall as your brother-in-law?" Yan Xue seemed very curious.
Yan Jigang shook his head, and she laughed again, "You can't be as short as me, right?"
Yan Jigang shook his head again, and this time he stretched his hand upwards.
Yan Xue understood what was going on, and even her eyes curved. "So ghosts have different heights too. I thought they were just floating in the sky."
When he heard her say that it was floating in the sky, Yan Jigang became even more confused, as if the "ghost" he saw was indeed not floating up.
Yan Xue patted his back and said, "Maybe you saw it wrong, or someone is joking with you and trying to scare you on purpose."
Yan Jigang was already very skeptical about whether there were ghosts in the world. He was sleepy after taking the medicine, and soon she finally made him fall asleep.
The second old lady gently took the person and placed him on the pillow, sighing, "You still have to study. I'm blind like this, so I don't know what Jigang wants to say."
"That's because you were born in a bad era. If you were born now, wouldn't you be able to study?"
"That's hard to say."
If a girl wants to study, it depends on luck. The girl from Yan Xuetang's uncle's family is not much older than her, but she still spins cotton at home every day and never goes to school.
The second old lady didn't say much. After she settled her grandson, she urged Yan Xue and Qi Fang, "You two should go wash and change your clothes. It must have been quite hot all the way here."
"It's quite hot. I feel like I'm getting sore." Yan Xue smelled herself.
Just as the two were about to leave, the second old lady called Yan Xue back and lowered her voice, "Step-grandfather recognized us as relatives the day before yesterday, and the date is set for next month."
The second old lady was a sensible person, and so was Yan Xue. No need to say more, she already knew everything.
She only asked one question: "Is it still the same as before?"
The second old lady nodded and said, "I said I wanted to get married before the New Year. I looked at several places to build a house in the spring, but I didn't like any of them."
Yan Xue didn't say anything else. She went out to get some water and found a place to wash herself.
After all, she had been holding a nine or ten-year-old child for most of the day, and when she picked up the basin of water, Yan Xue's arms went limp.
Before she could steady herself, the man next to her reached out and took it, his expression calm, "What are you going to do?"
He was also a smart man, and he obviously knew what the second old lady and Yan Xue meant.
How could it be such a coincidence? Yan Jizu was looking to get married, but he hadn't found any suitable places, and then something happened to Yan Jigang.
Moreover, they were a bit too hasty. Yan Jigang had just moved out, and they couldn't wait to get engaged and recognize each other as relatives.
Yan Xue's smile was filled with sarcasm, "Aren't these troubles in my family really frustrating?"
"It's okay," Qi Fang put down the basin and handed her the clothes she needed to change. "My home isn't much better."
Yan Xue then remembered that this person was a tragic character. Not only did he die young, but his relationship with his family was also very tense. It was not until the end of his life that he let go of his worries.
Just as I was about to say something, Yan Songshan and Yan Jizu came back from the fields.
Yan Xue's eyes darkened. She no longer cared about anything else. She quickly washed up, changed her clothes and went out.
In the courtyard, Yan Songshan and his son had just hung their wheat-cutting sickles on the wall and were scooping water to rinse the mud off their feet at the door. When they saw Yan Xue, Yan Songshan remained calm and asked her with a smile, "Xiaoxue is back?"
Then she said with concern: "You're back at the right time. Jigang hasn't been feeling well these past two days. I don't know if it's because he hasn't seen me for half a year and misses me."
Look how beautifully these words are said. He is the elder who cares about the younger generation, and Yan Xue is the sister who abandoned her younger brother for half a year.
And after hearing what he said, Yan Jigang's illness was not caused by shock, but because Yan Xue cruelly abandoned her brother for half a year, so the responsibility lies with Yan Xue.
Yan Xue smiled and did not refute. She walked up and slapped Yan Jizu in the face.
Yan Jizu was not tall, but he was at least 1.7 meters tall, and he was a farmer who worked in the fields all year round. No one would have thought that Yan Xue, who was so petite, would actually hit him.
Yan Songshan's face darkened immediately. When Yan Jizu realized what was happening, he became even more furious. He jumped up and was about to hit her, "You're looking for death!"
However, someone was faster than his slap and grabbed his arm and broke it.
Before Yan Jizu recovered from the pain, he was hit hard on the other side of his face for the second time, still by Yan Xue.
Yan Xue's hands were numb from the shock, so she just shook them and looked at Yan Jizu, "You should know why I hit you, right?"
Before Yan Jizu could speak, he interrupted, "Don't tell me you don't know how Jigang was frightened, or by whom."
Seeing the other person's expression clearly froze, she sneered, "The gate was already locked at the time. Jigang said there was a ghost in the house, right outside the window, and it was only half a head taller than me. Do you think I'm a fool?"
Yan Songshan is not short, nearly 1.8 meters tall, but his children may have inherited Bai Xiuzhen and are not very tall, especially the eldest son Yan Jizu.
As soon as Yan Jigang gestured with his hand, Yan Xue guessed who it was, and waited for Yan Jizu to come back from the fields and attack him at the gate.
In rural areas, courtyard gates are never locked until nightfall. As soon as a commotion broke out, people gathered outside to watch. Yan Songshan's face turned pale with anger. "There has to be a limit to fooling around. Even if you feel sorry for Jigang, you can't take it out on Jizu! What does Jigang's fright have to do with him?"
As he spoke, he pulled Qi Fang's hand that was holding Yan Jizu's hand, "She's a woman and doesn't know how to behave! You're just as ignorant as her!"
It is very shameful to say that a man is afraid of his wife, especially in the interior of the country, in their rural areas.
Yan Songshan guessed that Qi Fang saw Yan Jizu was about to hit Yan Xue and subconsciously stopped him, but he must have let go after hearing these words.
Qi Fang twisted the man around and spun around, avoiding him. Yan Jizu howled in pain, "Shouldn't you reflect on this?"
Yan Songshan and his men were completely bewildered. They were reflecting on what?
Qi Fang glanced at him calmly and said, "Yan Xue has been married to me for half a year. She never loses her temper. She is gentle and virtuous."
So if the gentle and virtuous Yan Xue lost her temper, it must be their fault.
This time, not only Yan Songshan, but also the neighbors outside the yard understood it. It seemed that there was some truth to it.
After all, Xiaoxue usually smiles at everyone she meets and is sweet-mouthed. Except for the time when she asked for compensation, she has never been so angry.
At this time, Bai Xiuzhen also heard the noise and came out. When she saw this scene, she immediately came over and hit Qi Fang, "You are crazy! Let go of my stepfather!"
Yan Xue took advantage of the situation and pulled the man to let him go, but she was not idle either. "This second slap was for when my father passed away and you encouraged Ji Gang to go see my father."
Yan Jizu's arm had been twisted for a long time and he was grimacing in pain. Upon hearing this, he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock.
The people outside who were listening to the noise all gasped.
Everyone knew that Yan Jigang's stuttering was caused by the shock of seeing Yan Baishan's bloody death. But everyone also thought it was just an accident. After all, the scene was so chaotic that it was normal not to notice a child.
Yan Xue knew very well that this was not the case. "When I left that day, I was afraid of scaring Jigang, so I repeatedly told him to stay home and not run around. I was afraid he wouldn't listen, so I even locked the outside door." She looked at Yan Jizu, "But he jumped out the window and ran away. You were the only one at home at the time."
Bai Xiuzhen thought it was unlucky and didn't let her son go at all. She also asked him to look after the other children in the family and not let them run around.
Yan Xue sneered, "You knew my dad was crushed to death, but you still let Jigang go. What are you thinking?"
This time, not only did they breathe in, but they could hear discussions outside. Yan Jizu's face turned pale and red. "Stop talking nonsense!"
Yan Songshan's face was also gloomy. "Ji Zu wants to use your house for his wedding. We didn't pay enough. If you are dissatisfied, you can talk to us. There is no need to put the blame on Ji Zu."
This means that Yan Xue made this fuss purely because they couldn't agree on the price.
"Who were you talking to when you just came in?" Qi Fang calmly pointed out the loophole in his words.
Yan Songshan choked.
Yan Xue was too lazy to argue with him and looked directly at Yan Jizu, "Then do you dare to swear?"
She pointed to the sky and glanced at everyone inside and outside the courtyard. "I swear in front of God and everyone here, if it was you who instigated Jigang to go there, if you dressed up as a ghost and scared Jigang, I will make you unable to have children, and make your entire family unable to have children. Do you dare?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I haven't done it, so I haven't done it!" Yan Jizu's expression changed several times, and he actually raised his hand.
But before he could even utter "I swear," Bai Xiuzhen grabbed him tightly and said, "No! You can't swear that!"
Yan Jizu was young and bold, Yan Songshan was very cunning, and only Bai Xiuzhen had never been to school and had little experience, so she was really afraid of these things.
Is there anything else to say? Yan Xue looked at the few people, sneered, and turned back.
Qi Fang walked behind her, his tall figure covering her completely, shielding her from the resentment of Yan Songshan's family and the prying eyes of people outside the yard.
It was not until they reached the door of the west room that the man's hand fell on her shoulder, but he quickly let go.
But Yan Xue still knew what it felt like to have someone behind her. In fact, if it weren't for Qi Fang, she would have suffered a loss even if she was outnumbered by three people at the gate.
This made her turn around and smile at the man, "Am I really gentle and virtuous?"
"Yeah." The man actually responded seriously, and even raised his hand to touch her head. Seeing the second old lady coming out after hearing the sound, he quickly put it down.
The second old lady paused, and then took a step forward, but the foot didn't land properly and wasn't retracted properly.
Qi Fang, on the other hand, looked normal. "Jigang wasn't woken up, was he?"
"No, he's still asleep." The old lady said, and then asked Yan Xue: "Was he really Jizu back then?"
Regardless of whether he grew up in her presence or not, Yan Baishan was her adopted son after all. She rushed over in a hurry at that time and had no idea what was going on at home.
Yan Xue hummed, and helped her walk inside. "I had some doubts at the beginning, but there were too many things to do, so I never found the opportunity. Today, I finally want to settle the old and new accounts together."
He paused again, showing some hesitation, "Grandma, am I being too impulsive?"
"Why are you so impulsive? This has happened time and again. We should ask them for an explanation."
But Yan Xue was worried that if she really broke off relations with the first wife, the second old lady would have a hard time in the future.
After all, her return was too coincidental. Anyone with a keen eye would be able to figure it out after a while. Moreover, the second old lady was obviously on her and Jigang's side.
Yan Xue was just thinking about what to say when Qi Fang said, "Grandma, please come back with us."
She turned around in surprise. The second old lady was stunned for a moment, then waved her hands repeatedly, "Why should I go with you? My things are still here."
"Besides, it's not convenient for me here," the old lady lifted her bound feet, "I have to ask someone else to help me even sell a chick."
"It's okay, I'll carry you." Qi Fang still had that cold tone, "There are rooms at home."
The second old lady's heart warmed when she heard this. "As long as you can live well, I won't go." She walked to the kang and patted the large old wooden box on the kang. "I have to take care of my belongings and these houses for the ancestral tomb in the future."
The older generation is particularly concerned about what happens after death, and it's especially hard to leave their homeland. The second old lady clearly didn't want to leave, and even asked the two people, "Are you in a hurry to go back?"
Yan Xue didn't know how to persuade her, "Don't worry, you have to wait until Jigang gets better."
"Then you should find time to go visit your great aunt," the second old lady said. "After all, she was the matchmaker for you, and she made a good match."
Yan Xue now remembered what she had been interrupted about. Qi Fang also looked over immediately, "Grandma?"
Yan Xue had no choice but to go to the second old lady and said, "Well, there's something I haven't told you yet. The one my great aunt introduced to me didn't work out, so this is another one..."
"Is this another one?" The great aunt had never expected such a coincidence to exist in the world, and she looked Qi Fang up and down again.
Qi let her look at him. After all, without the old lady, Yan Xue would not have traveled thousands of miles to the outside of the Great Wall for a blind date.
Then the old lady decisively forgot that Qi Fang was her elder sister's grandson. "This one is good-looking. If I were in your place, I would have to admit my mistake too."
It turns out that their family's obsession with looks is hereditary. Yan Xue laughed and said, "We ran into that person later, and they have already returned the 100 yuan betrothal gift."
"It's good that you've paid it back, it's good that you've paid it back." The great aunt nodded and asked Yan Xue, "So, are you planning to take Jigang away this time when you come back?"
Even if Yan Jigang had not been frightened again, Yan Xue would have taken her brother away, not to mention that Yan Jigang was frightened so badly this time by Yan Jizu.
Yan Xue did not leave any leeway for Yan Songshan's family that day. Now everyone in the village knows that Yan Jizu almost scared his cousin to death in order to get people to vacate their house for him to get married.
That’s right, the rumor has become terrifying, after all, Yan Jigang has been bedridden for many days.
Yan Xue didn't dare to go out with Qi Fang these past few days unless she had something to do. Otherwise, they would be stopped and asked after every three steps: "Is that true? This is such a jerk!"
Some people, who wanted to watch the fun, spread the news to the village of Yan Jizu's girlfriend, causing the girl to run to Yan Jizu in anger.
Yan Xue didn't know what they said exactly, but after that, Yan Songshan's family looked at her with disgust.
Yan Xue didn't care. Since they dared to do it, they shouldn't be afraid of others exposing it. When they did this, why didn't they think about whether this was something a human being would do?
As soon as Yan Jigang's condition stabilized, she went to the village party secretary to get a letter of introduction and prepared to take him back.
Before leaving, the two men persuaded the second old lady again.
The old lady was very determined. "This is my home. I want to die here. I won't go anywhere else."
Yan Xue really had no choice but to leave her fifty yuan. "Keep these. If you need anything, I'll come back to see you next time."
"Just live your life well, don't worry about me." The old lady pushed and pushed, finally leaving only twenty, "I have a lot of money, I don't need this little bit from you."
Before leaving, he made a pair of shoes for all three of them. "The rubber soles sold are durable, but they are not as comfortable and breathable as the thousand-layer soles I make myself."
He escorted the three people out of the hospital and patted Yan Jigang's head. "Go and listen to what your sister and brother-in-law say."
Yan Jigang nodded, reluctant to leave her but unable to speak, so he held her hand tightly.
Finally, the old lady pulled away and said, "Let's go. If we don't leave now, we will miss the bus."
The three of them walked to the county. On the way, Yan Jigang couldn't keep up, so Qi Fang carried him on his back for a long time. The young boy's face turned red, but his eyes were bright.
Seeing those shoes again on the long-distance bus, Yan Xue couldn't help but sigh, "I came back in a hurry this time and didn't buy anything for grandma. She always says she has a lot of money, but I don't know if that's enough to make my uncle's family treat her well."
The old lady has no children and doesn't want them to take her in, so she can only rely on these to survive.
There were many people on the bus, and the conductor kept asking people to hold the child up, so Yan Jigang sat on his sister's lap and was then taken to his brother-in-law's side.
Hearing Yan Xue say this, he suddenly pulled Yan Xue's hand over and wrote on it.
"Grandma, is the box empty?"
Yan Xue read out the words one by one, was stunned for a moment, and then stood up directly, "Master, stop the car!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
