Hua Wanhe flicked his cigarette ash and said with a hint of reproach, "Now, besides Wang Shengli, who else in the village can marry you? You two made this mess of things yourselves, what can you do about it?"
"Dad, how can you say that without a clear conscience? If you had returned the betrothal gifts earlier, this marriage would have been off long ago!" Hua Lin said to Hua Wanhe with a heart full of resentment.
Hua Wanhe glared at Hua Lin: "We agreed before that you would handle this yourself, and the Wang family's betrothal gifts would not need to be returned. Half of them would be kept for your dowry, and the other half would be kept by your family. Now you've messed things up and you're coming to me to settle accounts?"
Huo Yanping said from the side, "Alright, alright, we're all family, what's all the arguing about? This Huakai is acting like she's possessed by a ghost today, I don't know what's wrong with her, she's really made us suffer, I have to get revenge."
While eating sunflower seeds, Hua Qingsheng said to Huo Yanping, "Mom, how about I go and get revenge on that brat Hua Kai tonight?"
At this moment, Zheng Shuzhen walked in and said, "All of you, calm down. Huakai did this on purpose. Now everyone in the village knows that our family bullies them. If you retaliate now and give others a handle to use against us, it will not do us any good. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. It won't make a difference if we wait a day or two."
She had just finished eating when she rushed over. Although she and Hua Chongzhi lived with their youngest son, Hua Wanhai, Hua Wanhe had married into the family and had never had a father. Therefore, she was more biased towards this son. Anyway, they lived in only two courtyards apart, and she came over every day.
Once inside, Zheng Shuzhen pulled the light cord: "It's pitch black. Why didn't they turn on the light? What's the big deal?"
The room suddenly lit up. Hua Wanhe's family had built three large brick houses last year, and the fluorescent lights were quite strong. The room was furnished with yellow modular furniture, and the kang (heated brick bed) on the south side was covered with red checkered linoleum with pink flowers, which looked quite festive.
Upon seeing Zheng Shuzhen enter, Hua Wanhe and his family seemed to have found their pillar of support.
Hua Wanhe asked Zheng Shuzhen, "Mother, are you saying this is the end of it? Are you satisfied with that?"
Zheng Shuzhen sat down next to her son and said, "Whether you're willing to accept it or not, we've definitely suffered a loss this time. We'll have to be more careful in the future and slowly make up for it."
Hua Lin objected upon hearing this: "Grandma, what am I going to do? You know it really was Hua Kai who knocked me unconscious, but nobody believes me. What should I do?"
Zheng Shuzhen said, "This time you have to accept the defeat. It's a done deal now, and there's no point in saying anything. You have no choice but to marry Wang Shengli."
Hua Lin said unwillingly, "No, I won't marry him. His family is drowning in debt. How can I survive if I marry into that family?"
Zheng Shuzhen sighed: "What other options do you have? Even if you pay to break off the engagement, who will you marry in the future? The village is only so big, everyone knows about this. Even if other villages are interested in arranging a marriage, won't they inquire about your past? Once this is mentioned, who would dare to marry you?"
Hua Lin was at her wit's end. She had been crying all afternoon. She had thought that Zheng Shuzhen's visit to Hua Kai would turn things around, but she had returned defeated. Now, hearing what Zheng Shuzhen said, Hua Lin was in despair and started crying again on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Zheng Shuzhen said to Hua Wanhe, "This matter can't be changed now, so you should start preparing for Hua Lin's wedding. Use the wedding to dilute the past and at least prevent people from constantly talking behind our backs."
Hua Wanhe nodded: "I understand, Mother."
What else could they do? Zheng Shuzhen made it very clear that these were all facts. All that was left for everyone in the room to do was sigh and curse Hua Kai.
It was getting dark, and the 40-watt yellow light bulb in Huakai's house wasn't very bright, but Huakai felt it was very cozy.
After washing up, they prepared to go to sleep. After all, electricity costs money, and their family didn't have much entertainment. It wasn't warm this season either, so they wanted to go to bed early and get up early to get back to work.
There are only two rooms in the house. Hua Kai has always slept in the same room with her parents. Although their house is not big and they are not rich, her parents are still very thoughtful and have put up a curtain in the middle.
Hua Kai lay on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) at night. In her previous life, Hua Kai often suffered from insomnia and couldn't sleep all night. She thought that she would have even less sleep in the new environment, but she didn't expect to fall asleep so quickly. Perhaps she was too tired during the day, or perhaps she felt more at ease here.
That night she had many dreams, from her past life to this one, everything flashed by like a revolving lantern. Some of the memories were unsure whether they were her own or those of the original owner of the body; they were all very dreamlike.
The next morning, she was awakened by the crowing of chickens in the yard. She stretched and sat up, listening to footsteps outside.
She got dressed, folded the blankets, and pulled back the curtains. Her parents were already up, and the folded blankets were placed beside the curtains.
Hua Kai neatly stacked the quilts on the chest at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), tied up the curtains, and then got off the kang.
In the kitchen, Gu Lanyan was making breakfast, which was steaming hot.
Hua Qingyang was washing his face when he saw Hua Kai come out and called out, "Sister, hand me a towel, I forgot to bring it."
Gu Lanyan said with affection, "You're always so impulsive and clumsy, not at all as composed as your sister."
Hua Kai smiled and said, "Mom, it's not good for boys to be too meticulous." As she spoke, she went to the west room and took out a towel from the clothesline for Hua Qingyang.
While wiping his face, Hua Qingyang said to Gu Lanyan, "Mom, did you hear that? My sister said that boys shouldn't be too careful."
Gu Lanyan smiled and said, "Your sister is right, okay? Hurry up and pour out the water for washing your face."
Hua Qingyang took the washbasin out to pour out the water, and when he came back, he also helped Hua Kai scoop up some water to wash her face.
Gu Lanyan casually added some hot water to the washbasin where the flowers were blooming: "You're a girl, you can't take it as well as those boys."
Hua Kai happily washed her face, went inside and found a bottle of loose face cream. She applied some; autumn is dry and windy, and without face cream, her face would look like spring.
Breakfast was served quickly, and after breakfast, Huakai rushed to wash the dishes.
When she finished washing the dishes and went out, the yard was spotless. The chickens and pigs had all been fed. Although the family wasn't wealthy, it was really clean.
In the courtyard, the eldest brother, Hua Qingyi, had prepared a pickaxe and a nylon bag, and he was about to go up the mountain with Hua Wanjiang to dig up medicinal herbs.
Gu Lanyan prepared cornbread and pickled vegetables and packed them for them.
After everything was packed, Gu Lanyan gave them a few instructions, telling them to be careful and to come back early tonight so they wouldn't overwork themselves.
The weather was nice today, and Hua Qingyang insisted on going along, so Gu Lanyan let him come too, but gave them a few more instructions before seeing them off.
Hua Kai knew that digging up medicinal herbs was not only physically demanding but also seasonal, as they were only harvested in the autumn, and the harvest would soon be over, after which the ground would freeze and the herbs could no longer be dug up.
In reality, this job will only last for less than two months. Moreover, the quantity of medicinal herbs is limited. With so many people digging, later on, people will either have to travel far to find a suitable place or the amount of herbs they can dig will decrease.
That's why her father worked tirelessly every day. It really pained her to see him like that, so she felt even more compelled to earn money as quickly as possible.
After Hua Wanjiang and the others left, Gu Lanyan carried a basket to the back garden to pick vegetables, leaving Hua Kai at home to read.
It's only a little past seven in the morning, everyone at home is busy, and only the flowers are blooming.
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