Through the heavy snowflakes, Li Lei could vaguely see Xiaoyue entangled with a man. He ran a few steps, grabbed a broom from the door, and ran over. When he got to the door, he saw Ge Sanlin and said, "Brother Sanlin, it's you."
Little Bean and Water Moon followed Li Lei out, but Li Lei came out first, and the two children followed behind him, running over as well.
The little boy spotted Ge Sanlin standing in the middle of the gate, one hand in his pocket, leaning against the gate, one leg trembling. The little boy's eyes lit up, and he pounced on Ge Sanlin, catching him off guard. Ge Sanlin stumbled two steps before catching up with the little boy, and then heard a soft, childish voice say, "Daddy, Daddy, Mommy's inside."
As she spoke, she tugged at Ge Sanlin's sleeve. Shuiyue, on the other hand, stood to the side, looking rather dejected. Xiaoyue stepped forward and took Shuiyue's hand. Shuiyue looked up at Xiaoyue and smiled sweetly.
Xiaoyue had no choice but to let Xiaodouding bring Ge Sanlin into the courtyard. She led Ge Sanlin to the east room in a bad mood. After seeing Ge Sanlin sit on the edge of the kang, Xiaodouding ran to the west room to call Lu Xiaomei. Lu Xiaomei couldn't bear to hurt Xiaodouding and said to the child, "Have you forgotten how your mother lived at your father's house? Your mother doesn't want to see him."
The little boy returned to Ge Sanlin's side and said, "Dad, you have to be nicer to Mom, or Mom won't want you anymore."
Looking at the little boy, Ge Sanlin had more thoughts on his mind. He said to the little boy, "It's okay, come with Daddy, let's go home."
Little Bean looked at Xiaoyue, who was sewing shoe soles inside the kang (a heated brick bed), then ran to the west room, climbed onto the kang, and looked at Lu Xiaomei. Lu Xiaomei said to Little Bean, "If your grandma doesn't give you food, remember to go home to eat."
They only gave the little boy a few instructions, and no one stopped Ge Sanlin from taking him away.
Ge Sanlin was certain that Lu Xiaomei wouldn't let Xiaodouding go with him, but to his surprise, no one stopped him from taking Xiaodouding away.
After dressing the little boy, Lu Xiaomei didn't even glance at Ge Sanlin.
Braving the howling north wind, Ge Sanlin carried the little boy on his back and took him to Old Man Ge's house.
It's been almost a month since Old Man Ge died. The kitchen is empty and the stove is cold. Old Mrs. Ge and Ge Erping are sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed). Ge Erping is sewing shoe soles. Ge Sanlin pushes open the door and puts the little boy on the kang.
Ge Erping stared intently at the clothes the little boy was wearing, thinking to himself: How can you dress such a young child in such fine silk?
What Ge Erping didn't know was that everyone in Xiaoyue's family wore silk jackets. The children's jackets could be made by piecing together scraps of fabric, while the adults' jackets required several pieces to be made.
Ge Erping had never been very good to Xiaodouding before. Old Mrs. Ge was also sexist and had no respect for girls. When she was at home with Lu Xiaomei, Xiaodouding didn't even get enough to eat.
So the little boy shrank behind Ge Sanlin, showing fear towards his grandmother and aunt.
Seeing the little girl hiding behind Ge Sanlin, Ge Erping asked with annoyance, "Why did you bring her back?" Third Brother isn't exactly a child lover either. Is she some kind of divine being?
Why did you bring back a burden?
Ge Erping looked Ge Sanlin up and down several times as he took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and asked in confusion, "Didn't you go to Dalingzi's house?"
Grandma Ge leaned closer and said, "How about we find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for you two? After the hundred-day mourning period, you'll have to observe three years of mourning."
Ge Sanlin said dejectedly, "Da Lingzi won't even let me into her house, so what's the point of talking?"
"What!" Ge Erping jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed): "You divorced Xiaodouding's mother for her, but Dalingzi doesn't want you anymore. You're living in the house you spent so much money building by yourself!"
Ge Sanlin sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) with his legs crossed, held the little girl in his arms, and laughed, "I'm trying to figure something out, aren't I? With the little girl at home, do you think Lu Xiaomei can endure it for more than a few days?"
Ge Erping's mood soured: "Brother, you'd better handle this. Our family can't afford any more trouble. Eldest brother moved away, second brother doesn't care about the family at all, and second sister-in-law spends nine out of ten days at her parents' house."
I'm getting married in a couple of days. I even bought the coffin from a coffin shop myself. They insist that I marry into the family within 100 days of my father's death, but I'm just trying to delay it as long as possible. I don't plan on letting them come to the village to pick me up.
"That cripple, I'm ashamed of him."
Grandma Ge chimed in, "The coffin shop is better off than the countryside. They charge two taels of silver for a red coffin. If you marry into the family and keep the money under control, maybe..."
Grandma Ge meant that our family is short of money right now, and if you marry into the family, you can help support the family.
Ge Sanlin watched the large snowflakes fall heavily outside the window, and felt a pang of regret: why had he given Xiaoyue the indenture? If she hadn't given him the indenture, all the money Xiaoyue earned would have been wasted.
I should at least get one for myself!
Snowflakes drifted to Yang Danian's house. Yang Xu was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) sleeping. Yang Danian was already able to sit up. Watching his wife sewing clothes, he sighed and said, "You should go back! Staying here will only make you suffer."
Yang's wife could understand everything Yang Danian said. Her tongue wound had healed, and her speech was clearer, though her pronunciation was still a little unclear. But she understood the general meaning.
He glanced at Yang Danian and said, "Did I come to Niukou Village with you just to enjoy a life of luxury?"
"You're hurt, so I'm just going to abandon you?"
Yang Danian said timidly, "You'll be burdened by me for the rest of your life. You're so capable, you don't need to suffer with me."
Sister-in-law Yang smiled and looked up at Yang Danian, saying, "You're willing to let me go."
“I’m willing to give it up. My child and I will live a good life. You’ve avenged me, and that’s enough,” Yang Danian said timidly.
Yang's wife pinched Yang Danian's thick skin and said, "You haven't let me down. No one has ever been so good to me before. I don't care about gold and silver treasures. I only care about your heart. Don't worry, I won't abandon you."
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Sister Yang said, "Someone wanted to sell you to a black coal mine. Luckily, they let you escape, so I only killed six. If they had taken you to the coal mine, it wouldn't have been just a matter of six people." Sister Yang looked at Yang Danian with a smile.
Looking at his hardworking wife, Yang Danian said, "But I won't be able to earn money for you and the children anymore. I feel bad that you have to take care of me. I am very grateful to you for giving me eight good years."
"It's alright. Next spring, I'll ask Xiaoyue. I think she can find you some work, even if it's not much. But it's better than nothing. Xiaoyue is a really nice girl. When I went to her for work, she offered to pay me my monthly wages." She smiled at Yang Danian as she spoke.
Sister-in-law Yang kissed Yang Danian and said with a smile, "It's alright, we don't lack money..."
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