Whenever the villagers bring up this matter, the second brother, Liu Xingyi, always remains silent.
He was filled with regret and remorse, regretting that he hadn't insisted on resisting his uncle's decision. Perhaps if he had persisted a little longer, he could have changed his fate.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Who told me, Liu Xingyi, to be stronger than that weakling Chen San? There's so much land in the village; it needs strong men like me to cultivate it!"
These fields aren't so easy to cultivate. It depends on diligence and the weather.
Moreover, once planted, it's for life; it's hard to ever "rise from the serfs and sing songs of liberation" again!
How could my uncle not regret it?
This was the most shortsighted decision of his life, easily deciding the fate of his second son, Liu Xingyi.
Whenever the night is quiet, I recall the scene of Grandpa Chen being surrounded by people, receiving endless praise: "Grandpa, your Chen San is really something!"
He will then be unable to fall asleep.
...
As I walked out of my uncle's house, my grandfather and the others saw me off to the door.
Looking at his grandfather's wrinkled face and aged figure, Liu Feng's resentment towards his grandparents for abandoning him when he was a child slowly dissipated.
Next, they went to their second uncle's house.
My second uncle's house consisted of three simple mud-brick rooms, with a small, low shed on the side used as a kitchen. In comparison, Liu Feng's family was in slightly better shape.
However, my second uncle was the person with the best attitude in the village. Although he lived in a simple house, he was optimistic and never worried about the hardships of life.
He always lives for the moment, never worrying about tomorrow.
Among his siblings, his second uncle resembled his grandfather the most.
If Grandpa hadn't been controlled by the domineering Grandma, he probably would have lived a carefree life like Second Uncle.
In his past life, after his grandmother passed away, his grandfather was finally freed from his suffering.
He spends his days playing cards with a group of old men and women for amusement, and occasionally herds cattle for his son's family during busy farming seasons.
To Liu Feng's surprise, his grandfather took a fancy to an old lady who lived alone in his later years.
The old lady had a full head of silver hair, which was neatly tied up, and she was always clean.
Often, when passing by her door, you can hear the sound of her loom.
Grandpa once had the idea of spending the rest of his life with that old lady. His vision was undoubtedly unique, but unfortunately he did not win the old lady's favor.
Liu Feng thought to himself that it was probably because his grandfather was usually too slovenly, always wearing tattered clothes, smoking a pipe, and not paying attention to hygiene. Naturally, the old lady wouldn't be interested in him.
Grandpa didn't try to change anything because of this. If he didn't want to, he didn't want to. There were advantages to not being able to control things. He would play cards whenever he wanted.
What about my second aunt? She's a typical lazy woman. She's even stronger than my second uncle, but she just doesn't like to work. She feels uncomfortable whenever she has to work, and she'll slack off whenever she can, or avoid doing anything at all.
My second uncle's family has only one son and one daughter.
They don't have much financial pressure; as long as they have enough to eat and wear, that's enough for them.
The eldest son of my second uncle's family is named Liu Xingju, who is one year older than Liu Yue. He dropped out of junior high school and was spoiled by my second uncle and second aunt.
Liu Xingju rarely did any housework at home and spent all his time wandering around outside, which earned him the nickname "bandit".
When Liu Changqing and Liu Feng arrived at their second uncle's house, they only saw their aunt and Liu Xiaoling playing at the door.
Liu Changqing glanced into the house but didn't see her second brother, Liu Changgui, so she asked, "Second sister-in-law, where is my second brother?"
"Your second brother went to the next village to do painting work. He needs to paint a batch of chairs. I don't know when he will be back."
Second Aunt explained, then turned her gaze to Liu Feng, a look of surprise in her eyes.
"Is this my nephew? I was just about to come and visit you, but I didn't expect you to show up here. My nephew is really handsome, even more handsome than everyone says!"
"Back then, I watched him being born. In the blink of an eye, he's grown up so much. Time really flies."
"Hello, Second Aunt!" Liu Feng stepped forward and greeted her.
Second Aunt was very happy to hear this. She pulled over the somewhat shy Liu Xiaoling and said to Liu Feng, "This is your sister Xiaoling, she's a year older than you. You two should get to know each other."
Although Liu Xiaoling seemed a little shy, she still called Liu Feng softly, "Fourth Brother."
Although she looks gentle and weak, Liu Xiaoling is a capable woman at home. She can do all kinds of chores, from washing clothes and cooking to feeding pigs. She is more diligent than Liu Feng's older sister, Liu Yue.
The saying goes, "A diligent mother raises a lazy child, while a lazy mother raises capable children." This saying seems quite apt to describe my second aunt and Liu Xiaoling.
My second aunt is a chatty person. Once she starts talking, she can chat with you for a long time without getting tired.
As darkness fell, Liu Changqing and Liu Feng went home.
Upon hearing the commotion outside the door, He Qunfang came out to greet them.
As soon as she saw her son return, a smile appeared on her face: "You're back! Come on in, it's getting chilly tonight, and the youngest is tending the fire!"
When Liu Fei entered the house, he saw Liu Fei squatting by the brazier, busy starting a fire.
Seeing this, Liu Feng also stepped forward to help start the fire.
At this moment, Liu Yue came out of the kitchen and sat on the other side of the brazier. Everyone sat around and started chatting.
Liu Feng took out all the melon seeds and peanuts that his aunt had given him, piled them on the table, and ate them together.
The wood crackled and popped in the brazier, emitting wisps of smoke that drifted out through the gaps in the roof tiles, making the air inside the house slightly pungent.
However, as the flames flickered, the temperature inside the room gradually rose and became warmer.
Liu Changqing sat to the side and lit a cigarette without a filter using the embers from the brazier.
This cheapest type of cigarette is what they usually smoke.
Liu Fei sat by the brazier, his small hands red and swollen from frostbite.
As he warmed himself by the fire, he would occasionally stir the firewood in the brazier, trying to make the fire burn brighter.
"Little one, go get a basin of hot water and wash your little hands. I'll put some medicine on them for you, and I guarantee your little hands will feel much better tomorrow."
Liu Feng noticed Liu Fei's small hands and felt a pang of heartache. He said to Liu Fei...
Liu Fei nodded obediently and took a porcelain basin to the kitchen.
He Qunfang was busy in the kitchen when she saw Liu Fei come in, so she scooped a few ladles of hot water from the warming pot on the stove for him.
With her mother's help, Liu Fei's little hands were washed clean.
Seeing this, Liu Feng got up and went to get his big gourd.
This gourd is not that gourd; it is a real gourd, Master Zhang Shanyun's medicine gourd.
It wasn't Liu Feng's mysterious treasure gourd. That treasure gourd was in Liu Feng's ancestral aperture, and Liu Feng couldn't summon it no matter what he tried.
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