He Zifeng said, "We were lucky today and found some wild bracken." There wasn't much of it on the mountain, but it solved their immediate problem.
Qiu Yu thought they should get a new set of clothes made, since the clothes they wore were all hand-me-downs from other people and were almost tattered from washing.
He Zifeng watched him building the fence and said, "Let me do it."
Seeing that his face was red from the sun and almost peeling, Qiu Yu asked with some concern, "Have you eaten?"
He Zifeng said, "I had completely forgotten about it until you mentioned it." He was so focused on getting home and bringing the money back that he didn't even realize he was hungry. It was only after being reminded of it that he remembered.
Qiu Yu said, "Come inside, I'll fry you an egg."
He Zifeng said, "Just take a bite."
Qiu Yu's father was a hunter and knew the dangers of running in the mountains. The mountains were teeming with snakes, insects, rodents, and wild beasts. Although it was lucrative, every year some hunters died in the mountains; it was truly a matter of risking one's life for money.
Qiu Yu fried two eggs for him. She used the freshest scallions, and the eggs came out with a beautiful color.
Qiu Yu said, "I've already asked Sister Liu for some vegetable seeds. Once we've tidied up the backyard, we can plant some vegetables. That'll be enough for our family of three."
“Okay.” He Zifeng agreed.
Little He Ran was petting a rabbit in the yard, tentatively feeding it some grass, which the rabbit ate. He was overjoyed and wanted to show it off to the other children in the village.
"Dad, I want to go out and play," Xiao Heran said as he ran into the house.
He Zifeng picked up a piece of scrambled egg with his chopsticks and fed it to Xiao Heran. The little guy opened his mouth and ate it, and only then did He Zifeng agree that he could go out to play. The little guy went out carrying a rabbit.
Qiu Yu looked at her son, who had become more and more lively since moving in, and said, "He even said he wanted to plant a ring of wildflowers outside the fence. He's so impulsive."
He Zifeng said, "That's not difficult at all. I'll just go and collect some flower seeds later." It's worth it to make the child happy without spending any money.
Qiu Yu said, "Just spoil the child." Although she said that, she felt sweet inside.
Although He Zifeng and his family moved away from the He family compound and lived a bit further away from everyone else, there was still smoke rising from their chimneys before mealtimes. You could tell without even looking that they were living a comfortable life after leaving the He family.
He was living a comfortable life, but the He family members were not doing so well.
He Zifeng and his family moved away three days ago, and things are still not quiet at home.
That day, Wan Hai was injured, and it cost him almost a hundred coins to have a doctor bandage him. The doctor also said that luckily the injury wasn't in a vital area, otherwise he would have been crippled, and now he can't put any weight on his arm.
He Tong was already disabled, and his other foot was broken by someone stepping on it. He was also frightened. Although the doctor put it back in place and gave him some calming Chinese medicine, he still couldn't get out of bed.
Xiao Wan was so angry she fell ill. Looking around, she saw a large part of her house had collapsed. Thinking of He Zifeng and his accomplice, she was filled with rage. It was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead; the child wasn't adopted, and the family had suffered a considerable financial loss.
First, he gave He Zifeng ten taels of silver, then Village Chief Xu took ten taels back. He also needed to hire a doctor and take medicine.
He Donglai cursed at home every day: "That beast, why was I born? I might as well have just drowned him in a latrine. He was born to bring misfortune upon me." The more he cursed, the angrier he became.
Previously, Madam Wan would openly praise but subtly criticize, but now she wished she could tear He Zifeng apart. She saw He Donglai as a spineless coward who couldn't even control his own son. She thought, "How could someone as beautiful as me have married such a wretch?"
Once again, Xiao Wan heard He Donglai cursing. She got angry and said, "If you have the guts, go outside and curse. You're a dragon at home, but a coward outside."
He Donglai had always thought that Madam Wan was gentle and considerate, but he was caught off guard by her sudden outburst. He asked, "What did you say?" He was breathing heavily through his nostrils, looking quite intimidating.
Xiao Wan wouldn't confront him head-on. She'd heard that He Zifeng's mother was beaten every day when she was with him. Even if He Donglai was a rascal, he was stronger than her. Then she started sobbing, saying, "This family is ruined. I don't dare go out now. If I do, people will point and whisper. Other people can hang their own sons from trees and beat them without any consequences, but our family has a wicked son who sues his parents. I have no face to live with anyone!"
"That beast..." He complained more and more about He Zifeng.
Just then, they heard He Tong shouting and cursing, which drowned out the two of them. The old couple went inside and found a foul stench emanating from the room.
He Tong's legs were both useless, so he ate and defecated in bed. Although he was their own son, they still felt a bit disgusted. Xiao Wan called out, "He Fan?" several times, but no one answered.
They called Wan Hai in, who frowned at the smell in the room. He said, "He Fan went to his aunt's house a few days ago." That kid's shrewd. He knew there was trouble at home, so he ran away. It's much quieter now. Ever since He Zifeng left, the family has lost that good breadwinner; something's always wrong with him. And no one cooks anymore. Xu Li cooked a few meals, then he went back to his parents' house.
He had to cook for the whole family. It was his first time in the kitchen, and the food was terrible. The family was making a fuss, and he was exhausted. He just wanted to find a quiet place to hide away.
He Donglai said, "Where's your wife? Let her clean up."
Wan Hai frowned. It wouldn't look good if word got out that his sister-in-law was serving her brother-in-law. Besides, Xu Li was a clean person; it was completely impossible for him to clean up He Tong's excrement. He said, "Dad, you forgot? His father was implicated by our family, and even the village chief had to quit. He's just trying to fool his father; he's unlikely to be back anytime soon." He thought for a moment and decided to talk to his wife about it, suggesting that he stay at his father-in-law's house to avoid any trouble.
Some people looked down on He Tong, saying that he was such a grown man, yet he didn't know how to keep himself clean and instead just gave up on himself, making the house such a disgusting mess.
Xiao Wan said, "Eldest brother, this is your own brother, you have to lend a hand." After saying that, she pinched her nose and followed He Donglai out. She held her breath, only able to breathe freely outside.
Although Wan Hai was unwilling, there was no one else at home to help, so he had no choice but to clean up. He changed Wan Hai's diapers. After finishing, he felt so disgusted that he didn't even want to eat dinner that night.
I washed my hands several times after coming out, but they still smelled.
Wan Hai couldn't endure such a life for even a day. He said to Xiao Wan Shi, "Mother, let's have a good luck-bringing ceremony for the third son. If we bring him in, he'll have someone to serve him."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wan said, "Let's talk about it later." Marrying a wife doesn't cost money, does it? Besides, He Tong isn't even capable of having children yet; spending a fortune to marry a wife would be a huge loss. Originally, she thought she could bring Qiu Yu over so they wouldn't have to spend any more money, but who would have thought it would turn out like this?
Xiao Wan called Wan Hai into her room and said, "Talk to He Zifeng and ask him to move back in." The house really can't function without two people like these to do the work.
Wan Hai said, "How is that possible?" After all, they went through so much trouble to move it out.
Xiao Wan said, "Silly child, just have someone set fire to their house. It's just a small wooden hut. They'll come back then, won't they?"
"This..." This has crossed Wan Hai's bottom line. Although he and He Zifeng have a casual relationship, he would never do something like arson.
Xiao Wan frowned and said, "Since you want to be a good person, then you can go and serve the third brother."
Wan Hai was startled, and his face turned ugly.
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