Chapter 141: The Shock of My Mother's Family
After a long journey, we arrived at the border of Lushui County at around 8 o'clock.
By this time the sun had come out and the temperature was gradually rising, so Xiulan and Xiaoxia both put on hats.
"There is a small river ahead. Let's go over there and take a rest. Hongzao is tired." Xiulan said, pointing to a small river not far ahead.
"I think so too." Lin Heng nodded, his red date hair wet with sweat.
“Ouch!!”
He pulled the reins and the carriage stopped under the shade of a large willow tree by the creek.
"hiss!"
Hongzao was breathing rapidly and gasping for air. It was extremely tired after running for nearly three hours.
Lin Heng tied it under a tree to rest temporarily, and then took it out to drink water after the heat had subsided. It would not be good for it to drink water now.
"Dad, where is this?" Xiaoxia got off the carriage and looked around curiously with her big eyes.
"On the way to grandma and grandpa's house." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"What are grandma and grandpa?" Xiaoxia was even more confused. She had never seen her grandma and grandpa since she was born.
"It's my mother's father and mother. You will know when they get there." Lin Heng said with a smile.
He took his daughter to the river. Xiulan had already soaked the towel she brought with water, wrung it dry and handed it to Lin Heng.
Lin Heng first wiped Xiaoxia's face. He dressed her in thick clothes because he was afraid that she would catch a cold. There were many beads of sweat on her forehead.
The three of them wiped their faces and sat under a tree to rest. Xiulan took out the pancakes she had baked yesterday and shared them.
But this time there were only soft pancakes, no spicy fermented tofu or spicy and sour potato shreds.
Lin Heng was eating while looking at the scenery around him. The stream was crystal clear, and the bottom of the water was covered with stream stones of various colors, which was very beautiful.
Xiulan looked at her watch and said with a smile, "It's eight thirty. This is Meihuashi Town. We have to go two more towns to reach Baisha Township. We should arrive before twelve o'clock."
"Of course there is no problem. Hongzao is a really good horse and very fast."
Lin Heng nodded, looked at his wife and said, "What's wrong? You seem a little nervous."
"Yes, after all, I haven't been back for three years." Xiulan nodded. She didn't know what the situation was at home now.
In the past two years, she has been wanting to go back after giving birth to her child, but she has always been busy with various things and has no time.
Lin Heng held his wife's soft hand in his palm and said, "We'll know when we go back. When we make money next year or the year after, we'll buy a pickup truck. When we have a car, it will take less than two hours to go back to my parents' home."
In the past few months, Xiulan doesn't have to work as hard as before, and with the application of hand cream, her hands have become much whiter and softer.
Plus, her fingers are long and beautiful, so they feel very comfortable in my hands.
Xiaoxia looked at her parents holding hands, and she put her own hand over and said in a baby voice, "Let's hold hands together!"
Xiulan couldn't help but smile when she looked at my husband and daughter, and her heart was warm.
"Buying a car would cost a lot of money. With a horse-drawn carriage, you can only come back once a year." Xiulan shook her head.
"Not only is it more convenient to come back, it will also be more convenient to go to the city. Doing business definitely requires a car, otherwise it will be too inconvenient. I won't do it blindly. I'll talk about it when I have enough money." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Okay, then let's work together to raise fish and shrimp next year." Xiulan nodded and said.
After eating the soft biscuits and seeing that the red dates were almost done resting, Lin Heng walked over, untied the rope and pulled it to the stream to drink water.
"Huh?"
Just as he was about to untie the rope, Lin Heng noticed something wrong and quickly turned back to get the bow and arrow.
"What's wrong?"
Xiulan was stunned, thinking something had happened. There was no one around.
"I'll go and take a look. I don't know if it's a rabbit or a pheasant." Lin Heng pointed to the soybean field across the stream, close to the mountain.
He saw something moving, and there was something obviously wrong with the soybean.
Having said that, he quietly moved forward, stopping every step he took, and it took him more than ten minutes to reach a position where he could barely draw his bow and shoot an arrow.
The soybean leaves blocked his view, and he still couldn't see clearly what it was. He was not sure whether it was a pheasant or a rabbit, but it couldn't be a human.
With a sharp arrow nocked, Lin Heng began to aim. They were now twenty meters apart, but he could no longer get any closer.
With a whoosh, he pulled the bow to its full length, and a sharp black arrow flew out, piercing through the soybean leaves.
"rabbit?"
Lin Heng heard the clear sound of something piercing into flesh.
He ran over and pulled aside the soybean leaves to see a big gray rabbit lying on the ground. Its legs were still trembling, and the arrow had just pierced through its back.
"I brought the right bow and arrow!" Lin Heng grinned, then ran back quickly with the rabbit in his hand.
"Such a big rabbit!" Xiulan was surprised when she saw the rabbit.
I just watched my husband hunting. She was a little impressed by his handsomeness. He was calm and decisive, and shot the fatal arrow with one arrow. It was so handsome.
"Daddy is awesome, what a big bunny!!"
Xiaoxia ran over happily, clapping her hands, full of admiration for Lin Heng.
Even though she is young, she already knows that this is food.
"Don't touch it, or you'll bleed."
Lin Heng said with a smile, handed the rabbit to his wife, and asked her to hold it while he led the horse to drink water.
"This rabbit is so fat, it weighs about 6 or 7 kilograms." Xiulan sighed as she looked at the big gray rabbit.
"Of course, everything is fat in autumn." Lin Heng said as he untied the horse rope.
Xiulan looked at the rabbit and said, "My father's family will eat the rabbit meat, and we can take the skin back to make a hat for Xiaoxia."
She had already given her parents enough things, so she felt there was no need to give the rabbit skin as well.
"Give it to your mother. She doesn't need it."
Lin Heng led the horse to the river. There was no doubt that Xiulan was towards him. It was just a rabbit skin, so he didn't care much.
He wanted Xiulan to be glorious and make her parents proud of her.
The red dates drank the water for several minutes, and then were reluctant to leave the grass by the stream.
Lin Heng patted its head and said, "Let's go. I'll feed you well when we get there."
After saying this, he led it back to the road, put the rope on it, and continued on his way.
"shelf!!"
Lin Heng patted the horse's butt gently, and it started running again.
…
…
On the other side, in Liulin Village, Baisha Township, Lushui County, is the Chen family courtyard.
The 300-square-meter house is home to Xiulan's parents, her eldest brother and his wife, her third brother and his wife, her fourth brother and his wife, and five children, including three from her eldest brother's family, two from her second brother's family, and one from her fourth brother's family.
The houses are of course loess houses, as there are more flat lands and water systems here. In addition to farming, farmers often go fishing in the river.
The overall living conditions are better than those in Huangtan Town.
However, with so many people in the family, farming and fishing are just enough to make ends meet. It's good enough as long as we don't starve.
In this era, the poorer you are, the more children you have, and the more children you have, the poorer you become. It is common for a family to have four or five children, and it is not uncommon to have six or seven.
At twelve o'clock noon, the family came back from the fields. Xiulan's father and three sons collected the fishing nets from the river and hung them under the eaves.
The ground traps caught a lot of shrimps, catfish and yellow croaker, but the big fishing net only caught some small carp and crucian carp, and no big ones.
Yizhi’s white stripe net is pretty good, and it has caught a lot of white stripe horse mouth and green shoots.
Xiulan's father and three older brothers were picking fish, Xiulan's mother and three daughters-in-law were picking vegetables, and the grandchildren were playing in the mud in the village.
"Tomorrow is August 15th. I wonder if Xiulan will come back this year. The girl doesn't miss home at all after getting married." Xiulan's mother sighed while picking vegetables. She missed her little daughter.
Xiulan's father glanced at his wife and said sarcastically, "At the beginning, we said that Xiulan would marry into the village, but you insisted that she could marry whoever she liked. Do you think so now?
I think that Lin family kid is unreliable. Who knows how miserable your daughter is now, working all day long, how can she have time to go back to her parents' home."
Both of Xiulan's parents are good-looking. Xiulan inherited her mother's oval face, small mouth and good figure, and her father's big eyes, high nose bridge and height.
Therefore, both her parents liked their little daughter very much. When Lin Heng asked Xiulan to marry him, her father did not agree at all. It was only after her mother persuaded him that he finally agreed reluctantly.
"Mom, forget it. She probably won't come back this year. She might even ask our family for help when she comes back. The place where she married isn't a good place."
The person who spoke was Xiulan's sister-in-law Zhang Shuiqin, who had a big mouth and a voice as rough as a man's.
She didn't get along with her mother-in-law, and her words were always sarcastic and pointed. She was the first one to agree with Xiulan's marriage to a distant place.
Because I married far away and can't come back, I don't have to take things from home.
A 1.70-meter-tall, skinny woman who looked like a bamboo pole also made a joke: "That's right, mom, it's no use thinking about your little daughter. She probably won't be able to bring you anything good when she comes back. She might even ask for something. You might as well think more about your son and us. I'll even give you some meat to eat during the festival."
Although this woman is tall, her teeth are a little crooked, which makes her appearance look much worse. This is Liu Hua, the wife of Xiulan's fourth brother.
The only one who didn't speak was Xiulan's third brother's wife, Liu Xue, who lowered her head and picked vegetables silently.
Xiulan's mother took one look at her eldest daughter-in-law and fourth daughter-in-law and became extremely angry.
Both of them are lazy and like to eat a lot. They can't do much work, but they keep eating all day long. They are the first to get something delicious, but when there is work to do, they start to slack off.
She has been so tired in the past two years that she can't even straighten her back, otherwise she wouldn't have thought of her youngest daughter Xiulan.
In order to let her son get married as soon as possible, he ended up marrying two such bastards. You can't tell me how upset she was.
The two sons are also useless. They are henpecked and dare not say a word when they are controlled.
Only her third daughter-in-law made her feel happy. She was quiet and hardworking, and didn't complain about the family's poverty all day long.
"Oh!" She was too lazy to argue with these two people now.
Seeing that the mother-in-law didn't say anything, the two women felt a little proud, as if they had won.
Xiulan's father Chen Changxia glanced at his two daughters-in-law, and they calmed down a little.
At the entrance of Liulin Village, a group of kids were shaping mud into squares, digging a hole in the middle and throwing them onto the stone slab. There was a loud bang, just like a firecracker, and they were having a lot of fun.
A group of children were having fun when they suddenly saw a tall and majestic red horse pulling a cart coming from a distance.
They quickly moved to the sides of the road and looked over with curiosity.
I saw a man, a woman and a child sitting in the car behind. All three of them were dressed very brightly and the man and woman even had watches on their wrists.
There were many things in the car, especially a big rabbit hanging on the side of the car, which made them swallow their saliva.
These three people were naturally Lin Heng’s family who had rushed over without stopping.
"You are Chen Xin, right? I am your aunt. Don't you recognize me?"
Xiulan looked at a little boy of about eleven or twelve years old on the side of the road and shouted with a smile, "This is her cousin's child."
Lin Heng quickly stopped the carriage and looked at the little boy with a smile.
"Are you aunt Xiulan?" The little boy looked at Xiulan carefully. He felt that she looked a bit like her just now, but he didn't dare to say hello.
"It's me. Are my parents at home?" Xiulan looked at him and asked with a smile.
"My uncle and aunt are at home. I will lead the way for you." As he said that, he ran to the front of the carriage.
"My aunt is back, my aunt is back!"
He ran wildly on the road with a group of children, shouting as he ran. Many people in the village heard the noise and went out curiously to check what was going on.
"Who is this? From the city?"
"She's dressed so beautifully and wearing a watch. She must be from the city."
"Chen Xin's aunt, this seems to be Chen Xiulan who married to Nanping County three years ago. How come she is getting more and more beautiful?"
"Didn't they say she married someone from the countryside? Did she remarry? How did she become so rich?"
"No, it's the man who married her three years ago. His surname is Lin. I've seen him!" Lin Heng's love rival shook his head.
These people felt bad when they saw the women they once loved become so happy after getting married.
Look at the way he dresses and wears. Even if he is not from the city, he must have become rich.
Whether it is the horse, the watch or the clothes, they are all somewhat out of place in the rural environment.
"You'll know when you go and see her. She is indeed the youngest daughter of the Chen family. The Chen family has really found a good in-law for their daughter."
"Yes, let's go check it out!!"
The villagers of Liulin Village walked towards Chen's house while talking.
Lin Heng in the car was helpless. This kid was too loud. Kids from all over the world were the same, always loud and noisy.
Fortunately, he brought Xiulan back home in glory, otherwise it would have been extremely embarrassing.
In the Chen family's yard, a group of people who were picking vegetables and sorting fishing nets heard the cheers of children outside.
"This Chen Xin is yelling at me, he deserves a beating." Xiulan's eldest brother's wife Zhang Shuiqin said dissatisfiedly.
Liu Hua, Xiulan's fourth brother's wife, frowned and asked, "It seems that he called the aunt back. Which aunt is he talking about?"
"Aunt Chen Xin? Isn't this Xiulan?" Xiulan's third brother Chen Zhiliang looked up and said.
"Xiu Lan is back?"
Xiulan's mother was stunned. She dropped the work in her hands and ran out.
Xiulan's father Chen Changxia also hurriedly walked out of the yard and walked towards the road.
Everyone else also put down their work and followed out. Whether they liked her or not, they hadn't seen her for three years and wanted to know how Xiulan was doing now.
"Aunt and uncle, my aunt is back!" Chen Xin ran over first with a group of children.
Then a tall and mighty red-maned horse pulling a carriage appeared in everyone's sight.
When the horses came closer, they were all stunned when they saw the people in the car.
Both their appearance and clothes are so gorgeous and eye-catching. The style and texture of the clothes look extraordinary, not to mention the watches on their hands. The three people in the car are more beautifully dressed than those who came from the city.
"Is this really Xiulan and her man?" Xiulan's sister-in-law Zhang Shuiqin was dumbfounded, somewhat unable to believe it.
She looked at herself with her dusty face and patched clothes, then looked at Xiulan and Lin Heng in the distance, and she couldn't believe it.
It was obvious that they didn't dress well three years ago, but now they are wearing watches. How rich must they be?
"Could it be that Xiulan remarried and moved to the city?" Xiulan's fourth sister-in-law Liu Hua stuttered a little.
Although Chen Changxia, Chen's father, didn't dare to believe it, he still said with certainty: "It's Xiulan and Lin Heng. She didn't remarry."
He couldn't help but feel happy. He felt that this guy was unreliable at first, but now it seems that his daughter has made the right choice in marrying him.
“Ouch!!”
As Lin Heng pulled the reins, Hongzao stopped. He jumped off the carriage, took his daughter and wife with him, and walked towards his parents-in-law.
"mom!!"
Xiulan ran over quickly and held her mother's hand, tears rolling down her eyes. From a distance she saw that her mother's waist had become much more hunched.
"Xiulan, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Xiulan's mother Wang Zhi held her hand, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"Mom, don't cry!" Xiulan quickly took out a towel and wiped her mother's tears. She knew that her mother must have suffered a lot in the past few years.
"Mom won't cry, and you don't cry either!" Chen's mother Wang Zhi wiped her tears and then wiped Xiulan's tears.
"Dad, my eldest brother and his wife, three of us, and my fourth brother!"
Xiulan came over again and held her father's hand, then greeted her three brothers. She didn't know the two new sisters-in-law and didn't dare to call them by their names.
"Greetings to be back. This is your third sister-in-law Liu Xue, and your fourth sister-in-law Liu Hua." Father Lin said with a smile as he looked at his daughter.
"Dad, Mom, Big Brother... This is my and Xiulan's daughter, Xiaoxia."
Lin Heng also came over and greeted them with a smile, then looked at Xiaoxia and said, "Call me grandpa and grandma!"
"Grandpa, grandma!" With Lin Heng around, Xiaoxia was not so shy and called out crisply.
"Haha, okay!" Chen's father Chen Changxia agreed happily.
Chen's mother Wang Zhi smiled and asked, "Xiaoxia is so beautiful. How old is she?"
"One and a half years old!" Xiaoxia said in a baby voice with her eyes wide open.
"She's so smart. She can speak at such a young age!" Chen's mother Wang Zhi touched Xiaoxia's face. The more she looked at her, the more she loved her. She looked like Xiulan when she was a child.
"Don't reminisce here, let's go inside." Chen's father Chen Changxia said with a smile.
"Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad, these are the clothes, wine, mooncakes and candies that Lin Heng and I bought for you. This rabbit was shot by Lin Heng on the road."
Xiulan turned around, took the gifts and handed them to her parents.
"So many things, you kid..."
Father Lin was surprised when he saw the gift. To put it another way, just this bottle of Sanliangye liquor cost twelve yuan each.
"That's right, how much does it cost? It's too expensive." Chen's mother Wang Zhi also opened her mouth wide, this gift was too generous.
Xiulan's brothers were also stunned. When Lin Heng came to marry Xiulan, he was a poor boy even worse than them. How come he is so rich now?
The sisters-in-law next to them were drooling with envy. How rich must this man be to be able to give so many gifts just for the holidays.
Just two packets of sugar are enough to make them drool with envy, not to mention clothes and wine.
Compared to these things, the rabbit caught on the road seems insignificant.
"It's not much money, mom and dad, just take it. Let's go back to the house quickly, otherwise it will be embarrassing for others to see us." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Okay, let's go back to the house." Chen's father Chen Changxia nodded repeatedly.
(End of this chapter)
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