Chapter 30 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
After finishing her meal, Cheng Ying didn't linger. She thanked Guo Guangsheng and his wife profusely, then apologized for being impulsive and giving Zhang Aniu a hard time, which had upset everyone.
Guo Guangsheng said, "It's nothing. I've always disliked Zhang Aniu and his parents. If it weren't for the fact that today is Xi'er's engagement banquet and there are many relatives and friends at home, I would have given Zhang Aniu a beating and scolding just because of his rude words to you."
Guo's mother then pulled Cheng Ying aside and questioned her carefully, asking if she had a boyfriend, if she had someone she liked, and what kind of boyfriend she wanted.
Cheng Ying said, "Auntie, I don't plan to date for now. Even if I do date and get married in the future, I'll find a man to live with me; I won't marry into another family."
She put it rather tactfully, "My parents only had two daughters, my sister and me, and no sons. When they get old, there needs to be a man to take care of things in the family."
In rural areas, every son is a pillar of the family and a strong laborer. Unless absolutely necessary, no family would want their son to marry into the woman's family and become a live-in son-in-law.
For many rural families, having their son become a live-in son-in-law is a very shameful thing. It's as if they're telling everyone that their family can't survive, which is why they had to send their son to live with them.
The Guo family was considered well-off in Liangfeng'ao Village. No matter how good Guo's parents were, they would never let their son become someone else's son-in-law. Cheng Ying was subtly rejecting Cheng Daxi.
As expected, Guo's mother and Guo Guangsheng both fell silent after hearing what she said.
They thought Cheng Ying was a good match and wanted to try to win her over for their eldest son. They wanted to find out what Cheng Ying thought, and if it was a good match, they would go to her house to propose marriage.
Who would have thought that Cheng Ying's first request was to find a son-in-law to live with them? The Guo family wasn't going to starve, so they couldn't possibly let Guo Daxi become a son-in-law. The two of them immediately ran out of things to say.
Guo Daxi didn't care about these things. When he was young, he met Cheng Ying and was attracted by her fiery personality and beautiful appearance. Even after he grew up, he still couldn't forget Cheng Ying and often secretly went to the town market to see her.
Unbeknownst to Cheng Ying, Guo Daxi witnessed her growth, watching her put on her new recruit uniform, wear a big red flower, and get on the county's bus to join the army.
After that, no matter how many girls Guo Guangsheng and his wife introduced him to, no matter how beautiful or charming they were, he didn't like any of them. His heart belonged only to Cheng Ying.
When Cheng Ying returned, appearing before him in her postman's uniform, he finally saw the person he had been longing for. Heaven knows how excited he was at that moment.
But Cheng Ying seemed to have forgotten him. Her gaze towards him was indifferent and she remained polite and distant. His love and enthusiasm were gradually extinguished. He knew that Cheng Ying did not like him and only regarded him as an older brother who had protected her when she was young.
Even so, when faced with someone he admires, he still wants to try his best to win her over.
Cheng Ying doesn't have a boyfriend or anyone he likes, so he still has a chance.
She wanted to find a son-in-law to live with her parents and take care of them. He was willing to move in and spend his life with her, regardless of what others thought of him, whether they called him a freeloader or a man, he just wanted to be with her.
Guo Daxi blurted out, "Xiao Ying, I'm willing to become your son-in-law."
Cheng Ying was stunned for a moment, not expecting Guo Daxi to say it so directly.
She glanced at Guo Guangsheng and his wife, whose faces were grim, and smiled at Guo Daxi, saying, "Brother Daxi, I was just saying. I have requirements for my son-in-law. I have to find someone I like. In my eyes, you are like an older brother. We can't be husband and wife."
After she finished speaking, she waved to Guo Guangsheng and his wife, "Uncle Guangsheng, Aunt Guo, thank you for your hospitality. I still have to deliver some letters, so I won't stay any longer. If you have any letters or packages to mail, I'll take them to the town for you when I return. You can go back now, no need to see me off." She turned and walked towards the village committee of Liangfeng'ao Village.
Guo Daxi wanted to pursue her and share his innermost thoughts, but his mother stopped him, saying, "Daxi, stop right there! What are you trying to do!"
Guo Daxi stopped and turned to look at her, his face full of anxiety. "Mom, I like Xiaoying. Can't you tell? I've been waiting for her for so many years."
"What's the use of liking her? Do you think she likes you? She already said she wants a son-in-law who will live with her family, and it has to be someone she likes. She doesn't seem to like you at all. Why are you chasing after her like this? Don't be an annoying pest!"
Guo's mother was a very sensible person. This was the first time her eldest son had expressed his liking for a girl. The girl was the daughter of Cheng Jiantong, the old postman. The two young people had only met once when they were young. She didn't know why her eldest son had taken a liking to her.
While Guo's mother was surprised, she couldn't help but scold Guo Daxi, telling him to see the truth: Cheng Ying didn't like him, and it was no use for him to shamelessly talk to her; on the contrary, it would only make her dislike him.
Guo Daxi's face turned a deep shade of liver. "Whether she likes me or not is unimportant. It's enough that I like her. Mom, are you stopping me like this because you're afraid I'll become a live-in son-in-law and embarrass you and Dad?"
Mother Guo's heart skipped a beat, and she retorted angrily, "Yes, I'm just afraid of losing face. Our Guo family is well-off and not so poor that we have to sell our son and make him a live-in son-in-law! So what if you like Cheng Ying? As long as I don't agree, there's no possibility between you two!"
"Mom! How could you do this! You forced me once, and now you want to force me twice, to kill me!" Guo Daxi's eyes were bloodshot and his eyes were about to burst. His hands clenched into fists involuntarily. He looked at his mother with agitation, and the veins on his arms were bulging. He looked like he was about to fight his mother.
Seeing this, Guo Guangsheng raised his hand and slapped Guo Daxi hard across the face, angrily shouting, "You bastard! Your mother raised you with great difficulty, and you want to fight with your mother for a girl? How could Cheng Ying possibly want a heartless wretch like you? Stop daydreaming!"
He was a man who worked in the fields year-round and was very strong. When the slap landed, Guo Daxi's face was turned to the side, and the right half of his face was bright red with a clear five-finger mark, which quickly swelled up.
Guo Daxi's eyes reddened, and there were faint tears in them. He was indeed very emotional just now, but he hadn't lost his mind to the point of wanting to hit his mother. His father had misunderstood him.
He stubbornly held his head high, wanting to argue for himself again. Guo Erxi, afraid that he would say something that would anger Guo Guangsheng and make him beat him again, quickly stepped forward to pull him back and whispered, "Alright, brother, stop talking. It wasn't easy for Mom and Dad to raise us three siblings. What happened to our third sister has already made them lose face in the village and can't hold their heads up. It even made Mom's old ailments flare up. Don't do anything foolish at this critical moment and make Mom and Dad angry. We can talk about Xiaoying's matter later. There's plenty of time."
Cheng Ying heard the commotion about the Guo family's argument, but she didn't turn around. Instead, she had Da Huang lead the way to the village committee.
The village committee is less than 200 meters away from Guo's house. Earlier, when she was having dinner at Guo's house, the village committee cadres heard about it and even went to check it out from a distance.
She arrived at the village committee, found the village officials, gave a routine self-introduction, explained that Cheng Jiantong was no longer working as a postman, asked the village secretary to make a few announcements over the loudspeaker, and told the villagers with mail packages to come to the village committee to pick up their mail. She stayed there for about an hour, delivered all the mail to Liangfeng'ao, then carried her mailbag, called Da Huang, and continued on her way.
She had to reach Ma'anshan Village before dark and stay at a family surnamed Chen's house; she couldn't stay there for too long.
If she wasted time, she might encounter wolves and wild beasts at night. Time was of the essence, so she had to hurry.
After being depressed at Guo's house for a while, Da Huang ate a few pieces of meat and two meat bones that Cheng Ying secretly gave it. After being fed two large cornbreads, it was fully revived. It led Cheng Ying over two mountains, down one mountain, and walked for about four hours until it arrived at a shallow river beach surrounded by mountains on three sides and with the Qinghe River in the middle.
After crossing this river and climbing another mountain, you'll reach Ma'anshan.
The rivers in the mountains are all fed by melting snow from the mountains. The rivers themselves are not large, and in autumn and winter, the water is low and the riverbed is dry. There are pebbles everywhere, and you can easily wade across the river by stepping on the stones or taking off your shoes.
But in spring and summer, especially summer, when the snow melts a lot or it rains, the river swells and becomes about five meters wider than in autumn and winter. The water is muddy and very rapid, and the depth is unfathomable. Moreover, the surrounding geological structure is loose, so it is impossible to build a bridge or a road. This is the only route to Ma'anshan. Others can take detours, but Cheng Ying, as a postman, cannot. She does not have that much time to take detours.
In previous years, whenever Cheng Jiantong arrived at this place called Siqiwan, regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, regardless of wind, snow, or extreme heat or cold, he would unhesitatingly take off his shoes, socks, and trousers, hold his clothes and mailbags above his head with both hands, and brave the danger of being swept away by the turbulent river, wading step by step to the other side.
Over the years, his legs developed chronic problems from the cold winters, and he no longer walks as nimbly as before. Many times, he needs his dog, who accompanies him, to help carry some of his bags.
When crossing the river, the dog should swim in front, with the leash around its neck tied around its waist to prevent it from slipping and losing its balance. If it gets swept away by the swift current, the dog can hold onto it and swim back to the shore.
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