Chapter 6 The family, now with a legitimate claim, later got involved with Chen...
Later, Chen Gengnian and I bought some ordinary cloth and took it back to the village tailor to make two new outfits for our wedding.
Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian both decided to buy some cloth for Lin Yanfeng and Chen Yuetao as well, even though their families were not wealthy, they couldn't bear to see them wearing old clothes.
Actually, there wasn't much to buy. Chen Yuetao and Chen Gengnian had prepared a lot for their wedding next month. Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian knew that there was still a long way to go and they didn't have much money on hand, so they bought what they needed and didn't buy what they didn't need for the time being.
So he pulled Lin Qing'an to stop in front of a jewelry store, and after much persuasion, Lin Qing'an finally agreed to buy a silver hairpin.
That hairpin alone cost nine coins. When Chen Gengnian calculated the exchange rate of silver for him at that time, his heart felt like it was bleeding.
It wasn't that he was stingy; it was that he genuinely didn't like these hairpins and such. Wouldn't it be better to just tie it up like this? If he could, Lin Qing'an really wanted to get a buzz cut—it would be cool and convenient.
After buying some new quilt covers and red paper, the group finally stopped in front of a wonton stall.
Lin Qingan pushed Chen Gengnian to sit down and said, "Have a bowl of wontons before you go back."
Chen Gengnian agreed, but when he told the boss, he only ordered two bowls.
Lin Qing'an was furious. He had already figured out that this guy was trying to force himself to suffer, so Lin Qing'an shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss, give me three bowls, two small bowls and one large bowl."
Chen Gengnian looked at Lin Qing'an somewhat embarrassedly, and Lin Qing'an glared at him and said, "If you dare not eat it, I'll tell your mother."
Chen Gengnian thought he had misheard.
But then Lin Qing'an said, "What? We're operating legally now, what else should we call her if not 'Mother'?"
After saying that, he patted Lin Yanfeng on the shoulder and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Right, Yan?"
Lin Yanfeng instantly understood his brother's meaning, and then looked at Chen Gengnian and shouted, "Brother-in-law, my brother is right. We are a family now, a family openly and honestly."
Lin Yanfeng, as expected of a scholar, could guess the meaning with just a glance. Lin Qing'an secretly gave him a thumbs up.
Chen Gengnian didn't mince words and nodded, saying, "Yes, you're right!"
The wontons were served quickly. Lin Qing'an pushed the largest bowl in front of Chen Gengnian, who tried to push it back. Lin Qing'an held the bowl down, turned his head, and warned him in his ear, "If you don't eat, you'll have to sleep on the floor from now on!"
boom!
Chen Gengnian's mind went blank for a moment, and he frantically let go of his hands, feeling restless as if his buttocks were being pricked by needles.
"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?" Lin Yanfeng asked hurriedly.
"Uh...it's nothing, it's nothing..." Chen Gengnian stammered, unable to explain himself.
Lin Qing'an withdrew his hand and continued eating the dumplings in his bowl. He winked at Chen Gengnian again, the teasing and meaningful look in his eyes making Chen Gengnian feel hot all over.
As he ate, he secretly observed the person in front of him. He felt that this person seemed different from before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. After all, they hadn't had much contact before. But he just felt that Lin Qing'an was very strange, so strange that no matter what he did, it made him unconsciously fall in love.
When the group reunited with the village chief, it was already late afternoon, and dusk was approaching. Colorful clouds drifted everywhere in the wind, and the azure sky was adorned with an endless expanse of golden yellow. A gentle breeze blew by, and the oxcart carrying the group passed through wheat fields and then through seas of rapeseed flowers before slowly disappearing into the valley.
On the way back, the village chief drove rather fast, but Lin Qing'an didn't find it tiring, because Chen Gengnian had put the newly bought cloth underneath, and the three of them sat on it without saying much, just enjoying the scenery as they traveled with the oxcart.
Night had already fallen when the oxcart arrived at Linjia Village.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of Linjia Village, I saw a woman sitting on a stone bench, looking in this direction.
Chen Gengnian recognized her at a glance as his mother, Chen Yuetao.
The oxcart soon came to a stop, and Chen Yuetao trotted over, her anxiety still lingering on her face, before she greeted them with a smile.
"I'm back."
"Mother, what brings you here?" Chen Gengnian asked her as he unloaded things from the oxcart.
"mother."
"aunt."
Lin Qingan and Lin Yanfeng also greeted Chen Yuetao respectfully.
"Yes!" Chen Yuetao responded crisply, and hurriedly led Lin Qing'an and Lin Yanfeng out of the car. "Are you hungry? Mother has already prepared the meal. We can eat as soon as we get back."
Hearing Lin Qing'an call out "Mother," Chen Yuetao was genuinely happy, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Okay, thank you, Mother."
Lin Qingan's voice suddenly became a little hoarse, and Chen Gengnian, who had just finished moving things, looked up at him after hearing it.
Lin Qingan sniffed, then put on a big smile and handed a bag of pastries to the village chief, sincerely thanking him.
"Thank you so much, Village Chief. Brother Nian and I don't have much to offer you, but we'll take this bag of pastries back with our families."
The village chief quickly declined, saying, "No need, no need. Your parents have helped me a lot in the past, and we're from the same village and even share the same surname. It's too formal to say such things."
Chen Yuetao came over and stuffed the pastries into the village chief's arms, and also thanked him, saying, "No matter what, we've troubled you today, village chief. This is the children's heartfelt gift, please don't find it offensive."
Since things had been said to this extent, the village chief could no longer refuse and could only accept the pastries with a smile.
As the sky was just beginning to lighten, the village chief drove his oxcart home, while Chen Gengnian, Lin Qingan, and the others carried their purchases home as well.
However, the Lin family returned first.
After arriving home, Chen Gengnian and Chen Yuetao helped feed all the poultry before locking the door and going to the Chen family home.
The Chen family lived at the foot of the mountain, and the journey required walking from one end of the village to the other. It was dinnertime, so they were bound to be seen by the villagers.
Many ill-intentioned people asked Lin Qing'an questions. Chen Gengnian wanted to say something, but Lin Qing'an cut him off with a single sentence.
"Nian and I have registered our marriage. We are an open and legitimate couple, and we will visit each other frequently in the future, so please stop spreading rumors about me."
Lin Qing'an spoke with utmost ease, seemingly without any sense of impropriety, leaving those who were there to laugh at him speechless.
However, there are only a few such people. The people in the village are quite nice. Almost everyone in Linjia Village has the same surname, but they are not related by kinship. Their ancestors also suffered from famine, and most of them drifted here. Because of the help from the Lin family, they all changed their surnames to follow them. Currently, there are only two families with different surnames, Chen Gengnian and Wang, but they are still quite united.
A kind-hearted aunt and a young man greeted Chen Yuetao with smiles and sincerely praised Lin Qing'an as a good child.
Chen Yuetao nodded and agreed the whole way, beaming with joy.
Chen Gengnian's home is located behind the village, requiring one to traverse through various fields to reach it.
Chen Gengnian's path had been repaired by him. It wasn't as wide as the main road, but it was wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Moreover, he had paved the path with gravel, so it was not only free of potholes but also had a unique charm.
Just as they reached the courtyard gate, something suddenly pounced on them.
Lin Qing'an was startled. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was a yellow dog with a tan hue.
It was so excited that it kept jumping on Chen Gengnian, and after a few jumps it circled around the Lin Qingan and Lin Yanfeng brothers, sniffing their calves and wagging its tail more enthusiastically than a fan.
Chen Yuetao said, "Let's go in and heat up the food first," and then walked into the courtyard. Lin Qing'an and Lin Yanfeng watched the dog play with curiosity.
"Bai Fu! Don't jump!"
Chen Gengnian saw its eagerness to leap and warned it first.
Both Qingge'er and Ayan are very thin, so this pounce will definitely knock them to the ground.
After being scolded, Baifu stopped spinning and stood still at Lin Yanfeng's feet, then began to make a squelching sound.
It sounds like the sound of a person blowing their nose when they have a cold.
"What's wrong with it?" Lin Qingan asked Chen Gengnian.
"Never mind it." Chen Gengnian pulled Lin Yanfeng and walked into the courtyard.
Lin Yanfeng followed him inside.
But the dog remained motionless, and the sound grew louder and louder. Lin Qing'an also saw that its smooth fur was twitching and trembling, as if it had suffered a great injustice.
Lin Qingan had never owned a dog before, but at this moment he seemed to understand what was going on.
He asked Chen Gengnian, "Was Baifu crying?"
Chen Gengnian hummed in agreement.
"Why?" Lin Qing'an asked, puzzled. "Wasn't everything fine just now?"
"It's trying to pounce on you!" Chen Gengnian finally said.
"Oh, I thought it was something big! Let it pounce, I like it too."
Chen Gengnian glanced at Lin Qingan and said, "You're too thin."
Lin Qing'an looked down at himself and was speechless. The original owner's body was too thin, lacking any manly qualities.
However, he certainly doesn't qualify as a real man.
The sobbing stopped, and when Lin Qing'an looked over, she saw Baifu rubbing against Lin Yanfeng's hand. Lin Yanfeng was squatting on the ground, spreading his hand out to let Baifu rub against him again and again, and the two of them were enjoying it immensely.
As if sensing something, Baifu looked up and looked in his direction.
"Bai Fu~" Lin Qing'an squatted down and stretched out his hand, calling out, "Come here."
Baifu hopped happily with its tail wagging, but didn't run over immediately. Instead, it turned its head to look at Lin Yanfeng, as if seeking his permission.
Lin Yanfeng naturally understood, and with a smile, he stroked the fur on its head and said, "Go!"
Whoosh—!
Bai Fu rushed towards Lin Qing'an like an arrow released from a bow. At its speed, it was indeed difficult for anyone to keep up. Lin Qing'an steadied himself and prepared himself.
But just as Baifu was about to reach Lin Qingan, she suddenly slowed down and pounced into Lin Qingan's arms with an extremely gentle "pounce".
Lin Qing'an didn't move an inch, even though Chen Gengnian was already standing behind him just in case.
Baifu was as happy as a child, rubbing its head against Lin Qingan's chest. Lin Qingan also rubbed its bright orange head as if coaxing a child.
Lin Qing'an felt that the dog seemed to really like the two brothers.
He suddenly felt a lump in his throat, remembering the vulture he had raised on the mountain. The vulture had absorbed his master's spiritual energy, and could talk and lead him to find medicinal herbs and jade. He wondered if the thunder that night was dead or alive.
"Qing-ge'er, come inside and eat."
When Chen Yuetao's voice came, they got up and went inside.
The meal was prepared with care; several meat dishes were delicious and visually appealing, and even the brown rice we usually eat has been replaced with white rice.
Chen Yuetao served food to Lin Qing'an and Lin Yanfeng, saying apologetically, "The food doesn't taste as good after being reheated, so please bear with it. I'll make you fresh food next time."
Lin Qing'an waved his hands repeatedly: "Mom, it's delicious, really."
Chen Yuetao was so happy that she put a lot more food into the bowls of the two brothers.
At this point, Chen Yuetao had completely forgotten the fact that she had a son.
The atmosphere of the meal was very good, and Lin Qing'an ate his fill. However, Lin Yanfeng was in a low mood and didn't say much at the table, nor did he eat much.
Even if he didn't say it, everyone would know, except for Lin Qing'an who was a little slower to realize it.
After recalling how Lin Yanfeng couldn't eat because he missed his parents, while Lin Qing'an had eaten two bowls of white rice, Lin Qing'an wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
It's not that he's unfilial; it's just that he's somewhat slow to react to this painful memory.
After the meal, the whole family cleaned up the dishes together. Chen Yuetao washed the dishes last, while Lin Qingan, Chen Gengnian, and Lin Yanfeng fed Chen Gengnian's poultry.
It took about half an hour to finish the last bit of work for the day.
Chen Yuetao brewed a pot of tea and prepared some walnuts as snacks. The group sat around the table with the kerosene lamp, chatting idly.
Lin Yanfeng found it boring, so he and Baifu played around on the side.
"Mother, how much do you think is an appropriate dowry?"
A note from the author:
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