Chapter 30 The Troublemaker "She's a piece of my flesh..."
Soon, a middle-aged woman appeared through the dilapidated courtyard gate. She hurriedly chased after the man and grabbed his arm, saying, "You've only just regained some consciousness, why are you rushing out like that?!"
The woman's face bore the wrinkles etched by the hardships of life, and there were already streaks of gray in her hair. In reality, He Baoqin was two years younger than Deng Xia. In their youth, Deng Xia had always treated her like a younger sister, but more than twenty years had passed since they both married and had children, and He Baoqin actually looked older than Deng Xia.
After helping Yang Gang up, He Baoqin looked at Deng Xia and tried to smooth things over, saying, "These stories get distorted as they spread. My husband was actually just lying drunk on the grass for a day. The team leader found him and had a few strong men help carry him back. He just vomited a few times before he came to his senses."
She greeted Deng Xia and Zhong Ying, "Come on in, Sister Xia, Yingni, come in quickly. You must be thirsty after traveling all this way in this hot summer. Let me pour you some water."
Upon entering the house, one is greeted by dim indoor lighting and a musty smell that cannot be dispelled even with the windows open, as if a monster with its mouth wide open is sucking away all positive emotions once people approach its mouth.
Zhong Ying's own family was classified as poor peasants, but the Yang family seemed to be living an even harder life than hers.
Taking the porcelain bowl from He Baoqin, which contained cooled boiled water, Zhong Ying noticed the spiderweb-like cracks on it. She held the bowl even more carefully, afraid that she might break it if she used too much force.
After taking care of the guests, He Baoqin busied herself helping Yang Gang back to bed before she sat down on the edge of the bed to catch her breath.
He Baoqin looked at Zhong Ying with affection, "Yingni'er is growing more and more like a young lady."
These words, like the polite greetings from relatives during holidays such as "You've grown taller again" or "Oh, you've become more beautiful again," are just polite remarks from elders, and Zhong Ying simply smiled and let it go.
Unlike her daughter, who found a stool to sit down, Deng Xia stood in the room with a look of disgust, looking down at the man on the bed who looked like a pile of rotten flesh. "Look at yourself now, what a waste of your name, Yang Gang! You don't have a single bit of the masculinity a man should have!"
"Ha, your family is so much better? There's an imbalance of yin and yang!" Yang Gang was still arguing with her, still angry.
He Baoqin quickly tried to mediate, first saying to Yang Gang on the bed, "Just say less!"
Then He Baoqin turned to Deng Xia and said, "Alright, alright, Sister Xia, I know you're speaking up for me. If Gangzi hadn't been found by the captain this time, he might have really gone to see the King of Hell. He's scared now and promised me he'll never drink again."
"You still believe his nonsense?" Deng Xia spat. "How many times has he said it? Baoqin, you still believe it?"
Just then, a little girl of about ten years old ran into the house, buried her head in her mother's arms, and looked timidly at the two guests in the house.
"Chunqiao, call out to them! Aren't these Aunt Deng and Sister Ying, whom I met just a few months ago?" He Baoqin nudged her youngest daughter in her arms, urging her to greet them.
Yang Chunqiao repeated softly, "Aunt Deng, Sister Ying."
Zhong Ying also greeted her.
He Baoqin's mind raced, and she pushed her youngest daughter out, saying, "Chunqiao, take your sister Ying to the street to cool off; there'll be some breeze outside."
Zhong Ying was just about to go out and inquire about the Zhuang family's son when she immediately stood up, readily agreeing with the suggestion.
Yang Chunqiao pouted and reluctantly led Zhong Ying out of the house.
Yang Yongchang, who had just returned from outside, saw his younger sister Chunqiao and Zhong Ying coming out of the house together. He stopped walking home and followed the two of them.
Zhong Ying really didn't want to describe it that way, but this person acted just like a dog that had smelled a bone, coming closer and following her step by step.
"Yingni'er, you came to my house with your mother?" Yang Yongchang said, then seemed to remember something, "To see my father?"
Yang Yongchang couldn't help but feel secretly pleased; his father was doing well.
Zhong Ying glanced at him. This man looked very much like his father, Yang Gang, almost like they were cut from the same mold. Looking at this young face, she seemed to see the swollen and dejected face of the middle-aged man from just now.
The original Zhong Ying might not have noticed, but the current Zhong Ying knows that saying—"If a younger man doesn't call you 'sister,' his mind will naturally be wild." Aunt He's youngest son is three years younger than her.
Zhong Ying said coldly, "Call me 'sister,' who are you talking to without any respect?"
Yang Yongchang had no choice but to reluctantly call out, "Sister Ying."
But he wasn't discouraged. He pushed past his sister Chunqiao and took the seat next to Zhong Ying. "Sister Ying, do you want to eat walnuts? I know a wild walnut tree that no one else knows about. I'll take you to pick some!"
A walnut tree couldn't possibly captivate Zhong Ying's soul, and besides, she had things to do. "No, I'm not going. Let me ask you, are you familiar with the son of Zhuang Lao Si's family in your production team?"
Since it didn't matter who she questioned, Zhong Ying went straight for Yang Yongchang.
Yang Yongchang's face immediately showed a look of vigilance. "Why are you asking him?"
Could it be that this bastard beat me to it and sent a matchmaker to propose marriage?
Zhong Ying was too lazy to explain to him, "If you won't tell me, I'll ask someone else."
Yang Yongchang quickly ran in front of Zhong Ying and blocked her way, saying, "I'll talk, I'll talk, okay?"
Yang Chunqiao looked up at her brother and then at her sister, and suddenly realized something: she didn't have to beg for help like that...
“He’s the only son of the Zhuang family,” Yang Yongchang said with a hint of disdain. “We all call him Cripple Zhuang.”
"What?" Zhong Ying exclaimed in surprise. Anyone could tell something was amiss from that nickname.
Fearing she might think he was maliciously slandering him, Yang Yongchang quickly said, "It's not that we deliberately gave him that nickname. He is indeed lame. When he was a child, he walked slowly, so it wasn't noticeable. His mother kept it a secret, but it became more and more obvious as he grew older, and then it became impossible to hide anymore."
Zhong Ying couldn't possibly believe everything she heard from just one person; she had to see the person for herself.
She grabbed Yang Yongchang by the back of the neck. "Take me to see him in person. Seeing is believing. Otherwise, I'll assume you're just jealous of him and are deliberately talking badly about him!"
Yang Yongchang was already having trouble breathing because his collar was being grabbed, and upon hearing this, his face turned red and his neck thickened. "Me, jealous of him? How could that be! Sister Ying, I'll just take you to see him from afar and you'll see!"
Li Linshi has been staying in the Ganlin River lately, trying to calm himself down and let the cool river water wash away his inappropriate thoughts. These days, he has been drifting with the current, and the river has carried him to the Liwangou section. He has stayed there and will not go any further. At the end of the river is Yuqianwa, where fish spirits live, and he will not go there to disturb them.
Li Linshi has always been a very rational person. As a child, he was able to restrain his playful thoughts and focus on his studies. As he grew up... of course he could do the same.
After withdrawing and staying in the river for a long time, Li Linshi felt as if he had become part of the river, his human side stripped away, and emotions such as reluctance, attachment, and delusions seemed to be diluted by the water...
"Is it him? The one by the river?"
Ripples spread across the river. Li Linshi opened his eyes in an instant. He thought he heard Zhong Ying's voice. Was he mistaken? What was she doing in Lawangou?
"Yes, if I call him, he'll definitely turn around, that cripple Zhuang—"
Another male voice came from behind.
Li Linshi immediately emerged from the river and saw Zhong Ying standing with a young man of average height in the distance. Following her gaze, Li Linshi looked at another man on the riverbank.
What's going on? Li Lin frowned. In just over a month, where did these two men come from?
Meanwhile, at the Yang family's house, He Baoqin pulled Deng Xia to sit down on a stool. "Gangzi was also feeling aggrieved, which is why he drank more alcohol."
He Baoqin couldn't help but complain to Deng Xia, who was not her biological sister but was closer to her than a sister, "The eldest son's wife is getting more and more formidable! When the matchmaker Wang first proposed the marriage, he only said that this girl was quiet and gentle. When we came to meet her, we also saw that she was quiet and gentle and didn't talk much. We thought she was an honest girl. Who would have thought that in the years since she married into the family, she has shown her true nature more and more!"
He Baoqin was referring to her eldest daughter-in-law. "Especially after she gave birth to her son, she became even more arrogant. If she needed anything, she would ask us, the two of us, for help. If we didn't give it to her, she would use her grandson as an excuse. She's like a stubborn mule, and no one can do anything about her."
Deng Xia could only comfort them, saying, "You're the mother-in-law and father-in-law, after all. Stand up straight and be assertive. How can you let your daughter-in-law take advantage of you?"
He Baoqin sighed and shook her head. "You haven't seen with your own eyes how sharp my eldest daughter-in-law's mouth is. When she starts cursing, each word is dirtier than the last. Neither Gangzi nor I can argue with her, and my eldest son can't control her either. If we say a word back, she'll bring up the fact that she gave birth to a daughter and a son for our Yang family, making a perfect family."
At this point, He Baoqin finally revealed what she had been pondering these past few days: "So I'm thinking of finding a capable wife for my youngest son..."
Seeing that He Baoqin and Yang Gang were both looking at her, Deng Xia understood immediately, "You've taken a liking to my Yingni'er."
He Baoqin held her hand tightly, "We've known each other for so many years, Sister Xia, don't worry, I'll definitely treat Yingni'er like my own daughter—"
Before she could finish speaking, Deng Xia pulled her hand away and firmly refused, "No."
"Impossible." Deng Xia rejected him again. She looked at He Baoqin and said, "You can't handle your eldest daughter-in-law and want to call for reinforcements, fine, that's your own business. But you want my Yingni to be the one to fight this battle? No way, I will never agree to that!"
Deng Xia said, then laughed angrily, "I raised my daughter with great care and hardship. From the moment she was born, I swore that I would never let her suffer the same hardships I did as a child! I don't want her to suffer any injustice myself. I taught her, raised her, and nurtured her, so she wouldn't be used as a tool by anyone! I didn't want her to suffer in this quagmire of yours!"
He Baoqin's secret plan was exposed, and she was extremely embarrassed. She could only weakly say, "Sister Xia, I'm definitely on Yingni's side. We're not on the same side against the enemy..."
Yang Gang, who was on the bed, was not willing to do so in the first place, but was persuaded by his wife. When he heard that Deng Xia was still unwilling, he immediately sat up, pointed at her and said, "With your daughter's temper, which good family in the surrounding area would dare to take her? If we didn't already have a troublemaker in our family, why would we hire another one? I haven't even complained about your Zhong Ying being too old, but you're complaining about my family!"
“My Yingni’er is only three years older than your son Yongchang!” Deng Xia bent the finger that was shoved in front of her, and said through gritted teeth, “Haven’t you heard of a woman three years older marrying into a wealthy family? But that wealthy family will never have that opportunity! Putting everything else aside, just the fact that your son looks like you makes it impossible for me to marry my daughter into this family!”
Yang Gang howled in pain, "You shrew! Let go! Let go—"
"It hurts, that's for sure! Let's see if you dare to point your broken finger at people again! Those who dare to point their fingers at me, Deng Xia, and curse me, you should go and find out what happened to them!" Deng Xia finished cursing before letting go.
She came in high spirits, but ended up feeling furious. Deng Xia couldn't stand it any longer and walked out.
He Baoqin hurriedly chased after her, "Sister Xia, please don't blame me, I really had no other choice but to ask you for help..."
Deng Xia stopped and turned back. "Baoqin, I treat you like my own sister. I'm willing to help you, but I can't risk my own daughter for you. She's a piece of my flesh and blood; no one is more important than her."
Deng Xia stared intently at He Baoqin, "You can't compare to her either."
He Baoqin didn't know why tears welled up in her eyes. She cried as she chased after Deng Xia, like a teenage girl. But her sister, who always comforted her gently, pulled her hand away this time.
Zhong Ying returned with Yang Yongchang and Yang Chunqiao, and the three of them saw their mothers come out one after the other. Before Zhong Ying could react, her mother grabbed her arm and forcibly pulled her away.
Yang Yongchang and Yang Chunqiao, brother and sister, were also completely bewildered as they helped the staggering and crying He Baoqin up. "Mom, what happened?"
Dragged along by Deng Xia, Zhong Ying walked several miles in one go, just like before. If she hadn't been so exhausted from the race that she had to call out several times, her mother would have actually dragged her back to the Tonggan Production Team.
"What happened?" Zhong Ying asked, panting and rubbing her arm. "Mom, you always argue with Uncle Yang Wu when you come back, so why does it seem like you had a falling out with Aunt He this time?"
Zhong Ying was genuinely curious. In her memory, her mother and He Baoqin were as close as sisters; they had never argued.
Deng Xia glanced at her, not wanting to tell her daughter about those sordid things and upset her daughter, so she just said curtly, "Children shouldn't meddle in adult matters!"
Zhong Ying had no choice but to stop asking and muttered under her breath behind her mother, "One minute she wants me to get married and become a mother right now, and the next she tells me I'm just a child and shouldn't meddle in adult matters..."
Deng Xia pretended not to hear.
On the latter part of the journey back, the two walked one after the other, quietly, each lost in their own thoughts.
Deng Xia was still thinking about the Yang family, while Zhong Ying was thinking about the "crippled man" she had seen.
As night gradually covered the sky, the mother and daughter managed to return to the Tonggan Production Team before it got completely dark.
As she walked home, Deng Xia talked to the people sitting in front of their houses enjoying the cool air.
"Is the man from that family really gone?"
"No! I don't know who I heard it from, I misheard. He's fine, he just drank too much and fell asleep."
"You two are back quite early. I just saw Zhong Lao Er go home to get candles, saying he was going to pick you up."
"Then I'd better hurry back, lest he actually light the candles again, that would be such a waste!"
Just then, a dark figure rushed out of a house in a panic and bumped into Zhong Ying.
Zhong Ying was startled by the impact and instinctively steadied the frail woman. Only after she regained her balance did she let go.
Zhong Ying initially thought it was because it was dark and she couldn't see clearly that someone bumped into her. After all, there weren't even any streetlights in the village, so she didn't pay much attention and prepared to continue walking home. But when she turned around, another dark figure rushed straight at her. The figure raised a hand and had a ferocious face, which was more frightening than a ghost in the dark.
"I'll castrate you!" Zhong Ying exclaimed in shock. Seeing the dark figure's hand about to slap her face, she kicked him without thinking.
It was perfectly positioned, right between the two legs.
Seeing the person writhing in pain on the ground, Zhong Ying belatedly realized, "Oh, it was a person..."
Back at the Tonggan production team, Li Linshi had just walked over when the darkness did not affect his vision. He took in everything that happened in those few moments, especially the scene when Zhong Ying kicked him.
The gloomy aura around him froze.
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Author's Note: Li Linshi: ... (Takes a step back)
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