The weather in early May was not too hot, and a breeze could be felt when the windows and doors were opened. Little Taole was wearing the thin clothes that Zhu Cuilan had just made for him, and was lying on his little bed playing happily.
These days, the village has been very lively just by receiving the people coming and going. Cao'er, who had not been seen for a long time, did not wait until there were many people to come, but chose a day when there were few people and came to sit and talk with Yang Donghu after noon.
He didn't tell her he was coming in advance, and he came at a bad time. Zhao Luochuan and Zhao Fangyu had just finished their family affairs and went to the mountains. Zhu Cuilan took the two brothers and Yang Anjin back to her parents' home, saying that they were going to deliver something to Zhu Yicheng.
Only the old lady was resting in the house, and Xiangping was washing diapers.
Liu Guiyuan entered the courtyard and waited in the yard. After Cao'er asked Xiangping and learned that the person was in the house, she went straight in.
"It was past noon and I thought you were asleep, but I didn't expect you two to be having so much fun playing in the house."
Yang Donghu was delighted to see him and quickly got out of bed to greet him: "Come quickly, why are you here at this hour? You can have a meal at noon."
"Don't come down. I know you've been busy these days, so I wanted to take advantage of my free time to talk to you. Just sit down."
Cao'er also brought a basket of red eggs as per etiquette, and hurried to help him when she saw him get out of bed.
Yang Donghu smiled and said, "The confinement period is over, it's okay. Come, sit for a while."
Liu Guiyuan stood out in the courtyard. The last time they saw Cao'er was before the New Year. Back then, they heard that if Liu Guiyuan was a little better, they would get married in early spring. Since then, there has been no news. Yang Donghu started to ask curiously, "How's he doing lately? Do you remember anything?"
Cao'er didn't look as bitter and resentful as before, his face full of sorrow. A hint of joy could be seen between his brows. When he mentioned Liu Guiyuan, he couldn't help but smile: "Much better. I can remember a lot of things and people."
"That's good. Didn't he say you two were getting married? When are you planning on having the wedding?"
"I've thought about it and decided not to be extravagant. I have no parents. I paid my respects to Grandpa Liu and Grandma in March. Even if it means I've made peace with the world, we'll be considered married. In the eyes of outsiders, I'll be living in his house, just like we're family."
"How can this be?" Yang Donghu felt a little unfair for Cao'er: "This is too brief. Outsiders will say it's not nice. And Liu Guiyuan actually agreed to it? Do you have any unspeakable difficulties? Tell me, and I will definitely help you if I can."
"It wasn't his idea. I took the initiative to propose it. You know, I don't care about those empty words. As long as I can be with him, I'm already very satisfied."
Cao'er shook her head. "As for the unspeakable secret, you know that although I was forced to do it before, in the eyes of outsiders, I was just a lowly person who sold my body. I don't want those people to stab the Liu family in the back. The two elders are old and they won't be able to bear hearing this."
Whether to be sold or not was never the decision of Cao'er, a weak person. No matter whether he was sold by his parents or taken away by Li Shangcai, it was not his true intention. But no matter how many reasons he had to go through, once he entered that dirty place, in the eyes of some people, it would be something he would never be able to hold his head up for the rest of his life.
Yang Donghu was silent for a moment, then patted his hand with heartache. Cao'er was very thoughtful about everything, but he always considered others before himself. Yang Donghu knew that this was caused by his previous tragic experiences. Although he felt sorry for Cao'er's suffering, Cao'er had her own ideas and he could not make decisions for her.
Cao Erhui held his hand and smiled. "I'm fine. Guiyuan is a very good person. I don't want him to be pointed at wherever he goes. Also, he hasn't fully remembered it yet. What if, I mean what if, what if he has a grudge after remembering it? This way, few people will know, and he won't have a hard time. I think that's good."
Yang Donghu nodded and said, "Don't overthink it. What happened before wasn't your fault. It was those evil people who were at fault. You're a good person. You know Liu Guiyuan better than anyone else. Since you said he's a good person, I believe he wouldn't hold a grudge against you even if he remembered the pain you'd endured. Otherwise, he should have drawn a line between you and you before he got hurt. Besides, since you agreed to marry him, I think you trust him."
Cao'er smiled and nodded gently after a long time.
What happened in the past is in the past, and it’s sad to talk about it now. Just then, little Taole whimpered and asked for someone to hold her. Yang Donghu held the child in his arms, rocked him twice, and changed the subject.
"I consider you a friend, but you didn't tell me such an important thing. I thought we weren't close, which made me look stingy. Well, even though I didn't know, I still have to send you the gifts. Dachuan is not here, so when he comes back, I'll go see you with him and bring the gifts with me."
He added, "If you don't tell me, I won't be angry. If you keep giving in, then we'll really be estranged. Don't keep the eggs, take them back with you. I won't come to you next time."
"You are so..." Cao'er laughed. She wanted to refuse but was unable to say it out loud. She could only express her gratitude to him: "Thank you, Donghu."
"We're still talking about this."
Little Taole whimpered twice, and immediately calmed down after being held in his arms. It was hot and he didn't need to be wrapped in a swaddle, otherwise he would get prickly heat. Now he stretched out his little hands, grabbing something in the air.
Cao'er stretched out her finger for him to grab, and the little baby grinned, which was the cutest thing. The two of them talked a lot about children.
It was not until sunset that he reluctantly followed Liu Guiyuan back.
Having children at home makes people worry about them. In the past, Zhu Cuilan had to stay overnight at her parents' home before returning. But this time, she came back before dark.
The adults were talking incessantly, but the baby was already sleeping soundly in his arms, with a rosy little fair face. The first thing Zhao Fangchu did when he came back was to go into the house to see the child.
"So cute! When will he grow up? I'm waiting to take him out to play." Zhao Fangchu couldn't help but poke Xiao Taole's cheek, but his movements were gentle and did not wake the child.
"It's still early. It's only been a month. Why are you so anxious? I hope you can spend more time with him in the future and let him develop the same temperament as you."
"My mother would be unhappy to hear this. She hates my temper. If you want Xiao Taole to be like me, she definitely won't want it."
The two were chatting and laughing when Yang Anjin followed him in. After entering the room, he took out a jingling silver bell bracelet from his pocket and put it on the child's wrist: "Here, Fang Yu is Taole's great uncle. This is a gift from us to Taole."
Yang Donghu gently shook little Taole's arm, and the silver bells jingled: "It's so beautiful. When our Taole can talk, she will have to thank uncle and aunt, right?"
They have this custom here, and Zhu Cuilan has already sent it. If Zhao Fangchu had already married, they would also have to buy things for the child, but he is still a man waiting to get married, so this item is waived.
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