Father's Instructions
Chen Bozhou's frank and almost provocative act of "making his intentions known" was like a stone thrown into a pond, causing even bigger ripples in Linya Village.
Instead of being quelled, the rumors fermented even more fiercely, and eventually, inevitably, they hit Village Chief Shen's door lintel hard.
One day, at dusk, Chen Bozhou had just returned from the Yun family after helping to repair the chicken coop. His face still had sweat from the work and a smile that had lingered from when he parted with Yun Wu.
As soon as I entered the main hall, I saw my father, Village Chief Shen, sitting in the main seat with a sullen face. The tea in front of him had already gone cold and he hadn't touched a sip.
His brother Chen Boyuan stood aside and winked at him with a look of worry on his face.
"Dad, I'm back." Chen Bozhou restrained his smile and stood properly.
Village Chief Shen raised his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a torch, and swept across his face, finally landing on his trouser legs that were stained with mud and grass debris, and his brows furrowed even tighter.
He knocked the pipe in his hand hard against the corner of the table, making a dull "bang" sound.
"You still remember to come back?" Village Chief Shen's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "I thought you had already regarded the Yun family as your own home!"
Chen Bozhou pursed his lips and did not respond immediately.
"I've heard all the rumors in the village!" Seeing that he remained silent, Village Chief Shen became even more furious, and his voice rose a few notches. "You're becoming more and more outrageous! You're not home all day, hanging around that Yun family kid. Do you know what people are saying about our Shen family now? What are they saying about you?"
Seeing this, Chen Boyuan quickly tried to smooth things over: "Dad, calm down. Bozhou is young and may not have thought things through..."
"Isn't that thought-provoking?" Village Chief Shen interrupted his eldest son, stood up abruptly, and pointed at Chen Bozhou. "He's possessed by a demon! Who in the village doesn't know what Yun Wu is like? He's unlucky, unfaithful, and his family is incredibly poor! You, Village Chief Shen's son, the face of our Shen family, are hanging around with him all day. How can you be so shameless? Where can I put my dignity?"
These sharp and harsh words stabbed at him like knives. In the past, Chen Bozhou might have impulsively retorted, but now, looking at his father's face flushed with anger and listening to the prejudiced accusations against Yunwu, his heart strangely calmed down.
He knew that this was a hurdle between him and the clouds and fog that he had to cross.
"Dad," Chen Bozhou spoke, his voice not loud but unusually clear and calm. He did not avoid his father's sharp gaze, "I know everything you said."
Village Chief Shen was stunned for a moment, as if he had not expected this kind of reaction.
"I know what the villagers say about him, and I also know what you are worried about." Chen Bozhou continued, his tone calm, but with unquestionable power, "But, Dad, please listen to me."
He took a deep breath, as if summoning all his courage, or as if trying to get the words that had been pent up in his heart out for a long time out of his mouth. "Yunwu isn't what they say. His father died while building a dam, a hero who brought good fortune to the village. His mother died during childbirth, an accident no one wanted to see. Grandma Yun is old and in poor health. What does this have to do with Yunwu? Why do they blame all this on him, saying he's 'unlucky and unlucky'?"
His words were tinged with emotion, a feeling of indignation for Yunwu, but he quickly suppressed it and looked at his father with frank eyes. "Yes, his family was poor, but he never asked anyone for money. He relied on his own hands to collect herbs and farm to support himself and Grandma. He was quiet and didn't like to talk, but that was because no one wanted to listen to him! But he knew more than many people in the village. He recognized herbs, understood farming, and knew the weather and location. He was kind-hearted and never hurt anyone!"
Village Chief Shen was speechless for a moment after hearing his words, and his expression changed constantly.
Chen Bozhou took a step forward, his eyes extremely serious, even with an almost pious light: "Dad, you ask me what I want? I want him as a person! I want his tenacity under his calmness, his gentleness under his coldness, and his determination to live an upright life by relying on his own abilities!"
He paused, then gave his final answer in a resounding voice, which also reflected his core attitude in the face of all rumors and resistance:
"It's not him who's pestering me, it's me, Chen Bozhou, who's pestering him."
These words exploded like thunder in the silent hall. Shen Boyuan looked at his brother in surprise, as if he was really getting to know him for the first time.
Village Chief Shen was shocked all over, staring at his son in disbelief, his lips trembling, but he was speechless for a while.
"I was the one who fell in love with him first, I was the one who approached him actively, I was the one who was willing to help him, and I was the one who shamelessly wanted to be with him." Chen Bozhou put himself in an active and even "entangled" position with every word, taking all the responsibilities on himself, in order to completely wash away any dirty water that might be thrown on Yunwu.
"If you want to blame someone, blame me. If you want to scold someone, scold me. It's me who misbehaved, I don't know the seriousness of the matter, and I've brought shame to our family." He lowered his head slightly, his posture very humble, but his back was straight, without the slightest intention of admitting any fault. "But Dad, Yunwu is very good, really very good. Please... don't say that about him."
The main room fell into a long silence, with only the occasional crackling of the oil lamp wick.
Village Chief Shen stared at his son intently, his chest heaving violently. He could tell his son's words weren't impulsive, but the product of careful consideration. His frankness, his resolve, his willingness to shoulder all the responsibility, all showed that this boy... meant business.
He had prepared a lot of scolding, threats, and even family discipline, but now it was like a punch hitting cotton, with no place to put the force.
He could force his son to bow his head and break his legs, but he could not change his unwavering heart.
After a long time, Village Chief Shen seemed to have been drained of all his strength. He slumped back in his chair, waved his hand, and said in a voice filled with deep fatigue and a barely perceptible hoarseness: "Get out... I don't want to see you now."
Chen Bozhou knew that this was the biggest concession his father could make in his rage. He didn't argue any further and bowed respectfully, "Dad, calm down. I'm leaving."
He left the main room and quietly closed the door. Outside, night had already fallen and the stars were beginning to appear.
Chen Boyuan followed him out and patted his brother's shoulder with a complicated expression. In the end, he said nothing and just sighed.
Chen Bozhou stood in the yard, looked up at the starry sky, and let out a long sigh.
Although he knew that the road ahead was still difficult and he was far from overcoming the hurdle of having to deal with his father, speaking out what was in his heart, especially the last sentence "I am the one who is pestering him", made him feel unprecedented relief and determination.
He protected Yunwu's reputation, made his own feelings clear, and made his voice heard to his family.
The road ahead may be more difficult, but he will not retreat.
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