Now there was no need to keep an eye on anyone. Wang Yongshun was utterly shocked—he couldn’t for the life of him understand why his son would steal money. He had already entrusted everything he had to his son, but never in a million years did he expect his son to pull a stunt like this.
Li Chunjuan, on the other hand, lost all her energy to argue with Xu Shuang’s cousin the moment she heard that her son was injured and in the hospital. She immediately began packing her things to head to the county.
Money was a small matter, but her son being injured—that was a big deal!
Unfortunately, the last bus had already left by then. Something seemed to short-circuit in Li Chunjuan’s brain, and she decided to go find Xu Shuang:
“I’m going to borrow a bicycle from Wang Ying!”
Otherwise, if the two of them walked all the way to the county, it would be dark by the time they got there.
Xu Shuang’s cousin looked utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell—was this woman out of her mind?
“You were just accusing my sister-in-law of stealing your family’s money, and now you want to borrow a bicycle from her? How thick-skinned can you be?!”
Never mind that today was someone’s wedding day—just based on the way you were yelling and cursing a moment ago, where exactly do you get the delusion that you still have the face to ask for a favor?
Xu Shuang’s three cousins had truly seen it all now—what kind of family was this?
But Li Chunjuan didn’t think she was in the wrong. With her neck stiff and tears falling, she said:
“My Yaozong is in trouble! Why shouldn’t she lend it to me?”
The three cousins looked at each other and agreed—this couldn’t be let go just like that.
If they let them out now, that woman might go cause a scene at the wedding banquet. Wouldn’t that just ruin the mood?
Wang Yongshun had already started packing up to head out, but he was stopped and kept inside the house.
The person who had come to inform them hadn’t left either. He was peeking through the door, looking left and right, and finally spoke up for Wang Yongshun:
“Hey, hey, young man, what are you doing? Yongshun’s kid is still in the hospital, why aren’t you letting him leave?”
One of the brawny cousins responded in a booming voice:
“Leave? No way. Not until we clear this up. No one is walking out that door unless we take them ourselves.”
Wang Yongshun finally came back to his senses from the shock:
“Clear up what?”
The cousin started counting on his fingers as he listed:
“First, the mess you made today at the wedding—that account needs to be settled. Then, you framed my sister-in-law for stealing money. That can’t just be brushed off either. You want to leave? Settle these two things first.”
Wang Yongshun said numbly:
“How do you want to settle it? Beat me up?”
The cousin shook his head:
“Beating you won’t make us feel better. You and your wife are going to write a letter of apology!”
The three cousins had grown up under the strict hand of their mother, Old Lady Su. She ran the house with an iron fist and was a master at discipline. Since the three of them weren’t good at studying, Old Lady Su loved punishing them by making them write letters of apology.
So now the cousins had found their solution:
“We’ll dictate what you write. After that, put your fingerprints on it as a seal!”
Wang Yongshun:
“I can’t write.”
He actually could, but he just didn’t want to. What was there to apologize for? Even if he had wrongly accused Wang Ying, it wasn’t like she suffered any real loss, right? Besides, no matter what his son had done, he was in the hospital now, and that tugged at Wang Yongshun’s heart. He was anxious to go see him.
The cousin made a move to shut the door:
“Then don’t go out.”
The guy at the door had just witnessed a whole drama and couldn’t help but butt in:
“What’s this about framing Wang Ying for stealing money? What did Yongshun and his wife do?”
One of the cousins explained the whole backstory:
“Their son stole eighty yuan himself and tried to pin it on my sister-in-law. You tell me, is that not outrageous? And they even caused a scene at her house during the wedding pick-up…”
The guy at the door made a disgusted noise:
“Ew~”
He used to think Wang Yongshun wasn’t that clueless. It was just Li Chunjuan who rubbed people the wrong way. But now, looking at it, both husband and wife seemed equally out of touch. Truly, people who sleep in the same bed really do become alike.
Wang Yongshun still refused to write, while Li Chunjuan cried and screamed that she was going to throw herself at the wall or the door.
“My son is in the hospital, and you still won’t let us out! You’re so heartless—aren’t you afraid Heaven will strike you down?!”
“You just write it. Write it and we’ll let you go. Not only that, I’ll even take you to the roadside myself.”
As for borrowing a bike from Wang Ying? Forget it. Better stand by the road and see if there’s any passing vehicle to hitch a ride.
Wang Yongshun’s face turned black as the bottom of a pot, but in the end, he agreed to write.
The cousin began dictating:
“Write this—‘I, Wang Yongshun, along with my wife Li Chunjuan, falsely accused our niece of stealing money and intentionally caused trouble. This behavior was wrong, shameless, and we apologize to our niece and her husband. We promise not to repeat this in the future.’”
Wang Yongshun took the pen and copied it word for word.
The cousin took the letter, read it, and said:
“This part isn’t clear enough—why didn’t you include the word ‘shameless’?”
Wang Yongshun snapped:
“Don’t push it too far!”
The cousin scratched his ear:
“It won’t do unless you add that part.”
The three brothers were all well-practiced at writing apology letters. Their mother, Old Lady Su, wasn’t very literate, but she always made them write down her exact scoldings when they misbehaved.
They were going easy on him because they saw he was in a hurry—otherwise, they’d have made him write a whole essay. And now he dared to cut corners?
Wang Yongshun was so angry his chest hurt, but he had no choice. He tore up the paper and rewrote it.
Only then were the three cousins satisfied:
“Alright. Now give us your fingerprints!”
Wang Yongshun pressed down Li Chunjuan’s finger and stamped both of theirs:
“Happy now?”
“Happy. Come on, we’ll take you to the road.”
Wang Yongshun knew there was no way they’d get to borrow a bicycle, and even Li Chunjuan had to accept it.
The three cousins escorted them to the roadside, holding the apology letter:
“Go, go, go. If you hurry, you might catch the tail end of the banquet.”
Catch the tail end? Hardly. When the three of them returned, the food had just been served not long before.
Xu Shuang wasn’t being ostentatious either—times were tough. In the past few years, during bad harvests, there were barely any wedding banquets in the brigade. Most just had the two families share a meal, handed out some sweets to the neighbors, and bowed to the Chairman’s portrait—that was it.
So even though Xu Shuang called it a banquet and invited forty or fifty people, it really amounted to just two big tables.
But the food was hearty. A big pot of wild boar stew filled with dried string beans, potato chunks, and glass noodles. Then stir-fried diced rabbit meat. There were also stir-fried potatoes and cabbage stewed with tofu.
Not many different dishes, but each one was piled high.
The steamed buns were made with mixed flour—not many of them. At the end, they brought out a plate of dumplings.
Just this one table of food was already considered extravagance in the brigade.
The relatives who came were amazed:
“Shuang really is capable.”
Otherwise, how could he afford such a spread? Looks like the Xu family still had a solid foundation.
Those big chunks of meat alone made mouths water from just the smell.
Old Lady Xu sat at the head of the table, with her older sister beside her. The two old ladies were overjoyed.
Old Lady Xu called out to everyone:
“Eat up, we’re all family here, don’t make me coax each of you. Ying, come, I’ll introduce you to the family.”
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang were also seated at the main table. Old Lady Xu introduced her:
“This is your eldest aunt—you’ve met her before. She lives in the neighboring brigade. She has three sons, all older than Shuang.”
Old Lady Su waved her hand boldly:
“This girl looks great—everything about her is good. You really are lucky to have such a daughter-in-law. Much luckier than me.”
Su Laotai’s (Old Lady Su’s) daughters-in-law were also present, and their expressions varied upon hearing this.
Xu Laotai continued introducing, “This is the youngest daughter from his third aunt’s family, her name is Sun Mei. She’s about your age, a bit younger than Xu Shuang. You can just call her younger cousin.”
Wang Ying didn’t ask why only one cousin came from the third aunt’s family. She greeted her confidently, “Hello, cousin.”
Sun Mei, however, didn’t show a pleasant expression. Taking advantage of Xu Laotai not noticing, she rolled her eyes and said coldly, “Hello, sister-in-law.”
Xu Shuang, who was sitting beside Wang Ying and busy serving her food, didn’t catch Sun Mei’s eye-roll.
“This one’s from my uncle’s side, just call him cousin.”
…
Xu Laotai introduced everyone at the main table. Though Wang Ying didn’t remember who was who, she still politely greeted each person.
The next table was full of familiar faces. Tian Youfu was also seated there; he had come with little Shitou today. As soon as little Shitou saw Wang Ying, he clung to her and wanted a hug.
Immediately, some older women teased, “Ying girl, better hug him while you can—who knows, maybe next year you’ll be hugging your own baby.”
Wang Ying smiled awkwardly, but the more embarrassed she looked, the more others teased her.
Xu Shuang came over to rescue her and brought her back to the main table.
Not long after the food was served, the three older cousins returned.
Xu Shuang introduced them to Wang Ying: “This is Big Niu, Second Niu, and Third Niu.”
Old Lady Su wasn’t literate, so she gave simple and rustic names to her children, expressing her earnest wish—she wanted a cow.
But that dream was impossible now. Private cattle ownership wasn’t allowed anymore; cows were valuable assets of the commune.
Wang Ying greeted the three cousins. The cousins, however, pulled Xu Shuang aside to talk privately. Xu Shuang returned shortly after, his expression still calm.
This meal was enjoyed by all, with everyone beaming. The wild boar meat had been stewed for a long time—the skin was soft and the meat tender. Chen Dong, after all, was a chef and knew how to handle the smell. The pot of meat was so aromatic that it whetted everyone’s appetite.
Each person scooped a bowl of braised wild boar meat, added a bit of vegetables, ate two steamed buns, and by the time dumplings were served at the end, they were already full. They forced down a few more dumplings, and by the time they left, everyone was holding their stomachs.
After the meal, the afternoon was anything but relaxing.
Guests had to be seen off one by one. Xu Shuang packed some mountain goods for his master and gave his senior brother Liu Duo a red envelope. Liu Duo had ridden a bicycle here yesterday and now had to leave with his master.
Xu Laotai chatted with people all afternoon and finally wrapped up the welcoming and farewell matters by evening.
Wang Ying was already feeling a bit tired, and Xu Shuang held her hand as they walked home.
When they got back, they found that Wang Yongshun and his wife hadn’t yet returned from the county. The air around was so quiet that Wang Ying started to feel uneasy.
Xu Shuang said, “Shall we wash up and go to bed?”
Wang Ying replied, “…Mm.”
Xu Shuang busied himself, boiling a big pot of hot water. For once, during this moment together, neither of them spoke, and both silently washed up.
It wasn’t until the oil lamp was blown out and Wang Ying lay on the inner side of the bed that she felt Xu Shuang getting very close.
Xu Shuang asked, “Are you asleep?”
Wang Ying lied with her eyes open, “Yes.”
Xu Shuang held Wang Ying’s hand, and she could feel warm breaths against her ear.
Xu Shuang’s voice was steady, but somehow, Wang Ying could tell he was smiling.
“I don’t believe you.”
Wang Ying thought, luckily there was no electricity now. If the lights were on, she’d probably have already hidden under the blanket.
But Xu Shuang didn’t give her that chance. His large hand with distinct joints moved up from her wrist, sending shivers down her spine…
Meanwhile, Wang Yongshun and his wife were still trying to hitch a ride by the roadside. After failing for a long time, they had no choice but to walk to the county in the cold wind.
By the time they reached the county, it was already getting dark. They quickly located Wang Yaozong at the county hospital.
The moment Li Chunjuan saw Wang Yaozong, she burst into loud sobs.
Her wailing was so loud it startled the nurse in the next room.
Nurse: “What are you yelling for? Don’t you know loud noises are prohibited in the hospital?!”
This ward was for minor injuries. Was there really a need to wail like this?
Wang Yaozong’s injuries were all on the surface—his face was bruised and swollen, almost unrecognizable. But honestly, the injuries weren’t serious. They were mostly superficial wounds that would heal in ten days to two weeks.
Still, just seeing him like that broke Li Chunjuan’s heart. She threw herself onto the bed and howled, “Yaozong, how did this happen to you? Does it hurt? You’ve torn your mother’s heart out! Who was the monster that beat you like this?!”
Wang Yongshun, who had been angry at his son earlier, felt all that vanish the moment he saw his son’s injuries. Seeing his son like this, his heart ached too.
Although Wang Yaozong was only slightly hurt, with Li Chunjuan wailing so dramatically, he began to act pitiful.
“Dad, Mom, I’m in so much pain… Why did you come so late?”
Li Chunjuan held his head and wept, “Mom’s here, Mom will get justice for you! The heartless bastard who beat you—Mom won’t let him go!”
Wang Yongshun silently sat by the bed. “Your mom’s right. We can’t let this go.”
Wang Yaozong coughed twice and said with resentment, “Too late! That guy’s already gone!”
Li Chunjuan was stunned: “Wasn’t he taken to the police station?”
Wang Yaozong slapped the bed in anger, so hard he almost fainted: “Bullshit! That guy was just pretending!”
Wang Yaozong regretted it. He had taken 80 yuan from home, originally planning to buy a watch. Schools were chaotic these days, and there were many outsiders mingling with the students. Among them, Wang Yaozong had befriended two slightly older boys.
These two told him they could get him a second-hand watch. Though they claimed the watches were used, they were actually new—though clearly not from any legal source.
But Wang Yaozong really wanted a wristwatch.
There were only one or two people in the school who had one, and it looked incredibly stylish on their wrists. All the girls flocked around them.
Wang Yaozong thought, his dad kept telling him to get a job, but the family didn’t have enough money to buy a watch. So he figured it’d be better to charm a girl from a well-off family at school. After all, at their age, most students in their second year of high school were already thinking about their future. If he could find a girl from a worker’s family in town, they could pool their money, and that would be enough for him to buy his way into a city job.
So, Wang Yaozong stole eighty yuan from home, thinking it wasn’t too much—just enough to buy a secondhand watch and put on a front.
“In the end, those two didn’t have a watch at all. They beat me up and took all my money!”
Wang Yaozong gritted his teeth. “Then, when they were beating me, someone saw it. They got scared someone might call the militia, so one of them pretended to be a Good Samaritan while the other one confessed and took the blame for beating me.”
Wang Yaozong was furious. At the time, he had been beaten so badly he couldn’t speak, and he had to watch helplessly as the guy who beat him put on a whole act right in front of everyone.
After that, things went exactly as planned. The one pretending to be the Good Samaritan got a passerby to send Wang Yaozong to the hospital and then went to the brigade to inform his parents. He even pretended he was taking the other guy to the police, but in reality, they took the money and ran!
Wang Yaozong had been knocked unconscious on purpose before being sent to the hospital. By the time he woke up and explained everything, it was already too late.
The hospital helped him file a police report, but without any evidence and with the culprits already long gone, there was nothing they could do. The staged act had bought them just enough time to escape, and now they were probably out there having the time of their lives with his money.
Wang Yongshun’s eyes went blank. “So you’re saying… they took all eighty yuan?”
Wang Yaozong shrank back. “Not just the eighty. They took all the money I had on me, and the ration coupons too…”
Wang Yongshun could no longer sit still. He started sliding down from the hospital bed in a daze. The family only had 180 yuan in total, and now only 100 remained.
What could 100 yuan even do?
It might not even be enough to bribe someone or pull the right strings!
Wang Yaozong swallowed. “Dad, I just wanted to find a wife to help ease the burden on the family.”
Wang Yongshun: “And did you find one?”
Wang Yaozong: “…I didn’t get the watch, so… Dad, if I had the watch on my wrist, I’m sure I could have found a girl from town…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence because Wang Yongshun’s expression had turned cold and detached.
Li Chunjuan also slapped her son a couple of times. “How could you be so foolish? Those watches are hard to come by. You just believed what they said?”
Wang Yaozong was still unconvinced. “Some guys at school got their watches the same way.”
Wang Yongshun suddenly looked like he had aged ten years in an instant. “All you think about is the watch. I told you to get a temporary job in the city and then try to go permanent. Why couldn’t you just follow the plan? And now? The money is gone. It’ll be much harder to go that route again. Getting into the city won’t be easy now.”
Wang Yaozong was at that rebellious age, always pushing back when scolded. Hearing this made him unhappy. “According to you, how many years would I have to wait? There are barely any job openings now… What’s wrong with finding a wife and working together? If nothing else, I’ll just find a job in town.”
Wang Yongshun: “A girl from town? You really dare to dream. There are hundreds of people in our brigade. Have you ever seen a town girl marrying into the countryside? Don’t you think they want to stay in town or marry someone in the city?”
Wang Yaozong: “Then what do you want me to do? The money’s already gone—what can I do now?”
Wang Yongshun slumped to the ground. He had no answers anymore.
And yet Wang Yaozong still asked, “Dad, can you go pay the hospital fees for me? I don’t have any money left. We still owe the hospital.”
Wang Yongshun: …
What’s the point of living anymore? He might as well just die!
—
On the second day after the wedding, Wang Ying woke up much later than usual. When she opened her eyes, she found herself still held tightly in Xu Shuang’s arms. Though Xu Shuang looked slim, his arms were surprisingly strong—she could see the thick veins bulging with even the slightest flex.
Wang Ying’s first thought was that those veins would be easy to stick with a needle.
She couldn’t resist touching them. Though her movements were gentle, she still heard a low, magnetic hum behind her.
In a flash, his arm tightened around her.
“You’re awake?”
Xu Shuang didn’t linger in bed. He nuzzled against her neck a little, then got up before things turned dangerous.
“You sleep a bit longer. I’ll go boil some water.”
Wang Ying lay in bed in a daze, watching Xu Shuang busying himself through the window.
Before long, he brought in hot water and asked, “What do you want for breakfast?”
It wasn’t really morning anymore. Wang Ying looked at the pocket watch hanging beside the bed. “Let’s do brunch instead. Just make something simple.”
The neighbors were still silent. With the young couple fully awake, everything felt more relaxed and private. Wang Ying sneakily poured a bit of spiritual spring water into their household water jar. She hadn’t given any to Xu Shuang before, afraid it would raise suspicions. But now that they lived together, adding it to the water meant they could both drink it.
By midday, they had a hearty brunch.
The millet porridge was cooked with red-skinned peanuts. There was a plate of stir-fried napa cabbage, multigrain steamed buns, crunchy pickled radish, and a dish of wild boar meat stir-fried with potatoes.
Wang Ying felt completely satisfied. The millet porridge was soft and sticky, the peanuts tender, the sour-spicy cabbage appetite-whetting, the pickles chewy and savory, and the stir-fried potatoes and pork were rich and flavorful.
After finishing their meal, neither of them rushed out. Xu Shuang laid his and Wang Ying’s clothes together, and the two of them went out to feed the pigs.
Wang Ying was still thinking about the fish up on the mountain. “Should we go in the next couple of days?”
She was afraid that if they went too late, the fish pond would freeze over, making it hard to catch anything.
Xu Shuang said, “Let’s wait a few more days—go around the time it starts to snow.”
That way, they could catch the fish just as the snow began and dig a snow cellar in the yard to store them. The fish would freeze, and they could eat them all winter long.
Wang Ying was really looking forward to a life where there was always fish to eat—she was literally counting down the days on her fingers.
But just four or five days later, the sky began to darken, the sun was hidden behind clouds, and the air was filled with a biting chill. Xu Shuang assessed the situation and figured that a heavy snow was imminent. So, while the neighbors were away, the two of them headed into the mountains together to catch fish.
I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.
