LW chapter 74

 

The Chen family did not advance nor retreat. By the time Meng Qi and his men arrived in the morning, they had already drawn the attention of the villagers.

Now, everyone in the village had gathered in front of Chen Qing’s house, ready to watch the spectacle.

The Chen family did not have a good reputation in the village. Nobody knew why. The children in the village, who should have been as tough as reed grass, were difficult to raise. Many families only had one child.

However, the Chen family had many children, and they were proud of that. Since there were many brothers in the family, they could bully other children however they liked.

Recently, however, the Chen family seemed to have suffered retribution. Chen Dabao married early but still had no children, and the other Chen brothers were unable to have any either.

The villagers sighed loudly, but still didn’t dare openly confront the Chen family until today.

The people guarding Chen Laosan’s house looked unprovokable. Their swords glinted coldly under the blazing sun.

Two of Chen Hu’s sons, the twins, rushed back home, grabbed kitchen knives, and walked to the front. “Don’t be afraid of them! Fight them!”

They stepped forward and locked eyes with Zhou Yuan, who stood at the door. Zhou Yuan had actually been holding back his anger these past two days. He didn’t consider the Chen family to be Chen Qing’s relatives. They were merely the murderers who had harmed Chen Qing.

Old Madam Chen pulled the two brothers back and walked forward. She looked around at the people guarding the house, but there was no sign of Chen Qing.

She smiled and said, “That bastard Chen Qing, how much money did he give you to come here?”

Zhou Yuan didn’t like what Old Madam Chen said. She called Chen Qing a “bastard,” so instead of responding, he directed the insult back at her. With a wave of his hand, a dagger flew out and brushed past Old Madam Chen’s cheek. It took her headscarf with it and nailed it to a tree not far away.

The sensation of the dagger scraping her cheek instantly made Old Madam Chen’s knees go weak. She fell to the ground, leaving wet patches on the once-dry ground.

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice, “If I hear you curse Ah Qing again, your head will fly off next time.”

The twin brothers rushed up, trying to slash Zhou Yuan with their knives. Before they could clearly see his movements, the kitchen knives in their hands flew away. Zhou Yuan effortlessly caught one in each hand.

Then, the others from the escort agency stepped forward. Chen Qing heard the commotion and ran out. Seeing Zhou Yuan facing the Chen family, Chen Qing immediately looked him over from head to toe, afraid he might have been hurt again.

Zhou Yuan touched his hair. “I’m fine.”

Then, Chen Qing looked at Old Madam Chen and the two brothers who had just been subdued.

He walked up to her and stared. Old Madam Chen was still trembling. The timid boy she remembered had grown up. How could he ever have dared to stand in front of her and speak in the past?

“That house was built by my father and my little father, and that land also belonged to them. Whether it’s burned or flattened, I will never let your family enjoy the house they worked half their lives to earn.” Chen Qing’s voice was steady; it didn’t tremble like it used to.

“I just don’t understand. They were both your children—why were you so biased?” These were questions that should have been asked by his father, but he had never been able to.

“What do you mean, my child? He was just a bastard.” Old Madam Chen could not stand because she was soaked. “I fed him and raised him. That was already an act of kindness. What more do you want from me?”

It turned out that Chen Qing’s father was not Old Madam Chen’s biological son, but rather, he was brought back by Old Master Chen from outside the family. Old Madam Chen firmly believed that he was the illegitimate child of Old Master Chen’s affair. She beat and scolded his father whenever she could and wished for his death.

After receiving silver from the killer, she felt that Chen Qing’s father finally had some value. His careless husband had even wanted to sue the authorities, so she dealt with him herself.

Only after Chen Qing sold himself and could never return did she finally feel that her life was comfortable and smooth. Unexpectedly, the bastard dared to come back and cause trouble for them!

After hearing Old Madam Chen, Chen Qing finally understood, “No wonder it’s like this.”

Although Old Madam Chen was not kind, Father was filial. Even when their family was poor, they still gave money to Old Madam Chen. He must have thought it was to thank her for raising him. What Father had given was already enough.

“No matter how much trouble you cause today, I will never let your family live in the house again.” Chen Qing said, “I have official documents and the property deed for this house. If you want to cause trouble, we won’t be lenient. Whatever happens, I am in the right.”

“You little brat…” Old Madam Chen wanted to curse at Chen Qing, but she saw Zhou Yuan standing nearby like a demon out of the corner of her eye, so she swallowed the rest of her words.

With so many people present, the Chen family had to give up, and Chen Dabao’s family stayed with the old woman for the time being.

Fixing up a house in the village was no easy task. Lin didn’t want to take care of her mother-in-law, much less the elderly woman herself, so she made excuses to return to her parents’ home. The rest of the Chen family was restless. Chen Qing was no longer the timid younger brother they could bully. He was married now, and his husband seemed wealthy and powerful. It was impossible to get anything good out of him.

“He’ll definitely leave, right? Why don’t we just stay here after he leaves?” said Chen Hu’s unmarried daughter. “Should we go grab him now?”

The girl’s name was Chen Mei. Although she was eighteen, and matchmakers often came by, the Chen family was picky. She hadn’t married yet and still slept with her grandmother at night.

Despite the Chen family’s bad reputation in the village, everyone still wanted to marry a son or daughter from the Chen family to see if Chen Mei was as fertile as the others.

“What do you know, girl!” Chen Hu’s wife said. “We can’t let the eldest brother stay with us anymore.”

Chen Mei snorted, pushed the door open, and left.

Although the Chen family was anxious, they were powerless. The whole family crowded into the courtyard. Old Madam Chen was especially angry when she heard that Chen Qing was going to hold a funeral for both of his fathers. She smashed a bed in her rage.

When the old man died, they didn’t hold a banquet and couldn’t afford a coffin. They had only wrapped him in a straw mat and lit a string of firecrackers. Now, Chen Qing wanted to hold a funeral for someone who had been dead for years. It was a slap in their faces.

But they had no way of dealing with it. There were more of them than they could beat, and they didn’t dare curse them, either. Who knew if Chen Qing’s husband would go crazy?

The day after confronting the Chen family, the escort agency left, leaving Meng Shuanzi behind to stay with them. This allowed Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan to guard the house while they were out.

Chen Qing took Zhou Yuan to his father’s grave.

It wasn’t really a grave, just a mound of dirt. After years of wind and sun, its outline could no longer be seen.

Chen Qing relied on his memory to find his father’s grave. Before he could say anything, he burst into tears. Zhou Yuan knelt with him but didn’t wipe his tears away. He needed time to express his emotions.

“Father, I’m back. I’m sorry I only came back now…”

“I wasn’t a good son. I didn’t protect Little Father well.”

“I—”

Zhou Yuan still held him. “Don’t cry, Aqing.”

“Father, I’m married. This is Zhou Yuan. He’s very good. If not for him, I might not have come back.” Chen Qing wiped his tears. “I came back to take you home with me. It’s really nice there. There’s no wind or sand, and there are many trees and water. It’s wonderful.”

Finally, Chen Qing understood why Aunt Sun chattered so much at the grave. There was always so much to say. Zhou Yuan just quietly stayed with him. He kept talking, even about the pigs raised at home.

After a while, Chen Qing stood up and said, “Father, I have to go see Little Father now.”

Father and Little Father were not buried together. Some from the Chen family had helped dig Father’s grave, but Little Father’s grave had been dug by Chen Qing himself, so it was simple. Chen Qing was afraid he wouldn’t be able to find it later, so he chose a place with a marker—not far from the Hunhe River. There was a poplar tree, and Little Father was buried under it.

The wind and sand were strong here, so only poplar trees could grow.

Chen Qing looked at one of them. The wind and sand had completely blown away the burial mound. He knelt beside the tree. He had complicated feelings toward Little Father. During his wandering years, he had actually resented him.

Clearly the two of them could have lived a good life—why insist on throwing it all away?

After meeting Aunt Sun and supporting her through the pain of losing her son, Chen Qing finally understood Little Father. Li had a gentle and timid character. In the village where the Chen family ran rampant, he felt he could not survive alongside Chen Qing. Chen Qing could marry, so was Xiaodie supposed to follow him even after he married?

He had heard from Du Feng that, before leaving, Xiaodie had gone to look for him. How desperate must he have been to seek out Du Feng, who, at the time, was not even that old?

“Little Father, I’m back.” Chen Qing patted the earth gently. “I’m doing well now. Can you see?”

“The husband I found is just like you said.” Chen Qing touched the earth in front of him. “You must feel relieved, right?”

He had cried too much today. His whole body trembled, and he sobbed until he hiccupped. Zhou Yuan helped him breathe, and it took a while for him to calm down.

They had dinner at Aunt Du’s house. Aunt Du cooked many dishes from his hometown. She couldn’t remember what Chen Qing liked. She only remembered that when he was young, he never seemed to have the right to say whether he liked something or not. As long as it filled his stomach, that was enough.

After they finished eating, Meng Shuanzi left for the city. Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan stayed at Aunt Du’s for dinner.

During the meal, Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing barely touched their food. Zhou Yuan spoke more with Du Feng. He thought that, since Du Feng was a peddler, he must have channels for obtaining goods.

“I can take you there, but your demands are too high. They might not have that many,” Du Feng said.

“Thank you, Brother Du. It’ll be easier to get things done with someone you know.”

Du Feng nodded. He didn’t look at Chen Qing. He had completely forgotten about him. Aunt Du had already found a matchmaker. She was certain that she would soon be able to drink Du Feng’s wedding wine.

Chen Qing pressed his lips together and smiled. “Maybe we won’t be able to drink Brother Du’s wedding wine. Once everything here is settled, we’ll be going home.”

“By the way, Auntie, there’s one more thing. The person who killed Aqing’s father…”

Aunt Du slapped her forehead. “I knew I forgot something! That man died two years ago.”

Chen Qing was stunned. “Dead? Dead?”

Zhou Yuan squeezed Chen Qing’s hand, also in disbelief.

 

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