The next day, when Liu Qishuang went to deliver some clothes, he finally learned why Wan Dongyang and Wan Xiaohua had gone to the big ditch the day before, and he also found out that the two of them had been punished the night before.

As soon as the Wang couple left the Wan household, the two of them were immediately disciplined.

“My mom made me stand facing the wall for an entire hour. My legs were shaking, but she wouldn’t let me rest. Then my eldest uncle came back from gathering herbs and used a rattan cane to beat my younger uncle’s palms until they were red.”

“Wan Dongyang was beaten?” Liu Qishuang found it hard to believe. Could Wan Dongyang—who usually wasn’t afraid of anyone, not even the Emperor himself—really stand there obediently and let someone hit him? And on the palms, no less?

“That’s the kind of punishment a teacher might use when disciplining young children, isn’t it?”

Seeing that Liu Qishuang didn’t believe her, Wan Xiaohua began to explain the situation in detail.

“My eldest uncle was furious. He didn’t want to be the village doctor anymore; he said the job came with too many worries. But yesterday, several groups of people came to our house, crying their eyes out. They said they had no cash left, and the Jiang family’s medicine wasn’t cheap—they’d already taken several doses without seeing any improvement. There’s even a little kid in there. My uncle couldn’t bear to see it, so after examining the patient, he went into the mountains to gather herbs anyway. When he came back, he gave my uncle a good beating and said that from now on, if anyone comes to the door asking for medical help, he won’t let them in.”

Liu Qishuang listened to Wan Xiaohua’s complaints for a long while, unable to snap out of it.

He hadn’t expected Wan’s eldest brother to refuse the role of village doctor. Being a village doctor was such a good job—respected by the community and well-paid, far easier than toiling in the fields. Liu Qishuang couldn’t make sense of it, so he stopped trying.

Now, the evening breeze rustled the tung trees overhead, filling their nostrils with the sweet scent of tung blossoms. The two of them pulled some pith grass from the edge of the ditch and sat under the tung trees, weaving little trinkets for fun.

While their hands were busy, their mouths weren’t idle either. Wan Xiaohua kept pestering her about yesterday’s events for ages. After hearing all the details, she showered Liu Qishuang with praise.

Liu Qishuang hadn’t had time to reflect on the events of the previous day last night, but now that he thought about it, he felt a wave of fear wash over him.

Although she hadn’t suffered any major harm yesterday, it had been a close call. If Wan Dongyang and Xiaohua hadn’t happened to be there, he likely wouldn’t have escaped.

As they chatted, Wan Xiaohua’s index finger fluttered, and a grass dragonfly appeared in her hand. Liu Qishuang stared at it for a while and praised her, “Xiaohua, you’re really talented. I can only weave straw sandals—I can’t do this.”

“Being able to weave straw sandals is what’s impressive—this is nothing.” Wan Xiaohua handed the grass dragonfly to Liu Qishuang, then got to work. In no time, she had a grasshopper in her hands. She gave that to Liu Qishuang as well, and then tried to weave a little bird, but unfortunately, she got stuck halfway through.

“It’s okay. My uncle knows how to do it. I’ll make one for you once I’ve learned.” As she spoke, Wan Xiaohua stood up and stood on tiptoe to look toward home. It was getting late; they should head back.

By the time Liu Qishuang returned, dusk had fallen. He’d expected to be scolded, but to his surprise, his parents didn’t say a word. He happily washed up and went to bed, and because he’d avoided a beating, he even had a pleasant dream.

In his dream, his parents treated Grandpa very well and didn’t beat or scold him without cause.

For the next half-month, his parents completely changed their previous attitude, treating both him and Grandpa much better. They even stopped eating from separate pots; the family finally ate from a single pot and sat at the same table.

“If Father and Mother were always this kind, would the Wan family stop looking down on me?” Half a month had passed, and the wreath by his pillow was in tatters—the petals had withered and fallen off—yet Liu Qishuang hadn’t thrown it away.

He gathered the fallen petals, wrapped them in a piece of cloth, and placed them by his pillow. As for the bare, leafless wreath, he hung it on the headboard.

These past days, his parents had treated him well, and he found himself wondering: if he weren’t Xu-ger, whom everyone despised, but instead Liu-ger, loved by his parents, might he then become a fulang to the Wan family—a fulang to Wan Dongyang?

Liu Qishuang’s sweet dream never came true. Another half-month passed, and when mid-April arrived and the new potatoes were harvested, his mother called him to send some over to the Wan family’s grandson, whose surname was Lin.

When he returned with the potatoes, his parents began arguing over the matter. Only then did he realize that the change in their attitude toward him and his grandfather, as he had suspected, was due to his marriage.

“What’s wrong with the Xu family? If you really despise the Xu family so much, you wouldn’t have to live with me.” Xu Shifan was sitting on the steps of their home, sitting directly on the ground, his feet still bare and caked with mud from having just returned from the fields.

Liu Congxiang’s eyes had already filled with tears as she heard his words. “If I didn’t have to live with you, would I really need to be gossiped about and cursed by the whole village? Do you have any conscience at all?”

Liu Qishuang had been hiding in a corner of the courtyard, but later had quietly slipped into the outhouse, where he crouched in a corner, listening intently to the commotion outside. Hearing this, he felt a sense of relief.

For he knew the argument would not escalate any further.

Liu Qishuang’s guess was correct; the couple fell silent after that. A moment later, Xu Shifan took her hand and led her back into the house.

As soon as they entered their room, Liu Congxiang threw herself onto the bed and began sobbing, refusing to budge no matter how much Xu Shifan tried to persuade her.

“Didn’t you say it yourself? Once we have a son, the Xu family will have a place for us. We’ll return to the Xu family, and you won’t be a son-in-law that everyone looks down on. But what is this now?

Shuang’er and Daxiaozi are blood cousins! Since ancient times, those of the same surname have not married. He and your eldest brother are brothers from the same womb; your children are blood relatives. How could they possibly marry?

And putting that aside, if we were to have a son in the future, that son would surely be the subject of ridicule! His own brother is his cousin’s fulang—what kind of situation is that? How could he ever show his face in public?”

Liu Congxiang hadn’t expected the Xu family to still be harping on this!

The last time they visited the Xu family, her mother-in-law had brought up the matter, but she had refused without a second thought. This had upset her mother-in-law, who had forced them to stay and work for seven or eight days before letting them return.

She had assumed the matter would never be brought up again, as it was simply too absurd. Little did she expect that her own husband would actually agree!

Seeing that his wife was clenching her teeth and refusing to budge, Xu Shifan, mindful that his younger ger was still young and the marriage could be postponed for another two years, didn’t want to press her too hard.

But he had already made up his mind.

His wife’s refusal was merely because she was hoping to give birth to a son to carry on the Xu family line. But they were both in their late thirties—they didn’t even know if they could still have children, and even if they did, there was no guarantee it would be a son.

He had never been favored by his parents since childhood, and his greatest ambition in life was to earn their respect.

His eldest brother has only one son, who is now crippled—and to make matters worse, the Xu family’s rivals in the village are spreading rumors that the Xu family’s eldest grandson is so badly injured he’s practically useless. Now, forget about a good match—it’s hard enough just to find him a mediocre fulang.

His third brother has no sons, only two daughters, who will eventually be married off.

If his ger could marry into the Xu family as a member of the Liu clan, once a child was born, the Xu estate would naturally belong to that child. As the child’s biological grandfather, the Xu estate would naturally fall back into his hands.

In this way, he could hold his head high before his siblings and become his parents’ sole pillar of support—they would naturally cease to look down on him. By then, he could finally vent all the pent-up frustration he’d swallowed for most of his life and live out his days in contentment.

“That old coot actually ended up working in my favor. Back then, he refused to let Shuang’er take my surname and registered him under the Liu family’s household records early on. Now that he bears the Liu surname, he can’t be considered a member of the Xu family—so why shouldn’t she be able to marry into the Xu family?” Of course, these were merely Xu Shifan’s private thoughts; he hadn’t yet shared them with Liu Congxiang.

He was simply waiting for another two years. If Liu Congxiang still showed no signs of pregnancy by then, she would have no choice but to agree to the marriage.

After all, she had been bullied by her two sisters-in-law for years, and her resentment ran just as deep as his. If she couldn’t bear a son, she would naturally rely on the influence of her ger to go over and lord it over them.

At the moment, Liu Qishuang had no idea that the marriage her father was arranging for her was with her own first cousin; he simply believed it was with his eldest uncle’s wife’s nephew.

His eldest uncle’s wife’s nephew was a consumptive; no one knew how much longer he had to live, so naturally, no family was willing to marry their daughters or gers into his household.

When he was a child, his maternal aunt had once tricked him into thinking he wanted him to be a Fulang for her nephew, and his mother had gotten into a huge fight with her over it. He suspected that his parents’ recent constant bickering was also due to this matter.

His father had always complied with every demand from the Xu family, but his mother certainly didn’t want to be under his eldest aunt’s thumb for the rest of her life; she was counting on him marrying into the Wan family to support her.

As for why both of them had suddenly started being nice to Grandfather, it was likely because they both wanted to trick him into handing over his family register so they could control his marriage arrangements themselves.

Liu Qishuang was quite clever; aside from the intended bride, he had guessed the situation eight or nine times out of ten. But before long, he even discovered the true identity of the intended bride.

Around the Dragon Boat Festival, something happened at Wan Changqing’s house. They took in a ger who’d nearly been killed by his own family. Fortunately, not only did they avoid trouble, but they also made a good connection. After the ger successfully sued the relatives who’d tried to harm him, he sent the Wan family a generous token of gratitude.

Because of this, his mother was not pleased, for she feared the ger might pull a scene straight out of a play—offering himself in marriage to Wan Changqing—which would have ruined her plans.

His mother was unhappy, but he was delighted.

He reasoned that if Wan Changqing’s marriage were truly arranged, his own chances of marrying Wan Dongyang would improve. Working together with his mother to devise a plan would be far better than struggling alone.

Starting in mid-April, wild vegetables began to grow in the old forest. Some villagers would go there to gather them and sell them for cash, but because the journey was so long, few people went—only those from families that were both poor and hardworking.

Liu Qishuang wanted to earn cash and naturally wanted to go as well, but unfortunately, no one was willing to take him along. He was young, and the journey to the old forest was too long. If he couldn’t keep up halfway through, the villagers couldn’t just leave him behind—he would become a burden to everyone.

The day before the Little Dragon Boat Festival, when Liu Qishuang was returning from the family’s paddy fields, he ran into Lin-ger, who was planting rice seedlings in the pouring rain. His husband had gone to the Old Forest to gather wild vegetables, leaving no one to do the chores at home, so he had to do them himself.

Lin-ger was Wan Changqing’s own nephew and Wan Dongyang’s cousin. His background was even more pitiful than his own: his mother had died young, and his father favored the child from his second marriage, trading away Lin-ger’s chance at a good match. His life had been a hard one.

Wan Dongyang was a good man; he usually took good care of his cousin, who had had such a difficult life.

Liu Qishuang had met Lin-ger a few times. He was a good-hearted fellow, unlike the villagers who simply despised him. However, due to the village rumors about his relationship with Wan Changqing, he didn’t get too close to others.

He was afraid Lin-ger would think he was only currying favor with him to marry Wan Changqing.

He hadn’t intended to get involved with anyone, but seeing them planting rice in the pouring rain was truly pitiful. Plus, Lin-ger was pregnant, which made it even harder to bear. In the end, he couldn’t resist and went to help.

He helped and then left without saying a word, but to his surprise, the next day he received a zongzi from Lin-ger.

Liu Qishuang was delighted to receive the rice dumplings, but by the time he got home, his heart had turned to ice—he had stumbled upon Xu’s mother and son beating his grandfather!

“What are you doing?!” Liu Qishuang had originally hidden the rice dumplings in a bundle of straw, but now he didn’t care about them at all. He tossed aside the bundle of old straw on his carrying frame and rushed toward his grandfather, who was lying on the ground.

“Grandpa! Grandpa!” Beside Grandpa Liu lay a wooden chopping block—the one he used daily to chop fodder for the pigs and chickens. A small gash had been lacerated open on his forehead; it was clearly the result of being struck with the block. The wound had already swollen into a large lump and was oozing blood continuously.

Grandpa Liu’s face was now covered in blood, a sight that was truly terrifying—and it certainly left Liu Qishuang speechless with shock. He kept calling out to his grandfather, who seemed to have lost his senses, and didn’t even have time to pay attention to the mother and child over there.

Xu Shifan explained awkwardly, “Your grandmother didn’t mean to do it—it was an accident. Help him to bed so he can rest. He’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

Seeing her son speak up for her, Bai Fengxian no longer felt guilty. She also recalled how the entire Liu family had looked down on her beloved grandson—especially that old geezer, who’d gone so far as to say that as long as he still had a breath left, this marriage was nothing but a pipe dream. With that, she decided she didn’t want to pretend anymore.

“Hmph! Since ancient times, marriage has been decided by the parents’ will and the matchmaker’s word. Shuang’er’s marriage is for his own biological parents to decide—it’s none of your business, you old geezer.” Bai Fengxian was not only free of guilt now but even thought that it would be just fine if the old man were dead.

That way, the Liu household would be her son’s to the very end. As for the family register, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding it. After all, it was just a tiny place; she could dig three feet into the ground if she had to and find it for him.

Liu Congxiang, of course, didn’t want to bear the stigma of having killed her own father. Seeing her son helping his father up from the ground, she hurried over to assist, but the moment she reached out, her son pushed her hand away.

“You little bastard! Are you trying to rebel?” Liu Congxiang was stunned—truly stunned. Had that little bastard actually struck her just now? Liu Qishuang paid no heed to his mother; he was done with meekly enduring her abuse.

He had swallowed his anger for so long. Neither he nor his grandfather had ever had a single day of peace. His father still intended to marry him off to a consumptive, and his mother had actually stood by and watched as that mother and son tried to kill his grandfather!

They weren’t human!

After helping her grandfather to his feet, he quickly had him laid back on the bed. Seeing him still trying to speak to her—though he lacked the strength to speak aloud and could only move his lips—Liu Qishuang hurried to comfort him: “Grandfather, it’s all right. I’ll go find Brother Wan. He’s a good man; he’ll definitely save you.”