Wan Dongyang returned home seething with frustration, but to his surprise, he found no peace there either.

His family was actually talking about him and the Liu family’s ger—Liu Quan’s nonsense from that morning had made its way home.

“I was wondering why you were being so attentive last night—even walking him home. So you’ve got your eye on that Liu-ger, haven’t you?” Wan Dongyang’s mother was busy at the moment, sewing two pairs of summer cloth shoes as gifts for her parents back at her parents’ home.

They could send the Dragon Boat Festival gifts to his parents’ home along with the shoes. Today, everyone in Wan Dongyang’s household was home; none of them had gone out to work.

Mother Wan was busy making shoes; his two older brothers were pounding rice for liquor; his father was grinding maize; and his two sisters-in-law weren’t idle either—they were preparing the various ingredients for making zongzi. Only Wan Xiaohua wasn’t at home; she’d gone out to pick mulberries.

Wan Dongyang plopped down on the steps and leaned back against the round wooden pillar. Just as he was about to say a few words in his own defense, his mother spoke up again.

“Come to think of it, Liu-ger would be fine. Sure, he’s a bit young, but your own marriage prospects haven’t been going well anyway. Every time you’ve gone on a matchmaking date, neither the girl nor the boy has caught your eye. So what if he’s younger? You’re not getting married anytime soon anyway.” When Mother Wan got to this point, she noticed that everyone in the house was looking at her, all with expressions of surprise. She gave a wry chuckle and explained:

“What I mean is, even if he’s too young to consummate the marriage right away, it’s no big deal. Just marry him off first; at worst, we’ll raise him as our own ger. In a couple of years, he’ll be ready to consummate the marriage.”

“That’s actually a good idea.” Father Wan thought about it for a moment, saw some merit in it, and was the first to nod.

Wan Yong’an remained silent; he had no say in his third brother’s affairs and chose not to comment. However, his eldest daughter-in-law, Lin Qiuyue, glanced at Wan Dongyang and shook her head and said in a voice so soft that only Ma Cuilan, standing right next to her, could hear it: “There’s too big an age gap—it’s a bit inappropriate.”

Upon hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Ma Cuilan perked up and laughed heartily, “Isn’t that like an old bull munching on tender grass? Third Brother, aren’t you afraid the villagers will talk?”

Wan Dongyang was nearly driven to fury at that moment. He hadn’t said a single word, yet they’d already spoken for him. He’d been holding a whole bellyful of words, but when they finally came out, only one sentence escaped his lips.

“I’m not that old! Even a seventy-year-old man can marry a young woman. I’m only a few years older than the Liu-ger—how is that an ‘old bull munching on tender grass’?”

“That seventy-year-old is a high-ranking official and a wealthy man. What are you? Do you really think you can go after a young girl?” Ma Cuilan hadn’t taken Liu Quan’s words seriously at first—she’d just been teasing her third younger brother. But seeing his reaction now, she dropped her playful expression and grew serious.

She wouldn’t agree to this match.

“What kind of family are the Lius? If you really marry their son, won’t you just be inviting a whole bunch of trouble? Third Brother, you aren’t seriously interested in Liu-ger, are you? This won’t do. You’re not content to live a peaceful life—you just have to go looking for trouble.”

“That’s right.” Wan Yougu, his second brother, nodded in agreement with his wife’s words; it seemed he, too, felt the Liu family wasn’t a good match.

Wan Dongyang hadn’t given Liu Quan’s words much thought at first, but as his family members spoke with such enthusiasm, he couldn’t help but pay attention; for some reason, he wanted to know what they thought.

But as soon as he heard his second sister-in-law’s words, he burst out laughing.

He wouldn’t have said much about the other topics, but when it came to the Liu family, he certainly had something to say.

As for that couple from the Liu family, they were no match for him at all. If he really did become a son-in-law of the Liu family, not only would that couple fail to take advantage of his Wan family, but he’d also have to help Liu-ger reclaim the Liu family estate.

By then…

“It’s not certain yet who’ll be the trouble.” Wan Dongyang left after dropping that line, but as soon as he stepped out the door, his irritation vanished, and he immediately cheered up. He hadn’t expected his mother to be so smart after all.

Wan Dongyang hummed a tune he’d made up on the spot—not quite a song—as he headed to Wan Changqing’s house. He’d have to stay there all day today. His father hadn’t been sleeping well lately, but both his older brother and the town doctor had examined him and said there was nothing physically wrong with him.

His mother suspected that some kind of evil spirit might be haunting him. Although he didn’t believe in such things, what if it actually worked? He also wanted his father to get a good night’s sleep, so he wanted to buy the old bear pelt from Yun Shen, spread it on his father’s bed to ward off evil spirits, and see if that would help his father sleep better.

However, the bearskin was expensive; if he spent his savings on it, he wouldn’t have much left, and he couldn’t afford to stay idle at home this year. 

When Liu Qishuang arrived home, neither his father nor his mother was there.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he quickly cooked a pot of white rice, stir-fried the wild vegetables he’d saved with cured meat, and stir-fried the fresh pork he’d bought with sliced potatoes. Once the two meat dishes were ready, he dumped them directly into the rice bowl, then slung the large bowl of food over his shoulder and headed to find his grandfather.

He was very familiar with the chores around the house. His parents were probably out in the fields cutting the weeds along the ridges; now that the rice seedlings had been transplanted, the wild grass on both the inner and outer ridges had to be cleared away, otherwise the rice seedlings in the innermost rows wouldn’t grow properly.

As for his grandfather, he was most likely weeding the cornfield. The weeds there were like rain from the sky—they never seemed to end. Year after year, they were pulled only to grow back; he didn’t know how many times he had to weed a single crop season, yet before half a month had passed, another batch would sprout. He had no choice but to go back and pull them again.

Liu Congxiang and her husband returned home at noon after a busy morning, only to find that the stove wasn’t cold—it was still warm. The cast-iron pot was clearly still shiny with oil from having just cooked a meat dish, yet there wasn’t a single thing inside it.

Liu Congxiang immediately guessed what her son had done. Rage welled up inside her; she kicked the stove several times with all her might and hurriedly shouted to Xu Shifan outside, “He’s rebelling! He’s rebelling! That good-for-nothing is really trying to rebel!”

The four members of the Liu family had been sharing a single pot for several years now. It was a strict rule that the elderly and the child were not allowed to touch the family’s fine grains, meat, or eggs. Liu Congxiang stared at the greasy iron pot, which was completely empty of meat, and in her fury, she kicked the stove in front of her several times.

She never imagined her ger would be so brazen—cooking meat on his own was bad enough, but to not even leave any for them was the last straw!

“It’s all your fault! You kept saying that once the boys are older, we shouldn’t hit or scold them at will—and this is the result of not doing so! He’s practically going to ride on our necks and shit all over us!” Liu Congxiang knew deep down that her husband had a point, but after her son had meekly put up with everything for over a decade, he suddenly dared to defy her—how could she possibly stand it?

Looking at the greasy cast-iron pot, Xu Shifan was angry too, so he said nothing.

By the time Liu Qishuang and his grandfather returned home after eating their fill and finishing their chores, it was already the You hour of the afternoon. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, his mother was about to scold him, but unfortunately, a visitor had just arrived. Worried about losing face, she had no choice but to hold her tongue for the time being.

The visitor was Yun Shen, Lin-ger’s husband, who had come to invite him to dinner at the Wan family’s house the next day.

Liu Qishuang recalled what Wan Dongyang had told her: if the Wan family invited him to their home, he must go.

Liu Qishuang didn’t even get a chance to exchange a single word with Yun Shen before his father chased him away with a tirade. His father disapproved of his son’s association with the Wan family, fearing he might end up marrying into the Wan household—and especially because Yun Shen had addressed his father as “Uncle Liu.”

He had heard it perfectly clearly just now—Yun Shen kept calling him “Uncle Liu” over and over. At first, his father had held back and hadn’t lost his temper much, but later he flew into a rage and practically chased the boy away with his scolding.

Liu Qishuang knew exactly why her father was angry.

As a son-in-law who had married into the family, his father hated nothing more than being called “Liu’s son-in-law,” yet Yun Shen had gone and called him “Uncle Liu” outright—it would have been strange if he hadn’t been furious. After Yun Shen left, his mother, no longer holding back, began to give him a piece of her mind.

“You good-for-nothing brat! You sold all those wild vegetables? Where’s the cash? And what did you eat for lunch? You actually stir-fried meat—are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Liu Congxiang’s face was flushed with rage as she prepared to give him a good thrashing, but Liu Qishuang showed not a trace of fear and answered every question truthfully.

“I sold all the wild vegetables and used the cash to pay off a debt. As for the meat I ate at lunch, Brother Wan said Grandpa isn’t feeling well, so we need to be more careful about what he eats.” 

“You… have you lost your mind?” Liu Congxiang had been seething with anger at first, but now she was mostly stunned.

How dare he? How dare he!

Liu Congxiang couldn’t understand where her son had found the nerve to speak to her like this. Liu Qishuang knew he couldn’t escape a beating, but he wasn’t going to let them beat and berate him anymore.

Xu Shifan had just come in from outside the courtyard.

Liu Qishuang had originally planned to strike back whenever his mother hit him, but he’d walked so far yesterday that his legs were still a bit sore today, and his hands and feet weren’t as nimble as usual, so he feared he might come off worse.

But he’d made up his mind: even if he were to come off worse, his mother wouldn’t get off scot-free either.

But when he saw his father, a thought crossed his mind. Ignoring Liu Congxiang, who had already rolled up her sleeves and was advancing toward him, he took a few steps toward Xu Shifan and said, “Father, I’m of marriageable age now, but I can’t set my mind at ease about Grandfather. Only when Grandfather has recovered can I feel at ease about getting married.”

As soon as Liu Qishuang said this, before Xu Shifan could even hide his scowl, he quickly spread his arms wide to shield his son behind him. Seeing this, Liu Congxiang became even more relentless, determined to give Liu Qishuang a good beating.

“What are you doing!” Xu Shifan snapped at Liu Congxiang, stopping her from raising a hand.

When Xu Shifan first heard Liu Qishuang’s words, he’d been a bit taken aback. But now that the initial shock had passed and he’d grasped the meaning behind his words, he was overcome with excitement. What else could his son’s earlier remark have meant? It meant he’d agreed to the marriage with the Xu family!

Xu Shifan’s gloomy expression from moments before vanished, replaced by joy and excitement!

Hiding behind Xu Shifan, Liu Qishuang continued, “Father, Mother has always told me that Wan Changqing’s family is well-off. She’s been urging me to curry favor with Wan Changqing and insisting that I must marry him. I didn’t listen to her—I won’t marry Wan Changqing.”

“Exactly, exactly, exactly!” It was rare for Xu Shifan to find himself siding with his son against his wife, and he never would have imagined that his son would actually be on his side!

He was absolutely overjoyed, and his patience with his wife—who was determined to give their son a good beating—was completely gone. He shouted at her, “Are you ever going to stop?!”

Liu Congxiang, having been yelled at by her husband, grew even angrier. Pointing at Liu Qishuang, she said, “If I don’t beat you to a pulp today, who knows how out of control you’ll get in the future!”

Liu Congxiang raised her hand to slap Liu Qishuang, who naturally tried to dodge, so her slap landed on Xu Shifan’s hand as he shielded him, leaving the back of his hand red and stinging.

Xu Shifan felt a searing burn on his hand, and the blow made his blood boil. The resentment he’d been holding in—from being called “Uncle Liu” by Yun Shen earlier—could no longer be contained, so he grabbed Liu Congxiang by both arms and shoved her violently away.

Liu Congxiang stumbled from Xu Shifan’s shove and landed hard on her buttocks, her tailbone slamming into a bump on the ground. The pain robbed her of all reason; she rolled around a few times before scrambling to her feet and lunging at Xu Shifan, wailing.

“You hit me—you actually hit me!” The sense of injustice flooding her heart drowned out all her reason. They’d been married for over a decade, and they’d rarely even blushed in each other’s presence—yet he’d actually hit her, actually hit her!

Liu Congxiang didn’t know how the slap had landed; she only knew that as the pain began to spread through her palm, her face started to sting as well.

She’d slapped Xu Shifan, and now Xu Shifan had slapped her back twice?!

When Liu Qishuang’s father pushed his mother out, his eyes had already widened in shock, but he didn’t freeze in place; instead, he crept quietly toward the outhouse.

Right now, he was pressed against the outhouse wall, peering through a crack at the couple fighting. He clamped his hand tightly over his mouth, afraid he might cry out in excitement.

He never would have imagined that what he’d been longing for so long would actually come true today! Were his parents actually fighting? They were actually fighting!

“Go for it! Hit her hard! Kick her—kick her in the stomach! Scratch him—scratch his face to pieces!” Although he was completely baffled—he had no idea what had come over his father today to make him lay hands on his mother—he felt both happy and excited inside.

He didn’t even bother to wonder why this was happening; he just silently cheered them on, afraid that the two outside might stop fighting.

The courtyard of the Liu family home wasn’t paved with stone bricks; it was simply mud that had been compacted over the years. The couple fought for a full two quarters of an hour before stopping. Not only were their hair disheveled and their clothes in tatters, but they were also covered head to toe in dirt.

Liu Congxiang was no match for Xu Shifan in strength or ruthlessness. When they stopped, she was in excruciating pain, especially behind her ear, where she felt a searing burn—that spot had been savagely clawed at several times, tearing off a large chunk of skin.

Liu Congxiang pointed at Xu Shifan and said, “You’re just great, just great!” With that, she sobbed her way back into the house.

In the past, Xu Shifan would have gone to comfort her at this point, but today, unusually, he didn’t chase after her to soothe her. Instead, he smiled in the direction of the Xu family’s home outside the village.

After the couple stopped fighting, Liu Qishuang’s earlier excitement turned to fear; he was afraid that once their tempers had cooled, they would both come after him to take out their frustration.

He didn’t dare breathe a single breath as he carefully made his way to his grandfather’s room. Grandfather and grandson were crouching quietly in the cow shed; aside from occasionally exchanging fearful glances, neither dared to say a word.

As Liu Qishuang waited anxiously for the couple to come after him, he also carefully reflected on what had just happened.

He had noticed the change in his father’s attitude toward his grandfather over the past few days. They had initially eaten from the same pot for a while, but after Grandmother Xu beat his grandfather, they had gone back to eating from separate pots.

Even so, his father’s attitude toward Grandfather had improved considerably.

Liu Qishuang knew that his father’s change in attitude stemmed from his marriage to his cousin; the fact that he had just come to his defense and gotten into a fight with his mother was surely also because of this marriage.

So…

He really didn’t need to clash head-on with them; he just needed to make good use of his marriage.

When Liu Qishuang thought of this, most of his fear had already subsided. It wasn’t until the next day, when his father still hadn’t confronted him about it, that he was completely certain of his previous guess.

His father was currying favor with his grandfather because of his marriage—but since his grandfather doted on him, no one else’s approval mattered as much as his own consent. As long as he agreed, it would be easy to persuade his grandfather; that was why his father had been willing to come to blows with his mother just to protect him.

Liu Qishuang didn’t realize it, but he had guessed his father’s intentions perfectly! What he still didn’t know, however, was just how deeply his father was committed to the Xu family.

Xu Shifan hadn’t come to the Liu family as a son-in-law of his own free will back then. His parents simply didn’t like him, so to raise money for his third younger brother’s wedding, they had sold him to the Liu family in exchange for silver.

His greatest wish in life was to return to the Xu family and take charge—only then would he truly be able to hold his head high.

Because of the marriage arrangement with the Xu family, Xu Shifan was already quite dissatisfied with Liu Congxiang. He felt she didn’t care about him, that she ultimately saw him as an outsider and looked down on the Xu family.

But no matter how dissatisfied he was, there was little he could do about it. With all three members of his family opposed to the arrangement, he couldn’t very well take his anger out on Liu Congxiang; he could only proceed cautiously. But now, things are different!

After all, his son was of the Xu family’s bloodline; they were of one mind, loyal to the Xu family, and would always have his best interests at heart. The joy he felt in his heart was indescribably high!

In Xu Shifan’s heart, Liu Qishuang—this son bound by blood—was actually more important to him than Liu Congxiang. His usual unity with Liu Congxiang was merely a ploy to win her over and keep her on his side; otherwise, with the entire Liu family united, there would be no place for him in that household.

Now, with the support of his biological son, it was as if the old man of the household was on his side as well—which meant the entire Liu family was behind him. What was there left to fear?

How could he possibly turn against his son and create a rift between them?

Liu Congxiang didn’t know that after the couple had a fierce fight, both father and son were actually quite elated. She slept for an entire day, filled with resentment and grievance, and when she was so hungry her stomach was pressed against her back, and no one was there to comfort her, only then did she begin to panic.

By the time Liu Congxiang crawled out of bed, Liu Qishuang had already gone to Wan Changqing’s house.

Originally, Xu Shifan hadn’t wanted him to go, but he argued that the Wan family must have called him to pick up some meat, so Xu Shifan finally agreed.

As for bear meat—many people never even get to see it in their entire lives, let alone eat it. If he could bring some back, that would be such a status symbol. Liu Qishuang arrived at the Wan family’s house a bit late. When he reached the courtyard gate, he didn’t dare go straight in, afraid they might have already finished eating and cleared the table.

He peeked into the courtyard; after just two glances, he saw Lin-ger approaching the gate, where he was greeted and ushered inside.

With Lin-ger by his side, his fears vanished. When he reached the table, he discovered that Lin-ger had even saved a seat for him, which touched him deeply.

Since the Wan family was hosting a banquet today, there were quite a few people in the house, but everyone was too busy eating meat to pay him any attention. He had just picked up his chopsticks and hadn’t even decided what to pick up when a piece of meat—a big one, at that—appeared in his bowl.

“Xu Ger, have a piece of bear meat first.”

Lin Ger served him the meat, then went back to eating without saying much. Since he wasn’t familiar with the others and was afraid of having to keep up a conversation, eating in silence was best.

Liu Qishuang had heard that wild game had a strong, gamey smell, but the bear meat in his mouth didn’t have any strange odor. It was even more tender than pork and tasted excellent—he wasn’t sure if that was because the meat was naturally that way or because the Wan family was skilled at preparing it.

After the meal, Liu Qishuang prepared to leave. He figured it was fine not to take any meat back—after all, his grandfather had had his fill today, so it didn’t matter if he didn’t get any bear meat.

But he never expected that he would actually end up with some meat.

Lin-ger not only gave him a large piece of bear meat, but also gave him silver. It was silver, not copper coins—and not just a few qian, but several liang!

Yun Shen was generous and shared the silver with everyone in his group. He didn’t know about the others, but he knew that he and Chen Damei each had two liang, yet he himself had four liang of silver in his possession.

That’s because Wan Dongyang had given him two liang.

“So that’s why he called me over—to give me cash.”