Having stayed up all night, Luo Xiu’s eyes were swollen like two peaches when he woke up that morning.

His sister-in-law saw her and teased, “Things are different now that you’re married—you can even sleep in. Back when you lived at home, you’d be up before dawn.” Luo Xiu couldn’t stand her any longer; he got dressed, stood up, and walked out.

Mrs. Luo, born Zhao, stared at his retreating back and spat. How dare he give her the cold shoulder? He’d be in for it once they got home!

Luo Xiu hurried to the outhouse, but as soon as he opened the door, he bumped right into his second younger brother inside. Startled, his hand trembled, and he hurriedly shut the door, returning to the room with a flushed face.

His mother-in-law, Mrs. Liu, was preparing breakfast—he’d cooked a pot of foxtail millet porridge. Luo Xiu squatted beside the hearth and stoked the fire.

“You don’t need to tend the fire—go wait over there!”

“Mother… please let me do some work. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”

Mrs. Liu said nothing more, her face cold, and once the porridge in the pot was ready, she called everyone over to eat.

After breakfast, it was time for the funeral procession. Several men carried Liu Changfu’s body out and placed it in the coffin that had been prepared in advance—a flimsy coffin whose planks hadn’t even been varnished.

Before dawn had fully broken, the group set off toward North Mountain, carrying the coffin.

Since Liu Changfu had died an untimely death, he could not be buried in the ancestral grave; therefore, a pit had been dug on the outskirts of the ancestral burial ground the day before. The men carrying the coffin walked quickly, but Luo Xiu, who was pregnant, couldn’t keep up and gradually fell to the back of the procession.

His older brother and sister-in-law paid him no mind; his mother-in-law and father-in-law were also in a hurry to bury the coffin on the mountain, afraid of missing the auspicious time. Only his aunt, Liu Hua, was concerned about him, who took his arm and helped him up the hill.

When they finally reached the graveyard, Luo Xiu was panting heavily and drenched in sweat. Liu Erlang, standing nearby, fixed him with a piercing gaze.

Luo Xiu was truly handsome; the simpler his clothes, the more they set off his fair, delicate face. The sweat on his forehead and neck glistened in the morning sun, making anyone who looked at him feel parched.

Liu Erlang quickly lowered his gaze; the young man was in the prime of his youth, and just a few glances were enough to make all the blood in his body rush to his lower body.

As the coffin was lowered into the grave and Liu’s father took the first shovelful of earth, Mrs. Liu could no longer hold back her grief. Her sobs turned into wailing, and she beat her chest and stamped her feet, crying, “Dalang, my son… you’re killing me!”

Liu Hua pulled her elder sister-in-law close and wept with her, “Farewell, my eldest nephew. Don’t worry about us back home…”

Luo Xiu knelt nearby, staring blankly at the flimsy coffin as tears streamed down his face. Only at that moment did he truly feel utterly alone and helpless. Liu Changfu was dead; he had become a widower, and from now on, there would be no one left to stand by his side.

“Changfu, Changfu, I’ll go with you!” He stood up, about to jump into the grave, but fortunately, someone nearby acted quickly, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

“What’s this boy trying to do? It’s better to live a miserable life than to die a noble one—don’t even think about doing something so reckless.”

Erlang and Sanlang also stepped forward to stop him. “Sister-in-law, don’t do anything rash—you’re still carrying a child.”

Luo Xiu sobbed silently, tears streaming down his cheeks as he watched shovelfuls of yellow earth cover the coffin, turning it into a mound of dirt—he would never see him again in this lifetime.

Funeral rites in rural areas are simple: once the burial is complete, the younger relatives kowtow a few times, let the incense and candles burn out, and that’s it. Luo Xiu, dragging his weary body, followed the crowd down the mountain, spending the entire journey thinking about what he would do once she got back.

He certainly couldn’t go back to his parents’ home—if he did, his older brother and sister-in-law would surely sell him off. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life with a blind man. Besides, he was carrying Changfu’s child—if the baby were born into another family, would they treat the child well?

This was his first child, and he didn’t want the baby to endure the same hardships he had.

He arrived home filled with anxiety. Liu Quan paid the men who had carried the coffin, and they skipped lunch that day.

This funeral had dealt a further blow to a family that was already struggling financially, not to mention the sudden loss of a strong, able-bodied laborer—he didn’t even know how they would manage to plant the fields come spring…

Once the funeral was over, Mrs. Liu discussed Luo Xiu’s situation with Luo’s eldest brother and his wife.

“Since Dalang has passed away so suddenly, Luo Xiu is still young—it wouldn’t be right for him to remain a widow forever. Please take him back with you later.”

Her sister-in-law from her maternal family smiled earnestly. “You’re a sensible woman, Mother-in-law. We came here precisely to take him back. It’s just a pity that this child wasn’t destined to become part of your family.”

Mrs. Liu felt a pang of sadness but couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. She cut straight to the point: “You can take him away, but you’ll have to return half of the six guan betrothal gift we gave your family at the wedding.”

“What?!” Mrs. Luo’s expression changed instantly upon hearing this. “That’s completely unreasonable! Our ger came here with a spotless reputation; your son slept with him, and now he’s carrying his child. How can you expect us to return your money?”

Mrs. Liu spat out, “It’s all because your Luo Xiu brought bad luck upon my eldest and caused his death. Asking you to return three guan is already a bargain.” She had heard the fortune-teller’s prediction; she deeply regretted not having consulted a fortune-teller before the wedding, now that her son had died.

“Don’t you find that ridiculous? Blaming others for your own son’s short life?”

“Who are you calling a short-lived wretch? Who are you calling a short-lived wretch?” Mrs. Liu flew into a rage the moment she heard this, leaping to her feet and grappling with Luo Zhuang’s wife.

The onlookers hurriedly pulled the two apart. Luo Zhuang’s wife’s words were indeed harsh—calling someone a “short-lived wretch” right after they’d lost their son was like stabbing them in the heart.

Mrs. Fang hadn’t originally intended to keep Luo Xiu, but now, enraged by the insult, she was adamant: “If you want to take him away, you must return three guan to me. Otherwise, Luo Xiu isn’t leaving this house today!”

“Pfft! If you want him so badly, keep him yourself—who wants this burden!” She could only sell her for five guan total, and three guan would have to be returned to the Liu family. To have the villagers gossip behind her back over two taels—this deal was simply not worth it.

Luo Zhuang, standing nearby, spoke up, “Xiao Xiu, are you leaving or not?”

Luo Xiu hadn’t expected him to suddenly turn the conversation to her. He stammered, “I don’t want to leave. I’m carrying Changfu’s child… I want to bear him an heir.”

As soon as Mrs. Luo heard this, she grabbed her husband and turned to leave. Luo Xiu was secretly glad to see his older brother and sister-in-law go—now he wouldn’t have to worry about being sold to the blind man!

It wasn’t until dinner that evening that her father-in-law, Liu Quan, finally spoke up, “Your mother was in a bad mood today and said some nonsense. Tomorrow, pack your things and go back on your own.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Xiu put down his chopsticks, knelt on the ground, and began banging his head against the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“Father and Mother, I can work and weave cloth, and I’m carrying Changfu’s child—please let me stay!”

“We’re not chasing you away—it’s just that we truly can’t afford to support you… Now that Changfu is gone, we’ll have fewer fields to farm come spring. Besides, Erlang is due to get married soon, and we don’t have enough rooms in the house. Where would you stay if you stayed? Your family has plenty of land back home; life there will surely be better than here.”

“I’ll stay in the wood shed, the granary—anywhere is fine. If I go back, my older brother and his wife will sell me off. I beg you both, please don’t chase me away.”

Seeing this, Liu Erlang immediately spoke up, “Mom and Dad, please don’t make my older brother’s wife leave. At worst… at worst, I’ll take care of her, and I’ll raise my older brother’s child too.”

“What kind of talk is that?” Mrs. Liu was taken aback.

Liu Erlang’s face flushed as he said, “I want to marry my sister-in-law.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the color drained from Luo Xiu’s face, and he stared blankly at his mother-in-law and father-in-law.

Sure enough, Liu Quan flew into a rage instantly, snatching up the broom from the kang and lashing out at him. “You beast! Your eldest brother’s body is barely in the ground, and you’re already setting your sights on your sister-in-law! Have you no shame?”

Liu Erlang howled in pain as he was beaten. Luo Xiu, kneeling beside him, didn’t dare intercede, but his heart sank to the depths of despair. He never imagined Erlang would harbor such thoughts toward him; now, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to stay if he wanted to.

After watching him beat the boy for so long, Mrs. Liu couldn’t stand it anymore. “Just beat him to death! Since the eldest didn’t kill the second son just now, I’ll go with him too!” Liu Quan stopped beating him, his chest heaving. “Get the hell out of here!”

Liu Erlang wiped away his tears and ran out of the room, leaving only Luo Xiu, pale-faced, kneeling on the floor.

“You’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning. We can’t keep you here any longer!”

Luo Xiu closed his eyes, kowtowed to his parents, and slowly crawled to his feet. Seeing her in such a state, Mrs. Liu felt a pang of pity. “If you really don’t want to go back to your parents’ home, there’s an old house over in Hedong. You can move there on your own.”

“Thank you, Father. Thank you, Mother!”

Liu Quan waved his hand. “Don’t call us Father and Mother anymore. From now on, just pretend you were never married into our family. Pack your things and leave right away.”

Early the next morning, Luo Xiu set off for Hedong with a small bundle on his back.

The Liu family’s old estate was in Hedong Village. Originally, Hedong and Hexī had been part of the same village called Dahe Village, but one year a major flood split the two villages apart, so they are now separate.

Back then, the flood had washed away half of the Liu family’s old courtyard, so Liu Quan had brought his wife and children to the West River side to build a new house.

The old family home had stood empty ever since. When Luo Xiu arrived, he nearly couldn’t find the entrance—the area was overgrown with weeds taller than a person, which had almost completely obscured the house.

It took him a while to ask around before he confirmed that this overgrown plot was indeed the Liu family’s old residence.

He trudged inward, one foot sinking deeper than the other in the tall grass, and as he went, numerous rats darted out from within, making his heart pound with fear.

When he finally found the entrance, the house was in better condition than he’d imagined. Aside from the half that had been washed away by the flood—which was quite dilapidated—the remaining half still looked livable.

The old house had been built with high-quality materials; glutinous rice water had been mixed into the compacted yellow mud bricks. If it hadn’t been washed away by the flood, it would have stood for three or four generations.

Inside, there was a stove and a heated brick bed. Tomorrow he’d go to town to buy a pot, and then he could light a fire and cook for himself. Luo Xiu had no money in his pocket, but he did have a silver hairpin—a keepsake his mother had left him when she passed away.

He’d received this hairpin without his older sister-in-law’s knowledge, so Mrs. Zhao had no idea about it; otherwise, given her stingy nature, there was no way she would have let him take it out of the house.

Originally, Luo Xiu had intended to keep the hairpin as a memento, but now that he was barely able to survive, he had no choice but to trade it for food and supplies—he had to stay alive first and worry about the rest later.

Luo Xiu broke off a bunch of grass to make a makeshift broom. He set down his bundle and gave the room a quick sweep. Later, he would find some wooden planks to board up the doors and windows to keep the cold night wind from blowing in.

The thought of living alone from now on still made him feel a little anxious.

After all, he was only eighteen; if he hadn’t been driven to the brink, he would never have dared to run away and live on his own. Luo Xiu rubbed his belly, his face filled with sorrow, hoping only that the baby inside him would be born safe and sound.