Author Archives: Thingyan

“Let me hold you for a bit longer, and I’ll go in a little while,” Li Changfeng clung to Xu Qing and didn’t leave.

As Xu Qing reluctantly agreed to let Li Changfeng hug him, he soon began to feel nauseous.

“Ugh!” Xu Qing couldn’t bear the smell of wine on Li Changfeng’s body. He pushed Li Changfeng away and turned his head to the side, retching.

Xu Qing’s sudden action surprised Li Changfeng that he sobered up from his drunkenness.

“What happened?!”

Li Changfeng hastily patted Xu Qing on the back lightly. He then handed Xu Qing a cup of tea from the table and said, “Here, drink some water.”

Xu Qing waved his hands and heaved for a long time, but he didn’t vomit anything. After finally regaining his strength, tears streamed down his face when he raised his head.

“It’s okay. I’m all right.”

Xu Qing stopped Li Changfeng from patting him and instead put his hands on the bed to support himself. Li Changfeng noticed that Xu Qing was weak, so he sat beside him and gently embraced him with his arms.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Don’t worry, maybe it’s just a cold. I’ve been eating too much ice these days,” Xu Qing said hastily with an anxious look on his face.

Li Changfeng still felt uneasy after hearing Xu Qing’s words. “How about we go to town and see a doctor?” he suggested.

Xu Qing shook his head, “You didn’t even check the time. Besides, Tuan Tuan is sleeping soundly now. What will happen to him if we leave?”

Li Changfeng was conflicted as he looked at the sleeping Tuan Tuan, but he was still concerned about Xu Qing’s health.

“It’s fine, can you bring me some hot water? I feel a bit damp, perhaps I am sweating,” Xu Qing said, noticing that Li Changfeng still looked concerned.

“Okay, I’ll go right away!”

After listening to Xu Qing’s words, Li Changfeng quickly left the room. Left alone, Xu Qing’s thoughts began to race. He thought about how he and Changfeng had frequent intercourse and how there was no reliable contraceptive method in this world. Xu Qing trembled as he placed his hand on his lower abdomen. He couldn’t afford to have another child.

Looking at the sleeping Tuan Tuan, who was only six months old, Xu Qing’s heart was heavy. If he was pregnant again, wouldn’t that mean three years of being bedridden for him? When Li Changfeng returned with hot water, Xu Qing turned to him with a blank expression.

“Changfeng, let’s go to town tomorrow!”

Early the next morning, the two entrusted Tuan tuan to Xie Ama and hurried to the Lin family’s clinic.

“Hey, look at you two, those eyes are black and blue! Did something happen?” Lin Fangliang had just opened his clinic.

Xu Qing was worried about the possibility of being pregnant again, and the thought of having another child to take care of while Tuan Tuan was still unable to walk made him anxious. As a result, he did not sleep well the night before.

As for Li Changfeng, he was worried about Xu Qing’s health, so he didn’t sleep all night. So, the two of them arrived at the Lin’s clinic with dark circles under their eyes.

“It’s nothing serious, I just don’t feel well. Could you please take a look?” Xu Qing spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression, not wanting to talk about his groundless suspicions.

“Really? Come, let me take a look.” Lin Fangliang saw that Li Changfeng’s expression was not very good, full of worry, so he hurriedly invited the two of them into the clinic to check Xu Qing’s pulse.

“How is it?

As soon as Lin Fangliang finished checking Xu Qing’s pulse, Li Changfeng quickly asked for the result, and Xu Qing also looked at Lin Fangliang with a questioning expression.

“It’s not a serious issue. It must be that Brother Xu probably consumed some cold food these days, causing his stomach to feel a bit chilly. The weather has been hot lately. You need to take care of your health. I’ve prescribed two medications for him. Remember not to consume too much cold food.” Lin Fangliang informed Li Changfeng and Xu Qing, and then got up to fetch the medicine.

After hearing Lin Fangliang’s diagnosis, both Xu Qing and Li Changfeng felt relieved. Li Changfeng was happy to find that his wife was not sick, while Xu Qing silently thanked that she was not pregnant with another child yet.

After paying the fees, the two of them left the clinic with the prescribed medicine in their hands. They exchanged a smile and looked at each other.

“Fortunately, my wife is fine,” thought Li Changfeng.

“Fortunately, there is no second child,” thought Xu Qing.

Upon their return to the village, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng went to pick up Tuan Tuan from Xie Ama’s place. To their surprise, Tuan Tuan was now able to walk on his own, even though his steps were slow and shaky. Although it was clumsy and cute, it was a significant milestone that showed he would be walking confidently soon!

Xie Ama noticed the surprised expressions on Xu Qing and Li Changfeng’s faces and chuckled, “It’s your first time raising a child, so there are many things you don’t know. Sometimes, babies will kick their legs as if they want to walk while they’re falling asleep.”

Xie Ama observed Xu Qing and Li Changfeng’s serious expressions and continued, “So when you came today, I held him and his little feet kept kicking my hand. I thought maybe he wanted to walk, so I put him on the ground and supported his little arms. He took a step and then I placed a stool for support. Gradually, Tuan Tuan was able to walk while holding the stool.”

Xu Qing nodded in understanding, then reached out to pick up the wobbling Tuan Tuan and stroked his chubby legs gently. Li Changfeng also expressed his gratitude to Xie Ama, and the couple left with Tuan Tuan, heading back home.

“It’s amazing that you took your first steps in front of Xie Ama. Your real mother didn’t even get to witness it,” Xu Qing was regretful that he missed the important moment of Tuan Tuan’s first steps.

Li Changfeng found Xu Qing’s comment amusing and replied, “Well, you’ll still have the chance to see him run, jump, grow up, get married, and have his own children. It’s just a matter of time.” However, he also felt a little regretful that he hadn’t been the first to witness Tuan Tuan’s first steps.

Watching Tuan Tuan drink water eagerly, Xu Qing couldn’t help but think about how fast time flies. Before he knows it, Tuan Tuan would grow up, get married, and have children of his own. Xu Qing realized that he and Li Changfeng would also age by then and become old men.

“I’m going to boil the medicine for you. After drinking the medicine, you should take a nap.” Li Changfeng took the medicine and headed to the kitchen. Xu Qing was indeed feeling a bit fatigued, possibly due to overthinking last night, and his body felt weak. He decided to take a rest with Tuan Tuan in the room.

The harvest season had come to an end and this year’s yield was remarkably fruitful. Despite paying taxes and tithes, each household had surplus grains that would suffice for future crops.

With the passage of time, three more months had gone by and the temperature had started to drop slightly. Xu Qing observed the yellow leaves falling from the trees and realized that winter was not far away, which also meant that he had been living in this world for almost two years. Many things had happened during this period.

After giving birth to a pair of twin *gers, Xie Yu suffered serious injuries to his body and may not be able to conceive again. Despite this, both the Xie family and Lin Fangliang were overjoyed. As the Xie family only had Xie Yu as their child, Lin Fangliang decided that one of the twins would bear the Lin surname while the other would bear the Xie surname.

*(T/N: The raws said “两个都是小阿哥,” which google translated to “Both are little brothers.” So, I’m not sure whether the twins are gers or boys. Someone proficient in Chinese please help this poor translator.)

This moved both Xie Ama and Uncle Xie.

In the Li family’s courtyard, the dispute between Li Xiao’er and Li Ama ended up in Li Laosan’s wife accidentally losing the unborn child. As a result, Li Laosan blamed both Li Ama and Li Xiao’er for the incident and proposed separating the family last month. However, the old Li couple disagreed as the only person they could now rely on was Li Laosan.

Li Laosan, with his short temper, was indifferent and insisted on borrowing money from his in-laws to build a new house. Amidst the chaos in the Li family, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng decided not to get involved, and even Li Xiao’er never returned after losing his child.

“Ama, hungry.”

Xu Qing heard a gentle sound from behind him and turned his head to see Tuan Tuan in Li Changfeng’s arms. Tuan Tuan was now able to speak some simple words and was also looking at him.

“Hug oh hug.” Tuan Tuan stretched out his chubby hands towards Xu Qing.

“It’s just hug! Don’t add Oh in the middle!” Xu Qing said lightly, poking Tuan Tuan’s little nose.

Tuan Tuan didn’t care, and as soon as Xu Qing hugged him, he stretched out his neck and snuggled into Xu Qing’s arms like a chubby little bug.

“He can’t understand yet, let’s go inside, it’s windy out here,” said Li Changfeng as he tugged at the hem of Xu Qing’s clothes, took his hand, and walked back home with him.

Upon entering the house, Xu Qing placed Tuan Tuan on a small stool that was made for him and instructed him to sit by himself.

“What eldest brother said this morning, do you think we should go?”

Earlier that morning, Eldest Li had visited Xu Qing and Li Changfeng, informing them that the old Li couple wanted them to return home.

Li Changfeng shook his head and said, “Why should we go? It’s chaotic over there! Knowing Third Brother’s temperament, we’ll just be there to see his jokes. It’s better not to go back and get ourselves into muddy water. Also, Xiao’er has no plans to go back, so it’s fine if we don’t go back.”

Xu Qing thought about how Li Xiao’er was still grieving over the loss of his child. He knew it would take time for him to heal, and he probably had no desire to return to the Li family.

“By the way, while I was cooking in the kitchen earlier, I overheard Eldest Brother mention Chen Qi’s name. Do you know what happened? Has his wife returned yet?” Xu Qing wiped Tuan Tuan’s face and let him go play with Xiaobao.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Hearing Xu Qing mention his good friend, Li Changfeng let out a sigh and said, “He and his wife got divorced.”

“Get divorced?!” Xu Qing couldn’t believe it, but he knew that Chen Qi cared about his wife very much, so how could he suddenly agree to get divorced!

“I’m not sure about the details, but they did get divorced. And now the family is arranging a wedding for Chen Qi, saying that he needs to marry that young ger and have children soon to carry on the Chen family line.”

Li Changfeng recalled what Lin Fangliang had told him earlier. It was clear that Chen Qi had some issues with his body, and Li Changfeng had discussed it with him before. He assumed that Chen Qi agreed to marry this time because he was disheartened. After all, the Chen family’s old couple just would not sit still until he agreed to marry.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: You know what, good for Chen Qi’s ex-wife. He won’t have to deal with the Chen couple’s crap.

Special thanks to Martha for Kofi support. Appreciate you, dear (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡

Li Xiao’er drank the decoction mixed with the spiritual spring water and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Xu Qing didn’t want to stay any longer, so he stretched out his hand to cover Li Xiaoer’s quilt, and then closed the door and went out.

When Xu Qing came to the main room, Li Changfeng was talking to Wang Lei, Xu Qing walked over and sat down next to Li Changfeng.

Wang Lei greeted Xu Qing, “Second brother-in-law.”

Xu Qing nodded and smiled, taking a seat beside them and listening on their conversation.

“None of us expected this to happen. It was just an unfortunate accident,” Wang Lei explained to Xu Qing and Li Changfeng, recounting the events of that day.

Li Ama was overjoyed with the bountiful harvest, and invited Wang Lei and Li Xiao’er to come home and taste the new rice that had just been harvested. Accepting the invitation, Wang Lei and Li Xiao’er returned to the Li family’s courtyard on the agreed-upon day.

Li Xiao’er had expected Xu Qing and Li Changfeng to join them for the family gathering, but they were nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t until dinner time that he realized they weren’t coming and felt a little uneasy. He spoke a few words to Wang Lei about it, which happened to be heard by Li Ama next to him.

As the argument between the mother and son escalated, Li Laosan’s wife and their little son happened to pass by. Upon seeing their heated exchange, Li Laosan’s wife tried to intervene and reconcile the situation by approaching Li Ama. However, Li Ama was so enraged that he didn’t even bother to see who was pulling him and violently shook off his arm, causing Li Laosan’s wife to fall to the ground. As Li Laoson’s wife stumbled, Li Xiao’er rushed to catch him, but he tripped over Li Laoson’s son standing next to him, causing everyone to fall down together.

“I just happened to be called by the eldest brother to help with something at that time. As soon as I turned around, I heard a noise coming from behind, and then it was too late.” Thinking of this, Wang Lei wanted to give himself a slap in the face. If he had paid attention at that time, these things would not have happened.

Li Changfeng and Xu Qing were both shocked to learn that two lives were lost due to such an accident. Li Changfeng took some time to think before speaking, “None of us could have foreseen this. Don’t blame yourself too much. Thankfully, Xiao’er is still young. With proper care, he will be fine.”

Wang Ama entered the room carrying Tuan Tuan and added, “I also said the same thing, but there is still a lingering worry in my heart.” He let out a sigh as he spoke.

As soon as Tuan Tuan was brought in, he caught sight of Xu Qing and eagerly extended his chubby hands towards his mother, hoping to be picked up.

Wang Ama was amazed by Tuan Tuan’s behavior and exclaimed, “This kid is really clever!” Then he carefully handed Tuan Tuan over to Xu Qing.

Li Changfeng playfully commented, “He’s already six months old, it’s about time for him to be clever!” He then extended his hand to tease Tuan Tuan.

Wang Lei observed from the sidelines, with a look of admiration and longing in his eyes.

Shortly after leaving Wang’s house, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng unexpectedly ran into someone they didn’t expect to see. It was Ma Fugui with a bruised nose and swollen face. Ma Fugui didn’t recognize Li Changfeng and Xu Qing. He walked tremblingly while cursing and saying, “Damn fat man! Just wait for me and see how I’ll deal with you when I become rich in the future. I will teach you a lesson!”

Li Changfeng was repulsed by Ma Fugui’s words, and Xu Qing let out a sigh: “He was lucky enough to marry Brother Xiaoyu in the past. I wonder what good deeds he did in his previous life to deserve such a fortune. But now, just look at him.”

Talking about Xie Yu, Xu Qing suddenly remembered that Xie Yu was about to give birth. “There are only three months left, and Lin Fangliang is going to be a father. Time flies so fast,” he sighed. Li Changfeng, looking at Tuan Tuan in his arms, smiled and replied, “It’s not that fast. Soon enough, Tuan Tuan will be running around and talking.”

Just a month had passed since Li Changfeng made that remark, and Xu Qing noticed that Tuan Tuan’s speech was slightly slurred.

“Come! Come, Tuan Tuan, what is your name?”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com

Xu Qing cradled Tuan Tuan’s head in one hand while holding his favorite toy in the other, gently coaxing him.

Tuan Tuan was drooling with excitement, his eyes fixated on the toy in his mother’s hand.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!”

Xu Qing was anticipating Tuan Tuan would call out “Ama”, but to his disappointment, Tuan Tuan only said “ah”.

Li Changfeng, who was making furniture at the side, saw Xu Qing’s disappointed look and shook his head amusedly. “You really think our Tuan Tuan is a child prodigy! Xie Ama said that children usually start speaking around one year old, and even those who speak later take more than one year old.”

Xu Qing placed the toy in Tuan Tuan’s hand, keeping a close eye on him to prevent any accidents. “I don’t know, I just wanted to see if there could be a miracle.” After all, being a time traveler, he couldn’t help but wonder if his child would be different from others.

“By the way, I heard from Liu Ama that Zeng Ama’s small shop has closed down,” Xu Qing said, casually chatting with Li Changfeng. With the harvest season over and the fields cleared, they had more free time. Furthermore, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng were efficient in their work, the vacant space had already been planted with seasonal vegetables.

“Apparently, he lowered his prices to compete with us, but then couldn’t sell the goods at a good price and had to shut down.” Li Changfeng told Xu Qing while continuing his work on the stroller, which was an order from Mason Liu’s relative who told him about Zeng Ama’s news.

Xu Qing didn’t have much to say after hearing Li Changfeng. Ever since their family opened the grocery store, the relationship between them and the village folks had improved significantly. While they may not have had deep friendships, Xu Qing believed in the saying that “distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors” and valued the importance of having friendly relations with those around them.

In the evening, when Xu Qing was about to start cooking dinner, he noticed several small jars in the corner. Xu Qing crouched down and removed the lids of the small jars, and the aroma of fruit wine wafted up to his nose, triggering his memory. He realized that it was wild cherry fruit wine.

Xu Qing carried the jar outside and decided to prepare some dishes to go along with the wild cherry fruit wine for dinner that night.

Li Changfeng poured a bowl of the wild cherry fruit wine for Xu Qing and himself and asked, “Is this the fruit wine made from the wild cherries that you and the little boy picked last time?” As he took a whiff of the aroma, he found it both unfamiliar but very pleasant.

Li Changfeng picked up the bowl and took a sip. “How is it?” Xu Qing asked Li Changfeng.

“Well, it’s delicious, but the taste of the wine is not particularly strong, so even gers can drink it,” Li Changfeng said after taking a few more sips. He didn’t pour more wine after finishing his bowl.

Xu Qing was surprised that Li Changfeng did not have more, “You don’t like it?” Li Changfeng shook his head and replied, “No, it’s not that. There isn’t much of it, so you can have it.”

Xu Qing was relieved, but he didn’t want Li Changfeng to save it for him. “Don’t forget, the most abundant thing now is wild fruit.” Many wild fruits in the back mountains have already ripened.

As he enjoyed the refreshing appetizers, accompanied by the tangy wild fruit wine, Li Changfeng looked at his wife and his child sitting across from him. He couldn’t help but feel grateful for his life.

In order to make more fruit wine, Li Changfeng and Xu Qing entrusted Tuan Tuan to Xie Ama’s care, and headed to the mountains to pick wild fruits. Xu Qing initially assumed that the wild fruits would taste good once they were ripe, but he was proved wrong when he tasted a sour and astringent fruit. Looking at the big, red fruits on the tree, Xu Qing felt cheated.

After searching for a while, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng were unable to find any wild fruit that met Xu Qing’s expectations. As it was getting dark, they reluctantly decided to return home with empty backpacks. On their way back, they passed by the trap they had set up in the morning and decided to check it out.

“Well, at least today’s trip is not in vain.”

They were happy to see that they had caught a big pheasant in the trap, which gave them a sense of comfort after their unsuccessful search for wild fruits.

After leaving the back mountain, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng checked several more traps, but they found no prey, which left Xu Qing feeling depressed.

“In this weather, wild animals are busy breeding, so it’s normal to not find any prey. Let’s go back now. Tuan Tuan might be looking for us!” Li Changfeng picked up the pheasant, grabbed the basket, and stacked them together. He then led Xu Qing down the hill.

On the way back, they encountered many villagers cutting hogweed on the mountain’s slopes, and children playing with wild fruits.

“I’ll take care of the pheasant and deal with the pork that we bought yesterday. You go to the village to pick up Tuan Tuan, and while you’re there, invite Uncle Xie and Xie Ama to come over for dinner.” Xu Qing said, carrying the pheasant into the kitchen.

Li Changfeng readily accepted the task, washed his hands, and headed towards the village. As he reached the outskirts, he coincidentally came across Xia Yu, the village head’s son, whose eyes were red and puffy as if he had been crying.

When Xia Yu caught sight of Li Changfeng, he tried to avoid eye contact and looked down, seemingly afraid that Li Changfeng would notice his teary eyes and ask about it. However, to Xia Yu’s surprise, Li Changfeng walked past him without even giving him a glance, let alone asking anything.

Even after Li Changfeng had walked away, Xia Yu couldn’t believe that he was ignored just like that. His eyes, which had been red before, now looked even redder, resembling those of a rabbit.

Li Changfeng didn’t know how to pity and cherish jade. In his eyes, except for his own wife, there was no difference at all.

When Li Changfeng arrived at Xie’s house, Xie Ama was in the midst of preparing dinner. Fortunately, he got there just in time. Xie Ama, with Tuan Tuan in his arm, followed Li Changfeng to the Xu’s house along with Uncle Xie.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com

They arrived at Xu’s house just in time for dinner. It wasn’t too late, and most villagers had just started their meal. Xu Qing had also kept his promise and offered a jar of fruit wine for the old Xie couple. Xie Ama tasted it and found that he quite enjoyed it. So, before the old couple left, Xu Qing gave the two some fruit wine to take back with them.

After failing to find a suitable fruit for making wild fruit wine, Xu Qing didn’t dwell on it too much. However, he was now more concerned about the fact that he and Uncle Xie had consumed more than half a catty of food on their own, feeling that drinking wild fruit wine alone wasn’t particularly satisfying. Li Changfeng, who was also drinking, was tugging at his clothes, saying that his body was getting too hot and he needed to slow down.

Xu Qing: “… Go and wash off the smell of your body!!!”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: They’d better not be having sex again. I don’t like translating snu snu scenes ughh

“Shaved? Not cut?”

Li Changfeng lifted his gaze and watched Xu Qing pulling his hair. He knew that once it grew too long, Xu Qing would usually trim it. Only nuns and monks shaved their hair completely.

“I should just cut it.”

Xu Qing contemplated the idea and realized that getting a buzzed haircut just because of the heat would cause more trouble than it’s worth. The cons outweighed the pros.

“I can cut your hair for you after I finish this. You cut mine too, it’s getting a bit too long.” Li Changfeng quickened his hands and said to Xu Qing.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Okay,” Xu Qing shook water off of his hands and waited for Li Changfeng to finish.

“Shall we eat fish tonight?” Li Changfeng thought that Xu Qing hadn’t eaten fish for some days, so he asked.

Xu Qing shook his head, “No, let’s eat cold salad tonight. It’s hot, so I wanna eat something that reduces the heat. Cold cucumber, stir-fried shredded pumpkin, and a vegetable soup. How does that sound to you?”

“How about we have some porridge tonight as well? It’ll be more refreshing to eat along with the cold salad.” Li Changfeng often kept a bowl of herbal tea in his room at night because he tended to get thirsty, and porridge would be a good option.

Xu Qing thought about it and nodded in response.

During dinner, Xu Qing suddenly remembered Li Xiao’er’s pregnancy, “I’ve been so busy these past few days that I almost forgot. We haven’t gone to congratulate Brother Li on the happy event yet.”

Li Changfeng took a bite of the cold cucumber and nodded in agreement with Xu Qing’s suggestion. “Sure, I don’t have much to do these days, so it’s a good time to visit Xiao’er.”

“Alright. Tuan Tuan, come here and have some rice paste,” Xu Qing said after finishing his meal. He scooped some rice paste and offered it to the little ball. Nowadays, Tuan Tuan enjoyed both fruit powder and rice paste, and sometimes Xu Qing would also treat him with some minced meat.

After finishing dinner and cleaning up the kitchenware, Xu Qing went to take a bath while Li Changfeng and Tuan Tuan enjoyed the cool breeze in the yard. As he heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, Li Changfeng couldn’t help but reminisce about the time when the bathtub was just made. His heart was filled with passion and desire then.

In the middle of the night, the bodies of a strong naked man full of strength and a soft beauty were constantly rising and falling. Under the man was a thin and fair body. Because of the constant movement of the person above, the beauty’s face was flushed.

Li Changfeng inserted both hands into Xu Qing’s sweaty hair, lowered his head, and kissed Xu Qing’s cheek, “Is that enough?”

Xu Qing panted like a fish jumping out of the water with his mouth open, “Enough, hurry up.”

Li Changfeng smiled when he heard the words, the movements of his lower body accelerated, going deeper. Xu Qing couldn’t bear it. He felt uncomfortable but enjoyed it at the same time. Since they couldn’t make too much noise, he had to control his whimpers, hoping that Li Changfeng would finish soon.

What Xu Qing didn’t know was that his repressed expression of enjoyment and discomfort aroused Li Changfeng’s primal nature even more, making him not want to end it sooner, but to do it longer.

“Hurry up!” Xu Qing couldn’t stand this kind of torture anymore and urged.

“Hurry up? Do you know that the last thing you can say right now is “hurry up”?” Li Changfeng smiled charmingly and buried his head into Xu Qing’s neck.

A big hand hugged Xu Qing’s waist. Li Changfeng buried himself even deeper, causing Xu Qing to gasp for breath. It seemed that the night was still young!

Xu Qing woke up the next day feeling a slight soreness in his waist and legs. If it wasn’t that they had something do today, he didn’t know if he would be able to get out of bed.

Li Changfeng smiled and wrapped his arms around Xu Qing. “Are you feeling sore? Let me give you a massage,” he offered, his large hands moving in a somewhat erratic manner. Xu Qing swatted the naughty claws away. “No touching for three days! Do you still want to sleep together tonight?”

Li Changfeng quickly withdrew his hand, cleared his throat and said, “Let’s go have breakfast. I have already prepared the meal.”

Once they arrived in town, it was still a bit early in the morning. The family of three went directly to the Wang family’s house to visit Li Xiao’er. Since he was pregnant, Wang Ama took care of him at home. The doctor advised him to rest and recuperate in the early stages of the pregnancy, as he was a bit weak.

Wang Lei and his father were at the shop, so it was Wang Ama, who warmly welcomed Xu Qing and Li Changfeng, especially after seeing the chubby Tuan Tuan. He was curious about how they raised him to look so energetic, so he asked them for some tips.

Although Li Xiao’er became a mother for the first time, he was still in good spirits. Xu Qing provided him with some advice based on his personal experience. After a while, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng took their leave.

“Wang Ama seems nice,” remarked Xu Qing, who was nearly overwhelmed by Wang Ama’s hospitality. While Li Changfeng wasn’t accustomed to such fervent enthusiasm, he didn’t dispute Xu Qing’s assessment, “Indeed, he seems like it.”

Xu Qing smiled and grasped Li Changfeng’s big hand gently, causing him to look up from hugging Tuan Tuan. The passersby who saw them thought they looked like an enviable family of three, with a well-behaved and cute child.

Xu Qing basked in the blessing gazes of the passers-by, feeling very happy. However, Li Changfeng leaned in and whispered something in his ear, causing Xu Qing to feel breathless.

What Li Changfeng said was: “What’s the matter? Didn’t you have enough last night? Be good, I’ll give more to you later.”

Give it to your sister! What a nice atmosphere he was having! The good feeling was ruined just like that!

Li Changfeng watched Xu Qing walk away in a huff, thinking that his wife was thin-skinned and easily embarrassed.

As the days passed, the weather grew increasingly warmer, but the farmers’ faces remained joyful. They had a bountiful harvest this season, and felt grateful for God’s blessings.

Not long after the autumn harvest, the distribution of the fields and food in the Li family was settled. The family separation was already in place, but little did they know that a big event was about to happen.

“What?! You said that Xiao’er and the third brother’s wife both had a miscarriage?!”

Li Changfeng didn’t look any better as he shared the news, “Apparently, after the autumn harvest at the old Li family, Mother wanted to celebrate the successful season and invited Xiao’er and Wang Lei for a gathering. Who knew that for some reason, the third brother’s wife bumped into Xiao’er, and just like that, they both had a miscarriage on the spot.”

After hearing this news, Xu Qing felt a mix of emotions. Since they hadn’t been informed to come back, they had no idea that such a tragedy had occurred.

“Have you visited Xiao’er?” Xu Qing asked. He was worried that Li Xiao’er might be overwhelmed with grief.

Li Changfeng nodded, “I’ve seen him. The doctor said that he hurt his body, but there is no major problem as long as he recuperates properly. Although the Wang family was heartbroken, they didn’t blame my brother. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel at ease.”

Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the Wang family would be unreasonable and blame Li Xiao’er for the miscarriage. “What about the rest of the Li family? Such a big event would surely have caused quite a stir.”

Li Changfeng scoffed, “Hmmph, they don’t have the nerve to cause trouble for Xiao’er. Their loose tongues caused this tragedy. There’s no use in trying to hide it now. But,” he added, thinking about Li Laoson’s wife’s condition, “the doctor said that the third brother’s wife may never conceive again. His pregnancy was further along than Xiao’er’s, so his body has been completely damaged.”

Hearing Li Changfeng’s words, Xu Qing sensed that there might be more to the story than just a mere accidental collision between two pregnant gers. However, since Li Changfeng didn’t elaborate much, it was likely a bad thing. “Now that we’ve heard, we should go back and check on them,” Xu Qing suggested.

No matter what happened, they still needed to show that they cared and offer condolences. However, when Li Changfeng and Xu Qing arrived the Li family’s courtyard, they weren’t let in. Well, not really, at least Li Ama opened the door, took the supplements they brought, but they were not allowed inside. Xu Qing looked at the whole thing helplessly, “Let’s go. let’s go to the town to see Xiao’er.”

Xu Qing was flabbergasted, but he understood the Li family’s desire for privacy during this difficult time. He wouldn’t want to see outsiders either if he were in their shoes. Although he didn’t know whether he was considered an outsider. Xu Qing glanced at Li Changfeng.

The two decided to leave and just visit the Wang family’s residence. When they arrived, they found Wang Ama tidying up the courtyard, and even Wang Lei was present.

Li Changfeng and Wang Lei went to have a conversation, while Tuan Tuan was taken away by Wang Ama. Xu Qing considered that it may not be suitable to bring the child in at a time when Li Xiao’er had just lost a child.

Li Xiao’er was lying on the bed, looking pale and much thinner than before. Even though Wang Lei and Wang Ama did not blame him for the incident and offered him comfort, Li Xiao’er could not shake off the guilt and sadness. After all, it was his first child, and it was difficult for him to forget the loss.

“Second brother-in-law…”

Seeing Xu Qing enter the room, Li Xiao’er’s eyes moistened at the corners. He didn’t know why, but it was as if his grievances were on the verge of spilling out.

Xu Qing looked at Li Xiao’er’s frail appearance and noticed a bowl of medicine placed on the table nearby. Holding the bowl with his back towards Li Xiao’er, Xu Qing discreetly added a few drops of spiritual spring water to it while the latter wasn’t looking. Xu Qing was concerned that Li Xiao’er’s recovery process might be prolonged, and thus decided to add a few extra drops for good measure.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Here, drink it while it’s still warm,” Xu Qing said as he helped Li Xiao’er up and handed him the bowl of medicine.

“Drinking medicine won’t bring my child back, what’s the point?” His words were accompanied by tears streaming down his pale cheeks.

“Who says he won’t come back? This child won’t leave until he’ll be able to come out of your belly one day. You just need to take care of yourself now.”

Li Xiao’er seemed to be holding onto a glimmer of hope at Xu Qing’s words. “Is that true? Will he be the next one?”

“Of course. My aunt told me this, so it must be true. The most important thing right now is to take good care of your body. You need to be ready for him when he comes back to your side.” Xu Qing wasn’t sure if his words would be effective, but he hoped they would offer some comfort to Li Xiao’er.

“Then…I’ll take good care of myself. I want him to come back. I never meant for him to leave like this. I can’t bear the thought of him never seeing the world,” Li Xiao’er choked up but drank the medicine in one gulp.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: Well, of course it is the famous third brother’s family. Both husband and wife are amazing 🙄

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Qing saw Chen Qi and Li Changfeng exchanging a few words before Chen Qi abruptly departed. Later, upon seeing Li Changfeng return with a downcast expression, he asked in a gentle tone.

“His wife hasn’t come home yet, and his family is urging him to agree to marry a young ger.” Li Changfeng briefly explained Chen Qi’s current situation.

“Then he must be so stressed. Hey, isn’t that Xiao’er?” Xu Qing caught a glimpse of Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei, who had just been sent back, walking carefully on the street, and Wang Lei was supporting Li xiao’er. “This place is quite far from their house, go and check what’s happening. Why are you still standing here?” Xu Qing was unable to move because he was holding Tuan Tuan in his arms, so he asked Li Changfeng to go take a look.

Translated on ho lo lo no vels dot com.

Li Changfeng didn’t say much and strode over to Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei, sensing that something was amiss. He returned not long after, with a hint of joy on his face. “Guess what? My brother is pregnant!” he exclaimed. “He was feeling unwell and throwing up, so he went to the clinic. The doctor confirmed that he is indeed pregnant after examining him.”

“That’s wonderful news! But let’s not disturb them today. We can congratulate them another day when it’s more convenient.”

Xu Qing was equally happy with the news. He felt relieved knowing that his son wouldn’t be alone anymore. Xie Yu was already pregnant and due to give birth in a few months, and now with Li Xiaoer’s pregnancy, there wouldn’t be a significant age difference between the three children.

Li Xiao’er got pregnant only a few months after getting married. Since news of his pregnancy spread to the Li family, Li Ama felt proud whenever he went out. Everyone praised his son’s good luck, and the family was eagerly looking forward to seeing Li Xiao’er again.

When Chen Ama heard the news, he became so agitated that he dropped what he was doing and rushed home. He entered Chen Qi’s room directly and called out Chen Qi’s name, but no one was there.

“This brat!”

Chen Ama searched inside and outside, but there was no trace of Chen Qi. Don’t tell him that he didn’t know his good son went looking for that person again.

Chen Ama and Li Ama were similar in age. The Li family had several offspring, and they even had grandchildren. All four of their children had tied the knot and started families, unlike his own son who hadn’t yet had any children despite being this old.

Thinking of this, Chen Ama grew restless. If he didn’t take action, he couldn’t be certain whether he would ever have the opportunity to hold his grandchild during his lifetime!

Chen Qi returned to the village exhausted all over. Before he even got home, he caught sight of a group of villagers gathering around the entrance of his house from a distance.

“Hey, hey, the eldest son is back!”

“Oh, Chen Ama is right. I would have done the same.”

“I can understand Chen Ama. He’s not getting any younger, and even I already have multiple grandchildren. If I were in his shoes, I’d feel the urge to hurry things up as well!”

Hearing the Amas and Uncles speculating and pointing fingers, Chen Qi began to worry that something must have gone awry at home.

With that in mind, he hurried home and arrived just in time to bump into Chen Hong emerging from the main room. “Xiaohong, what happened? Who did you give the medicine to?” he asked.

When Chen Qi saw the medicine in Chen Hong’s hand, he became anxious. Could it be that something serious happened at home?

Chen Hong cast a glance at his older brother, who was inconsolable after his wife left, and sighed, “It’s for Ama. I just don’t understand why he attempted to hang himself. Luckily, Father returned early in the morning and saved Mother just in time.”

“Wait, what now?!” Chen Qi asked anxiously.

“Mother took the medicine and just fell asleep. You be careful. Father is very upset,” Chen Hong cautioned his older brother, recollecting how their father had expressed his ire and vowed to deal with Chen Qi upon his return.

“I see, thank you for your hard work.”

The moment Chen Qi stepped inside the room, someone kicked the back of his foot, “What are you doing here? Why did you come back?”

Chen Qi didn’t dare to dodge and could only endure as Father Chen threw his tobacco stick at him. “I know I was wrong. How is Mother doing?”

“You still have the face to ask? If you truly care about your family, just be obedient and marry that ger. At least your mother and I can rest easy in the afterlife!” Father Chen berated Chen Qi.

Chen Qi was, however, unmoved. “I won’t! My wife is wonderful! Why should I marry someone else and break his heart? I won’t do it!” He had just expressed to his wife that he didn’t want children and only wanted him, how could he go back on his words so quickly?

“Then just watch your old parents die! Having a son like you who lacks filial piety is very upsetting. Get out of here!” Father Chen yelled, slamming the door shut.

Chen Ama, who was supposedly sleeping, was actually listening in on the conversation. After Chen Qi left, he whispered to Father Chen, “I don’t believe we can’t cure his stubbornness with this method.”

****

For the past few days, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng had been occupied with weeding the fields, while Tuan Tuan had learned to turn over and sit on his own, leaving the new parents feeling both delighted and novel.

“Xie Ama suggested that it’s better for our little one to play around on the bed for now, but once he starts walking on the ground, he’ll be quite the handful,” Xu Qing said with a smile on his face, clearly happy with Tuan Tuan’s progress in learning to sit on his own.

“Don’t worry. With me, I don’t believe this little guy can trouble us that much. After all, he’s just a baby with no strength to restrain a chicken,” Li Changfeng said with a casual tone.

Xu Qing straightened up and hammered his sore lower back from bending over for a long time. Li Changfeng turned his head to the side and noticed Xu Qing’s actions, “What’s wrong?”

“My waist is a little sore.” Xu Qing replied without thinking too much.

“Oh, standing and talking can hurt your back, huh?”

Xu Qing paused; his brain froze for a few seconds, “Li Changfeng! Your uncle!!”

The two of them bantered while working, and even though Xu Qing was often teased by Li Changfeng, time flew by quickly. By the end of the morning, they had finished weeding all the areas around the house that needed attention.

Xu Qing picked up Tuan Tuan from the shade, and Li Changfeng gathered the farm tools. The family began heading back home. However, as they approached the door of the courtyard, someone stopped them.

“You guys just got home?”

It was Mason Liu from the village.

“Uncle Liu, please come in and have a seat. Are you here to check on the stroller?” Since Li Changfeng had accepted Mason Liu’s order, the latter would visit occasionally to monitor the progress. If he didn’t come to check, he couldn’t sleep well at night.

Mason Liu felt a little embarrassed when he heard Xu Qing’s words, “It’s my fault. I just can’t help but want to see it finished and got in my hands to feel at ease.”

Li Changfeng grinned and handed a cup of herbal tea to mason Liu. “Don’t worry, Uncle Liu. The stroller is all ready, and you can take it home now.”

“Really? Oh my, I knew something good was going to happen since my eyelids were twitching all morning! You wait here, I don’t have the rest of the money with me, I’ll go back and get it right away! Just give me a moment!” Mason Liu exclaimed excitedly. He didn’t even take a sip of the herbal tea before rushing out.

“He’s quite impatient. You go bring out the stroller. I’ll prepare the food. Let’s invite Uncle Liu to join us for a meal. He helped us repair the house last year and gave us a very reasonable price.” Xu Qing placed Tuan Tuan in his own stroller and went to wash his hands after ordering Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng responded and took out the finished stroller.

When Mason Liu came back, he had his lunch at Xu’s place. He expressed his admiration for Xu Qing’s craftsmanship with every bite he took. They chatted and enjoyed the meal before Mason Liu left with the stroller.

The scorching weather made it difficult to be productive at noon. Xu Qing decided to take a nap with Tuan Tuan while Li Changfeng repaired a broken stool outside. As Li Changfeng was washing his hands by the well, someone knocked on the courtyard door. Xiaobao, who was by his side, lowered his voice and let out a warning growl. This was a behavior he only displayed towards unfamiliar visitors.

Li Changfeng opened the courtyard door, “I knew it was you. Come in. Xiaobao, don’t make trouble!”

Translated on ho lo lo no vels dot com.

Li Changfeng handed Chen Qi a cup of tea and sat down.

Chen Qi accepted the tea and drank it all at once, “Where is Tuan Tuan?”

“It’s too hot for Tuan Tuan, so he’s taking a nap. I didn’t have a chance to talk to you before you left last time. I’m glad you’re here now. I want to discuss something with you,” Li Changfeng thought it was important to bring up the matter to Chen Qi. He wouldn’t want to be left in the dark if the situation were reversed.

“What’s going on? Well, do you know I’ve gotten myself into a big mess this time? My mother threatened to hang himself yesterday. If I don’t marry that ger, my parents said that they won’t even allow me to recognize them. Why are they doing all this?”

“Then what do you think? What did your wife say?”

Chen Qi let out a sigh, “I don’t know what to think. My wife, of course, would want to be with me, but my mother wants me to marry that ger, or someone else if not him. Either way, I have to get married to give them a grandchild.”

Chen Qi’s thoughts were in disarray, and he spoke without thinking. “My mother didn’t even consider whether my wife would approve or not. If it is my father who marries a younger ger just for the sake of having children, my mother would be furious!”

Li Changfeng considered the situation and looked at Chen Qi with a cautious expression. “Has your wife talked to you about anything else?” he asked.

Chen Qi shook his head, noticing that Li Changfeng had a peculiar expression on his face. “You mentioned that you had something to tell me when we bumped into each other on the street that day. Is everything okay?” he asked.

Li Changfeng took a sip of his tea before speaking, “A few days ago, I saw your wife leaving Lin Fangliang’s clinic. I asked Fangliang about the visit, and he mentioned that your wife’s health is good, but not having any children for years, the problem might be with the husband.”

****

Xu Qing took a nap and felt much more refreshed. Not wanting to disturb Tuan Tuan who was still asleep, he gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.

He saw Li Changfeng weaving bamboo baskets under the eaves since one of the bamboo baskets at home was broken yesterday, “Why didn’t you take a nap?”

Li Changfeng shook his head, “No, it’s alright. Weaving baskets is also considered a rest, anyway, it’s not hard work.”

Xu Qing splashed cold water on his face and shook his head, causing his messy long hair from the nap to fall on his cheeks. He used his hands to tuck it behind his ears.

“Changfeng, I want to shave my head.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: A bald ger, that would cause a sensation. BTW, very upset with this old Chen couple ⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾

This chapter is dedicated to Karli for their Kofi support. Really appreciate you ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ ੈ♡‧₊˚

“I’ll go invite the village head and clan uncles.” Li Changfeng stood up and was about to go out.

“Stop!”

The old man Li exclaimed firmly, “Shouldn’t we feel ashamed? If we want to split, we should do it within our own family! It has only been two years since one of the Li sons got married out, and we have already divided into two households! What kind of image are we projecting to the villagers?”

“You mean, do it in secret?” Li Changfeng looked at Old Man Li with a mocking face.

Li Ama objected, “Why is it a problem to divide it secretly? First of all, where will they live if they leave now? The fields haven’t been harvested, so how can they be divided? We don’t have any extra food at home either!”

Holding his youngest son’s hand tightly, Eldest Li’s wife felt a deep sadness in his heart. With no food left in the household, even if they were to separate, they would have nowhere to go and no money to sustain themselves. Li Ama was not going to give them any money either, as the family’s savings had been depleted when the third Li, Li Laosan, was preparing for his exam the previous year. Furthermore, Eldest Li was an honest man who never kept any private money. Despite being married for many years, he and his wife had not been able to save even a single tael of silver.

Li Laosan and his wife held their youngest ger son while sitting on the side, refraining from interrupting or speaking. Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei were also unable to say anything, as they had just returned to be witnesses for the matter at hand.

“It’s alright, second brother. Ama, we can divide privately among ourselves,” said the eldest Li, trying to avoid further arguments and scolding towards Li Changfeng.

Li Ama raised his eyelids.

“Currently, we don’t have any extra money in the family, and we can barely afford our daily necessities. Since it’s not yet the harvest season, we don’t know how much we will earn. We only have two old hens and four big roosters in the house.” Li Ama added, as he glanced at his third son’s wife whose belly hadn’t started showing yet.

Li Ama continued “We can’t give you the hens. We need it for the third son’s wife when he gives birth, so we can’t afford to lose any. As for the tools, we don’t have many, so you can only take one. And the pig, it’s still a half-sized piglet, so let’s discuss it later. Regarding the living situation, Da Niu and Xiao Niu are currently sharing one room, and the eldest son and his wife are also in another room. Those two rooms should be enough for you. We can share the kitchen together.”

Upon noticing the tense expressions of eldest Li and his wife, Li Ama chuckled and interjected, “Well, this is the reality of our situation. If you want to divide, go ahead. But if not, things will stay as they are.” He twirled his fingers as he spoke.

Li Xiao’er couldn’t contain his frustration any longer and spoke up. “Ama, Da Niu will be ready for marriage in a few years, and Xiao Niu will eventually get married too. How will they fit in these two rooms?”

“What are you talking about? Shut up.” Li Ama was about to scold Li Xiao’er, but when he noticed Wang Lei standing next to him, he changed his mind.

“I won’t shut up, it’s not fair! After second brother and I left, there were two spare rooms available. Now, the third brother has a study room and his own bedroom. Even Xiaoyao (Li Laosan’s ger son) has his own room. Why can’t we give an extra room to the eldest brother’s family?”

When Li Xiao’er became excited, he spoke up to fight for the injustice of eldest brother Li. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel chilled by the eccentricity of Li Ama and the rest of the family.

“What’s the meaning of this? Are you saying that you don’t want me to study? I’m not refusing to share with my elder brother,” Li Laosan retorted, his tone filled with displeasure. His wife, noticing his frustration, reached out and tugged at him to get him to stop.

“You!”

“Calm down,” Wang Lei interjected, quickly grabbing Li Xiao’er and urging him not to get involved in the war.

Li Xiao’er was about to continue, but he stopped when he saw Li Chengfeng’s disapproving look.

“What’s the point of such a division that is almost like no division?”

Upon hearing Li Changfeng’s question, Li Ama grew annoyed and replied, “Why not? If the family is divided in this way, they can take care of themselves and their own responsibilities. However, when there is a lot of work to be done, they will still have to come together and work as a family.”

“It’s okay, then, let’s divide it!” Eldest Li and his wife whispered a few words and agreed with what Li Ama said.

Old man Li angrily tossed his cigarette butt onto the table and stormed out.

“Father…”

After following Old Man Li for a few steps, Eldest Li looked back at his two children and stopped.

“Third brother, you’re literate, so I’m sorry to trouble you with drafting the separation contract.”

Li Laosan got up and pretentiously said “Hey, what are you saying is trouble, big brother. Of course, I’m more than happy to assist you.” He then gestured towards his wife to fetch paper and ink from their room.

Only after receiving the separation letter from Li Laosan, Eldest Li’s wife finally grasped the reality that their family had truly separated from the old Li family. Originally, he thought that if he continued his life with Eldest Li, he might not be able to separate for the rest of his life.

Upon completing the letter of family separation, Li Laosan and his wife returned to their room, while Li Ama also departed, leaving only Eldest Li, Xu Qing, and others in the yard.

“I apologize for bringing you all here for this.” Eldest Li said to Li Changfeng and Li Xiao’er with some embarrassment.

Li Xiao’er expressed his discontent, “That’s not a problem, but it’s unfair how you guys have been treated in this matter.”

Eldest Li’s wife heard Li Xiao’er’s comment and felt that it was somewhat inappropriate. However, he responded with a smile and added, “Haha, as long as your big brother and I are not lazy and work hard, our situation will undoubtedly improve. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll even be able to build our own house!”

“Absolutely, if you ever need any help in the future, don’t hesitate to come to us,” Xu Qing offered his assistance. He then hugged Tuan Tuan, extended his free hand, and petted the head of Xiao Niu, who had been watching Tuan Tuan. “Do you want to hold Tuan Tuan?”

Xiao Niu smiled timidly, glanced at his mother, and then said shyly, “I think…”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing gently placed Tuan Tuan in Xiao Niu’s arms.

“Ah woo!”

Tuan Tuan, who was originally nestled in his mother’s arms, was now being held by a small, skinny child. He became dissatisfied and started wriggling, trying to find his way back to his mother.

However, the others could not understand what Tuan Tuan was trying to convey and assumed that he was enjoying being held by Xiao Niu.

“Uncle, Tuan Tuan is so cute.” Da Niu stood protectively by his younger brother’s side, watching as Tuan Tuan was held in Xiao Niu’s arms. He couldn’t help but admire Tuan Tuan’s chubby and adorable little face and turned to Xu Qing to express his thoughts.

As a parent, it’s natural to feel pleased when your child is praised by others.

“It’s alright, you can come to Uncle’s house to play. Tuan Tuan gets lonely at home by himself, so it would be great if you all could come and keep him company,” Xu Qing suggested warmly.

“Um,” Da Niu and Xiao Niu responded with enthusiasm, and immediately began to tease Tuan Tuan, making the little one laugh.

Although his own mother had ignored Tuan Tuan’s initial protests, he was now thoroughly enjoying the attention of his two older brothers and was laughing and giggling along with them.

“Second brother, this time, it’s all thanks to you.”

Eldest Li’s wife whispered to Li Changfeng while Eldest Li was talking to Wang Lei.

Li Changfeng waved his hand modestly and replied, “It was nothing. It was only a matter of time before the elder brother realized it himself. I just offered some words of advice. Besides, my two nephews are growing up, and as their uncle, I can’t just stand by and watch. Even though they’re still young, it’s important to start preparing for their future.”

Li Changfeng had a lot of responsibilities growing up, and he knew the feeling of hardship and boredom that came with it. While other children played, he had to follow his father around and do tasks beyond his age.

“It’s getting late, we should start wrapping things up and leave,” said Li Changfeng as he bid farewell to Eldest Li and his wife.

“Then you go carefully. I still have things to do here, and I apologize for not treating you to lunch. Next time, when everything is settled down, we will have a good meal!” Eldest Li felt relieved that despite the upcoming tough times, at least their future looked positive.

After Li Changfeng and Xu Qing had dropped off Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei, they were on their way back to the village when Li Changfeng spotted Chen Qi in the crowd. “Wife, wait for me for a while,” he said to Xu Qing.

“Go!”

Xu Qing also noticed Chen Qi in the crowd. Although he was unaware of Chen Qi’s health situation, he knew that Chen Qi’s wife had recently left him.

Li Changfeng approached Chen Qi, who seemed to be lost in thought. “Why do you still look so down?” Li Changfeng spoke first since Chen Qi was unaware of his presence.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Oh, Changfeng, sorry I didn’t see you. You’re out shopping with your wife and Tuan Tuan? You’re truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.”

Upon noticing Li Changfeng, Chen Qi glanced around and spotted Xu Qing and Tuan Tuan seated on the donkey cart. He couldn’t help but express his envy.

Li Changfeng addressed Chen Qi, “I have to attend to some matters later, so I won’t be able to stay long. It’s almost noon, why are you still wandering around instead of heading home?” He glanced at Tuan Tuan and Xu Qing, who were waiting on the donkey cart, and continued, “We don’t have a place to sit and chat here, so why don’t you come to our house instead? We can catch up there.” Xu Qing hadn’t eaten much this morning, so he must be feeling hungry by now.

“I’m hiding! My wife refuses to come back home with me, and now my parents are pressuring me to marry that ger. I have nowhere else to go, so I’m just wandering around the town. Who knows, maybe I might run into my wife by chance!”

Chen Qi wore a sorrowful expression as he recounted how his wife had left him because he believed he was infertile and had no face to continue staying any longer. His mother suggested that he should remarry during this time and have children to continue their family line.

Li Changfeng’s expression turned serious as he recalled the conversation he had with Lin Fangliang regarding Chen Qi’s wife. He felt the need to inform his good friend, but the topic was sensitive, concerning a man’s pride, and he was unsure how to approach it.

Chen Qi noticed Li Changfeng’s hesitant expression and asked, “Do you have something to tell me?” Li Changfeng appeared reluctant to speak, which was unusual for him since he usually spoke openly and honestly. Chen Qi couldn’t help but feel curious about what Li Changfeng was holding back.

Li Changfeng hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I’m not sure how to say it.” He knew that this was a sensitive topic and he didn’t want to hurt Chen Qi’s feelings but he still had to say what had to be said, “Have you ever considered getting a checkup with your wife together?”

“Of course, after we got married for a year without any results, my mother got worried that something might be wrong with us, so he suggested that my wife and I see a doctor. The doctor said we were still young and there was no need to rush. I also thought that it was just a matter of time and fate, and the child would come eventually.” Chen Qi thought he would need to reassure his wife once more that even if they couldn’t have children in this lifetime, he would never consider leaving her.

“I have to go now, I can’t chat with you anymore. Let’s grab a drink together when we have the chance. And don’t forget to pass on my regards to your wife!” With that, Chen Qi hurriedly departed. He had to go to An Le Village and speak with his wife.

Li Changfeng heaved a small sigh as he watched Chen Qi’s retreating figure, then without uttering a word, he made his way towards Xu Qing and Tuan Tuan, who were still waiting on the donkey cart.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: Li Ama, you’re pissing me offffff!!!!! Anyway, more chapters to come later today. Be aware, BE VERY AWARE muahahaha (..◜ᴗ◝..)

Special thanks to Beverly, MaiBerry28, Lenette, and all the other Ko-fi supporters as well as those who commented, gave likes, and showed support ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ❤️‍🔥

“Uh, it’s alright, go to sleep, go to sleep.” Xu Qing’s words caused Li Changfeng to reconsider, realizing that discussing this matter would not be good for the party involved, and therefore it would be best to avoid the topic.

Xu Qing: “…you get up for me, get up!” How could he just leave people hanging?

Li Changfeng: “zzzzzzzzz…”

Xu Qing gazed at Li Changfeng’s back and let out a sigh and reminded himself not to be angry with him. He would just be torturing himself. As he thought about this, he composed himself, tidied up, and tucked Tuan Tuan under the blanket before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Soon after Xu Qing fell asleep, he was embraced by a pair of powerful arms that pulled him into a broad chest. Initially, Xu Qing shifted his position, but once he found a comfortable spot, he remained still.

The next morning, Xu Qing had forgotten about what happened the previous night. Li Changfeng felt relieved when he noticed that Xu Qing didn’t bring up the conversation, and he worked even harder than usual. Xu Qing was amazed by Li Changfeng’s performance and almost suspected that he was taking some sort of performance-enhancing drug. His progress was truly remarkable.

“Second brother.”

Upon returning from the field, Li Changfeng was greeted by the sight of his elder brother Li under the blistering sun. Eldest Li was sweating profusely and standing hesitantly at the entrance of the courtyard. Xu Qing had taken Tuan Tuan to the back mountain to cut hogweed earlier, leaving no one at home.

“Have a sip of herbal tea.”

Li Changfeng brought eldest Li inside the house and poured him a cup of herbal tea.

Eldest Li took the herbal tea and finished it in three or two sips. In order to save some money, he came here on foot. No one could stand the long journey under such hot weather.

Seeing that the eldest Li had finished his drink, Li Changfeng refilled his cup for him. “It’s incredibly hot today. Why didn’t you make the trip when the weather is not as intolerable?” he remarked.

The eldest Li listened to Li Changfeng’s complaint full of concern and smugly patted his head and grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t have had to come out in this heat if I didn’t have to eh!.” Li Changfeng patted the mud off his trousers, took a seat on a stool, and glanced over at his brother.

“Are you here for the separation?”

The eldest Li’s face turned slightly red. He rubbed his calloused hands, thinking about his wife’s request. He gathered up his courage, looked at Li Changfeng, and spoke up, “Yes, I mean we want to split up.”

“The third brother agreed to the split up?” Li Changfeng mistakenly assumed that the eldest Li was referring to himself and the third brother.

Eldest Li hurriedly shook his head, “No, no, it’s me and your eldest brother-in-law.”

Li Changfeng contemplated the situation. He realized that the eldest brother’s visit was likely due to their father’s scolding the other day. Their mother also did not agree. The eldest brother-in-law was worried the family would not take this idea seriously if they drag it on and hence had sent the eldest Li to speak with Li Changfeng.

“I would have come looking for you if you hadn’t told me,” said Li Changfeng slowly. The eldest Li had been struggling with this situation. He held his parents’ words in high regard and appreciated everything they had done for him, including raising him, getting him married, and starting a family. He was now thinking of splitting up the family, which seemed unfilial to him.

Observing the expression on eldest Li’s face, Li Changfeng was aware of what was going through his brother’s mind. He knew well that his eldest brother was an honest and sincere person, who often became engrossed in his own beliefs and never bothered to consider other viewpoints.

“Brother, I hate to say this, but you have done enough for this family for so many years. But think about it, you still have two sons. What about them?” Li Changfeng said, trying to make the eldest Li see the bigger picture.

Eldest Li asked in confusion, “Why? What’s with them?”

“Big brother, have you ever thought about how splitting up the family would benefit your two sons? They are still young and could use all the help they can get. Take Da Niu for example, he may be just a half-sized boy, but he is a hard worker at home. He can do the work of two people easily, but his clothes are all so old and tattered, unlike our third brother’s family. It’s not just me who sees this, anyone with a discerning eye can tell. Don’t you feel sorry for your own sons?” Li Changfeng explained to the eldest Li.

Eldest Li appeared taken aback and conflicted, showing disapproval in his eyes. He remained silent for a moment before muttering, “But he’s my brother.”

“Hmph! And your sons are his nephews!”

Li Changfeng spoke in a flat tone, devoid of any emotions. “Why is it that when it comes to the pregnancy of the third brother’s wife, he gets to rest, but when it was your wife’s turn, he still worked outside even when he was about to give birth? And do you forget what happened to the child before Da Niu? Do you remember how you lost your first child, eldest brother?”

Eldest Li tightly clasped his hands on his lap as he listened to Li Changfeng mention the child. How could he forget about his first child? At that time, the third brother said he needed to study at night to memorize the contents better, so their mother had sent all the oil lamps to his room. One night, when his pregnant wife got up to use the restroom with no light, he couldn’t see clearly and stumbled, losing their four-month-old child.

Xu Qing returned home covered in pig grass with Tuan Tuan, and by the time they arrived, Eldest Li had already left. Li Changfeng didn’t mention to Xu Qing about Eldest Li’s visit.

Li Changfeng remarked, “You never listen to me, do you? You carried Tuan Tuan and that heavy pig grass on your back. You could have hurt yourself.” He then quickly took Tuan Tuan aside and helped Xu Qing with the basket.

“It gets so boring at home. Plus, there are plenty of trees over there and a stream nearby, so it’s not too hot. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought Tuan Tuan with me,” Xu Qing said as he rubbed his shoulders and shook his arms, feeling a bit stiff from carrying such a heavy load.

Li Changfeng fetched the jelly from the well and offered a bowl to Xu Qing. “If you plan to go cut pig grass next time, just let me know so I can carry it for you,” he said.

“Got it, next time next time.”

Xu Qing quickly took the bowl of refreshing jelly and began to eat. He didn’t have time to answer.

In the old Li family yard, Eldest Li’s wife was busy washing clothes, including clothes belonging to Third Brother’s wife. Since he was pregnant, Wang Li asked Eldest Li’s wife to wash their family’s clothes.

Eldest Li’s wife was washing the clothes unhurriedly, but his mind was preoccupied with his husband’s visit to Li Changfeng. He had been contemplating separating from the family for a long time, not just for a day or two. Ever since they lost their first child, he had held a grudge against third brother Li. Moreover, he believed that his husband had been working the hardest and suffering the most, and even their children had been mistreated. The third brother was so old that even his child could now go to the fields but he himself did not do anything all day.

Third brother Li didn’t work at all before as he was studying for the exams, but now he was using the excuse that his wife was pregnant to avoid going to the fields. He even told his parents, “Since I myself passed the Xiucai exam, my son will surely do even better in the future. I will study everyday so I can teach my son when he is born, and he will definitely be a good son who will honor his ancestors!”

Li Ama had always been the biggest supporter of his third son. Upon hearing his words, he had complete faith in them. The first child born to the third brother’s wife was a ger, but maybe the next one would be a son. If this son could follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Xiucai, then their family would have produced two accomplished individuals. Lost in such thoughts, the old Li couple turned a blind eye to the third brother’s lack of work ethic, leaving most of the household work to eldest Li, his wife, and Da Niu.

The youngest son of eldest Li, Xiao Niu, had also started to help with cooking at home. Seeing the blister on Xiao Niu’s hand from being scalded the day before, it pained eldest Li’s wife deeply. Li Changfeng, who had been a part of the family for many years, could also see the favoritism in the family. Li Changfeng was actually a bit of a cold-blooded person. He would only show concern for those he cared about, while indifferent to others. That is why Eldest Li’s wife sent his husband to talk to Li Changfeng, hoping that he could reason with his dull husband.

However, as he thought about his husband’s obedience to his parents, Eldest Li’s wife couldn’t help but let out a sigh. If only his husband had the same level of coldness as Li Changfeng, they wouldn’t be in this current state.

Eldest Li quietly opened the gate to the courtyard and saw his wife, who was not as robust as he was when they first got married, washing a large basin of clothes with a bowed and increasingly thin body. At a glance, he saw his wife was washing the clothes that belonged to the third brother’s wife, which he wore very frequently. Eldest Li could now see that Li Changfeng was right.

“You!”

Eldest Li’s wife was in the middle of washing clothes when suddenly a pair of big hands grabbed the clothes in his hands. When he looked up, he saw that it was his husband. “You’re back, what are you doing? Give it to me.”

Eldest Li held onto the clothes tightly, pulling them up and pouring the water into the ditch outside. He then went to his youngest son who was carrying more than half-full bucket of water to help his mother. “Oh, your hand injury still hasn’t healed yet! Let me help. Quick, hand the bucket over,” Eldest Li said with concern. He stood up to take the bucket from Xiao Niu.

“I want to do more work so that you don’t have to work too hard,” Xiao Niu’s gentle words almost brought tears to Eldest Li’s eyes.

“Wife, let’s split up.”

Three days later, everyone from Li’s household returned, including Li Changfeng, Xu Qing, Li Xiao’er, and Wang Lei.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Old Man Li and Li Ama had somber expressions on their faces as they sat on their high chairs, while eldest Li knelt on the ground before them. “Father, Ama, your son is unfilial and has caused the brothers to return once again. This time, no matter what, I will separate from the family.”

“After the family is separated, we will still remain filial to both of you elders and will not do anything to disappoint you,” Eldest Li said, before kowtowing three times to the Old Li couple.

Eldest Li’s wife and their two children observed Eldest Li’s actions, feeling the weight of the situation but refraining from saying anything. The children could sense that their father was acting differently today, as in the past, he would never speak up against their grandfather, let alone in such a resolute manner.

Xu Qing held Tuan Tuan in his arms and watched the scene silently, while Li Changfeng also remained quiet, his thoughts unknown.

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Thingyan: FINALLY!!!!! OMG, eldest Li .. about damn time.

Hearing this, Lin Fangliang spurted out the tea in his mouth.

“He’s in good health, so there’s no need to worry. I’ll get you some medicine later. You can take back and try,” Lin Fangliang assured Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng nodded in agreement, then asked indiferently, “By the way, the person who just went out of the clinic is very young and doesn’t look sick. Why did he come here?”

Li Changfeng was aware of Lin Fangliang’s acquaintance with Chen Qi since they all served in the same unit together, but he asked about Chen Qi’s wife as he knew that Lin Fangliang didn’t recognize her.

Lin Fangliang thought for a while, “Are you talking about the handsome ger who just went out?”

Li Changfeng smiled and said, “Oh, you were so observant.”

Lin Fangliang hastily explained to Li Changfeng, “Hey, you can’t say that! If my wife hears it, I don’t know what to do. It’s not my fault, right? Plus, usually only old people come here, so when a young person shows up, how could I not remember?”

Li Changfeng gestured with his hand, “My apologies. I’m just curious, and you haven’t answered my question yet.”

Lin Fangliang replied, “It’s strange. I checked his pulse and didn’t find anything wrong, but he mentioned that he had been infertile for many years. I suspect that the problem may lie with his husband.” He shook his head and recounted what had just happened.

Li Changfeng’s heart skipped a beat after hearing this. If the husband had some problems, that meant it could be Chen Qi… “Okay, let’s not talk about this. Let’s talk about something else.”

****

Xie Yu was already six months pregnant, but he was thin and wore long robes, so his belly didn’t show much..

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other, and your skin seems to have gotten darker,” Xie Yu said as he hugged Tuan Tuan and looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing smiled and replied, “I’ve been working in the fields for a few days, so I got tanned from the hot sun.” Xu Qing didn’t like being pale and felt that a healthy complexion would make him look more manly.

Xie Yu smiled and shook his head, then glanced down at Tuan Tuan, who was tugging at his clothes. “Our Tuan Tuan’s body is getting stronger,” he said, while thinking about the child growing in his own belly, wondering if his child would also be as strong and healthy as Tuan Tuan.

Xu Qing felt a bit bashful and said, “I didn’t feed him much, but he keeps getting chubbier. Look at all the heat rash on his fat folds.”

Hearing Xu Qing’s words, Xie Yu gently opened Tuan Tuan’s small arm and saw the heat rash on his waist. “Oh no, how did this happen? I’ll ask Fangliang to get some powder for Tuan Tuan later. Apply it on him when you get back. There are many children in this town who use it and it works.”

“Okay, I’ll thank Tuan Tuan’s godfather for this.” Xu Qing said with a smile, taking hold of Tuan Tuan’s small hand.

After having lunch at Xie Yu’s house, the family of three strolled around the street for a while, and then drove back to their village.

“Hey, Changfeng wait a minute!”

Xu Qing suddenly stopped Li Changfeng who was driving the cart. He shoved Tuan Tuan in his hand to Li Changfeng and hurriedly ran in a direction.

“What are you doing?”

Li Changfeng looked at Xu Qing in confusion, but Xu Qing didn’t have time to explain. He walked towards a nearby wood and started scratching the ground with his hands. Soon after, Li Changfeng saw Xu Qing came out holding a pile of stones, with a happy expression on his face.

Li Changfeng: “… Wife, what are you doing?”

After Xu Qing had loaded the stones onto the cart, he turned to Li Changfeng and explained excitedly, “This stuff is even better than the jelly I made last night! It’s saltpeter!”

After finishing his sentence, Xu Qing ran back to the spot, searched around, and after a while, he returned to the cart with another pile of stones in his arms.

After repeating this back-and-forth several times, just as Li Changfeng was about to offer his help, Xu Qing stopped him, realizing that there was no space left in the cart except for a small spot for him to sit.

“Let’s go!”

Li Changfeng couldn’t bear to see Xu Qing so reluctant to leave the stones behind, so he suggested, “What if we squeeze a little bit more in?”

“No need,” Xu Qing shook his head and took Tuan Tuan back. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but there was simply no room left in the cart.

Xu Qing was already satisfied that he was able to find a lot of saltpeter.

As soon as they arrived home, Xu Qing handed Tuan Tuan over to Li Changfeng, moved all the saltpeter from the cart to the warehouse, and immediately got to work.

Li Changfeng observed Xu Qing’s busy and joyful demeanor, and then glanced at the unsightly stones. He was perplexed by their value, but knowing that they brought happiness to his wife, he considered them important. He helped move all the stones to the warehouse before walking back to the cart. Li Changfeng picked up a stone and examined it closely.

“What are you looking at, give it to me quickly.” Xu Qing snatched the stone from Li Changfeng’s hand and was about to head inside when he heard Li Changfeng speak.

“I’ve seen plenty of stones like this. Why are you treating them like they’re so precious? Shall I go and bring back a cart full of them for you?”

Xu Qing rushed to Li Changfeng’s side upon hearing his statement and asked, “What? Where have you seen a lot?”

“There are many stones like this above the river, not far from the back mountain. I can pull a few carts back for you!”

Xu Qing was overwhelmed with excitement and replied, “Great, please bring me one cart, and I’ll check it out. If they are what I’m looking for, you can bring a few more carts. This way, we won’t have to worry about it during the summer.”

“Sure, I’ll go right away,” Li Changfeng replied. He then handed Tuan Tuan to Xu Qing and drove off in the donkey cart.

Xu Qing suppressed the excitement and lulled Tuan Tuan to sleep before he began to work. He knew that saltpeter was the key ingredient to making ice.

The dissolution of saltpeter in water results in the absorption of a significant amount of heat, causing a decrease in the water temperature to the point of freezing.

Ancient people utilized saltpeter’s cooling properties to create ice in the summer months to alleviate the heat and provide it to the court and dignitaries.

But here, people would just store ice in an ice cellar during the winter for use in the hot summer months.

Xu Qing added sugar to water and then transferred the mixture into a bowl. After that, he took a large plate and filled it with water. He placed the bowl containing the sugar water mixture onto the plate and kept adding saltpeter to the water in the plate. Eventually, it became apparent to the naked eye that ice had formed.

Xu Qing tasted the sugar water mixture and found it to be cool and sweet. As he continued to drink it, the coolness reached his stomach, reducing dryness and heat in his body significantly. He realized that the use of saltpeter had indeed produced real ice. Upon recalling Li Changfeng’s statement about having seen a lot of saltpeter, Xu Qing felt happier. He stored the ice in the well and brought the large plate to the yard to dry. Once dried, the saltpeter could be reused several times.

“I’m back, wife. Come see what I’ve brought back.” Li Changfeng said as he returned, sweating profusely under the scorching sun.

Xu Qing hurried over to take a look, “Yes! That’s it!”

“Alright, I’ll make a few more trips. There are so many stones there, it’s almost like a mountain,” Li Changfeng said as he began to unload the pile.

“In that case, don’t bother. Since it’s all there, we can go later,” Xu Qing suggested, and two proceeded to move all the saltpeter from the cart into the warehouse.

“Come on, wash your hands and face, and I’ll prepare something for you to eat,” Xu Qing said.

“Good.”

It was a particularly hot day, and Li Changfeng was sweating profusely after walking for a while.

Xu Qing retrieved the jar of ice from the well and brought it to the kitchen. He then took out two bowls and poured the melted ice from the jar into them.

“Come, have a taste.”

Li Changfeng took a bowl and was surprised to see ice inside. “Wife, this is ice!” Li Changfeng had heard in the military camp that only high-ranking officials and nobles could afford to use ice in the summer. They would have their servants collect clean ice during the winter and store it in an ice cellar for use in the summer.

“Since when did our house have an ice cellar?”

Xu Qing took a sip of the ice water contentedly and said, “We don’t have an ice cellar in our house, but luckily this uncle has the talent for making this.”

“You made it?”

Li Changfeng drank the cold sugar water in one gulp and asked, “Is that what the stones were for?”

Xu Qing took Li Changfeng’s empty bowl and filled it up again. “Yes, you’re right.”

Li Changfeng’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected the random stones to be so valuable. “Wife, let’s keep this to ourselves,” he said. “If the businessmen outside found out about it, it could cause trouble.”

“You think I’m a fool! Don’t worry, just enjoy your drink,” he said. Xu Qing was pleased with Li Changfeng. This man didn’t ask how he had come up with the idea, nor did he mention giving it away to anyone.

“It’s really refreshing! No wonder those nobles and officials like to use this,” Li Changfeng praised. “Wife, you’re really amazing!”

Li Changfeng, having tasted the benefits of the ice water, drove the donkey cart to the back mountain again to transport more saltpeter. He made several trips back and forth until the warehouse could no longer hold any more, and only then did he reluctantly give up.

After a long afternoon nap, Tuan Tuan also drank some sugar and ice water, but it wasn’t as cold as Xu Qing and Li Changfeng’s to avoid the risk of the child getting diarrhea.

At night, Xu Qing placed some ice in the corner of the room to help cool down the hot and dry air.

“Today, I was in the clinic and saw Chen Qi’s wife.” Li Changfeng said quietly, hugging Xu Qing.

“Hey, didn’t you say last time that Chen Qi’s wife left the Chen’s house?” Xu Qing asked while holding Tuan Tuan in one hand.

“Yeah, it’s just that……” Li Changfeng didn’t know how to say it.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Xu Qing put the sleeping Tuan Tuan inside the crib. “By the way, Liu Shijiang’s family wants a stroller, remember to make it for him.” Liu Shijiang was a mason in the village. His son’s wife recently gave birth to a boy.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Well…” Li Changfeng turned over and looked at Xu Qing.

“Don’t look at me like that, say it quickly.” Xu Qing couldn’t stand the man staring at him without saying anything even though he had something to say.

“If a friend is sick, and he doesn’t know he is sick, but I know he is sick, and the disease is quite serious, but it’s not something that’s easy to talk about. Do you think I should just tell him straight?”

Xu Qing felt dizzy listening to Li Changfeng, “Stop! Can you speak a little more clearly?”

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Thingyan: Here’s another chapter. I’m really just rushing to finish Ugly Ger before my two-week break is over.

Li Changfeng went to inspect the crops in the field after having lunch at noon. Even though he anticipated the weather to be different from the previous year, he felt uneasy as a farmer if he skipped a day without going to the field.

After waking up from his nap, Xu Qing laundered the quilt covers and clothes, taking advantage of the pleasant weather to hang them out to dry. He then checked the sky and estimated that Li Changfeng would return from the fields in an hour. He shook off the water from his hands and headed into the kitchen.

Yesterday, while cutting hogweed in the back mountain, Xu Qing stumbled upon a valuable discovery – jelly grass.

Jelly grass is a significant resource both as a medicine and a food. Its entire plant contains polysaccharides that have various benefits such as relieving summer heat, detoxifying, clearing heat, and cooling blood. People often boil the stems of this plant in water and add the thin starch to create a frozen dessert, commonly known as “jelly.” This frozen treat is excellent for relieving summer heat and quenching thirst.

Xu Qing rinsed the rice that had been soaking overnight several times before putting it in a pot. He then headed to the nearby stone mill next to the well to grind the rice into a slurry. This bit of manual labor was nothing for Xu Qing, who always took good care of his health, making him stronger than the average person. That was why Li Changfeng never really regarded him as a “weak” ger.

Translated on hololonovels.com

In the scorching heat, Xu Qing completed grinding the rice into a slurry, causing his back to be drenched in sweat. After washing his face, he carried the rice milk to the kitchen and poured it into a wooden tub. He soaked the jelly grass in clean water and washed it before placing it in the pot of boiling water until it softened.

Xu Qing found starting the stove the most unbearable chore during such hot weather. It was simply torture, especially since there were no fans or air conditioners to alleviate the heat, leaving him with no other option but to fan himself with a palm fan.

After cooking the jelly grass, Xu Qing separated the juice from the pot and removed the cooked jelly grass. While doing so, he made sure to scrape off any jelly-like substance that was stuck to the grass and added it to the pot. He extracted a second round of water by using the juice.

After taking out the jelly grass, put it aside and let it cool, then put it in the water and rub it out, rub out all its essence, the juice that it has not been boiled will flow out, the gelatinous substance on the jelly grass is the essence, and then the jelly Grass can be thrown away.

Xu Qing set the jelly grass aside to let it cool before immersing it in water and squeezing out all its essence. The juice that wasn’t boiled came out, leaving only the gelatinous substance on the jelly grass that represent the essence. Once he extracted all the essence, Xu Qing disposed of the jelly grass.

Next, Xu Qing combined the second batch of water with the reserved juice from the previous pot, and then used the slag separator bag made by Li Changfeng to filter out any remaining solids from the juice. The leftover solids in the bag were useless, so Xu Qing decided to dispose of them by feeding them to the pigs later.

As the juice was boiling in the pot, Xu Qing constantly stirred it using a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

In addition to the jelly grass, another crucial ingredient for making jelly was sticky rice flour. When Xu Qing was young, his aunt who raised him explained that sticky rice flour was a powder made from the seeds of the graminaceous plant, also known as rice flour or indica rice flour. It served as the raw material for many kinds of food and was the least glutinous among all types of rice, but it played an irreplaceable role in making glutinous rice flour.

Xu Qing added water to the sticky rice flour and mixed it before pouring the mixture into the pot when the juice was almost done. While stirring, big bubbles began to appear on the surface of the juice. Xu Qing stopped stirring when no more bubbles formed in the pot.

As Xu Qing was transferring the juice from the pot to the basin, he heard the little one in the room starting to make babbling noises. He smiled, placed the basin on the table, washed his hands and face, and then went into the room to pick up Tuan Tuan, who was already in bed with his chubby little legs kicking around.

Tuan Tuan’s small mouth kept spitting out small bubbles as Xu Qing held him on his lap. The child was fidgety, unable to stay still.

“Ah ah ah!”

Upon seeing Tuan Tuan’s lively demeanor, Xu Qing planted a kiss on his cheek and carried him outside to let him pee. Afterward, he cleaned Tuan Tuan up with warm water, gently wiping with a damp cloth soaked in spiritual spring water. Despite his small size, Tuan Tuan had ample baby fat, which made him prone to heat rashes that were slow to heal.

Xu Qing rubbed the cool spiritual spring water on Tuan Tuan, causing the little boy to make continuous gurgling sounds with a smile on his face. Xu Qing teasingly commented, “Acting like you just took a shower, look at that big smile on your face!”

Upon entering the courtyard, Li Changfeng noticed Xu Qing holding Tuan Tuan and wiping him with something while the baby was gleefully grinning. Li Changfeng knew that their son only had such a happy expression when he was either taking a bath or eating.

Xu Qing explained to Li Changfeng’s curious look, “I’m just wiping him down since he has a lot of heat rash. I used a little something to help soothe it.” Xu Qing dressed Tuan Tuan and waited for Li Changfeng to finish washing up before handing him over.

“I have something to do in the kitchen, you take him first.”

“Okay, come Tuan Tuan. Give your father a hug.”

Li Changfeng showered Tuan Tuan with kisses on his face several times before finally letting go.

Xu Qing went back to the kitchen and tied the pot to the table with a rope. Then, he went to the well and lowered the pot inside. The well was cool and the juice would cool down and solidify after leaving inside for a while.

Li Changfeng held Tuan Tuan and approached Xu Qing. “I noticed that you brought back a lot of grass yesterday. Is this related to that thing you just did?”

Xu Qing responded with a puzzled expression, “What grass? Even if it is grass, it’s still good.”

“Yes yes yes! It’s good grass, it’s good grass.” After speaking, Li Changfeng felt that it was quite awkward, so he didn’t say much, and went back to the main room with the little ball in his arms to avoid getting him sunburned in the heat.

Xu Qing also returned to the main room and said, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen Brother Xiaoyu. I’ll go visit him tomorrow!”

Upon hearing Xu Qing mention Xie Yu, Li Changfeng suddenly became more alert. “Didn’t you just go there last month? Why are you going again?” He remembered how Xu Qing seemed to have a fascination with Xie Yu, often staring at him. Li Changfeng found it strange. How could a ger be so obsessed with another ger? He thought to himself, “My wife, if you want to look at someone, just look at me. I mean, not that I want you to look at me…I mean, you shouldn’t look at anyone with fascination else except me!”

Xu Qing responded with a hint of humor in his voice, “What do you mean by ‘going again’? When I was pregnant, he would come to visit us from time to time and bring so many delicious and useful things. Don’t you think I should go and return the favor? If you’re not going, I’ll just go by myself.”

Translated on hololonovels.com

“Go, I’ll go of course!” Li Changfeng immediately agreed when he heard that Xu Qing intended to go alone. His wife was looking at that person with those intense eyes even when he was around. If Xu Qing was really allowed to go alone, He couldn’t imagine what would happen!

Xu Qing smiled and noticed that Li Changfeng looked tired, so he suggested, “It’s quite warm today, let’s take a nap.” Tuan Tuan was causing a commotion last night, Li Changfeng didn’t let Xu Qing get up and instead held the boy and paced back and forth for an hour to put him to sleep. Then, the family of three went to the Li’s house early in the morning and returned only after the sun had set.

“Sure, I could use a rest,” Li Changfeng agreed as he was feeling drowsy.

After taking the lively Tuan Tuan over, Xu Qing placed him on the cart and headed to the shop. On sunny days, most peasant families would stay indoors to avoid the heat. However, there were still some who ventured out to buy goods. Xu Qing didn’t know how well the Zeng family’s business was doing, but he knew that their own business was not affected.

When there was no customer, Xu Qing kept himself busy by making shoes for Tuan Tuan. He learned from Xie Ama that babies need shoes for walking. Xu Qing knew he needed to make more pairs of shoes for Tuan Tuan. The harvest season was approaching, and Xu Qing anticipated being busy with farm work, so he wanted to finish making the shoes while he had the chance.

In the evening, after having dinner and spending some time with the family in the yard, Xu Qing went to the well and lifted the lid of the basin. What he saw inside was a transparent and bouncy jelly-like substance.

“Hey, this looks like tofu,” Li Changfeng exclaimed as he leaned in for a closer look. “But why doesn’t it have any smell?”

“It’s supposed to be tasteless. Do you want to try it?” Xu Qing replied as he carried the basin of jelly into the kitchen. He then proceeded to cut it into small pieces with a knife, adding sugar and crushed peanuts on top before serving a bowl for both of them.

After taking a bite of the dessert, Li Changfeng found it delicious. Meanwhile, Tuan Tuan was clinging to his arm, drooling over the dessert. “This is quite tasty!” he remarked, and noticing Tuan Tuan’s eagerness, he asked Xu Qing, “Do you want to give some to Tuan Tuan?”

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

As Li Changfeng spoke, Tuantuan let out a loud roar, clearly eager to try the jelly.

Xu Qing savored the cool, smooth jelly in his mouth and looked up at Tuan Tuan. “I’ll scoop some up for him. He shouldn’t have too much of this cold food.” Xu Qing was concerned that Li Changfeng might give Tuan Tuan too much.

After tasting the sweet jelly for the first time, Tuan Tuan’s eyes squinted with a smile of satisfaction.

The next morning, after breakfast, the family of three rode on the donkey cart to the Lin family’s house. Xu Qing took Tuan Tuan and Xie Ama inside, while Li Changfeng was sent to the clinic.    

Despite feeling reluctant, Li Changeng knew that since there were only gers in the room, it would not be appropriate for him to enter. However, he still felt uneasy and kept looking at his wife.

So, with an uneasy glass heart, Li Changfeng still went to the pharmacy. Coincidentally, he saw Chen Qi’s wife as he was leaving the clinic.

“Changfeng, you’re here. Come in quickly! I haven’t seen you in a few days. How’s my godson doing?” Lin Fangliang, who had just finished seeing a patient, saw Li Changfeng entering the door, and greeted him with a smile.

“He’s very good, except for the heat rash.” After sitting down, Li Changfeng talked about Tuan Tuan, with a wide smile on his face.

Hearing this, Lin Fangliang became a little anxious about Tuan Tuan’s condition but noticed that Li Changfeng did not appear to be worried, so his tone also contained some doubts. “Is everything alright? What’s wrong?” he asked.

Li Changfeng responded cheerfully to Lin Fangliang’s question, “It’s just because he has a lot of meat, and where it folds, it’s not well-ventilated and a bit slow to heal!”

“Puff!”

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Thingyan: So I just started using this good thing called ChatGPT, which has been immensely useful in editing poorly translated raws from Google translate. Anyone wanting to try their hands on translating should give it a try. The more translators there are, the more translated novels, and the more the happier readers like me hehe

Xu Qing’s speed was very fast. After several trips up and down, pretty much all the fruits in the tree were picked.

He took the half-packed basket and turned to look over at the group of monkey children who were still laughing and jumping. Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com. For them, the fun of picking cherries was greater than the quantity picked.

With a smile on his face, Xu Qing picked up the basket and headed towards the wild cherry tree nearby. As he was filling up the basket with cherries, the little leader came running over.

“Brother Xu, I’m done over there, let me help you!”

Xu Qing glanced at the basket beneath the tree and then looked up at the boy’s flushed face. “Alright, there are a few cherries that are out of my reach. You seem to be skilled at climbing trees, could you help me get them?” he asked the boy.

The cherry tree was not too tall, so he was not worried about any accidents.

Upon hearing Xu Qing’s request, the boy patted his chest proudly and said, “Of course, I’m the best tree climber among all the children in our village. My grandfather even said so.” However, because he often climbed trees, he also frequently received beatings from his grandfather.

“Alright, just be careful,” said Xu Qing as he took a few steps back from the tree, creating some space for the boy. Since the boy had offered to help, Xu Qing didn’t want to interfere too much and allowed the boy to take charge of the situation. The boy was filled with excitement at the opportunity to showcase his skills.

With the additional help, it didn’t take long for the two to pick all the ripe cherries. Xu Qing placed the picked cherries into the basket.

“Since you helped me today, can I invite you to my house for a glass of water?” Xu Qing asked, lowering his head slightly and looking at the boy.

The little boy scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said, “Can I buy a jar of pickled vegetables from you? But I only have four coppers with me.” He and his brother were fond of the pickled vegetables sold at Xu Qing’s shop. The two jars of pickled vegetables that Deng Ama had just purchased from Xu Qing’s shop had been quickly devoured.

Xu Qing was a bit surprised by the boy’s request. He looked down at the basket of wild cherries and then raised his head to reply to the boy, who looked a bit uneasy. “Of course, you helped me today, didn’t you? And you seem to really enjoy the goods sold at my shop. That makes me happy too,” said Xu Qing, with a smile on his face.

Upon hearing Xu Qing’s words, the boy’s anxious expression disappeared, and he flashed a smile, revealing his little white teeth to Xu Qing.

Since the boy’s group of friends had already gone home, Xu Qing offered to accompany him down the mountain. As they arrived at Xu Qing’s house, the boy seemed a bit hesitant to enter.

“Come in,” Xu Qing urged the boy, who was a little embarrassed to go in, with a warm smile.

The boy shook his head, took out a neatly folded cloth from his pocket, and unfolded it in front of Xu Qing, revealing four coppers inside. He handed the money over to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing accepted the money without saying much and patted the boy’s head with one hand. He then proceeded to open the courtyard door and gestured for the boy to come in.

Upon entering the house, Li Changfeng was seen walking back and forth in the main room while holding Tuan Tuan. As soon as he saw Xu Qing and the boy, he greeted them, “You’re back! Wow, you picked so many cherries!” Li Changfeng expressed his astonishment as he gazed at the basket positioned behind Xu Qing.

Xu Qing shrugged off Li Changfeng’s reaction and proceeded to set the basket down. He then leaned in and gave a kiss to the slumbering Tuan Tuan, who was being cradled in Li Changfeng’s arms.

Only then he replied to Li Changfeng, “This isn’t much. Once you’ve sampled the cherry wine that’s brewing, you won’t think it’s too little.”

Afterwards, Xu Qing went inside the shop and retrieved two jars of pickled vegetables. He then made his way over to the entrance where the young boy was waiting for him.

The boy was taken aback by the sight of the two jars of pickled vegetables in Xu Qing’s hands, but he only accepted one of them.

Xu Qing halted the boy who was about to depart and insisted, “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. This is my way of expressing gratitude for your help today.”

“I don’t want it,” said the boy, blushing. “It didn’t take long for me to help you. You’ve already lost a copper from this one jar. I can’t take another one.”

Xu Qing persisted and pressed the jar into the boy’s hand. When the boy attempted to give it back to him, Xu Qing said, “I didn’t give you this additional jar for no reason. If you don’t mind, could you still pick cherries for me tomorrow and the day after?”

The boy’s eyes gleamed with excitement at the offer of being able to collect wild cherries for two more days in exchange for his favorite pickles. Even though he wasn’t particularly fond of eating wild cherries, he had been feeling bored and had joined in with the other children to pick the berries for amusement. He had given all the fruit he had gathered to the group, keeping only a small amount to take back to his younger brother.

“Sure, I’ll pick them for you first thing in the morning. Don’t hand over the jar to me just yet. You can give it to me once I’m finished picking the cherries,” the boy agreed eagerly. He clutched the jar of pickled vegetables tightly in his arms and dashed off home, overjoyed with his newfound task.

Xu Qing looked at the jar that was stuffed into his arm by the boy, then looked at the back of the boy who was already far away, shook his head helplessly, turned to lock the courtyard door, and went back to the main room.

“Why did you bring it back?” Li Changfeng had just put the sleeping Tuan Tuan in the room, and as soon as he came out, he saw Xu Qing holding a jar of pickled vegetables.

“It was meant for the boy from the Deng family, but he refused it. He insisted on picking cherries for me first before accepting it,” Xu Qing explained, setting the jar of pickled vegetables aside. He planned on giving it to the boy when he returned with the cherries the following day.

Li Changfeng took a moment to ponder before asking, “Is that the eldest grandson of the Deng family?” He was aware of the situation with the Deng family, specifically how the boy’s mother had passed away due to excessive bleeding during childbirth.

Now, the only remaining family members were the boy’s grandfather, Deng Ama, the boy himself, and his four or five-year-old younger brother.

“Yes, it was the boy who came to notify us the village meeting about Luo Jiao. I thought that child was very clever, so I went with the flow and asked him to pick cherries for me for two days, and I would give him a gift in return, such as this jar of pickles.”

Xu Qing let out a small sigh, feeling a sense of empathy for the boy who grew up without a mother. Having lost his own parents at a young age, Xu Qing had a special sensitivity towards children who grew up without parents.

“That’s fine. Children nowadays are very sensible. Let’s go. Don’t think too much. I’ll wash the cherries for you.” Li Changfeng patted Xu Qing on the shoulder and said. He thought Xu Qing was thinking of his parents.

The boy worked diligently and assisted Xu Qing with picking cherries for the following two days. On the second day, Xu Qing handed the pickled vegetables that he had kept for the boy to take home, “Here, you can take it now!”

“Thank you, Brother Xu. If you need help with anything in the future, just let me know, and I’ll gladly assist you. You can reward me with another jar of these pickles,” said the boy gratefully as he received the jar from Xu Qing.

“Brother Xu, goodbye, I’m going back!”

Li Changfeng greeted Xu Qing as he walked in and exclaimed with a smile, “Now that the cherries are all picked, I’m really looking forward to trying out your cherry wine when it’s ready.”

Xu Qing confidently boasted, “Just wait and see how amazing this uncle’s brewing skills are.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted, “What wine are you talking about?”

Xu Qing warmly welcomed the person behind the voice, “Uncle Xie, please come in and have a seat. I’m making a fruit wine, and I promise to share a pot with you when it’s ready.” Quickly grabbing a stool, Xu Qing offered it to Uncle Xie.

Uncle Xie sat down nonchalantly and spoke loudly, “As long as there’s wine and meat, I’m happy. I don’t really care about anything else.”

Li Changfeng chuckled at this and remarked, “I think most men can relate to that sentiment.”

Uncle Xie shook his head gravely and replied, “Not necessarily. Take me, for example. I love wine and meat, but you, Li Changfeng, only eat meat and don’t drink wine.”

“Hahahaha, Uncle Xie, what you said is really funny.”

Xu Qing didn’t even crack a smile when he heard Uncle Xie’s comment, while Li Changfeng looked at him with a helpless expression: Don’t you know best whether I am a man or not?

After the trio chatted and laughed, Uncle Xie revealed the reason for his visit to Xu Qing and Li Changfeng: “I met your eldest brother in town today and he asked me to tell you to come back tomorrow.” Uncle Xie and Xie Ama went to town to check on Xie Yu, who was pregnant, out of concern for his well-being.

Xu Qing and Li Changfeng looked at each other, what happened at the Li’s?

With that being said, the couple went to the Li family early the next morning.

Li Changfeng had informed Xu Qing the previous night that they should not get involved in any issues concerning the Li family. He felt that since he now belonged to the Xu family, he had neither the right nor the qualification to interfere in the Li family’s affairs.

At the entrance of Li’s courtyard, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng were halted as they arrived.

“Second brother, second brother-in-law, wait up!”

Turning around, the couple saw Wang Lei and Li Xiao’er approaching on a bull cart.

Li Xiao’er inquired, “Did eldest brother ask you to come back?” Meanwhile, Wang Lei respectfully greeted the two. Xu Qing and Li Changfeng looked at Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei, and Xu Qing asked, “Were you also asked to come back by eldest brother?”

Li Xiao’er nodded, and Wang Lei continued to say, “It was the eldest brother who came to our shop and said that Xiao’er must come back. Seeing the expression on his face, it seemed that something has happened.”

“Okay, let’s all go in. You’ll know what’s going on when you go in. Afterwards, no matter what the family says, don’t interrupt and listen first.” Li Changfeng took the lead and told everyone to go in together.

Eldest Li’s oldest son, Da Niu, was fetching water by the well. When he saw Li Changfeng and theothers came in, he hurriedly called out, “Second uncle, second uncle in-law, aunt, uncle.”

Li Xiao’er looked at the yard and saw that there was no one there but only Da Niu. He walked towards his nephew and said in a low voice, “Where are your father and the others? And your grandmother?”

Da Niu’s face tightened, and he also said in a low voice: “In the main room. Aunt, they want to split up!”

Split up? When Li Changfeng and Xu Qing heard it, they understood a little in their hearts. Li Xiao’er rubbed Da Niu’s and followed Li Changfeng into the main room.

In the main room, except for the children, adults were all there.

Old man Li, who was sitting in the middle, looked at Li Changfeng and the group who came in, “Oh, they’re all here! Did the eldest tell you to come back?”

Li Ama’s face was particularly ugly now, especially when looking at Li Changfeng, “during the Chinese New Year, you didn’t even come but now you’re here to watch the joke as the family splits up?!” Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com

“What’s going on? What kind of joke are we watching?” Li Changfeng pulled Xu Qing who was holding Tuan Tuan to the side, and also motioned to Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei to sit down. Others saw this scene and said nothing.

Old man Li stood up abruptly: “What kind of joke are you watching? Isn’t it just some trouble between family members! Do you all come here to add to the trouble?!”

“Haha, what you said is not right, father. Xiao’er and I are both outsiders now. We are married to our respective partners and not in this family anymore. Any problem in this family is caused by the ones in the family.” Li Changfeng said while teasing the old man without looking at the other party’s face at all.

Xu Qing sat on the side quietly and did not speak, acting according to what Li Changfeng told him that he should talk less, otherwise, the Li family would spread fire on him.

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“Evil son! Evil son!” Old man Li shouted angrily. He then turned and said to Li Ama: “Did you hear? This is the good son you gave birth?!”

Li Ama’s face sank in an instant, and he said to Li Chengfeng, “Second child, what are you talking about? We are all a family no matter what!”

“Ama, Father, don’t blame the second brother. It was I who asked Xiao’er and second brother to come back.” The eldest Li, who had not spoken this whole time, stood up and said to Li Ama.

“You asked them to come?” Old Man Li got even angrier when he looked at eldest Li, “I haven’t talked to you properly. You tell me, how is it alright that you, the eldest son, want to talk about separation?”

“That is to say, eldest, you didn’t do it right. You haven’t even discussed with us, yet you told your brother and second child to come back.” Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com. Li Ama was also a little dissatisfied, but his words were not as heavy as Old Man Li. After all, the eldest Li was the firstborn and this child had done the most for the family over the years.

But he just couldn’t understand why eldest Li, who was usually honest and diligent in doing things for the family, suddenly wanted to separate.

The eldest Li’s wife sat on the side with his head lowered and did not speak. Li Laosan and Wang Li also did not make any sound.

“It’s just that … the third brother’s wife pregnant again. The children in the family are getting older, and there are not enough rooms in the house, so I thought, why don’t we separate. We have to build a new house for the next generation anyway.” Eldest Li had always been the least intelligent among his siblings; despite Wang Li’s pregnancy, what Eldest Li said was not a valid justification for a separation.

Wang Li was pregnant again? Xu Qing raised his head and looked at this person. Li Xiao’er and Li Changfeng who were sitting beside Li Laosan also did the same. Suddenly being watched by so many people, Wang Li felt a little uncomfortable.

“What are you looking at, haven’t you seen a pregnant ger before?” Li Laosan was unhappy and said loudly.

“Laosan, what are you talking about!” Old man Li scolded Li Laosan. This child consistently caused him distress and a sense of helplessness.

Li Ama turned to his eldest son’s wife, who was sitting in a dazed state, and said, “Let’s discuss this, eldest’s wife. I know my own son, and I do not believe that he would want to separate without a good reason.”

The old man Li didn’t speak, but his eyes were looking at the eldest’s wife.

Eldest Li hurriedly shook his head, “No! It’s not because of my wife. This is what I want to say, and what I have been wanting to say for so many years.”

“Come on, you are my son, how could I not know you. Eldest, you have worked so diligently for this family for so many years. Ama has seen it with his own eyes and remembered it in my heart. Among the four children I gave birth to, you are the most honest and obedient.”

While speaking, Li Ama made sure to criticize those who were disobedient and dishonest.

“Ama…”

Eldest Li was left stunned upon hearing Li Ama’s words, and he was at a loss for what to say. His wife, who had his head down the entire time, tightened his hands; his eyes flashed with disappointment.

Xu Qing, who was sitting next to eldest Li’s wife, saw his actions, and sighed inwardly.

“Okay, forget it. Let’s pretend this never happened. I don’t want to hear it again. Since you are all here, let’s have lunch together before you go back!” Li Ama stood up and made the decision for everyone.

“No, we won’t eat. We have a lot of things to do at home, so we’ll leave first.” A certain Li Changfeng, who was hinted as he was not honest or obedient, stood up and spoke. Xu Qing, who was holding Tuan Tuan, also rose from his seat.

“It’s just the two of us at home, and there are quite a number of fields that need tending to. With Tuan Tuan here, most of the work falls on Changfeng’s shoulders, which makes progress slower compared to the work of other people.” The “other people” mentioned could not refute this and resorted to pretending to smile. Xu Qing smiled at Tuan Tuan in his arms and continued, “Tuan Tuan, it’s time for us to leave. Say goodbye to your grandparents quickly.”

“Oh, my Tuan Tuan, ama doesn’t think he could just let go of you.” Li Ama stepped forward to take Tuantuan, teased a few times, and said to Xu Qing: “Since there are so many things at home, Changfeng can’t do all of those by himself, let’s just leave the child with me, and I’ll watch him for you, so that you can work more quickly.”

What does it mean to shoot yourself in the foot? This time Xu Qing really felt it. Before he could speak, Li Changfeng took Tuantuan away from Li Ama’s arms.

“Don’t worry about it, I am already so old but I am not honest and obedient. Tuantuan is still so young. If he follows you, when he grows up, won’t he become a dishonest and disobedient person too? By that time, both of us can’t do anything but regret it.”

Xu Qing listened to Li Changfeng’s words, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and he didn’t know what to say, so he just maintained an appropriate smile.

“What are you trying to say?! Stop! You stop for me!” Li Ama was so angry that he yelled at Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng held Tuantuan in his arms and pulled Xu Qing along as he replied loudly, “I can’t stop; I am not honest and obedient. So, of course, I have to act accordingly.”

“You … you … really piss me off!” Li Ama pointed at Li Changfeng’s figure, completely speechless.

The old man Li shook his hand holding the dry tobacco, and replied without a smile: “What? You are angry with your good son!”

Li Xiao’er and Wang Lei stood to the side, watching Li Changfeng and his family leave without stopping. Li Xiao’er gently tugged on Wang Lei’s hand, and Wang Lei understood the signal. He immediately smiled and said to the old Li couple, “Father-in-law, mother-in-law, we also have to go. I usually manage the shop alone. I’m worried my father wouldn’t be able to handle it by himself. I do not want to burden everyone with cooking. We will head back first.”

“Yes, father, ama, if you’re free in the future, please come to our house to hang out. We’ll leaving now. The shop is busy these days.” Li Xiao’er stepped forward and said with a smile.

Li Ama and Old Man Li were very satisfied with Wang Lei as their son-in-law. Knowing that Wang Lei had a business to run, naturally they couldn’t keep them much longer.

Hearing that the shop was busy, Li Ama hurriedly said: “Okay, then you go back and be careful on the way!”

“It’s alright, come back when you can to have a few drinks with us.” Old Man Li also calmed down and said to Wang Lei.

Wang Lei nodded repeatedly and bid farewell to the Li family before leaving with Li Xiao’er.

As soon as the guests left, Old Man Li’s countenance turned gloomy once more. He said to Li Laosan, “You two should go back, your wife is pregnant now, so pay attention to his body.” Li Laosan thanked the old man and left with Wang Li.

Li Ama, who was on the side, also said to the Li Laosan’s wife, “yeah, you take care!”

At this time, Li Changfeng and Xu Qing, who have left already, were now with Wang Lei and Li Xiao’er.

“Second brother, do you think something happened at home, so the eldest brother talked about the separation?” Li Xiao’er sat on the cart and asked Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng sneered and remarked, “Think about it. You and I are no longer part of the Li family. The remaining family members consist of three half-grown children and the lazy third brother. With his wife now pregnant, don’t you think the heavy household work will fall on your eldest brother and his wife?”

Xu Qing recalled that when he arrived at the house, he saw young Da Niu carrying two heavy buckets of water all by himself. Given his small body size, Xu Qing thought it wouldn’t have been easy for him. “He’s still so young,” Xu Qing added. “It seems like a lot to ask of a child.”

Even though Wang Lei had only recently married Li Xiao’er, he was already privy to affairs of the family’s situation. It was clear that the matter of splitting up the family was not an easy one to resolve. The third brother and the rest of the family remained silent during the whole conversation, while Wang Lei’s father-in-law was against the idea of splitting the family. It seemed that the family would remain together for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t think it’s even remotely possible to split up this family. Unless the third brother actively supports the idea, eldest brother should not even dream about it,” remarked Li Changfeng, who had a good understanding of the family’s character and could predict how this situation would unfold.

Xu Qing recalled sitting next to Eldest Li’s wife, who remained silent but his actions revealed his nervousness. Although he obediently remained silent, Xu Qing could see the despair in his eyes.

Eldest Li was a kind and honest man who genuinely cared about his family. However, his strong sense of filial piety made it difficult for him to take a stand against his third brother and other family members. Despite his desire to protect his wife and children, he was unable to do much under the pressure of the rest of the family. This posed a challenge for him to pursue the idea of separating from the family.

Wang Lei and Li Changfeng continued their conversation before going their separate ways and heading back to their respective homes.

Upon arriving home, Xu Qing washed his hands and remarked to Li Changfeng, who was assisting Tuan Tuan with urinating, “You were quite bold in your speech today!”

Li Changfeng was unfamiliar with the term and asked, “What does that mean, ‘bold’?”

After shaking off the water from his hands, Xu Qing furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment. “How do you say it … it means very powerful and very cool.”

Although Li Changfeng was still not quite clear on the meaning of the word “bold,” he could tell from Xu Qing’s tone that it was an impressive statement. “Of course,” he replied, “I don’t want to be seen as too obedient and honest. I have to show that I’m capable of something. Or else, do you really want me to leave Tuantuan there?”

“After all, the third Li’s wife is pregnant now, and Ama will probably want to keep Tuantuan close by. But of course, I don’t want to leave Tuantuan there,” Xu Qing was aware that Li ama would take good care of Tuantuan and spoil him, but he simply didn’t want his son to be under the care of someone else.

Li Changfeng exclaimed, “Our Tuantuan was so well-behaved today! He’s such an amazing child. Come on, give your father a kiss!” He then leaned towards Tuantuan’s face, leaving saliva on the little one’s cheek. This caused Tuantuan to push Li Changfeng’s face away with his small hands.

Xu Qing felt a chill as he listened and said, “I’ll wash his pants. You take him for a walk and prepare some fruit powder for him to eat. He must be hungry now since it’s still early in the day.”

“Alright then.”

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Thingyan: Thank you for all the comments and likes, especially Paranoid Kitten (づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づ♡ I apologize not being able to reply your comments.

To tell you my lovely readers the truth, I’ve been really busy lately and will be for the next 2-3 years. Why? Coz I got accepted into a graduate medical program. I don’t have much time to translate and when I have free time, I just want to relax and read others’ translations.

Currently, I’m on two-week break and will try to do some translations, so I can at least finish Ugly Ger. I can’t promise how far I can go with translating meanwhile, but I will try my best … Sending love to all (づ￣ ³￣)づ