Author Archives: Thingyan

Li Changfeng, panting, lay on top of Xu Qing, his hand gently stroking Xu Qing’s sweat-dampened hair. Xu Qing was still in a state of post-exercise euphoria and fatigue, allowing Li Changfeng’s sweaty and robust body to embrace him without uttering a word.

Li Changfeng turned over while holding Xu Qing, using himself as a cushion. He looked at Xu Qing, who still seemed a bit absent-minded, and satisfied and content, he kissed Xu Qing’s slightly sweaty forehead.

“Are you okay?”

Seeing Xu Qing’s flushed face, Li Changfeng carefully placed him on the bed, got up, and left the room. He returned with a clean cloth and meticulously wiped Xu Qing’s body. Then, he gently touched Xu Qing’s head, which had already regained clarity.

“You’re back to your senses?”

Hearing the unmistakable pride and teasing in Li Changfeng’s tone, Xu Qing pursed his lips, not wanting to engage in too much argument. Right now, he didn’t even want to move!

“The sheets and blanket…!”

As soon as Li Changfeng heard the soft voice of his spouse, he immediately cleverly lifted Xu Qing along with the duvet, removed the marked sheets, and replaced them with fresh ones. He then took a new duvet and helped Xu Qing out of bed before quickly diving back into the warm covers, holding the nearly asleep Xu Qing in his arms.

“Sleep now…”

Li Changfeng gently touched Xu Qing’s reddened nose and affectionately kissed it. He glanced at Xu Qing’s ears adorned with earrings and knew that he must have experienced some pain today.

Xu Qing shifted his body, rubbing his fair and slightly flushed cheek against Li Changfeng’s embrace. He found a comfortable position and continued to sleep. Li Changfeng tugged the warm duvet tighter, ensuring that both he and Xu Qing were snugly wrapped up. After all, catching a cold was easy after sweating!

Looking at Xu Qing’s face in his arms, completely restored, Li Changfeng felt more sourness in his heart than the awe and joy he felt when he lifted the red veil on Xu Qing’s wedding day. His Xu Qing was just too good, so good that he wanted to hide Xu Qing away, to be the only one who could see him. But Li Changfeng also knew that such a Xu Qing wouldn’t be happy, so he would protect Xu Qing well and accompany him through the rest of their lives.

In the deep silence of the late night in the mountain village, Li Changfeng closed his eyes and let out a gentle sigh. Embracing his spouse, who had already fallen asleep, he entered the realm of dreams.

The next day, Xu Qing was awakened by hunger in the noon. He felt a bit sore in his lower back and moved his body. Noticing the refreshing absence of stickiness from the night before, he knew that Li Changfeng had taken care of him again. Xu Qing’s heart forgave Li Changfeng a little for his actions from the previous night.

“That guy has been a monk for too long!”

He struggled to sit up, but felt a strange sensation in his buttocks, and his lower back was extremely sore. “Slap!” Xu Qing laid back on the bed. He couldn’t get up!! His back was sore! His hands were sore! His legs felt weak!! Xu Qing angrily used his strength to throw the two booklets from the side of the pillow onto the floor. It was all because of these things. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been tormented like this!

Hearing the commotion in the room, Li Changfeng, who was preparing porridge, hurriedly pushed the door open and walked in.

“Awake?”

Seeing Xu Qing lying on the bed with a flushed face, glaring at him with annoyance and anger, Li Changfeng awkwardly rubbed his nose. He was about to walk over when he accidentally kicked the two booklets that Xu Qing had thrown off the bed.

“You’re still laughing!!”

Xu Qing, full of anger and embarrassment, glared at Li Changfeng, who was chuckling while holding the booklets.

“I can’t get up!”

As soon as Li Changfeng heard that, he casually placed the booklets on the wardrobe, sat down beside Xu Qing, took a deep breath, warmed his hands, and then reached into the blanket, gently massaging Xu Qing’s smooth waist.

Well, it turned out that Li Changfeng had strong hands and just the right amount of strength. Xu Qing couldn’t help but hum comfortably under his touch.

“Move a bit to the side, yes, yes, that’s it!”

“Go up a bit, no, higher!”

Li Changfeng’s eyes slightly darkened when he heard this, and he followed Xu Qing’s instructions, slowly rubbing and moving his hand upward.

“Is it here?”

Before Xu Qing could respond, Li Changfeng moved his hand further up. “Or is it here?”

Xu Qing’s face turned red as Li Changfeng’s unruly hand touched his sensitive area, and he started to feel some reactions.

“Changfeng…”

This voice made Li Changfeng smile faintly. After a night of intimacy, he knew exactly how the owner of this voice felt and what their state of mind was like. He was about to make a further move when…

“Rumble, rumble, rumble…!!”

Xu Qing’s face turned even redder! He didn’t want to be seen like this!

Li Changfeng was also taken aback, looking at Xu Qing’s belly beneath the blanket. He withdrew his hand from under the covers, feeling a bit guilty. “I should have known you’d be hungry! Just wait!”

After a while, Xu Qing smelled a delicious aroma, which only made his already growling stomach grow louder!

Li Changfeng came in, holding a bowl of porridge steadily. Even if it was plain porridge, Xu Qing’s mouth watered. Seeing the eager look in Xu Qing’s eyes, Li Changfeng helped him sit up and pulled the blanket for him.

“Here, let me feed you!”

Xu Qing was about to say he could do it himself, but he realized he wasn’t wearing any clothes! So he let Li Changfeng spoon-feed him, bite by bite. In no time, the bowl was empty, and Xu Qing licked his lips. He still wanted more.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Can’t eat too much. Today, you have to stick to a light diet!” Li Changfeng didn’t want Xu Qing to go hungry, but Xie Ama had instructed him last night that Xu Qing should only have porridge today. The reasons given made Li Changfeng feel sorry for Xu Qing and compelled him to follow through.

Xu Qing wasn’t angry; he just looked a bit disappointed at the empty bowl taken away by Li Changfeng. As someone new to the world, it was better for him to eat light.

By the time Li Changfeng entered the room again, Xu Qing had already dressed himself slowly and was sitting in front of the copper mirror given by Liu Ama, preparing to comb his hair. Just as he was about to take the wooden comb, he noticed a wooden box with engraved patterns beside it. Xu Qing picked it up and opened it to find a pair of silver hairpins—simple yet elegant.

This was the token of love Li Changfeng had given him last night, and Xu Qing was initially surprised. These silver hairpins were worth quite a lot, probably around seven or eight taels. Considering that Li Changfeng had given him all his money before, Xu Qing listened to Li Changfeng’s explanation and learned about the situation in the Li family. What surprised him even more was that Li Changfeng had given him twenty-five taels of silver!

A pair of big hands took the wooden comb from Xu Qing’s view. Li Changfeng gently stroked Xu Qing’s dark, long hair.

“I’ll style your hair for you.”

Xu Qing put down the wooden box and teasingly looked at Li Changfeng, who was fumbling while combing his hair. “Don’t comb all my hair away!”

Li Changfeng smiled and carefully untangled Xu Qing’s slightly tangled long hair. The hairstyle for a married ger was different from the hairstyle for an unmarried one. Before marriage, it would simply be gathered into a bundle and fixed with something. After marriage, it would be partially gathered and tied together, then secured with hairpins or something similar.

In contrast to the affection between Xu Qing and Li Changfeng, the atmosphere in the Li family was quite tense!

“So, the ger who married Second Brother is the ‘ugly ger’ from the next village?” Li Ama asked with a gloomy tone, questioning Eldest Li, who had just woken up from his sleep.

Eldest Li nodded. He hadn’t expected it to be the same person referred to as the ‘ugly ger’ who couldn’t find a husband!

Li Laosan enjoyed the head massage from Li Wangshi and also nodded in agreement.

“This… This is driving me crazy!” Li Ama trembled with anger. Before the marriage, second son had met but still considered marrying the ‘ugly ger.’ He clearly knew that the person was the ‘ugly ger,’ yet he still married him.

Li Xiao’er was also displeased. How could that ‘ugly ger’ be worthy of his Second Brother?

Old man Li shook his pipe, stood up, and picked up a hoe. “Old man, what are you doing?” Li Ama stood up and looked at Old man Li.

“Going to the fields! What else can I do!” Without even looking at Li Ama’s unpleasant expression, Old man Li walked out of the door. “Eldest Brother, Third Brother, there’s food in the pot. Eat it and come to the fields!” With the absence of the second son, there was more work to be done in the house.

Eldest Li and Third Brother Li glanced at Li Ama. Seeing that he didn’t say anything, they went into the kitchen to eat. They couldn’t remember how they had come back last night after drinking so much, but Eldest Li’s wife and Li Wangshi had taken their children and left the house. Third Brother Li’s child was still young and being carried by Li Wangshi.

“Ama…” Li Xiao’er stepped forward and tugged at Li Ama’s sleeve. Startled by the sudden pull, Li Ama stumbled a bit, which scared Li Xiao’er. “Ama! Are you okay?!”

“How can I be okay?! He’s so unwilling to stay in this family! He’d rather go to the ‘ugly ger’s’ house than obediently marry a wife here!”

***

“I don’t know how much you guys drank last night! You were brought back by Butcher Liu in the middle of the night, and we couldn’t wake you up no matter what!” Chen Qi, who had just woken up as well, was being scolded by his wife.

“I was just angry at Li Laosan! So, I drank my heart out to get back at him.” Who knew Eldest Li, clueless as ever, would ‘help’ him drink too! If it weren’t for Li Laosan, Li Changfeng wouldn’t have entered the ‘ugly ger’s’ house?!”

Chen Qi’s wife was taken aback. “The ‘ugly ger’? Is it the one from the next village?”

Footsteps sounded from inside the house, and then a haggard-looking Chen Hong also looked at Chen Qi.

Chen Qi immediately stood up. “Xiao Hong, are you feeling better?”

Chen Hong nodded absentmindedly. “Brother, are you saying that where Changfeng Big Brother went is the ‘ugly ger’s’ house?!” Chen Qi didn’t think much of it. “Of course! The person who called out the new couple’s names yesterday said so. Xu Qing, Brother Qing! Isn’t that the ‘ugly ger’? His family lives at the foot of the mountain, and they are the only ones there!”

“How is that possible? How could Big Brother Changfeng agree to the ‘ugly ger’?” Chen Hong couldn’t believe it. Li Changfeng, who was so outstanding, would choose the well-known ‘ugly ger’?

“That’s exactly how it is! I don’t know what Li Changfeng is thinking!” Chen Qi grumbled. Li Changfeng looked very happy during the ceremony yesterday, not at all like he was being forced into it. Could it be that after being single for so long, he would really go for anyone?

“It’s better to marry our little brother than the ‘ugly ger’!” Chen Qi said.

“Chen Qi!”

“What are you saying, you little brat?!”

The first voice belonged to Chen Qi’s wife, while the second was Chen Ama, who had just returned from outside.

Chen Ama walked up and slapped Chen Qi’s face, startling Chen Qi’s wife and Chen Hong!

“I told you to stop saying whatever comes to your mind! Your little brother is an innocent unmarried ger! If this remark spreads, how do you think he will live?!” Chen Ama’s slap was not just for show; it was genuine. There was a red handprint on Chen Qi’s face!

Chen Qi was stunned. It had been many years since he had been scolded and punished by Ama and Father Chen. He was about to speak when Chen Ama’s angry outburst stopped him.

Chen Qi’s wife slapped Chen Qi, who was still dazed. “What are you standing there for?! Apologize to Ama and your younger brother!” Chen Ama’s slap hurt just by looking at it. How could he stand there and let himself be hit?

“I’m sorry, Ama, Xiao Hong. It’s my fault! I can’t change! I can’t change this damned mouth!” Chen Qi kept slapping his own mouth while apologizing to the infuriated Chen Ama and tearful Chen Hong!

Chen Qi’s wife looked at him with a pained expression but didn’t say anything to dissuade him. This was a problem that needed to be fixed! Chen Ama looked at Chen Qi’s condition and felt sorry for him, but even though his anger had subsided, he didn’t let go of his stern expression. He pulled Chen Hong back into the house.

“Look at you! Come on, let me apply something for you!” Chen Qi’s wife gently touched his husband’s slightly swollen cheek and pulled Chen Qi back into the house.

Chen Hong, who was dragged back to the room by Chen Ama, kept thinking about what Chen Qi had said. If even his brother thought that way, why hadn’t Big Brother Changfeng considered him instead?

“Stop thinking about impossible things!” Chen Ama knew what his son was thinking just by looking at his expression.

“Ama…” Chen Hong looked at Chen Ama with teary eyes. How could he forget after so many years?

Chen Ama sighed. “Li Changfeng is already a married man. With your looks and character, do you really think you won’t find a suitable partner?!”

Chen Hong shook his head in pain. Even if he tried so hard to be worthy of big brother Changfeng, the other person didn’t want him. Instead, he chose the “ugly ger”! Even if he met someone better, they wouldn’t be Li Changfeng!

Chen Ama looked at Chen Hong’s expression and felt a mixture of frustration and determination brewing in his heart. He had some plans in mind.

***

Xu Qing looked at the wooden tub in front of him with excitement. “Oh my, it’s such a pity that you’re not a carpenter!” He had just casually complained that it would be nice to have a good soak in a bathtub, and Li Changfeng, without understanding the remark, asked about the shape of the tub. As a result, Li Changfeng spent the whole afternoon selecting wood from the back of the mountain and came back to make it right in front of him.

Li Changfeng was carving patterns outside the tub. It would be both beautiful and aesthetically pleasing! “Since I was thirteen, whenever I finished my chores at home, I would secretly go to town and work as an assistant for carpenters. Gradually, I learned some simple things.”

Xu Qing remembered the twenty-five taels of silver that Li Changfeng had given him last night, and his heart felt a tinge of sourness. Although he knew that rural children mature early, he still felt sorry for Li Changfeng.

“What else can you make?” Xu Qing thought that this might be another way to make a living!

“Wardrobes, cupboards, and stools. I can make simple ones!” Li Changfeng moved the wooden tub to a spot where the sunlight had not yet dissipated and began bringing out dry wood from the woodshed, splitting it into manageable pieces so it would be easier to burn.

Xu Qing’s eyes lit up as he thought about modern furniture. If he made some modifications to modern furniture and sold them here, it would be a big attraction!

While Xu Qing was thinking about exchanging ideas with Li Changfeng, he suddenly choked when he looked up.

Li Changfeng was exerting force while splitting wood, and soon he started feeling hot. He took off his outer shirt, revealing a shoulder-baring undershirt. As he lifted the axe, his well-defined biceps shone brightly in front of Xu Qing’s eyes, reminding him of the passionate encounter they had last night. Sweat dripped down from Li Changfeng’s determined face, flowed across his chest and abdominal muscles, and descended further down!

Unconsciously, Xu Qing swallowed his saliva. Li Changfeng naturally sensed the scorching gaze, and he smirked, deliberately turning in a certain direction to fully display his robust physique to Xu Qing, enjoying the sight of Xu Qing practically drooling!

“Satisfied?” Li Changfeng’s low and seductive voice sounded in Xu Qing’s ears. Even his voice was so enchanting. Xu Qing couldn’t help but nod in agreement, until he heard Li Changfeng’s low laughter. That’s when he snapped back to reality! Embarrassing! Truly embarrassing!

“Just wait until your body gets used to it, then I’ll give it to you. Don’t be in a hurry!”

Hearing Li Changfeng’s suggestive words, Xu Qing blushed and shouted with a thick neck, “Who’s in a hurry! I’m not in a hurry!”

“Yes, yes, I’m in a hurry! I’m in a desperate hurry!” However, Li Changfeng’s words made Xu Qing feel embarrassed once again. He felt like he was being unreasonable, but he wasn’t really in a hurry to begin with!

As the warm afternoon sun shone on him, Xu Qing started feeling drowsy. He yawned, adjusted his slightly sore waist, and shifted his sitting position on the stool. Watching Li Changfeng quickly split most of the firewood, he became a bit absent-minded. “Having someone who can do physical labor in the house is truly different!”

After hearing this comment, Li Changfeng felt even more strongly that Xu Qing had been leading a difficult life all by himself! He had only split a bit of firewood, yet it moved Xu Qing to this extent! (Xu Qing: “…………Who said I was moved!”)

“What are you going to do?” Xu Qing looked at Li Changfeng, who was holding a hoe after stacking the firewood neatly.

Li Changfeng used the hoe to compact the loose soil that Xu Qing had previously loosened in the courtyard. The front of the yard didn’t need to be used for planting vegetables. After spring, the rainy season was prone to water accumulation, which could damage the house foundation. However, Li Changfeng didn’t explicitly mention this. Instead, he said a few words to avoid unnecessary concerns.

“We had many guests yesterday, and they trampled all over the place. We don’t need it anymore.” The “heavy” mentioned here was obviously referring to Xu Qing, while Li Changfeng didn’t want Xu Qing to worry about anything else.

Xu Qing looked at the loose and messy “vegetable garden” in the yard and agreed with Li Changfeng’s words. However, he also remembered that there were seeds in the space that could be planted soon!

“How long does it take for us to cultivate the fields? Previously, when I was alone, I only cultivated one acre, which was just enough for my own consumption. After paying the taxes, it barely sustained me. The vegetable garden was also small, only around the house, enough for one person’s consumption. Now that we are two people, I think we can cultivate the remaining land as well!” Xu Qing summarized the situation to Li Changfeng in a soft voice. They were already a family.

Li Changfeng wiped the sweat off his forehead, finished stacking the final piece of land, and put away the hoe. He washed his hands by the well. “Once I loosen the fields in the next few days, we can start planting. I took a look at the unplanted field this morning and watered it. I estimate it will be fully loosened and ready for planting in two days. By then, I’ll dig up more of the fields to make it easier for planting!”

Xu Qing handed Li Changfeng a towel to wash his face, which helped alleviate the heat in the room.

“Feeling better?” Li Changfeng pulled Xu Qing closer and rubbed his waist with his big hand. “Much better. What would you like to eat tonight?” Xu Qing enjoyed Li Changfeng’s warmth and lazily lay against his slightly sweaty chest.

“I want porridge!” Xu Qing could only eat light food. “I can have porridge, but what about you?” He pulled down the hand that was rubbing his waist and handed Li Changfeng the clothes he had taken off earlier. The afternoon temperature was different from noon, and if he sweated and caught a breeze, he might easily catch a cold.

“I’ll have it with you!”

Li Changfeng swiftly put on his clothes, took Xu Qing’s hand, and led him back inside.

“You rest in the room again while I go cut some pig grass. I’ll be back soon.” After kissing Xu Qing’s cheek, Li Changfeng put on his backpack and went outside.

Xu Qing didn’t want to sleep again. He had slept until noon today, so it would be good for his body to move around and stretch. He couldn’t let Li Changfeng accompany him to have porridge!

There was still some leftover food from yesterday’s celebration, but Li Changfeng had already eaten the same dishes twice today. So, Xu Qing planned to cook fish! Of course, Li Changfeng would have to catch the fish when he returned because it was difficult for Xu Qing to go downhill to the river with his situation right now.

Looking at the three remaining Chinese cabbages, Xu Qing felt a bit distressed. With just him and Li Changfeng, they couldn’t finish all three in one meal, but if they didn’t eat them, they would go bad by tomorrow morning!

“Right! I can make pickled vegetables!”

Deciding to make it, Xu Qing found two medium-sized jars, washed them clean, filled a pot with enough water, and added a drop of spiritual spring water. It enhanced the flavor. Then he lit the fire. Not long after, he heard the water boiling in the pot. He was about to start washing the jars with hot water when Li Changfeng returned.

“Why didn’t you wait for me to come back and do it? You need to rest more!” Li Changfeng held Xu Qing’s hand, which was about to open the pot lid, and sat him down on a stool. “It’s your fault!”

“Yes, yes, it’s my fault. What do you want to do? Just tell me, and I’ll do it!” Li Changfeng opened the pot lid and saw a pot of water. He thought Xu Qing wanted to take a bath, but unfortunately, the bathtub needed two more days to dry!

“Scoop some hot water and rinse the two jars on the table!” Xu Qing wasn’t being coy. With free labor at his disposal, he felt relaxed and happy!

Li Changfeng followed Xu Qing’s instructions and carefully rinsed the jars. This satisfied Xu Qing, who used to worry that men wouldn’t be meticulous in their work.

“Then pour the hot water from the pot into the vegetable basin. Let it cool. We still have some time. Go to the river downstream and catch a big spiny fish for me,” Xu Qing said, thinking that Li Changfeng might have some doubts. He added, “I have a use for it!”

However, Li Changfeng didn’t ask anything and simply picked up the wooden bucket by the well. After greeting Xu Qing, he walked away. Xu Qing and the other orphans often caught fish for fun when they were young. Although Li Changfeng and his brothers didn’t catch many spiny fish when they were younger, he was still fast. By the time the hot water in the vegetable basin hadn’t completely cooled down, he had already returned with several fish in hand. “I was afraid that one fish wouldn’t be enough for you to play with, so I caught a few more.” His pants got slightly wet from the river water, but the rest of his body remained dry.

Hearing this, Xu Qing wanted to roll his eyes. Who said he wanted to play with fish! “First, feed the piglet, and then I’ll tell you what to do next.” He couldn’t let Li Changfeng gut the fish now, or else his hands would be covered in fishy smell!

After Li Changfeng fed the piglet and cleaned the pigsty, the water finally cooled down.

“Divide the water into two parts and fill the jars up to about halfway. Yes, pour a little more. Perfect!”

“Clean these three heads of cabbage, separate the leaves from the stems, and cut them into strips,” Xu Qing watched Li Changfeng’s skilled knife work and couldn’t help but give some instructions.

“Is this okay?” Li Changfeng paused and let Xu Qing take a look. Only after Xu Qing nodded did Li Changfeng resume cutting quickly.

“Crush these pieces of ginger a little bit and throw them into the jars, and also add this,” Xu Qing found the grounded Sichuan peppercorns. “Put them in too.”

Although Li Changfeng was curious about the taste of Sichuan peppercorns, he didn’t ask. He was somewhat looking forward to what this dish would taste like!

“Make sure to add plenty of salt!” Since it was their first time making pickled vegetables and they were using plain water, they could add more salt. Salt wasn’t expensive here, and every household had it stocked.

“Then throw the cut cabbage in, put the leaves in one jar and the stems in another.”

Once Li Changfeng finished, Xu Qing said, “Cover the jars with lids, pour a little water along the edges of the jars, and we can eat it tomorrow night!” Xu Qing added some spiritual spring water, which would speed up the pickling process.

Li Changfeng placed the jars on an empty space in the utility room as instructed, and then he followed Xu Qing’s request and killed a large fish. “Have you eaten this before?” Li Changfeng’s tone was somewhat inscrutable.

“I know what you’re thinking. After you eat the fish I make, you might end up catching fish for me every day!” Xie Ama’s improvement in cooking fish was thanks in part to Uncle Xie occasionally catching a couple of fish for him to cook!

“No need, I know how to do it now. I’ll make it for you!” Since Xu Qing said he knew how to cook fish, Li Changfeng went along with it. If the taste wasn’t good, he would earn more money in the future to ensure Xu Qing could have meat every day. He couldn’t make him angry!

“Don’t just talk, take action!” Xu Qing looked at the fish in the pot and teased Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng didn’t argue either. “By the way, I ran into Uncle Xie this morning. He said we should go catch some baby chicks tomorrow!”

Xu Qing had almost forgotten about the baby chicks! “They hatched already?! I completely forgot about it!”

“They hatched a while ago, but we have to wait until the chicks are strong enough before catching them. Otherwise, if we catch them too early, not many will survive!” Xu Qing scooped up the tantalizing fish meat. His wife was truly amazing! Even a spiny fish could be turned into such a delicious dish. It was no less delicious than pork!

“Then let’s go to Uncle Xie’s house to catch them as soon as we return tomorrow!” The sooner we catch them, the sooner we can eat chicken!

“Alright!”

After enjoying a bowl of porridge and savoring the delicious fish, they finished their hygiene routines and went to sleep. They had to wake up early the next morning.

Holding his warm and cozy wife in his arms at night, Li Changfeng felt a bit enamored. Once he indulged in carnal desires, he couldn’t resist the temptation. Just holding him like this, even if Xu Qing didn’t do anything, he would still react! Oh well, his wife’s well-being was more important!

***

Returning to the ancestral home meant going back after one day of marriage. When Xu Qing woke up early in the morning, there was no one beside him. He looked outside the window, and it was still dim. Where did Li Changfeng go? After putting on his clothes, he walked into the kitchen and saw that breakfast was already prepared. Xu Qing became even more puzzled. Where is he? Not long after, Li Changfeng came back with a hen from somewhere.

“Did you get it from the Wei family?” Li Changfeng said last night that he would take care of the gift for their visit. Xu Qing didn’t need to worry about it.

The second son of the Wei family in the village and Li Changfeng were good friends, even in the military camp. Yesterday, they came to Xu Qing’s house with others to give gifts and found out that the person visiting was actually Li Changfeng!

Knowing that Li Changfeng was skilled in carpentry, and since he himself was about to get married, he wanted Li Changfeng to make two large wardrobes for him. Li Changfeng agreed without mentioning any payment, but Second Wei insisted on not accepting it. So Li Changfeng asked if they had any chickens at home, and since they did, Li Changfeng asked for a hen in exchange for making two large wardrobes for him!

Last night, Li Changfeng had also mentioned this matter to Xu Qing. They were assigned to the same location in the military camp, and over the years, they had developed a good rapport. So when it came to the wardrobes for Second Wei’s wedding, Li Changfeng didn’t want to talk about money. Since they didn’t have a gift prepared for the visit, Li Changfeng mentioned this exchange.

“You know what, this old hen is quite big! Second Wei is indeed just like his father, straightforward!” Xu Qing observed the hen clucking nonstop and felt satisfied. When Li Changfeng came to visit, Xu Qing was worried that there wouldn’t be anyone familiar to him in the village, and he might feel lonely. But now he felt reassured. At least there was someone else besides himself that he could talk to.

***

Li Ama got up early in the morning. He wore a blue shirt that he only wore on special occasions and neatly combed his hair. He sat in the main room, and Old man Li didn’t go out to work either. Today was the day the newly married couple return to the ancestral home, so the Li family members were all at home.

Eldest Li and the others were also dressed in relatively clean clothes that they rarely wore. This return was also an opportunity for second brother’s wife to officially meet them. It was about giving the second brother some face, right?!

“They’re here! They’re here!” Eldest Li’s second son, who was guarding the courtyard gate, saw a cart approaching from not far away, and one of the people sitting on it was Li Changfeng. He quickly ran back to the main room to report the news!

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Upon hearing that someone had arrived, everyone adjusted their sitting postures.

“Father, Ama, big brother, big brother’s wife, third brother, third brother’s wife, Xiao’er, this is my wife, Xu Qing.”

The members of the Li family looked at Xu Qing’s white and tender face, his bright eyes, and his sweet smile. They were somewhat astonished. Was this really the “ugly ger”? News about Xu Qing’s beauty had already spread among the people in his own village, but it hadn’t reached the neighboring villages yet!

“Wife, these are my father, Ama, big brother and his family, third brother and his family, and my youngest brother.” Li Changfeng carefully pointed out the children to Xu Qing, letting him know who belonged to whom.

“Father, Ama, this is a small token of appreciation from me and Changfeng. I wish you both good health and all the best in everything!”

Xu Qing asked Li Changfeng to bring out the hen and presented it to Li Ama. He also took out some pieces of new fabric for Li Ama, Eldest Li’s wife, Li Laosan’s wife, and Li Xiao’er. “These are the colors I picked. I’m not sure if they suit your preferences!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? We’re all family!” Li Ama, seeing Xu Qing completely different from what he had imagined, opened up with a smile and pretended to be angry. Once Li Ama accepted it, everyone started laughing and joking. They received red envelopes from Old man Li, and Xu Qing gave candies to the children.

As rural folks with fewer formalities, the children were delighted to receive candies, which they rarely had. They happily ran out to show off to their little friends. Eldest Li’s wife and Li Laosan’s wife were pleased to receive good-quality fabric. They could make clothes for their husbands and children. Li Xiao’er was also happy. There’s no ger who doesn’t love new clothes!

“You seem to be easygoing. Our second son doesn’t talk much, but he’s an honest person. If he ever mistreats you, we won’t let him off the hook! Live a good life and have a few more children in the future!” The more Li Ama looked at Xu Qing, the more satisfied he became. He remembered that his father and mother were no longer around, so his tone became more loving.

Xu Qing smiled and nodded. That guy was definitely not honest, but he could handle him!

“This is my room. I gave it to Li Xiao’er when I move out!” Li Changfeng showed Xu Qing around his room.

“Xiao’er seems to be of marrying age. It’s time for him to have a bigger space!” Xu Qing didn’t think he and Li Xiao’er looked the same age at all.

“Second brother, second brother, it’s time to eat!” Li Xiao’er knocked on the open door, looking at the two of them with a bright smile. He used to think that “ugly ger” couldn’t match his second brother. But now, looking at the elegant Xu Qing, he wondered if his second brother could handle him!

***

“Where are you going?” Chen Ama looked at Chen Hong, who was walking toward the courtyard gate.

Chen Hong clasped his hands and calmly replied, “I’m going to pick vegetables.”

“Chen Qi’s wife!”

“Ai!” Chen Qi’s wife, who was about to prepare lunch, heard Chen Ama calling and quickly came out.

“Is there enough food for lunch today?” Chen Ama stared at the slightly trembling Chen Hong and asked Chen Qi’s wife.

“It’s enough. I just picked a bunch of vegetables.” Chen Qi’s wife didn’t think much of it and thought that Chen Ama was worried about not having enough vegetables.

“I thought it might not be enough, so Xiao Hong wanted to go pick some. You cook. Xiao Hong, go help!” Don’t think he doesn’t know what his son wants to do. Today is the day of second Li’s return visit, and of course, his son would want to see Li Changfeng!

Chen Hong knew that Chen Ama saw through his intentions. He wanted to sneak a glance at Li Changfeng and Xu Qing, just to see if Li Changfeng willingly entered the “ugly ger’s” house!

“What are you waiting for? Go now!”

Chen Qi’s wife finally noticed the strange atmosphere between Chen Ama and Chen Hong. He wiped his hands and gently pulled Chen Hong, saying, “Go inside, or else Ama will get angry.”

Chen Hong looked up at Chen Ama and saw a warning and dissatisfaction in his eyes. His heart sank, feeling numb as Chen Qi’s wife pulled him into the kitchen. His own Ama had never looked at him with such eyes before. Did he really disappoint him? Was everything he had done to become better for Li Changfeng all in vain? He couldn’t believe it!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan:

Did I accidentally translate three chapters? Holy crap, this chapter was loooooong. Over 6,000 words. It took me a long time to translate this. That’s why I’m late uploading it today. I almost split it into two.

Anyway, finally everyone knows Xu Qing is no longer the ugly ger. Rude of them to call people like that though.

Li Weilan never believed in guardian angels.

He didn’t even know what he was thinking at the time. He blurted out that person’s good deeds. As for referring to this mysterious person as his “guardian angel,” it was just a perfect lie he made up to deceive someone like Xi Nan who still had some light in his eyes.

In the quiet of the night, Li Weilan took the initiative to take the first half of the night watch and let Xi Nan take the second half, even though he knew very well that keeping watch was completely unnecessary. With the presence of the protective shield, as long as the shield was active, nothing could harm them. But Li Weilan was aware that he could not let Xi Nan and the others develop a sense of dependence. He was not their protector, and in this world, no one should be responsible for someone else’s life. So even if it was unnecessary, he would propose a fair and just watch schedule.

Fortunately, Xi Nan agreed without hesitation.

At this moment, it was the first half of the night. Xi Nan and Xi Bei went to rest by the campfire, and their faint snoring could be heard.

Li Weilan turned his head and saw that he and his sister were hugging each other for warmth, like two small beasts rolling into a ball. The scene was heartwarming.

After making sure they were both asleep, Li Weilan flashed into his space.

As soon as he entered his space and saw the situation inside, Li Weilan was stunned.

He knew what his space used to look like: it was full of supply boxes filled with food and other necessities, but all of these things had been taken away before he was betrayed by those people.

When he picked up the scraps of wolf meat earlier, he just piled them up in his space without bothering to organize them, so his original expectation was to enter a messy, bloody space.

But now it was not like that.

In his space, the sky was gray and gloomy, but the wolf meat that should have been piled up in a mess was neatly hung up, with several large pieces of wolf skin already tanned and hanging under the eaves. The old thatched hut was spotless and clean.

His ability outbreak had stopped, and the space had been upgraded already. But no matter how upgraded it was, he had never heard of anyone’s space having the ability to automatically organize like this.

Who did all this?

Li Weilan’s heart began to ripple faintly.

Could it be that the person who was secretly watching him could enter his space at will?

No, that’s too scary.

This couldn’t be possible.

The space of an ability user could only be entered by themselves. This was an iron law. Even if the person who saved him had extraordinary powers, it would be impossible for them to enter his space.

Li Weilan calmed down, but he tasted a bit of bitterness and unease in his mouth: no, he couldn’t store anything in the space for the time being. An uncontrollable space was something he would rather not have.

**

It wasn’t until after work the next day that Shen Cheng had time to log back into the game.

Calculating the time, it had almost been 24 hours since she first used the protective shield for the little one.

Being a corporate slave, her day was very busy. Shen Cheng had a boss who treated her like an aninal but still claimed to “value and train” her. During the day, she was as busy as a top, and even taking a breath or drinking water was a luxury. Eating was just a quick few bites, and she had no time to open the game until she got on the subway and found a seat. Only then did Shen Cheng click on the icon on her phone.

The screen that popped up made her pause for a moment: what’s going on? Is someone bullying my cub?

On the phone screen, the progress of the protective shield had just reached 0:0:0.

And the system gave a new task:

[Main Quest 3: Investigate the bandit stronghold and rescue the refugees. Current completion: 0/20.

Task reward: 20 gold coins.]

Shen Cheng only glanced briefly at the task requirements before quickly shifting her attention back to the game itself.

Li Weilan was standing next to a car. In front of the car was a roadblock lined with spikes, and next to the roadblock was a group of men with colorful hair, each holding a bat or flamethrower.

Shen Cheng’s impression of Li Weilan was still stuck in the moment when she first entered the game and saw him being tied up in a miserable state. She was afraid her character would get hurt again. When she saw the sharp spikes on the road on the screen, a surge of anger rose in her heart.

If the purpose of the roadblock was only to force people passing by to stop, then putting spikes on the road was truly cruel! This completely disregarded the driver’s safety!

Once the car ran over these spikes, the tires would be damaged. If a tire burst while driving at high speed, the vehicle body might not be able to maintain balance, causing it to stall, leak oil, spin out of control, and even causing the driver’s death.

Moreover, according to the background of this game, her character would be unlikely to find a place to replace the tires. Shen Cheng didn’t even know how her cub worked so hard to find an intact vehicle to hit the road. She felt sorry for the car, and also felt sorry for her cub who would be bullied again if she wasn’t present.

Li Weilan could feel the disappearance of the protective shield.

A flash of coldness flickered in his eyes, and he looked at the group of arrogant thugs in front of him. However, the expression on his face was a helpless smile: “If you want the car, take it. We really didn’t bring much with us. If you take the car, just let us pass.”

When Shen Cheng heard him say “take the car if you want”, she couldn’t help but laugh at the cartoon “angry twisted” lines that appeared above his head. But then she suddenly realized that she was in the train, so she quickly covered her mouth like a little hamster and looked around, revealing an embarrassed expression.

Hey, my cub speaks with insincere words, but is really cute.

Although She doesn’t want her cub to give up the car, there isn’t much of a choice.

The way the car looks, it’s clearly a Hummer. If it was her, she would really reluctant to give it away!

The next second, Shen Cheng saw little speech bubbles popping up above the heads of the group of ugly men across from the cub, each with their own unique features: “spineless.”

“One disabled person, one weakling, and one woman, hehe, perfect.”

“Kill the useless disabled person, and keep the woman for us, it’s is just right…”

The dense malice rushed toward her like a tornado.

My cub is not disabled! His hand is just injured!

Shen Cheng angrily poked the language bubbles above their heads and, seeing those dirty words on the screen, felt her hands trembling with anger. If it was just for the materials, it would be one thing, but these people’s hearts clearly don’t want to let go of either the car or the people!

Shen Cheng’s heart was in her throat: Cub, you must not have a soft heart. Don’t think that giving in a little will make everything better. You can’t just tolerate these riffraff!

One of the people blocking the way pushed through the crowd. Swinging a club and his face full of malice, he walked toward the car.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Brother…” Behind Li Weilan, Xi Nan felt the unfriendly eyes of those people and worriedly called out to Li Weilan, his concerned gaze falling on Li Weilan’s softly drooping right hand. “How about you take my sister and go? I’ll cover you guys from behind…”

Li Weilan’s eyes went from helpless to cold in an instant, but Shen Cheng’s heart was put at ease. Although she didn’t know what Li Weilan’s special ability was, a person who could kill a mutant wolf and even had extra wolf meat to feed them couldn’t be the naive and sweet person he appeared to be!

Shen Cheng didn’t know if her cub could see it, but she could see clearly in front of the screen: the thug approaching had something flashing faintly in his hand. Judging by its sharpness and length, it was probably a knife!

He wants to ambush my cub!

In a moment of panic, Shen Cheng’s fingers frantically swiped across the screen, not knowing where she had touched. On the screen, the gangster had just approached Li Weilan, preparing to strike with a sure hit, when a sudden burst of force kicked him in the rear, causing him to topple headfirst into the muddy ground beside the car with a “thud.”

In his hand, the dagger glinted in the sunlight.

The scene suddenly became silent as a chicken. There was no one else around, so the only person who could have kicked the thug like this was Li Weilan!

A disabled person dared to be so arrogant?

The leader of the group of thugs, who had been standing idly by, was taken aback. He spat out the grass root in his mouth and realized that since the ambush had been revealed and the other side was now aware, it was impossible to deal with them peacefully. With a gleam in his eye, he raised his arm and shouted, “Charge with me! Kill the men, and you can have your way with the woman later!”

When the thug toppled into the mud, Li Weilan was also taken aback. He had deliberately made a few minor mistakes a few hours ago, but the person behind the scenes had not shown up, and he thought that the person had given up monitoring and following him. But now, how did they appear again?

Li Weilan felt a sinking feeling in his heart, but at this moment, he no longer had the patience to play around with these useless people.

Shen Cheng, however, did not know what her cub was thinking. She looked at Li Weilan’s lowered arm and the group of thugs charging towards him, feeling both nervous and worried. She thought, “My son is all alone, and he’s injured. How can he fight against such a fierce and evil group of people!”

She felt a bitter taste in her mouth, what should she do?

When Shen Cheng’s gaze fell on the car beside her, she suddenly remembered something: since she could lift the wolf meat with a swipe of her screen, and she could find the right position to kick the thug earlier, could she also lift the car?

With a vague understanding of the game’s controls, Shen Cheng frantically tried to swipe her fingers to lift the car beside Li Weilan, pulling it up and down.

What no one noticed was that the car beside Li Weilan suddenly lifted off the ground, hovering about two inches above the ground.

Only Li Weilan noticed.

He restrained his power that was ready to burst forth and curled up on the ground, dodging the first blow that came from the small gangster with the force of a thousand catties.

“??? Are you such a coward, big brother?”

Behind him, before Xi Nan could even ask this question, he had just started to wonder if he had follow the wrong big brother. However, the Hummer, which weighed over two tons, flew up into the air and then landed heavily with a loud “bang” as Xi Nan stared in shock.

The scene was, for lack of a better word, a complete mess.

A total disaster.

Li Weilan smiled slightly in front of this mess.

“Ah,” his voice was as sweet as honey, “I told you, I have a guardian angel.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Greetings from the translator

I am really enjoying this novel so far, so I continued to read and translate along the way. Hope you guys like it too 😀

Compared to Xu Qing’s suffering, Li Changfeng felt much more comfortable.

Early in the morning, Li Ama and Old man Li got up, heated water for Li Changfeng to take a bath and wash his hair, and after having a bit of food, Li Changfeng began to tidy up.

He didn’t have many belongings. The clothes from five years ago no longer fit him. He had grown taller and stronger, so he only had a few pieces of clothing. After organizing his clothes, he closed the door, rolled up his sleeves, and squatted down to move the cabinet!

Li Changfeng tapped around the spot where the cabinet had been moved.

“Dang dang!” A hollow sound came from somewhere! Li Changfeng’s eyes lit up. He found something in the room and started digging in that spot on the floor. Before long, an iron box appeared!

Li Changfeng picked up the box, which was about the size of his palm. After cleaning it, he placed it on the bed and moved the cabinet back!

Opening the box, he found twenty-five taels of silver inside! This was the money he had saved from doing odd jobs since he was thirteen. It was originally meant for getting married and marrying a wife, especially when he was betrothed to Li Wangshi. He had made great efforts to save money for that. Later, when he went to serve in the army, he didn’t take the money with him but buried it under the cabinet.

The cabinet weighed more than two hundred catties. It wouldn’t be moved unless necessary. It was because of this that Li Changfeng felt safe leaving the money there.

“Li Changfeng! Are you ready?!” Chen Qi shouted loudly outside. Li Changfeng quickly closed the box, put it in a small box containing his clothes, and then, after putting on his wedding attire, he opened the door.

“Well, well, I must say, you look quite handsome in that!” Chen Qi praised as he looked at the tall and upright Li Changfeng in front of him.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Thank you!”

Today was a joyful day for Li Changfeng, and he didn’t brush off Chen Qi’s face, sincerely thanking him.

At this moment, Eldest Li and Li Laosan also arrived at Li Changfeng’s door. “All dressed up! Looking really good!”

Eldest Li also praised. Their second brother was already handsome, and now he looked even more handsome in groom’s attire!

However, Li Laosan noticed that the fabric of Li Changfeng’s outfit was not bad. He murmured to himself, “Could it be that the bride comes from a well-off family?”

“Come, come, this is my wedding gift for you!” Chen Qi handed a wooden box to Li Changfeng.

Eldest Li and Li Laosan also handed over their wooden boxes with indescribable smiles, just like what Xie Ama gave to Xu Qing!

Having read the booklet all night, Li Changfeng naturally knew what those were and what they were used for. He calmly accepted the three wooden boxes and placed the items calmly into the wooden box containing his clothes.

Chen Qi raised an eyebrow upon seeing this. “It seems like your brothers taught you quite a lot last night!” Despite Li Changfeng being older, he didn’t know a thing about the matters between a married couple.

Eldest Li and Li Laosan chuckled, not saying much. Everyone understood!

After kowtowing to Li Ama and Old man Li, bidding farewell to his family, Li Changfeng carried the wooden box and, accompanied by Eldest Li, Li Laosan, and Chen Qi, boarded the ox-cart at the courtyard gate. It was the only ox-cart in the village, hired by Old man Li to escort Li Changfeng to his new home. Even if it was a marriage by joining the bride’s family, the second son had to enter in a grand and glorious manner!

“Hehe, I’ve never ridden in an ox-cart before! Today I’m enjoying your fortune!” Chen Qi sat boisterously on the ox-cart, patting Li Changfeng’s shoulder.

Eldest Li and Li Laosan were also riding for the first time. Eldest Li didn’t feel anything special, but Li Laosan had some knots in his heart, feeling a pang of sourness. Even when he, a scholar, got married, his father didn’t hire an ox-cart for him!

They set off when the day was just breaking. Although it was early, several households in the village were celebrating weddings, creating a lively atmosphere!

Just as Li Changfeng and the others left the gate of Li’s house, Old man Li set off firecrackers at the gate, indicating that they were also celebrating!

Chen Hong, who was hiding not far from Li’s house, watched Li Changfeng, dressed in groom’s attire, ride away on the ox-cart. He couldn’t shed any more tears, stumbling back home. However, he accidentally bumped into someone.

“Ama?!”

Chen Ama had followed his son here, naturally witnessing Chen Hong’s foolish gaze fixed on Li Changfeng. His heart was filled with anger and pain!

“You, you!! Go! Go back home!”

Meanwhile, Butcher Liu had already decorated both the inside and outside of the courtyard, and Uncle Xie arrived with a cart full of vegetables!

“Come, come, come! Old Liu, lend a hand!” Uncle Xie unloaded the vegetables and carried them to the kitchen while calling for Butcher Liu’s help.

Xie Ama set off from the kitchen and gave Uncle Xie a glare. “What’s going on? You left so early and only coming back now!”

Uncle Xie was also helpless. “There are too many people getting married today, and these vegetables are in high demand!”

“Alright, alright, go inside quickly. We’ve been waiting for you!” Xie Ama replied and patted his clothes, preparing to head towards the courtyard gate.

“Where are you going?” Uncle Xie was afraid that his wife would also go to help with the vegetables. His health wasn’t good!

“Brother Qing’s house only has one table! I’m going to bring our table over!”

“What are you thinking? Don’t go. I’ll go as soon as I finish moving the vegetables!” The distance was not short, why bring a table by himself!

Xie Ama didn’t insist and turned around, heading back to the kitchen. “By the way, where’s the wine you bought?”

Uncle Xie wiped the sweat off his forehead after delivering the remaining vegetables to the kitchen. “It’s in the cart!”

“I brought it in!” Butcher Liu carried three jars in his arms and walked in steadily.

“You’re really amazing, Old Liu!” One jar alone weighed more than 20 kilograms!

“Haha, today we two brothers will have a good drink!”

“What’s so good about it?!” Liu Ama, carrying two large baskets of melon seeds mixed with some candies, which were snacks for the guests attending the wedding banquet.

“Nothing much, let’s go, Old Xie. Don’t you still need to bring the table?” Butcher Liu signaled to Uncle Xie. “Right, right, let’s go!” Uncle Xie immediately nodded and pulled Butcher Liu out of the door.

“Hmph, he thinks I don’t know what he’s planning!” Liu Ama glared at the back of Butcher Liu and muttered. Wei Ama swiftly washed the vegetables and burst into laughter upon hearing his words.

“My old man at home is the same. He loves to drink! Otherwise, he’ll complain about feeling weak all over!” Wei Ama’s husband is an honest and hardworking farmer. But unlike the plump Wei Ama, his husband is very thin! Today, he went to help another wedding, so he didn’t come over.

“I don’t know what’s so good about drinking!” Xie Ama hated the smell of alcohol the most! Unfortunately, Uncle Xie still secretly drank.

In addition to bringing their own table, Uncle Xie and Butcher Liu also borrowed some unused tables from other households in the village. As soon as the tables were placed in the courtyard, they heard voices coming from outside the gate.

“The groom is here!”

“The groom is here!”

“The groom is here!”

As the shouts came closer, Uncle Xie also fired a shot at the gate of Xu Qing’s house! It was the sound of celebratory fireworks welcoming the arrival of the groom!

Xu Qing sat in the newly decorated red room prepared by Liu Ama and Xie Ama, listening to the sound of fireworks in the courtyard. His heart was pounding. Li Changfeng had arrived!

From afar, Eldest Li saw the future home of his younger brother, and he was the first to shout, “The groom is here!” Chen Qi and Li Laosan followed suit. Li Changfeng looked at the unique adobe house down the mountain, and his eyes became increasingly fiery. This was where Xu Qing lived, and he was waiting for his arrival!

Of course, such loud voices early in the morning spread throughout the village.

“Is that the sound coming from the back mountain?!”

“It’s the ugly ger’s house!”

“Not ugly anymore! Haven’t you heard the matchmakers say that his face has improved and he looks fair and clean!”

“That’s why he didn’t agree to the marriage proposal! Turns out, he wanted someone to marry into the family!”

Li Changfeng was the first to get off the carriage. He personally hung another firecracker on the side where Uncle Xie hadn’t fired and lit it. This was the sound of a double firecracker saluting together.

Eldest Li and Li Laosan carefully inspected Xu Qing’s courtyard. Li Ama had asked them to observe and report back on the matter.

Xie Ama stood at the gate and shouted loudly, “Li’s second son, Li Changfeng, voluntarily comes to marry Xu’s son, Xu Qing! Congratulations to the two newlyweds! May you have a harmonious hundred years together and bear noble children early!”

This was tradition, whether it was a groom entering the bride’s house or marrying a bride. A senior family member had to shout the names of the couple at the gate to inform the guests who the newlyweds were!

The expressions of Eldest Li and the others became somewhat subtle. Xu Qing, the son of the Xu family, was the “ugly ger!!”

Chen Qi gave Li Laosan a discreet glare. If it weren’t for him causing a family dispute, how could Li Changfeng have married the “ugly ger!”

“Thank you, elder!” Li Changfeng respectfully bowed to Xie Ama’s loud shout of congratulations. Uncle Xie laughed heartily, “My surname is Xie. Yes, my wife is also from your village!”

After the fireworks at the gate were finished, Xie Ama came out of the kitchen. As soon as he emerged, he heard his husband’s booming voice.

“Congratulations to the groom! Come on, the main hall is ready. As soon as the auspicious time arrives, we can perform the wedding ceremony!”

Butcher Liu and Uncle Xie also entertained Eldest Li and the others. Many adults and children from the village gathered at Xu’s gate to join in the excitement. No matter what gifts they brought, they were all welcomed by Liu Ama and Xie Ama. Wei Ama also distributed the prepared snacks to the children who were saying auspicious words.

Slowly, more and more guests filled the courtyard. Although most of them were spectators, it didn’t dampen Xie Ama’s joyful mood at all. The more people at the wedding, the more auspicious it was!

As the auspicious time approached, Xie Ama and Liu Ama entered the new room and assisted Xu Qing, who was covered in a red veil, to the main hall for the wedding ceremony!

“The auspicious time has arrived! Please welcome the newlyweds!” With Uncle Xie’s shout, Xu Qing, dressed in red, appeared in front of everyone, causing Li Changfeng, who had been waiting, to blink.

Li Changfeng and Xu Qing stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Xu parents’ memorial tablets. The ceremony began!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

“Sigh…”

Chen Qi lay in bed, sighing with frustration. Since the day he made Xiao Hong cry with his words, until today, he has remained gloomy. No matter how much he apologized or tried to cheer him up, it didn’t work. What worried him the most was that Xiao Hong had a slight fever in the afternoon. Fortunately, there was a local folk doctor not far from their house, or else…

“You’re still not asleep? You have to accompany Li Changfeng tomorrow!”

Chen Qi’s wife advised helplessly, listening to his sighs.

Chen Qi turned over and hugged his wife’s warm body. “I’m thinking about Xiao Hong. He had a fever this afternoon. Why did it become so serious?!”

His wife snuggled in Chen Qi’s embrace and said, “I find it strange too. Younger Brother has always said that it’s not because of you, but his health is deteriorating. He’s been eating less these days!”

Chen Ama and Old man Chen were also at a loss. They didn’t consider it a big deal initially. It was just some nonsense from the elder brother that made the younger brother feel uncomfortable. Who would have thought that in these few days, instead of improving, it had worsened, and they couldn’t figure out why!

“The atmosphere at home has been heavy these past few days, completely different from the harmonious and warm environment we had before…”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things that day!”

Chen Qi’s wife shook his head. “I think it’s because Little Brother has grown up. There might be something bothering him.”

Chen Qi was startled and looked at his wife in his arms. “What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain. It’s just my intuition. You won’t understand even if I tell you. Now, go to sleep quickly! You have to wake up early tomorrow!”

“Are you sleeping already?”

Li Ama nudged Old man Li, who was sleeping with his back turned. The thought of their second son marrying out tomorrow weighed heavily on his heart.

Old man Li rolled over and lay flat, half asleep. “You’re not sleeping either.”

“I can’t sleep. Just thinking that our second son will become someone else’s son-in-law tomorrow, and I have to wait until he brings his wife back to see them. It’s unsettling!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

If he were marrying a local ger like the eldest and third sons did, he would feel more at ease. At least he would know whose son the other person was, what his character was like, and what the family conditions were.

“Do you think he will marry someone from the village or from outside?” Li Ama asked. He would feel more relieved if it were someone from the village.

“How would I know!”

Li Ama pushed Old man Li discontentedly. “That’s why I asked you to guess!”

“What’s the use of guessing? Just go to sleep. We have to prepare several tables for the banquet tomorrow! We need to wake up early!”

This son-in-law’s family would also have a banquet, but with fewer tables. They would only invite close relatives for a meal, inform them, and hang a big red cloth at the entrance to signify the occasion. It wouldn’t be as troublesome as marrying someone in.

The next morning, before dawn, Xie Ama, accompanied by Wei Ama and Liu Ama, knocked on Xu Qing’s door. Xu Qing squinted his eyes, sat up abruptly, and was about to put on his clothes when something got stuck under his buttocks, causing him intense pain.

“What is this?”

Xu Qing reached under his buttocks with his hand and pulled out the culprit. As soon as he saw it, he threw it away as if it had burned his hand—it was the booklet he had looked at last night!

“Brother Qing, get up and open the door quickly!!”

“Here we are!”

Xu Qing hurriedly jumped out of bed and ran to the door but quickly turned back and hurriedly stuffed the booklet he had thrown on the floor into the wardrobe. Only then did he hastily open the courtyard gate.

“Xie Ama, Wei Ama, Liu Ama, good morning!” It’s important to be polite!

“Morning! Wow, Brother Qing’s face has indeed improved!” Wei Ama’s straightforward personality remained as cheerful as ever.

“Very good, very good!” Liu Ama seemed increasingly satisfied with Xu Qing.

“Come on, Liu Ama and I will help groom Brother Qing. Wei Ama, go to the kitchen and boil some water. If you need anything, just let us know. My husband will bring the dishes over soon!” Xie Ama efficiently assigned tasks, then turned to Butcher Liu and said, “Butcher Liu, we’ll leave the red cloth and double happiness stickers for inside and outside the courtyard to you!”

“No problem! No problem! Leave it to me!”

“Let’s go, let’s go! We don’t have much time!”

Under the dual bombardment of Xie Ama and Liu Ama, Xu Qing was escorted back into the house.

“What’s this?!”

Xie Ama took out something from the bundle they brought—it looked like a piece of yarn. But when he brought it in front of Xu Qing, he finally saw clearly—it seemed to be…

“It’s intestines! It’s used specifically for removing facial hair!” Liu Ama explained while fetching Xu Qing’s formal attire.

“Removing facial hair?! I… I don’t need it, right? Xie Ama, look, there’s nothing on my face!” He was almost 21, and he had yet to have any facial hair!

Xie Ama leaned in for a closer look. “It seems like there’s nothing.”

As soon as Xu Qing saw a glimmer of hope to escape, he immediately pointed to his fair cheeks. “Besides, I’ve only recently recovered! What if I remove it and it grows back again?!”

At this moment, even Liu Ama approached and thought for a moment before persuading Xie Ama, “That’s true, let’s forget about it. It wouldn’t be good if it causes any trouble!”

Xie Ama helplessly put down the “intestinal” contraption and took out something else that made Xu Qing’s molars ache!

Xie Ama heated a silver needle over an oil lamp flame for disinfection. Seeing Xu Qing’s eyes almost popping out, he smiled and explained, “You can’t refuse this one! Every bride needs to have two ear piercings as a sign of being married!”

He made Xu Qing look at his own and Liu Ama’s ears. “Don’t worry, even if you don’t have anything to wear, once it grows, there will still be a trace of the hole!”

Then he took two small beans of an unknown variety and placed them on both sides of Xu Qing’s earlobes where the piercings were supposed to go. Xie Ama handled one earlobe, and Liu Ama took care of the other.

Xu Qing’s body trembled, but since Xie Ama had said it was a symbol of marriage, he could only swallow his saliva and say, “Thank you, thank you, Xie Ama, Liu Ama, please be gentle!”

“Don’t worry, we guarantee you won’t feel a thing!”

Xie Ama and Liu Ama exerted slow pressure on Xu Qing’s earlobes using the beans, aiming to squeeze out the blood and numb the nerves. Xu Qing was in so much pain that he cried out, wanting to run away, but Liu Ama and Xie Ama held him firmly, as if they had known in advance.

“It’ll be over soon! Just endure a bit longer! Don’t move, or we might pierce the wrong spot!” Xu Qing didn’t want to move either! It was just too painful! Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in both ears as the needles pierced through. After the needle, a red thread would be threaded through the ear piercing, and once the bleeding stopped, a tea stem would be inserted.

“Okay, it’s done!”

Xie Ama patted Xu Qing, who was in excruciating pain, and comforted him, “If you can’t bear this little pain, just wait until tonight when it gets worse!”

Xu Qing trembled in pain. Wasn’t it said that it wouldn’t hurt? He completely ignored Xie Ama’s words.

“Hahaha!”

Liu Ama, upon hearing Xie Ama’s words, turned around and burst into laughter!

Xu Qing, in pain and with tears in his eyes, listened to Liu Ama’s hearty laughter and felt a sense of unease taking over him!

Suddenly, he felt something cool being applied to his ears, and the burning sensation slowly subsided. In a moment, the pain was gone. Xu Qing touched his ears in surprise and looked at the miraculous item in Xie Ama’s hand. “What is this magical thing?”

You see, he didn’t dare to use spiritual spring water on his ears around others because his spiritual spring water would heal him too fast!

“No more pain, right? I brought this back when I went to the town. Here, take it. You’ll find it useful!” Xie Ama, with a strange smile on his face, placed a square wooden box on Xu Qing’s wardrobe.

When Liu Ama heard this, he almost couldn’t hold back his laughter, his shoulders trembling.

“Thank you, thank you, Xie Ama!”

Xu Qing didn’t sense anything suspicious and thanked Xie Ama cheerfully. As long as his ears didn’t hurt, everything was fine!

“Are you done? The hot water is ready!”

Wei Ama knocked on Xu Qing’s door and shouted loudly.

“We’re done! We’re coming right away!”

Liu Ama hugged Xu Qing’s new white inner garment, and Xie Ama, who still had an inexplicable smile, pulled Xu Qing out of the room.

Not long after, they returned to Xu Qing’s room. Xu Qing’s face was flushed, and his hair was damp. Xie Ama and Liu Ama held him down and washed him from head to toe!

“I feel like my skin has been scrubbed off!” Xu Qing, wearing the white inner garment and with wet hair, looked at Liu Ama and Xie Ama with a pitiful expression, complaining.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Liu Ama couldn’t bear to see Xu Qing in such a pure and tempting state, so he reached his limit and placed a dry cloth on his head, drying his hair.

After drying his hair, Xie Ama took out another box from his bundle, making Xu Qing feel a bit uneasy. “What’s this?”

Xie Ama smiled and walked up to Xu Qing. “This is a wedding gift from Xie Ama and Uncle Xie to you!” He opened the box, revealing a pair of leaf-shaped earrings. They weren’t large, just enough to cover the pierced area, but “are these made of silver?!”

Xu Qing looked at the earrings in astonishment. You see, even such a small pair of earrings were not cheap for a farmer! It must have cost at least one or two taels of silver!

“This is our heartfelt gift. Don’t you dare refuse it! Otherwise, I won’t be happy!” Xie Ama said, noticing that Xu Qing’s earlobes weren’t bleeding or swollen. He helped him put on the leaf earrings.

Liu Ama also took out a round copper mirror from somewhere. Xu Qing was taken aback. They didn’t have such a thing at home!

“This is a wedding congratulatory gift from my spouse and me. Don’t reject it either.”

Xu Qing repeatedly waved his hands. “How could I! Thank you, Liu Ama. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to be with Chang Feng. This is already the best gift! And you even gave me a gift. This is really…”

Although Xu Qing’s family didn’t have much contact with Liu Ama’s family, because of Xie Ama’s relationship, not only did they get a discount when buying the piglet, but even Xu Qing and Li Changfeng’s connection was facilitated by Liu Ama running errands!

“Enough of those words. Come, take a look!” Liu Ama placed the mirror in front of Xu Qing’s eyes, and he saw his reflection inside. It might not compare to a modern mirror, but it was still an unexpected gift. He was very fortunate to have encountered so many people who genuinely cared for him.

“It looks good!” Xu Qing nodded at his reflection in the mirror, but it was unclear whether he was saying that he looked good or that the mirror itself was good-looking!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Keeping the little person in the game in mind, Shen Cheng hurriedly returned home and had a few bites of rice before opening the game again.

It had been over an hour since she last played and the main mission 1 had been completed, and the order to build the Noah Base had been issued, changing the scene in the game.

As the sky gradually darkened, the little person sat by a bonfire, silently placing something into the fire.

Wait, where was this now? What was the little person doing?

Shen Cheng remembered just before she closed the game, she had given the little person a 24-hour newbie protection shield. She checked her inventory and saw that the remaining time had decreased even when she wasn’t in the game. It was now less than 23 hours.

So during the time she was away, the little person had left the Yellow Sand area and entered a forested area where he had chopped branches and started a fire?

Wow, that’s impressive!

As Shen Cheng admired the little person’s efficiency, she noticed his right hand still hung limply and seemed to be untreated. She couldn’t help but purse her lips and feel a little worried. Even if the little person was just a game character, shouldn’t the game developers have given him proper care? He was even a disabled person, shouldn’t they have made sure he fixed his hand and secured his broken bones before starting a fire and roasting food? Was the AI’s priority not set right?

Shen Cheng lightly poked the little person’s face, pouting slightly.

Li Weilan felt a faint breeze brush past his cheek and instinctively reached out with his good left hand to scratch his face. He felt a hint of confusion in his eyes: with the perception of an ability user, he shouldn’t have just felt the sensation of being watched as a mere illusion.

Who could it be?

Could it be the person who took him off the shelf and gave him a protective cover before?

A flash of seriousness flickered in Li Weilan’s eyes: being secretly observed without knowing who the person is made him extremely uneasy. This won’t do, he must find this person out.

Lighting the fire, roasting meat, all for this purpose.

At this moment, the roasted wolf meat on the shelf was already cooked, sprinkled with a small amount of seasoning. The mutant wolf meat was fragrant, with a crispy surface and tender interior, a rare delicacy of this era.

Li Weilan reached out to take the wolf meat off the shelf. The slightly yellowed surface was dripping with timely drops of grease, making people’s mouths water.

In the face of this rare delicacy, Li Weilan’s eyes were calm like still water, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. But this rare smile froze when the person secretly observing him rushed at him with a knife.

Although she couldn’t smell the fragrance of the roasted meat outside the screen, Shen Cheng felt as if everything she had just eaten had turned into stones. Her stomach was uncomfortable, and she felt hungry just by looking at the roasted meat in the little person’s hand. Her food is not even as good as that her game character. She could only afford to eat those 10-20 yuan takeouts every day, barely filling her stomach without feeling hungry. She kept eating until she felt nauseous at the smell of the takeout, and her life was still worse than that of the pitiful little person just now.

However, soon, Shen Cheng frowned: she could vaguely hear the rustling sound in her earphones, as if something was lurking at the edge of the darkness where the campfire couldn’t reach, watching the little person roasting quietly.

The next second, perhaps unable to resist the fragrance of the roasted meat, the tracker in the dark suddenly appeared in front of the little person.

It was a ragged man.

He held a dagger in his hand and was followed by a skinny and small girl. Both of them were thin and dirty, hunching over with their spines, looking like two grey mice hiding and sneaking around.

[Main Quest 2: Recruit companions to embark together. Current progress 0/2, Quest Reward: Open System Space]

There were only two people in front of him, could they really be considered companions?

But how could she recruit these two people?

The little figure on the screen stared at them, and suddenly a speech bubble appeared above his head. He sighed lightly and his face drooped slightly, as if he sympathized with the plight of these two people.

Li Weilan was undoubtedly disappointed.

He had thought that the person who was secretly watching him would show up to meet him. After all, no matter why the person helped him, he must have some demands on him. Since this person had made an investment, he must show up and meet him. He had thought of using his cooking skills to attract that person. However, what appeared in front of him were just two vagabonds. Maybe he had misunderstood the other person’s intentions.

However, perhaps his sigh gave the two people in front of him the wrong message. The man suddenly knelt down towards him, the dagger falling with a clang, and he reached out to pull the girl behind him, begging loudly, “My sister and I haven’t eaten mutant beast meat for too long, she’s dying, please, give her a bite to eat, I’ll do anything!”

Li Weilan’s calm and emotionless gaze fell on the girl.

Immediately, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Although this girl was covered in dirt and her eyes were dull and lifeless, she couldn’t hide the fact that she had the potential to be a beauty.

Even at this point, if the man was willing to sell his sister, he could still get a few meals in exchange even in this era where nothing was more precious than food. The girl watched him swallow the grilled meat incessantly. If you looked closely, the man was even thinner and weaker than his sister. His sister was covered in dirt, but he was clean. Was he a water ability user? Ability users needed to eat some mutant animal meat from time to time. This thing was as important to them as salt. If they couldn’t eat it for a long time, their abilities would go berserk. However, hunting mutant animals alone was like getting burnt by fire, and the danger was extremely high. This man and his sister must be wanderers.

A water ability user had fallen to such a state…

Li Weilan’s brow twitched slightly.

But what did this have to do with him!

Since he didn’t lead out the person who helped him, he would not give away the wolf meat!

However, just at this moment, the other string of wolf meat that had been slightly burnt on the fire suddenly flew up and fell in front of the man, motionless.

But the man didn’t rush to eat it. Instead, he knelt down and loudly said to Li Weilan, “Thank you for saving our lives. My name is Xi Nan, and this is my sister, Xi Bei. I am a water ability user. I’ll be responsible for providing drinking water and bathing water for you in the future.”

The man was overjoyed and knocked his head three times at Li Weilan before taking off the meat strips on the skewer and feeding them to his sister behind him. The girl gobbled down most of the meat chunks and then held the remaining small pieces in her dirty hands and handed them to her brother’s mouth.

Li Weilan was dumbfounded. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Suddenly, he felt someone tapping on his back, and then something else poking at him. In that instant, Li Weilan almost jumped up. His intuition was right! The person who had saved him was nearby!

He looked around but couldn’t find anyone.

However, he understood the message from the person hidden in the shadows, and he frowned with forbearance. He said to the man in front of him, “No need to do that. It’s just a small effort. Please get up.”

Shen Cheng watched the classic scene of “the male lead takes in a little brother” and saw Xi Nan, who raised his head to reveal his handsome features, and the little person in front of him who washed off the yellow sand, with the same firm expression, couldn’t help but show a sweet auntie smile.

There was just one small regret. She knew Xie Nan’s name, but she didn’t know the protagonist’s name.

While Shen Cheng was pondering this small question, the little person on the screen had already reached out and helped Xie Nan up.

“I am Li Weilan,” the little person said, revealing his name.

Li Weilan.

Shen Cheng chewed on the name and repeated it twice, and a sweet smile appeared on her face. It sounded quite nice. It seemed that there was no need to continue criticizing the careless game planner.

After the three of them exchanged names, the second task finally showed up as “completed” on the screen.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

On the screen, Li Weilan, Xie Nan, and Xie Bei sat together eating barbecue, and the atmosphere was quiet and warm. Shen Cheng tapped her phone screen, and a line of small characters appeared at the right time:

“[Main Quest 2 Completed. Enter System Space? Y/N]”

Space eh!

This should be the simulated management mentioned in the game, right?

Excitedly, Shen Cheng immediately clicked “yes”, and in the next second, the game screen changed.

“…” Looking at the empty yellow soil and the decapitated wolf head on the ground, Shen Cheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva and felt her hands and feet stiff even through the screen.

Okay, it seems that there’s no need to worry about where the mutant beast meat of the cub came from anymore, it was cut off from this giant wolf.

Cub, you didn’t even bother to clean up after killing this mutant wolf, leaving blood stains all over the ground. Mom doesn’t know where to start cleaning up.

Shen Cheng didn’t realize that she had unconsciously adopted her mom’s mentality, and started cleaning up the messy system space. Fortunately, the game’s cleaning operations are quite simple. Shen Cheng gently clicked on the mutant beast’s corpse, and the system prompted her to cut the meat into pieces and hang it up.

After processing the wolf meat, Shen Cheng also tanned the remaining wolf skin according to the system requirements. When the whole space was finally clean and tidy, Shen Cheng looked at the time and realized it was already past 12 o’clock!

She didn’t feel like she had played enough yet!

Shen Cheng knew that if she didn’t rest now, she would definitely oversleep tomorrow. With a reluctant heart, she took one last look at the space and the empty ground on the screen, said “good night” to the little person on the screen, and went to bed.

Li Weilan sat by the campfire, keeping watch.

Xi Bei had already fallen asleep.

Xi Nan quietly walked up to him and whispered, “Boss, where are we going now?”

“We’re going to Noah,” Li Weilan replied softly.

“Noah?” Xi Nan’s eyes flickered with doubt. He sat down and looked at the exquisitely carved and even somewhat steampunk-ish Noah base token in Li Weilan’s hand. He shook his head in confusion, “I haven’t heard of this base.” According to the level of technology shown on this token, Noah shouldn’t be a small base. But as a wandering scavenger, he had never heard of the name Noah Base, which was really strange.

Li Weilan lowered his eyelids and didn’t speak.

“Boss, this…” Xi Nan hesitated, his gaze falling on Li Weilan’s broken arm. “According to the map, it will take at least two days to get there, and this journey may not be safe. Boss, do you think we should heal our wounds first before we hit the road?”

“There’s no need to worry,” Li Weilan’s voice was calm, with a hint of mystery in the evening breeze. “Someone is watching over us.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Greetings from the translator

What do you guys think of the novel so far, I know it’s only been chapter 2? I really liked the novel I raised a sick and weak prince on NU. Although, its ending was quite abrupt and could have been better, I enjoyed the journey overall.

Evening approached, and the sky became hazy, darkening as a prelude to rain. The diligent farmers had already finished their work in the fields and hurried home. Along the way, they encountered their playful children and pulled their ears, leading them back home.

Chen Qi came back from the fields and sat at the entrance of the courtyard with his head down.

“What’s wrong? Sitting at the doorway and blocking everyone’s way!” Chen Ama, holding the vegetables prepared for dinner, glanced at his son sitting at the door.

“Amo, I said something wrong today and made Little Brother cry…”

“Smack, smack!” Chen Qi’s forehead gained a few bumps. “You really know how to do things! Even I’ve never made Xiao Hong cry!”

Chen Ama stuffed the vegetables into Chen Qi’s arms and hurriedly walked towards Chen Hong’s room. What kind of words should he say to make his own brother cry!

“Of course!”

Father Chen walked past Chen Qi without mercy, adding insult to injury!

Chen Qi touched his nose, knowing he was in the wrong. He carried the vegetables and walked into the kitchen with a dejected look.

Not long after, Chen Qi’s wife also entered the kitchen. It was not yet fully dark, so they didn’t light the oil lamp and immediately rolled up their sleeves to prepare dinner.

Chen Qi slowly moved closer to his wife, lightly bumping his arm. “How did it go? You’ve been in the room all afternoon.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Qi’s wife became furious and grabbed his prominent ears with one hand!

“Sss! Ouch! It hurts! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Enduring the pain in his ears, Chen Qi surrendered and repeatedly apologized.

His wife finally let go and looked at his husband, who was still rubbing his ears. “Honestly! Ama isn’t even in a rush about Little Brother’s marriage, but you, as the eldest brother, are so impatient! When have you ever seen Little Brother cry like that? His big eyes were all swollen!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I won’t say things like that again!”

Chen Qi was filled with remorse. He couldn’t control his mouth and said whatever came to mind. Now, sigh…

Chen Qi’s wife looked at his husband’s remorseful expression and sighed as well. His husband was good in every aspect, except for his habit of speaking without considering other people’s feelings. He always spoke thoughtlessly!

“The unmarried little brother heard his own eldest brother asking why he hasn’t prepared to get married yet. Isn’t that like chasing him away in disguise? How can he not be sad? Your mouth, really…!”

Chen Qi nodded repeatedly as his wife scolded him. It was his fault! It was his fault!

“If… we had a child…”

Chen Qi interrupted as soon as he heard those words and hugged his self-blaming wife tightly. “We will have one. He’s just too mischievous and coming late!”

This matter couldn’t be rushed. When they had just recently gotten married, he had also hoped for a child. But after so many years, he didn’t want his wife to blame himself and feel sad about this matter. It was something between the two of them, and he couldn’t let his wife bear it alone.

“Alright, alright! I won’t say it anymore. Later, apologize to Little Brother properly! Go, start the fire and cook!”

The people in the Li family’s courtyard had also returned. Li Xiao’er knew that the family members would come back early, and now the food was already on the table.

Li Laosan’s expression wasn’t very good. Today, several of his good friends pulled him aside and asked how he managed to separate second brother and make him leave with nothing!

“People who have been educated are different. Teach us brothers a lesson. I’ve been unhappy with my youngest brother for a long time!”

“Yes, yes, yes, Li Laosan, you can’t keep it to yourself!”

“What are you talking about! Li Laosan is an educated person, how could he break his promise! He will definitely teach us! Why the rush!”

“Yes, yes, hahaha…!”

Li Laosan explained with a gloomy face for a long time, but no one believed him. They were even insinuating that he was hiding something!

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and stormed off, leaving everyone behind. Unreasonable! It was simply unreasonable!!

“Is Lao San feeling unwell?”

Li Laosan was asked by Li Changfeng with a caring tone. He turned his head and looked at Li Changfeng’s face full of concern, with worry in his eyes.

“It’s nothing, maybe it’s the sudden cold weather recently, I caught a chill!” Li Laosan forced out the words, swallowing the inquiry at his lips.

“Then you need to take care of yourself. Catching a chill is not good!” Li Ama heard Li Changfeng’s words and noticed that Li Laosan’s complexion was a bit pale!

“Lao San, take it easy these days, your health is important!” Eldest Li also felt that Li Laosan was indeed sick. Just look at his face, so dark!

Eldest Li’s wife served some dishes for his two children, feeling unhappy. Li Laosan was always slow in his work, and now he had to take it easy!

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Here, drink some hot soup to warm up!” Li Wangshi believed it was true and quickly scooped a bowl of hot soup for Li Laosan.

Li Changfeng even took the few fried eggs in his own bowl and put them into Li Laosan’s bowl. These were the eight eggs that Li Xiao’er had fried, with the consent of Li Ama, to nourish their family’s bodies. They needed a strong foundation for the busy spring farming!

Li Laosan looked at the egg that Li Changfeng had put in his bowl, feeling a bit guilty. Why did he have such thoughts about his second brother? It must be that gossiping person in the village spreading rumors!

***

Xu Qing was checking the herbs and seedlings in the space. The herbs were growing stronger, and the seedlings were sprouting. This made Xu Qing quite happy!

After leaving the space, Xu Qing washed his face with the diluted spiritual spring water. “After I washed it this time, I can’t wash it again, otherwise, it will heal too quickly!” Even if he didn’t wash his face with spiritual spring water anymore, it would heal before the wedding day.

That night, it rained heavily. The sparse raindrops formed a lullaby, but Xu Qing was completely unaware of the arrival of the rain. He was sleeping soundly, wrapped in the blanket like a silkworm pupa!

Li Changfeng, however, hadn’t been able to sleep these past few days. Every day that passed without getting married, he couldn’t calm down. Apart from the blind date with Xu Qing at the market, he hadn’t seen him and didn’t know how he was doing. How could a young ger like Xu Qing with a frail body chop firewood, farm the land, and…

He couldn’t imagine how Xu Qing, with such a weak body, managed to live. The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. Xu Qing’s body seemed to be about the same size as Xiao’er’s, and he wondered how much hardship he had endured! How many grievances he had suffered!

He also wanted to secretly meet Xu Qing, but he couldn’t. According to the customs, if one side of the couple went to meet the other side without permission after the wedding date was set, it would mean that the marriage was impure… He didn’t believe in such things, but he was afraid, because Xu Qing was the person he wanted to cherish in his hands for the rest of his life!

Chen Hong was also unable to sleep. He had cried all afternoon today, letting out all the pent-up feelings he couldn’t express about Li Changfeng!

His eyes were frighteningly swollen, yet they carried a kind of melancholic beauty. He had fallen in love with Li Changfeng since he understood things.

Li Changfeng had a handsome appearance, and although he didn’t speak much, he gave Chen Hong an unexpected sense of security. Perhaps it was because of Chen Qi’s unruly nature in front of him, in Chen Hong’s heart, Li Changfeng became the type of man he respected and desired.

Li Changfeng and Chen Qi were good brothers, Li Changfeng often visited Chen Qi’s house, and Chen Hong had more opportunities to see Li Changfeng. Unconsciously, he grew up and developed feelings for Li Changfeng!

However, he couldn’t show any of his inner thoughts. Five years ago, when Li Changfeng got engaged to the Wang family’s son, Chen Hong was ten years old. He felt that his beloved big brother had been taken away, and he was unwilling. So he worked hard to excel in everything, surpassing all the gers in the village!

He succeeded. Whether it was embroidery or appearance, he was the best in the village! When the Wang family’s son married Li Laosan, he was ecstatic in a way that he couldn’t believe himself. He knew that this way, Li Changfeng would be single again.

But this time when Li Changfeng returned to the village, he didn’t come to Chen Hong’s house. He wanted to see Li Changfeng, to show him how the little boy who used to follow him had grown up! He wanted to see the infatuation and admiration in Li Changfeng’s eyes for himself. He felt like he was going crazy!

But what he heard back was that Li Changfeng was engaged… Chen Hong knew that if Li Changfeng didn’t get engaged now, he would have to accept the official arranged marriage, so he thought about finding an opportunity to let Li Changfeng know his feelings and then propose to him!

But it was too late! Too late! Chen Hong covered his eyes with hands that could no longer shed tears. His heart ached like a knife. He couldn’t accept it! He couldn’t accept it!

The sound of rain outside grew louder, weighing down his heart even more…

***

Xu Qing was going crazy these past few days!! Ever since that day when the matchmaker Huang came to propose, more matchmakers have been coming every day. People’s words are really not to be underestimated!

“The Ma family has one of the few large blue-tiled houses in the village! If you marry into their family, you won’t have to worry about food and clothing!” Thanks, he will have his own large blue-tiled house in the future!

“The Wang family has surplus grain every year that can’t be finished!!” Thanks, even though he’s a glutton, he can grow his own food!

“Qian family’s eldest son is really strong and healthy!” Thanks, his family’s Li Changfeng is also strong and healthy; he fits his taste perfectly!!

“Mou family only has one son! Marry into that family, and all the property will be yours!” Thanks, but I’ve always relied on myself!!

!!!!!!!!!

Without any mercy, Xu Qing drove away the last matchmaker. It took him a large glass of water to calm down. These matchmakers are really persistent!!

“Knock, knock, knock!”

Xu Qing didn’t even want to move.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Xie Ama!”

As soon as Xu Qing heard the familiar voice, he almost tearfully opened the courtyard gate for Xie Ama!

“Look at you! I haven’t been here for a few days, and it’s become like this.”

These past few days, Xie Ama had stayed at the in-laws’ house in town and only returned today.

“You don’t know, these waves of matchmakers keep finding ways to come to my yard! I can’t stop them at all! Even when I go out to cut the pig weed, there are people waiting for me!”

Xu Qing bitterly poured out his grievances to Xie Ama. He had been tormented enough by this group of people. He even dreamed every night that someone was persuading him to get married!

Xie Ama frowned. If he and his old partner didn’t live so far away, they wouldn’t let those people hassle Xu Qing like this. “Oh, Brother Qing, your face!!!”

Xu Qing touched his smooth and tender cheeks. “It’s better now, isn’t it?!” It’s because his face has improved in these past few days that even more people have come to propose! He wished he hadn’t used the Spiritual spring water to wash his face that day!

All the red dots on Xu Qing’s face were gone, leaving behind fair skin, rosy lips, and a pair of shiny black eyes. Coupled with his petite figure, he looked even more cute and delicate. Although he wasn’t the most attractive person Xie Ama had ever seen, he was full of liveliness.

“Great! That’s great!”

“Ah, Xie Ama, don’t get too excited!” Seeing Xie Ama on the verge of tears, Xu Qing quickly jumped up to calm him down.

Xie Ama regained his composure but continued to gaze at Xu Qing’s face. “Tomorrow morning, Wei Ama, Liu ama, and I will come to help you to get ready. Xie Ama will bring vegetables tomorrow morning, so you just have a good night’s sleep!”

Tomorrow is the day when Xu Qing and Li Changfeng will get married.

“I’ve already talked to Village head, and as for whether he will come tomorrow, don’t think too much about it. There will be many people getting married in the village tomorrow, and even a sip of water will keep him busy!”

“Well, Xie Ama, you’ve thought of everything!” Xu Qing had been bothered by matchmakers these past few days and hadn’t expected this twist.

“Oh, and…”

Blushing, Xie Ama stuffed a small booklet into Xu Qing’s hands. “Take a look at this tonight!”

Without waiting for Xu Qing’s reaction, Xie Ama quickly left. “Get some rest early tonight!”

“I know! Goodbye, Xie Ama!”

Xu Qing returned to his room, flipped through the booklet Xie Ama gave him, blushed at a glance, and placed the booklet on the wardrobe. He wrapped himself in a blanket and prepared to sleep.

After a while, a hand quickly reached into the wardrobe and took the booklet!

Li Changfeng was also surrounded by Eldest Li and Li Laosan. “Hey, second brother, here, learn well!”

Li Changfeng was confused. “I can’t read. Why should I look at a book?”

Li Laosan chuckled, “It’s fine, this isn’t a book with words, it’s not words, haha!”

“Come on, let’s go! Brother, study it well! Haha!”

Eldest Li and Li Laosan handed the booklet to Li Changfeng and then ran off.

Li Changfeng opened the booklet with curiosity. Gradually, his face turned slightly red, and after a while, his eyes began to sparkle. Finally, with a calm face and a steady heartbeat, he lay on the bed, holding the booklet, and started studying it carefully!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Chen Qi turned abruptly and indeed saw his younger brother with his head bowed, his voice sounding off.

Dropping the hoe from his hand, Chen Qi walked quickly to Chen Hong’s side and lifted his brother’s head, only to gaze into a pair of teary eyes.

“Why are you crying?!”

Chen Qi was about to wipe away Chen Hong’s tears when he noticed his hands covered in mud from repairing the hoe. He suddenly felt at a loss, saying, “Don’t cry! Don’t cry! It’s big brother’s fault. Our younger brother is so good, you’ll definitely find the best match!”

Chen Hong wanted to smile at his caring brother, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t curve his lips upwards. His mind was filled with the matter of Li Changfeng’s arranged marriage, and tears uncontrollably streamed down his face.

“Brother… I’m, I’m fine…”

Chen Hong spoke while crying, unable to stop…

Chen Qi felt a wave of discomfort in his heart, cursing himself inwardly: It’s all his fault for being too talkative!

“Oh no, what happened?! Step aside. Come on, little brother, tell your brother-in-law what’s going on? Did your big brother bully you?!”

Chen Qi’s wife, who had just returned home after fetching pigweed, saw Chen Hong sobbing in their yard, while his husband stood there in a daze.

If he didn’t comfort Chen Hong, that would be one thing, but not even wiping away his tears? Chen Qi’s wife thought angrily, pushing Chen Qi aside.

When Chen Qi’s wife married Chen Qi, Chen Hong was only seven or eight years old. Over the years, since he hadn’t conceived any children himself, he had treated Chen Hong, who was well-behaved and sensible, as his own child. Now, seeing Chen Hong, who usually had a radiant face, crying like a tearful person, it was hard for Chen Qi’s wife to bear in his heart.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Nothing, brother, it’s me. I don’t know why, but I started crying! It has nothing to do with you!”

Chen Hong held Chen Qi’s wife’s hand, vouching for Chen Qi’s innocence. Chen Qi’s wife glared at Chen Qi who had a face full of guilt, then pulled the still-sniffling Chen Hong into his room.

Just by looking at Chen Qi’s appearance, one could tell that there must be a reason for his younger brother’s tears.

Chen Qi felt very uncomfortable in his heart too. He had just spoken without thinking, and now…! He picked up the embroidery basket that Chen Hong had dropped on the ground when he left, dusted off the dirt, and placed it in the main hall. After some thought, Chen Qi tiptoed and leaned against the wall of the main hall, wanting to listen to any sounds inside.

“What are you doing?! Get out! Get out! Don’t you find it chaotic enough?!”

As soon as Chen Qi’s wife opened the door, he saw Chen Qi eavesdropping.

“Uh, well, is our younger brother still crying? Apologize to him for me. I… I’ll go to the field now…”

Watching Chen Qi fumble his way out of the main hall, Chen Qi’s wife helplessly closed the door.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing had finished feeding the piglet and went to the riverside with a wooden bucket. This time, he was using the spiritual spring water to lure the fish. After all, he had bought some herbal medicine from the medicine shop, so it would be beneficial to eat more fish that had consumed the spiritual spring water. He had caught six this time!

As he returned home with the fish, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Without thinking, Xu Qing placed the bucket not far from the well and went to open the gate.

“Oh!”

Xu Qing was startled by what Xie Ama was holding up in front of him.

“You, child, didn’t bring the medicine!”

Seeing Xu Qing patting his chest, Xie Ama grinned and said, “Scared you, huh? Hahaha!”

Xu Qing rolled his eyes inwardly. Who wouldn’t be startled by something suddenly appearing in front of them? But after spending these days in this timeline, he had gotten used to it, and his alertness had decreased significantly!

“Oh, Xie Ama, don’t rush to leave. Come in quickly. I just caught a few fish! Take some back with you!” Xu Qing said to Xie Ama, who was about to leave shortly after arriving at the door.

Upon hearing this, Xie Ama swiftly turned around and followed Xu Qing inside the courtyard.

“I have to say, after eating the fish you made the other day, I wanted to try making it myself, but I kept forgetting to go catch some! Your Uncle Xie is the same. If I don’t catch them, he acts as if he doesn’t even know!” Xie Ama smiled as he looked at the lively fish wriggling in the bucket. He felt contented in his heart. This was meat!

“As long as you follow my instructions, it will surely taste good. Remember to sprinkle some of the Sichuan peppercorn powder I gave you. Oh, and if you have any wine at home, you can add a little. Not too much, just to remove the fishy smell!” Xu Qing thought about the lunch he had at Xie Ama’s house earlier, where Uncle Xie mentioned that he enjoyed drinking a small amount. Xu Qing realized that he had forgotten that alcohol was also good for removing the fishy smell. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any at home. However, he could make his own!

Xu Qing’s eyes gleamed with excitement. This was a business opportunity!

“Alright, alright. I’ll have Uncle Xie obediently bring out his hidden treasure!”

Xie Ama didn’t like the smell of alcohol, but unfortunately, Uncle Xie had a taste for it. Helpless, Uncle Xie kept the alcohol in a place he knew, so as not to bother Xie Ama’s sight. He only drank occasionally.

“Is Brother Qing at home?”

Just as Xie Ama and Xu Qing were chatting cheerfully, a sugary male voice echoed in the courtyard, abruptly silencing their conversation.

Since the courtyard gate wasn’t closed when Xie Ama entered, it could be pushed open easily.

“I’m here. Who is it?”

Xu Qing wiped the chicken skin that was stimulated by the voice on his arm. He heard, “Is Brother Qing at home?”

Xie Ama felt that the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall who it was.

The person outside the courtyard gate heard Xu Qing’s response and gently pushed open the gate. Xu Qing then saw a small mountain! Ahem, I mean, a person who resembled a small mountain.

Xie Ama squinted his eyes as he looked at the person who weighed over 200 pounds at the courtyard gate.

The person who resembled a small mountain was Huang Ama. He dug out a large handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the sweat dripping from his face, and then carefully squeezed his large body into Xu Qing’s courtyard.

“Hey, isn’t this Xie Ama from the village? Are you also here for a chat?” Huang Ama, with his large body, approached Xu Qing and Xie Ama. The sound of Xu Qing’s goosebumps standing up could be heard as Huang Ama greeted Xie Ama with a playful expression on his face.

“I was wondering who had such a ‘captivating’ voice calling Brother Qing. So it turns out to be Huang Ama. Why are you here instead of matchmaking unmarried couples? Why did you come to my nephew’s house?!” Xie Ama’s words immediately woke up the dazed Xu Qing. So this person was a matchmaker!

“Just look at what you’re saying. I came here to play matchmaker!” Huang Ama’s small eyes, almost disappearing into his flesh, quickly surveyed Xu Qing’s courtyard. They gleamed with greed because, you see, if he successfully arranged the marriage for the ugly ger, he would receive double the usual red envelope!

“Heh, you’ve come to the wrong place! It’s getting late, and Brother Qing won’t offer you a seat to stay. Go and attend to your own business!” Xie Ama said with a dismissive tone.

Xie Ama gave Xu Qing a reassuring look and began to show Huang Ama the way out! This Huang Ama was someone who saw money in everything. As long as the red envelope money was enough, he would do anything, even match an unmarried ger with a widow! He had no conscience! Xie Ama wouldn’t give him a good face to see!

Upon hearing Xie Ama’s veiled words, Xu Qing also understood. This person had come to propose marriage! It made sense since Xu Qing, as a young ger without elders to make decisions for him, marrying him would mean bringing along a large piece of land.

Usually, when a man proposes to a ger, it is kept secret. So only Xie Ama’s family and Liu’s family, who knew about Xu Qing’s engagement with Li Changfeng, were aware of the matter. Others would only find out about Xu Qing’s identity after the wedding.

When a man proposes to a ger, he invites a matchmaker to the ger’s house. With a silver tongue, the matchmaker tries to arrange the match. If successful, the man’s family will give the matchmaker a red envelope. If unsuccessful, they still need to pay for the travel expenses.

“Hey hey hey! Why are you chasing me away? Ah? More fish?! Brother Qing, why are you still eating this?” Huang Ama felt uncomfortable. He hadn’t finished speaking yet! How could they chase him away like this? How could he arrange a match if he was driven out?

In the struggle between Xie Ama and Huang Ama, they accidentally kicked the wooden barrel containing the fish, causing it to topple over, spilling water and the fish jumping around.

Xu Qing told Xie Ama not to touch it, as the fish would make his hands smell fishy. He filled the barrel with water again and carefully caught the jumping fish one by one, placing them back in the barrel. He replied irritably to Huang Ama’s words, “Why can’t we eat it?!”

If it weren’t for Xie Ama preventing him from interrupting, he would have kicked out this matchmaker long ago. But he also understood Xie Ama’s intention. This Huang Ama was clearly a petty person. As the saying goes, it’s better to offend a gentleman than to offend a petty person!

Huang Ama’s small eyes lit up. “You see, with just one person living alone, it’s not a good life without getting married. I have some good news to tell you! The Sun family in the village invited me to arrange a marriage proposal for their second son with you!”

After speaking, he had a face full of anticipation, waiting for Xu Qing’s surprised response. He expected Xu Qing to be grateful, as it would be considered a success if they could marry off this “ugly ger.” Otherwise, it would be an arranged marriage by the officials! However, Huang Ama squinted his eyes, puzzled, as he didn’t receive the grateful words he had imagined from Xu Qing. He looked at Xu Qing with suspicion.

To his surprise, Xu Qing was busy picking thorns from the fish with a piece of grass.

“Well, the Sun family is an honest and decent family. Marrying into their family would be much better than your days of eating thorny fish!”

Xu Qing deftly used a grass rope to tie up the three larger fish. These were to be taken back by Xie Ama!

“Tell the Sun family that I, Xu Qing, make my own decisions. They don’t need to worry about me not having enough to eat. I’ll find my own husband. Thank them for their concern. Huang Ama, it’s getting late, and it seems like you’re busy too! I won’t see you off. Goodbye!”

Polite yet firm, Xu Qing “courteously” ushered the incessantly chattering Huang Ama out of the gate, then closed and secured the gate with a resounding thud, just as Huang Ama was still trying to reenter.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

It was noon, and smoke rose from every household in the village, resembling a string of clouds floating in the air.

Xu Qing finished his lunch at Uncle Xie’s house and headed home with his newly made bride’s attire in hand.

As he walked out of the village’s outskirts, he could already see his home, a solitary dwelling in the mountains. Opening the courtyard gate, he heard the squeals of the piglet coming from the pigsty. “Alright, I’ll need to gather some pig feed in the afternoon. Can’t let it go hungry and thin!”

He neatly placed the wedding dress in the wardrobe and gently touched it. In a few days, he would have to wear it. Closing the wardrobe door, he changed into patched clothes and washed his discarded garments by the well, hanging them to dry in the courtyard. “The sun is getting hotter. It seems like the days of spring plowing are approaching.”

Xu Qing put on a backpack, grabbed a knife, locked the courtyard gate, and headed to the vegetable field to gather pig feed. In a few days, he would have to start digging the land, so he needed to tidy up the surface quickly for convenience.

***

“The Zeng family is here for a chat!”

Under a large pagoda tree in the village, several middle-aged gers were sitting together, engaged in a lively conversation. One of them, dressed in gray, spotted another middle-aged ger approaching from the opposite side and quickly greeted him.

“Hey there, come here! It’s none other than you!” The ger called Zeng, responding with a cheerful smile, remembered that he had encountered something significant today. He wanted to have a good chat with them about it!

This Zeng Ama was none other than the one Xu Qing had met at the pharmacy earlier today!

Zeng Ama sat down beside the gray-clad ger, looking at the others across and casually asked, “Have you all eaten?”

The gers nodded politely, feeling somewhat uneasy. The man from the Zeng family was skilled in carpentry and often sought after for various festive or other tasks in the village. So, Zeng Ama led a more comfortable life compared to them. However, Zeng Ama had a sharp tongue and was known to exaggerate things.

The gray-clad ger, who was also close to Sun Ama and Zeng Ama, enjoyed prying into other people’s affairs to enrich himself and entertain others.

“Tsk tsk, is that hairpin on your head made of silver?!” As soon as Sun Ama saw Zeng Ama sit next to him, he noticed the silver hairpin on his head and felt a twinge of sourness in his heart. His own husband was just a farmer with no special skills, and their life was merely getting by, unlike the prosperous Zeng family.

Seeing that everyone else was also looking at his head with envy, Zeng Ama proudly twisted his waist and deliberately touched the silver hairpin on his head with great care.

“Well, of course! Lately, my husband has been getting a lot of dowry-related carpentry work, so we’ve had some extra silver coins. Today, he insisted that I go buy something to dress myself up!”

The others present felt a pang in their hearts.

“I mean, I’m already in my forties, and our son has been married for several years. Why bother with dressing up? But my husband just won’t listen! He keeps saying I’m still young and should take care of myself!”

Sun Ama forced himself to shift his gaze away from Zeng Ama’s head. “Weren’t you planning to go to the market to see a doctor yesterday?” So what if they have money? People still get sick!

“Oh, don’t even mention it! Guess who I ran into at the pharmacy today? Come on, guess!” Zeng Ama’s face turned red with excitement. He stopped fidgeting with the things on his head and stared at the people in front of him, wishing they would all surround him and ask eagerly.

However, the others, whose hearts were aching from the sight of the silver hairpin on Zeng Ama’s head, showed little interest.

“Who was it?”

“Who else could it be at the pharmacy, except the doctor!”

“No, there were other patients who paid to see the doctor!” Sun Ama deliberately emphasized the words “paid,” “see the doctor,” and “patients,” making the others chuckle and cover their mouths.

“No, it’s not them! None of them! Listen carefully! Today, at the pharmacy, I ran into that ‘ugly ger’ from the Xu family!” Zeng Ama completely ignored Sun Ama’s words and loudly announced whom he had actually encountered!

Upon hearing this, everyone started discussing it animatedly.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Ugly ger?!”

“It must be that child from the Xu family.”

“Yeah, it’s him. I haven’t seen him up close in years.”

“Ah, it’s really pitiful. Both his mother and father passed away, leaving behind this poor soul.”

“Yeah, that’s true…”

“Ahem, I haven’t finished yet!” Zeng Ama saw that everyone was ignoring him and quickly coughed a few times to regain their attention.

“The ugly ger’s face, tsk tsk, has improved a lot compared to before. Now it’s just a few small marks!”

As he spoke, Zeng Ama even used his hand to gesture the size of the “marks.” He often went with his own husband to the outskirts of the mountain to cut wood, so he would occasionally catch a glimpse of Xu Qing. Today was the clearest of his face he had seen.

“Is he finally better?”

One of the gers asked with concern. That child was pitiful, and he was a ger. If he were a man, he wouldn’t have suffered so much.

Zeng Ama slapped his thigh. “Yes, he’s getting better! The doctor prescribed him some Chinese medicine to take, and it won’t be long before he’s fine!”

“But why didn’t the Xu couple take the ugly ger to see a doctor earlier? It would have been good if he recovered sooner!”

“You came to our village relatively late, so you don’t know! That child refused to leave the house and see anyone! And I remember, several quack doctors couldn’t find the cause of his illness. So, things just settled down.” This incident caused quite a stir back then.

Zeng Ama waved his hand in a grand manner. “Those things don’t matter. Do you know that the ugly ger has reached the age of marriage this year?!”

Sun Ama felt a stir in his heart. The ugly ger has no elders left in his family! That house, that land! It’s something anyone can acquire just by marrying the ugly ger!

“Oh, I suddenly remembered that I have something to take care of! I’ll go back first. You guys chat! You guys chat!”

Sun Ama quickly bid farewell to Zeng Ama and the others and hurried back home. He had to make good use of his time!

The other gers also realized this and hastily bid farewell to Zeng Ama, who was still unaware of the situation.

“Hey, why is everyone leaving? I haven’t finished yet! And you didn’t even gossip with me about who the ugly ger will be married to!”

Just after Liu Ama’s family finished dinner, Uncle Xie arrived, handing Liu Ama the groom’s wedding attire. He also explained the specific wedding date that had been arranged. Then, he borrowed a donkey cart and returned to Happiness Village.

Because Liu Ama was the one who went to report the good news at Li Changfeng’s house in the first place, he decided to deliver the groom’s clothes this time too. He would then pass the wedding date on to Li Changfeng, signifying the continuation of blessings.

“The 28th is a good day!” Butcher Liu heard that several people in the village had chosen the 28th for their wedding day!

“If it’s not a good day, why would they choose it? Don’t say anything, you’ll only make people angry!”

Liu Ama packed up the items and went to Li’s house to find Li Changfeng.

“Hey, anyone home?”

Opening the door for Liu Ama was none other than Li Changfeng himself. He was afraid of missing any message brought by Xu Qing, so he had decided to stay home a little longer, even after everyone else had left after dinner.

“Come in quickly, Liu Ama. Is this…?” Li Changfeng looked at the things Liu Ama was carrying and asked excitedly. The wedding attire for the couple had to be made by the same person, otherwise it would signify separation! That would be inauspicious!

“That’s right! Remember, on the 28th of this month, you should get everything ready and get married! I’ll come by and have a cup of wedding wine then!”

Liu Ama was also delighted. He exchanged a few more words with Li Changfeng before heading home.

“Definitely! Definitely! Thanks for your efforts, Liu Ama! Take care!”

Li Changfeng carried the wedding attire back to his room, tried it on, and found it fitting perfectly! It felt comfortable! He carefully took it off and put it away, being cautious not to damage it.

He felt like he was floating with excitement! In just a few more days, he would see Xu Qing again, and when they met, they would be a couple!

Li Changfeng opened the cabinet once again, took the seven taels of silver that Li Ama had given him, locked the courtyard gate, and hurriedly left the house.

Chen Qi was repairing a hoe in the courtyard of his home. The hoe had been used for a long time and had become loose, making it difficult for him to dig the ground with force! He had to start planting crops soon, and he couldn’t afford any delays due to this!

Chen Hong carried a wooden stool and sat not far from Chen Qi, holding a basket of embroidery work.

“Brother!”

“What’s up?”

Chen Hong lowered his head, holding a piece of embroidered cloth in his hand. “I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead! Although I’ve been doing odd jobs in the military camp these years, I’ve also gained some knowledge! Ask away!”

“It’s not about you.”

Chen Hong continued embroidering the unfinished pattern with nimble fingers, his words hurting Chen Qi’s inflated heart.

“Alright, alright, go ahead and ask!” Chen Qi, who had wanted to show off, reluctantly swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

“Do you know who Brother Changfeng is going to marry?” Chen Hong asked Chen Qi, trying to keep his tone calm. Chen Qi forcefully tapped the hoe on the ground a few times, causing Chen Hong’s heart to tremble along with it.

“I don’t know. That kid keeps his mouth shut tight!” Why is it still a bit loose even after all this tapping?

Chen Hong bit his red lips slightly, feeling a mess inside.

“Let’s not talk about him. When the day comes for him to visit, even if he tries to hide it from me, I’ll know whose son he is marrying!”

Chen Hong bitterly pulled at the corners of his mouth. By the time that day comes, it will be too late, too late.

“You should also start preparing. Zhang’s son, who is the same age as you, is getting married on the 28th of this month!” Chen Hong had a good appearance, excelled in embroidery, and had many suitors, but he simply didn’t fancy any of them.

“What’s wrong? Big brother afraid I won’t be able to get married?!”

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“I got it, thank you, Xie Ama!”

“Why does it sound so awkward? Thanking me for this and that,” Xie Ama said, pulling the excited Xu Qing to sit down and teasing him.

“By the way, I heard some discussions in the village today about the situation with Li Changfeng’s family. The Li family had separated with Li Changfeng. Did he inform you about it?” Xie Ama recalled overhearing a conversation while he was out looking for vegetables, involving someone who had just returned from Jixiang Village and was talking with Wei Ama. As soon as Xie Ama heard it was about the Li family, he joined in to listen, and what did he hear? “I heard about Li Changfeng being kicked out!”

Xu Qing listened quietly to Xie Ama’s words. “He mentioned it.”

Xie Ama couldn’t help but give Xu Qing a frustrated pat. “What are you thinking?! Yes, it’s one thing to split from the family, but being kicked out is not a good thing. Moreover,” Xie Ama whispered, “Li’s third son is involved in this matter too!”

Xu Qing, pretending to be confused, asked, “How is Li’s third son involved?”

Xie Ama sighed softly. “That Li’s third son is also a well-known figure around here. He passed the scholar examination a few years ago! Ah, that was quite a show-off, a remarkable achievement!”

“Are there many scholars in our town?”

Xie Ama glared, “Do you think scholars are as common as cabbage? They’re everywhere? Is there a shortage?!”

“Hehe, I just don’t know the situation well. Please continue! Please continue!” Xu Qing’s grinning and funny appearance amused Xie Ama.

It turned out that this Li’s third son was also someone of importance. In all of Xingfu Village, Jixiang Village, and Anle Village, there were only six scholars in total. Among them, Xingfu Village had two, Anle Village had three, and this last village only had Li’s third son. “I have to admit, when Li’s third son passed the scholar examination, he was the youngest among all the villages!”

“What was the oldest age for someone to pass the scholar examination?”

Xie Ama stretched out his hands and waved them in front of Xu Qing’s eyes. “This is…?” It couldn’t be fifty, right?!

“Fifty! It was from Anle Village. Afterward, he realized he couldn’t pass the examination, so he opened a school in Anle Village and became a teacher. Believe it or not, he was quite successful! The two scholars who passed the examination later were his students!”

“This person really benefited the villagers!” Xu Qing knew that Xingfu Village didn’t have a school. If someone wanted to study, they had to travel for about an hour and a half to Anle Village.

Xie Ama spoke with respect, “Exactly. But after Li’s third son passed the examination, he tried a few more times without success for the higher level exam. The local teacher in the town kindly advised him.” Xie Ama adjusted his expression and imitated the tone of that teacher, “You, young man, have plenty of time to try other things! Not everyone excels in this field!”

After saying that, Xie Ama and Xu Qing burst into laughter. “Later, this remark spread, and Li’s third son couldn’t bear the embarrassment of continuing his studies. Even if he wanted to study, his family didn’t have the extra money to support him.”

Feeling humiliated, Li’s third son returned to Jixiang Village, carrying the title of a scholar. But he was a countryman by nature; a scholar by identity only, and yet not as physically strong as an ordinary man.

“Later, the village head of Jixiang Village, at the request of the villagers, asked this Li’s third son to open a school, just like the one in Anle Village. For those who couldn’t afford tuition, they would offer some food in return. They simply hoped their children would gain some basic knowledge! However, this Li’s third son considered himself superior and refused to become a teacher. He believed that one day he might unexpectedly pass the examination!”

“Then the villagers must be annoyed with him?” If that was the case, then the two gers that Xu Qing met at the market today, who mentioned Li’s third son with disdain, must have been referring to this situation. It didn’t seem right for someone with scholarly achievements to be regarded like that. After all, he had gained fame as a scholar!

Xie Ama smirked, “Exactly. He doesn’t even consider that the Li family supported him throughout all those years of studying. He refuses to become a teacher, yet he can’t exert himself in physical labor either! He indulges in daydreams and still had the audacity to claim a portion of Li Changfeng’s share! He’s quite something!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Did Li Laosan really force Li Changfeng out from the Li family? But Xu Qing had another speculation in his mind.

Xie Ama was still worried. “Li Changfeng is good in every aspect, except that he’s too honest! It’s a good thing he married into your family; otherwise, who knows how he would have been bullied by others!”

Xu Qing shook his head inwardly. It seemed that many people had been deceived by that person. He originally thought he had found a simple and honest golden retriever, but little did he know it was a cunning hunting dog!

***

It was already noon, but there wasn’t the usual spring heat in the forest. Instead, a gentle breeze caressed their faces, bringing a sense of nature. Chen Qi and Li Changfeng were walking towards the village, each carrying a bundle of firewood.

Chen Qi casually asked, pretending to be relaxed, “You suddenly decided to marry in, which startled me! It would have been nice if you had given me a heads up, so I could be mentally prepared!”

Li Changfeng effortlessly navigated through the trees and bushes in the mountains, carrying the stack of firewood. Some leaves fluttered around his legs.

“What do you need to be mentally prepared for? It’s not like we’re living together!”

Chen Qi felt dissatisfied. “Regardless, we grew up playing in the mud together! Don’t bring up other matters!”

Apart from Chen Qi, there was only one younger brother (ger) in his family. When Chen Qi was seventeen or eighteen, he got married, but they still hadn’t had any children. Fortunately, Chen Qi’s parents were not pushy people, and life was going smoothly. Five years ago, it was Chen Qi who went to serve in the military.

“I like him, and I’m getting older. If I don’t get married soon, I’ll have to marry someone arranged by the officials.”

Li Changfeng remembered Xu Qing warmly in his heart. He hadn’t received any news from him until now, and he didn’t know how he was doing. He heard that the 28th of this month was an auspicious day, and many couples had chosen that day!

“You like him? What does he look like?”

Chen Qi picked up a tree branch from the side of the road and kept hitting the bundle of firewood carried by Li Changfeng, making a continuous “tada” sound. The sharp, thin sound seemed to echo the owner’s eager emotions.

“It’s definitely not like you!” Li Changfeng, upon reaching a fork in the road, headed towards his own path without paying any attention to Chen Qi, who had a gloomy face.

“This kid!”

Chen Qi shrugged his shoulders, causing the branches that were poking him to shift position. He walked towards the other path. Their homes were separated by these two diverging paths—neither too far nor too close.

“You’re back? Hurry up, wash your hands and have dinner!”

Chen Qi’s wife, upon hearing his distinctive footsteps, didn’t even turn his head as he collected the blankets drying in the yard. Chen Qi’s wife was from Anle Village, with an open and generous personality. However, there was one obstacle in his heart—he hadn’t been able to give birth to a child for so many years since marrying Chen Qi!

Chen Qi responded with a sound and placed the firewood behind the woodshed. He twisted his neck and said, “Hey, I have to say, it’s been a few years since I chopped firewood, and I’m feeling a bit rusty today!”

Chen Ama brought the meal to the table and heard Chen Qi’s loud voice from the yard. He glared at Father Chen, who was sitting in the main room smoking a dry cigarette. “I don’t know who he takes after, shouting so loudly as if others couldn’t hear!”

Father Chen was indifferent to his wife’s complaints. At this time, a pleasant voice rang out, “Ama is saying that the eldest brother is becoming more and more like Father!”

Suddenly, a handsome young ger of about 1.7 meters tall emerged from the room, holding a basket of embroidered handkerchiefs. This was Chen Qi’s younger brother, Chen Hong, who was fifteen years old this year and at the prime age for marriage.

As Father Chen saw his son coming out, all his frustration dissipated. Chen Hong was his second child, and he was one of the most handsome young gers in the village. He excelled at embroidery and was filial—a true treasure.

“It’s all because of your brother’s loud voice, causing a commotion!” Chen Hong placed the basket of embroidery on a small cabinet in the main room. He took out a finished embroidered handkerchief from inside and handed it to Chen Ama, saying, “Ama, this is a new pattern I just embroidered. Take a look, what do you think?”

“What do I think?” Chen Qi, upon entering the main room, heard the last part of Chen Hong’s sentence. Chen Hong smiled and called out, “Brother, Brother, I was telling Ama about the handkerchief I just finished. If it’s good enough, I’ll sell it.”

Chen Qi leaned in closer to his father, looking at the embroidered handkerchief he was playing with in his hand. “Younger brother’s embroidery is one of the best in the village!”

Chen Ama listened happily to his son’s praise. His eyes were filled with satisfaction. “There’s no need to say that. Alright, let’s eat quickly. I’ll sell this handkerchief tomorrow morning. It’s a new pattern, so it should fetch a good price!”

Chen Qi had already set up the bowls and chopsticks, serving his father and himself a bowl of semi-thin porridge each. Although their family wasn’t impoverished, they were not a particularly affluent farming household.

Chen Hong sipped his porridge and glanced at Chen Qi, who was devouring his bread on the opposite side. “Brother, did you go to see Brother Changfeng this morning?”

Chen Qi stuffed a mouthful of wild vegetables and replied without much thought, “Yeah, that guy decided to marry into someone’s household without even giving us a heads-up!”

Chen Hong’s hand holding the bowl tightened slightly, and he pursed his lips. Chen Ama scolded Chen Qi with a glare, “What did I tell you!”

Chen Qi was puzzled. Why did his Ama and that guy Li Changfeng say the same thing? “After all, we grew up together. What’s wrong with caring about each other?”

Chen Qi’s wife noticed that Chen Hong seemed absent-minded. He looked at the still-resisting Chen Qi and remembered that this morning, Chen Hong had asked Chen Ama to inquire about the truth of Li Changfeng, the second son of the Li family, splitting off. He hoped it wouldn’t turn out as Chen Hong feared, but it turned out Li Changfeng had already been betrothed to another young ger.

Chen Qi’s wife casually picked up a piece of food and gently tapped Chen Hong, who was lost in thought. “Here, eat a bit more, or your brother will finish everything soon!”

Chen Hong snapped out of his reverie and listened to his brother-in-law’s words. He picked up another piece of food and replied, “Let’s all eat more so that big brother doesn’t have to wait impatiently!”

Father Chen and Chen Ama burst into laughter upon hearing this. Chen Qi didn’t mind. He continued to play the pitiful role, which made everyone at the table laugh even more. Chen Hong’s charming face bloomed like a camellia in the mountains, exuding beauty.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: “Well, well, well, are you surprised for a full new chapter?”

Pulling her imaginary beard, the translator spoke in a tone of an old Chinese Wuxia master. She then vowed to her readers respectfully and thanked them for their support.

He he he!