Standing in front of the old house, Li Feng was holding two old and yellowed papers in his hand. He looked at the yard where he lived when his parents were alive and saw that it was completely destroyed. A cold air blew from his body and even the big man standing next to him had goosebumps.
He had no choice but to endure the eldest brother’s air-conditioning, but he didn’t need to consider other people’s faces. He glared at Li [Conggen]’s eldest son and said angrily, “What are you looking at? Move faster, do you want to taste the fist of this military master?”
The eldest Li son and his wife trembled in fear as soon as they saw the clenched fist and said, “We will move now, we will move it faster.” Originally, they were expecting their cousin to help say a few good words, but from the beginning to the end, the cousin allowed this thief to act arrogantly and make a big speech in the Li family, so they could only speed up the movement in their hands with hatred.
When someone spoke to Li Feng, he replied, “Yu Mu is my superior. How can I be his master? He has been dealing with barbarians for a long time. His temperament has always been bad. I did not let him come, but he wanted to see my situation at home. Please forgive me everyone.” The people who spoke felt a chill at his words and remembered that the child Li Feng had been dealing with the barbarians for a long time. Who knows how much blood from the barbarians had been stained on his hands. Is this still the good tempered child of the past? At once, they all stopped thinking about trying to persuade him.
Damn it, why didn’t this bastard die on the battlefield! This is the unanimous mindset of Li Conggen’s family.
When the eldest Li son and his wife left, the big man’s complexion changed and he showed a silly smile, “Brother, they all moved out. From now on, everything will belong to Big Brother. Big Brother, did I do okay? If it wasn’t Big Brother stopping me, I would have beaten this family to the ground.” This trash family, you dear to treat Big Brother like this, he should throw to the barbarians to let them have a taste…
Pei, pei, he is not the superior of his big brother, the big brother is his superior, okay.
“Everyone is so lazy, if looking at them didn’t make you upset, I would make them clean up before leaving.” The big guy disliked the appearance of the ruined yard. There are years of chicken shit all over the ground, a field of weeds overruns the area where there was originally a vegetable garden, and broken goods were flung everywhere. Looking at his big brother pulling up his sleeves, the big guy couldn’t fall behind, and followed along to clean up the broken yard.
The villagers constantly saw things being thrown outside from Li Feng’s family courtyard. There were people who wanted to see if they could pick up something useful on a bargain but the results were not good. The black shiny quilt was covered in long hair, the iron pot had accumulated a thick layer of soot, and looking inside there were bugs crawling around. Just looking caused a burst of nausea and they could not find words to describe the lazy family.
The two of them were also disgusted, even if [Yu Mu] stayed a bachelor for a lifetime, he would not want such a lazy ger. He glanced at the kitchen, turned and ran into the main house, and shouted, “Big brother, the kitchen is not usable at all. It’s better to tear down and rebuild the kitchen. Brother, let me say, even if you don’t want to stay in the city and want to live back at home, you don’t need to live in this ruined house. It’s better to live in the city for a while. People here have all knocked down the old houses and built a few large and bright blue brick houses, so that they can live in a more comfortable life.”
Li Feng was pulling the window paper off to let the wind in, as to disperse the dirty smell in the house. Without looking back he replied, “If you can’t stand it, go back to the city. You’ve been living comfortably these days, and have you forgotten the days in the north?”
Then he added, “Let’s rebuild the kitchen and have the rooms repaired. Right now it is slack season and everyone in the village is free. Later, I will talk to my uncle and buy some furniture from town after I finish it.”
The big man was filled with joy that he didn’t need to go clean the kitchen anymore. He went to Li Feng’s side and worked with him. As they worked he talked about the things he heard in the village the past few days, “Big brother, remember that big thing that happened when we came back? Do you know what happened? In our village, our family has some horrible relatives but they have a great son-in-law. I heard that the husband of that ger died and he was called Zhao Dahu. Big brother, do you know this person?” He called out “our family” and “our village” in a familiar way.
The tall and big man loves to watch the hustle and bustle and likes to gossip, this is not the first time Li Feng had to deal with it. However he knew this Zhao Dahu and said in a surprised tone, “He’s dead? How could it happen? Back then, he and I played in the village together. How did he die?”
The big man immediately told Li Feng what he had heard, just like offering a treasure, and Li Feng frowned. It was incredible news, back when he left Pingshan Village, Old Man Zhao had already passed away, but Grandma Zhao was not as cruel and partial as he was now. He also knew the third Zhao son and that he was the favorite at home. After attending school, he kept his nose up all day long and thought he was different from everyone. [Li Feng] did not expect that after a few years, he would become more and more self-righteous. From Yu Mu’s narration, he could see the heart of the person, what a selfish, hypocritical scholar. Those he hates most are scum like this.
“I did not expect that Zhao Dahu would be such a person. It will be much easier for his wife and child now that he is gone.” Years of struggling on the battlefield for life and death have long tempered his heart. The early death of Zhao Dahu, who was a playmate in his early years, did not phase him. Although he didn’t see the scene with his own eyes, Li Feng had respect for the ger who dared to make trouble. If it weren’t for this, from the family’s temperament, the ger’s children may not have had a good end. At that time, when no one knew what was going on, they could have sold the person and even say that the ger was willing. Li Feng thought of Grandma Zhao and the third Zhao son and had a strong sense of loathing towards them.
“That’s right.” The big man became more interested with his eldest brother’s approval. He grinned and was ready to chatter endlessly. “I heard that the ger was literate from childhood. Against that book of accounts, people could not dispute it. I heard that he was also good-looking, but it is a pity that there is a child in his belly, otherwise…”
“Shut up!” Li Feng frowned, “Don’t people still want their reputation? If you can’t keep your mouth shut, go back.” After speaking he strode outside.
The big man was trained and shrunk a bit. Although he was comfortable with his big brother, in front of the other villagers and elders, he wanted to maintain his image. Seeing that his eldest brother was going out of the yard he quickly asked, “Where are you going, big brother?” You can’t leave your little brother behind.
“I’m going to buy some broomsticks.” After saying so, he left the yard. The big man sighed and continued to clean up the house.
Although he has been away for a few years, the layout of the village has basically not changed much. Li Feng knows which households he can buy brooms from. Walking on the road, he couldn’t help thinking of the big man’s words. He couldn’t help but raise his head and glance in the direction of that ger’s house. It’s not far from his house. Although he admires the ger’s courage, it’s not an easy thing for a ger to support the door. (1)
Li Feng frowned, this position is not safe for a pregnant brother who also has a three year old ger. However he is a single man who didn’t dare to say anything otherwise it would ruin the reputation of this ger.
“Uncle Tie, I’m here to buy a broom.” Li Feng shouted when he walked outside a courtyard.
“Ah, it’s the child Li Feng, come in quickly, I didn’t expect you to remember these things. No need to buy, just take it from the house, it is not worth a lot of money. A middle-aged man opened the door and greeted Li Feng and welcomed him in.
Li Feng walked to the place where the broomsticks were placed in a familiar manner, picked a few up by himself. He turned around and put the prepared copper plates on the stool next to him, and said as he walked out, “Uncle Tie, I’m leaving, and I will come back to visit you when I finish cleaning up the house.” Uncle Tie used to take care of him after his parents died and when he saw that [Li Feng] came back, he had burst into tears.
“Okay, okay this child Li Feng, didn’t you hear me say that I didn’t need the money?” The middle-aged man turned his head and saw the copper plates left. He hurriedly chased after him and shouted, but Li Feng had long legs and had already left. The middle-aged man had to sigh and shook his head. Unexpectedly, even after a few years, the child Li Feng still remembered the price of his broomstick, not one penny more. This child really had a good heart.
Li Feng sent the broom back to Yu Mu and then left, walking all the way to the village leader’s house. The village leader lived in the village and he had to pass through much of the village, so he met many people on the road. They mostly avoided him when they saw him and Li Feng did not show any emotion in return. He knew that he looked ugly and horrible, but for him it was already fortunate for him to come back from the north alive. He did not care what these people thought of him.
When he arrived at the village leader’s house, the courtyard door opened from the inside, and a stranger was standing there. Shen Fulang was talking to him and said, “Brother Ming, you are a good person and in your situation, of course we would help you. If you need help with farming don’t be afraid to ask me. You have to work lightly, think of the child and Ah-Lin. It is okay to come here now, but next time I won’t welcome you in.” (2)
“I know, but the village leader has worked hard by helping me run to the Yamen. I have to come to say thank you, if it wasn’t for my bad health I would tell the village leader directly. Shen Fulang, you have a visitor so I will head out.” After seeing that someone came, Tang Chunming hurriedly picked up his pace. It wasn’t easy to send a gift and if he overstayed his welcome he would be embarrassed.
However this man had a serious and straight face. Although the stranger was not close, he was still envious of the man. This man’s physique was one that he admires the most and he wiped his saliva. Forget it, even if he lived two lifetimes, he had no chance with this physique.
“It’s the child Li Feng, come in quickly, what a coincidence. Husband, the child Li Feng is here. Li Feng must be here to see your uncle, go directly to him.” Shen Fulang was very busy and after greeting Li Fend, he didn’t forget to say a few more words to Tang Chunming, “Brother Ming, be careful on the road., the ground is slippery. Regarding the sheep, I’ve asked someone to ask around and found an ewe who has just given birth. I will go and see tomorrow.”
Tang Chunming realized who was coming when he heard Shen Fulang call the child Li Feng. He just turned his head and couldn’t help but look at it again. What is this? [People say] he’s disfigured, it looks more like adding character and exudes masculinity. After taking a look, he moved his gaze away and waved to Shen Fulang, “Then I will sit at home and wait and let you greet your guests.”
Not only Tang Chunming was curious but Li Feng also guessed the identity of this person and was curious in his heart. Who made Yu Mu’s mouth whisper so much in his ears and he admired the behavior of this ger. Although he didn’t look when [Tang Chunming] passed by, he still looked at him afterwards. Yu Mu wasn’t wrong, they did have an appearance that was considered top-notch in the village. However, he was too thin, and after looking at [Tang Chunming] he was worried that this person would not be able to walk home smoothly.
In a few words, he could see that this person had a good personality, which is not in line with the rumors. He was closer to the appearance of a daring person who would settle accounts with the Zhao’s using the account book. He did not seem depressed either. Thinking that Grandma Zhao actually wanted this ger to remarry a short and lame middle aged man for fifteen taels of silver, Li Feng couldn’t help but release a cold wind.
“Hey, why did it suddenly get cold out? Come in and I will close the door.” Tang Chunming had already walked away and Shen Fulang suddenly felt cold, thinking perhaps the weather was changing.
Li Feng followed Shen Fulang into the yard. He was already greeted and asked with a smile, “Is there anything wrong with the child Li Feng? Is there anything to eat at home? If not, take your friend to your uncle’s house and let your uncle add two more pairs of chopsticks.” Although the land and house were given back, it would still take time for there to be any output from the fields. The village leader didn’t know much about Li Feng’s current situation and was worried that he would not be able to eat, so he said these words. In terms of the relationship between the two families, the village leader, Li Conggen and Li Congshu’s (3) grandpas were brothers. Li Congshu had passed away a long time ago and Li Feng just came back. Now the village leader felt that he had a responsibility to take care of him.
The expression on Li Feng’s face was slightly slow, and he pulled the corner of his mouth, as if he was about to laugh, but maybe because he was used to the rigidity of his face, the corners of his mouth twitched, “Uncle, don’t worry. I’ve saved a bit of money, so I don’t need to trouble the uncle. But there is another thing to trouble the uncle to help me with. I can’t live in my house right now and I want my uncle to help me find a few people to fix it. I plan to take Yu Mu into town to live first and wait for it to be finished before coming back.”
How could he not know what kind of lazy temperament the eldest Li son and his husband had. The lazy man was raised by an equally lazy mother and after moving out they must really do renovations. So he nodded and said, “It happens that there are many men who are free at this time. I will help you find a few and after a few days of hard work it should be fixed. If it is not convenient to live in town, come live in your uncle’s house. The two boys have gone to the county city and the house is empty.”
“If you want to talk, come talk inside, isn’t it cold out?” Shen Fulang saw that his husband was actually standing in the yard to speak to their guest. He called the group into the house and poured a cup of hot tea. They often went to and from the county town and there were some good things to entertain guests at home.
Because Li Feng had to talk about wages, he didn’t refuse and went into the house. At a glance, he saw a few cakes on the kang, which must have been sent by the brother just now. After discussing the amount of wages for a day and did not stay for the meal, Li Feng left after drinking a cup.
“Alas, it’s not easy for child Li Feng.” Shen Fulang sat on the kang and sighed. In his opinion, Li Feng should just rebuild the house and not renovate it. He was afraid that the money that he saved in the past few years was not much. How would he marry a wife in the future?
“Don’t worry too much, regarding this matter, the child Li Feng’s friend took out a dozen silver in the past. He has deep pockets and knows martial arts, he must not be an ordinary military man. He could be a military official and is a friend of Li Feng. In the future, Li Feng will have him.” The village leader knocked his pipe and took a couple of mouthfuls.
Shen Fulang snorted and said, “I don’t care about your Li family’s business, I just feel distressed for the Feng kid, he was sent to the battlefield at such a young age.”
The village leader had a headache when he heard this. There were so many bad people in that old Li family that liked to do lots of bad things. Fortunately, the child Li Feng is also considered part of the clan and grew up around the elders, who would not favor Li Conggen’s family over him. If this was about a foreign surname person and came to the Li family looking for trouble, who knows what the results would be. The previous issue with Brother Ming, this was the Zhao family’s business, so he could come forward to say a few fair words. His words to the third elder uncle had weight and were righteous, plus the Tang family came forward to solve things successfully.
The village leader couldn’t help but expect more of his two sons. As long as one of them is a Xucai, his words would have more weight in the village and the old Li family.
Shen Fulang can see the situation and knows his husband has a headache regarding Li Conggen’s family, who are considered the black sheeps of the Li family. He usually talks up the Li family at every turn, but these people really corrupt the reputation of the Li family.