Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Many people in the village gathered at Qing Shusheng's house, asking various questions.
Liu Xiuzhen busily served tea and water to Qing Shusheng, An Bingwen, and Bai Cuifen, as well as to the visitors who came to chat. Meanwhile, she hurried into the kitchen to prepare meals for them.
At this time, it was already midsummer, and the sunlight outside was glaringly bright.
Liu Xiuzhen brought a basin of cool well water to wash the faces of Qing Shusheng, An Bingwen, and Bai Cuifen.
Liu Dezhou continued to smoke his homemade cigarettes in silence. He was eager to know how things were being handled, but he remained patient and did not ask.
He also believed that Qing Shusheng must have resolved the matter satisfactorily; just by looking at An Bingwen's cheerful expression, he could tell.
"Has everything been taken care of?" Among the crowd watching, many were curious about the outcome and wanted to ask, but everyone just smiled at Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen, waiting for Qing Shusheng to finish washing his face before slowly explaining.
"How did it go?" Liu Xiuzhen finally couldn't hold back any longer. She walked out of the kitchen, leaned against the door frame, and asked Qing Shusheng, who was washing his face.
Qing Shusheng did not rush to answer Liu Xiuzhen; he calmly continued drying his face with a towel.
"How did it go? Please tell everyone; they are all waiting for news!" Seeing that Qing Shusheng had finished washing his face, Liu Xiuzhen quickly stepped forward, took the towel from Qing Shusheng's hand, picked up the basin, and walked toward the door while urging him for an update.
"This is An Bingwen's matter; once An Bingwen knows the news, that's enough. It's not like everyone is getting married; why are they so eager to know?" Qing Shusheng joked with a smile while pointing at the circle of people gathered around. He also glanced at Bai Cuifen, who stood shyly to the side.
Usually, Qing Shusheng was a serious person who rarely joked, so his comment immediately made everyone burst into laughter.
After the laughter subsided, Qing Shusheng began recounting the events of the past few days.
Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen first went to Bai Cuifen's in-laws. As expected, her in-laws had long wanted to drive her out; they only reluctantly kept her because she was pregnant.
Once Qing Shusheng understood the situation clearly, he directly laid out conditions for them. For someone they had already wanted to send away, they did not impose harsh conditions; they simply requested that after the child was born, if it was a son, they would take him back to raise; if it was a daughter, Bai Cuifen could take her away herself.
After listening to their conditions, Qing Shusheng explained his intentions to his in-laws. As soon as he finished speaking, his in-laws waved their hands and said, "No need to discuss with us. She can go wherever she wants, and you can take her wherever you want. This is her freedom. When the child is born, if it's a boy, we will take him back; if it's a girl, she can take her with her. We won't interfere."
"Alright." Seeing that his in-laws were not being polite, Qing Shusheng also decided not to be courteous anymore and waved his hand, "Let's go!"
Without even sitting down or drinking a sip of water, Qing Shusheng took An Bingwen and Bai Cuifen away from his in-laws.
Next, Bai Cuifen took Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen to her maternal family.
Her maternal family welcomed Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen warmly. When Qing Shusheng explained their purpose for visiting, they immediately agreed.
"You've come all this way for our Cui Fen's sake; it's clear you are sincere. Moreover, just by the way you two speak and act, we can tell you are honest people." Bai Cuifen's father was straightforward and spoke openly.
Qing Shusheng then discussed the marriage between Bai Cuifen and An Bingwen with her parents and set a wedding date.
Initially, Bai Cuifen's parents felt that the date was a bit rushed, but after Qing Shusheng's explanation, they found it reasonable and agreed.
Qing Shusheng said, "The child in her womb can't be born in the maternal family. If born in the in-laws' house, they certainly won't provide good care. By settling down with An Bingwen sooner, she can move to Liu Family Village earlier, where the people will take good care of her."
After hearing Qing Shusheng's words, Bai Cuifen's parents were even more moved and nodded in agreement with his arrangements while wiping their tears.
This time, Bai Cuifen returned with Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen already carrying her household registration and identification documents, ready to apply for a marriage certificate with An Bingwen.
The next day, Qing Shusheng took An Bingwen and Bai Cuifen to obtain their marriage certificate.
After staying for a few days in Liu Family Village, Bai Cuifen was sent back by An Bingwen to her maternal family outside the mountain.
After returning home from outside the mountain, An Bingwen began preparing for the wedding. Bai Cuifen waited patiently at her maternal family for the wedding day to arrive, looking forward to An Bingwen marrying her.
In December 1978, while the people of Liu Family Village were joyfully preparing to welcome the New Year, An Bingwen also experienced the springtime of his life.
On December 28, 1978, An Bingwen married Bai Cuifen.
The wedding was simple, mainly organized by Qing Shusheng and Liu Xiuzhen. Although the wedding was somewhat different from typical weddings, with the bride Bai Cuifen visibly pregnant, the groom was no different from other grooms, especially in his joyful demeanor. An Bingwen's gaze towards Bai Cuifen showed no less affection despite her condition.
Indeed, although the bride was pregnant, her delicate features, shy smile, and graceful movements were not diminished by her heavy figure; all of this made An Bingwen, who had read some books and once fantasized about a beautiful love story, feel completely satisfied.
An Bingwen knew he was not a prince charming, so he never imagined that his love story would feature a Snow White. He appreciated Bai Cuifen for being more refined than other village women and less aggressive, while also possessing a shyness that surpassed the haughty city girls described in books. This was exactly what An Bingwen, who considered himself well-read, liked.
Moreover, Bai Cuifen's past experiences—her cursed ex-husband and remarriage while pregnant—were not mockable jokes in An Bingwen's eyes; instead, they added a sense of nobility and greatness to his love story, infusing it with a unique romance and purity.
Therefore, after their marriage, no matter how the villagers viewed him and Bai Cuifen, he did not care. He treated Bai Cuifen a thousand times better than other men in the village treated their wives, happily spending each day with her.
Bai Cuifen felt very content. Under An Bingwen's careful care, her face became rounder than before, and a smile was always present on her face. She became even more beautiful after marriage.
After the New Year in March 1979, Bai Cuifen gave birth to their daughter An Shaomin.
On the day An Shaomin was born, Bai Cuifen's former in-laws waited outside at the bridge on the east side of Liu Family Village. Upon learning that Bai Cuifen had given birth to a daughter, they immediately turned and left Liu Family Village.
Holding his newborn daughter An Shaomin in his arms, An Bingwen laughed cheerfully and said, "Ha ha, it's better that they left; otherwise they might take my daughter away. I’ve just gained a daughter."
Liu Xiuzhen, who was helping nearby, teased An Bingwen playfully, "What do you mean you just gained a daughter? She is your daughter! She is our Liu Family Village's daughter! If you don't want her, I'll take her away. No matter if she looks like you or like Cui Fen, she will definitely be beautiful. When she grows up, she will be perfect for our Jiawei."
An Bingwen laughed heartily and replied, "That sounds great!"
Bai Cuifen lay on the bed with a blue cloth wrapped around her forehead. She smiled softly and said, "Who knows if Jiawei will even like this girl."
"What’s wrong with that girl?" Liu Xiuzhen shot Bai Cuifen a glance and retorted.
She picked up An Bingwen's daughter, An Shaomin, and placed her into the arms of Bai Cuifen, who was lying on the bed, while playfully sighing and entertaining her.
At that time, Shaw Min was less than three days old and couldn’t smile; she could only stretch her mouth and yawn.
Days passed, and the child grew day by day. By the time Shaw Min and Liu Jiawei, who was a year older than her, could run around and babble, the adults from both families often let the two children play together, whether intentionally or not.
However, there seemed to be an innate barrier between Shaw Min and Liu Jiawei; the two children were not close. Especially Shaw Min, whenever she saw Liu Jiawei stumbling toward her, she would stare with frightened eyes and burrow into Bai Cuifen's or Liu Xiuzhen's arms.
Although Liu Jiawei had never pulled at An Shaomin.
Thus, Liu Xiuzhen often joked in front of Bai Cuifen, pointing at Liu Jiawei: "This kid will definitely be a rogue in the future, no girl will like him, and he won’t find a wife. Shaw Min is such a well-behaved girl; she hides from him. He’s definitely not a good thing for the future."
If a person knew in advance that their words would be proven true one day, perhaps Liu Xiuzhen wouldn’t have said that.
Yet no one in this world ever believes that their careless words will come true. Fate often hints at uncertain things through one’s heart and mouth beforehand, but people tend to ignore it completely.
Therefore, many times we should not complain about not having hindsight or about God not giving us prior notice. What does it matter if there are omens? Can people really change the paths they have already walked?
Then how do we explain that many people continue to make mistakes after having erred at some point? Countless individuals lose their lives for fame or profit, yet many others follow suit—do they not recognize the signs?
After hearing Liu Xiuzhen's words, Bai Cuifen always smiled lightly, saying, "Children's behavior doesn’t count for much!"
A year later, at the end of 1980, Bai Cuifen gave birth to her son An Shaojie.
In the same year, Jia Zhilan and Liu Xiuzhen each gave birth to Lin Xi and Qinglan.
The three children, when held in their arms, displayed a strong bond of affection. The three Little Ones, from the moment they learned to suck their thumbs, would pull each other's mouths and laugh whenever they met, their little hands constantly reaching for one another.
Especially little Qinglan, after learning to walk, would rush over to An Shaojie from Bai Cuifen's family. Unsteady on her feet, she often stumbled and fell, bringing both An Shaojie and herself down to the ground.
These little ones and their innocent emotions often made the adults watching them burst into laughter.
Happiness is always fleeting; beautiful things never return once they are gone!
This was true for adults like Bai Cuifen and Liu Xiuzhen, as well as for children like Qinglan and An Shaojie, even infants!
Life and fate have always been fair to everyone, never favoring anyone based on age, gender, or status.
Time flies; six or seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Thinking back on those difficult yet joyful days, Bai Cuifen felt a tinge of sadness in her heart but sighed with a smile on her face.
In the past six or seven years, although life had not been very affluent, it became even more strained due to An Bingwen's long-term illness. Yet she felt at ease because An Bingwen treated her well.
After so many years of marriage, until his passing, An Bingwen had never quarreled with her. He allowed her to manage everything inside and outside the house without question. Although he was somewhat weak by nature, it was precisely because of this weakness that he let her take charge of everything at home and showered her with compliments. This made Bai Cuifen feel like a proud princess in front of him, cherished and indulged.
In her presence, he would always nod and bow, saying, "You are the mistress of our home; you call the shots. Whatever you say goes."
Even when her decisions later proved wrong, he never blamed her but would simply say, "How could you be wrong? I don't even have the wisdom to be wrong," followed by a chuckle.
Aside from An Bingwen's kindness towards her, there was also someone who consistently helped and cared for her.
Thinking of him warmed Bai Cuifen's heart.
In Bai Cuifen's heart, he was like a brother to her.
However, the Villagers did not see it that way.
Since the day Bai Cuifen married into Liu Family Village, the Villagers' gossip about him and her had never ceased. Eventually, Liu Xiuzhen also came to believe those rumors, slowly distancing herself from Bai Cuifen, leading to an irreconcilable relationship even now.
As a result, Liu Xiuzhen often quarreled with him, constantly bickering.
What made Bai Cuifen even more awkward was that as Shaw Min and An Shaojie grew older, they began to vaguely understand the Villagers' obscure whispers. Their relationship with Bai Cuifen became a topic of hushed discussions.
Especially An Shaojie; he seemed to mature earlier than Shaw Min and was more sensitive. Thus, the impact of those gossips weighed more heavily on him than on Shaw Min.
Bai Cuifen had already sensed An Shaojie's obvious hostility towards him.
This hostility from An Shaojie often left Bai Cuifen feeling uneasy.
Time flew by! Before long, it was 1988.
By late August, although the scorching Summer had passed, the Autumn Tiger showed no signs of weakness. The Summer in the mountains was certainly cooler than in the plains, but until September, the muggy heat would not dissipate; it simply lacked the dryness and intensity.
Around eight o'clock at night, as darkness began to settle in, a slight breeze started to stir in the humid air. The stilt houses were illuminated with orange-red lights. This was the liveliest time for every household in Liu Family Village since they had just finished dinner. The adults were calling for the children to fetch water for their baths. The doors of the Stilt Houses were wide open, and the sounds from the neighboring households near Qing Shusheng and Bai Cuifen were particularly clear.
Comment 0 Comment Count