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"Yes! I introduced so many matches to An Bingwen before, but he rejected them all. Yet, he agreed immediately upon meeting a woman who cursed her ex-husband and is pregnant with a second-hand child. Sigh! Everyone has their own fate; this is An Bingwen's destiny, something he owes her from his past life," said another woman in a bright red coat, gleefully.
"Why are you still talking about her when she's already in such a situation?" A burly man carrying a hoe passed by the bridge, overhearing their conversation. He tossed out a remark and walked away.
Only then did everyone realize that their words were indeed a bit excessive. They exchanged glances and chuckled awkwardly before dispersing.
That night, the early spring mountain village was as cool as water. As soon as it got dark, every household tightly shut their doors, and the orange-red light spilling from the windows enveloped Liu Family Village in a dreamy haze.
Occasionally, the creaking of doors could be heard as some lively villagers visited each other after dinner.
An Shaojie and An Shaomin sat dazedly in Lin Xi's home’s main room.
Lin Wenhui's partner, Jia Zhilan, was washing dishes at the kitchen counter. A large pot beside her was boiling hot water for the family's foot and face washing, steam rising from it.
"Wenhui, the water is ready. Come in and fill a basin for An Shaojie, Shaw Min, and Lin Xi to wash up first. After they’re done, we can settle them down for the night," Zhi Lan called out loudly from inside.
Lin Wenhui, who was preparing lessons in the room, heard the call, put down his pen, responded, and then entered the kitchen.
"How's it going?" Lin Wenhui asked while scooping water from the pot. Zhi Lan stepped aside carefully and peeked toward the kitchen door, lowering her voice to ask.
Zhi Lan had wanted to inquire about An Bingwen's situation for a long time but felt it inappropriate to ask with An Shaojie and Shaw Min around. So now she took the opportunity to pull Lin Wenhui aside to ask.
Holding the ladle in one hand while scooping water with the other, Lin Wenhui waved his hand dismissively and leaned closer to Zhi Lan's ear to say, "The situation is quite dire; it's about what happened tonight."
"Ah, no way?" Jia Zhilan was startled and couldn't help but raise her voice, causing her hand washing the dishes to stop momentarily.
"Lower your voice, lower your voice," Lin Wenhui urged, almost stamping his foot while pointing outside the kitchen.
Jia Zhilan stuck out her tongue.
Jia Zhilan had fair skin and a slender figure. Her maternal family was adjacent to Liu Family Village, and her father was the village accountant who knew a few characters. Therefore, Jia Zhilan had received some education and could read. She was considered one of the local beauties.
Although she and Lin Wenhui were not in a love match, they admired each other before their arranged meeting. Thus, their relationship was different from other couples in the village; they treated each other with respect and occasionally shared playful banter like couples in the city.
Especially Jia Zhilan, even though Lin Xi was nearly six years old, she still sometimes acted like a shy young girl in front of Lin Wenhui, showing a hint of bashfulness or anger.
Lin Wenhui raised his arm as if to tap her on the forehead, but when it came down, he only gently pressed it.
Jia Zhilan giggled playfully, and Lin Wenhui quickly placed his index finger to his lips and shushed her.
After suppressing her laughter, she sighed and said, "Sigh! If the situation really is bad, what will happen to those two kids? It would be tough for them."
The "her" she referred to was Bai Cuifen.
"That's right." After filling a bowl with water, Lin Wenhui went out to call An Shaojie and the others to wash their feet and faces and settle them down for sleep.
"If An Bingwen can't get through this hurdle, we will have to take on more responsibility for those two kids in the future. Relying solely on Shusheng Brother won't be enough. Besides, there have been rumors among the villagers about him and Cui Fen. If An Bingwen leaves and his family is left for him to shoulder alone, the gossip will only increase. If we lend a hand, at least the villagers might tone it down a bit." After Jia Zhilan and Lin Wenhui finished washing up, they sat on the bed in their clothes and continued chatting about family matters.
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