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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Dezhou held a pipe in his hand, tapping it against the edge of the dining table. Ashes, as fine as dust, fell from the pipe and landed on the floor.
Then, Liu Dezhou sat still in his seat, his eyes fixed on the door outside.
After being mocked by Liu Dezhou, Liu Xiuzhen stood awkwardly in the center of the room. She had thought she would achieve something and impress Qing Shusheng, but the outcome was disappointing, leaving her feeling regretful about her carelessness.
She turned her gaze toward Qing Shusheng, looking at him with a pleading expression.
"Father, look," Qing Shusheng said, glancing at Liu Dezhou for approval.
Although he was not satisfied with Liu Xiuzhen's careless approach, she was still his woman, so Qing Shusheng decided to help her out. "Daxiu has already understood her situation completely. What do you think we should do with her?"
"Her husband is dead, and she is pregnant. Her family treats her poorly." After a long silence, Liu Dezhou spoke to himself. He took a deep drag from his cigarette and suddenly said, "Ask her again if she is willing to stay in our Liu Family Village. We will not mistreat her or her child."
This time, both Qing Shusheng and Liu Xiuzhen were taken aback.
"Father, do you mean..." Qing Shusheng cautiously asked Liu Dezhou.
"Let Daxiu ask her first if she wants to stay. If she is willing to stay, we can discuss it further," Liu Dezhou replied slowly while smoking.
Liu Xiuzhen seemed to have received an order and quickly turned around to pull Bai Cuifen into the room. This time she remembered to close the door behind them.
"I ask you: your husband is gone, your family treats you poorly, and now you are pregnant without a place to settle down. Would you be willing to stay in our Liu Family Village? We can help you find someone. With my father here, we will not mistreat you or your child. If you are willing, just nod your head," Liu Xiuzhen eagerly asked Bai Cuifen as if completing a sacred mission.
For some reason, Bai Cuifen suddenly looked up and gazed at the door.
At that moment, outside the door, Qing Shusheng was facing away from it while speaking with Liu Dezhou.
This time, Liu Xiuzhen felt a jolt of realization and quickly opened the door. She walked up behind Qing Shusheng and gave him a gentle push on his back, saying, "She wants to ask your opinion; after all, it was you who brought her back."
Qing Shusheng turned his head and unintentionally made eye contact with Bai Cuifen, who was standing at the doorway, her head lowered and her eyes glancing at him.
In his thirties, having seen the world and experienced its ups and downs, the usually serious and reserved Qing Shusheng felt a slight jolt of emotion, as if he had been electrocuted.
He quickly averted his gaze and turned his back, grumbling, "If you have nowhere to go, just stay."
Liu Xiuzhen did not notice the subtle change in Qing Shusheng's expression; she continued to speak loudly to Bai Cuifen, "He wants you to stay."
Bai Cuifen smiled at Liu Xiuzhen, revealing her neat white teeth.
She nodded.
"Alright." Liu Xiuzhen let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had completed a difficult task, spreading her hands. "She agreed; now you two can sort things out."
After saying this, Liu Xiuzhen opened her hands and walked towards Grandma, taking Liu Jiawei from her arms. "Come here, my sweet child. Grandma is tired; let me hold you."
"Father, she agreed to stay," Qing Shusheng said to the smoke-filled Liu Dezhou.
"Mm!" Liu Dezhou grunted, smoke escaping from his nose.
He slowly took the cigarette butt out of his mouth and coughed twice. "Then take her to An Bingwen's house. Also, let him know not to look down on someone from outside; he himself came from elsewhere! Just because she's pregnant doesn't mean he can dismiss her. That's a legitimate child; it's just unfortunate that her husband died. With his conditions, he's lucky to find a wife at all. I think this woman should know a few characters; she's suitable for him." Liu Dezhou waved his hand.
After speaking at length in one breath, Liu Dezhou coughed again.
"Yes, Father. I'll have Jiawei's mother arrange for her to wash up first before I take her over," Qing Shusheng replied.
Upon hearing Qing Shusheng's words, Liu Xiuzhen hurried into the kitchen to fetch hot water. After ensuring Bai Cuifen was properly washed up, Qing Shusheng quickly got up, put on the shirt hanging on the back of the chair, and prepared to escort Bai Cuifen out.
"Also, tell An Bingwen that he can't make any moves tonight since she's pregnant. They must wait until they are officially together before anything happens; we can't tarnish the reputation of Liu Family Village."
Qing Shusheng and Bai Cuifen had just stepped out the door when Liu Dezhou called out from behind.
"I understand, Father, don't worry! An Bingwen is not that kind of person," Qing Shusheng replied in the dark night, then took Bai Cuifen to An Bingwen's house.
An Bingwen's home was at the west end of the village, directly opposite Qing Shusheng's house, with two other households in between.
Passing by those two households, Qing Shusheng and Bai Cuifen arrived at An Bingwen's home.
In the darkness stood a simple stilt house built against the White Tiger.
Upon entering, they found a tall and slender young man with a fair complexion sitting in the middle of the main room, smoking a pipe.
This person was An Bingwen.
An Bingwen appeared refined and gentle. His ancestors were once scholars, and he had received an education himself. He often spoke in a cultured manner. However, being an outsider with a somewhat simple and soft character, his family line had dwindled to just him as the last male descendant. His father had passed away early, and by the time he was around twenty, his mother had also died. Thus, he was left alone to fend for himself.
Moreover, he was not suited for farm work, which led to his family's decline. In Liu Family Village, they held little status. Now nearing thirty, he still had not married.
The Liu family had always been respected in Liu Family Village. Since An Bingwen's ancestors moved there, the descendants of the An family referred to Liu Dezhou's elders as "uncle." The elders of Liu Dezhou also took special care of the An family. Therefore, although An Bingwen held a low status in Liu Family Village, most villagers treated him well due to Liu Dezhou's support.
So today, upon seeing Bai Cuifen, Liu Dezhou thought of the unmarried An Bingwen and decided to take matters into his own hands regarding his marriage.
Seeing Qing Shusheng enter with a beautiful young woman, An Bingwen quickly stood up to greet them.
"Shusheng Brother, what brings you here?" An Bingwen extinguished his cigarette by pressing it against the dining table.
"Well, I have something to discuss with you," Qing Shusheng said solemnly before turning to look at Bai Cuifen. He noticed that she was still standing properly at the door.
"Come in," Qing Shusheng said as he pulled two cigarettes from his shirt pocket—handing one to An Bingwen while lighting the other for himself. After taking a puff, he offered the matchbox to An Bingwen.
This was the first time Qing Shusheng spoke to Bai Cuifen after bringing her home.
After hearing Qing Shusheng's words, Bai Cuifen quietly walked through the door.
Once Bai Cuifen entered, Qing Shusheng pulled An Bingwen's arm and walked outside.
"What’s going on?" An Bingwen asked as he was being dragged out by Qing Shusheng, glancing back at Bai Cuifen, who was still standing at the doorway.
After pulling An Bingwen a short distance away, Qing Shusheng stopped, took a deep drag from his cigarette, and gazed into the deep night sky.
Liu Family Village was small; any little disturbance would be known by everyone in the village. Earlier that day, An Bingwen had learned that a strange girl had come to the village needing a place to stay and that she had been brought home by Qing Shusheng. However, An Bingwen did not understand why Qing Shusheng would bring this girl to his house, as his family was the poorest in Liu Family Village.
Noticing Qing Shusheng's serious expression, An Bingwen felt suspicious and leaned closer to ask, "Shusheng Brother, what’s going on?"
Qing Shusheng pushed An Bingwen's head away with his hand and took another puff of his cigarette. "Serious business."
"What serious business?" An Bingwen leaned in again.
Qing Shusheng pushed his head away once more and then slowly explained Liu Dezhou's intentions to An Bingwen in detail.
"I'll give you five minutes to think about it. She has already agreed; it depends on you now," Qing Shusheng said.
"I have no problem here." In less than a minute, An Bingwen patted his chest and replied confidently.
"She has been married before; her husband passed away while sick, and she is pregnant. If you agree, you need to discuss with her what she plans to do about the child—whether she will bring it along or leave it with her in-laws," Qing Shusheng added after seeing An Bingwen's quick agreement, providing more details about Bai Cuifen's situation.
"Ah, she’s pregnant?" An Bingwen exclaimed. "Being married before isn’t a big deal, but if she’s pregnant... I’m afraid..." An Bingwen stammered.
"What’s wrong with her being pregnant? It’s not an illegitimate child; it’s a legitimate child from her previous husband. What are you worried about? Even if the child is born and stays in our Liu Family Village, it won’t be your biological child—are you going to reject it? At least you’ll be raising it. What does that have to do with my father? My father treats you like his own; he has always been good to you!" Qing Shusheng lightly patted An Bingwen on the head.
"That's true, but..." An Bingwen still had some concerns and hesitated.
"But what? They have looks and figure. Who would want you if you're a widow with children? Look at your own conditions before you speak," Qing Shusheng said, smoking and speaking harshly to An Bingwen.
"Alright then." An Bingwen bit his lip and finally nodded, "As long as she doesn't mind me, I'll go along with your arrangements."
"Look at you, acting like it's a burden. The one who should feel wronged is her. If you're not willing, I'll take her away right now to find someone else," Qing Shusheng said as he started to walk towards An Bingwen's house.
An Bingwen grabbed Qing Shusheng, "Why are you doing this? Didn't I say I agreed? Where else can she go? Your family already has Sister Xiuzhen; she can't stay with you." An Bingwen joked with a grin.
"Then it's settled. I'll arrange the next steps with my father later. But tonight, don't touch her until everything is finalized; that's the rule in Liu Family Village."
Although Qing Shusheng thought that An Bingwen wasn't that kind of person, he still reminded him of the rules like Liu Dezhou did.
"Pah." An Bingwen looked at Qing Shusheng with some disdain, raised his head high, and patted his chest, saying, "Am I that kind of person? I'm a scholar; how could I be worse than a beast? Not to mention that things aren't settled yet; even if they were, it wouldn't be right since she's pregnant."
An Bingwen spat on the ground again.
Just as Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen were whispering to each other, they suddenly heard Liu Xiuzhen's voice calling from the darkness, "An Bingwen, is your Shusheng Brother still at your house?"
It seemed Liu Xiuzhen had just heard their conversation.
"Here!" Upon hearing Liu Xiuzhen's voice, An Bingwen quickly responded, "Sister Xiuzhen is here?"
Hearing the response, Liu Xiuzhen noticed two figures in the darkness who were whispering to each other.
"Why are you standing here? Is everything arranged?" Liu Xiuzhen asked Qing Shusheng.
"Yes, An Bingwen has agreed," Qing Shusheng replied.
"You arrived just in time," Qing Shusheng said to Liu Xiuzhen.
He then turned to An Bingwen: "An Bingwen, take your sister-in-law inside. It’s a good opportunity for her to help settle down and get some rest. I’ll head back first."
After Qing Shusheng finished speaking, he waved goodbye to An Bingwen and disappeared into the vast darkness of the night.
Once Qing Shusheng left, Liu Xiuzhen and An Bingwen entered the house. An Bingwen took out the only clean cotton blanket they had at home, while Liu Xiuzhen helped Bai Cuifen arrange the bed. After chatting with Bai Cuifen for a while, she advised her to get some rest before returning.
Early the next morning, Qing Shusheng asked Liu Xiuzhen to go to An Bingwen's house and invite both An Bingwen and Bai Cuifen over for breakfast.
At the breakfast table, Qing Shusheng shared his plans and arrangements with An Bingwen and Bai Cuifen.
"After breakfast, An Bingwen and I will go to her house for a visit and have an open discussion with her family to see what conditions they have, so we can finalize things as soon as possible," Qing Shusheng said while drinking potato porridge.
He had never called Bai Cuifen by name and never looked at her while speaking. Moreover, whenever a third party was present, even if he was addressing her, Qing Shusheng would convey his words in a way that was directed at the third party.
Later on, Qing Shusheng maintained this habit of speaking to Bai Cuifen.
Liu Dezhou grunted in acknowledgment and nodded. He understood Qing Shusheng—he was decisive in his actions and never hesitated.
After breakfast, Qing Shusheng took An Bingwen and Bai Cuifen and set off according to the address provided by Bai Cuifen.
Three days later, Qing Shusheng and An Bingwen returned with Bai Cuifen.
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