The very next day, under the eyes of a low-spirited Miao He, Yang Dalang left home and went into the mountains.
Not only to collect fallen leaves, but Yang Dalang also needed to go and check the trap that he had set up previously. In the past, it took him three to five days to return from hunting in the mountains as there was no prey left to be seen lurking in the shallow regions of the mountains. Thus, he had to trek deeper into the mountains for him to return home with prey in hand. However, because the little ger’s foot at home hadn’t healed yet, he only intended to hunt and return home on the same day this time. Hence, as a result, he didn’t need much preparation because he could hunt with only a basket on his back.
After Yang Dalang left home, Miao He instantly transformed into a cheerful bird and flew happily to the backyard.
Without any trouble, he picked up the vegetable seeds he bought and planted them in the soil. Miao He calculated the time, turned around, and carefully planted the green onion seed he had harvested the day before into the loose ground. This improved seed breed ensured that every seed would germinate. Furthermore, the seeds didn’t need to be watered regularly, and a seed per pit ensured a plentiful harvest.
After planting, Miao He cocked his head and looked around. And this time he should plant Chinese cabbage. Chinese cabbage generally matures faster than green onions. Miao He walked over to the cabbage’s side, picked up the remaining seeds, and moved a short stool over for him to sit on while he waited for the cabbage to mature. In about an hour, he stood up and sat down again seven to eight times as he harvested and replanted again. When he noticed that he had enough cabbages, he dug up the freshly planted one and discarded it.
He decided not to plant any more cabbages this time. He’d promised Yang Dalang that he’d rest properly and not walk around aimlessly. If all of the vegetable seeds were planted, Yang Dalang would remind him that if he further strained his foot, it would cost more silver this time.
In the following period, Miao He stayed in the backyard as he “bred” another type of vegetable, and refused to leave for lunch. However, after the tomatoes were planted, they immediately blossomed and bore large plump fruits, tempting Miao He, who instantly succumbed and harvested two of the tomatoes and began to cook lunch. Miao He felt life was still very promising as the sweet and sour, juicy tomato slid down his throat.
It was a pity that before Yang Dalang returned home, except for the green onions, Miao He only received six types of vegetable seeds namely Chinese cabbage, tomato, small oilseed rape, and lettuce as well as onion. Everything other than tomatoes and onions, which have a longer growing season, with the former taking five months to cultivate and the latter taking around a year; the remaining crops could be harvested in a month. And small oilseed rape and Chinese cabbage took the least amount of time; the latter two would then be the main force in selling vegetables in the future, as Miao He planned.
However, there would still be numerous opportunities to benefit from the living soil. Miao He reminded himself not to get impatient. The seeds on hand were enough for him to cover the whole vegetable field. Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to plant all of the seeds at the same time, but rather to focus on planting half of the field with Chinese cabbage and the other half with small oilseed rape, as the main selling vegetables in the future. In comparison to the mentioned two seeds, the rest of the seeds would take a long time to grow, but they were still sufficient to improve the quality of one’s food.
After modifying the purchased seeds with high-quality seeds, Miao He also ripped the remaining plant residue into small pieces and buried it in various corners of the vegetable field. He always felt that the plants carried the magical energy of the living soil and that it must be a great fertilizer for the vegetable field, making the plants healthier in return.
And this time, Miao He paid close attention to the time and didn’t dare to take a risk until the very last second. When he noticed that the sun was about to set in the west, he came to a complete halt. He didn’t want to gamble around with his racing heartbeat any longer.
When Yang Dalang arrived home at exactly the time when the sun finally fell down, he saw an obedient little ger, leaning on the door frame of the hall to welcome him, and said, “You’re back.”
Having heard of that sentence, Yand Dalang suddenly felt a faint feeling of not knowing what to do nor what to respond.
Seeing Yang Dalang holding two pheasants that were still alive upside down in his hand, Miao He’s immediately brightened, “Is there really a prey?”
“En. Two chickens and a little wild boar.”
“Even wild boars? Isn’t that very dangerous?” Miao He said with his eyes wide open.
“Fell in the trap, what good luck.”
“That’s great, we could trade that for a lot of silver taels.”
“En.”
“Hurry up and wash, I’ll just cook the meal. I’ll wash up later.”
Miao He made some gluten soup tonight. It was the same as mixing wheat flour with millet flour and forming a dough. Simply using wheat wasn’t enough to make it. Then, he added some salt. After resting the dough for about forty minutes, Miao He washed some sides of the dough with water to get slippery homemade gluten.
When Yang Dalang returned home, Miao He only had to cut the gluten into small bite-sized pieces and boil it in hot water. He then added some bacon strips, topped with the egg that was exchanged yesterday, and threw away the withered flat green onion left in the kitchen. It was a bit monotonous without other seasoning but it was also a nice and warm, meaty dinner.
When the dinner was served on the table, Yang Dalang also finished his quick bath, changed his clothes, and walked back carrying a small bamboo basket with a blue in his hand. There seemed to be a living creature in the bamboo basket as there were noticeable occasional slight movements, and several holes poked in the cover.
Miao He saw Yang Dalang put the small bamboo basket on the bench and lifted the blue lid. Inside was a small kitten who couldn’t even roar a meow. The whole body was covered in black fur, but the nose had a patch of white. It rolled in the bed cloth quietly while creating low purrs.
Miao He was extremely astonished, “Kitten!?”
“The Qiangzi household’s mother cat gave birth a few days ago, and I went to ask for one. When the kitten gets older, he could keep off the rat.”
Miao He looked at the kitten, then at Yang Dalang, his mouth slightly agape.
Yang Dalang’s expression didn’t even twitch as the man in front of him had a neutral natural face, as if he had done something ordinary. But this kind of thing was usually taken care of with great consideration, except for Miao He’s later grandma, who else had treated him this way?
People in the bustling city were always hunched over, trying to make a living. Hectic work life, commuting in crowded transportation, and social niceties were all things that consumed most people’s energy on a daily basis. Even the next-door neighbors were cold and uninterested, paying only passing attention to the environment.
Miao He suddenly reverted back to a child’s way of thinking, “Then what does the kitten eat? I have to get it,” after speaking, he stood up and wanted to go to the backroom.
A hand suddenly reached out and pulled him down, Yang Dalang said, “Sit down. I know it. I’ll go get it.”
Miao He, who was left stunned, remained seated in the main room, feeling that the hand that had just been held was a little hot.
‘Was Yang Dalang also like this to the original host? He was quite good at taking care of people. To what extent should I think more?’
The next day, under Miao He’s guarantee and eagerness, the medicine pasted on his feet was finally washed off, which also successfully convinced Yang Dalang not to ask Uncle Lin to come back for a follow-up visit. Miao He insisted that his foot could now walk and was completely healed. He also remarked that he knew himself better than anyone else, so if there appeared to be a genuine problem, he wouldn’t risk putting on a brave face just to avoid putting the medicine back on. Yang Dalang finally agreed, but he reminded him not to walk around too much for the next few days.
Just like a prisoner who had finally tasted what freedom felt like after a long time, Miao He walked with a smile pasted on his lips. God knows how hard it was to pretend to be sick. Miao He also gladly agreed to be an obedient child and agreed to the request to better treat the family. The little wild boar and one of the pheasants caught yesterday were discovered to be both males, and to take advantage of their vitalities were intended to be sold off by Yang Dalang today for a good price.
After all, if they raised pigs in their backyard after it had become a vegetable field, there would be no room to move. There would also be no crops to grow, and simply growing them would make the yard smell bad. Besides that, Yang Dalang had no intention of doing so. There was only one pheasant left, but if they could get a few more hens, there would be enough eggs to harvest in the future.
As a result, Miao He took advantage of the day and continued to plant the remaining vegetable seeds in the living soil.
The vegetable seeds he planted yesterday, Chinese cabbage and small oilseed rape, sown quickly as well. In the second half of the month, or so, the first batch of high-quality vegetables would finally be planted. He also took the time to inspect the compost pit outside the yard. The withered leaves brought back by Yang Dalang yesterday only filled one-third of the deep pit outside, and Miao He was afraid he’d have to go out a few more times before the pit was full.
Even if Miao He was preoccupied with breeding the vegetables, he didn’t forget to tear a few tender leaves from the vegetables grown in the soil and hand them to the rolling Dabai inside the bamboo basket. Dabai was the name given for the kitten yesterday. Miao He decided to call it Dabai, expecting the kitten to grow up majestic and not cause a commotion with his brothers and sisters in the future.
Miao He wasn’t sure if cats ate lettuce or not, but he figured it would because it was top-quality lettuce. After Dabai sniffed the offered leaves, it immediately nipped the tender leaves happily.
Around noon, someone yelled at the door outside the courtyard. Miao He was startled by the sudden noise and jumped in surprise.
Ah, it should be the mother of the original host.
“Brother He, are you inside!? A-niang is here!”
It was a frequent occurrence in the country to visit one’s family. However, the mothers-in-law of both parties were prohibited to come and visit the married family member precisely because of the fact that she was already a married woman and can’t dwell in other people’s households.
Miao He quickly cleaned up the backyard matter to avoid any unwanted accidents and went to answer the door.
Miao Heniang, was called Li Zhaodi before she married, and Auntie Zhao were the people Miao He saw when he opened the door. When Miao He heard the name, he knew that it was the person who was always looking forward to the boy, and didn’t want to run away from the patriarchal family. This was also the norm in other villages.
As soon as the door opened, the first thing that Miao He met was the laser-like eyes of Miao Heniang as she scanned his entire body up and down. After that, with more outrageous behavior, she also squeezed her way in without first consulting Miao He and stepped into the courtyard. She said, “What were you so busy with? Are you really that unwilling to open the door for A-niang?”
Miao He surreptitiously picked up the spirit of twelve points, and while playing the original host’s attitude towards her, Miao He coldly replied, “Why are you looking for me?”
“What kind of look are you showing to A-niang?” Miao Heniang asked, “Look at your complexion. I am afraid that you don’t feel satisfied enough even though you eat and drink every day. And, yes, Dalang is good at hunting, and A-niang forced you to marry, but wasn’t it all for your own good!?”
That was correct, but it was an understatement. During that time, the former Miao He was compelled to marry someone he didn’t even pay attention to. Aside from that, his mother kept Miao He in the dark about her plans before he and Dalang married. On their wedding day, Miao Heniang gave him a bowl of drugs. They weren’t particularly taxing, but they were enough to keep him muddle-headed throughout the process. The drugs were used to keep Miao He from fleeing and to ensure the bride and groom completely bowed and kneeled to the heavens and earth without unnecessary disruption.
Such a devious method made Miao He develop both love and hate towards his mother.
The original Miao He was the eldest child of Miao Heniang. Before the birth of his younger brother, Miao He was the child who grew up pampered by his mother. They all had this mindset that giving birth to a good-looking ger was never a loss. As a result, Miao He’s mother forbade him from doing too much physical labor in order to ask for better use of him in the future.
Until Miao He’s younger brother was born, Miao He’s pampered status was stripped away from him. His didi was only three years old this year. The reason why his brother and him had a vast age difference was because of the twice occurrence of miscarriages that Miao Heninang went through in between the two children. And this younger brother of Miao He nearly went to follow the wakes of his unborn brothers and luckily survived in the end. Miao He’s didi was naturally regarded as a jewel after his mother gave birth to him, and he became the center of attention, with all of the family’s resources showered on him.
But Miao He had been favored for so many years, thus was a bit vinegar with the sudden change. Small frictions in life, such as the stewed chicken soup that were cooked for several hours were solely given to his younger brother without sparing some for him, which happened occasionally.
Then, the incident of Miao Yuan and him soon followed. Making the ger who should have been sitting on the throne for the best ger became a commodity that no one dared to possess, and it also caused the reputation of Miao He’s family to plummet to rock bottom. Although the entanglement acquiesced for his mother, her acceptance gradually shifted as the situation worsened to the point where it could affect his youngest son. Hence, Miao Heniang looked at Miao He again; and the more she looked at him, the angrier she became, treating him even worse than before.
Miao He was married after being forced to do so. He sneaked back to his birthplace, causing a major squabble with his mother. His mother was also outspoken and self-assured, stabbing words into his heart and cursing back.
“Did A-niang want you to marry Miao Yuan too!? If you could marry, then why not!? But you let other people run their mouths and influence you who to marry!! When you pester people, you can clearly see what is hidden under the skin of people: blackhearted and unfeeling!! And in the end, your mother was the only one who was there for you, just so you could die in peace and without regret!! Otherwise, you would be harmed by that damned boy for the rest of your life!!”
Miao Heniang may be selfish, but what she said was also the bloody truth. Moreover, in marriages nowadays, the ones that weren’t the parents were the ones who had something to say, and it wasn’t crucial to first put significance to whatever the child had in his heart. The original host was entirely angry, full of hatred and yet powerless to fight. Since then, when the original host quietly returned to Yang Dalang’s house, it seemed as if he was reborn but also became cold and detached to his mother. It couldn’t be said to be hatred, but it certainly seemed like burnt firewood, not very warm.
“Don’t say this again. What’s the matter?”
Miao Heniang looked around first, and coughed, “Is Dalang away?”
“Not here.”
There was a flash of joy that twinkled in her eyes. Then, Miao Heniang lowered her voice and said “Mother heard that Dalang recently paid back half of the silver he owed outside. Are you aware of this?”
With knotted brows, Miao He answered, “No, I don’t. Why?”
Yang Dalang even told him that it was just enough silver to pay the debt back, so why was there still left to pay?
“Well, you know the custom in the village. If the only ger in the family who does not have a younger brother marries, he is still obligated to support his mother’s family. Just think of your mother, since Yang Dalang has some loose money on hand, surely he will help a bit from time to time. Think about it, our family didn’t ask him for anything as a dowry but was considerate when we saw the circumstances of his family at that time. Now that the difficulties have been overcome, he should make up for it, isn’t it the will of the heavens and earth?”
Make-up gift? It was the first he heard of that. In addition, didn’t you give the original Miao He to Dalang Yang for free?
Miao He had a strange expression on his face, “Isn’t there Adi? Is Xiaobao a girl?”
“Pei pei pei!! What the hell are you talking about? You are Xiaobao’s elder brother, how could you curse your brother like this?”
Is it a curse to say that the son is a girl? Miao He rolled his eyes.
“Your Adi, Xiaobao, is only three years old! What kind of brother is a three-year-old child? You have to talk to Yang Dalang about this. I dare say that Yang Dalang must not refuse! Ya, then if he dared to, isn’t the Yang family still has a third son looking for a wife? What kind of unpleasant and bad news will spread by then, so why bother!”
His mother thought so comprehensively, she even brought threats.
Miao He was silent for a while, and asked, “How much?”
The very next day, under the eyes of a low-spirited Miao He, Yang Dalang left home and went into the mountains.
Not only to collect fallen leaves, but Yang Dalang also needed to go and check the trap that he had set up previously. In the past, it took him three to five days to return from hunting in the mountains as there was no prey left to be seen lurking in the shallow regions of the mountains. Thus, he had to trek deeper into the mountains for him to return home with prey in hand. However, because the little ger’s foot at home hadn’t healed yet, he only intended to hunt and return home on the same day this time. Hence, as a result, he didn’t need much preparation because he could hunt with only a basket on his back.
After Yang Dalang left home, Miao He instantly transformed into a cheerful bird and flew happily to the backyard.
Without any trouble, he picked up the vegetable seeds he bought and planted them in the soil. Miao He calculated the time, turned around, and carefully planted the green onion seed he had harvested the day before into the loose ground. This improved seed breed ensured that every seed would germinate. Furthermore, the seeds didn’t need to be watered regularly, and a seed per pit ensured a plentiful harvest.
After planting, Miao He cocked his head and looked around. And this time he should plant Chinese cabbage. Chinese cabbage generally matures faster than green onions. Miao He walked over to the cabbage’s side, picked up the remaining seeds, and moved a short stool over for him to sit on while he waited for the cabbage to mature. In about an hour, he stood up and sat down again seven to eight times as he harvested and replanted again. When he noticed that he had enough cabbages, he dug up the freshly planted one and discarded it.
He decided not to plant any more cabbages this time. He’d promised Yang Dalang that he’d rest properly and not walk around aimlessly. If all of the vegetable seeds were planted, Yang Dalang would remind him that if he further strained his foot, it would cost more silver this time.
In the following period, Miao He stayed in the backyard as he “bred” another type of vegetable, and refused to leave for lunch. However, after the tomatoes were planted, they immediately blossomed and bore large plump fruits, tempting Miao He, who instantly succumbed and harvested two of the tomatoes and began to cook lunch. Miao He felt life was still very promising as the sweet and sour, juicy tomato slid down his throat.
It was a pity that before Yang Dalang returned home, except for the green onions, Miao He only received six types of vegetable seeds namely Chinese cabbage, tomato, small oilseed rape, and lettuce as well as onion. Everything other than tomatoes and onions, which have a longer growing season, with the former taking five months to cultivate and the latter taking around a year; the remaining crops could be harvested in a month. And small oilseed rape and Chinese cabbage took the least amount of time; the latter two would then be the main force in selling vegetables in the future, as Miao He planned.
However, there would still be numerous opportunities to benefit from the living soil. Miao He reminded himself not to get impatient. The seeds on hand were enough for him to cover the whole vegetable field. Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to plant all of the seeds at the same time, but rather to focus on planting half of the field with Chinese cabbage and the other half with small oilseed rape, as the main selling vegetables in the future. In comparison to the mentioned two seeds, the rest of the seeds would take a long time to grow, but they were still sufficient to improve the quality of one’s food.
After modifying the purchased seeds with high-quality seeds, Miao He also ripped the remaining plant residue into small pieces and buried it in various corners of the vegetable field. He always felt that the plants carried the magical energy of the living soil and that it must be a great fertilizer for the vegetable field, making the plants healthier in return.
And this time, Miao He paid close attention to the time and didn’t dare to take a risk until the very last second. When he noticed that the sun was about to set in the west, he came to a complete halt. He didn’t want to gamble around with his racing heartbeat any longer.
When Yang Dalang arrived home at exactly the time when the sun finally fell down, he saw an obedient little ger, leaning on the door frame of the hall to welcome him, and said, “You’re back.”
Having heard of that sentence, Yand Dalang suddenly felt a faint feeling of not knowing what to do nor what to respond.
Seeing Yang Dalang holding two pheasants that were still alive upside down in his hand, Miao He’s immediately brightened, “Is there really a prey?”
“En. Two chickens and a little wild boar.”
“Even wild boars? Isn’t that very dangerous?” Miao He said with his eyes wide open.
“Fell in the trap, what good luck.”
“That’s great, we could trade that for a lot of silver taels.”
“En.”
“Hurry up and wash, I’ll just cook the meal. I’ll wash up later.”
Miao He made some gluten soup tonight. It was the same as mixing wheat flour with millet flour and forming a dough. Simply using wheat wasn’t enough to make it. Then, he added some salt. After resting the dough for about forty minutes, Miao He washed some sides of the dough with water to get slippery homemade gluten.
When Yang Dalang returned home, Miao He only had to cut the gluten into small bite-sized pieces and boil it in hot water. He then added some bacon strips, topped with the egg that was exchanged yesterday, and threw away the withered flat green onion left in the kitchen. It was a bit monotonous without other seasoning but it was also a nice and warm, meaty dinner.
When the dinner was served on the table, Yang Dalang also finished his quick bath, changed his clothes, and walked back carrying a small bamboo basket with a blue in his hand. There seemed to be a living creature in the bamboo basket as there were noticeable occasional slight movements, and several holes poked in the cover.
Miao He saw Yang Dalang put the small bamboo basket on the bench and lifted the blue lid. Inside was a small kitten who couldn’t even roar a meow. The whole body was covered in black fur, but the nose had a patch of white. It rolled in the bed cloth quietly while creating low purrs.
Miao He was extremely astonished, “Kitten!?”
“The Qiangzi household’s mother cat gave birth a few days ago, and I went to ask for one. When the kitten gets older, he could keep off the rat.”
Miao He looked at the kitten, then at Yang Dalang, his mouth slightly agape.
Yang Dalang’s expression didn’t even twitch as the man in front of him had a neutral natural face, as if he had done something ordinary. But this kind of thing was usually taken care of with great consideration, except for Miao He’s later grandma, who else had treated him this way?
People in the bustling city were always hunched over, trying to make a living. Hectic work life, commuting in crowded transportation, and social niceties were all things that consumed most people’s energy on a daily basis. Even the next-door neighbors were cold and uninterested, paying only passing attention to the environment.
Miao He suddenly reverted back to a child’s way of thinking, “Then what does the kitten eat? I have to get it,” after speaking, he stood up and wanted to go to the backroom.
A hand suddenly reached out and pulled him down, Yang Dalang said, “Sit down. I know it. I’ll go get it.”
Miao He, who was left stunned, remained seated in the main room, feeling that the hand that had just been held was a little hot.
‘Was Yang Dalang also like this to the original host? He was quite good at taking care of people. To what extent should I think more?’
The next day, under Miao He’s guarantee and eagerness, the medicine pasted on his feet was finally washed off, which also successfully convinced Yang Dalang not to ask Uncle Lin to come back for a follow-up visit. Miao He insisted that his foot could now walk and was completely healed. He also remarked that he knew himself better than anyone else, so if there appeared to be a genuine problem, he wouldn’t risk putting on a brave face just to avoid putting the medicine back on. Yang Dalang finally agreed, but he reminded him not to walk around too much for the next few days.
Just like a prisoner who had finally tasted what freedom felt like after a long time, Miao He walked with a smile pasted on his lips. God knows how hard it was to pretend to be sick. Miao He also gladly agreed to be an obedient child and agreed to the request to better treat the family. The little wild boar and one of the pheasants caught yesterday were discovered to be both males, and to take advantage of their vitalities were intended to be sold off by Yang Dalang today for a good price.
After all, if they raised pigs in their backyard after it had become a vegetable field, there would be no room to move. There would also be no crops to grow, and simply growing them would make the yard smell bad. Besides that, Yang Dalang had no intention of doing so. There was only one pheasant left, but if they could get a few more hens, there would be enough eggs to harvest in the future.
As a result, Miao He took advantage of the day and continued to plant the remaining vegetable seeds in the living soil.
The vegetable seeds he planted yesterday, Chinese cabbage and small oilseed rape, sown quickly as well. In the second half of the month, or so, the first batch of high-quality vegetables would finally be planted. He also took the time to inspect the compost pit outside the yard. The withered leaves brought back by Yang Dalang yesterday only filled one-third of the deep pit outside, and Miao He was afraid he’d have to go out a few more times before the pit was full.
Even if Miao He was preoccupied with breeding the vegetables, he didn’t forget to tear a few tender leaves from the vegetables grown in the soil and hand them to the rolling Dabai inside the bamboo basket. Dabai was the name given for the kitten yesterday. Miao He decided to call it Dabai, expecting the kitten to grow up majestic and not cause a commotion with his brothers and sisters in the future.
Miao He wasn’t sure if cats ate lettuce or not, but he figured it would because it was top-quality lettuce. After Dabai sniffed the offered leaves, it immediately nipped the tender leaves happily.
Around noon, someone yelled at the door outside the courtyard. Miao He was startled by the sudden noise and jumped in surprise.
Ah, it should be the mother of the original host.
“Brother He, are you inside!? A-niang is here!”
It was a frequent occurrence in the country to visit one’s family. However, the mothers-in-law of both parties were prohibited to come and visit the married family member precisely because of the fact that she was already a married woman and can’t dwell in other people’s households.
Miao He quickly cleaned up the backyard matter to avoid any unwanted accidents and went to answer the door.
Miao Heniang, was called Li Zhaodi before she married, and Auntie Zhao were the people Miao He saw when he opened the door. When Miao He heard the name, he knew that it was the person who was always looking forward to the boy, and didn’t want to run away from the patriarchal family. This was also the norm in other villages.
As soon as the door opened, the first thing that Miao He met was the laser-like eyes of Miao Heniang as she scanned his entire body up and down. After that, with more outrageous behavior, she also squeezed her way in without first consulting Miao He and stepped into the courtyard. She said, “What were you so busy with? Are you really that unwilling to open the door for A-niang?”
Miao He surreptitiously picked up the spirit of twelve points, and while playing the original host’s attitude towards her, Miao He coldly replied, “Why are you looking for me?”
“What kind of look are you showing to A-niang?” Miao Heniang asked, “Look at your complexion. I am afraid that you don’t feel satisfied enough even though you eat and drink every day. And, yes, Dalang is good at hunting, and A-niang forced you to marry, but wasn’t it all for your own good!?”
That was correct, but it was an understatement. During that time, the former Miao He was compelled to marry someone he didn’t even pay attention to. Aside from that, his mother kept Miao He in the dark about her plans before he and Dalang married. On their wedding day, Miao Heniang gave him a bowl of drugs. They weren’t particularly taxing, but they were enough to keep him muddle-headed throughout the process. The drugs were used to keep Miao He from fleeing and to ensure the bride and groom completely bowed and kneeled to the heavens and earth without unnecessary disruption.
Such a devious method made Miao He develop both love and hate towards his mother.
The original Miao He was the eldest child of Miao Heniang. Before the birth of his younger brother, Miao He was the child who grew up pampered by his mother. They all had this mindset that giving birth to a good-looking ger was never a loss. As a result, Miao He’s mother forbade him from doing too much physical labor in order to ask for better use of him in the future.
Until Miao He’s younger brother was born, Miao He’s pampered status was stripped away from him. His didi was only three years old this year. The reason why his brother and him had a vast age difference was because of the twice occurrence of miscarriages that Miao Heninang went through in between the two children. And this younger brother of Miao He nearly went to follow the wakes of his unborn brothers and luckily survived in the end. Miao He’s didi was naturally regarded as a jewel after his mother gave birth to him, and he became the center of attention, with all of the family’s resources showered on him.
But Miao He had been favored for so many years, thus was a bit vinegar with the sudden change. Small frictions in life, such as the stewed chicken soup that were cooked for several hours were solely given to his younger brother without sparing some for him, which happened occasionally.
Then, the incident of Miao Yuan and him soon followed. Making the ger who should have been sitting on the throne for the best ger became a commodity that no one dared to possess, and it also caused the reputation of Miao He’s family to plummet to rock bottom. Although the entanglement acquiesced for his mother, her acceptance gradually shifted as the situation worsened to the point where it could affect his youngest son. Hence, Miao Heniang looked at Miao He again; and the more she looked at him, the angrier she became, treating him even worse than before.
Miao He was married after being forced to do so. He sneaked back to his birthplace, causing a major squabble with his mother. His mother was also outspoken and self-assured, stabbing words into his heart and cursing back.
“Did A-niang want you to marry Miao Yuan too!? If you could marry, then why not!? But you let other people run their mouths and influence you who to marry!! When you pester people, you can clearly see what is hidden under the skin of people: blackhearted and unfeeling!! And in the end, your mother was the only one who was there for you, just so you could die in peace and without regret!! Otherwise, you would be harmed by that damned boy for the rest of your life!!”
Miao Heniang may be selfish, but what she said was also the bloody truth. Moreover, in marriages nowadays, the ones that weren’t the parents were the ones who had something to say, and it wasn’t crucial to first put significance to whatever the child had in his heart. The original host was entirely angry, full of hatred and yet powerless to fight. Since then, when the original host quietly returned to Yang Dalang’s house, it seemed as if he was reborn but also became cold and detached to his mother. It couldn’t be said to be hatred, but it certainly seemed like burnt firewood, not very warm.
“Don’t say this again. What’s the matter?”
Miao Heniang looked around first, and coughed, “Is Dalang away?”
“Not here.”
There was a flash of joy that twinkled in her eyes. Then, Miao Heniang lowered her voice and said “Mother heard that Dalang recently paid back half of the silver he owed outside. Are you aware of this?”
With knotted brows, Miao He answered, “No, I don’t. Why?”
Yang Dalang even told him that it was just enough silver to pay the debt back, so why was there still left to pay?
“Well, you know the custom in the village. If the only ger in the family who does not have a younger brother marries, he is still obligated to support his mother’s family. Just think of your mother, since Yang Dalang has some loose money on hand, surely he will help a bit from time to time. Think about it, our family didn’t ask him for anything as a dowry but was considerate when we saw the circumstances of his family at that time. Now that the difficulties have been overcome, he should make up for it, isn’t it the will of the heavens and earth?”
Make-up gift? It was the first he heard of that. In addition, didn’t you give the original Miao He to Dalang Yang for free?
Miao He had a strange expression on his face, “Isn’t there Adi? Is Xiaobao a girl?”
“Pei pei pei!! What the hell are you talking about? You are Xiaobao’s elder brother, how could you curse your brother like this?”
Is it a curse to say that the son is a girl? Miao He rolled his eyes.
“Your Adi, Xiaobao, is only three years old! What kind of brother is a three-year-old child? You have to talk to Yang Dalang about this. I dare say that Yang Dalang must not refuse! Ya, then if he dared to, isn’t the Yang family still has a third son looking for a wife? What kind of unpleasant and bad news will spread by then, so why bother!”
His mother thought so comprehensively, she even brought threats.
Miao He was silent for a while, and asked, “How much?”
