They’d said they would leave in half an hour, but between the father and daughter chatting here and tidying up there, it was an hour later by the time they’d both changed into outdoor clothes and were ready to go.
The pair each carried a basket, and one also had a yellowish-green satchel slung across their shoulder.
Xu Changqing, who was a step behind, thought for a moment, then backed up two steps, turned around, and grabbed a lock to hang on the door of the outer room.
This way, anyone could see that no one was home—that everyone was out working, and that there had, in fact, been a burglary yesterday.
As for the courtyard gate, that couldn’t be locked.
For one thing, there was a well over ten meters deep in their courtyard.
Several nearby neighbors who lived far from the Hundred Sons River to the west would come to their house to draw water when they were too busy to fetch it from the river in the morning.
Besides, no family in the village would lock their courtyard gate in broad daylight.
Except for the row of houses like theirs at the foot of the mountain that had actual courtyard walls, the vast majority of families used fences made of woven branches or straw stalks.
As such, there was no need to lock the outer gate.
‘Isn’t this a classic case of “no silver buried here”?’ Xu Qiguang thought as he watched his daughter lock the door and then carefully draw water from the well, which was surrounded by an earthen platform over a meter high, to set out in the sun.
Still, he didn’t stop her.
He knew that no matter what he said right now, it wouldn’t put the girl’s mind at ease.
He had two daughters, and in every respect, they were polar opposites.
One wouldn’t bother to right an overturned oil bottle, while the other was overly conscientious.
After finishing up, Xu Changqing had just set down the wicker jug she used for carrying water when, out of habit, she subconsciously started to run over to check on the two pigs in their sty before leaving.
The moment his daughter’s legs started moving, Xu Qiguang put a hand to his forehead.
He couldn’t stay silent any longer and quickly urged her to get going.
Otherwise, it would be the middle of the night before the two of them got back from the county town.
But this was Xu Changqing.
She yelled, “Coming!” but shot off like a gust of wind to the pigsty and returned like a whirlwind, even offering to carry the basket without so much as catching her breath.
Xu Qiguang had lost count of how many times this daughter had left him speechless.
Still, it showed that while the girl was thin, there was nothing seriously wrong with her small frame.
When her old man refused, Xu Changqing just smiled and didn’t insist.
It wasn’t that heavy anyway; her dad could still manage it.
At worst, she’d find a chance to snatch it from him on the way.
If they took the shortcut, Baizigou wasn’t actually that far from the county town.
It was a distance of less than twenty li, which would only take Xu Qiguang half an hour at his walking pace.
Usually, when he came home, he’d catch a ride on a coal mine’s cargo truck, taking the main road directly into the village.
When it was time to go back to work, he would take the shortcut along the dirt path to the county town and then transfer to another vehicle to get to his workplace.
He’d been doing this for years but had never once mentioned buying a bicycle, not even when Bai Xiulan suggested he could buy one and store it in the county town.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother-in-law, nor that he doubted his teacher’s character.
Rather, it was his teacher’s wife, who had always been a bit petty and couldn’t resist taking advantage of any small opportunity.
Taking advantage wasn’t a big deal; it was just a small financial loss.
The key issue was that she’d pull the seniority card, act innocent after taking what she wanted, and then run her mouth about him all over town.
This bad habit of hers had only gotten worse, especially after he lost his chance to go to university and later came into direct conflict with her younger son-in-law over personal interests.
To avoid unnecessary trouble and not to upset his teacher, he preferred to wait outside for a chance to see his teacher rather than visit their home, unless it was absolutely necessary.
Due to their geographical location, whether they took the main road or the shortcut, the Xus, living in the northeast corner of the village, couldn’t avoid the village entrance when heading to the county town.
It was the height of the wheat harvest, around seven or eight in the morning, and even the young children were out in the fields.
The homes were basically all empty, but it was a different, bustling scene the closer they got to the village entrance.
This was because this area was near the threshing ground and the production team headquarters.
Yesterday, everyone had been so busy they could have dropped and slept right on the ground.
And in a place like this, if one person in the village found out about something, everyone would know.
Xu Changqing could feel that the moment she appeared, everyone there, including the men carrying away wheat, turned to look at her.
If they didn’t all have their own tasks, she figured they would all be gathered around, picking her apart with their gossip.
When Old Mrs.
Xu saw her son and granddaughter approaching, she walked out to meet them before they could get any closer, calling out loudly, “Didn’t you say you had to take the child to town for a check-up?”
Her meaning was clear: Just go do what you need to do, why are you coming over here?
Xu Qiguang, who had been greeting the elders, played along perfectly and replied, “I’m taking her now.
I just wanted to let you know before we left.”
It wasn’t that there was no doctor in the village.
A young man from one of the Bai Family branches knew how to set bones and could treat frostbite, fevers, headaches, and diarrhea, but he couldn’t even be considered a barefoot doctor.
Never mind outsiders; even the Bai Family themselves didn’t trust his medical skills.
His old man had been quite capable, but unfortunately, he had passed away a few years ago.
This one claimed to have inherited the family’s medical arts, but in reality, he was just a half-baked amateur faking his way through it.
Those present who were familiar with the situation didn’t think the Xu mother-son duo was making a big deal out of nothing.
After all, the third branch of the Xu family had few descendants and not a single male heir in sight, so of course the girls were cherished.
What’s that?
Isn’t the wife of the third son about to give birth?
That doesn’t count.
Haven’t you heard she’s carrying two?
And even if she weren’t carrying two, even if it were just a single boy, well…
some things are better left unsaid.
That girl from the Bai family didn’t just have two daughters before this, right?
Wasn’t there another one in between that didn’t make it?
Who could guarantee that carrying two would mean a smooth delivery for both?
Nearby, Xu Ergen, who was a few years younger than Xu Dageng but conveniently deaf most of the time, overheard the exchange between his sister-in-law and nephew.
His hearing suddenly returned, and he even managed to chime in.
“Nothing to talk about!
You kids and your fussy rules,” he shouted.
Then, as if afraid people wouldn’t know he was hard of hearing, Xu Ergen mumbled loudly to himself, “All that reading really has made him stupid.
Came back yesterday and didn’t even take the kid to a doctor right away.
City kids are delicate, I guess.
Which of us farm kids didn’t grow up rough-and-tumble?”
Hearing this, some people chuckled knowingly, while others laughed just to be polite.
A few opportunists added a word or two in agreement, but some kind souls tried to smooth things over, joining Old Mrs.
Xu in urging Xu Qiguang to hurry up and take the child to the doctor.
“Hey, Qingzi!
You finally dared to come out!”
Just as Xu Changqing was following her dad toward the village entrance, a loudmouthed, foolish boy kept shouting after her, “Hey, I’m talking to you!
So you’re finally back, huh.
“Why didn’t you call me yesterday?
Word on the street is you cracked your brother-in-law’s head open!
What kinda scummy thing did he do to piss you off?
Should we go get Gangzi and…”
“What are you howling about?
Get that stuff over there, now!”
“Coming, coming, I’m on my way!
Second Grandpa, how come you can hear again?
Qingzi, remember to find me later!
The usual spot, don’t forget!”