Chapter 9: Something to DiscussLin Qinghe swung her arms tirelessly, the firewood chopper falling blow after blow as thick branches dropped around her. After chopping for quite a while until she felt tired, she finally stopped to catch her breath.Lin Qingsong was beside her, tidying up the chopped branches so they could be carried home later.She didn’t help with the tidying, instead raising her eyes to survey the surrounding terrain. After a moment’s observation, she selected a spot, crouched down, and examined it carefully.“Big sister, what are you doing?”“I see signs of Small Creature activity here. We’ll set a trap here before we leave.” Whether they could catch any prey would depend on luck.Setting traps was simple for the siblings—not troublesome at all.“Few people come here anyway. Why not set a few more traps?” Lin Qingsong suggested.Apart from their family, who often came to gather firewood, few villagers ventured to the back hills. Setting traps here wouldn’t risk accidentally injuring anyone.Lin Qinghe nodded. “Alright.”Lin Qingsong then rolled up his sleeves and got to work.As dusk fell, the siblings bundled up their firewood and headed home.When they reached the courtyard gate, they saw a tall figure seemingly waiting for their return.Lin Qingsong, walking ahead, greeted him. “Brother Zhengping, you’re here!”“Ah, you’ve been gathering firewood!” Zhao Zhengping glanced past Lin Qingsong, his gaze settling on Lin Qinghe, who was carrying a large bundle of firewood behind him.“Qinghe, how heavy is that bundle? Why not carry it in two trips? What if you strain your back?”Despite his words, he made no move to help. Lin Qinghe inwardly pursed her lips, not really expecting assistance anyway. She strode forward in a few steps and tossed the firewood into the courtyard.“It’s getting late. Did you come here for something?” she asked unhurriedly.“There is indeed something I need to discuss with you.” He glanced at the Lin siblings and added, “Let’s talk outside.”Lin Qinghe also looked at her younger siblings. They were well aware of her engagement to Zhao Zhengping and always addressed him as “brother” when they saw him in the village.“Alright, let’s talk outside then.”She stepped out of the courtyard gate, with Zhao Zhengping following a step behind.After walking about ten paces, she stopped. “Say what you need to say here.”Recalling Mrs. Qian’s words from their earlier encounter and considering Zhao Zhengping’s visit now, she had a rough idea of what was coming.Zhao Zhengping met her clear, bright eyes, his mind filled with words he struggled to articulate.“Why aren’t you speaking? Is it difficult to say?” Lin Qinghe asked.“Ahem, no.” Zhao Zhengping cleared his throat and began, “It’s like this. Today, my mother came home and spoke to me at length. She mentioned you…”He paused here, lowering his gaze. “She said that going to the county town to sell firewood, exposing yourself like that, isn’t proper for a young woman. Besides, such hard work could wear you out and might even affect your ability to bear children in the future.”That's thinking really far ahead. Lin Qinghe took a deep breath and said in a relatively gentle tone, "I go to the county town to sell firewood because I have no other choice. My father is gone, my mother remarried, and the heavy burden of the family has fallen on me. If I don't find ways to earn money, the whole family will have nothing to eat.""Can't you think of other ways? Besides, your mother only remarried—she's still your mother. I think if you soften your attitude and go to the Wang family to plead, they live comfortably and would likely be willing to help.""The Wang family does live comfortably, but that's what they earned themselves. No one can force them to help anyone. Moreover, the Wang family's temperament is far from generous. Even if I go to plead, they might help once or twice out of consideration for my mother, but can they help for a lifetime?"It's better to rely on oneself than on others. No one can be counted on forever; one must find their own way.Zhao Zhengping frowned. "Qinghe, you're too stubborn.""Being stubborn is better than being weak," Lin Qinghe replied with a slight smile.Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Zhao Zhengping gritted his teeth and said, "Qinghe, this won't do. My mother told me today that she wants to break off the engagement. I don't want to break it off at all, which is why I came to discuss it with you.""Discuss what?""Discuss how to save our marriage. My mother thinks that with your younger siblings at home… and in two or three years, you'll be getting married. Will you continue to support them after you marry? No husband's family would be willing to support their wife's younger siblings. My mother just doesn't want me to be burdened."He spoke plainly, and indeed, there was no reason for a husband's family to support their wife's younger siblings. Besides, they were still young—how long would they need to be supported? Even when they grew up, they would still be part of the Lin family.Hearing this, Lin Qinghe calmly asked, "So what do you mean?""What I mean is, you should send your younger siblings to your mother. She is your mother, and it's her responsibility to raise them. That way, you won't have any burdens, and I can persuade my mother not to break off the engagement. I can also marry you sooner, and once you're part of our Zhao family, the Lin family's matters will no longer concern you."Lin Qinghe listened carefully to his words, then sneered. "I think I understand your mother better than you do. When she stopped me earlier and said those things, I already knew exactly what she meant."She looked up at Zhao Zhengping. The fifteen-year-old boy was slender, having never worked in the fields. He was refined and fair-skinned, standing out among the sun-tanned youths in the village as a rare, handsome figure."Your mother isn't just worried about my younger siblings being a burden. She also looks down on my family's poverty. When my father was alive, our family lived comfortably. Now that he's gone, we have no income and are just living off what's left. No matter how much wealth we had, it would eventually run out, let alone the fact that our family hasn't saved much."Mrs. Qian must have known very well that all the valuable things in the house had been taken away by Mrs. Su, which was why she was so eager to get rid of her.Seeing how bluntly she spoke, Zhao Zhengping felt slightly uncomfortable. After a moment of silence, he began to defend Mrs. Qian."She has suffered too much in her life, which is why she cares so deeply. Please don't take it to heart. When it comes to children's marriages, parents have always had the final say. I cannot be unfilial. Qinghe, think carefully—do you truly wish to break off our engagement? You must know that a woman who breaks an engagement will find it difficult to marry again. It would not be in your favor.""Compared to abandoning my younger siblings, marriage doesn't seem so important. If you wish to break the engagement, then let it be. I have no objections."Mrs. Qian was undoubtedly one who despised the poor and fawned on the rich. As for Zhao Zhengping, he was not a man of responsibility either. Marrying into such a family would not lead to a good life. Therefore, breaking the engagement was a blessing, and she would certainly not object.

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