The bamboo leaves rustled.
A man stood up from behind the bamboo grove.
"Fang Zhiwei? What are you doing here?"
Qin Qing felt a bit embarrassed—it seemed their conversation had been overheard by him in its entirety.
Fang Zhiwei's expression was calm as usual. He raised his right hand, revealing a gray wild rabbit tightly gripped in his grasp.
"You're catching wild rabbits?"
Fang Zhiwei nodded. Seeing that both Qin Qing and her mother had changed into cotton-padded jackets, he limped forward and reached out his hand.
"Give me the coat."
Qin Qing glanced at the still-damp military coat in her hands. "Let me wash it clean first, then I'll return it to you."
"I don't stand on ceremony."
Fang Zhiwei snatched the military coat with one hand and put it on directly.
He turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he stopped and looked back at Qin Qing.
"The Tang family won't take you in. I can."
Qin Qing gave an awkward smile. "The people of Dagang Village don't treat us well. If you take us in, it'll only bring you trouble."
"I'm not afraid of trouble."
Fang Zhiwei spoke in short, clipped sentences, but his gaze was resolute.
He must have felt sorry for them and wanted to help.
Qin Qing shook her head. "Thank you for your kindness, but I can handle it."
"Fine."
Fang Zhiwei didn't insist and turned to leave directly.
Qin Qing was somewhat surprised—this guy was indeed straightforward, direct and to the point without any hesitation.
Tang Min's mind was somewhat unsettled. She tugged at Qin Qing's hand and whispered softly.
"Qing'er, what your aunt just said…"
"Mom, I only believe you. I won't believe what she said."
"No, Qing'er, what your aunt said is true."
Tang Min began to tell Qin Qing about what had happened back then.
She had indeed grown up with Wang Dapeng from Dagang Village as childhood sweethearts, and their families had arranged a betrothal for them as children.
But Wang Dapeng's family was too poor!
The Tang family was poor too.
Her brother Tang Tiansheng was getting married, and the family had emptied their coffers. Still, for money, the Tang family forced Tang Min to marry into the Qin family.
For her brother's sake, Tang Min ultimately married Qin Changyuan.
"Qing'er, I really was born with a cheap fate, worth only ten yuan, being sold back and forth by people."
By the end, Tang Min's eyes were red, and tears fell with a patter.
Qin Qing hugged Tang Min with heartache. "Mom! Who says your fate is cheap? In the future, your worth will be in the millions—no, in the hundreds of millions! If anyone dares to touch you, I'll make sure they never have descendants!"
"Silly girl, talking about hundreds of millions, spouting nonsense. Your temper now—you're just like your second uncle."
Tang Min thought of her second brother Tang Tianqiao from her memories. "Back when I was to marry into the Qin family, the only one who opposed it was your second uncle. He said he'd go break your father's legs so he'd never dare come to the Tang family to propose again. If I hadn't stopped him, he really would have done it."
"Then how did Second Uncle end up convicted of hooliganism?"
"I don't know either."
Tang Min shook her head. "Your second uncle was someone who could never stay put, always running all over the country. By the time I received word, he was already locked up."
The Tang family had always been outsiders in Dagang Village.
On the day Tang Min married into the Qin family, Wang Dapeng's parents led the entire village to block the Tang family's door.
Qin Changyuan came to pick up the bride and had to endure three punches from Wang Dapeng's father before he could take Tang Min away, but Qin Changyuan never blamed Tang Min for a single word.
Afterward, news of Tang Tianqiao's imprisonment for hooliganism spread—no one knew who started it.
The entire village treated the Tang family with extreme disdain.
"Big brother is living the good life now. If I come back and word about Wang Mazhi gets around, the Tang family really won't be able to hold their heads up. Qing'er, let's just go."
Tang Min always thought of others first. She gave in for her brother's sake, gave in for her in-laws' sake, but never once thought of herself.
"Mom, we don't have to go back, but if someone tries to force us out, that's not acceptable!"
Qin Qing's anger flared up inside her.
So that was it—Wang Xueping managed to marry into the Tang family by trading her mother for it.
Why on earth couldn't they even return to the Tang family?!
Gurgle…
Tang Min awkwardly clutched her stomach. She hadn't had a single grain of rice or a drop of water since morning. From the Tang family courtyard came the smell of slaughtered pigs and sheep, the aroma of meat wafting over from a distance, making her stomach growl in protest.
"Come on! Mom, let's go eat!"
Qin Qing grabbed Tang Min's hand and pulled her forward.
"Qing'er, maybe we… maybe we shouldn't go."
If her sister-in-law had already told them to leave, going anyway would just invite dirty looks, wouldn't it?
"Why not? We paid the gift money too—we have every right to eat this meal!"
Qin Qing walked to the front gate with complete confidence. By now, the area in front of the door had already become lively.
As they approached, they saw Tang Zhiqiang in a blue Mao suit with slicked-back hair, riding a vintage bicycle with the bride seated on the back, arriving at the gate.
The bride's skin was as fair as snow, though her eyes were a bit small and her mouth somewhat large. She looked presentable enough, but calling her beautiful would be a stretch.
"The bride's here! The bride's here!"
A bunch of kids swarmed around the bride in her red dress, making a ruckus.
Bai Jingru found it grating and furrowed her brow slightly in annoyance, but quickly put on a smiling face again.
"Here, have some wedding candy."
Bai Jingru acted gracefully, handing out candy to the children. But she withdrew her hand quickly, making sure not to touch any of the kids' hands even slightly.
Everyone was praising how generous and pretty the bride was, but only Qin Qing noticed what was really going on.
Was this bride a germaphobe, or did she just think the villagers were too poor and dirty?
"Xueping, the Tang family really scored big—marrying such a talented daughter-in-law. I heard she's a teacher in the big city."
"She's from a scholarly family too—her elders are university professors!"
"That's impressive! Tianqiao made money, built a new house, and got himself a wife. The Tang family is really something now."
"Make sure to look out for us folks back in the village from now on."
Listening to the villagers' flattery, Tang Tianqiao and Wang Xueping standing at the door were grinning from ear to ear.
A person lives for pride.
The Tang family—even the village dogs used to bark at them before. When had they ever been praised like this?!
"Time to eat, everyone! Let's all head inside and take a seat!"
Wang Xueping ushered everyone inside, feeling immensely proud. Marrying Tang Tianqiao hadn't been a mistake after all!
The Tang family was determined to save face this time, having invited nearly the entire village.
A whole crowd of people streamed into the courtyard.
Qin Qing stubbornly pulled Tang Min along, and the mother-daughter pair followed the crowd inside.
The Tang family courtyard was set up with tables on both the first and second floors—about ten tables in total.
"Mom, let's sit here!"
Qin Qing had come in last, and only one table in the far corner of the courtyard was still empty. She led her mother over and sat down.
But the moment she sat down, she saw the person sitting across from her, staring straight at her.
It's him?!