As soon as Luo’s Mother led the person away, Luo’s Grandfather smacked his lips a couple of times, found his mouth empty, and sighed. The family had been poor these past few years—he had even given up the pipe tobacco he’d smoked for decades.
Four or five years ago, the Luo family’s life, if not wealthy, was at least passable—they were a middling household in the village. They wouldn’t have been unable to afford a bride for their only grandson. But just as the family was about to arrange a marriage for Luo Yang, disaster struck.
Luo Yang’s great-grandfather fell gravely ill, and the maternal relatives also ran into trouble. The family not only spent all their savings and sold two mu of land, but also borrowed a considerable amount of debt, suddenly becoming poor enough to rattle.
At the time, Luo Yang’s great-grandfather was already quite old, and many villagers felt the money for treatment was just throwing money into water. As the villagers predicted, the Luo family spent a great deal of silver, but the old man couldn’t hold on. Once the family’s money was spent, he passed away.
Quite a few people mocked the Luo family back then, thinking them fools. Only the two branches of the Luo family didn’t see it that way, and even seriously reasoned with the family’s younger generation.
Money can be earned again, but conscience cannot be betrayed. If they had truly watched a family elder die of illness, they would never have peace of mind for the rest of their lives. Even with money, they couldn’t live happily—it would have been a far greater loss.
“Let’s just leave it at this. First settle the marriage. If that little one is a brother, then the two of them are a match made by heaven and we’ll accept it. If it’s a boy, then once the family is better off, we’ll find a bride for Yang-zi.”
A match made by heaven—the Luo family did accept that saying. If not for that, how could that child have inexplicably ended up on that cart, and how could he have happened to run into the constable who came to the house and resolved the family’s urgent crisis?
The Luo family accepted this marriage. But there was still one crucial matter they couldn’t determine.
Was that silly dark-skinned boy from just now a man or a young brother?
That dark boy’s clothes were so tattered that no style could be made out. His hair hung loose and messy like a chicken’s nest. His earlobes were bare and pitch black to boot—there was no telling whether his ears were pierced at all. Even an immortal couldn’t tell what his sex was.
“He should be a young brother, right? The constable called him ‘young brother’ just now, and didn’t he respond?”
“But he looked silly. What if he answered wrong?”
“No way? Even if he’s silly, could he be so silly he doesn’t even know whether he’s a man or a brother?”
“Right, he said it himself—he’s willing to be our family’s husband.”
“What use is what he said? Like I said, his brain looks silly—what could he know?”
The family talked for a long while but still couldn’t determine whether the little fool from just now was a young brother. But actually, this didn’t matter much.
“Brother or not, we have to marry him first. Otherwise Yang-zi will have to serve the hard labor corvée. I hear this corvée is going north—thousands of li away, he’d never survive to come back. Having an extra son is better than losing our son.” Luo Yang’s father, Luo Changfu, sighed. He had only this one son, and absolutely could not let him lose his life.
Luo Changfu’s words—”having an extra son”—made the old couple of the Luo family see black before their eyes. They turned most of their attention to the back of the house. Then the old couple exchanged a glance, and Luo’s Grandfather hesitantly said, “How about we swallow our pride and borrow some more silver from relatives, and properly arrange a marriage for Yang-zi?”
As soon as Luo’s Grandfather said this, guilt welled up in him. He knew it himself—this proposal absolutely would not work.
Now that his family had just paid off their debts, what relative would be willing to lend them money again? In anyone else’s eyes, wouldn’t that just look like a fake repayment—paying off the debt only to borrow again right after?
Luo’s Grandfather let out one sigh, and then a whole string of sighs followed, making it clear that everyone else in the Luo family knew this plan wouldn’t work.
Luo Yang had already come up with a plan when he agreed to the marriage earlier, so he was quite calm now. He got up and went to return the pack animal.
The mule hitched to the cart today wasn’t his family’s—it belonged to the Yang family at the village entrance. The Yangs had a son working in town, and a few days ago he had sent word home asking them to bring him some soft kindling. The Yang man had been away on business these past few days, and the woman of the house didn’t know how to drive a cart, so since Luo Yang happened to be heading to the county, he had offered to help.
He had thought it was a small favor, but who knew that the Yang couple would act like they’d lost their minds? They were the ones who wanted the kindling, yet when it was actually delivered, they were the ones who complained. They gave him a whole barrage of sarcastic remarks and refused to accept the goods, so he had no choice but to haul it all back.
After he returned to the village and told the Yang family what had happened, they acted as if they had expected it all along, and gave him the whole cartload of soft kindling as an apology, telling him to just take it home. He didn’t stand on ceremony—corn husks could be used for kindling, for feeding cattle, even for lining the pigsty. A whole solid cartload of it—something was better than nothing.
“Ah, perhaps it really was fate.” On his way to the Yang family’s place, Luo Yang thought that if he had unloaded the kindling at the Yangs’ and hadn’t hauled it home, he wouldn’t have run into that constable, and there would have been no marriage to speak of.
When Luo Yang went to return the mule, his house was bustling. His great-uncle’s family had heard a bit of news about his family from the constable, and the whole family had come running over.
The Luos didn’t have many relatives in the village—only one close family, the household of the eldest branch, Luo Mancang’s family.
Both Luo Manggu and his elder brother Luo Mancang had few descendants, each with only one child. Things improved by the grandchildren’s generation: Luo Yang’s eldest aunt, Luo Changlian, had two children. Though in her early years she had only borne a daughter, after the daughter married off, she had a brother. Even though she’d had him at thirty-five or thirty-six, and the couple were now forty-five or forty-six with the child only around ten years old, having a child at home was always a good thing—the house wouldn’t be so cold and empty.
At this moment, the mother and daughter from the eldest branch were busy helping out behind the house.
“Thank heavens, thank heavens! It’s a little brother, a little brother!”
After washing the child until he looked like a proper person again, the mother and daughter-in-law of the Luo family were beside themselves with excitement, their hearts finally settling. A little brother—that was good. A little brother was good!
“Good, good, good. A brother is good, a brother is very good.” Great-Aunt had just scooped a bucket of hot water out of the big iron pot, and the moment she heard the picked-up child was a brother, a smile immediately spread across her face. She quickly set down the bucket and hurried into the outer room.
The people outside didn’t know yet—she had to hurry and pass the word so they could put their minds at ease.
“But I already am a little brother.”
Bai Chao couldn’t understand why the people crowding around him were so delighted that he was a little brother, but he had no time to think about it now. He could only instinctively get out one sentence in defense of his identity before the pain made him grimace, leaving him unable to say anything else.
Bai Chao was currently soaking in a large wooden tub, with several pairs of big hands scrubbing him all over. The water in the tub was as murky and black as if half a basin of stove ash had been dumped into it—so grimy that even half a glance was off-putting. Yet the few women leaning over the edge of the tub showed no disgust at all; every one of them was beaming with smiles.
By now the water in the tub was too filthy to look at, and it needed to be changed. Bai Chao didn’t have to exert any effort for the change either—he was simply lifted up by the armpits and placed straight into another tub of clean water.
Bai Chao was quite clever, though. When he was lifted up, he knew to curl his body up, hiding his little sparrow from view and keeping his feet from touching the ground.
Once his body sank into the water again, Bai Chao couldn’t help scooping up water and splashing his face a few times. The foul water had gotten his face wet earlier, and he wanted to wash it clean.
Seeing him splash water on his face, Luo’s Mother couldn’t help doing the same a few times before getting to work with her hands. As she stroked Bai Chao’s face, she couldn’t help saying to her mother-in-law, “Mother, once this child is scrubbed clean, he’s quite the looker.”
Luo’s Mother was somewhat excited. Before they brought him in, they hadn’t even been able to tell whether he was a boy or a brother. Now she could confirm not only that he was a brother, but a beautiful one at that.
This was good—at least his looks would match their child. Their Yang Zi had taken the best features of both him and his wife; not only was he handsome, but his height and figure were outstanding too. Back when the family was well-off, he’d had plenty of girls and brothers pining after him.
“Looker is an understatement.” Luo’s Grandmother had come back by now, chuckling. She couldn’t help reaching out to touch the brother’s brow as she said with a smile, “Look how beautiful his fertility mark is. It’s small and delicate, and shaped like a water droplet no less. And it’s in the perfect spot, right in the middle of his brow, just like a floral forehead ornament that had been deliberately painted on. Simply gorgeous.”
“Mm, I am very beautiful.” Bai Chao had felt like the skin was being scrubbed off his body earlier, and tears had streamed down uncontrollably. He was still wiping his eyes at this moment, but hearing the words of the two beside him, he couldn’t help nodding.
They were right—he was very beautiful.
Bai Chao’s single remark made everyone burst out laughing. Luo’s Mother continued wiping him down as she laughed, “And not a humble one, either.”
“He’s a little fool—what does he know about humility?” The smile on Luo’s Grandmother’s face faded a little. “Handsome, sure, but he’s skinny as a lamp wick. We don’t even know how old he is. What if he’s only fourteen or fifteen? When would he ever be able to give us grandchildren?”
Luo’s Grandmother’s words dampened everyone’s excitement a little, because she had a point.
Setting aside the brother’s age, his body was simply too frail. There wasn’t an ounce of flesh on his chest—he was so thin that his ribs were clearly visible, and both collarbones stuck out prominently. His shoulder blades protruded from his back like a pair of little wings, plain as day. Who knew how long of careful feeding it would take before he put on enough flesh to have the foundation to bear children? And their Luo Yang wasn’t getting any younger—he’d be twenty-two this September.
Bai Chao didn’t say a word at this point. He had already been unhappy about being called a fool earlier, but he hadn’t dared to openly argue back. Now they were saying his body was frail too—he looked down at himself and couldn’t refute that either. But saying he was young? That he would speak up for himself about.
“I’m not young at all—I’m seventeen!”
With that one sentence from Bai Chao, everyone studied him carefully for a good while. If he hadn’t said anything, they all would have thought he was only fourteen or fifteen.
“You’re really seventeen?” Luo’s Grandmother was the first to hurry over and confirm. Bai Chao nodded very seriously and even held up his hand to gesture.
His hands had soaked in the hot water for a while, and the black grime rubbed right off. Now it wasn’t just his skin color beginning to show—his smooth palms were fully revealed in Luo’s Mother’s hands.
Looking at those hands, Luo’s Mother’s heart trembled.
Though the boy’s hands, like the rest of his body, had quite a few bruises, one could still see that his ten fingers were slender, with not a single callus on his palms or the backs of his hands.
At his age, if he had been born to a farming family, he should have done plenty of work. Yet his hands, once washed clean, were fair and tender. Someone like that was either much doted on at home, where the family couldn’t bear to let him do a bit of rough work, or else…
“He’d better not be the young master of some well-off family,” Luo’s Mother muttered worriedly under her breath. They were just common folk and couldn’t afford to offend anyone rich and powerful. Though this marriage was more or less mutual consent, this child wasn’t an ordinary child either, so in the end they still weren’t in the right.
Luo’s Mother’s muttering was really too quiet, and with people chatting and laughing nearby, along with the splashing of water, no one else heard a thing. Besides, Luo’s Mother soon had no time to dwell on it.
When she prepared to wash Bai Chao’s hair, she discovered that the reason his hair was such a mess was that there was a serious wound on his head. The wound must have bled quite a lot at the time and hadn’t been treated promptly; the hair had soaked in the blood and clotted, and now a lot of hair was still stuck to the wound.
“Good heavens! Poor child! How did this happen? Don’t tell me some black-hearted devil did this to you!”
The child wasn’t just dirty—there was actually a wound on him too. Now there was even more work to do; it would probably take another full hour to get him sorted out.
While the Luo family women were busy at the back of the house, the Luo family men outside weren’t idle either. They were discussing the marriage between the two.
Since it was a young brother, there was no need to delay the marriage.
“Sure, he’s a simple-minded boy, but not a single copper coin needs to be spent—it’s a good deal.” Luo’s Grandfather was quite satisfied with this marriage. The family had no money at the moment, and the child was of age. There was no time for their family to be picky. As long as the boy had enough sense to come home when it rained, he’d be satisfied.
As soon as Luo’s Grandfather finished speaking, an elderly man beside him who resembled him in four or five out of ten features—Luo Mancang—nodded along. This marriage really should be hastened.
When Luo Yang returned, the family was just discussing how many tables to set for his wedding banquet. Luo Yang waved a hand to refuse, but his word didn’t count—the family had already decided. A banquet there would definitely be, just not a grand one; they would simply set a few tables for close relatives.
The Luo family’s close relatives were just Luo Mancang’s family, plus Luo Yang’s mother’s and grandmother’s side. All told, these families amounted to no more than two or three tables. They wouldn’t even need to hire a cook—they could handle those few tables of dishes themselves.
While the family discussed the marriage, they also cleaned Bai Chao’s body and treated his wounds. This busy work took several hours, and in the blink of an eye it was approaching the hour of You.
It was already August, and the hour of You was truly late—time to start making dinner.
After Luo Mancang’s family left, Bai Chao finally appeared, clean and presentable.
“Not bad, not bad. This child is actually quite good-looking.”
“Yes, thin as a lamplight wick, but the face still looks blessed—none of that pinched, sour look at all.”
Luo Yang’s parents were both delighted. Luo’s Grandfather said nothing, but Luo’s Grandmother was still somewhat dissatisfied. She sighed and glanced left and right, feeling her grandson was still getting the short end of the stick, and said glumly, “Of course he’s blessed—fools have fools’ luck. A fool with nothing to worry about, how could he not be blessed?”
“……” Being called a fool again, Bai Chao was very unhappy, but having just arrived here, he didn’t dare act up. He could only secretly think to himself, ‘You’re the fool. I’m plenty smart.’
No one could hear the words in Bai Chao’s heart, but at that moment someone stood up for him.
Luo’s Mother frowned, feeling it wasn’t right for her mother-in-law to speak of the child that way, but as a daughter-in-law she didn’t feel she could speak up. Luo Yang, however, had no such scruples and directly called out to his grandmother, telling her not to call people fools, then took Bai Chao off to wander around the front and back of the house.
When someone comes into your home, you must first arrange a place for them to stay and show them where everything is for eating, drinking, and other necessities—only then can they feel at ease.
It was a kind gesture from Luo Yang, but at this moment it turned out he had shot himself in the foot.
“Big bully.”