Rain pattered down nonstop. Because of the rain, a small portion of the Yan family’s field still hadn’t been finished.
The meat Yan Ziheng and Lu Qingran bought yesterday—only the fatty part had been eaten.
The small bit of lean meat had been cut off by Mother Yan and left in the kitchen.
Since the weather was hot and it would spoil easily if left too long, she cooked it all that evening. Eating meat twice in one day was something unheard of in the entire Lu Family Village.
Villagers usually only ate two meals a day, and the Yan family was no exception. It was only recently, during the farming season, that they had switched to three meals.
After finishing dinner early, Lu Qingran returned to her room to rest. By the time Yan Ziheng came back, she was already dozing off. The scene she had vaguely seen that afternoon appeared again in her dream—but it was slightly different. The sky was dark and gloomy, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night. The sound of rain dripped steadily. Half-asleep, Lu Qingran couldn’t tell whether the sound came from outside or from her dream.
After lying down, Yan Ziheng saw her slightly furrowed brows. He reached out, pulled her into his arms, and gently kissed her forehead. As if sensing it, Lu Qingran shifted a little and fell into a deep sleep.
Holding his delicate wife, Yan Ziheng soon fell asleep as well, without dreaming.
..
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window onto the bed. Yan Ziheng woke up first. Looking at the person in his arms, a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips. Seeing that Lu Qingran hadn’t woken yet, he gently moved her hand away and quietly left the room.
The rain had continued until midnight.
The Yan family’s courtyard was made of dirt and was now muddy, with only a small path paved with crushed stones still passable. Sounds came from the kitchen, and Yan Ziheng saw Mother Yan busy at work.
“Mother, we don’t need to go to the fields today. Why didn’t you sleep a bit longer?” he asked while fetching water.
“I’m used to it—wake up at the usual time,” she replied. “Dalang, Qingran’s clothes are finished. When she wakes up, let her try them on. If they fit, just wash them and she can wear them.”
“Alright, Mother. Qingran is still asleep. I’ll go fetch some water first.”
After a quick wash, Yan Ziheng picked up the buckets and headed toward the village well.
There was only one well in Lu Family Village, located in the center. When he arrived, only three or four people were there.
“Dalang, you’re here! Marriage really changes a young man—you look full of energy!” a man in his thirties joked while waiting in line. From his tone, it was clear he was on good terms with the Yan family.
Yan Ziheng chuckled. But just then, a voice came from behind, and the words made his face darken.
“Hmph, what’s there to be happy about? You just married an unwanted wretch. A whole family of unfilial ingrates!”
The speaker was Yan Laosan—Yan Ziheng’s third uncle from the old Yan family. Lazy and selfish, he rarely worked. No one knew why he had gotten up so early today to fetch water.
Yan Ziheng turned and glared at him, his gaze cold enough to kill.
“What? You unfilial brat, you want to hit me? Go ahead, try it!” Yan Laosan sneered.
“Say one more word about my wife and see what happens,” Yan Ziheng said coldly.
“I’ll say it—what can you do? Wretch! Wretch!”
Without hesitation, Yan Ziheng set down his buckets and punched him straight in the mouth. Blood immediately flowed from Yan Laosan’s lips. Furious, he spat out blood and even a tooth, then rushed at Yan Ziheng—but as someone who never worked, he was no match. He ended up beaten black and blue, yelling as he ran home.
“You little bastard—just you wait!”
The people drawing water were stunned. Yan Ziheng snorted and continued fetching water.
“Dalang, you were too impulsive. With your biased grandparents, this won’t end easily,” the man who had joked earlier said.
“It’s fine, Uncle Zhong,” Yan Ziheng replied.
Uncle Zhong sighed and left with his water. Yan Ziheng quickly finished and returned home.
..
Back at home, Yan Ziheng entered the room with the finished clothes. Lu Qingran was already awake, sitting by the bed, staring blankly at her red wedding dress.
“You’re up so early. Where did you go?” she asked without looking up.
“Fetched water. Mother made you a set of clothes—try them on and see if they fit.”
“So fast? I was just worrying about what to wear today!” she said happily, looking at the light green dress in his hands.
She quickly changed into it. It was slightly loose, but she didn’t mind—her current body was too thin, and after a few days of eating better, it would fit perfectly.
Lu Qingran’s skin had originally been very fair, but due to long-term hunger, it had turned somewhat sallow. Still, she was very pretty. The green dress made her look gentle and elegant. Yan Ziheng couldn’t help but stare.
“Does it look good?” she asked.
“It looks good. You look good in anything,” he said, his eyes shining.
Just then, loud cursing came from outside.
Lu Qingran looked at him in confusion, but his expression darkened—he already knew who it was.
“Who’s that shameless person shouting so early in the morning? Come out if you dare!” Mother Yan’s voice rang out from the courtyard.
“Second sister-in-law, you’ve raised quite a son—he actually dared to hit his third uncle!” It was Zhao Shi, Yan Laosan’s wife.
“Don’t spout nonsense! My son is well-behaved. Why would he hit someone? Do you have proof?” Mother Yan shot back.
“Proof? Aren’t my husband’s injuries proof enough?” Zhao Shi shouted.
Mother Yan fell silent. She knew her son—he wouldn’t hit someone without reason. If he did, then Yan Laosan must have deserved it.
“You unfilial dog, Yan Lao’er! Get out here and see what your brat has done!” the old matriarch of the Yan family shouted.
…
Yan Ziheng walked out, his face dark, eyes cold as he looked at the unreasonable relatives outside.
“Dalang, what happened?” Mother Yan asked.
“He insulted Qingran. Beating him was already letting him off lightly,” Yan Ziheng replied coldly.
“In that case, he deserved it,” Mother Yan said firmly.
By now, everyone in the Yan family had come out, including Lu Qingran. Hearing the cause, she cast a cold glance at Yan Laosan and said, “Serves him right.”
“You ungrateful lot! You stole our land and now you dare hit people! I’ll beat you to death!” the old matriarch yelled, lunging at Yan Ziheng.
But Yan Ziheng wasn’t blindly obedient. Ever since they were cast out, he no longer considered them family. He sidestepped, and the old woman fell to the ground, cursing even louder.
“Come and see! He’s killing someone—!”
“Second sister-in-law, you—” Zhao Shi began.
“I’m not your sister-in-law. We have nothing to do with your family,” Mother Yan cut her off.
The commotion drew nearby villagers, who gathered and began discussing—but their criticism was directed at the old Yan family.
Soon, the village head arrived.
“Village head, you must stand up for me! My son went to fetch water and got beaten like this—he even lost a tooth!” the old matriarch cried.
“I already know what happened,” Lu Chengfu said. “Yan Laosan started it with his foul mouth. He deserved it.”
“So what if he cursed? They’re an unfilial bunch anyway, and that woman who married in is no good either!” she argued shamelessly.
At that, Yan Ziheng walked over and kicked Yan Laosan again, making him howl in pain.
Zhao Shi stepped forward, about to scold, when Yan Ziheng said coldly, “Say one more insult about Qingran, and I’ll kick him again. Try me.”
“You—! Yan Lao’er, you unfilial wretch! You’re just going to watch your son bully your mother and brother?” the old matriarch shouted.
Yan Lao’er was an honest man—not blindly obedient, but not someone who could argue. Mother Yan stepped in:
“Have you forgotten? You said yourself that you no longer had this son. Leave now. And watch your mouth. If you insult us again, we’ll hit you again.”
Lu Qingran watched the scene, feeling quite satisfied.
The old Yan family left in disgrace, and the gathered neighbors gradually dispersed.