78 Meeting Grandpa
Compared to Hu Family Village in Nanhe Town, the village in Zhongyu Town was clearly better off. Their terrain was relatively flat, and the surrounding mountains were quite far away. It was one of the few villages that were not affected by the snow disaster.
However, each family only had enough food to fill their stomachs. It would be impossible for them to be any richer than Hu Family Village.
At the entrance of the village was Liu Shi’s family.
The courtyard made of red bricks looked a little dilapidated because it had not been repaired for a long time. The roof was half covered with tile and half with straw.
On the far left of the courtyard was a small house. From time to time, coughing could be heard.
A woman in her thirties walked in with a bowl of medicine.
Liu Shi’s mother, Qin Shi, was lying inside. She was only 48 years old this year. But because of her illness, she looked like an old woman in her sixties.
“Mother, it’s time to take your medicine.” The eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Yang, woke Qin Shi up softly.
When Qin Shi saw the medicine, she sighed. “Didn’t I tell you not to go and get more medicine? Why waste that money?”
“Mother, what are you saying? The doctor said that your illness can be treated. You’ll be fine in a few months.”
“How can our family have so much money? A few months? I’m afraid that if we continue this way for a few more days, our family will be bankrupt because of me. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just it endure for two more days and I’ll be fine.”
With that, she coughed heavily a few more times.
Madam Yang was still very respectful to her mother-in-law. She coaxed her in a low voice and only took the bowl away when Qin Shi finished the medicine.
However, just as she reached the door, she heard Qin Shi ask, “Is your younger sister not back yet?”
“No.”
“She’s completely blaming me!” When Qin Shi heard this, she could not help but cry again. She cried twice and wiped her tears dry. She braced herself and asked, “Has Da Shi gone to Hu Family Village to take a look? How’s their village?”
Previously, they had heard that several villages had been destroyed by the snow. They did not know what it was like in Hu Family Village.
The Hu Family Village was surrounded by mountains on three sides. It was extremely easy to encounter an avalanche.
However, they were also busy and did not have the time to go and take a look.
Qin Shi missed her youngest daughter who had married into Hu Family Village and urged her family to take a look from time to time.
No one was willing to go, so they just coaxed her on the surface. After all, they couldn’t go empty-handed, but there was nothing left at home.
“Look, look, look! What’s there to look at? She wanted to marry into such a poor village herself. Just take it that she’s dead!” Old Liu had just returned home when he heard his wife’s words. He immediately frowned and walked into the house to scold her loudly.
Madam Yang was most afraid of this loud-mouthed father-in-law. After greeting him, she quickly slipped away.
Qin Shi said in a low voice, “Wan’er only agreed to that marriage for our family back then. Now that it’s been three years, why are you still clinging to that matter?”
“She’s really filial. I’ve been criticized for three years and people even said that I sold my daughter for glory. Pfft! How much glory is ten catties of food?” Speaking of this, Old Liu was angry.
Three years ago, their family was in trouble and he’d fallen seriously ill. No one in the family could fill his role as the main provider. As soon as the matchmaker said that a family was willing to pay 10 catties of food, his younger daughter immediately married over with tears in her eyes.
When he felt better, he went and asked around about the family she’d married into. Good lord, what kind of good family was that?
It was in the poorest village in the entire Nanhe Town! And the w.a.n.g family was the poorest family in the entire village!
Not only that, everyone said that the w.a.n.g family had many sons and the men would often beat their wives. The mother-in-law was also very fierce and was rumored to have tortured several daughters-in-law to death.
How could his daughter be doing well after marrying into such a family?
Putting that aside, when she returned two years ago, she looked thin and weak. But that could be overlooked too.
The main thing was that she only stammered when they asked if she had given birth.
Qin Shi thought that her daughter had suffered a huge grievance and was afraid that she would be embarra.s.sed to return home. When Liu Shi secretly asked her to borrow money, she took the initiative to give out half of the family’s savings.
That was an entire tael of silver!
Thinking of this, Old Liu felt a pain in his chest.
“After borrowing the money, she never came back again. Even an ingrate, would know how to come back to take a look once in a while!” Old Liu spat on the ground and stared at Qin Shi with a fierce voice. “If you continue to talk about that jinx, I’ll throw you into the pond to save trouble!”
Tears rolled down Qin Shi’s face again. “That’s your daughter. How can you say that about her…”
As she spoke, she clutched her chest and coughed again.
“I have three daughters. Do I lack daughters? Let me tell you the truth. Their Hu Family Village has been buried in the snow and all of them are dead! My money can’t be returned either. F*ck!”
Old Liu was furious. He kicked over the junk at the door, and the sound of things falling could be heard.
When Qin Shi heard that the entire village was buried and they were all dead, her pupils widened. However, the furious husband in front of her made her not dare to ask further.
When Old Liu walked out of the hut, he saw a brat from the village laying at their door.
“What are you looking at?! Get lost!” Old Liu shouted.
The little kid sniffed and shrank his neck. “Second Master Liu, you have a guest!”
With that, he ran away.
F*ck, that was so scary!
He would never come to Second Master Liu’s house again. He was even scarier than the angry old donkey at the village entrance!
Old Liu cursed, “Our family is so poor. Why are there guests!”
However, he still stretched his neck towards the door and saw a few people walking towards him from afar. A few children surrounded them, and he could not see who it was.
Old Liu moved his foot back from the door and shouted, “Liu Da Shi, get out here. Where’s my tea?!”
Although he said the word ‘tea’, it was just a few stalks of mint growing outside the house. They simply plucked the leaves and boiled them.
Drinking it in winter was like drinking a mouthful of wind.
Liu Dashi was still tidying up the pigpen when he heard this shout, and he hurriedly ran out.
Madam Yang hurriedly pushed him back. “Go and keep yourself busy. I’ll go boil the water. Your father-in-law is unhappy now, so don’t go up to him.”
The two daughters-in-law at home had already figured out their father-in-law’s temper. He was a firecracker that could go off at any time.
He would blow up at his wife, son, and daughter, but he would never lose his temper with his daughters-in-law.
Madam Yang had just boiled the water when she heard a commotion outside.
“Second Master Liu! You have a guest!”
“There’s a good-looking little girl!”
“Goudan, Gousheng, Goutou, come out quickly. You have guests!”
After a while, many children gathered at Old Liu’s house.
Little Ah Yu had already come down and walked by herself. As she walked, she became tired and was carried by Liu Shi.
She had already slept several times before she reached her grandmother’s house.
Because it was too noisy, she was woken up.
Old Liu had long seen from afar that his unfilial daughter had returned.
He wandered around the house a few times until they finally reached the door.
He shouted, “You still know how to come back?!”
The surrounding children who were watching the commotion immediately dispersed when they heard this.
Only a little girl who was rubbing her eyes was left. Her eyes were sleepy and watery.
The little girl was put down from Liu Shi’s arms. She was so small that she was only as tall as w.a.n.g Chuanman’s calf.
She walked closer to Old Liu step by step, not afraid of him at all. Instead, she raised her little face and looked at him curiously.
“Grandpa, are you Mother’s father?” Little Ah Yu blinked and patted her chest with her little hand. She said what she had practiced many times in her heart. “Grandpa, h.e.l.lo. I’m Mother’s Ah Yu!”