The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was an important holiday in Yunan Province.
The fifteenth was also called “Da Nian,” and only after celebrating it was the Spring Festival considered complete. Eating tangyuan in the South and dumplings in the North was the custom of Da Nian. In Yunan Province, most people ate dumplings, while in some counties ate wonton soup, also called “Family Reunion Tea.” Families would invite married daughters home to eat this “Reunion Tea”… Liu Fang, as a married daughter, had been out of touch with her maiden family for several years, and Liu Yong had completely forgotten about this tradition.
Liu Fang had returned home on the second day of the lunar month, expecting Xia Xiaolan and Liu Fen to visit. The 4,000 yuan that Liang Bing’an had promised for Liu Fen and her daughter’s new house hadn’t been delivered yet. Surely mother and daughter would visit Liu Fang’s home for this money?
But from the third to the fifteenth of the lunar month, neither Liu Fen nor Xia Xiaolan showed up.
Liu Fang grew restless. She was now the one begging Xia Xiaolan to marry, but how could she arrange her niece’s marriage if Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t even visit her aunt’s family? By the fifteenth, seeing the New Year was almost over, Liu Fang cursed Xia Xiaolan as hopeless but had no choice but to visit herself.
Liang Bing’an drove, and Liang Huan, hoping for another red envelope, also got in the car. Liang Yu found the countryside fun and was in the best mood of the family. As soon as they got in the car, Liang Bing’an asked Liu Fang:
“Did you bring the money?”
Liu Fang patted her black handbag, “I bought it, all 4,000 yuan. I say we should’ve let Second Sister and her daughter get anxious first. When they need money to build the house, they’d naturally come to us!”
Liang Bing’an shook his head speechlessly: “You’re the type who can give 100 points worth of favor, but even if others accept 60 points, you ruin the remaining 40 points with your mouth.”
Some people might only put in three points of effort, but through clever methods, others would feel grateful for seven points worth.
Giving 4,000 yuan outright for Liu Fen and her daughter’s new house might not be worth ten points of gratitude, but it should earn seven points of favor. With Liu Fang’s mouth reducing it to just three points, Liang Bing’an felt it was too wasteful!
While Liu Fen and her daughter wanted to wait until summer to build the new house, they could wait, but the Liang family couldn’t. This explained why Liang Bing’an and Liu Fang had repeatedly taken the initiative to visit the Liu family. Liu Fang was just venting, and after her husband’s brief scolding, she fell silent. Liang Huan, thinking about giving Second Aunt’s family 4,000 yuan for nothing, felt extremely reluctant.
No matter how well-off the Liang family was, they couldn’t possibly give thousands of yuan to Liang Huan, still half a child.
Sometimes when she bought clothes too frequently, Liu Fang would hesitate.
A full 4,000 yuan – how many clothes could that buy?
Enough to wear something different every day for two months! Anger showed on Liang Huan’s young, pretty face. If it weren’t for her family wanting Xia Xiaolan to marry that person, Liang Huan truly wouldn’t want any contact with such poor relatives. Liang Huan had to admit that her cousin Xia Xiaolan had always been pretty since childhood, and after not seeing her for several years, she had grown even more beautiful than Liang Huan.
Liang Huan had always been the little princess, doted on by elders and pursued by boys. She thought herself very beautiful, with good features and the means to dress well. Liang Huan stood out at school, and many acknowledged her as the “school beauty.”
That was because people at school hadn’t seen Xia Xiaolan… Unfortunately, Xia Xiaolan had dropped out early and never had the chance to be admired!
Thinking of this made Liang Huan slightly happier.
Liang Bing’an drove to Qijing Village and parked at the village entrance as usual. After several sunny days following the New Year, the earlier snow had melted, leaving the village roads muddy and soiling Liang Huan’s little leather shoes.
The little princess pouted as she walked, constantly shaking off the mud.
Finally reaching the Liu family’s door, they found it tightly locked.
A large lock hung on the door, obviously locked from the outside, indicating no one was home. Liu Fang touched her black handbag, “Strange, it’s Da Nian today, where could Big Brother’s family have gone?”
Rushing to give money but unable to deliver it!
Liu Fang had never encountered such a ridiculous situation.
Moreover, today was Da Nian, when married daughters should return to their parents’ home. Was Liu Yong’s absence meant to prevent his married sister from returning?
Liu Fang’s face darkened.
Liang Bing’an told her to ask the neighbors.
The neighbors were particularly puzzled, “Yongzi’s family left to do business on the fourth day of the lunar month. Didn’t they tell you?”
Left for business on the fourth?
Liu Fang was furious. Who would suddenly decide to leave for business before the New Year celebrations were even over? She had returned on the second to pay respects at her parents’ graves, and no one from her maiden family had breathed a word about it. It was a pre-planned decision, kept secret only from her!
Liu Fang had a domineering personality. While she could go years without contacting her maiden family, they couldn’t treat her like an outsider.
Liang Bing’an also found it strange, “Did my brother-in-law’s family say when they’d return? Are they doing business in the county?”
In recent years, becoming a private entrepreneur usually meant setting up a stall near home in the nearby city. Liang Bing’an figured his brother-in-law’s family was doing this kind of business. But when Liu Fang returned home on the second to visit the graves, Liu Yong and the others hadn’t mentioned a word, which Liang Bing’an found hard to accept. Being scorned while trying to give money – if Liang Bing’an hadn’t needed something from them, he would have turned around and left immediately.
When they tried to ask for more details, the neighbors weren’t foolish.
If Liu Yong’s family had kept it secret, there must have been a reason – hadn’t they nearly gotten into a fight during the New Year’s meal?
Besides, the neighbors didn’t know much. Among the villagers, perhaps only Chen Wangda knew the details clearly. Others only knew that Liu Yong’s family had made money in Shang City, the provincial capital, but couldn’t say exactly how.
Chen Wangda certainly wouldn’t tell.
He had written many letters of introduction for Xia Xiaolan, and she had shown her gratitude by giving him the deep-fried pork rind business. Chen Wangda had not only one son but wanted his eldest to become village chief in the future, so he gave the pork rind business to his second son. The day before yesterday, his second son had made a trip to Shang City, brought back 400 jin of pork rinds, and sold them all before even getting home. Making six fen profit per jin, he could earn over twenty yuan in a day.
Even a skilled mason only earned a few yuan per day, but the pork rind business could bring in several hundred yuan monthly.
His second son had only been doing it for two days but had already had his wife send Chen Wangda a large pork knuckle.
His father had given him such a profitable business out of love, so he had to show filial piety in return.
After asking around the village, Liang Bing’an only learned that Liu Yong had taken his family to do business in the provincial capital since last year. As for exactly where in Shang City, what business they were doing, and where they lived, the villagers knew nothing.
Liu Fang had already lost her temper and nearly threw down her handbag.
“They’re guarding against me like a thief! We’re eager to give money but they don’t even want it. Do they think I have no other options? I won’t give this money anymore – I’d rather throw it in the river than help my sister build a house!”
Liang Huan knew her mother was angry, and she pointed at her little leather shoes, “Mom, my shoes are all dirty. I don’t want to wear them anymore – buy me a new pair!”
The 4,000 yuan hadn’t been given away – how many new shoes could that buy?
Liang Huan felt her request was reasonable, while Liang Bing’an got a headache from the mother and daughter.
His personality was different from Liu Fang’s. To achieve his goal, never mind stepping in mud or getting the cold shoulder – he’d come to the Liu family even if knives were raining from the sky. He refused to believe he couldn’t find his brother-in-law’s family!
“Liang Huan, stop aggravating your mother! You should know better – be nicer to your cousin and Second Aunt.”
If Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t marry, would he let his daughter do it instead?
Although Liang Bing’an scolded Liang Huan, how could he not love her in his heart? His daughter was his flesh and blood – he couldn’t push her into a fire pit. Xia Xiaolan was his wife’s niece, with no blood relation to Liang Bing’an. He felt the compensation he’d offered Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan was already substantial and felt no guilt whatsoever.
Where exactly had Liu Yong taken Xia Xiaolan?