“Wait… I think I hear someone talking up ahead.”
Halfway up the mountain, Song Wei’s sharp ears picked up voices. Normally, she wouldn’t think much of it, but the voice sounded all too familiar.
Oh… it’s Luo Yecheng again. What are the odds?
She signaled for the two kids to stay quiet and then crept closer, setting her basket aside to move more quietly. Heidan and Shuanzi followed her lead.
The three of them hid behind a tree, quietly eavesdropping.
“Xiaohua, I’m so sorry. I can’t give you the happiness you deserve…”
Luo Yecheng’s overly emotional voice made Song Wei’s skin crawl.
Wait a minute… wasn’t he with Xiaocao before? Now he’s got a “Xiaohua” too? This guy must be juggling multiple girls!
Soon, the sound of Xiaohua crying came through: “Yecheng, are you really going to marry Jiang Xiaowan? Didn’t you say you loved me? Why?”
“I have no choice,” he replied. “I can’t afford to offend her family. Though I am highly educated and talented, I have no way to showcase my abilities here. I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to the city, but I know that here in Ping’an Village, I can’t risk getting on the Jiang family’s bad side. If I do…”
His unfinished sentence was filled with helplessness and regret, enough to make Xiaohua ache for him.
“I’ll go talk to Jiang Xiaowan! Why should she get to call the shots? Ping’an Village doesn’t belong to her family, you know. My grandpa is still the village head (captain)!”
Luo Yecheng stopped her, saying, “No, if you stir things up now, it’ll only turn us into a laughingstock, for both the Jiang family and me. Do you want me to live under the mockery of the villagers for the rest of my life? I’m a man of dignity. I have my pride, and I won’t let them trample on it!”
Song Wei: ……
Oh, please. I’m going to throw up.
Dignity? Seriously?
Shuanzi’s eyes went wide as he whispered, “So it’s the village head’s granddaughter, Wang Xiaohua!”
Song Wei couldn’t believe it. Not only did Luo Yecheng have a Xiaocao, but he also had a Xiaohua? This guy was incredible.
“But wasn’t Luo Yecheng supposed to marry Sister Xiaowan?” Shuanzi whispered, his tone low but laced with judgment. “If he’s saying he likes Sister Xiaohua, he’s not being honest at all.”
Song Wei glanced at him. “Wow, you sure know what ‘not being honest’ means.”
“Of course, I do! Sometimes, when my dad even glances at the widow Hu, my mom twists his ear and calls him dishonest,” he whispered with an air of wisdom.
Song Wei: …Your dad is lucky to have such an observant kid.
She barely had time to process before hearing sounds that made her stomach turn—Luo Yecheng and Xiaohua were kissing! She quickly covered Heidan’s ears.
“You’re too young to listen to this,” she told him, then turned to Shuanzi. “You cover your ears too.”
Shuanzi was watching with interest. “What’s the big deal about kissing? I saw my brother kissing my sister-in-law. When I grow up and get married, I’ll kiss my wife too, and we’ll have chubby babies.”
He even sounded a bit proud.
Song Wei: …
Thankfully, the two knew enough not to go too far out here in the wild. Otherwise, Song Wei really would have to leave with the kids in tow.
As they were parting, Xiaohua handed Luo Yecheng some money. “This is all I have on me, Yecheng. Please take it, and don’t forget me.”
She was even crying as she handed it over. Luo Yecheng’s voice was full of affected emotion. “How can I take your money? Even though I’m struggling right now, I know this is just a test, a trial for me. As the old saying goes, ‘Heaven, when bestowing great responsibility on a man, will first test his resolve and patience…’ I know my day will come.”
But in the end, he still pocketed Wang Xiaohua’s money.
Once the two of them finally left, Song Wei leaned against a tree, taking deep breaths.
The two kids looked up at her. “Sister, are you okay?”
“Just… give me a minute,” Song Wei said, voice strained. “I feel sick to my stomach.”
That sleazy Luo Yecheng. If only Mencius himself could see him now, he’d come back from the grave just to knock some sense into him. He’d butchered those wise words just to weasel money out of someone.
Song Wei ruffled the kids’ hair. “At least you two aren’t girls. Otherwise, I’d be worried sick.”
If she had daughters, the thought of them ending up as gullible as Xiaohua or Xiaocao would give her endless anxiety.
“Are there a lot of girls named Xiaocao here in the village?” she asked.
“Oh, plenty,” Shuanzi replied. “Heidan has a cousin named Xiaocao too.”
Heidan nodded in confirmation.
Song Wei blinked, wondering if that could be the same Xiaocao she’d heard about earlier. “Have you ever seen that cousin of yours with Luo Yecheng?”
Heidan thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, once. She even gave him an egg.”
So it was probably her after all, Song Wei mused. She scratched her chin, thinking it over. Although Jiang Xiaowan had a bit of a spoiled streak and got prickly around her, she wasn’t a bad kid at heart. Marrying a scoundrel like Luo Yecheng would be like jumping into a pit of fire.
“Alright, I need you two to help me with something,” she said, gathering the kids close and explaining her plan in whispers.
Back at the compound, she called Li Juan over and filled her in on what she’d overheard in the mountains. Li Juan’s mouth dropped open, then her expression turned to outrage.
“How could Luo Yecheng do that? He’s completely deceiving those girls! That makes four of them he’s played with now!”
Song Wei figured it wasn’t just their feelings he was after. The guy was practically living off of the girls’ generosity.
“That’s why I need you to help me tomorrow,” she said, “and get Jiang Xiaowan to meet us under the big locust tree. I’ll figure out a way to bring Luo Yecheng, Lin Xiaocao, and Wang Xiaohua there too.”
Li Juan nodded. “Leave it to me!”
After roping in Shuanzi and Heidan, the group huddled together, hashing out every detail of the plan before splitting up.
Later that evening, Song Wei and the kids prepared some sugar-boiled eggs.
She’d learned how to make the sweet treat, though she’d put a bit too much sugar in the first batch, slightly overcooking the eggs. But they were still edible, and Heidan loved them.
As the water in the clay pot came to a boil, Song Wei added three generous scoops of sugar. Shuanzi’s mouth dropped open.
So much sugar! He couldn’t even imagine how sweet it would taste!
Then Song Wei cracked nine eggs into the pot.
Shuanzi’s eyes went even wider. So many eggs!
His mother usually made eggs so sparingly that when they had scrambled eggs with chives, the chives far outweighed the eggs. Even a hard-boiled egg was a rare treat for him. A sugar-boiled egg like this? He wouldn’t have dared to dream of it!
Drooling, he looked at Heidan, realizing how lucky the boy was. It made sense now why Heidan had become so much cleaner, and even had new clothes and shoes. His face had even filled out.
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