Linxia

Chapter 159, Communication

Early in the morning, the chirping of various birds could be heard outside the house. This was something that could not be heard in the city. Fang Lin did not find it noisy and woke up in such an environment.

Tian Xuan seemed to have a tacit understanding. She blinked her eyelashes and woke up together. She got up and went outside. Fang's father and mother were also up.

Perhaps it was because we returned home and felt at peace, that the whole family slept very well last night and were in good spirits this morning.

Fang Lin and Tian Xuan washed up while Fang's mother was already cooking. The firewood and other things had already been prepared by the first, second and fourth rooms, so there was no need for her help, so they just went out for a walk together.

In the dawn light, the village was shrouded in hazy mist, as if it was waking up little by little. The villagers who got up early and went out greeted each other when they met them.

The two men walked through the village and came to the village entrance and the river.

Every time they passed by a place, their memories were evoked. The originally scattered and vague memories rushed into their minds, where was the place where they used to catch fish, where they could pick grass for pigs, where were the hidden fruit trees... The two held hands, talked and laughed in low voices, and walked forward.

Compared to the past when I was busy with tasks, the mood now is completely different.

Unconsciously, Fang Lin and Tian Xuan walked a little further and came to a small river that branched off from the big river at the entrance of the village. The river was less than ten feet wide, and the water was as clear as a mirror and as gentle as silk. The moist soil by the river was full of small urn grass, bamboo grass, etc., all of which were the favorite food of pigs.

A little further away, the branches of the trees in the forest were still dripping with wet dew. Further away, there were clusters of lush and leafy bamboos. The bamboos were slender and tall, sparkling in the hazy morning light.

"Look, it's Sister Qingqing from the Song family!" Tian Xuan pointed to a place and said.

Song Qingqing is a member of the Song family and a member of the same clan as Song Kai, but the relationship between them and Song Kai's family is quite distant.

Fang Lin looked and saw that it was indeed Song Qingqing. She was carrying a basket on her back and collecting grass for pigs. She seemed to be talking to a young man a little further away. The other man also noticed them. The man seemed to be hiding and drove a group of ducklings away quickly.

"Sister Qingqing!" The two of them went over and greeted her.

Song Qingqing was a little flustered, but she still responded with a smile: "Linzi, Xiaoxuan, good morning! I'm picking grass for the pigs. The harvest here is good this year, so we have a pig at home..."

This panic was quite strange. She didn't even mention the man who had just spoken to her. Considering that the other party had just discovered them, it was a bit unusual for the young man to leave without saying hello.

——In Xiaohe Village, men and women are not as restrained as in the provincial capital. If they are attracted to each other and are interested in each other, they will ask the elders to arrange a marriage. The family will also consider the opinions of some of the parties involved. It is unnecessary to hide, be shy, and panic like this... unless there is some resistance!
Fang Lin and Tian Xuan were both smart people. They looked at each other when they thought of something, but didn't say much.

On the one hand, the two influenced each other, and Tian Xuan learned Fang Lin's non-interfering nature; on the other hand, Song Qingqing had naturally good skin, serene and honest eyes, a gentle and kind heart, a girl as innocent as a wild flower, and they didn't have the heart to reveal the identity of that member of the Bai family.

After walking for a while, Fang Lin looked back and saw Song Qingqing standing in a patch of dense grass by the river. She put down her backpack, took out a sickle, bent down and started cutting the grass attentively. Her movements were skillful and she looked very relaxed. She cut the grass neatly and stacked them in a pile without even stretching her waist during the whole process.

'In the past, Sister Xuan also worked so hard.' Fang Lin thought, his heart softened, he held Tian Xuan's hand with a little force, walked for a while, and estimated the time to go back.

When I came back, breakfast was ready. It was poached eggs cooked in hot water with some malt sugar, which was sweet.

The family had just sat down when they heard a noise outside.

"Uncle San, Aunt San, Brother Linzi, Sister Xiaoxuan, my mother asked me to call you over for dinner!" It was Fang Yuyu from the eldest wife's house.

"Everything is ready. We're just about to eat, so I won't go over there." Father Fang said.

"Yu Yu, come and have a bowl too!" Fang's mother pulled Fang Yu Yu over. She loved this little niece very much. She was cute and sensible.

Almost at the same time, Fang Cao'er and Fang Xiaoxiao from the second room also came over and invited them to have dinner. They were also invited to stay and were forced to eat two fried eggs. Tian Xuan also gave them new hairbands before letting the three girls go back.

As soon as they left, Fang Sui'an from the fourth room also came. By then, they had almost finished their meal and the fried eggs were gone, so Fang Lin gave her a set of character cards. Compared to hairbands and other things, these were more appealing to boys, so Fang Sui'an left happily.

……

The Fang family had breakfast early, and after cleaning up, they took their things to visit some families.

……

The first place they went to was Aunt Fu’s house in the village. At the door, the family heard voices coming from inside.

"I heard that the third branch of the Fang family has returned? Yesterday at the village entrance, everyone who went to greet them received something. Adults got dried fruits, and children got candies. Wow, one grab a huge handful... It's a pity that we were not at home at that time, so we didn't get any." This was the voice of Aunt Fu's eldest son Wang Fulin.

"Mom, don't you have a good relationship with the aunt from the third branch of the Fang family? Let's go over and have a chat when she's feeling better someday." said the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family.

"Grandma!" Their two children, Goudan and Yaya, gathered around and shouted, obviously wanting to go right now, eyeing the delicious food.

Aunt Fu said weakly: "How can I go in this state? There is nothing at home, I am empty-handed, I am too embarrassed to go..."

"What are you talking about? If you don't go over, can't I come over?" Fang's mother finally couldn't help but speak out.

Wang Fulin and Wang's wife hurriedly opened the door and invited Fang Lin and his family in.

When Fang's mother entered the room, she saw Aunt Fu sitting in bed sick. She used to be of medium height and slightly plump, but now she was much thinner. Her voice trembled: "Old sister, what happened?"

"It's hard to tell what the disease is, but it's getting more and more serious." Aunt Fu said with a forced smile.

At this time, Fang's father, Fang Lin, Tian Xuan and others put down the things they brought, which included dried fruits, candies, cloth, etc., but they were wrapped, and as the hosts, it was not convenient for them to open them and look before the guests left.

Fang Lin took out some food for the two children and let them go out to play with bright eyes. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family went to make tea, and Wang Fulin went to find something to entertain the guests.

"Why haven't I seen my Uncle Yingzi?" Fang Lin asked.

"She died. Last winter, my wife had stomachaches all the time. We went to the county town to see a doctor but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with her. She became thinner and thinner, and then she died. Later, the eldest and second sons separated..."

Aunt Fu spoke softly, with a hint of sadness: "The eldest son is fine, but you know the second son, he doesn't look like his father or me, he's short and ugly, what kind of wife can he marry? Of course he's ugly, he quarrels every other day, my little granddaughter feels sorry for him."

"This summer, my second son's wife jumped into the river and died after a quarrel with her husband over a trivial matter. Two people died this year, and I almost couldn't bear it, but when I thought about my children and grandchildren, I knew I couldn't die yet!"

When Fang Lin fled to the county town last year, he had met Aunt Fu’s husband, Uncle Wang Yingshu. Unexpectedly, when he came back this time, he was gone.

However, this is the way of the world. Someone who was still alive the last time you saw him might be gone the next time you hear about him.

"Is there really no cure for this disease?" Fang's mother asked again. "I consulted Uncle Jiao from the next village and a traveling doctor, but they were all useless. Finally, I went to the county town, but the doctors there couldn't diagnose it either." Aunt Fu shook her head.

"You should find a few more doctors. Go to the county town again in the next two days and I will help you ask around."

"Forget it, let's not treat it. Even if it can be cured, how much money will it cost? It's just..." Aunt Fu opened her mouth.

Fang's mother saw what Aunt Fu wanted to say, and after asking her, Aunt Fu finally said, "I just want to drink some rice wine. I'm sick, and I miss it so much..."

Her eldest son's family was actually fine. They treated her illness and brought her meals. But there were some things that she couldn't say or were difficult to say. It was only when she saw Fang's mother at this time and her emotions were fluctuating that she couldn't help but say it.

"Okay, I'll bring it to you next time." Fang Lin's family didn't sit for long, waiting for Wang Fulin to send them off. Fang's mother stayed at the back and secretly left some silver. Aunt Fu refused to take it, so she forced it in: "Old sister was kind to me in the past, I've always been grateful, I will definitely take this money."

……

After Fang Lin and his family left, Aunt Fu was so moved that she burst into tears.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family opened the things that Fang Lin's family brought and said in surprise, "There are so many things, in addition to the precious food, there is also cloth. This cloth is really good. I wonder if it was brought back from the capital? It's really beautiful."

"Yes, with so much cloth, I think it's enough to make new clothes for mom, you and the two kids. In the past, mom helped Aunt Fang, and now, the third wife of the Fang family came back and came to our house the next day and gave us so many things... Good people will be rewarded!" Wang Fulin sighed.

"The third branch of the Fang family is really good. Not everyone is like them." Aunt Fu said.

……

Behind Aunt Fu’s house is Uncle Jiao’s house in the neighboring Nanping Village.

Fang Lin and his family went to the next village. On the way, they met someone they knew and greeted him warmly. The other person led them over. Uncle Jiao had a big black dog, which barked at the sight of people.

Uncle Jiao came out, scolded the big black dog, and said, "This is Dahei. He can hunt and feed himself. Sometimes, we can even benefit from him..."

Fang Lin thought of his own cat and dog, Guaiguai the cat and Huahua the dog. Before they left, they asked Master Ou to take care of them. The people in the alley loved them and fed them as well. They probably couldn't stand any grievances.

I also brought a lot of things with me and put them down when I entered the house. Uncle Jiao and his family were all very welcoming.

Grandma Zuhui, the wife of Uncle Jiao, had a strange smile. It turned out that she had lost four teeth in the front part of her face. The muscles in her cheeks became loose, and she looked much older. She also spoke inarticulately because of the loss of teeth.

But fortunately, they are in good health, have many children, and most of them are filial. They sat for a while and left.

On the way back, Fang's mother talked about Uncle Jiao's family: "Your grandmother Zuhui gave birth to nine children, seven boys and two girls. They didn't have proper names, just Damao, Ermao... all the way to Jiumao. In the end, of the nine children, only four boys and one girl survived."

"It's always like this." Father Fang sighed, "After your mother gave birth to you, her health wasn't very good, so... this is good, because giving birth to too many children and not being able to raise them would be very painful."

"Every family has its own problems." Fang's mother continued: "Uncle Jiao's eldest son had a sore and left a scar on his eyelid; the second son had a bald head with spots here and there; the third son had a squint; the fourth son was better; the only surviving daughter Qimao was born beautiful, but she got married and her husband died early... There is always something that is not satisfactory."

On the way back from Nanping Village, Fang Lin and his family met Widow Chen, who was one of the three people who had gone to the city to look for Sister Guihua and were finally scared away. After greeting her, she said that after returning from the city, Chen Guiyun and Chen Fengshi divorced. She also talked about other things, but from beginning to end, she never mentioned Sister Guihua again.

……

They visited Aunt Fu's family and Uncle Jiao's family, those families who had been kind and benevolent to the Fang family in the past, and then they visited the Fang family's more distant relatives with the surname Fang, and sent some gifts back one by one.

All the villagers who paid attention saw it.

Although they are very uneducated, they are shrewd in their own way. They know how to measure every penny, whether they suffer a loss or take advantage.

Needless to say, they felt regretful for not having a good relationship with the Fang family in the past. Also, these actions made the villagers know more about what kind of people Fang Lin's family is and how to get along with them in the future.

……

After visiting these families, Fang Lin's house opened the door, and now it was someone else's turn to come.

First, the Zheng couple brought a lot of vegetables, all of which were grown by themselves. They picked the best ones, and they looked very good.

Fang's mother made them some sesame bean tea and waited for them to sit down. As expected, she came to thank them for Zheng Yu's matter.

Recruiting Zheng Yu to work as a cook in the branch was actually a good fit and a perfect opportunity, but the favor was indeed real.

When one party is grateful and the other party treats the other warmly, both parties will be happy in the end.

As soon as the Zheng couple left, the Geng family came over.

Needless to say, it was because of Geng Shi's matter that he came to thank him in person. Since Fang's mother and Geng Shi's wife Su Xiaoqing had a very good relationship, the Fang family also treated Geng's father warmly.

Geng Cong also followed, hesitantly, but in the end he didn't say out loud that he wanted to go to the provincial capital.

Fang Lin was smart, so he naturally saw it, but he realized that Geng Cong and Geng Shi were different, so he didn't respond, leaving the other party disappointed.

Then it was the turn of other families. They came and sat down, and none of them came empty-handed. They would bring some dishes, seasonal fruits, etc. The Fang family would not take advantage of others, and would basically give gifts in return so as not to let the other party suffer a loss.

They would not lose money, and could even make some profit, while also building a closer relationship with the Fang family... As a result, more people came and the threshold of the Fang family's house was almost broken, making it extremely lively.

Fang Lin thought about it, and went to find the eldest aunt, the second aunt, the youngest aunt, and some elders with the surname Fang in the family to come and entertain together.

This is extremely useful.

There are all kinds of birds in the forest. Many families have their own little ideas and want to go to the provincial capital. Some are as tactful as Geng Cong and don't say it out loud. It's ok to force others to do it, but there are still some shameless people who hold a little bit of things and always say, "So-and-so in my family wants to go to the city, and I'm not picky. Linzi, just find him a job," without even considering the relationship between the two families.

Maybe it was to save Mr. Fang's face? But Mr. Fang was no longer the same as before, and his face would turn cold when he heard such inappropriate words.

However, there was no need for him to take action, as the eldest aunt Fang Liu, the second aunt Fang Wang, the youngest aunt Fang Qin and others would not tolerate it and would just scold them directly. Only when the relationship really fell out and they realized they had offended others and were driven away did they feel regretful.

……

(End of this chapter)