Chapter 12: Enduring Patience

Chapter 12: Enduring Patience

Their humble two mu of land was situated at the other end of the village.

The fertile fields didn't fall into their hands; when Elder Wei descended from the mountains, these two mu happened to belong to a destitute family whose son had developed a gambling addiction. Debt collectors came to their home, threatening violence. With no other options, the family sold their land on the spot.

"Back then, my mother was insisting on marrying your father. The land was purchased by my maternal grandfather," Wei Dahu shared the story with Tao Hua, without any intention of revealing his family's past. "Father had just come down from the mountain with nothing but two rags to cover himself. Grandfather and Grandmother were dead set against Mother marrying him, but she was determined and even threatened to drown herself if they didn't let her."

Tao Hua's cheeks flushed slightly, feeling a bashful thrill from overhearing such intimate family history. She gently pinched him, saying, "Y-You can't just talk about our elders like that."

Her touch was as gentle as a tickle, but Wei Dahu casually wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her off the ground. Startled, Tao Hua thought he was upset with her, only to hear him warn her to watch her step, as there was a hole beneath them. "How can you walk without looking where you're going? What if you twist your ankle?"

He then chuckled, "Father told me these stories. What's wrong with sharing them with my wife? It's not like it will reach outsiders' ears."

Tao Hua felt like a chick, fluttering her hand on his arm, asking him to put her down. "You could have just reminded me kindly. This looks improper. If others see us, they'll laugh at me."

"Who would dare laugh at you?" Wei Dahu set her back on the ground, grinning widely. "It's not appropriate for me to interfere in women's matters, but I'm not afraid of anything when it comes to men's business. No man in our village is my match. If any woman dares to gossip, I won't hit her; I'll teach her husband a lesson instead, so he can deal with her when he gets home."

Tao Hua was tickled by his humor, and the young couple continued their lighthearted conversation as they walked past the quiet burial ground. Before long, they caught sight of the large tree at the village entrance.

As a new bride, Tao Hua didn't recognize many villagers. She stayed quietly by Wei Dahu's side, listening to him greet people. If they were relatives, he would introduce her and tell her how to address them.

"A big fellow like you, Big Hu, where are you taking your wife?" an elderly man with a cane approached from a short distance away.

Wei Dahu promptly greeted him, "Third Uncle, I'm taking Tao Hua to see the fields."

The Wei family had no direct relatives in the village, so Wei Dahu recognized only those on his maternal side. As a child, he couldn't distinguish the relationships, so he followed his two cousins in addressing people. Third Uncle was the identical twin brother of the previous head of the Chen family; now, his own nephew held that position, making him the highest-ranking elder in the clan and highly respected within the family.

Introducing Tao Hua to Third Uncle, she stood demurely beside Wei Dahu, "Third Uncle."

Third Uncle nodded, "Mm, another day, let Dahu take you around to meet everyone."

Tao Hua nodded in agreement.

Third Uncle turned his head to look at Wei Dahu, who, being respectful, bent down, allowing the elder a better view. Seeing this, Third Uncle was pleased, speaking softly, "You're still the sensible one, none of the other young men in the village are willing to bend down and talk to me."

"Ha ha, that's because they're not as well-behaved," replied Wei Dahu with a playful grin.

Third Uncle scolded him playfully before delving into the matter at hand. "Your brother Big Shi and Li Dalang's family had some sort of dispute. They fought while washing clothes by the river. Normally, women fighting isn't a big deal, but when the village women went to fetch your brother Big Shi, he and Li Dalang also got into a fight. It became quite an ugly scene. If not for the village chief arriving just in time to intervene, who knows what could have happened between the two families in their heated moment."

Wei Dahu frowned upon hearing this. Li Dalang dared to lay a hand on his brother?

"Neither the Chens nor the Lis want to let this matter rest. Tian, stop staring. Take your wife to your uncle's place and lend your support. We can't let the Lis think that they can bully our Chen family just because we're vulnerable!" Third Uncle said indignantly.

He had already learned the details from Chen Dashi's family. While it was minor that the Li wife had cursed, it would be troublesome if Li Dalang, driven by envy over Wei Dahu's boar hunt, recklessly entered the mountains and got himself into trouble.

Both the Lis and the Chens had lived in Dahe Village for generations. Everyone knew that ordinary people were not allowed in the mountain behind the Wei residence. Since they all understood the rules, certain things needed to be made clear. Whether one wanted to hunt boars or tigers, it was up to their own abilities, and no one would criticize them for it.

But if someone envied another's successful hunt and rashly entered the mountains, causing trouble, they must not blame the Wei or Chen families. They would not take the fall for such a decision!

At Chen Dashi's house, it was bustling with activity. Second Uncle's family was there, along with other respected elders of the Chen clan. Upon seeing Third Uncle arrive with Wei Dahu and Tao Hua, a middle-aged man sitting under the eaves scowled. "What are you doing, Third Uncle? This is a Chen family matter. Why did you bring him here?"

"Shut your mouth! I don't need your permission to invite whoever I please. You old nuisance, if you can't speak properly, just sew your mouth shut. Not even your father would dare to complain if my walking stick hit you. Try me if you don't believe me!" Third Uncle lashed out at the middle-aged man, who then glared fiercely at Wei Dahu before clapping his clogs together in silence.

Wei Dahu led Tao Hua to greet everyone, purposefully bypassing the middle-aged man. He waved at San Hua, who was peering from a side room. San Hua approached, and Wei Dahu nudged Tao Hua. "San Hua, take your sister-in-law inside."

San Hua nodded and led Tao Hua to the side room.

In the main hall, the men were discussing serious matters, deliberating on how to deal with the Li family in the coming days. Some impulsive men suggested beating up Li Dalang and his wife to teach them that the Chen family was not to be trifled with, so as to prevent any random person from treating them disrespectfully. Others proposed that they should simply make the Li family compensate for something and let the matter rest, avoiding escalation. There were also voices advocating for the Li family to apologize publicly to the Chen family before the whole village, emphasizing that since it was Li's wife who instigated the fight, if the Chens forgave her easily, it would make them appear weak and vulnerable, losing respect in the community.

Amidst the heated debate, each argument held its own merit.

Putting aside the men's commotion outside, Tao Hua, inside the house, saw her eldest sister lying in bed, her face a mottled purple and blue, her cheeks swollen and red, with scratch marks covering her exposed neck, some still bleeding. Fang Qiuyan looked like a completely different person.

Tao Hua was utterly shocked. "How could it be this severe?"

Both her aunt and second sister were in the room, standing by the side, weeping uncontrollably. The aunt said through gritted teeth, "That heartless and poisonous woman had no mercy. Your big sister is actually in better condition now. You didn't see her when she first returned home. As a mother-in-law, I couldn't even bear to look. I quickly asked San Hua to take the two children to your second sister's room. How could I allow those little ones to witness their mother in such a pitiful state!"

The second sister cursed Zhou Miaohua incessantly, regretting that she hadn't accompanied her sister to do the laundry. Otherwise, she would never have allowed that woman to act so arrogantly!

"Has ointment been applied?" Tao Hua asked, worry etched on her face as she looked at the scratches on Fang Qiuyan's neck. With the scorching sun outside, infection was a real concern if precautions weren't taken.

"Here, here, you're back. We've already applied herbal medicine," Auntie said, bustling to seat her down for a chat.

San Hua pulled Tao Hua to sit by the bedside, both girls visibly shaken from the ordeal.

Fang Qiuyan, perhaps awakened by the voices, slowly opened her eyes. The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at her.

Upon seeing Tao Hua, Fang Qiuyan attempted to sit up, but Auntie promptly scolded her and urged her to lie back down. Tao Hua, feeling the heat, gently pressed against Fang Qiuyan's body, urging, "Big Sister, rest more. More rest will help you recover faster."

Fang Qiuyan accepted the assistance, lying back down with ease. She was indeed exhausted. Seeing their worried faces, she smiled and said, "What are you all doing? You look like I'm about to die."

Auntie's expression changed, hurriedly spitting and muttering curses. "Are you out of your mind? How dare you say such things! Heavenly Lord, please don't take her words seriously. Her head is injured; she doesn't know what she's saying!" Auntie clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly towards the heavens.

Fang Qiuyan chuckled, drawing a few cold glares from her mother-in-law. Undeterred, she playfully responded, "Mother, usually, you find fault with me and Xiuhong, as if we can never please you. Now, seeing how worried you are about your daughter-in-law, I realize I've misunderstood you. You actually like me as your daughter-in-law."

"When have I not liked you? You heartless girl, how could you say such things?" Auntie retorted angrily.

Despite her injuries, Fang Qiuyan continued to tease, provoking Auntie further until she turned away, unwilling to engage in conversation.

Tao Hua and Cao Xiuhong exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Aunt Matron pointed at her, her lips moving, unsure whether to scold or laugh. Normally, which daughter-in-law would dare speak to her mother-in-law in such a manner? Though she was not an overly harsh mother-in-law, she had certainly not spared her two daughters-in-law from criticism in the past. Today, however, she felt powerless against Jia She's audacity, given her own injured state.

"I didn't suffer any loss. Zhou Miaohua isn't any better off than me." Fang Qiuyan had been speaking with a smile, but the mention of her facial wound caused her expression to twist in pain.

"Given your condition, I wouldn't dare let Eggy and Duckling see you like this. For the next few days, let's have the children sleep in my room." Seeing her wince in pain, Auntie Eldest couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. She couldn't help but grit her teeth and say, "I'll see what plan your father and the others come up with tonight. There's no way I'll let this matter rest. Since Zhou Miaohua was the one who started it, and they clearly don't have the moral high ground, there's no reason for you to suffer this beating for nothing!"

Originally intending to check on her meager two mu of farmland for peace of mind, Tao Hua never could have imagined that such an incident would occur, and moreover, it would somehow be connected to her own Wei Dahu.

On the way back home that evening, Tao Hua learned from Wei Dahu the entire backstory of the situation.

The main reason was that Li Dalang's uncle was a butcher. Over the years, Li Dalang had assisted his uncle in slaughtering countless pigs, witnessing the bloody scenes repeatedly. This led him to develop a distorted perception, considering domestic and wild pigs alike. He believed that even if a wild boar was fierce, as long as he didn't target the largest ones, capturing a hundred or so pounds of it would be a piece of cake.

On his way into the mountains, he encountered his second uncle's son, Chen Sanshi, and convinced him to join the hunt. Perhaps he thought that with an extra pair of hands, the chances of catching a wild boar would increase. Besides, he carried a machete, so as long as the pig was killed by him, the credit for the hunt would be his. At that time, he could simply give Chen Sanshi a portion of the offal as a reward. However, he hadn't anticipated encountering Wei Dahu on his way down the mountain, carrying a load of bamboo. As Chen Sanshi was his cousin, knowing the dangers of the mountain, how could Wei Dahu allow the young man to recklessly venture in? He immediately scolded Chen Sanshi and brought him back.

Li Dalang, perhaps out of fear or other reasons, also descended the mountain.

Tao Hua's hand was held by Wei Dahu. As they passed the spot where there was a hole, she quickly detoured, not wanting him to lift her up like a chicken again. "Did you scold Li Dalang?" she asked.

Wei Dahu licked his lips, feeling disappointed that he couldn't shield his wife from the pit. In response, he said, "I don't care about his life or death. It has nothing to do with me."

Tao Hua turned to glare at him. "We're from the same village, what nonsense are you spouting? It's not good for others to hear this."

"Even if they do hear it, they'd say the same. He's not a three-year-old, does he need me to teach him not to enter the mountains? The Li family has been in Dahe Village for generations; who hasn't grown up being scolded by their fathers with a stick, warning them not to enter the mountains recklessly? He thinks he's invincible after helping his uncle, the butcher, bleed pigs twice. If he wants to court death, it's none of my business to stop him." Wei Dahu spoke with conviction; he wasn't some meddlesome person who cared about every cat and dog. There were too many people in the village - men, women, and children - for him to concern himself with everyone.

Tao Hua fell silent for a while, pondering his words. She found them surprisingly reasonable. He wasn't a child anymore; he should have used his head and considered his capabilities before acting. If anything went wrong, he had to bear the consequences.

"Your sister-in-law shouldn't have fought with Zhou Miaohua. She just took a beating for nothing, suffering herself while her man and child grieved." Wei Dahu wasn't blaming his sister-in-law for fighting but wondered why she didn't discuss the matter with her husband and let him confront Zhou Miaohua's spouse. Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to watch from the sidelines?

Worried that his wife might be as naive, Wei Dahu hurriedly advised her, "If you encounter such a situation in the future, where someone insults you, endure it for the time being. Then, tell me about it, and I'll deal with her husband."

Tao Hua couldn't help laughing through her tears, yet she felt a touch of warmth in her heart. In all her years, this was the first time someone had told her to bear with injustice for now, promising to avenge her later. Even her beloved mother, when Tao Hua was being subtly bullied by her two sisters-in-law at the Qian family, would advise her to endure, to endure, saying that everything would be better once she was married...

Perhaps, things really had improved now.