Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The entrance and courtyard of the Xu family were bustling with people. Upon hearing Gu Lan's words, Miao Qiulian nodded without further inquiry and said with a smile, "Since you're here, go grab an egg to eat. If there aren't too many people in the room, you can also take a look. That chubby baby has a round head and face."

As soon as she spoke, those washing vegetables and cooking in the vicinity echoed her sentiment. The Xu family could not contain their joy, their smiles stretching from ear to ear.

"Alright, Mother," Gu Lan replied with a slight curve of her brows. She led Zhu Ge and Doggy into the kitchen to fetch eggs.

Many had come to eat eggs at this moment. He made way for those exiting the kitchen, noticing that Tian Guifen had taken two eggs. He promptly called out, "Auntie."

Upon seeing the three of them, Tian Guifen's gaze lingered on Doggy, and her expression clearly soured. Nevertheless, she held back her displeasure, grunting in response without further comment. With resentment still brewing within her, she left.

On the day of Lin Jinpeng's mishap, she had been misled by Doggy's fabricated story and hurriedly called for Lin Cheng and Li Xiangju. Little did she know it would be such a situation. Their families were related by blood, and the Lin family's reputation in the village was somewhat tarnished because of this incident. Moreover, after realizing that she had meddled in matters that were none of her business, she received a few scoldings at home.

This little rascal seemed harmless on the surface, but he was more cunning than one would expect.

Although Tian Guifen was unhappy, the villagers did not treat her family harshly. They merely chased the Lin family away. Thus, aside from remaining silent when encountering the Gu family members a few days ago, she had slowly started engaging in small talk recently.

Tian Guifen was not one to hide her emotions, and Doggy knew full well the reason behind her demeanor. He smiled, touched his nose, and remained silent. Pushing Zhu Ge, who was slightly confused, forward, he said, "What are you thinking? Grandma has already picked out an egg for you. Hurry up and take it."

By the large pot, Xu Yongan's mother, Du Cai'e, also known as Aunt Du, was tending to a pot of boiling eggs.

"Aunt Du," Gu Lan, standing at the front, greeted her with a smile, reaching into the wooden ladle in her hand to take three eggs. As they were freshly plucked from the hot water, they were quite scorching. He promptly wrapped them in his sleeve.

"Lan, why only two? Quickly, have more," Du Cai'e replied. Despite her hair being mostly white, she was full of vitality. Normally frugal and somewhat status-conscious, she still managed to maintain a warm demeanor despite any reluctance.

Remembering his mother's words, Gu Lan divided the eggs between Bamboo and Dog while saying, "Aunt Du, that's enough. How many can we eat? Mother said I should check on the children."

Upon hearing this, Du Cai'e placed the remaining eggs back into the pot, her smile widening. "Alright, then off you go. Your second brother's room is just there."

She referred to Xu Fu, and as more people approached the kitchen entrance, the trio left to avoid overcrowding.

Given the abundance of Xu family members, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to linger long. Besides, they needed to return home to cook their own meals. After taking a look around, Gu Lan prepared to leave, calling out to Miao Qiulian, who was washing vegetables in the yard. Right then, he encountered Ye Jinrong carrying her grandson, with her youngest daughter Pei Chunyan following closely.

"Mrs. Ye," Gu Lan called out, followed by Bamboo and Dog.

Although they didn't have much interaction with the Pei Xingwang family, it would be impolite to ignore them when they crossed paths.

Ye Jinrong hastily acknowledged him and then turned to her daughter, saying, "Chunyan, how could you not greet them?"

Pei Chunyan was only ten, a few months younger than Bamboo Brother. Still a young girl with her hair thin and yellow, styled into two small buns on her head. Though unremarkable in appearance, dark-skinned and slender, she wasn't short in stature. Her features bore a striking resemblance to Ye Jinrong, making it clear that they were mother and daughter. Only after her mother spoke did she pipe up, "Brother."

In the courtyard, a friend of Ye Jinrong's called out to her. Gu Lan didn't engage further, simply nodding at Pei Chunyan with a smile before turning to Ye Jinrong. "Auntie, since you're here, we'll be heading home."

"Alright," Ye Jinrong replied, not having much to say to the young man. After a few polite words, they went their separate ways.

Most villagers had gone to the Xu household for eggs, so the farther back in the village they walked, the fewer people they encountered. As Gu Lan adjusted his sleeves, he thought about how the egg had only increased his hunger, and that he would need to cook upon arriving home.

Just then, Doggy spoke up. "I heard from Stone Brother that despite Pei Yan's hideous appearance, he was quite handsome when he was young. Among his siblings, he was the best-looking. Because of this..."

"What?" Gu Lan turned curiously to inquire. Being from the same village, he was familiar with the looks of everyone in the Pei family, except for the unfamiliar Pei Yan.

Pei Yan's older brother Pei Sheng, younger brother Pei Hu, and sister Pei Chunyan all shared similarities in their eyes, nose, and mouth with either Ye Jinrong or Pei Xingwang. Their facial structures were alike as well, making it obvious that they were kin. While not unattractive, they weren't exactly good-looking either.

Farmers, exposed to the elements year-round, rarely had delicate skin, save for the children. In the village, everyone looked more or less the same, and they were accustomed to each other's appearances, so there was no question of disdain.

As the three made their way home, the road was empty, and Bamboo Brother pricked up his ears to listen to the gossip, his eyes wide.

Seeing his eager expression, Gu Lan smiled slightly and waited for Doggy to continue.

Gu Lan Yu lowered his voice, saying, "Because of this, the Pei family suspected Pei Yan when he was young, claiming that he might not be Uncle Xingwang's child. It caused quite a stir back then. Aunt Ye was sobbing and threatening to hang herself. Eventually, it was Great-Grandma Pei Yan who said that Aunt Ye had never left the house, so there was no way she could have had an affair. That's when Uncle Xingwang came to his senses, and they carried on as a family. During the day and night, everyone was either at home or in the fields; how could he not know? That's how the matter was settled."

Gu Lan Shi didn't expect this. No wonder his mother didn't interact much with the Pei family; there were indeed too many unpleasant matters. Curious, he asked, "Then, when did Pei Yan get disfigured?"

Doggy's voice remained hushed. "It should have been around the age of seven or eight. Stone Brother told me. Pei Yan's grandfather passed away the day after he was born, and since then, his family disliked him, considering him an omen of misfortune. When he was four or five years old, he looked better than the other children in the Pei family. His father caused trouble, and his mother would give him a cold shoulder, saying that he was a curse that almost killed his birth mother. The scar on his face appeared when he was about seven or eight. As for how it happened, the Pei family keeps their mouths shut, so no one knows."

Finishing his tale, he looked at Bamboo Brother and instructed, "Don't go spreading this around."

"I know," Gu Lan Zhu puffed up his cheeks in annoyance. He wasn't the type to gossip.

Doggy chuckled and gently patted his head before falling silent.

*

It was high summer, and the days grew longer. This year was particularly scorching. At noon, when the sun was at its peak, almost nobody dared venture outside. The sun's heat baked the ground and made it difficult to keep one's eyes open. Even the most industrious couldn't withstand such blazing heat, and getting heatstroke would mean more expenses for medical treatment. It just wasn't worth it. Only when the afternoon brought some relief did people start to emerge from their homes.

The sun was finally obscured by a large cloud, reducing the intensity of the heat. The great river flowed eastward, its rushing waters producing a constant din.

Behind the village, where the water was gentler and there were large rocks, some women and men could be seen carrying wooden basins to wash their clothes. Their mallets rose and fell, creating frothy suds mixed with wild soapberries and splashing water droplets. Laughter and chatter gradually filled the air. For farmers, doing laundry by the river in the summer was one of the few leisurely tasks, providing respite from the heat while allowing for casual conversation. Even men would sneak off to swim in the river or dip their legs in the water to cool down, perhaps also using the opportunity to rinse their grass shoes.

As the nearby shade was already occupied, Gu Lan Shi carried a basin of dirty clothes. Seeing the situation, he and Bamboo Brother decided to walk upstream, where there were more trees.

A three-month-old puppy wagged its tiny tail joyfully, running along with them. "Er'hei, come here," Bamboo Boy called back to the puppy, which had been sniffing at the grass. As it was another black dog and the elder one was named Hei'er, this one was called Er'hei. It had been taken from Liu Xiang's house recently and had already become familiar with the family members, recognizing its own name as well.

Er'hei was plump and round, with a black back but golden fur on its limbs, chest, and the sides of its cheeks. In the sunlight, it seemed to be glowing. Two yellow spots above its eyes made it appear as if it had four eyes. It was an exquisite and adorable puppy, so much so that even Gu Tieshan had commented that it would surely grow up to be majestic.

The puppy yipped as it ran towards the two, and when it reached their feet, Gu Lan Shi looked down. If not for the basin he was holding, he would have picked up the chubby Er'hei and cuddled it.

"Brother Lan."

A soft voice sounded from behind him, and he turned to see Mei Boy approaching, carrying a wooden basin in his arms and jogging towards them.

Gu Lan Shi stopped where he was, waiting for Mei Boy to catch up.

Er'hei was still small and could only sniff at people's lower legs. It followed Mei Boy's steps curiously for a while before losing interest.

The trio walked towards a shaded area. The white clouds drifted away, revealing the sun once again.

"We should quicken our pace. It'll be nice under the trees," Gu Lan Shi said with a smile, increasing his strides noticeably.

They were far from the crowd, so they simply ventured into the woods. There were many stones by the riverbank, and each picked a flat one to use for pounding their laundry. Gu Lan Shi crouched by the edge, unbothered by the water reaching his ankles since he was wearing straw sandals. He immersed his less soiled clothes in the river and scrubbed them as he asked, "How's your mother doing lately?"

Mei Ge'er was also crouching, clearly more slender than Gu Lan Shi. His clothes were patched up, and he replied, "She's gotten better after taking a few doses of medicine. She even carried half a basket of pig grass back home the other day, but we don't dare let her overexert herself."

"Taking it slow will do her good," Gu Lan Shi said as he took the crushed wild soapwort that Zhu Ge'er had smashed with a mallet and rubbed it into the clothes, gradually producing white suds.

The puppy wagged its tail, being quite clingy at its young age. It either jumped onto Gu Lan Shi's back with its front paws or used its cold, wet little nose to nuzzle Zhu Ge'er's exposed calves. At times, it would bite at their shirt hems and trouser legs, keeping itself busy playing alone.

Mei Ge'er's surname was Li. His family was small, consisting only of him and his five-year-old younger brother who was still not of working age and only knew how to eat. They couldn't count on him as labor. Their father was the sole breadwinner for their two or three acres of thin fields, while his mother was often sick and needed medication, which cost money.

Poverty wasn't a problem, but having neighbors like the Zhao brothers was. They were frequently bullied, even for trivial matters like when their trees grew taller, causing the Zhao family to make trouble and insist on cutting off their branches. If the Zhao family's branches reached over the fence, however, they couldn't touch them, or else they would be cursed at for days through the wall or even have feces thrown at them. Being honest people, they couldn't fight back nor retaliate with words, enduring plenty of such grievances. As a result, Mei Ge'er's personality had gradually become introverted and timid.

That was why Gu Lan Shi had brought him further away. If they happened to meet the Zhao couple washing their clothes by the river, Mei Ge'er wouldn't be able to stay. Besides, although the path was longer, they could still see figures downstream and didn't venture deep into the woods.

It was coolest to immerse oneself in the river during summer. Zhu Ge'er removed his straw sandals and rolled up his pants before standing in the shallow water and pounding his clothes with the mallet. Gu Lan Shi washed his undershirt and said with a smile, "Come out after a while. Your legs might cramp if they get too cold at night."

As soon as he finished speaking, he sensed movement in the woods and turned his head slightly. A tall and thin figure was walking out from the depths of the forest. Even though it was some distance away, Gu Lan Shi recognized who it was. His heart skipped a beat. He had been so focused on avoiding the villagers that he had forgotten Pei Yan lived behind the woods.