Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Chen Ershu Trades for Woolen Cloth

They arrived at neither an early nor a late hour.

All around, mountain folk had already spread out their stalls and begun hawking their wares.

“Frozen pears! Frozen pears! Will trade for vegetables, cloth, or cotton!”

“Persimmon cakes, fragrant and soft! Will trade for cloth, cotton, or wild game!”

“Cabbage! Will trade for anything!”

“Furs! Rabbit skins, roe deer skins…”

All sorts of dazzling goods were on display.

Most people shouted about bartering, but if someone wanted to pay cash, that was fine too—just not openly. Officially, everything was traded by barter.

The two of them walked along, browsing, but didn’t see anything they wanted to trade for.

Until they came to a young man’s stall.

There was a distinctive smell in front of his stall—the unmistakable gamy scent of mutton. It looked quite fresh.

There wasn’t time to butcher a whole sheep, but buying some mutton to take home would be nice.

Gu Qinghuan stopped at his stall.

An old man nearby immediately sneered, “You two better move along! This lad’s been here over half an hour—lots of folks have asked, but no one’s managed to trade for his mutton.

He’s not after ordinary things—he wants woolen cloth for making a coat! That kind of fancy stuff, where would you find it around here?”

The young man being mocked didn’t get upset. He just kept his head down, quietly tending his mutton stall.

He was waiting for the right person.

His family lived deep in the mountains, making a living by hunting. Catching a sheep wasn’t easy, so he wanted to trade for something he truly valued. He’d rather wait, even if it meant not making a deal.

Of course, if the market ended and he still hadn’t traded for what he wanted, he’d have to settle for something else. Otherwise, if he took the mutton home, it wouldn’t be fresh and he’d lose out.

Gu Qinghuan wasn’t especially craving mutton, but she suddenly found herself interested in this shy young man.

“Can I ask, why do you want to trade for woolen cloth?” she asked. Mountain folk rarely wore such things all year round.

Chen Ershu glanced up at Gu Qinghuan and saw she was a pretty woman. He quickly looked away.

Softly, he said, “I heard women outside wear woolen coats for their weddings. I want to make one for my fiancée. We’re getting married in the spring.”

For a moment, Gu Qinghuan felt as if something warm had struck her heart.

Human beings are always moved by sincerity.

Although Gu Qinghuan never really believed in so-called love, she couldn’t deny that it did exist somewhere in the world.

Whether or not one believes in love, a young person’s genuine heart is rare and shouldn’t be trampled on.

Chen Ershu had thought this pretty woman would mock him like the others, ridiculing a mountain boy for dreaming of a woolen coat.

He didn’t expect her to smile. Instead, she asked seriously, “How tall is your fiancée? What color woolen cloth do you want?”

Chen Ershu gathered his courage. “She’s about 1.6 meters tall. Any color is fine, as long as it looks nice—oh, but preferably not black.” Black isn’t auspicious for a wedding.

Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and said, “I have a bolt of camel-colored woolen cloth, enough for a whole outfit for your fiancée. I can also give you a set of fabric for a Zhongshan suit. Will that be enough for your sheep?”

Chen Ershu looked up in surprise. “Really? That’s more than enough!”

He hadn’t expected he could really trade a sheep for woolen cloth for a coat, and she was even kind enough to throw in material for a Zhongshan suit.

Now he could give his fiancée a proper wedding—a man’s promise, fulfilled.

The old man at the next stall shook his head when he saw Gu Qinghuan was actually going to trade. “There really are all kinds of people these days,” he muttered.

Gu Qinghuan had originally wanted to find an excuse to take out the woolen cloth and trade it on the spot, but Xu Huaian stopped her. With so many people around, and everyone knowing she hadn’t brought any woolen cloth, it would look suspicious if a bolt suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He’d rather go to a bit of trouble than let Gu Qinghuan take any risks.

So Gu Qinghuan said to Chen Ershu, “I didn’t expect anyone would want to trade for woolen cloth today, so I left it at home. If you don’t mind, could you come with us to our house after the market to pick it up?

Don’t worry, I won’t cheat you. You can carry your mutton yourself, and only hand it over after you’ve checked the goods at my house.”

Chen Ershu saw that Gu Qinghuan seemed sincere, and since he’d still be holding onto his mutton, he agreed for the sake of the cloth.

Strictly speaking, at the prices of this era, a wild mountain sheep wasn’t worth a woolen coat.

But Chen Ershu, this honest lad, had run into the soft-hearted Gu Qinghuan.

Of course, she wasn’t being blindly generous—her principle was not to let herself lose out. According to the prices on her vending machine, a woolen coat for a wild mountain sheep was more than fair.

Both sides got what they wanted.

Gu Qinghuan had helped a beautiful romance come true, and felt content—emotionally fulfilled.

And she got a freshly butchered wild mountain sheep, perfect for a mutton feast tonight—delightful.

To outsiders, though, she looked like an easy mark.

A middle-aged man from another stall came over. “Miss, I’ve got some prime wild boar meat. I’d like to trade for a woolen coat for my wife too.”

Gu Qinghuan was speechless. Did she have “easy to fool” written on her face?

Did these people think she was Mother Teresa, here to help everyone?

Xu Huaian simply dragged the man away.

Finally, Gu Qinghuan had some peace and quiet.

She told Chen Ershu to wait for them with his mutton under the big banyan tree at the market entrance.

Then, she and Xu Huaian found a stall trading mountain goods and swapped their cabbages for some black fungus, pine nuts, persimmon cakes, and other mountain products.

At another old lady’s stall, they bought a few sheets of red paper.

Red paper was very useful in those days—for writing couplets at New Year, cutting window decorations, writing the character “Fu” for good luck, or for weddings to cut out the “double happiness” character.

As for ink and brushes, Gu Lanting already had some, so there was no need to buy more.

They took the chance to unload a big bag of frozen pears and the wild chickens and rabbits they’d brought, putting them on the sled.

After almost finishing their shopping, they headed to the banyan tree to meet up.

When they arrived, Ming Ruxue, Gu Lanting, and the children were already there.

Everyone was holding some kind of snack, happily swapping and sharing.

There were sugar cakes, lotus-leaf pancakes, fried dough balls, candied hawthorns, pulled sugar, maltose, and more.

Clearly, these foodies had come just to eat.

Gu Qinghuan joined in and tasted a piece of maltose—an old-fashioned flavor, the taste of childhood.

Maltose is made from grains like corn, barley, wheat, millet, or maize, fermented and saccharified.

It’s also a traditional Chinese medicine—sweet and warm in nature, entering the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. Clinically, it’s used to tonify the spleen and qi, relieve pain, moisten the lungs, and stop coughs—treating spleen and stomach qi deficiency, middle jiao cold, chronic cough, shortness of breath, and so on.

Unlike modern industrial products, these snacks were all natural. If the kids wanted to eat, she let them—no need to stop them from enjoying themselves.

Ji Linhai squatted on the ground, keeping a close eye on the bundles on the sled, as if worried about what had been traded.

Chen Ershu’s home was deep in the mountains, quite far away. To avoid delaying his return, Gu Qinghuan was about to head home when Erdan’s family returned as well, so they all went back together.

Chen Fengqin, hearing that she’d traded a bolt of woolen cloth for a wild mountain sheep, whispered in her ear, “Sis, did you get ripped off? A wild mountain sheep isn’t worth a woolen coat!”

Gu Qinghuan whispered back, “This cloth was a flawed piece I bought earlier—it wasn’t worth much.”

Chen Fengqin thought, even a flawed piece is still woolen cloth! But since both sides were willing, she’d said her piece. No need to nag and risk offending.

Gu Qinghuan breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Chen Fengqin didn’t ask further, or she’d have to make up more excuses.

One lie leads to another—too exhausting.

Chen Fengqin’s family had used their stored vegetables and cotton cloth to trade for some meat and mountain goods, returning with a full load.

They set out in grand style, and returned the same way.

On the way back, the sled was busy as ever—Gu Lanting still pulled the goods, Ji Linhai pulled the kids.

Xu Huaian offered to take over, but they wouldn’t let him.

The children, up so early, soon fell asleep in the baskets, snuggled together.

When they reached the village entrance, Gu Qinghuan, unburdened, quickly volunteered to go home and fetch the cloth.

In reality, she needed to go back and place an order through her vending machine.

She did have some fabric at home, but not woolen cloth.

She rushed back to her room, closed the door, and entered her space.

She hadn’t checked in a while—her vending machine had accumulated a pile of messages and requests for goods.

She ignored them all, and found a shop selling woolen cloth.

Converted to current prices, it was 6.5 yuan per meter. A woolen coat needed about 2.8 to 3 meters, so she bought three meters to be safe.

So, the woolen coat cost her 19.5 yuan.

She also bought a set of fabric for a Zhongshan suit in dark gray—a more spirited color.

She’d thought of buying black, but remembered Chen Ershu said black wasn’t auspicious for weddings, so she didn’t.

Though she didn’t believe black was unlucky for weddings, she respected others’ beliefs.

The Zhongshan suit fabric was much cheaper—on sale for just 2.5 yuan.

All together, she spent 22 yuan.

Chen Ershu’s sheep looked to weigh well over 22 jin—probably more than 40 jin of meat, a full-grown mountain sheep.

At the local supply co-op, mutton was only available during the New Year, and cost over 1 yuan per jin. By that calculation, she’d actually come out ahead.

But for Chen Ershu, he surely felt he’d gotten the better deal—after all, he couldn’t buy such high-end, sought-after fabric even if he had the money.

Both sides got what they wanted.

Before anyone returned, Gu Qinghuan took the fabric out of her space and found a large piece of cowhide paper, planning to wrap it up for him after he checked it.

Chen Ershu still had to trek home through the mountains—she didn’t want the fabric to get wet or dirty."

"Chapter 205: Cleaning and Paper-Cutting

From a distance, Gu Qinghuan heard the sound of people returning. She opened the door, cradling some fabric in her arms, and went into the main room so Chen Ershu could take a good look at it.

She also asked Zhong Luoning to pour him a cup of hot water—after all, the thin jacket he was wearing was hardly warm enough, and he must have frozen on the way over.

Chen Ershu gazed in delight at the camel-colored wool fabric on the table, looking at it as if it were a lover. He wanted to reach out and touch it, but was afraid of damaging it, so he just stood there, cautious and careful.

Gu Qinghuan walked over and unfolded the fabric for him to inspect.

""Take a good look and check it carefully. The material is in perfect condition. Take it home and have her find a good tailor to make it.""

Chen Ershu nodded vigorously.

""Oh, and here's a set of fabric for a Zhongshan suit I picked out for you. With your build, there should be more than enough material here.

Congratulations in advance on your wedding—may you have a long and happy marriage, and many children."" As Gu Qinghuan spoke, she rolled up the fabric.

""Th-thank you so much. I... I know my goat probably isn't worth all this fine fabric. When spring comes and I have time to go up the mountain, I'll bring you some game as well."" Chen Ershu stammered.

He didn't know why—he wasn't usually a stutterer—but in front of Gu Qinghuan, he always felt a bit at a loss, especially when she was so kind to him and gave him such nice fabric.

He knew very well that his goat wasn't worth this much material. He'd just been holding onto a sliver of hope.

Gu Qinghuan waved her hand. ""No need. Hunting in the mountains isn't easy. You should keep it for yourselves and sell it for money.""

Chen Ershu pressed his lips together and said nothing more.

She carefully wrapped the fabric in several layers for him and put it in his basket.

The goat had already been unloaded, and Xu Huai'an was in the yard butchering it, with the whole family gathered around to watch.

After seeing Chen Ershu off, Gu Qinghuan joined them.

Xu Huai'an divided the goat into several parts: the head and tail, the front legs, the belly and back, the hind legs, and some other parts.

The head and tail had little meat and lots of skin, good for braising, stewing, or boiling.

The front legs included the legs, neck, and shank—these cuts were tougher, with more tendons, suitable for braising, stewing, or making into cold dishes.

The belly and back included the spine, ribs, brisket, and loin—these were tender, lean, and boneless, perfect for hotpot, grilling, stir-frying, or pan-frying.

The hind legs and shank had lots of meat—tender, coarse-grained, and a bit fatty, with some thin tendons along the edges, good for roasting, deep-frying, or stir-frying.

There were also the offal—liver, stomach, and so on—all considered delicacies.

After roughly sorting the parts, Gu Qinghuan labeled each with paper and pen, so they wouldn't mix them up later.

By the time they finished, it was already noon—too late to cook mutton for lunch, so they saved it for dinner.

Gu Qinghuan and Zhong Luoning made a big pot of dumplings for lunch. They were delicious, and each child ate ten.

Gu Lanting and Xu Huai'an each ate twenty.

Zhong Luoning, Gu Qinghuan, and Ming Ruxue each managed thirteen or fourteen before they were stuffed.

Ji Linhai had already gone home and didn't eat with them.

After lunch, Gu Qinghuan asked Xu Huai'an to take some mutton to the Ji family.

She specifically chose tender rib meat, suitable for stir-frying for the elders.

She also sent Gu Lanting to the cowshed next door to bring some mutton to Zhong Zijun's family, and to invite them to join their New Year's Eve dinner.

Today was the 29th; tomorrow would be New Year's Eve.

Food, drinks, and supplies were all pretty much ready.

That afternoon, Gu Qinghuan led the whole family in cleaning up the house and yard.

It wasn't much—just a simple sweep, brushing away cobwebs with a broom, and tidying up.

There wasn't much else to do at home.

The kids were all eager to help, since Gu Qinghuan had promised to teach them how to make paper cuttings for the windows once the chores were done.

In the countryside, adults were usually afraid of wasting red paper, so only grown-ups did this kind of work—it wasn't something children were allowed to do.

But kids were naturally curious, especially about crafts like this.

The three little ones took charge of cleaning the entire yard.

Once everything was tidy, Gu Qinghuan brought out the red paper and taught them how to make window paper cuttings. She even borrowed a few extra pairs of scissors for them.

Zhong Luoning and Ming Ruxue crowded around, curious.

To be honest, they had never tried this before—after all, they were both raised as pampered young ladies.

In her previous life, Gu Qinghuan had been a true country girl from the northeast. As a child, she’d watched her grandparents cut paper window decorations every New Year, which they would then sell at the market to buy meat.

So paper-cutting was a skill etched into her DNA—she could do it with her eyes closed.

There were many patterns for New Year's window cuttings: flowers, birds, insects, fish, fruits, folk tales, historical figures, opera masks, and more.

For the New Year, the main themes were festive and auspicious: spring blossoms, safety locks, carp leaping over the dragon gate, ""Fu"" characters, galloping horses, family reunions, abundance year after year, and bountiful harvests.

Gu Qinghuan didn't even need to sketch on the paper first—she just folded the paper, snipped a few times, and a beautiful ""Fu"" character window decoration appeared.

Everyone watching gasped in amazement.

""Mom, how did you do that? Teach us!"" Beibei tugged at her hand impatiently.

Ming Ruxue, excited, grabbed a pair of scissors, thinking it must be easy since Gu Qinghuan made it look so simple.

""Don't rush,"" Gu Qinghuan said. ""You can't make something this big and complex right away. I'll start you off with something simple—like a flower.

Take a small piece of red paper, fold it in half, draw half a flower shape on the back, then cut it out with scissors.

See? Now you have a three-petal flower. You can draw whatever kind of flower you like, even simpler ones.""

""Wow! That looks easy! Let's try!""

The kids, along with Ming Ruxue and Zhong Luoning, all got to work, even Youran picking up a pen to draw on the paper.

Gu Qinghuan cut larger window decorations as she guided them.

At first, their cutouts were all sorts of odd shapes—missing limbs, strange proportions—but soon everyone got the hang of it and improved quickly.

By the end, Ming Ruxue and Zhong Luoning could cut lanterns, fish, and more complex flowers. They couldn't manage Gu Qinghuan's full-scene designs yet, but what they made was good enough.

The three little ones could do stars and simple flowers, which was great too.

Once they'd cut enough, Gu Qinghuan left the red paper for them to play with and went to cook with Zhong Luoning.

Xu Huai'an spent the afternoon at the Ji family chatting with Ji Linhai. No one knew what they talked about, but he came back in high spirits, smiling.

As for Gu Lanting, after delivering the mutton, he stayed at the cowshed to help Zhong Zijun with chores all afternoon before coming home.

Even though it was almost New Year's, the cows still needed tending—cleaning the cowshed, shoveling manure, feeding, and so on. There was plenty to do, and not a moment's rest.

Zhong Zijun didn't want him to help. As a mother, she wanted her son, who rarely visited, to relax, but he insisted, so she let him.

Gu Lanting wanted to experience for himself the daily life of his grandparents and mother. Seeing how much hard, dirty work they did every day, he felt a deep ache in his heart.

He'd always known that life in the countryside was tough, but experiencing it firsthand made him realize just how hard it was.

After all, the three of them had once been highly educated intellectuals, working as teachers and scholars. Suddenly being sent down here to do such heavy, dirty, and exhausting labor every day—he couldn't imagine how they endured it.

As he worked, Gu Lanting couldn't help but cry, tears blurring his vision.

He kept going until the cowshed was spotless, the manure hauled to the designated spot, and the cows fed. Only then did he stop to rest.

He told Zhong Zijun, ""Mom, until I leave, let me do all the work in the cowshed every day! You don't have to worry about it anymore.""

Zhong Zijun looked at her son with aching heart. Cleaning the cowshed was dirty and smelly, and now his clothes were covered in manure. Her good, well-raised son smelled like dung from head to toe—how could she not feel bad?

""Lanting, your grandpa and I can handle this work easily. You don't need to get involved. Look, your nice clothes are all dirty now and will need washing,"" she tried to persuade him.

""Lanting, your grandpa appreciates your thoughtfulness, but your mom is right. We're used to this—don't worry about it,"" Zhong Weiqian added.

Gu Lanting was usually obedient, but this time he stubbornly shook his head.

""No. I always listen to you, but this time you have to listen to me. Before I leave, let me do what I can!""

The three of them looked at Gu Lanting's reddened eyes and silently agreed.

Zhong Zijun felt both touched and deeply grateful.

Even though she’d missed so many years of her son's life, he’d still grown into a kind, thoughtful, and capable young man.

He hadn’t picked up any of his father's bad habits.

She owed it all to Huanhuan—these past years, when she was absent, Gu Qinghuan had stepped in as a mother, caring for and teaching her brother well.

After Gu Yunchuan was punished by the law, Zhong Zijun no longer felt any resentment—only gratitude, and a determination to make the best of life.

—

That night, Gu Qinghuan cooked a whole table of lamb dishes:

Cumin lamb, roast lamb ribs, radish and lamb offal soup, braised lamb trotters, spicy stir-fried lamb stomach, pickled pepper lamb liver, and a few vegetable side dishes.

The whole family started their New Year's feasting a day early.

Of course, she couldn't make all those dishes alone—Zhong Luoning, Ming Ruxue, and the kids all helped, each doing what they could.

Just as Xu Huai'an and Gu Lanting returned and they were about to eat, Xu Mingshan and Xu Huaizhi suddenly showed up.

Since Gu Qinghuan had come back, she hadn't seen anyone from the old Xu family, let alone greeted them—she didn't see the point, since they never cared about her family's well-being anyway.

Xu Mingshan had only heard from others in the village that his second brother was back, and apparently cured of his illness, so he brought the eldest brother along to ""settle accounts."""

"Chapter 206: Father and Son Come Calling

This second son of mine—he’s already back, yet he doesn’t even come by to see his parents. Instead, I, his father, have to come over myself. It’s just outrageous.

Actually, Liu Guifang had known for a while that Gu Qinghuan was back. She’d even planned to teach her a lesson, but with all the drama between her daughter and son, she ended up forgetting about it.

So it wasn’t until today that Xu Mingshan heard from someone else that his son had returned.

Xu Huaizhi originally thought only Gu Qinghuan was home, so it didn’t seem appropriate to visit.

But when Xu Mingshan insisted that Xu Huaian was also back—speaking with such detail that it sounded convincing—Xu Huaizhi, half-believing, decided to tag along and see for himself.

“Second Brother, when did you get home? I almost thought Dad was being tricked. The whole village says you’re back,” Xu Huaizhi greeted him warmly as he walked in.

He still cared somewhat about this second brother.

After all, the second brother wasn’t like the third—there was still a chance they could support each other in the future.

“Big Brother, I got back last night. With New Year’s coming up, there’s a ton to do at home, so I didn’t get a chance to come over,” Xu Huaian replied perfunctorily.

Xu Mingshan finally found an opening to speak, his face stern as if someone owed him money.

“No matter how busy you are, you should have told us you were back. I had to hear about it from someone else today—how embarrassing!”

Xu Huaian didn’t respond, nor did he argue—he just pretended not to hear.

“Big Brother, Dad, have you eaten? Want to join us?” He was just being polite, but the implication was clear: we’re about to eat, so maybe you should go.

But Xu Mingshan, with his dog-like nose, caught a whiff of the delicious smells coming from the kitchen and was actually planning to stay for the meal.

“Perfect, I haven’t eaten yet. I’m starving—let’s eat before I go!” Xu Mingshan really hadn’t had much to eat lately, and he’d lost a lot of weight.

Back when Xu Huaizhi was still bringing home meat coupons and extra food every month, and sometimes even fish or wild game, things were different.

His wife, Lin Xiaomeng, was a great cook, too—everything she made was delicious.

But ever since the family split up, all that was gone. Not to mention Liu Guifang’s cooking—she was terrible at it, and hadn’t cooked in years. The food was either undercooked or too watery—just not to his taste.

Lately, they hadn’t been short on meat, but Liu Guifang’s cooking was only good for making things edible—no flavor at all.

To be fair, it wasn’t that her food was inedible; it was just like everyone else’s in the village—stingy with oil, salt, and seasonings.

You could eat it, but compared to before, the difference was huge, and Xu Mingshan just couldn’t get used to it.

That’s the downside of splitting up the family.

Xu Mingshan wished he could cook himself, but he didn’t know how, so he just had to grit his teeth and bear it.

Things were a bit better when Yan Lijun was home—her cooking wasn’t as good as Lin Xiaomeng’s, but at least it was decent.

But she only came home on weekends to cook a few meals—not nearly enough.

So Xu Mingshan was genuinely hungry.

Smelling the food, he felt like he could eat a whole cow.

Xu Huaian cursed himself for being careless—how could he forget that Xu Mingshan was so shameless?

Since Xu Mingshan was staying, Xu Huaizhi naturally stayed too.

He wasn’t really after the meat; he mainly wanted to talk to his second brother about his future plans.

Now that he was better, maybe he could apply to return to the army?

Gu Qinghuan, listening to the conversation from the kitchen, was fuming.

She’d worked hard to prepare a whole lamb feast today, hoping the family could eat together, and even planned to invite the Ji family father and son over. Now it was all ruined.

She whispered something into Zhong Luoning’s ear.

Zhong Luoning looked at her in surprise. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Gu Qinghuan replied.

She set up a separate table for the three men on Xu Huaian’s kang bed, telling them they could eat there and have a good father-son chat without being disturbed.

Everyone else gathered around the kang table on Gu Qinghuan’s side, eating and chatting together in the warmth.

Gu Qinghuan had already set aside some dishes to take over to the Ji family father and son in the cowshed next door.

Xu Huaian knew Gu Qinghuan was doing this out of anger, and could only try to placate her. After all, he’d brought this on himself.

Xu Mingshan and Xu Huaizhi, however, didn’t notice any of this. They were too distracted by the feast on the table.

The second son’s family sure eats well—where did he get the money?

And with so many extra people in the house, could he really afford it?

Whatever—better fill up first and ask questions later.

Even for Xu Huaizhi, who was used to having meat, this was a rare spread.

Especially since lamb was hard to come by.

Xu Mingshan and Xu Huaizhi pushed aside their surprise and questions for the moment and started eating.

Meanwhile, on the other kang bed, Gu Qinghuan and her group were laughing, eating, and drinking together.

The atmosphere on their side was clearly much better than on the men’s side.

Xu Huaian sat at the men’s table, restless, his mind already drifting to the other side.

After dinner, the other group even played a drinking game—though they used water instead of alcohol. The room was filled with laughter from both adults and children.

On Xu Huaian’s side, things were quiet and a bit awkward. After a few rounds, Xu Mingshan finally got to the point. “Second son, are you really better now?”

Xu Huaizhi put down his chopsticks and looked over as well.

“More or less,” Xu Huaian replied, not giving a definite answer.

“So what are your plans? Are you going back to the army?” Xu Huaizhi asked eagerly.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Huaian said, “I can’t go back. But I have a new job opportunity—I’ll be heading to the capital after the New Year.”

There was no point hiding it; he’d need Xu Mingshan to write a letter of introduction anyway.

Might as well be upfront.

Xu Mingshan perked up immediately.

“The capital? What kind of job? How did you find it?”

Xu Huaian put on a somber expression. “It’s a temp job at a factory—Qinghuan’s family helped me get it. It’s better than being a farmer, at least I can support my family.”

“You really can’t go back to the army? With your situation, you should be able to apply for reinstatement,” Xu Huaizhi said regretfully.

Having the second son stay in the army would be good for the whole family’s reputation, and would benefit future generations—much better than some temp job.

“Big Brother, the army isn’t a joke. Once you’re out, you’re out.”

“Well, it’s not so bad. I used to worry you wouldn’t be able to support your family, but now that you’re better and can provide for them, that’s good enough.”

Xu Mingshan hesitated several times, wanting to say something, but finally spoke up.

“Second son, if your wife’s family has connections, could you help your third brother get a job there too?

After the New Year, his ankle should be healed. He’s about to become a father himself, so it’s time for him to settle down.

Oh, you probably didn’t know—your third brother got married recently, and his wife is already pregnant.”

Xu Huaizhi put down his chopsticks in annoyance. “Dad, why do you always bring up the third brother? With his attitude, he’s not good for anything.

I once used a favor with my master to get him a temp job in the kitchen, and he got fired after just a few days.”

Xu Mingshan, a bit embarrassed, said, “That was because he hurt his foot…”

“You know very well that even if he hadn’t hurt his foot, with his lazy attitude, he wouldn’t have lasted long. He was bound to get fired!

Dad, we’re all your sons. Can you stop dragging us down for the sake of the third brother?” Xu Huaizhi stood up, clearly agitated.

He’d had enough. For years, he’d been helping the third brother out of brotherly duty.

But the third brother was just using him—there was no real brotherly love there.

After what happened with Lin Xiaomeng’s miscarriage, he saw the third brother’s true colors. He’d be better off never seeing him again.

Find him a job? Not a chance!

He’d be better off farming in the village for the rest of his life, and not causing trouble for the rest of them.

The second brother was the family’s hope; at least there was some brotherly bond left between them. That’s why Xu Huaizhi absolutely didn’t want the third brother dragging Xu Huaian down too.

Xu Huaian was thoughtful—he hadn’t known that Xu Huayu was already married and about to be a father.

As for himself, the road ahead was still long. Who knew when he and Gu Qinghuan would have a child together? Just thinking about it made him happy.

His mind had already wandered, paying no attention to the argument between the other two.

It wasn’t until their voices grew louder that he finally slapped the table to stop them.

“That’s enough! Dad, you know I have nothing now. You took all my money, and my family is dirt poor—it’s all thanks to my wife that we’re getting by.

She’s got a temper. If she hears you talking like this, she’ll definitely make a scene.

I can barely take care of myself right now, let alone worry about the third brother.” As he spoke, Xu Huaian deliberately glanced over at the other side, putting on a scared expression.

Xu Mingshan and Xu Huaizhi both saw through him—this guy was clearly afraid of his wife. Ever since they’d arrived for dinner, his mind had been elsewhere, always paying attention to what was happening on the other side.

Gu Qinghuan had deliberately put the three of them at a separate table, not giving the men any face at all. The second son didn’t even dare to make a sound.

But it made sense—whoever brings in the money calls the shots. Xu Huaian had no money, no job, and no confidence. Not only did he not have his parents’ support, but he also had two kids to take care of.

No wonder he had to watch his words and act so humble."

"Chapter 207: Afraid of the Wife, Drunk