Chapter 16: Gu Yuelin Brings Food

“But my mom…”

“You still don’t know your mom. How much of that money did she take and spend on herself, huh? Don’t you know? It all ended up in your eldest brother’s pocket.”

Old Lady Qian didn’t like hearing that. “What do you mean it ended up in my eldest son’s pocket? Don’t talk nonsense. The money Feng Feng gives me out of filial duty is my money—I’ll spend it however I want.”

“Just listen, listen. Yesterday I heard her say she made two new outfits for your nephew for the New Year. Two outfits for a kid half-grown, that won’t fit next year—what a waste. They’d rather waste money like that than make one outfit for your daughter. Feng Feng, think about it—Rongrong is already this big, and she still has to eat candy from her grandma? Every year your nephew gets new clothes, has Rongrong ever had one new outfit?”

Feng Feng trembled and didn’t know what to say.

Old Lady Qian beside them was so angry she wanted to hit someone. “You cursed child, sitting on a henhouse that doesn’t lay eggs, why don’t you just die? You caused my second son to have no heirs, and now you want to drive a wedge between him and me, his mother? What’s wrong with his nephew? He’s the one who’ll take care of him in his old age—he deserves the best!”

As she spoke, she shoved Feng Rongrong, cursing while pushing her around: “That loser—she’ll just get married off when she grows up. What do you expect? No matter how much you feed her or clothe her, you’re just raising someone else’s daughter-in-law.”

Lu Lan held the frightened, crying Feng Rongrong, and all of Old Lady Qian’s blows landed on her.

But Feng Feng, standing not far away, said nothing—he wanted to intervene but hesitated.

At the door, Feng Mian watched this family drama unfold. She hadn’t wanted to get involved, but she just couldn’t hold back.

“Second Brother Feng, since you and Sister Lan have only one daughter, why not focus on raising her well? Raise her to be the head of a household, and when she grows up, get a live-in son-in-law for you.”

Hearing this, the whole family turned to look at Feng Mian.

Feng Mian glanced at Old Lady Qian and smiled disdainfully.

“You probably don’t know, but in our country, there are more men than women. Because of this, many families think the more sons you have, the better, and if you have daughters… well, they just don’t survive.”

How they don’t survive was an unspoken understanding—they all knew.

Feng Feng’s face changed slightly.

Old Lady Qian stared coldly at Feng Mian.

Feng Mian went on, “Those families with a bunch of sons—tsk, tsk—I really feel sorry for them. You think as girls become fewer and fewer, how will these families with lots of sons ever get wives? They probably won’t even be able to find a live-in son-in-law.”

Old Lady Qian’s face darkened.

Lu Lan, hearing Feng Mian, became somewhat stirred.

Tears trembled on her lashes and fell.

Feng Rongrong looked at Feng Mian with an almost understanding gaze.

Feng Mian then looked at Feng Feng and said, “Rely on nephews to take care of you? Second Brother Feng, how many nephews actually support their uncles? If you can’t get a wife, just like some people, even your own parents can’t count on you—let alone an uncle.”

“What are you saying?” Old Lady Qian shouted furiously, “You cursed child! How dare you curse my grandson that he won’t get a wife? I bet only a crooked-eyed cripple would want you!”

Feng Mian had said all she wanted and was too tired to argue with this crazy old woman.

She stepped back, placing her hands on the door frame. “Second Brother Feng, just think about it. Even someone like me can find a willing live-in son-in-law. Your daughter has a father and mother—why would she have no one willing to marry in? There are plenty of single men who can’t find wives.”

After saying this, she closed the door.

Old Lady Qian had three sons and three grandsons. If a big fight broke out and she cried and threw a tantrum, gathering her whole family to trouble Lu Lan, one lone woman really couldn’t stand against them.

Lu Lan steeled herself and stepped forward, pinching the stunned Feng Feng’s arm. “I think what Mianmian said makes sense. These days, daughters are rare. Look, just at eldest brother’s house, there are three sons.”

Old Lady Qian slapped Lu Lan’s face. “Are you trying to curse your nephews that they won’t get wives too?”

Lu Lan held her face, glaring fiercely at Feng Feng.

Her look was impossible to ignore. Feng Feng forced himself to say, “Mom, don’t… don’t… sigh!”

“Don’t what? Have you also listened to their nonsense? Look at them—one is a cursed child, rejected even by her own father. And your wife, who can’t have children and caused you to have no heirs. Only people like them would say such things, and only a fool like you would believe it.”

Hearing his mother’s words, Feng Feng silently lowered his head.

Seeing his expression, Lu Lan felt a chill in her heart and, full of disappointment, pulled Feng Rongrong away.

Feng Mian had listened to the whole conversation inside the room, shaking her head with a bitter smile.

Even though she understood the reasoning behind it, that kind of deeply ingrained, stubborn mindset was still impossible to change.

Anyway, in their eyes, a son who could earn a full ten work points was noble.

No matter how hard a daughter tried, she couldn’t earn a full quota of work points, and if she couldn’t carry a full basket of millet, she was simply inferior to a son.

She didn’t bother to argue with others—time would reveal the truth.

…

After dark, it really started snowing outside. Feng Mian added a few more pieces of coal to the stove, preparing to eat dinner.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door again.

Feng Mian frowned slightly.

Who could it be at this hour?

“Who is it?”

No one answered outside, but there were two more knocks.

This—

She carefully took some pepper spray, lit the kerosene lamp, and peered out through the crack of the door.

The person outside saw the light from the crack and spoke softly, “It’s me.”

“Gu Yuelin?”

“Mm.”

Feng Mian’s eyes darkened. “So late, what are you doing here?”

“Bringing food. A few days ago we agreed—I prepared a hundred jin of grain and would send it to you as soon as it was ready. Carrying a big bag of grain during the day is inconvenient, so I chose to come at night.”

Only then did Feng Mian remember and hurriedly opened the door to let him in.

He carried a large sack of grain slung over his shoulder, dusted with some snow.

“Put it down quickly. Sit down and rest,” Feng Mian said, pulling out a stool for him. Then she brought out some hot water.

“Drink some to warm up. It’s snowing outside, and you don’t have a jacket on—aren’t you cold?”

Gu Yuelin didn’t answer. He silently held the bowl and drank it all in a few gulps.

Feng Mian’s smile stiffened slightly. She asked quietly, “You don’t have a jacket?”

Gu Yuelin nodded silently, then added, “I used to have two military coats—they were issued by the army before.”

He didn’t say what happened to those coats, but it wasn’t hard to guess.

If something good ended up in someone else’s hands, he wouldn’t get any.

Feng Mian didn’t press the subject. Instead, she took out a cloth to wipe the snow off the sack, so the grain wouldn’t get damp.

“You carried a hundred jin all the way here on foot?”

“Yeah.”

“Your Gu family village is ten li from my home.”

“I didn’t come from Gu family village. I bought it in the county town and put it at a friend’s place.”

“Oh, well that’s still five or six li away.”