Chapter 10: An Inheritance from Ancestors

Hua Youcai’s cough was loud and deliberate, clearly intended to be heard outside.

Watching Hua Fangfang fetch bowls and pour water, muttering about boiling radish water…

Was he acting that well? It was so fake, why couldn’t his stupid son see through it?

He remembered the water his daughter forced him to drink yesterday, still sloshing around in his stomach.

Freezing his bottom off in the dead of winter, and constantly running to the toilet.

Not to mention, using his lingering cough as an excuse to forbid salt in his chicken soup.

Unsalted chicken soup was what postpartum mothers drank…

He sent his son to cook, to keep him from hovering around.

He would avoid it as long as he could. His daughter was thoughtful, planning to leave for the capital after the New Year.

Even he found it annoying, let alone his daughter.

These people were so incompetent; didn’t they understand what it meant when the door was locked?

If they were welcome, they wouldn’t have locked the door.

His daughter didn’t hint at wanting to reconcile. If someone mentioned marriage, he would just casually bring it up.

They hadn’t even bought New Year’s goods yet.

Hua Youcai decided to feign illness at home, leaving the arduous task of buying New Year’s goods to his son.

After breakfast, Hua Fangfang, clutching a massive five yuan, muttered about the things he needed to buy and happily set off.

This was the first time he’d been entrusted with such an important task; the child was ecstatic.

This was far more fulfilling than just fetching soy sauce and vinegar.

Before, he always went to market with his father, just helping carry things; his father decided what to buy and where.

Haha, his first time being in charge.

His father said that besides the essential New Year’s goods, he could freely spend the remaining five yuan.

He’d made sure he could buy things and keep the change.

Thinking of the clothes his sister was making, Hua Fangfang grinned, his teeth gleaming.

He slid along the path, quickly leaving the village.

This blissful mood didn’t last long. After greeting some villagers, he was stopped.

Dongzi was a few years older and taller than him.

“Brother Dong, I’ll go ahead.”

“Fangzi, what’s the rush? Wait, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“I heard the Wang family gave your family a lot of money, and that’s why your sister agreed to the divorce, is that true?”

Dongzi had Hua Fangfang by the shoulder, preventing him from leaving.

“Is it true?”

Dongzi’s face was red from the cold. Seeing the other’s silence, he loosened his grip, trying to glean something from his expression.

Taking advantage of Dongzi releasing him, Hua Fangfang, like an eel, darted away.

He ran incredibly fast, only shouting back,

“I don’t know, go ask my dad!”

Oh, his tone was like a little puppy, fiercely cute.

…

Dongzi took off after him, shouting, “Fangzi, why are you running? Let’s walk together, wait…”

The louder he shouted, the faster the other ran, like his pants were on fire.

Seeing he couldn’t catch up, Dongzi stopped chasing.

He was daydreaming. He was three years older than Hua Fangfang, twenty-two this year.

Hua Yuanyuan was twenty-five; “A woman three years older is like gold.”

They were a perfect match; the divorce wasn’t a problem.

He would ask his mother to find a matchmaker. He’d seen several girls, but none were suitable.

Hua Yuanyuan was great; he didn’t mind that she was divorced.

He heard she had over two thousand yuan; they could live comfortably without him toiling in the fields.

Grain production had increased, but it was cheap.

The more he thought about it, the happier he became, humming a little tune.

“Um ya um ah…, um ya um ah…, a grand palanquin—ya—ah—a new bride…”

As a result, he was asked this question by villagers along the way, and by the time he reached the market, he was sweating.

He didn’t wander around; he just bought a few essential New Year’s goods and hurried home.

His sister told him to take a cart if he saw one, but he dared not.

Walking back was safer; those people would definitely stop him to ask questions.

When he arrived home, breathless, and saw his father wearing his sister’s new cotton-padded jacket, sipping tea on the kang, Hua Fangfang immediately felt that going to the market was worse than staying home…

Hua Yuanyuan closed the door behind her. As soon as she entered, she saw her younger brother’s accusing gaze.

She laughed unceremoniously, “Your future is secured.”

Hua Youcai was showing off, not at all thinking that an old man wearing a flowery jacket was inappropriate. This was made by his beloved daughter,

stitched with love, by her own hands.

Hua Yuanyuan directly took apart a quilt, using the back for convenience.

It was festive; with an outer jacket, who cared what was underneath, as long as it was warm.

Hua Fangfang quickly stated the main point, “Dad, Sister, people keep asking if the Wang family gave us a lot of money?”

“Who asked you?”

“Dongzi, Aunt Zhang, Brother Liu, Wang Damazi, Li Ergouzi…”

Hua Youcai, Hua Yuanyuan…

“The whole Wang family are bastards, not a single good one!”

“Exactly, a bunch of bastards, they’re not afraid of retribution!”

“Dad, Dad, we can’t let them bully us like this!”

Hua Fangfang became more and more agitated, his two claws grabbing Hua Youcai’s arms and shaking them vigorously.

“You brat, did you wash your hands? You’ve dirtied your new cotton-padded jacket, go wash your hands!”

“Oh, I forgot, I’ll go now!”

…

Her needlework continued, Hua Yuanyuan’s mind was also racing.

Yes, after that incident, she left, her father fell ill, and her younger brother took care of him.

They hadn’t contacted the Wang family. She had settled things with Wang Changjiang outside, but her father hadn’t vented his anger.

Hua Youcai’s energy was all focused on his daughter, forgetting about the whole bunch of Wang family bastards.

“Daughter, what do you think? Do you want to teach the Wang family a lesson?”

Hua Yuanyuan… “Dad, I beat Wang Changjiang up, and slapped him twice, that felt good. As for the rest of the Wang family, Dad, you decide, I’ll listen to you.”

Her daughter had changed.

Really changed.

The Hua family were honest people; politely speaking, they were honest, bluntly speaking, they were stupid and not shrewd enough.

Hua Youcai was self-aware; he and his wife weren’t good with words, nor were they intelligent.

According to his grandfather, their honesty was an inheritance from their ancestors.

His daughter and son inherited their traits.

His daughter rarely talked to him before, keeping things bottled up.

As a father, he was incompetent, only knowing how to farm; as long as his children weren’t hungry or cold, that was enough.

These past few days, his daughter was willing to talk to him.

She told him things he hadn’t even asked about.

The things she said now sounded like a city person.

…

“Daughter, what do you think about going to scold them?”

Hua Fangfang, having washed his hands, heard this, “Dad, you scold them first, teach me.”

“Yes, Dad, you scold them first, let me hear.”

Haha, Hua Yuanyuan joined in.

What could Hua Youcai scold with? Only those two curse words.

Whether it was a verbal or physical fight, it was very likely to expose the matter of money; perhaps the Wang family was waiting for them!

After all, normally, when a daughter’s family was bullied like this, the family would make a scene.

Hua Yuanyuan shifted the target from the Wang family to Wang Changjiang.

Hua Yuanyuan was clear-headed; she should target Wang Changjiang.

Her actions did let Wang Changjiang’s comrades know about this matter.

Serendipitously, it disrupted Wang Changjiang’s plans.

A head-on confrontation would play into the Wang family’s hands; if open confrontation failed, then they would resort to underhanded means.

Her father and brother had no good ideas, so Hua Yuanyuan simply explained it to them.

Hee hee hee, she suddenly laughed, looking malicious.

A midnight raid; she wouldn’t get involved in the specifics.

Hua Youcai felt his daughter was right; the Wang family’s cleverness was well-known in the village.

They had soldiers, college students, and officials in the family; a direct confrontation would give them a handle, and they would be the ones to suffer.

They were ordinary people with no backing.

At twelve o’clock that night, Hua Youcai and his son quietly left the house.