Chapter 44

Wang Dali’s home was filled with gloom, and similarly, Wang Ren’s family was also restless.

At this moment, Wang Ren still did not know that Zhou Jing was going to find a live-in son-in-law for Shen Lin

He only thought that, in terms of marriage, Shen Lin, like other gers, was meant to get married.

Wang Ren’s mother, Hao Yulan, exclaimed: “What did you say? Do you want me to ask a matchmaker to propose to that ger, Shen Lin? I knew it; I’ve seen it all along. You have feelings for that Shen Lin.

Last time, our family caught a few fat fish, and you eagerly took them and wanted to give them to him, but in the end, they caught something even bigger and didn’t even take a second look at your little offering.

Seeing you so lost and dejected, I knew it was not good. Sure enough, today you actually asked me to go and plead for you to marry a ger!”

Wang Ren said painfully and anxiously, “Mother, you know your son. Ever since I was little, whatever you said, I followed; I have never gone against your wishes. But this matter concerns my entire life. Please, just support me in this matter. I will be grateful to you for a lifetime.”

Hao Yulan’s voice became sharper with each word. “What will happen to your family line? Are you just going to let it end? Don’t you want to have descendants?”

“Mother, with my older brother and second brother around, our Wang family’s line will not be cut off.”

“Is it the same? Those are your older brother’s and second brother’s descendants. I’m asking about your own future. You can’t just think about the present; look at your future! When you’re gone, there won’t even be anyone left to light the incense for you. What will you do then? When you’re old and lying in bed, unable to move, who will take care of you if you don’t have a son? What will you do then?”

“Mother, Shen Lin and I are still young; we have plenty of time. As long as I take good care of Shen Lin’s health, children will come eventually.

I’m in good health, and if it’s a ger, I can work harder.

In another twenty years or so, I can raise a child and save up some money for him. By then, we could also consider having him marry in.

This way, you won’t have to worry about not having anyone to take care of me when I’m sick or when I pass away.”

“You… you…” Hao Yulan was so angry that she almost rolled her eyes and fainted. “How can you be so unreasonable?”

“You unfilial son!” Wang Fu, who had been silent until now, shouted sternly. “I am clearly telling you that our family does not agree to you marrying a ger. It’s not just Shen Lin; you won’t marry any ger at all!”

“I don’t want anyone else besides Shen Lin.” Wang Ren insisted.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Wang Fu replied, furious, repeating the word three times.

“You don’t want anyone else, fine. But let me tell you, unless you cut off ties with our Wang family and remove your name from our family tree, it’s absolutely not going to happen!”

To cut off familial ties and remove oneself from the family tree was considered a grave sin in the village.

Only animals, worse than pigs or dogs, would sever connections with their own parents.

In the village, households were typically led by men. Since Wang Fu had said so, it was useless for Hao Yulan to plead.

She immediately lost her fierce demeanor and began to sob quietly. Wang Ren’s siblings and sisters-in-law watched anxiously from the side but neither dared to intervene.

Wang Fu was absolutely unwilling to compromise on this matter, while Wang Ren, who had always been resolute since childhood, had made up his mind and would not turn back.

Wang Ren asked in pain, “Father, I just want to get married; why do you have to pressure me like this?”

Wang Fu gritted his teeth and replied, “Yes, I am pressuring you. You choose: is it Shen Lin or your parents?”

“Father…” Wang Ren cried out, but Wang Fu turned his head away and would not look at him.

In that moment, tears flowed down Wang Ren’s face, a strong man who normally held his head high.

It was not like the wailing of a woman; instead, it was a silent, profound sorrow.

There was a sudden loud bang heard from the room. Wang Re slammed his head on the ground three times, and instantly, blood appeared on his forehead.

“Father and Mother, forgive me for being unfilial; I can no longer serve you at your bedside. I do not dare to sever ties with you, my biological parents, Even if you command me, I would go through fire and water for you. But when it comes to marriage, this is a matter of great importance for me; it cannot be ambiguous. I can only ask for your understanding in this matter.”

Wang Ren then turned to his two brothers and sisters-in-law: “In the future, I will rely on you all the more. If there’s anything you need, just come to me, and I will never refuse.”

After Wang Ren finished speaking, he stood up and turned to leave.

At that moment, Hao Yulan let out a wail.

“Xiao Ren…”

Wang Ren paused for a moment, then quickened his pace as he walked away.

Hao Yulan cried, struggling to catch her breath, while his two daughters-in-law hurried over to comfort her.

Wang Fu, on the other hand, seemed to age several years in an instant; his spirit diminished, and he appeared quite haggard.

Wang Ren ran out of the house like the wind, not daring to look back.

He feared that if he glanced back, even just for a moment, he wouldn’t have the heart to endure.

As Wang Ren stepped in front of Zhou Family’s door, he took a deep breath and knocked firmly on the Zhou family’s door.

The one who answered was none other than….Shen Lin.

Seeing Wang Ren in such a disheveled state stunned him for a moment.

“What happened to you? What’s wrong?” Shen Lin asked.

Even though Wang Ren had dried his tears before knocking, his red eyes and the injury on his forehead still betrayed him.

Without saying much else, Wang Ren declared, “Xiao Lin, I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. Don’t marry Wang Dali; wait for me. I’m going to find a matchmaker right now to propose to your family.”

“Ah?” Shen Lin was truly frightened this time; his mouth open wide enough to fit a duck egg.

Wang Ren spoke urgently, “It’s true. You shouldn’t marry Wang Dali. You won’t be happy if you marry him. Aunt Shen values offspring the most, and you’ve had health issues since you were young, which means you may not be able to bear children.

Even if you manage to recover enough to have a child, there’s a high chance that it will be a ger, and Aunt Shen will definitely not accept that. If it comes to the point where you are forced to let Wang Dali take a concubine, you will have no choice.

They may call it a concubine, but if a son is born, he will have to be treated as a legitimate wife. By that time, what position would you hold in his family?”

Shen Lin lowered his head, his brows furrowed, making it difficult for Wang Ren to see his expression.

He could only hear his voice—that was low and gloomy.

“What can we do? Which family in the village doesn’t value offspring? Doesn’t Aunt Hao care?”

“But… but I don’t care.” Wang Ren declared anxiously.

“I don’t care, Xiao Lin. As long as that person is you, I would be willing to live my whole life without a son, or even without any children at all. I’ve thought it through; I’ve really thought about it for a long time. It’s not a decision made on impulse.”

“If we do get married and have a ger, we can just work a few more years to make enough money to have them come live with us. If we don’t have any children, we can adopt one, but not from the village. We’ll adopt one from far away or one without parents. That way, I can be his real father, and I won’t have to worry about him looking for his biological mother or father when he grows up.”

“You…” Shen Lin’s voice trembled. “You really thought it through.”

Wang Ren said firmly. “I have. I’ve already spoken to my parents. They… they don’t agree with me marrying you and are forcing me to cut ties with them. My parents raised me with great difficulty, and I can’t really sever ties with them, but I can’t bear to part with you.

But don’t worry, even if we do get married, I won’t let you suffer because of my parents. If they truly dislike you, you don’t have to visit that side of the family; I can fulfill my filial duty on my own. After all, they only raised me, and you are just holding the title of a son-in-law.”

‘

Shen Lin’s thoughts were messy and complex.

This was the starting point of his life’s journey; a single misstep here might lead to complete failure in the future.

He could choose not to gamble; his older brother had already laid out a path for him by selecting a husband to marry. With that choice, he would be secure—no matter how prosperous he became in the future, his husband would not dare leave him. Otherwise, his husband would end up as a penniless nobody again.

But if he married Wang Ren, Wang Ren would sacrifice his filial piety, which was the most valued principle in the village, to stand up for him.

Wang Ren had even thought ahead for their future, saying things like how he wouldn’t need to support his own parents in old age because he would take care of them himself—such “outrageous words” that went against all tradition.

“You know, my older brother has arranged for me to marry-in a husband. The house and land will be provided by my family, along with 10 silver coins of betrothal money and a marriage contract.”

At this, Wang Ren was stunned.

“I… I…” He stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Shen Lin continued, “This news will probably spread in the next few days. You can think it over. If you want to marry me, my older brother might not agree, especially since they intend to arrange for me to marry-in a husband.”

After Shen Lin finished talking with Wang Ren, he returned inside the house—where freshly made dumplings filled with pork were just coming off the stove. The steaming dumplings puffed up, each one round and full.

“Xiao Lin, come over and eat dumplings,” Shen Mo and Zhou Jing sat around the dining table, eagerly preparing to eat the dumplings.

Shen Lin walked over, sat down, and replied with a soft “oh.”

Shen Mo picked up a dumpling, her eyes squinting in delight as she smiled.

“Ah, it’s the mushroom and meat one,” Shen Mo said after taking a bite. “Brother Jing, why does the mushroom taste strange on its own, but is so fragrant when wrapped in dumplings?”

The mushrooms were diced and mixed together with the meat filling, indistinguishable from each other, with only a few vibrant green and white bits of scallions standing out, making the dish incredibly tempting just to look at.

Zhou Jing also had one, the same mushroom and meat filling. He was very happy to have the same first bite as his little husband.

“Different ingredients paired together will present different flavors. Each type of food is a marvelous existence, and when the right method is found, it’s all delicious,” he said.

“Hmm.” Shen Mo couldn’t quite remember the last time he had eaten dumplings; it had been several years. If it had been in the past, he would have devoured them ravenously. Now, with Zhou Jing present, he felt an inexplicable trust, so he didn’t feel the need to rush and was able to maintain a normal eating pace.

When Zhou Jing looked up, he saw Shen Lin quietly eating dumplings with his head down.

“Xiao Di, is it delicious? What filling is it?” he asked.

Shen Lin, distracted, replied, “It’s good, it’s the mushroom and meat filling.”

The green chives in the dumplings were dotted among the yellow eggs and meat filling, making them impossible to ignore.

Zhou Jing had made a lot of dumplings, a total of one hundred and thirty-two, some saved for the next morning, but they had already consumed one hundred at that moment. Zhou Jing himself had eaten forty, while Shen Mo and Shen Lin each had thirty.

Even though Shen Li was burdened with worries, he managed to eat every single dumpling—even if he didn’t really remember the taste.

—o—o—o—

Wang Ren acted very quickly. He invited a matchmaker over that evening. The matchmaker wasted no time and directly stated that Wang Ren said both marrying and being married into the family were acceptable.

“Xiao Di, this is the big decision that you have to make. What do you think?” Shen Mo asked.

“Elder brother, I’ve thought it through. I want to marry. Yes, it’s marrying, not letting him marry into my family. If our family were to take in someone, many would certainly be willing given the conditions proposed by my Brother-in-law.

But they would be interested not because of me—Shen Lin, but because of the conditions I offer. But Wang Ren is different; he is interested in me as a person.”

Shen Lin looked steadily at Shen Mo and continued: “I want to take a gamble, like you did, betting that I haven’t misjudged him. In fact, even when I told Wang Ren I wanted him to marry into our family, I was already thinking that if a man like Wang Ren, who values his reputation, was willing to give that up to marry into our family for me, then I would marry him. Now, he hasn’t let me down.”

Shen Mo had already anticipated this answer.

Ever since Shen Lin returned, he hadn’t even tasted the dumplings properly; he knew that Wang Ren must have said something earth-shattering that had stirred Xiao Di’s emotions.

Regarding Wang Ren, Shen Lin had often heard villagers’ comments on his sense of responsibility and that he was a real gentleman.

Given such praise, Shen Mo believed he could not be wrong about him.

Since Shen Lin had nodded in agreement, Shen Mo handed the engagement letter to the matchmaker, just waiting for her to finalize it and calculate the auspicious dates.

Once that was done, Shen Lin and Wang Ren’s marriage would be officially settled.

—o—o—o—

The next morning, the Zhou family got busy.

Zhou Jing prepared the soup base while the two Shen brothers were in charge of cooking sausages and duck delicacies.

Zhou Jing then used the nearby stove to fry dumplings.

In the village, people often preferred to steam leftover dumplings for their second meal, placing them on top of the porridge while it cooked.

This method left them soft and lacking in texture.

Zhou Jing did not like that way of preparing them; he preferred them fried.

He poured a thin layer of oil into the bottom of the pan, arranged the dumplings neatly on top, and slowly fried them over low heat.

Before long, one side would turn a golden, oil-slicked hue. At that point, he flipped them to cook the other side. Once all sides were fried to a golden brown, a rich, meaty aroma filled the air, signaling that they were ready to be taken off the stove.

Shen Mo leaned over to look at the golden dumplings arranged on his newly purchased white ceramic plate. Unable to resist, he reached out, pinched one, and threw it into his mouth.

“Delicious, Brother Jing! So delicious! It tastes even better than boiled dumplings. I had no idea dumplings could be enjoyed like this!”

Shen Mo devoured one dumpling after another, and though one wasn’t enough to satisfy him, he continued eating.

Zhou Jing didn’t scold him; instead, he chuckled happily.

Shen Lin watched this scene—lost in thought.

Just then, a knock came at the Zhou family’s door.

When they went to check, it was Wang Ren.

Wang Ren rubbed his hands together and said, “Is there anything I can help with at home? I came here to give you a hand. There’s nothing to do on the farm right now anyway.”

Wang Ren felt a bit shy about making eye contact with Shen Lin.

Since the matchmaker had told him yesterday that Shen Lin had given her the engagement letter and agreed, he felt both happy and shy.

However, Shen Lin noticed that Wang Ren’s clothes were damp, soaked by the dew.

“Did you have a falling out with your family? Where did you sleep last night?”

Wang Ren stammered, “I just made do outside for the night.”

Shen Lin remained silent and pulled him into the kitchen.

“Brother, do you have any clean old clothes? Can you find a piece for Wang Ren to change into? He slept outside last night, and he’s all wet.”

“Sure, I’ll find something for you.” Shen Mo searched and found an old shirt that used to belong to Zhou Jing then gave it to Wang Ren to change into.

“Let’s eat together.”

On the dining table, the dumplings had already been pan-fried, and there was also a bowl of lotus root and yam porridge, decorated with red dates and goji berries, along with a plate of smashed cucumbers.

Wang Ren really didn’t expect that the Zhou family had such a rich breakfast.

No wonder Shen Lin had gained weight; his complexion became rosier day by day.

“Are these dumplings fried?” he asked.

“Pan-fried,” Shen Mo replied.

Wang Ren inquired, “That must have used quite a bit of oil, right?”

“Yeah, but they’re delicious,” Shen Mo confirmed.

With so much oil, how could it not be delicious? As Wang Ren sat down to eat, he still felt a bit dazed.

His family’s conditions were considered the best in the village, but they couldn’t afford to indulge in pan-fried dumplings.

For one, it was too wasteful of oil. The dumplings he was eating were made entirely of white flour, not mixed with any other type, and the filling even had two different kinds.

As he chewed, the only thought that crossed Wang Ren’s mind was that he had to earn more money, so that after Shen Lin married him, he could continue to eat like this.

He didn’t want Shen Lin to marry him and end up living worse than he had in her “mother’s family.”

A pot of porridge and 32 dumplings were quickly consumed by four big men.

Shen Lin had finally tasted the difference, stating that the shiitake mushroom and pork dumplings were better than the meat with a three-spice flavor, while Shen Mo preferred the meat with a three-spice flavor variety.

Wang Ren wanted to tag along, so Zhou Jing allowed him to.

The four of them hurried to the town together.

After selling at the morning market, Zhou Jing took Wang Ren along to promote sausages and duck products from shop to shop.

What Zhou Jing hadn’t expected was that Wang Ren was incredibly quick-witted.

After watching how he promoted the products in three or four shops, Wang Ren took over and began to pitch the products himself. His sales performance was impressive; he managed to successfully promote to three or four shops on his first try.

This was quite remarkable, as he seemed to have a natural talent for sales.

Wang Ren also had one good quality: when the shopkeepers settled accounts with Zhou Jing the day before, he always stepped outside to avoid watching.

As the number of trial shops increased from just a few to now thirteen or fourteen, the Zhou family raised the number of sausages to two hundred catties, and the duck products also increased.

With the addition of more shops, the production of sausages ramped up. Zhou Jing’s stall reduced its quantity back down to thirty catties, and after selling at the noon market, they headed home in the afternoon to prepare more sausages and duck products.

Wang Ren followed along, cleaning intestines, mixing meat fillings, and plucking duck feathers while separating the various parts.

Whenever Zhou Jing was mixing the seasonings and broth, Wang Ren would deliberately step outside to avoid any appearance of interference.

Although he had never been in business, he understood that the broth recipe was the true secret.

The four of them were so busy that they worked from after lunch until dark—exhausted to the point where they could hardly stand up straight.

“Wang Ren, since your family has no land to farm at this time, why don’t I invite you to work at my place?” Zhou Jing suggested.

Wang Ren quickly waved his hands in response, “Brother, I don’t mean anything else; I’m just here to help.” He was quite perceptive, already calling Zhou Jing “Brother” as if he was really his older brother.

“I understand; when I invited you to work, I didn’t mean anything else. It’s simply because my family needs extra hands.

You saw it today—we were busy from morning to evening; It was all thanks to your help. If it were just the three of us, we probably would have been working until close to midnight and still wouldn’t have had dinner.”

Zhou Jing then explained. “Moreover, It’s not just you; I plan to bring on two more people. After all, the number of orders we receive will only increase in the future, and that means we’ll earn more. There’s no need to exhaust ourselves just to save a bit on labor costs. If we end up worn out and sick, it’s really not worth it.”

Wang Ren glanced at Shen Lin and said, “If that’s the case, I definitely want to do it.”

“Actually, watching you promote today gave me another idea. I plan to train you to be a salesman,” Zhou Jing continued.

“A salesman?” Wang Ren asked, confused.

---

Lucia: Awee! What a cute couple~ 💛

---