Chapter 1: Sadness

This story takes place in a mountainous rural village. The heroine of the story is named Shen Li, though the villagers all call her Xiao Li. She is a very beautiful woman, but unfortunately, fate hasn’t been kind to her. A few years after getting married, her husband died in a car accident.

Left alone with a young daughter, life was extremely difficult. Her family, relatives, and friends all urged her to remarry, but she was stubborn and refused. So she raised her child on her own, cultivating a few acres of land in the village. Every year, she saved enough grain for seeds and food, but there was never much left to sell.

One afternoon, Aunt Zhang, her neighbor, came over to visit. She walked into Shen Li’s dilapidated yard while Shen Li was inside doing needlework.

Aunt Zhang called out, “Xiao Li, are you home?”

Shen Li replied from inside, “Who is it? I’m in here.”

Putting down her needlework on the table, Shen Li came to the door and saw that it was Aunt Zhang.

Smiling, Shen Li said, “Oh, Aunt Zhang! What brings you here today?”

“What? Can’t I come by just to visit? What were you doing inside? Took you a while to come out.”

“Hehe… What else can I do? Just some sewing. Come inside, Aunt Zhang, have a seat.”

Aunt Zhang chuckled, “Alright then, let’s sit and chat a bit. Hehe… By the way, where’s little Hui?”

“She’s sleeping inside. She got tired playing on the bed and must have dozed off without me noticing. Come sit here, Aunt Zhang.”

Shen Li brought over a stool for Aunt Zhang to sit on. After sitting for a moment, Aunt Zhang stood up and went to take a look at the sleeping little Hui.

She said, “Xiao Li, your daughter Hui is so adorable. She’s almost two now, right?”

“Almost. Just two more months and she’ll be two.”

Shen Li picked up her needlework again and continued sewing.

Aunt Zhang said, “Xiao Li, this just isn’t the way to live. You’re only in your twenties, raising a child alone. Life is so hard for you!”

“Aunt Zhang, this is just my fate. It’s destiny. I married Zhang Tian hoping for a happy life, but the heavens were blind and took him away.” Shen Li spoke with deep sadness.

“True, the heavens are blind. Xiao Tian was such a good man, and so young when he passed. Truly, the heavens are jealous of talent. But don’t be too sad, Xiao Li. It’s already been more than half a year since he passed.”

“I’m not sad anymore. What good would it do? I just want to raise Hui well and put her through college. Once I’ve done that, I’ll have fulfilled my duty to the Zhang family.” As Shen Li spoke, a tear slid down her cheek.

Seeing the sorrow on Shen Li’s face made Aunt Zhang feel heavy-hearted too. Zhang Tian had grown up before her eyes—they were neighbors and their families were very close.

After getting married, Zhang Tian separated from his parents, who moved to the eastern end of the village and built a small two-room house—just enough for the elderly couple.

After Zhang Tian’s death, the old couple often visited Shen Li and her daughter, frequently bringing vegetables and eggs from their own garden and chickens.

Aunt Zhang asked, “Did the old folks visit you today?”

“They came in the morning. I told them not to come so often since they’re getting old. I can take the child to visit them instead,” Shen Li replied.

“What parent doesn’t care about their child? Now that Xiao Tian is gone, you and Hui are the only family they have left. He was their only child.”

Just then, a few bachelors from the village were seen peeking into the yard, craning their necks sneakily.

The three bachelors were named Gou Sheng, Tong Chui, and Zhang Dazui.

Gou Sheng had a long face, was tall and skinny, with dark skin, small eyes, a flat nose, and thick lips. His clothes were always filthy.

Tong Chui had a round face, average height but on the chubbier side, a big nose, small mouth, and eyes like a female dog.

Zhang Dazui was, as his name suggested, known for his big mouth. The villagers all called him “Big Mouth Zhang.” He wasn’t tall—just over 1.6 meters—chubby, with small eyes and a small nose.

All three of them shared one thing in common: dark skin and filthy clothes.

They had nothing better to do and spent their days wandering around the village aimlessly, never doing anything productive.

That day, they happened to wander by Shen Li’s house and thought of stopping by to chat with her. So they peered into the yard, but after a while, they still didn’t see anyone.

None of them dared to go in—after all, it was broad daylight, and if someone saw them, they’d be ridiculed to death.

As they were discussing whether to enter together, Shen Li and Aunt Zhang suddenly walked out of the house.

Startled, the three of them turned and ran back toward the village. Though they ran fast, Shen Li and Aunt Zhang had already seen them.

Aunt Zhang said, “Xiao Li, you need to be careful. Who knows what kind of trouble those three are planning.”

“Don’t worry, Aunt Zhang, I’ll be cautious.”

“Well then, I’ll head home. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll come visit again tomorrow if I have time.” With that, Aunt Zhang left the courtyard.

Shen Li returned to the house, sat down by the bed, and thought to herself: Sigh… those damn fools, always bothering me for no reason. They’re so annoying.