Chen Yuping had just woken up and wasn’t in a hurry to get out of bed. He lay in his blanket, playing with his Cao ger, chatting and making jokes.

Dad Chen passed by under the eaves and heard the commotion inside. He knocked twice on the door and said, “Ping ger, it’s raining outside. It’s a bit cool, don’t let Cao ger catch a chill. Dress him warmly.”

“I heard the sound of rain last night. Is it still raining outside?”

“Yes, it’s drizzling lightly.”

Father Chen, leisurely holding a cup of strong tea, shouted into the house, “If you’re awake, bring Cao ger out.” On rainy days, there was little farm work, and he couldn’t sit still at home.

“Your father woke up early and has been sipping tea for half an hour.”

Chen Yuping quickly dressed Cao ger and carried him outside. “Father, if you have time, you could make some tofu. When youngest goes to town to buy pig intestines, have him bring back a few large jars. I need to pickle more red fermented tofu to avoid running out when it’s time to sell.”

“Is your tofu ready?” Father Chen asked, “What does it taste like?”

“It’s very fragrant, but we can’t eat it yet, it needs more time. This takes a while to prepare, so we should start early.”

Father Chen added, “What Ping ger makes to eat is always delicious. This time, the fermented tofu will definitely be good.”

“I’m just asking,” Father Chen said, finishing his tea. “It takes time to make tofu, I’ll soak the soybeans first. If we have time today, is ten jars enough? What size jars do you need? I’ll go with youngest to town, he won’t know how to choose, and jars come in good and bad quality.”

“Jars this size,” Chen Yuping said, showing the size with his hands. “We should buy ten small jars, about palm-sized, so we can negotiate a better price.”

Father Chen thought for a moment: “With jars this size, ten boards of tofu won’t be enough. I’ll make some more, and if there’s extra, we can eat it ourselves.”

“It looks like we need to plant more soybeans next year,” Dad Chen said with a chuckle.

Father Chen proudly remarked, “Soybeans are easy to manage, they don’t take much effort.”

“Father, Dad, if we come across suitable land, let’s buy it.”

“Your father mentioned this to me last night. We’ve made some money these past few months, and we’ve bought an ox. With an ox to help, it’s much easier to manage the fields. If we buy a few more acres, it should be manageable. It’s just that it’s rare to find land for sale, buying land is like buying an ox, and we have to look around slowly.”

Chen Yuping smiled and said, “We can take our time. Let’s prepare the money, and when we find good fertile land, we can buy it immediately. A little more expensive is fine, as long as it’s good.”

“That’s true.”

After breakfast, Dad Chen set up the stall, displaying shrimp paste buns, five-spice tea eggs, and the braised pig intestines and trotters he had prepared the night before, soaked in brine overnight, making them flavorful. Only the braised pork needed to be cooked fresh.

With the soybeans not finished soaking yet, Father Chen and his youngest son went to town to buy pig intestines, jars, and some daily necessities.

Cui Yuanjiu, wearing a bamboo hat but no raincoat, was holding two live fish that were still flopping, each weighing about four to five pounds. He was tall and strong, walking with confidence in the drizzle, his demeanor a bit out of place in the small village.

Chen Yuping spotted him through the window and thought he looked like a hero, if he exchanged the fish for a sword, he would look even more so.

“Second Uncle,” Cui Yuanjiu greeted with a smile, his otherwise hard features softening instantly. “Cao ger.” He teased softly, intentionally softening his tone.

“Why are you carrying fish? These two look really fat.”

“I ran into them on the way, they looked fresh, so I bought two. I often trouble Ping ger to make breakfast for me, so bringing two fish over isn’t a big deal.”

Dad Chen called into the kitchen, “Ping ger, since the fish is fresh, shall we have it for lunch?” Then looking at Cui Yuanjiu, he added, “Stay and try it. The fish Ping ger makes is also particularly delicious and fragrant.”

Chen Yuping came out to take a look at the two fish. “These two must weigh over ten pounds. Since it’s not hot today, let’s have a fish hot pot for lunch. I’ll call over second brother and second sister-in-law.”

“Do you need help preparing them?” Cui Yuanjiu asked. “Just tell me how.”

“The timing is still early, just leave them in water for now. No rush.”

Suddenly, Dad Chen remembered, “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”

“I just need two shrimp paste buns, they’ll go well with the braised pig intestines.”

“You don’t need to go to such lengths, just take what you need,” Dad Chen said with a smile.

Cui Yuanjiu took out five copper coins and put them into the money box. “Second Uncle, that’s not right, business is business.”

Hearing this, Dad Chen felt even more pleased with the young man.

Chen Yuping saw his dad’s bright eyes and felt a sudden chill, quickly heading back to the kitchen with the two fish.

When Father Chen and his son returned, the rain had intensified.

The ox cart stopped at the door, and Cui Yuanjiu, quick and perceptive, moved more than a dozen jars of various sizes into the house.

“Today, you’ve worked hard, Ah Niu,” Father Chen said, unhooking the ox and leading it to the barn behind the house.

Father Chen took out a clean cloth: “Everyone,  wipe yourselves off. Youngest, you need to change your clothes or take a bath.”

“No need, I’m not that wet,” Chen Yuanqiu said nonchalantly, roughly wiping the raindrops off with the cloth.

Chen Yuping made ginger soup and brought out three large bowls: “Drink it while it’s hot.” He and Dad Chen drank from small bowls, as they weren’t wet and didn’t need to drink much.

Cao ger, nestled in his crib, wasn’t asleep. His dark, shiny eyes stared intently at the adults drinking ginger soup, and his little mouth moved as if he were a greedy little cat.

“Does the little one want to drink?” Chen Yuping teased him, squatting in front of the crib.

Cao ger grinned and giggled, reaching out his chubby little arms, as if wanting a hug or to drink the ginger soup.

Cui Yuanjiu quietly moved beside Chen Yuping and squatted down: “Cao ger can’t drink yet, can he? I don’t see any teeth.”

“He’s still small. In a month or so, we can feed him some porridge or gruel.” Qiaoniu started teething at five months, but An ger only started at six months. Chen Yuping thought that Cao ger might have been too weak before, delaying his development. If that was the case, it would be hard to determine how old Cao ger truly was.

“How many months is the child now?”

Chen Yuping paused for a moment: “Over five months.”

“He’s really well taken care of.” Cui Yuanjiu couldn’t help but reach out to hold Cao ger, lifting him a bit, smiling warmly: “He’s quite chubby, fair and clean.”

After Cao ger was born, his master entrusted him to Cui Yuanjiu to care for. The very next day, he hurried to the county town on a mission, leaving Cao ger to be looked after by his father and stepmother, giving them a silver tael and promising to return within two months.

A child under a year old doesn’t require much expense, food can be collected in town, and only clothes and shoes are needed, so a tael of silver is more than enough.

However, life is unpredictable. On his way, he encountered bandits who were well-prepared, and this mission was delayed. By the time he dealt with the situation at the escort agency and returned, it had already been three months.

Calculating the time, Cao ger should be six months old, which matched the estimated timeline from the Chen family.

Ping ger and Yuanjiu were chatting together, holding Cao ger, creating a warm family atmosphere.

Dad Chen felt both pleased and happy, hurriedly signaling to his husband and youngest son to keep their voices down.

After finishing the ginger soup, Father Chen put down the bowl and went to check on the soybeans soaking.

Chen Yuanqiu cheerfully walked outside to visit his second brother and invite them for lunch.

Dad Chen stayed to mind the stall.

When Chen Yuping sensed something was off, he looked around and was startled to find that only the three of them remained in the room. When had the other three left? There had been no noise at all. He didn’t believe it was accidental, it had to be his father’s doing.

“Cui Yuanjiu, let me ask you something.” Chen Yuping felt that this was not possible. Dad’s little moves were becoming more and more frequent. If he didn’t pierce the paper quickly, something would really happen later: “Dad, please come in.”

Dad Chen responded without looking back: “What? I’m tending the stall and can’t leave.”

 “There’s no one here now. Dad, please come in quickly. I have something to say.”

 “Okay.”

As soon as Father Chen entered the kitchen, he heard his third son asking Cui Yuanjiu innocently: “Do you like me? Or do you just like the food I cook? So you are extra attentive to my family these days?”

 This silly son! How can there be such a straightforward ger! If you want to ask, you have to ask politely, and it is the dad who asks!

 Such a sudden move made Dad Chen very anxious.

Cui Yuanjiu looked at Chen Yuping and then at Uncle Chen. He was always smart, but now it was completely clear why Uncle Chen was so warm to him.

 Regarding the Chen family and Ping ger, he actually made inquiries.

 This, this, this misunderstanding is a bit big.

 He was thinking, contemplating, wondering whether he should tell the real truth.

 Ping ger, Ping ger is indeed a very good ger. Putting aside Cao ger, he does like Ping ger as a person. However, he has not thought about getting married and living together. After all, he is currently in the escort agency, his life is not particularly stable, and it is not a good time to get married yet.

“Why don’t you speak?” Dad Chen asked fiercely.  Could it be that he is overthinking?  Did he really think too much? What to do! Ping ger finally became cheerful. If he was hit by this, he would not be able to think about it at all.

“Second uncle.” Cui Yuanjiu came back to his senses and smiled at Chen Yuping. His smile was as bright as a flower blooming in the sun, beautiful and charming: “I do like Ping ger, but I am close to the Chen family because of Cao ger.”

 Cui Yuanjiu slowly told Cao ger’s life experience.

 Cao ger’s grandfather was an old hunter who lived in the mountains. The old hunter had a very bad reputation. People in the village said that he was an unlucky star. He killed his parents one after another, and then his eldest son. When the eldest son died, his wife was pregnant. After hearing the bad news, she gave birth to a thin little ger about eight months later, but his wife could never open his eyes again.

 The old hunter was so heartbroken that he hid in the mountains with his young ger in his arms and lived a life.

 Finally, the younger son grew up and met a man. The relationship between the two was very good. The man’s family and relatives did not agree with the marriage. They were afraid of the old hunter’s bad luck. Finally, the man married another ger from the neighboring village.

 The old hunter felt that he had burdened his younger son and wanted to secretly seek death. However, at this moment, he discovered that his younger son was pregnant.

 The younger son is a premature baby. He has lived with him in the mountains since he was a child. He has not been well fed or clothed, and his body has never been strong. Now that he is pregnant, aborting the fetus will most likely endanger his life. The most important thing is, his younger son wanted to have the child.

 The old hunter felt deeply guilty for his youngest son, so he did not refuse the matter. When his son is pregnant, he will become a grandfather, and the old hunter regains his hope in life.

 It’s a pity that God was too mean to see the old hunter well. His youngest son had a difficult delivery. The child was born, but he never woke up.

 The old hunter was deeply hit and could not afford to fall ill.

 He dragged his exhausted body, entrusted his grandson to his apprentice, and closed his eyes.

 Cui Yuanjiu is the apprentice of the old hunter. When he was ten years old, he met the old hunter in the mountains and worshiped him as his teacher.

 The old hunter treated him very well and was very kind to him. He taught him all his skills. He is where he is today thanks to his master’s teachings.

 Everyone thinks that the old hunter is a broomstick, a disaster or a scourge. In Cui Yuanjiu’s heart, his master is more important than his father. Apart from his father, he is the most important relative in the world.

 The little grandson is the lifeblood of his master, and Cui Yuanjiu regards him as the most important existence.

 He thought that he had enough money, and his father and stepmother at home would take good care of Cao ger. He never expected that he would encounter robbers on his way out. This arrogant couple did not know where he heard about it. When something happened to him, they couldn’t wait to throw Cao ger into the mountains.

 They thought he would never come back, hehe.

 “…I saw that you raised Cao ger very well. I could tell at a glance that you were treating him like your heart. I didn’t want to disturb him, but I felt guilty and felt that I was wrong. I’m sorry for Master’s deathbed entrustment, and I’m even more sorry for Cao ger. It’s because I was too careless and didn’t do things carefully enough, which is why Cao ger suffered so much in vain.”

 “I just want to do something that I can do to repay you for being kind to Cao ger, and also to repay Master for his kindness to me. As I gradually get to know you, I feel that you are all very good people, and you are so kind-hearted. The world is very friendly and harmonious, and I am not afraid of second uncle’s jokes. I even envy Cao ger. Cao ger being adopted is really the luckiest and happiest thing in his life. “

 After talking about Cao ger’s origin, Cui Yuanjiu continued: “I told second uncle a little about my family situation before. My parents relationship is not good. My father’s left leg is injured, so can’t do farm work and has a bad temper. My dad has a weak character and works silently to support the whole family. My dad had a difficult childbirth when I was born and his bones were broken. From then on, I could only take care of the trivial matters at home, and my life suddenly became tight, and my father’s temper is getting worse and worse.”

 “When I was ten years old, my dad passed away. Not even three months later, my father remarried. My stepmother had a strong body and a strong hand at home and outside. My father had a very bad temper in front of her. Well, within two years I had a younger brother, and our family of three lived happily.”

 “And I am the only one left with master.”

 “After I learned that my father and stepmother threw Cao ger into the mountains, I beat them up and broke away from the father-son relationship. My original surname was Zhang, and my dad’s surname was Cui. I took my dad’s surname. I will return to the county town in a few days and go on a mission with the escort agency. I plan to confess to you today what happened between me and Cao ger. I don’t want to deceive you. I have never thought about getting married, let alone Ping ger. No, I just didn’t want to think about it. I have nothing, and living with me is too hard. I think that in two years, I will save enough money, quit the escort agency and be able to live a stable life. Only in this way will I have the confidence to talk about getting married.”