It would be an understatement to say that He Dongxue was shocked by He Teng’s constant nagging these days at home.
Had He Teng ever been so talkative before?
If anyone did something he disapproved of, a quick look from him had been enough to make the younger siblings behave, hadn’t it?
When had he ever spent so much breath placating He Zhilan?
Besides, He Zhilan playing the gaunt victim in front of He Teng was genuinely amusing the family. Whenever He Teng started nagging, Zhilan would just nod her head, wide-eyed, not speaking, putting on an aggrieved expression, biting her lip, and watching He Teng ardently until he stopped talking, or until his tone softened.
When He Teng left to rejoin the military, the whole He family sent him to the village gate. Watching He Teng walk away without looking back, He Zhilan sighed faintly.
To expect He Teng to look back at her twice, showing a little reluctance, was probably too much of a fanciful thought.
Once He Teng had returned to the military, He Zhilan lost her human cushion. When she returned to her room and saw that one person was missing, she always had the feeling that something was lacking.
A tiny place is a gossip magnet.
For instance, He Da, who had been missing from the He family for many years, has finally returned, but as an amputee.
In rural communities, everyone works in the fields to make money, taking day jobs to supplement household expenses during the slack farming season. For a farmer missing a leg, however, this equates to losing the ability to earn money. Naturally, most people felt sorry for He Da.
On the other hand, in such rural areas, the 24-year-old He Da is considered an older unmarried man. Coupled with his physical disability, many people said that He Da would probably end up living alone for the rest of his life.
Even though people spoke softly, these words still reached the ears of his father, He Zhongguo. It was as painful for him as a knife being twisted in his heart. Thus, it was inevitable that He Zhongguo began to think deeply and increasingly isolated himself for several days.
Until one evening, He Zhongguo returned with a few photographs, smiling broadly, and went to fetch He Zhilan and her siblings.
"Dad, whose pictures are these?" He Zhilan asked promptly, taking the photos from He Zhongguo’s hand. Three girls, she wondered what to say, even from the photographs one could see that they all had some sorts of deformities.
"Aren’t you aware that your brother is 24 years old? Had we not lost contact with him, he would have been married by now. Now that he’s back, we cannot delay this matter. You and Ateng aren’t even contemplating a child, so let’s get Ada married first. He should hurry up and give me a grandson or granddaughter to hold." Saying this, He Zhongguo asked He Zhilan to show the photographs to He Da, saying, "This girl is quite cute, but she can’t speak. She had a severe illness as a child that affected one of her ears. She’s 20 years old, not too far from your brother’s age."
"A mute and half-deaf person." He Dongxue said from the side, pulling the photo from He Da’s hands and pointing to the second one, "Dad, what about her? She looks a little strange in the picture."
"She has polio, so..." He Zhongguo replied.
"Dad!" He Zhilan, starting to feel a headache for He Da, held her forehead and asked, "And the third one?"