Wang Yongfu lay on the kang, and by afternoon, he was intermittently peering out the window toward the courtyard gate.
Until the sky had darkened, he still hadn’t seen Jindou, Lady Lin, or Jinguan.
He immediately became anxious and urged Jinhoo to go take a look at the entrance of the village.
But Jinhoo didn’t move, no matter how much Wang Yongfu urged, only responding, "Maybe Eldest Uncle Lin’s family, seeing that big brother hasn’t visited for a long time, asked him to stay the night, and he will return tomorrow. You’re alone in the house with no one to take care of you; I’m not at ease either!"
She simply refused to go out.
Wang Yongfu had no choice but to give up, yet he always felt like something wasn’t right, his heart restless and uneasy.
He hardly had any appetite for dinner.
Not until the entire family had finished washing up and were about to go to bed did the courtyard door get urgently rapped.
Ever since the incident with Wang Daxiu, the family had been extra cautious, bolting the door before it even got dark.
At the sound of the knocking, they first needed to ascertain who it was before opening the door.
Lady Jiang, having just finished locking up the kitchen, asked from the closest point to the door, "Who is it?"
"Third aunt, it’s me, I am Jindou——" A familiar voice came from outside.
Relieved, Lady Jiang opened the door only to see two shadows, one big and one small, topple in—
"Ah—!" Lady Jiang let out a piercing scream.
The noise startled everyone inside the house.
Wang Yongping came rushing out with a wooden stick in hand, "What’s happened?"
The rest of the family followed, carrying stools, scissors, and other things.
Wang Yongzhu, holding a lamp with one hand, came out only to hear Lady Jiang nearly crying out, "I heard it was Jindou’s voice and when I opened the door, they just fell in——"
With the lamp’s light, they could see it was indeed Jindou and Jinguan lying on the ground.
Lady Lin actually hadn’t come back?
Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang exchanged glances, a shared understanding passing between them.
"First, bring the child inside," Wang Laozhu instructed.
Wang Yongping picked up Jinguan with one arm and dragged Jindou with the other, into the main room.
Wang Yongfu had already heard the commotion and guessed whether Jindou and the others had returned.
As a result, he saw the whole swarm of his family burst in; then he watched as Jindou and Jinguan were dragged by Laosi and placed on the outer kang.
"What has happened to you, Jindou? Weren’t you going to your maternal uncle’s? Where is your mother?" Wang Yongfu bombarded them with questions.
Jindou, right now, was so weak he collapsed on the kang, not even having the strength to speak.
It was Wang Yongzhu who got Jinhua to pour two large bowls of water sweetened with brown sugar for the pair, who grabbed them eagerly and downed them in one go as if clinging to life. Only then did they seem revived.
Before Jindou could speak, Jinguan burst into tears, "Father! Jinguan missed you so much! Jinguan thought he’d never see father again! Father, mother doesn’t want us anymore, she wants to find us a stepfather, and I have to be his son——"
"What?" Not only was Wang Yongfu stunned, but even Old Granny Zhang, accustomed to much of life’s ways, was taken aback.
The Lin Family had such maneuvers?
Jindou glared at the quick-mouthed Jinguan. They had agreed on the journey here that he would stay silent and let him explain slowly, so as not to upset their father.
Though he had agreed so readily, he seemed to forget everything once he got home.
"Jindou, tell me, what’s going on?" Wang Laozhu’s hands trembled with rage. When Lady Lin wanted to return to her maternal home, the old lady had reminded him, and what had he said then?
He had thought Lady Lin was clever, but in the end? She was a fool! And not just any fool, but a bold one at that, actually thinking she could take the Wang Family’s offspring and remarry?
Only then did Jindou explain in detail everything that had happened at the Lin Family’s house.
It turned out that Jindou had gone to the Lin Family’s house that morning in high spirits, only to find Lady Lin sizing up a man when he arrived.
The Lin Family’s cousins were playing outside; when they saw Jindou, just as he was about to speak to them, they ran towards the house as if they had seen a ghost.
As they ran, they shouted, "Someone from the Wang Family is here!"
Jindou was no fool, and sensing something was off from their words, he quickened his pace and followed them inside.
That’s when he saw Lady Lin, all dressed up, wearing clothes she only wore during festive events, with a flower adorned in her hair, sitting to one side.
Across from her sat a man with a full beard, his clothing stained in large patches, who was grinning and looking at his own mother with a gaze that Jindou found extremely uncomfortable.
Instead of being annoyed, Lady Lin seemed somewhat shy.
A woman, who appeared to be a go-between, was introducing them: "—Don’t judge our Da Niu by his appearance. Isn’t it just because there’s no woman at his home to keep things tidy? He has a strong back, is hardworking and honest, doesn’t mind that you’re remarrying and even bringing a child along, as long as the child takes his surname. All he asks is that you care for him in his old age, which is no more trouble than adding an extra ladle of water to the pot. I guarantee he’ll treat him just like his own son—"
Jindou’s mind was in turmoil, somewhat understanding but also not wanting to understand, or perhaps afraid to understand.
The basket in his hand clattered to the floor, its eggplants and tomatoes rolling everywhere.
The Lin Family’s cousins scattered in all directions, each grabbing something and running off.
When Lady Lin saw Jindou, a shade of embarrassment crossed her face; after all, it was somewhat indefensible to be caught eyeballing a suitor by her eldest son.
She opened her mouth to say something but realized she was at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, the man took a good look at Jindou and nodded in approval: "So this is the son you’re bringing with you to the marriage? I think he’s fine. He’s of an age where he’s almost grown, and as long as he takes my surname, I won’t fuss about him not being my own flesh and blood! Look at that physique; he’s built for labor. Just what I need, more hands at home. I agree to this marriage!"
Now Jindou heard everything loud and clear, with no room for misunderstanding, and felt a wave of heat rush from his feet to his face, a mix of shame and anger!
He didn’t understand; why did his mother want to remarry just because she returned to her maternal home?
Was she discarding her husband and her other sons?
No, she also wanted Jinguan, planning to bring him along to her new marriage! She wanted Jinguan to be someone else’s son, to care for a stranger in his old age!
At this thought, Jindou gritted his teeth, feeling a surge of blood rise to his throat before swallowing it back down.
"Where’s Jinguan?" he asked directly, no longer calling her ’mother’.
Lady Lin, feeling guilty, replied uneasily, "He’s in the back room!"
"Jinguan, come out!" Jindou ordered loudly.
Jinguan then came out sobbing as if he had broken free from something, rushing into Jindou’s arms, "Big brother, big brother, Uncle and the rest are bad, they want mother to find me a stepfather, and for me to be the stepfather’s son, to care for him in his old age. Big brother, I want to go home, go home!"
Jindou’s eyes turned red.
Only then did the man and the go-between realize that this was another of Lady Lin’s sons who, it seemed, had not been informed?
After exchanging a glance with the go-between, the man knew that they couldn’t continue discussing the marriage and began to leave with their belongings.
From inside, Eldest Uncle Lin and his wife hurried out after them, "Hey, don’t go—"