W Chapter 65

Chapter 65: “I can’t figure it out.”

The Shen family hasn’t been in Xiao Liucun for long, and they don’t have ancestors, so they don’t have an ancestral grave.

When people in other families in Xiao Liucun pass away, they are basically buried in their own fields, some distance from their homes.

Shen Hai’s grave isn’t far from home, just at the foot of the mountain about half a mile away from the Shen’s house.

According to the Shen family elders, being close to home means he won’t be lonely.

During dinner that evening, Ling Xing looked around.

“Mother, where did Shen Hui go?”

He hadn’t seen him since he came out of the kitchen in the afternoon, and Ling Xing thought Xu Youfang had told him to do something privately.

Xu Youfang’s face stiffened when she realized Shen Hui hadn’t returned at this hour.

“You eat first, I’ll go out for a bit.”

Her expression was unpleasant, obviously suppressing her anger. No one else in the family dared to say anything, just nodding in agreement.

Now that it got dark earlier than in the summer, Xu Youfang carried a roughly made lantern and walked towards Shen Hai’s grave with a sullen face.

In the dim light, Xu Youfang saw Shen Hui kneeling upright in front of Shen Hai’s tomb.

Shen Hui, having hunted for many years, had sharp senses. Hearing the footsteps, he guessed it was Xu Youfang.

“Aren’t you going back to eat?” Xu Youfang asked stiffly.

Shen Hui remained kneeling, his deep eyes fixed on the tombstone, his voice hoarse.

“Mother, I can’t figure it out.”

He couldn’t figure it out.

Coming to the grave, he knew he would never be able to figure it out.

Xu Youfang’s lips trembled, her face pale, “What did you say?”

Shen Hui said, “I’m sorry to Eldest Brother, sorry to the family, and sorry to… Ge’er Husband.”

After he finished speaking, he smiled self-deprecatingly, as if giving up resistance and choosing to follow his heart.

“Mother, every moment I kneel here, I’m asking Eldest Brother to forgive me, asking him to let me be with Ge’er Husband.”

The surroundings were quiet enough to hear a pin drop, with only wisps of gentle breeze stirring.

Xu Youfang felt as if she were in the dead of winter, trembling all over, her mind seemingly blank, unsure how to react.

When she came back to her senses, her palm had already landed heavily on Shen Hui’s face.

Her palm, along with her arm, felt numb from the impact.

“Are you crazy! That’s your Ge’er Husband! Your Eldest Brother’s husband! Shen Hui, how dare you!”

Shen Hui’s face was turned to the side by the slap, the corner of his mouth split open, with a faint trace of blood flowing out.

He clenched his teeth, his cheeks taut.

“He doesn’t like me, I never thought of forcing anything.”

“Mother, I’ve been trying very hard to endure. You can’t, and I can’t, control myself from looking at him, or not having any thoughts at all.”

Xu Youfang felt like she was going insane.

“Is it because you took the place of your Eldest Brother at the wedding that you’ve misunderstood, thinking you were marrying a husband for yourself?”

Shen Hui shook his head.

“It’s because he’s too good, I can’t help but be moved.”

“Mother, I want him to be even better to me, only to be good to me.”

*Pa!*

Xu Youfang gave Shen Hui another slap.

Her face was cold, but tears were already streaming down her face. She pointed at the tombstone with one finger and rebuked him sternly.

“You’re saying this in front of your Eldest Brother’s grave, do you still have any shame?”

“Second Son, your father and I had limited energy before and focused it all on your Eldest Brother. You were calm and steady since you were young, so your father and I neglected you, it was our fault.”

Xu Youfang cried even harder, her voice breaking, “But your Eldest Brother didn’t do anything to wrong you, you can’t do this…”

Shen Hui lowered his head, his face burning with pain, his heart also aching.

“I’m sorry to Eldest Brother.”

He also hated himself, disgusted with himself for having thoughts he shouldn’t have.

But he really couldn’t help it, he had tried everything, beaten himself countless times, and tried to avoid and hide.

But it was useless.

It was of no use at all.

As long as he looked at Ling Xing, he couldn’t control his feelings of affection and possessiveness.

If he wasn’t afraid of hurting him, he wouldn’t have endured so much…

Xu Youfang only heard Shen Hui’s guilt, ignoring the madness hidden in his eyes.

She grabbed at a straw, “Second Son, there are plenty of girls and Ge’ers, the family’s conditions have improved now, Mother will find someone else for you, I’ll do everything according to your wishes, okay?”

A moment of silence made Xu Youfang’s heart rise to her throat, her breathing became much lighter as she waited for Shen Hui’s answer.

Shen Hui raised his head. Xu Youfang met his gaze, her pupils shrinking.

Her usually calm and reliable son’s eyes were now filled with a crazy stubbornness.

Painful yet resolute.

“Mother, I only want him.”

Who “he” was, went without saying.

Xu Youfang fell to the ground, leaning against Shen Hai’s tombstone, crying silently.

A sin.

If she had known Shen Hui would fall for his own Ge’er Husband, she shouldn’t have arranged the “Wedding to Ward Off Evil” in the first place.

But now it was too late to say anything.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Hui said softly, “Mother, it’s cold, go back.”

Xu Youfang’s tears had dried up. After a while, she stood up with a wooden face and picked up the lantern that had long been extinguished.

“Second Son, if you really like him, you should know that your feelings will kill him.”

“So, before he develops feelings for you, before he leaves the Shen family, he can only be your Ge’er Husband. You are not allowed to overstep the line in the slightest, otherwise, Mother will die to show you.”

Shen Hui nodded stiffly, “I know.”

Children are all debts. Xu Youfang knew her son. Shen Hui would not turn back.

Since that was the case, it was better to let him be more careful and restrained.

Fortunately, Ling Xing didn’t have that kind of thought about her second son, otherwise she really wouldn’t know what to do.

Xu Youfang left, without telling Shen Hui to go home together.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, let him continue thinking.

He had such shameful thoughts, he should kneel in front of his brother’s grave for a while longer.

Xu Youfang went back and only said that Shen Hui wanted to talk to Shen Hai since Shen Hai’s birthday was approaching.

Everyone in the family could see that something was wrong, after all, Xu Youfang’s face was really ugly.

But since that was what she said, they wouldn’t ask any further and accepted the explanation.

After dinner, the Shen family dispersed to the homes where they were staying.

Shen Chengshan and Shen Gui slept in one room, and Wu Xue and Shen Hui slept in the small room in the kitchen, so only Wu Xue knew that Shen Hui didn’t return all night.

Even less did anyone know what he thought or prayed for at Shen Hai’s grave.

Early the next morning, Shen Lai went to the stall with Shen Hui and Ling Xing.

He was quite excited to go to town, bouncing and hopping along the way without feeling tired.

After setting up the stall, the velvet flower part was left to Shen Lai to take care of, and Ling Xing felt a lot more relaxed.

After several consecutive days, Shen Lai’s enthusiasm for setting up the stall finally diminished.

Ling Xing had been frightened by Yu Guixiang’s nonsense before, and these days he finally accepted that he was a Ge’er and had been “avoiding suspicion” with Shen Hui.

He wouldn’t talk if he could, and wouldn’t make eye contact if he could avoid it.

Even when walking, he had to be safe and secure with Shen Lai between them.

Having avoided Shen Hui for several days, he returned home this day and saw Village Chief Zhu, who had been waiting for a long time.

There was only one reason why the other party was here at this time.

The result of Yu Guixiang’s punishment was out.

Village Chief Zhu saw Ling Xing return and quickly stood up to greet him.

He knew that the Shen family’s current situation and all these businesses were Ling Xing’s idea.

For the development of the village, he was willing to lower his posture.

Moreover, this matter was indeed his negligence.

“Brother Ling, you were unfairly criticized some days ago. That Yu Guixiang won’t be talking nonsense without thinking anymore.”

Ling Xing listened quietly as Village Chief Zhu explained the reason.

After returning that day, Village Chief Zhu went directly to the Yu family.

Yu Guixiang’s husband’s family was also named Yu, but the two families didn’t have any relatives, it was just a coincidence.

Even the smallest family in the village had seven or eight people.

The Yu family had a large population, with more than twenty people in the entire family. They had many sons who had children after marrying, so the population naturally increased.

They cultivated more land, but they also spent more, so the family couldn’t save any money.

Therefore, the family attached great importance to earning money.

After investigation, Yu Guixiang’s attitude towards the Shen family was because she had rejected the Yu family’s men from building houses.

Zhu Rushan didn’t choose the Yu family in the first place, also because of Yu Guixiang.

Before, when many families built houses, the Yu family also sent people. Yu Guixiang would use the excuse of visiting her son and old man to follow along, and then take the opportunity to steal things from the host family.

She didn’t only steal from these families, but also from other families. As long as Yu Guixiang had the opportunity to enter the house, the family would definitely lose something.

Yu Guixiang had been caught several times, but it was useless.

She insisted that she picked it up, and if they said anything else, she would lie on the ground, yelling that she hurt all over.

How fresh, picking up things in other people’s homes, how could she say it.

Over time, who would dare to ask the Yu family to work?

Even if the other members of the Yu family didn’t steal, rob, or make trouble, they didn’t care about Yu Guixiang.

Not caring and letting her do it, what’s the difference from being an accomplice?

Everyone avoided the Yu family, let alone asking the Yu family again.

Zhu Rushan knew this, so he eliminated all the Yu family members in the first round.

This family was also very interesting, all the bad things were done by Yu Guixiang outside, and the whole family enjoyed the benefits.

Because Yu Guixiang could get good things by doing this, the entire Yu family pretended to be blind.

Anyway, they couldn’t be blamed if they were discovered, it wasn’t them who did it.

If the village didn’t give them work, they could find it outside the village.

Besides, no one in the village had been able to build a house for several years.

If it wasn’t because the Shen family’s treatment was really good, Yu Guixiang and the others in the family wouldn’t have cared at all whether they were selected or not.

Later, when they found out that the treatment was as good as they said, and their family couldn’t go, they became jealous.

Even the villagers who helped build the house with the Shen family were hated by Yu Guixiang.

Zhu Rushan went to the Yu family that day and scolded the entire Yu family, but it was of little use.

How could Yu Guixiang “corrupt” the Yu family on her own, it was clear that the entire family was “Yu Guixiang”.

Seeing the Yu family looking like dead pigs unafraid of boiling water, Zhu Rushan was also very angry.

He would never let this bad apple spoil the whole barrel.

How could he give up the benefits that were within his reach because of the Yu family.

Zhu Rushan went directly to several families who had their things stolen by Yu Guixiang before, took them to the door, and said that they would report to the authorities together, saying that Yu Guixiang stole things, and the Yu family allowed her to steal them, and they would all be sent to prison.

Only then did the Yu family finally react. They were afraid of going to jail and begged Zhu Rushan not to report to the authorities.

All of them were threatened with reporting to the authorities. Zhu Rushan’s words were more frightening than Wang Juan’s. Yu Guixiang’s legs went soft and she collapsed to the ground.

Zhu Rushan specially invited the village head to come and notarize the matter a day later, wrote a guarantee, and let the Yu family press their fingerprints.

The content included but was not limited to not allowing the Yu family to steal things, and not allowing Yu Guixiang to falsely accuse others again.

Zhu Rushan didn’t forget to emphasize before leaving that if the Yu family violated the rules set inside, he would directly submit it to the yamen.

The whole family would be sent to jail.

The entire family trembled with fear, crying and guaranteeing that they definitely wouldn’t.

Zhu Rushan solved this matter in four days. Actually, it could have been faster, but the village head was very busy, and it took some time to invite him.

After rectifying the Yu family, he rushed to the Shen family in a hurry.

The Shen family and Ling Xing were quite satisfied with the result of Village Chief Zhu’s handling.

At least it could really restrain Yu Guixiang’s mouth.

Village Chief Zhu also glanced at Ling Xing after speaking. At first, he couldn’t invite the village head to help solve such a small matter.

The village head was able to come because of Ling Xing.

The village head on their side had been replaced. The previous village head was arrested because he was found to be helping the shopkeeper of the county deputy magistrate’s brother-in-law’s restaurant do evil.

The new village head heard his wife’s words and knew that it was related to Ling Xing, so he came to help.

Village Chief Zhu now believed even more that Ling Xing could speak to the county magistrate, and the new village head was helping Ling Xing, but in reality, he was looking at the county magistrate’s face.

Yu Guixiang was frightened into being honest, and the entire village was much quieter.

The women and Ge’ers who went to Xie Qingya’s to buy tofu were all talking about how the people living near Yu Guixiang’s house had been in better spirits lately.

Of course they would be.

The women and Ge’ers living near her house would be pointed at and scolded by Yu Guixiang as adulterers and prostitutes if they looked at a man for more than a second.

Now that she couldn’t scold people like this anymore, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Qingya hummed as he cut the tofu, serves her right!

Another month passed, the weather became colder and colder, and the Shen family’s house had been built to the kitchen.

The words that Shen Chengshan said to the village chief were spread out by someone. The villagers who were building the house were afraid of being replaced by the Shen family, so they worked harder than the other.

The house was built quickly and well.

Because of Shen Yan’s help, Xu Youfang sold a lot more velvet flowers, earning thirteen taels of silver last month. Adding the savings from before, it was completely enough to completely build the house.

It was just that the furniture still needed to be saved up for, but these weren’t urgent, and they could be done after the spring.

Over the past month, Xu Youfang had hardly spoken to Shen Hui.

Everyone in the family could see that the mother and son had something going on, but since they didn’t say anything, they could only pretend not to know.

After confirming that Yu Guixiang wouldn’t spout nonsense anymore, Ling Xing slowly returned to his original state and wouldn’t deliberately avoid the man too much.

He no longer spoke to Shen Hui from afar and had Shen Hui read his lips.

But he was still afraid of meeting Shen Hui alone.

At least he didn’t dare when there were people around, for fear of being misunderstood.

On the fifteenth of October, at midnight, the sky was pitch black and the village was very quiet.

Ling Xing identified the position of the moon and left Xie Qingya’s house.

He didn’t dare to light a lamp, and carrying a food box in his hand, he walked towards the Shen family’s house by the moonlight.

The kitchen had been completely demolished, and Shen Hui was temporarily living in the newly built main room. Shen Gui and Shen Chengshan were still living in Shen Gui and Cao Manyue’s room, as before.

But now that room had also been rebuilt and was much warmer than the mud house, and it was also much more soundproof.

The fence and courtyard gate in front of the Shen family had been dismantled to make it easier to get bricks.

Ling Xing was familiar with the road and sneaked into the main room. There was no door installed in the room, only a curtain hanging to block the wind.

Wu Xue had already heard the movement and smelled the familiar scent, but didn’t bark.

Instead, it sat up, wagging its tail, expecting Ling Xing to come in and pet it.

Shen Hui naturally heard the movement as well.

He glanced at Wu Xue’s reaction and closed his eyes again.

Ling Xing groped his way into the room. He had observed for many days and knew where Shen Hui slept. He could find him even with his eyes closed.

In the dark, Ling Xing moved slowly. After his foot touched an obstacle, he bent down, reached out his hand, and gently shook Shen Hui’s shoulder.

“Second Son, wake up.”

Knowing it was Ling Xing, Shen Hui’s body tensed, his breath slightly stagnant, and he opened his eyes to look at Ling Xing.

In the darkness, he couldn’t see Ling Xing clearly.

But he hadn’t dared to look at Ling Xing so wantonly for a long time.

He hadn’t been this close to Ling Xing for a long time.

He was about to not bear it any longer, he was going crazy.

Shen Hui’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “Why is Ge’er Husband here?”

In the dark, Ling Xing couldn’t see the restrained desire in Shen Hui’s eyes when he looked at him. He made a shushing gesture and opened the food box, taking things out.

“The fifteenth is your birthday. I was afraid of being talked about again, so I came to give you the gift first. This way, I’m not afraid that someone will see it during the day and gossip.”

He lowered his voice very low, took out a ceramic plate, and placed the cake that he had been working on for a long time and had finally succeeded in making.

He still asked Xie Qingya to help whip the cream, as he didn’t have the strength to do it.

The cake base was steamed. He was willing to put sugar and eggs in it, so it was sweet and fragrant.

But it definitely couldn’t compare to the cakes of his previous life, but it was completely enough for his own family to eat a taste.

Ling Xing said softly, “I felt that you’ve been in a bad mood lately, so I made you a dessert. Eat it and be happy, Second Son.”

Shen Hui sat up. Because his eyes had adapted to the darkness, and Ling Xing was close, he could now vaguely see his appearance.

He stared at Ling Xing, using the night as cover, no longer hiding his emotions.

“Happy birthday, Second Son. Conditions are limited this year, I’ll make you a better cake next year.”

A sweet scent came to Shen Hui’s nose, and in his eyes, was the smiling Ling Xing.

His gaze swept inch by inch across Ling Xing’s face. Listening to Ling Xing’s words, Shen Hui chuckled softly, the depression of the past few days dissipating, “I’m very happy.”

Watching Shen Hui finish the cake, Ling Xing was about to return to Xie Qingya’s house.

Shen Hui was worried and got up to see him off.

The two walked on the path under the moonlight. Shen Hui looked down at the two long shadows on the ground, his smile undiminished.

His gaze quickly returned to Ling Xing, and he suddenly asked, “Does Ge’er Husband still want to continue learning lip reading?”

Before, Ling Xing had learned some basics during his free time.

Later, because Shen Hui was too busy, they didn’t continue.

Ling Xing was puzzled, “Why did you suddenly ask this?”

Shen Hui lowered his eyes.

Because he had searched for all the reasons, and only this could allow the person in front of him to look at him again, and no longer avoid him.

But he couldn’t say the real reason.

“I just suddenly remembered that it would be a pity to give up like this.”

In fact, Ling Xing was no longer interested in lip reading. Although he thought it was amazing, the little bit of basic things he had learned before already felt very difficult.

But today was Shen Hui’s birthday, and he couldn’t refuse when he brought it up.

Ling Xing hesitated for a while, “Then let’s study for a while longer?”

Shen Hui smiled, “Okay.”

“When we go to get banana leaves, Ge’er Husband, come with me. No one will see us there, and I can teach you properly.”

Ling Xing, who was led astray, nodded, “Okay.”