Lin Qiao bent over laughing. Lin An, this child, always uttered such innocent words. She pinched his cheek, "Xiao’an, have you been studying well?"
"Yes." Lin An nodded earnestly.
Seeing that he didn’t understand her joke, Lin Qiao smiled again and glanced at Song Tingfan, blushing as expected.
"Uncle, how many are left?"
"Two." Song Tingfan reached out his hand to show her.
"Then you go ahead." Lin Qiao patted the crumbs off her body.
...
On the second day of the New Year, they went to the graves to offer incense. Early in the morning, many people headed up the hill. The cetery of the Song Family’s three mbers was at the foothill, facing south.
The feng shui of the cetery was excellent. If it weren’t the Song Family’s land, it probably wouldn’t even be their burial site.
As they were about to see the cetery, Song Tingfan, carrying a basket, stopped for a mont, his eyes red and his lips tightly bitten.
Lin Qiao couldn’t empathize with his feelings, so she patted his shoulder and said softly, "Uncle, don’t cry. Father, mother, and husband would be worried," her voice slightly choked with restraint.
"Hmm."
The youth’s voice was low and hoarse, sowhat heart-wrenching.
Soon they reached the cetery. Song Tingfan knelt down straight away, bowing three tis at each grave. Then he took out folded gold ingots, distributing them evenly among the three graves.
He placed the incense and candles properly and turned to see his sister-in-law’s eyes, red from crying. It seed like she noticed him looking, as she hastily wiped her eyes.
Ahem, this was Lin Qiao’s professional skill, no matter where the cara was, she always gave her best performance.
Song Qin and Song Rong were elders and didn’t need to kneel. After Song Tingfan knelt again, Lin Qiao knelt, folded her hands, and bowed several tis,
Uncle, aunt, brother, grudges and debts have their origins. I hope you will bless with peace till old age. In return, I will definitely treat Song Tingfan, Song Qin, and Song Rong well.
After silently chanting in her heart, to make those in the afterlife feel her sincerity, she solemnly kowtowed again, her forehead bearing red marks.
In the eyes of Song Tingfan, it seed she was grieving. His heart ached, and he held Lin Qiao’s arm, speaking softly, "Sister-in-law, that’s enough."
Father, mother, brother, I will take good care of my sister-in-law and care for Grandpa and Grandma.
One could say their thoughts were not aligned at all.
The Song Family had more than just these three graves to burn, there were also those from a few generations back. They walked around the village three or four tis before they finished burning all the graves.
By now, it was noon.
At the Song’s second family.
Song Tingfan put down his basket and glanced at Lin Qiao’s forehead. He turned to the kitchen and soon returned with a damp cloth, carefully saying, "Sister-in-law, let wipe it for you."
He was just considering that his sister-in-law couldn’t see her own forehead, and wiping it recklessly might hurt.
Lin Qiao paused for a mont before realizing he ant her forehead. "I’ll do it myself, uncle, have a seat and rest." She said while taking the cloth and haphazardly wiping, letting out a slight "hiss" as she touched her forehead.
This ti she really kowtowed hard.
"Sister-in-law, let help you." Song Tingfan took the cloth without waiting for her to say anything, gently wiping for her.
This action unexpectedly made Lin Qiao get a bit of that...
Boyfriend power.
She coughed unnaturally, wanting to say sothing, but looking into the young man’s clean and cautious eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
It was her own thoughts that weren’t right.
She examined and deeply reflected on herself.
Song Qin and Song Rong exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with heartache and complexity.
Qiao’er, this child, has a good heart.
She truly suffers.
...
A quarter hour later, in the kitchen.
Lin Qiao was stir-frying vegetables while Song Tingfan tended the fire. Suddenly, from inside the house, Song Qin called out for Song Tingfan, "Niu Niu, co help Grandma place sothing."
"Coming."
Song Tingfan hurriedly put down the fire tongs and ran out of the kitchen, entering Grandpa and Grandma’s room, "Grandma, what should I place?"
Song Qin slightly closed the door, then took out the money bag and handed it to him, softly saying, "Today is the second day of the New Year, and you should go back to your wife’s family. Your sister-in-law didn’t ntion it, so you bring it up."
"Use this silver to buy a few pounds of at."
She paused and added, "Your sister-in-law married over just as your brother passed; you can’t bla her for this. Life, old age, sickness, and death aren’t for others to decide."
She worried that Niu Niu, being young, might have so unpleasant thoughts about Lin Qiao.
Song Tingfan understood it all, it had nothing to do with his sister-in-law. Brother had ntioned on the day before he got married that he might not hold on, asking him to obediently listen to their parents and saying they must treat Lin Qiao well.
He also said...
That night, he slept next to his brother, who was in so much pain he couldn’t help but twitch.
He lowered his head, "I don’t bla sister-in-law."
"Grandma, I have silver; I can buy the at."
Seeing his maturity, Song Qin nodded, "Take it, buy more, and when you’re back, bring your sister-in-law to her family, to silence those won’s gossip in the village."
Although it’s said that a married daughter is like splashed water, if a woman doesn’t bring gifts ho on the second day, it’s certain she isn’t doing well.
It wasn’t to prove that Lin Qiao was doing well; she and the old man genuinely appreciated the Lin Family.
Song Tingfan nodded, "I’ll go after lunch."
...
After eating, Lin Qiao was at ho drawing patterns. She lost track of ti until she happened to see Song Tingfan coming from outside, carrying several pounds of at.
"Uncle, why did you buy at?"
There were still more than ten pounds of wild boar smoked at at ho.
"Sister-in-law, let’s go to Uncle Lin’s house." Song Tingfan took a basket, placed the pork inside, then added so smoked at and finally picked so eggs.
Lin Qiao wasn’t aware of this custom, feeling puzzled, she instinctively asked, "Which Uncle Lin’s house?"
"Qiao’er, your father’s place, today’s the second day you’re supposed to go ho." Song Qin explained with a smile.
Lin Qiao let out an "oh," realizing it was the second day to return ho. She lowered her head and pursed her lips, "I had forgotten."
The young woman’s expression seed to understand but chose to forget deliberately.
Song Qin sighed, having guessed it right; this child intentionally didn’t ntion it. "Qiao’er, Niu Niu will go with you. No need to rush back. Your Grandpa and I will later go to the Wang family to chat."
"Alright." Lin Qiao nodded.
anwhile, at the Lin family
Li Guifen knew her daughter wouldn’t return ho but couldn’t help pretending to pour water, standing at the courtyard gate looking at the river that partially obscured the courtyard across.
The gate was open, but nothing could be seen inside the yard,
Once again, seeing Li Guifen pouring water, Lin Xushi, warming herself by the fire in the main room, nudged Lin Xushi gently and whispered, "Mother is probably waiting for aunt."
"Most likely, it’s the sa every year. Alas, I can understand why aunt doesn’t co ho." Mrs. Lin Wu had changed her view of Lin Qiao, feeling she wasn’t having it easy in her heart.
Lin Xushi sighed softly and whispered, "Why don’t we let the two kids send a word, just invite her for dinner, I just brought a chicken from my parents’ ho this morning."
"That’s a good idea; don’t kill the hen, keep it for eggs. I’ll let Dashan buy two pounds of at." Mrs. Lin Wu hadn’t gone ho that year, sending a few pounds of at to her family instead.
Her elder brother’s matter had indeed angered her, exacerbated by their parents’ refusal to report it to the authorities. She had insisted, but her parents still blad her.
Thinking of this matter made her eyes red with grievance. Why couldn’t her parents think for her? If they really had to compensate twenty taels of silver, the whole family would be left with nothing.
Luckily, the Lin Family was inherently kind-hearted; otherwise, they might have divorced her long ago.
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