Chapter 3

The lotus flower was frightened and hurriedly took the key to unlock the door. It followed Changsheng all the way to the village entrance before finally feeling relieved. Indeed, at this time every day, he would come to wait for Fourth Grandma to return home

Lotus sat for a while on the large stone at the village entrance next to Changsheng, feeling somewhat bored. After thinking for a moment, she decided to tease him into conversation, simply saying: "Could you give me one of the peanuts from your pocket?"

The lotus flower's face flushed, and she said: "Not yet, I was just about to pursue immortality..."

Lotus hurriedly said: "What are you going to do? We agreed that you are not allowed to go to the fields again. I will only open the door for you if you promise me not to go to the fields."

The lotus did not respond, only murmuring in my heart: because apart from me, this unfortunate soul, no one is willing to marry him

Master Zhou noticed that the expression of the Lotus Flower had softened, and he slapped his forehead, saying: "Look at me, I was so focused on pouring water for you that I forgot you must be hungry at this midday. Today, feel free to eat something here; my cooking is not great, but you can make do with it."

Master Zhou smiled at the lotus flowers, which seemed to be listening yet not listening, and then said: "But he sees you in his eyes, he recognizes you, can call out your name, and is still willing to talk to you..."

The lotus flower forcefully threw the burden onto Changsheng, pointing at his nose and loudly declaring: "Let me tell you, my father accepted half an acre of farmland from you, and in keeping with that promise, he married me off to you, this fool! Likewise, since you have already married me, you are not allowed to speak of regret! When your grandfather was alive, who did not praise him? Everyone said he was the most trustworthy and honorable man in the ten miles and eight villages, and he never went back on his word! If you regret it now, you are unworthy to be his grandson, and you are unworthy to be the grandson of Master Huo!"

The lotus flower tightened its small bundle and nudged back, its face flushed with embarrassment, unsure of what to say.

Master Zhou possesses some medical skills, which are said to have been passed down through his family. This place is too far from the county town, and there isn't a doctor within several miles. Since he arrived in this area, the local people have finally had a place to turn to when they suffer from ailments

The lotus flower was encountered by Master Zhou on her way away from home and was taken back to his house. At this moment, she sits at the table with her small bundle, feeling quite uneasy

Lotus still remembers when she was a little girl, surrounded by a group of young girls whispering to each other, all saying that when they grew up, they wanted to marry Master Zhou, or someone like him, a scholar. At that time, it seemed she had also said such words. In just over a decade, the village girls have been marrying and having children one after another, yet Master Zhou remains solitary. As time goes by, everyone has become accustomed to it; if one day he were to suddenly produce a wife out of thin air, it would indeed astonish people. In just over a decade, the village girls have been marrying and having children one after another, yet Master Zhou remains solitary. As time goes by, everyone has become accustomed to it; if one day he were to suddenly produce a wife out of thin air, it would indeed astonish people

Lotus thought for a moment and realized that it was indeed the case; Changsheng hardly ever spoke to anyone, and when others spoke to him, he would not respond. In comparison, he was relatively "close" to her. Upon further reflection, although she had bullied him quite a bit since childhood, she had also helped him a lot. It was only natural for him to recognize his own name and feel somewhat close to her.

Lotus Road: "Then you must not go back on your word. If you dare to say again that I cannot be your wife, or that you want to take back that half an acre of land, I will burn incense and tell your grandfather, so that he can come and teach you a lesson for being an unfilial grandson"

Lotus had lunch at Master Zhou's house and talked for the entire afternoon. Naturally, Master Zhou mentioned longevity quite a bit. Lotus understood that Master Zhou was both trying to reassure her and providing her with a way out. As a woman, she ultimately had no place to go

As the sun began to set, He Hua picked up her bundle and prepared to take her leave. Master Zhou accompanied her to the door and said with a smile, "If Changsheng ever bullies you in the future, just let me know, and I will seek justice for you"

Master Zhou said: "I have been in our village for over ten years, watching you children grow up. Changsheng is a child who is quite different from others... The villagers say he is a fool, but I say it is because his heart is pure, and the filth of the world cannot enter his eyes..."

Master Zhou curved his lips and said, "Hehua, do you know why Grandma Changsheng insists that you marry Changsheng?"

This time, the lotus flower was at a disadvantage. If she were to be as obedient as Changsheng, she would have simply uttered an "oh" and hurried back to cook. However, in her haste, she did not notice that Changsheng was mimicking her, sticking out his tongue and making a face at her.

Changsheng ignored her and began to slam his body against the door

In the afternoon, the sun was quite strong, causing white smoke to rise from the ground. The village was quiet, with both adults and children nestled at home taking their afternoon nap. Only Hehua sat alone on the stone steps in front of the door, holding a bundle. Soon, the last bit of shade in front of the door disappeared, and Hehua felt a bit dizzy from the sun. She stood up again and knocked on the door, calling out: "Changsheng, open the door for me, I'm about to faint from the heat..."

Master Zhou was not a local. He Hua vaguely remembered that the year he came to this village, she was probably not much older than Xiao Bao. He was relatively young, at least ten years younger than her father in He Hua's view. He established a small school at his home, and people from several surrounding villages sent their sons to study and learn to read with him, so everyone called him "Master." However, in over ten years, not a single scholar had emerged from his teachings.

Fourth Grandma cast a sidelong glance at the lotus flowers and said, "What is there to be happy about? Have you finished preparing dinner?"

Changsheng took a small handful of peanuts from his pocket, counted them, and handed them to Grandma Si, saying: "Ten peanuts, I don't want them... they are gone, I don't want her to be my wife, if you want them, they were left to me by my grandfather."

There was not a single person on the path outside the village. At first, she felt a sense of exhilaration at escaping the sea of suffering, but the further she walked, the more uneasy and anxious she became

Changsheng remained silent, still coiled up in his quilt. Hehua waited for a while before turning to leave, preparing some food and placing it on the kang table. Worried that he might stubbornly run out to the fields again, she quietly locked the courtyard door from the inside. Changsheng did not move the entire afternoon. Hehua checked on him twice, and the food on the kang table had not been touched at all. She chose not to engage with him, fearing that provoking him might lead to some unforeseen trouble.

She returned home carrying a bundle, saw that the main door was still ajar, and did not call out to anyone. Instead, she sat on the stone steps as she had before. After a short while, footsteps were heard from inside, and the door was slowly pushed open. Hehua quickly seized the opportunity to push the door and squeeze inside, shutting the door behind her.

Changsheng turned his head away with a pout.

Changsheng did not respond and walked straight to the front door. Seeing that the door was locked, he was momentarily stunned and then ran inside to look for the key. The key was kept on Hehua, and he naturally could not find it. In a panic, he turned around twice in the room before running back outside. Hehua, unaware of his intentions, put down her work and followed him out. She saw him standing at the door, forcefully tugging at the lock. Finally, he simply leaned against the door, banging on it with great force while shouting loudly.

Changsheng glared at Hehua, who for a moment thought he might strike her with the hoe in his hand. However, in the next instant, he threw the hoe down to the ground with the force of a child and shouted loudly at Hehua: "I am not a fool! I am my grandfather's grandson!"

Changsheng, who had picked up a hoe and was ready to go to the fields, was startled to see the lotus flowers. He instinctively took two steps back, first covering his face and ears, and then spoke, saying: "I do not want you to be my wife, you may leave."

"What are you going to do?" the lotus flower called out

She hummed a little tune to bolster her courage. As she walked, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from ahead, and she became flustered. She feared that someone from the village might see her, a young wife, leaving home, and she was also afraid that it could be bandits or robbers coming to rob her of her money or virtue. Just as she was anxiously looking for a place to hide, the person ahead turned the corner.

Lotus regained her composure and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, said: "No, no, please do not trouble yourself."

She did not know where to go, certainly she could not return to her parental home, for that would mean she had completely become a divorced woman, having been abandoned by her husband on the very first day of their marriage, and by a fool named Changsheng no less. Her father would scold her, her mother would shed tears for her, and she would no longer have the face to stay in this village.

The method taught to her by Master Zhou regarding the lotus heart is indeed effective; this fool truly cares about his grandfather. She picked up the hoe from the ground and put it away, then went inside to check on Changsheng, only to find that he had pulled apart all the blankets he had neatly folded in the morning and had burrowed under them, sulking with his head covered.

The sun gradually descended, and the lotus flowers were sitting in the outer room making shoe soles, when suddenly Changsheng walked out from inside, not even glancing at her as he walked out.

The lotus flower, carrying her burden, unknowingly walked to the village entrance. She glanced at the small path outside the village, hesitating and feeling somewhat afraid. Not to mention that she had nowhere to turn to, even her burden contained no food to eat; leaving like this might lead her to starve on the road. Yet, turning back to look at the village, she felt even more helpless. Cast out by a man, her family did not welcome her either, and she had now become the laughingstock of the village

The two had not been seated for long when they saw the figure of the fourth grandmother appear on the small path at the village entrance, prompting them to quickly rise and greet her.

The lotus heart says, if I die, then so be it; my fate is one of suffering, and there is nothing to lose. She embraced her bundle and left the village

Lotus placed the burden on the chair beside her, took the teacup, lowered her head to blow away the steam, and said in a soft and awkward voice: "It's not a quarrel..."

The person who arrived was Master Zhou, returning from treating patients in the neighboring village. Upon seeing Hehua, he was taken aback, noticing that she was holding a bundle in her arms, and asked: "Hehua... where are you... going?"

The lotus flower shouted outside for a while, but it served no purpose other than to make itself more angry and aggrieved. In the end, it finally gave up, cursed a couple of times at the door, and left with its burden.

Oh. Changsheng was pushed back, and he pursed his lips, remaining silent.

Master Zhou appeared quite casual, boiling water and brewing a pot of tea, while pouring tea for Hehua and smilingly said: "I thought it was something serious, but it's just a common quarrel between a young couple."

The lotus flower teased him a few more times, but when there was no response, she awkwardly fell silent.

Master Zhou smiled and said, "It is no trouble at all. That child Changsheng always helps me fetch water and chop firewood, so you are not considered an outsider here." After saying this, he went out to prepare the meal

The courtyard was silent, with no one responding. She thought that Changsheng perhaps had not heard her at all; he might be comfortably lying in the house like others, fanning himself and taking a nap. All the grievances in Hehua's heart surged forth at that moment. She took two steps back and shouted loudly into the courtyard: "You bastard Changsheng! Open the door for me! What kind of skill is it for a big man to bully a woman! You scoundrel! Open the door for me! If you don't open it, I will beat you! Open the door for me! What kind of skill is it for a big man to bully a woman! You scoundrel! Open the door for me! If you don't open it, I will beat you! I will slap your face! Twist your ear! Beat you to a pulp so that you will be paralyzed on the bed for the rest of your life and unable to get up!"

The lotus flower, taking advantage of the fact that Fourth Aunt was not paying attention, secretly stuck out its tongue at Changsheng, laughing as if it were the victor

He Hua softened her tone and asked as if to make peace: "You didn't have lunch, did you? Are you hungry? I can get something to eat."

The lotus flower still bowed its head quietly listening, pondering that since Master Zhou and Grandma Si were close, they naturally supported Changsheng's words. Although what they said might not be entirely wrong, who cannot speak of great principles? ... She had only been with Changsheng for less than a day and had already endured such grievances, what might the future hold ...

Fourth Grandma coldly remarked: "Cooking is a woman's job, what does it have to do with Changsheng? As a daughter-in-law, do you expect him to serve you? Or are you waiting for me to come home and serve both of you?"

Master Zhou is the first scholar that Hehua has ever encountered in her life, and likely the only one. In her eyes, Master Zhou is vastly different from the farmers in the village; his clothing is always impeccably clean and tidy. Even when he wears an old, patched long gown, it still exudes a certain elegance, appearing more attractive than others in new clothes. He always wears a kind smile on his face, and even when faced with disrespect or coarse language from others, he never shows anger. Over the years, she has never seen him lose his temper with anyone.

The lotus flower smiled slightly, a bit shyly.

Fourth Grandma said: "Why is there no land? I have seen it, there is a large flat area on the back mountain. Starting tomorrow, you will begin to cultivate it for me. That half mu of land was also cleared by your grandfather, one shovel at a time, you can do it too"

Changsheng remained silent, quietly raising his hand to tightly cover his pocket

Changsheng stared at the lotus flowers, his face flushed with anger, he took a couple of deep breaths, and then turned around to go back inside the house