Chapter 1

The next day, He Hua's father instructed Da Bao to carry away the three bags of millet without any alteration and returned them to Liu Fugui. For the first time in many years, he returned something that had come into his possession. He was not one to suffer losses; he had received an even greater betrothal gift from Fourth Grandma: half an acre of arable land

It was not as awkward as she had imagined. Upon reflection, it was understandable; Changsheng was a fool and surely did not understand matters related to the bridal chamber. It seemed that the fourth grandmother also did not have an urgent desire to hold a great-grandchild.

Changsheng looked at his empty palm, then raised his head to gaze at the peanuts nestled within the lotus flower, and hesitantly said: "Choose one"

When it was time to sleep at night, the lotus flower began to feel somewhat at a loss. She deliberately lingered outside for quite a while, until Fourth Aunt called for her loudly from her room, and only then did she shyly enter the new house

Hmm?

Changsheng furrowed his brow, somewhat displeased: "I am not a fool"

Changsheng gazed longingly at the lotus flowers, feeling quite aggrieved

Oh... Changsheng lowered his eyes and thought seriously for a while, then said slowly: "As for your grandmother... I am going to get married. My father has accepted three bags of millet from Liu Fugui in exchange for me as a concubine... Liu Fugui is a scoundrel, he drove his wife to death... I do not want to marry him, but my father has already taken the three bags of millet... Changsheng, let me be your wife... You go help, I will return the millet to Liu Fugui, and I will be your wife. Liu Fugui is a scoundrel, he drove his wife to death... I do not want to marry him, but my father has already taken the three bags of millet... Changsheng, let me be your wife... You go help, I will return the millet to Liu Fugui, and I will be your wife... You are just a fool, the whole village knows you are a fool." Changsheng repeated word for word what Hehua had just said.

He knows that Changsheng is waiting for his grandmother, who walks a long way into the mountains every day to gather medicinal herbs. At this time each day, Changsheng is here waiting and then helps to carry the basket back home.

Xiao Bao nodded and, blinking his big eyes, asked: "Then can I eat your steamed bun?"

As the lotus raised its head, it was startled to find that the fourth grandmother had returned at an unknown time. The lotus trembled in fear, losing the confidence it had just displayed while speaking with Changsheng, resembling a little rabbit targeted by an eagle, hastily patting its bottom and fleeing away

The lotus flower smiled as she touched his head and went out. In fact, she had nowhere to go; she simply did not want to stay cooped up at home.

The two individuals walked from the Li family in the west of the village to the Huo family in the east. Once they entered the courtyard, the villagers gradually dispersed. Fourth Grandma was notoriously aloof in the village; no one came to her to celebrate joyous occasions, and she did not extend invitations either. Apart from the He family, only Master Zhou, who taught and practiced medicine in the village, and two neighboring households attended.

At this moment, Hehua could not tell whether it was funny or infuriating; the grievances in her heart were indeed somewhat alleviated. In a provocative manner, she munched on the peanuts in front of Changsheng.

... ...

The lotus flower stood at the door for a while, then, as usual, went to cook. Once she finished, she placed everything by the stove. Stepping out of the room, she saw her six-year-old little brother, Xiaobao, who had picked up a twig and was bouncing back from playing outside.

She wandered around the village and unknowingly walked to the village entrance, where she saw the fool Changsheng sitting on a large stone at the entrance, gazing outward.

Changsheng pointed at the bedding and said: "This is mine, and that is yours." After saying this, he ignored Hehua and took off his clothes to burrow into the quilt.

The lotus flower took a deep breath, removed its dark outer garment, and turned over to sleep soundly.

The lotus flower expressed her grievances, paused for a moment, sniffed, and then said: "When I was around sixteen or seventeen, there were suitors, and they were decent families, but I turned them all down. He was afraid that if I left, there would be no one at home to help him with the work... Over these four or five years, Da Bao has grown up and can take charge, and now he finds me a nuisance... But did I want to wait until my twenties to find no one wanting me? Now it seems all my fault..."

Suddenly, a call echoed from not far away: "Changsheng ... ..."

Outdoors, the groom, Changsheng, only kept his head down and silently ate his meal, ignoring everyone. He was already looked down upon by Hehua's father, and hearing that he couldn't even call him 'father' made him even angrier. Thus, the meal was not long before it ended. Xiaobao, reluctant to part with his sister, wanted to stay a little longer but was kicked over by Hehua's father and left crying.

Lotus said that she did not eat and drink for nothing, as she had worked for the family. Her father widened his eyes and scolded, "What good is that? Can you replace a male heir by working? It's more important to get married soon! Dabao is sixteen this year, and it's time for him to find a wife. Who would want to marry their daughter into a family with an unmarried elder sister?"

The lotus flower sat down beside him, not minding whether he paid her any attention. After a moment of silence, she spoke: "I am going to get married. My father accepted three bags of millet from Liu Fugui and exchanged me to him as a concubine."

Lotus Flower smiles: "I will give you something to eat"

"Where is your grandmother?" asked the lotus flower.

Ten days later, Hehua and Changsheng got married. There were no gongs and drums or a red bridal sedan chair, only an old man from the village playing a trumpet nearby. Hehua wore her mother's wedding dress and carried a small bundle as Changsheng led her out of her home. She was veiled and could see nothing, only hearing the commotion of many villagers gathered along the way to watch the spectacle. Occasionally, mischievous children would run past her, bending down to peek under the veil and giggling at her.

Everyone in the village knows that Changsheng is a fool. Hehua hasn't spoken to him for a long time, but at this moment, she suddenly wants to find someone to talk to, and the clueless fool Changsheng is the best choice.

The lotus flower is like a new bride, not joining in the meal together. Fourth Aunt placed a small portion of food on the table in the new house, and before the lotus flower could feel shy or express gratitude, she left. The lotus flower had never been a bride before and was unaware of the customs; she only wondered if she should be a bit reserved. However, having not eaten anything since morning, she was so hungry that she could not bear it, and quickly finished the food in just a few bites.

The lotus flower was astonished to learn that she had been promised to Changsheng, and even more so upon hearing that Fourth Grandma had exchanged half an acre of land to make her the granddaughter-in-law. She did not feel particularly happy about escaping the jaws of Liu Fugui, nor did she feel sorrowful about spending her life with a fool. Instead, she felt a sense of guilt, thinking that perhaps she was not worth that half acre of cultivated land. With such a bride price, Fourth Grandma could easily find a younger and more beautiful wife for Changsheng, or even take two concubines.

When Father Hehua's temper flared up, he scolded Hehua once again. In the end, a broomstick still remained on her, and he drove her out. As she was leaving the room, Mother Hehua gave her a sympathetic glance, which was all she could offer her daughter. Hehua pressed her lips together and managed a faint smile, but before her smile could fully form, her mother was called back inside by her father, who was throwing a fit, to attend to his foot bath.

Later on, everyone grew up, and no one bullied Changsheng anymore, which also meant that no one spoke to him. Hehua could no longer remember the last time she had spoken to Changsheng, and seeing the expression on his face now brought back bittersweet memories of their childhood. She gazed at Changsheng for a moment and said, "Changsheng, how about I become your wife... Do you have three bags of grain at home? If you help me return them to Liu Fugui, I will become your wife. After all, we grew up together since childhood; although you are a fool, you are a thousand times better than Liu Fugui..."

Changsheng turned his head back, staring at the lotus flower for a while as if contemplating who she was. After a long moment, he finally uttered a sound of acknowledgment and turned back to continue gazing at the village entrance

Ah? Changsheng tilted his head, leisurely pulling on Changsheng.

When everyone had left, He Hua took the empty bowl outside and saw Fourth Grandma tidying up her things, so she walked over and said, "Grandma, let me help."

"Lotus, what did the lotus say to you?" said Fourth Grandmother

Changsheng turned around and saw Hehua crying, gazing at her in confusion for a while. He then lowered his head and took out a small handful of peanuts from the pocket of his clothes, spread them out in front of Hehua, examined them carefully, and selected the largest one to put back into his pocket, bringing the remaining ones closer to her.

She told her father that she was unwilling to marry Liu Fugui, and her father glared at her, saying, "You are already twenty-one, and you still want to marry a gentleman and be a lady! Your two younger sisters are already married; how long do you intend to stay at home living off others?"

The more Hehua spoke, the more uncomfortable she felt; tears began to circle around her eyes for a while, and ultimately, she could not hold back and let them fall. She did not want to cry in front of the fool, so she hurriedly raised her hand to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more the tears flowed out. In the end, she simply ignored it, allowing the tears to stream down her cheeks.

Fourth Grandma furrowed her brows slightly after listening

In fact, Fourth Grandmother is not Changsheng's biological grandmother; she was only in her twenties when she married into the Huo family, and by that time, Changsheng was already able to walk. By calculation, her age is similar to that of Hehua's mother, or perhaps even younger than her. Fourth Grandmother is not a local; it is said that she was saved by Changsheng's grandfather during a hunting trip, after which he married her as a secondary wife. Changsheng's parents died when he was very young, and people say that his grandfather married a younger woman out of concern that no one would take care of Changsheng after his passing. Later, he passed away when Changsheng was ten years old, and from then on, Fourth Grandmother and Changsheng relied on each other.

Only Granny Si watched as the young thief fled like a lotus flower, then walked over to Changsheng and asked: "What did the Li family's eldest daughter say to you?"

Changsheng remained silent, using his other hand to tightly cover his pocket, fearing that the lotus would rush over to snatch it away

Lotus teased him: "Why are you not a fool? If you are not a fool, then tell me what it means to marry a wife?"

This Fourth Grandmother is indeed the grandmother of Changsheng. When Changsheng's grandfather was alive, he was known as Old Man Huo the Fourth, which is why she is addressed as Fourth Grandmother by the generation of Hehua. Like most people in the village, Hehua harbors some fear of Fourth Grandmother. In her childhood, Hehua often witnessed Fourth Grandmother chasing and beating the children who bullied Changsheng with a stick. Although she has never been beaten by Fourth Grandmother, nor has she ever been scolded by her, she still fears her.

The lotus flower approached Changsheng, yet he responded as if he were completely unaware, showing no reaction whatsoever

Lotus knew that her father had taken three bags of grain from Liu Fugui of the neighboring village to exchange her as a concubine. She was aware that at the age of twenty-one, with her unremarkable appearance, this was likely the outcome. However, Liu Fugui was notorious as a drunken scoundrel across ten miles and eight villages; his first wife had been beaten to the point of despair and had thrown herself into the river. She did not want to knowingly jump into a fire pit.

Little Bao laughed and imitated the adults, saying: "Don't come back too late, be careful not to be taken away by the wolf"

The lotus paused for a moment, wiped her tears, and said: "How can you be so oblivious? Didn't you see that I was crying! Give me the big one! I want the big one!"

He just scolded me, saying that I am eating the family's food for nothing, but I truly do not take advantage of it. I work in the fields with him every day. Look at our village, which family has a girl working in the fields? They all say I am a dark girl, but wasn't I born dark? It's just that I have been working under the sun in the fields...

The lotus flower paid him no mind, merely drooping its head as if murmuring to itself: "Liu Fugui is a scoundrel, having driven his wife to her death... I do not wish to marry him, but my father has already accepted three bags of grain from him. I know it cannot be changed; once something has happened and has entered my father's hands, there is no hope of him returning it to anyone else..."

Changsheng was at a loss for words, pondering for quite some time without knowing how to respond, and finally exclaimed: "I am not a fool! My grandmother said, I am not a fool!"

Lotus stood dazed for a while, blew out the lamp, and lay down in her own quilt dressed in her clothes, listening to Changsheng's even breathing, guessing that he had probably fallen asleep, and only then did her stiff body relax

The lotus glared at him with displeasure and stuffed the peanuts from his hand into her mouth

The lotus flower curved its lips and raised its chin, replying as it did in childhood: "That was your grandmother deceiving you! You are a fool! The whole village knows you are a fool!" After saying this, it just waited to see Changsheng's flustered and flushed expression.

Fourth Grandma did not respond, but turned her head to glance in the direction where the lotus flowers had scattered, seemingly lost in thought

Longevity Path: "Grandma, I am not a fool, what does it mean to marry a daughter-in-law?"

The fourth grandmother said nothing, only allowing the granddaughter-in-law, Hehua, who had been in the family for many years, to take care of the cleaning and washing. She herself called Changsheng into the room to talk. After Hehua finished tidying up, she went to sweep the yard and chop firewood, busying herself all afternoon just as she had when she was at her own home, showing no signs of being a new bride

Changsheng did not respond, nor did he turn his head, as if he had not heard anything, seriously gazing at the small path at the village entrance

Inside the room, there is a clay bed with a passage at the head, two sets of bedding are laid at both ends, separated by a considerable distance in between

His appearance reminded Hehua of her childhood. At that time, if she felt wronged at home, she would go out for a stroll just like now, and she would surely find Changsheng, lost in thought, in some corner of the village. She would casually find an excuse to shout at him a couple of times, releasing her grievances and feeling relieved. Changsheng would always remain silent, looking at her with a confused and innocent expression, his face full of grievance. After a while, Hehua felt guilty about it herself, so when Changsheng was bullied by other children, she would help him in return, thinking that this would even things out. During such times, Changsheng never expressed any words of gratitude to her; he would just stand there in a daze, watching, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Peanuts, choose one, you have eaten them all

Speaking of this, the lotus flower has nothing to say; she does not possess the strength of a man, even though her family has treated her like a man for many years.

The lotus flower beckoned Xiao Bao over and said: "The meal is ready and placed on the stove. In a little while, you tell your mother that I won't be eating, and I will just go out for a stroll before coming back"