The tombs of Liu Tong's dad and daddy were on the back side of the mountain behind their residence, but they had to walk by Liu Tong's eldest uncle's house to get there.
Liu Tong had never returned since he got married, nor had he even seen his eldest uncle and his family members. When Liu Tong was young before his dad and daddy passed away, the relationship between the two families was really good. However, after dad and daddy died, his eldest uncle's entire family contemplated how to acquire his family's land. He, on the other hand, had never been raised as a Ge'er since that time.
It was not hatred but just dislike.
He would remember those who had been kind to him, but he would also remember those who had been cruel. So when they passed by, Liu Tong didn't say he wanted to go take a look, and Xu Ran didn't realize it was Liu Tong's eldest uncle's house. And though they had no intention of offending someone, someone still tried to cause them trouble.
"Stop! Liu Tong, you are bold after getting married, right? You even didn't want to come in to greet your eldest uncle when you passed by his home. I raised an ingrate indeed!
Liu Tong was suddenly asked to stop, and then lots of accusing words sounded. Hearing that, Xu Ran frowned and looked back, seeing an obvious pregnancy mole near the speaker's ear. Also by judging the person's dressing, Xu Ran could tell that he was the spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle, but as if he didn't know it, he asked, "Who are you? You shout at others whenever you want. You really have no quality."
The spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle was enraged when he heard these words. He took a few steps forward and came to a standstill in front of Xu Ran and his family. He pointed at them and said, "Hey, how did you talk like that, little beast!" as he rested his hand on his hip. "I don't have any quality, but do you? Do you have any idea who I am? "How dare you swear at me?"
"You are the big beast, aren't you?" Xu Ran said, standing in front of his two children as their shield. "How do I not recognize you? A good dog, after all, won't get in the way. Please move aside to make way for us."
"Whom did you accuse of being a beast? Good, you dare to bully me! Liu Tong, this is your secret lover, isn't he? Your husband is a fool as we all know. Let me tell you something. Today you let your secret lover bully me, but tomorrow I will tell all the villagers that you have a secret lover. I'll see if your idiotic husband will divorce you."
The words of Liu Tong's eldest uncle's spouse enraged Xu Ran even more. He handed Liu Tong the basket, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "I am the fool in your words, but I have already returned to normal."
"-Are you unhappy, aren't you? All you have to do now is go tell the villagers! If you don't, I'll have to inform them that you've taken my spouse's parents' family land and sold their Ge'er. I'll not only talk about it in the village, but I'll also go to the officials and file a lawsuit against you. I'll see how you and your family manage to stay in the village, humph!"
'It is just bluffing, isn't it? I'm not afraid of you!' Xu Ran thought.
Now he was a hooligan alive!
Seeing the look of their dad from behind, Tangtang and Guoguo did want to applaud, but the situation was not right, so they held back.
Going before officials was the most terrifying thing for ancients, particularly those who had something on their conscience. When Liu Tong's eldest uncle's spouse heard Xu Ran talking about going to the officials, he was scared, but he still said, "Simply go to the authorities! Let me tell you something. What's wrong with me for taking a piece of land from his dad and daddy after raising this ungrateful person for so many years? Anyway, his entire family is dead, so keeping land for them is pointless. Besides, how could you, a fool, have married Liu Tong if it weren't for me? You'd already done it in your dreams!"
It seemed that he became more confident as he continued his talk. In the end, his voice even became louder.
Xu Ran didn't want to argue with him because he was Liu Tong's eldest uncle's spouse. After all, he couldn't go too far with his accusation. When he realized Xu Ran was in difficulty, he tugged on his clothes and said, "Ran, let's go to the tombs first. I no longer have any contact with them. I've been your spouse since they sold me to you at that time. Don't care about them."
The spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eldest uncle's eld In the previous few years, Liu Tong had never visited the tombs. He went so far as to inquire about it and discovered that Liu Tong did not have a happy life in the Xu Family. He laughed for a few days after he returned.
Now Liu Tong had even come to visit the tombs with the fool and their children. The spouse of his eldest uncle stared at the basket, knowing that there must be something good inside.
Furthermore, Liu Tong was now dressed beautifully and even wore a jade hairpin, indicating that his life had changed from the past. In the eyes of his eldest uncle's spouse, Liu Tong was now a source of living rewards. Xu Ran and his family, on the other hand, couldn't care less about what he was thinking. They simply walked away, ignoring him.
When the spouse of his eldest uncle awoke from his daydream, they had disappeared.
But it didn't matter because they would return.
The spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle immediately turned around and ran into the room. "Husband, husband, Liu Tong is back."
Xu Ran anticipated that things would not go smoothly on the way back, so he decided to remain in the mountain for a little longer so Liu Tong could talk with his dad more. Xu Ran set off the firecrackers after placing the worship items in place.
The whole family kowtowed three times to the two earth tombs respectively. Liu Tong pulled Xu Ran and knelt with him in front of his dad's tomb. "Dad, this is Ran. We've been married for seven years, and I've brought him here to see you at noon today. Previously, he was hurt by others and became a fool, but now he is normal. You two don't have to worry. We also have two kids. They are twin boys. Tangtang, Guoguo, come here."
Liu Tong called to Tangtang and Guoguo behind him. The two children walked over obediently, knelt with one on each side of them, and called "grandpa" to the tomb in front of them.
While pointing at Tangtang and Guoguo, Liu Tong said, "Dad, they are Tangtang and Guoguo, my and Ran's sons. They will be six by the beginning of next spring."
For a long time, Liu Tong nagged. Xu Ran, on the other hand, kowtowed to the tombs once more while Liu Tong was not paying attention to him. "Dad-in-law, daddy-in-law, my name is Xu Ran, and I come from another world. My officially married Ge'er, Liu Tong, would be the only one. I'll do my best to treat him and the kids well. Feel free to relax! Thank you for raising such a good Tongtong."
After the talk, Xu Ran got up. Looking back, he saw Liu Tong standing behind him with a smile. "Ran, I've heard all you said. I believe in you."
Xu Ran smiled and reached out to take his hand. The family then packed their belongings and started walking back with their basket. They were stopped on the way back, as predicted. At the gate of Liu Tong's home, the entire family of Liu Tong's eldest uncle awaited them.
Liu Tong's eldest uncle and his wife, his younger cousin and his wife, and a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Ge'er were among the five. Liu Tiezhu, Liu Tong's younger cousin, came up to grab the basket from Xu Ran's grip as soon as he saw them. Since Xu Ran was unprepared, the cousin took the basket away in this way.
In the basket, there was also a chicken leg and a large piece of fat meat apart from rice.
Liu Tiezhu opened the basket as soon as he got it. Given the fact that they were used as sacrificial sacrifices, he picked up the chicken leg and shoved it into his mouth as soon as he saw what was within.
When others saw Liu Tiezhu putting the chicken leg into his mouth, they could not keep motionless anymore. Those who went up first were the spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle and Liu Tiezhu's spouse.
Both of them were eager to get the fat meat into the basket. While Liu Tong's eldest uncle's spouse swore at someone while attempting to take the meat, Liu Tong's eldest uncle and Liu Piao beside them didn't go for it because they were too ashamed, despite their strong desire for it. It was really a good show. In the end, the fat meat was split up by the two people, and the rice was even taken and put into their mouths. Truly, they were no different from refugees.
After their snatch, Xu Ran retrieved the basket, where there were only three wooden bowls left, but Xu Ran could not bear to lose them.
"Folks, you've snatched the dishes and eaten them. Please let us go back! It's late, and we still have a long distance to cover.
Hearing the word "snatch", Liu Tong's eldest uncle glanced at those people and then cursed, "Shame on you."
The spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle showed that he had a thick skin. Resting his hands on his hips, he stopped Xu Ran and said, "Want to go? This road is in front of my house. If you want to pass, you have to pay tolls."
"Right, pay tolls," Liu Tiezhu echoed.
Liu Tiezhu, the family's only child, had been spoiled since childhood and had developed a lawless personality. He went to town to gamble from time to time because he enjoyed it. As a result, he was never lucky and still lost. He had accumulated a large number of debts in the outside world over the years.He had taken everything important in his family to gamble, so there was no money left here. But, at the time, where did he get the money to marry someone? Liu Tong was sold by the family. Despite this, the family continued to remain poor.
He might think about getting something from Liu Tong today, even if he was still as poor as before, but the result he saw now was that the family not only had meat to eat, but also had good clothes to wear. Furthermore, the gleaming white jade hairpin on Liu Tong's head drew his attention even more.
Liu Piao, who had despised Liu Tong since he was a boy, was also interested in the jade hairpin. The explanation for this was that, despite the fact that they were both Ge'ers, Liu Tong could do anything but be as attractive as Liu Piao.
Liu Piao was sixteen years old, but no one came to his house to introduce him to anyone. For one thing, his family was impoverished; for another, his father was a shrew, his older brother enjoyed gambling, and he himself was incapable of performing household chores. As a result, no one came to his house to introduce him to a man, even though others his age were getting married. He was depressed about it, to be sure.
Liu Piao was not only smitten by Liu Tong's hairpin, but he was also smitten by Xu Ran. Despite the fact that Xu Ran had been a fool for all these years, he had a good appearance. He was also more appealing to Liu Piao because of his natural temperament.
He thought, 'Since Xu Ran could buy the jade hairpin for Liu Tong, he can surely buy other things for him. No doubt, he must have lots of money. If I marry him...'
As he thought about it, he began to envy.
Others may not have seen Liu Piao, but Liu Tong, who had been staring at Xu Ran the whole time, did. He hadn't expected Liu Piao, an unmarried Ge'er, to be so brazen that he glared at a married young man without blinking.
'Ever since Ran became usual, more and more people have lusted after him, and they're all from our relatives' families,' Liu Tong observed, but remained speechless. (HAHAHA why Ran so handsome?)
As Liu Tong was looking at Liu Piao, Xu Ran began conversing with Liu Tong's eldest uncle's entire family. They wouldn't let them leave until they paid the tolls. Naturally, Xu Ran was adamant about not doing so. Why did the uncle's family have to pay tolls on a road that was not their property?
"Eldest uncle, eldest uncle's spouse, let's do it this way!" Xu Ran said, not taking them lightly. "I'll pay the tolls, but you must first return Tongtong's father and daddy's land to Tongtong. Isn't it true that we have to deal with problems in a certain order?
Hearing that Xu Ran was willing to pay the tolls, the whole family of Liu Tong's eldest uncle were quite happy, but when they heard the words that followed, they became incensed.
"What are you talking about, you scumbag? Is this Liu Tong's land? What a load of rubbish! Let me tell you something. Since I raised Liu Tong for so long, the land is mine. In any case, you must pay the tolls today. Don't even think about the land!"
"What?" exclaimed Xu Ran, disturbed by the tone. "You want to use force in broad daylight? If you want to use force, I can tell you that you should try it. Not to mention the fact that today is New Year's Eve; I'll go to the Yamen and sue you guys, even though it's the first day of the New Year. Do you want to make space or not? If that doesn't work, I'll go to your village chief and let him decide."
Liu Tong's eldest uncle's family just tried to blackmail them. Whatever the case might be, this was irrational. Xu Ran had previously visited Liu Village to gather chestnuts, and many of the villagers had saved enough money to celebrate the New Year. As a result, few people will likely be able to talk on behalf of the uncle's family at this time.
The family of Liu Tong's eldest uncle was aware of the situation, but when they saw Xu Ran's appearance, they thought he was easy to bully. Surprisingly, this guy was not a fool, but rather a wise man who was eloquent and skilled at enlisting the aid of others. They didn't dare to say anything else after that.
Before leaving, Xu Ran rolled his eyes at the family of Liu Tong's eldest uncle while holding the hands of his two children. Liu Tong's family had left, but his eldest uncle's family refused to consider the outcome. They received none but the two pieces of meat they had just consumed.
Liu Tong's eldest uncle's spouse was just wondering how he could get some money from Liu Tong's family when he saw Liu Piao staring at Xu Ran's back, which was disappearing when he turned around. The spouse of Liu Tong's eldest uncle devised a scheme to take advantage of Liu Piao.
"Piao, tell me the truth. Is it that you've fallen in love with Xu Ran? If so, I'll ask a matchmaker to introduce you to him after the New Year holiday."
Liu Piao was a little ashamed by his daddy's question, but he nodded and said, "Yes, daddy. If I can really marry him, I am certain that I will be able to add money back to our family in the future."
"Don't worry, good boy! I agree with you. Liu Tong is a complete waste of time. Xu Ran was unmistakably yours. Only be patient. I'll ask Xu Ran to marry you and divorce Liu Tong as soon as I get the chance. Xu Ran's family property will be ours by then." (abuh 🖕)
Liu Piao nodded happily with her hands held together, dreaming of the days after marrying Xu Ran.
...
However, Xu Ran, who was still upset, was totally unaware that he was being calculated again.
He had a slew of irrational relatives! Xu Ran was worried that some members of the Xu Family would come to bother them, preventing them from enjoying a happy New Year holiday. As a result, when they returned home, he shut the door early and began teaching Tangtang and Guoguo to recite poems at home.
'The sound of firecrackers has sent away the old year, and people feel the breath of spring while drinking the mellow Tusu wine; the rising sun shines on thousands of households, and the peach wood talismans on the doors of each house have been replaced with new ones.'
Xu Ran's Chinese level was not high in his former life, and he could only recite a few poems, so he worked hard to recall the verse for the occasion. "Learn this poem by heart tonight and recite it in front of me tomorrow morning," he said, stroking Tangtang and Guoguo's heads. I'll give you red envelopes after that."
Tangtang and Guoguo were familiar with red envelopes, but they had never received one. Previously, Elder Daddy Xu only gave red envelopes to Xu Hui and Xu Qiang, but never to the rest of the Xu family. Since all of the children desired this gift, what Xu Ran said inadvertently made them very happy.
On the lunar December 30th, people will stay up late. Since their children were too young to sleep, Xu Ran told them a few stories and then coaxed them to sleep, but he sat by the fire with Liu Tong, waiting for the New Year to arrive.
...
The specific time was known, but it might be the midnight, when Xu Ran suddenly held Liu Tong in his arms and said in his ear, "Happy New Year, Tongtong. I'll love you all my life."
Liu Tong was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, and replied, "Ran, Happy New Year. I love you, too."
Then they kissed passionately for a while before going to bed.
They awoke the next day to the sound of firecrackers, but they had no idea who had set them off. Their two children were both up and eager to get out of bed. They arrived at their parents' room door dressed in the new clothes prepared by Liu Tong.
The couple who wished to enjoy themselves in bed for a little more while had no choice but to get up.
As soon as Tangtang and Guoguo saw Xu Ran, they began to chant, "The sound of firecrackers has sent away the old year, and people feel the breath of spring while drinking the mellow Tusu wine; the rising sun shines on thousands of households, and the peach wood talismans on the doors of each house have been replaced with new ones. Dad, Happy New Year. Give us red envelopes!"
Xu Ran caressed the heads of their two kids and said, "Good, but remember to say, 'May you be rich! Give me a red envelope!'"
Although he said so, he still took out red envelopes and gave them to the two kids. After getting Xu Ran's red envelopes, the two kids went to Liu Tong for the same purpose, and they said 'May you be rich! Give me a red envelope!' this time.
Liu Tong also gave each of them a red envelope containing a substantial amount of money. Liu Tong had developed the habit of giving pocket money to their children as a result of Xu Ran's influence, but he asked them to save the money.
Liu Tong entered the kitchen after washing his face. People should eat round-shaped food first thing in the morning on the first day of the lunar New Year. Glutinous rice balls were commonly consumed by ordinary families. Only those from better-off families ate eggs, but they had no choice because they didn't have glutinous rice balls at home.
The eggs were also bought in the town before the New Year. While busying himself with the kitchen chores, Liu Tong asked Tangtang and Guoguo who were playing outside, "How many eggs do you want?"
"Three. I want three." As soon as he heard it was food, Guoguo threw away the things in his hands and ran toward the kitchen. Tangtang was unwilling to fall behind and yelled, "Daddy, I also want three."
Liu Tong said with a gentle smile, "All right, three. You go and take the melon seeds and candies at home to the yard. Other children are coming soon."
"Fine," the two children replied at the same time.
People could only visit the families with whom they were acquainted, remain in these places for a while, and exchange items like melon seeds and candies with each other on the first day of the lunar New Year, which was unpopular. Since it was the New Year, even the most frugal family would set aside some melon seeds to entertain visitors.
This day, quite a few people came to Xu Ran's house, and they were all Tangtang and Guoguo's little friends, who had heard that their family's candies were the best. All the children who came here were given melon seeds and candies by Liu Tong, who then told them to go play.
And he just went to entertain the adult visitors.
Also without real monkey shows, there was nothing exciting to watch here during the New Year holiday. Xu Ran didn't want to talk to these Ge'ers, so he went to play with these kids. During the New Year holiday in his former life, he could still hear the song "May You Be Rich." He was tired of it at the time, but now he misses it when he can't hear it.
Then he hummed the song unconsciously as he thought about it.
Yueya'er, who had come to him, looked at him and asked, "What are you singing, uncle? It is so nice."
When Yueya'er saw the look of admiration on his face, he realized it would be simple to have a fun New Year holiday because these kids will make his wish come true. Yes, he recalled what happened on the eighth day of the lunar month of December.
Xu Ran bent down and said to Yueya'er, "Yueya'er, I am singing a song. Let me teach you, shall I?"
"Good! Good! Teach me now, Uncle Xu Ran."
Tangtang and Guoguo felt that their dad's love had been taken, so they, who were unwilling to lag behind, ran over and pulled Xu Ran's clothes, saying, "Dad, we also want to learn it."
Xu Ran stroked their heads one by one and said, "No problem. I'll teach you all. Don't worry!"
First, he told these kids to stand in line, and then he, who stood at the front, cleared his throat and said, "Then I'll teach you the song. When I finish singing one sentence, you repeat it."
Every street and Lane,
When people meet each other,
The first thing they say,
Is: May you be rich,
May you be rich, may you be rich...
...
After some lessons from Xu Ran, a few of the brighter kids were able to sing it, and those who couldn't could hum a few words along with them. He advised them to be patient and that after a few practice rounds, they would be able to sing it.
During the day, the song "May You Be Rich" sounded at every corner of the village. Everyone was all smiles.
04.22.21