Ger, So Proud

Chapter 3: He An

“Interested in our An-ge? Who?”

“That Li Dali from your Li Village, do you know him?” He Youcai took another drag from his pipe and exhaled.

“Him? Absolutely not! No way!” As soon as Dad Li heard the name, he instantly protested, “You know how old he is, right? He’s just two years younger than you! He could almost be An-ge’s father! Not to mention his family’s mess. How could you bear to send An-ge into such hardship?”

Li Dali was quite a notable figure in Li Village. His dad was notoriously biased, and his brother and brother-in-law were infamously harsh. Whatever little money he earned was likely squeezed out of him. No one in the village would let their Ger marry him. He was nearly forty and still unmarried.

Dad Li couldn’t fathom what his husband was thinking.

“Don’t get so worked up,” He Youcai glared at Dad Li. “You might not know, but Li Dali’s dad passed away two months ago, and he officially split from his brother and brother-in-law. It probably happened when I had my accident, so your family didn’t mention it to you.”

“Li Dali is hardworking but was held back by his family. I think age isn’t an issue; what matters is if he’s caring. An-ge wouldn’t need to serve any in-laws if he married Li Dali. Our families live close, so we could help out if needed. It’s about time An-ge got matched.”

“Are you serious, He Youcai?” Dad Li’s face darkened.

His An-ge was only fifteen. He had planned to find a suitable match after Xiao Ze got married. But now… thinking of Li Dali’s age, Dad Li was both angry and frustrated.

How could He Youcai even consider this?

“Matchmaker Wang told me that Li Dali isn’t actually a soft person; he was just harshly oppressed by his dad. Over the past two years, he got smarter and secretly saved quite a bit of money. He also asked the elders in Li Village to split the family property, so now he owns the original house. An-ge won’t suffer any losses marrying him. Given our current situation… sigh… I’ll forget about treating my injury since it can’t be cured. But I saw you bought three prescriptions for Xiao Ze from the town’s pharmacy yesterday. What will we do in a few days? Xiao Ze’s injury can’t be neglected. It’s a head injury, and if something goes wrong…”

He Youcai tried to lift his right hand. Despite his effort, it only moved slightly. His face showed defeat, and he slowly lowered his head.

He had hoped that their life would improve, but this misfortune almost destroyed their family. What a bitter fate!

After He Youcai spoke, both fell silent. Dad Li clenched his hands tightly. After a long pause, he finally said, “I’ll find a way to get more money for Xiao Ze’s medicine. If necessary, I’ll visit my family tomorrow to see if I can borrow more. As for An-ge…”

“Father, dad, I’m back.”

Before Dad Li could finish, a voice interrupted him from the courtyard entrance. He An stood there with a bamboo basket on his back, though it was unclear how long he had been standing there.

He was dressed in simple blue cloth, his long hair tied into a bun with a matching cloth strip. Despite his youthful appearance and short stature, his features resembled He Ze’s, albeit softer and more delicate. The brothers had clearly inherited Dad Li’s good looks.

“An-ge, you’re back. Are you hungry?” Dad Li pinched He Youcai’s waist hard, then smiled warmly and took the basket from He An’s back. “There’s food in the kitchen. Go eat.”

He An didn’t respond directly. Instead, he said, “I checked today. The rice in our fields will be ready for harvest in a while, but the sweet potatoes on the west hill are ready now. I brought back some white radishes from the village vegetable garden. Dad, go to the meat shop in town tomorrow and buy some bones to make broth for brother.”

“I know, go eat now. Don’t go hungry.” Dad Li patted He An’s soft hair, his voice hoarse with emotion.

His An-ge was so sensible. How could he bear to see him suffer? But Xiao Ze’s injury…

“I’ll go check on brother first. I’ll eat later.” He An shook his head and walked briskly towards He Ze’s room.

“That child…” Dad Li watched He An’s retreating figure, suddenly feeling a bad premonition. “Husband, do you think An-ge overheard us?”

He Youcai exhaled a long puff of white smoke, swept his sleeve across the stone steps a few times, and sat down heavily. “If he heard, he heard. The child is old enough now. Tonight, you should test his feelings. If he’s not opposed, we’ll go find Matchmaker Wang tomorrow to ask about the situation. Your family isn’t doing well either, and we haven’t repaid the money we borrowed last time. Even if we have the face to ask again, they need to have the money to lend.”

Dad Li was bending over to take two large white radishes out of the bamboo basket when he heard He Youcai’s words and paused, “I know, but An-ge… After all these years, with the village being so close, I know Li Dali isn’t a bad person, it’s just… sigh, I’ll talk to An-ge tonight. If he doesn’t want to, we can’t force him no matter what!”

“Listen to yourself! Are these kids just yours?” He Youcai tapped his tobacco pipe on the stone steps, looking displeased.

“Alright, alright, I was just saying. You take everything so seriously,” Dad Li said, carefully removing the remaining sweet potatoes from the basket and stacking them to the side. “We only have four plots of land left. Once we harvest the crops, we’ll plant one with millet in the spring, and turn the soil on the other three to plant sweet potatoes. They’re filling.”

“Whatever you say,” He Youcai sighed.

Night had fully fallen, and a crescent moon climbed the mountain peaks. The village was peaceful, with only the occasional sound of dog barks mingling with the chirping of cicadas.

Inside the dark room, He An lit the oil lamp on the table. The small flame flickered, casting dancing shadows on the window. He pulled a stool over to the bedside. He Ze was still sleeping soundly, though his brows were furrowed, likely due to the pain from his wounds.

Thinking about the conversation he overheard between his father and dad in the courtyard, He An couldn’t help but bite his lip, his gaze toward He Ze growing complex.

His older brother was three years older than him. When they were kids, He Ze used to take him to climb trees for bird nests, fish in the river, and catch frogs and crickets. Back then, he thought his brother was the best in the world.

But as they grew older, he had to stay home and help with the farm work. Their family struggled, yet their parents saved every penny to send He Ze to study. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel their parents favored He Ze.

Especially in recent years, He Ze came home less and less, only to take money and leave. He ignored all the household chores and never considered how hard it was for their parents to save that money. When dissatisfied, he threw tantrums and broke things, almost hitting their dad several times. That’s when they started to drift apart.

Now his brother was sick, and his parents wanted him to marry an old man?

He An’s hands twisted the fabric of his clothes unconsciously until a tearing sound brought him back to reality.

His shirt had ripped.

Staring at the tear, He An’s eyes reddened, and tears began to well up, finally falling onto his clothes, leaving wet spots.

Quickly tilting his head back, He An sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, which only made his eyes redder.

Looking at the red-stained bandage on He Ze’s forehead, all other emotions faded from He An’s eyes, leaving only determination.

“Brother, you have to get better soon.”

Standing up, He An pulled the stool away from the bedside and ran out of the room. Dad Li, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw him and quickly asked, “How is it? Did your brother wake up?”

“No, brother is still sleeping soundly,” He An replied in a lighthearted tone after a brief pause.

“Is that so? Let him rest then. Come and eat; your brother specifically asked me to save some chicken for you. It’s fresh!”

Without waiting for He An’s response, Dad Li quickly stepped forward, pulling him into the room. They both sat down at the table.

The table was already set with bowls and chopsticks, with a dish of greens, two dishes of pickles, and a few sweet potatoes He An had dug up today. He Youcai and Dad Li’s bowls contained only clear soup. The most substantial dish on the table was the bowl with a few pieces of chicken in broth, placed in front of He An.

Actually, his parents did care for him deeply.

“Eat up, you didn’t eat much at noon,” Dad Li said, seeing He An in a daze, and pushed the bowl closer to him. “There’s a little left for your brother to regain his strength. Once we have some extra money, I’ll make you whatever you want.”

“I also cooked some white rice. Since you brought sweet potatoes back today, your father and I want to enjoy some. It’s been a while since we had this. The white rice is all yours, make sure to have it with the chicken broth; it’s delicious.”

“…Alright.”

He An lowered his head, almost burying his face in the bowl, his lips slowly curling into a smile.

After quickly finishing his meal, he mysteriously pulled Dad Li away. He Youcai watched their retreating figures, took a puff from his tobacco pipe, and chuckled softly after a moment.

Life, no matter how tough, would always find a way through.

The moonlight grew brighter, and the scattered stars shimmered, illuminating the courtyard. A cool breeze brought a hint of chill.

He Youcai touched his thin clothes, seemingly lost in thought, and then quietly stepped into He Ze’s room. He gently tucked the blanket around He Ze and quietly closed the door.

Meanwhile, in He An’s room, the oil lamp burned late into the night.

…

The next morning, He Ze had just opened his eyes when he saw He An entering with a basin of water.

“Brother, you’re awake?” He An’s eyes smiled as he soaked a cloth in the basin. “Father and dad went out; I’ll take care of you today.”

“Went out?” He Ze held his forehead with one hand, trying to get out of bed with the other.

“Yes, but don’t worry, they’ll be back by noon at the latest,” He An said, wringing out the cloth. As he looked up, he saw He Ze swaying and quickly rushed over to support him. “Brother! Be careful! The doctor said your injuries are serious; you shouldn’t get out of bed for a few days.”

“I’m fine, I feel much better.”

With He An’s support, He Ze felt much steadier. He walked to the table and took the cloth from He An’s hand. “I can do it myself.”

He An didn’t argue and watched He Ze finish washing his face before speaking again. “I’ve already prepared the food. I’ll bring it to you; just be careful and don’t move around too much.”

“…Alright.”

The door opened again, and the rising sunlight was somewhat dazzling. “Sunshine helps you recover faster, so I’ll leave the door open.”

He An’s voice echoed from a distance.

He Ze instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, but before his arm reached his chest, he froze. Who was that?

Someone had entered the courtyard, carrying a chicken in one hand and a small bamboo basket in the other.

At that moment, He An’s cheerful voice reached He Ze’s ears. “Brother Lin, what brings you here?”