Ger, So Proud

Chapter 35

“Yu-ge, tell me, do you have feelings for the He family boy?”

Seeing Lin Yu not answering, Dad Zhang Su asked again.

“…No! How could that be!”

Lin Yu was stunned for a moment, finally coming back to his senses. He pushed Dad Zhang’s hand away. “Dad, why are you thinking about this? I just showed him the way, nothing more!”

Lin Yu met Dad Zhang’s gaze, his expression showing no hesitation.

“Is that really the case? Yu’er, tell Dad the truth, is there really nothing…”

“No!” Lin Yu suddenly stood up, turning his back to Dad Zhang. “Dad, there’s nothing, really nothing. He Ze barely escaped death last time and has changed his ways. I’m happy for Uncle He and Uncle Li, so why can’t I help a little?”

“Yu-ge, you…”

“Alright, alright, Dad, just believe me. He Ze is two years younger than me, how could I have such thoughts? Besides…” Lin Yu turned back, frowning more deeply than Dad Zhang, “Besides, I’ve told you many times, I don’t want to get married… You…”

“Yu-ge, Dad believes you, isn’t that enough?” Dad Zhang stood up, his face showing concern. “But not wanting to get married, that’s…”

“Dad, you just asked what will happen to my reputation? But what reputation do I have left? How much worse can it get? Even if I don’t step out of the house, will someone still want to marry me? It’s not like that! Dad, I don’t want to bring misfortune to others…”

Lin Yu lowered his head, his voice getting softer.

“Yu-ge!” Dad Zhang’s face suddenly turned cold, “What are you talking about? What misfortune? It was just a coincidence! You came from Dad’s belly, didn’t you? How come you didn’t bring misfortune to me?”

“Dad…”

“Yu-ge, Dad knows what you’re thinking,” Dad Zhang gripped Lin Yu’s hand tightly, “But listen to Dad, a ger in this life still needs to find a good husband, support each other, have a big fat son, and live harmoniously. Only then will you have a secure future. Dad is getting old, and one day, I will leave first. What will you do alone then?”

“Dad!”

Lin Yu held Dad Zhang’s hand, opened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything.

“Since you don’t like the He family boy, you need to keep your distance in the future. After all, he’s a man. If he gets married someday, you can’t stay close to him.”

“…I understand.”

Lin Yu looked at Dad Zhang and then quickly lowered his gaze.

“Yes, He Ze seems nice enough these days, but… he was childhood sweethearts with that He Bao’er for over ten years and even wanted to die for him. Such feelings aren’t easily forgotten. I just fear you’ll fall for him alone… Love is most painful when only one person is deeply involved…”

“Dad, I really don’t like He Ze!”

Before Dad Zhang could finish, Lin Yu looked up and said firmly.

“Alright, if you don’t like him, you don’t. I’m just reminding you.” Dad Zhang gently patted Lin Yu’s hand. “Tomorrow, I’ll prepare some things and visit matchmaker Wang. My Yu-ge is such a good child. I’ll ask Matchmaker Wang to find you someone kind. We don’t need anyone who listens to gossip!”

“Dad…”

“Yu-ge, Dad’s biggest wish is to see you get married. Will you fulfill this wish?”

“I…”

Lin Yu looked up, meeting Dad Zhang’s gaze.

There was a moment of silence. Sunlight streamed through the doorway, casting a golden hue on his features, his long eyelashes blinking lightly, creating soft curved shadows on his lower eyelids.

“Okay.”

After a while, Lin Yu finally nodded.

“Ah! That’s the spirit!” Dad Zhang’s face lit up with uncontrollable joy, his eyes misting over. “I’ve been waiting for you to say this! Tomorrow, I’ll go see Matchmaker Wang! I can’t wait to hold your children!”

“Dad…”

Lin Yu lowered his eyes, his voice tinged with a bit of embarrassment.

“Alright, alright, Dad won’t say anymore!” Dad Zhang covered his mouth and laughed softly, then looked Lin Yu up and down. Suddenly, he took a few steps back. “Now I remember, a couple of years ago you brought back some good fabric. Dad couldn’t bear to use it. I’ll find it now and make you a new set of clothes! If my Yu’er wears something even brighter, who in these ten villages can compare?”

“Dad, I still have two sets of clothes from last time that I haven’t even…” worn yet…

Dad Zhang hurried out of the room before Lin Yu could finish his sentence. He could no longer see his shadow, and his last words were swallowed in his throat.

The room was left with only Lin Yu.

He turned around and glanced at the dishes on the table that hadn’t been cleared away. Only then did he remember that they hadn’t finished their meal.

Sitting back in his original seat, he took a few more bites of the food, which had already gone cold. Lin Yu slowly fed himself spoonfuls of rice, chewing a few times before swallowing.

“…Actually, I think the He family boy is quite nice, but…he was childhood sweethearts with that He Bao’er for over ten years and even wanted to die for him…”

For some reason, Dad Zhang’s words echoed in his ears again. Lin Yu hastily finished the bowl of rice. As he chewed, his cheeks puffed up.

“Cough, cough…cough, cough…”

Having taken too big a mouthful, Lin Yu choked. His face turned red, and he coughed several times before stopping. He lifted the teapot and drank half of it before feeling better.

“I don’t like you at all!”

After taking another sip of water, Lin Yu muttered to himself. His face remained expressionless, and his gaze was vacant.

…

As it was the season for planting Bai Zhi, He Ze and his family were busy. For the past few days, he, his father, Dad Li, and Xiao An had been working hard.

The land, which had recently grown sweet potatoes, was fertile. Before planting, they only needed to apply some wood ash and water the ground thoroughly before digging holes. The roots of the Bai Zhi, which had medicinal value, served as its seeds. They planted them at regular intervals, covered them completely with wood ash, and waited for the seedlings to sprout.

This work kept them busy for several days. It wasn’t until the fifth day that they planted the last root of Bai Zhi.

“Brother, when will the seedlings sprout?”

The sun, hanging midway down the mountainside, was quite intense. He An rested under a large tree beside the field, his forehead covered in sweat. He picked up a leaf and fanned himself.

“Probably in about half a month,” He Ze said, shaking the dirt from his basket. He walked over to He An and looked around. “Weren’t Dad and Father sitting next to you just now? Where did they go?”

“Didn’t you see that they were finished? I heard them say they wanted to swap a millet field for some dry land, so they went up that way,” He An pointed to a nearby path, “to see if there’s anything suitable.”

“Suitable? You mean they went to check if there’s any suitable dry land nearby?”

“Yeah, just a moment ago.” He An threw away the leaf and stood up, leaning against the tree trunk. “Brother, what’s up?”

“Nothing. Do you prefer eating white rice or sweet potatoes?”

He Ze stacked the baskets by the edge of the field and raised his eyebrows at He An.

“Of course, I prefer white rice!”

“That’s good. Then why swap? We only have two paddies, and that’s barely enough for a year. Not to mention swapping, we probably need to buy a couple more.” He Ze shaded his eyes with his hand and looked up at the sky before continuing, “By the way, did they tell us to wait here?”

“No, Father said we should head back after finishing, and that they’d be back soon too.” He An clasped his hands behind his back, his hair tied up in a bun. He seemed to have grown a bit taller these past few days.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

He Ze nodded. The two of them carried the empty baskets and, after about half an hour, finally reached home. He Youcai and Dad Li arrived a bit later. After dinner, Dad Li and He An cleared the dishes and left the room, and He Ze brought up the matter.

“Not swapping?”

“Right, not swapping. There are four of us, and only two paddies. It’s not enough. Buying white rice is much more expensive than sweet potatoes.” He Ze poured himself a cup of tea, then handed a cup to his father, “Things aren’t as dire as they used to be. No need to scrimp on food. We can manage through this year somehow.”

“That’s what I think too, but your dad is just worried…”

“Father, you should talk to Dad. We don’t need to tighten our belts that much anymore. Besides, you’re feeling better now, right? I heard someone came today asking you to make wooden tools?”

“That’s right. Seems like your father still has a bit of reputation!” He Youcai smiled, took a puff from his pipe, “Alright, I’ll talk to your dad. As long as your old man is still kicking, you kids won’t go hungry!”

He Ze chuckled and chatted with his father for a while. When the moon was high in the sky, He Youcai finally went to bed.

Maybe because it was near the fifteenth, the moon was round and bright, its light as clear as snow. He Ze sat on the stone steps in front of the courtyard, playing with a small stone in his hand.

This conversation reminded him that he needed to buy land.

However, he had no money. Crossing over with supernatural abilities but still ending up poor, He Ze sighed inwardly and rubbed his forehead.

Wei Quan’s “Legend of the White Snake” was coming to an end, so they could continue their collaboration. With their success, the earnings could double. Or he could grow another plant, neat and straightforward. Or…

Ways to quickly make money without drawing too much attention… He heard footsteps behind him. A hint of amusement flashed in He Ze’s eyes, and he suddenly tossed the stone into the air.

The next second, He An’s voice rang out, “Ouch—Brother, what did you throw? That hurt…”

“Well, serves you right for sneaking up on me so late at night,” He Ze raised an eyebrow, a smile forming on his face.

“I… I saw you rubbing your forehead. I thought your old injury was acting up again and causing you pain… I was worried about you!”

He An retorted irritably, then walked over to the stone steps, pushing He Ze aside and sitting down next to him.

“It’s long healed, there’s no lingering pain…”

“That’s not certain. Your forehead was injured in a collision, and then you encountered that bear. Brother Lin said that bear’s swipe nearly broke your neck. Who knows what other injuries you might have…”

“Wait—”

Before He An could finish his sentence, He Ze interrupted him, his expression changing suddenly, “Did you just say bear? In the mountains?”