♂?，，

  Look far into the distance ~ no elephant is too peaceful and there are elephants, a solitary smoke rising from where people live.

  In Funan County, there is a village called Jianxi. The village has only twenty or thirty households, with simple people, but it is backed by green mountains, and a mountain stream flows through the village, making the scenery very beautiful. In front of the village are open mulberry fields and rice paddies, with lush mulberries and rippling rice, looking very rich. In fact, every household in Jianxi Village has good farmland, and every family grows mulberries and hemp, with men farming and women weaving, making it a relatively well-off village in Funan County. However, there is one exception - the Lin family at the east end of the village. Why? Most people in Jianxi Village have the surname Jin or Chen, but this one household with the surname Lin is an outsider, without good farmland, and makes a living by hunting.

  The dawn breaks, and the rooster in Jin Fuguis house crows for the first time. The Lin family in the east of the village has already risen with wisps of smoke from their kitchen.

  Lin Lan put the boiled porridge on a small stove to simmer, then steamed buns with a steamer basket, and also took out last nights leftover dishes from the simple cabinet to heat up. She was busy in an orderly manner, looking like a diligent girl who was good at managing the household. Unfortunately, Lin Lan was not the one in charge of this household, and the real person in charge was still hiding under the quilt.

  In the main room of the east wing, a round-faced woman propped up her head with one hand and stretched out the other from under the quilt to grab the man beside her who was getting dressed. She pouted her thick lips, her eyes still sleepy, and coquettishly begged: "Lets sleep for a while longer! Its not light yet!"

  The man lost his smile and brushed aside the hand that was misbehaving in front of his chest: "Its still early! My sister is almost done making breakfast."

  The womans mouth curled up even higher: "Our family doesnt raise silkworms or plant rice seedlings, whats the point of getting up so early?"

  The man put on a half-old short shirt: "If youre not feeling well, dont get up. Ill bring in breakfast later. Today Im going to the mountain for a trip. The old gray head in the west of the village asked me to help him shoot two geese. His second son is going to propose."

  The woman suddenly came to her senses, sat up, and put her hands on the mans shoulders. Her two breasts were tightly pressed against his back, rubbing against him: "You remember other peoples business clearly, but you dont take care of your own sisters affairs. Your sister is already 16 this year, and almost all the girls in the village around her age are engaged to be married, but she is picky and choosy, and there isnt a single one in the surrounding areas who can enter her eyes. If this continues, she will become an old maid. At that time, which good family will still want her? Those who know say she has high expectations, while those who dont know think we, as siblings, dont put our minds at ease regarding our sisters major life events. Moreover, our own lives are already difficult, and once the child is born, there will be one more mouth to feed, making life even harder."

  The man sighed: "Youre right, but... Mother had a last wish before she passed away, and that was to let my sister decide her own marriage."

  "I think the old lady was confused at that time. Which familys daughter doesnt listen to her parents orders and matchmakers words? It has never been heard that a girls marriage is decided by herself, its ridiculous to say so. Are we supposed to support her all her life if she refuses to get married?" The woman sneered.

  The mans hand paused on his belt and said, "These two years have been tough, but thanks to my sister occasionally going up the mountain to pick herbs and supplement our family expenses."

  The woman was dissatisfied and pinched the mans waist hard: "Does that mean Im the only one in this family who doesnt work?"

  The man silently said: Indeed! After marrying for three years, I havent seen her do a days work.

  "I... I didnt mean it, I was just being cautious." The man stammered.

  The woman changed her grip to a fist, thumping it against the ground like a drumbeat. Her mouth cursed: "You heartless one! Our old Lin family has no fields, no land, an old mother bedridden, and a young daughter eating idly. In all the surrounding villages, which girl would be willing to marry? If not for me, wouldnt you still be a bachelor? What did I marry you for? Our villages Cuihua is uglier than me, with less dowry, but look at her! The other day I saw her, and she was wearing two silver bangles on her wrist. What do I have? Have I ever had a comfortable day? You dont know the value of rice, firewood, oil, and salt because youve never managed the household. Your sisters meager contribution to the family expenses can barely feed herself, let alone buy clothes or socks. In the future when your sister gets married, Ill have to pay back my own dowry to help with her wedding... Oh, how miserable my fate is! This life is unbearable!" The woman turned to beat her belly while crying: "My poor child! Ive really given birth to a useless father. Mother, Im sorry..."

  The man saw the woman getting angry, anxiously sweating all over his head, hastily grabbing the womans hand, lowering his voice to beg for mercy: "Dont cry, dont cry, be careful not to hurt your body, I was wrong, I was wrong, wasnt I? Dont scare the child. Yezi youyou"

  The woman cried more and more violently, one sound louder than another.

  The man was at a loss for what to do, and his mental defenses suddenly collapsed: "What can I say? Ill just go along with whatever you want."

  The woman immediately stopped making a sound, her small eyes were still bright and spirited, without a single tear, pointing at the man: "This is what was said."

  The man nodded passively: "I said so."

  The woman became pleased again, pulled the man over, stuck to him and said in a soft voice: "Im also good for my sister, she cant stand the rural farmer, so well help her find someone far away. But were always wandering around this mountain, how many people can we meet? So, Ive already asked Wang matchmaker to pay attention."

  The man listened to his wifes words and thought they made sense, so he smiled and said, "Alright, lets just drop it."

  The old wooden door behind her creaked, Lin Lans spatula flew up and down in her hand, and she said without looking back: "Brother, wait a moment, itll be ready soon."

  "No rush, its still early!" Lin Feng fetched a wooden basin and scooped two ladles of water from the water tank to wash his face.

  Lin Lan stole a glance at her brother, she had heard her sister-in-laws crying and scolding earlier, there were only three rooms in total, all with broken doors, no sound insulation effect, everything that should be heard or not heard, including the rhythmic creaking of the bed frame in the middle of the night, all entered her ears without exception.

  Ever since she rejected her sisters cousins proposal last year, her sister has been very opinionated about her, constantly giving her a hard time. She ignored it all, thinking it was ridiculous that her sister would want her to marry a disabled person. Later, her sister introduced her to several other potential partners, but they were either weirdos or lazy freeloaders, all trying to push her into the fire pit. If her mother hadnt seen through her sisters true nature and left the decision up to her, shed probably be in a terrible situation by now, either stuck in a bad marriage or forced to leave home.

  Sweat! Crossing the vast army, she was obviously exhausted in her previous life as a wealthy familys daughter. She didnt get a good foothold when crossing over and was reborn into the poorest old Lin family in Xi Village. It has to be admitted that heaven is fair, letting those who enjoyed material wealth lack spiritual wealth. Her parents in her past life only knew how to make money, giving her endless cash but rarely giving her affection or love. In this life, she lived a life of eating coarse grains and wearing rough hemp clothes, but had a mother who loved her dearly and a brother who spoiled her. She accepted it, being poor is just being poor! A harmonious family, united as one heart, relying on the knowledge and experience accumulated in the 21st century, leading the family to a moderately prosperous life shouldnt be difficult. Unfortunately, heaven didnt comply with human wishes, before she could start building her beautiful home, another person who would change the fate of the Lin family appeared.

  Three years ago, my sister-in-law entered the door. Here, Lin Lan couldnt help but express her strong dissatisfaction with the ancient marriage system again. Parental orders, matchmakers words, are too unreliable. Its better to believe in ghosts than to believe in a matchmakers mouth, especially that Wang matchmaker. At first, it was Wang matchmaker who came to our home, speaking eloquently, describing a lazy and gluttonous woman as if she were a fairy maiden, with both virtues and beauty. My brother was immediately smitten, and my mother quickly agreed... My wife is none other than Yao Jinhua. When the wedding sedan chair entered the door, they realized they had been deceived, and it was too late to regret! In just three years, my originally weak and sickly mother was angered to death. My honest and simple brother only knew how to avoid trouble, and his tolerance was more precise than his hundred-step archery skills. Lin Lan knew that she couldnt stay in this family for long. Lin Lan swung her shovel with force, the shovel scraping against the iron pot, making a loud noise. Her future would not be easily controlled by others.

  Lin Feng washed his face and first sent breakfast to his wife, then came back to eat. Lin Lan had already prepared porridge for him and put out chopsticks. Lin Feng happily picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, then looked at his busy sister and felt a little guilty. After their mother left, the household was managed by his sister, who went up the mountain to pick herbs, did chores, and more. To be honest, his wife was indeed lazy, and he had scolded her several times, but each time she wouldnt listen, so for the sake of peace, he could only let his sister suffer a bit. He hoped that in the future, his sister would marry into a good family and no longer have to work so hard.

  Lin Lan brought over the pickled vegetables, but saw her brother staring at her with a deep sense of guilt and heartache on his face. Lin Lan understood what was on her brothers mind, so she deliberately glared at him: "Brother, what are you looking at?"

  "Nothing, siss congee is really delicious."

  Lin Lan smiled wryly in her heart: "Ill get another bowl." Lin Lan took an empty bowl and went to scoop two more large spoons.

  Lin Lan spread out a blue printed cotton cloth, put several steamed buns and a jug of water on it, rolled up both sides, tied a knot in the middle, and said: "Brother, Ive packed the steamed buns for you, with pickled vegetables inside, and filled the water to the brim. When youre thirsty, drink some, but whatever you do, dont drink from the mountain spring. The water may look clear, but its actually infested with tiny insects. If you drink too much, your belly will be crawling with them." Ever since their mother passed away, taking care of her brother had become Lin Lans responsibility. The lazy woman at home never cared about such things, only getting enthusiastic when it came to collecting money - whenever she saw copper coins, her eyes would gleam with a green light and shed pounce on them with a whoop.

  "Sister, if you have someone you like, be sure to tell me, Ill take care of it. I only have one sister and dont want to wrong her." Lin Feng said with concern, thinking that he didnt quite trust that matchmaker Wang.

  Lin Lans face turned red with embarrassment, and she whispered: "Brother, I know whats going on in my own heart."

  "Sister-in-law is actually also caring, its just her perspective..." Lin Feng thought to explain, so that his sister wouldnt take it to heart.

  "Speak softly, so sister wont hear and make a fuss." Lin Lan hurriedly lowered her voice to warn him, the person in the house with a heart smaller than a needles eye would definitely cause a big commotion if she heard her brother say she had poor eyesight.

  Lin Feng hastily withdrew his head, and with a lingering fear, he glanced back at the door, no longer daring to speak, and instead took big bites of his steamed bun.

  Lin Lan secretly shook her head, thinking that Yao Jinhua would do good for her own sake, and she wouldnt believe it even if you killed her. Only a simple-minded person like her brother would believe it. If not for fear of putting her brother in an awkward position, she would have confronted that lazy woman long ago.

  Complete works txt download, full text free, e-book, remember 77 reading books