Gao Dalin was stopped by Gao Second Sister. "What's the point of going to find her now? It's like you're feeling sorry for yourself, even more than a pig. Before you gave her things, didn't you think about it? She's a poor widow who doesn't want money or food. What use does she have for a notebook and pen? Don't tell me she's interested in that old iron box that stores the notebook and pen! That thing is definitely not in the widow's hands anymore. Going there would be pointless. Our situation in the village is already difficult enough, so let's not stir up trouble."
"Are you saying that we've been tricked?" Gao Dalin was a bit confused at first, but then he reacted. His face turned gloomy, filled with unwillingness. "Second Sister, I know you're smart. Can we just let this matter go like that? The widow promised to marry me. Even if I can't get the things back, we can't just lose her too. I have to go find her."
"Gao Dalin, can't you think of something other than getting married? The widow has two sons with her. If you bring her back and let someone else raise her sons, you're being foolish." Gao Second Sister hadn't gotten married herself, but she wasn't worried because she had confidence. She believed that she could make a fortune by taking advantage of the reform and opening up as mentioned in the notebook.
Once they had money, what else would they have to worry about?
Clearly, Gao Dalin didn't know about this. He yelled at Gao Second Sister, "Second Sister, you're a woman, so you don't have to worry about getting married. But I'm a man. I'm already 24 years old. Look at our village. Men my age already have a bunch of kids. Look at me. If I keep delaying, will I still be able to get married?"
There was only one widow, and he had put in a lot of effort to sweet-talk her and enjoy some benefits.
But the widow never allowed him to fully satisfy himself in order to keep him dangling. Gao Dalin was getting impatient.
He just wanted to bring her back home and do whatever he pleased. As for those two brats, once they entered his Gao family...
No, he couldn't do that. Gao Dalin was somewhat frustrated.
The widow's family was also from the village. Even if he brought her back, he would have to take good care of the two children, or else his own family would beat him to death.
Gao Dalin felt very wronged. "It's all because of those two old folks. Our family could have been living a good life, but they insisted on swapping their child with someone else. As a result, that wretched girl got all the benefits. Not only did we gain nothing, but we also ended up in a mess!"
Gao Second Sister rolled her eyes. The incident had already happened. What's the use of talking about it now?
"Gao Dalin, you're my own brother. We can only rely on each other now. Listen to me. Cut ties with that widow. At most, it'll take four years, and I'll definitely find you a wife. And when the time comes, you can choose a beautiful one. You know that if I'm uncertain about something, I won't mention it." Gao Second Sister's eyes turned fierce. "If you don't listen to me, then we'll go our separate ways. We won't care about each other anymore. You can bring the widow back and let someone else raise her sons. Once they grow up and become useless to you, they'll kick you out. By then, you won't even have a place to die."
Gao Second Sister wasn't afraid that he wouldn't listen. There were examples of such cases nearby.
Marrying a widow is no big deal, but when it comes to marrying a young maiden, it's a different story. Raising her and marrying her off can bring a dowry. As for raising someone else's son, that's something to seriously consider.
"So, we just have to accept this loss?" Gao Dalin was unwilling to give in.
"We have to accept it, whether we like it or not. If you have the ability, you can even kill someone without consequences. But if you don't have the ability, it's better to hold back and wait for an opportunity for revenge. You know our status in the village. There's no need to jeopardize ourselves over such a trivial matter," Gao Second Sister looked at him and said, "If you have anger you can't vent, go work in the mountains. At least you can earn some money."
They were already starving, living so close to the village.
The reason they were still surviving so well was that they secretly grew crops in the deep mountains and raised livestock, and then exchanged them for money on the black market.
It's no wonder Gao Second Sister is so clever. She knows herself well, and she always thinks about having an exit strategy. She also keeps an eye on everything happening around her.
If it weren't for the opportunity of obtaining An MeiYun's notebook, she wouldn't have known so many things.
However, Gao Second Sister had one realization: she and Jincheng were at odds, and she couldn't go to that place.
All of Jincheng's plots were taken advantage of by others. Otherwise, whether it was capturing human traffickers or having Gao Dalin save that girl, or even saving that leader, they wouldn't be stuck in this small mountain village. They would have already soared to great heights.
It's such a pity.
Fortunately, things went relatively smoothly after they returned.
A ray of morning light seeped in through the window, casting a golden hue in the room.
Zhixia woke up from her dream, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Pei Jing wiped her forehead with a handkerchief, concerned.
Zhixia nodded, her expression somewhat dazed.
"It's nothing. Just a dream. It's good that I'm awake now," Pei Jing comforted her, but there was a conflicted look in his eyes. Finally, he spoke up, "I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow. I won't be able to accompany you during your confinement."
Zhixia let out a heavy sigh and smiled, "It's alright. There are only a few days left."
"I have to visit An Family before I leave. They've been helping us inside and out these days. It wouldn't be appropriate if I just left without saying anything," as a son-in-law, it wouldn't be right for him to leave so quietly.
Zhixia understood this, and she wouldn't make it difficult for Pei Jing, who was caught in the middle. "Then go if you have the time. Don't rush back. It's not a good look."
"I'll go soon. I'll bring some gifts for my parents. It's a token of gratitude. Besides, they already know our situation. I won't stay for a meal and will come back after a quick visit." Pei Jing said as he handed her clothes, urging her to get up. Zhixia couldn't go before the end of her confinement, so he had to go alone.
He could take the twins with him. During this period, he had been worried about his younger brother, and Zhou Nan had come to pick them up several times, but he refused to go and stay there.
After Zhixia freshened up and had breakfast, Pei Jing took the children and left.
He was quite fast. In less than an hour, he returned alone.
Seeing Zhixia's surprised expression, he awkwardly touched his nose and said, "I was afraid you couldn't handle all three of them, so I came back early. The two little ones are staying there for a couple of days before coming back with me."
He couldn't really say that he had been sent back by his second uncle. Fortunately, he had hurried back on a Sunday.
But as soon as he entered the house, he was immediately driven out and told to come back and take care of Zhi Xia properly.
However, they had known each other since childhood, so they could still make this kind of joke.
What Pei Jing didn't know was that when Zhou Nan returned from buying groceries, intending to entertain her son-in-law, she learned from the child's mouth that he had been chased away. Immediately, she gave her son a good lesson.
"Grandpa, is Uncle and Aunt at home?" The clear voice of Pei JianGuo came along with the sound of a bike passing through the gate.
The old master quickly responded from the backyard, "They are in the back."
Pei JianGuo shouted again and walked over, knocking on the door twice, "Uncle, are you inside the house?"
Pei Jing frowned, and suddenly those words flashed through his mind—Pei JianGuo and An MeiXia had a son.
If it weren't for his encounter with her on the mountain, if Zhi Xia had accepted that name back then, according to the relationship between the two families, she and JianGuo should indeed have been a match arranged by others.
Pei Jing's eyes darkened, he stood up and opened the door, but only left a small gap to let himself out before closing the door with a bang. "Why all the noise? JianGuo, your aunt is still in her confinement period, she can't tolerate noise and fright. You should be more careful in the future."
