Wen Qian was merely planning that if this man harassed her a third time, she would shoot him down, but she didn't expect his son to take action before her.
After experiencing his first major conflict with his father, Young Liu finally realized that he had no way of taking his mother away.
It wasn't because he couldn't defeat his father, nor because he couldn't support his mother and himself. It was because his mother was unwilling to leave this man.
Winter hadn't ended yet, but he longed for the arrival of spring every day. He felt that the earlier it came, the sooner he could leave and not have to face these two people anymore.
His mother was very uneasy. She didn't want her son to leave her, but she also didn't want to leave her husband who was constantly displeased with her.
She felt that she only wanted a happy, complete family of three, not knowing why her son was unwilling to make this happen for her.
But her son was determined to leave, even refusing to eat with his father.
After waking up, Old Liu dared not say another word to his son.
After this violent conflict, the hierarchy within this family had been established.
Originally, Old Liu didn't have to do anything, he was the head of the household and could trample on his wife and son.
Now their grown son who had almost strangled the old man to death wouldn't even utter a word.
Although he had cursed at his wife before, he wouldn't dare fart in front of his son, fearing another beating the next second.
He was the most lowly in this family of three, still able to boss around his wife without considering her importance.
It was unclear why this wife could still be so obedient and get along with her husband.
It was as if this man had some kind of magic, or as if her mother had some hold over this man.
Young Liu couldn't understand, nor did he want to persuade anymore. He just wanted to avert his gaze and never see them again.
As spring was about to arrive, Wen Qian stopped hunting and returned home to rest.
After that, the lecherous neighbor dared not come to their area again, settling the matter for now, though it was unknown how long it would last.
Wen Qian was unaware that it was Young Liu's doing that taught his own father a lesson about the preciousness of life.
Unlike Wen Qian who was resting at home waiting for spring planting, Young Liu was packing his bags to leave.
His mother desperately tried to stop him. At first, she thought her son was just going to the village or a nearby small town to live.
But seeing how much he packed, she realized her son intended to go somewhere farther south.
Whether she would ever see him again in this life was unknown.
This mother felt like she had cried her eyes out, but still couldn't stop her son, because whenever she tried to persuade him, he would make her choose.
Then she would fall silent, silence meaning she was unwilling to go with her son, or to take her husband along.
When her son asked her why she had to be with her husband, she couldn't explain.
She felt her husband was her everything, even though he initially didn't earn money to support the family and only fed himself.
Even though he didn't love her either, and they barely had a sex life.
But when her son asked, she still felt she had to take her husband, but her son then asked if bringing his ashes would do.
In her son's view, a dead father was more beneficial to his life than a living, breathing one.
And a dead person wouldn't talk nonsense, beat people, cause trouble, or incur debts.
But the living one was uncontrollable and could cause uncontrollable incidents, leaving others to clean up the mess.
So whenever his mother mentioned this man, Young Liu just wanted to slaughter him and pack him up to go.
Finally, spring arrived, and as the neighbors started planting and growing seedlings, Young Liu turned the house upside down.
Just as his mother thought he had softened, one early morning, Young Liu left home without saying goodbye to his family.
After he left, his mother stopped crying and began to pull herself together, farming and cooking every day.
Silently enduring her husband's taunts, insults, and sometimes beatings.
Now there was no one to stop her husband anymore, but after being beaten and scolded, she would still do her own thing, because these were the only things she could do, having done them with her son before.
Old Liu ate and slept every day, unwilling to even go hunting.
His wife had to learn on her own, but she couldn't make ammunition, so she mostly set traps.
When Young Liu left, he left his gun to his mother. Wen Qian had confiscated Old Liu's gun, but there was still one left at home.
When spring came, Wen Qian visited Ni Sha's home. The newborn was growing fast, much bigger after just one winter.
At this age, babies are soft and cute, melting people's hearts.
Moreover, they hadn't seen a newborn in so long that they would admire even the sight of the child sleeping.
Although the couple was toiling, there was now hope in their eyes. It was evident that they welcomed the arrival of this little girl, their only blood relative in this world.
In the new year, Wen Qian and Big Ning went to the market together. After the long winter, the first market of the year was lively.
There would be merchants buying goods, hunters selling goods, and some traveling vendors from different villages gathering for trade.
At the market, Wen Qian saw Old Liu, who avoided eye contact with her, as if looking at her would get him knifed.
Wen Qian didn't care, as long as she knew he no longer had any ill intentions, lest she take action.
Big Ning also noticed something was off and asked her about it. Wen Qian told him about the man's transgression, and Big Ning found it puzzling.
Big Ning initially thought Old Liu's family had bullied Wen Qian because they outnumbered her, but seeing how fearful he looked, he clearly hadn't gained any advantage.
Big Ning couldn't help but admire Wen Qian even more.
Big Ning and Wen Qian only saw Old Liu and thought the other two in his family didn't come.
Young Liu left as soon as spring arrived, heading straight to the city, but since no one met or spoke with his family members, no one knew about it.
Young Liu had come clean with his mother long ago that he wanted to go far away, never to return, and that even if that were the case, he couldn't take her with him.
"Let it be this way," he thought.
