He Lang entered the room and saw his father sitting up in bed, already smoking his tobacco pipe again.
"Dad."
Mr. He nodded. "You're back."
"Yeah."
He Lang pulled over a stool and sat down.
"So, which of you is going to tell me what's going on in my room?"
Mrs. He glanced at Mr. He and slowly began to explain the situation.
The more He Lang listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.
"I wasn't even here, and you went and got me a wife?"
Mr. He's eyes widened. "What? You have a problem with it? Take a look at how old you are! When I was your age, your sister was already running around."
He Lang shot his father a look. "What's wrong with my age? A man at thirty is in his prime."
"Hah! Shameless. In any case, we've brought the wife home for you. Just live a good life with her," Mr. He laid down the law.
"I don't agree. This is an arranged marriage." He Lang grew annoyed just thinking about having a wife nagging in his ear every day.
Mrs. He spoke with a heavy heart, "He Lang, you're not young anymore. I've introduced you to plenty of girls in the past, but you never took a liking to any of them. That girl, Yue'er, is pretty, and the fact that she was willing to marry herself off to save her brother shows she's a kind and decent person. Now that we've brought her into our home, we can't just throw her out, can we? How could she ever show her face again! The poor girl is already pitiful enough, and she's suffered so much under that stepmother all these years. We can't be the ones to do that to her."
He Lang whined, "Oh, my dear mother, you've spent all this time thinking about everyone else, but have you considered your own son's feelings? I've suddenly got a wife out of nowhere. Who am I supposed to complain to?"
'Having a wife is just too much trouble. It's over. My happy days are gone.'
Mrs. He was furious now, and her gentle tone vanished.
"I'm telling you, He Lang, don't be so ungrateful! With Girl Yue's looks, do you think it would've been your turn if she wasn't desperate for money? Besides, she's only eighteen! You're robbing the cradle. I was worried she'd be the one to find *you* lacking, and here you are, acting all high and mighty. Get out, get out, get out! Go to your room! Just looking at you is annoying."
He Lang: ...
Kicked out of the room, He Lang scratched his head. 'What just happened?'
'Aren't they the ones in the wrong? How did I suddenly become the ungrateful one who got a good deal?'
Xue Yue waited in the room for a long time. Just as she was about to fall asleep, He Lang returned, covered in a damp chill.
Xue Yue instantly sat up straight. Her eyes, glassy with sleepiness, were fixed on He Lang.
He Lang closed the door. Seeing the girl staring at him, he walked to the edge of the bed and studied her for a moment. 'Hmm, she's actually not bad-looking. Just too young.'
"What are you looking at me for? Go to sleep."
Seeing that He Lang wasn't angry and wasn't kicking her out, Xue Yue lay back down and went to sleep. She really couldn't stay awake any longer.
He Lang was about to get into bed when he realized the girl was sleeping under his blanket. What was he supposed to use?
'Ask Mom for another blanket?'
'Forget it. They already blew out the lamp in the main house. They've probably gone back to sleep.'
He Lang looked at the already-sleeping Xue Yue, took a deep breath, found a piece of clothing, and slept with that as his cover.
'What's so good about getting a wife? She steals my blanket the moment she arrives.'
...
Xue Yue slept soundly until dawn, without a single dream.
When she got up, she found the bed was already empty.
When Xue Yue went outside, breakfast was already prepared. He Lang wasn't in the courtyard, and she didn't know where he had gone.
When Mrs. He saw Xue Yue come out, she said with a smile, "You're up. Go wash up quickly. It's almost time to eat."
"Okay, Mom."
During breakfast, He Lang returned, carrying a half-full bag.
"Third Uncle."
"Third Uncle."
"Third Uncle."
The three children saw He Lang return with something in his hand and happily ran over to crowd around him.
"Third Uncle, where did you go? What took you so long to come back? I missed you!" said Tuanzi, the son of the eldest brother and sister-in-law, hugging He Lang's leg happily.
"Third Uncle, did you bring us any yummy snacks?" Xiao Yang, the son of the second brother and sister-in-law, latched onto his other leg.
The slightly older Little Chen also looked at He Lang with an excited expression.
He Lang laughed. "Are you three missing your Third Uncle? Or are you missing the yummy snacks your Third Uncle brought back?"
The three children answered in unison, "We missed Third Uncle!"
Then they added, "And the yummy snacks!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" He Lang laughed heartily.
He Lang handed the bag to Mrs. He, then said to the little rascals, "Go find your grandma after you finish eating. Let her divide it up for you."
"Hooray!" The three children jumped for joy.
Mrs. He opened the bag, glanced inside, and carried it into the house.
"Third Brother, where have you been? What took so long?" asked his eldest brother, He Nan.
He Lang sat down next to Xue Yue, picked up a dark flour steamed bun, took a bite, and said, "I went to Island City with a friend and brought back some seafood."
"Island City is pretty far. Do you have a friend on the transportation team?" He Nan wasn't surprised. After all, his third brother had many friends.
"Yeah."
He Lang glanced at Xue Yue, who was eating with her head down and hadn't looked up once. 'This little girl sure knows how to sit still.'
His second sister-in-law, Gao Cuiyun, glanced at He Lang and said sarcastically, "So, Third Brother, how do you like the wife you spent five hundred yuan on?"
Xue Yue's movements faltered as she ate.
He Lang looked up at Gao Cuiyun and let out a low chuckle. "Second Sister-in-law, do you have a problem with me getting a wife?"
Gao Cuiyun snorted. "How would I dare have a problem? It was five hundred yuan, after all."
"How about you divorce Second Brother and have him marry you again? Then we can have the He family pay five hundred yuan for you, too," He Lang said with a raised eyebrow.
"Third Brother, what are you talking about?" Gao Cuiyun was flustered and exasperated.
"That's enough. Can't you all eat in peace?" Mrs. He snapped.
Gao Cuiyun's expression soured, but He Lang continued eating as if he wasn't the one who had just spoken, his face unchanged.
After the meal, Mrs. He called He Lang over.
"In a bit, when Yue'er goes to the hospital, you go with her. Yue'er's older brother is in the hospital, and her father is probably there too. When you get there, speak nicely. You and Yue'er haven't held a ceremony, and our two families haven't even met. After some time, once Yue'er's brother is discharged, we'll hold a proper wedding banquet."
He Lang stood there listening, saying nothing.
When Mrs. He finished and saw He Lang wasn't responding, she nudged him with her elbow.
"Did you hear me?"
He Lang twitched his lips. "I heard you."
When He Lang entered their room, Xue Yue was just about to leave for the hospital.
"Where are you going?"
Seeing He Lang come in, Xue Yue thought she should probably let him know.
"The hospital. My older brother is staying there, so I'm going to see him. I won't be back for lunch."
As Xue Yue spoke, she moved past him to walk out.
He Lang sighed internally and followed her out.
"Why are you following me?"
He Lang snorted. "My mom told me to go with you to meet your brother. Oh, and your dad."
Xue Yue thought about it and figured it would be good for him to meet her brother, to put her brother's mind at ease.
Then she warned him, "My brother only found out yesterday afternoon that we got married. When you get there, if he says anything unpleasant, just pretend you didn't hear it."
He Lang: ...
'I heard this brother-in-law of mine is five years younger than me. What kind of unpleasant things could he possibly say?'
'I'm a victim here too, okay?'