"That Xue Changlin is just as clueless."
"Well, Liu Hongxing has always run the show in the Xue family. Xue Changlin has no say."
"Useless coward..."
Quite a few people nearby started gossiping about the couple, Liu Hongxing and Xue Changlin.
"Girl Yue, why don't you all come to my place for now? There's no telling when your father and the others will be back," the Brigade Leader said with heartfelt concern.
Xue Yue shook her head. "There's no need, Brigade Leader."
"He Lang, kick the door down." Xue Xingzhou, who was standing to the side, tilted his head toward He Lang.
Xue Xingzhou had asked Xue Yue to call the Brigade Leader over simply to have a witness, to prove they were acting with just cause.
He Lang's lips twitched into a smirk. He walked up and sent the Xue family's main gate crashing to the ground with a single kick.
Everyone turned to look at He Lang. Hearing his name, they guessed he must be the man Xue Yue had married.
The Brigade Leader frowned but didn't say anything to reprimand them.
The three of them entered the Xue's house. The inner doors weren't locked, but it wouldn't have mattered if they were. Nothing an axe couldn't solve.
It was He Lang's first time at the Xue family home. He glanced around before asking Xue Yue if there was anything he could do to help.
"You stay here and chat with my brother. I'm going to the village to buy a chicken. I'll make some chicken soup in a little while."
"I'll go. You can start boiling some water."
He Lang said, already heading for the door.
Xue Yue didn't object and went into the kitchen to boil some water.
A short while later, He Lang returned carrying a rooster, some eggs, and a handful of chives.
"Why'd you get eggs and chives, too?"
Xue Yue walked over to take a look and asked.
He Lang smiled. "I bought the rooster and the eggs, but the chives were a gift. The vendor heard I was your husband and gave them to me without a second thought. They even knocked three cents off the price."
Xue Yue was speechless. 'This guy is seriously shameless.'
He Lang helped prep the chicken while Xue Yue did the cooking.
She used half the chicken for a soup and braised the other half with potatoes. She stuck cornbread to the sides of the pot to steam and also made scrambled eggs with chives.
The three of them polished off everything.
Xue Xingzhou rubbed his stomach. It was probably the best and most filling meal he'd had in days.
He Lang, on the other hand, was amazed by Xue Yue's cooking. It was every bit as good as a state-run restaurant.
"Who taught you how to cook like this?" He Lang asked Xue Yue.
Xue Yue smiled. "I just figured it out on my own. My brother and I never used to get enough to eat, so we'd sometimes go up the mountain to forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms to fill our bellies. If we got lucky, we'd find a wild pheasant or rabbit, so I just learned by experimenting."
Xue Yue used to cook at home, too, but Liu Hongxing would always watch her, afraid she'd sneak some food, and never let her use much oil or seasoning.
"Wow, you're a better cook than my own mother!" He Lang declared, shamelessly throwing his mom under the bus.
Xue Yue was at a loss for words. 'I would never dare say that!' In her few days with the He family, she hadn't cooked at all. She mostly just washed the dishes after meals. The cooking was handled by her eldest sister-in-law and Mrs. He, while Second Sister-in-law He was responsible for feeding the chickens and pigs.
Worried about her brother, Xue Yue decided to stay at the Xue's house for a couple of days.
"My brother said our two families should meet to set a date for the official celebration. Go back and tell your parents."
He Lang nodded. "Let's do it tomorrow. I'll come pick you both up, we'll have lunch at my place, and we can discuss it then."
The He family had been waiting for Xue Xingzhou to get out of the hospital, too.
"Okay."
He Lang gazed at Xue Yue. The young woman's face was flushed, her watery eyes looking up at him, and he felt a sudden urge to pat her on the head. His fingers twitched, but thankfully, he managed to restrain himself.
After He Lang left, Xue Yue let her brother know where she was going and headed to the Brigade Leader's house.
She carried a bag of pastries that He Lang had bought earlier.
"Yue'er, you shouldn't have! Just visiting is enough. Take this back with you when you leave." The Brigade Leader's wife, Zhang Cuihua, greeted her warmly, taking her hand and pulling her inside.
"Auntie, my husband, He Lang, bought them. We have plenty more at home."
The Brigade Leader's family had helped Xue Yue out a lot in the past, so she felt a natural warmth toward Zhang Cuihua.
"You headstrong girl. A few days ago, Xiao Xia's father came home and told me what happened. You scared me half to death! It wasn't until I asked around and heard the He family were good people that I could finally relax. School's out for a break, and Xiao Xia came home a couple of days ago. She couldn't stop talking about you."
"Auntie, I haven't seen Xiao Xia in a while either."
The Brigade Leader's daughter, Yang Xiaoxia, had grown up with Xue Yue. They were the same age. Yang Xiaoxia was in high school in town, whereas Xue Yue hadn't even finished middle school. After just one year, Liu Hongxing had pulled her out, claiming the family had no money and that it was useless for a girl to get an education.
"Girl Yue, you're here. Perfect timing. Sign here and take the 20 yuan," the Brigade Leader said, sitting on the edge of the kang and smoking a water pipe.
"Yes, that's why I came."
"That young man today, he's your husband, right? He doesn't seem as useless as the rumors say," the Brigade Leader remarked.
Xue Yue paused. "You can't believe rumors. He's... actually pretty decent."
After spending a few days with He Lang, Xue Yue felt he was a decent person. As for whether there were other sides to him she didn't know yet, only time would tell.
"Mm, that's good. Just focus on living a good life together."
As she left the Brigade Leader's house, she could hear a commotion from the Xue's house before she even got to the gate.
Who else could it be but Liu Hongxing.
"Which son of a bitch ripped the door off my house?!"
"Stop making a scene. Let's talk inside," Xue Changlin urged from the side.
Liu Hongxing slapped her thighs. "Is there no justice in this world? Which blind fool did this? Huh?"
Just then, Liu Hongxing spotted Xue Yue at the gate. She shrieked, pointing a finger at her, "Was it you, you bitch? Huh? Why can't you stand to see us have a single good day? The heavens must be blind! Why don't they just strike you dead? I can't live like this!"
Xue Yue sneered. "You're right, the heavens are blind. They haven't struck down a wicked stepmother like you, so why would they come for us?"
Seeing Xue Yue approach, Liu Hongxing shrieked, "You bitch!" and lunged at her.
Though Xue Yue was young, she was tall and strong from years of manual labor.
The two women were instantly at each other's throats.
The fight sent Xue Xingjun, who was standing nearby, into loud wails.
"Both of you, stop it!" A stern male voice cut through the noise. It was Xue Xingzhou, who had come out of the house.