The note was indeed from the doctor, listing precautions for after his discharge from the hospital. It advised him to avoid heavy labor and get plenty of rest.
But Xue Xingzhou had added the rest himself with a pen.
Liu Hongxing took the paper, half-convinced and half-skeptical. She read it, her brow furrowed, then passed it to Xue Changlin for him to look over.
Between the two of them, they couldn't recognize all the characters on the page, but they figured since Xue Xingzhou dared to show it to them, it must be real.
Once Liu Hongxing processed this, her expression suddenly changed.
"Xingzhou, we only wanted to keep the family together because we were worried you wouldn't be able to work after your injury. Since you're so determined to separate, we don't have any objections. But what about our retirement support?"
"You're not even our birth mother, yet you expect my brother to support you in your old age? What are you, daydreaming? And what was it you said before? That my dad has more than one son, so you didn't care if my brother lived or died—weren't those your exact words? And now you're here wanting my brother to support you? You should feel your own face, it's thicker than a city wall." Xue Yue had finally reached her limit.
Confronted by Xue Yue, Liu Hongxing of course remembered what she had said.
"I may not be your birth mother, but your father is still your own flesh and blood, isn't he? Besides, I was just saying that at the time. There's no such thing as a grudge between a father and son that lasts overnight."
"Heh." Xue Yue was rendered speechless. 'Shameless people truly are invincible.'
Xue Xingzhou thought for a moment. "We'll separate the family as I said before. After you turn sixty, I'll give you five yuan a month."
"No way! Five yuan is too little. It has to be at least fifteen," Liu Hongxing blurted out.
Xue Yue laughed in exasperation. "A factory worker makes less than twenty yuan a month, and you want my brother to give you fifteen? If you don't want to separate, then forget it. I think staying together is just fine. Big Brother, you can just rest and recover from now on. It's not like you'll starve to death here."
Seeing this, Liu Hongxing quickly shot Xue Changlin a look.
Xue Changlin genuinely didn't want to separate the family. If he kicked Xue Xingzhou out now, he'd be too ashamed to show his face in public.
"Fine, five yuan it is. Xingzhou, are you sure you want to do this? Once you're on your own, it'll be hard for you to find a wife."
Xue Xingzhou gave a wry smile. "I can't even take care of myself right now. We can worry about other things later. Yue'er is getting married the day after tomorrow. Let's have her stay in that house for two days first."
Xue Changlin nodded.
And so, the separation was settled. But Xue Xingzhou still wrote up two copies of an agreement, signed them, and went to the brigade office to get them officially stamped.
The brigade leader was surprised, but considering the Xue family's situation, separating might actually be a good thing.
The house he was given was the one Xue Xingzhou was currently living in. In the future, they would build a courtyard wall, and the two households would be officially divided.
But having just separated, they were bound to be short on many things.
They had only been given a share of the grain, so even cooking was a problem.
What's more, they had no pots, bowls, or utensils. While some of those could be made in the village, an iron wok was hard to come by.
The Xue family only had one iron wok, and Liu Hongxing certainly wasn't going to give it to them.
Xue Yue planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to ask if they sold iron woks.
Xue Xingzhou had intended to go look himself, but Xue Yue wouldn't allow it. He had just had surgery on his head, after all. If he wasn't careful, he could end up with permanent complications.
Xue Xingzhou had no choice but to agree.
The next day, Xue Yue was getting ready to go to town early in the morning when she ran into He Lang on his bicycle just as she was about to leave the village.
"What are you doing here?"
He Lang said impassively, "Yesterday you said you were going to separate the family as soon as you got back. My mom dragged me out of bed first thing this morning. She said that since you just separated, you'd definitely be short on things, so she told me to come and see."
Xue Yue marveled at how Mrs. He could predict things so accurately.
"Well then, let's go. I was just on my way to buy things."
"I wonder if an iron wok will be hard to find?" Xue Yue worried.
He Lang glanced at Xue Yue and said casually, "Iron woks are hard to buy. The cooperative probably doesn't have any."
Xue Yue sighed. "Then what should we do? It's really inconvenient without an iron wok."
"After we finish shopping, wait for me for a bit. I know a friend, I'll go ask if he has one." He Lang did indeed know someone who sold them, but he couldn't let anyone else know.
"Really?" Xue Yue tilted her head to look at He Lang, who was in front of her.
He Lang nodded, his expression unchanging. "Mhm, he should have one."
"Okay, you go ask then. Tell me how much it costs and I'll give you the money."
He Lang scoffed. "You say that as if we're strangers."
Hearing this, Xue Yue's face instantly turned bright red. 'He's right, we're husband and wife now. That did sound a little distant.'
'Looks like I'll have to slowly get used to the fact that I'm married.'
Once they got to town, Xue Yue went to do her shopping while He Lang went to find someone to buy the wok from.
Xue Yue didn't have to wait long before she saw He Lang returning, carrying a wok.
"You got it?" Xue Yue's delight was written all over her face.
He Lang smiled. "Are you done shopping? If you are, let's head home."
"Mhm."
He Lang saw Xue Yue to the door of the Xue's house and then left, saying he would come pick her up tomorrow.
Her belongings had already been moved to the He Family's home, so tomorrow, all that was left was for her to go over herself.
In the afternoon, Xue Xingzhou and Xue Changlin built a stove in the courtyard. Once the wok was set on it, they would be able to cook.
The next morning, Xue Yue put on the red jacket she had bought with He Lang the other day and styled her hair in an updo. Xue Yue was naturally beautiful, so she just dabbed a bit of red paper on her lips for color.
Liu Hongxing was surprisingly attentive today, waiting early in the morning and saying she wanted to go to the He Family's home to have a look.
She just wanted a free meal. Since they were invited, it would be a waste not to go.
Just as Xue Yue finished getting ready, He Lang arrived. As always, he was dressed in a white shirt and black pants.
And Xue Yue had to admit, she really liked him in that outfit.
He had brought someone with him, a man named Shitou. Both of them were on bicycles.
The moment Shitou saw Xue Yue, he greeted her enthusiastically, "Sister-in-law!"
"Sister-in-law, you're so beautiful! You and our Third Brother are a perfect match."
He Lang also had a smile on his face today, and he gazed at Xue Yue for several moments.
Xue Yue felt a little shy and tugged at the corner of her jacket.
Xue Xingzhou said with a smile, "Alright, let's get going."
The original plan was for He Lang to take Xue Yue and Shitou to take Xue Xingzhou, but that little brat Xue Xingjun insisted he wanted to ride on a bicycle too.
Since the two villages weren't far apart, Xue Changlin and Liu Hongxing were going to walk.
"It's fine. Let him sit in the front. Shitou, just ride a bit slower," He Lang instructed.
Just as they arrived at the He family's front gate, someone shouted, "The bride is here!"
Then, someone started setting off firecrackers.
He Lang led Xue Yue into the house. It was the same room she had stayed in before, but it had been decorated with red, making it look very festive.
"I'm heading out. You're already familiar with the place, anyway. Mom will bring you some food in a bit." With that, He Lang left.
The He Family was a large one in the village. He Lang's father had three brothers, making four in total, and Mr. He was the second oldest.
There were also some other families they were on good terms with, and the courtyard was filled with people.
Mr. and Mrs. He were making the rounds with He Lang, toasting the guests, and everyone was offering their congratulations.
Of course, there were also one or two troublemakers.
"Second Sister-in-law, how come I heard your third son spent five hundred yuan to get a wife? And that she was living here before the wedding was even held?" The speaker was He Lang's Fourth Aunt He, who loved to gossip about everyone's business.
"Second Sister-in-law, I heard that too. You have three sons. Your third son spends five hundred yuan on a wife, and your eldest and second sons don't have a problem with that?" He Lang's Third Aunt He also chimed in, trying to sow discord.
Mrs. He gritted her teeth. Back when her mother-in-law was alive, she had never liked her. The family hadn't been separated back then, and she had suffered a great deal of grief from the third and fourth brothers' families. It was only before the family elder passed away that they finally split up the households.
He Lang put an arm around his mother's shoulders and said languidly, "Mom, you can't get angry. Getting angry makes you old. Look at some people—though they aren't as old as you, they look at least ten years older. They must get angry quite a lot. They're just envious of you, aren't they? After all, your children are all happily married off, which is a wonderful blessing. The same can't be said for other families. Maybe they couldn't even find a wife if they spent five hundred yuan! Right?"
"Hey, Third Nephew, what kind of way is that to talk?" Fourth Aunt He stood up, pointing at He Lang.
He Lang chuckled. "Fourth Aunt, don't assume I'm talking about you. I definitely wasn't, even though you do look older than my mom."
"Third Nephew, have you no manners? I'm your elder, after all!"
Mrs. He sneered. "My third son has plenty of elders. What number are you in that line? Let me tell you, today is my son's wedding. If anyone is blind enough to cause trouble with their gossip, I won't let her off easy."
At this, both Third Aunt He and Fourth Aunt He fell silent. It wasn't that they were afraid of Mrs. He, but Mr. He was the village accountant, after all, and they didn't want to completely ruin the relationship.