Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
This time, it was the two brothers who visited them; Heng Dalang and Heng Erlang.
They called out,â Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law!â
It was the new year, so Han Qiao couldnât make a scene at the door.
Heng Yiâs couplets and lanterns were all hung up.
He looked at the two of them with a heavy gaze.
âLetâs talk inside,â Heng Yi said.
He reached out to support Han Qiao.
When they entered the door, Heng Dalang and Heng Erlang truly understood the envy and jealousy that their mother had felt when she talked about the Heng Residence and their resentment of not being able to move in.
They all sat down in the hall.
Duan Yue stood beside Han Qiao after serving tea.
âWhat are you doing here?â Heng Yi asked.
The question was quite direct.
âFifth Brotherâ¦â Heng Dalang took a deep breath, âThat day, Father and Mother returned to Heng Family Village and then back to the county city. They fainted at the city gate and are still sick.â
âSo? They are your parents. Donât you feel sorry for them? Theyâre running around outside at such an old age. Now that theyâre sick, why are you telling me? You want to ask for some silver, arenât you?â Heng Yi exposed Heng Dalang and Heng Erlangâs hypocrisy.
Why are you pretending to be filial sons?
The two of them were the most ruthless children in the Heng family.
The one who liked to mediate the fights between them was Heng Sanlang. Similar to Old Man Heng, he kept all his evil thoughts to himself and let others charge into the enemyâs battle while he stood back and watched.
âAnd itâs almost the new year. As their sons, why didnât you stop the adults from running back and forth between Heng Family Village and Puyi County? Why didnât you ask them to stay and celebrate at home?â Heng Yi said straightforwardly.
âItâs because you know why they came to the county town for the New Yearâs gift, a yearâs worth of filial piety silver, and that gold bracelet.â
âAnd then? Where is your conscience? Was it eaten by a dog? Those are your biological parents.â
âYou, the biological son, donât even feel sorry for your parents, but you expect me, your adopted brother, to sympathize?â
Heng Yi rarely spoke much to the Heng family.
During these few days working in the government office, he had been around Wen Yu and Gu Jiu. His two co-workers were very talkative, and he had also decided to change.
It was fine not to speak on normal occasions, but he had to speak up when things were not being fair.
He observed the way everyone spoke, trying to find a way to speak straight and concisely.
âI overestimated you and thought too much. You can even harm your own brother, let alone those two old bastards.â
Heng Dalang and Heng Erlangâs faces flushed red.
Never in their dreams did they expect Heng Yi to be so talkative, and every word he said was like a stab to the heart.
âBut, butâ¦â Heng Dalang wanted to say something.
Heng Yi turned to Han Qiao and said, âAh-Qiao, go get ready and bring the things over.â
âAlright.â
Han Qiao stood up.
She was trying hard not to laugh.
She also wanted to praise Heng Yi for standing up for himself.
If the Heng family had some dignity left, they would never come again.
After Han Qiao left, Heng Yiâs expression became much more solemn.
âToday, 1 will make things clear to you. In the future, do not let that old couple enter the city again. I will arrange for someone to send them over during the holidays. If you are unable to control themâ¦â
Heng Yiâs face darkened, âThen donât blame me.â
âFifth Brotherâ¦â Heng Erlang called softly.
Heng Yi looked at Heng Erlang indifferently, âPeople change. I donât have any feelings for you. I finally have a family of my own. To protect this family and the happiness that Iâve earned so hard, Iâm willing to risk my life. If anyone dares to harm my family, 1 will make them pay a heavy price.â
âIâll take your life if you make me feel any pain. Now that Ah-Qiao is pregnant, 1 wonât let her suffer any harm. If any of you dare to cause trouble, Iâll take your lives.â
âIf those two old bastards come again, 1 wonât be able to attack them, but I can beat you up. Every time they come, Iâll go to Heng Family Village and beat you up.â
âI, Heng Yi, swore this truth.â
Heng Dalang and Heng Erlang sat on their chairs, not daring to move. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
They felt Heng Yiâs killing intent.
They also caught on to the fact that Han Qiao was pregnant.
With Heng Yiâs child.
Han Qiao was fair and just. She had a basket full of food, two taels of silver, and the gold bracelet she had promised Old Woman Heng.
In front of Heng Yi, Heng Dalang, and Heng Erlang, she placed them into the wicker basket one by one.
âThis is for Father and Mother. One tael of silver is a yearâs worth of filial piety silver, and the other tael is medicine money.â
âThank you, sister-in-law,â Heng Dalang said hoarsely.
They didnât want to keep what they had obtained.
Then they quickly left the manor with their newly acquired things.
Han Qiao smiled and asked Heng Yi, âDid you say something to them when I left?â
âNo,â Heng Yi smiled and held Han Qiaoâs hand, âToday is the new year. 1 donât want to think about that.â
âYes, letâs go. Letâs watch the children stick the paper-cut decorations and the character âFuâ on the windows.â
The children had made all of the decorations themselves. Except for the couplets on the door, which were personally written by Grandpa, Han Qiao, Sun Xiu, and Sun Yi. Heng Yi and Sun Ke also wrote their own âFuâ characters, but they looked very messy, so they were too embarrassed to take them out.
Han Chi also wrote one, completely trying to copy how they wrote the character.
However, for Han Qiao, this kind of fun would only become less and less in the future. When the children grew up and practiced calligraphy well, the chance to see and laugh because of how they wrote the âFuâ character or a couplet would no longer exist.
This was not only fun but also allowed the children to participate in this atmosphere.
Han Chi was now in the house. As the eldest brother, he was the one who did all the climbing. When Heng Yi arrived, he joined Han Chi listening to Han Qiaoâs instructions from the side.
Grandpa was also giving orders blindly, and Han Chi was so hot that he stomped his feet many times.
For a moment, the laughter in the big house was endless and filled with joy.
Heng Dalang and Heng Erlang returned to Heng Silangâs house.
Heng Silang didnât invite them in.
Old Woman Heng and Old Man Heng didnât want to go back to the countryside. There was nothing in the countryside other than a thatched hut, and it was cold and windy everywhere.
Heng Yiâs two houses in town had been demolished long ago. The land was now empty and bare.
Old Woman Heng looked at her two sons, âDid your fifth brother give you anything?â
âYes.â
Old woman Heng took a glance at the two taels of silver and quickly put them away.
She immediately wore the gold bracelets on her wrist and became extremely happy.
She had seemed to recover from her illness.
She beamed with joy.
With their motherâs money-grubber look, Heng Dalang and Heng Erlang did not even dare to look at the gifts.
âMother, letâs go back.â
Heng Silang wouldnât return to Heng Family Village, nor did he speak to his two brothers.
He only said calmly, âFather, Mother, you donât have to give me the money for the treatment. Take it as my filial piety money for next year. Also, donât come to the county town or my place if you have nothing to do in the future. Weâre all quite busy and donât have time to entertain you.â
âSince weâve already split up, and youâve chosen to stay in Dalangâs house, you should stay there.â
The words he chose were simple and clear, but when those words were combined, it was like a knife, a spear, and a sword piercing into their heart, causing people to feel so painful that they could not breathe..