Li Changming was so stunned by the new sche that flashed in his mother’s eyes that he failed to react, allowing her to finish her entire spiel.
He felt the blood rush to his face. He slamd the shrimp net onto the ground and said to Granny Hua, enunciating every word, "Juhua is just a little girl. Why must you keep targeting her? Whether she’s ugly or beautiful, poor or rich, what business is it of yours? One minute you’re trying to marry her off to so widower, the next to so bachelor. What did she ever do to you to deserve you dragging her na through the mud like this? You won’t be satisfied until you’ve ruined this family, will you? If you dare breathe a word of this outside, I’ll act like I don’t have a mother."
Li Changliang said coldly, "She thinks because Juhua is ugly, she can get a bargain! If Qingmu found out you were scheming like this, he’d probably co over here and beat you."
Granny Hua felt both wronged and confused. ’What did I say wrong now?’
’It wasn’t like the two brothers disliked Juhua, yet they were both blaming her for misspeaking. She hadn’t said anything bad about Juhua—in fact, wasn’t she just praising her?’
She truly didn’t understand. "But I only said it because I think Juhua is a good person..."
Li Changming exploded. "You’re still talking! Say one more word and I’m telling Dad."
He simply let his anger show and stopped trying to explain. He had discovered that his mother’s way of thinking was completely different from everyone else’s; there was no getting through to her.
Granny Hua finally clamped her mouth shut, frightened by Li Changming’s nacing expression. Li Changling, anwhile, wouldn’t even spare her a cold glance. Not only had she failed to nd her relationship with her sons today, but she had also widened the rift between them.
She stood there dumbfounded for a long mont before heading to the kitchen. She racked her brains but still couldn’t figure out what was wrong with what she’d said. Fortunately, she was treading more carefully these days and didn’t ask anyone else about it, otherwise it would have caused a whole new storm.
Li Changming recalled the scene from the other day and then glanced at Juhua’s frail figure. ’She’s just a little girl who hasn’t even finished growing. Even Liu Xiaoi is fuller-figured than she is.’ He could understand why Qingmu’s family would get into fights over her. ’If my own sister were being bandied about in gossip like that, I don’t think I could hold back my anger either!’
’My family is too poor for to afford a wife. But if I had gotten married when I was Qingmu’s age, I could have a daughter as old as Juhua by now. Those people trying to pair her off with old widowers should be damned. Even though my mother only spoke a few careless words, I can’t defend her.’
’But izi is only a few years older than Juhua... why don’t I feel like it’s inappropriate when I think about her?’
The thought of izi left him in a daze for a mont, his heart filling with a bitter ache. ’Better to just focus on my work. What’s the point of thinking about things I can’t have?’
The group didn’t start heading back until the sun began to dip toward the west. Any later and they’d be starving.
Li Changming and Li Changxing walked along, laughing and talking, with heavy baskets strapped to their backs.
Li Changxing said, "This many fish will last us a while if we dry them. Let’s go catch so more tomorrow. We can go farther out, toward Little Qing Mountain. The mountain streams have flooded, so I bet a lot of fish have collected in the gullies and hollows."
Li Changming nodded. Suddenly, he saw izi running toward them from up ahead, carrying a sewing basket, and he froze on the spot.
izi was just coming back from a bit of sewing at Lanzi’s house. She was delighted to run into them and quickly asked, "Brother Changming, Brother Changxing, were you fishing? Let see! You must have caught a lot, right?"
Because Li Changming had saved her, and because he was nothing like his mother, Granny Hua—he was always quiet and seed so honest—she felt a natural affinity for him. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she trusted him deeply, and so she greeted him with a beaming smile.
Li Changming quickly lowered the basket from his back for her to see.
Seeing the basket more than half-full with fish of all sizes, izi gasped in amazent.
Li Changxing laughed. "You should try going fishing with your dad soti. We ran into Uncle Zheng with Juhua, and Liu Sanshun with his little sister, i, fishing today. Those two were having the ti of their lives!"
Hearing this, izi stamped her foot and sighed. "My dad doesn’t like doing things like that. Nobody in my family goes fishing or traps rabbits. And with Gou Dan still so little, I never get to eat any."
Li Changming thought for a mont, then broke off a willow twig. He had Li Changxing string a few large crucian carp on it for izi, telling her to take them ho and make soup.
izi said happily, "Oh, but I couldn’t! You two worked so hard for these."
Li Changxing glanced at his cousin and sighed to himself. He picked up the conversation, saying, "It’s just a few fish, nothing to be embarrassed about. My cousin and I caught them together, so we’re giving them to you for a fresh taste. Besides, didn’t my mother get so pickled ginger from your house the other day?"
izi bead and quickly accepted the fish, saying joyfully to Li Changming, "Well then, thank you so much, Brother Changming!"
Li Changxing was rendered speechless by this. ’Hey, those were *my* fish! My cousin only made string them because he was afraid of starting gossip.’
The truth was, Li Changming was terrified of acting strangely around izi, lest it remind people of the incident on the mountain when he had sucked the snake venom from her wound. That was why he had Li Changxing string the fish for her.
He, however, had no idea that izi’s mother was so worried about ugly rumors spreading through the village that she had kept izi cooped up at ho for days.
Thankfully, because Li Changming had warned his mother, Granny Hua didn’t dare breathe a word. The other villagers only whispered about it amongst themselves, so no truly nasty rumors had spread. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian to vote with recomndation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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