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墨書 Inktalez
As for the woman by the roadside, perhaps fate was playing a joke on her, and who’s to say that fate wasn’t also playing a trick on itself, Wen Sheng thought lightly. The sky gradually darkened, leaving only a few streaks of faint twilight, with stars appearing intermittently. The wind blew gently, not too strong. The treetops seemed a bit shadowy, and occasionally, birds flew silently by. The village lights flickered in a dim yellow hue, as the busy townsfolk returned home to prepare dinner. And what about the woman by the roadside? What would become of her? No one knew as another cloud drifted by, and Wen Sheng looked up.
“Let’s go home!” Wen Sheng sighed deeply, suddenly feeling a warmth associated with home, even though it wasn’t entirely peaceful.
“You always have some strange sentiments!” Jia Ao glanced at Wen Sheng, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Everything will be alright!” Jia Ao’s words felt powerless because he had no idea when Wen Sheng’s home would truly be okay. He couldn’t help but grasp Wen Sheng’s hand.
“Believe that there will come a time when I can change things,” Wen Sheng said vaguely.
“I’ll do my best to help you!” Jia Ao replied with a hint of determination.
Wen Xin looked at her brother, the wind tousling her long hair, her slightly sorrowful face making her seem so fragile. What would fate hold for them? As she gazed down the long road ahead, she instinctively leaned against her brother's side.
“It’s getting dark!” Wen Xin murmured.
“Let’s go home!” Wen Sheng turned back to glance at the fading figure of that madwoman.
Aunt had already prepared dinner and praised Wen Xin for being so understanding since she brought gifts. However, Jia Yu looked at Wen Xin with a strange expression. Even though Jia Yu wore new clothes and Aunt had dressed her up nicely, she still lacked the delicate charm that Wen Xin possessed.
“Wen Xin’s clothes are really ugly!” Jia Yu mocked during dinner while looking at Wen Xin.
“Haha! As long as they’re clean, it’s fine by me. I’m not picky. Besides, I don’t look good anyway; I don’t need to wear fancy clothes!” Wen Xin responded cheerfully.
“What kind of talk is that?” Jia Ao scolded Jia Yu.
“Kids will be kids; don’t get involved!” Uncle chuckled warmly.
Just then, the door opened. Jia Ao's brother pushed his motorcycle inside and exclaimed as soon as he entered, “I’m exhausted! They really don’t treat me like a person!”
Jia Ao's brother was not as robust as Jia Ao; he was somewhat leaner but fairer in complexion. His head was shaved similarly to Jia Ao's flat top but lacked his brother's spirited demeanor. His eyes were bright and friendly when he smiled. His white shirt was covered in dirt, his gray pants rolled up at the cuffs, and he wore slippers with muddy feet—clearly just back from working in the fields.
“They really don’t treat me like a person! I worked all day without even getting dinner!” Jia Jun grumbled with frustration.
“What’s wrong? After working all day, you’re not even getting dinner! Her parents really don’t understand common decency!” Aunt was clearing the dishes when she saw Jia Jun come back, looking angry.
“I can’t deal with this wife anymore! It’s exhausting!” Jia Jun complained incessantly.
“We can’t think like that. We’ve already invested money; how hard would it be to find another wife now? Just endure it a little longer until you’re married!” Aunt said, preparing food for Jia Jun while trying to comfort him.
“If I don’t get married in two years, I’ll have worked for nothing!” Jia Jun croaked, stretching his voice.
“If you wait three years to get married, then you’ll have worked for three years for nothing!” Jia Ao laughed.
“Get lost! I’m already annoyed with that!” Jia Jun snapped back.
“Just joking! You’ve had a rough time at your father-in-law’s place; you can’t take it out on me!” Jia Ao turned to leave.
“Cousin!” Wen Xin ran out from the house, calling out warmly to Jia Jun.
“Wen Xin! It’s been a while since I last saw you; you’ve grown taller!” Jia Jun smiled when he saw Wen Xin.
“Not really! I’m still shorter than you!” Wen Xin ran up to Jia Jun, pressing her head against him and gesturing with her hands, “You’re half a head taller than me!”
“Haha!” Jia Jun laughed, his eyes squinting into slits. At his height of just over five feet, he seemed quite tall next to Wen Xin!
“Cousin! What kind of work has worn you out like this?” Wen Sheng came over, grinning widely.
“Don’t even mention it; that place is a dump!” Jia Ao twisted his neck in frustration. “It infuriated me! She brought me lunch in the fields at noon, urging me to hurry up and finish. In the evening, she promised to make me something delicious. I felt warm inside and had the strength to work. But when evening came, after I finished my work, she said, ‘You can go home now!’ Not even a thank you! Am I just a beast of burden? Even a beast deserves some extra feed when it’s tired. And here I am, left with an empty stomach!”
“Haha! You’re being tested!” Wen Sheng chuckled gently.
“By the time she’s done roasting me like a sweet potato, she won’t want me anymore. If I get mad enough, I’ll just find someone taller and stronger than her!” Jia Jun laughed as well.
“You think you can? If you dare look at someone while working outside, I’ll break your legs! You better not let the elders at home hear about this!” Aunt came out with steaming hot food. “Hurry up and eat! After you finish, take your cousins back home!”
“I’m just a joke; who would really look at me out there?” Jia Jun was clearly quite afraid of his mother.
“A joke or not, if this gets to her ears, then this relationship…” Aunt handed the bowl to Jia Jun.
“Who could tell her?” Jia Jun elongated his voice.
“My brother is so handsome, works quickly, and is smart; he can learn anything at a glance. Finding ten or eight wives wouldn’t be a problem!” Wen Sheng smiled as he praised Jia Jun.
“With us like this, can we still worry about finding a wife?” Jia Jun was so delighted that he almost floated up, placing the bowl on the ground and striking a cool pose in front of Wen Sheng. Then he picked up the bowl again to continue eating because he was very hungry; after a while of shoveling, he finished.
After returning the bowl to the kitchen, he came back and stretched, “So tired!”
“Why don’t you take a break, cousin? Er Ge and I can ride our bikes back!” Wen Xin said with a hint of concern.
“It’s so late! How can I let you go back alone? You can stay over if you want!” Jia Jun insisted.
“No thanks, I miss my mom!” Wen Xin smiled.
“Alright, I’ll take you back! With my physique, I’m in great shape! Really great!” Jia Jun patted his chest. “You can feel my arm!” He flexed his muscles and extended his arm toward Wen Xin for her to squeeze.
“So hard!” Wen Xin exclaimed in admiration.
“It’s all from training; I practice martial arts!” Jia Jun mimicked the martial arts stars from television and did a few kicks in the yard.
“I see you’re not tired at all!” Aunt laughed.
“How could I not be tired? If you all tried that kind of work, let’s see how you’d fare!” Jia Jun shook his head.
“Why not let Jia Ao take them? You just rest!” Aunt suggested with a smile.
“With me at home, this matter can’t be left to Jia Ao!” Jia Jun said with a bit of pride.
Family values place the husband, father, and elder brother at the top, much like the teachings of Confucius.
"I'll go drive!" Jia Jun said after taking a short break. Wen Sheng helped him push Auntie Jin out from the shed.
"The engine is a bit cold!" Jia Jun shook the steering wheel a few times but couldn't get it to start.
"Do you want me to give it a try?" Wen Sheng offered with a smile.
"You definitely won't be able to! Just looking at you, I can tell you're not the energetic type!" Jia Jun said, gesturing with his arm in front of Wen Sheng.
"Just help me with the pressure release!" Jia Jun gripped the stubborn lever tightly, shaking his head as he tried to get it going.
"Feels loose!" After shaking it several times, Jia Jun felt it was about ready.
Wen Sheng released the pressure and stepped aside, smiling as he watched the slightly worn-out Auntie Jin.
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