When Liu Qian's Daddy and Elder Brother arrived at the Zhang family's house, the sun was already three poles high.
Butcher Liu was chatting with Zhang Cai in the courtyard, basking in the sun. The fence of the small courtyard was too low, so Butcher Liu could see from afar Mr. Liu and Liu Kai being led over by the villagers. Both of them were wearing new clothes, with Liu Kai following behind his father, carrying several large gift boxes in his hands.
Butcher Liu immediately got up, greeted Zhang Cai, and went out to meet his elder brother. Zhang Cai shouted into the room, "Child's mother, Liu Qian's daddy is here."
Liu Qian heard the shout, but she didn't drop her needlework like Liu Yueyue had, and rushed out of the inner room with a quick stride. Instead, she carefully put the half-finished item on the table, waited for Guo Sufei to go ahead, and followed after her.
By the time Liu Qian went out into the courtyard, Butcher Liu and Liu Yueyue had already accompanied their father and elder brother to the front of the wicker gate, where Zhang Cai was waiting with his cane. After the introductions and greetings, Liu Qian stepped forward to salute her father and elder brother. Mr. Liu held his daughter's hand and looked carefully at her expression. He saw no trace of panic or fear in her familiar face and eyes from the day before yesterday, just slightly red rims around her eyes. Mr. Liu couldn't help feeling guilty. He patted his daughter's shoulder and said, "You've suffered, child."
Liu Qian wiped her eyes and smiled, "I'm fine, thanks to the great help of Xiao Long's family, we got out of Tiger's mouth."
Mr. Liu signaled Liu Kai to hand the gift boxes over and said to Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei, "Words can't express our thanks for your great kindness. These humble gifts are just a token of our appreciation. We hope you will accept them."
Zhang Cai hurriedly pushed the gift boxes back, politely saying, "We just happened to be there and didn't put in much effort. In the end, there were others who helped us as well."
Mr. Liu insisted on handing them over, saying, "Still, it's thanks to your help that my children managed to escape danger. If it weren't for you, those two young heroes might not have seen them."
Seeing the two pushing the boxes back and forth, Butcher Liu grew worried. He reached out to take the gift boxes and said, "There's no need to be so polite. Brother Zhang, just accept my elder brother's gratitude and don't refuse his gift." After he finished speaking, he hugged the gift boxes and went into the hall.
Mr. Liu smiled at Zhang Cai and said, "My second brother has always been a hot-tempered person. I hope Brother Zhang won't take it personally."
Zhang Cai also laughed, "Not at all. Your brother is true to his nature, and we are just being too formal. Please, come inside to talk."
Zhang Cai led Mr. Liu into the living room, which was very small, with only a few chairs. There was no need to worry about seating arrangements, so everyone sat down as they pleased.
Once Mr. Liu was settled, he expressed his gratitude to Zhang's family again and took out some scattered silver coins from his pocket, placing them on the small table in the room. "Brother Zhang, your family's injuries were caused by the evil bullies while trying to save my daughter. We should be responsible for this both morally and emotionally. Take this silver and use it for medical treatment. Our family's finances are thin, so we can only give this much. Please, understand," he said.
This time, Zhang Cai refused to accept the money. He said, "Xiao Hua had already explained everything to you, right? At that time, the bully already paid us in silver, but we were afraid they would ask for it back, so we didn't dare use it. The young hero, Wen rescued us and gave us plenty of silver to treat our wounds and buy medicine. We absolutely cannot take your silver."
Liu Kai chimed in, "Uncle Zhang, this silver is well-deserved. We can't just stand by and let you suffer injuries saving my sister without contributing to your medical expenses. Who would accept such reasoning?" Butcher Liu scratched his head, "Brother Zhang, just take it. In a few days, I'll give you some more silver and bring you some meat."
Zhang Cai said, "My younger brothers, absolutely not! We didn't save others for silver. Moreover, we already have enough silver to treat our injuries. We just cannot accept this."
Thus, everyone went back and forth politely, entangled and unresolved. Half a day had passed before Zhang Cai finally refused the silver.
At this point, Liu Qian spoke up. She turned to Mr. Liu and said, "Daddy, since Uncle Zhang won't accept the silver, take it back for now. I have an idea, what do you think?"
Mr. Liu said, "Alright then, you've always been very clever. What's your good idea this time?"
Liu Qian said, "Since Uncle Zhang's family was injured saving us, the two of us should stay here and take care of them until their injuries are completely healed. First, Uncle Zhang has three injured family members and an elder to take care of, and Auntie Guo can't handle it all by herself. We can lend a hand to keep their household running smoothly. Second, since the three members of Uncle Zhang's family are injured and have limited mobility, we should be the ones to take care of them. What do you think?"
After some thought, Mr. Liu agreed, "I failed to consider everything. Qian'er's idea is excellent. What do you think, second brother?"
Butcher Liu patted his chest, "Great, that's a great idea. That's what I've been thinking as well."
Liu Yueyue also nodded in agreement.
And so, the matter was settled for the time being.Then, Mr. Liu and Liu Kai went to the inner room, where Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu were still lying in bed. When they heard the shout from Butcher Liu earlier, they wanted to get up, but Guo Sufei and the others stopped them. Now, seeing the visitors, knowing that they were Liu Qian's father and brother, they hurriedly got up. This time, Liu Qian did not come over to help Zhang Xiaolong. Guo Sufei carefully helped her son sit on the Kang (Heated Brick Bed).
It was then that Mr. Liu carefully observed this courageous young man. Zhang Xiaolong was a very masculine young man, about the same age as Liu Kai, and looked quite ordinary, with thick eyebrows and big eyes just like Zhang Cai. However, his eyes were bruised at the moment, and the corner of his mouth was split open. Nevertheless, one could tell from his determined eyes that he was a steadfast person. The clothes he wore were not new and had some patches, but they were starched and clean, making him look comfortable. Zhang Xiaolong's arm was still in a splint, unable to move freely, so he placed his hand on his chest. Looking at his slightly rough hands, one could tell he was a skilled worker in the fields.
Mr. Liu looked at this young man, who was about the same age and height as his own son but had a completely different temperament, and couldn't help but nod secretly. Only such an outstanding child could stand up and help others in times of crisis.
Zhang Xiaolong noticed Mr. Liu staring at him, and couldn't help but feel nervous and at a loss. Mr. Liu looked at him for a while, then spoke to thank him for saving his daughter, and urged him to take good care of his injuries. After chatting for a while, Mr. Liu left the small house. As he walked away, he said to Zhang Cai, "Brother Zhang has good sons, you are truly blessed."
Zhang Cai grinned and didn't forget to be modest while leaning on his cane, "Thank you, and your son is also wonderful."
As it was approaching noon, Zhang Cai instructed Guo Sufei to prepare food and drinks to entertain Mr. Liu and his party. The Zhang family's financial situation was much worse than Mr. Liu's, so their meal was quite ordinary. Zhang Cai apologized, but Mr. Liu and Butcher Liu were both generous people, not minding at all. They drank and ate a lot of food. Zhang Xiaohua was the happiest, having meat to eat for two days in a row. She wished there could be more days like this.
After the meal, Mr. Liu chatted with Zhang Cai for a little while, then took advantage of the time before dusk to take the two girls back to Bali Gully.
Only the injured members of the Zhang family were left lying in bed.
Luckily, it was deep winter, so there was no need to worry about field work. However, everyone felt something missing that afternoon. As the evening began, Guo Sufei prepared dinner and discovered that there were two fewer girls to help, so she needed to cook less. She also felt a little melancholic. It was strange how the energy in the house changed with just two more people. The lively atmosphere created by the extra girls was gone, and everyone felt a sense of loss.
After hastily preparing the meal, Zhang Xiaohua and her mother helped their elder brothers eat. They all sat by the oil lamp, and Guo Sufei began, "I wonder if Liu Qian and the others have had dinner yet?"
Zhang Cai said, "Judging by the time, they should have just arrived home. They won't have time to cook. They'll probably eat at Liu Butcher's place."
Zhang Xiaohua said, "Definitely, they might even have pork belly tonight."
Guo Sufei asked, "By the way, Xiaohua, you've been to Liu Qian's house, what's it like there?"
Zhang Xiaohua described Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue's home according to her understanding.
In fact, Guo Sufei had always wanted to ask about Liu Qian's family, but she couldn't bring herself to ask Liu Qian directly. After meeting Butcher Liu yesterday, there was still no opportunity. Today, seeing Mr. Liu and Liu Kai's demeanor and temperament, she felt a knot in her heart. After hearing Zhang Xiaohua's description, it tightened even more, and she worriedly said to Zhang Cai, "Old man, do you think Liu Qian will take a liking to our Xiaolong?"
No one else spoke, and Zhang Xiaolong's face darkened. Zhang Cai said, "This depends on fate. What we say doesn't matter. Let's leave it to Heavenly Intent."
Zhang Xiaohu spoke up, "Mom, I feel that Liu Qian has a gentle heart and must have read many books. She's knowledgeable and behaves well, not to mention she can do many house chores. She's really good, much better than the impulsive Liu Yueyue. From the way she treats my elder brother, there seems to be some affection."
Zhang Xiaohua said, "Second Brother, you have to marry one wife at a time, don't be too anxious. Even if you don't mention Liu Yueyue, our mother would consider her for you."
Zhang Xiaohu's face became red, and he kicked Zhang Xiaohua with his foot, "We're talking about elder brother's business, don't change the subject. I have nothing to do with Liu Yueyue."
Zhang Cai said, "Old Two, even if you had something with her, you should think about your elder brother first. Given our family's situation, it's already difficult to marry one wife. Your turn might have to wait."
Guo Sufei interjected, "Old man, what about those silver banknotes…"
Zhang Cai interrupted her and glared at her, "Don't mention that. We need to return them."
Afterward, everyone felt bored and went to sleep, not long after putting out the oil lamp.
Zhang Xiaolong tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. He didn't know if it was the pain from his injuries or the thoughts in his heart. However, his restlessness didn't affect Zhang Xiaohua's vivid dreams at all.