She looked at Guo Laosan, a hint of icy smile playing at the corner of her mouth, and said slowly, word by word, "He's here."

----- Main Text -----

Shangyang Village, New Year's Eve.

Led by Village Chief Feng Bao Nan, the villagers set up tables at an open field to the north of the village. Ten long tables were arranged in a straight line, adorned with bright red tablecloths. Each household placed two hot dishes and two cold plates. The women were busy at the stove, and the pale cooking smoke billowed up like wisps of cloud, while the men who had been away working in distant places returned. They brought out well-aged wine from the cellar, and as they toasted and exchanged news about job opportunities, the atmosphere warmed.

As evening approached, a tinge of blood-red light settled on the horizon. Firecrackers at the village entrance crackled, and the residual smoke resembled faint gray mist. Before long, the tables were in disarray, and the men's faces were flushed from the effects of alcohol.

A dry cloth cushioned the rim of the pot, and A Shui placed a steaming pot of pork rib soup in front of Guo Laosan.

The son of the village chief, Feng You, let out a loud burp, leaning his body against the back of the chair. He half-closed his eyes, his gaze already a bit unfocused. In a daze, he caught a faint whiff of soap fragrance, and when he opened his eyes, a cluster of white flowers flashed before him. It was the floral apron of A Shui brushing lightly against his nose. He squinted his eyes, his gaze fixated on A Shui's delicate, slim, and fair arms. Unconsciously, he swallowed some saliva and said, "Oh, what has Guo's daughter-in-law cooked?" Tilting his head slightly, he sniffed again with a somewhat intoxicated expression and playfully winked at A Shui, teasingly asking, "Why does it smell so good?!"

A Shui lowered her eyes without responding and placed the pork rib soup on the table before turning to leave. Guo Laosan, who was seated nearby, clicked his tongue and extended his arm to stop her. He turned to Feng You and chuckled, "A You, the daughter-in-law in our family is thin-skinned and not the brightest. No need to bother with her!"

Feng You laughed, waving his hand dismissively, "Old Guo, listen to what you're saying! Why would I bother arguing with a little girl like her!"

With a sudden turn of his head, Guo Laosan glared at A Shui, his tone changing as he scolded, "You damn woman! Who do you think wants to see your stinking face all the time?!"

At his shout, the surrounding laughter and chatter quieted down slightly. People subtly stopped their conversations, focusing on their drinks and food. Yet, their peripheral vision all turned in the same direction, giving an intent gaze.

Guo Laosan seemed to sense something. The alcohol churned in his stomach and surged to his face. His face flushed slightly, and his back straightened involuntarily. Lifting his chin and gripping his chopsticks, he pointed towards the pork rib soup and proclaimed loudly, "Go! Serve a bowl to Young Master Feng!"

After speaking, his gaze remained fixed on A Shui.

This woman had never been easy to get along with. He contemplated in his mind that if she dared utter a word of protest, he would dump the bowl onto her head and give her a good beating, bolstering his own authority. He wanted to demonstrate to the entire village that no one would dare challenge him in the future.

However, A Shui acted out of character. She looked at Guo Laosan, then turned to grab a clean empty bowl. She filled it with both meat and broth, placing it in front of Feng You, then filled another bowl for Guo Laosan. She lowered her gaze and stood quietly behind Guo Laosan.

Guo Laosan had expected her to explode, but unexpectedly, his fiery anticipation turned into a dud. He was left stunned on the spot!

Damn!

"Hey! Laosan!" Li Qingyou, standing beside them, gave Guo Laosan a thumbs up from a distance. "You've got skills!"

Guo Laosan turned his head and saw admiration in Li Qingyou's expression. His face softened slightly, and he snorted from his nose, saying, "It's always like this at home. She wears that stinky face all day long. You've got to scold and yell at her to keep her honest. Now that she's pregnant, I can't be bothered with her. I need to be more careful!"

Feng You was taken aback and looked at A Shui's belly. "Oh! Already pregnant?!"

Guo Laosan's lips curved, feeling somewhat relieved. He nodded and chuckled.

"Congratulations, congratulations! Here, fill up a cup. You're going to be a grandparent!"

"Fill it up, fill it up!" Li Qingyou grabbed a wine jug, picked up a mallet, and slowly tapped open the sealed mud on the mouth of the jug.

Guo Laosan waved his hand. "Who knows if it's a boy or a girl?!"

"They say boys are sour and girls are spicy. Just make it a little sour for her!" Feng You said, lifting the bowl of pork rib soup in front of him. He noticed a strand of brown residue floating on the surface and furrowed his brow. He stirred the soup with his spoon, pushed aside the thing floating on it, and, out of courtesy to Guo Laosan, took a shallow sip. In the next moment, he retched and wrinkled his brow, sticking out his tongue. "This taste... you didn't clean off the blood scum!"

Upon hearing the words, Guo Laosan lowered his head and scooped up a spoonful to taste for himself. Indeed, the flavor was sour and astringent, hard to swallow. He spat the soup onto the ground with a disgusted sound. The anger he had just suppressed surged back up, and he grabbed A Shui's hair, delivering a slap to her face.

With a loud smack, A Shui's hair was disheveled, falling messily to one side. Her cheek swelled almost immediately.

Tossing aside his chopsticks, Guo Laosan exploded, "Look at yourself! You damn woman! What the hell are you good for?!"

All eyes turned toward them. The wine had flushed Guo Laosan's face a purplish-red, and his chest heaved heavily a couple of times. His tone grew even louder, "If it weren't for Anan's seed in your belly, I would've beaten you to death with a firebrand!"

With those words, he shoved her hair forcefully. A Shui stumbled and fell onto Feng You's lap. Feng You swallowed a mouthful of saliva and quickly raised his hand to hold her arm, surreptitiously giving it a squeeze. His mood improved a bit instantly. He tried to smooth things over, "Alright, Lao San! It's just a bowl of soup! Your grandson isn't that important. It would be troublesome if you hurt her."

Guo Laosan snorted coldly, and Feng You's repeated use of the word "grandson" did ease his mood somewhat. Glancing around and seeing the onlookers with astonished expressions, he felt he had preserved enough face. His demeanor finally softened as he sat down, tilted his head back, and downed a cup of wine. Raising his voice, he exclaimed, "Damn women! Only obedient when you hit them!"

Between Feng You's legs, there was a warm presence. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he sneakily glanced at A Shui in his embrace. Her skin was fair, and her facial features were attractive. For a moment, his gaze became somewhat dazed, and his attempts to lift her hand failed as if it was not under his control, missing several times.

A Shui seemed to sense something and lifted her eyes slightly. She looked at Feng You with a smile that seemed to say more than it did.

Feng You was taken aback. Following her gaze, he realized she seemed to be staring at his lips. His throat tightened involuntarily, and he slowly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. In the moment he was dazed, A Shui had already helped herself up by holding onto the edge of the table.

His embrace was suddenly empty, and the effect of the alcohol made his head feel a bit fuzzy. He couldn't tell if the smile from earlier was just his imagination. He raised his hand and wiped his mouth, then looked down. Aside from some oil and water from the pork rib soup on the back of his hand, there was nothing else.

In the distance, on the hillside, only a final trace of crimson remained in the sky as it gradually darkened. Guo Laosan lowered his head and took a sip of yellow wine, as if recalling something. Suddenly, he asked, "Where's Anan? Why hasn't he shown up for so long?"

A Shui remained silent, still standing quietly to the side.

Guo Laosan kicked her calf with his foot, saying, "I'm asking you a question! Feeling feisty again, huh?"

A Shui lifted her eyes and locked onto Guo Laosan's face. Finally, she spoke, her voice soft, "Here."

Her voice was low, and Guo Laosan didn't catch it clearly. Furrowing his brow, he raised his tone a bit, "What did you say? Speak up!"

A gust of wind suddenly rose, tousling A Shui's hair. Slowly, she lifted her hand, gathering the disarrayed strands behind her ears, revealing a clean and delicate face. She looked at Guo Laosan, a hint of icy smile playing at the corner of her mouth, and said slowly, word by word, "He's here."

__________________________________________

Tn: This is my 2nd translation, you're welcome to check it out.

Ok, i was super angry at the way GL behaved but damn A Shui, you did great. Let the horror begin....