C11 Marriage

Her son was shy around new people, and her sister-in-law had never taken care of a child before. When the two were together, it wasn't just about noise; they might even end up in a playful scuffle. She had her concerns, but little did she know that her son and sister-in-law had already bonded over games and shared some joyful moments.

Binbin was delighted to see Fulai. He covered his eyes with his hands but peeked through his fingers, saying, "Auntie, peekaboo."

The little guy was quite amusing. "Binbin, let's not play peekaboo. Look, this is one, then add another, and it's two. So, if you add one more, what is it?"

Binbin counted on his fingers, "Three."

Pretty smart. "That's right, it's three. Now, if you open all the fingers on this hand, how many is that?"

"Peekaboo." Counting fingers wasn't much fun; he preferred playing peekaboo.

Fulai shook her head. "Binbin, we can't play peekaboo right after eating. How about I tell you a story instead?"

"Peekaboo." The little guy was stubborn, insisting on playing.

"Then let's tell a peekaboo story. Once upon a time, there was a white cat, as white as snow."

"White, white." "Yes, just like a white cat."

In the living room, the eldest son, who had just returned from delivering rice, was reporting to his father.

"I made a point to walk around under the big tree in the village. A lot of people saw me, and I chatted with them for a bit. After that, I went to the Qi family's place. Aunt Qi personally took the rice. She even kindly invited me to stay for dinner, but I declined." The rice delivery went smoothly without any hesitation.

Zong Qingshan waved it off. "Alright, let's eat. We'll leave it at that for now."

Zong Liming couldn't read much from his father's expression, but he was really hungry. He took the food his mother handed him and started eating heartily.

After a few big bites, he slowed down. "Is my little sister doing okay?"

"She's fine. I'm thinking of buying that piece of land next door to build her a house for when she gets married. What do you think?"

Fulai was getting married, and her fiancé was a man with nothing to his name. If they didn’t help out a bit, their daughter would be the one to suffer.

“It’s a good idea, but the Wang family isn’t selling, are they?” The eldest scratched his head. He’d asked about that rundown plot next door at least three times before.

Zong Qingshan’s expression didn’t change. “That was then, this is now.”

“Dad, should I go talk to the Wang family again tomorrow?” He wasn’t as optimistic as his father. The Wangs weren’t easy to deal with.

Zong Qingshan had heard that the Wang family’s eldest daughter was in some big trouble, though he didn’t know the details. Sending his clueless eldest to negotiate seemed perfect. “Yes!”

The eldest was a bit dumbfounded. Was he being set up again?

He looked at his father with a pitiful expression, only to see him get up and leave, showing him nothing but his back.

In their family of three brothers, he never got the good deals, only the short end of the stick. “Why do I always have to prove I’m the adopted one?”

“Hey, I saved you an extra cornbread. Don’t tell anyone,” his mom whispered to him.

It was actually his sister’s share, but since she was sick, soup was better for her. The extra cornbread came in handy to comfort him after his father’s little trick.

Zong Liming’s face brightened immediately. “Mom, you must be my real mom, treating me so well!”

“Eating doesn’t stop your chatter. I’ll clean up the dishes. You should get some rest.”

The eldest son wasn’t the brightest, but he was obedient and hardworking, and he wasn’t picky about food. There wasn’t much that couldn’t be solved with a good meal, so she always favored him a bit when it came to food.

Taking a big bite of the cornbread, Zong Liming happily replied, “Okay, you should get some sleep too, Mom.”

As night fell, the crescent moon hung on the treetops, and the Zong family’s small yard echoed with the sound of snoring.

Fulai couldn't sleep; she was too curious about the space, especially the thriving rice fields, which captivated her like a beautiful sight she couldn't get enough of. Eventually, she couldn't hold on and fell asleep without even knowing if she had exited the space.

Fulai was in a good mood and slept soundly, waking up around nine in the morning. In the kitchen, there was a bowl of egg custard and a bowl of cornmeal porridge waiting for her. After eating, she planned to take a walk around the village, only to find the front gate locked from the outside. Fulai sighed at the closed gate, knowing only her big brother would do something like this.

Her brother, her own big brother—what could she do? Since she couldn't go out, she decided to stay home. The front yard wasn't large; to the left of the entrance was a white grapefruit tree, and to the right, a red grapefruit tree. In the middle was a stone table that could seat over ten people.

The house had eight rooms: a living room, a kitchen and bathroom, a storage room, and five bedrooms. This property was bought by Qingshan years ago, mainly for the backyard's private plot. To keep it legally, he cleverly divided the property, as the rule was one plot per five people or one household. Once acquired, he piled up soil and dug deep, turning the two plots into a semi-three-dimensional space.

In the garden, they grew greens, chives, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and radishes, each in its own neat little patch. Along the wall, a row of pumpkins bloomed with vibrant yellow flowers. If the excess flowers weren't removed, the small pumpkins would struggle to grow into large ones.

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