The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Tong Layue set out with a small basket containing the Huangqin she had dug up the previous day. After walking more than a dozen li along the mountain roads, she finally arrived in Gengle Town.
There was a clinic in town run by an elderly traditional physician named Sun Dianqing. His medical skills were exceptional—he could diagnose illnesses simply by feeling a patient’s pulse. He was widely recognized as one of the finest physicians in the area.
More importantly, Tong Layue happened to be distantly related to him.
Her Sixth Aunt on her father’s side had married Sun Dianqing, so by family custom, Tong Layue addressed him as Sixth Uncle-in-law.
The clinic stood beside the busiest marketplace in town, occupying a little over thirty square meters.
As soon as she entered, she saw rows of traditional medicine cabinets lining the left wall. Various medicinal herbs were piled neatly in front, while on the right sat an elderly man with a long white beard, taking a patient’s pulse.
It was Sun Dianqing.
After the patient left, Tong Layue walked over with a smile.
“Sixth Uncle-in-law… it’s me, Tong Layue. Is Sixth Aunt doing well?”
“She’s doing well, doing well.”
Sun Dianqing looked up at her, thinking for a moment before recognizing her as one of his wife’s distant nieces.
Smiling warmly, he said, “Layue, are you feeling unwell? Let your Sixth Uncle-in-law take a look.”
“I’m fine,” Tong Layue replied with a smile. “I’m here to sell some medicinal herbs.”
As she spoke, she took out the Huangqin and laid it on the table.
“I dug these myself. Please have a look and tell me what they’re worth.”
Sun Dianqing picked up one of the roots, smelled it, squeezed it gently, then snapped off a small rootlet and tasted it.
After a moment, he nodded.
“Wild Huangqin… about seven or eight years old.”
“I buy these.”
“I’ll give you 1.2 yuan per jin. How does that sound?”
Tong Layue readily agreed.
Sun Dianqing brought out a small scale and weighed the herbs.
“They come to five jin and three liang.”
“I’ll round it up.”
“Six yuan and forty cents. Here, take it.”
Tong Layue accepted the money and prepared to leave.
Just then, Sun Dianqing called after her.
“Layue, if you find more herbs like these in the future, bring them to me.”
“If you’ve got a larger quantity, I can even offer a better price.”
“All right.”
Leaving the clinic, Tong Layue headed straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.
She spent 1.6 yuan on ten jin of wheat flour.
Another 3.2 yuan bought two jin of pork.
She spent 0.5 yuan on half a jin of sugar-coated candies.
Finally, she paid 1 yuan for two pairs of shoe soles, intending to sew cloth shoes for her children when she got home.
She couldn’t help marveling at how much purchasing power money had in those days.
A basketful of medicinal herbs had been exchanged for an entire basket of food…
…and she still had thirty cents left over.
Carrying her purchases, Tong Layue began the long walk home.
Though the mountain road was exhausting, her spirits remained high despite the more than ten-kilometer round trip.
She found herself planning for the future.
Once she earned more money from selling herbs, she’d buy a mule.
Then she wouldn’t have to walk all the way to town anymore.
After that…
She would build a large new house.
And someday…
Her children would be able to eat meat-filled dumplings whenever they wanted.
The previous morning, after leaving Tong Layue’s house, Matchmaker Wang had gone straight to the Song family to report that Tong Layue had refused the marriage.
Old Madam Qian immediately changed her attitude and demanded the twenty-yuan matchmaking fee back.
With no choice, Matchmaker Wang returned the money and left with an ugly expression.
As for Song Dalong…
He hadn’t actually wanted to pursue the marriage that aggressively, but his opinion didn’t matter much in the family.
After Tong Layue refused him, he had enough self-awareness to think that he’d probably never find a wife for the rest of his life.
That evening, he drowned his sorrows in an entire bottle of baijiu.
By the time he woke up, it was already late the next morning.
Still groggy, he wandered behind the house toward the dry latrine.
Before he got there, he heard several villagers chatting noisily beyond the courtyard wall.
“You should’ve seen Old Madam Qian yesterday! The moment Tong Layue said Song Dalong was Accountant Xu’s son, she was so scared she collapsed right onto the ground!”
“I’d bet Song Dalong really is a bastard.”
“I feel sorry for Song Jinping. Such an honest man, only to spend thirty years wearing a green hat because of Accountant Xu.”
“If you ask me, how does Song Dalong even have the nerve to dream of getting married?”
“Forget Layue—even Two Noses wouldn’t want him.”
“Two Noses” was the villagers’ nickname for a disabled woman who had been born with two noses, giving her a frightening appearance.
When she was young, she had married a blind man known as Blind Zeng.
After his death, she had remained a widow for more than thirty years.
Hearing that even “Two Noses” supposedly wouldn’t marry him, Song Dalong became so furious that he couldn’t even finish relieving himself.
Pulling up his pants, he stormed toward the back of the courtyard, intending to confront the gossiping villagers.
Unexpectedly, Old Madam Qian had also come into the backyard.
Still cursing angrily, she carried a basin of filthy wastewater and dumped it over the courtyard wall.
“You bunch of dogs! Believing every rumor you hear!”
“If any of you keep talking about my family, I’ll beat you to death!”
Immediately, startled screams erupted outside.
A moment later came a flood of angry curses.
The argument escalated instantly.
Separated only by the earthen courtyard wall, both sides shouted insults back and forth without giving an inch.
Old Madam Qian was hopelessly outnumbered.
Unable to withstand the barrage from several fierce village women, she became even angrier.
She climbed onto the wall to continue yelling down at them from above.
The next moment, Song Jinping yanked her back down.
He was even angrier than she was.
For the past two days, the entire village had been talking about how Accountant Xu had cuckolded him.
He hadn’t even gone to work with the production team, choosing instead to hide in the house all day.
Had the shouting outside not become unbearable, he would never have come out.
“You still don’t think we’ve been humiliated enough?” Song Jinping roared.
“Our family’s become the laughingstock of the entire village, and you still—”
“I’ve done nothing wrong! I fear no rumors!”
Smack!
Song Jinping slapped her so hard that she spun in place.
“Bullshit!”
“You’ve done nothing wrong?”
“Tell me the truth!”
“Whose son is Dalong?”
Old Madam Qian immediately threw herself onto the ground, wailing and crying.
“I’ve worked like an ox for the Song family for over thirty years!”
“I gave birth to your children!”
“Even if I haven’t earned merit, I’ve certainly suffered enough!”
“And now you’re believing Tong Layue’s nonsense and suspecting me?”
“I don’t want to live anymore!”
As she shouted, she lowered her head and charged toward the earthen wall.
Fortunately, Song Dalong reacted quickly enough to grab hold of her before she hit it.
Song Jinping glanced at her coldly.
“If you’ve got the guts…”
“Then go ahead and die for real.”
Leaving those words behind, he turned and walked out of the house.
Song Dalong helped his mother back inside.
Watching his father’s reaction…
He became almost certain of one thing.
He really wasn’t Song Jinping’s biological son.
“Mom…”
“That Tong Layue is absolutely despicable!”
“I really want to… I really want to teach her a lesson!”
He clenched his teeth in frustration, but he had no idea what to do.
Old Madam Qian was equally furious.
“That’s right!”
“We can’t let this end here!”
“Since Tong Layue wants to be so vicious…”
“I’ll make sure you marry her into this family.”
“Once she’s here, we’ll deal with her properly.”
“We’ll make her kneel down and beg for mercy!”
“Huh?”
Song Dalong stared at her in confusion.
“But… she doesn’t want to marry me.”
If Tong Layue refused, how could he possibly marry her?
Old Madam Qian narrowed her eyes.
“I saw her heading toward town early this morning.”
“She was dressed all fancily.”
“She must’ve gone to fool around with some rich man.”
“When she comes back…”
“You’ll do exactly as I tell you…”