Volume 1: Farmer's Joy 001 Reborn Again

  The snow is falling heavily, and it's been many years since I've seen such a big snowfall.

  After a morning's time, with one kick, the gate creaked open, and the small leg was already submerged! In Sanlitun, northeast corner, Xiaocai Lianqing's house had more than half of its door broken, and the wind blew the rattling fence door open. A burly man with a ferocious face rushed in, shouting, "Sister, sister, where are you? Brother is here to save you! Lianqing, get out!"

  "Big, big brother——" A weak voice seemed to be buried in the snow. The newcomer grabbed Lian Qing's thin body with one hand, holding it like a small cat, with a ferocious face. "Where is my sister? Is this scoundrel bullying you? Sister——ah, sister, what happened to you——Waaah, sister, brother came too late——"

  The scholar was thrown by him and fell to the ground with a thud. His face twitched in pain, but seeing the other person rush to the wooden bed beside him, he clenched his fists tightly and didn't dare make a sound - on the bed lay a woman, wearing a coarse linen dress, her round face had rolled out two double chins, her eyes were tightly closed, while the man beside her wailed, "Sister, my poor sister, if only I had known that Lian Qing would harm you, how could brother have stopped this marriage, brother was wrong, brother is sorry to you -"

  "Autumn, my Autumn, what's wrong with you? You can't die, Autumn. If you die, how will your father go on? I should have known better than to agree to this marriage and send you to your death in the wolf's den. This is all your fault, isn't it? How will your father be able to face your mother again? Autumn——"

  "You, with the surname Lian, you said that you would... How did you harm my sister to such an extent? I'm telling you, if you don't explain clearly and thoroughly, I'll send you to the yamen right now and let the officials interrogate you. My sister was harmed by you, and you must pay with your life for what you've done to her!"

  Lian Qing's face changed greatly as he was pulled up again, and with a strong struggle, he couldn't break free from Fu Xiang's large hands. He took a deep breath, his tone somewhat unpleasant, "Big Brother-in-law, it would be better if you take back what you just said. I have never treated Autumn Lotus poorly, only...only she..." Originally, Lian Qing wanted to say that only she had treated him poorly, but as a scholar who had read the classics since childhood and emphasized not speaking ill of others behind their backs, especially when it came to his wife who had passed away after sharing a bed with him for many years. His gaze swept over Fu Autumn Lotus's motionless body on the bed, and his heart softened, "It was my fault, I didn't take good care of Autumn Lotus, Autumn Lotus really wasn't harmed by me, she...she is..."

  "How was she, you'd better say it. If you don't say it, I won't let you off." The old master Fu, who loved his daughter as much as his life, was a businessman after all, and had gone through some things, so when he got angry, he wasn't someone ordinary people could compare to. He glared at Lian Qing with anger, crying with a nose full of snot and tears, "When I married my daughter to you, how did you promise me? You said you would treat Autumn Lotus well, but it's only been two years! Two years, and my daughter is still pregnant with your child. You...you killed her. Let an old man with white hair send off a young woman with black hair. How can you be so heartless?"

  "Dad, why bother talking to him? Let's send him to the authorities and exchange a life for a life with our sister."

  Even if I were to send an official, it would be impossible to save my precious daughter.

  Mr. Fu couldn't care about his image, looking at the bed where his daughter was quietly lying, as if she were asleep, and he cried so hard that he couldn't catch his breath - His old wife had passed away early, this girl was a late-born child, when she was born, Mrs. Fu was already over 30 years old, and Fu Qiulian was not even two years old when Mrs. Fu passed away. Mr. Fu was afraid that the children would be bullied, so he didn't remarry, and with great difficulty, he raised the two children on his own, especially the younger daughter, whom he cherished like a precious treasure. Hadn't he had a hard time all these years?

  He had been waiting for his daughter to get married and have children so he could hold his grandchild. But in the blink of an eye, his daughter was gone.

  Just a few days ago, she was still smiling and being playful with me, full of life. In the blink of an eye, is it really forever goodbye?

  In the midst of a house full of wailing, Lian Qing hesitated to speak several times. Finally, his complex gaze fell on his wife who had stopped breathing on the bed. His father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law both demanded an explanation from him, and he also wanted an explanation from others, didn't he?

  Tell me, have you ever seen a wife from any family who could eat a piece of pastry to death?

  It's laughable, indeed it is laughable. But the fact is really like this.

  Feng Qiu Lian choked to death from eating too many dim sum!

  Her head was splitting, and the crying and shouting beside her ear wouldn't stop. Fu Qiu Lian really wanted to yell at them all to shut up! But now she could only lie in bed, without even the energy to open her eyes. She had been listening to this commotion for half a day already, ever since that man named Fu Zhan Qiang came in and started crying, calling out "Lian Qing is a scholar"...

  It seems like I have been reborn in some unknown era.

  Later, another person started crying, it was Madame Fu. She knew that the original owner's father had passed away and hearing the sound of crying, she felt heartbroken too. After a while, she heard the voice of Fu Zhanqiang next to her ear, full of anger, "Lian Qing, you won't say anything, will you? Let's go to the government office to report this matter right now. I want to see how you can still show your face and claim to be a scholar in the future. Bah, a scholar who harms people's lives!"

  "Big Uncle, listen to me, it's really not what you think - "

  In her struggles, Fú Qiūlián suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Don't mind him." She thought her voice was loud enough, but in reality, it sounded like a cat's meow after she spoke. Fú Zhǎnqiáng and Lián Qīng were too busy arguing to hear clearly, but Fú Lǎoyé, who was crying beside her, heard it and his face lit up with joy. "Lián'ér, Lián'ér, are you okay? Is that really you? You've really woken up, haven't you? Haha, I knew you wouldn't leave your old man behind, nor would your mother take you away from me and make me suffer. Haha, Qiángzǐ, Qiángzǐ, your sister is fine, Lián'ér has woken up!"

  "Sister, sister, are you really okay? Are you uncomfortable anywhere, are you thirsty or hungry? Ah, lie down and don't move, I'll go get something for you to eat." Fú Zhǎnqiáng's large and rough figure suddenly became gentle in front of his only younger sister Fú Qiūlián. He stared blankly at the ground, unsure whether he was happy or wanted to cry. "My sister woke up, are you very disappointed? Why are you still standing there like a fool, hurry up and go call the doctor! If anything happens to my sister again, I'll beat you up."

  Before Lian Qing could even lift his foot, Master Fu's urging voice rang out, "I'm telling you, Lian Qing, your family doesn't have swallow's nest either, hurry up and cook some millet porridge, remember to add some red dates, make it soft and fine, Lotus loves sweet things." At the same time, he shook his head at Fu Qiu Lotus who was half-sitting up, with a self-reproaching expression, "I should have known better than to think that breaking off an engagement made when you were young would be easy, marrying you over here, look at how much suffering you have to endure, my poor daughter..."

  "Yes, Father, otherwise, let's bring our sister back home."

  "Hmm, this saying is quite good."

  The father and son were completely unguarded in their conversation, leaving the listener at a loss for what to do first - go ask for a doctor or listen to his father-in-law's suggestion to cook porridge. Lian Qing's expression turned gloomy - why did he have to take his wife back? He opened his mouth, about to retort, when Fu Autumn Lotus on the bed quickly pulled at Old Man Fu's sleeve and spoke in a soft voice, "Dad, I'm a bit hungry." How about eating something first? As for asking for a doctor, she had it all figured out - the master of the house was very healthy!

  "My sister is hungry, why don't you hurry up and cook something? Are you trying to starve my sister?"

  "I'm going right now!" Lian Qing muttered to himself a hundred times, "A gentleman does not fight with petty people," and went to the only kitchen in the outer house with a dark face. He quickly lit the fire, boiled water, rinsed rice, and cooked porridge. In the room, Fu Lao Ye carefully helped his daughter put a pillow behind her back, letting her lean comfortably, "Lian'er, tell your father, was it that little brat who bullied you? Father will help you get revenge."

  "Don't be afraid, little sister, I'm here for you. If he dares to mess with you, I'll beat him up so badly that he'll be picking his teeth off the ground."

  Looking at the father and son in front of her, Fú Qiūlián saw a flock of crows flying before her eyes. She had seen doting fathers and brother complexes, but never such an unprincipled and boundless father-slave and brother-slave! What's this about Fú Qiūlián being bullied? Why not think about what kind of character the original host was? With a father and brother like that, even Qīng dared to bully Fú Qiūlián?

  Afraid of losing face, the two from the Fu family will come knocking on the door with their feet tomorrow!

  She looked up at Fu Lao's affectionate eyes, and her heart softened again. The love of parents for their daughters is never enough. She had the intention to learn from Fu Qiulian's usual behavior and coax Fu Lao a little, while complaining about Lian Qing. However, when she saw Lian Qing enter with a bowl of steaming hot porridge, wearing thin clothes due to the cold, his face slightly pale, Fu Qiulian swallowed her words. "Dad, brother, what are you thinking? It's my fault, I was greedy for fun, went out to see the snow, and accidentally fell, choked on some air. Look at me, aren't I fine?" She rolled her eyes, smiled brightly, and stuck out her tongue, "Or else, I'll spin around twice for Dad to see?"

  "What nonsense! Hurry up and lie down, Father still trusts you!" That little scoundrel didn't dare bully Lian'er again, or he'd be done for. He glared at Lianqing who was standing aside, "What are you staring at? Can't even bring over the porridge? If Lian'er followed you, how much suffering would she have to endure?" Fu Lao Ye personally fed his daughter spoonful by spoonful, grumbling about his son-in-law. Although his face was stern, the smile in his eyes couldn't be hidden. He was overjoyed. Luckily, Heaven had opened its eyes and returned his daughter to him.

  Mr. Fu immediately patted his chest in his heart, and tomorrow he will hand it over. This year's New Year must buy a whole pig, the biggest one, to worship and thank our ancestors for their blessings. Next to him, without Mr. Fu's quick hands, Fou Zhongqiang, who failed to grab the porridge to feed Fou Qiulian, vented his anger on his brother-in-law, "You say, how do you take care of my sister? Such a big snow, what did you let her go out for? She went out, why didn't you follow her? What do you want to do? Ah, is it that you want something to happen to my sister so you can marry another?"

  Lian Qing's face turned even darker, "Big Brother-in-law, listen to me explain."

  "What's interpretation? Don't you know interpretation is just an excuse?"

  Plop! Fow Autumn Lotus spat out the porridge she had just drunk on the bed, "This brother is also too fierce, right?"