The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 136 - 135: Taking Daya to Beijing City

"Will the Liu Family agree?"

Mrs. He snorted. "Why wouldn’t they? Someone will be feeding and housing her, which saves their family grain. Daya is already fifteen. In less than two years, the Liu Family will definitely be arranging a marriage for her. And for the sake of money, who knows what kind of person they’ll marry her off to."

He Lang couldn’t even recall what the little girl looked like anymore. "I’ll make a trip to the Liu Family’s place tomorrow and see how Daya is doing. If it’s a good fit, we’ll take her with us."

Mr. He shook his head. "The Liu Family won’t let Daya go that easily. They’ll definitely demand money." Mr. He knew that family quite well; they were all the type to get greedy at the sight of money.

He Lang, however, didn’t seem to mind. "It’s fine. If she’s a good fit, I’ll pay her a monthly wage. If the Liu Family gets too greedy, then there’s nothing I can do."

Mrs. He sighed. "I was just thinking, since you’re all going so far away, it’s better to have family you can trust. But if the Liu Family makes things too difficult, just forget about it."

He Nan hesitated for a moment. "Third Brother, are you really giving up this job?"

"Yeah, Big Brother. I’ve already spoken with the team captain. You can just go and report for duty tomorrow. But since you’ll be new, you’ll definitely have to learn everything from the beginning."

He Nan nodded. "I understand. But about the job... I can’t just take it for free. How much money do you think would be fair for me to give you?"

"Big Brother, I didn’t spend any money to get this job back then. There’s no need for formalities between us brothers. Just go and do a good job. This line of work is still very dangerous, so be extra careful."

He Nan waved his hand dismissively. "No, that won’t do. I have to give you something, no matter how little. There’s my sister-in-law to consider, after all."

He Lang smiled. "Yue’er already knows, and she agrees. So, Big Brother, don’t worry about the money. It’s just that once we’re gone, Mom and Dad will be relying on you. When we find a place to live in Beijing City, I’ll give you our address. Just let me know if anything comes up."

"Don’t worry about Mom and Dad. I’ll be here. It’s just... that girl Ziqing—" The thought of his own daughter suddenly going so far away made He Nan feel uneasy.

He Lang replied, "Don’t worry, Big Brother. Ziqing is my niece; I’ll keep an eye on her. We could even have her live with us. That way, we can look out for each other." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He Nan breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that won’t be necessary. Ziqing told me she wants to live in the dorms to make more friends. In that case, I’ll have to trouble you and my sister-in-law."

Mr. He looked on, gratified. "Oldest, since your third brother and his wife will be in Beijing City, you can rest easy. As for the job he’s giving you, just make sure you do it well."

"I know, Dad."

He Lang went back and told Xue Yue what his mother had suggested, and Xue Yue thought it was a good idea too.

"Ruanruan is fine; we can send her to preschool. But as for Shiyi, he’s not old enough for school yet, so we’ll need someone to watch him. You should go and check tomorrow. If it works out, we’ll give them five yuan a month to have Daya help us watch the kids."

They hadn’t seen Daya in several years. The last time Xue Yue had seen her was when He Yun gave birth to her son. She wondered how the little girl was doing now.

Xue Yue also showed He Lang the things her father had given her.

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Well, I’ll be. I didn’t expect your father to have a private stash."

Xue Yue shot him a look. "What do you mean, ’private stash’? Those were left by my mother."

He Lang picked them up and looked. "These are all antiques. This bracelet, in particular, should be worth a lot."

"I plan on giving the bracelet to my sister-in-law, but I’ll keep this hairpin." Since they were all things her mother had left behind, Xue Yue didn’t care about their monetary value. She just considered them keepsakes from her mother.

He Lang let her be.

「The next day, He Lang went to the Liu Family’s home.」

Just as he stepped through the Liu Family’s main gate, he saw a five or six-year-old boy in the courtyard riding on the back of a girl who looked to be in her teens. The girl was on her hands and knees, crawling with her head down, while the boy periodically slapped her back, shouting, "GIDDY-UP, GIDDY-UP! Faster, horsey, run!"

He Lang squinted for a few seconds before calling out, "Daya?"

The girl kneeling on the ground paused, then slowly raised her head to look at the visitor.

After a long moment, she called out in a hoarse voice, "Third Uncle."

Only then did He Lang get a clear look at her face. She was dark and terribly thin, with a bluish-black bruise on her cheek. She wore a blue-black robe covered in patches, and it was clearly ill-fitting. The oversized garment looked awkward on her.

He Lang’s heart ached at the sight. He walked over and lifted the boy off her back in one motion.

Jinbao, having been lifted down by He Lang, didn’t cry. He just stared curiously at He Lang, pouting as he asked, "Who are you?"

He Lang glanced at him, then pulled Daya up from the ground.

"Where are your parents?"

Daya pointed to the house, her eyes fixed on He Lang. "Third Uncle."

He Lang grunted in acknowledgment, his expression grim as he stroked her head. "Your face—who hit you?"

Daya’s eyes darted away, and she quickly lowered her head. "No one, Third Uncle. I’ll go get Mom."

Seeing this, Jinbao quickly ran to the main house.

When He Yun came out, she saw He Lang standing in the courtyard. She froze for a second. Just as she was about to speak, she remembered the time she’d asked to borrow money from him, and her face hardened. "What are you doing here?"

He Lang sneered. "I came to give you money."

He Yun was taken aback. "Give me money? You’d be that kind?"

He Lang looked at her. "I’m here on business. Can we talk inside?"

Liu Jian Country came out of the house. Seeing it was He Lang, he immediately extended a warm invitation. "Third Brother-in-law, you’re here! Come in, come on in and we can talk."

Once inside, He Lang stated his purpose directly.

Liu Jian Country and He Yun were both in disbelief. "Third Sister-in-law got into university, so you’re moving to Beijing City? And you want to take Daya with you?"

He Lang nodded. "That’s right."

Daya stood at the doorway, listening. When she heard He Lang say he wanted to take her to Beijing City, a flicker of light appeared in her eyes. But then she saw her parents’ expressions, and the light vanished.

Liu Jian Country was confused. "What can Daya do there?"

He Lang said calmly, "My son is not yet three, and my wife will be starting school, so we’re looking for someone to help watch the kids. We’ll cover room and board and pay two yuan a month. My mother told me your Daya might be a good fit. If I take her, it’ll save you some grain, and I’ll give you two yuan a month. What do you think?"

He Yun and Liu Jian Country exchanged a look. He Yun thought for two seconds, then held up three fingers to He Lang. "Three yuan a month. Our Daya can do all sorts of work. Three yuan isn’t much."

He Lang agreed immediately. "Alright."

Seeing He Lang agree so readily, He Yun thought, ’Did I ask for too little?’ Just as she was about to ask for more, she saw her mother-in-law and father-in-law approaching, with Jinbao trailing behind them.

Jinbao ran up to He Lang, held out his hand, and demanded, "My grandma said you’re my Third Uncle. So give me money. I want to buy snacks."

He Lang glanced at Jinbao, then at Mr. and Mrs. Liu. A glint appeared in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth quirked into a smirk. "No money," he said, his tone unreadable.

Jinbao turned to Mrs. Liu. "Grandma, you’re a liar! He said he doesn’t have any money."

Liu Jian Country, feeling embarrassed, yanked his son aside and explained He Lang’s purpose for visiting to his own parents.

Mrs. Liu immediately objected. "No way. If Daya leaves, who’s going to do her chores?"