The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 79 - 78: He Yun Is Kicked Out

At the end of November, the first snow of the winter began to fall.

The snow wasn’t heavy. It drifted down all day before stopping that night.

The next morning, Liu Jian Country and He Yun arrived at the He Family’s home with their son, Jinbao.

Almost every year after the first snow, He Yun would come home to stay for a while—for half a month at the least, or as long as right up until the New Year. Of course, she came empty-handed again. He Yun did this to save her own family’s food supply. She knew that as soon as it snowed, the villagers would hunker down for the winter, so she came.

Upon entering the courtyard, they ran into He Nan.

"Big Brother," He Yun called out.

"Little Sister is here." He Nan glanced at them, said nothing more, and went back inside.

He Yun entered Mr. and Mrs. He’s room with some trepidation.

"Dad, Mom, I’m back."

Inside, Mr. He was smoking on the kang, while Mrs. He sat on the edge of it, sewing.

Seeing her and Liu Jian Country enter, Mrs. He stopped what she was doing.

"Why are you back?"

He Yun placed her son on the kang, then hugged Mrs. He’s arm and said coaxingly, "Mom, it’s just that I haven’t seen you and Dad for a few months, and I missed you."

Mrs. He looked at the family of three. "Why didn’t Daya come?"

He Yun said nonchalantly, "We didn’t bring Daya. She’s at home working."

Mrs. He said in astonishment, "What kind of work can a little girl like Daya do?"

He Yun pouted. "Mom, Daya is already six. She can wash the dishes and do laundry. You can’t spoil children."

Mr. He stopped smoking and looked at her, his face grim.

Mrs. He almost choked with anger. "Daya is only six, and you’re making her do all that? Are all the adults in your house dead?"

"Mom, how can you curse us like that?" He Yun glanced at Liu Jian Country, afraid he would get angry.

Mrs. He’s face was cold. "I’ll do more than curse you. I’ll hit you, too."

Mrs. He swung her hand and slapped He Yun across the face.

SLAP! He Yun clutched her face in disbelief, looking at her mother.

"Mom, why did you hit me?"

Mrs. He stared at her coldly. "Don’t call me Mom. I don’t have a daughter as vicious as you. Get out. Don’t come back ever again. I don’t want to see you."

He Yun turned to Mr. He. "Dad!"

Mr. He looked at her and Liu Jian Country, his expression calm. "He Yun, we didn’t raise you well. That’s our fault. I hope you won’t mistreat your own child. At least she’s your own flesh and blood. We’ve said what we needed to say. You should go back now."

He Yun looked at her mother again, but Mrs. He had turned away and wouldn’t look at her.

Seeing this, Liu Jian Country had no choice but to say, "Dad, Mom, we’ll be heading back then."

With that, he took He Yun’s arm, picked up their child, and left the room.

In the courtyard, they met Guo Jinfeng, who had come out to empty a basin of water.

Guo Jinfeng glanced at them but didn’t say anything.

He Yun, in a daze, was pulled out of the courtyard by Liu Jian Country.

Back in the room, Mrs. He’s hands trembled. It was the first time she had ever hit He Yun, and her own heart ached terribly.

On the way home, He Yun held her child and muttered to herself, ’This is the first time Mom has ever hit me. What did I do wrong? Am I less important than Daya? What’s wrong with making Daya work? We had to go to the fields to glean wheat and pull weeds when we were kids. Mom must have gone crazy. I’m never coming back here again.’

Liu Jian Country remained silent the whole time.

As they neared their home, they heard Daya’s crying and Mrs. Liu’s angry scolding from the courtyard.

"You useless girl! You can’t even do a simple chore right! Look, you’ve ruined this perfectly good piece of clothing by washing it!"

The two entered the courtyard and saw Daya squatting on the ground while Mrs. Liu whipped her with a piece of clothing.

Liu Jian Country called out helplessly, "Mom, that shirt is years old. It’s normal for it to fall apart in the wash. Just talk to Daya, don’t hit her."

Mrs. Liu was so angry she was about to scold them, but then she suddenly remembered that today was the day He Yun and her son were supposed to go stay at her parents’ house.

"Why are you back already?"

Liu Jian Country said, "It’s nothing. He Yun didn’t want to go anymore, so we came back."

Mrs. Liu’s eyes widened. "What? Not going? Then we won’t have enough food to eat! Doesn’t she go every winter? Why not this year?"

He Yun hung her head without a word, then carried her child back into their room.

Mrs. Liu glanced at He Yun, then asked Liu Jian Country, "Don’t tell me that old hag threw you out?"

She hit the nail on the head!

Liu Jian Country sighed and went back into the room as well.

Furious, Mrs. Liu paced back and forth in the courtyard. Seeing Daya again, she walked over and kicked her.

"What are you doing, dying over here? Go wash the vegetables, hurry up."

In December, He Zhendong and Yang Xiaoxia were formally engaged. The wedding was set for February of next year.

To thank Xue Yue and He Lang, the eldest aunt specially gave them half a catty of candy and a bolt of cloth, saying they were the matchmakers and should accept it.

Xue Yue had no choice but to accept.

It was perfect timing, as she had recently been making small clothes, a small quilt, and also needed to make waterproof pads and diapers for the baby.

Someone from He Lang’s work team was driving to the provincial capital, so He Lang had specifically asked them to bring back some milk powder and some softer fabric.

Meanwhile, Xue Yue had also submitted her second manuscript, asking He Lang to mail it for her.

Compared to the uncertainty of her first attempt, this time she felt a little more confident.

That night, just as He Lang and Xue Yue had fallen asleep, they heard something violently crash against the main gate.

He Lang shot up in bed.

Xue Yue asked him, "What was that sound?"

He Lang shook his head. "It sounded like something hit the gate."

Xue Yue was startled too. "What could it be? A person or an animal?"

"I don’t know."

They both sat up and listened intently.

Then they heard a CRACK, followed by He Daqiang’s voice.

"A wild boar’s come down from the mountain! A wild boar’s come down from the mountain!"

Xue Yue looked at He Lang. "A wild boar?"

He Lang quickly got dressed and climbed out of bed.

"Lock the door from the inside and don’t come out. I’m going to take a look."

Xue Yue said worriedly to He Lang, "Be careful."

"I know."

After speaking, He Lang went out the door. In the courtyard, he grabbed a thick, sturdy stick, carefully opened the courtyard gate, went out, and closed it behind him.

Xue Yue also got out of bed and braced the door shut from the inside. Her heart pounded, all sleepiness gone, and she just sat there waiting.

A long time later, He Lang finally returned.

Xue Yue opened the door and asked him, "What about the boar?"

He Lang washed his hands. "We killed it. Took it to the production brigade."

Xue Yue looked him up and down. "You’re not hurt, are you?"

He Lang shook his head. "No, but Da Qiang got a little scraped up. The boar broke down his gate."

"Why would a wild boar suddenly come down the mountain?"

He Lang took off his coat. "It’s not strange. It’s happened before. When it snows, the boars can’t find food on the mountain, or they get lost and come down looking for something to eat. I remember one summer, two wild boars ran down and trampled a huge patch of crops."

"Let’s get some sleep. The brigade is going to distribute the pork tomorrow."

Xue Yue asked, "With so many people, how will they divide it?"

"They’ve always divided it by household, so I guess it’ll be the same now. Each family gets a catty or half a catty, just enough for a little treat."