I used rebirth to bury his captivating gaze.

Chapter 44 A Handsome Man Arrives at the Liu Family (The Yang Family of Three Comes to Question Us)

On the third day after Yang Zhi and Liu Yue got engaged again, Liu's mother received a letter from her younger brother in the county town.

The letter stated that the second aunt worked at a clothing factory in the county town, and there happened to be a job opening, but only those with connections within the government could get the position.

The deputy factory director has a son who is about the same age as Liu Yue and doesn't have a girlfriend. If Liu Yue doesn't have a girlfriend, I'll bring him over next time I come to see him.

This letter was read to Liu's mother by her eldest daughter's son, who lived in the last row of mud-brick houses at the west end of the village. She knew that when her family saw that the letter came from her second uncle's family in the county town, it must be related to Liu Yue's blind date, so she didn't let her family know about the letter.

Although Liu's mother was illiterate, she was very familiar with the fact that her second uncle always sent the same kind of envelopes made of sturdy yellow kraft paper.

If this letter falls into the hands of someone else in the family, it will probably be destroyed.

Her heart had just calmed down for a few days when it started to grow restless again.

Then, the second-year junior high school student wrote a letter asking for a reply. The letter said that Liu Yue did not have a boyfriend. She had been engaged to a young man from the same village, but the engagement was broken off. Her second uncle and aunt suggested that you introduce Liu Yue to a young man who could work in a factory.

The eldest daughter, sitting to the side, spoke up, "Mom, isn't this a bad idea? Liu Yue already has a boyfriend. Why would you let your second uncle in the city introduce her to someone? Besides, Yang Zhi is a skilled carpenter; girls are lining up to marry him. Mom, you keep making your third sister break off engagements. What if she complains about you later?"

“What’s there to complain about? Isn’t it good that she went to work in the city? It’s true that Yang Zhi is a carpenter, but your third sister will be serving a whole bunch of people, young and old, in the Yang family. She’ll spend her whole life stuck in the countryside as a housewife.”

"Grandma, when I grow up, I will also go to the city to be a worker, so that every time Mom takes me to my second uncle's house in the county town, my brother will say that I am a peasant and will not let me into the house because he dislikes that my feet are covered in mud."

"Xiao Hui, don't talk nonsense. Second Uncle's son, Xiao Jun, is a good boy. He won't look down on us."

"Mom, you've forgotten, last time we went to his house, Xiaojun said of me, 'A country bumpkin coming to the city, with a rope tied around his waist, watching a movie he didn't even know the name of.'"

"Where did this kid learn this kind of talking?"

"Mom, you don't remember anything, it's just what Brother Xiaojun said about me. There were only the two of us in the room at the time, and then we went out the door."

"Xiaohui, good boy, when we grow up and get into university, we'll have stable jobs and we'll dress like city people. Then no one will say we're from the countryside."

Liu's mother continued, "Xiao Hui's maternal grandmother has gone back. Tomorrow she'll be going to Tuan Ding Shan Middle School. Don't forget to send your son's maternal uncle's letter. Grandma will give you one yuan."

"Grandma, I'm so old, why are you still giving me a dollar?"

Liu Hua said, "Xiao Hui, one yuan is enough for you to eat lunch at the school cafeteria for a week."

“Xiao Hui has grown up. He’s fifteen and in the second year of junior high school. You can mail the letter now. Grandma will give you ten yuan next time she comes.”

"Okay, I want to buy sneakers."

"Okay, Grandma's leaving now, it'll be dark soon." After saying that, Liu's mother walked out and went home.

Three days later, Liu's second uncle, who lived in the county town, arrived with a young man.

The young man was dressed fashionably, with a perm, and he was quite handsome; he looked like a city dweller.

Regardless of what title the Liu family used to address him, they treated him with hospitality.

My second uncle left for the county town after lunch.

Then the Yang family, who were already engaged to Liu Yue again, found out about this handsome young man. Diao Yan was furious and cursed him from behind, asking what Liu Yue meant by being engaged to someone else and then looking for another one.

Why not just have Yang Zhi break up with Liu Yue, who's two-timing him? With Yang Zhi's family descendant and his ancestral carpentry skills, he could find any beautiful wife he wanted.

In the countryside, there's no need to find a fairy-like wife. Just find someone who can bear children and do housework. What's the use of finding someone too beautiful? There's a saying: "An ugly wife is a treasure in the home."

A wife who is too beautiful is probably too much for even a carpenter to keep.

What's even more infuriating is that the handsome young man from Liu Lianglai stayed for several days before leaving. The young man and Liu Yue walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing, on the dirt road in front of the Yang family compound in the village.

A few days later, Diao Yan and Yang Zhanxi couldn't hold back any longer and dragged Yang Zhi to their neighbor, Liu Lu, who lived in the next house across the street, to demand an explanation and prevent Wang Zhi's fiancée from being cuckolded.

The rumors and gossip circulating in the village—does Director Liu even know that people living in the countryside, despite their usual jovial demeanor, can spread like wildfire throughout the entire village in a minute if someone has something good to say?

This is called "good things bring fame, bad things travel a thousand miles!"

So be careful what you do; a small temple has many demons, and shallow waters have many turtles. They're all uncultured, but they cause a lot of trouble. Diao Yan cursed all the way.

"Alright, stop cursing. When you get to the Liu family, stop talking nonsense. Let me tell you, One-Eyed Dragon is ruthless. If you start cursing and he hits you, I won't be responsible."

"Why should I say less? If you're afraid of him being one-eyed, you can always return the goods."

Diao Yan and her family of three, Yang Zhi insisted on bringing Yang Yuhan to the Liu family as well.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Liu Yue and that handsome boy standing in the yard, chatting and laughing.

Diao Yan was furious, and Yang Zhi was also filled with rage; he was just short of stepping forward and slapping the two of them across the face.

Liu Yue noticed the three approaching hurriedly, so she immediately stopped talking to the handsome man and quickly walked over to greet them.

Unexpectedly, her enthusiasm was met with indifference from the three men. Left out in the back, she quickened her pace to catch up, wondering what she was trying to explain.

Yang Zhi was also furious and ignored her, his face drooping unsightly. He really wanted to slap her for being shameless, but Yang Yuhan glanced at him sideways. Then, seeing that he had calmed down, Yang Yuhan nodded to him.

Yang Zhanxi wasn't idle either, he stepped into the east room of the three mud-brick houses to settle accounts with the old man, demanding a refund, and that not a single penny of the betrothal gift be returned.

Last time, when the engagement was called off, they didn't refund 100 yuan.

"Annedict the engagement." These were the first two words Diao Yanqi uttered as she entered the house.

"Hey Lao Liu, what's going on in your family? Your two kids are going through a tug-of-war over their engagements. This time you even brought the real person home. Our son just got engaged, and now you want to get engaged to my son again. Now I understand, it turns out your Liu family is going through all this trouble because of that other guy."

One-Eyed Dragon sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his wrinkled, calloused hand holding a thin wooden stick, constantly fiddling with the burning wick of a diesel lamp. The more he fiddled with the wick, the brighter the flame burned!

Liu's mother was also sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) mending clothes, her defiant expression remaining silent!

"Ahem!" Yang Zhi coughed twice on purpose, still calling out to the two old men.

At this point, Diao Yan couldn't hold back any longer and said angrily, "Don't pretend to be mute and stay silent. Make things clear today. You sincerely want to ruin my son's engagement with that girl outside and make my son a bachelor for the rest of his life."

Liu Yue walked into the house. "Auntie, you've misunderstood us. He's my cousin."

The handsome young man followed closely behind and said, "Xiaoyue, who is your cousin? Your cousin and his parents are here for a visit?"