OBS Chapter 264 Whom I Want to Give It To
Chapter 264 Whom I Want to Give It To
The mountain road was rugged, and although Li Xiangyang was in good physical condition, carrying two people still made him sweat profusely.
"Uncle, are you tired? Do you want to rest for a bit?" Xiao Lan asked with concern, sitting on the front bar and looking up.
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "Uncle, you're not tired. Let's walk a little further and find a place to rest in the village ahead."
"Xiangyang, why don't we get off and walk for a while?" Li Guihua said with some heartache, looking at her younger brother's clothes soaked with sweat.
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "Sister, just sit down. Lutai Village isn't far ahead. We'll find a place to stay for the night and continue our journey tomorrow."
As the sun began to set, the three arrived at Lutai Village.
This is a village slightly larger than Xiaoliang Village. At the entrance of the village, there are several towering trees, and under the trees, several elderly people are enjoying the cool air and chatting.
Li Xiangyang stopped his car and politely asked, "Sir, is there anywhere in the village where I can stay for the night?"
An elderly man with white hair looked at Li Xiangyang and Li Guihua, then at Xiao Lan, and smiled kindly: "Young man, are you just passing by?"
“Yes, we’re traveling from Shanhe Town back to Xiaoliang Village. It’s a long way, so we’d like to stay overnight in the village,” Li Xiangyang explained.
"From Xiaoliang Village?" The old man's eyes lit up. "Do you know Old Zheng? From Lianggang Village, he used to be a hunter."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "I know him. I'm a hunter too. Speaking of which, Grandpa Zheng Defa taught me how to hunt. Although we weren't officially master and apprentice, in my heart, he was truly my master."
"Haha, then we're acquaintances." The old man stood up. "My name is Liu Deshan. I used to hunt with Old Zheng. Come with me, you'll stay at my house tonight."
Li Xiangyang nodded gratefully and pushed the cart, following Liu Deshan into the village.
The Liu family's courtyard was small but very tidy. There was an old peach tree in the courtyard, and the peaches were already ripe, with the unripe fruits hanging on the branches.
Liu Deshan's wife is a kind old lady who busied herself preparing dinner when guests arrived.
“Auntie, it doesn’t need to be too complicated, something simple will do,” Li Guihua quickly said.
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," Aunt Liu said with a smile. "It's rare to have guests, so I might as well kill a chicken today."
After dinner, Liu Deshan took out a bag of tobacco and handed Li Xiangyang a piece of cigarette paper: "Young man, you know how to roll cigarettes, right?"
Li Xiangyang nodded, skillfully rolled a cigarette, handed it to the old man, and then rolled one for himself.
In the courtyard, Aunt Liu took Li Guihua and Xiao Lan to see the chickens and ducks, leaving only Li Xiangyang and Liu Deshan inside the house smoking.
"Young man, judging from your situation, what's troubling you?" Liu Deshan asked slowly, exhaling a smoke ring.
Li Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth: "Grandpa Liu, I went to pick up my sister. She was wronged at the Yan family's house in Shanhe Town, and she just finished her divorce proceedings today."
Liu Deshan frowned. "I see. No wonder that girl's eyes were still red." He sighed. "These days, it's not easy for a woman to live after a divorce."
Li Xiangyang said firmly, "With me here, I won't let my sister and niece suffer."
Liu Deshan nodded, his eyes showing approval: "This young man is responsible, like a real man."
As night deepened, Li Guihua and Xiao Lan slept in the inner room, while Li Xiangyang rested on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the outer room.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang got up. He went out into the yard and saw Liu Deshan already chopping firewood.
"Good morning, Grandpa Liu," Li Xiangyang greeted him.
"Young man, you're up early!" Liu Deshan said with a smile. "Your sister and child are still asleep; let them rest a little longer."
Li Xiangyang nodded, took the axe from Liu Deshan, and chopped up the remaining firewood in a few strokes.
After breakfast, Li Xiangyang thanked Liu Deshan and his wife and prepared to set off.
Aunt Liu took out a bundle and handed it to Li Guihua: "Girl, this is for food on the road. There are two sugar cakes inside, for the child."
Li Guihua's eyes welled up with tears: "Thank you, Auntie."
"No need to thank me, take good care of yourself and your child," Aunt Liu said kindly, patting Li Guihua's hand.
Liu Deshan walked up to Li Xiangyang and handed him a small cloth bag: "Young man, be careful on the road. Here are some herbs. If you get tired, brew them into a drink to refresh yourself."
Li Xiangyang accepted the cloth bag and solemnly thanked him, "Grandpa Liu, I can't thank you enough. I will definitely visit you in person when I have the chance."
Liu Deshan waved his hand: "Go ahead, be careful on the road."
After bidding farewell to Liu Deshan and his wife, the three continued their journey.
The weather was hot and the mountain roads were rugged, so Li Xiangyang had to stop and rest frequently.
As the sun began to set, the three finally saw the outline of Xiaoliang Village.
Looking at her hometown, which she hadn't seen for many years, tears streamed down Li Guihua's face.
When the three rode their bicycles into the village, the villagers looked at them in surprise.
After all, Li Guihua had been away from home for many years, and her return with her child was bound to attract attention.
Li Xiangyang didn't bother to explain and rode his bike directly to his uncle's house.
As soon as I arrived at my doorstep, I heard a commotion coming from the yard.
Pushing open the door, I saw my eldest uncle's family and my second uncle's family standing in the yard, seemingly arguing fiercely about something.
Everyone was stunned when they saw Li Xiangyang bring Li Guihua and Xiao Lan in.
Finally seeing her family, Li Guihua didn't say anything, but silently shed tears.
"What's wrong?" Li Jianguo asked, frowning, seeing his daughter like this.
Li Xiangyang leaned his bicycle against the wall and said in a deep voice, "My eldest sister has divorced the Yan family."
The courtyard fell silent immediately after he said that.
In this day and age, divorce is an extremely serious matter, especially for women, as it almost means a stain on their reputation for life.
"Divorce?" Auntie exclaimed in shock. "This...this is terrible!"
Auntie covered her mouth, staring at Li Guihua in shock.
Li Xiangyang looked around and said firmly, "This is settled. We've already gotten the divorce certificates. My older sister and Xiaolan will live in my old family house from now on; I'll give it to them."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Li Jianguo's expression became complicated.
His nephew gave the old house to his daughter, and he should have been happy, but he just couldn't feel happy at all.
These days, a woman getting divorced is a huge deal, and no matter the reason, she will be gossiped about.
Second Uncle Li Jianbo was also somewhat unhappy.
He had previously swallowed his pride and asked Li Xiangyang to help his son find a job in the city, but the young man refused without hesitation.
Now this kid is so generous, giving away the old house in the blink of an eye, how could he not feel a little unhappy?
“Xiangyang, the old house was left to you by your father. How can you just give it away like that?” Second Uncle said with some dissatisfaction.
"Exactly, isn't this just ridiculous? If they really take yours, what will the villagers say?" The uncle couldn't save face either.
Li Xiangyang laughed dismissively: "Uncle, what era are we living in? Why do you care what others say? Besides, they're already divorced. It would be shameful for my sister to go back to her parents' home. Does she think it's honorable for her to continue being bullied in the Yan family?"
The uncle was speechless after being rebuked.
Second Uncle sighed, "Xiangyang, your eldest uncle is also worried that your sister won't have a good life in the future. These days, divorced women will always be gossiped about by the villagers."
Li Xiangyang said in a deep voice, "Then let them talk! Can't we control what they say? As long as they don't take what we say seriously, that's fine."
Seeing Li Xiangyang's resolute expression, his eldest and second uncles knew that the matter was beyond change.
"Then...about the old house?" the uncle asked hesitantly.
Li Xiangyang said decisively, "It's my own house; I can give it to whomever I want."