Chapter 119

That familiar voice made both Sister-in-law Li and Shitou freeze for a moment. They looked up to see An An, eyes sparkling with curiosity, his face practically shouting, “Tell me more!”

Sister-in-law Li rubbed her temples helplessly, unsure how to explain things to this little gossip who was barely up to her waist.

An An was wonderful in every way—except that he’d inherited his father’s nosy personality. No matter what was going on, he had to know. He’d grab a handful of Grandma’s roasted sunflower seeds and trot over to see what the fuss was about.

If it were Li Dazhuang acting this way, a grown man still so nosy, people would’ve been fed up long ago.

But An An? This tiny thing who couldn’t even reach their shoulders, running over with his little legs and wide eyes—he was just too adorable to resist.

Sister-in-law Li bent down and scooped him up, ruffling his hair. When she saw An An grinning with squinted eyes, she couldn’t help but smile too.

“We’re not planning anything just yet. What if your brother gets married and stops doting on you?”

Shitou’s face turned bright red as he rushed to explain that he would never do such a thing. An An rested his chin on his hand, thinking seriously for a moment, then said:

“That’s okay. I’ll dote on my brother’s kid~”

After saying that, An An patted his own chest, lifted his chin slightly, and chuckled.

“Then I’ll be a big brother too.”

“By seniority, that wouldn’t make you a big brother,” Sister-in-law Li corrected patiently, tidying up the hem of his shirt. She decided it was better to explain things clearly now—otherwise, he’d definitely go repeat it to his father.

And once anything reached Li Dazhuang’s ears, it’d spread like wildfire. What started as “there’s a sheep at the village entrance” would end up as “he turned into a sheep” by the time it reached the other end.

“Someone in our village got together with an Educated Youth. I told your brother he shouldn’t be marrying one.”

In their entire production team, Educated Youth had a terrible reputation—seen as all talk and no action.

Even the village dogs couldn’t walk past them without getting kicked. After all these years, they still hadn’t integrated into the village. The Educated Youth Point and the village were like two separate worlds.

An An didn’t have a great impression of the Educated Youth either. He nodded in agreement.

“I don’t like them either.”

Sister-in-law Li didn’t expect her son or daughter to marry into wealth. She just wanted them to live steady, peaceful lives.

Most Educated Youth were arrogant and looked down on villagers like them. Sister-in-law Li had overheard plenty of them criticizing the villagers behind their backs, calling them dirty and uncultured.

Whether marrying in or out, it would never end well. She didn’t want someone coming in and stirring up trouble in her household.

Little An An fished out some sunflower seeds from his pocket and started cracking them open. Sister-in-law Li, still holding him, headed to the family plot to pick vegetables.

After they left, Xiao Hua came out of the house and sat on a small stool, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed at the sky.

“Ge, are the Educated Youth really that bad?”

Shitou, much like their father, always needed to keep busy. He was fixing a stool and responded with a quiet “Mm.”

“If Mom says they’re bad, then they’re bad. Mom’s never wrong.”

Xiao Hua didn’t reply. She realized she and her brother didn’t really speak the same language. In his eyes, whatever their parents said was gospel.

But she didn’t feel the same. One time, passing by the Educated Youth Point, she’d heard a young woman reading aloud. Her voice was beautiful. Xiao Hua didn’t understand the words, but something in her heart stirred.

In the family plot, An An was helping pull up radishes. Even though he’d eaten all sorts of delicious food after growing up, in his heart, radishes were still the tastiest.

Sister-in-law Li and Granny Li were happy to spoil him. Every year during radish season, they divided the family plot into three parts, dedicating one section to growing radishes just for him.

After pulling up the radishes, he shook off the dirt, tore off the leaves to feed the chickens later, and placed the roots into the basket.

At first, Sister-in-law Li only took care of An An out of familial duty. After all, he’d lost his mother so young, and her mother-in-law was getting old and couldn’t manage everything.

But over time, she couldn’t help growing genuinely fond of the boy, treating him like her own.

Even Xiao Hua, who was quite sweet, preferred running off to play. Not An An—he clung to Sister-in-law Li like a little shadow, following her around all day, calling out “Auntie” in his soft, milky voice.

Once they were done, An An took the initiative to carry the basket home. Sister-in-law Li gathered the rest of the vegetables to feed the chickens.

As An An walked ahead, Sister-in-law Li could still hear his cheerful muttering.

“Auntie works so hard~ An An’s not tired, An An’s happy~”

The topic of a male Educated Youth marrying a village girl had been debated for days without resolution.

Fortunately, the girl’s family valued daughters, and since she only had a younger brother who wasn’t of marriageable age yet, the man had moved into her home—practically like a live-in son-in-law.

Word was, that male Educated Youth had been ostracized by the rest of the Educated Youth Point because of this. They even stopped cooking meals with him.

The Production Team Leader had seen more of the world. In neighboring villages, several Educated Youth had already married local youths. Once the couples decided to marry, he took them to register their marriage certificates.

They even held a few wedding banquets back in the village, all paid for by the bride’s parents.

After that first example, more and more young villagers began pairing up with Educated Youth.

It had been years since the Educated Youth were sent down to the countryside, and still no policy to return to the city had emerged. The future seemed endlessly uncertain.

Most of them were in their twenties—the prime age for marriage. Once they realized returning to the city was unlikely, they began reevaluating their lives.

Before, they’d avoided getting too entangled with villagers, hoping to go back to the city.

But now, with no end in sight, they had to make peace with reality. Getting along with the villagers was the only way to live a good life.

In the Li family, Shitou wasn’t of marriageable age yet, so only Li Dazhuang was left to be scolded by Granny Li.

She yanked his ear and warned him that if he dared get involved with any Educated Youth, she’d kick him out of the house for good.

And An An would stay!

Li Dazhuang, lounging with his legs crossed and waiting for his son to peel peanuts for him, suddenly got a kick from his mother. Completely confused, he had no idea what was going on.

“Ma, Ma, Ma! My ear! I swear I’d never get involved with those Educated Youth! Don’t you trust me?”

There weren’t many families in the village, and someone had indeed set their sights on them.

Most village homes were overcrowded, with a dozen people crammed into one house—worse than the Educated Youth Point.

But the Li family was simple. The two elders were in good health and could still help out.

Sister-in-law Li and Granny Li had good temperaments, and Grandpa Li and Elder Brother Li rarely meddled in anything.

Li Dazhuang was the only bachelor in the house. While he wasn’t particularly capable, he had good looks and a cute son who was at a charming age.

All things considered, it wasn’t surprising that some clever female Educated Youth were willing to marry in and become An An’s stepmother.

Granny Li had seen plenty in her day. She knew exactly what those girls were thinking. So she gave her pain-averse son a harsh warning—nearly tearing his ear off.

Before heading off to cook, she threw down a final threat.

“If you dare mess around with an Educated Youth, pack your things and get out!”

Li Dazhuang, the youngest and most spoiled son, had never been treated so harshly. Clutching his ear, he muttered a reluctant agreement.

After Granny Li went back inside, An An came over and placed a peeled peanut in his father’s hand. Then he stood on tiptoe and gently blew on his dad’s ear.

“Not hurting anymore~”

Li Dazhuang pulled his son into his arms. An An kept staring at his dad’s red ear.

“What are you looking at?”

“It looks like the pig ears hanging over there.”

An An tucked his hands into his sleeves, looking all innocent as he pointed toward the room where they kept the firewood in winter.

One year, they’d been given a pig’s head and smoked it in that room. On New Year’s Day, it turned a bright red—exactly like his dad’s ear now.

Li Dazhuang’s face darkened. He wanted to knock his cheeky son on the head, but his ear still throbbed. He popped a peanut into his mouth and pretended he hadn’t heard anything.

Sister-in-law Li came back from washing vegetables. She knew her brother-in-law loved village gossip, so whenever she heard anything, she’d tell him.

“Third Son of the Song family—word is, he’s not going to make it.”

“Huh?”

Li Dazhuang immediately looked up. There was only one Song Laosan in the village, and they used to be pretty close.

They were the same age. How come he was still lounging around waiting for his son to peel peanuts, while the other was on his deathbed?

Father and son leaned in at the same time, both staring at Sister-in-law Li with identical curiosity.

She set down her basin and sighed before explaining.

She’d overheard it at the river. No matter how much Song Laosan resisted, his two older brothers insisted on splitting the family property.

Even his parents, threatened with being abandoned in old age, eventually gave in.

After the split, Song Laosan and his young son, Song Longqi, were dumped in an abandoned house at the edge of the village.

His son was even younger than An An—how could he take care of anyone? In just a few days, the once-decent man was worn down to nothing. When his parents finally softened and went to check on him, he was already in bad shape.

They cared for him for a few days and called a doctor, who said he probably didn’t have much time left.

Now that he was dying, even his brothers didn’t stop their parents from visiting. That’s how the news got out.

Li Dazhuang fed a peanut to An An but had no appetite himself.

He thought about it for a long time and realized Song Laosan had brought this on himself.

If he hadn’t tried to sneak off with an Educated Youth in the dead of winter—if he hadn’t been foolish enough to try stealing a tiger cub—he wouldn’t have ended up like this.

He’d nearly dragged Li Dazhuang and An An down with him. If they hadn’t run fast enough, who knows how many more would’ve gotten hurt.

With that thought, any sympathy he had vanished. He only felt sorry for the little boy who was about to lose his father.

“Sis-in-law, what do you think’ll happen to Song Laosan’s kid once he’s gone?”

Sister-in-law Li actually gave it some thought before replying casually:

“Judging by how upset his parents are, they’ll probably take the grandson in. He’s just a little kid—his uncles probably won’t object.”

Thanks to what Song Laosan did, the family’s reputation was in ruins. No one wanted to marry into the family, and even the matchmakers got scolded just for mentioning them.

If his brothers didn’t resent him after all that, Sister-in-law Li would be impressed.

“Well, that’s good.”

Hearing that the boy would be taken care of, Li Dazhuang felt relieved and stopped asking questions. He went back to coaxing An An to peel more peanuts.

Sure enough, Song Laosan didn’t last long. After his death, Song Longqi was taken in by his grandparents. Even with another mouth to feed, the other kids didn’t complain.

None of this had anything to do with An An—except that his System kept warning him to stay away from the boy.

An An was lounging on the swing his uncle had made, soaking up the sun, when he heard the System speak in a tone more serious than ever before.

As a curious child, he couldn’t help but ask:

“Why?”

Then, feeling that maybe it wasn’t polite to ask, he quickly added in his heart:

“It’s okay if you can’t say~”

“Song Laosan’s death wasn’t an accident,” the System replied.

Worried An An wouldn’t understand, it elaborated further:

“Based on a normal human lifespan, he should’ve had at least two more years.”

He couldn’t do hard labor, but there was nothing seriously wrong with him. His parents were soft-hearted and occasionally brought him food.

The reason he died so quickly was because Song Longqi had completely drained his luck.

Without his luck, even a minor injury quickly became infected and led to his death.

An An had always lived a peaceful life in the Li family. Though times were sometimes hard, he’d never heard of something so dark.

He instinctively shrank into himself, hugging his little body. A gust of wind blew past, and he shivered in fright.

The System didn’t offer any comfort. Growing up in such a warm, healthy family had its downsides—like being far too naive.

With the kind of luck he carried, it was no surprise that most people would be envious. And with the mark from his past life still lingering on Song Longqi, it was only a matter of time before he set his sights on An An.

An An, so innocent and defenseless, might very well lend a hand out of sympathy if he saw someone in need.

So the System decided to lay all the cards on the table early. That way, if something like that ever did happen, An An would be prepared and wouldn’t be so easily fooled.

That night, when An An was sleeping with his father, Li Dazhuang had already tucked him in and was about to close his eyes when An An suddenly rolled over.

Li Dazhuang, exhausted from the day and just wanting to sleep, forced his eyes open when he saw the movement and looked at his son carefully.

“What’s wrong?”

An An propped himself up on his elbows and crawled over to his father, tilting his head up to stare at him. His dark, shiny eyes were especially bright in the night.

“Daddy, promise me something.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Li Dazhuang was intrigued. What could a kid this small possibly want him to promise?

Maybe he wanted to go up the mountain tomorrow and get something tasty?

“Don’t like that kid from the Song family.”

An An said it with a serious face, emphasizing the point to his father, which made Li Dazhuang laugh out loud.

He already knew his son could be a little possessive, but he hadn’t expected him to be this petty.

It had been ages since he casually mentioned Song Laosan’s son—how was An An still hung up on that?

Li Dazhuang didn’t think too deeply about it. He was just delighted that his son loved him so much, afraid that some other kid might steal his dad’s attention.

He pulled An An into his arms, heart brimming with sweetness.

Looking down, he saw An An’s confused little face, clearly still not understanding the situation. He couldn’t help himself and planted a big kiss on his son’s cheek.

An An instinctively scrunched up his little eyebrows and tried to squirm away. To Li Dazhuang, that just meant his son was shy, which only made him seem even cuter.

Even after he fell asleep, Li Dazhuang couldn’t help but chuckle softly in his dreams.

…

Life had been good these past few years—each year better than the last. Though the family had a silent agreement not to let others know how special An An was, it was hard to keep a child like him cooped up at home.

Every time An An went out, he’d run into something unusual.

Shitou and Xiao Hua had learned from experience and always carried a small pouch with them. If they came across anything strange, they’d stash it away and bring it home when the time was right.

On the surface, the Li family looked no different from any other household in the village. But in private, their lives were quite comfortable.

And so, An An grew up day by day in this environment.

It all started when one of the Educated Youths married a local and became part of the village. Once it was clear that such unions worked out well, more Educated Youths began to follow suit. Even if the Production Team Leader wanted to stop it, there was no way to hold it back.

All they could do was explain the situation clearly: if they were serious about being together, they had to go to the county seat with the Team Leader and get a marriage certificate.

No certificate, no relationship.

It was a form of protection for both parties.

Even Xiao Chun’s husband’s younger brother ended up marrying an Educated Youth who had been sent down to their village.

Last year, because their family had grown too large, Xiao Chun’s in-laws decided to split the household. Xiao Chun moved to a new place with her daughter, who was old enough to help out, and her younger son.

Their quality of life wasn’t what it used to be, but being able to live their own lives made Xiao Chun very content.

Her husband was honest and dependable. After Sister-in-law Li taught her a few things, Xiao Chun took charge of the household and had her husband wrapped around her finger.

Whenever they came across anything good, they’d bring it back for An An to try.

Every year, a new group of Educated Youths would arrive in the village, though the numbers had dwindled in recent years. Outside, the crackdown on profiteering wasn’t as strict as it used to be.

Granny Li had been thinking about getting An An a new outfit for the New Year when an old lady pulled her into the county’s black market. She saw all kinds of rare goods there.

Though Granny Li was getting on in years, she was still bold. She snuck back a second time and managed to gather quite a bit of information.

When she returned home and told the family, Grandpa Li, Sister-in-law Li, and Elder Brother Li all looked serious.

The events from over a decade ago were still fresh in their minds. They were terrified of new upheaval.

If possible, they just wanted An An to live a quiet, stable life like he was now.

Li Dazhuang, on the other hand, hadn’t paid much attention to what Granny Li said. All he heard was that she could get more tasty food, and he was already planning to ask if she could get some for him—he hadn’t had anything sweet in a long time.

An An wasn’t home at the moment. It was the turn of spring to summer, and the hills were full of wild berries. He loved them and always came back with his pockets stuffed.

He didn’t dare venture too deep into the mountains. Ever since Song Laosan was mauled by a tiger, all the village children had been warned to stay far away.

An An had always been an obedient child, so of course he wouldn’t disobey.

At most, he’d wander around the outskirts. The only real problem was that the animals on the mountain seemed to want to die next to him—every time, it scared him half to death.

Only the System understood what was going on. An An’s luck was incredibly powerful.

The wild beasts would die beside him, brushing against his fate before death to ensure their passing would bring him benefit. This created a bond between them.

To those animals, it was far better than dying as just another beast.

As the sun began to set, An An started running faster.

His clothes were bulging with wild berries, and his short legs moved quickly. Xiao Hua realized it was getting late too—if they didn’t get back soon, their mother would be furious. She wished she could carry her little brother and run.

Just then, a rabbit darted out from the side and slammed into An An’s leg, collapsing dead at his feet. An An froze in fright.

Not long ago, they’d brought home a wild chicken, and a neighbor happened to see. That neighbor had been watching their house ever since. Granny and Auntie had warned them repeatedly not to bring anything else back.

But this rabbit was so plump—it felt like such a waste to leave it behind. If they waited for the right time to bring it home, the carcass might spoil.

An An grabbed the rabbit by its leg and walked a few steps before spotting the old cowshed nearby.

Their village only had one cow, which was usually tied up on the other side of the village for work. This cowshed had long been abandoned.

An An remembered Granny telling him that someone lived in the cowshed and that he should never go near it.

His palm was sweaty from carrying the rabbit. He knew he couldn’t take it home—if anyone found out, the consequences would be serious.

He exchanged a glance with his sister. Xiao Hua immediately realized her little brother was up to something. After a moment of hesitation, she leaned in and whispered:

“What is it?”

“Let’s give the rabbit to them, okay?”

Xiao Hua was older and understood more. She knew the people in the cowshed weren’t good news. Their mother had warned them many times never to have any contact.

If they ever ran into them on the road, they shouldn’t even speak.

But still, the rabbit was too big to just leave. They’d been raised never to waste anything. After thinking it over for a long time, Xiao Hua finally nodded.

“Okay.”

An An mustered his courage and walked up to the cowshed door, lowering his voice.

“Is anyone there? Anyone?”

He really did want to get rid of the rabbit, but he was also terrified of being seen.

Even a child as doted on as An An knew that if he got caught talking to these people, his butt would be in serious trouble.

A hunched middle-aged man soon emerged from the cowshed. He didn’t look that old, but the hair around his temples had already gone white.

“This is for you.”

Xiao Hua said it bravely, and An An dropped the rabbit on the ground. The two of them turned and ran.

By the time Su Xiansheng came to his senses, the kids were already gone.

From their panicked expressions, it was clear they thought the rabbit was something they couldn’t take home, so they left it here instead.

Either way, it was a blessing for him.

His wife was barely hanging on. She was sick and had no medicine. It looked like she didn’t have much time left. A good meal before she went would be a small mercy.

Thinking this, Su Xiansheng picked up the rabbit and brought it inside.

“Who was it?”

His wife’s weak voice came from the back. Su Xiansheng gave her a brief explanation.

While preparing the rabbit, he suddenly noticed something in its mouth. He pried it open and found what looked like a shriveled root.

His wife had once been a renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and he himself was a biologist. In their earlier years, he often helped her sort herbs.

Through exposure, he’d come to recognize many of them.

But it had been so long since he’d handled any, he wasn’t entirely sure.

His hands trembled as he held the root. He helped his wife sit up and showed it to her.

“Is this ginseng?”

Madam Su was skilled in traditional medicine, but ever since their fall from grace, she hadn’t been able to gather the herbs she needed.

Not long ago, she’d realized something was wrong with her body and listed a few herbs. Su Xiansheng had gone up the mountain to search but didn’t dare go far. He’d even fallen in the rain a few days ago.

Without the right ingredients, Madam Su had resigned herself to death.

The most critical herb in her prescription was ginseng—but it was nearly impossible to find in this region.

Su Xiansheng had gone up the mountain in the rain hoping for a miracle.

He never imagined he’d actually find one—and from a rabbit’s mouth, no less.

“Yes. How did you find this?”

Madam Su was puzzled. She’d noticed before that the local climate wasn’t suitable for ginseng. Finding it should have been nearly impossible.

“The rabbit had it in its mouth. This is incredible. Absolutely incredible.”

The two had fallen in love freely and shared a deep bond. Even they had given up hope, but fate had turned things around.

“Those kids probably didn’t know how valuable it was.”

“Yeah, they looked like they were in a hurry to get home.”

Su Xiansheng agreed and went to brew the medicine for his wife.

Given their current situation, repaying such a debt was impossible. Not dragging those kids into trouble was the best he could do.

Still, whether intentional or not, those two children had saved his wife’s life. That was a debt he would never forget.

…

Another year passed, and Shitou’s marriage was arranged. The girl was from their village, someone Sister-in-law Li had watched grow up. She had a good temperament and wasn’t the type to stir up trouble. Sister-in-law Li was very pleased.

She brought out everything she’d saved over the years, ready to throw a proper wedding.

But just before the wedding, the girl’s mother showed up at their door, face full of apology and bearing gifts. The moment Sister-in-law Li saw her, she had a bad feeling.

“What’s the matter, Auntie? Our families are about to become one. If something’s wrong, you could’ve just spoken to Shitou.”

Sister-in-law Li still had a smile on her face. But the auntie’s expression only grew more remorseful.

“I’m so sorry. Everything was going so well… but that girl of mine, she’s just not lucky.”

Xiao Hua brought out a glass of water, but the woman was too ashamed to drink it.

After much questioning, Sister-in-law Li finally learned the truth.

The girl had confessed to her family just the night before—she wanted to be with an Educated Youth. He had already promised to marry her.

If her parents forced her to marry Shitou, she said she’d rather die.

She was a pampered daughter, and no matter how upset her parents were, they couldn’t bear to see her like that. So they came to break off the engagement.

After hearing the reason, the smile vanished from Sister-in-law Li’s face. The only reason she didn’t throw the woman out was because of her good temper.

An An, sitting on the swing and munching sunflower seeds, noticed his brother looking downcast. He and Xiao Hua took Shitou to the family plot to pull weeds.

“Don’t be sad, Brother.”

Normally, Shitou would’ve smiled and nodded when An An said something like that. But today, he couldn’t even force a smile.

“Mm.”

“I think you’re better than any Educated Youth! Better than all of them!”

An An patted his brother’s shoulder. Xiao Hua handed him a freshly picked flower and chimed in:

“I think so too!”

His younger brother and sister sat on either side of Shitou. He glanced left, then right, and the breeze that blew past carried the scent of flowers and fresh grass, easing the heaviness in his heart.

In the village, whether it was young men or women, when it came to choosing a spouse, they almost always preferred the Educated Youth—the Zhiqing.

After all, they came from the city, especially those who had only recently been sent down to the countryside in the past couple of years.

They wore clean, stylish clothes and recited poems the villagers had never even heard of. From the way they spoke and carried themselves, it was obvious—they were from a different world.

Shitou looked down at his own hands. He’d just been pulling weeds, and there was still dirt under his nails. No wonder they looked down on him.

An An wrapped his small hand around his brother’s. The soft, tender skin of a child’s hand was a stark contrast to Shitou’s—hardened from years of labor. The difference made Shitou feel a pang of indescribable sorrow.

“Big Brother is amazing! You’re the best at working. My dad says it’s thanks to you that I get to eat till I’m full.”

Li Dazhuang had indeed told An An that, hoping the boy would cozy up to Shitou.

Now that his father could barely work and his eldest brother was getting on in years, he wanted his son to build a good relationship with Shitou—so they could lean on relatives in the future.

“Yeah! Big Brother’s the best at working. There’s hardly anyone in the village who can match him.”

An An tilted his head and leaned against Shitou’s knee, and Xiao Hua followed her little brother’s lead.

Suddenly, Shitou had two tiny heads resting in his lap. Looking at the happy smiles on their faces, he couldn’t help but smile too.

When he was first rejected from the engagement, Shitou had been deeply hurt and disappointed.

It wasn’t that he was madly in love with the girl—everything had been arranged by their parents. But they’d grown up together, and when he heard she was to be his bride, he’d let himself dream a little.

It was only after the engagement was broken off that he realized why she had always stared at his hands.

She must’ve been disgusted by the calluses and grime that never quite washed off after farm work. At first glance, his hands did look dirty.

Not like the Educated Youth at the Educated Youth Point—their hands were pale, slender, with clean, defined joints.

But now, with An An and Xiao Hua’s hands tucked into his own, he gently squeezed them, looked down at their smiling faces, and suddenly, the pain didn’t feel so sharp.

So what if his hands weren’t pretty? You can’t eat with pretty hands, can you?

Xiao An’an’s hair was thick and soft, and when the wind blew, he could even smell the faint scent of soapberry from when the boy had washed it.

He was well cared for at home, always with snacks stuffed in his pockets. His cheeks were round and chubby, making him look absolutely adorable.

Shitou had figured it out—sure, his hands weren’t good-looking. But he could raise An An to be fatter than the village piglets!