Within three days, a message spread throughout the Lin family village - Lin Xiaofan and Lin Xiaoyao were getting married! The college student Lin Xiaofan is going to marry that ugly Lin Xiaoyao! This was not a rumor, it was true. Naturally, many people in the village mocked the situation, saying that I, Lin Xiaofan, used to have high standards and ended up choosing someone like her. Lin Xiaoyao didn't have much reaction, and my family didn't say much to others. Gossip is formidable; in a village where people have nothing else to do besides work in the fields, how could they not spread rumors?
This was the result of my discussion with the Fat Boy that day. That is, I would marry Lin Xiaoyao. It all happened so suddenly. Initially, I had asked the Fat Boy to go urinate, just to tell him about Lin Xiaoyao. I told him not to tell Lin Sanshui about it. If they hadn't divorced, then forget it, but if they had, everything would be set in stone. Now, if I tell them that as soon as Lin Xiaoyao marries me, they can have children, wouldn't that be sickening? Furthermore, after digging up the grave that day, the coffin didn't open. In the Fat Boy's words, if there was a dead body inside, it would be easy to take it out. But if it was a bat and it flew out after opening it, then everything would be finished. Earlier, it was urgent, but now, with a phone call, someone would probably come to take Little Yao away. There was no need for an astrologer. Times were advancing. Satellite tracking was amazing, right? Hearing the Fat Boy's words, I was thoroughly frightened. With the GPS on, Little Yao would absolutely have nowhere to hide. This matter had to be dealt with quickly. Of course, I really wasn't acting based on Little Yao's fate. Honestly, when it came to supernatural matters, I had seen a lot and considered it normal. But when it came to feng shui and fortune, I truly didn't believe much. Little Yao and I got married purely because we had opened up after talking to my father. Knowing that her face could be healed made us completely open up.
If Little Yao's face could be healed, then marrying her with me, for me, would also be considered virtue from our ancestors. When we truly decided to get married, I felt relieved. I had finally stepped out of that tangled, improper love affair.
The wedding was a simple affair. Little Yao was now living at my place, and when I returned to tell my family about it, no one objected. Ever since that night, our family was known for frequent joyous occasions. One was the treatment of Little Yao’s face. Although her face hadn't fully recovered, it was basically a done deal. Additionally, I was the only legitimate grandson who had gotten married.
Grandma was overjoyed and tearfully happy, repeatedly saying, "Getting married is good. Old man, did you see? Xiao Fan got married to Xiao Yao, a good girl."
I stood by Grandma's side, thinking to myself, "How could my grandfather not have known? He saw everything even before Little Yao was born."
Now that we were getting married, a major issue arose: our house was not big enough. The matters in Lin family village were definitely not in line with the outside world. Cars and so on were needed, but I was still living with my second uncle. After I got married to Little Yao, how could I continue living like this? Did I have to chase my second uncle and dad into one room? That didn't seem right. Living with my second uncle was justifiable, but him living with my dad was a different matter. After all, my mom was gone. Two old men living together, was that appropriate?
So, everyone only just noticed something very important: my mother was missing. The Fat Boy, that muddlehead, also asked me, "Yeah, I just noticed your mom is gone."
"She went to my grandma’s house. Actually, she does have her own family, it's just that everyone didn't know about it," was the explanation my family gave to others. This led to even more discussions outside. Lin Yutang's beautiful silly wife walked away! She went back to her family; she's never coming back. Everyone started gossiping even more. Predictions of all kinds popped up, saying things like, "I knew a woman as beautiful as her had to be from a wealthy family. Just look at her grace and style."
In the end, Lin Sanshui left ten thousand yuan as a dowry for Little Yao. The Fat Boy went to town and came back with another twenty thousand yuan, saying, “Don’t thank me, you can consider me your godfather since you are my registered disciple. When the two of you have a child, you must acknowledge me as your godfather. I joked, "Then what should I call you? I'll call you Uncle Liu, and my son will call you godfather. We have messed up family ties, haven't we?"
The Fat Boy said, "I'm only thirty years old this year. I just look a little mature, that's all. If you call me Uncle Liu again, do you believe that I'll slap you?"
We all expressed disbelief, forcing the Fat Boy to produce his ID card to prove he was telling the truth—Liu Tianci was indeed exactly thirty years old. At that moment, a policewoman expressed amazement, saying, "You're thirty years old but you look sixty. Does your family know about this?" Her one remark nearly caused a fight between the two.
I suddenly felt that the Fat Boy and the policewoman were also an odd couple. If they could be together, it would be a delight. However, I didn’t dare to bring up this subject. In any case, ever since the day I said I wanted to get married, our entire family felt relaxed and at ease.
Later, even my father gave me five thousand yuan, feeling embarrassed saying, "Xiaofan, Dad doesn’t really have much, and we didn't save much these years while putting you through school." I quickly followed up, saying, "Dad, don't say anything more. From now on, this family will be on me. If you trust your son, can't you trust little Yao? Is there another woman in the world more capable as a wife than her?"
The decision made was for Dad and Second Uncle to coexist for a few days. Once the wedding was over, they would immediately start building a new house. At the least, a few rooms would be constructed. Although the villagers were gossiping, as it was a joyous occasion, everyone came to offer their congratulations. The house wasn't going to be demolished for now, but at the very least, it needed to be cleaned. This task was left to Lin Er Dan, but I hadn’t seen him lately. I'd heard from others that he was still eating a lot but definitely not as much as before. It seemed he had reached a saturation point.
The Fat Boy was delighted to see Lin Er Dan, saying, "Er Dan, how strong are you now?"
Lin Er Dan didn’t say anything and went straight to the old millstone in the yard. He stacked three millstones on top of each other and lifted them with one hand. This act left the entire yard in unbelievable silence. Chen Jiuliang found Lin Er Dan then and asked, "Er Dan, would you be willing to join the army? I can't promise anything else, but at least it ensures that you have a bright future."
"I'm not going now; Pearl is pregnant," Lin Er Dan said with a silly smile. Bai Zhenzhu had, by now, become absolutely thin and was growing more attractive. Her belly was slightly protruding, looks like after a series of dramas; everyone's life was slowly returning to peace and it seemed like everyone was benefiting from the calamities.
This included Lin Xiaoqiang. After the mix-up with the police, he had his whole worldview shaken and had gone to learn Taoism on a mountain. His family also sent a gift. Lin Xiaoqiang said to me, "Xiaofan, your Uncle Xiaoqiang made it clear. You should thank him. Even though he didn’t learn any immortal arts, the old Taoist on that mountain taught him the ways of Chinese medicine. When he returns, he will be a divine doctor."
After a few days of preparations, Little Yao and I were officially married. On the day of the wedding, almost everyone in the Lin family village was invited. It was on that day that Lin Sanshui finally returned, bringing with him a woman who was visibly pregnant.
That was when we found out that Lin Sanshui and Wu Miaoke had already divorced. What was supposed to be a happy occasion became solemn because with Lin Sanshui’s return, he became my father-in-law.
Yet, at this time, he had found a young girl in her early twenties. If they were to get married, it would be later than his daughter’s marriage to me?
"As guests are here, Lin Sanshui, I propose a toast to you, after twenty years of marriage, I wish you early children," Wu Miaoke stood up holding the toast, like a female hero.
Lin Sanshui looked embarrassed, and while holding the toast, he neither sat nor stood. It wasn't until Wu Miaoke sat beside him that the situation eased, and the two of them looked as if they had been suffering for twenty years. It struck me then: some emotions come from nurturing and enduring, irrespective of all the other circumstances.
After I paid my respects to Lin Sanshui with the tea, he immediately left with the girl, leaving us feeling very awkward. Except for the incident involving Lin Sanshui, the wedding went almost perfectly. Not only was Lin Er Dan strong, but his alcohol tolerance was also astonishing. He almost drank an entire table’s worth by himself. Typically, there would have been a wedding night prank, but this time, there was no one to cause trouble.
The reason was ridiculous – the wedding night’s “victim” was the bride. Yet, Little Yao’s face had not completely healed, so no one was interested in having this kind of fun. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Little Yao's face had healed first, wouldn’t these rascals have taken advantage of the intoxication to create chaos? In the evening, the family enjoyed a cheerful dinner together, although the Fat Boy was missing. I asked, "Where did Fat Brother go?" Once I learned he was only thirty, I no longer felt comfortable calling him Uncle Liu or Fat Uncle.
"He's busy in the kitchen. Who knows what he's doing," my father replied.
The moment I mentioned Fat Boy, he came out with a big pot of soup, rubbing his hands together, saying, "I spent a lot of money on this. Take a look at this pot of soup I personally cooked – it’s a soup made with powerful oxen, ginseng, and turtle. Xiaofan, after drinking my soup, I guarantee that you won't need a break eight times in a night!”
Grandma rose and went to hit Fat Boy. It was my joyful day, and she was still so happy. How could she get angry? She just laughed and scolded, "You still want my grandson to acknowledge you as godfather?"
The Fat Boy immediately defended himself, saying, "Old lady, you don't understand. Did you and Xiaofan's grandfather never have a young age? Didn't you ever think that he might have had untapped energy at night?"
Grandma's old face turned red instantly; it was the first time I had ever seen her blush. The Fat Boy was really asking for it. Regardless, Grandma didn’t get angry, she just said to me, "As long as I'm still alive, my great-grandson is not to meet this dead fatso."
Grandma was cold on the surface but warm at heart. My marriage was courtesy of Fat Boy’s efforts, especially with Little Yao's face. I was truly indebted to him.
Nevertheless, Fat Boy’s soup tasted really good. I had drunk a lot on that day, more than I could handle, and hadn’t eaten. I quickly drank three bowls of that turtle soup, making Little Yao pinch me continuously. When I looked up, I saw everyone smiling at me.
I really wasn't drinking the soup just to be able to perform eight times in a night. Friends, do you believe me when I say I was truly hungry?
After dinner, I took the trembling Little Yao into the room. Regardless of what had happened between us before, that night she entirely became my woman. The bold Little Yao, when it came down to it, didn't dare to raise her head. I went to turn on the light, but she was anxious. Having drunk the Fat Boy's soup, its effects were already evident. I felt a warm sensation in my lower abdomen. I turned off the light and climbed onto the bed, holding Little Yao. I hated that I didn’t have three hands — it was the buttons on this damned dress that were so hard to undo!
I only realized then, Fat Boy had really tricked me!
Having experienced the pain of losing my virginity, Lin Xiaoyao held her blanket and said, "Let me touch her again, buddy, I really wasn't this desperate about getting some action, it's definitely because of the fatty, making me so anxious and burning all night long!"