The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 43 - 42: New House

Mrs. He felt ashamed just thinking about it.

"You know how your third brother spent 500 yuan to get married? Well, Kid Xue returned the entire betrothal gift."

"What?" He Ze gasped, a sharp pain shooting through his body as he got worked up.

Gao Cuiyun’s eyes went wide as well, staring at Mrs. He in disbelief. "Ma, how is that possible? That’s 500 yuan!"

Mrs. He shot her a look before slowly explaining, "Why would I lie about something like this? I told you before, of that 500 yuan, 400 was money your third brother gave me in bits and pieces. I never spent it; I was saving it all so he could get a wife. Last night, he brought us 100 yuan. He said Kid Xue gave him 500 yuan, and he kept his own 400 to build his house, returning the remaining 100 to us. So, the Xue family doesn’t owe the He Family anything. It’s our He Family that owes them. Cuiyun, you can stop harping on about that money from now on."

He Ze and Gao Cuiyun both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

"As for that 100 yuan, your father and I will keep 20, and we’ll give 40 to your family and 40 to your eldest brother’s family. We were in the wrong from the start. And today, He Ze, you laid a hand on your third brother’s wife. You can’t blame anyone else for Kid Xue kicking you."

Mrs. He glanced at the couple, sighed, and left.

The two people in the room remained stunned for a long time.

That night, as Xue Yue was getting undressed, He Lang noticed a bruise near her tailbone.

"Does it still hurt here?" He Lang asked, gently touching the spot.

Xue Yue shook her head. "Not really anymore." Since it was on her back, she couldn’t see it herself; she had only felt the pain when she fell. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He Lang’s eyes darkened, and he said to Xue Yue guiltily, "I’m sorry. I never thought my second brother would lay a hand on you."

Xue Yue smiled. "It’s fine. Didn’t you already get him back for me?"

"How is that the same? He’s a grown man and thick-skinned." He then lifted Xue Yue’s injured hand to examine it again. The spot where the skin was broken still looked red.

"My hand is fine. It’ll probably scab over by tomorrow. But what about you? The corner of your mouth is bruised. Does it hurt?" Xue Yue gently touched it with her finger, feeling that the bruise on He Lang’s mouth had grown larger, likely from the swelling spreading.

The corners of his eyes crinkled, a soft, tender look gracing his features. "It won’t hurt if you kiss it."

Xue Yue’s fingers paused. She looked up and met the man’s smiling eyes. Lost in their depths, she slowly leaned in and pressed a light kiss to the bruised corner of his mouth. As she pulled back, she saw his Adam’s apple bob.

Lifting her gaze to meet his, He Lang saw the teasing smile in her eyes and suddenly let out a low chuckle.

In contrast to the warmth here, Mrs. He was sighing incessantly in the main house.

"What’s wrong with you? You’ve been sighing all evening."

Mrs. He looked at Mr. He. "You have no idea. Second Brother was in so much pain this afternoon he could barely get off the ground. His face was all black and blue. I just couldn’t bear to see it."

Mr. He shot her a sidelong glance. "He brought it all on himself. A grown man laying a hand on his third brother’s wife... Forget He Lang and Kid Xue, even I wanted to hit him. Why has he become like this? Ever since he became a factory worker, he’s been distant with the family, always acting like he’s a cut above everyone else."

"But I’m still his mother. My heart aches for him. No matter what, they were too heavy-handed. And He Lang... they’re biological brothers, after all. How are they supposed to get along after a fight like this?"

"How will they get along? Blood is thicker than water. You think a single fight will stop them from being brothers? He Lang didn’t hit him that hard. The injuries are on his face, so they look serious, but they’re just superficial. It was that kick from Kid Xue that was no joke. That kid can take down a wild boar by himself. If your second son still can’t get out of bed tomorrow, we should take him to the hospital to see if he broke a rib."

"What? A broken rib?" Mrs. He was so frightened she couldn’t sit still.

Mr. He glanced at her. "Alright, stop getting so worked up. I’m just guessing. Let’s get some sleep. We’ll deal with it tomorrow."

Mrs. He’s heart was unsettled. After hearing what Mr. He said, how could she possibly sleep soundly?

The next morning, she went to knock on the second brother’s door just as the sky was beginning to lighten.

He Ze had been in pain all night and had also started to think he might have a broken rib.

So, early in the morning, a commotion could be heard from the He family’s courtyard as He Nan took He Ze to the hospital.

Mrs. He was on pins and needles. ’What a mess!’

When He Lang went to work that morning, he learned from his father that He Ze had gone to the hospital. He curled his lip. ’I certainly didn’t go for the kill, but I can’t say the same for my brother-in-law. Even if nothing was broken, that kick would have kept him in bed for three days.’

Sure enough, He Nan and He Ze returned at noon. The verdict was that He Ze had two broken ribs and needed to rest in bed for half a month. With no other choice, He Nan had to go to the factory to request half a month’s leave for He Ze.

Mrs. He felt the family had been having a run of bad luck lately, with all the trips to the hospital, so she started muttering prayers to the Bodhisattvas.

During the days He Ze spent recovering, He Lang went back to work. Xue Xingzhou, Mr. He, and the others were busy every day, and the house finally began to take shape.

Meanwhile, He Lang went out on another trip. This time, he was headed to Sea City and would be gone for at least ten-odd days.

Xue Xingzhou was in charge of almost everything at the new house.

He installed the drainage for the bathroom without needing to ask anyone for help—Xue Xingzhou knew how to do all of it. The entire courtyard’s design was surprisingly unconventional, yet it looked perfectly natural.

Xue Yue walked through it several times and was exceptionally pleased.

「In February」

The village chief also found people to start construction on the Educated Youth spot.

He Lang returned twenty days later. The moment he entered the village, he saw his new house. From the outside, it was a solid brick-and-tile home.

Instead of rushing home, He Lang went to the new house first. The surrounding wall was already finished, with only the main gate left to be installed. Stepping inside revealed a whole new world. The gate was on the south side, with buildings on the other three sides. The main building was on the north side—this would be for He Lang and Xue Yue, with a room for their future children.

The east side housed the kitchen, which was very large and connected to a small storage room. Next to it was the bathroom.

The west side had two guest rooms, and there was a toilet in the southwest corner.

The interior walls had already been plastered and were a pristine white.

The overall design was very similar to a traditional courtyard house.

Even He Lang couldn’t help but marvel at what a jack-of-all-trades his brother-in-law was. Entrusting him with the entire project had been the right decision.

The new house was finished. They just had to let it air out for a while, then they could pick an auspicious day to move in.

He Lang returned home from the new house.

"He Lang, you’re back?" Mrs. He was washing clothes in the courtyard. Seeing He Lang walk in, she wiped her hands and stood up.

"Ma, I’m back. Where’s Dad?"

"He’s inside."

Hearing He Lang’s voice from inside the house, Xue Yue ran out.

A smile spread across He Lang’s face when he saw Xue Yue.

"Ma, I’m going to our room to change first. I’ll be over in a bit."

Mrs. He waved her hand. "Go on."

The two of them went into their room. Xue Yue poured He Lang a glass of water and asked, "Have you eaten?"

He Lang took a sip of water and shook his head. "Not yet."

"Then you rest for a bit. I’ll go cook you some noodles." With that, Xue Yue went out.