Rebirth begins with an arranged marriage

Chapter 3 The Sister-in-Law Who Deceives Frost and Snow

It's unclear how much the crow understood, but it let out a soft caw and then flew away.

Tang Huaiyi gazed at the darkness where the crows had disappeared and sighed.

After being reborn into this era, he became closer to birds and the like. Over the past few days, he has become good friends with this crow. If he were in an era or city with abundant resources, his bird-raising skills would have been enough to ensure he had no worries about food and drink.

But this was a rural area in 1985. He was new to this conservative and impoverished place and had not yet established himself. He could only use his skills in this way for the time being.

In an era when people were called "migrants" when they went to the city, the only way for him, a rural resident, to legally enter the city was to go to high school and take the college entrance exam; otherwise, even if he managed to sneak into the city, he might be taken in and kicked out.

In any case, to change one's life, one must first enter the city.

Thinking of his parents' words advising him to accept his fate and farm, Tang Huaiyi shook his head slightly and went back inside before falling asleep.

The next morning, before Tang Huaiyi could even touch his schoolbag, his parents woke him up to wash his face, neck, and wrists to make sure all the dirt was removed, scrubbing until his skin was red and sore.

He then changed into a clean white shirt and unpatched trousers, dampened his hair and combed it, making himself look quite presentable, a neat and handsome young man.

Then, Tang Zhengjin told Tang Huaiyi to eat a cornbread, and gave him two red paper packets of snacks tied with hemp rope, and asked him to go out together.

Tang Huaiyi was about to take a second steamed bun when Tang Zhengjin stopped him and gave him a lecture.

I can't go without eating cornbread, lest my stomach rumble with hunger.

But you can't eat too much, lest you poop and people look down on you.

You absolutely cannot eat sweet potatoes, radishes, or garlic, lest you fart or have bad breath...

"Oh, and you can't drink cold water either..."

As Tang Zhengjin was recounting these taboos about blind dates, he glanced up and saw Tang Huaiyi gulping down a ladle of cold water to quench his thirst. He immediately retorted irritably, "What if you get diarrhea or pee? They won't even look at you!"

It's good that you don't like it...

Tang Huaiyi thought to himself, "I might as well drink the whole ladle of cold water."

The water in the house was clean. A cornbread bun wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger this early in the morning, and he was really thirsty. Since Tang Huaiyi didn't want this matter to succeed, he naturally wouldn't be so concerned about such things.

Tang Zhengjin also noticed his thoughts and urged him to go outside.

As soon as they stepped out of the house, Tang Huaiyi suddenly asked, "Dad, what did we borrow money for?"

Tang Zhengjin was taken aback: "How did you know to borrow money?"

Tang Huaiyi didn't answer, and Tang Zhengjin didn't press him. He simply said, "Your maternal family urgently needs money. Your third uncle is thirty-five and still can't get married, so he also needs money... This is urgent, there's nothing we can do about it."

"What can't we do? We still have to lend the money out?" Tang Huaiyi asked, puzzled.

"You little brat!"

Tang Zhengjin called out with slight annoyance, but seeing Tang Huaiyi's upright posture as he was about to go on a blind date, looking like a scholar with a bookish air, he felt uncomfortable.

Turning around, she walked briskly while explaining to her second child:

"Your maternal uncle's second uncle went to the county and was arrested as a hooligan. They're demanding money to settle the matter. If we don't pay, he'll either go to jail or be executed. This is a life-saving money, we can't refuse."

"The reason why our family had to pay for your third uncle's wedding is because I was the first to get married. When it came to your third uncle's turn, your grandparents didn't have the money to prepare for it. Your third uncle even said that they found me a wife but not him, leaving him a bachelor until now."

"My situation with your third uncle is similar to your situation with your eldest brother—you went to school for several more years than your eldest brother, while he worked hard in the fields. Now that he's reached marriageable age, you have to think about him. I feel indebted to my third brother, so I also have to think about him. When he needs money to get married, I can't refuse to give him any."

Tang Huaiyi understood and said, "Father, you have your own troubles, and I won't complain about our family."

"I'll help you with things you can't handle; I'll take care of my eldest brother's marriage to my third brother and younger sister once I get to the city."

Tang Zhengjin glanced at him and saw that his expression was firm and came from the heart. His eyes welled up with tears, and he quickened his pace: "You child, what have you done with all your studying... You only know how to say nice things."

"For us old farmers, turning our lives around isn't that easy."

Tang Huaiyi said nothing more.

Whether he's exaggerating or not, we'll find out in time.

The father and son walked along the dirt road, carrying red paper-wrapped snacks, facing the still warm breeze of early autumn, passing through tall cornfields, passing through a village and another seven or eight miles, and finally arrived at Lijia Gou.

Upon entering Lijia Gou, the father and son walked along the path in front of the village past several houses. They came across a simple outhouse built by the village. Tang Zhengjin reminded Tang Huaiyi, "Go to the toilet quickly, or you'll embarrass yourself again when you get to someone's house."

"I don't need to go..."

Tang Huaiyi had barely finished speaking when Tang Zhengjin glared at him: "If you're deliberately trying to cause trouble, don't blame me for dealing with you... Go on, unleash all your pent-up thoughts, and get your act together!"

Tang Huaiyi nodded and walked into the unisex outhouse. Before he could even take off his pants, he froze on the spot.

A dazzling white, more beautiful than frost and snow, appeared before his eyes.

"Get out of here right now!"

The young woman inside hurriedly pulled up her pants, her face flushed as she whispered.

Tang Huaiyi glanced at that dazzling white figure, and even after leaving the outhouse, he couldn't help but feel a little dizzy.

In this day and age, there are actually such stunningly beautiful, plump, and white flowers in the countryside...

"You... why don't you cough or stomp your feet before going into the outhouse!" The young woman came out blushing, glared at him, complained, and hurried away.

Tang Huaiyi was a little embarrassed: I'm not from this village, how could I have imagined that the outhouses in your village have this rule?

Tang Zhengjin was startled when he saw a young woman emerge from the outhouse.

After the girl left, he couldn't help but say, "Luckily, they didn't hold it against you, otherwise you would have ended up like your second uncle, having to pay money to settle things."

Tang Huaiyi didn't speak; that pure white skin did indeed momentarily dazzle him.

Turning the corner, we arrived at another house. Before even going inside, we could hear a man inside calling out, "Da Ni, Er Ni, San Ni... have you all finished relieving yourselves? They'll be here soon, so be careful!"

"It's not easy for me to find a son-in-law to live with me in my old age. If anyone disgraces me and makes things fall through, I'll marry her off to that bald-headed guy in the north of the village, understand?"

"Da Ni, don't worry about anything else, go kill that chicken for me!"

"Erni, I'm telling you, you're not allowed to cry anymore—you definitely won't be able to go to school, you have to get married!"

The noise inside made Tang Zhengjin purse his lips.

He gestured to Tang Huaiyi with his eyes, signaling him to get ready, and then went to knock on the door.

"Knock knock!"

Who is it?

"I am Tang Huaiyi..."

"Oh, the son-in-law is here!" a surprised voice came from inside. "Erni, hurry and open the door—tsk, you silly girl, why are you running inside!"

"Da Ni, you go!"

"knew!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a girl carrying a chicken in one arm opened the door with the other: "Please come in—"

Before she could finish speaking, she met Tang Huaiyi's gaze, and the girl's fair face instantly turned red to the roots of her neck, as if dyed red. She turned around, grabbed the chicken, and ran into the yard.

Tang Huaiyi was also stunned. The "fair-skinned and tall" girl from earlier was actually his "sister-in-law"?