Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 313 Baby kiss

"Uncle, I'm back today to pay respects to my ancestors. It's been a long time since I last did so."

"Alright, go ahead and get busy. Explain it to your parents later, so they won't have any peace down there."

Cao Wei Da: "."

How am I supposed to respond to that?
The villagers gradually dispersed, and no one approached him to speak; the sense of alienation was palpable.

Hearing the intermittent discussions behind him, Cao Weida was not in a hurry, but Xiao Erduo was already indignant.

"Brother Cao, they've gone too far! How could they say that!"

"In your jurisdiction, which ordinary person doesn't speak highly of you?"

"We haven't done anything wrong, they..."

"Alright, alright, I'm not in a hurry, why are you?" Cao Weida stopped him with a laugh. "Let them say whatever they want, it's not like I'm going to lose a piece of my flesh."

"Besides, no matter how well we do, aren't we still working for the Japanese devils?"

"It's only right that they say a few words to me."

"But..." Little Ears wanted to say something, but Cao Weida interrupted him: "Alright, stop. Hurry up and bring the incense and offerings."

"."

Just as the incense at the Cao family's old residence was lit, a commotion arose outside the courtyard gate.

A moment later, Zheng Chaoyang knocked on the door with a strange expression.

"Master Cao, someone is looking for us outside."

"Who is it?" Cao Weida asked, puzzled. What did that expression mean?
"Go out and see for yourself," Zheng Chaoyang said, turning his head away.

"????"

Cao Weida walked out curiously and saw a pair of old men dressed in coarse cloth standing at the door, looking uneasy yet expectant, with a thin little girl following behind them.

The girl had two braids, her face flushed with childish red, and she timidly clutched the woman's clothes.

"Wei Da. Is it Wei Da?" The old man rubbed his hands together. When he saw Cao Weida in his well-dressed and distinguished police uniform, his pupils contracted slightly, and his already uneasy expression became even more reserved.

After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously began, "We are your Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin, from the neighboring Qin Family Village, do you remember us?"

Qin Family Village?
Cao Weida felt helpless. He hadn't even met everyone in Caojia Village, let alone the neighboring village.
"Oh, it's Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin! Please come in and have a seat." He subtly stepped aside. Even if he didn't know them, he had to pretend to. What else could he do?

Once inside, Cao Weida said awkwardly, "Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin, I'm so sorry, I just got back and haven't tidied up at all, and I haven't even boiled any water. Please don't mind."

He took out a cigarette and offered it to someone: "Uncle, please have a smoke."

"Oh, alright, it's nothing, it's just that we came in a hurry and didn't tell you in advance. I'm sorry, Uncle." Uncle Qin smiled cautiously and humbly, revealing a set of yellow teeth. The imposing uniform that Cao Weida was wearing made him feel a strange sense of pressure.

After lighting a cigarette, Cao Wei Da asked, "Uncle Qin, what brings you here today?"

Uncle Qin opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything, as if he found it difficult to speak.

Aunt Qin, blushing, took Qin's father's hand, took a small purse tied with a red string from the blue cloth bag in his hand, and handed it to Cao Weida:
"Wei Da, please don't blame us for being abrupt, but we've come today to discuss something with you."

"When your parents were alive, they arranged a marriage between us when you were children, do you remember?"

"A marriage arranged between children?!" Upon hearing these three words, Cao Weida was struck dumb, and the cigarette between his fingers almost fell to the ground.

Wait, how did this arranged marriage suddenly happen?!
His gaze inadvertently swept over the girl, and he immediately felt uneasy:
"Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin, the betrothal you're talking about, could it be her?"

Aunt Qin thought he thought her daughter was too young, so she quickly explained, "Wei Da, Huai Ru is thirteen years old this year, and she'll be fifteen in two years. Then we can consummate our marriage, and she'll definitely be able to take good care of you."

The little girl lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her face flushed red, and she didn't even dare to breathe.

She only knew that her parents had brought her to meet a 'future husband', but she didn't understand what those two words meant. She just felt that the man in the uniform in front of her was very dignified and his clothes were very beautiful.

Cao Weida was completely dumbfounded. He never expected that the original owner's betrothed child was so young.
Thirteen years old (by Chinese reckoning)!

In his mind, a thirteen-year-old is still a child who needs to be protected, and talking about marriage is simply a pipe dream!
Not to mention that he was a time traveler, completely unprepared for this sudden marriage, and knew nothing about this little girl.

He steadied himself and forced himself to calm down.

We can't mention refusing marriage now, because it would go against the wishes of our elders and would make us unfilial to the villagers.

Secondly, if they rashly object, it might arouse suspicion from the Qin family, since it's quite normal for children to be related in this era.

He looked at the girl in front of him, who was as thin as a withered leaf, and then at her parents' hands, which were as rough as tree bark and covered with cracks. He felt a pang of sadness.

“Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin,” he said slowly after a moment’s thought, “this marriage was arranged by my parents, so of course I accept it. It’s just that Huai Ru is still so young, she’s at the age where she needs to grow. It’s too early to talk about marriage.” “Wei Da, we really have no other choice.” Aunt Qin gripped her daughter’s hand tightly, her face turning white, her voice trembling with tears.

"I know it's really bad time to bring up marriage, but... but my family is so poor we can't even afford to eat."

Huai Ru stood behind her parents, her two braids hanging down. Her clothes looked clean, so she must have changed them on purpose.

However, the patches scattered all over the clothes indicated that the Qin family was not living a good life.

She timidly raised her eyes, met Cao Weida's gaze, and then quickly lowered her head, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

Uncle Qin bent over and wiped his face hard: "This year's harvest was poor, and we were exploited by the Japanese devils and their collaborators several times. We're almost out of bran and chaff."

"There are two young children at home; if we don't find a solution soon, I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, his voice choked with emotion.

"Back then, when your parents arranged this marriage, they said that Huai Ru would be your family's child bride, and she would marry into the family when she grew up."

"We're desperate now, so we have no choice but to entrust her to you. If she stays with you, at least she'll have something to eat."

“I know this is unfair to her and to you, but at least it will give her a way to survive.”

Huai Ru timidly yet bravely raised her head, her large eyes misting over with tears, a mixture of fear of strangers and a yearning for survival. She whispered:
"I can do housework, I can do laundry and cook, I can do it all."

Cao Weida felt a pang in his heart. Having traveled here and experienced countless battles and bloodshed in Beiping, he had long since hardened his heart to the rock.

But faced with a child who was only thirteen years old (by Chinese reckoning), and faced with this family's stark despair, his heart trembled violently.

“Oh well,” Cao Weida sighed. “Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin, you can leave Huai Ru to me. I’ll take her back to Beiping and make sure she has food to eat and clothes to wear. I will never mistreat her.”

The Qin couple suddenly looked up, their eyes instantly blazing with ecstatic joy. Aunt Qin even wiped away tears of excitement.
"Wei Da, thank you, thank you! Huai Ru, quickly kowtow to your man!"

Huai Ru was pushed by her mother and staggered as she was about to kneel down, but Cao Weida caught her.

What the hell is this about kowtowing to your man? That sounds really awkward.
Cao Weida was both amused and exasperated. Looking at the girl's slender shoulders, he said softly, "No need to kowtow. Just live a good life from now on."

What else could he say? That was all he could say.

Turning her head, she instructed Xiao Erduo and Zheng Chaoyang outside: "Go and bring over the dry food and a few spare clothes from the car. Leave them for Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin. Also, prepare a clean set of clothes for Huai Ru to change into."

Little Ears ran to the car in response and quickly brought back the items: "Brother Cao, we have grain, but there are no clothes for sale nearby. We really can't find any, so we'll have to go into town to buy them."

His gaze lingered on Huai Ru for a moment, a strange feeling creeping into his heart.

Brother Cao's family has so many beautiful women, each with a superior temperament, yet they all lost to a mere thirteen-year-old girl.
In China, filial piety is of utmost importance. In his view, this girl was chosen by Brother Cao's parents and was destined to be the eldest son's wife!

"That's all we can do." Cao Weida patted his head. Yes, yes, he was really confused. He was stunned by the news he had just given to the child bride. "Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin, take this grain back with you for now. I'll find a way to send you some more when I get back."

Aunt Qin trembled as she took the bag of dry food, tears dripping onto the cloth bag, repeatedly murmuring, "What a good person, you are such a good person."

Did I get friend-zoned?

Cao Weida smiled bitterly to himself, then took out twenty silver dollars from his pocket and stuffed them into Uncle Qin's hand: "Uncle Qin, take this money and buy some food for the children first."

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just send a message to the Thirteenth District Office."

Uncle Qin clutched the silver dollar, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time, only bowing repeatedly, his eyes brimming with tears.

Seeing this grown man like this, Cao Weida felt quite uncomfortable. He glanced at Huairu beside him.
Ok? !

Wait a minute!
Huai Ru?!
Qin?!
Qin Huairu?!
Cao Wei Da glanced at the girl beside him, his eyes wide with surprise. It was Qin Huairu?!

This name needs no introduction, right? It's "Birds Fill the Courtyard"!

He then realized that he had actually snatched Qin Huairu away!

Is this Qin Huairu as a little girl?!

Before leaving, Aunt Qin held Qin Huairu's hand and repeatedly told her, "When you get to Beiping, be obedient, take good care of your husband, and don't be temperamental."

Qin Huairu nodded as if she understood, tears welling up in her eyes, but she held them back.

At such a young age, he is surprisingly sensible and well-behaved.

Cao Wei Da helped Qin Huairu into the back seat of the car, and sat down next to her.

As the car started, Qin Huairu instinctively grabbed his clothes, as if grasping at a lifeline.

(End of this chapter)