Reborn in 1982, the prodigal son returns

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, it was just getting light.

Lin Nuo came out of the east room, heading towards the kitchen. There was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Lin Weiguo had already gotten up, came out of the main room, and went to open the door.

A man in his forties stood outside the door, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket and an old headscarf, his face red from the cold. Lin Nuo recognized him; he was from Sunjiagou, surnamed Liu, and was related to Old Man Sun. It seemed he was there to deliver messages.

"Brother Lin,"

The man rubbed his hands together:

"Old Sun asked me to pass on a message. He said that the matter of Desheng is over. He thanks Nuozi for his kindness, but his family can't afford to lose face over the matter of him marrying into the family."

Lin Weiguo frowned and glanced back at Lin Nuo.

Lin Nuo walked over but didn't speak immediately. The man continued:

"Old Master Sun said that Nuozi is a good person, and Desheng has also gone to see her; the girl is not bad. But marrying into the family... the Sun family cannot lose face. Desheng can remain a bachelor if he wants to, but he cannot become a live-in son-in-law."

Lin Nuo nodded without saying anything.

That's not important now.

"Okay, I understand. Please thank Uncle Sun for me."

The man said "Hey," turned around, and walked away quickly, as if afraid of being questioned.

Lin Nuo smiled and turned to go to the kitchen.

Lin Weiguo didn't even look up, his voice muffled:

"The third brother left early this morning, saying he was going to the city."

Lin Nuo paused. Lin Jian left? Ran away again?

He stood in the middle of the courtyard, watching Lin Weiguo's back.

Lin Jian's matter is basically settled. Zhou Laoshuan has been taken care of; Qi Dawu is willing to marry into the family, and Zhou Laoshuan has agreed. All that's left is to go through the formalities and set a date. Lin Jian doesn't need to marry into the family or pay any compensation.

However, he hadn't seen the third brother recently. The third brother hadn't been going out much lately, spending all his time locked in that small courtyard. When it was time to eat, Zhao Xiuying would call him, and he would come out to eat, then go back inside.

Lin Nuo knew he was avoiding him. The third brother, no matter what, would never say "thank you," so he could only hide.

It's normal that he left early this morning. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Lin Nuo didn't say anything, only hummed in response. He didn't want his father to know what he was thinking.

Lin Nuo entered the kitchen. The kitchen was warm and cozy, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, the flames licking the bottom of the pot and making a whooshing sound. The porridge in the pot was bubbling and steaming, and a white blob of steam came out from the edge of the lid, sticking to the window paper and making it damp.

Su Wanqing stood by the stove. She wore a dark blue cotton-padded jacket and a red scarf around her neck, the crimson color particularly bright in the firelight, like a small ball of fire. She heard footsteps, but didn't turn around. She held a porridge ladle in her hand and stirred the pot, the ladle drawing circles on the bottom of the pot, the porridge swirling around the edge of the ladle.

"Who's here?"

She asked, her voice not loud, but with a more natural familiarity than before.

"From Sunjiagou. Let's spread the word that the marriage proposal is off."

Su Wanqing paused for a moment, the porridge spoon hovering above the edge of the pot, a few drops of porridge dripping from the side of the spoon and landing on the stove, splashing up tiny white spots. She didn't say anything and continued stirring the porridge.

Lin Nuo stood beside her and took the porridge spoon from her hand:

"I'll do it."

Su Wanqing released her grip and handed the spoon handle to him. Lin Nuo scooped a bowl of porridge and handed it to her. She took it, holding the bowl with both hands. The bowl was hot, and she moved her fingertips around it to find a cool spot before holding it steadily.

"Sun Desheng's plan fell through," Lin Nuo said, "but Da Wu's plan succeeded." Zhou Laoshuan nodded.

Su Wanqing looked up at him. Her eyes shone brightly in the firelight, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only hummed in response.

Lin Nuo was used to it. That's just how she was—quiet, but always listening. He smiled, picked up his bowl of porridge, and took a sip. The porridge was a little hot; it burned his tongue. He blew on it and took another sip.

Su Wanqing suddenly spoke:

"Hello, Da Wu people. The Zhou family's daughter... will not suffer any injustice."

Lin Nuo was taken aback. She rarely commented on other people's affairs, and even less often spoke at such length. He glanced at her; she was drinking her porridge with her head down, her red scarf hanging in front of her chest, and the tips of her ears were slightly red, whether from the stove fire or some other reason, he couldn't tell.

"Um,"

Lin Nuo said:

"Da Wu is a good person."

The two stood by the stove and finished their porridge. Neither of them spoke again, but neither felt awkward.

After finishing his meal, Lin Nuo went to the storeroom to get a burlap sack and a cover.

He was about to leave when Qi Dawu was already waiting at the courtyard gate.

He saw Lin Nuo come out, grinned, revealing two rows of slightly crooked teeth:

"Brother Nuozi, can you set a few more traps today?"

Just as Lin Nuo was about to speak, the courtyard gate was kicked open.

With a loud bang, the door slammed against the wall, bounced back, and was then braced by a hand. The sound was quite loud. Kicking down a door during the first month of the lunar year must mean that an enemy has come knocking.

Qi Dayong stood at the door. He was wearing a military overcoat with the collar turned up, his face was red, his neck was thick, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Linno!"

His voice was so loud that it could be heard halfway down the street:

"Are you trying to ruin my plans?"

Lin Nuo put the sack on the ground, straightened up, and looked at Qi Dayong.

He had long anticipated that Qi Dayong would become restless.

This is what he's been waiting for.

"Brother Dayong, let's talk this out during the Lunar New Year."

"Speak properly?"

Qi Dayong rushed in, grabbed Qi Dawu by the collar, and pulled him back, causing him to stumble. Qi Dawu was pulled forward and almost fell.

"I'm asking you, did you take him to Xiahe Village yesterday? Did you send him to become that blind man's live-in son-in-law?"

His spittle flew out.

Qi Dawu was being grabbed by the collar, his face turning bright red. His neck was being squeezed by the collar, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he swallowed, but he didn't dare to struggle.

Lin Nuo's voice remained neither too loud nor too soft:

"Brother Dayong, Dawu did it of his own volition."

It's not a good thing to let someone's younger brother marry into the family, but it's definitely something that can't happen if Qi Dayong later sells Qi Dawu to a family like Zhao Lao Er's.

"Was he willing to do it?"

Qi Dayong turned to look at Qi Dawu, loosened his collar, and poked Qi Dawu's forehead with his finger. Qi Dawu's head tilted back slightly.

"You're willing? You eat my food and drink my water, and now you want to run away? Do you know that Zhao Lao Er paid eighty yuan? Eighty yuan! If you leave, are you going to pay me back those eighty yuan?"

Qi Dawu's lips trembled as he looked at Qi Dayong and finally managed to utter a sentence.

"Brother... it was my own choice."

The voice wasn't loud, and it was trembling; it was clear the speaker was trying their best to speak.

Qi Dayong was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect his younger brother to talk back. Qi Dawu had always never fought back or talked back when hit or cursed, which was why he had been hanging out with Lin Nuo for a few days.

She dared to talk back to him.

"you."

Enraged, he raised his hand to strike.

Lin Nuo grabbed his wrist. The movement was swift; Qi Dayong struggled, but couldn't break free. He struggled again, but still couldn't break free.

Lin Nuo looked into Qi Dayong's eyes and said, word by word:

"Brother Dayong, Dawu is twenty-five this year, not a three-year-old. He wants to get married and start a family, which is a good thing. As his older brother, aren't you happy for him, but instead you hit him?"

Qi Dayong's face turned a deep purplish-red, like a liver color. He wanted to say something but couldn't. If he said, "My brother is with you, then you should let him marry into your family," he would say.

As for Zhao Lao Er, he had to boast that no matter what, Lin Nuo could achieve his goal.

Lin Nuo released his wrist and continued:

"How much of the eighty yuan from Zhao Lao Er did you receive? If you accepted it as a deposit, just return it. Let Da Wu make his own decision about his matter."

Qi Dayong's lips trembled for a long time before he finally snapped in exasperation:

"Qi Dawu, if you dare walk out this door today, don't come back!"

The eighty yuan gift money had been agreed upon long ago, but now we have to return it.

He didn't believe that Qi Dawu, that coward, would really disobey his older brother.

Qi Dawu stood there, head down, without moving.

Qi Dayong's face turned even uglier. He raised his hand as if to strike, but in the end he didn't. If he hit Qi Dawu, Lin Nuo would still be there; if he hit Lin Nuo, he couldn't afford to offend Lin Weidong.

The Lin family is not the Qi family. Although it is called Liujiagou, the Lin family is actually the largest family. The Qi family is just one household.

Just then, the gate rang again.

A man walked in, wearing a military overcoat with the collar turned up, his nose red from the cold, looking like a carrot just dug out of the snow.

Lin Jian.

He was carrying a heavy cloth bag, military green in color, faded from washing, with frayed edges. It seemed to sag as he carried it, and he didn't know what was inside.

When Qi Dayong saw Lin Jian, his imposing manner diminished considerably.

In the eyes of the villagers, Lin Jian was still a "city dweller" and a "fertilizer factory worker." Moreover, Lin Jian was tall, and even when he stood there without saying a word, he exuded a sense of oppression. He had broad shoulders and a straight back.

He's someone you can't afford to offend.

Qi Dayong spat on the ground, the spittle landing on the snow and creating a small crater. He pointed at Qi Dawu, poking twice in the air with his finger.

"Fine, you've got guts. Don't come back!"

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps so fast it was as if he were fleeing, until he reached the door:

"Lin Nuo, this isn't over!"

Then he slammed the door and left. The door slammed against the frame with a loud bang, and snow fell to the ground in a flurry.

The courtyard fell silent.

Lin Weiguo watched this scene without uttering a sound from beginning to end.

Lin Nuo looked at Lin Jian. Lin Jian stood at the courtyard gate, holding the cloth bag in his hand, without moving.

"Where did you go?" Lin Nuo asked.

Lin Jian lowered his head. He put the cloth bag on the ground, squatted down, and tried to untie the drawstring. The drawstring was tied tightly; he tried to pry it open with his fingers twice, but couldn't. He tried again, but still couldn't open it.

His fingers trembled slightly as he pinched the gap in the knot with his fingernails and twisted it left and right until the knot loosened.

He lifted the cloth.

There was a crossbow inside.

The wooden stand is polished smooth, and the handle is darkened by hand sweat, as if coated with a layer of transparent varnish. The wood grain is clearly visible.

A small cloth bag was hanging from the crossbow. The bag was made of coarse cloth and tied with a rope. Inside were several iron arrows with gray fletchings that were somewhat disheveled.

Lin Nuo was stunned. He looked at the crossbow, then at Lin Jian. Lin Jian squatted on the ground, without looking up, his fingers tracing the stock, from the handle to the crossbow body, as if checking for dust, or perhaps caressing an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"I traded it with a coworker back in the factory."

His voice wasn't loud:

"He was transferred later, but I kept the crossbow. Yesterday... I remembered it yesterday and went to get it early this morning."

He didn't look up when he said this. His fingers paused on the crossbow stock, his fingertips tracing the darkened wood grain, damp with sweat. His tone was flat, but the pause between "yesterday" and "early this morning" betrayed him.

Lin Jian's second brother, whom he used to look down on, reformed and helped him solve the fertilizer problem. In return, Lin Jian helped him get a set of crossbows.

Lin Nuo squatted down, picked up the crossbow, and weighed it in his hand. It was heavy, felt good in the hand, and had a stable center of gravity; it didn't sway forward or backward when held in his hand.

He braced the crossbow against his shoulder and tested it; the crossbow didn't wobble. He then held the crossbow horizontally and aimed it at the courtyard wall; the front sight and rear sight were in a straight line, and the crossbow didn't move an inch.

"Good stuff," Lin Nuo said.

Lin Jian's lips twitched slightly.

Lin Nuo hung the crossbow on the wall. He hung it up with the crossbow body against the wall and the string facing outwards, gleaming with a dull light in the sunlight.

The more I look at it, the more satisfied I become.

He glanced back at Lin Jian.

"Third brother, come back for dinner tonight."

Lin Jian paused, his gaze shifting from the crossbow to Lin Nuo's face. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only a soft whisper escaped his throat. He nodded.

"……Why."

Qi Dawu stood to the side, looking at Lin Nuo and then at Lin Jian.

Lin Nuo took the crossbow down from the wall, its stock heavy in his hand. He glanced at Qi Dawu:

"Let's go into the mountains. Let's try out the new thing today."

Qi Dawu let out a louder "Hey!" than usual, his voice brimming with joy. He bent down and hoisted the sack on the ground, its contents—including covers—clinking and jingling. He carried it on his shoulder and followed behind Lin Nuo.

Qi Dawu quickened his pace, moved closer to Lin Nuo, and whispered, "Brother Nuo, your brother... isn't a bad person."

Lin Nuo didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He looked down at the crossbow in his hand. There was a scratch on the stock, not deep, but long, stretching from the grip all the way to the body, a sign of long use. He pressed his thumb on the scratch, tracing the line as if walking along a path.

Lin Jian has opened up a new path for him. Lin Nuo had considered hunting rifles, but buying one was difficult, as the old hunters used guns.

There's nowhere to buy a gun, and the Lin family doesn't know any skilled hunters. Besides, he doesn't know how to shoot. The advantage of a crossbow is that you can contact anyone easily.

Crossbow bolts are easy to obtain.

Now we can take the initiative to hunt prey.

Lin Nuo couldn't help but sigh, if Lin Jian had always been honest and upright, the family's life would definitely have gotten better and better.

Lin Nuo slung the crossbow over his shoulder. Snow fell onto the crossbow stock, which he brushed away. The snow was brushed off, leaving a damp trail that quickly dried.

"Brother Nuozi," Qi Dawu asked again, his steps light and quick, crunching on the snow, "do you think we can wear them today?"

"Yes," Lin Nuo said.

Qi Dawu chuckled twice.

Lin Nuo wondered where Qi Dawu should stay. He suggested staying in Lin Jian's courtyard. Lin Jian should be grateful to Qi Dawu for this. If it weren't for Qi Dawu, Lin Jian would most likely have to run away from home. Besides, it would be more convenient for the two grown men.

It was because of his arrangement for Qi Dawu to marry into another family that his reputation was ruined. Oh well, he already had a bad reputation as a scoundrel, so he's just let it go.