In the fields under the blazing sun, Li Xiu straightened up and wiped the sweat from his face. He glanced sideways at Li Hua and Li Man harvesting beside him, and at his mother and sister not far away, before bending back down to work. The autumn harvest would be finished in the next two days, and the remaining work wouldn't be too tiring. 'I can go to Daqing Mountain tonight,' he thought.
He was twenty-two years old, yet he didn't have a single penny to his name. In about a month, he was scheduled to meet a prospective bride. 'I can't be like I was in my past life,' he thought, 'when I never even bought her a single piece of candy.' Though his mind was elsewhere, his hands never stopped working.
The village chief, inspecting the work from a short distance away, couldn't help but nod as he watched Li Xiu, who had pulled far ahead of everyone else. 'He's truly lived up to his reputation,' the chief thought. 'Working like a full-grown man since he was twelve. My eldest daughter is three years younger than him... they'd be a good match.' But then he thought of Li Xiu's family and dismissed the idea. 'Never mind. We all live in the same village; there's no avoiding them. And Li Xiu is so filial... being his wife would be no easy task.' He shook his head. 'Such a pity for a fine young man.'
"Eldest, Second Sister-in-law Ge told me about a girl from her family's village. She said you'll be meeting on the eighth of next month." Li Xiu looked up at his mother across the dinner table, then let his expressionless gaze sweep over his father and younger siblings at his side.
"Understood," he replied, quickly finishing the rice in his bowl. He set down his chopsticks. "I have something to do tonight. I won't be back." Without waiting for his family to react, he strode out the door.
"What's been wrong with our eldest these past few days?" Ge Er Ya, Li Xiu's mother, asked Second Brother Li, who was quietly smoking his pipe nearby.
After a few coughs, Second Brother Li put away his pipe. "What could be wrong? The work's been heavy, so he's tired. Once things settle down in a few days, you should give our eldest some money. Have him get cleaned up nicely for his meeting next month. We don't want the girl finding fault. Our eldest isn't getting any younger. If they hit it off, they can get married next spring."
Ge Er Ya glanced at the four boys still eating at the table and nodded. Swallowing her food, she said, "You're right. Our second son isn't getting any younger, either. After we get the eldest settled, it'll be time to start arranging things for the second."
"Alright, clear the table and get some rest," Second Brother Li said, getting up to return to his room.
"Dad, is the girl Elder Brother is meeting from Zhou Family Village?" Li Hua asked, watching his father rise.
"Mhm. She's from your Second Sister-in-law Ge's home village."
"Dad, so when will you arrange a meeting for Second Brother?" Li Xin asked as she cleared the table.
"Eager to find your second brother a wife, are you?" Second Brother Li looked at his only daughter with an amused smile. His second son and the younger siblings were all very close. The eldest, however, always wore a stern expression, which made the younger ones act like mice seeing a cat whenever he was around. Shaking his head, he continued, "Alright, none of you worry about it. Your mother and I are here. We'll see every one of you married and settled before I go."
"Husband!"
"Dad!"
...
Second Brother Li coughed a few times, then nodded with a smile. "It's nothing. This illness of mine isn't a big deal right now." The village doctor had said it was consumption. It had been over a decade, and aside from not being able to do heavy labor and coughing now and then, it had stayed about the same. "Alright, all of you go get some rest."
Grinding a cigarette butt out with his heel, Li Xiu looked up with a self-mocking smile. 'All that talk, and not a single one of them asked where I was going or what I was doing. These are the parents I'm so filial to, the siblings I'm supposed to protect. Forget it. Didn't I see through it all in my past life?' He strode toward his eldest uncle's house on the back street to see his grandmother.
"Li Xiu, you're here!" Aunt Li said as she looked up. She started to get up to grab a stool. "Have you eaten? Come and have a drink with your uncle."
Li Xiu quickly waved his hands. "Don't go to any trouble, Aunt Li. I've already eaten. I'm just here to see Grandma, and I have something to do in a little while. Please, you eat!"
Eldest Li looked at his eldest nephew beside him and smiled. "So, Ge Ershao introduced you to a girl from her family's village, eh? When's the meeting?"
"Uncle, Mom said it's on the eighth of next month," Li Xiu replied, rubbing his nose in embarrassment.
"Is Big Brother getting a wife? Little Zhuzi has a sister-in-law, so I want a sister-in-law too!" Li Bo dropped his chopsticks and clamored, hugging Li Xiu's leg.
Li Bo was only four years old, the son Eldest Li finally had after five daughters. Li Xiu scooped the boy up and teased him, "That's right! How about we have your sister-in-law buy you some candy, sound good?"
"No! When you get a wife, Big Brother, I'll give all my candy to my new sister-in-law! But you have to hurry up and find one. Other people's big brothers are younger than you and they already have wives. My big brother has to get a wife soon, too! Then when you have a son, I can play with my little nephew."
The moment Li Bo finished speaking, the room fell silent. Everyone there, except for the innocent little Li Bo, understood the real situation. But it was impossible to say anything—after all, Li Xiu was famously filial. He would snap at anyone who spoke ill of his parents.
Mrs. Li set down her chopsticks and cleared her throat. "Alright, I'm done eating. Li Xiu, come to my room. Let's talk." She then turned and walked into her room.
Li Xiu set Li Bo down and scratched his own head. "Uncle, Aunt, please continue eating. I'm going to see Grandma." 'A matter that even my uncle's seven-year-old fifth daughter understood, yet it took me a whole lifetime to grasp,' he thought bitterly. 'I really was an idiot!'
"Grandma!"
Mrs. Li patted Li Xiu, who sat beside her. "My boy, you're twenty-two now. There are some things that even if Grandma doesn't say them, you understand. I raised you with my own hands; I know what's in your heart. You need to understand this: no one can live someone else's life for them. You have to live your own life well first, and only help others when you have the energy to spare. Your parents are responsible for the children they had. That's their duty, not yours. What's more, you are also their responsibility. I know you worry about your father's poor health, but you're not his only child. You... you think too much and carry too heavy a burden. In the future, when you have a wife and children, you must take care of them first. They will be your true responsibility!"
"Grandma, I know now. I understand. Don't worry about me anymore. I'm grown up. I'll live a good life... a very good life. And I'll have a baby for you to help me raise." Li Xiu buried his face in his grandmother's shoulder, raising a hand to wipe away his tears. 'In my past life, Grandma said these exact same words to me. I heard them, but I never truly thought about them. She lived to be over a hundred years old, and even as she passed away, she was still worried about me, a man already in his forties.'
He gave his grandmother a tight hug. "Grandma, I have to go now. I'll come see you again in a couple of days." Li Xiu turned and strode away.
"Big Brother, you're leaving already?"
Looking up at the six people lined up in a row before him, Li Xiu felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Li Hua smiled and asked, "Big Brother, how old is our future sister-in-law? Is she pretty?"
'Li Hua and her four sisters—my eldest uncle's five daughters—plus Li Bo. Then there are my third uncle's children: the three daughters, Li Gui, Li He, and Li Miao, and the two sons, Li Bao and Li Guo. These dozen or so cousins have all been incredibly close to me since we were little. Yet my own four brothers—Li Hua, Li Man, Li Yi, and Li Yong—and my sister, Li Xin... not a single one is close to me. I guess, as my grandson would say, our auras just don't vibe.'
"I haven't met your future sister-in-law yet, so I have no idea if she's pretty. I'll tell you after I meet her. I've got to run, I'm late!" Before his cousins could react, he strode off. He didn't even say a proper goodbye to his uncle and aunt. 'Are you kidding?' he thought. 'If I moved any slower, I'd be trapped here all night, and I still need to get to Daqing Mountain!'
Watching Li Xiu practically flee from her children, Aunt Li turned to her husband, Eldest Li. "Dear, once our nephew's matchmaking is settled, you should go have a talk with Second Brother Li."
Eldest Li glanced at his wife and nodded with a smile. 'My wife may have her own little calculations,' he thought, 'but she is genuinely good to our nephew. After we had five daughters before finally getting a son, it's natural she'd treat him well, hoping he'll look out for our boy in the future. Besides, with a mother like his, it'll be good to have my wife watching over things after he gets married. She'll make sure nothing goes too wrong.'
Eldest Li was a veteran who had returned from the war to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, so he saw things more clearly than the average farmer. Li Xiu was the eldest grandson of the Lao family—capable and able to handle pressure. His only weakness was that he was too loyal and sentimental. But that loyalty had its upsides, too. In any case, as long as he, Eldest Li, was keeping an eye on things, his second brother's wife wouldn't be able to stir up too much trouble.