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墨書 Inktalez
"But father, Qing Shusheng..." Liu Xiuzhen looked at her father Liu Dezhou with a face full of grievance.
"What happened to him?" Liu Dezhou raised his voice and said, "Man, the more you let go, the more he will lean towards you. Women should be gentle. Look at Bai Cuifen, which man in the village doesn't like her? It's not just Qing Shusheng, even Teacher Lin treats her well. Have you seen Jia Zhilan causing trouble for him? If only you had half the cleverness of Er Xiu and Xiu, sigh!"
Liu Dezhou sighed, shook his head, and walked towards Bai Cuifen's house with his hands behind his back.
Watching Liu Dezhou's retreating figure, Liu Xiuzhen spat in dissatisfaction, "This old man, I'm his real daughter. Qing Shusheng, Qing Shusheng, how affectionate he sounds. He's just your son-in-law, not even a full son."
As Liu Xiuzhen grumbled and walked into the house, she said, "Hmph! Who knows if this son-in-law is even a half-son! Why can't they let Er Xiu and Xiu bring their husbands home? Keeping Xiu at home, can you really hold onto her?" Liu Xiuzhen pouted disdainfully.
Liu Dezhou had three daughters: the eldest daughter was Liu Xiuzhen, the second daughter was Liu Xiuying, and the youngest was Liu Xiulan.
Qing Shusheng came to Liu Family Village in the spring of 1974 to work as a carpenter and caught the eye of Liu Dezhou, who invited him to become a son-in-law.
Not only was Qing Shusheng skilled, but he was also strong-looking, shrewd, and could read a few characters. He had six siblings; the eldest remained unmarried and was still a bachelor, while the second, third, and fifth were sisters who had long since married. The fourth had already started his own family. His mother passed away early, and his father lived with the eldest brother. As the youngest child at just over twenty years old, he was alone and free of burdens, spending most of the year away except for returning home during the New Year.
All of these conditions—good or bad—met Liu Dezhou's criteria for taking in a son-in-law. Thus, leveraging his superior position as the Village Party Branch Secretary, he successfully persuaded Qing Shusheng to marry his eldest daughter, Liu Xiuzhen, as an incoming son-in-law.
Because Qing Shusheng could read and had traveled extensively, he was strong-willed, shrewd, loyal, and with the support of Liu Dezhou, he held a high status in both the household and throughout Liu Family Village, despite being an incoming son-in-law.
Therefore, although his son Liu Jiawei took on the surname of the Liu Family, his daughter Qinglan took on his surname. Moreover, both children's names were chosen after consultation with him by Liu Dezhou.
By elevating Qing Shusheng's status in the household and village, Liu Dezhou aimed to keep him around because he felt that his daughter Liu Xiuzhen was not worthy of him. However, Liu Xiuzhen did not understand her father's intentions and often complained at home about his favoritism.
After Liu Dezhou left, Liu Xiuzhen entered the house, picked up the vegetables scattered on the floor, and began preparing breakfast.
Just as the family was gathered around the dining table eating breakfast, An Shaojie returned with a bamboo basket on his back.
As he passed by Liu Xiuzhen's front door, Qinglan suddenly put down her bowl and chopsticks.
Throughout the entire breakfast, Qinglan's eyes had been glancing towards the door. She knew that An Shaojie would have to pass by their house on his way home, so as soon as she saw his figure appear, she instinctively set down her bowl and chopsticks.
"Where are you going?" Liu Xiuzhen shouted loudly, knowing what Qinglan intended to do.
Qinglan seemed not to hear Liu Xiuzhen's words; she jumped off the stool and quickly ran outside.
However, An Shaojie acted as if he did not see Qinglan at all. He did not stop his pace upon seeing her come out and continued walking steadily towards his home.
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