Ger, So Proud

Chapter 53

Even after returning from town, He An was still in a daze.

Did his brother say that Brother Lin was going to be his brother-in-law?

Although he had anticipated this more than once and felt that his brother and Lin Yu were too close, when he last asked his brother, his brother said he was overthinking it. Now… brother-in-law? Isn’t this a bit too sudden?

Getting off the ox cart, He An glanced at He Ze, who was carrying two jars of fine wine, and the smile on his brother’s face had not faded.

“Brother, about you and Brother Lin…”

“What about it?”

“Nothing,” He An shook his head, then said firmly, “Brother, you lied to me last time, didn’t you? You really do like Brother Lin!”

He Ze paused, then smiled without answering. He walked a few steps ahead, and He An quickly caught up. “Not answering means you agree! So, is that bow your token of love? You said it so nicely back then! Aren’t you ashamed?”

He An poked his blushing face, full of disdain.

“Alright, at that time, I… cough,” He Ze cleared his throat when he met He An’s eyes, then continued, “Things are different now. Anyway, when Dad and Father come back tomorrow, you know what to do, right?”

“Got it,” He An raised his voice, and his smile grew wider, “If Brother Lin becomes my brother-in-law, I can see him every day! He can even teach me to hunt! And, and, Brother Lin’s baby must be very cute!”

“…” Yes, that would also be your brother’s baby.

Seeing He An’s longing expression, a thought flashed through He Ze’s mind, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

A little baby like Lin Yu… just the thought of it made his heart warm, and he quickened his pace.

When they got home, night had already fallen. That night, the oil lamp in He Ze’s room stayed lit all night.

The next day, He Youcai and Dad Li returned home around noon, both of them smiling, indicating that their trip had been successful.

“Dad, Father, you must be hungry, right? I’ve already prepared food, all your favorites!” He An said excitedly as he helped them unload their backpacks and wooden boxes.

“Wow, growing up another year really made you more sensible!” Dad Li smiled and couldn’t resist patting He An’s soft hair.

After bringing an iron stove inside and adding a few more logs until the fire was roaring, the family quickly sat down at the table.

After a couple of bites, He Ze placed the two jars of wine on the table. The fragrant smell of the wine made He Youcai restless, and after drinking two large cups, he finally asked, “You two seem well-prepared. What’s up?”

Hearing this, Dad Li also put down his chopsticks, his gaze shifting between He Ze and He An.

“Dad, Father, don’t look at me. It’s Brother who has something important to say!” He An glanced at He Ze, then refilled their wine cups.

“What important matter? Did you fall for some family’s ger?” He Youcai teased, taking another sip of wine.

“That’s right,” He Ze nodded, “Dad, Father, since you’ve already figured it out, I’ll say it directly—I want to propose to the Lin family.”

“Who? The Lin family? Propose marriage?”

He Youcai was still mid-sip when He Ze’s words startled him, causing him to choke and cough repeatedly.

“You’re an adult now, can’t you stay calm?” Dad Li quickly stood up to pat his back, but soon turned to He Ze, his voice unexpectedly calm. “Xiao Ze, are you saying you have feelings for Yu-ge?”

“Yes,” He Ze responded, adding, “I want to propose to Uncle Zhang.”

After he finished speaking, the room fell into silence. He Youcai and Dad Li exchanged glances, and after a long pause, He Youcai asked uncertainly, “Are you serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious.”

“But, this matter…”

He Youcai puffed on his pipe, just about to speak when Dad Li interrupted him, “Xiao Ze, this is a matter of your future. Let your father and I discuss it thoroughly.”

“Of course,” he had expected this.

He Ze’s expression remained unchanged as he took a sip of his drink. Next to him, He An seemed restless, glancing at him repeatedly. It was only after He Youcai and Dad Li left the room that he couldn’t hold back, “Brother, what do you think Dad and Father will say? They won’t…”

“I don’t know, but they’ll agree eventually. In the meantime, try to feel out Dad’s thoughts for me.”

“Mm-hmm!” He An nodded vigorously.

Perhaps because He Ze’s bombshell was too sudden, He Youcai and Dad Li stayed in their room all afternoon. He Ze spent half an hour chopping firewood in the yard when an unexpected visitor arrived.

“Ah Ze, it’s me! Open the door!” A loud knocking on the courtyard gate was followed by shouting.

He Ze glanced outside the courtyard and frowned. After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up another bundle of firewood and continued chopping.

“Ah Ze, open the door, I…”

“Brother, who’s outside? They’re so noisy!” He An came out of the kitchen, rolling down his sleeves.

He had been washing dishes.

Seeing that He Ze didn’t answer, He An instinctively looked outside. The next second, his eyes flashed with anger. His gaze darted around, and he finally grabbed a broom from the corner and headed straight for the gate, “He Bao’er, you dare come here!”

“Xiao An? Can you open the door? I need to talk to your brother.” Seeing the broom in He An’s hand, He Bao’er took two steps back, forcing a smile.

“Sure, Brother Bao’er, since you’re here, I’ll open the door.”

He An flashed a bright smile, but there was something unsettling about it.

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly unlocked the gate, then suddenly swung it open and brought the broom down on He Bao’er. “How dare you come here! Shameless! If you come back, I’ll beat you to death!”

“……”

He Bao’er had barely managed to keep a smile on his face when He An’s sudden onslaught with the broom caught him off guard. He scrambled to dodge, yelping in pain and calling out pitifully to He Ze, who never once glanced his way, instead chopping wood even faster.

“You might as well give up. Do you think my brother is a fool? You disgust me! Go back to wherever you came from; none of us want you here!”

He An stood with his hands on his hips and slammed the broom on the ground.

“Xiao An, listen to me. I know I wronged your brother, but…” He Bao’er clutched his leg, tears streaming down his face. “You’ve hit me already. Just let me in to apologize to your brother. I promise I’ll leave right after.”

“You’re really not leaving?” He An tilted his chin up, his thumb slowly rubbing the broom handle.

“I…”

“Fine, if you’re not leaving, wait here. I’ll ask my brother if he wants to come out and see you. He’ll probably feel really sorry for you.”

“Xiao An, you—you won’t lie to me?” A flash of excitement crossed He Bao’er’s face, but the next second he looked at the broom in He An’s hand with evident fear.

He An didn’t answer, just gave him a cold look. Then he stepped back inside, re-locking the gate. “Wait here!”

Leaving the broom where it was, He An walked over to He Ze, turning back every few steps. Before he could speak, He Ze looked up, “Has he left?”

“No,” He An replied, watching He Ze closely. Seeing nothing unusual in his expression, he added, “I didn’t hit him hard, just brushed him a bit.”

“Good.”

“Brother, when did He Bao’er come back? You knew beforehand, didn’t you? If you let him cry again this time, then—” He An’s voice trailed off as he glared at He Ze.

His brother used to be totally infatuated with He Bao’er!

“There’s water in the kitchen. The river is frozen, so I fetched it from the well.” He Ze said, chopping another piece of wood.

“Huh?” He An was momentarily confused, then his face broke into a wide grin as he realized what He Ze meant. “Got it, brother, you’re the best!”

A while later, He Bao’er, outside the courtyard, was drenched with a bucket of dirty water. After crying and whining for a bit, he finally gave up and left.

But perhaps only for now.

The next day, Liu San and He Dalang were intercepted on their way back from the town, right at the edge of the village.

“He… He Bao’er? You…” Liu San pointed at him for a while before recognizing him, then laughed. “Well, well, which noble ger has come to our little backwater village? Don’t dirty your fine clothes!”

“You! Liu San, I’m not here to argue with you!” He Bao’er fumed, barely holding back his anger. “I know you’re close with He Ze. Can you tell me what’s been going on with him lately?”

After being humiliated by He An yesterday, He Bao’er had a growing sense that something was very wrong. It had only been a few months, yet He Ze could now treat him so harshly, even watching him get beaten and drenched without a word. The unease he felt when he saw He Ze and Lin Yu together that day had only deepened.

“Why should we tell you? So He Ze can pick up a piece of trash, or so the noble lord can become a cuckold?” Liu San slung an arm over He Dalang’s shoulder, laughing. “Da Lang, make sure you watch out when you’re looking for a wife. Don’t end up with someone as shameless as this, or you’ll be vomiting your guts out.”

“You…” He Bao’er took a deep breath, pulled a small piece of silver from his waist, and held it out to Liu San. “Forget what you just said. Tell me everything that’s happened with He Ze recently, especially anything involving other gers. This silver is yours.”

When he mentioned “other gers,” He Bao’er’s voice had a noticeable edge to it.

Seeing the silver, Liu San’s eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together. “Are you serious?”

“The silver’s right here in front of you. How could it be fake?” He Bao’er shot Liu San a contemptuous glance.

“Well, well…” Liu San licked his lips, but before he could continue, He Dalang slapped him on the head. “Have you fallen into a pit of greed? Don’t forget…”

He Dalang whispered a few words in Liu San’s ear, and Liu San immediately came to his senses. Reluctantly, he took one last look at the silver before saying, “Do you think you can buy me off with that little bit of silver? That’s pretty stingy. Let me tell you, wealth can’t corrupt, and poverty… what was that phrase?”

“Enough! Are you going to talk or not? If you don’t, I can ask someone else.” He Bao’er lost his patience and tucked the silver back into his waist.

If he didn’t know these two were close to He Ze, he wouldn’t have bothered coming to them!

“Alright, alright. What else is there to say? Even if you find out, what good will it do? You’re already married. Are you planning to serve two husbands? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a public disgrace? Besides, He Ze is busy preparing for his wedding. If you keep meddling…”

“What did you say? Busy preparing for his wedding? Who? Who are you talking about?” He Bao’er’s eyes turned red as he grabbed Liu San by the shoulders, his knuckles turning white. The image of He Ze and Lin Yu holding hands flashed through his mind. “Lin Yu, you’re talking about Lin Yu, right?”

“Ow—let go of me, damn it! What do you think you’re doing?”

Even through his thick padded jacket, Liu San could feel the pain from He Bao’er’s grip. Seeing the situation getting out of hand, He Dalang quickly stepped in to pull He Bao’er away.

“So what if it’s true? What do you have over him? Just look at his looks, tsk tsk…”

“Slap!”

Before Liu San could finish his sentence, He Dalang slapped him hard again. Liu San quickly wiped the smile off his face and said seriously, “I was just appreciating his looks, don’t get so worked up!”

After saying this, he turned to look at He Bao’er. “Of course, looks are just secondary. He Ze isn’t that shallow, right? When he saw you get married, he was heartbroken, so devastated he almost took his own life. If it weren’t for Lin Yu saving him from a bear’s claws, they’d never have developed their mutual affection…”

“What did you say? He Ze wanted to die because of me?” He Bao’er stared intently at Liu San.

He knew it! He knew that He Ze liked him. Someone who liked him so much and treated him so well—how could he let anyone else take him away?!

He Bao’er clenched his fists, his face suddenly breaking into a smile as he turned and ran off.

“Is he out of his mind?” Liu San watched He Bao’er’s retreating figure, twitching his mouth in disbelief. Seeing the direction He Bao’er was heading, he suddenly punched He Dalang’s shoulder hard. “Isn’t that the way to Lin Yu’s house?—Da Lang! Did I just say something wrong?!”

Liu San’s eyes widened in despair.

“Uh, it seems so,” He Dalang nodded dumbly. The next second, seeing Liu San sprinting off, he quickly followed. “Why are you running so fast?”

“What else can I do? I have to find He Ze!” Liu San didn’t stop, turning his head with a look of anguish. “The new love and the old flame are about to clash—this is going to be a disaster!”