Northeast: My Absurd Woman

After much deliberation, Zhang Changyao decided to talk to Guan Lin about it.

"Changyao, your second sister-in-law and I have also discussed this matter."

If your wife isn't pregnant, then this matter is not simple.

I have something to do tomorrow and can't go with you. When you go by yourself, please don't just go to Wu Ni's house and ask.

My uncle, Guan Shunzhi, lives at the southernmost part of Ganggang Village.

Go to my uncle's house tomorrow and ask around, just say you're passing by.

You can only hear the truth from outsiders.

Now that you know exactly what happened, don't ask Wu Ni directly when you get back.

You two shouldn't argue about this anymore.

Your wife isn't the type to keep things to herself; she hasn't been telling you.

That proves there's a reason she doesn't want to talk about.

If you push her too hard, and she gets really upset, you might end up losing everything.

Guan Lin was old and had seen a lot, so he repeatedly gave Zhang Changyao instructions.

"Second brother, I'm not sure. Now that I think about it, it would be better if it were a child."

Zhang Changyao pushed his car to the fork in the road leading home and stopped there.

"Changyao, don't overthink it. Go ask tomorrow."

People living in a village can't possibly know nothing about it.

Don't worry, maybe I'll give birth to a big, healthy baby boy first thing tomorrow morning.

Guan Lin smiled, patted Zhang Changyao on the shoulder, and was about to go home.

"Second Brother, I've cooked the tofu stew. I'm just waiting for Zhang Changyao and you to come back."

Yang Wuni, who came out of the gate, saw Guan Lin was going home from afar and hurriedly called out to him.

"Second Brother, let's go! Wu Ni's cooking is delicious."

Zhang Changyao grabbed Guan Lin's arm and pulled him into the car.

As the car was pushed into the yard, Zhang Kaiju and Zhao Xiulan came out to see what was happening.

"Kaiju, look how new this car is. Go to town tomorrow and buy a bottle of paint to give it a fresh coat of color."

Wu Ni, do you think blue or green looks better? Or how about we paint it red?

"Aunt Xiulan, I've never heard of painting it red. That's so creepy!" Yang Wuni quickly chimed in.

"There are many blue ones, I'll paint my car blue tomorrow."

With paint, insects won't come in, it won't crack, and it lasts a long time.

Zhang Kaiju touched the car bed, his face full of smiles.

"Come inside and eat! We'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow."

Yang Wuni, clutching a freshly peeled scallion and a bowl of soybean paste, called out to the group.

"Wu Ni, your room is too cramped to accommodate all these people. Bring the dishes over and let's eat in my room."

Your dad stir-fried some shredded potatoes and chopped some chili sauce; let the three of them have a sip.

Zhao Xiulan pulled Guan Lin and Zhang Changyao into her room.

Yang Wuni was also troubled by this matter, and Zhao Xiulan's words were exactly what she wanted to hear.

She went back inside and brought the aluminum basin and tofu over together.

Then he went back to his room, lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), biting his lower lip and enduring the pain.

I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but the smell of food makes me feel nauseous.

The dull, throbbing pain in her stomach terrified her so much that she dared not sleep.

Perhaps when it's time to die, my stomach will burst open.

She remembered the woman who told her father that her stomach would explode; she was a shaman.

It is said that the woman can chat with the gods in heaven.

It can even fight with the dead ghosts, and it always manages to drive them away.

"Wu Ni, why aren't you going to eat?" Zhang Changyao shoveled a mouthful of rice and came over to call Yang Wu Ni.

"I already ate in our room, you guys eat!"

Yang Wuni didn't want Zhang Changyao to notice that she was uncomfortable.

He got up and put a handful of tea leaves into Zhang Changyao's large tea mug, then filled it with boiling water, covered it, and let it steep.

Roasted tea leaves, also known as Yunnan broken tea, are not valuable; almost every household has half a bag of them.

It tastes the same as Yunnan black tea, but it doesn't sink to the bottom; it needs to steep for a while to fully infuse.

After drinking a whole mug of water, there were still more than half a mug of tea leaves left.

Zhang Changyao couldn't drink strong tea, so he left a crack in the lid of his teacup.

Before the tea leaves lose their color, quickly drink a few bowls.

Yunnan broken tea is a type of black tea, unlike other teas. This kind of tea really takes color from the leaves.

When it's dark red, after two bowls, you won't be able to sleep for half the night.

My head was so sleepy it wouldn't obey me, and my eyes were wide open and wouldn't close.

"Wu Ni, I'm going out tomorrow."

Zhang Changyao leaned his head against the wall and said something lightly.

"Where are you going? Do you need me to come with you?"

Yang Wuni lay on the pillow at the head of the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked weakly.

"No need, I can go by myself." This was the first time Zhang Changyao spoke to Yang Wuni without looking at her.

Each of them had their own secrets to keep, so they slept back to back, neither wanting to look at the other.

As soon as it was light, Yang Wuni got up to cook for Zhang Changyao.

Zhang Changyao didn't tell her where they were going, and she didn't dare to ask again.

The chestnut horse's belly was sideways, so it was probably about to give birth.

Yang Wuni mixed her own portion of food with hot water and fed it to the jujube-red horse.

Zhang Changyao drank a bowl of porridge, and seeing that there was no more in the pot, he didn't get any more.

He left the rest for Yang Wuni, knowing that she hadn't been eating much lately.

The chestnut horse is an old horse; it doesn't resist being harnessed and is quite stable.

Zhang Changyao did not drive his carriage directly from his own front door.

Instead, they went around to the village and then left from the south end of the village.

If he walks this way, Yang Wuni won't know he's going to Ganggang Village.

Zhang Changyao didn't urge his horse along the way, and the old horse followed the official road.

Zhang Changyao would only pull the reins when there was a need to take a roundabout route.

We walked until almost noon before finally entering Ganggang Village.

There's a small shop at the north end of Ganggang Village, which Zhang Changyao noticed when he came to pick up Yang Wuni before.

He bought a bag of fruit to take to his uncle Guan Shunzhi's house; he couldn't go empty-handed.

Upon reaching the south end of the village, Zhang Changyao got out of the car and inquired about Guan Shunzhi's home.

The person they happened to meet was Guan Shunzhi's neighbor.

The skinny old man who collected manure enthusiastically led Zhang Changyao to Guan Shunzhi's house.

When they arrived at Guan Shunzhi's house, the skinny old man didn't go inside; instead, he continued collecting his excrement.

Zhang Changyao knew how important collecting manure was to this old man.

He bowed to him to express his gratitude, and the thin old man blushed at Zhang Changyao's gesture.

He scratched his bald head a few times, then walked away with a sheepish grin.

"Is anyone home?" Zhang Changyao didn't dare to rush in.

He tied his horse to the gatepost, then stood on tiptoe and peered through the gate.

Hearing the shouts, the big yellow dog in the yard ran out of the house first.

Through the cracks in the wooden planks of the gate, it jumped and shouted, trying to attack Zhang Changyao.

After the dog barked, a middle-aged man wearing a coat came out of the house.

The man was fat and short, with puffy eyes and thick lips.

Her cheeks were clearly covered with red veins, and her hair was gray.

The man squinted, carefully examining Zhang Changyao's appearance.

He stared at Zhang Changyao for a long time without saying a word, nor did he show Zhang the dog or open the door.