Otherworldly Space: A Tale of Love and Growth - Chapter 6

The evening breeze blew gently, and with the afterglow of the setting sun beneath his feet, Song Ci hurried home with a light step.

Seeing the person he had been worried and concerned about, and knowing that they were safe and well, was something to be truly happy about.

Lin Xiaohé was stronger than he had imagined, which greatly comforted Song Ci.

It seemed as if the future happy life he envisioned was waving at him. The ability to be openly with his man was the greatest benefit this strange world had brought him.

For the next few days, every morning, Song Ci went to the fields with Old Lady Song.

Although he couldn’t do heavy work, he was still trying his best to assist her.

Song Ci didn’t plan to make a living by farming in the future. He just wanted to adapt to the ancient life in this way first.

Only by understanding both sides could he ensure he wouldn’t be exposed and live a happy and carefree life.

It was also a way to show Lin Xiaohé his determination. In the afternoons, he would go to the mountain path where Lin Xiaohé usually went to intercept him.

The villagers of Daping Village had no entertainment activities due to the heavy agricultural work.

In their spare time, they liked to gather together to talk and chat. Women talked about women’s topics, and men talked about men’s topics.

The common subject they had been discussing these days during their rare leisure time was Song Ci.

When Song Ci first went to the fields, everyone thought the sun was rising in the west.

Song Ergou, the well-known lazy and gluttonous troublemaker in the village, had actually started working.

This was everyone’s thought, filled with surprise and doubt. On the second and third days, people were still watching to see if Song Ergou had truly reformed or if he was just pretending.

After several days of this, some families with ge’er or girls began to murmur. Wasn’t Song Ergou interested in the ge’er or girl from a good family?

It should be said that the villagers were as perceptive as Old Lady Song, not because they knew Song Ergou well, but because of an incident a few years ago.

A troublemaker from Qingmiao Village had his eyes on a ge’er from a middle-class family in Lvhe Village.

The ge’er was good-looking, very capable, and came from a well-off family where the parents doted on him.

Naturally, they wouldn’t marry their ge’er off to someone without a proper job.

The troublemaker, in order to marry the ge’er, came up with a plan.

Since the two villages were separated by several other villages and the family in Lvhe Village had no relatives in their village, if he went to propose, that family would surely come to their village to inquire.

So, half a year before proposing, the troublemaker started working from dawn to dusk with his parents every day, pretending to have truly reformed.

He even deceived his own parents.

After half the villagers changed their tune about him, he invited a matchmaker to their home.

Sure enough, the ge’er’s family came to inquire. The villagers, not wanting to offend the troublemaker, all said that it’s better to break ten temples than to ruin a marriage.

They were afraid that if they spoiled the troublemaker’s marriage, they would be resented.

Even those who doubted his reformation didn’t tell the ge’er’s family the truth, but instead praised the troublemaker without reservation.

In the end, the troublemaker got his wish and married the ge’er.

For the first half year before the wedding, the couple was loving and harmonious, working together in the fields.

The young man’s life seemed quite peaceful. Later, after the novelty wore off, the troublemaker returned to his old ways.

Not only did he often hang around outside, but he also mistreated the ge’er.

Within two years, he had ruined the family and accumulated a large gambling debt.

When the creditors came knocking, he even wanted to pawn the ge’er off to a gambling den.

Fortunately, the ge’er’s family arrived in time and took their ge’er back home, saving him from being sold.

The incident caused quite a stir and spread to many villages.

Even the reputation of Qingmiao Village suffered because the whole village had helped the troublemaker deceive the ge’er from Lvhe Village.

The ge’er and girls in the village suffered undeservedly in their marriages, and this still affected them to this day.

Whenever a family from Qingmiao Village married into another family, any dissatisfaction would lead to the mother-in-law scolding them with this story.

Everyone was speculating whether Song Ergou would follow the troublemaker’s example and try to deceive a wife from another village.

They were all waiting to see Song Ergou’s downfall, as the incident hadn’t been long ago.

They weren’t foolish enough to marry their precious children to someone with a criminal record like Song Ergou.

When the day came and everything fell apart, Song Ergou’s expression would surely be quite entertaining.

Among those who wanted to watch the drama, there were some who were envious of the Song family’s good life and spoke sourly, and there were also ge’er wives who were jealous that Old Lady Song had married a capable man like Song Ergou’s father.

There were a few kind-hearted individuals who believed that Song Ergou might truly want to reform, but whether he could stick to it was still uncertain.

After all, a dog doesn’t change its habit of eating feces.

Even Lin’s mother, who was so kind-hearted, had doubts: “Is this second dog really sincere about reforming his ways?”

“Mother, why worry about others’ affairs? Let’s just take care of our own,” Lin Xiaohé said, still annoyed with Song Ci and not liking his family mentioning him.

“Xiaohé is right. Let’s not meddle in others’ business. We should hurry up and find a good husband for our Xiaohé,” Lin’s mother joked, making Lin Xiaohé blush and retreat to his room.

However, there were a few people who were genuinely happy for Song Ergou, such as Old Lady Song and Song’s second uncle’s family.

“Ergou,” Song Ergou was called out while he was walking home from the mountain.

He hadn’t seen Lin Xiaohé today, and that young man was really good at keeping him waiting.

In fact, Song Ci was being overly sentimental. The young man was actually avoiding him.

“Brother Tiesheng.”

Song Tiesheng, who called out to Song Ci, was the eldest son of Song’s second uncle’s family. He was two years older than Song Ci, already had a husband, and had two children.

He also had two younger brothers, one named Tongsheng and the other named Sheng, and a younger ge’er brother named Ame, all of whom were younger than Song Ci.

Compared to the thriving family of Song’s second uncle, Song Ci’s family had fewer children.

It was said that Old Lady Song had given birth to a girl when Song Ci was five years old, but unfortunately, the girl did not survive.

Because of this, Old Lady Song usually cared most about whether Song Ci was well-fed and warmly dressed, and did not overly discipline or restrict him.

When Song Ci called him “brother,” Song Tiesheng was somewhat surprised. When had Song Ergou ever shown him such respect?

“The cucumbers in the field are ripe now. They taste just right. My mother asked me to bring some over to your family,” he said.

“Thank you so much, Second Aunt. Brother Tiesheng, just give me the basket. I can take it back myself. You should go about your business,” Song Ci said, reaching out to take the basket from Song Tiesheng’s hand.

“I don’t have anything urgent to do. I haven’t seen my aunt for quite a few days. I’ll go and visit her,” Song Tiesheng replied.

His family had heard about his cousin’s decision to work in the fields and were curious to see if Song Ergou was truly sincere in his change of heart.

They sent Song Tiesheng to check it out.

As the eldest grandson of the Song family, Song Tiesheng had always held himself to the standards of an eldest son.

Unlike Song Ci, who was coddled and spoiled, he felt it was his duty to guide his younger cousin back on the right path when he went astray.

The first time Song Ergou went out and got involved with bad company, Song Tiesheng found out.

He tried to persuade Song Ergou to stay away from those people and focus on his studies, but to no avail. So, he told his uncle, Song Ergou’s father, about it.

Song Tiesheng’s intention was, of course, for Song Ergou’s own good.

He was afraid that Song Ergou would be corrupted by those people.

However, when his father found out, he beat Song Ergou so severely that he couldn’t get out of bed for three days.

After being beaten and humiliated, Song Ergou harbored resentment towards Song Tiesheng from that day on.

The more Song Tiesheng tried to stop him from doing something, the more Song Ergou would do it.

If Song Tiesheng said something was good, Song Ergou would insist it was bad.

Over time, Song Tiesheng became genuinely afraid of Song Ergou and stopped interfering in his affairs.

He was worried that if Song Ergou did something irrevocable out of spite, he would feel guilty towards his late uncle.

“Ergou, I heard you’ve started working in the fields,” Song Tiesheng said tentatively.

“Yep,” Song Ci nodded, then added modestly, “But I don’t really know how to do much. I’m just following my mother around and learning.”

“If you have the will, you’ll pick up farming work quickly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me,” Song Tiesheng continued cautiously, not wanting to provoke the unpredictable Song Ergou and lose face in public.

“Thank you in advance. If there’s anything I don’t understand, I won’t hesitate to ask you, Brother Tiesheng,” Song Ci replied. Whether it was out of politeness or sincerity, he appreciated Song Tiesheng’s gesture.

After all, his original elder cousin had always treated him well despite being taken advantage of.

Song Ci looked at Song Tiesheng with a hint of pity. With his rough appearance, Song Tiesheng didn’t seem like someone who enjoyed being dominated, but perhaps he had some hidden traits.

Song Tiesheng felt uneasy under Song Ci’s gaze. After confirming that he hadn’t misheard, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Song Ergou calling him “brother” was one thing, but hearing a “thank you” from him was almost surreal. Was the world turning upside down?

If only Song Ergou had been this well-behaved in the past, his uncle wouldn’t have been so frustrated and angry all the time.

Song Tiesheng wouldn’t have been falsely accused and beaten so many times.

He remembered one time when Song Ergou was bullied and came to him for help.

Thinking that Song Ergou had provoked the trouble, he ignored it. Song Ergou then tearfully complained to his father, resulting in another severe beating for Song Tiesheng.

Nevertheless, Song Tiesheng was still relieved to see Song Ergou’s change. He felt that his cousin had finally grown up and could distinguish right from wrong.

Don’t blame Song Tiesheng for having such a paternal mindset. Over the years, he had worried a lot about Song Ergou.

Whenever Song Ergou bullied someone, Song Tiesheng would be accused of minding other people’s business.

When Song Ergou suffered a loss and sought his help, if he didn’t support him, he would be accused of being unbrotherly.

Sometimes Song Tiesheng felt like he never wanted to deal with Song Ergou again. He wasn’t the type to force himself on someone.

But thinking of his uncle’s only heir and the kindness his uncle had shown him, Song Tiesheng couldn’t bear to give up. He stubbornly tried to guide his cousin back to the right path, despite the heartache.

Song Ci saw Song Tiesheng’s excited expression and couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. This original self was really troublesome. Just by having a polite conversation with him, he could move the person to such an extent.

Song Tiesheng delivered the items to the Song family and chatted with Old Lady Song for a while before returning home happily. He wanted to share this good news with his father and tell him about the changes in Song Ergou.

“Your second uncle’s family are all good people,” Old Lady Song said to Song Ci after Song Tiesheng left.

Song Ci agreed wholeheartedly. They were upright, hardworking, grateful, and persistent in not giving up on Song Ergou. These were the most important qualities. Truly, they were an honest and kind-hearted family.