The news of the brothers' successful return spread like wildfire throughout the small mountain village.
When the villagers saw the bulging rice sack on Xu Chengbo's shoulder and the oil-paper package in his hand, exuding the aroma of grease, their eyes all widened.
"Oh my goodness, this... how much did they buy?"
"Look at that fabric, brand new and shiny! The Xu Family is going to prosper!"
Xu Laosan, who was squatting at his doorstep smoking a dry pipe, saw this scene, and his pipe clattered to the ground.
His already dark face was now as black as the bottom of a pot.
Flames of jealousy practically shot from his eyes.
His wife couldn't hold back and spat sourly in the direction of the Xu Family courtyard: "Pah! What's so great about that! They probably just got lucky. Let's see how long they can be so Lucky !"
Xu Fan ignored these comments.
He pushed open the courtyard gate, and Yan Aini and the children immediately came to greet him.
When half a stone of pure white new rice poured "whoosh" into the rice jar, filling the previously almost empty jar to the brim; when the several bolts of brand new, beautiful fabric were spread out in the courtyard, the entire Xu Family was overjoyed.
"New clothes! Mother, we have new clothes to wear!" Ten-year-old Xu Huining stroked the indigo blue fabric, her voice choked with emotion.
The six-year-old twins, Xu Wenwen and Xu Ruize, were even happier, running wildly around the courtyard, their little faces beaming with the innocence appropriate for their age.
Even the most mischievous, Xu Jielang, carefully touched a piece of grass-green fabric, which Xu Fan had specially chosen for him.
Yan Aini covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls, unable to stop them.
She had never seen such fine fabric in her life.
With trembling hands, she picked up a piece of cyan fabric chosen for Fan'er, held it against her son, and laughed and cried: "Good, good... My Fan'er will surely look like a handsome scholar when he wears this."
Xu Chang squatted to the side, looking at all the things in the courtyard, looking at the smiles on his family's faces. The eyes of this taciturn man turned red again and again. He secretly sniffled, turning his head away, not wanting the children to see him cry.
Xu Fan smiled, handing the purchased brown sugar and a small piece of pork to his mother: "Mother, stew a pot of meat soup tonight, add some brown sugar, and nourish yourself, Grandmother, and the younger sisters."
For a moment, the small courtyard was filled with long-lost laughter and joy.
However, when Yan Aini took two pieces of the softest, most subtly colored fabric into the inner room, intending to make new clothes for her in-laws, she encountered an obstacle.
"No... we don't want them." Xu Jun, who had been ill for many years, spoke in a hoarse voice. He looked at the brand new fabric, his cloudy eyes full of resistance. "We are both people with one foot in the grave. What's the point of wearing such good clothes? It's a waste!"
Zhuang Yunlan, beside him, also nodded. She held her daughter-in-law's hand and whispered: "Aini, use all this fabric for the children. They are growing, and they can't get cold. We two old ones are fine with old clothes, no need to spend money."
The elders' words instantly cooled the joyful atmosphere in the courtyard.
Yan Aini was anxious and didn't know what to do, looking to Xu Fan for help.
Xu Chang also frowned, saying in a muffled voice: "Father, Mother, this is Fan'er's Care..."
"Precisely because it's Care, we cannot accept it!" Xu Jun's tone became agitated, triggering a violent fit of coughing. "We two invalids have already burdened this family long enough! Now that the family is finally showing some improvement, money must be spent where it counts!"
"Buy rice, buy grain, save it for the children! We... we can't be a burden to this family anymore!"
These words silenced everyone present.
This was the deepest thought of the two elders; they felt deep self-reproach and guilt for not being able to work and instead burdening their children and grandchildren.
Xu Fan watched this scene, and memories from his previous life flooded his mind.
He remembered struggling outside, always thinking that sending money home was fulfilling his filial duty, but he had overlooked that what his parents truly needed was companionship.
Until they passed away, that regret became a permanent thorn in his heart.
In this life, he would never let regret repeat itself.
He silently walked into the inner room, squatted by the bed, picked up a piece of fabric, and gently placed it on his grandfather Xu Jun's emaciated hand.
"Grandfather."
"Why did I risk my life to gather herbs in the mountains and sell them in town for money?"
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over his grandparents, and then over his parents and younger siblings who had gathered around upon hearing the commotion.
"It's not to distinguish who is a burden and who isn't in this family. It's to ensure that every member of my family can eat their fill, wear warm clothes, and live with dignity."
He held his grandfather's hand, feeling the bony touch.
"When you and Grandmother wear new clothes, your bodies will be warmer, and your ailments will lessen. The less you suffer, the more at ease I, your grandson, will be. Then this money will have been well spent."
"If you don't wear them, and this fabric sits in the chest, I'll feel choked up looking at it. What's the point of me earning more money then?"
[Intimidation (Initiate 15/100)]
[Intimidation Proficiency +1]
His words, devoid of grand reason, warmed the hearts of the two elders.
Xu Jun looked at his eldest grandson, whose once dim eyes now shone astonishingly bright.
It was as if he was truly seeing this grandson for the first time.
He was no longer the child who needed protection, but a true man who could shelter this family from wind and rain.
The old man wanted to say more, but in the end, it only turned into a long sigh, and tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.
Zhuang Yunlan was already sobbing uncontrollably. She held Xu Fan's hand, caressing it repeatedly: "Good boy... good boy... Our Fan'er has grown up..."
The commotion subsided.
That evening, Yan Aini began to tailor clothes for her family under the dim oil lamp.
The light was faint, and she squinted, failing several times to thread the needle.
"Mother, you rest for a bit, I'll do it." Xu Fan looked at his mother's tired eyes, feeling a pang in his heart.
He took the needle and thread. Now, his eyesight, wrist strength, and fingertip control were far beyond what they used to be.
He pinched the thin thread and easily threaded the needle in one go.
[Sewing Proficiency +1]
[Sewing Proficiency +1]
"Oh my!" Yan Aini exclaimed, her face full of smiles, "My son's eyes are so sharp! Alright, Mother isn't tired. Just thinking that our whole family will have new clothes in a few days gives Mother endless energy."
In the courtyard, Xu Chang was squatting on the doorstep, looking at the warm light emanating from inside the house.
Xu Fan walked out of the house and placed a cloth bag filled with various seeds beside his father.
"Father, I want to discuss something with you. I'm thinking of clearing the wasteland behind the house and making a vegetable garden."
Xu Chang heard this, remained silent for a while, then spoke in a muffled voice: "Fan'er, it's not that I'm being pessimistic. Look at the sky; it hasn't rained thoroughly for almost two months."
"The ground is so dry it's cracked open. Planting vegetables now would be a waste of effort, wouldn't it?"
He looked up at the dark night sky.
"These past few months have been unusually dry; nothing will grow well. If the Immortal doesn't come to bring rain, I'm afraid this year will be... hard to endure."
"Immortal?" Xu Fan's heart stirred. This was the second time he had heard this term from the villagers.
The first time was in town, hearing people talk about those high-flying legends, he just took them as stories.
Now, hearing it from his father, the feeling was completely different.
"Have they come before?"
"They have." Xu Chang closed his eyes, lost in distant memories. "Nine years ago, there was also such a severe drought. The fields yielded nothing, and several people in the village starved to death."
"Later, an Immortal from the Qingyun Sect passed by, saw our plight, waved his sleeve, pointed a finger at the sky, and dark clouds gathered out of thin air, bringing a life-saving heavy rain that saved the entire village."
"Qingyun Sect? The Sect that will be recruiting disciples in a year?" Xu Fan silently noted down the name.
Seeking help from others, from Immortals, is ultimately not as good as helping oneself.
This world truly has extraordinary power!
He would desperately strive to acquire this power to protect his family!