Free Web NovelChapter 412: Chapter 160: Recruiting a Son-in-law (Part 2)
The couple exchanged a few idle words. The clansmen from both families had finished paying their respects, and they all started walking back together.
This time, however, there was no chance for a private conversation. Everyone was gathered together, chattering excitedly about releasing river lanterns that evening.
When they reached the fork in the road, the two families parted ways.
As Chen Wanqing walked back with Zhao Jing, she scanned the members of the Chen family, looking specifically for Li’an.
He was actually easy to find. The youth with his head perpetually bowed, so thin he seemed to be nothing but a bag of bones—that was Li’an.
He had not even reached the age of twenty, yet there were already strands of silver in his hair. The discovery made Chen Wanqing’s heart lurch.
De’an noticed Chen Wanqing’s gaze and followed it to Li’an’s hair. He, too, was taken aback by what he saw.
He slung an arm around Li’an’s shoulders, pulling him aside like a brother to whisper something in his ear.
Zhao Jing took Chen Wanqing’s hand. "Wanqing, watch your step."
"I am."
"Are you worried about Li’an?"
At his words, Chen Wanqing leaned a little closer to Zhao Jing and whispered, "Li’an is in such a pitiful state. After everything that’s happened, it’s as if he’s aged several years overnight. He’s so thin and frail now, he looks like De’an’s younger brother."
’But Li’an is the older one. He’s supposed to be the big brother.’
"Try not to worry about him. He’ll get through it in time."
"I’m not trying to meddle, and I wouldn’t know how even if I wanted to. It’s just... if I let him keep spiraling like this, my conscience won’t let me rest."
"So when it comes down to it, you do want to get involved."
"...We’ll see. I’ll find some time to talk with him and see if I can help. We’re going to the Prefecture, aren’t we? I was thinking, we could just take him with us. He could help me with the stall, or we could arrange for him to learn a trade. The main thing is to get him away from here, to give him some time to heal and grow."
Meanwhile, Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing weren’t the only ones discussing Li’an’s future. De’an was bringing up the very same topic with Li’an himself.
"Grandfather’s getting old, and we can’t rely on Third Uncle. Someday, you’ll have to be the one to support this family. But you can’t even take care of yourself, so how are you supposed to take care of everyone else?"
Li’an’s eyes reddened. His lips trembled, but no sound came out.
"Don’t let what people are saying get to you. You can’t control them, so it’s better to just focus on taking care of yourself and living your own life."
Li’an asked dejectedly, "Can my life ever get better? I don’t even dare to leave the house lately. Even in my dreams, I see people pointing and staring, calling me the son of a prostitute and the brother of a murderer. With family like that, how can things possibly get better?"
"Don’t be so down. There’s always a way forward. If you feel like you can’t face anyone here, that you can’t go on living in Qingshui County, then why not come with me to the Prefecture? No one knows you there. I can ask a friend to find you some work, and you can just stay in the Prefecture from now on. How does that sound?"
Li’an listened in silence and didn’t respond for a long time. Only after De’an pressed him did he say hesitantly, "Let me think about it... I don’t want to feel like I’m just running away in disgrace..."
’But if he didn’t run, what else could he do?’
’He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know which path was his. He couldn’t even understand how his life had fallen into such a state.’
De’an patted Li’an on the back and let out a soft sigh. He kept an arm around his shoulders as they rejoined the group ahead.
On the way back to the county seat, De’an told his parents what he had done.
"I suggested he leave Qingshui County for the Prefecture, but Li’an can’t make up his mind. He’s always been this way—timid, afraid to try anything new, only ever wanting to live inside his comfort zone."
But now that his comfort zone had become an inferno, he didn’t even have the courage to step out. It was enough to make one both angry and frustrated.
"All right, don’t worry about him anymore. You’ve shown him a path forward; our part is done. If he’s willing to leave, you can take him. If he’s not, then just leave him to his fate."
The whole family prepared for the possibility that Li’an would stay behind. And Li’an was, indeed, planning to stay.
But not in the way they imagined.
That evening, people from all the surrounding villages gathered and made their way to the small river on the outskirts of the county seat to release river lanterns.
It was widely believed that the Lantern Festival was for humans and the Ghost Festival was for ghosts. Humans were considered yang and ghosts yin; land was yang and water was yin. Therefore, during the Lantern Festival, lanterns were hung on land, but during the Ghost Festival, river lanterns had to be released into the water.
River lanterns, also called lotus lanterns, were crafted from wood, paper, and lotus leaves into the shape of a lotus flower. A small oil lamp or candle was lit in the center. Sometimes, the name of the deceased was written on the lantern before it was placed in the water and left to drift away.
