The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 175 - 174: Didn’t Bring Her Back

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, urged on by his two children’s constant pestering, He Lang went to He Yun’s home in town to pick up Daya.

The Liu Family probably didn’t expect He Lang to come at this time. Aside from Liu Jian Country’s younger brother and sister-in-law who had gone to visit her family today, everyone else was in the house, cracking melon seeds. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Seeing He Lang enter, He Yun stood up. "What are you doing here?"

He Lang entered the house but didn’t see Daya. He scanned his surroundings. "Where’s Daya?"

He Yun gave a light cough and called out twice, "Daya—! Daya."

Daya came out of the kitchen, her hands still stained with grime.

He Lang froze for a moment when he saw Daya. He hadn’t seen her for just a few days, but she looked completely different. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing a thin, blackened cotton jacket that looked like someone else’s hand-me-down. The little girl’s face was flushed, and she was trembling all over.

"Where are your clothes?" He Lang asked.

Daya glanced at her grandmother, not daring to speak.

Mrs. Liu’s eyes darted around. "You little brat, what are you looking at me for? Wasn’t it because your own clothes were too dirty that you changed into this?"

He Lang narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Daya, then said to the Liu Family, "I’m here to take Daya back with me. We’ll be leaving for Beijing City soon."

"In such a hurry? It’s only been a few days since she came back," He Yun said.

He Lang nodded. "Yes. It’s a long journey, so we need to set off early."

He Yun looked at Mrs. Liu, who was blinking emphatically, signaling to her with her eyes.

He Yun picked at the corner of her clothes and said in a muffled voice, "Third Brother, I heard you’re doing business in Beijing City now. You must not be short on money. About that six yuan we talked about before... can we raise it a bit? It’s not much, just ten yuan a month. Our family is really struggling."

He Lang didn’t say a word, just stared intently at He Yun. Under his gaze, her voice grew quieter and quieter, and her head sank lower and lower.

He Lang turned to look at the other members of the Liu Family. Liu Jian Country turned his face away, not daring to meet He Lang’s eyes. Mr. Liu sat on a stool smoking, acting as if it had nothing to do with him. Mrs. Liu, however, watched He Lang smugly, as if she was certain he would agree.

He Lang scoffed and shook his head. "You people... You’re blinded by greed. The only reason I agreed to take Daya to Beijing City is because my mother begged me to. It’s not like I have to take her. Since you’re going to jack up the price on the spot, then forget it. I’m not an idiot. For six yuan, I can find someone older who might even be more capable."

After speaking, He Lang turned and walked out decisively. But as he passed Daya, he saw her red-rimmed eyes and couldn’t help but give her a quick wink.

The Liu Family watched He Lang just leave like that, stunned on the spot.

A moment later, He Yun started to complain, "I told you! With my third brother’s temper, he was never going to agree. Besides, six yuan isn’t a small amount. Mom, why did you have to insist on raising the price? Now look, even the six yuan is gone."

Mrs. Liu cursed angrily, "How was I supposed to know he’s so rich yet so stingy? Weren’t you the one who said he was doing business out of town? And you’re his own sister, yet he won’t even give you that much face."

He Yun asked her, "So what do we do now?"

Mrs. Liu snorted. "What do you mean, ’what do we do’? If she doesn’t go, she doesn’t go. Think about all the chores at home. It’s good to keep Daya here. She can help me out. If I had to rely on you lot, I’d work myself to death."

Daya, who was standing by the door, was already feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet. Hearing this, a wave of panic washed over her, and she pitched forward.

With a THUD, everyone in the room startled and saw Daya collapsed on the floor, completely still.

Liu Jian Country hurried over and turned Daya onto her back. Her face was bright red, her breathing was rapid, and she was unconscious.

Liu Jian Country felt Daya’s forehead, then looked at the others. "Daya has a fever."

He Yun panicked too. "I knew it, her face was so red! Shouldn’t we take her to the hospital right away?"

Mrs. Liu went over, glanced down, and said dismissively, "It’s just a high fever. What’s the point of going to the hospital? Just put a cool, wet cloth on her head. She’s not some delicate princess."

He Yun frowned. "Will that work?"

Liu Jian Country picked Daya up. "Let’s try it first."

Meanwhile, He Lang was gone for a good while, but in the end, he returned alone.

"You didn’t go pick up Daya?" Xue Yue asked him.

Shiyi and Ruanruan crowded around him. "Daddy, where’s Big Sister Daya?"

He Lang looked at his two children, unsure how to explain the situation to them.

Xue Yue saw his hesitation and seemed to understand. She looked down at the children and said, "Something came up at Big Sister Daya’s house. We’ll go get her in a few days."

Shiyi pouted. "You’re lying! It must be because Big Sister Daya’s parents won’t let her come to our house. Big Sister Daya told me so."

Xue Yue sighed and patted Shiyi’s head. "That’s not it. Big Sister Daya will be back in a few days. Ruanruan, take your little brother outside to play for a bit. Mommy and Daddy need to talk."

Ruanruan nodded and led a clearly unhappy Shiyi outside.

"What went wrong this time? Did the Liu Family back out?" Xue Yue couldn’t think of any other reason.

He Lang sighed. "The Liu Family wanted to raise the price to ten yuan a month. I didn’t agree. Their appetite will only grow bigger. Daya is one of them, so it won’t be easy for us to take her away."

"Then what should we do? Look at Shiyi—he obviously doesn’t believe us. Besides, poor Daya... If we let her stay with the Liu Family, they’ll definitely marry her off in a few years. Knowing them, who knows what they’d do for money?"

He Lang nodded. "She’s not having an easy time now, either. When I saw Daya today, her complexion was clearly unhealthy. The new padded jacket and pants we bought her were gone. I don’t know where the Liu Family dug up the tattered old clothes she was wearing. The poor girl was shivering from the cold."

Xue Yue’s heart ached when she heard this.

"Are we really just going to leave Daya like this?"

He Lang slowly sat down. "Let’s wait for a bit first. See if the Liu Family has a change of heart. They might not be willing to give up the six yuan they’d get every month."

Xue Yue said, deflated, "But how long can we wait? We have to go back in a little over a week."

The couple fell silent. They were only her aunt and uncle; no matter what, they couldn’t overstep the Liu Family’s authority.

When Mrs. He found out the Liu Family had tried to raise the price again, she stomped her foot in regret.

"If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have let Daya go back for the New Year. The Liu Family is so greedy, it’s like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

He Lang asked her, "Mom, did you tell He Yun that I was doing business in Beijing City?"

Mrs. He froze for a second. "He Yun asked what you were doing in Beijing City, so I just mentioned it casually. Oh, dear... that’s not why, is it?"

He Lang nodded. "It’s possible."

Mrs. He slapped her own mouth lightly. "This mouth of mine! Why did I have to say anything to her? It’s true what they say: a married daughter is like water thrown out the door. She only thinks about her husband’s family now. I shouldn’t have let my guard down around that girl."