Volume One, Chapter One: The Sister-in-Law

Grandpa Zhao Fei and my grandpa are biological brothers. That kid isn’t much to look at, yet he married the most beautiful woman in the entire region. There’s no helping it—he works at a state-run farm, with guaranteed harvests no matter the drought or flood. Whoever marries him automatically becomes a worker as well.

The first time I met my cousin’s wife, I was captivated by every smile and frown, and by her perfectly curved, graceful figure. At that moment, a seed of love silently took root and began to grow in my heart.

From then on, whenever there was a festival or holiday, my cousin would bring his wife home, and I would always drop by—naturally, with the sole purpose of seeing her.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and I grew into a young man. Nothing had changed: when my cousin and his wife returned, I still visited as usual.

With the passing years, she became even more stunning and charming than before. Her figure grew fuller, exuding a mature aura that left me utterly entranced, unable to pull myself away.

But despite being married for three years, there was still no sign of her pregnancy, which led to many rumors and whispers.

People said she was like a hen that laid no eggs—beautiful but useless. Every time I heard such talk, I felt a surge of anger.

At the same time, I was curious: after three years of marriage, why hadn’t she become pregnant?

That Mid-Autumn Festival afternoon, I went to my cousin’s house as usual, but only his wife was home.

Seeing her looking downcast, I approached and asked, “Sister-in-law, where’s my cousin?”

“He went to the county town to play cards,” she replied with a weary expression from the kitchen.

Hearing that my cousin had gone to the town to gamble, leaving her alone at home, I frowned and felt a flash of anger toward him.

I thought, how ungrateful he is, born into good fortune, marrying such a beautiful wife, yet still going out to gamble.

“It’s okay, Sister-in-law. I’ll go to the county town and bring him back.”

As I turned to leave the room, she called after me, “Yan Feng! Don’t bother with him. He can play however he wants. If you go looking for him, you’ll only make him angry.”

Her resigned words made me feel deeply uncomfortable.

Just then, the village loudspeaker blared, summoning her to the village committee to answer a call.

In the 1990s, only the village committee had a telephone. Hearing the announcement, she put down her work, greeted me briefly, and hurried off to the committee.

I wanted to follow but thought better of it and sat in the courtyard to wait.

About ten minutes later, she came back in a flurry.

I rushed over and asked, “Sister-in-law, what happened?”

“Yan Feng, it’s bad! Your cousin lost money playing cards in the county town and can’t pay. He called me to bring money to ransom him,” she said, her voice trembling with panic.

Seeing her like that broke my heart. I quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. I’m here. I’ll go with you to bring the money.”

At my words, her expression calmed somewhat. She hurried inside to get the money, and I mounted my bicycle, taking her along as we headed for the county town.

The sun gradually set, and darkness soon fell. A hazy moon rose slowly.

The village road was already uneven, and with the darkness, we forgot to bring a flashlight in our haste.

Pedaling with great effort, I carried Sister-in-law on the bike. Suddenly, I hit a large stone and we both fell.

“Sister-in-law, are you alright?” I quickly helped her up. As my hands touched her soft skin, a jolt shot through me, and my mind went blank for a moment.

“Yan Feng, I think I’ve twisted my ankle. It hurts,” she said.

Hearing that, guilt surged within me. I helped her sit on a roadside stone.

“Don’t move, Sister-in-law. Let me check it.”

My grandfather had taught me martial arts and some acupressure techniques when I was young.

I removed her shoes and socks, and under the dim moonlight, I saw her delicate, pale feet.

My heart pounded wildly, and I momentarily lost myself in the sight, but quickly scolded myself for such thoughts at such a moment.

Gathering my composure, I focused and began massaging the acupressure points on her foot.

Unbeknownst to me, when I helped her up, a flush had spread across her cheeks, and her body had grown unusually sensitive.

As my hands moved faster on her feet, she bit her lip, seeming to hold back an urge.

If anyone had been there, they would have noticed how her expression grew more enchanting, her eyes growing increasingly dreamy.

“How does it feel, Sister-in-law?” I asked after about ten minutes.

She looked flushed and alluring, exuding an intoxicating aura.

Even I, inexperienced as I was, found my thoughts wandering, feeling restless.

“*Ahem!*” Sister-in-law noticed the fiery look in my eyes. Her heart fluttered like a startled deer but she quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat awkwardly.

She moved her foot and found the pain gone, surprised. “Yan Feng, I didn’t expect you to be so skilled.”

“I learned some acupressure techniques from my grandpa when I was a kid,” I replied, scratching my head to hide my embarrassment.

Though we both tried to make conversation, the atmosphere remained tense and awkward.

“Yan Feng, let’s hurry. We need to get to the county town and come back soon,” she said as she slowly stood.

I nodded and helped her back onto the bike. We pressed onward.

After the village road, the path improved. About twenty minutes later, we arrived in town.

“Yan Feng, the park. Your cousin’s being held there,” she said behind me.

I nodded and pedaled faster toward the park.

When we arrived, two burly men and my cousin were waiting at the park’s entrance.

My cousin dared not meet our eyes. One of the men stepped forward and asked, “Did you bring the money?”

Sister-in-law hastily pulled out several hundred yuan and handed it over. Just as the man reached out to take it, I stepped in front and said firmly, “If it’s a debt, there should be an IOU. Hand over the money and the IOU at the same time.”

The man sneered, “Where did this brat come from? Still barely grown hair and already acting tough with me…”

Though young, I was a martial artist and fearless.

I smirked and said, “It’s only right to repay debts, but if you have no loan agreement or IOU, how can you prove my cousin owes you? What if you take the money and don’t release him, or try to cheat us?”