Chapter 12: A Happy Life

  An Bingwen knew he wasn't a Prince Charming, so he never imagined that his love life would feature a Snow White. Bai Cuifen was more refined than the other village women, less boisterous, and more delicate and shy like a lotus flower emerging from clear water, but without the haughty airs of city women. She was exactly the kind of woman An Bingwen, who considered himself well-read in poetry and literature, liked.

  Moreover, the tragic experiences of Bai Cuifen's remarriage after her husband's death and her pregnancy at that time were not a laughing stock for An Bingwen. On the contrary, they added a kind of lofty greatness to his love, making it somewhat different from others in its romance and sanctity.

  After marriage, no matter how the villagers looked at him and Bai Cuifen with what kind of eyes, he didn't care. He was a thousand times better to Bai Cuifen than other men in the village were to their own women, living a happy and joyful life together every day.

  So Bai Cuifen was very content. Under An Bingwen's meticulous care, her face became much rounder than before, and a smile always hung on her face. After marriage, she became even more beautiful than before.

  After the Chinese New Year in 1979, Bai Cui Fen gave birth to a daughter named An Shao Min.

  An Shao Min was born that day, Bai Cuifen's former in-laws had been waiting at the bridgehead outside Liujiacun. When they learned that Bai Cuifen gave birth to a daughter, they immediately turned around and left Liujiacun.

  An Bingwen held the newly born An Shaomin and laughed: "Hehe, it's better that they left, otherwise they would have taken away my daughter, and I would have picked up a daughter for nothing."

  Liu Xiu Zhen, who was helping on the side, spat at An Bing Wen and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, picking up a daughter for nothing? She's originally your daughter, what about our Liu family village's daughters?! If you don't want her, I'll take her away. This girl, whether she looks like you or Cui Fen, must be pretty. When she grows up, she can marry our family's Jia Hua as a daughter-in-law."

  An Bingwen laughed and said: "That's great."

  Bai Cuifen lay on the bed with a green cloth wrapped around her forehead, and smiled softly, saying: "Who knows, maybe our family can take a liking to this little girl."

  "What's wrong with this girl?" Liu Xiu Zhen glared at Cui Fen with a hint of displeasure and retorted.

  She carried An Shaomin in her arms and handed her over to Bai Cuifen, who was lying on the bed, cooing and teasing her with a sigh.

  At that time, Shaomin was less than three days old and couldn't smile, only opening his mouth and yawning.

  Days went by, the children grew up day by day. When Xiao Min and Liu Jiawei, who was one year older than her, could run around and learn to speak, the adults of both families would often let the two children play together, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

  However, there seems to be a natural estrangement between Shaomin and Liu Jiawei, the two children are not close. Especially Shaomin, when she sees Liu Jiawei approaching her unsteadily, she stares at him with terrified eyes and burrows into Bai Cuifen's or Liu Xiu Zhen's arms.

  Although Liu Jiawei had never grabbed An Shaomin before.

  So Liu Xiu Zhen often pointed at Liu Jia Wei in front of Bai Cui Fen and joked: "This kid will definitely be a rascal, no girl likes him, can't find a wife. Xiao Min is such a well-behaved girl, she hides when she sees him, he's definitely not a good thing in the future."

  If someone had known in advance that his words would be confirmed on a certain day in the future, then perhaps Liu Xiu Zhen wouldn't have said those words.

  But there has never been a person in this world who would believe that their unintentional words would come true, and yet fate would somehow predict uncertain things to you through your own heart and mouth beforehand. However, people often turn a deaf ear to it and pretend not to see it.

  So, many times we should not complain that we do not have eyes in the back of our heads, and should not complain that God did not give us advance notice. Even if there were omens, can people really change their previous paths?

  Then, many people have made mistakes at some point and still make mistakes repeatedly, what else can be explained? So countless people lost their lives for fame and profit, but there are still countless people who follow one after another, don't they know the omen?

  After hearing Liu Xiuzhen's words, Bai Cuifen always smiled calmly, "The behavior of children at home can't be counted!"

  A year later, at the end of 1980, Bai Cuifen gave birth to a son named An Shaojie.

  In the same year, Jia Zhilan and Liu Xiuzhen gave birth to Lin Xi and Qinglan respectively.

  These three kids, however, showed extremely affectionate and friendly behavior from the moment they were in each other's arms. The three little ones would suck on their fingers as soon as they met, smile at each other with their mouths open, and wave their small hands to grab onto each other.

  Especially Xiao Qinglan, after learning to walk, she would rush up to An Shaojie of the White Cui Fen family and often trip and fall, throwing both herself and An Shaojie to the ground.

  Little people, little emotions, often making the big people watching from the side laugh haha.

  Happiness is always short-lived, good things are always fleeting!

  It is so for adults like Bai Cuifen and Liu Xiu Zhen, and it is also true for children like Qing Lan and An Shaojie, even infants!

  Life and fate have always been fair to everyone, never favoring anyone because of age, gender or status.

  Time flies, six or seven years have passed in a flash.

  Thinking of those difficult yet happy and blissful days in the past, Bai Cuifen felt a tinge of sadness in her heart, but on her face, she wore a smile as she let out a sigh.

  In the past six or seven years, although life was not very rich, and later, because Bingwen was ill for a long time, life was even more difficult, but she was at ease, because Bingwen treated her well.

  After so many years of marriage, until his death, Bingwen never quarreled with her. He let her take charge of everything inside and outside the house without asking any questions. Although he was somewhat weak by nature, it was precisely this weakness that allowed him to yield to her in all matters at home and abroad, flattering her, making Bai Cuifen appear like a proud princess in front of him, being pampered and spoiled by him.

  In front of her, he always nodded and bowed, "You are the mistress of our house, you have the final say, you make the decisions, whatever you say goes."

  Even if her decision was wrong later on, he wouldn't blame her, only saying: "You can still be wrong, I don't even have the wisdom to be wrong." Then he would chuckle.

  Apart from An Bingwen's kindness to her, there was also him, who consistently helped and cared for her.

  Whenever she thought of him, Bai Cuifen's heart felt a warmth.

  In Bai Cuifen's heart, he was like a father and brother.

  However, the villagers did not think so.

  Ever since Bai Cuifen married into the Liu family village, the villagers' rumors about him and her never stopped. Eventually, Liu Xiu Zhen also believed those rumors and slowly distanced herself from her, to the point where they are now like fire and water.

  For this, Liu Xiu Zhen often quarreled with him and fought non-stop.

  What made Bai Cuifen even more embarrassed was that as Shao Min and Shao Jie grew older, they also vaguely understood the village people's obscure gossip about the relationship between Bai Cuifen and him, and they too kept silent about it.

  You Jie, in particular, seemed more mature and sensitive than You Min, so the rumors had a much deeper impact on him.

  Bai Cuifen had already sensed a clear hostile sentiment from Shaojie towards her.

  Shao Jie's hostile emotions often made Bai Cuifen feel a faint sense of unease in her heart.