Chapter 111: Off Meddling Again
After two cups of wine and a bit more coaxing, the topic of the wine was successfully steered away.
The men’s table chatted about everything under the sun, while the women and children ate with great enthusiasm. From time to time, the bickering between Wen Fa and Wen Ying could be heard.
Noisy, chaotic, yet full of lively warmth.
After several rounds of drinks, Shopkeeper Qiu and Wen Xiuyi exchanged a glance. Suddenly, Shopkeeper Qiu turned serious. “Well… Uncle Wen, there’s something I’d like to tell everyone.”
The urging to drink stopped. The laughter ceased. The room fell silent as everyone looked at him.
Shopkeeper Qiu beckoned gently to Da Tou.
Da Tou glanced at Wen Xiuyi. Seeing him nod, he stood up and walked to the space between the two men.
Patting the boy’s head, Shopkeeper Qiu looked at Old Man Wen and said, “Uncle Wen, I have a presumptuous request. I have no children, and my parents passed away years ago. I feel a special bond with this child, Da Tou, so I would like to take him as my adopted son.”
“What?” Old Man Wen was stunned. The entire Wen family was shocked.
Da Tou was going to have a godfather?
After a moment of silence, Old Man Wen looked at Wen Xiuyi. “Eldest?”
Wen Xiuyi spoke, “Father, Shopkeeper Qiu and I have discussed this. Da Tou has agreed as well.”
Old Man Wen opened his mouth but said nothing. Instead, he looked at Da Tou. “Da Tou, are you willing?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the boy, including Shopkeeper Qiu.
Da Tou nodded. “Grandpa, I’m willing.” If he accepted a godfather, he could study and have one more person who loved him. It sounded good.
Since Da Tou agreed, Old Man Wen had little to say. He could tell Shopkeeper Qiu was a good man. With both Da Tou and Wen Xiuyi agreeing, he, as the grandfather of a separated household, had no reason to object.
He laughed heartily and raised his cup. “Then from now on, we really are family.”
Indeed—Doctor Jin had taken Wen Jun as his disciple, and now Shopkeeper Qiu had adopted Da Tou. They were truly one big family.
Heh, lately there were more and more things to boast about. He didn’t even know which to brag about first.
After clinking cups with Old Man Wen, Shopkeeper Qiu turned to Da Tou and took a jade pendant from his robe.
“This is the jade pendant I’ve worn since childhood. Today, I give it to you.” He hung it around Da Tou’s neck with satisfaction.
Da Tou touched the pendant—it was cool and smooth.
Wen Xiuyi’s eyes flashed with surprise. Old Man Wen and the others only glanced once before looking away.
Seeing this, Shopkeeper Qiu felt the Wen family must have deep roots. They remained calm upon seeing such a precious pendant—one of only two heirlooms of the Qiu family, the other held by his uncle.
Little did he know, Wen Xiuyi recognized it as valuable, while the others simply didn’t understand its worth—and felt they couldn’t bear to look too long at something so expensive.
With Wen Xiuyi’s guidance, Da Tou respectfully kowtowed, offered tea, and called him “Godfather.” From now on, there was one more person in the family who loved him.
That day, Shopkeeper Qiu drank too much. After getting drunk, he clung to Doctor Jin and cried his heart out, saying he finally had a son and his parents finally had a grandson—though they would never see it.
Only then did the Wen family learn his name was Qiu Zhi—Zhi as in “an old steed still aspires to gallop a thousand miles.”
In the end, Wen Jun and Hong Hai carried him to the carriage together. Doctor Jin was also quite drunk and was sent off in a daze. Wen Xiuyi arranged for Wen Jun and Wen Nong to accompany Hong Hai to send them back before walking home themselves.
Jin Xiuyi was left behind. While Doctor Jin was drunk and muddled, the boy had begged to stay and play with the Wen family until the Lantern Festival.
Doctor Jin had agreed to everything in his drunken state. Only after sobering up the next day did he realize his grandson had taken advantage of the situation.
Still, staying with the Wen family wasn’t a bad thing. They were pure and kind people.
As for Shopkeeper Qiu, once he sobered up and learned how he had behaved, he wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
The second day of the New Year was the day to visit the maternal family. Early that morning, Wen Xiuzhu with Madam Li and Wen Xiuqing with Madam Cai each took their children back to their wives’ families. Only the old couple, Wen Xiuyi’s family, and Jin Xiuyi remained.
Even before the divorce, there had been no maternal family to visit.
The house suddenly felt much quieter. Fortunately, Da Tou and Jin Xiuyi seemed to have endless energy. Jin Xiuyi, especially, was fascinated by everything in the countryside, greatly boosting Da Tou’s pride as he led him to play with the village children.
After the second day came visits from other relatives on the third and fourth days. By the fifth day, construction on the new house was to begin.
On the morning of the sixth day, when everyone woke and opened the door, they were greeted by a world of white.
“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” someone shouted, and the quiet village burst into excitement as people rushed out to see the long-awaited snow.
They had thought winter would pass without snow, but it came after the New Year.
For farmers, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Old Man Wen stepped outside and tested the snow’s depth. “Looks like it snowed heavily last night.”
Wen Xiuyi came out dressed warmly. Jin Xiuyi and Da Tou could barely wait. As soon as Wen Yao finished dressing them, the two boys dashed out like bouncing balls, howling with excitement as they played in the snow.
Seeing the other grandchildren growing restless, Madam Luo shouted, “Behave yourselves! If snow gets in your clothes and you sweat, you’ll catch a cold!”
The children slowed down, rolling snowballs more cautiously in the yard.
Old Man Wen went back inside and reemerged wearing a thicker coat, holding his pipe behind his back as he headed out.
Madam Luo watched the children, then glanced at him. “Where are you going?”
“To check the village,” he replied without turning back.
Wen Yao shuffled over with her hands tucked into her sleeves, shivering. “Grandma, what’s Grandpa going to do?”
Madam Luo curled her lip. “Off meddling in other people’s business again.”
