"Mom, you just want to talk about 'borrowing a seed,' don't you? It's not that I won't agree, it's that Xiaomei won't," Zhang Dali said.
Wu Cuilan had already brought up the matter of borrowing a seed with Zhang Dali a few days ago.
Zhang Dali wasn't against it.
He just didn't know how to broach the subject with his wife, worried she would refuse.
In his mind, carrying on the family line was the most important thing of all.
His father had died of illness the year before last. Before he passed, he had grabbed Dali's hand, insisting that he must continue the Zhang family's lineage.
*I can't do it, Father,* Zhang Dali thought.
So, they could only resort to other methods.
And borrowing a seed was the only method they could think of.
After changing her clothes, Xiaomei came out of her room and poured a glass of cool water. Just as she was wondering where everyone had gone, she heard voices coming from the courtyard.
She walked over.
When she heard the words "borrowing a seed," she was so shocked that the cup in her hand dropped to the ground.
*Impossible.*
*Absolutely impossible.*
*I, Wang Xiaomei, will never agree to this.*
Wang Xiaomei was from the County City and had a college education. Her thinking wasn't as old-fashioned as that of the women born and raised in the countryside.
In the minds of some traditional country women, carrying on the family line was the most important thing. As long as they could produce an heir for the family, borrowing another man's "seed" wasn't out of the question.
But Wang Xiaomei didn't think that way.
The thought of sleeping with a man who wasn't her husband disgusted her.
She would rather die.
The sound of the cup hitting the ground made Zhang Dali and Wu Cuilan whip their heads around.
They saw Wang Xiaomei standing there, her face filled with anger.
Wu Cuilan spoke first. "Xiaomei, since you've heard everything, I won't beat around the bush. Dali's injury can't be cured."
"But the Zhang family line can't end like this."
"So, Dali and I have discussed it. We plan to borrow a seed, and we wanted to ask for your opinion."
Wang Xiaomei was furious, absolutely livid. She raged, "Mom, is this something a human being would even do? What kind of person do you take me, Wang Xiaomei, for?"
"I will never agree to such a shameful and immoral thing!"
"Xiaomei, listen to me—"
"Say no more! I will never agree! If you try to force me, I'll kill myself right in front of you!" As she spoke, Wang Xiaomei grabbed a sickle used for cutting pig feed from the ground and held it to her neck.
Seeing this, Zhang Dali rushed over and snatched the sickle away. "Alright, alright, wife, we'll listen to you! Everything you say! We won't borrow, okay? We won't borrow, is that good enough?"
Seeing Wang Xiaomei's resolute stance and fearing she might actually take her own life, Wu Cuilan didn't dare say more.
She sighed and said to Zhang Dali, "Dali, since Xiaomei won't agree, let's just drop it. In that case, you should return the gifts I bought for Ye Fan."
You couldn't ask for such a big favor empty-handed, after all. Of course, you had to buy some gifts.
Hearing Ye Fan's name, Wang Xiaomei was puzzled. "Mom, why on earth would you buy gifts for Ye Fan?"
Wu Cuilan's expression was troubled. "I spent a long time looking for the right candidate, and in the end, I felt Ye Fan was the most suitable. I bought some gifts, planning to approach him about this after you agreed."
"Now, since you don't agree..."
"We'll have to drop it. These gifts won't be needed anymore. They cost several hundred yuan; we can't let that go to waste."
Wang Xiaomei had originally assumed they would ask someone else from the Zhang family for help, like one of the uncles from a branch of the family. After all, they were still blood relatives. But how could they have chosen Ye Fan, a complete outsider with no blood relation?
What Wang Xiaomei didn't know was that in Wu Cuilan's eyes, Ye Fan was the perfect candidate.
First, he was young.
Second, he was handsome.
But most importantly, third, he was smart and a good student.
Over the years, a few people from the village had gotten into college, but they were all junior colleges or second-tier universities. But Ye Fan had been a model student every single year. He was even the Top Scorer in the College Entrance Examination for the entire county and was admitted to an Ivy League medical university in the provincial capital.
Although he dropped out before finishing his degree, that didn't change the fact that he was brilliant.
A child from such an outstanding person would surely be outstanding too.
It might even improve the Zhang family's genes.
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"Mom, I'll go return the items right now." Zhang Dali put down the pig feed, washed his hands, and went into the room to get the gifts.
Just as he was about to ride his motorcycle to the County City to return them, Wang Xiaomei walked over. "Dali, since we've already bought the things, don't return them."
Zhang Dali said, "But it's several hundred yuan! How can we not return them? Do you like them? If you like them, you can have them. We don't have to return them then."
Wang Xiaomei shook her head. "What I mean is, you should give them to Ye Fan."
Zhang Dali said, "Give them to Ye Fan? But you didn't agree, so why would I give..." He trailed off, his eyes widening in sudden realization. In astonishment, he asked, "Xiaomei, don't tell me... you've agreed?"
Wang Xiaomei shyly nodded.
Zhang Dali was baffled. A moment ago, she was threatening to kill herself to show her disapproval. How could she agree so suddenly? How strange!
Seeing Zhang Dali's suspicion, Wang Xiaomei quickly explained:
"I was thinking... you were injured because you saved me. I can't just stand by and watch the Zhang family line end."
"I married you, so I'm part of the Zhang family. I need to put the family first, not just think about myself. I can't be so selfish. I have to make a contribution to the family."
Hearing this, Zhang Dali was overjoyed. And deeply moved.
His wife was willing to make such a huge sacrifice for the family. To have married a woman like her made his whole life worthwhile.
Wu Cuilan, who had overheard, was so moved she nearly burst into tears. Her daughter-in-law was actually being so considerate of the family! She was so sensible. What good fortune had she accumulated in a past life to be blessed with such a wonderful daughter-in-law?
Overjoyed, she couldn't stop smiling. "This is wonderful, truly wonderful." She walked over and grabbed Xiaomei's hand. "Xiaomei, for you to be so considerate of the Zhang family, Mom is truly relieved. Don't you worry. After you get pregnant and have the baby, I'll hand over control of the family's finances to you."
Seeing Xiaomei nod, Wu Cuilan turned to Zhang Dali.
"Dali, hurry up and find Ye Fan. Tell him to come over for dinner tonight."
Zhang Dali nodded. "Okay!"
Wu Cuilan was thrilled. "We don't have much food in the house. After you invite Ye Fan, go to town and buy some good wine and dishes. We should try to get this done tonight."
Wu Cuilan was anxious. She was afraid Wang Xiaomei would change her mind. It was best to strike while the iron was hot and avoid any complications.
Xiaomei heard this and thought: *Tonight? So soon? Does that mean I need to... prepare myself? I hear guys his age are into black stockings...*
...
Meanwhile, after coming down from the Back Mountain, Ye Fan took a shower, washed his dirty clothes, and was planning to go to the County City.
He needed to buy fish and shrimp fry!
Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Dali pulled up on his motorcycle.
"Xiaofan, I need to talk to you about something." Zhang Dali stopped his motorcycle in front of Ye Fan.
"Brother Dali, what's up? Just tell me."
"Come to my place for dinner tonight. We can talk about it over the meal. You can't refuse, you have to come."
Ye Fan thought to himself, *You've never been this nice and invited me to dinner before. Did the sun rise in the west today? Sister-in-law Xiaomei must have gone home and told Dali about how I saved her life. They probably want to thank me tonight, that's why they're inviting me to dinner.*
"Alright, I'm heading to the County City first, but I'll come over to your place tonight."
"We'll be waiting for you tonight." Seeing that Ye Fan had agreed, Zhang Dali didn't linger. He got back on his motorcycle and headed to town to buy cigarettes and wine.
Proofreader: Peter Pan