Newborn 1927

After the meeting, Yang Jiefang didn't linger. He, along with Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai, immediately went to see Black Widow with gifts. Black Widow seemed to have anticipated their arrival, and had someone lead the three of them inside. Yang Jiefang presented the gifts, which Black Widow accepted without much examination, then said, "You did a good job this time. Is there anything else? If not, you can go back now! I'd like to chat with my two old brothers." Yang Jiefang was speechless. He hadn't even said a word before being dismissed. Was this how a boss acted? But Black Widow was the boss, so even if he had a lot to say, he had to hold back. He said, "I heard that it was Miss who rescued me from human traffickers. May I thank her in person?" Black Widow waved her hand expressionlessly and said, "She's in the backyard. Go by yourself!"

Yang Jiefang was speechless and walked to the backyard. The Black Widow's courtyard had a somewhat lax atmosphere on the outside; guards stood at the gate, preventing casual entry, but the inside was empty. Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, and everyone was indoors. Yang Jiefang entered the backyard and saw a young girl collecting clothes drying on bamboo poles, so he went over. The girl had a pretty face and fair skin, especially bright and lively eyes; she wore a slightly worn cotton coat with red floral patterns, and was holding a pile of clothes in her arms, with several patches showing at the cuffs. Actually, she wasn't young, about the same age as Yang Jiefang, but Yang Jiefang perceived her as younger. When she saw Yang Jiefang enter, she frowned slightly and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Her voice was clear and melodious, which made Yang Jiefang's heart flutter. He replied, "Beautiful lady, I am Yang Jiefang. I've come to see Miss Gao. I wonder where she is now?" The girl frowned even more and said, "You are Yang Jiefang? I heard you are a scholar. How can you speak so frivolously!" Yang Jiefang was puzzled and asked, "Where am I being frivolous?" He had only called her "beautiful lady" casually, which would be perfectly normal in later generations; but it was inappropriate in this era.

The maid snorted and asked, "What do you want to see Miss Gao for?" Yang Jiefang said, "I heard from Hou Fei that she rescued me from human traffickers, so I specially prepared some gifts to thank her in person!" The maid said, "Miss Gao saved people out of pure conscience, not for your reward. You can leave now!" Her tone was harsh, which displeased Yang Jiefang slightly, but he patiently said, "She saved people without expecting anything in return; that's because she has good character! I cannot fail to repay such a life-saving grace. This is the backyard, and it's inconvenient for me to wander around. Please inform her for me! I'll wait here." The maid tilted her head and looked Yang Jiefang up and down again, saying, "Then you wait here! I'll go inform her—" She drew out the word "inform her" and then walked into the central room with her clothes in her arms.

Soon, the door opened again, and a tall, young woman emerged. Her face was chubby, and her small eyes were narrowed to slits. True to her nickname "Miss Thousand Pounds," she certainly weighed two hundred pounds, if not a thousand; in terms of physique, she was comparable to the Black Widow. She walked straight to Yang Jiefang, looked him up and down, and said, "You're Yang Jiefang? You don't look like it! When I saved you, you weren't this handsome!" Her voice matched her personality—extraordinary. Yang Jiefang's appearance hadn't changed, but his demeanor was completely different, giving him a different impression. Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "I am Yang Jiefang. You must be Miss Gao Huilan, the daughter of the boss? Thank you for saving my life!" He bowed deeply. The chubby girl patted her chest and said boldly, "No need to thank me! As the saying goes, 'When you see injustice on the road, shout it out! When it's time to lend a hand, do it!'" Actually, she wanted to say "When you see injustice on the road, draw your sword to help," but the "Heroes' Song" was too popular lately, and she accidentally sang the wrong lyrics. Then, a little embarrassed, she scratched her head and said, "You also brought gifts, what are they?"

Yang Jiefang quickly picked up the package in his hand and said, "I prepared a few pieces of jewelry, I don't know if they'll suit your taste?" Miss Gao was clearly a little disappointed upon hearing it was jewelry, and said, "The thought is what matters, what kind of gift it is. It would be even better if there was something delicious!" Yang Jiefang's lips twitched; so she was a foodie too, no wonder she was so chubby. He asked, "What do you like to eat? I'll definitely prepare it for you next time." Miss Gao smacked her lips and said, "I like chicken legs, duck legs, lamb legs, and pork legs; if there's no meat, candied fruit, peach crisps, and osmanthus cakes are also fine. And… anything delicious, I…" "I like it." Yang Jiefang laughed, "That's no problem. I happened to bring dozens of sheep up the mountain this time. According to the rules, I can get a few. I'll treat you to mutton then. How would you like it? Boiled, hot pot, or roasted?" Miss Gao's mouth was practically watering. She said, "Could I have one of each? I want to eat something different every day." Yang Jiefang laughed heartily and said, "Sure, I'm planning to cook something special. I'll invite you to eat with me whenever there's something delicious, okay?" Miss Gao was overjoyed and couldn't help but pat Yang Jiefang on the shoulder, saying, "That's wonderful! With good food, a pot of wine would be even better!" Yang Jiefang indicated that wine was no problem either.

The two were chatting happily when the door creaked open again. A woman came out and called out, "Miss—the food is ready, it'll get cold if you don't eat soon. When are you coming to eat?" Miss Gao immediately replied, "Coming, coming." Yang Jiefang turned around and was startled. The woman had a very good figure, curvaceous, but her face was hideously ugly. Half of her forehead was bald, she had no eyebrows or eyelashes, her nose was flat, her mouth was crooked, and her whole face looked like it had been burned, covered in wrinkles. Yang Jiefang asked suspiciously, "Who is she?" Before Miss Gao could answer, the woman answered herself, "I am Miss's maid—Ugly Girl." Her voice was very hoarse, not at all like a young girl's voice. Yang Jiefang immediately remembered the girl from before and asked again, "Was the girl who collected the clothes earlier also Miss Gao's maid?" Ugly Girl nodded and said, "Her name is Pretty Girl." Yang Jiefang said, "Pretty is pretty, but she's a bit spicy."

Miss Gao said, "Spicy is good, I love spicy food. Especially in the dead of winter, a few bites of chili warm me up. Hmm, I'm going to eat something delicious now. I'll take your food, you can go now! Remember to bring me something delicious next time you come." Without waiting for Yang Jiefang's reply, she turned and ran into the house, as if afraid she wouldn't get any food if she was late. Ugly Girl didn't go into the house immediately, but looked at Yang Jiefang and said, "Would you like to come in and have something to eat?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "No, thank you! I have something to do, goodbye!" He then turned and walked out. Ugly Girl stood there waiting for Yang Jiefang to leave the backyard before going into the house.

Yang Jiefang figured it was almost lunchtime, and since he hadn't prepared his own private meal yet, he had to eat in the canteen first. The canteen was as lively as ever; Hou Fei and the newcomers from Zhao Family Village were already there, occupying three tables in the main hall. Only Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai were missing, presumably still with Black Widow. Yang Jiefang went straight over and sat down next to Hou Fei. Hou Fei eagerly asked, "Did you see Miss Gao? What did you think?" Everyone else crowded around, listening intently. Yang Jiefang said, "She's not pretty, but her personality is quite good. Winning her over would be a piece of cake. But is it really necessary?" Hou Fei looked at Yang Jiefang like he was a monster, saying, "Not pretty? Brother Yang, your standards are really high!" Zhao Changming interjected, "Little Yang, we followed you out to do something big. To realize your dream, even a small sacrifice is worthwhile." The others echoed, not wanting Yang Jiefang to back down.

Yang Jiefang reluctantly agreed, "Alright then! Hou Fei, you know a lot of people, so prepare everything we need for the special feast tomorrow. We'll slaughter a sheep for dinner tomorrow, and try to get some wine too." The Zhao family already had wine, but the jars and pots were inconvenient to transport, so they didn't take it. Qinglong Village also brews wine, using sweet potatoes and sorghum. Because there are many sweet potatoes on the mountain, and sweet potatoes don't store well, especially those that have been damaged during harvesting and transportation, they rot more easily; using them for brewing wine is both a last resort and a wise move. Hou Fei agreed, indicating that it was no problem.

Suddenly, Yang Jiefang noticed a wooden board on the west wall, covered in calligraphy. The lyrics to "A Man Should Be Self-Reliant" echoed the "Heroes' Song" on the east wall. Intrigued, Yang Jiefang asked, "What's this? Who did this?" Hou Fei glanced at it in the direction of his hand and said, "I found out. Miss Gao had it made, and she wrote the words." Yang Jiefang examined it closely. The calligraphy was delicate and beautiful, far superior to his own. Yang Jiefang had only learned calligraphy in elementary school and hadn't practiced much since; his handwriting wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. Reflecting on Miss Gao's physique, he couldn't help but admire her beautiful handwriting. Even more remarkable was that he had only taught her to sing it a few times in the cafeteria, and Miss Gao herself wasn't present, yet she could write down the lyrics perfectly. She must be incredibly intelligent. The saying goes, "An ugly wife is a treasure in the home," meaning marrying such a woman is a win-win situation. Yang Jiefang pointed to the two wooden boards on either side and said, "If you want to learn to read and write, start with these two songs." The Zhao family's study had a considerable collection of books, but they were all classics like the Four Books and Five Classics; there weren't any textbooks that Yang Jiefang preferred. He would have to find other teaching materials for these people.

When it was time to eat, Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai hadn't arrived yet, so Hou Fei and Gui Liqiu set aside their food to take back with them. After everyone finished eating, they returned to their lodgings. Two large pots of water were already heated, and Yang Jiefang asked everyone to line up to fetch water to wash their feet. While soaking their feet, everyone sang along with Yang Jiefang, learning to sing "The Song of Heroes" and "A Man Should Be Self-Reliant." After everyone had finished washing their feet, Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai returned, and upon asking, it turned out they hadn't eaten. Hou Fei immediately went to reheat their food, simply steaming it in the pot.

Sun Zhiyong walked straight to Yang Jiefang and sat down next to him, saying, "Little Yang, you're in luck now." Yang Jiefang was puzzled, so Sun Zhiyong explained with a smile, "The two of us were kept behind by the boss to give a detailed report on what happened this time. We didn't hide anything and answered everything truthfully." Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "Actually, there's nothing to hide." Sun Zhiyong said, "The boss is very satisfied with your performance this time. Your desire to become her son-in-law—is promising!" Everyone immediately became excited and asked, "Tell us! How is it promising?" Sun Zhiyong smiled and said, "The boss said that as long as Miss Gao agrees, she has no objections at all. If Brother Yang really becomes her son-in-law, she's happy to give up her position as boss." Everyone was even more delighted to hear this, and they all looked at Yang Jiefang, their eyes filled with undisguised anticipation.

Yan Donglai interjected at the opportune moment: "The chief said that an incense hall will be set up tomorrow morning for Brother Yang to officially join the gang."