27. Breaking off the Engagement

Early the next morning, Yang Fan drove his Audi north along the national highway, arriving at the village by nightfall.

Nowadays, most young people in the countryside have left for the city to work, and the elderly go to bed early, leaving the streets completely deserted. Yang Fan pulled up to his front gate, opened it, and drove directly into the courtyard to park. He then went back to close the gate securely.

His little sister saw a car pull into the yard—it was quite sleek, better-looking than any other car in the village. Realizing they had a guest, she shouted for her parents while running out to see who it was.

Seeing Yang Fan returning after locking the gate, the little girl cheered, "Brother!" She scrambled over on her short legs and threw her arms around his thigh.

Yang Fan laughed heartily, scooped the little one up by her armpits, and playfully touched his forehead against hers. "Hahaha," the little girl let out a laugh like silver bells.

"Have you been naughty at home?"

"No! I'm already ten years old this year, you know!"

"Fan, you're back!"

Holding the little girl and giving her cheek a big kiss, Yang Fan saw his parents walking out of the house. His eyes stung; they had aged significantly since he last left, and there were strands of gray in his father's sideburns.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home."

His mother turned away, wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her rough hand. "You child, arriving so late... Have you eaten? You must be hungry. Let Mom make you something."

"Don't go to any trouble, Mom, I ate on the road," Yang Fan said quickly.

"You old woman, what are you crying for? Let the boy come inside first."

Even though Yang Fan insisted he had eaten, his mother set up the *kang* table and made him a bowl of *geda* soup. It was his favorite. Having driven all day and only eating a bit of bread at noon, he was actually starving, but he hadn't wanted to make his mother work. He finished the large bowl of soup completely.

Seeing her son had eaten his fill, a look of satisfaction appeared on his mother's face. He had loved this soup since he was a child; how quickly time had passed, and now she was growing old.

After clearing the dishes, the family sat on the *kang* to talk. The little girl snuggled up to Yang Fan, clutching his arm tightly as she listened to him talk about life outside.

"A few days ago, Er Lengzi's father came by," his father said with a soft sigh of reproach. "He said you started a trash recycling company and took Er Lengzi and the others with you. Honestly, their family is struggling; by taking him away, aren't you just adding to their burdens?"

"Dad, this mountain village is too isolated. We only get tourist groups for three months a year, just enough to rent out some horses to make a little money. The rest of the time we're idle, and the corn we grow in these rocky fields doesn't yield much. I thought that while I'm still young, I should go out and try my luck—it's an opportunity. Don't worry, the company is on the right track; it’ll definitely earn more than staying here."

"You're young, and I don't understand the world outside. But if you take them with you, you have to be responsible for them, for the sake of their parents back home."

"Don't worry, Dad, I know the weight of my responsibilities."

"Fan," his mother asked suddenly, "is there a reason you came back this time?"

"Can't I just come back to see you?"

"I know you too well. Every year you only come back for the Spring Festival because you're afraid of missing work. Why are you back now?"

Yang Fan fell silent, weighing how to tell his parents. He was prepared to be scolded. It had been years since he was last disciplined by his father—when was it? Eleven? Twelve? His parents exchanged a glance, their faces etched with worry. They knew he must have something on his mind, something serious.

"Fan, did you get into trouble out there?"

"Did you borrow money from someone?"

"Brother didn't get into trouble, and he didn't borrow money! Brother came back driving a big car!" the little girl interjected excitedly. "Brother, Niu Niu wants to ride in the car, too! Can you take me for a ride tomorrow?"

"What car?" His parents looked at each other, confused; they hadn't seen the car when they came out.

"It's a company car, I drove it back," Yang Fan explained.

"Fan, you didn't do anything illegal, did you?" His mother's first reaction wasn't joy, but deep anxiety. She looked at him with a tense expression. His parents were honest, simple farmers who had never dared to break the law in their entire lives.

"Don't be so nervous. It's nothing like that. It's my own company's car."

His father signaled his mother to calm down with a wave of his hand. He asked quietly, "Fan, is there something troubling you? Is there anything you can't tell your parents?"

Yang Fan knew he couldn't hide anything from them. They had known him too well since he was a child.

"Dad... I want to..." The words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't bear to say them. For his marriage to Qin Xiaoyu, his family had practically emptied their savings. The bride price had been paid in advance. For the past three years, he had been working away to support her through school. He didn't know how to tell them the current situation.

But he couldn't delay it any longer. Could paper hold back a fire? There had to be an end to it. He could pressure the Qin family, but what would be the point? If fate had run its course, why force it?

"Dad, Mom, I want to call off the engagement with Qin Xiaoyu."

Time seemed to freeze. A heavy silence filled the room; one could hear a pin drop. It took a long time for his parents to recover from the shock. His mother didn't say a word, her face draining of all color. She covered her face with her hands and wept silently. Yang Fan felt a surge of panic.

His father's face slowly hardened like frost. "Do you have someone else out there?" His voice was calm, but Yang Fan knew it was the calm before the storm.

"No," Yang Fan said firmly.

His father's expression softened slightly.

"Then why?" his mother sobbed. "We only have one son. Your father and I were counting on you to get married soon. Now that all the girls in the village have gone to work in the city, it's so hard for a young man to find a wife."

"Your father and I used our life savings and borrowed a lot more just to scrape together the bride price for the Qin family. It's not that I begrudge the money, Mom... but we're old now. We can't earn enough to help you find another wife." Her tears fell like beans.

In his memory, his mother had always been such a strong person. He had never seen her cry. Over the years, his parents had suffered from so many aches and pains from overwork. Yang Fan's heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife.

The little girl grew frightened and hugged her mother, crying, "Mom, don't cry, Mom, don't cry!"

The countryside wasn't like the city; large clans often bullied smaller families. They were always being mistreated during irrigation or land allotment. When they were building the road, it was always the families with fewer sons or no clan backing that suffered; the road was always routed through their land.

The Yangs were the only ones of their line in the village; his parents had endured so many grievances over the years. The Qin girl was the most beautiful in a ten-mile radius, and many had sought her hand. When a girl is highly sought after, a hundred families compete. The Qin family had demanded a bride price of 500,000 and insisted that Yang Fan work to put her through high school. It scared everyone else away.

No one had expected that the Yang family—seemingly the weakest in the village—would actually come up with the 500,000, and even agree to let Yang Fan drop out of school to support her. At that moment, his parents had stood tall in front of everyone for the first time, finally able to hold their heads high.

"Our Yang family," they had thought, "will marry the most beautiful girl in the village for our son."