The opportunity presented by Xie Sui was now his to seize.
Not everyone was given a second chance. Having been reborn, Xie Sui reflected on his past and resolved to be a better father and husband, not seeking great wealth, but only a happy life with his wife and children.
Of course, happiness was impossible without money.
In his previous life, he had accumulated a fortune that garnered envy. This time, making money would be even easier.
He would not only earn money but also give back to his hometown. His Xie family members had always supported him, and Xie Sui didn't mind helping them all prosper.
As for the Zhao family, he would leave them be. Zhao Tiegang and his brother were the decision-makers of the Zhao family. They were capable and would likely not submit to him, so there was no point in doing thankless work for them.
He spent a pleasant time with the children, catching half a basket of loaches, small fish, and even shrimp.
On their way back, they heard a commotion and the sound of a child crying. Xie Sui hurried over to find a group of children, around eight or nine years old, bullying a little girl.
"Hey, whose children are these? How can you bully someone? I'll report you to your parents, and you'll surely get a beating."
The children recognized Xie Sui; they had sold him cicada shells for snacks that summer. Grinning, they scattered, saying, "Uncle Xie, she's a bastard, she deserves to be beaten!"
Doudou and Dingding told him, "Dad, they all say Lulu doesn't have a father, she's illegitimate, a bastard, and shameless. They won't play with her."
Were there such people in the village?
People in this era were very conservative. While unplanned pregnancies might not lead to being drowned in a pig cage or ostracized by the whole village, it was still not something to be proud of.
It would be different twenty years later, where people cared more about wealth than virtue, and illegitimate children were common. Divorce was also commonplace.
"Even if they don't play with her, you shouldn't bully her. And it's a group of children ganging up on one. Is this something a man does?"
Xie Sui stepped forward and helped the girl up. The poor child was covered in mud, with a bruised face and big, timid eyes, like a newborn lamb, so pitiful.
"What's your name? Uncle will take you home."
"My name is Xie Lulu. Thank you, Doudou and Dingding."
She recognized Doudou and Dingding. The village children wouldn't bully her as long as they didn't pick on her. Of course, the two children wouldn't play with her either, otherwise, the other children would isolate them.
Young children lacked a strong sense of right and wrong; it was already kind of them not to bully.
Xie Sui, encountering this, decided to intervene and sent Cheng Lu home.
Her mother had not yet returned. They lived in the village's old cowshed, a low and dilapidated structure, barely offering shelter from the elements. They ate only cornmeal gruel and were as thin as Doudou and Dingding used to be.
"Thank you, Uncle. I'm home. You can go back."
"Can you manage on your own?"
"I'll wait for Mom to come back."
Xie Sui returned with the children. Lin Wanwan had already prepared dinner and was waiting for them.
"What's wrong? Your expression isn't right. Did someone make you angry?"
Lin Wanwan asked with concern. After all, they had been married for many years, and she could tell something was amiss with Xie Sui at a glance.
"No, it's about that little girl in the village named Xie Lu, do you know her? What's her situation? She was terribly bullied by those children."
Lin Wanwan sighed, "She doesn't have a father, no wonder she's bullied. We know her mother too, Xie Xiuyu. She was once a renowned beauty in the village."
Xie Sui remembered. There was such a person: a delicate and slender girl who had two dimples when she smiled, a shy and bashful smile that was quite captivating.
"Where is her man?"
"I don't know who she was wronged by. Some say it was a sent-down youth, others say it was an old bachelor from the village. After this incident, Xiuyu's parents disowned her, wishing they could have strangled her themselves. It was the village head who couldn't stand it and arranged for them to live in the cowshed. Mother and daughter are surviving on their own."
Xie Sui sighed, "In this new era, there are still such tragic stories. You help them in the future; they are quite pitiful."
Lin Wanwan looked at him in surprise, "Don't you think they're disgraceful? Helping them will lead to gossip. I wanted to help before but lacked the means. If I help them now, the women in the village will gossip."
"Do I need to care about that?"
Xie Sui raised an eyebrow, "What's disgraceful about it? I think Xie Xiuyu is much better than Zhao Xuefei. It's not her fault. When did the victim become guilty? You have the capability now, help them however you want. If anyone dares to gossip, your husband will have a word with them! I detest a bunch of idle women who stir up trouble for nothing."
Lin Wanwan chuckled, "What are you saying? Be careful, they might curse you!"
Xie Sui couldn't help but laugh either. "The wise help the world when they can. I don't have that much power, but when I see injustice nearby, I should do something. This is something I can manage."
Lin Wanwan, true to her word, went to deliver some food to Xie Xiuyu, asking Xie Sui to take care of the children's dinner first.
She returned after a long while, her eyes red, likely having cried.
Xie Sui brought water for his wife to wash her face. "I asked you to help, why are you crying? Were you bullied?"
"No, Xiuyu is too pitiful. She's even more miserable than I was back then."
In the past, Xie Sui was unreliable, but Lin Wanwan lived honorably, and with the support of Xie's parents, especially Grandma Xie, she managed to get by.
Xiuyu and her daughter were truly unfortunate. Anyone could curse them and step on them; they were practically public enemies. Their crops were also ruined, and they had no one to turn to for justice.
Their lives seemed to have no glimmer of hope.
When Lin Wanwan brought them food, Xiuyu held Lulu, her eyes filled with despair. This sight made Lin Wanwan's heart tremble, as if she were seeing her past self.
It was a look devoid of any hope for the future. She was certain that Xiuyu was contemplating death at that moment.
"Xie Sui, you've really changed so much. You never cared about others before."
That night, as they lay in bed, Lin Wanwan was exceptionally attentive, making Xie Sui feel utterly blissful, as if floating on clouds.
Doing good deeds actually brought such rewards. The saying "good deeds are rewarded" did hold some truth.
Xie Sui felt a pang of guilt. "People, perhaps at one moment they have an epiphany, and at another, they get stuck in a rut. Life has so many ups and downs. Looking back, it's all just a passing phase."
Lin Wanwan playfully pinched his nose. "Ha, you can talk like a philosopher now."
Xie Sui's eyes were vacant. "I am very philosophical now. No matter how you tease me, I can remain calm and think rationally about life."
Lin Wanwan gave him a mischievous smile. "Is that so? Then let me try..."
Xie Sui, with an expression of righteousness, spread his limbs. "Do as you please. I truly have nothing left."
The couple playfully frolicked until midnight, waking up late the next day. Xie Min cooked breakfast and looked at the two of them, clinging to each other with disdain. Were they not an old couple? Must they be so mushy?