Chapter 85: Tattling
Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu led Chanchan through the old house, inspecting it carefully. An unoccupied house, no matter how cleanly swept, always carries a faint musty smell.
Chanchan chased dragonflies in the courtyard. The autumn sunlight fell across the spacious yard, and the growth and fading of life seemed to blend together in a strange harmony. Zhao Shenggu held Guan Yuan close, as if he knew what Guan Yuan was thinking. "It's fine. Wherever we are, that's our home!"
Guan Yuan let out a soft laugh and nuzzled against his chest. "Yeah, wherever we are is home. This was once our home."
Little did they know, outside the open courtyard gate, someone was holding up a camera and capturing the scene of them embracing—preserving it forever. The person was just a travel enthusiast who had roamed across the country's beautiful landscapes. This time, he had wandered into Guanjia Village by chance and unexpectedly witnessed this moment.
He had heard of the country's first same-sex married couple, but he didn't recognize them. When he first saw this scene, he had no idea these were the famous century couple.
He simply looked at the image of them embracing and felt that life was peaceful and beautiful. It would be a shame not to preserve it. He lowered his camera, bathed in the autumn sunlight, and for the first time felt that he seemed too lonely. To meet someone, to know each other, to cherish each other, to stay together—what great happiness that would be.
After Chanchan finished chasing dragonflies, he held one up to show Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu. Guan Yuan squatted down and said seriously to Chanchan, "Chanchan, dragonflies are beneficial insects. If you catch them, they can't go eat pests anymore. The farmers' harvests will be reduced, and many people won't have enough to eat. Do you still want to catch them?"
Even though Chanchan was clever, he couldn't understand how catching one dragonfly would make many people go hungry. Rarely, he opened his little mouth wide and even forgot to ask a question.
Zhao Shenggu found it amusing. "All right, it's not as serious as you make it sound. Chanchan, let the dragonfly go. Isn't it better to let them fly freely?"
From this parenting moment, it was clear that between the two husbands, only Zhao Shenggu had a romantic cell in his body.
Chanchan nodded and released the dragonfly. Watching it fly into the distance, Chanchan clapped his hands and said, "Oh, it flew away, it flew away."
Guan Yuan pursed his lips. "I told him to let it go, and he just looked dumb. You say one word and he lets it go!"
Zhao Shenggu put an arm around him. "Well, whose fault is it that you made it sound so profound!"
Guan Yuan doubled over with laughter, nearly gasping for breath. Zhao Shenggu helplessly patted his back. "All right, how did you laugh yourself into this state? What I said wasn't even a joke. Is it really worth laughing this hard?"
Unexpectedly, the more he said, the harder Guan Yuan laughed. Zhao Shenggu really couldn't understand it. Chanchan circled around Guan Yuan, who was shaking with laughter. "Dad, what's wrong with Daddy?"
"No idea," Zhao Shenggu said helplessly.
Chanchan clapped his hands. "I know! Daddy must be having a seizure. I saw on TV that when someone has a seizure, they keep shaking and shaking like this." After saying that, he even wobbled his little body to demonstrate.
Guan Yuan finally managed to stop laughing and pulled Chanchan over. "You little brat, daring to say your daddy is having a seizure. Just wait till I make your butt swell up with a big lump."
"Dad, help!"
The old house, quiet for so many years, had finally welcomed its own liveliness.
The next day was the day for paying respects to ancestors.
The Zhao family graveyard and the grave of Guan Yuan's mother, Li Yuehua, had long since been renovated, and there were dedicated people maintaining them over the years.
The two first went to the Zhao family ancestral graves. They kowtowed, and had Chanchan bow as well.
Guan Yuan told Chanchan to call out to Great-grandpa.
Chanchan asked in surprise, "Is Great-grandpa lying in there?"
"Yes, Great-grandpa has been lying here for a long time."
"Then why doesn't Great-grandpa get up? Won't he be bored lying here for so long?" Children always have no concept of life and death.
Zhao Shenggu stroked Chanchan's soft hair, and memories of his grandfather's voice and face surfaced: Grandpa, I've started a family. I have a child now. Don't worry—I will live happily for the rest of my life.
Guan Yuan saw Zhao Shenggu's reddened eyes and took his hand. "Grandpa, I will stay with Brother forever and always. We'll eat together, take walks together, and when we're old, read together by the fire. Don't worry. In the end, we'll come find you together. Neither of us will leave the other behind!"
"Xiao Yuan." Zhao Shenggu hugged Guan Yuan. How lucky he was to have this person by his side.
The two also paid respects at Li Yuehua's grave.
In Li Yuehua's whole life, aside from Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu, no one else remembered her anymore. On Guan Yuan's maternal side, his grandparents had long passed away, and he had an aunt who had married and moved elsewhere—no one even knew where she was now.
Zhao Shenggu still remembered how, when he was little, Li Yuehua was afraid he and Guan Yuan wouldn't have enough to eat, so she secretly went to the team's field to steal sweet potatoes and was caught and beaten until her whole body was covered in bruises.
For so many years, apart from Guan Yuan and his own grandfather, the only family warmth he had ever felt came from Li Yuehua. She was a gentle yet independent-minded woman. When she was around, even though the family was extremely poor, their little room was often full of laughter and joy. He and Guan Yuan might have worn old, worn clothes, but they were always clean.
All of this was so vivid in Zhao Shenggu's memory, and before his eyes appeared once again that gently smiling woman.
"Brother, Mother must be doing well down there, right?"
Guan Yuan didn't have many memories of Li Yuehua. After all, he had been too young then, so all the attachment in his life was placed on Zhao Shenggu.
Zhao Shenggu gave a murmur of agreement. "Mother must be doing well down there."
Chanchan obediently called out to Grandma. Ever since he learned that lying here meant never appearing again, Chanchan seemed to understand the meaning of life and death. Whatever he was told to do, he obediently did.
Seeing Zhao Shenggu's eyes were still red, Chanchan quickly tugged him down to squat and dabbed at his eyes with his little hands. "Dad, don't be sad anymore. From now on, Daddy and I will always be with you!" He waved to Guan Yuan. "Daddy, you squat down too." After Guan Yuan squatted down, Chanchan put one arm around each of their necks.
Li Ying and Guan Guo watched from a distance. Seeing the family hugging together like that, Li Ying couldn't help wiping her tears. "They really had it so hard. But it's good now. It's good now."
After the memorial rites, Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan had just reached the outside of Guan Guo's courtyard when they saw more than a dozen people already waiting there.
Seeing Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan return, the man at the front brightened and hurried forward. "Welcome home to your hometown, Mr. Zhao! I'm the county chief of Yun County. My surname is Zhao too—five hundred years ago we were one family, hahaha!"
Zhao Shenggu shook his hand politely.
Guan Yuan knew Zhao Shenggu was going to have to socialize again. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the other side mentioned inviting their family to a meal. Guan Yuan shook his head. "I'm a bit tired, so I won't go. You go ahead, and don't drink too much!"
Zhao Shenggu nodded and said to County Chief Zhao, "I'm sorry. My spouse isn't feeling well. I'm afraid I'll have to attend alone."
County Chief Zhao was delighted. "Good, good. Since Mr. Guan is tired, he should rest well. We're the ones intruding." Everyone knew that although Yuangu belonged to both Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu, Guan Yuan never managed affairs—everything was decided by Zhao Shenggu. Since they had invited the real person in charge, they didn't care whether Guan Yuan came or not.
But that word "spouse"? It made the government staff behind him cringe internally. Even though they knew the two were married, hearing it said so openly still made them uncomfortable. Ah, times had changed too fast. Some people didn't even know homosexuality existed, and now same-sex couples could get married.
Just as both sides were chatting happily and Zhao Shenggu was about to get in the car, a troublemaker charged in.
Li Xiucui came running over with the whole Guan family in tow, making a huge commotion.
The moment she reached them, Li Xiucui dropped to her knees and wailed, "Please, County Chief, give us justice!"
They had heard that someone from the county had come — and not just anyone, but the county chief himself. They didn't stop to think about why he was there. All they knew was that Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu's day of reckoning had finally come.
They gathered the whole family, old and young, planning to have the county chief give them justice. And so this dramatic scene unfolded.
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