Chapter 53: Pork, Cotton, and Cash: Can They Unlock the Father‑in‑Law

The dumplings on New Year's Eve steamed and hot, dispelled the lingering terror of the previous night, and also melted the cold that had shrouded this home for a long time.

The wind and snow outside the window had stopped at an unknown time.

Early the next morning, daylight brightened, and the world after the snow was a sheet of pure white; the air was so cold it cut the cheek like a blade.

Lu Qingshan pushed open the creaking wooden door, inhaled a breath of fresh air scented with snow, and felt his spirit lift.

A thick layer of snow lay in the courtyard, like an immaculate white rug spread out.

Turning back, he saw Lin Yue'e adding firewood to the stove, the curling smoke carrying a long‑missed sense of peace.

"The snow has stopped today; let's go to the Maternal Home."

Lu Qingshan's voice sounded especially clear in the crisp air.

Lin Yue'e's hand paused as she added firewood, she lifted her head, and a flash of complex emotions—worry, anticipation, and a barely perceptible tension—shone in her eyes.

"Now?"

"Mm." Lu Qingshan nodded.

"Some matters must be faced. Go early and speak openly."

In his previous life, his debts to the two elders were no less than those to his wife and daughter; this hurdle had to be crossed.

Lin Yue'e gave a gentle nod, silently consenting.

The hurdle of the Maternal Home ultimately had to be crossed.

But thinking of her father's stubborn temper and deep‑seated prejudice, her heart couldn't help but become uneasy.

If they were to part on bad terms again…

Lu Qingshan saw her worry, took the firewood from her hand, and added two more pieces to the stove.

"Don't worry, I know my limits."

He turned back into the house and pulled a package from the bottom of the kang cabinet.

Inside was ten jin of premium, freshly loosened new cotton he had specially bought in the county town; in these times, it was a rare treasure, more substantial than meat.

He went to the west room, carefully trimmed the half of the Wild Boar hind leg left from yesterday, along with a square, snow‑white slab of lard, and wrapped them in clean straw paper.

He also asked Lin Yue'e for 200 yuan.

It turned out she had hidden the money inside the wooden frame at the corner of the cabinet, no wonder Ma Liu and the others hadn't found it.

These items were not merely gifts; they were proof that he now had the means to support the family, a testament to his changed Sincerity.

Xiao Xue rubbed her sleepy eyes, wore a thick cotton coat, and climbed up from the kang, seeing her father preparing things.

She asked curiously, "Dad, where are you going?"

"Going to see Grandma and Grandfather." Lu Qingshan patted his daughter's little head.

"I want to go too! Grandma will give me candy!" Xiao Xue instantly perked up.

Lu Qingshan and Lin Yue'e exchanged a glance, each seeing the hesitation in the other's eyes.

Taking the child might ease the atmosphere, but if…

"Take her with you."

Lin Yue'e finally made up her mind, her voice trembling slightly, "Mom and Dad… miss her too."

After packing everything, Lu Qingshan set aside a tasty meat broth for Jin Hu, then carried the heavy pork and lard in one hand and cradled his daughter, dressed like a little cotton ball, in the other.

Lin Yue'e, clutching the precious cotton, the three of them stepped through the deep snow, alternating deep and shallow steps, heading toward the Lin family in Qianyingcun.

The journey was silent, only the "crunch" of snow underfoot and occasional puffs of white breath.

Lu Qingshan was far from calm; in his previous life, every visit to his father‑in‑law's house ended either with a scolding that left him bruised or with a humiliating expulsion, a feeling that was etched into his bones.

He could even vividly recall his father‑in‑law Lin Huainian's fiery eyes and clenched fists.

But this time, he could not back down.

From a distance he saw the Lin family's low earthen house, its chimney smoking, and Lu Qingshan's heartbeat quickened a few beats.

At the doorway, the courtyard gate was ajar.

Lu Qingshan signaled his wife and daughter to wait, then stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.

"Who is it?" a slightly hoarse voice of Li Cuilian came from inside.

"Mom, it's me, Qing Shan." Lu Qingshan's voice was calm and respectful.

There was a brief silence inside, then the rustle of footsteps.

The door creaked open a crack, revealing Li Cuilian's face, weathered yet still bearing the delicate contours of her youth.

She saw Lu Qingshan at the doorway and was stunned.

Then her gaze fell on Lin Yue'e and Xiao Xue behind him, and swept over the items Lu Qingshan was holding.

Her eyes were extremely complex—surprise, doubt, and a hint of unmasked concern and wariness.

"You… how did you come?" Li Cuilian's voice was hoarse.

"Mom, we came to see you and Dad." Lin Yue'e stepped forward, her voice timid.

Xiao Xue wriggled free from her father's hand, rushed to hug Li Cuilian's leg, and sweetly shouted, "Grandma!"

"Oh, my dear!" Li Cuilian's heart melted at the call of "Grandma," and her guarded expression relaxed considerably.

She quickly crouched, lifted Xiao Xue, kissed her reddened, chilled little face, and asked, "Cold? Come inside and warm up."

She stepped aside, her gaze returning to Lu Qingshan, hesitating to speak, and finally let out a sigh.

"Come in."

Inside, the kang fire blazed, far warmer than outside.

A faint scent of dry tobacco drifted through the air.

Along the edge of the kang, an elderly man in a worn cotton coat, hair silvered, face solemn, sat cross‑legged, holding a long Smoke Pipe and puffing it rhythmically.

It was Lin Yue'e's father, Lin Huainian.

He heard the movement and lifted his eyelids.

When he saw that the person who entered was Lu Qingshan, a surge of anger flared in his cloudy yet still sharp eyes, and his face instantly darkened.

It was as cold as a three‑foot ice lump outside. He firmly knocked the Smoke Pipe on the kang edge, but said nothing.

He simply turned his head to the side, not even giving Lu Qingshan a proper look.

The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to freezing point.

Lu Qingshan's heart gave a jolt, knowing this hurdle wouldn't be easy to pass.

He placed the meat, oil, and cotton he was holding on the table, then walked to the kang and bowed deeply toward Lin Huainian's back.

"Dad."

His voice was steady, filled with genuine guilt.

"In the past I was reckless, doing too many things that let down Yue E, and also let you and Mom down. I was wrong."

He took out the two hundred dollars from his pocket, held it with both hands, and placed it on the kang edge where Lin Huainian could see it.

"We didn't give a bridal gift when we married—that was my fault. This money, you elders take it as my filial compensation."

There was no lengthy explanation, no flowery promises—just the most direct admission of fault.

Lin Huainian still had his back turned, but his shoulder twitched slightly, and he let out a heavy "hmm" from his nose.

With extreme contempt and suppressed anger, that sound was colder and harder than the outside wind.

Li Cuilian held Xiao Xue, standing to the side, her face full of embarrassment.

She tugged at her husband's arm and spoke softly.

"The kids have come, what are you doing..."

Lin Huainian still didn't look at him, merely letting out a heavy "hmm" from his nose, cutting off his wife's words, while the sparks in the smoke pit flickered uncertainly.

Only a suffocating silence remained in the room.

Lu Qingshan straightened his spine, his gaze fixed on his father-in-law's tense back, his eyes showing no retreat.