Chapter 37

Shen San and Li Shi had no idea that their son was wishing he belonged to someone else's family, all for a few bites of food.

The couple had been at home for half a day, one sitting under the eaves of their own living room, the other fiddling around in the yard, mostly lingering there to spot any approaching visitor from afar.

With Qin Fangniang's return, it likely meant that Sang Luo had also returned.

The couple, while both observant, harbored different thoughts.

Li Shi was anxious, hoping not to be involved with the eldest family's affairs.

Shen San's thoughts, however, were more complex. Their harmony as a couple, often thinking alike, suggested the adage, "Birds of a feather flock together."

Like their mutual reluctance to harbor freeloaders or the way they had conveniently passed the burden of the eldest household to Sang Luo through the division of property, deceiving themselves that this absolved their conscience.

In fact, even when their views slightly diverged on certain matters, one would invariably influence the other, depending on whose will was stronger.

At the moment, both Shen San and Li Shi agreed on one thing – they were unwilling to engage in unprofitable endeavors.

This was their inherent nature.

However, today, their nature was overshadowed by Shen San's concern for his male pride.

Imagine the scenario: stepping outside and encountering villagers, their mocking gazes, half-smiling expressions, deliberately asked ambiguous questions, and the murmuring behind his back as soon as he turned around, promptly switching topics when he faced them again.

Who wouldn't understand?

Who could endure it?

Shen San hadn't left his house all day, feeling as if the whole village was watching his spectacle.

This was even more unbearable than the last confrontation with Sang Luo at the courtyard gate. Back then, only a few neighboring families were involved, and the division of the family had occurred months ago. Sang Luo's near starvation, well, that was just what Shen An, Shen Ning, and Sang Luo themselves spoke of. Who witnessed it? Aren't they alive and well now?

Even Shen San himself didn't believe it, let alone expecting others to.

But this situation was different.

The eldest family was about to build a house, not under his, the sole elder's, initiation, but rather, it was the neighboring Chen family who took the lead.

It felt like a huge slap dir