Chapter 225: The Qian Family Is Dead

Chapter 225: The Qian Family Is Dead

Wang Dashi raised his hand, intending to call out to the father and son.

But when he turned around, he saw his wife standing at the door, having appeared without him noticing.

He hesitated, then finally let his hand fall back down.

"I'll go call Mother for dinner," the woman said.

"Okay," Wang Dashi responded.

He turned and went inside.

After leaving Wang Dashi's house, the Wang family father and son returned home.

They lit a lamp and headed to the kitchen to prepare a meal.

Wang Laoshuan was about to cook some porridge but was stopped by Wang Dashi.

"Let's make pancakes."

"Make plenty; tomorrow morning, we'll send some to Second Uncle's house," Wang Dashi added.

Wang Laoshuan was taken aback.

A hint of hesitation flashed across his face.

"Alright!" He responded and turned to fetch the coarse flour.

"Use it all," Wang Dashi said again.

Wang Laoshuan paused once more and looked back at his son.

"I'll go to town tomorrow to buy more grain," Wang Dashi explained.

Wang Laoshuan's eyes flickered.

He remembered what his mother had said to him earlier at his second brother's house. Suddenly, his eyes welled up with tears.

"Okay," he replied and continued to fetch the coarse flour.

The father and son worked in silence after that.

After mixing the dough, Wang Laoshuan and Wang Dashi made pancakes together until they filled an entire basket.

"Eat up. You'll sleep better on a full stomach," Wang Dashi said.

"And tomorrow morning, take the leftover pancakes to Second Uncle's house. Also, give them one hundred coins."

"I'll get the money for you later."

Wang Laoshuan nodded.

He and Wang Dashi took the pancakes and started eating.

As they ate, tears began to fall from Wang Laoshuan's eyes.

At first, he tried to hold them back, but eventually, he couldn't help sobbing aloud.

Seeing this, Wang Dashi choked back a sob.

He reached out and patted Wang Laoshuan's shoulder.

"Cry if you need to. It will make you feel better," he said, fighting back his own tears.

Their grandmother had agreed to let them stay, but her words left them feeling uneasy.

She had said that this parting might be forever, that they might never see each other again.

The next day,

Early in the morning, Wang Dashi gave the money to Wang Laoshuan.

After sharing two pancakes with his father, he handed over the rest.

Then he gathered firewood and set off for town.

Throughout the journey, Wang Dashi's mind was restless.

He kept thinking about his father delivering the food to Second Uncle's house.

That was all they could do.

After paying to enter the city, Wang Dashi delivered the firewood to the households that had ordered from him yesterday.

Finally, he left two bundles of firewood at the Song family's place.

By this time, Wang Xiaomei had already sold all her bean sprouts and returned.

Seeing her older brother, she came over to talk to Wang Dashi.

"The village chief has already spoken, letting everyone go voluntarily. Second Uncle's family is also leaving," Wang Dashan said.

"Then Grandma—" Wang Xiaomei's face changed slightly as she asked.

"Grandma will be going with them," Wang Dashan replied.

"Last night, I went to see Grandma with Father."

"She agreed to let us stay."

Then, Wang Dashan recounted how he and Wang Laoshuan made pancakes and delivered them to Second Uncle's family.

Including the extra hundred coins they gave them.

Wang Xiaomei nodded.

"It's right. The road won't be easy, so having more supplies will help Second Uncle's family get by better."

Then, Wang Xiaomei thought of something else.

"All the flour at home is gone. Let me get some for you," she offered.

"Sure. Five jin should be enough," Wang Dashan said.

"I haven't told Father about renting from the Liu family yet. Also, he doesn't know about the food you've stored here."

Wang Xiaomei paused, then nodded.

"Alright!"

After saying this, she took a cloth bag from Wang Dashan and went to fetch some coarse flour for him.

When Wang Xiaomei returned, the cloth bag in her hand was filled with something.

Wang Dashan took the food, his expression heavy.

"Grandma—" He started to say three words but couldn't continue.

He actually wanted Grandma to stay with them.

However, the Liu family only had one spare room.

He and his father could squeeze in, but there was no way for Grandma to live with them.

Besides, staying in Lingquan Town didn't necessarily mean it would be better than fleeing the famine.

Most importantly, even if Grandma knew the situation, she might not choose to stay with them.

That was always her way, wasn't it?

She always thought of their family first and didn't want to be a burden.

Wang Xiaomei noticed her brother's thoughts and patted his arm.

"Just let Grandma go with Second Uncle. With Second Uncle around, Grandma will be safe," she comforted.

Compared to their father, Second Uncle was much more reliable.

For now, there was little they could do. This was all they could manage.

Wang Dashan nodded.

He quickly turned and left.

He needed to hurry out of town, return home, and sell another load of firewood for money.

He needed money.

With this in mind, Wang Dashan rushed back to Xiashui Village.

But as soon as he entered the village, he heard bad news.

A villager saw him and urged him to go home quickly, saying something had happened.

Seeing the sympathetic looks on the villagers' faces, Wang Dashan felt a sense of dread.

Without asking further, he hurriedly pushed his cart toward home.

Arriving home, Wang Dashan saw several people standing in the courtyard.

Two of them he recognized were from Qian Village.

"Dashan, you're finally back!" Wang Laoshuan got up quickly upon seeing his son.

Wang Dashi also looked worriedly at Wang Dashan.

"They said your mother died!" Wang Laoshuan said, his voice tinged with tears.

"Died?" Wang Dashan asked numbly, stunned.

Just a short while ago, she had come back to steal chickens and food from their home.

Although she looked disheveled, she still had the strength to fight with his father. How could she have died?

Wang Dashan couldn't describe how he felt at that moment.

All in all, there was more shock than sorrow.

Then the hatred toward the Qians seemed to suddenly vanish.

"Dead! They say she's been dead for a few days!"

"They smelled something foul in the courtyard and broke in to take a look."

"Her head was smashed in, and she was lying in the courtyard. No one knows who did it!" Wang Laoshuan said anxiously.

Wang Dashan stared blankly at Wang Laoshuan.

"People—stinking?" he asked.

"Yes, she was stinking!" At that moment, someone from Qian Village chimed in.

"She was also partially eaten by locusts. When we went in—" The person’s face showed signs of horror, and they stopped talking.

After a moment, they continued, "Well, anyway, she’s gone."

"We speculate that a thief knew she was alone at home and had evil intentions."

"We've already reported the case to the authorities."

"Next, we need to handle the funeral arrangements," the person added.