Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Wu LaoTai's face darkened at these words. "Jianguo is not that kind of person."

"Then why did he send nothing during the New Year? The last time he sent money was ages ago. Now he only sends a few old clothes. What good are they?"

"You're talking about those old clothes as if they're worthless. There are plenty of people who would cherish them! Look, they're made of fine material. Your beggars wear such nice clothes!"

Zhao DaHua rolled her eyes. "They're all young girls' clothes, and not even in-season. What use are they?"

The clothes sent this time were brightly colored, clearly meant for young girls. It wouldn't be suitable to alter them for Tang Xingwang and the others.

Even Zhao DaHua felt embarrassed wearing such vibrant colors. In the countryside, everyone wore dull clothing. Not just someone her age, but even young girls who loved beauty dared not wear such bright clothes for fear of standing out too much.

If Zhao DaHua wore these clothes, she'd be talked about as being improper.

Wu LaoTai was angry. "What's wrong with wearing them? Just alter them a bit. Many of these are made of sturdy material, very durable."

Tang Jianjun still cared for her. Besides the old clothes, he had specially made a new coat for her, which kept her warm. She was quite satisfied with it.

However, the lack of money sent back left Wu LaoTai feeling uneasy, wondering what had happened.

Tang Qingqing, overhearing their conversation, tried to slip away but was caught by Wu LaoTai.

"Qingqing, you heard that, right? Why do you think your uncle stopped sending us money?"

The Tang family now acknowledged Tang Qingqing's intelligence. Although Wu LaoTai looked down on her for being a girl, she no longer dismissed her outright.

"Maybe something happened at home, and they're short on cash," Tang Qingqing said casually.

Over the years, Tang Jianjun had provided so much for the family, which didn't align with what was written in books.

In the book, although Tang Jianjun recognized his mother, he treated himself as an adopted son, occasionally checking in without sending much. He wouldn't have sent so many things or so much money every year.

As a factory manager, Tang Jianjun earned a decent salary, and his wife also worked. But they had four children to support. Three were sons who ate a lot, and the youngest daughter often fell ill, requiring frequent hospital visits and expensive care.

Moreover, in the book, Tang Jianjun had issues with his biological mother and siblings, leading to strained relationships.

Leaving his youngest daughter in the countryside for help with childcare, paying thirty yuan a month—which was Su Rong's monthly salary—was more than enough to raise several children well.

Yet, Tang Jianjun and Zhao DaHua frequently sent telegrams asking for money, claiming the child was sick and needed medical attention.

Each time, Tang Jianjun sent money, adding up to a significant amount annually. Yet, the child was malnourished when checked at the hospital, while their own children were robust and healthy.

This angered Tang Jianjun, who already had a distant relationship with his family after adoption. Adopted children must maintain a certain distance from their birth families.

Though his adoptive father claimed not to mind, it was necessary to be cautious to avoid misunderstandings.

Thus, the relationship grew colder.

When Su Rong abandoned her newborn to find her, it was because she could no longer tolerate Wu LaoTai, nearly breaking under the pressure. She left the baby with the old lady and fled.

Despite her daughter's poor condition, Su Rong couldn't bear Wu LaoTai any longer and left. This wasn't her first child, and she usually doted on her children, but this time she was pushed too far.

This already made Tang Jianjun uncomfortable, further straining the relationship.

Consequently, in the book, the protagonist was adored upon return, treated like a precious doll by her parents and three brothers.

In reality, however, when Tang Jianjun came to fetch his daughter, he found her well-cared for and intelligent. Both Tang Jianjun and Su Rong forgot their past grievances and were grateful.

Their relationship remained strong. Even after taking the daughter back, Tang Jianjun continued sending money and goods, albeit less frequently—quarterly instead of monthly.

For rural families, this was still a substantial income, comparable to year-end dividends.

This kept the Tang family financially stable, despite Tang Jianjun's lack of industriousness and Tang Jianshe's disability.

Why Tang Jianjun stopped sending money now remains unknown to Tang Qingqing.

The situation has diverged from the book, making it hard to predict what happened.

According to the book, nothing major should be happening now.

But everything has changed, making it difficult to say.

Wu LaoTai panicked. "Could someone be sick?"

Tang Jianjun: "If something serious happened, we would have heard about it. My brother's letters are always brief."

"If you want to know, send a telegram."

Wu LaoTai blurted out, "That's expensive!"

Tang Jianjun's eyes flickered. "Telegrams are too short to explain. Maybe I should go check?"

Zhao DaHua chimed in, "Speaking of which, Xingwang and the others haven't visited yet. We should take them to see the world."

Wu LaoTai jumped. "Train tickets aren't free. It's already outrageous for Jianjun to go alone. You want to take the kids too?"

Zhao Dahua's attitude softened. "Mom, the more we visit each other, the closer our families become. How long has it been since we last saw each other? We really should visit more often. Xingwang was just mentioning how he wants to go play with his cousins.

Ji Dong and the others have so many fun things in the city; they might have almost forgotten about their three younger brothers. This won't do. If this continues, the children will grow up as two separate families."

"There are too many of us to stay there," Grandma Wu hesitated.

"How can that be a problem? We can squeeze in. After all, they're all boys."

Tang Qingqing raised an eyebrow. It was clear she wasn't included in this plan.

She knew what was going on. She was gradually growing up, looking more like her book counterpart, which meant her features were becoming very similar to Su Rong's.

Sometimes, when Zhao Dahua saw her, she would be momentarily stunned.

If she went along, it could easily give her away.

Tang Qingqing had very complex feelings about that family, ones she found hard to describe.

At least for now, Tang Qingqing didn't want to change her life. While she was curious, she didn't feel the need to make any changes.

She did have some avoidance tendencies, always feeling that before she became strong enough, she didn't want anything uncontrollable to happen.

Grandma Wu still struggled internally. She knew her daughter-in-law's temper well—she looked down on country folk, thinking they were dirty.

If their whole family went over to visit, her face would probably be longer than a donkey's.

Grandma Wu wasn't afraid of her daughter-in-law, but if they caused trouble, it might affect Tang Jianguo's attitude towards her.

When they took Tang Zhenzhen back, they thought they had raised her well, temporarily resolving past conflicts.

But people love to bring up old grudges. If the city daughter-in-law wasn't pleased and brought up past issues, it would be hard to mend their relationship.

Tang Jianguo, having been adopted out, had grown distant from her, his birth mother, and was different from her other sons.

She knew exactly what Tang Jianjun and Zhao Dahua were planning—they were just going to freeload, which could easily cause resentment.

"Let's talk about this later."

Tang Jianjun grew anxious. "Why later? Our lives are falling apart now!"

Although Grandma always took the lion's share of the money sent, he could still get some. But now, this extra income was gone, making him very anxious.

"It's the New Year. How can we travel far? Write a letter and ask what's going on."

Yang City.

Tang Jixue sneaked out of his room, looking around nervously.

"Third Brother!"

Tang Jixue jumped, turning to see his sister Tang Zhenzhen. He clutched his chest and said,

"Sis, you scared me! Do you know how scary that is?"

"Mom said you have to study at home today and not go out messing around."

Tang Jixue put his index finger to his lips. "Shh, keep your voice down. I'm not going out to mess around, just taking a walk. Can you pretend you didn't see me?"

Tang Zhenzhen held out her hand, and Tang Jixue instantly understood.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you something good to eat when I come back."

"Then I'll let you go."

Tang Jixue cheered. "I knew my little sister understands me best. Everyone else is forcing me to study, but you never say those annoying things."

"Sis, you're so smart; you'll definitely pass."

According to the original story, Tang Jixue would get into the capital university without much effort.

Among the three brothers, Tang Jixue was the most playful, often hanging out with peers from the factory.

But he was also the smartest. After getting into the capital university, he made connections that greatly helped his future career.

"Oh right, Sis, did you send the money and items back to the hometown?"

Tang Jixue rubbed his nose and then broke into a big smile.

"I sent it ages ago. They must have received it by now. How could I forget what you told me?"

"I hope Grandma and the others have a good New Year with that twenty yuan."

Tang Jixue's face stiffened. "What? Twenty yuan? Wasn't it ten?"

Tang Zhenzhen was taken aback. "It was twenty. Did you forget? I put two large bills on the table for you to take."

"I only saw one large bill."

"Huh? Maybe you forgot after a while? Why don't you check the receipt?"

Tang Jixue's expression changed. "Right, right, right. Now that you mention it, I remember it was ten."

"Are you sure you didn't forget? You could check the receipt to be sure."

"I've had it for so long, I don't even know where I put the receipt. I remember now, it was two large bills. I must have mixed them up."

Tang Zhenzhen chided, "Third Brother, you're really not paying attention. How could you forget so quickly?"

"Next time, I'll definitely be more careful!"

Tang Jixue saluted and then slipped out the door.

Not long after Tang Jixue left, the mailman arrived.

As usual, Tang Zhenzhen collected the letters and newspapers.

When she saw that one of the letters was from Red Star Commune, she immediately opened it.

The handwriting in the letter was very childish, clearly written by a child.

The content of the letter was brief, starting with a greeting and then indirectly asking why only items were sent this time without any money.

Despite the attempt to be tactful, their confusion and dissatisfaction couldn't be hidden.

They complained that the money sent by Tang Jianguo and his wife had been decreasing, and now they didn't send any at all, which delayed Old Lady Wu's treatment.

Tang Zhenzhen quickly scanned the contents of the letter and sneered.

Sure enough, this couple was as greedy as described in the original text, and Old Lady Wu wasn't any better; she cared only about money.

Tang Zhenzhen put the letter and envelope away neatly and walked into the kitchen, throwing them into the stove.

On New Year's Eve, Tang Qingqing spent the night at Old Liu's place.

She didn't return home but stayed in Zhai Hongyi's room.

With Zhai Hongyi absent, Tang Qingqing felt that this year's New Year was much quieter.

Wang Heizi came over late at night, saying that since Zhai Hongyi wasn't there, he would keep Old Liu company.

Unlike previous years, Wang Heizi and Tang Qingqing weren't in high spirits while preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Old Liu noticed this, "That boy isn't heartless."

Wang Heizi: "But it's been so long, why haven't we heard anything? Could something have happened to Brother Yi?"

Tang Qingqing felt uneasy, worrying more about his safety than his lack of consideration.

"That boy is tough; nothing will happen to him. His family situation is complicated, and he probably hasn't had the chance to sort things out yet."

Tang Qingqing asked curiously, "Master, how do you know his family situation is complicated? Did he tell you?"

"Your master didn't eat for so many years for nothing."

Wang Heizi was puzzled, "We're all family, how complicated can it get? It's not like they'd fight to the death."

"Why not? When I worked for a landlord, his three sons fought over the family property. The youngest even colluded with bandits to kill his eldest brother."

"Do you know why I was forced to leave my hometown? My tracking skills got me noticed, but ultimately, it was the infighting among the sons that affected us bystanders."

Old Liu fled here during the famine, occasionally working as a shepherd to earn money.

Back then, families who could afford sheep were well-off, and he had seen many unsavory incidents.

Wang Heizi found it hard to believe, though similar incidents did occur in rural areas. However, such conflicts usually had limits, and outside the home, they would unite against outsiders.

How could someone invite trouble into their own home? They wouldn't risk the entire family.

"But those were landlords. How could Brother Yi's family be like that?"

"Aren't they all human?"

Wang Heizi had no response. Having solved many cases with Tang Qingqing, he wasn't as naive as before, but still found it unbelievable that it could happen to Zhai Hongyi.

"If only we had asked earlier, we wouldn't be guessing and worrying now."

Tang Qingqing pursed her lips and said firmly,

"If we still don't hear from him when it gets warmer, we'll go to the capital to find him! We need to know what's going on."

Wang Heizi's eyes lit up, "Let's do it! My uncle must have his information, and we can follow the leads."

The two began discussing how to travel to the capital and what preparations they needed to make.

Old Liu occasionally chimed in, having once crossed half of China. Though his experiences were decades old, they still offered some guidance.

However, this plan never materialized. On the ninth day of the first month, they received a telegram from Zhai Hongyi.