Chapter 229: Help

Chapter 229: Help

Su Zhaozhao went into the room and took out two sets of clothes she didn’t often wear, handing them to Su Lai Di. "You can wear these for the next couple of days. When the tailor shop opens on Monday, we’ll go get new clothes made."

Su Lai Di took the clothes and ran her rough hands over them. "These are already very good. I brought some clothes with me too."

"I know you brought clothes, but since the Lian family provided money and fabric coupons, we should still get new ones made."

The mother and son had only brought a small bundle, which couldn’t hold many clothes. Even if there were any, they would be layered with patches.

Gu Xiang came in with Xiao Shu, who had just finished washing up. "Mom, can I give Xiao Shu my old clothes that don’t fit me anymore?"

Su Zhaozhao replied, "Of course you can. Your clothes are yours to decide."

Gu Nian felt let down since her clothes were too big for Xiao Shu.

In the west room, there was also a big closet where the siblings’ clothes were stored, each occupying one side.

Gu Xiang entered the room, opened the wardrobe, and started rummaging through it. In no time, he found several sets of clothes—summer clothes, spring and autumn clothes, and even a set of winter clothes.

The clothes were all in excellent condition. Gu Xiang was very careful with his clothes—there wasn’t a single patch on them. Even though they no longer fit him, he had been reluctant to part with them until now.

This time, however, Gu Xiang brought them all out.

"Xiao Shu, these are all for you."

Xiao Shu’s eyes lit up with excitement. "All for me?"

"Yes, all for you."

"Thank you, brother!" Xiao Shu’s voice was especially clear and loud!

Seeing how nice the clothes were, Su Lai Di said, "You don’t need to give him so many. These clothes are so good, they can still be altered and worn. It’s a pity to give them all to him."

Su Zhaozhao said, "It’s not a pity if someone can wear them. Alright, I’ll take you to wash up now, and then you can go to sleep."

After Su Lai Di finished washing up, Su Zhaozhao watched her enter the bedroom before turning and going into her own room.

In the bedroom, Gu Nian was rolling around on the bed. Gu Heng had already placed his pillow on the cabinet, which was covered with a sheet.

After entering, Su Zhaozhao took a comforter out of the wardrobe. "Put this underneath."

Gu Heng said, "No need, it’s better to sleep on something hard."

But Su Zhaozhao insisted and laid it down for him.

Gu Nian called, "Mom, hurry up!"

"Coming, coming."

With a click, the room’s light dimmed.

When Gu Nian’s steady breathing could be heard beside her, Su Zhaozhao cautiously got up and slipped out of bed.

Gu Heng opened his eyes to see someone standing next to him. He whispered, "What are you doing?"

Su Zhaozhao grinned. "I’m here to hang out with you. Help me up."

The cabinet is a little too high.

Gu Heng remained silent.

Morning sunlight filtered through the window, filling the room. Gu Nian stretched lazily, eyes closed, and when she opened them, she saw Su Zhaozhao lying next to her.

"Mom, are you awake?" she whispered softly.

Su Zhaozhao's eyes moved rapidly beneath her eyelids, and she opened them, "I wasn’t awake yet, but you woke me."

Gu Nian chuckled sheepishly, "Heh-heh."

Su Zhaozhao sat up, "Get up and go freshen up."

The sound of a broom sweeping outside told her someone was already up.

Su Zhaozhao thought it was Gu Heng, but when she got up, she saw it was Xiao Shu.

Xiao Shu was sweeping the yard, while Su Lai Di was wiping the table with a cloth.

Seeing Su Zhaozhao up, Su Lai Di said, "Your brother-in-law went to the market."

Gu Nian: "Morning, Auntie. Morning, Xiao Shu. Where’s my brother?"

Xiao Shu: "Sister, brother hasn’t gotten up yet. Let him sleep a bit longer."

Just then, Gu Xiang came out, yawning, "I'm up."

The kids were thoughtful, knowing guests shouldn’t be doing chores, and quickly took the broom and cloth from Xiao Shu and Su Lai Di.

"Auntie, let me do it."

"Xiao Shu, stop sweeping for now."

Su Lai Di said sheepishly, "I didn’t do much."

Su Zhaozhao said, "Come to the kitchen and help me make breakfast. We can chat while we work."

Su Lai Di nodded repeatedly.

In the morning, Su Zhaozhao planned to cook porridge, steam some sweet potato and cornmeal buns she had made a couple of days ago, and stir-fry a dish of chives and eggs. Boiling eggs would use too many, and eggs were hard to come by these days.

Su Lai Di had already followed Su Zhaozhao into the kitchen, but when she saw Su Zhaozhao scooping rice, she turned around and went out to bring a bag of grain from the bedroom, "Sister, Xiao Shu and I will use this for our meals."

Su Zhaozhao glanced at her and said, "Keep it for now. We can manage to feed you for a few days."

Su Lai Di clutched the grain bag, unsure of what to do.

After putting the rice in the pot, Su Zhaozhao brought a stool for her to sit on.

"Do you have anything you want to ask me?"

Su Lai Di nodded. She wanted to know about their hometown and how everyone had been doing over the years.

Su Zhaozhao told her everything she knew.

Including her own story.

As she listened, Su Lai Di’s eyes filled with tears, which began to roll down her cheeks. She choked, "Our lives have been so hard. It's a good thing you and brother-in-law were fated to reunite after so many years. Our parents were so cruel! And Lai Bao... if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been sold..."

Su Lai Di sobbed for a while.

Su Zhaozhao patted her shoulder, "What's done is done; let's focus on the future."

Su Lai Di wiped her tears, "Okay, let's drop it."

Su Zhaozhao beat eggs into a bowl while asking her, "Now that you've got money and enough food for a while, do you have any thoughts about the future?"

Su Lai Di was stunned for a moment before replying, "When I first came here, I thought about leaving Xiao Shu here, but now... I guess I'll take him back to the countryside. I have money now, and his father sends food and money every month. As long as we get through the famine, life won't be too hard."

Su Zhaozhao nodded, "Have you thought about the fact that the news of you having over a thousand yuan might spread back to the countryside through Hao Da Ni and her husband? Fifteen hundred yuan (about $200) is a huge sum in the countryside. You're on your own with your child, and the Lian family there probably won't have much goodwill towards you. Even if they're nice, it's probably just to get their hands on your money, not to mention other people with ill intentions..."

The more Su Lai Di listened, the more anxious she became. Without money, life was hard, but with money, people would covet it.

She should have thought of this earlier.

She knew better than anyone what kind of people the Lian family in the countryside were.

No matter where people are from, when they turn bad, they're capable of anything.

"So, what should I do?"

"Don't freak out just yet. I just want to tell you about the problems you might face when you return to the countryside. It's better to be prepared than to regret it later."

Su Zhaozhao had other plans for her in mind. She believed in going all out to help people. She had taken over the original host's life, and if possible, without affecting her own life, she was willing to help the original host's sister stand firm and live a better life.