Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Village Head Liu’s eyes widened in shock: !!!

This was truly wonderful news!

Building a new house required hiring people, which meant paying wages. Even if not in silver, it would be in grain.

All in all, it was a source of income, providing an entry for the families of those who worked.

No matter how many people Shen Yuan hired, it would definitely help some with their summer tax problem.

Fourth Sister-in-law Liu passed on the word, saying they’d discuss the details tomorrow when Shen Yuan returned.

Village Head Liu nodded repeatedly with a smile, saying "good, good," while already thinking about who’d be a good fit.

When he saw Shen Yuan tomorrow, he could suggest some folks directly.

At the Shen house, Shen Yuan ladled out another bowl of chicken soup.

Shen Nan was injured more seriously, and Shen Bei was also frightened. He had the two children stay home first, then went to the neighbor auntie’s house, giving her two big handfuls of dried vegetables and asking her to keep an eye on things at his house.

The auntie accepted the dried vegetables happily, nodding away and promising to keep a close watch.

Shen Yuan then took Shen Dong and Shen Xi to the east end of the village to find Shen Liushu.

He remembered Shen Liushu.

This kid was known as the village bully.

His family was all lost to the war. Originally, he had an older brother named Shen Yushu, and the brothers depended on each other. But a year ago, Shen Yushu left the village and never came back.

Some villagers said Shen Yushu couldn't handle the hardship of supporting his younger brother and ran away.

Others said he might have gotten into trouble outside and couldn't come back.

Regardless of what people said, he’d vanished without a trace.

Shen Liushu hadn't always been so domineering and unreasonable. In Shen Yuan's memory, Shen Liushu was quite a well-behaved child.

Seeing him like this now, Shen Yuan got it.

Shen Liushu's place was at the very edge, a dilapidated thatched hut even worse than Shen Yuan's.

It looked like a deserted, crumbling shack ready to fall apart, without even a fence.

Shen Yuan walked with his two younger brothers, about to knock when he saw Shen Liushu's door was broken, with the left panel mostly fallen off.

The kitchen didn't even have a proper door.

Shen Liushu, sharp-eared, knew someone was outside. Wearing worn straw sandals and holding a wooden stick, he hid warily behind the door. "Who’s there? What do you want?"

Worried the kid might think they were trouble and get scared, Shen Yuan immediately said, "I'm Shen Yuan, Shen Dong and Shen Xi's older brother."

Hearing this, Shen Liushu gripped the stick tighter. He nervously peeked through the crack in the door—Shen Dong and Shen Xi were there too...

Crap, these two must've brought their big brother for revenge!

Both their faces were injured. Shen Yuan wasn't blind; he'd definitely see.

Shen Liushu glanced at the door—one kick and it would fall apart—then looked around the empty room. There was nowhere to hide.

The window was up front. If he went out that way, he'd bump right into the Shen brothers.

Shen Liushu's mind raced, trying to figure out how to escape.

Finally, he decided to make a run for it; he would suddenly open the door, swing his stick, and when the other side dodged, he could run.

With that, Shen Liushu took a deep breath and yanked the door open.

But the moment he raised his stick, the other guy caught it. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't free it.

Shen Yuan smiled at Shen Liushu. "Why are you running?"

A threat!

Shen Liushu was on high alert. This was a blatant threat!

Was he about to get beaten up next?

He glared angrily at Shen Dong and Shen Xi, who were clinging to Shen Yuan's legs on either side, and shouted, "You two, fight me one-on-one if you have the guts! What's the point of bringing your big brother for revenge! As if you're the only ones with a big brother! Hah!"

After shouting, Shen Liushu resigned himself. It wasn't the first time an adult had come to beat him up.

"Just hit me if you're going to. Hurry up. I want to go to sleep after." Shen Liushu let go of the stick in defeat, adopting a "bring it on" posture as he squatted on the ground.

Shen Yuan tossed the stick aside and bent down to pull Shen Liushu up.

Expecting a beating, Shen Liushu instinctively covered his head, but instead of pain, he felt his wrist being grabbed and was pulled to his feet.

There was no table in Shen Liushu's house. He usually ate directly off the kitchen counter.

Sometimes he didn't even use a bowl, making a pot of porridge and eating straight from the pot. Leftovers were just covered and reheated for the next meal.

Shen Yuan led him to the kitchen and placed the clay pot containing the chicken soup on the counter.

"This chicken soup is to thank you for saving our Nannan."

Shen Liushu rubbed his ear. Was his hearing going bad?

Thank him?

The sun must be rising from the west. To think there was someone in Dashu Village who would thank him, hahahaha, how ridiculous.

Having survived on his own through thick and thin, Shen Liushu was adept at reading people. Confirming that Shen Yuan genuinely had no intention of beating him, he started getting cocky again. "What do you mean? Did you poison the chicken soup?"

"We don't even have enough chicken soup for ourselves. Why would we waste a bowl poisoning you?" Shen Xi, clinging to Shen Yuan's leg and holding the hem of his clothes, pouted and spoke discontentedly to Shen Liushu.

Shen Liushu knew his thought was ridiculous. If someone really wanted to poison someone like him, they wouldn't need to use chicken soup as bait.

Even a simple wild vegetable bun could easily trick him.

But that didn't stop him from glaring at Shen Xi. This brat was only daring to talk like that because his big brother was here.

Shen Yuan patted Shen Xi's head, and Shen Xi immediately quieted down obediently.

"Dongdong and Xixi told me it was you who led people to block the official, so Nannan was unharmed. This bowl of chicken soup is to thank you. In the future, if you need my help with anything, as long as I can do it, I'll help you resolve it."

Shen Liushu stared at the earthenware pot, looking a bit uncomfortable. *So they really came to thank me...*

"No need to thank me for something this small. I'll take the soup. You can go."

Shen Yuan said, "I'm really grateful for what you did for Nannan. But we still have the issue with Dongdong and Xixi to resolve."

Shen Liushu’s hand, which was reaching for the soup, paused. He looked at the bruised and swollen faces of Shen Dong and Shen Xi.

He frowned and pointed at his own face. "Didn't it hurt when Shen Dong hit me? I haven't even settled the score with him yet, and you're already here to come after me."

The boy before him was lanky, with rough, sun-darkened skin. The bruises around his eyes and the corner of his mouth were very visible, especially the split on his lip.

Shen Yuan’s expression turned serious. "What started the fight with Dongdong and Xixi? Was it because you told others not to play with them?"

Shen Liushu couldn't refute this. He snorted in defeat. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Apologize," Shen Yuan said. "And from now on, stop deliberately getting in people's way."

Shen Liushu had thought Shen Yuan was going to beat him up to vent his anger. He was ready to fight it out to the end, but now the anger seemed to have dissipated halfway, leaving him feeling deflated.

The fragrant aroma of the chicken soup wafted through the air from the pot, and his stomach growled.

He hadn't had a proper meal in days either...

After fidgeting for a moment, Shen Liushu gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll apologize. I'm not doing it because I'm scared of you. I just don't want to feel guilty while drinking this soup."

With that, he turned to Shen Dong and Shen Xi. "Sorry. I was wrong before, telling people not to play with you. I won't do it again. But if you mess with me later, I'll still hit you."

Shen Xi snorted defiantly. "If you hit us, we'll fight back! We won't just let you hit us!"

Shen Liushu wanted to say something more but ultimately held back.

He lowered his head and remained silent. Shen Yuan had delivered the soup, expressed his thanks, and the matter with the boys was somewhat settled.

Shen Yuan took the two children home to drink their soup.

Just as they were about to leave, Shen Liushu suddenly called out, "Wait..."

Shen Yuan turned to look at him. Shen Liushu hesitated for a moment before finally blurting out, "It's just... you said you could help me with things. Can you... can you help me look for my brother?"

Shen Yuan frowned slightly. Afraid he would refuse, Shen Liushu quickly added, "I won't ask for help with anything else, just this one thing. If you help me find my brother, I'll never bother you with anything again, okay?"

"I might not be able to find him," Shen Yuan said honestly.

Shen Liushu knew it was a long shot, but he was truly desperate. "It's fine. Just... just try to look for him. I don't even need the chicken soup. Just try to look. It's okay if you can't find him..."

His voice grew softer and softer. He knew he was asking for a lot.

After all, his brother had been gone for over a year. If he really intended to come back, wouldn't there be some news by now?

It was right for Shen Yuan not to agree. How could you find someone who'd been missing for over a year? But... living alone was so, so tiring...

Shen Liushu's mood sank. He prepared himself for Shen Yuan's refusal. Unexpectedly, a warm hand rested heavily on his head. "Alright, I promise. I happen to work at a teahouse where there are lots of people. I'll ask around for you tomorrow."

Hearing this, Shen Liushu's eyes instantly reddened, his nose tingled, and tears welled up.

He raised his hand to wipe away the tears, refusing to speak or look up, only nodding fiercely.

It was so embarrassing.

Crying was so embarrassing.

He'd rather die than let anyone see him cry.

Otherwise, everyone would think he was weak, and anyone would dare to step on him.

Shen Liushu had his own way of survival. By following the rules he had figured out, this ten-year-old child had successfully survived for over a year, safely growing to the age of eleven.

Back home, the family gathered together, drinking the warm, savory chicken soup.

Little Beibei also drank a small half-bowl. The child loved it, taking sip after sip, unable to stop.

During the evening wash-up, Shen Yuan carefully examined the wounds on Shen Nan's face again. They had been treated earlier with crushed herbs to stop the bleeding applied by Auntie Ping. They weren't bleeding now.

His teeth weren't loose either. Good, good.

"Dongdong, Xixi, Nannan, do you remember any distinguishing features of those constables who hit you?" Shen Yuan lay on the bed board, asking his younger brothers.

Shen Dong spoke first. "There was a chubby one with a mole on his right cheek."

Shen Xi thought for a moment and added, "There was another one with a scar on his left hand. I saw it when he slapped Nannan. Big brother, why are you asking?"

Shen Yuan said, "Big brother is thinking of a way to hit them back, to get revenge for Nannan. We're not letting this slide."

In both his past and present life, he had a core principle: don't start trouble, but if anyone hits him or someone he cares about, he must pay them back.

Even if he couldn't get revenge on the spot, he would do it as soon as he had the ability.

Hearing this, Shen Nan, who had been quiet until now, spoke up softly and gently. "The chubby one with the mole on his right cheek kicked me three times. The one with the scar on his left hand slapped me five times. The tall, skinny one with a protruding mouth, whose left eye was noticeably smaller than his right, hit my back with the flat of his knife and said he'd kill me if I didn't get out of the way. There was also one with very thick lips and big nostrils. He pulled my hair and punched my face six times. But there was a shorter one with only four fingers on his right hand. He stopped the other four from touching our sister and held them back a bit, saying the County Magistrate didn't order them to beat people like that."

"Did big brother get all that? If not, Nannan can say it again," the little treasure Shen Nan said. He wasn't very practiced at reporting what happened and was worried his big brother might forget, so he spoke very considerately.

He waited obediently for a while, but instead of a reply, he was picked up by his big brother, pressed into a warm embrace, and hugged tightly. His big brother kissed his forehead and said in a pained voice, "Our Nannan suffered. Big brother remembers everything. I'll never forget."

In the darkness, Shen Nan clung tightly to his brother, burying his face in his big brother's warm, solid chest, taking a soft breath.

So warm. So safe.

He didn't even feel the pain anymore.

After what happened to Shen Nan, Shen Yuan's determination to rise up grew even stronger.

His younger brothers hadn't had their edges worn down by the hardships of life. Even the gentlest and most silent Shen Nan had grown branches of his own self. He wanted his brothers, and his little sister who hadn't grown up yet, to be able to grow freely.

Himself too.

On the new day, Shen Yuan, with his goals more firmly set, went to work with renewed vigor, feeling completely fired up.