Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Shen Guoqiang looked up and saw the children outside the courtyard gate, his face breaking into a smile as he waved them inside.

Shen Banyue, holding Xiao Dizi's hand, walked in and saw a man around thirty years old standing not far from Shen Guoqiang. His eyes and brows bore a passing resemblance to the Militia Captain, Shen Zhenxing, but with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he appeared much friendlier than the stern captain.

He had been standing at an angle blocked by the courtyard gate earlier, which was why Shen Banyue hadn't noticed him.

"You met the Militia Captain yesterday. This is his younger brother, Shen Zhenhua. You should call him..." Shen Guoqiang paused oddly before saying, "Call him Uncle-Grandpa (a term for a grand-uncle)."

"..."

He wasn't old, but his generation was high.

Shen Guoqiang introduced the children to Shen Zhenhua: "These are the children left in our care by Dai Xianghua. Xiao Yue, Xiao Dizi, Xiao Jie, Xiao Wei, Xiao Shitou, Xiao Zhuzi, Lin Mian."

The children obediently chorused, "Uncle-Grandpa."

Shen Zhenhua responded with a beaming smile, pulling out a stack of small-denomination bills from his pocket. He sifted through them, picking out several one-fen notes and two two-fen notes. He gave a one-fen note to each of the five boys and the two-fen notes to Shen Banyue and Xiao Dizi.

"Here, go buy some candy."

Xiao Dizi stared blankly at the coin in her hand, blinking, and said in her childish voice, "No eat."

She knew this piece of paper couldn't be eaten!

She turned and stuffed the bill into Shen Banyue's hand.

Shen Banyue's mouth twitched, sighing helplessly at her first "wealth" since transmigrating. She carefully folded it and tucked it safely into her pocket. At least she was no longer "penniless."

"What a funny kid," Shen Zhenhua said with amusement. "The youngest must be about three, right? And you, Xiao Yue, how old are you?"

Shen Banyue replied, "Nine."

"Nine years old!" Shen Zhenhua exclaimed in surprise.

She looked only about six or seven, but seeing how skinny the child was, skin and bones, it was easy to guess why she appeared younger than her actual age.

Shen Zhenhua didn't say any more about it, instead asking about the ages of the other children. Most were five or six, only Lin Mian, with a stern little face, answered tersely, "Eight."

Even Shen Banyue shot him a surprised look.

She had always thought this child was five or six. In the past few days, no one had really asked the boys their ages, as they all looked about the same size, their heights roughly the same.

She hadn't expected Lin Mian to already be eight.

Among the seven children, Xiao Dizi and Lin Mian had clothes made from the best material. Xiao Dizi had a round face with a hint of baby fat. Lin Mian had fair, clean skin and fine features; he wasn't chubby, but at least he wasn't thin.

Clearly, these two children's family conditions probably weren't bad.

So, Lin Mian likely wasn't malnourished; he was just plain short.

Whether he was naturally short or a late bloomer, appearing small now but shooting up later, remained to be seen.

Shen Banyue looked at Lin Mian, thinking to herself that with that pretty little face, he was sure to grow up handsome. It would be a real shame if he didn't grow tall.

Start them young. Shen Banyue thought for a moment and decided it was necessary, while he was still young, to come up with an exercise plan for Lin Mian to grow taller. Consider it her small contribution to the nation's cause of enhancing physical attractiveness.

After joking with the kids a little longer, Shen Zhenhua resumed his conversation with Shen Guoqiang: "Any major problems with the bike?"

Shen Guoqiang tightened the last screw, wiped his hands, and said, "It's fine. The brake cable was loose, the chain was a little dry, and a few small parts had issues. All fixed now."

Shen Zhenhua breathed a sigh of relief: "Good, that's my brother's treasure." A Phoenix brand Model 18, 28-inch (a large-frame bicycle). Besides the bicycle ticket, it cost one hundred and eighty-eight yuan. Every time his brother rode it out, he acted as if he'd rather carry it himself.

After fixing the bike, Shen Zhenhua went to work, and Shen Guoqiang took the bunch of kids home.

Both Shen Guoqiang and Lin Xiaohui were naturally diligent and nimble. Washing clothes, mending and making clothes, fetching water, collecting firewood, sweeping the floor... they were busy all morning.

Lin Xiaohui used Shen Guoqing's old clothes to alter two small outfits for the two boys with the most tattered clothes. She washed the clothes they changed out of and hung them to dry, instructing the two boys to take care of them later—

If their relatives couldn't be found soon, they might need to rely on these clothes to identify them by later.

It was unclear if the two boys understood, but they happily touched their new clothes, revealing their little millet-like teeth.

"What's the use of telling them? Don't worry, I'll put them away properly once they're dry," Wang Guizhi, who was sitting there sunning herself with her legs crossed, said with a laugh.

"Alright." Lin Xiaohui packed away the needle, thread, and fabric scraps, brushing the lint off her clothes. "Then I'll go cook."

The children had moved a long bench to sit beside Wang Guizhi all morning. Wang Guizhi sighed inwardly. No wonder those kidnappers were so heartless. Although these children were rescued, they seemed rather subdued.

If they were other village kids, how could they sit so obediently all morning? They'd have run off to play who-knows-where long ago.

Wang Guizhi thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, let your uncle take you to the back mountain to dig for wild vegetables, pick mushrooms. With good luck, you might even find some wild berries or pick up a bird's egg."

The children's eyes immediately lit up. Xiao Shitou immediately said, "I can dig for wild vegetables, and I can recognize berries too."

Xiao Jie, not wanting to be outdone, said, "I can too, and I can dig for worms to feed the chicks."

Xiao Zhuzi, in a thin voice, added, "I can dig for bamboo shoots and pick bamboo fungus."

...

Shen Banyue didn't say anything. *She* could chop zombies. Xiao Dizi, in her childish voice, said, "Xiao Dizi, can eat!" She even slurped, the aroma wafting from the kitchen was too tempting!

Wang Guizhi chuckled happily, turning to ask the only one who hadn't spoken, Lin Mian: "What about you, Xiao Mian?"

Lin Mian pursed his lips, and after a long pause, said, "I can't do any of those. I only know how to write." His tone was utterly dejected.

Shen Banyue's mouth twitched upon hearing this.

Wang Guizhi smiled and said, "Knowing how to write is very impressive."

—

Lunch was also quite good: stewed pork with radish, stir-fried spinach with eggs, stir-fried leeks with dried tofu, and a leftover dish from the morning—shredded bamboo shoots stir-fried with pickled vegetables.

The leftovers from last night's feast were finished in the morning. After all, in these times, banquets were basically cleaned out. Whatever little remained in the kitchen was mostly given to those who helped with the work.

Shen Banyue overheard a snippet—it seemed Lin Xiaohui had cooked the wild boar meat the old lady had hidden away to give them to take back to the city, along with their own home-smoked dried tofu.

Despite the decent dishes, the faces of those at the table weren't very cheerful. Because Shen Guoqiang had invited the Militia Captain Shen Zhenxing, the Militia Captain Zhao Yongjun, and the eldest in seniority among their Shen clan, Sixth Uncle-Grandpa, to eat with them.

The militia captain and deputy captain were one thing, but Sixth Uncle-Grandpa was over eighty. He usually didn't attend village weddings or funerals anymore. Shen Guoqiang inviting him now made his purpose glaringly obvious.

During the meal, the others hardly spoke. It was mostly Shen Zhenxing and Zhao Yongjun asking Shen Guoqiang about things in Jiangcheng, with Sixth Uncle-Grandpa occasionally chiming in with remarks about his own experiences visiting Jiangcheng in the past.

Despite his age, the old man was sharp of hearing and sight, looking like he could easily live to a hundred.

After the meal, once the bowls were cleared, Shen Zhenxing didn't beat around the bush. He said directly, "Guoqiang asked us here because he wants to divide the family. I was at the banquet yesterday. Sister-in-law Guizhi has already spoken her piece. Brother Chang, I think it's best not to delay. Let's settle the family division today."

As the brigade leader, it wasn't appropriate for him to say this, but Shen Zhenxing and Shen Dechang were paternal first cousins. Shen Dechang's parents had passed away early, and before he was grown, he had even stayed with Shen Zhenxing's family for a while. They were practically as close as biological brothers.

Shen Zhenxing truly couldn't bear to see Shen Dechang continue being so clueless.

It was understandable for a father to show a little more favoritism toward the eldest son, who had lost his mother, but not to this extent. If he turned the second and third sons against him, could Shen Dechang really rely on the unreliable eldest son to take care of him in his old age and see him off when he dies?

Shen Dechang hung his head, and after a long while, he finally blurted out, "Alright then."

Hu Huaihua's expression changed. Under the table, she kicked Shen Guoxing. Shen Guoxing turned and glared at her, then looked at Shen Zhenxing. His mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't manage to say a word for quite some time.

It was Hu Huaihua who couldn't stand it any longer. She suddenly stood up and said, "Uncle, which family doesn't have arguments when living together? Is it really necessary to divide the household over this?"

Shen Zhenxing waved his hand. "Your parents and both your brothers agree to split up the family. The minority should submit to the majority. Whether to split up is no longer up for discussion. Let's just discuss how to divide it."

Hu Huaihua's face turned pale, then flushed with anger. Suddenly, she let out a cold laugh and said, "Fine. Our family is the eldest. Mom and Dad will live with us. The second and third sons will pay ten yuan each per month for their support.

The second son is down in Jiangcheng year-round and rarely comes back, so we'll leave him out of this. The third son is about to start his own family and needs a place of his own. As his elder brother and sister-in-law, we have to consider him too. He can have the two rooms at the east end of the village."

This was trying to grab all the benefits while still wanting to appear generous!

Shen Guoqing was so angry he nearly jumped three feet high. He said furiously, "So if the second brother came back more often, you'd want to kick him out too?! That house was built with the second brother's money. It has nothing to do with me, and nothing to do with you either!"

Hu Huaihua immediately shrieked, "What do you mean your second brother paid for it? Do you have proof? It was Mom and Dad who paid for it, the family paid for it. It rightfully belongs to us, the eldest branch!"

Who paid for the house was actually clear to everyone. Besides Shen Guoqiang, who in the whole production brigade had that kind of money?

They knew Hu Huaihua was shameless, but they never expected her to be this shameless.

This was about occupying the house, using the parents to collect support money, and driving the third son to the old house at the east end of the village... This wasn't dividing the family; this was practically throwing Shen Guoqiang and his brother out with just the clothes on their backs.

Shen Zhenxing frowned. The problem was, if Hu Huaihua insisted that the house was paid for by the family, it would be really difficult to clarify the matter today. That meant the family division might not be settled for a while.

He turned to look at Wang Guizhi. Her expression was unusually calm, as if she had long anticipated this scene.

She even tugged at the corner of her mouth, giving a humorless smile, before pulling out a red-covered notebook from her clothes pocket. On the cover were the words "Jiangcheng Machinery Factory."

"Ever since Guoqiang became a permanent employee, I've recorded every single time he sent money and ration coupons home. When this house was built, what he brought back, what I spent, the dates, how much was received, how much was spent, and where it was spent—it's all clearly recorded here."

Wang Guizhi looked at Hu Huaihua. "You wanted proof? Here it is."