Chapter 65: A Troubled Heart

If Wang Qian had asked about something else, Wang Zhenhe might not have been so clear, but he remembered this matter well. He had arranged accommodation and meals according to the roster, so when his daughter asked, he recalled that there was indeed a person with that surname. Another person who was helping had joked that it was funny that the man was surnamed Zuo. It gave the impression that he had leftist tendencies.

Wang Zhenhe remembered this statement well. “Daughter, you’re really something. Today, a man surnamed Zuo did come. I don’t know if it’s the person you mentioned. But how did you know there was someone surnamed Zuo?”

Wang Zhenhe was a bit puzzled, but Wang Qian quickly made up a story. “Dad, I just guessed. Who knew I’d guess right? Your daughter is really amazing.”

Sitting in her father’s arms, she praised herself a bit. Seeing her daughter’s proud look, Wang Zhenhe couldn’t help but give her a big kiss.

“Of course, my daughter is the smartest,” he agreed, not thinking it was too much.

Wang Qian decided that she would go over early the next day to see if it was Zuo He’s grandfather. If it was, she could bring a message for them, to prevent the old lady from getting more upset.

“Everyone’s back. Let’s have dinner. The kids are all hungry,” Zhang Lan called out, and everyone pitched in to set the table, get the bowls and chopsticks, and serve the food. The whole family was busy for a while.

After dinner, Zhang Lan took her daughter out for a walk, leaving the other three to do their homework. Mingcheng had promised to teach his sister to read when she returned.

Mother and daughter visited a few families they had greeted during the day. The first stop was at her eldest uncle’s house. It was Wang Qian’s first visit. Her uncle’s family lived in a three-room house. The people inside had already finished dinner, and her older and second older cousins were playing in the yard.

Seeing them, they quickly came over to greet them. “Qianqian, it’s been a while. I feel like you’re looking better and better,” her older cousin said as he led her inside. “Big brother, I also feel like you’re becoming more promising. You’ve grown taller again.”

When Wang Mingshan heard his younger cousin say he had grown taller, he felt quite pleased with himself. “I told you I’ve grown taller, but your aunt didn’t believe me.”

Seeing the mother and daughter arrive, Wang Juan quickly invited them to sit down. “Sister, I’ve prepared the eggs. We have twenty left.”

Wang Juan handed over the counted eggs, exactly twenty of them. Zhang Lan gave her eighty cents, based on the current price of four cents per egg. “Sister-in-law, I need to get some more from others. We won’t stay anymore.”

Wang Qian was chatting with her older cousin when she heard Zhang Lan’s words. She quickly got up and followed her mother out of her eldest uncle’s house. Her two older cousins kept urging her to come and play with them.

Zhang Lan and her daughter visited a few more houses and collected a hundred eggs. After storing the items in her space, they slowly made their way back.

“Qianqian, do you think we can sell these eggs? What if we end up making a loss?” Zhang Lan expressed her doubts as they walked.

Wang Qian wasn’t worried. She knew that there was a difference in prices between urban and rural areas. She was determined to profit from this difference. “Mom, I’ll try to sell them. We definitely won’t make a loss. After all, we’re not in the business of losing money.”

Her daughter’s relaxed tone reassured Zhang Lan. “Qianqian, if we can sell them, we will. If not, you can bring them back, and we’ll sell them to the collection station.”

Wang Qian then asked about the vegetables in the space. “Mom, do we need to thin out the seedlings in the space? They seem to be growing bigger than the ones in our field.”

Zhang Lan hadn’t been in the space for several days. She decided to take a look at what her daughter was talking about.

She noticed that the vegetables in the space were indeed much larger than those outside. Even the crops were much taller than those in the production team.

“Qianqian, I feel like things mature faster in here than outside. Maybe we won’t have to wait until autumn to harvest. If that’s the case, our family’s food situation might improve sooner than expected.”

After seeing her mother’s concern for the family’s food and drink, she took Zhang Lan’s hand and reassured her, “Mom, we will definitely have an early harvest. Then you can have some steamed buns made with white flour.”

Zhang Lan taught her daughter how to thin out the seedlings. The dense growth of vegetables could affect their development, so she thinned out the bok choy and rapeseed seedlings. She gave a portion of the thinned seedlings to the poor grandmother and grandson in the city and planned to use the rest to make vegetable buns to improve the children’s diet.

After finishing the work in the space, the mother and daughter returned home. Mingcheng continued teaching his sister to read, while Wang Zhenhe sat by the kang, twisting hemp rope, occasionally looking up to see the children laughing and playing.

The next morning, after breakfast, Wang Qian went to the production team where the arranged accommodation for the people undergoing reform. These people cooked for themselves, but they were elderly and not used to such work. When they lit the fire, smoke billowed out, causing everyone to cough outside.

One elderly man with gray hair caught her attention. His eyes resembled Zuo He’s. She approached him and asked, “Grandpa, do you know Zuo He?”

The elderly man, coughing and teary-eyed, widened his eyes at the little girl who was not even as tall as his knee. “How do you know my grandson?”

Realizing she had found the right person, she discreetly pulled the old man aside and explained how she had met Zuo He, being careful to only share positive things and not to mention the old lady’s illness. She didn’t want to cause trouble or worry him unnecessarily.

“Grandpa, I’ll visit Zuo He in the city today. If you have any messages, I can bring them to him.”

The old man lowered his head in thought for a while before saying, “Child, tell them I’m doing well here and not to worry about me. Thank you for your help.”

The old man’s determined eyes were filled with gratitude. “Grandpa, take a walk around here after dinner. I’ll come back later tonight to give you a message. I have to take a bus to the city.”

After bidding farewell to the old man, she went home to pack up and took some of the seedlings her mother had thinned out to use for their own consumption. She tied up the seedlings she intended to give to Zuo He’s family with hemp rope and headed straight to the bus station. She had already discussed with her mother that she could manage on her own without needing to be escorted. Every day, people got on and off the bus at the station, so she simply followed someone onto the bus, as it was difficult to determine their relationship and she could avoid suspicion while traveling for free.

Upon arriving in the city, she found a secluded spot to retrieve the items she intended to give to Zuo He’s family. Carrying the basket, she headed towards the alley where Zuo He’s family lived. To her surprise, Zuo He was already waiting under the power pole, eagerly looking in her direction with big, pleading eyes.

When he saw her, the little boy ran over with excitement, complaining, “Sister Qianqian, why did you take so long? I’ve been waiting for you all morning.”

Upon seeing the boy’s sunburnt face, she felt sorry for him.

“Zuo He, I promised to come today, and I always keep my promises. Don’t wait in the sun like that again. What if you get heatstroke? Is your grandmother feeling better?” she asked.

Zuo He nodded earnestly. “Grandma is much better. I fed her some hot rice yesterday, and she managed to eat a bowl of it.”

After they entered the courtyard, she asked Zuo He to take the items she had brought into the kitchen, and then she went to the old lady’s room.

“Grandma Zuo, are you feeling better? I brought you some medicine today,” she said, taking out the tetracycline that Zhang Lan had bought.

The old lady got up from the kang and looked kindly at the obedient little girl. “Qianqian, I’m feeling much better. Thank you for bringing the medicine.”

After giving the old lady the medicine, she sat down beside the kang and said mysteriously, “Grandma Zuo, I have some good news for you. I guarantee that as soon as you hear it, you’ll feel better.”

The old lady was skeptical of the child’s words, as she didn’t know why she had fallen ill. However, she cooperatively put on an eager expression and said, “Qianqian, tell me, what’s the good news?”

“Grandma, I saw Grandpa Zuo. He’s participating in labor at our production team. I went to see him this morning, and he’s doing well. He asked me to tell you not to worry about him,” she said.

Upon hearing this news, tears streamed down the old lady’s face. After holding back for so long without anyone to confide in, she finally found relief upon learning about her husband’s whereabouts.

When Zuo He returned and saw his grandmother in tears, he was frightened and started crying too. “Grandma, what’s wrong? Please don’t scare me.”

Being just a child, he didn’t understand the complex emotions between adults. He thought his grandmother was simply sick and had no idea that she was worried about his grandfather, which led to her illness.

Seeing her grandson cry, the old lady quickly wiped her tears. “Zuo He, we have news about your grandpa. Once I’m feeling better, we’ll go see him.”

The news immediately cheered up Zuo He, who asked in excitement, “Really, Grandma? Can we really go see Grandpa?” The little boy was closest to his grandparents, and the prospect of finding his grandpa made him jump for joy.

The old lady smiled at her beloved grandson. “Zuo He, I have to go out to sell some things later. I’ll make lunch when I come back. I brought some vegetables this time, so we’ll have them for lunch.”

Knowing that the family was also struggling, the old lady instructed, “Qianqian, when you’re selling, be sure to look around. If you see someone with an armband, come back quickly. It’s not safe to sell things to just anyone now.”

Wang Qian understood this and nodded with a smile. “Grandma, I’ll be back after lunch.”