Chapter 79: The Ungrateful Nephew, Ming Dai’s Realization

The bedroom window was sealed shut, and the door was closed, leaving the air stagnant and unpleasant.

The room was freezing, with no fire burning under the heated brick bed. It felt gloomy and lifeless.

The figure on the bed was Liu Dazheng. He was suppressing his coughs, too weak to even sit up.

“Captain… What brings you here?” he asked, his voice hoarse and labored.

Ming Dai listened to his stifled coughing. It was severe—he had clearly been sick for quite some time.

Liu Dazhu’s face darkened with anger. “How long have you been sick? And how long has that bastard Liu Jiahong not come to see you?!”

The man on the bed gasped for breath before replying, “He’s probably busy. I’m fine… just an old illness.”

“That’s complete nonsense! Is he trying to let you die so he can take over your house?!”

This time, Liu Dazheng remained silent. His breathing grew even more labored.

Liu Qingmin, understanding his predicament, sat down on the edge of the heated bed. “Dazheng, if Xiao Ming and the others hadn’t come looking to buy baskets, we wouldn’t have known you were so sick you couldn’t even get out of bed. Jiahong has gone too far this time. I’ll go find him later—at the very least, I’ll make sure he sends you some food and firewood.”

Liu Dazheng’s throat moved slightly, and he gave a weak nod.

He had indeed run out of food.

Liu Qingmin then turned to Ming Dai with a smile. “What were you planning to buy? Take a look—he still has plenty of stock.”

Ming Dai said, “Uncle Dazheng, we wanted to buy some bamboo baskets.”

Liu Dazheng still remembered the two of them, especially Zhou Sinian, who had bought his large backpack basket. “Cough… cough… I have some. The baskets are in the main room. Go take a look and pick whatever you like.”

As soon as he finished speaking, another fit of coughing overtook him, the sound of wheezing deep in his chest filling the cold room.

Ming Dai agreed and took Zhou Sinian outside to look through the bamboo baskets, while inside, Liu Dazhu was still cursing the man named Liu Jiahong.

Liu Dazheng was a diligent man. He had woven a total of eleven baskets in different sizes, along with two large rattan baskets, which Ming Dai also picked up.

“Uncle Dazheng, how much for all these?”

By this time, Liu Dazheng had been helped up and was leaning against the head of the heated brick bed. Seeing the towering stack of baskets on the floor, he was so surprised that he forgot to cough.

“Xiao Ming, why are you buying so many baskets?”

Ming Dai replied, “Uncle, we need them. Just give us a price.”

Liu Dazheng was an honest man. He hesitated and tried to dissuade them, “Child, my baskets are of good quality, but if you buy too many, you might not be able to use them all. Just take a few.”

Ming Dai flashed a bright smile, revealing small white teeth. “Uncle, we really need them.”

Liu Dazhu waved his tobacco pipe dismissively. “If they want to buy, just sell. Why fuss about it? Large baskets, eighty cents each. Medium ones, fifty cents. Small ones, thirty cents. The rattan ones, also fifty cents each.”

Liu Dazheng smiled weakly and nodded.

Ming Dai didn’t hesitate. “Alright, Uncle. Four large ones, that’s three yuan and twenty cents. Four medium ones, two yuan. Three small ones, ninety cents. Two rattan ones, one yuan. That adds up to seven yuan and ten cents, right?”

Liu Dazhu glanced at Liu Guoqiang, who counted on his fingers before nodding with a grin.

Liu Dazheng, feeling a bit emotional, said, “Just make it seven yuan.”

Ming Dai nodded. “Alright, Uncle. Should I give you the money now, or…?”

Before Liu Dazheng could answer, Liu Dazhu spoke up. “Xiao Ming, see if you can treat him. If you can, then let the baskets cover the cost of the medicine.”

Liu Dazheng was a little surprised—this young educated youth knew how to treat illnesses?

Then, a trace of hope flickered in his eyes. This time, his illness was much worse than before. He constantly felt weak, as if he might not make it through the winter.

Hearing this, Ming Dai instructed Liu Dazheng to lie down again and expose his wrist. Standing by the edge of the heated brick bed, she carefully checked his pulse.

Years of chronic coughing, combined with the winter weather changes, had triggered a severe cold after the heavy snowfall. His entire body felt as weak and hollow as a leaky sponge.

“It’s treatable. I happen to have the right medicinal herbs. After taking them for two full courses, you’ll recover. But you can’t let yourself get cold anymore. You also have to eat on time—no raw or cold food.”

Liu Dazhu, upon hearing this, slammed his tobacco pipe onto the brick table in anger and cursed, “That heartless bastard!”

Right after cursing, he regretted it and quickly picked up his pipe to check if it was damaged.

Liu Guoqiang explained in a low voice, “Liu Jiahong is Uncle Dazheng’s own nephew. He was supposed to take care of him in exchange for inheriting his house in the future.”

Ming Dai immediately understood—he had encountered an ungrateful scoundrel.

Every village had its own way of handling affairs, and since Liu Dazheng was part of the Liu family, she didn’t plan to interfere too much. Her job was simply to prepare the right medicine.

“Alright, don’t feel too bad about it. Next year, I can help you find two apprentices. They can take care of you in your old age just the same. That way, you won’t have to rely on that ungrateful nephew and can even save some money instead of letting him drain you dry.”

“Later, I’ll have Laifu and Laifa deliver some firewood for you. My daughter-in-law just made fresh cornmeal pancakes—they smell amazing! You can eat them while they’re warm.”

“From now on, Qingmin and I will take turns checking on you. You won’t be left alone, so don’t worry.”

Hearing this, Liu Dazheng couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer and started sobbing. The pain of being betrayed by family was unbearable.

Liu Dazhu also felt distressed. “You’re a grown man, what are you crying for? Stop that!”

Watching them, Ming Dai tugged on Zhou Sinian’s sleeve and, after telling them she would return with the medicine later, left with him.

Back home, she quickly packed the herbs and headed back with Zhou Sinian.

By the time they arrived, Liu Laifu was already unloading firewood in the courtyard, while Liu Laifa was sweeping the snow.

Inside, the heated brick bed was finally burning warm, raising the room’s temperature. Liu Dazheng’s complexion had improved significantly.

After explaining how to prepare the medicine, Ming Dai left amidst Liu Dazheng’s repeated words of gratitude.

On the way back, Ming Dai couldn’t help but think about Liu Dazheng. He was truly pitiful—crippled from childhood due to illness and now, in middle age, betrayed by his own family.

But at the same time, he was also somewhat fortunate. He was born into the Liu family, where there was still a sense of kinship and community. At least the brigade leader was willing to look after him, ensuring he wouldn’t quietly perish in the cold winter night.

She glanced at Zhou Sinian beside her and, recalling his fate in the book, sighed, “Zhou Sinian, you really should thank me, you know?”

If it weren’t for me, you might have died one day without anyone even realizing it.

Ming Dai tried to scare him, but Zhou Sinian clearly wasn’t affected. Leisurely, he carried the towering stack of baskets in one arm while using the other to take the basket from Ming Dai’s hand, hooking it over his own arm.

Then, without waiting for her, he strode forward with his long legs, quickly leaving Ming Dai behind.

Ming Dai found it both amusing and frustrating. She called after him and hurried to catch up.

By the time they arrived home, she was completely out of breath, sweating from the effort.

Meanwhile, Zhou Sinian had already placed the baskets in the storage room and was now sitting in the kitchen, calmly eating sugar-roasted chestnuts he had taken from the cupboard.

Cold and sweet, they tasted pretty good.

Once Ming Dai caught her breath, she laughed at herself for being foolish. Spending too much time with Zhou Sinian was making her act strangely.

Why had she even chased after him? It’s not like she didn’t know the way home.

Looking at Zhou Sinian, whom she had been taking care of so well, she suddenly felt troubled.

Did she have a natural talent for raising children?

Should she consider having one in the future just for fun?

That thought startled her, and she quickly shook her head to drive away such ridiculous ideas.

Then, seeing Zhou Sinian happily eating, she instantly felt annoyed. Without hesitation, she grabbed more than half of the chestnuts from his plate and started eating them herself.

Zhou Sinian looked at her in disbelief, then glanced at his nearly empty plate. In the end, he simply picked up the plate and turned away, clearly guarding against any further attacks.

Ming Dai smirked to herself.

As expected, chestnuts tasted best when stolen—only stolen ones were truly delicious!