Wang Guizhi looked at Shen Meng and sighed with a small laugh. “Alright, alright. I know how thoughtful you are. I’ll take the money, but I’ll save it for you, in case you ever need it. And seeing you now, I know you’ll be just fine. Your father and I will head back, but remember—if you ever need anything, come straight home to us!”

Feeling a pang of emotion, Shen Meng turned slightly and nodded. “I understand, Mother. Once I’m feeling better, I’ll come visit you and Father. The sun isn’t too harsh yet, so go while it’s still cool. Don’t worry about me—I’m doing alright!”

Wang Guizhi gently took her hand, patting it but saying nothing more. Shen Meng has grown up; she had to figure out her own path now. She and her husband could give her guidance when needed, but anything more might be overbearing.

As her parents left, the four children took the chance to slip away as well, not wanting to stay around Shen Meng. It didn’t seem like she was going anywhere soon after all.

Alone, Shen Meng explored the brick house. There were three main rooms and an entry hall. The easternmost room was the largest—her and Lu Zhenping’s bedroom. The western side had two rooms, one for the boys and a smaller room for Mingfang, their daughter. Additionally, there was a small mudbrick kitchen, a storage shed, and an empty room. The yard was sizable, with an open space where a tree grew. Shen Meng thought she could set up a small fence around the tree, plant some vegetables and fruit vines, or maybe even build a chicken coop.

When Lu Zhenping first built this house, he’d thoughtfully given Mingfang her own room since she was getting older and needed her space. He’d even made a set of shelves and kept her room spotless. But after he left, Shen Meng forced all the children to share a single room, locked away anything valuable in her own room, and even kept the food locked in her wardrobe. The children were often so hungry they’d wander outside, scavenging for anything they could find to eat.

Whenever neighbors gave them food, Shen Meng would be annoyed, thinking they were doing it to make her look bad, and she’d take it out on the kids with scolding and beatings.

As Shen Meng took in the yard, she reviewed the events in her mind. When Lu Zhenping first wanted to build this house, Liu Sanjin had fiercely opposed it. She’d wanted them to build a simple mudbrick extension to the old courtyard house for the main family, use any leftover funds to repair the family’s old home, and keep whatever was left for herself. But Lu Zhenping was a veteran, and his stern face alone could intimidate others. Eventually, it was Lu Changzhu who gave the final approval, but he set limits so the house wouldn’t be too far from the rest of the family and wouldn’t be too big, so as not to cause resentment among his brothers.

Shen Meng thought it was ridiculous for anyone to feel resentful. If they wanted a house, they could build their own.

While she had enough grain, there were no vegetables in the house, only a few dried ones Tian Guihua had brought over. She’d seen them; they were spring vegetables like wild spinach, fern leaves, and purslane. But right now, she was still “seriously ill,” so she couldn’t exactly go outside with a lively stride and start picking greens.

She had some food stored in her space, but she couldn’t just pull it out in plain sight.

Just as she was considering making dried vegetables with noodles for lunch, a knock sounded at the yard gate. Tian Guihua had come with a basket.

“Are Mingyang and Mingliang home? It’s Auntie Guihua. May I come in?”

“Come on in, Sister! The door’s not locked. Mingyang and Mingliang aren’t here—they’ve gone out.” Shen Meng called back, leaning weakly against the doorframe to emphasize her frailty.

Hearing Shen Meng’s voice, Tian Guihua quickly entered, setting her basket down as she saw Shen Meng looking pale and exhausted.

“Oh my heavens, why are you up and about? Aren’t the kids here to help?”

“I’m alright, Sister. I can walk around a bit now. I’ve been taking the medicine Dr. Lu prescribed, though my head’s still giving me trouble. I didn’t expect you to visit—aren’t you working in the fields today?”

Taking Shen Meng’s arm, Tian Guihua led her inside. Once they were seated, she explained, “Your mother couldn’t stop worrying about you when she left and asked me to look in on you. She even gave me a yuan. Look at my aunt, she really cares about you a lot. I will leave this money here for you. I said yesterday that you are my sister, so how can I ask you for money? It’s just a coincidence. I didn’t go to work today. I was cleaning up the private plot. I thought that you had just moved back and there must be no vegetables at home, so I brought a basket of cucumbers, beans and so on. There are plenty in the vegetable garden. If you don’t have enough, ask Mingyang to pick more.”

Tian Guihua was a straightforward person. Her younger brother-in-law had suggested befriending Shen Meng, and she’d followed through. Though she initially came because of her son’s interests, she had since developed a genuine regard for Shen Meng.

“Thank you so much, Sister! I was just thinking we didn’t have a leaf of vegetable here, but you brought so much—this will last us days!”

“Oh, it’s no trouble. Everyone has vegetables in their garden—this is nothing special. And I see you’re looking much better today, quite different from yesterday!”

Shen Meng chuckled, “Isn’t that the truth? Dr. Lu really is the best in the commune. His treatments are spot on.”

They shared a few compliments about Dr. Lu, who, over at the commune office, sneezed repeatedly and wondered who was speaking about him.

Tian Guihua didn’t stay long. She had work waiting in the fields, but as she left, she added, “If there’s any work you can’t manage, just let me know, Sister. You still need to rest up. If the Lu family won’t let you eat with them, have Mingyang prepare something simple, or I’ll have my daughter Wenxiu come by to help.”

“Thank you, Sister, but I’ll manage. The Lu family shouldn’t go so far as to deny me a meal. And besides, we haven’t officially divided the household yet. If they do refuse us food, well, that would be a perfect reason to officially split the family. Then I could close the gate and live quietly with my children. It would be wonderful.”

Tian Guihua gave her a surprised look, but she had to agree—who didn’t want to live independently with just their spouse and children? When she was young, she used to dream of it, though now that her son was about to get married, she hoped they could all live together as a big family. She certainly wasn’t like Liu Sanjin, playing favorites with her daughters-in-law.

“Alright, then, Xiao Meng, you take care. I’ll be off.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

She stowed the vegetables away in the pantry. The tall cupboard was mostly empty, holding only a few bowls and chopsticks that Wang Guizhi had borrowed from the Lu family’s kitchen, which had earned some dirty looks from Liu Sanjin.

Shen Meng took out a clean pot and prepared a couple of handfuls of handmade noodles, along with some vegetables for the broth, and set them in a large bowl to cook for lunch.

She had no intention of expecting an invitation to eat from the Lu family.