The next morning, Shen Meng packed up two baskets of goods. She planned to take the kids back to her parents’ house. It had been half a month since Wang Guizhi and Shen Fugui had visited, which was unusual. Normally, they would have stopped by once or twice by now.

With the kids starting school in a day, this was the last chance to visit before the next holiday.

“Mom, is Third Aunt coming over to sew today?” Lu Mingyang fidgeted, holding a patched shirt, unsure of what to do with it.

“Your Third Aunt’s health still hasn’t recovered. She won’t be coming today. The fall clothes are almost done. Once I finish Xiao Kai’s shoes, there’s not much left to do. You all have enough new clothes, and I can knit sweaters if needed,” Shen Meng said, tying the two baskets with fabric and string. Then she turned to him.

“Mingyang, what are you doing with that old shirt?”

“Mom, since my brothers and I now have new clothes, can I give this old one to my cousin? I can’t wear it anymore, and Mingliang doesn’t want it either.”

Mingliang, the show-off, wore his new clothes every day and wouldn’t even look at the old ones. Mingfang and Mingkai also refused to wear anything old. Although Mingyang didn’t agree with the wastefulness, he had to admit that he preferred new clothes too.

“Sure, pick out two decent ones and leave the rest. We’ll still need old clothes for work; they’re more practical.”

Mingyang’s eyes lit up. He nodded and hurried to the house to pick out some clothes. Thinking of his cousin, who had no new shoes or clothes and lived a hard life, he also found three fruit candies to give him later.

“Mingyang, Mingliang, go to the brigade office and borrow a bicycle from Secretary Zhang. I’ll give you the money.”

The production team had two bicycles that could be borrowed for emergencies. It cost 20 cents, but any damages had to be paid for, so most people preferred to walk rather than risk it.

The two boys grabbed the money and ran off quickly.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingkai sat on a small stool at the door, slowly munching on a peach biscuit. Shen Meng glanced into the house and saw Lu Mingfang tying her hair.

“Mingfang, hurry up. Once Mingyang and Mingliang return, we’ll leave early. I still have to go out again at noon. You all will stay at Grandma’s until I come back to pick you up.”

Mingfang quickly tied a crooked ponytail and threw on a plaid coat.

“Mom, where are you going?”

Shen Meng blinked and said with a serious expression, “I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t tell anyone. Yesterday, the doctor said she has some work for me to do. If I help, she’ll pay me. Your father is in the army, and his allowance sometimes has to support his comrades’ families. We can’t rely on him for everything. Besides, the doctor knows a lot of people. If I do well, she might recommend more work for me.”

Mingfang hadn’t expected her mother to be working to earn money. Thinking about how her brothers and she going to school was adding pressure to the family, she felt a pang of guilt.

“Mom, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Mom! Sis! Xiao Kai heard everything!”

Shen Meng: “…”
Mingfang: “…”
Oh no, we forgot about him! The little guy was so small, sitting quietly that they hadn’t noticed him at all.

“Kai-kai, be good. You didn’t hear anything, okay? Don’t make it hard for Mom.”

Lu Mingkai shoved the last bit of peach biscuit into his mouth, nodded solemnly, and ended up with crumbs all over his shirt.

The bicycle, borrowed from the production team, was sturdy and could carry a lot. Shen Meng secured the two baskets on either side, placed Mingliang on the back seat with Mingyang holding him, and tied a small bench to the front for Mingfang, who held Lu Mingkai.

After locking the house, Shen Meng leaned the bike against the wall, climbed onto the seat, took a deep breath, and wobbled off.

At first, the bike swayed precariously, and the kids anxiously eyed the roadside for haystacks or sand pits to cushion a potential fall.

Word spread quickly that Shen Meng had borrowed the team’s bike and left with two baskets of goods. When Liu Sanjin heard, she pounded her kang bed in fury.

“That wretch! She just split off from the family and is already using Lu family grain to support her parents. Such a black-hearted woman! I hope when the eldest gets back, he divorces her!”

Xie Jinghao, passing by, sped up her pace toward the latrine, afraid to hear more unpleasant words.

Shenjiaji, her parents’ village, wasn’t far from Lujia Village. Located at the east end of the village, her family’s home was a dilapidated mud-brick house with a thatched roof. As she approached, the contrast between their home and the renovated houses nearby was stark.

Finally, after a bumpy ride, they arrived at the gate. Shen Meng scanned the area and found a large stone near the entrance.

“Mingyang, climb down first. Can you manage? Don’t fall!”

“I got this, Mom.”

Mingyang jumped down, and quickly helped Mingliang down. The two boys, their legs still tingling, were relieved to have safely arrived at Grandma’s house.

Shen Meng also exhaled in relief. She had nearly fallen into ditches several times on the way.

“I need to see if we have enough industrial tickets to buy a smaller bike. Once we have one, you can all learn to ride. It’ll make trips easier.”

“Okay,” Mingyang agreed readily, though he remembered that their industrial tickets had been cheated by their aunt in town. Not wanting to ruin his mother’s good mood, he kept quiet.

It was work hour when they arrived, so the village was quiet. As Shen Meng approached the decayed wooden door, she sighed and raised her hand to knock, but the faint sound of coughing stopped her.