Chapter 9

After arriving at Dongfeng Brigade, Captain Luo Yisen led the Wei family to the village housing.

As they walked, he said, “The educated youth housing is already full. Our Luo family can take in one more person—Comrade Song is alone, so she can stay with us!”

“As for Comrade Wei, your family is large. My eldest uncle lived alone for years and passed away some time ago.”

“His house is right next to mine. Though it’s been abandoned and is a bit run-down, with some repairs, it’ll still be livable. You can stay at my uncle’s place.”

Now that they had been officially relocated to the countryside, the Wei family didn’t expect much in terms of living conditions.

As the head of the household, Wei Xiaotian nodded in agreement.

“Captain Luo, we’ll stay at your uncle’s place. Since we’ll be neighbors, we can look out for each other. If anything comes up, we’ll trouble you.”

Luo Yisen smiled and replied, “No trouble at all.”

The Wei family had assumed Luo Yisen was just being modest, but when they actually saw the condition of the uncle’s house, everyone inwardly broke out in a cold sweat.

“Uncle Wei, this house hasn’t been lived in for a long time. You’ll need to clean it up yourselves. I’ll take Comrade Song to see her place now.”

With that, Luo Yisen quickly led Song Yitao away, afraid that if he stayed any longer, the Wei family might start cursing him out.

Upon seeing the house, Wei Jinyue couldn’t hold back her words. Her delicate brows furrowed as she exclaimed:

“Mom, Dad, how can anyone live in this place? It’s too run-down—I don’t want to live here!”

The area around the house was overgrown with weeds. Amid the untamed growth, a few nameless wildflowers shivered in the wind, struggling to bloom.

The ground was uneven and muddy—on rainy days, it would surely become a pool of slush.

Wei Xiaotian and Qin Ping both frowned deeply. Luo Yisen’s own house next door was neat and well-maintained, its tiled roof perfectly intact, and the entrance clean and tidy.

But Luo’s uncle’s house had long been abandoned and was now desolate.

“We’ll stay here. There’s nowhere else to go anyway,” Wei Xiaotian said.

Deng Zhilian was the first to speak. She knew the storyline from the original book. The Wei family had spent their entire time during the relocation living in this very house.

If they had another option, they wouldn’t have stayed here.

Instead of complaining, it was better to act.

“Yeah, let’s listen to Zhilian. We’ll stay here,” Wei Xiaotian agreed without hesitation.

Wei Jinyue didn’t dare complain further. Though her face still showed strong dislike, the dramatic change from a pampered city girl to living in a broken-down countryside house was too much for her to accept right away.

Wei Yanzhen walked forward and forcefully pulled open the creaky, unstable wooden door. The “screech” was particularly jarring in the quiet.

In the courtyard, an old stone mill stood alone in a corner, covered in moss.

Inside the house, the air was thick with a musty, decayed smell. A few broken, mismatched pieces of furniture were scattered askew.

On a peeling wooden table sat several chipped porcelain bowls, with a thin layer of dust settled inside…

“Yanzhen, you and your father fix the roof. Jinyue and I will clean the house.”

“As for Zhilian, bring a stool and sit outside in the sun. There’s too much dust in here.”

Qin Ping quickly gave out tasks, assigning everyone their roles. Deng Zhilian was surprised to be told just to sit—was it really okay to slack off so openly?

“Mom, I’m not tired. Why don’t I help clean the windows?” she suggested.

But Qin Ping gently helped her to a stool and sat her down near the gate.

“Zhilian, you’re pregnant. I’ve seen many women in the hospital with poor nutrition and rough living conditions. Their babies end up frail or underweight, and sometimes the births are very difficult.”

“You’ve already had to suffer through this countryside relocation. I feel so guilty—I can’t let you suffer more.”

Zhilian looked at the new wrinkles that had formed on Qin Ping’s face just in the past few days, and the fresh silver strands in her hair. Despite everything, the older woman was still thinking only of her.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Mom.”

Qin Ping’s kindly eyes sparkled instantly.

So Zhilian obediently sat and did nothing, watching the rest of the Wei family bustle about.

From time to time, Qin Ping would even come out to fan her, worried she might feel uncomfortable.

After a while, Luo Yisen came back, bringing a large load of roof tiles.

This time, he didn’t look guilty or uneasy like before.

“Uncle Wei, Big Brother Wei, the roof needs fixing, so I asked some guys from the brigade to help bring you these tiles.”

Wei Yanzhen and Wei Xiaotian were already on the roof, laying straw.

Seeing the pile of tiles in the courtyard made them breathe a sigh of relief. So the captain did have a bit of a conscience.

“Thanks, we appreciate the help,” Wei Yanzhen said.

Luo Yisen smiled again. “No trouble at all.”
Then he finally left for good.

Under the blazing sun, the father and son duo finished laying down the straw.

“Dad, go rest. I’ll handle the rest.”

Wei Xiaotian, getting on in years, was feeling the ache after all that work. He climbed down from the roof, leaving the rest to his son.

Wei Yanzhen kept working, muscles taut, sweat pouring from his forehead and soaking through his clothes.

He picked up each tile carefully, aligning it precisely on the beams and tapping it gently into place with his tool—steady and skilled.

Zhilian, bored from sitting in the courtyard, noticed Wei Xiaotian had gone inside. An idea popped into her head.

She climbed the ladder and handed tiles to Wei Yanzhen as he reached out.

The two worked seamlessly together—one handing, one laying.

It wasn’t until quite some time later that Yanzhen realized the one helping him was Zhilian.

“Wife, you…”

Zhilian quickly made a hush gesture.

“Shh—don’t let Mom know I’m working.”

Wei Yanzhen was a little stunned and touched. Her change genuinely pleased him.

“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up with the tiles—the sooner we finish, the sooner I can get off this ladder.”

Her voice floated up.

Wei Yanzhen worked even harder.

Just then, Song Yitao walked out of the Luo house next door and saw this very scene.

A man and a woman, working side by side. He laid the tiles; she handed them over. It was perfectly harmonious.

A while later, perhaps worried she might get tired, Wei Yanzhen helped Zhilian down carefully.

He held her with such care, like she was his treasure.

Song Yitao felt an indescribable pang of jealousy.

Then she looked at her own situation—living in the Luo family’s firewood shed!

When Luo Yisen brought her there, he didn’t help with anything. He even told her to clean it up herself.

“Captain Luo, is there even a broom?”

“This shabby place is completely empty! Where am I supposed to eat or sleep?”