Chapter 55: Uncle’s Family

Since school started, she had been alone at home. Although it was a bit lonely, it was fine. In the past, she had to hide things from the children, but now she could work without any disturbances.

These days, Wang Zhenhe had started to bring back construction materials, preparing to break ground in the next few days. Zhang Lan wanted to visit her mother’s family and ask her brother to bring some seafood.

Wang Qian felt that it was too tiring for Zhang Weiguo to make the trip back and forth. “Mom, this time, let’s bring back more seafood and store it in the space. I also want to gather some wild game from the mountains to provide some meat for the helpers.”

After some consideration, Zhang Lan said, “Qianqian, how about this? We’ll go to your grandmother’s house first. On our way back, we can stop by the mountains to see if we can catch some wild game.”

She had considered that if they couldn’t catch anything in the mountains, it would delay their visit to her mother’s family. It was better to take care of things first and then return for the wild game.

Early in the morning, the mother and daughter prepared lunch for the children and set off. Wang Zhenhe was responsible for informing the people in the brigade. The two of them walked faster and more lightly this time. Along the way, Zhang Lan pointed to a row of houses in the distance and said, “Qianqian, that’s where your brother and the others go to school. You’ll also go to school here in the future.”

Following her mother’s finger, she saw a group of children playing on the playground. The school was a moderate distance from their home, so she wouldn’t have to walk far to go to school.

As they passed through the mountains, the mother and daughter leisurely enjoyed the scenery along the road. It was spring, and the trees on the mountain were budding. Unnamed wildflowers were quietly blooming.

Suddenly, she saw a rabbit leisurely eating something under a tree. She quickly grabbed Zhang Lan’s hand and gestured for her to be quiet. With a thought, the rabbit instantly disappeared.

Zhang Lan was startled by the sudden turn of events. “Daughter, where’s the rabbit? You didn’t put it in the space, did you?”

Wang Qian held her mother’s hand and said with a smile, “Hehe, Mom, we can’t go to Grandma’s house empty-handed. Let’s bring back some rabbit meat as a side dish for Grandpa. It’ll also improve their situation.”

Zhang Lan pinched her daughter’s nose and said with a smile, “You little rascal. Now we have a gift to bring. I was just thinking it wouldn’t be good to go empty-handed.”

Zhang Lan hadn’t expected her daughter to catch the rabbit so easily. No wonder she had caught so many last time. This time, she finally felt relieved that they had something to offer to the helpers.

As the mother and daughter approached her grandmother’s house, Wang Qian took the rabbit out of the space. She had discovered that anything brought into the space could be controlled and taken out at will, whether it was alive or dead, without her needing to physically enter the space to retrieve it.

Geng Lianhua was feeding the chickens in the yard, chatting with a neighbor who was leaning against the wall. From a distance, the neighbor noticed her  eldest daughter, Zhang Lan returning home with a rabbit and her granddaughter. “Sister, didn’t you see a lucky spider this morning? Look who’s here!”

Geng Lianhua looked up and saw her daughter approaching with the rabbit and her granddaughter.

She turned to the neighbor and said, “Sister, you have sharp eyes. I won’t keep you any longer.”

She put down the ladle, which still had cornmeal in it, and went out to greet them with a smile.

“Look at this, whose little girl has grown up so beautifully,” the old lady said as she picked up her granddaughter and gave her a big kiss.

Wang Qian was always generous with sweet words when dealing with affectionate elders. “Grandma, I haven’t seen you in a few days, and you look even more spirited.”

The old lady was delighted by her words. “Of course, the more I live, the younger I get, especially when I see my little granddaughter. How could I not be in high spirits?”

Zhang Lan stood by, holding the rabbit, and listened with a smile as the grandmother and granddaughter chatted. Her little girl was really good at coaxing people. In no time, she had her mother smiling from ear to ear.

Once they entered the courtyard, the old lady asked, “Lan, where did you get this rabbit? It’s quite plump.”

Zhang Lan smiled and said, “Mom, would you believe me if I said I caught the rabbit?”

The old lady gave her daughter a skeptical look. “With your petite frame, you caught a wild rabbit? I don’t believe it. I know you, and I don’t believe that you could run a few steps, panting, and catch a rabbit. It must have been Zhenhe who caught it. He’s a good son-in-law.”

As she spoke, the old lady sighed. “Ah, I haven’t owed anyone in my life, but I feel sorry for you. How did you end up with such a frail body? Are you still out of breath?”

Geng Lianhua knew her child’s health condition well, so she asked with concern.

Zhang Lan walked over and hugged her mother’s shoulders. “Mom, I’m much better now. It doesn’t happen often. Besides, how can I blame you for my health? It’s all part of God’s plan. Look at our four children. I’m already very satisfied.”

The old lady agreed with her daughter’s words, especially when it came to her grandchildren. She thought that the four children in the Wang family were doing well, much better than the ones in her eldest son’s family.

“By the way, Mom, I have something to tell you this time,” Zhang Lan said.

She explained the plan to build a house and the purpose of her visit to her grandmother.

“No problem. The tide is at one o’clock today. Let’s have an early meal and then go gather seafood,” the old lady made a decision without hesitation. “Lan, I think it’s best to have your brother help with building the house. Although Weiguo is young, he can at least keep an eye on things. It’s not right for family members not to help. I’ll send him over the day after tomorrow, and I’ll gather some things for him to take with him in the next two days.”

With her mother’s support, Zhang Lan felt completely at ease. Wang Qian found it boring to stay inside, so she went to the yard to sit and enjoy the sun. The sunlight was abundant and warm that day, making her feel a bit drowsy.

In a daze, she was suddenly lifted up. “Little Qianqian, what are you doing here?”

Opening her slightly sleepy eyes, she saw a handsome face, the exclusive appearance of Zhang Weiguo. “Little uncle, I was waiting for you to come back. I was about to fall asleep,” she said.

Zhang Wanyou walked up from behind. “Weiguo, take Qianqian inside to rest. Don’t stay outside and catch a cold.”

“Grandpa, I’m not sleepy, but the sun makes me feel like sleeping. It’s good that you’re all back. It’s time for us to eat,” Qianqian said.

They entered the house together, and the old lady had already prepared the meal and was about to serve it.

On the other side, Zhang Lan’s sister-in-law was hurrying over with her family. She heard that her younger sister-in-law was visiting today and had brought back a large wild rabbit. They had to come over for a meal, as they hadn’t eaten meat for a long time.

As the family prepared to eat, Zhang Wei’s family of three arrived. “Mom, we heard that little sister is back. We came to see her and have a meal together,” Zhang Wei said.

Although the old lady had some reservations about her eldest son’s family, she didn’t want to embarrass them in front of so many people, especially since her eldest grandson had also come with his mother.

“Baozhu, come and sit down for the meal,” the old lady called out to her son.

Baozhu had come with his mother today, hoping to have some meat at his maternal grandmother’s house. However, to his surprise, there was no meat on the table.

Pouting, he said, “Mom, you said there would be meat at Grandma’s house. Where is it? I don’t see any. You lied to me about coming here to eat meat.”

Although embarrassed by her son’s words, Zhou Ping wasn’t one to be easily embarrassed. She glared at her son and said, “You naughty child. If I didn’t say that, would you have come?”

Baozhu continued to insist, “No, I want to eat meat. You promised. You said Aunt brought a rabbit. Where’s the rabbit meat?”

Seeing her son’s behavior, even Wang Qian felt that the child lacked manners. He didn’t even greet anyone upon entering the house and immediately demanded meat at the table. She wondered what kind of parents could raise such a child.

After carefully observing her uncle and aunt, whom she had never met before, Wang Qian noticed that her uncle resembled her grandfather. However, her grandfather was a very kind person. Her uncle, on the other hand, might have been influenced by his wife after marriage. Her aunt’s appearance was average, neither ugly nor beautiful, with fair skin and a slender figure. However, her facial expression gave off a rather unkind impression.

“Aunt, uncle, please come and have a meal. We’ll be going to gather seafood later,” Wang Qian quickly invited the two to join the meal. Regardless of their character, they were still her grandmother’s son and daughter-in-law.

The old lady pulled her eldest grandson aside. “Baozhu, we’ll have the rabbit meat tonight. Come over in the evening, and I’ll stew it for you. You and your wife can come over as well.”

The old lady warmly extended the invitation. Even if she hadn’t said it, her daughter-in-law would have been thinking about the rabbit meat all day. It was better to finish it off and not let it go to waste. After all, it was better for it to be eaten by family members than by others.

After lunch, Zhang Wei’s family learned about the plan to build a house at the Wangs’ and had come to gather some seafood to take home. Zhou Ping pursed her lips and didn’t say a word, showing no intention of offering help.

“Mom, we need to help Grandpa with the vegetable garden. Let’s not stay too long. Little sister, come over often,” the family said as they left without even helping to clear the table.

Zhang Weiguo was a bit indignant. “What kind of people are they? They’ve raised a good child to become like this. If I have children in the future, I’ll definitely discipline them strictly. They don’t even know how to be polite.”

The old lady sighed. “Let’s not worry about them. We’ll go gather seafood later. First, let’s take care of your sister’s matters.”

“Farm Woman’s Spiritual Spring” by Eguang – A modern woman’s story of using a space to become wealthy in a rural setting.

“Noblewoman’s Farming Chronicles” by Zhifupian – A story of a modern woman who travels back in time to a rural family, a different kind of farming story, a different kind of transformation from sparrow to phoenix.

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