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It turns out that the elderly lady is quite skilled at catching crabs, handling them with ease and precision. Despite her age, her hands are still nimble, and she’s managed to fill a basket with crabs. Seeing a few still hiding in their burrows, she chuckled and said, “Let’s spare them for today. We have enough to eat. Don’t catch them all at once. We need to pace ourselves.”
Wang Qian shared the same sentiment. “Alright, Grandma Zuo, let’s head back home. I’ll go fishing for Grandpa later. You can clean the crabs at home, and we’ll have a great meal tonight.”
Wang Qian’s optimistic mood also rubbed off on the elderly lady, and the two of them walked home with their baskets.
By the time Zhang Lan returned from work, the elderly lady and Wang Qian had already prepared the meal, waiting for them to eat. As soon as Mingyuan and Zuo He entered the yard, they caught a whiff of the delicious aroma. “Mom, what’s cooking today? It smells so good. Let’s go and see, Zuo He,” Mingyuan said, pulling Zuo He into the house.
Seeing her grandson’s flushed face, the elderly lady couldn’t help but lovingly wipe his sweat. “Zuo He, how was your day? Did you have fun?”
“Grandma, it’s really nice here. The other kids are great, and there are so many fun things to do. After school, I even helped them catch fish. The river is so big, and there are lots of fish, but they’re hard to catch,” Zuo He chattered on, sharing his afternoon experiences with his grandmother, who patiently listened.
After hearing from his wife about the relationship between the elderly lady and Mr. Zuo, Wang Zhenhe finally understood where their guest came from. He agreed with his wife’s thoughts. The elderly lady didn’t seem like a bad person; she was probably wronged. However, Zhang Lan didn’t say much more. Some things weren’t ready to be discussed yet.
After work, Wang Zhenhe brought back some fresh radishes from the vegetable garden. It was the season for eating radishes.
“Auntie, come and taste these. They’re freshly picked from the ground, juicy and sweet. Come and have a bite,” Wang Zhenhe invited everyone to try the radishes. Zhang Lan quickly washed them and handed one to each of the children. At a time when there were no fruits available, the siblings treated the radishes as if they were fruits, enjoying their crispness and sweetness. “Mmm, it’s really delicious,” the elderly lady nodded in agreement after taking a bite.
After finishing the fruit before dinner, everyone began to eat. Seeing a large bowl of crabs, even Mingyuan was surprised. “Sis, where did you get these? They smell amazing.”
Wang Qian recounted how they discovered the crabs in the afternoon. Mingyuan made a mental note of it. “I’ll go catch some next time.”
After a sumptuous dinner, both adults and children were satisfied. Zhang Lan prepared something separately for Mr. Zuo and placed it in two bowls, which she then put in a basket and took the Grandma Zuo and grandchildren to see.
This time, Wang Zhenhe volunteered to stand guard, and Zhang Lan didn’t stop him. They took the grandma and the kids to the agreed location. Wang Qian handed the basket to the elderly lady, and she and Wang Zhenhe watched from a distance.
Seeing his old partner again, Mr. Zuo was finally able to have a proper conversation. Upon learning about the help from the Wang family, even Mr. Zuo couldn’t help but express his admiration. They had encountered good people.
Seeing the food they brought, Mr. Zuo’s mouth watered. It was so abundant, even including crabs. “Zuo He, have you eaten? Have some with me,” he said, concerned that the child might not have eaten enough.
“Grandpa, we ate our fill earlier. We even had a lot of the big crabs. Uncle caught a rabbit and we already ate rabbit meat. Please eat quickly,” Zuo He reassured him.
Children usually don’t lie, so Mr. Zuo felt reassured and ate heartily. After finishing, he even let out a satisfied burp.
“Old lady, if you’re too busy to come, let Zuo He come over more often. The boy needs to exercise. Don’t let him be spoiled in our hands. This place is good. Let him broaden his horizons. It’ll be good for him in the future. This is a letter I wrote to my son. Take it back and mail it. I don’t know how those boys are doing,” Mr. Zuo said.
Speaking of his son, both elderly people felt a wave of sadness. “Grandpa, don’t worry. My dad and uncles must be doing well because they are your sons,” Zuo He comforted them.
The old man patted his grandson’s head. “Zuo He, you’re the man of the house now. Take care of Grandma.”
Zuo He nodded solemnly. After their conversation, Mr. Zuo climbed over the wall and re-entered the yard. From a distance, Wang Zhenhe couldn’t help but admire the old man’s agility.
The next morning, Wang Qian took the elderly lady and Zuo He to the station and arranged for Zuo He to come over to play on Sunday.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather quickly warmed up. Zhang Lan made short-sleeved shirts for the children, and Wang Xuan’s little cotton dress was also ready. It was her first dress, so she cherished it. Wang Qian was still wearing her sister’s patched clothes.
Zhang Lan felt reluctant to use her own piece of fabric and wanted to make a dress for her daughter, but Wang Qian stopped her. “Mom, why should I, a child, wear something so nice? In our village, we pass clothes down from the older ones to the younger ones. I don’t mind. Why care about how others see us? As long as we know the truth, that’s all that matters.”
Zhang Lan had no choice but to let her strong-willed daughter have her way. It was Sunday, and after a heavy rain the previous night, Wang Qian wasn’t sure if Zuo He would be able to make it. Nevertheless, she and Mingcheng went to the station to wait. From a distance, they saw a red bus approaching. Zuo He was brought down by someone who got off the bus with him. Seeing the four siblings waiting for him, the little boy rushed over excitedly. His face lit up with a bright smile. “Mingcheng, sorry for making you wait. Let’s go home.”
Mingyuan held Zuo He’s hand, while Mingcheng carried his heavy school bag. “Zuo He, we’ll take you to see Grandpa later, and then we’ll take you to catch water buffaloes to eat,” Mingyuan explained their plans as they walked.
Zuo He nodded continuously. “What are water buffaloes? Can we eat them?” Zuo He had never seen such a thing before, so he was curious about the water buffaloes Mingyuan mentioned.
“You’ll find out later. They’re delicious,” Mingyuan struggled to find the right words to describe what he was talking about and settled for “delicious.”
After returning home, Zuo He took out two bags from Mingcheng’s backpack. “Mingcheng, these are pine nuts and hazelnuts that my mom sent from the northeast. These are for you. The bag is for Grandpa.” The little boy explained to the others.
Mingyuan didn’t recognize the hazelnuts and pine nuts and decided to taste one. “They’re delicious. Try one, guys.” Everyone took one and agreed that they were delicious. “Thank you, Zuo He. You didn’t bring all the food your parents gave you, did you?” Mingcheng was worried that Zuo He had given them everything, leaving nothing for himself.
Zuo He smiled and said, “Mingcheng, we still have enough at home. Shall we go see Grandpa now?”
“Okay, let’s go now. I’ll put the cucumbers in your bag. These are from my mom for Grandpa,” Mingcheng said, putting the cucumbers in Zuo He’s bag and carrying it himself. The five of them then headed to the production team.
Mr. Zuo and the others spent most of their days cleaning pig and cow manure and maintaining the cleanliness of the yard in the production team. So, it was easy for the children to find him. The supervisors didn’t pay much attention to the children, assuming they were just local kids playing around. Therefore, Zuo He and the others easily struck up a conversation with Mr. Zuo.
“Grandpa, I brought something for you. Where should I put it?” Zuo He asked.
Mr. Zuo replied while sweeping the cow dung, “Go to the house with the open door. The third bedding inside the door is mine. Put the bag in there, and make sure no one sees you. I’ll be waiting for you at the usual spot at noon.”
The children understood and nodded before leaving. Mingcheng and the others stood guard outside, while Wang Qian and Zuo He entered the house with the bag. They found the third bedding, which Zuo He recognized as his grandfather’s. They carefully placed the items inside the bedding, rearranged it, and then quietly left the room. Their actions didn’t attract any attention, and the alarm was lifted.
After ensuring that their actions hadn’t been noticed, the children led Zuo He to see what the production team was like. Then, the siblings headed straight to the riverside, with Mingyuan carrying a small cloth bag to hold the water buffaloes.
After the rain, there were many water buffaloes by the riverside. After Mingyuan taught Zuo He what water buffaloes looked like, they all began to catch them. In Wang Qian’s view, water buffaloes resembled beetles, but they were brown in color and had two long whiskers. However, in modern times, it was rare to see such creatures by the river.
The group quickly found dozens of water buffaloes. As they worked, more and more children gathered by the river, all eager to catch water buffaloes. Xiao Xiang also arrived with several others. Wang Qian recognized them as children from the village. Xiao Hu and Xiao Qiang lived in the row of houses in front of theirs.
“Zuo He, you’re here. How many have you caught today?” Xiao Xiang asked.
As they were all familiar with each other, the conversation flowed easily. “I don’t know how many we’ve caught. They’re all with Mingyuan,” Zuo He replied.
Curious, Xiao Xiangzi (Xiao Xiangs’ whole name) ran over to take a look. “Mingcheng, you’ll have a good meal today. There are so many. We’ll go and catch some too.”