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The place Xue Nan had chosen was quite remote, a considerable distance from the city. It took the group a long time to arrive.
Xue Nan excitedly pointed to a dilapidated house and said to Qingli, “Sister, this is it! Look, this house is big. Although it’s a bit old, with some cleaning and repairs, it could be quite nice. The land in the back can be used for growing vegetables. Little Hua loves to plant vegetables! The front yard is spacious, perfect for drying clothes, and there’s enough space for all of us. What do you think, sister?”
After his enthusiastic introduction, Xue Nan looked at Qingli, eager to see her reaction.
Qingli frowned. If she hadn’t seen the house with her own eyes, she might have believed that it was a nice place just from his description!
Within a ten-mile radius, this was the only house, situated at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by emptiness. The house was large but completely falling apart; the roof tiles were broken, cobwebs covered the walls, and the yard was overgrown with weeds and debris. The only intact feature was perhaps the wall itself, which hardly counted as good; it was not livable at all.
“Xue Nan, how can you call this good? This place is completely uninhabitable. Let’s look for another place!”
As she spoke, Qingli turned to leave, but Xue Nan hurriedly said, “Sister, this really is perfect! Please listen to me.”
Qingli, feeling helpless, paused and said, “Since I said I would support you, I wouldn’t skimp on money. You don’t have to choose such a rundown place just to save money. Come on, let’s find another.”
Xue Nan quickly replied, “It’s not about saving money; it’s just really suitable here. Sister, we don’t fit in well in crowded places. The environment here is perfect for us. I can fix the house; as long as it doesn’t leak, it’s fine. We can plant vegetables in the backyard, and the front yard is spacious. If we take care of it, it will be clean and comfortable.”
“This is truly the best place I could find. The owner of this house has moved to the village. Sister, let’s go find him and buy it! We won’t look at any other places.”
Qingli took another careful look around. The environment was indeed quite nice, but the house was too dilapidated. She didn’t want the children to suffer, but on second thought, having a place that could shield them from the wind and rain was already a significant improvement.
Seeing the hopeful look in Xue Nan’s eyes, Qingli thought for a moment and nodded, “Alright! I’ll trust your judgment. Let’s go buy it, but after that, you’ll handle the rest on your own; I won’t help you anymore.”
Qingli realized she couldn’t always assist him; many things needed to be handled by them.
Xue Nan nodded vigorously, “Yes, sister, you’ve already helped me so much. I will never forget your kindness, Xue Nan will remember it for life.”
Qingli smiled and patted his head, then the group headed towards the nearby village.
The house cost ten taels of silver, and Qingli also negotiated for two plots of land surrounding the house so they could grow some food.
After finalizing the house deal, Qingli bid farewell to Xue Nan and the others and left alone.
After Qingli left, Xue Nan and a few of the older boys began repairing the house while the younger ones cleaned the yard, sweeping and weeding. Every child wore a smile on their face.
“We finally have a home! This is amazing; we won’t have to wander anymore!”
“Yes, yes! We have a home; it’s so nice!”
“Sister Qingli is a good person. When we grow up, we must repay her properly.”
“Nan Ge, do we still have to beg in the future?”
The children chatted excitedly, and some curiously asked questions.
Xue Nan climbed onto the roof and, upon hearing the question, replied firmly, “Of course we’ll continue to beg. But listen, I’ll explain my plan to you later. We will keep begging, but our real goal will no longer just be begging.”
The other children looked on in confusion, unable to understand his words.
Xue Nan didn’t explain further, leading everyone to focus on getting their new home ready, taking it one step at a time.
…
After Qingli left, she returned to the city, and by now, it was dark.
In a small village on the outskirts of the city, in the humble thatched hut of the Lin family, the family was enjoying dinner by the light of an oil lamp.
For this poor family, dinner consisted of a small pot of rice, a few dark steamed buns, some stir-fried greens, and a few pieces of fatty pork.
This, however, was already considered a decent meal.
At the table, the four family members were eating joyfully, completely ignoring the boy sitting on the doorstep, watching them with longing eyes.
After the ghost couple returned from the Wang family, they had been watching their son, Lin Jiabao, toil away.
He washed clothes by the river, hung them up to dry, cleaned the yard, cooked food for the pigs, struggled to carry the bucket to feed them, cut grass for the cow, and fed the chickens. He didn’t pause for a moment.
Meanwhile, the Lin family’s two other children were playing in the yard, having nothing to do, and often bossing Lin Jiabao around as if he were their servant.
The ghost couple watched with tears in their eyes, filled with heartache.
The most infuriating part was that after Lin Jiabao finished all his work, instead of receiving praise, he was met with scolding and disdain. When Lin Dafu and his wife returned home, they immediately called their own children to eat, while the hard-working Lin Jiabao was shouted out of the house, forbidden from joining them at the table.
His small figure sat all alone on the doorstep, enviously watching the happy family at the dining table.
As ghosts, Lin Dayong and his wife felt heartbroken as they crouched beside their son, witnessing the longing in his eyes. They were pained to the core.
If they were still alive, their son wouldn’t have to suffer like this. At this moment, they felt anger toward Wang Can, who had destroyed their family.
Lin Jiabao seemed to sense a gentle breeze brushing against his face, light and warm, as if his mother were caressing his cheek.
He closed his eyes, reminiscing; if only his parents were still here.
Lin Dayong’s ghost was furious, cursing and clawing behind his brother’s family, but Lin Dafu’s family couldn’t hear him and continued to enjoy their meal.
Finally, after finishing their dinner, only a black steamed bun remained on the table. Lin Dafu’s wife called out to Lin Jiabao, “Jiabao, come eat! There’s a bun left for you. After eating, wash the bowl and clean the house.”
After finishing her words, Lin Dafu’s wife laughed and left the house with her children, chatting and laughing together, creating a warm atmosphere.
Only then did Lin Jiabao stand up and walk toward the table. His stomach had been growling with hunger for a long time. He eagerly grabbed the black steamed bun and took a big bite.
As spirits, Lin Dayong and his wife cried. Since their return, their tears had never stopped.
The night was completely dark, and the couple hoped their son would soon go to sleep so they could enter his dreams and talk to him.
Unfortunately, after Lin Jiabao finished the bun, he had to wash the dishes. Once he was done, Lin Dafu’s wife even called him to chop firewood, making him do it before he could sleep.
Lin Dayong was so furious that he almost wanted to bite his own brother and sister-in-law. How could they be so cruel?
Lin Jiabao had no choice but to comply, knowing that if he didn’t obey, he might not even get a bun to eat the next day. He didn’t want to feel that awful hunger again.
The dark night stretched on, and a dim oil lamp lit up the yard. Lin Jiabao’s small figure cast a shadow on the ground as he raised the axe, struggling to chop wood. Each stick required several swings to split.
His hands had already been worn raw but had healed again. After repeating this process, calluses formed, making it less likely for his skin to break while working now.
After an unknown amount of time chopping wood, Lin Jiabao felt increasingly weak and heavy-eyed. Having eaten so little, his body couldn’t withstand the labor without food. Finally, he could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Dayong and his wife cried as they immediately entered their son’s dreams.