Chapter 119 : Jiang Family

Jiang Shaoting returned to the adobe house where they lived and immediately changed out of his wet clothes.

He quickly boiled two large bowls of water, drank them while still hot, and then wrapped himself in a torn quilt. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he began to sweat.

He couldn’t afford to catch a cold here, nor could he let anything go wrong with his health. If that happened, how could he take care of his parents and wife?

And there were also Chenchen and An an. He wanted to see his two babies grow up in the future.

In the evening, Gu Fanghua, dragging her tired body back, saw that Jiang Shaoting had already prepared dinner.

She immediately asked, “Why did you come back so early? Did something happen?”

Jiang Shaoting looked at the people getting off work outside the door, did not answer, and simply smiled and winked at her.

Seeing him so happy, Gu Fanghua also felt relieved. As long as it wasn’t something bad, it would be fine.

She then smiled bitterly in her heart. Could anything be worse than their current situation?

“Are your parents still working?” Jiang Shaoting asked when he saw that she had come back alone.

Gu Fanghua shook her head. “I wasn’t with my parents today. I went to cut beans with them. My parents seemed to be working in the cornfield.”

“Then I’ll go over and take a look.” Jiang Shaoting was about to go out when Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang walked in.

The two lived in an adobe house next door but usually ate together with their son and daughter-in-law.

“Dad, Mom, you’re back. Go sit down and rest. I’ll serve you some food,” Jiang Shaoting said.

After they sat down, Mrs. Jiang asked, “Why did you prepare the meal so early? Where did you work today? Why did you get off work so early?”

Gu Fanghua said weakly, “Mom, I just came back too. Shaoting made the meal.”

She had been cutting beans all day, and her waist was so sore it almost felt like someone else’s.

Mrs. Jiang patted her hands sympathetically, “Fanghua, just bear with it a little longer, you’ll get used to it.”

They had been there for almost a month, and it was the autumn harvest time. The high-intensity labor every day and the lack of food had pushed their bodies to the limit.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang had joined the revolution when they were young and often helped their fellow villagers with farm work. They adapted to life there after a while.

But their son and daughter-in-law had never endured hardship since childhood, so it might take them a long time to adjust.

Gu Fanghua forced a smile and said, “Mom, I’m fine. Let’s eat. You and Dad are tired after a day of work. You should rest early after dinner.”

Jiang Shaoting had already served the meal: a bowl of sorghum porridge with some wild vegetables for each person. This was their dinner.

Gu Fanghua saw that there were only three bowls and frowned, asking, “What about yours?”

Jiang Shaoting had been doing this since they first arrived. He said he wasn’t hungry and saved his portion so they could eat more.

Seeing that there was no one outside, Jiang Shaoting closed the door and whispered to the three people, “I met an acquaintance here today. He bought me four meat buns. I wanted to bring them back, but I was afraid that others would find out, so I had to eat them myself. Now my stomach is still full.”

“Who are you trying to fool? Who do you know here? I even bought you four meat buns. You can’t even lie properly,” Gu Fanghua scolded, then went to get a bowl to pour some of his porridge into.

Jiang Shaoting quickly stopped her, saying, “I didn’t lie to you. I really met an acquaintance. Do you still remember Han Zhenyu? He’s the young man who saved us in Nanping County two years ago.”

“Of course I remember, he’s our lifesaver,” Gu Fanghua said in surprise. “Is he the acquaintance you’re talking about? But why is he here?”

Jiang Shaoting lowered his voice and said, “He’s more than our savior. Now he’s helping to raise our Chenchen and An an.”

Gu Fanghua stared in shock, “What did you say? The children…”

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang also looked at him in surprise.

“Shh…” Jiang Shaoting put his finger to his lips and shared everything Han Zhenyu had told him with his parents and wife.

“My father-in-law and mother-in-law are just being held in custody. There shouldn’t be any major issues for now. Before my father-in-law got into trouble, Fang Xun was transferred to the Northwest Military Region. He sent the two children to Han Zhenyu’s home for foster care. Han Zhenyu also said that Fang Xun stayed at his home for a few days. He must have decided to entrust the children to him after getting to know the situation better.”

After hearing this, Gu Fanghua covered her mouth and started crying.

Since coming here, her greatest concern had been her two children, as well as her parents and brothers. Now that she had news about them, she could finally rest easier.

Mr. Jiang said, “Fanghua, your parents are just being held in custody. There shouldn’t be a big issue for now, so don’t worry too much.”

He then looked at his son. “Shaoting, the young man named Han Zhenyu you mentioned, is he the one who saved you from the water two years ago?”

“Dad, it’s him. Last year, Fang Xun and I went to Nanping County to do some work, and someone arranged a job for him as a driver at the machinery factory. This time, he was seconded here to transport grain to the farm, and he happened to see me.”

Jiang Shaoting then told his father what Han Zhenyu had done that day. “He told Director Chen that I saved him. He must have wanted to help me, but I refused. With our current status, we can’t let him get involved.”

“From what you said, this young man is really good,” Old Master Jiang added. “Not only is he helping us raise the children now, but even if that wasn’t the case, we couldn’t let him get involved.”

Gu Fanghua quickly warned her husband, “Shaoting, Dad is right. Don’t talk to Han Zhenyu when you see him in the future, to avoid arousing suspicion.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Jiang Shaoting smiled and nodded, pushed the bowl of porridge in front of her, and said to the three of them, “Dad, Mom, Fanghua, eat quickly and go to bed early. You still have to work early tomorrow morning.”

After hearing the news about their loved ones, the whole family felt much better, and even the bowl of sorghum porridge tasted especially delicious.

—

Su Xieqiu had to start work today, so she got up before dawn to cook.

After breakfast, she took a kettle and some snacks and went to the warehouse with her two children to shell corn.

When the three of them arrived, there were already five or six older men and women there, as well as a few teenage girls.

These little girls’ families were reluctant to let them do heavy work, so they came here to peel corn husks and earn a few work points.

Han Meili and Zhang Qianyun were also among them. When they saw Su Xieqiu, they rolled their eyes at the same time.

Su Xieqiu simply indulged them, snorted heavily, and rolled her eyes back at them.

The silent eye-to-eye quarrel between the three of them amused the old women and girls who were peeling corn.

But they didn’t laugh openly, they just quietly watched the fun from the side.

Han Meili’s mother was well-known in the village for being a fierce woman.

Han Zhenyu’s wife was even more difficult to deal with. She had heard that she was mentally ill.

They dared not mess with such a madwoman who could smash other people’s pots and burn their houses at any time.