Chapter 82 : Neighbors

The thorn hedge is covered with thorns, so it’s not easy to dig.

It took the three of them more than an hour to collect five bundles.

To fence off the entire yard, at least eight or nine bundles would be needed.

Han Zhenyu said, “Brother Sun, Tiezhu, you still have to work in the afternoon. Let’s go back and eat first.”

Sun Dahan nodded. “Okay, then Tiezhu and I will come to help you dig tomorrow at noon.”

Earning work points is very important for rural people. Unless it’s something urgent, they won’t easily take time off.

Su Xieqiu had already prepared lunch, and seeing that Han Zhenyu hadn’t returned for a long time, she felt a little worried.

Just as she was about to go to the main road to check, she heard Han Zhenyu’s voice.

“Brother Sun, you and Tiezhu shouldn’t go back. Have lunch at my house.”

“No, your sister-in-law has already prepared it.” Sun Dahan put down the two large pickaxes and took his son home.

Perhaps afraid that Han Zhenyu would insist, the father and son quickly left.

Han Zhenyu smiled and shook his head. When he saw Su Xieqiu coming out, he told her what had just happened.

“They’ve been working with me for more than an hour. I wanted to invite them to dinner, but they refused no matter what I said.”

Su Xieqiu smiled and said, “I just fried a small bowl of chili beef sauce. How about I serve some to them?”

The beef was something she had taken out from the space before Han Zhenyu came back. It had been marinated with salt for two days and was just fried into a meat sauce.

Han Zhenyu piled the thorn hedges in the corner, smiled, nodded, and said, “Okay.”

She used two pounds of beef, added lots of mushrooms and peppers, and fried them into a small pot of sauce.

Su Xieqiu sent a bowl to Sun Dahan’s house and filled two cans.

Tomorrow, Han Zhenyu would go to Grandpa Du and his uncle’s house to deliver their wages, so he would take these two bottles with him.

Han Zhenyu smelled the rich fragrance before even entering the kitchen. It was already past mealtime, and he was starving.

Su Xieqiu brought the sauce back from Sun Dahan’s house. Seeing that he had washed his hands, she immediately served him rice.

Today, they had steamed rice, a bowl of beef sauce, a large plate of shredded potatoes, and vegetable and egg soup on the table.

She scooped two tablespoons of meat sauce and put it on the rice. “It’s delicious with the sauce mixed with rice. Try it.”

Han Zhenyu saw that the meat sauce was packed with good ingredients, with a thick layer of oil on top.

He thought with amusement, with so many ingredients, how could it not taste good?

But he didn’t say it, fearing that Su Xieqiu wouldn’t be willing to eat it later.

However, he was secretly thinking that he still needed to make more money so that his wife would always have enough food and drink.

When Sun Dahan’s wife next door got the bowl of meat sauce, her eyes widened.

At first, she thought it was just ordinary chili fried soybean paste, so she accepted it.

She never expected there to be so much meat and oil in the sauce.

Zhenyu’s wife is so generous. This oil is enough for their family to eat for ten days or even half a month.

She didn’t dare to accept it on her own, and quickly called her husband out. “Dear, you and Tiezhu go get some thorn fences for Zhenyu. We can’t accept such expensive meat sauce. How about I send it back to them?”

Sun Dahan looked at the bowl of meat sauce, thought for a moment, and said, “Keep it. Zhenyu and his wife don’t play tricks. Since they gave it to us, it’s given sincerely.”

“When Tiezhu and I come back early in the afternoon, we will help them plant the thorn hedge. When Zhenyu is not at home, you should go over there more often and help with any work in the fields.”

“Okay, I understand.” Wang Fengqin took the bowl of meat sauce and went to the kitchen.

She was reluctant to eat it all at once, so she planned to save it for later.

She scooped out some with a bowl, peeled a few onions, and then brought it to the main room for the man and child to dip in before eating.

Beijing, Military District Compound

Mrs. Gu held her one-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Jiang Yunan, in her arms, her eyes swollen from crying.

Sitting next to her was her four-year-old grandson, Jiang Lichen.

The little boy stood up, wiped her eyes, and said, “Grandma, don’t cry. My mom will be sad when she sees this when she comes back.”

After hearing her grandson, Mrs. Gu couldn’t stop crying.

She held her grandson in her arms and sobbed, “Okay, grandma, don’t cry anymore. My Chenchen is so good.”

At this moment, the door outside was pushed open, and two men in military uniforms walked in.

Mrs. Gu asked quickly, “Old Gu, Fang Xun, how are things going with my in-laws?”

The father and son remained silent.

Mrs. Gu wanted to ask more, but Gu Fangxun shook his head at her and said to the guard beside him, “Xiao Ding, take Chenchen and An’an upstairs to play for a while.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Jiang Yunan had been frightened a few days ago and didn’t want to leave her grandma.

After this family change, Jiang Lichen had become much more sensible and was good at reading people’s expressions.

He knew his grandparents and uncle had something to discuss, so he coaxed his sister to follow the guard upstairs.

Mrs. Gu waited for her grandson and granddaughter to go upstairs and anxiously asked, “What’s going on with my in-laws?”

Gu Botang sighed and said, “It has been decided. It’s a farm in Ning Province.”

Although Mrs. Gu had been prepared, she still couldn’t bear the shock of the news about being exiled to a farm.

Gu Fangxun quickly supported her and said, “Mom, now that things have come to this, you should think more positively and take care of yourself.”

Mrs. Gu held her youngest son’s hand tightly and asked, “Fang Xun, what about your sister and brother-in-law? Are they going with you? And Chenchen and An’an are still so young. How can they survive on the farm? Can we let them stay?”

She looked at her husband and asked, “Can you think of a way to keep Chenchen and An’an?”

Gu Botang shook his head in silence, then smiled bitterly and said, “Yushan, I’m afraid our family can’t take care of ourselves anymore, so let Fang Xun send the two children away to be raised.”

Mrs. Gu was silent for a while, then asked with a sob, “Where will you send them? Is that family reliable?”

Gu Fangxun patted her shoulder soothingly and said, “Mom, send them to the home of one of my comrades-in-arms. He’s a very good brother of mine, and he’s reliable in every way. He retired last year due to injury, and I’ve sent Chenchen and An’an to his home for foster care. I’ll visit them when I can, so don’t worry.”

Mrs. Gu began to sob. “How can I feel at ease with the two children so young? And your sister, how can she bear to be separated from them… Wuu… Wuuu…”

Gu Botang sighed solemnly and said, “Fang Xun, pack up your things quickly and take the two children away. It may be too late when those people come.”

He then said to Mrs. Gu, “Yushan, keep a little of the money in the house for pocket money, and give the rest to Fang Xun. We can’t let him raise our children for free.”

After hearing what her husband said, Mrs. Gu no longer cared about being sad.

She hurriedly packed up her grandson and granddaughter. If the two children couldn’t go, they would have to go to the farm with them.

If such young children went there, it would be difficult for them to survive.