Shenjia Village is nad as such, but most of the residents there carry the surna Hua or Tian, as they are ancestral nas passed down through generations. There are few outsiders, and when Granny Lu first brought brother Qin Xiangyang and his sister to live here, they were considered such outsiders. In that era, the people in the village were very hostile to them. Initially, they had no land or household registration, and there were barely any benefits provided by the village. It was not until they beca recognized as part of Shenjia Village that they gradually started to be accepted by others.
Granny Hua’s house was close to where the Qin Xiangyang used to live. Since they would stay here for a few days, they cleaned up their ho early on. Knowing they were coming, Granny Hua hurriedly brought out several quilts from her house and quickly cleaned up the house with the agile hands of her grandson and daughter-in-law, and laid out the bedding.
"Does Brother Hua still recognize ?" Qin Xiangnuan asked with a smile to the simple-looking Hua Jun.
"Nuannuan," Hua Jun pulled Qin Jinuan, then pointed at Qin Xiangyang, "Yangyang."
"Yes," Qin Xiangyang said joyfully as he patted Hua Jun on the shoulder, "Brother Hua’s body has beco robust again, and he looks quite healthy."
Hua Jun scratched his head shyly, still the sa old nature. However, he seed to have beco a bit more alert than before; at the very least, he knew how to engage in conversation now.
At that mont, a woman approached, whom Qin Xiangnuan recognized. She was the wife that Granny Hua arranged for Hua Jun to marry—a girl from a neighboring village with an ordinary family background. In fact, it could be said that Granny Hua bought her for Hua Jun as more of a transactional marriage rather than a traditional one, with a dowry exchanged and arranged marriages for sons afterward.
Initially, this girl was utterly reluctant to marry, despising Hua Jun for being ’foolish.’ Indeed, no decent girl would willingly marry a fool. But after a few years of marriage, she no longer held her initial views. Qin Xiangnuan knew that Granny Hua was a kind person; although Hua Jun was slow-witted, he never abused anyone. He was not insane or stupid and was reasonable. Moreover, Granny Hua had always been involved in business, making lotus leaf pancakes in the mornings and owning a small store selling students’ notebooks and pens—with the deliveries made directly to the store, she didn’t need to go out. The business was doing well. Since Hua Jun’s wife ca into the family, not only did she not suffer the beatings and endless chores like at her parental ho, but she genuinely enjoyed blessings in the Hua Family. The family’s monthly inco was astonishing enough to surprise anyone; they had at for every al, and if she wanted new clothes, she could buy them without a second thought. The money earned by Granny Hua went to this daughter-in-law. At her advanced age, why would she need so much money? With money in her hands, Hua Jun’s wife gained more dignity. And though Hua Jun might be slow, he was a good-looking man, considered by the village folks as resembling soone from the city. In recent years, with their increased wealth, Hua Jun’s wife took him around to see doctors, and through acupuncture from an old Chinese dicine practitioner, though slow, his condition showed so progress—especially speaking more crisply than before.
Moreover, a few years ago, Hua Jun’s wife bore Hua Shuai a very plump son with normal intelligence—a very smart child cared for mostly by Granny Hua, adorable with a face robust and lively.
"Co, call her Auntie," Hua Jun’s wife urged the chubby boy.
The chubby boy, biting his own fingers—truly plump, like a little round ball which was why he was nicknad Zhuangzhuang—bit his little finger, then tentatively called out, "Auntie," and turning to Qin Xiangyang, "Uncle," and Jian Zhiqing, "Uncle." His articulation was quite clear, and his dumpling-like appearance indeed made him very lovable.
"Such a good boy," Qin Xiangnuan petted Zhuangzhuang’s chubby face, truly fond of this little chubby boy, just wondering if her own future children would also be like her, born frail as she was told by her brother that she wasn’t even five pounds at birth, like a little monkey.
She shook her head, wondering why she was even thinking about this now. She really was idling about.
She took out her wallet, counted five bills, and placed them in Zhuangzhuang’s hands, "This is an initial eting gift from your aunt."
Zhuangzhuang was all smiles, showing that he knew the value of money. He grabbed it tightly and held it close to his chest, looking amusingly greedy.
Seeing this, Qin Xiangyang also gave 500, and of course, Jian Zhiqing as the uncle couldn’t be stingy either, he also gave 500. Zhuangzhuang’s hands might be chubby, but he turned out to be a real money-lover, clinging to the money without letting go, really shocked Granny Hua, who quickly said,
"How can you give so much?"
Even giving just 100 would have been enough, but now with each giving 500, that makes 1500 total. Nowadays, 1500 could be soone’s salary for three months.
"It’s fine, let the child hold it," Granny Lu said with a smile, "They can afford to give it, it won’t make them poor."
"But..." Granny Hua still felt that it was too much, and she felt sowhat uneasy.
"Just take it," Granny Lu pulled Granny Hua aside, sighed, but it wasn’t about the money. Granny Hua knew what Granny Lu was thinking, and she could only try to comfort her. The two of them, similar in age and experience, finally had soone to talk to.
anwhile, Qin Xiangnuan was playing with Zhuangzhuang. Hua Jun’s wife had gone to the kitchen to start preparing the al. She couldn’t help but glance outside a few tis, her heart still troubled. They were so generous with their money, they must be wealthy.
And their clothes looked so nice, obviously not cheap. She knew that the whole Qin Family probably made a fortune in the Capital City, where it’s said even bricks are made of gold. She envied the prosperity of the big city, but at the sa ti, she liked the simplicity of the village. With her personality, she probably wouldn’t adapt to life in a big city. Right now was good with a small business, lacking nothing at ho, and able to save so money for Zhuangzhuang.
What she didn’t realize was that marrying into Shenjia Village was the best decision of her life, as in just a few years, the whole village would be demolished. The compensation she would receive wasn’t just as simple as a house.
Granny Hua spent a long ti trying to console Granny Lu, who eventually ca around a bit. But whenever she thought of her three no-good sons back ho, she couldn’t help but beco tearful. The better her day was, the more she couldn’t stop worrying about her three sons.
They say a son’s heart is like iron, but a mother’s heart is willing to die for her sons.
This is her own flesh and blood, a piece of herself.
After resting at ho for a day, they were then ready to head to Sha Family Village, which is a village with various surnas, a newer village that is also quite poor. It’s situated far from the city, and buying sothing requires traveling a distance. However, with economic developnt over the recent years, more small shops have sprung up in the village, at least making it easier to buy daily necessities.
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