Chapter 43 - 043 Zhong Juying’s house

The dinner was very sumptuous, with mushroom egg soup, stir-fried mushrooms with shredded pork, Malan head stir-fried shredded pork, braised crucian carp, and shepherd’s purse Granny Zhao blanched and soaked in water, preparing to make dumplings with it the next day. Tian Sisi had just acted spoiled and said she wanted to eat shepherd’s purse and pork dumplings, and Granny Zhao, who doted on her granddaughter, agreed without a second thought. During dinner, Tian Sisi specifically asked about Zhong Juying, "Grandpa, Granny, Daddy, Mama, that Zhong Juying looks so pitiful. In this cold weather, she is wearing pants with a hole in them, and her shoes are so thin, her big toes are sticking out. I feel cold just looking at her." Granny Zhao, hearing her granddaughter mention Zhong Juying, couldn’t remember who she was for a moment, until Zhu Aiqing reminded her, "It’s Zhong Shigen and Zhao Manxiu’s young daughter. Their family is rich peasant, but they live a tough life, often struggling from meal to meal, unable to produce even a cotton-padded jacket." "Zhao Manxiu? The same Zhao Manxiu from our village? Isn’t she quite capable? How could she be living so poorly?" Now Granny Zhao somewhat remembered; it turned out that she and Zhao Manxiu were related—Zhao Manxiu’s mother was her third cousin once removed, which, by relation, would make Zhao Manxiu call her ’aunt by marriage.’ Zhu Aiqing, being the head of the women’s brigade in the village, knew all too well the ins and outs of each household. She sighed and spoke of the family’s situation, "By rights, this family should not be living so miserably. Though they are rich peasants, both Zhong Shigen and Zhao Manxiu are hardworking. They only have three children; the eldest daughter got married last year to a widower in the neighboring village, the second son is the same age as Shouhua, and the youngest is Zhong Juying." "A few years ago, Zhong Shigen got tuberculosis for some reason. Not only could he not earn work points, but he also had to take medicine every day. Eventually, they couldn’t afford the medicine anymore. Zhao Manxiu heard some folk remedy—making ’urine eggs’ (chicken eggs boiled in young boys’ urine believed to cure lung and back ailments) for Zhong Shigen to eat daily. All the eggs their hens laid went to him. It seems to have worked somewhat; Zhong Shigen didn’t get worse, but he can’t do heavy labor, so the family depends on Zhao Manxiu and the son to scrape by, living in dire straits." Zhu Aiqing said this while wiping away tears for Zhao Yueban. She didn’t know that her cousin’s daughter was living such a harsh life. She had been close friends with Zhao Manxiu’s mother when they were young, and felt terrible for not knowing the suffering of her cousin’s daughter—she felt she had let down her cousin! Tian Sisi was delighted inside, finding an excuse in her Granny’s relation, she said then and there, "Granny, don’t cry, how about I give some of my old clothes and shoes that I don’t wear anymore to Zhong Juying?" "No, her family is rich peasant, and getting too close to them could make us a target of gossip," Zhu Aiqing immediately objected. "Then I’ll just do it secretly, and if no one finds out, isn’t that okay? Mama, why is Zhong Juying’s family so poor even though they are rich peasants?" Zhu Aiqing: "...." The Old Man laughed and said his piece, "Alright, Ah Nan, if you want to look after Zhong Juying, go ahead, but one thing—you cannot let anyone find out." Zhu Aiqing called out to the Old Man, disagreeing, while Granny Zhao wiped her tears, a bit indignant, "What’s the big deal? We live honestly, what’s there to fear? It’s not good for us adults to step forward, so let Ah Nan secretly do it. Even if someone finds out, they can just say the child didn’t know any better." Tian Sisi agreed with a chuckle, and Zhu Aiqing sighed. With both her in-laws not in opposition, her dissent was futile. She repeatedly reminded Tian Sisi to be extremely careful and not give anyone any grounds for criticism. Granny Zhao, being impulsive, went to organize the old clothes and shoes right after dinner. Previously unaware of her cousin’s daughter’s hardships, now that she knew, she couldn’t possibly just stand by. She wasn’t afraid of gossip about mingling with rich peasants, especially with the Old Man’s special status—Granny Zhao felt very confident. Tian Sisi also returned to her own room to find an old cotton-padded jacket, cotton-padded pants, and a pair of cotton shoes that the original owner had worn. Seeing Zhong Juying’s clothes full of holes, how could they keep her warm? Granny Zhao also fished out some old clothes upstairs, packed them in a bundle, and had Tian Sisi take them to Zhong Juying’s house. Tian Sisi accepted the task and was about to leave when Granny Zhao called out, "Don’t forget to bring the bundle wrapper back!" "I know!" Tian Sisi, carrying a bundle of clothes, went to find Tian Xinhua. She didn’t even know where Zhong Juying’s house was. Besides, she still had to discuss the matter of brewing wine with Tian Xinhua. Tian Xinhua had just finished dinner. Tian Sisi didn’t go in; she just waved from outside, and Tian Xinhua slipped out, smiling as he saw her with a big bundle. Tian Sisi didn’t keep it a secret; she straightforwardly said she wanted to send some clothes to Zhong Juying’s house. Naturally, Tian Xinhua knew who Zhong Juying was. Zhong Juying’s older brother Zhong Shouliang and their fourth brother Tian Shouhua were of the same age, but Zhong Shouliang had dropped out of school long ago and is now the main labor force at home, a young man truly capable of enduring hardship. It was only his tough luck that prevented him from achieving great things. Tian Xinhua couldn’t figure out how Ah Nan got involved with Zhong Juying. Wasn’t she always close with Zhong Yuying? "Why did Ah Nan think of helping Zhong Juying all of a sudden?" "I just felt sorry for her, seeing her as the poorest dressed one in our village, all covered in frostbite, shivering and shrinking, it’s just distressing to see." "But you used to say Zhong Yuying was the pitiful one! Why aren’t you helping Zhong Yuying now?" "Not helping her anymore, I’ve broken off my friendship with Zhong Yuying," Tian Sisi answered crisply. Tian Xinhua was genuinely surprised by this. At first, he thought Tian Sisi might be speaking in anger, but seeing her serious face, he realized she was not faking, and no wonder he hadn’t seen Ah Nan with Zhong Yuying these past few days. This might be for the best, Zhong Yuying is too cunning, and Ah Nan would only be manipulated by her. Tian Xinhua touched Tian Sisi’s head with relief. The little girl had become much more sensible over the past few days, no longer as infuriating as before. Tian Sisi turned her head away and glared at him, "Why are you patting my head? I’m not Dahuang (the dog)." Her grin, showing teeth, did indeed resemble Dahuang. Tian Xinhua couldn’t help but pat Tian Sisi’s head again, finding it smooth and soft to the touch. They continued on their way to Zhong Juying’s house, playfully bickering. Zhong Juying’s house was located on the outermost part of Zhongjia Bay. Originally, the circular arrangement of a dozen rooms all belonged to her family, but after being classified as rich peasants, most of Zhong Juying’s house was distributed among the poor farmers of Zhongjia Bay. Their own family was left with only three rooms on the outer side, which made it more convenient for Tian Sisi and Tian Xinhua. Tian Xinhua seemed very familiar with this place. He found Zhong Juying’s house and knocked gently on the door. Soon, there was some movement, and Zhong Juying opened the door. She wore a puzzled expression since her family rarely had visitors. When she saw Tian Sisi with a beaming smile, she was so shocked she almost cried out. Tian Sisi wanted to say more to her, but Tian Xinhua quickly handed the bag over to Zhong Juying, whispering, "Don’t tell anyone it’s from us." After saying that, he dragged Tian Sisi back. After walking a distance, Tian Sisi slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "Granny said to bring back the wrapping cloth. It’s all your fault, otherwise, I wouldn’t have forgotten." Tian Xinhua sighed. Sometimes he just couldn’t understand the likes of Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi; they made such a fuss over a cloth wrapper when they had already given away the main gift. So, he and Tian Sisi turned back, only to see Zhong Juying still at the door, blankly staring at the large bag. Seeing them return, Zhong Juying reflexively handed back the bag. Tian Sisi said amusingly, "Take the clothes out and give me back the wrapping cloth." Zhong Juying’s face turned red at once, and she hurried inside. Soon, she came running back out, holding the cloth wrapper. Zhong Juying returned the wrapper to Tian Sisi, saying gratefully, "Thank you!" "No need to thank us, just don’t tell anyone it’s from us," Tian Sisi said. She understood why Zhong Juying was so excited; before coming here, she had sneakily put more than ten eggs in the wrapper, along with a bag of sugar. It was very good for someone malnourished to eat more sugar, and she also added a few sticks of New Year cake, taken from the Space. Combined with the clothes, these indeed made for quite a lavish gift, which explained Zhong Juying’s gratitude. ps: Thanks to Fat Girl 0915 and I Love Myself xx for your support, thank you!