Chapter 44 - 044 Zhong Shouliang

"Rest assured, our entire family won’t tell outsiders," Zhong Juying earnestly promised, knowing that if people found out that Tian Sisi and her brother brought things for her family with their status, it would definitely be a big trouble. Tian Xinhua cleverly scanned the surroundings and saw Tian Sisi carrying a bundle. He quickly grabbed it and left. Zhong Juying bowed towards the backs of Tian Sisi and Tian Xinhua, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, swiftly closed the door, and latched it. "Juying, who was that?" A hoarse voice came from the inner room, followed by an old-faced woman with a stooped body. This was Granny Zhao’s maternal cousin, Zhao Manxiu, who, worn out from toil and malnourishment, had her hair completely grey and wrinkles as deep as Granny Zhao’s, even though she was not yet forty. "Mama, it was Tian Sisi from Uncle Tian’s family who brought these over for us," Zhong Juying pointed at the heap of clothes, about ten eggs, a pack of sugar, and more than ten strips of rice cakes on the table, and whispered. "Tian Sisi? Isn’t she the Tian family’s Zhaodi? How could she bring so much stuff over? No one saw it just now, right?" Zhao Manxiu got nervous. Even in the hardest times, she had never asked for help from Granny Zhao, fearing to bring trouble to her household. She never imagined that Granny would send her granddaughter with so much stuff. Granny... she’s truly... Moved yet worried, Zhao Manxiu feared her little daughter might let someone discover this without knowing the severity. Seeing her Mama so anxious, Zhong Juying hurriedly whispered in reassurance, "No one saw. I checked carefully." "That’s good! That’s good!" relieved, Zhao Manxiu finally calmed down. Looking at the pile of items on the table, her eyes welled up with tears. Nevertheless, she took out one of Tian Sisi’s cotton-padded jackets and urged her daughter to put it on quickly. Over the years, being constantly busy, she didn’t even have the time to make clothes for the children, let alone have extra cloth or cotton at home. All the children were underdressed and underfed, especially Juying, who had never worn a cotton jacket since she was born. What a useless Mama she was! Zhong Juying treasured the small floral cotton jacket, feeling its warmth spread through her body as she put it on. Satisfied, Zhong Juying sighed contentedly, "Mama, this is what it feels like to wear a cotton jacket. So comfortable!" Tears streamed down Zhao Manxiu’s face, but she was always a strong woman. Wiping away the tears, she took out cotton pants and cotton shoes for her daughter to wear. Granny had prepared thoroughly; there was a complete set for each family member. Zhong Juying beamingly wore the warm clothes and shoes and ran to the inner room to show her father, Zhong Shigen. Zhong Shouliang came back draped in the chill of the evening, carrying a fish basket in his hand. He poured the eels from it into a bucket to keep, about a dozen, each as thick as a thumb. When not working at night, Zhong Shouliang would catch eels or loaches on the rice fields or fish in the Crying Girl River. These past years, the family was lucky to have his supplementing contributions, preventing them from starving to death. Zhong Shouliang was a tall and sturdy young man, with a straight nose, clear-cut facial features, and slightly downturned lips, all of which showed the tenacity of a young adult. One could see from his eyes that he was someone who had experienced life, although he was only sixteen. Due to taking on family responsibilities prematurely, he was already on par with the robust adults in their twenties or thirties in the village—no one dared to belittle this young man. Seeing her son, Zhao Manxiu felt like she had a pillar of strength. She showed her son the items on the table, explaining that they were sent by Tian Sisi from the Tian family, "Shouliang, to just accept these things—won’t it bring trouble to your Aunt’s family?" "Did anyone see Sisi bringing these over?" Zhong Shouliang asked calmly. "Juying collected it. She said no one saw her; she’s checked everything carefully." "Then it’s fine, just keep the things. We’ll remember Aunt’s kindness in our hearts and repay it when we get the chance. But make sure to tell others that these were sent by Granny’s household, and never let it slip," Zhong Shouliang arranged matters clearly, and Zhao Manxiu nodded repeatedly. Zhong Juying ran out of the inner room, beaming with joy. Just now, Daddy had complimented her on how good she looked in those clothes. Every girl loves beauty, but the hardships of life had denied her the chance to wear nice clothes, and her hair was always unkempt, making her seem dirty and unattractive. In fact, if Zhong Juying were to be properly groomed, she would be no less beautiful than Zhong Yuying. Seeing the happy Zhong Juying, Zhao Manxiu and Zhong Shouliang also smiled, adding a touch of warmth to their cold home, "Juying, Mama will make you some rice cakes to eat tomorrow morning," Zhao Manxiu said with a smiling voice. "No need, I won’t eat, save the rice cake for Daddy, Mama, and Big Brother. Sweet potato porridge is enough for me." Zhong Juying looked at the white rice cake on the table, swallowed her saliva, and firmly rejected Zhao Manxiu’s suggestion. Daddy was not in good health, and Big Brother and Mama had to work in the fields; they needed the rice cake more. "Tomorrow we’ll all eat, Juying, if someone asks where the clothes came from, just say Granny sent them, understand?" Zhong Shouliang admonished his younger sister, and Zhong Juying nodded seriously, indicating she wouldn’t go around talking carelessly. Tian Xinhua walked with Tian Sisi, each step difficult as it was a bleak day and the moon also hid itself, solely relying on the dim light from the roadside homes for illumination, which made Sisi’s journey particularly challenging, and she stumbled often. Unable to bear it any longer, Xinhua simply carried her on his back. "Brother Xin Hua, do you think about earning money?" "Of course, I do." Tian Xinhua dreamt of earning money to escape his current dire situation. Although his family had enough food and clothing, that was all they had. He was not satisfied with the status quo; he wanted to make more money, and he also wanted to leave Yuequan Village to see big cities like Sui City and Shanghai, to become a city dweller, to eat public grain. For Tian Xinhua, at the age of 13, this was the loftiest dream he could have: to live in the city and eat public grain, which was his greatest life goal at the moment. "I want to earn money too, Brother Xin Hua, shall we earn it together?" Tian Sisi said, lying on Tian Xinhua’s back. Tian Xinhua turned his head and snorted with laughter, "How to earn? Besides, isn’t the money you have enough to spend? Don’t tell me Zhong Yuying tricked you again?" "No, I still have all my money. I just want to earn it myself to buy a camera, to take pictures of myself. As a pretty girl like me, I should take lots of photos as keepsakes, so when I grow up, I can always take them out and look at them." Tian Xinhua was amused by Tian Sisi’s earnest tone. Ah Nan really dared to dream; a camera, he heard, cost over a hundred dollars. For a little girl like her to think of making money to buy a camera? Truly a daydream! Tian Sisi got annoyed and twisted his neck a few times, indignantly saying, "I’m serious, I’ve thought about it. Let’s brew liquor together, sell the liquor Brother Shouliang makes, and then we can divide the money among the three of us. This way, we can earn money, right?" "Brew liquor? Do you know how to brew? And even if you do, do you have the grain?" Tian Xinhua dismissed it, thinking that Ah Nan was daydreaming again. Last year, she was still making a fuss about going to learn opera with Little Baihua. "Of course, I do." Tian Sisi replied haughtily, then she lowered her head and whispered into Tian Xinhua’s ear: "Not only do I know how to brew liquor, but I also have quite a few recipes for it. Moreover, I have plenty of grain. All these I have. Just come home with me later and you’ll see. I’ve already brewed a bottle of liquor for great-grandpa to drink! If I wasn’t so weak, I wouldn’t have asked you for help!" Tian Xinhua finally took her seriously, seeing Ah Nan didn’t seem to be lying, "Where did the recipes and grain come from?" "Great-grandpa got them. Oh, just come home with me later and you’ll know." Tian Sisi pretended to be impatient, wriggling in his arms. Tian Xinhua steadied himself and thought of the meat and grains Great Aunt had been sending over the past few days, which had also improved their meals by several notches. It seemed great-grandpa and Ah Nan had some secret. Tian Xinhua decided not to ask further and had no intention of telling the rest of the family, knowing these secrets must be very important. If they were to leak, they could hurt great-grandpa or Ah Nan, and he wouldn’t want to see either of them harmed. PS: Thank you for the support from Dou Dou Mouth and other dear readers!