Chapter 96 Zhenzhen (Grandma He deals with the He family) Jiajia doesn't appear...

Grandma He brought Zhenzhen and her younger sister home. The door was still locked. Grandma He took out her key from her pocket and unlocked it. "Zhenzhen, let's go home."

She led He Zhenzhen into the house.

The Ho family's house has a three-bedroom, one-living room layout, but it has been divided into four bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The sink and toilet are at the end of the corridor.

Grandma He: "Big sister, you help boil water and cook. There's cured meat, eggs and noodles in the cupboard. We don't have time to buy fresh meat today, so we'll eat cured meat. You can cook it however you like, and the three of us will eat it together."

Grandma He's eldest sister: "Oh, then I'll start cooking."

She was hungry after running around all afternoon.

Grandma He pulled Zhenzhen's hand and sat her down on a chair in the main room. "Zhenzhen, I hesitated all the way here, not knowing how to tell you. Your parents are alive and well. Your father's name is He Jianshe, your mother's name is Xue Mei, and you have an older brother named He Yao, who is 20 years old this year. The murderer's child is named He Xiaoyun."

She didn't really know what to say, but she couldn't stay silent. She had to prepare Zhenzhen mentally, otherwise, when He Jianshe and the others brought He Xiaoyun back, all all lovey-dovey, how uncomfortable would Zhenzhen feel?

He Zhenzhen: "They all like He Xiaoyun, right?"

Grandma He's eyes reddened again. "My smart and sensible Zhenzhen, you are a thousand times, ten thousand times better than that murderer's daughter. Don't worry, Grandma won't let anyone bully you."

He Zhenzhen smiled. Her eyes weren't big, but they were very bright: "Grandma, I have you and Jiajia now, and I can still go to school."

Grandma He reached out and hugged He Zhenzhen: "We'll go to school tomorrow. I'll tidy up your room now. Wash your hands and have some snacks first. Dinner will be ready soon. Grandma will buy meat tomorrow, and we'll have braised pork. Grandma will fatten you up nicely."

Grandma He took out rice cakes, fried dough twists, and persimmon cakes from the cupboard and placed them in front of Zhenzhen, saying, "Zhenzhen, eat whatever you want."

Then, they pushed open the door to He Xiaoyun's room. The room was small, but it was decorated very warmly. Upon entering, there was a small desk with drawers, on which were placed He Xiaoyun's odds and ends. Behind the desk was a small bed about one meter wide, covered with pink floral sheets and a quilt. Behind the bed was a large wardrobe, filled with He Xiaoyun's clothes.

There were several pairs of shoes under the wardrobe: two pairs of sneakers and one pair of leather shoes.

He Xiaoyun had the most clothes in the He family. She was pretty, loved to dress up, and coaxed her family to buy her new clothes.

Grandma He opened the wardrobe and found three dresses, three shirts, and two pairs of pants. Grandma He gritted her teeth. He Xiaoyun never wore the same clothes twice, while her Zhenzhen only had one piece of clothing, which was tattered and too small. Even a beggar's clothes were better than Zhenzhen's.

He Xiaoyun must not take any of these clothes with her.

She looked around the room and finally decided that none of the things here belonged to He Xiaoyun, so there was no need to tidy them up; she could just let Zhenzhen live there.

As for He Xiaoyun, she can go back to Dahe Village.

But for now, she didn't say anything else. She went back to her room and found a new shirt and pants she had bought this year. The colors were too bright and fresh, and she couldn't bear to wear them.

The shirt was blue and white checkered, and the pants were black, which suited the little girl well. They immediately sewed the waist and legs using a sewing machine, and then let Zhenzhen try them on first.

He Zhenzhen felt that her body was dirty and she couldn't wear the new clothes like that. "I'll go to the river to take a bath when no one is around at night before I put on the new clothes."

Grandma He felt sorry for her. The girl was 18 years old and could only sneak into the river to bathe at night. She said, "Why go to the river to bathe? We have a big basin at home. After dinner, we'll boil two big pots of water and take a good bath."

Grandma He's younger sister also prepared the meal: noodles with cured pork, served in three large bowls, one for each person, with a golden fried egg on top.

Grandma He's eldest sister said, "Eat it while it's hot, and then get more from the pot when you're done."

He Zhenzhen took the chopsticks and buried herself in eating. She had never eaten such delicious food before. Her appetite was not very big, mainly because she usually ate little and her stomach had shrunk from hunger. By the end of the big bowl of noodles, she was so full that she couldn't eat anymore.

Grandma He poured the noodles from He Zhenzhen's bowl into her own and slurped them down.

After dinner, the water in the pot was ready. We carried the large basin to He Xiaoyun's room, which would become Zhenzhen's room from now on.

He Zhenzhen said very seriously, "Grandma, I'm fine wherever I live."

It doesn't matter whether He Xiaoyun is here or not.

She doesn't consider this place her home, and she doesn't ask for anything.

Grandma He: "This will be your house from now on."

Grandma He's eldest sister also said, "Zhenzhen, just stay here and relax! Your grandma is the head of this family. If it weren't for your grandma, your dad would have starved to death long ago."

Grandma He added a large bucket of cold water to the basin, then a pot of hot water, and also mixed in the water from the thermos. The basin was full of warm water, just the right amount for a bath.

Grandma He then found a new towel, soap, and shampoo and placed them next to the basin. "Zhenzhen, this is shampoo for washing your hair. Just squeeze out a little and you can lather it up. It will clean your hair very well. When you wash your hair, pour the foam into the small basin. This is soap for bathing. It will make you smell nice after washing. If you need a back scrub, just call me."

He Zhenzhen: "Thank you, Grandma." She closed the door, locked it from the inside, drew the curtains, and took a bath in the room. The water was warm, and the room was warm too. There was a bed, a table, and a window. She could lean on the table to carve, read, and write in the future.

She bent down and immersed her entire face in the water.

She has a grandmother now.

Grandma He quickly found some clean cotton cloth and worked overtime to sew underwear. These were all simple; she just cut out the pattern, sewed a few times on the sewing machine, and they were done. She let Zhenzhen wear the new ones first, and then sewed her a nicer one for the evening.

By the time she finished making the underwear, He Zhenzhen hadn't even finished washing it yet when Grandma He knocked on the door from outside. "Zhenzhen, are you done washing? I'll hand you the underwear; they're all new, so you can wear them right away. Tomorrow, Grandma will make you two more sets to change into."

He Zhenzhen opened the door, leaving a small crack so that Grandma He could pass the clothes in. She changed into new underwear, a new shirt, and new pants. The clothes were made of very comfortable fabric and felt very comfortable to wear.

It's so nice to have a grandma.

He Zhenzhen opened the door and prepared to pour out the bathwater. Old Mrs. He and her younger sister carried the wooden bucket together and poured it into the sewer.

Grandma He used a towel to dry He Zhenzhen's hair, then used a fine-toothed comb to carefully comb her hair. She even found an ear pick to clean He Zhenzhen's ears, but it was so hard to see even with a flashlight that Grandma He's younger sister couldn't see clearly either, so she had to let He Zhenzhen clean her ears herself.

He Zhenzhen had never used an ear pick before, but she managed to dig out several large pieces from her ear, which Grandma He praised as amazing!

He Zhenzhen didn't understand what was so special about this.

Grandma He took He Xiaoyun's face cream, scooped out a large piece, rubbed it in her palm, and applied it to Zhenzhen's face and hands. She looked at Zhenzhen and smiled, "Zhenzhen looks exactly like me. I was just as thin back then. When I got fat and fair-skinned, I looked beautiful."

He Zhenzhen was very interested in the books on the desk. She asked, "Grandma, can I look at these books?"

Grandma He glanced at He Xiaoyun's books; they were a few comic books, which He Xiaoyun didn't like to read and were just displayed for show. She led He Zhenzhen directly to the west room, opened a large box, and found it full of books He Yao had read as a child, mostly comic books. "Zhenzhen, take a look and see if you like them."

He Xiaoyun had never seen so many books before. Her eyes sparkled like a mouse entering a rice jar. There were picture books and textbooks. She chose two math books. "Grandma, can I read these books?"

Grandma He is illiterate, but she knows these are her eldest grandson's textbooks. She doesn't know what's so interesting about textbooks, but Zhenzhen wants to read them, so she can read them.

"Big sister, lend a hand and carry the box into Zhenzhen's room."

He Zhenzhen was lying on her desk, flipping through her math book with great interest.

During this time, many neighbors came to visit Zhenzhen, bringing food and other necessities.

Grandma He expressed her gratitude for everyone's concern and introduced them to Zhenzhen one by one. Zhenzhen was unable to read quietly. She cooperated by calling out whatever she was asked, but her mind was not on the book; she was preoccupied with what she had just read.

Director Wu and his wife from the grain station also came over. Director Wu's wife brought a new outfit, a light pink shirt and light blue pants. "Zhenzhen and Yaya are about the same height. This is a new outfit I just made for Yaya. She hasn't worn it yet, so I'm giving it to Zhenzhen to wear first."

Grandma He: "No, these are Yaya's clothes. I'll buy clothes for Zhenzhen tomorrow."

Director Wu's wife insisted on handing the clothes to Old Lady He, saying, "Auntie, please keep this for Zhenzhen." She then looked at He Zhenzhen and said, "You've endured all the hardships of your life; from now on, your days will be sweet."

That's well said. Old Mrs. He loved to hear it, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Actually, the neighbors weren't this close before. At least they weren't so close that they would give each other clothes. Nobody had enough cloth coupons, so how could they give away a set of clothes?

Grandma He knew that all of this was because Director Lu had driven Zhenzhen back home.

As the outside became lively, He Xiaoyun's sweet voice could be heard from afar: "Mom, Dad, Brother, I want to go to the city to play this weekend."

Xue Mei said indulgently, "We'll go again this weekend, and I'll take you out for hot pot again."

He Jianshe also said with a smile, "As long as you're happy, that's fine. But you can't say you're not my biological daughter anymore. You're my only daughter."

He Yao: "Xiao Yun, you can't say those hurtful things anymore."

He Xiaoyun said, "Okay, I won't say it anymore."

A family of four came in from outside. He Jianshe and He Yao were carrying large and small bags, while He Xiaoyun and Xue Mei were holding hands, chatting and laughing. What a happy family!

The room fell silent as everyone stared at He Jianshe and his family.

Grandma He grabbed a feather duster and started hitting He Jianshe and He Yao. "I let you go to the city to play, I let you eat hot pot, how can you be so heartless? Do you even remember your old mother at home? Have you ever thought about where your own daughter is and what kind of hard life she is living?"

He Jianshe and his family of four were completely bewildered. Why were there so many people in this room?

He Jianshe had nowhere to hide and got hit by his mother's feather duster a few times: "Mom, don't hit me, talk to me properly."

This is so embarrassing! Getting beaten up by his elderly mother in front of his neighbor and boss.

He Yao also took a few blows to the back. This time, Grandma He didn't hold back at all; she really hit him hard. He Yao's eyes turned red from the pain. "Grandma, what's wrong? Calm down. Grandma, we brought you some braised chicken legs and some fried dough twists."

Grandma He acted as if she hadn't heard, remaining angry and continuing to beat him.

Xue Mei felt a chill run down her spine and quickly stepped forward to stop them, "Mother, in front of so many people, please give Jianshe and Ayao some face. Let's talk things out."

Old Mrs. He sneered, "He's lost his mind, yet he still cares about saving face? Bah!" She waved a feather duster and started beating Xue Mei as well.

Xue Mei's life was too comfortable. She never suffered any mistreatment from her mother-in-law after marrying into the He family. Her husband was also considerate, and she didn't have to worry about her child after giving birth. She went back to work right after her postpartum period.

If things go well, they won't even feel sorry for the flesh that fell from their own bodies.

Xue Mei screamed, "Mother, what are you doing?"

Grandma He was determined to teach them a lesson, and she smacked Xue Mei with a feather duster again: "You little brats, I'm going to give you a good talking to today."

Xue Mei stopped trying to stop her and quickly hid behind He Jianshe, saying, "Jianshe, quickly pull our mother away, she's gone mad!"

Old Mrs. He laughed angrily: "I must be crazy to let you be so arrogant. I raised Jianshe, sent him to school, helped him get married, and I raised the children you two had. Now that I'm old, you think I'm incompetent? And you say I'm crazy? Let me tell you, He Jianshe, if you dare to be unfilial, I'll smash my head against the grain station gate and die."

Director Wu's wife said, "Aunt He isn't crazy. It's you guys who are really crazy. Otherwise, how could you ignore your own daughter, leave your old mother at home, and take the murderer's daughter out to eat and drink? You're really filial."

He Jianshe: ? ? ?

Why can't he understand what I'm saying?

He Xiaoyun's face turned deathly pale. The murderer's daughter? Who?

He Yao frowned and warned, "Auntie, you can't say things like that!"

Director Wu's wife scoffed, "I used to think you were a good person, but I never expected you to be so clueless."

Grandma He waved a feather duster and started beating He Jianshe and his two companions. They had nowhere to run, as the neighbors had locked the door tightly. The worst part was that no one came out to break up the fight, and they could only watch as Grandma He dealt with them.

He Jianshe's forehead was covered in cold sweat; he was in a lot of pain and panicked.

The feather duster in Old Lady He's hand broke. She said, "I beat you all up like this, and I didn't see your good daughters and good sisters come out to break up the fight. You've all hidden yourselves very well."

Xue Mei felt a burning pain all over her body, especially on her arms, where several red marks were intertwined. She had never suffered like this before. The worst part was how embarrassing it was, with so many neighbors watching. Tears welled up in her eyes. Listening to her mother-in-law's words, she turned to look at He Xiaoyun, who was hiding in the corner.

Xiaoyun has been timid since childhood, which is why she didn't dare to come out and break up the fight.

Old Mrs. He pointed at He Xiaoyun and said, "After your biological mother gave birth to you, she and Director Hu of Dongping Hospital switched you with my family. You were just a child and didn't know anything, but you enjoyed everything the He family had to offer—love from your parents and brothers, and you grew up peacefully and happily until you were 18. But because of you, my granddaughter was abused in your home. Because your biological father is a murderer, my granddaughter has a bad family background and has suffered terribly because of you. Now I've brought my granddaughter back, so you, He Xiaoyun, should go back to your biological mother's home."

He Xiaoyun felt a wave of dizziness. Impossible, impossible. Her father was an accountant at the grain station, her mother was a clerk at the post office, and her brother was an engineer at the steel rolling mill.

She comes from a wealthy family, is beautiful, and became the most beautiful girl in the steel mill. Countless people liked her. How could she be the child of a murderer?

He Jianshe, Xue Mei, and He Yao couldn't believe their ears. This was impossible! How could Xiaoyun be the child of a murderer?

Xue Mei screamed, "Mom, don't talk nonsense! Xiaoyun is so cute and kind, she can't possibly be a murderer's child. She's not someone else's child, she's our child, her surname is He, and she'll always be surnamed He."

Grandma He raised her hand and slapped Xue Mei. "Let Xiao Yun take your surname, Xue. You can divorce Jianshe and go back to your parents' home or stay in the dormitory. My He family will never raise the child of a murderer and a criminal."

Xue Mei covered her face in disbelief, "Mother."

Grandma He: "Don't call me mother."

He Jianshe: "Mother!"

He Yao: "Milk!"

Grandma He slapped He Jianshe twice across the face. "What, you want to kick me out? Just open your mouth and I'll take Zhenzhen out to beg for food right now."

He Jianshe felt a metallic taste in his mouth: "Mother, I didn't."

Grandma He: "Send that little bastard away. I can't breathe when I see her."

He Xiaoyun's eyes rolled back, and she could no longer bear it, fainting.

Xue Mei screamed, "Xiao Yun!"

Grandma He rushed over and pinched He Xiaoyun's philtrum. He Xiaoyun woke up and cried, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I'll leave now." She stumbled to her feet and rushed outside. Once in the corridor, she jumped down.

Fortunately, someone was standing nearby and grabbed He Xiaoyun's hand.

He Xiaoyun struggled fiercely, but was eventually pulled up.

Xue Mei rushed over and hugged He Xiaoyun, crying her heart out: "Xiaoyun."

He Jianshe and He Yao also rushed forward.

He Xiaoyun holds a very high position in the He family, being a darling of the family. That cannot be changed with just a few words. Now that He Xiaoyun is suicidal, the situation has been completely disrupted.

Old Mrs. He could no longer force He Xiaoyun to leave now, but she was determined to drive He Xiaoyun away. This bastard was just like her parents, a pregnant woman.

Grandma He's eldest sister looked at the building and muttered, "It's only a little high. I bet if she jumped, her legs wouldn't even go numb."

Director Wu also craned his neck to look down. It was only the second floor, and there was a carport below. If he jumped down like that, he might damage someone else's carport.

The neighbor who had just pulled He Xiaoyun so hard: ...

After the neighbors left one by one, He Jianshe pleaded, "Mom, I beg you, please stop making a scene."

Grandma He felt that He Jianshe was itching for a beating, so she picked up a broom and started hitting him with it.

He Jianshe covered his head and ran away. He couldn't fight back, he could only dodge. He was hit on the back several more times. Old Mrs. He hit very hard, and it really made a loud banging sound.

Old Mrs. He quickly subdued He Jianshe, saying, "Have you asked your own daughter? Have you even glanced at Zhenzhen? You feel sorry for the daughter of a murderer, but do you know what kind of life Zhenzhen is living in that poisonous woman's house?"

He Jianshe was quiet and didn't dare to say anything out of line. He looked around the living room and noticed a little girl sitting in the corner. She was not very noticeable and was holding a book in her hand, reading it attentively. She was very thin and quiet, as if everything in the room had nothing to do with her.

"Is her name Zhenzhen?"

Old Mrs. He sneered, "Her name is Cao'er, she has no surname. She was abused from a young age. Everyone in the village called her 'cheap grass' because she's the daughter of a murderer. How do I know that bastard is the daughter of a murderer? Because her own mother would tell people every now and then that Cao'er's father was a murderer, and she was a murderer's daughter, so she might kill like her father." Her eyes reddened. "He Jianshe, have you forgotten how you grew up? Have you forgotten how the neighbors pitied you? How those children spat on you? Called you a fatherless bastard? Have you forgotten how they told you that your mother was going to remarry, that your mother was a slut, and that your mother was going to find you a stepfather?"

How could He Jianshe forget? He couldn't forget it. These words permeated his entire childhood. Every time, his mother would run out and fight with people, driving away the children who were cursing him, and then driving away the children's elders.

Grandma He choked up, "You're just a child without a father. Zhenzhen, on the other hand, is living under He Xiaoyun's identity. Her father was a murderer who was executed, and her mother was a poisonous woman. She has no one to rely on. It's so hard for her to have survived until now."

He Jianshe knelt down in front of Old Lady He, "Mother, I'm sorry."

Grandma He cried, “My son, you have no heart. If the children were switched at birth, I wouldn’t have driven He Xiaoyun away. We’ve already raised her and found her a good husband. She’ll be a member of the He family from now on. But our child was deliberately switched by her birth mother, and she’s been abused by her. If I hadn’t remembered what happened at the clinic, we would never have known Zhenzhen. What would have become of her?”

He Jianshe knelt before Old Lady He and cried, "Mother, I'll send Xiaoyun away."

He Yao's eyes were red and filled with tears. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Xue Mei stayed in the room watching over He Xiaoyun, fearing that He Xiaoyun might commit suicide again. Of course, this was not He Xiaoyun's old room, but He Yao's room.

Hearing the sounds outside, Xue Mei cried uncontrollably. Why did she have to go through such a thing? The beloved daughter she raised was not her biological daughter.

He Xiaoyun sobbed, "Mom, I'm leaving tomorrow."

She didn't want to leave; she had to find a way to stay.

Xue Mei hugged He Xiaoyun. Her daughter should be like Xiaoyun, not that black ball of coal. "I don't want you to leave. There must be a way."

Grandma He: "If you have any conscience, you should know who to be good to."

He Jianshe walked up to Zhenzhen, but Zhenzhen didn't look up. She was still focused on the book in her hands, a high school math book. She was reading it very carefully, gesturing with her fingers from time to time.

He Jianshe: "Zhenzhen, have you gone to school yet?"

Zhenzhen didn't look up; she seemed not to have heard anything, focused on her own world.

Old Mrs. He sneered: "How could that slut let Zhenzhen go to school? But our Zhenzhen is smart and eager to learn. She secretly climbs trees to listen to the teacher's lectures. It's a pity she didn't go to junior high or high school. I will send Zhenzhen to school tomorrow."

No one dislikes a good child who is eager to improve.

Grandma He added, "You should thank your second aunt a lot today. If it weren't for her help, I would have suffered a great loss today."

He Jianshe: "Thank you, Second Aunt."

He Yao: "Thank you, Second Aunt."

Old Mrs. He waved her hand: "What matters to my elder sister is what matters to me. Even if it means going through fire and water, I will rush to help."

Grandma He added, "Furthermore, I must thank Director Lu of the Revolutionary Committee and Comrade Jiajia of the steel rolling mill. If it weren't for their enthusiastic help, I wouldn't have been able to bring Zhenzhen back from Dahe Village."

Grandma He's eldest sister said, "Director Lu drove us to Dahe Village in his car, and then drove us home in his car."

He Yao: "Director Lu and Comrade Jiajia?"

He Jianshe was also shocked: "Director Lu is truly kind and benevolent."

He did not know Yu Jiajia.

Old Mrs. He sneered again: "Others are kind-hearted, unlike you, who aren't even worried about your own daughters and sisters. Bah!"

He Jianshe and He Yao lowered their heads.

Xue Mei, inside the room, was stunned. The girl that Director Lu personally picked up? Picked up and dropped off by car? What kind of ability does that girl have?

He Xiaoyun hates Yu Jiajia so much! It's Yu Jiajia again!

Old Mrs. He continued, "That slut remarried, and the family she married was just as wicked. They wanted me to pay eight hundred yuan to take Zhenzhen away. Bah! A whole family of heartless bullies. Fortunately, God had eyes and a bolt of lightning struck the couple, freezing them solid. They were saved using the worker-peasant-soldier emergency method."

He Jianshe was stunned. "Struck by lightning? Mother, don't talk nonsense."

Old Mrs. He's younger sister said, "Eldest sister isn't making this up. A bolt of lightning struck straight at that couple." She then recounted the story in detail.

He Jianshe really learned something new; it turns out that evil people really do get struck by lightning. He looked down at Zhenzhen reading, then went back to his room and found a fountain pen and a notebook, along with a new bottle of ink, and gave them to Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, you can use the fountain pen to write in the notebook."

Zhenzhen was pleasantly surprised, but she didn't know how to use a fountain pen.

Grandma He regretted it; why hadn't she thought of paper and pen!

He Jianshe was surprised that Zhenzhen didn't know how to use a fountain pen, so he carefully taught her how to fill the ink and how to write with the pen.

Zhenzhen was reluctant to write in the notebook. Such a nice notebook shouldn't be used for random scribbles. She asked, "Do you have any old notebooks?"

He Jianshe went back into the house and got some ordinary draft paper. "There's plenty of this kind of paper at home. If you run out, just come in and get some more."

Zhenzhen said very seriously, "Thank you, I like it very much."

-----------------------

Author's note: This chapter is all about the He family, and I won't go into detail about the He family later.

Goodnight, babies.