Chapter 69 Chapter 69 [VIP]

"Grandma, you brought so many things here, will the Huang family allow it?"

"Those people are so lazy. I grow all the vegetables at home myself. Do I need their permission?" Grandma Zhang said as a matter of course.

"I still need to stock up. This damn situation is getting worse. I'll bring you some more tomorrow night. Keep it safe." The older generation, having spent half their lives dealing with the heavens, had long since developed a keen intuition. She was like a frightened little mouse, desperately searching the house for things.

After talking for a long time, Zhang Yan didn't say anything.

"I gave you something to eat, and you're still not satisfied." Grandma Zhang, who had come here with the mentality of seeking credit, looked up and saw her grandson's sour face. Her good mood disappeared instantly, and she sat on the stool with a gloomy face.

A surge of anger surged from Zhang Yan's chest to her brain. A retort reached her lips, but she forced herself to swallow it back. Grandma Zhang was already in her seventies. People her age were enjoying the company of their grandchildren, but she couldn't stop. Even in her seventies, she was still working as a nanny.

Zheng Zhaodi, who used to be very energetic, walked like a gust of wind, could carry two full buckets of water by herself, and was more capable than men, is now old, her hair has turned completely white, and most of her teeth have fallen out.

There's no doubt that Granny Zhang was kind to him. While this kindness was mixed with other considerations, it was truly rare for Zhang Yan, whose background was unknown and who had always been ostracized. But why did they become so irreconcilable? Why did Zhang Yan, despite his longing for her, never dare to return? Because they couldn't communicate or get along normally.

Zhang Yan had heard something an expert said on TV and thought it made a lot of sense. How could you expect someone who had never been loved to love normally?

There was no happy person in the Zhang family. After years of living with Grandma Zhang, Zhang Yan knew that anything he said would only add fuel to the fire.

Sure enough, after letting the old lady complain and quip for a while and venting her emotions, the matter was over.

"I'm old after all. I'm exhausted even when carrying a little thing." Grandma Zhang frowned and kept hammering her arms.

"I bought you some ointment, take it back with you."

"Don't be reluctant to post it."

Before Grandma Zhang could say anything, Zhang Yan forcefully stuffed the thing into her pocket.

"You spent so much money to buy these things. Why buy them? I'm destined to be a hard worker. They'll be fine after a while. If you don't need them, just return them." Although she was touched, Grandma Zhang felt more sorry for the things.

Watching her grandmother's mouth opening and closing as she continued to mutter, Zhang Yan felt both pity and sadness for her. Although she kept muttering, "Raising a son is useless," and constantly accusing her daughter and husband of being heartless, her heart was soft, having spent her entire life giving to others. Even as her life neared its end, she still didn't know how to enjoy it. Her devastating family experiences and painful and unfortunate life forced her to work tirelessly, demonstrating her worth, to find some sense of security.

"Bai He and I exchanged these things, so they won't be used much."

Hearing this, Granny Zhang's expression brightened a little. "That kid is living a good life! He..."

Just as Grandma Zhang was about to say something, Zhang Yan stuffed the bowl of rice that He Jiahe brought into her hands.

"Stop talking about eating."

Zhang Yan placed the only dish with minced meat in the middle of the table in front of her.

The aroma of the fried eggplant with minced meat was so tempting that it made Grandma Zhang, whose face had turned yellow after eating vegetarian food for several weeks, start to drool.

However, Granny Zhang's expression became even uglier. "You fool, you greedy kid, you ate the last meal and don't want the next one? Whose meat is it that you can eat so recklessly..."

When Granny Zhang saw the almost half pound of meat in the bowl, she felt as if someone was cutting her flesh, and her hands holding the bowl were shaking violently.

"Old He and I do hard labor every day. How can we have energy without eating oily and meaty foods? Stop talking, just eat it."

"Besides, in this situation, I don't know if there will be a future," Zhang Yan muttered in a voice only she could hear. Honestly, Zhang Yan no longer had any expectations for the future; she just lived each day to the fullest.

Grandma Zhang kept opening and closing her mouth to complain, but Zhang Yan buried her head in her food and refused to eat.

As they were talking, Zhang Yan and Zhang Jiahe had already picked up most of the meat in the bowl and put it into her bowl.

The old lady was thin to begin with, and now all her flesh was gone, with her skin sticking to her bones. She looked like a walking skeleton, and Zhang Yan felt very anxious watching her.

The old lady was making a fuss while trying to put the meat back into Zhang Yan's bowl.

"If you don't eat it, I'll pour it all out and feed it to the dog." Zhang Yan's face darkened, and she was obviously angry.

Grandma Zhang didn't dare say anything, knowing her grandson was a stubborn person. She kept her word and couldn't bear to waste food on him. She held the bowl and chewed slowly. Although her expression was still very grim, judging by the speed at which she ate, she didn't seem to like meat or eat good food as she claimed. She was just used to suppressing herself and trying to please others.

In the dim light, Zhang Yan said to the old lady again, "Don't stay in the Huang family. I will support you."

Zhang Yan once stayed with the old lady in the Huang family for a while and was very angry. Later, he would rather wander around alone than live under someone else's roof.

"How can you support me when you can't even support yourself?" The old lady refused without thinking. After she said that, she glanced at He Jiahe who was packing up his things obediently next to her.

At first, Granny Zhang really couldn't stand her grandson adopting a freeloader, but now it seems that her grandson has found a good person. Because of He Jiahe, her reckless grandson, who can't lift anything with his hands or shoulders, can now live a stable life eating meat.

After dinner, after helping Zhang Yan and the others tidy up the vegetable garden, Grandma Zhang insisted on returning to the Huang family despite all the dissuasion.

Before returning to the Huang family, he did not forget to rake a load of firewood from the mountain and bring it back.

When she came back, the Huang family happened to be sitting in the living room. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family said with a forced smile, "Haha, Grandma Zhang is back?"

Granny Zhang lowered her head and said nothing, hunching over as she dragged a large load of firewood towards the kitchen in a clumsy manner.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family did not give up. "This time when you went out, what did you take away from the house?"

"I was saying that the food at home is getting less and less every day. Did you take everything away?" Huang's second daughter-in-law added.

"The vegetables the Huang family eats now are all grown by me." Grandma Zhang couldn't help but retort with pursed lips.

"The vegetable seeds were all bought with our family's money. And if we hadn't taken you in, you and your grandson would have been begging on the streets long ago." The eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family glared at her and spoke in an aggressive tone.

Grandma Zhang was silent. When her daughter got into trouble, debt collectors came to their home. If it weren't for the Huang family, she and Zhang Yan would have had to live on the streets.

"Dad, we didn't say much about it before. Why do you still keep her in this weather?" Granny Zhang didn't respond, and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family turned her attention to her own father-in-law.

She had long been harboring a lot of resentment towards Granny Zhang, who was her mother-in-law in name but her nanny in reality.

Huang Dayou, who was sitting on the sofa in a daze, sighed. His daughters-in-law were not vegetarians, and his health was not good. How could he expect them to serve him? "I'll tell her."

"What's the point of talking to her? It's because you're so easy on her that she dares to act so recklessly. If it were me, I could call the police for what happened today..."

Grandma Zhang, busy in the kitchen, listened to the noises outside, her expression dazed. The Huang family had been kind to her in the past, but she had also been devoted to them over the years. When Huang Dayou suffered a stroke, his sons and grandchildren despised him, and it was she who took care of him, taking care of his excrement and urine. She was solely responsible for all the housework and cooking, never having a free moment in the day.

Listening to what was said outside, Grandma Zhang couldn't help feeling a little sad, but more of a panic.

She has become accustomed to a stable life. Even though she is ostracized and has a hard life in the Huang family, the Huang family will pay her a salary. Even though the money is not much, it is very important for an old lady like her who has been eliminated by society.

Granny Zhang was like a tortoise, deceiving herself into thinking that if she retracted her head into her shell, nothing would happen.

…

Another month passed by unknowingly, and during this month, the villagers who had caused trouble on the construction site returned.

Their miserable condition made the villagers gasp, as if all their energy had been sucked out. Only bones were left of them, and their eyes were dull.

They told us that after being captured, they were sent straight to the mountains to fetch water and dig canals. Their lives were as hard as those of laborers in ancient times, with only two thin meals a day, and if they couldn't work, they were beaten. At night, they were bullied by other prisoners, and they were all terrified.

This also sounded a wake-up call to the villagers, and the evil thoughts that had arisen as the resettlement area was built were suppressed.

…

By October, the resettlement area was essentially complete. It was divided into an inner and outer zone, with city officials, wealthy individuals, and others moving into the center of the zone. Sheshui Village was located at the junction of the inner and outer zones.

The resettlement area concentrates most of the city's resources, providing food, clothing, housing, and transportation. A military unit is responsible for security within the resettlement area. For those living in peril outside, this is a paradise. Countless people are desperately trying to squeeze in.

Due to widespread demand, a night market stall opened outside the resettlement area. Initially, local villagers traded agricultural and sideline products with migrant workers in the resettlement area for daily necessities. Gradually, more and more people flocked to the market, and merchants from both the city and outside the area began to set up stalls to sell their wares. The goods on offer were diverse, ranging from meats, vegetables, and fruits to technological gadgets and self-defense weapons.

When he was free, Bai He liked to go to the night market to look for gold. Every time Su Xing came home from work, he would see a lot of unfamiliar things in his house.

The Bai family was quite worried that Bai He would spend money lavishly and eat all the money, so from time to time his grandparents, uncle and others would send him things under the pretext of something else, and try to persuade him earnestly.

Bai He agreed verbally, but they still had to do what they had to do. Helplessly, the Bai family could only place their hopes on Su Xingye.

During this period, the two did not deliberately avoid intimacy with each other. Even if the Bai family was slow to notice, they could see that the two had an unusual relationship.