"Oh? I really didn't know. When would you like to come with me to take a look?" Qin San Niang asked.
“What’s so difficult about that? I still have some connection with him. Although we haven’t seen each other for many years, he should still recognize me. There’s no time like the present, let’s do it today! Niece, come with me!” Old Wang was a man of many good-natured manner. He put down his shovel and was about to lead her to look for him.
"Father, where are you going?" Wang Tiebao shouted.
"Hmm, it's alright, you guys get to work first, tidy up the surrounding area, the stones for building the courtyard wall will arrive this afternoon, so get to work quickly! Oh, right, the landlord said that if everyone works hard, he'll give us extra meat at every meal!" Old Wang shouted loudly so everyone could hear him clearly.
These men are simple-minded; all they want is to eat and drink well. As for strength? They have plenty! It's practically worthless! With meat, not only can they have some meat in their own mouths, but their children can also benefit. Now, who doesn't envy them working for the Qin family?!
The men cheered loudly, shouting, "Thank you, boss! Don't worry, boss, we'll definitely do a good job for you!"
Qin San Niang waved to express her gratitude, and then followed Wang Laohan's footsteps towards the east end of the village.
A row of low thatched houses sits in the east of the village, and Chen Laohan's house is located there. Wang Laohan doesn't know the exact address either, but fortunately there aren't many houses, so he can just ask a villager.
Just then, she saw a little boy playing under a tree. Upon closer inspection, she realized he was battling with some earthworms! Qin San Niang found it amusing and went over to him, bending down and asking with a smile if he knew where Chen Lao Han lived.
The little child raised his head, glanced at Qin San Niang, then looked at Old Man Wang behind her, and asked in a soft voice, "Are you looking for my grandfather?"
"Oh, so Old Chen is your grandfather! Go tell your grandfather that his old friend has arrived!" Old Wang laughed heartily. It was indeed a case of finding something without even looking for it.
"Yes, this uncle and I are both your grandfather's friends. Could you take us to your house? Here, this is some candy. Auntie thanks you for showing us the way!" Qin Sanniang really wanted to say that she was actually an auntie! Although she was an old auntie! But nowadays, there was no such thing as an auntie.
Upon seeing the candy, the little boy's eyes widened, and his mouth watered; he hadn't eaten candy in a very long time.
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll take you to find Grandpa! Please come with me!"
Qin San Niang was surprised that the child could resist the temptation and not take the candy from her hand. This was much stronger than the resistance of her own children! She was a little curious about what kind of person the grandfather was who raised such a self-disciplined child.
Old Chen's house wasn't too far from here, otherwise the child wouldn't be playing here by himself. It was probably only about a hundred meters away. The two adults, seeing how adorable he was, didn't want to rush him, so they followed slowly behind.
"Grandpa, someone's looking for you! It's your friend!" Old Chen's courtyard gate wasn't closed, probably because he was afraid the child wouldn't be able to open it.
"Cough cough...! Who's here? Hao'er, come quick to Grandpa!" A series of urgent coughs came from inside the house. The little boy heard it and ran inside. "Grandpa, Grandpa, are you alright? I'll go catch some more earthworms later. Brother Ming said that if we have earthworms, we can catch big fish and make you fish soup! Drinking the fish soup will cure your illness!"
"Okay, Mouse will drink too!"
Qin San Niang and Wang Lao Han exchanged a glance and hurriedly went inside.
The low thatched hut blocked most of the light, and although it was morning, which is the time when the sun is at its best, the house was still very dark.
Is this kind of environment even habitable? It's no wonder people get sick after a while!
"Who are you...? Brother Wang, could it be you?" An old voice came from the bed. After adjusting to the light for a while, Qin San Niang was able to see the person lying on the bed.
Old Chen should be a few years younger than Old Wang, but he looked like he was about to die. His thin, bony arms supported his swaying body, and Qin San Niang was worried that his thin, bamboo-like arms would be crushed in the next second.
Old Wang paused for a moment, seemingly trying to match the old man opposite him with the strong young man in his memory, and finally confirmed that this was the person he was looking for.
A sense of sorrow rose in his heart, as if he could see his future. If it weren't for Madam Qin giving him work, his family would have ended up in the same situation.
"Brother Chen, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
"Oh dear, my body is so weak. Ever since I caught a chill last winter, it's been getting worse and worse. I'm sorry to have troubled you all! Hao'er, quickly let the guests sit down. This is my grandfather's friend!" Old Chen finally managed to catch his breath, and saying these few words must have taken a lot of his strength!
Hao'er nodded obediently, never expecting that they were really his grandfather's friends! Their house hadn't had any guests for a long time, so they quickly brought over two stools for them to sit on, and then tried to pour water, but he was too short and had difficulty even holding the kettle! Qin San Niang quickly pulled him back.
"Alright, you're still a child! Here, this is some candy from your auntie, take it and eat it! Now you believe me, we really are your grandfather's friends, so you can take it without worry!" Qin San Niang turned around and took out a handful of candy, putting it into Hao'er's hand without saying a word.
He glanced at his grandfather, then happily took it!
Old Chen felt a pang of sadness. He was now destitute. Although he loved his grandson dearly, he really couldn't afford to buy him candy. Forget candy, even getting enough to eat was a luxury! Fortunately, their neighbors often helped them out. Otherwise, the grandfather and grandson would probably have starved to death long ago.
These past few days, Old Chen has been thinking about entrusting Hao'er to someone else. His health is getting worse and worse, and he hasn't decided on a suitable person to entrust him to. One of his distant cousins has no son, and he doesn't know if he would be willing to adopt his grandson...
“Brother Chen, you can’t keep putting off your health any longer. You have to see a doctor. Don’t you know any doctors in Shiligou? If not, we have one in our village. I’ll take you to see one tomorrow.” Old Wang sighed. Although his family wasn’t particularly wealthy, they were still doing relatively well. He couldn’t bear to see the once spirited man weaken like this.
"No need, Brother Wang, I know my own health, there's no need to waste money! Besides, I'm penniless now and have no money for medical treatment. I appreciate your kindness!" Old Chen looked at him with red eyes, his desolation finally settling on his grandson. This child was the only son in the Chen family, and he felt he had let down his son and daughter-in-law!
However, he did not dwell on his worries. Knowing that Old Man Wang must have come for something, he tried to sit up against the headboard.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com