7 007
◎The Seventh Day of the King of Scrolls◎
Jiang Wanzhou glanced coldly at Jiang Ergu, her tone resolute and unquestionable: "Ergu, please stop adding fuel to the fire and stirring up trouble. Please leave. From now on, our family is too small to accommodate someone as important as you. Don't come back."
Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of this place, the second aunt had no choice but to storm off in a huff, muttering her dissatisfaction.
As the second aunt left, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Jiang Wanzhou, Shen Xinglian, and Jiang's mother standing quietly in the courtyard.
Jiang Wanzhou turned to her mother, her eyes filled with a mixture of pleading and helplessness: "Mom, if you still care about my brother, then don't do such foolish things anymore."
Shen Xinglian stepped forward, gently holding the child, and said with all her might, "I will take good care of the child. From now on, let's each live our own lives and not interfere with each other."
Jiang's mother snorted coldly, turned around and went back into the house, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian stood in the empty, slightly dilapidated courtyard. All around was quiet, with only the gentle breeze bringing a touch of coolness.
Jiang Wanzhou gently patted Shen Xinglian's shoulder and softly comforted her, "Xingxing, don't worry, I'm here. We'll definitely be able to make things better."
"I'm so sorry, Xingxing. I was thinking of having you endure it for another month, until I finished my postpartum confinement and had earned some money, which would make it easier to separate the family and move. How are you feeling now? Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Shen Xinglian nodded slightly, forcing a smile: "This show hasn't been going on for long, I can still hold on." The child in her arms seemed to sense his mother's emotions and slept peacefully, his rosy cheeks making him very endearing.
Jiang Wanzhou carefully helped Shen Xinglian into the house, pondering her next move. Finding a place to stay had become her top priority.
She suddenly remembered that there was a landlord's house in the village. The house had been vacant for a while and had been managed by the brigade. For various reasons, no one dared to move in easily.
She decided to try her luck at the brigade leader's house, so she briefly explained a few things to Shen Xinglian and hurriedly left.
Shen Xinglian pondered for a moment and asked, "Is the captain your uncle?"
Jiang Wanzhou's eyes lit up, as if she saw a glimmer of hope: "Yes, given our situation and the fact that we're relatives, he'll definitely lend a hand."
Along the way, Jiang Wanzhou walked hurriedly, pondering various possible situations and countermeasures.
When they arrived at the brigade leader's house, the brigade leader was sitting in the yard leisurely smoking. When he saw Jiang Wanzhou, he was a little surprised: "Zhou girl, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
Jiang Wanzhou quickly stepped forward and said sincerely, "Uncle, my sister-in-law and I have separated our households and now we have nowhere to live. I was wondering if there is any empty space in the village that I can borrow for a while, and then I will apply for a land plot when my brother comes back."
Brigade leader Jiang Weiguo sighed and said earnestly, "You know the situation in our village. Every family is struggling. Parents are never wrong, and your mother has had a hard time these past years. If you apologize to her, there might still be room for things to be resolved."
Jiang Wanzhou shook her head, her tone firm: "Uncle, I'm not doing this for myself. My brother has always been frugal with food for me since I was little, my mother gave me life and raised me, and my brother has been incredibly kind to me."
"You know how much my brother likes my sister-in-law. Although he can't get promoted, he's doing well now and can support his family without any problems."
“If my mother really sends the child away, my sister-in-law will go crazy, and she might even run away.”
“If my brother knew that his wife and children were gone, he wouldn’t be able to work and live in peace anywhere.”
Upon hearing Jiang Wanzhou's words, Jiang Weiguo frowned, tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe to knock off the ash, and after a moment of silence, slowly said, "Wanzhou, I understand what you're saying, but you also know the situation in this village. Although there are a few empty houses, most of them have some problems. They are either dilapidated or located in remote and unsafe areas."
Jiang Wanzhou hurriedly said, "Uncle, I'm not afraid of hardship, and I'm not picky about the place. As long as there's a house to shelter my sister-in-law and the child, that's fine for now. When my brother comes back in a while, we'll think of a solution."
Jiang Wanzhou increased her leverage.
"You and my father, one protects the home and the other defends the country."
"My brother defended the country, but what about protecting the family?"
Jiang Weiguo stood up and paced around the courtyard. After thinking for a long time, he said, "The old house of the landlord at the east end of the village has been empty for a long time, but there have been some rumors about it being haunted, so no one dares to live there. However, the house is structurally sound. If you're not bothered by such things..."
Jiang Wanzhou's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Uncle, we don't mind! We just need a place to stay. Can we move into that house now?"
"Alright, since you're not afraid, then I'll make the decision and let you move in first. However, this house is managed by the village..."
“We can pay the rent to the brigade,” Jiang Wanzhou said, taking out the bargaining chip she had discussed with Shen Xinglian earlier that morning.
The captain frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "That house is old and dilapidated, but renting it to you isn't out of the question, it's just that the rent..."
Jiang Wanzhou hurriedly said, "Captain, don't worry, we will definitely pay the rent on time. How about 50 cents a month?"
Looking at Jiang Wanzhou's sincere expression, the captain nodded: "I need to discuss the rent with the other officers in a meeting. I will speak on your behalf as appropriate. However, you will have to clean the house yourselves."
Jiang Wanzhou was overjoyed and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
“Your father loved you the most when he was alive. We Jiang brothers are all loyal and righteous. If I don’t help you and your brother, who else would I help?”
"After all, they are all juniors of the Jiang family. But Zhou girl, you especially can't tell your second brother that you have money."
"Uncle, didn't you like Second Brother quite a bit before?" Jiang Wanzhou asked, a little puzzled.
"Your second aunt married into the town, and your mother went to town these days?" Jiang Weiguo leaned back in his chair.
Aunt Jiang just came in and started cursing.
Jiang Wanzhou said goodbye and then went back.
Jiang Wanzhou breathed a long sigh of relief after leaving the brigade leader's house.
Next, she had to solve the money problem. She remembered that she had five yuan in savings, and that she was glad she had picked up the money her older brother had sent back this month when she returned.
At this point, you need to identify the person when withdrawing money.
Normally, Jiang's mother felt that she wouldn't dare to embezzle the money her older brother sent back, and she was too lazy to go so far to get it, so she would let her take it on her behalf.
When Jiang Wanzhou got home, he pulled Shen Xinglian aside and whispered, "Xing, I did it. I have five yuan in savings, plus the twenty yuan my brother sent back this month. Let's use it to pay the rent and buy you some things to help you recover."
Shen Xinglian's eyes widened, somewhat worried: "Zhou, if we use this money without permission, won't Mom make a huge scene when she finds out?"
Jiang Wanzhou gritted her teeth: "We can't worry about that now. We have nowhere to live, and you and the child can't suffer with us."
"Okay. We can't let others benefit from this." A long-lost smile appeared in Shen Xinglian's eyes: "This is great, we finally have a place to stay."
Jiang Wanzhou smiled and said, "Xingxing, don't worry. I'll get a cart later, and we'll move some essential supplies over. We'll make do for tonight, and I'll tidy things up properly tomorrow."
The two got right to work. Jiang Wanzhou found a cart and, together with Shen Xinglian, moved some clothes, bedding, and other items onto it.
Looking at her sleeping child in her arms, Shen Xinglian whispered, "Baby, we have a new home now."
Jiang Wanzhou pushed the cart, and Shen Xinglian, who was wrapped up tightly, sat on the cart.
She was rather weak and was sent to school by her older brother, so she didn't have to do much physical labor.
However, if Shen Xinglian wants to walk by herself, she will definitely say yes.
Jiang Wanzhou couldn't bear to let Shen Xinglian, who was still weak after giving birth, walk. She quickly advised, "Xingxing, just sit still. You can't overexert yourself right now. I'll push this cart; it's very stable."
Shen Xinglian couldn't refuse Jiang Wanzhou, so she obediently sat on the cart, holding the child tightly, lost in thought.
Jiang Wanzhou took a deep breath, gripped the cart handles tightly with both hands, and walked steadily towards the east end of the village step by step.
Along the way, they encountered several villagers who looked at them with strange eyes and whispered among themselves.
"These two Jiang sisters, after separating from the family, moved to the landlord's old house. Aren't they afraid of getting into any trouble?"
"Yeah, I heard that house is haunted. They're really bold."
Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian ignored these discussions.
Finally arriving at the old house at the east end of the village, Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian looked at the somewhat dilapidated house, but whose bricks were more beautiful than those in the village, without feeling the slightest bit of fear.
Jiang Wanzhou put down the cart, walked to the door, and pushed open the heavy wooden door with all her might.
The door creaked open, and a musty smell wafted out.
The room was dimly lit, and the broken furniture was covered with a thick layer of dust.
Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian entered the house and began to look around.
“You’ve been running around all day. This room has a big enough bed, so let’s get it ready and stay here,” Shen Xinglian said.
Jiang Wanzhou nodded: "Yes, Xingxing, let's move our things in first, and then clean up together."
Jiang Wanzhou was truly grateful; the muscle exercise produced lactic acid, and the pain didn't start until the second day.
Even though I'm a bit exhausted now, I can still grit my teeth and carry the items from the cart into the house one by one.
Then, she found brooms, rags, and other tools and began cleaning the house.
After cleaning, she helped Shen Xinglian sit down and took out two steamed buns.
"Xingxing, I'm a little tired. I'm going to take a nap. Please make do with whatever you have for lunch."
Jiang Wanzhou slowly woke up, her head still a little dizzy. She rubbed her eyes and subconsciously looked for Shen Xinglian.
When she saw Shen Xinglian wiping the floor in the kitchen, she instantly lost all sleepiness.
Shen Xinglian was seen hunched over, laboriously dragging a dirty rag, wiping the dusty floor bit by bit.
"Xingxing! What are you doing!" Jiang Wanzhou was both shocked and angry, and her voice unconsciously rose several decibels.
She rushed to Shen Xinglian's side, snatched the rag from her hand, and looked at her pale face and the fine beads of sweat on her forehead with heartache. "You just gave birth not long ago, and your body is still weak. How can you do such heavy work!"
"No! This isn't real! I want to go back! I want to go back!" Jiang Wanzhou cried out in despair, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
[Author's Note]
[crying][crying]
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