Meng Laosan opened the cloth bag and looked at the bag full of steamed buns, which exuded the fragrance of grain, and his eyes became moist.

He didn't chase after her and return the steamed bread. His cousin's action showed that she had to give it to him. He had no choice but to accept it. This was his biological sister. He couldn't do it before. He must protect her well in the future! Several brothers nearby helped carry people into the city late last night. It was almost noon and they were still hungry. They felt sorry for them. Moreover, they had to walk such a long way back to the village. It would be difficult to endure the journey without food.

The men walked to the side of the road and squatted around a cement platform. A bag of steamed bread and a pot of bean juice were placed on the cement platform. Meng Laosan gave each man a piece of salted radish and four steamed breads. Everyone gobbled them up quickly and drank the bean juice in the pot. After several people were full, they exclaimed, "It's delicious! It's so delicious!"

Everything tastes good when you are hungry, and the dried radish is salty and spicy and very satisfying. It's a pity that there is only one and I can't eat enough.

Several men patted Meng Laosan on the shoulders and advised him, "You have a really nice sister. You should visit her more often in the future."

"She just said that my master is gone, and she was bullied and broke off the engagement. How pitiful she is all alone. Can you, as a brother, bear this?"

"That's right, if I had a girl like this, I would guard her every day, and if anyone dared to move, I would beat him to death!"

Ma Liuzi asked curiously, "Old Third, your Third Master is gone, and only your sister is left over there. Why don't you take her back and never visit her?"

Meng Lao San sighed, "This is a long story. We were not allowed to know about their past lives, but we have heard people around us talk about it. My great-grandfather had five children, but only my grandfather and my third uncle were left. My third uncle left home when he was young, and later came back to divide the family property, but my grandparents disagreed and wanted to drive him away. Before he left, my third uncle told my grandparents that he would no longer recognize relatives, so my grandparents never let us go to see him. When my third uncle died, it was someone from above who asked my grandfather to go, so he went. He came back and said that this Taohua girl had married and was living a better life than the rest of us, so there was no need to worry about her..."

Wang Ergou said: "We didn't see the things of the old times with our own eyes, so they may not be completely true. We just listen to them and don't believe them completely."

Liu Dafu nodded in agreement: "Your grandfather and your third uncle are only brothers, how could they bear to separate? Even if they are unwilling to share the courtyard house with the third uncle, there are plenty of vacant lands in and outside the village, can't they just build another house? Why do they have to move to another commune? If you ask me, it's because your grandmother is not good. The women in the village have talked about your grandmother a lot. Everyone has eyes to see what kind of person your grandmother is. It must be because of your grandmother's doing that your third uncle has to go so far."

Meng Lao San: “…”

It was hard for him to say. How could he comment on the gossip of his elders? Ma Liuzi said, "These are all old things. We young people don't understand and can't intervene. We can only wait and see. Third brother, you really need to go to your sister's place in a few days. The weather is getting colder and colder. It will snow in the twelfth lunar month. You need to see if she has enough firewood and whether the house is solid. This is the most important thing. What if the house collapses in a heavy snow?"

Meng Laosan nodded repeatedly: "I will go home and tell the hospital about it, and then go to Linshui Village immediately!"

Wang Ergou and his men said, "If you need help repairing the house, just let me know."

"Oh, I see."

After traveling for a long time before returning to the village, Meng Laosan pushed open the gate of his yard and hurried to the main house. The Meng family's yard was originally quite large. The five brick and tile main houses left by their ancestors were very solid and sturdy, and they were very prestigious in the village. Later, as the family population increased and there was not enough space for them, they added left and right wing rooms, and the yard seemed narrow.

Meng Laosan was not qualified to live in the main house made of bricks and tiles. The wing rooms on the left and right had rammed earth walls and thatched roofs, and he had no share in them. He could only live in a small shed built by himself in the backyard with bamboo strips and thatch.

Under the west window of the main house, there were two old ladies with gray hair wearing gray-blue cotton jackets. The one who was mending the old jacket with her head lowered and eyes squinting was 67-year-old Geng Liuju, and the other was her second sister-in-law from her mother's family.

As the old aunt and sister-in-law were talking, Meng Ding heard the voice of Meng Laosan. Then the door curtain was lifted, and Meng Laosan walked in. He called out "Grandma", and then "Second Uncle Grandma". The two women immediately straightened up and looked at him with wide eyes.

Geng Liuju asked, "Didn't you ask Caiyun to send the money over? Why are you back?"

Second Uncle Geng asked, "Is my eldest granddaughter Caiyue okay?"

Meng Laosan replied: "Caiyue is fine. She gave birth as soon as she arrived at the hospital. It's a girl. I didn't see Caiyun. There were nurses taking care of her in the hospital. I followed Ma Liuzi and the others back."

"It's all right after the baby is born, it's all right after the baby is born." Aunt Geng heaved a sigh of relief, then complained again: "Why is it another money-losing thing? Oh my! Caiyue's fate, I'm afraid the Jiang family will dislike her even less!"

Geng Liuju comforted him, "Who cares what he gives birth to? As long as Caiyue is safe and sound, that's all that matters."

Second uncle Geng's grandmother was frowning, "When Caiyue's husband passed away, she was pregnant with this baby for six months. She had no choice but to give birth to it, but she had already given birth to two girls. She had hoped that she would have a boy in her belly, so that her mother-in-law would be able to tolerate them and let them live slowly in two rooms. But now what can we do? Her mother-in-law herself gave birth to four girls and two sons. How could she care about these three granddaughters? Now that the eldest son is gone, she has to rely on the youngest son for her old age. The courtyard house must be left to the youngest son. Caiyue and her mother are afraid that they will be kicked out. Alas!"

Geng Liuju said, "What are you afraid of? Caiyue is still young, she can just marry someone else with the child."

"It's easy to say, but with three girls, the oldest is only six years old and the youngest is just born, life is not easy these days. Which man would dare to marry her?"

“…”

Seeing that the two grandmothers were busy talking and ignoring him, Meng Laosan turned around to leave, but was stopped by Geng Liuju: "Caiyue can't stay in the hospital alone. There is not much work in the team these days. You should go back to the county and take good care of Caiyue and the child."

"Who is born sensible? Can't they learn it?"

"You just said that Caiyun has passed away and is taking care of her sister."

Geng's aunt waved her hand: "That won't work. Caiyun can't take care of Caiyue."

Geng Liuju said, "Caiyun has just been selected to be a substitute teacher at the school. She needs to be active and not ask for leave. She is only going to the county to give some money and will come back to teach. You should hurry up and go now, don't delay!"

"Grandma, I'm a man, it's not easy for me to go. Why don't you ask the fifth and sixth sisters to go?"

"Your fifth and sixth sisters are both unmarried girls, how can they take care of the confinement period?"

"Then ask the eldest sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law to go. Also, Sister Caiyue's mother-in-law and four sisters-in-law should go."

"If her mother-in-law cared about her, would she let her suffer so much pain that she would come to us by herself, crying and begging us to send her to the county hospital? Don't say too much. Your second aunt is here. If it weren't for your aunts, your grandmother would not have been able to raise your father and his seven brothers? Caiyue is your second aunt's eldest granddaughter, the one she has loved the most since she was a child. If she is not well, won't your second aunt be sad and upset? Hurry up, go now!"

Second Uncle Geng also said, "Third child, good boy, our family is building a new house for your fourth cousin to marry. Caiyue is a widow and is in confinement. She can't go back to her parents' home, and her family can't take care of her. It's unlucky... For the sake of Second Uncle, please help take care of Caiyue for two days, okay? When you are discharged from the hospital, please ask your grandmother to arrange someone to pick you up. Third child, Second Uncle please!"

Geng Liuju couldn't stand seeing her second sister-in-law being so humble, so she immediately frowned and glared at Meng Laosan with her triangular eyes: "Why don't you go quickly? Are you waiting to be whipped?"

Meng Lao San: “…”

He was not afraid of the whip. He had been accustomed to listening to his grandparents since he was a child and had almost never disobeyed them. At other times, not to mention when his grandmother asked him to take care of his cousin who was in confinement, he would have also jumped into the water to fish in the snow and ice.

But now he had something in mind that he thought was more important. It was about to snow, and he was afraid that Taohua's house would not be able to withstand the pressure. If it collapsed and hurt her, he would regret it too late! If he didn't go to Cousin Caiyue's place, grandma would definitely find someone else to go.

Having made up his mind, Meng Lao San said, "Grandma, Second Uncle Grandma, I have other things to do, so I won't go to the county."

After saying that, he walked out of the house quickly. He didn't turn back even though he heard Geng Liuju's sharp curses behind him.

He also had to find his grandfather and tell him about Taohua's broken engagement, and then rush to Linshui Village in Yanchong Commune. He had never been there and didn't know if there was a shortcut. He heard that if he walked along the road, it would take most of the day.

It is impossible to take a bus because he has no money.

In the room, Geng Liuju was so angry that she wanted to go downstairs to find Meng Laosan and give him a severe beating with a whip.

Geng Er's aunt stopped him and sighed, "Sanwa is right. He has grown up and is a grown man. If outsiders knew that he went to take care of Caiyue while she gave birth, they would laugh at him and it would be difficult for him to find a wife in the future."

"Why is he looking for a wife? I don't have the spare money to spend on him!"

Geng Liuju leaned close to Geng Er's aunt and whispered, "Look, how about letting the third brother be the father of Caiyue's three children? I really didn't give him any money to marry a wife, so let's forget about the betrothal gift, right? Although the third brother is useless, he is strong and stronger than the man Caiyue had before. He is also diligent and obedient. He and Caiyue can be a good pair and raise three children. Caiyue can have an easy time!"

Geng's second uncle's grandmother's eyes suddenly lit up: "Of course that's good! Let's not talk about the betrothal gift. Caiyue doesn't have a dowry either. But I don't know if Sanwa is willing? He is still a young man, and Caiyue is a widow with three children to support..."

"If I give the order, would he dare to refuse?"

"Oh my dear aunt, you have solved a big problem for your family. Tell your eldest son and his wife to come over and kowtow to you!"

"Look at what my sister-in-law said. I'm a daughter of the Geng family. How can I not think about my family? Just wait. When Sanwa comes back, I'll grab his ears and ask him to go to the county town to take care of Caiyue! When he comes back from the hospital, I'll make room in the east wing for Caiyue to recuperate after the baby is born. I'll set up two tables for them at home, and it'll be done!"

"Okay, okay! I'll ask my eldest daughter-in-law to send some things over. Two old hens and two pounds of pork are inevitable. We'll also ask Caiyue's mother and daughter for food! Sister-in-law, I'll be grateful to you for the rest of my life. Your brother in heaven will be happy too. He always praised you in the past. It's worth it that he loved you so much when you were a child..."

Come on, come on! 　　 　 (End of this chapter)