Lu Guoan turned and left, and the Wei family members quickly went into the large thatched shed.
Tang Fenglin dared not act recklessly in front of the brigade leader, but she had no scruples in front of the Jia family.
Originally, she wanted to sever ties with them, but she was five or six months pregnant, and the Jia family promised her a lot of benefits as long as she was willing to give birth to the child.
Despite being demoted, they admitted that not all of their family property had been confiscated, and some of it was still hidden away.
She believed this. When nothing happened in the family, they never lacked food or clothing. Once, she accidentally saw a wooden box in her mother-in-law's room containing a lot of large and small yellow croakers and silver coins.
But when they searched the house, they didn't find that box of things at all.
She asked, and they only said that the valuables were hidden in a secluded place, and that as long as she went to the countryside with them and gave birth to the child, all those things would be hers.
Tang Fenglin, thinking of the box full of good stuff, agreed without much hesitation.
After the child is born, she will get the box of things and then sever ties with them.
“You all said that if I went to the countryside with you, you would all protect me and not let me suffer. But now, after only a few days, you’ve made me live in a straw shed and eat cornbread. How am I supposed to live like this with my big belly?”
"Waaaaah, I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted and agreed to your request. Why is my life so miserable?"
...
Tang Fenglin sat at the entrance of the thatched shed, crying and making a scene, just like he was performing a theatrical piece.
Jia Zhichao and his father Jia Mingquan were discussing how to get by in the days to come, while his younger sister Jia Liqin and his mother Lu Pinru were quietly tidying up the thatched shed, ignoring her for the time being.
Hearing this annoying noise, the Wei family next door all frowned so deeply they could have trapped a fly.
Life is already tough enough, and then having such a neighbor makes it even worse.
The Wei family consists of eight people. Old Master Wei is over 60 years old, and the eldest son, Wei Fangxing, is 40 years old, the same age as Yu Yuneng.
The second son, Wei Fanghui, and his wife, Chen Xinying, are both 37.
Wei Fangxing has two sons, Wei Wenbo and Wei Wenhao, who are 18 and 15 years old respectively. The couple has a son and a daughter: their eldest daughter, Wei Wenshu, is 16 years old, and their youngest son, Wei Wenqi, is 12 years old.
The old lady of the Wei family passed away a few days ago. Unable to bear the betrayal of her eldest daughter-in-law, she conspired with outsiders to report their family, causing the whole family to suffer. She then suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away.
The Wei family was already in a state of extreme grief and devastation from the family tragedy. Upon hearing the crying and commotion next door, 16-year-old Wei Wenshu was the first to lose control and begin to sob.
Seeing her daughter cry, Chen Xinying couldn't help but wipe away her own tears, and everyone else's eyes also reddened.
Wei Fangxing and his two sons felt extremely guilty. If it weren't for their good wife (mother), the family wouldn't have suffered such a disaster.
Wei Fangxing wanted to say a few words of comfort, but it was all in vain. In the end, he could only sigh and hand the cloth bag to Wei Fanghui.
"Second brother, you can divide up the cornbread. Let's have something to eat for today, and I'll figure out how to get more food tomorrow."
Wei Fanghui nodded, took the cloth bag, and began to distribute the steamed buns. There weren't many, only eight, just enough for one person each.
This kind of cornbread isn't even enough to fill a small child's stomach, let alone adults and teenagers. It's not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
When the prize was offered to Wei Fangxing and his two sons, all three refused.
"I'm not hungry, you can give it to Wenshu and Wenqi."
"Yes, Uncle, we're not hungry either. You can give it to Auntie."
The three of them said they weren't hungry, but their stomachs started growling inappropriately.
"Brothers, take these, one for each of you, no need to pass them around."
They knew the three of them felt guilty, but it really wasn't their fault.
The father and his two sons tried to refuse, but Old Master Wei spoke up and they gave up.
"Dad, second son, I think the brigade leader and Comrade Lu who picked us up are both upright people. Even though Jia's wife was making such a fuss, they only threatened her verbally and didn't actually lay a hand on her. It seems we won't have to suffer any physical pain in the future."
This is the best state we've achieved.
The problem is that the locals might take it too seriously and send them out for "ideological education" every few days. The men can handle it, but the second son's wife and niece can't stand it.
Besides, my father is getting old. This time, his mother passed away, which was a huge blow to him. His hair turned quite a bit white, and he looked 10 years older.
As long as their personal safety is guaranteed, they can work with peace of mind to earn food, and their families will not starve to death.
Grandpa Wei nodded slightly. "They do seem to be upright, but they don't seem to be soft-hearted people either. Those words weren't just threats; they probably really mean what they say."
The others nodded in agreement.
Grandpa Wei continued to advise, "Since we're new here, we must be careful in everything we do and try to keep a low profile."
"Don't worry, Grandpa, we will," Wei Wenbo said.
This family was unaware that Yu Yu was secretly helping them. After they were reported, everyone avoided them like the plague, and anyone who got involved with them was doomed.
Even Yu Yuneng didn't dare to openly provide relief; he could only do it secretly.
However, when Wei Fangxing thought about the people he had seen before, he had a certain guess in his mind. He was afraid that his family was able to be sent down to this place because of the help of an old classmate.
He lowered his voice, "Dad, Second Brother, did you see that kid from the Yu family just now?"
The two nodded in unison.
Grandpa Wei said, "I wasn't sure it was him before, but now that you've asked, I'm sure it is."
Wei Fanghui asked, "Big brother, is the Yu family secretly helping us?"
"I'm not sure either, but judging from the way that kid from the Yu family acted before, he probably wanted to let us know. He probably already knew we were coming."
Wei Wenhao suddenly realized, "So he wanted to greet us. I thought he was calling out to Comrade Lu."
Thinking that he had just uttered the word "Wei" before being pulled away by Comrade Lu, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Old Master Wei's eyes.
"Eldest and second eldest, I suspect the Yu family not only spoke to their sons about us, but probably also told Comrade Lu something."
"Dad, what do you mean by that?" Wei Fanghui asked, puzzled.
Old Master Wei said, "Think about it, why did Comrade Lu cover the mouth of the Yu family boy and pull him away as soon as he made a sound?"
"Dad, are you saying that Comrade Lu knew he was calling us, knew that he knew us, but there were other people present at the time, and you didn't want him to reveal that he knew us? So, the Yu family really did say something to Comrade Lu?"
Grandpa Wei nodded, "That's probably true."
They looked at each other, and suddenly felt more confident to survive, and their hearts were at ease.
"The Yu family is a good family. This kindness is rare and we should remember it. If we have the opportunity in the future, we should repay them."
"Yes, Grandpa!"
"Yes, Dad!"
Everyone readily agreed.
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