As I passed the village entrance, a group of women and children sat around a large locust tree. The adults were laughing and joking, their bodies occasionally leaning forward or backward.
The child squatted on the ground playing with stones. When he wasn't done playing, he shoved his friend next to him and pouted angrily.
Tian Da pulled his truck full of goods into the village entrance, quickly attracting people's attention. Children who wanted to join the fun rushed forward to watch.
Pairs of sneaky hands reached into the goods from where Tian Da couldn't see, trying to pull some out.
Unexpectedly, they were caught red-handed by Tian Sangui, who was sitting in the back of the car. They originally thought that there was only Tian Da, and were not prepared for Tian Sangui to be behind them.
Just one glance at her sent shivers down his spine, and he quickly withdrew his wandering hands, obediently moving away from them.
Everyone has witnessed Tian Sangui's ruthlessness; even newborn babies are told by adults not to mess with Tian Sifang's daughter.
A truckload of cabbages was secretly protected and brought home.
As the carriage drove away, the people under the locust tree began to discuss it amongst themselves.
"I've never heard of Tian Laosi's family becoming wealthy. How come they're buying so much stuff and even using a donkey cart?"
"I heard that Tian Laosi just received his monthly allowance a few days ago. When they divided the family property, Granny Yun didn't give them a single penny, not even a single tool or utensils. Judging from their condition, I reckon they've spent most of their monthly allowance, and they'll probably have to borrow rice to cook next!"
An old woman patted her back and shook her head with a sigh.
"Borrow rice? Pshaw, I won't give it to them. They deserve to starve. They gave birth to such a jinx, offending everyone in the village. Even if my family had extra grain, I'd just throw it on the ground to feed the chickens rather than lend it to them."
The woman carrying the baby got more and more excited as she talked, and finally shouted at the top of her lungs, as if she was afraid that Tian Sangui, who had gone far away, would not hear her.
"Hmph, what good can that shameless Zhang woman produce? It's only because Granny Yun has a good temper that she tolerates that woman who's practically throwing herself at me. I will never let her into my house, and I will never let her have an easy time."
“Zhang Gui, you’re the same age as Zhang Shi, but she’s already a mother of five, while you’re practically an old maid. Aren’t you worried at all?”
"Pah! I could never be as shameless as her. I'd rather not marry her or be that cheapskate who throws himself at her."
"Hahaha, are you so angry because you're still upset that Tian Laosi didn't like you, and that's why you're deliberately chasing after Zhang to curse her?"
"I can't be bothered to argue with you, hmph!"
Zhang Gui blushed deeply and quickly turned away.
As soon as Tian Sangui entered the courtyard, Zhang came out of the main room, followed by a woman in a black cotton-padded jacket and trousers with a floral pattern. She smiled broadly as soon as she saw Tian Sangui.
"San Gui, Tian Da, quickly call your aunt!"
"Auntie!"
The two shouted in unison.
"Hey, San Gui is back! Tian Da is becoming more and more like an adult!"
"My aunt is praising me!"
Feeling embarrassed by the praise, Tian Da ran to the back of the car to keep himself busy.
Wu followed Zhang over and, seeing the cart full of cabbages, couldn't help but feel curious.
"Where did you buy so many cabbages? They're growing so beautifully!"
Mrs. Wu held one in her hand; it felt heavy and delightful.
"San Gui, you bought so much. Our family can't eat it all in a short time. It would be a waste if it spoiled. Let's take some back and return it to the vendor tomorrow."
After hearing this, Tian Sangui smiled and shook his head.
"Mother, Aunt, these vegetables are very useful. I'm afraid this amount won't be enough. Maybe I'll have to buy another cartload tomorrow."
Take advantage of the downtime to prepare more, in case the market is good but you don't have any stock, wouldn't you suffer a loss?
“This…” Zhang and Wu exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.
"Let's not talk about that now. Mom, help me unload the things. I'll cook something delicious for Aunt at noon."
Upon hearing this, Wu's eyes lit up. Zhang was right after all; San Gui had finally grown up and learned to behave properly.
"That's great! Auntie won't just take advantage of you; I'll help too!"
Amidst their laughter and conversation, a large truckload of cabbages was quickly unloaded.
Zhang brought over a basket and a newly bought machete and handed them to Tian Da: "Your uncle is busy on the back mountain, repairing the east and west side rooms for us. Tian Er is helping out. Go and greet him!"
When her older brother arrived and saw the collapsed house where his sister lived, his heart ached terribly. He put down the gifts he was carrying, picked up the basket under the eaves, and went to the back mountain.
Although he was her own brother, she had been married for many years, and her brother was now a guest of her family. How could she let a guest do chores? So Zhang was worried and sent Tian Da along to check on things.
"You're family, why are you being so polite? Now that we know you've separated from the family, your brother and I dared to come and see you. We brought you some blankets and coarse cloth, which you never managed to get your hands on before, so we stopped bringing anything. Now it's better, even though the house is small, at least we feel more at ease!"
Knowing what Zhang was thinking, Wu pulled her aside to talk.
Tian Sangui listened carefully and kept it in mind. His uncle's family was of good character, and he finally had a decent relative.
"How's business today?" Zhang asked, helping to move the pig intestines. She no longer cared about their stench.
"A great start! Everything's sold out! I bought a lot more materials today, and I'll prepare even more for tomorrow. You don't know, my brother and I sold out a long time ago, but there are still many students who didn't get any. I promised them they'd get some tomorrow, and I can't go back on my word, can I?"
"Wow, I never knew my San Gui was such a good businessman!"
Zhang smiled as she watched Wu follow her into the kitchen.
"That makes sense. This afternoon, Auntie will be at San Gui's beck and call. Just tell me what you need to do!"
She was happy when Zhang was doing well. In the past, she was always unhappy when she saw that Zhang was doing badly. She wanted to fight with Yun many times, but Zhang Qiang stopped her each time.
Because every time they came, Zhang's life became even more difficult, and her children suffered along with them. Later, she could only curse Tian Laosi in her heart, but dared not visit again.
"Since my aunt has spoken, I won't hold back!"
With more help, she found joy in what she saw and heard.
Ms. Wu was very straightforward and didn't hesitate at all; she acted immediately after making a decision.
Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, whetting the appetite.
People from the back mountain returned one after another. After greeting his tall, dark-skinned uncle, Tian Sangui went back into the kitchen to work.
Upon seeing Tian Sangui, Zhang Qiang, whose face had been tense, finally relaxed and smiled. Smelling the aroma of oil and salt, he happily fiddled with the dry grass in his hands.
Tian Da squatted down to help straighten it, while Tian Er was thinking about the donkey calf, feeding it fresh grass and smoothing its fur.
The little ones smelled the enticing aroma and leaned against the kitchen door frame, playing with their fingers.
Time flew by, and Tian Laosi returned from work. His body, which had never felt hungry before, started rumbling as soon as he entered the yard. He went to the kitchen, chatted and laughed with his wife, children, and sister-in-law for a bit, then scooped up some spring water into a wooden basin and washed his face thoroughly.
Zhang Qiang approached his brother-in-law, intending to help, but the smile on his face vanished the moment he saw Tian Laosi.
This man is the one who caused her sister and children to suffer. It's already a courtesy not to greet him; it's no wonder she wouldn't give him a friendly look.
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