Chapter 41: God's Turn

Zhulan finally understood and came to terms with it, smiling, "I'm fine."

At noon, the Zhou family made cabbage stewed with tofu and pork stewed with potatoes. They kept some at home and sent the rest to the fields for the workers to eat.

The four people Zhou Laoer found were all honest people. They worked hard all day and pulled most of the dried rice back and piled it neatly. They would husk it all together after the harvest.

At dinner time in the evening, the Wang family was in turmoil. The wailing cries could be heard throughout half the village. Zhulan could hardly eat anymore and felt resentful in her heart, thinking that this child was destined not to be born.

Zhou Shuren kept his eyes on Zhulan. It wasn’t that he was cold-blooded, but they didn’t want to help anyone. This was a problem from their original family.

Dinner ended hastily, and the crying of the Wang family stopped. Zhulan slept very uneasily at night. Zhou Shuren kept paying attention to her. Finally, he pulled her tightly into his arms and patted her gently. Only then did Zhulan feel at ease. Zhou Shuren chuckled and closed his eyes.

The next morning, Zhulan woke up and didn't see Zhou Shuren. She was stunned for a moment before she remembered to go and check the condoms. After washing up, Zhou Shuren came back with his four sons, looking very happy.

The old son Zhou Changzhi shouted, "Mom, Dad has caught pheasants. There are five pheasants and a rabbit."

Zhulan rarely saw Changzhi so lively, like a little adult. She also saw pheasants, two males, three females, and a fat gray rabbit. "Are pheasants so easy to catch? Five in one night?"

Zhou Shuren explained, "Pheasants are easily trapped because they don't notice the danger in the rice fields these days. They may not be trapped tonight."

Boss Zhou was very sorry, "Some condoms were taken away, otherwise there would be more."

The third son, Zhou Changlian, was growing up and thinking about food. "Mom, let's stew two pheasants tonight so we can have enough to eat."

Zhulan was very happy. The pheasants didn't cost any money. She smiled and said, "We've killed all the pheasants. We'll keep the rabbits first and bring them to your grandpa's house later."

Boss Zhou's heart was shaking with grief, "Mom, five are too many."

Zhulan stretched out her hand to weigh the pheasant, and then touched it. It was fat, but not as big as a domestic chicken. There was not much meat on the pheasant. "Not much. Just eat enough today as Changlian said, and gain some weight in the fall."

Zhou Changlian straightened his back. He was now able to offer his opinions and felt that he was valued. "Thank you, mother."

Zhulan laughed. After all, children want to be valued.

After breakfast, the three workers arrived. The food at Zhulan's house was good. When they entered the yard, they called Zhulan "Auntie" enthusiastically, thanking her for adding meat to the dishes. Zhulan heard from the second brother that they only ate half of the lunch and took the rest home. They were all poor.

One person, Wang Laosi, was missing. The news of the Wang family's bustle had spread throughout the village. The other three were just thinking about introducing their family members when Wang Laosi arrived.

Zhulan was surprised, but she still asked politely, "Is your wife okay?"

Wang Laosi didn't sleep well that night, and was still very worried. "I have to thank my uncle and aunt for saving the baby."

Zhulan was puzzled. "Why are you thanking us? We didn't help at all."

Wang Laosi said gratefully, "I worked at my aunt's house these few days and saved a dozen coins to buy medicine to preserve the pregnancy, so the baby was saved."

Wang Laosi was filled with resentment. Yesterday his mother refused to take the money and thought the child was lost. Fortunately, he was unwilling to accept this and had some money in his hands, otherwise the child would really be gone.

Zhulan was a little dazed. There was actually such a sudden turn of events. "It's a good thing that the child was saved. You two should be more careful."

After a pause, he finally followed his heart and said, "Your family has a lot of land, and the girls have lost a lot of money. After all, they are your children, so you should feel sorry for them."

Especially the eldest daughters do the most work, and the teenage children act like they are less than ten years old.

Wang Laosi was filled with hatred. He hated his mother and the brothers who had said those sarcastic things to him. "Today, the girls are not working. The brothers in the fields are doing it."

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren looked at each other. Wang Laosi had changed, and they didn’t know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.