Chapter 141 The Fan Family Was Not a Poor Peasant Family
As a soldier, He Xu would naturally not allow the descendants of a martyr to go astray.
If the child is really a martyr's family member and is living such a difficult life, how could the government stand idly by?
He and Shen Tang drove the car to an alley and stopped. The child and Yang Chengdu lived in a courtyard house. There were many people watching. Yang Cheng explained that they were relatives of the child, and everyone made way.
The child's surname was Fan, and his single name was Yang. The family of three only occupied one ear room in the courtyard.
The elderly Grandma Fan has poor eyesight and usually sits at the door with her three-year-old granddaughter to make matchboxes and sell them to make a living.
When she heard that Fan Yang had returned, Grandma Fan's wrinkled face broke into a smile. However, when she saw He Xu walking in, her face froze and she almost fell down.
She subconsciously thought that someone was here to settle the score.
Before Fan Yang could speak, Grandma Fan anxiously pulled him back and said in a trembling voice, "If you have any problem, just come to me, an old woman. Don't hurt my grandson. He doesn't know anything."
He Xu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the old lady who was so old that she could hardly stand with sharp eagle eyes.
Fan Yang hurriedly whispered to the old lady behind him: "Grandma, I got into trouble, not that incident."
Grandma Fan's brows relaxed slightly, and she rubbed the corner of her clothes nervously, probably because her overly intense attitude just now made her feel guilty and unable to control herself, and at this moment she didn't know what to say.
Yang Cheng smiled and broke the tense atmosphere: "Aunt Fan, please let the guests come in and have a seat first. Your Xiaoyang stole someone's money. They heard that Xiaoyang was a family member of a martyr, so they wanted to come here to understand the situation."
When Grandma Fan heard that Xiaoyang had stolen money, her cloudy eyes widened and she looked at the guilty child with anger: "Did you really steal money?"
Fan Yang didn't dare to tell the truth, nor did he dare to lie. He avoided the old man's gaze and stammered as he tried to explain himself, but he didn't expect that the next moment, the old man slapped him in the face.
Grandma Fan was so angry that her hands were shaking when she hit him, and her eyes were full of regret: "Yangyang, I told you, even if your sister and I starve to death, you must never steal or rob!
How could you do such a thing? How can your father rest in peace in heaven?"
Fan Yang bit his lips tightly, his eyes slowly filled with hostility.
He is ten years old this year. In an era when children had to go to the countryside at the age of fifteen or sixteen, a child like him was already considered half an adult.
His grandmother often taught him to be sensible, patient and kind. But when his grandmother was about to starve to death, no one was willing to lend them a helping hand. When his sister was about to die of illness, no one felt sorry for them!
How could he possibly watch the two people closest to him die tragically just for the sake of his face and education?
Fan Yang didn't want to make his grandmother sad, so he clenched his fists and suppressed the resentment and anger in his heart.
"Hurry up and apologize to them!"
Grandma Fan pressed Fan Yang's shoulders and made him kneel down.
When Chen Tang saw the family, young and old, he didn't care about the child stealing money.
Seeing the child about to kneel down in anger, she stepped forward to stop him: "Okay, Grandma Fan, the child is still young, it's okay as long as he knows he is wrong."
Grandma Fan didn't insist on forcing her grandson to kneel down. When she heard that Chen Tang didn't care, she quickly smiled ingratiatingly and asked the two to go into the house and sit down.
The wing room is quite bright, much better than the back room which doesn't even have a window.
It was the first time for the three-year-old girl to see so many strangers. She hid behind the door and only dared to stick her head out to watch.
She had a big head and a small body, and it was obvious that she had been hungry for a long time. She had a thin and pale face without any flesh, and her hair was dry and yellow.
After Chen Tang found out, he took out two White Rabbit candies from his pocket and put them in her hand.
The little girl blinked, looked at her, then looked at the candy in her hand, with a confused look on her face.
Grandma Fan didn't have any extra porcelain cups at home, so she could only use two clean bowls to pour water for the two of them.
He Xu and Shen Tang took it but didn't drink it, and the same went for Yang Cheng next to them.
Shen Tang glanced at him in surprise.
There was not much in Fan Yang's house. The floor was swept clean. A few blackened wooden boxes and a yellowed bed looked a bit shabby, but it was actually normal in that era.
He Xu didn't drink it because he never drank anything of unknown origin, especially this Grandma Fan who was obviously hiding a secret.
As for Chen Tang, she has to breastfeed, so she is extra careful about what she puts into her mouth.
How could Yang Cheng, who also lives in a courtyard house and even lives in a dark back room, be so obsessed with cleanliness?
"You two, I'm really sorry. My child is immature. I will definitely educate him well in the future."
Grandma Fan tucked her hands together, her face full of flattering. She was wearing a slightly blackened headscarf and her face was full of wrinkles. One could tell at a glance that she had a hard life when she was young.
He Xu directly asked about the purpose of their visit to Fan Yang's home: "I heard from Yang Cheng that you are the family of a martyr. Most families of martyrs receive pensions and subsidies. If your family is in financial difficulty, you can seek help from the government department responsible for veterans' affairs."
Grandma Fan waved her hands quickly: "It's not difficult, we don't have any difficulties..."
"grandmother!"
Fan Yang pursed his lips tightly as he thought about what she was going to say, his pair of dark eyes full of stubbornness: "Why can't I go? My father died to save them, and they all said they were willing to help us..."
"Shut up." Grandma Fan tried her best to stop him from speaking, staring at him with her cloudy white eyes: "I said, we don't need help!"
Fan Yang clenched his fists, endured it again and again, gritted his teeth and turned his head away.
He Xu and Shen Tang looked at each other, perhaps there was something hidden behind this.
"In that case, we'll take our leave first."
Seeing how resistant Grandma Fan was, He Xu knew that this matter probably couldn't be easily resolved.
He planned to go back and investigate to find out what had happened that caused an old lady to prefer starving her entire family to death rather than accept government subsidies.
Chen Tang took out a bag of bread and the two cans of yellow peaches from his bag and put them on the table: "Give that little girl some nourishment."
Grandma Fan’s expression eased slightly, and she thanked Chen Tang.
Yang Cheng sent Chen Tang and He Xu out of the courtyard, looking at the people coming and going around, and mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally: "Grandma Fan is a very cautious person, and her family education is very strict, don't take it to heart."
He Xu: "You seem to know a lot about the Fan family?"
The smile on Yang Cheng's face paused, and he explained, "I just took over the job of one of my aunts. When she and her uncle moved away, they told me about Grandma Fan's house."
"I heard that the Fan family was not a poor peasant family before."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
