Old Master Xiao lowered his voice to a whisper and said to Xiao Siyuan, “Quickly, hide the things in the pit I dug earlier.”
Xiao Siyuan understood at once. He swiftly lifted a loose adobe brick beside the kang, revealing a small pit about half a foot deep beneath it. Old Master Xiao had had the foresight to dig it specifically for hiding medicinal herbs and valuables. Xiao Siyuan worked quickly, stuffing everything inside before covering it with dirt and bits of straw. The entire process took less than a minute.
Xiao Mandong truly admired her grandfather. His thoughts were always so meticulous.
After a brief silence outside the door, a hoarse, aged voice spoke in a hushed tone.
“It’s me, Big Brother.”
Only after hearing the voice did Xiao Jingping relax. He gave Xiao Mandong a reassuring look.
Besides the Xiao family, two other families lived in the cowshed.
One of them was Old Chen, who had brought along his young granddaughter. The grandfather and granddaughter depended on each other for survival. When they had first arrived, Old Chen had been so disheveled that his features were barely visible. He was also a man of few words, while the child was so thin she looked as though she had nothing but skin and bones. They were a pitiful sight.
Then, during the bitter winter cold last year, Old Chen had still been wearing only a single layer of clothing. He eventually fell ill with chills and fever, and his granddaughter came crying to ask for help.
Old Master Xiao’s heart softened, so he went to take a look. That was when he recognized Old Chen’s face. He turned out to be an old acquaintance from his youth. The Xiao family secretly gave Old Chen some herbal medicine, pulling him back from the brink of death.
Otherwise, by this year, the grass on Old Chen’s grave would already be waist-high.
The other household consisted of a family of four: a husband and wife, an elderly person, and a child. The child was about six or seven years old. In the more than six months since they had been sent to the cowshed, the family had never spoken to anyone. They seemed quiet, honest, and dutiful.
Just after Xiao Jingping opened the door a crack, Old Chen’s frail body quickly slipped inside. His withered hand immediately pulled the door shut, and his face spread into a fawning smile.
“Big Brother, you’re practically my own brother. I know I’m being a little presumptuous, but just now I saw through the crack in the door that Jingping’s daughter had arrived. Since you’re my own brother, Jingping’s daughter is my own granddaughter too. So no matter what, I had to come and take a look.”
With that, Old Chen took a delicate little box from inside his clothing.
“This is a coming-of-age gift for our granddaughter. It’s a treasure passed down through my family for generations. We can’t show it to anyone right now, but I’m telling you, in a few years, the world will definitely no longer be like this. One day, all these things of mine will see the light of day again.”
As he spoke, the old man held the box out to Xiao Mandong. She did not dare take it and instinctively stepped back, glancing at her grandfather.
Old Master Xiao gave a low snort. “You old bastard, don’t try to scheme against my granddaughter. Say what you really want. What are you up to?”
“Big Brother, we’ve known each other since we were children. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? How can you say I’m scheming? What could I possibly want? Apart from you, I haven’t spoken to anyone else. I’m simply grateful that you saved my life. Your granddaughter is my granddaughter too, so I only came today to give the child a meeting gift.”
Old Master Xiao gave Old Chen a disdainful look. “My grandson is your grandson too. I saved your life, so why haven’t you given him a meeting gift?”
Old Chen was momentarily speechless. “Big Brother, that hurts. We’re living in a place like this. If I gave Siyuan something like this, wouldn’t I be harming him? I’ve hidden everything away properly. Once we leave this place, I’ll divide all my treasures among the children. How does that sound?”
Old Master Xiao sat back down on the kang, his face plainly saying that he did not believe a word of it.
“Stop wasting time. My granddaughter doesn’t get many chances to come here. If you have something to say, say it. If not, go back. We have family matters to discuss.”
“I don’t believe you’d suddenly bring out something valuable and give it away for no reason either. As the saying goes, when someone offers a favor without being asked, they either mean to cheat you or steal from you.”
Old Chen immediately took offense. Without another word, he thrust the box into Xiao Mandong’s hands, then dropped onto the wooden stool by the wall.
“Big Brother, listen to yourself. You’re making me sound like some kind of person. It’s as though I’m an outsider. We’re family, so I won’t beat around the bush. You know I nearly froze to death last winter. Nini’s padded jacket from last year is already too small, and she definitely won’t be able to wear it this year. So I was wondering if our granddaughter could help me buy two used padded jackets for me and Nini. They don’t have to be new—used ones will do. And if she could get us two old quilts as well, that would be even better. Of course...” He paused awkwardly. “I don’t have any money.”
Old Master Xiao was so furious that he pulled off one of his shoes and hurled it at Old Chen. “I’ve lived my whole life and never seen anyone declare so shamelessly that he has no money!”
Old Chen was surprisingly quick. He twisted aside and dodged the shoe. “I may not have money, but I have treasures. You know what I have tucked away. I can trade one of them.”
Old Master Xiao sneered. “Would you really be willing to part with your treasures? Even when those red-armband men came and dealt with you so harshly, you still refused to hand them over.”
A chill instantly entered Old Chen’s eyes. “Unless I’m willing to give them away myself, they’ll never get their hands on my things—even if I die.”
Old Master Xiao understood Old Chen’s predicament. If they still had no quilts this winter, the grandfather and granddaughter might truly not survive it.
When all was said and done, although he had saved Old Chen’s life, he also owed the Chen family a debt. Back then, he had almost become Chen Min’s husband. The two families had already arranged their engagement, but then disaster suddenly struck the Chen family. In order not to drag the Xiao family down with them, Chen Min—Old Chen’s sister and Old Master Xiao’s fiancée—had taken the initiative to break off the engagement.
After the Chen family fell into ruin, he had searched everywhere for news of Chen Min, but found nothing.
It was not until he encountered Old Chen again that he learned what had happened to her. After breaking off the engagement, Chen Min’s reputation had already suffered. With the Chen family in trouble, many people had taken advantage of their misfortune.
His sister had been forced to marry a widower, who turned out to be a terrible man. He was always beating Chen Min. Even after she became pregnant, he continued to strike and curse her. Unwilling to let her child be born into such a family, Chen Min ultimately chose to throw herself into a river.
Whenever he thought of it, Old Master Xiao felt a heavy knot in his chest.
Old Master Xiao glanced at his granddaughter. She was so young, yet already had to help shoulder the burden of the entire family. He could not place any more pressure on her. The debt he owed was his own; he should not make his granddaughter repay it.
Xiao Mandong could tell that her grandfather and Old Chen must have known each other in the past, and that her grandfather wanted to help him. Otherwise, he would have driven him out long ago.
Her grandfather was not the sort to help people blindly. Even when the family had been better off, he had always had his own principles and limits, let alone now.
She knew exactly what her grandfather was worried about: he was afraid of putting her in a difficult position.
Old Master Xiao’s expression darkened as he waved Old Chen away. “Go. My granddaughter can’t help you with this. Don’t set your sights on her. Don’t you know how difficult it is for a young girl to be out there on her own?”
