The Pei household.
Pei's Mother and Grandma Pei finally saw Shen Nanchu returning in the twilight, and only then did the heavy stone in their hearts fall away.
As soon as Pei Zhengnian got home, he received two scornful looks from Pei's Mother and Grandma Pei.
"You reckless boy! How could you take your wife with you, messing around in the back hills in the dead of night?"
"How old are you? How can you still be so rash?"
"It's pitch black out there! What if she had tripped, bumped into something, or taken a fall?"
Shen Nanchu shot Pei Zhengnian a gleeful look.
"Mom, Grandma, you're absolutely right."
"When you're not around, this Comrade Pei's courage really swells."
"He just needs you to teach him a lesson."
Pei's Mother and Grandma Pei nodded in agreement.
"Chu girl, you're right."
"In a bit, Granny will help you teach him a lesson."
Shen Nanchu flashed Pei Zhengnian a cheeky grin.
Her mouth moved soundlessly.
It's better for one person to get scolded than for two.
The corner of Pei Zhengnian's mouth twitched.
Xiong Lei and Sun Xuelin, standing behind him, lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Seeing that Shen Nanchu looked rosy-cheeked and showed no signs of fatigue, Pei's Mother and Grandma Pei finally felt reassured.
Grandma Pei glared at Pei Zhengnian.
"Well? Aren't you going to go boil a couple of eggs for Chu girl to build up her strength?"
"Yes."
Pei Zhengnian didn't argue and immediately hurried into the kitchen.
...
The next day at dawn,
after breakfast, Shen Nanchu headed straight for the east end of the village. That was where the Wang Family Village rabbit shed was located.
The rabbit shed was already bustling. Aunt Liu was leading a few caretakers in adding fresh hay for the Angora rabbits.
The rabbits, their long ears perked up, hopped about in their cages, their long fur fluffy and soft like clouds.
"Comrade Shen, you're here!"
Aunt Liu greeted her with a smile, holding a bunch of fresh, tender green alfalfa,
"Look at these rabbits, full of energy! Su Jianzhou said yesterday that one of the does seems to be pregnant!"
Shen Nanchu leaned closer to the cage for a careful look. Sure enough, one doe had a slightly rounded belly and was curled up dozing in a corner, her fur shining brightly.
"Excellent! Tell Su Jianzhou to keep a special eye on her, make sure the other rabbits don't bully her."
After giving these instructions, Shen Nanchu checked the hygiene of the shed. Seeing the feeders had no leftover food and the droppings had been cleaned up thoroughly, she was very satisfied.
"Everyone is being very attentive. If we keep raising them like this, we're sure to get a good shearing of high-quality wool by year's end."
Leaving the rabbit shed and heading towards the oil-tea camellia seed workshop, she could hear the rushing sound of water from afar.
Several large waterwheels were turning.
Outside the newly built workshop, several villagers were drying tea seeds.
Inside the workshop, the villagers were busy at work.
Zheng Tongwei, wearing a clean blue cloth jacket with his sleeves neatly rolled up, was taking notes in a small notebook.
Shen Nanchu stood at the entrance, not wanting to disturb them.
The rabbit industry and the oil-tea camellia seed workshop were the hopes of Wang Family Village. It seemed they were indeed gradually getting on the right track.
Next, she needed to think about sales channels.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Although Zheng Tongwei had found some sales leads, she still had to think of more ways to find additional ones.
After all, no one ever complains about having too much money, right?
Shen Nanchu was lost in these thoughts when Zheng Tongwei turned around and saw her.
"Nanchu, you're here?"
"I was just about to go look for you in a bit!"
"Here are the work records for the two workshops over the past few days. Take a look."
He handed over the notebook he carried with him. The writing inside was neat and tidy, recording everything that had happened during the days she was away from Wang Family Village. Pei Zhengnian had noted it all down.
Shen Nanchu flipped through the notebook, her eyes shining.
She knew asking Zheng Tongwei to be her assistant was an absolutely brilliant decision.
"Very good. Keep up the good work."
Shen Nanchu returned the notebook to Zheng Tongwei, very satisfied with his work performance during this period.
"By the way, where's Village Head Wang? He's usually made his rounds by this time."
On her way here, she hadn't caught sight of Wang Jianguo at all.
Mentioning Wang Jianguo, Zheng Tongwei's expression turned a bit subtle, a hint of suppressed amusement at the corner of his mouth.
"Village Head Wang's house is on fire. He can't come."
"On fire?"
Shen Nanchu frowned. How come she hadn't seen anything?
"Is it serious? Is everyone alright?"
"Not a real fire. There's a ruckus at home."
Zheng Tongwei explained,
"His father, Old Man Wang, has returned from the capital. He found out Village Head Wang split the household to live separately, and they quarreled half the night. Slamming tables, shouting... I heard they even smashed the water vat in the yard. Village Head Wang has a headache over it."
Shen Nanchu suddenly understood, then grew curious.
"Old Master Wang is back? Wasn't he in the capital? I remember hearing the village head say when I first arrived that his father had gone to stay with his daughter in the capital."
"Said he missed home and came back specifically."
Zheng Tongwei shrugged helplessly.
"This Old Master Wang has a stubborn temper. He thinks his son splitting the household is unfilial, so he's giving Village Head Wang a hard time."
"Just now when I passed by their house, I could still hear arguing. Probably haven't even had breakfast yet."
After a moment's thought, Zheng Tongwei lowered his voice further.
"I heard Old Master Wang even gave the village head a beating yesterday!"
Shen Nanchu was stunned.
Is Old Master Wang that fierce?
Shen Nanchu thought about it. Wang Jianguo always took village affairs seriously. If he wasn't here today, Old Man Wang must have him pinned down.
"Then I'll go take a look. We shouldn't let the old man and his son really fall out. The village workshops have just started and need the village head's attention."
Shen Nanchu firmly refused to admit she just wanted to see the drama.
Zheng Tongwei nodded.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
Shen Nanchu glanced at Zheng Tongwei.
The two shared a knowing smile.
Everyone wanted to see the commotion.
...
From a distance, they could already hear a vigorous, loud stream of curses coming from Wang Jianguo's courtyard, mixed with the sharp sound of breaking porcelain.
It startled an old hen at the gate, making it flutter its wings and run off clucking.
Shen Nanchu pushed open the slightly ajar courtyard gate and saw a scene of chaos inside.
A coarse porcelain bowl lay shattered in pieces on the ground, rice porridge spilled everywhere. Yu Lanhua stood nearby, her eyes red.
Wang Jianguo stood red-faced at the doorway of the main room, veins bulging on his neck, yet he didn't dare talk back.
Wang Weichuan, Wang Weidong, and their wives were nowhere to be seen; they were probably hiding inside their rooms watching quietly.
In the main room, an old man in a somewhat worn navy blue jacket was pacing back and forth with a long tobacco pipe, his grayish-white beard bristling. This was Wang Jianguo's father, Old Man Wang.
He paced and cursed,
"You ungrateful wretch! I was away in the capital for a few months, and you took the chance to split the household while I wasn't home!"
"Your old man is still alive, and you, you little brat, made this decision on your own? I'll beat this unfilial son to death!"
As he spoke, he raised the tobacco pipe to strike. Wang Jianguo stiffened his neck, not dodging. Yu Lanhua, terrified, quickly tried to intervene.
"Father! Please don't hit Jianguo! Splitting the household was my idea, it has nothing to do with Jianguo!"
"What does a woman know about such things!"
Old Man Wang glared at Yu Lanhua.
"He's the man of the house, he makes the decisions. If he hadn't agreed, could you have split it?"
"I'm telling you, Wang Jianguo, today you either bring this family back together, or you get out of Wang Family Village! I have no son like you!"
"Father! Splitting up was to live a better life!"
Wang Jianguo finally couldn't hold back and spoke up, his voice urgent and hoarse,
"I don't care! Our Wang family should have three generations living in one courtyard, eating from the same pot!"
Old Man Wang huffed and puffed, his beard bristling.
Shen Nanchu stood at the courtyard gate watching for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft "pfft" of laughter.
This person looked so familiar!
Wasn't he the old man she had met on the train when she first came to Wang Family Village?
What a small world!
