Finally, Old Lady Yu and Wang Ergou were tied up and locked in the ancestral hall, to be sent to the police station first thing the next morning.
"Sister Shen, let me stay and keep you company!"
Wang Xiumei was still worried about Shen Nanchu.
"If you have the spare time to meddle in other people's affairs, then you can handle all the household chores for the next few days."
Wang Xiumei’s grandfather shot her a glare before turning and walking away.
Her parents wanted to say something but held back.
Shen Nanchu playfully winked at Wang Xiumei.
"Sister Shen, don’t worry, I can manage."
How could she not manage?
Standing nearby, Wang Jianguo couldn’t help but shudder at the memory of Wang Ergou’s face swollen like a pig’s head.
In the end, Wang Xiumei followed her parents back home.
Yu Lanhua watched the family of three leave and sighed.
"The Wang Dazhi family is hardworking, what a pity..."
A pity?
A pity they hadn’t split from the family, a pity they were stuck with two biased old folks, and a pity they had to deal with a lazy uncle’s family!
Wang Dazhi, Wang Xiumei’s father, was the third son in the family—neither the eldest nor the youngest, neither favored by his father nor doted on by his mother.
After giving birth to Wang Xiumei, her mother, Sun Fang, had never conceived again.
Without a son to rely on, in the countryside, Wang Dazhi couldn’t even hold his head high.
On top of that, news had spread through the village that Shen Nanchu was looking for help to repair her house.
Wang Daming and Wang Daqiang hadn’t been chosen by the village chief, but Wang Dazhi had lucked into the job of making furniture. The old couple assumed Shen Nanchu had done it on purpose.
That’s why they now looked at Shen Nanchu with disdain, finding fault with everything about her.
Shen Nanchu thought she might find a chance to persuade Wang Xiumei’s parents to split from the family.
(｀∇´)ψ
Right, she could even get Auntie Lanhua involved!
She’d be a great ally.
……
The night passed peacefully.
When Shen Nanchu woke up, it was already nine in the morning.
Luckily, there was no work in the fields today.
Truth be told, Shen Nanchu had arrived in Wang Family Village at the perfect time—right after spring planting. The village’s farmland was pitifully small, just a patch around the settlement, and the weeding had already been done.
Now, they were just waiting for fertilizer before heading up the mountain to plant corn.
When Shen Nanchu stepped out of her room, she found the courtyard bustling with villagers hard at work.
Wang Jianguo wasn’t there, but Yu Lanhua had brought her two sons, Wang Weichuan and Wang Weidong, to help repair Shen Nanchu’s house.
Yu Lanhua had reminded everyone to keep the noise down.
The villagers understood perfectly.
After what had happened the night before, they all knew.
While they sympathized with Shen Nanchu, they also didn’t dare offend her lightly.
Hadn’t they seen Wang Ergou and Old Lady Yu being hauled off to the police station that morning?
Wang Jianguo worked with remarkable efficiency—not only had he arranged for villagers to come repair the house early, but he’d also arranged for tiles and lumber to be delivered.
Wang Dazhi had arrived first thing in the morning and was now sawing wood in the main room to make furniture.
When Yu Lanhua saw Shen Nanchu was awake, she paused her work.
"Comrade Shen, did they disturb your sleep?"
"Not at all, I slept very well."
Reassured, Yu Lanhua handed her a basket.
"Comrade Shen, there are a few steamed buns and a boiled egg inside. Eat them while they’re still warm."
"Thank you, Auntie."
Shen Nanchu really appreciated Yu Lanhua’s thoughtfulness.
Yu Lanhua, in turn, admired Shen Nanchu’s generosity.
With both her sons working here, they’d earn sixty cents a day—almost enough to buy a pound of pork!
Besides, wasn’t repairing a house much easier than laboring in the fields?
As for the coarse grain buns and eggs, they were just homegrown food—hardly worth anything.
Yu Lanhua knew the math well—her family was clearly coming out ahead. And if she built a good relationship with Comrade Shen, wouldn’t there be more opportunities to earn money in the future?
By the time Shen Nanchu finished breakfast, Wang Xiumei and her mother, Sun Fang, hurried over.
"Sister Shen, sorry we’re late."
"It’s fine, I just woke up too."
Shen Nanchu’s words only made Wang Xiumei and Sun Fang feel even more embarrassed.
"I’ll go help my dad now."
Wang Dazhi couldn’t possibly finish all the furniture alone in such a short time, so he’d decided to bring his wife and daughter along to assist.
Seeing the sweat on Wang Xiumei’s forehead, Yu Lanhua couldn’t help but grumble.
"Xiumei, don’t tell me your grandparents really made you finish all the housework before letting you leave?"
Wang Xiumei didn’t answer, only offering a bitter smile—which was as good as confirmation.
"Those old folks are biased right down to their armpits!" Yu Lanhua went on. "You’re working your fingers to the bone here, but in the end, all your hard-earned money will just line someone else’s pockets."
Shen Nanchu shrugged casually.
"Then just split from the family. Even brothers should settle accounts clearly."
"Supporting your parents is filial duty, but supporting your siblings is just a joke."
"You can’t even lift yourself out of poverty, yet you’re thinking about lifting others?"
The words were blunt, but the reasoning was sound.
Wang Xiumei fell silent. She wanted to split from the family too.
But when she glanced at Sun Fang, who was equally quiet, she lowered her head helplessly.
A pained look flashed in Sun Fang’s eyes.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to split—but she hadn’t borne a son!
If they separated, once Xiumei married, who would she have to rely on in her own family?
Shen Nanchu didn’t expect a few words to sway Wang Xiumei’s parents.
She had planted a seed—when it would take root and sprout depended on time.
But ironically, the one who should have listened hadn’t, while the one who shouldn’t have, had.
Yu Lanhua was silent for a moment.
"Nanchu, do you really think it’s good for a big family to split up?"
"Why wouldn’t it be?"
Instead of answering, Shen Nanchu tossed the question back.
Yu Lanhua thought for a moment. "Wouldn’t the family fall apart?"
"And besides the family falling apart, what else is bad about it?"
Yu Lanhua pondered—there really didn’t seem to be any other downsides.
Shen Nanchu began selling Yu Lanhua on the benefits of splitting up.
"If you had a hundred yuan, which son would you give it to?"
"I have three sons—thirty each, and ten for me and my husband." That was Yu Lanhua’s idea of fairness.
"No, wrong." Shen Nanchu shook her head. "If you split up, that hundred yuan is all yours."
Yu Lanhua found that somewhat convincing.
Shen Nanchu pressed on.
"That hundred yuan could buy nearly two hundred pounds of pork."
"You could fry it, stew it, braise it, even eat it like rice if you wanted."
Yu Lanhua nearly drooled—it had been so long since she’d tasted fresh pork.
Still, she hesitated.
"But what if my children don’t have money?"
Shen Nanchu looked at her in disbelief.
"Auntie Lanhua, if a woman in her forties like you can earn a hundred yuan, how could your sons in their twenties not manage it?"
"That’d just be pathetic!"
Yu Lanhua had to admit she had a point.
With hands and feet, if she could earn a hundred yuan, why couldn’t her young sons?
Meanwhile, Wang Weichuan and Wang Weidong, who had been eavesdropping, were now sweating bullets.
Wang Weichuan: Mom, don’t fall for it—you can’t earn a hundred yuan!
Wang Weidong: Mom, don’t abandon us—my wife and I won’t slack off anymore!
……
