The children were on summer vacation, and they were absolutely ecstatic.
Since the holiday began, they had been even busier than during school. Every day, they would grab their little nets and go out to catch cicadas. The kids thought they were being sneaky, but their parents were already well aware. However, they didn’t expose the children’s little secret.
After all, every child deserves their own “little secrets.” Everyone was like that when they were young.
The kids had already sold their catches twice, and their confidence was soaring.
Although their parents gave them pocket money, earning money themselves felt completely different. The children’s faces were flushed with excitement.
You see, this was their own hard-earned money.
They were so happy, leaving the house on time every noon.
Morning? Morning was for studying.
The kids didn’t mind the sun either. They braved the scorching heat and gathered outside the gate of the neighboring compound, calling out, “Ye Siyuan!”
The three Ye siblings came running out in a hurry, “Coming, coming!”
Wang Zizhen, watching the children rush like this, said, “Next time, eat earlier so you don’t miss out on playtime.”
The kids grinned happily.
Just as they were about to leave, they saw Erlin’s parents rushing out the door, looking anxious. Yuanyuan, ever the little gossip, asked, “Auntie, where are you going?”
Little Sister Yu, who was already feeling flustered, replied, “I’m going to the train station to pick up a child.”
She didn’t have time to explain further and hurried onto the bus. Yuanyuan wondered aloud, “Is Auntie Yu going to pick up Erlin’s sister?”
She whispered to her friends, who shook their heads. No one really knew. Tuantuan chimed in, “Probably. They don’t have any other kids, do they?”
Yuanyuan was puzzled, “Is the child coming alone on the train?”
The group fell silent for a moment before someone said, “Probably not.”
“Kids can’t travel alone.”
“Right.”
Tuantuan suggested, “Should we go catch cicadas or play in the alley? We can wait and see if Auntie Yu is picking up Erlin’s sister.”
Li Zhenzhen exclaimed, “Let’s catch cicadas!”
She was full of enthusiasm, “I want to save money.”
“Save money?”
Li Zhenzhen puffed out her chest proudly, “I want to save a lot of money and buy myself a house.”
Wow!
The kids were stunned. You’re that ambitious? You want to buy a house!
That’s a really big dream.
Yuanyuan’s eyes widened, “A house is so expensive!”
Li Zhenzhen nodded, “That’s why I need to start saving now. By the time I grow up, I’ll have a lot of money.”
“Zhenzhen, why do you want to buy a house?” Little Sitian scratched her head, confused. “You already have a place to live.”
Li Zhenzhen explained, “But my house is too small. My two older brothers are already renting places outside.” She counted on her fingers, “My grandparents said they’ll buy a house for my brothers if they find a good one, but they didn’t say anything about buying one for me. So, I need to save up for myself.”
Yuanyuan pursed her lips.
“They won’t buy one for you?”
Li Zhenzhen shrugged, “They didn’t say they wouldn’t, but they didn’t say they would either.”
She wasn’t sure if they would, so she decided to save up herself. But houses were so expensive, really expensive.
Tuantuan looked at her and said, “I think your parents will buy you one. They’re not saying anything now because you’re still a kid. Kids take a long time to grow up, so there’s no rush. But your brothers are adults, so they’re in a hurry.”
Li Zhenzhen whispered to her friends, “Actually, my brothers aren’t in a hurry. My eldest brother wasn’t in a rush, and my second brother… well, he used to be, but now he says, ‘Women are tigers.’ Only my grandparents and parents are anxious.”
The little girl shrugged, “I don’t know why.”
Yuanyuan immediately said, “I know, I know! It’s like ‘The emperor isn’t worried, but the eunuchs are.’”
The kids: “…”
Li Zhenzhen frowned, “Don’t call my parents eunuchs!”
Yuanyuan softened her tone, “It’s just a metaphor, a metaphor!”
She said, “Let’s go, let’s go catch cicadas. I want to save money too.”
“What are you saving for?”
Yuanyuan replied, “I want to buy a badminton set so I can play badminton later.”
The idea lit up the kids’ eyes. Li Zhenzhen immediately said, “That’s awesome! I’ll save up for badminton too!”
Tuantuan asked, “What about your house?”
Li Zhenzhen waved it off, “Houses cost a lot of money. There’s no rush. I’ll buy badminton first, then save up for the house.”
The kids: “…”
Well, that makes sense.
Tuantuan said, “I have something I want to buy too. I want a basketball. My grandma says playing basketball is great exercise and helps you grow taller. Plus, if it’s a basketball, we can all play together. It’s convenient.”
“Huh? What should I buy? You all have something in mind. What should I get?” Ye Sijia panicked, feeling left out. He turned to his brother, “Brother, what do you want to buy?”
Ye Siyuan said, “I’m saving up to buy a roast duck for Mom and Dad’s birthday.”
Ye Sijia exclaimed, “Oh! Then let’s pool our money so I can contribute too.”
Little Sitian, only six years old, chimed in, “And me!”
After everyone shared their plans, they all turned to Xiao Qijin, who hesitated before saying, “I want to buy a dress as a gift for Qingqing.”
Deadly stares.
Li Zhenzhen, Yuanyuan, and Little Sitian, the three girls, glared at Xiao Qijin. They were all friends, but this was blatant favoritism! When it was their birthdays, he never mentioned wanting to buy them dresses.
Li Zhenzhen put her hands on her hips, “Am I not your best friend anymore?”
Xiao Qijin stammered, “You all are!”
“Then why is Qingqing special?”
“Yeah, why?”
Bai Qingqing, however, was beaming, “Qijin is the best!”
Xiao Qijin raised his chin and explained, “Yuanyuan has a brother, Sitian has a brother, and Zhenzhen has a brother too. Your brothers will buy things for you. But Qingqing doesn’t have a brother, and I don’t have a sister. Of course, I’ll buy something for her!”
Bai Qingqing nodded, “That’s right! I’m saving up to buy Qijin a pair of sneakers.”
Li Zhenzhen muttered, “Hmm, that kind of makes sense.”
Yuanyuan pouted, “But not entirely.”
Little Sitian looked at her brothers with pleading eyes, “Brothers, I want a pretty dress too…”
What else could the brothers do?
The two boys immediately felt the weight of responsibility.
“After we buy the cake, we’ll save up to buy you a dress.”
Little Sitian nodded eagerly.
Ye Sijia mumbled under his breath, “I want new sneakers too…”
His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. He glanced down at his tiny sister, who was even poorer than him, and sighed. He couldn’t count on her…
Yuanyuan also looked at Tuantuan with a longing gaze. Tuantuan declared firmly, “I’ll save up to buy it for you!”
Yuanyuan immediately smiled.
Tuantuan clenched his fist and said, “Comrades, we’re all so short on money. We can’t waste any more time. Let’s go!”
“Let’s go!”
The group chattered excitedly as they left. Meanwhile, Little Sister Yu and her husband, Yang Shulin, were nearing the train station. She never expected her daughter to have the audacity to run away from home. Her heart was in turmoil. The journey had taken several days by train, and she couldn’t bear to think about how her daughter had managed it alone.
She also didn’t understand why no one from their hometown had contacted her about her daughter running away.
Filled with worry and confusion, she hurried to the train station, feeling completely lost.
Yang Shulin, trailing behind his wife, was even more clueless. After asking for directions, they finally found the station office. As soon as they entered, Little Sister Yu saw her daughter. The girl was even thinner than when they had left home. Her face bore the marks of scabbed wounds, her clothes reeked, and her hair was a tangled mess. She looked worse than a beggar.
“Xing'er!” Little Sister Yu cried out as soon as she saw her daughter and immediately rushed over. The little girl had been sitting cautiously on a chair, but upon hearing her mother’s voice, she sprang up in an instant. Before she could react further, she was enveloped in her mother’s embrace.
Little Sister Yu held her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, “How could you be so reckless, child? Sneaking off like this—what if something had happened to you? Do you want to give your mother a heart attack?”
The little girl, who had been anxious the entire journey, finally broke down upon seeing her family. She wailed loudly, her cries mingling with her mother’s.
Nearby, her father, Yang Shulin, was also wiping away tears. The sight of the family’s emotional reunion was heart-wrenching.
Little Sister Yu continued to scold her daughter through her tears, “You naughty child! What if you had gotten lost? Losing you would have killed me! How could you be so thoughtless, huh?”
She smacked her daughter’s bottom several times, demanding, “Will you ever do something like this again? Tell me, will you?”
The little girl cried even harder after being spanked, but she clung tightly to Little Sister Yu’s neck, refusing to let go. Little Sister Yu exclaimed, “Where did you get such boldness? Who do you take after, being so daring?”
She delivered a few more smacks to her daughter’s bottom.
The little girl’s wails grew louder, prompting the onlookers to intervene. “Sister, don’t hit the child anymore. She’s already been through so much on this journey. Just take her home now.”
Little Sister Yu nodded gratefully, “Thank you, thank you all.”
Only then did she realize she hadn’t properly thanked everyone. She quickly stood up and bowed to the crowd.
“No need, no need. It’s our duty to serve the people. We’re just doing what we should.”
“Exactly. Anyone would help a little girl like her. Sister, your daughter is quite clever. If she hadn’t remembered your address, we wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
“And it’s thanks to Brother Zhuang being here that we could locate you so quickly.”
At this, Little Sister Yu turned her gaze to Zhuang Zhiyuan, who was standing in the room. Yes, it was Zhuang Zhiyuan.
To tell the truth, it was truly fortunate that they had encountered Zhuang Zhiyuan. Otherwise, finding the little girl’s family would have been no easy task.
Earlier, after Xing'er ran away from home, the village head had reported her missing. However, nearly a full day had already passed by then, making it difficult to track her down. No one could have guessed that the little girl had managed to board a train to the capital. While authorities had notified all relevant trains to be on the lookout and conducted local searches, no one imagined that Xing'er had already left.
The village head hadn’t contacted Little Sister Yu and Yang Shulin because he didn’t know how to reach them. They didn’t have an address for the couple in the capital. Although Little Sister Yu was a sent-down youth, her family’s address hadn’t changed, and in theory, they could have been found. However, with the sent-down youth program long disbanded, even local offices had become defunct. Little Sister Yu had been sent down in the 1960s, and after so many years, digging through old records was no simple task. The village head hadn’t thought of this, so contact was never established.
Meanwhile, Little Sister Yu and Yang Shulin had no idea their daughter had left home.
After boarding the train to the capital, Xing'er managed to get by on her own. Being small, she huddled in a corner, and while many passengers noticed her, no one paid much attention, assuming she was with her parents. After all, who would believe a child her age could travel alone?
On the first day, she survived on a single cornbread bun. By the second day, her stomach growled loudly, but a kind soldier gave her a flatbread, which kept her going for a while longer. Fearing suspicion, she even changed train cars.
It wasn’t until the evening of the second day that a train attendant noticed something amiss. Though the train was crowded, the attendant’s sharp eye caught that the little girl seemed to be alone. She was taken to the staff room.
Xing'er refused to say which station she had boarded at, only stating that she was going to the capital to find her parents. With just over a day left until they reached the capital, the staff decided it was best to continue the journey rather than leave her at an unfamiliar station.
The little girl, only eight years old, didn’t remember her mother’s family address clearly, only three words: Xinghua Lane.
Her mother had been born in Xinghua Lane, which was why she was named Xing'er.
Truth be told, finding someone with just a single place name like that would have been nearly impossible. But fortunately, it was Xinghua Lane and not some other obscure location.
Xinghua Lane was actually quite famous. In the past, people visiting relatives in the capital would make a point to see the “haunted” toilet in Xinghua Lane, which was the stuff of local legend.
Because of its notoriety, the place was well-known, and the people there were also quite recognizable.
When the station staff heard the little girl mention her grandmother’s home was in Xinghua Lane, they immediately thought of Zhuang Zhiyuan, who lived there. They had recently attended a celebration at his place.
As luck would have it, Zhuang Zhiyuan wasn’t on duty at the time, so someone went to fetch him.
At the station, Xing'er was less guarded than she had been on the train and quickly explained her parents’ situation.
“My dad is Yang Shulin, and my mom is Little Sister Yu. My mom was a sent-down youth. My little brother is sick, and my parents took him to borrow money from my grandma for treatment. I only know they live in Xinghua Lane.” Though she provided a lot of information, finding her family still wasn’t easy. The little girl clutched her clothes nervously, looking pitifully at Zhuang Zhiyuan.
To his surprise, Zhuang Zhiyuan recognized the names. He asked, “Your brother’s name is Erlin, right?”
The little girl’s eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes! He’s sick.”
She grabbed Zhuang Zhiyuan’s sleeve and asked anxiously, “Uncle, do you know where my parents are? Is my brother okay? Are they all here?”
Zhuang Zhiyuan reassured her, “They’re all here, all here.”
He added, “Wait here, and I’ll get your mom to come pick you up.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan acted quickly, calling the local neighborhood committee, which was closer than going there himself. As expected, they rushed to the Yu family’s home as soon as they heard the news.
Looking at the little girl, Zhuang Zhiyuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. He had a daughter of his own, and when she was Xing'er’s age, life had been much harder, but his daughter had never been in such a state.
The sight of the thin little girl, with only her large eyes standing out on her small face, was particularly pitiful. His gaze fell on her cheek, and he asked, “What happened to your face? How did you get hurt? Let me take a look. We don’t want it to scar.”
Xing'er shrugged it off. “It’s okay, Uncle. It’s nothing. My cousin scratched me.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan frowned. “When your mom comes, have her take you to the hospital to get some ointment. The area around it looks red—it might get infected.”
He then asked, “Have you eaten?”
The little girl pursed her lips and shook her head.
But she quickly added, “I’m not hungry. I ate enough this morning.”
A young woman in the office suddenly exclaimed, “I forgot! Let me check the canteen.”
The little girl had arrived just after lunch, and in the rush to contact her family, they had overlooked her hunger.
Zhuang Zhiyuan stopped her. “Don’t bother with the canteen. There’s probably nothing left. Go buy her something to eat.”
He handed her some money, and after a moment’s hesitation, she agreed. “Alright, I’ll go.”
Xing'er sat quietly on the chair, not daring to speak, but she felt a sense of safety now. She looked up and asked, “Uncle, did my brother go to the hospital?”
Zhuang Zhiyuan nodded. “Yes, he did. Don’t worry.”
The little girl finally let out a sigh of relief. Despite her boldness in traveling such a long distance alone, she had been terrified by her cousin’s words, fearing her brother might die.
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "Don't worry, your parents will be here soon."
"Lunch is here, I bought some meat buns."
The little girl swallowed her saliva, and Zhuang Zhiyuan urged, "Quick, eat while it's hot. By the time you finish, your parents will be here."
"Okay."
She had never eaten meat buns before. She lowered her head and ate voraciously, murmuring softly, "It's so delicious."
The people in the room watched with a tinge of sadness, saying, "If it's delicious, eat more."
The little girl nodded earnestly. She wanted to eat her fill so she would have the strength to work when she got home.
Sure enough, Zhuang Zhiyuan was right. After the little girl finished her lunch, Little Sister Yu rushed in, and the mother and daughter embraced, crying bitterly. Little Sister Yu was terrified and scolded her child harshly, "You scared me to death, do you know that?"
The little girl clung to her mother's neck, feeling wronged but no longer afraid.
She wailed, "Mom, Auntie said that once you go back to Sijiu City, you won’t come back for me anymore. She said all the educated youths are like that. You’ll be like Little Flower’s mom and never return..."
She continued, "Cousin said that my brother is going to die. She said his illness can’t be cured, and he’ll definitely die. Then I won’t have a mom or a brother, and Dad will marry a new wife who’ll be my stepmom."
She kept crying, "Grandma also said that if you run away, she’ll bring Auntie’s sister to be my stepmom. They have a son who can have more sons, and then they’ll marry me off for a dowry..."
Though she was only eight years old, she was already very perceptive and remembered all these things clearly.
Even though she tried to convince herself that these were all lies, meant to scare her, she couldn’t help but worry that they might come true. That’s why she ran away on her own. She didn’t want a stepmom or another brother.
The little girl cried bitterly, while Little Sister Yu trembled with anger. She turned and pinched her husband, saying, "Look at your family! How can they be so cruel? How can they treat us like this?"
Yang Shulin’s nose was red from crying, and he hung his head, expressionless, letting Little Sister Yu vent her anger.
Zhuang Zhiyuan intervened, "Alright, now that you’ve found the child, take her home. Also, make sure to inform your family back home so they don’t worry."
Little Sister Yu wanted to say that those people didn’t care, and that they were more likely to cause harm than worry, but she held back in front of outsiders. She took a deep breath, thanked him, and then carried her daughter out. Yang Shulin quickly took the child from her, and Little Sister Yu pinched him again, scolding in a low voice, "Look at what your family has done! Even neighbors wouldn’t treat a child like this, but your own family treats our child this way? Did you hear what they said? Is that even human? They deserve to be struck by lightning. Those heartless scoundrels! I used to let it slide because of you, but now they think they can push us around? They even want you to remarry? Go ahead, I’m not afraid!"
Little Sister Yu used to be somewhat timid. With her child still young and no support from her own family, she couldn’t stand up to her sister-in-law in the village, whose family was always around. But now she felt differently. Even though her mother was still harsh and critical, she had sold their house to pay for Erlin’s treatment—something Yang’s family would never do.
Seeing her parents’ attitude, Little Sister Yu now felt emboldened.
"If you want to marry that widow, go ahead. I can raise the two children on my own, and my parents will help me. Don’t think I’m easy to bully. All these years, your parents have taken advantage of me because I didn’t have my family’s support, and I’ve endured it. But they can’t treat my daughter this way. This time, we came out to get treatment for our child. We didn’t come empty-handed—we gave them food. But look at how they’ve treated us! I used to tell myself that they were afraid of getting involved because we were poor from treating our child, and that the elderly had it hard too. But look at what they’ve done! They’re worse than my parents!"
Yang Shulin’s face turned red from the scolding, but he had no rebuttal. Over the years, because of their child’s illness, the family had become dirt poor, and even rats avoided their home. He had grown used to being looked down upon by everyone.
But hearing his daughter’s pitiful words and seeing her like this, Yang Shulin couldn’t help but feel furious. He could understand outsiders looking down on him—he was poor and had to borrow money. But for his own family to treat him this way was unbearable.
His own family looked down on him more than outsiders ever did.
He grabbed Little Sister Yu’s hand and said, "We won’t have anything to do with them from now on."
He was resolute: "I don’t have parents or brothers like that. Don’t leave me. Our family shouldn’t be torn apart because of them."
Little Sister Yu snorted lightly. Meanwhile, Xing'er, who had been quietly listening from her mother’s shoulder, chimed in, "I want to stay with Mom and Dad. Cousin also said that my brother is sickly, and I might not even get to see him before he dies."
Yang Shulin trembled with anger. His niece was truly malicious.
But she was just a ten-year-old child. She must have heard such things from the adults at home. He felt even more furious and cursed, "Those heartless scoundrels! They have no conscience!"
Little Sister Yu sneered, "This is the wonderful daughter your dear brother raised. What a great child, huh?"
She felt utterly disgusted and muttered, "Heartless scoundrels."
Yang Shulin frowned deeply and said, "Let’s just ignore them."
The couple, filled with resentment toward their hometown, walked back home. Meanwhile, Xing'er, who had never been to a big city before, looked around curiously from her mother’s shoulder. She had never even been to the town, let alone a city. This was her first time leaving the village, and it was also the bravest thing she had ever done. Though she had been scared the whole way, now that she was with her family, she felt safe enough to look around.
She asked, "Mom, where are we going?"
"To Grandma’s house."
"Will I see my brother there?"
"Yes, he was taking a nap when we left."
Xing'er smiled slightly, feeling a little happy.
Even though no one played with Erlin, no one played with Xing'er either because their family was poor, and people were afraid of getting too close in case they’d be taken advantage of. So the little girl had always been alone. She said, "Then I can play with my brother."
Little Sister Yu replied, "There are lots of kids here. Your brother sometimes plays with them, and you can join in too."
"Really?"
Little Sister Yu said, "Let’s get off the bus. We’re almost there."
They got off the bus and soon turned into an alley. They saw Ming Mei pushing her bicycle out and greeted her, "Ming Mei, are you going to work?"
Ming Mei replied, "No, I’m going back to my parents’ house. I’m on vacation right now."
Her current job was more meaningful than her previous one, and it even came with winter and summer breaks. She was currently on holiday.
Ming Mei looked curiously at the girl in Little Sister Yu’s arms and asked, "Is this your daughter?"
Little Sister Yu nodded, "Yes, Xing'er, say hello. This is Auntie."
Xing'er looked at the woman in front of her and obediently greeted her, though her voice was soft, and she clung to her mother.
Ming Mei was surprised and curious, "Wasn’t your daughter back in your hometown? How did she get here?"
Little Sister Yu sighed, "Don’t even ask. This naughty child ran away on her own. Can you believe it? I’ve never seen such a bold little girl. She sneaked onto the train all by herself. It’s a miracle she didn’t run into any bad people, or I’d be crying my eyes out, not knowing what to do."
Thinking about the fear she felt when she realized her daughter had run away, Little Sister Yu couldn’t help but spank her daughter’s bottom a few times.
The little girl’s eyes reddened, but she didn’t cry out loud. She knew running away was wrong, but if it happened again, she’d do it all over.
The little girl stayed silent, clinging to her mother. Ming Mei noticed that Xing'er’s clothes were tattered, with many patches. After traveling in the summer heat without changing, they were dirty and worn out in some places, giving off a sour smell.
She said, "Your child came out alone, and didn’t bring any extra clothes, did she?"
Little Sister Yu replied, "Exactly. This girl only brought a small blanket when she left the house. She knew she needed to cover herself at night to avoid catching a cold, but she didn’t prepare anything else, not even any food. She’s really driving me crazy."
Ming Mei glanced at the little girl’s clothes and said, "She didn’t bring any spare clothes either. If you don’t mind, come to my house and take a look. My daughter Yuanyuan has some clothes that are too small for her now. They’re stored in the warehouse. If your daughter can wear them, you can take them all. This way, you won’t have to spend money buying new clothes for her. Kids grow so fast, and buying several new sets for them to change into isn’t always practical."
Little Sister Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized Ming Mei was trying to help her. She held back her tears and said, "Thank you so much."
She didn’t know what else to say, but she didn’t refuse Ming Mei’s kindness. Her family was saving money for their child’s medical treatment and couldn’t afford to buy anything extra.
Ming Mei said, "Then follow me."
Actually, many of Yuanyuan’s clothes had already been given to Little Sitian next door. However, since the girls in the compound—Li Zhenzhen, Bai Qingqing, and Yuanyuan—were all around the same age, they outgrew their clothes at almost the same time. Whenever their clothes became too small, they would pass them on to Little Sitian. But since Little Sitian was just one girl, she couldn’t wear all the clothes from three older sisters. So, she would only pick the ones she liked.
The rest were kept by Ming Mei.
Ming Mei led Little Sister Yu over, while Yang Shulin stayed outside, too embarrassed to follow.
Ming Mei asked, "How old is your daughter?"
"Eight years old," Little Sister Yu replied.
Ming Mei nodded. "That’s about right. My daughter is eleven, so the clothes she’s outgrown should fit your daughter."
She continued, "These are all here. There are clothes for both spring and summer, as well as autumn and winter. I’m not sure how long you’ll be staying in the city, but you can take them all. You can pick what you need later."
"This... this..."
Little Sister Yu was overwhelmed. Such nice things were being given to them just like that?
Even Xing’er’s eyes widened in surprise. Ming Mei chuckled and said, "My child has outgrown these clothes."
Little Sister Yu said, "Thank you, really, thank you. I... I..."
Ming Mei interrupted, "Why are you saying all this? It’s common for kids to share clothes. My Yuanyuan also wears her older sister’s hand-me-downs. Since we don’t need these anymore, you can take them. If there’s anything you can’t use, just bring it back."
This was how it was—younger kids wearing the older kids’ clothes.
"Alright!"
Little Sister Yu thanked her again and carried the bag of clothes out.
Yang Shulin quickly took the bag from her, looking surprised. Ming Mei didn’t wait for them to say more words of gratitude. She got on her bike and pedaled away. She felt a bit embarrassed by all the thanks, and besides, this was just a normal thing to do.
She left quickly, and Little Sister Yu rubbed her eyes.
She said, "Let’s go home, Mom will give you a bath, and we’ll see which clothes fit you."
"Okay."
When the family of three returned home, they found Erlin sitting on the kang, staring blankly. As soon as he saw Xing’er, he called out, "Sister! Big sister!"
He immediately rushed toward her, and Xing’er ran to him, calling, "Erlin!"
The two children acted as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages, hugging and jumping around excitedly, as if they could shake the heavens.
Old Lady Yu glanced at the two children, her gaze lingering on the wound on Xing’er’s face. She pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. Then she looked at the bag on the floor and asked, "What’s this?"
She pointed at the large woven bag and asked, "Where did you get this?"
It certainly wasn’t something the little girl had brought with her.
"I ran into Brother Zhuang’s wife. She gave it to me, saying it’s for my daughter to change into."
Old Lady Yu said, "That’s wonderful."
She started rummaging through the bag. There were indeed many clothes inside. Old Lady Yu exclaimed, "Oh my, I’ve always said they spoil their child. Kids grow like weeds, and buying so many clothes for them is such a waste. They outgrow them in no time. But that family doesn’t seem to care. They must have money to burn."
She continued flipping through the clothes and said, "Oh, these are really nice."
"They have so many clothes," Little Sister Yu and her husband were both a bit stunned.
Old Lady Yu said, "This is just the tip of the iceberg. Wang Zizhen’s daughter, Little Sitian, hardly ever buys new clothes. She’s always wearing hand-me-downs from those three girls. It’s really smart of Wang Zizhen to maintain good relations with the families in the compound. Look how much money she saves by having a daughter."
Little Sister Yu didn’t think it was just about Wang Zizhen being smart. It was more about genuine kindness being reciprocated. She had heard that they all got along very well. But she didn’t argue with her mother. Instead, she turned around and noticed Xing’er curiously looking at Old Lady Yu.
Little Sister Yu slapped her forehead. She had forgotten to introduce them.
She quickly said, "Mom, this is my eldest daughter, Xing’er. Xing’er, say hello to Grandma."
"Hello, Grandma."
Old Lady Yu nodded casually and said, "Give her a bath and change her clothes. It’s summer, and her hair might have lice. If it does, just shave it all off and let it grow back slowly."
Xing’er looked at her grandma in horror. Why was she being told to shave her head right after meeting her?
Little Sister Yu said, "Alright, I’ll take care of it."
Sure enough, Xing’er did have lice. Although their life at home had been hard, they had never let their daughter get lice before. Little Sister Yu shaved Xing’er’s head and said, "Your hair is too dirty. It’s hard to clean it properly, so we’ll shave it off and let it grow back."
Xing’er replied, "...Okay."
She was a bit upset, but she quickly cheered up when she put on the new clothes.
Although she was eight years old, her malnutrition made her look more like six or seven. Many of the clothes fit her. There were also a few gender-neutral pieces, and Old Lady Yu said, "We can alter these for Erlin to wear. That’ll save us from having to buy new clothes for him."
Xing’er put on a pink dress with little flowers for the first time. She looked down at her new dress, feeling a bit self-conscious.
It was the first time she had ever worn such a pretty dress. No one in their village wore anything like this.
Even though she knew these were hand-me-downs from an older sister, to her, they felt like brand-new clothes.
Old Lady Yu glanced at the little girl and said, "This child looks a bit like me. She has some of the charm I had when I was young."
Xing’er looked at her grandma’s wrinkled face and felt even more worried.
Was she really that ugly?
Did she really look like her grandma?
Little Sister Yu also found a few smaller pieces that would fit her son, even though they were clearly girls’ clothes. She thought, "Why are all the clothes for girls?"
She remembered Ming Mei had a son. She wasn’t being ungrateful, just curious.
Old Lady Yu said, "Her son’s clothes probably went to Ye Siyuan and Ye Sijia. Besides, boys are rougher on their clothes, so there are fewer of them. That’s why I said Wang Zizhen is smart. Her kids hardly ever need to buy new clothes. Her eldest son is only a year younger than the other kids, so it’s not too noticeable. Tuantuan and Xiao Qijin’s old clothes all went to Ye Sijia. The three girls’ clothes went to Little Sitian. They’ve saved so much money. Ye Sijia is like a little monkey—if they had to buy all her clothes, they’d be patched up over and over. But now, they’re saving a fortune."
Little Sister Yu finally understood.
Thanks to the bag of clothes Ming Mei had given them, both Xing’er and Erlin were now wearing clean, new clothes. Their old patched-up clothes were taken off, and Yang Shulin immediately went out to wash them. Old Lady Yu glanced at them and said, "Wash them and use them as rags. Now that we have these clothes, there’s no need to wear those patched-up ones anymore."
Yang Shulin replied, "Alright."
Erlin tugged at Xing’er and said, "Sister, I have some candy. I saved it for you. It’s really sweet. I’ll take you to meet Yuanyuan and the others. From now on, you can play with them. No one here will laugh at us for being poor."
Old Lady Yu asked, "Did people back home look down on you?"
The child nodded.
Old Lady Yu glared at her son-in-law and scolded, "You useless man, can't even protect your wife and child. Let me tell you, when you go back, if you don’t smash your elder brother’s cooking pot, I’ll look down on you. They’ve bullied us too much, and we can’t let this go. The kind are always trampled on, and the weak are always ridden over. If you can’t protect them, you’re not a real man."
Yang Shulin nodded silently, letting out a heavy "Mhm."
Old Man Yu, who had been quiet for most of the time, finally spoke up, "Son-in-law, later on, go to the scrap market and see if they have any second-hand bunk beds for sale. We need to buy one; otherwise, there’s not enough space for everyone to sleep. It’s too hot to squeeze together like this."
"Alright," Yang Shulin replied.
As Yang Shulin busied himself, Old Lady Yu finally asked about Little Sister Yu’s in-laws and learned about the many disputes in their daily life, as well as the reason why Xing'er had run away from home. Furious, she stood at the doorway and cursed toward the direction of their hometown for a full two hours.
The neighbors in the same courtyard: "..."
Is this old lady about to start making "cursed dolls" again?
Sure enough, she quickly found some old rags at home and began crafting a doll, saying, "You know your in-laws’ and your brother-in-law’s family’s birth dates, right? I’m going to curse them to death."
Little Sister Yu: "..."
Old Man Yu, however, was worried. "Old woman, you’ve already been in trouble for this once before. Don’t mess around with this again."
Old Lady Yu insisted, "Nowadays, they’re not so strict about feudal superstitions. Besides, the names I’m writing aren’t from around here, so they won’t know who did it."
After a pause, she added, "Once I’m done, I’ll throw it into the cesspool at the end of the alley. If it’s not kept at home, no one will find out. Let them sink in filth, stinking for the rest of their lives, always surrounded by foulness."
Old Man Yu: "..."
Little Sister Yu: "..."
Well, as long as it makes you happy.
At least you’re not keeping it at home, which is better than nothing.
Old Lady Yu focused on making the "cursed doll" and said, "When you go to the hospital tomorrow, take your daughter with you to have her face checked. That niece of yours is truly despicable and shameless. How cruel, deliberately ruining a child’s face—utterly heartless. Even though I’m not there to do anything to her, I can curse her to death."
Old Man Yu sighed, "If this thing actually worked, our family wouldn’t be in this mess..."
Old Lady Yu retorted confidently, "It didn’t work before because I didn’t have their birth dates. Now that I’ve written them down, it’s guaranteed to work. And before, I kept it at home, which was no good. This time, it has to be thrown into the cesspool to bring them bad luck."
Old Man Yu: "...Fine."
Old Lady Yu stared at her daughter and said, "You’re not allowed to tell your husband about this."
Little Sister Yu replied seriously, "I definitely won’t say a word."
"That’s good."
While the adults were discussing "important matters" at home, Erlin took Xing'er around the courtyard, whispering to his sister, "This is Second Uncle’s house, but Second Uncle doesn’t get along with Grandma..."
Though young, Erlin was more mature than most kids his age due to his poor health. He explained, "This used to be Grandma’s house, but she sold it to Second Uncle to pay for my medical treatment. After that, Second Uncle stopped talking to us."
Xing'er nodded gently. Children from poor families grow up fast; she understood.
"First Uncle and Third Uncle also moved away."
Xing'er nodded again.
The two children stepped out of the courtyard, and Erlin said, "A few days ago, I... Oh, Yuanyuan and Zhenzhen!"
Just then, a group of kids returned, and Erlin immediately waved at them, pulling his sister along as he ran over. "My sister’s here!"
The children all stared at Xing'er’s shaved head, and she shyly took a step back, touching her head.
Yuanyuan asked, "What happened to you?"
Xing'er replied, "I was on the train for a long time and got lice. My mom said shaving my head would get rid of them."
The kids nodded in understanding. Although their families were generally clean, some classmates had experienced lice before, and it wasn’t uncommon for children to get them. Li Zhenzhen had once been infected but caught it early. She used medicine and a fine-toothed comb to clean it up, and now she looked at Xing'er’s shaved head with sympathy, grateful that her own mother hadn’t shaved her head. Otherwise, she would have been too embarrassed to go to school, fearing ridicule.
She said sympathetically, "Your shaved head..."
Xing'er replied, "It’ll grow back soon."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Erlin chimed in, "Yuanyuan, can my sister play with you guys?"
Yuanyuan was very generous. "We’re about to play hopscotch. Do you want to join?"
Xing'er’s eyes widened. No one had ever asked her to play before. She quickly nodded and said, "Yes!"
The world of children is simple. In no time, the kids were all playing together, laughing and having fun. Xing'er knew how to play hopscotch, but she had never had anyone to play with before. Now, she quickly blended in with the other children.
Her younger brother Erlin sat on a rock, watching and laughing along.
Su Jinlai came out to use the restroom and immediately spotted the group of kids, feeling a headache coming on.
Ever since he had been caught by the kids last time, he had been wary of them. He glanced at the little ones and noticed a few new faces, though that was normal since there were always plenty of children around the neighborhood.
He quickly made his way to the restroom, not wanting to interact with the kids.
Those little troublemakers always picked on him.
He wasn’t going to stoop to their level.
Otherwise, he’d have to teach them a lesson.
In the restroom, he pulled out a cigarette butt from his pocket and took a couple of puffs, feeling melancholic. Su Jinlai had fallen so low that he was now smoking cigarette butts. How pathetic. Hu Huihui was such a hothead; if she weren’t so stubborn, she would have come looking for him by now.
Why hadn’t she come?
Maybe he should go find her.
After all, they were family. She couldn’t just abandon him.
Su Jinlai made up his mind. After leaving the restroom, he headed straight for the main street. However, Hu Huihui’s office was quite a distance away, and when he reached into his pocket, he found no money.
His mother was really something. He was a grown man, yet she still controlled his money. How ridiculous. But no matter how much he complained, he was still broke. Ever since the roasted chicken incident, he had fallen out of favor with his mother.
His gaze fell on the group of children.
Can you believe it?
Even the kids had pocket money, but he didn’t.
A sly smile spread across his face as he approached the children, deciding to swindle some money from them.
At the very least, he needed enough for bus fare.
Heh, they had crossed him, so it was time to teach them a lesson.
Su Jinlai walked up, scanning the group, and called out, "Yuanyuan~"
He chose the Zhuang family’s little girl first, mainly because she was the most spoiled and definitely had pocket money. Not only did she have her parents’ love, but also her grandparents’, her uncle’s, her cousins’, and even Old Man Lan’s.
Lan Sihai often secretly gave Yuanyuan candy, to the point where she had cavities.
Su Jinlai had seen it happen several times. Old Man Lan was like that—if he didn’t like you, no amount of flattery would work, not even if you were family. But if he liked you, he’d happily share his treats. Su Jinlai was envious.
Even his younger brother Tonglai had gotten White Rabbit candies. How unfair was that?
He had wanted one too, but the old man had told him to go eat dirt.
So rude, truly rude.
Su Jinlai shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside, and put on a wolfish smile. "Yuanyuan, are you playing hopscotch?"
Yuanyuan looked at Su Jinlai in surprise and nodded.
Today, Brother Jinlai seemed a bit strange.
She was on her guard.
Brother Jinlai wasn’t just any ordinary brother—he was the kind who would steal a chicken and blame it on the kids. So, she had to be careful.
Su Jinlai smiled. "Brother likes Yuanyuan the most. Yuanyuan..."
"What do you want?"
Tuantuan immediately stepped in front of his sister, glaring at Su Jinlai. "Brother Jinlai, don’t even think about bullying Yuanyuan."
"Yeah!"
The kids all stood together, staring Su Jinlai down.
Su Jinlai: "..."
What’s going on with these kids? He forced a smile and said, “Big brother isn’t a bad person. You guys are really breaking my heart. I just need to talk to Yuanyuan about something.”
Yuanyuan: “We’re not close!”
Su Jinlai: “…”
He took a deep breath and said, “Kids, this isn’t nice. It’s very impolite.”
“And then?”
Su Jinlai put on his sly fox expression again and said, “Big brother is a good person. I love kids the most. How about this? You guys learn some manners from me, and I’ll charge you just a tiny bit of tuition. Just a tiny bit! If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even teach them. You’re getting a great deal here. Aren’t you happy?”
Are you really not falling for this?
The kids stared at him as if he were a complete idiot. Yuanyuan looked at him with a mix of pity and exasperation. She said, “Big brother, are you asking us for money?”
Su Jinlai: “How is it asking for money? It’s not asking for money. It’s collecting tuition.”
Yuanyuan: “It’s clearly asking for money.”
She said seriously, “Brother Jinlai, this isn’t okay. You’re already an adult. If you don’t work hard and just freeload, that’s one thing, but how can you try to scam money from kids?”
Su Jinlai awkwardly replied, “It’s not a scam…”
Yuanyuan: “We’re young, not stupid.”
“Exactly, you’re obviously trying to cheat us out of money.”
“Maybe we should go find Aunt Wang.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Su Jinlai was fuming. “What’s wrong with you kids? Why do you always go running to your parents at the drop of a hat? Is that how you should behave? When I was your age, I handled everything on my own. You’ll make people look down on you if you keep this up.”
Tuantuan: “You’re an adult trying to scam money from kids, and you’re not afraid of people looking down on you. Why should we be afraid?”
Tuantuan’s logic was flawless.
“You don’t feel embarrassed, so of course, we don’t either.”
Su Jinlai: “…”
He sighed helplessly. “You kids these days… you’re hopeless. So petty, so very petty…”
Tuantuan: “We are kids, after all. Calling us petty doesn’t bother us.”
Su Jinlai: “…”
He was so angry. He deeply felt that this generation of kids was absolutely hopeless.
“You, you, you…”
Tuantuan: “Aunt Wang isn’t off work yet. When she gets off…”
Su Jinlai finally gave in. “Fine, I surrender, okay? Why do you always have to tell your parents? Seriously, I admit I was wrong, alright? I was just joking. Alright, alright, I’m leaving.”
He quickly made his escape, feeling utterly defeated.
As soon as he left, the kids cheered in victory!
Xing’er: “That uncle is so strange…”
“You can call him big brother,” Tuantuan said. “He lives in our courtyard. My grandma said he doesn’t have the guts to do anything really bad, but he does things that even kids find annoying.”
Xing’er: “Oh, I see.”
Little Sitian swallowed and said, “He stole a chicken once and roasted it. It smelled so good.”
Everyone: “…”
Are you just hungry?
Xiao Qijin poked Little Sitian’s cheek and said, “All you think about is food. You’ve been gaining weight lately.”
Little Sitian pouted. “It’s just baby fat.”
Ye Siyuan: “Brother Qijin, my sister isn’t fat.”
“Alright, alright.”
The kids quickly forgot about Su Jinlai, who went home feeling dejected. He lay down, thinking how hard his life was. He couldn’t even outsmart a bunch of kids. How depressing. The only solution was to sleep it off.
He lay down and decided to take a nap.
Cover his head, close his eyes, and all his worries disappeared.
Aunt Zhou looked out the window and shook her head. “What kind of person is that?”
She was always one to meddle, so she quickly went over to Zhao Guihua’s place. “Guihua, are you home?”
Zhao Guihua: “Yes, what’s up?”
Aunt Zhou told her what she had seen and added, “You should warn the kids not to let Su Jinlai scam them out of money. That guy has no shame, trying to cheat kids.”
What’s even more embarrassing is that he couldn’t even succeed.
What kind of future does he have?
Zhao Guihua was also speechless and twitched her lips, but she nodded and said, “I know. But they won’t be fooled. My Tuantuan and Yuanyuan are pretty sharp. Even the most naive kid, Hutou, wouldn’t fall for Su Jinlai’s tricks.”
Aunt Zhou: “That disgrace. It’s strange how different he is from his brother.”
Zhao Guihua nodded.
They really weren’t alike.
“Look at Yinlai, he’s so hardworking.”
“Exactly.”
“But at least they can take a break now.”
“True.”
They had recently sold out all their stock and were waiting for Zheng Huifang’s new shipment. Because of that, they could take a few days off. But it was strange how the market was like a monster, swallowing up whatever goods they had.
It just showed how many people were willing to spend money.
The two of them chatted for a bit. “Do you think we should switch up our products after this batch? I’m worried that selling just underwear and socks might not sell well forever.”
Zhao Guihua: “I think the market might be getting saturated, but let’s keep selling and see. After all, we can’t predict 100% what will sell well.”
“That’s true.”
Because everyone had made a good amount of money, the courtyard was unusually harmonious. No one had the time or energy to argue or cause trouble. If you thought about it, it was all because of poverty before. People would fight over a single green onion or garlic clove.
When people are poor, even the smallest things can make them angry.
Money isn’t everything, but it does solve a lot of problems. Back then, everyone was struggling financially, so conflicts were inevitable. But now, with less financial pressure, people were much more relaxed.
Besides, discussing how to make money together was much more productive than arguing over trivial matters.
Aunt Zhou felt that this was the kind of life she had always wanted. Even though running a small business could be tiring, it was fulfilling. She felt that this path suited her perfectly. The reform and opening-up policy was great!
It had given ordinary people a chance to live a better life.
As long as you worked hard, life wouldn’t be bad!
She was in a good mood and said, “I’m thinking of buying some pork to make braised pork. Want to come?”
Zhao Guihua: “Sure, let’s go together.”
The two old ladies called Aunt Wang, and the three of them set out with their bags.
The most fashionable and well-off old ladies of Xinghua Lane were on the move!
