Chapter 47: The Ways of the World

“Alright, stop sighing. I never had my sights set on that vacant house in the first place. As the Eldest Uncle of the courtyard, if that house ended up in our hands, what would people think?”

To be honest, he actually felt relieved that another family got the vacant house.

His wife had been eyeing it constantly, whispering about it in his ear every night—it was getting on his nerves.

As the Eldest Uncle, he had to consider his reputation. He couldn’t abuse his position to seek personal gain. If he did, who in the courtyard would still respect him?

Now, with everything settled, no one had to think about it anymore. The dust had settled.

The Eldest Aunt said nothing more, though she still felt a little regretful.

—

At Luo Dapeng’s house, the family was having dinner.

Dapeng’s sister-in-law nudged her husband under the table, signaling him to speak up.

That vacant house, though just one room, was actually quite spacious. They could easily divide it into two smaller rooms. If their family of four moved in, it would be much better than living here.

They hadn’t considered it before, but who would’ve thought their family would end up benefiting from it?

Her husband, feeling the nudge, remained silent.

How could he speak up?

That was his younger brother’s house. Besides, as far as he knew, they only got the house thanks to Yimin’s help. And what was his younger brother’s relationship with Yimin? They were childhood friends!

If he opened his mouth now, what would people think?

Luo Dapeng’s mother immediately noticed her daughter-in-law’s little maneuver. To avoid straining family relations, she said openly, “That house was something Yimin helped Dapeng get. So, don’t even think about it.”

She was making it clear: once Dapeng moves out, the small room he used to live in would go to Weijun and his brother.

It was a warning to her eldest daughter-in-law—Dapeng’s old room was for their sons. That was the end of the discussion. No pushing for more.

Luo Dapeng’s father nodded in agreement. “Dapeng, tomorrow, have your mother steam some extra buns and boil the eggs at home. Go around and give them out. And once you’ve moved, host two tables for dinner.”

He knew that while no one in the courtyard would openly complain, some might still feel a little uneasy.

Sure, everyone understood that Yimin had helped, but no one would blame him for meddling.

After all, Yimin was now a procurement officer. He had access to food, was capable, well-known, and had a good relationship with the neighborhood committee. Only a fool would want to offend him.

Who knew? They might need to ask Yimin for help someday too.

So, the only one people might resent was Luo Dapeng.

And this was where social skills mattered.

As the saying goes, “You can’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

By handing out food and inviting people to a meal, they were making a gesture. If anyone still complained after that, they’d be the ones in the wrong.

“All of them?” Luo Dapeng, though simple-minded, wasn’t completely clueless.

“Just the families in our front courtyard.”

“Got it!” Luo Dapeng agreed.

—

Meanwhile, in the front courtyard, several families were quietly discussing the matter.

The most indifferent among them was the Xu family. They knew they had no chance of getting the house and had never expected to. Now that they heard Yimin was involved, they had even less reason to object.

“Yimin really is capable!” a widow sighed.

Old Lady Xu smiled. “That child, we watched him grow up. He’s always been smart and sensible.”

—

“Uncle, just a little more, come on!” Zhou Xuqing grinned as he begged for another sip of liquor from the old man.

“If you want to drink, drink. If not, eat your food.” The old man wasn’t about to spoil him.

His precious grandson had brought home two bottles of good liquor, and nearly a whole bottle was already gone. How could he let Zhou Xuqing waste any more?

Meanwhile, Zhou Yimin picked out the best parts of the meal and placed them in front of his grandmother. “Grandma, eat more.”

For the first time in their lives, Laifu and his siblings were eating roast duck. If not for their mother’s strict warning, they would’ve been devouring it by now—it was just too delicious.

Having their eldest brother come home was always a treat. Every time, he brought food they had never tasted before.

—

Their third aunt, balancing baby Qianqian in one arm, ate with the other. Ever since her nephew returned to the village, their meals had been improving every day, especially for her three children.

Although the roast duck was delicious, she only ate a few bites.

The whole family was already taking advantage of this meal. If she didn’t show restraint and just stuffed herself at the table, that wouldn’t be right. It was fine for the kids to eat more, but as an adult, she had to know her place.

After the meal, she helped clear the dishes and feed baby Qianqian her milk.

“Uncle, Aunt, I made two sets of clothes for you. Try them on and see if they fit,” she said to Yimin’s grandparents.

Next, she planned to make two or three sets for Qianqian.

After all, the fabric was bought by Yimin—how could Qianqian not get a share?

If it were her own children, she would have just used hand-me-downs from their older siblings. But Qianqian was different. Though she had been abandoned and taken in, it was clear that Yimin was treating her like a real sister, even like a daughter.

The old man and old lady tried on the clothes, and they fit just right.

Though the stitching wasn’t perfect, the old lady had no complaints.

As they were leaving, the old lady handed them three apples. “Yimin brought these back—take them home and eat them.”

“Auntie, Yimin brought them for you. You should keep them for yourselves.” The third aunt quickly refused.

Who wouldn’t want to eat an apple? Laifang and her siblings stared at them, their eyes glued to the fruit.

But…

Zhou Yimin spoke up, “Third Aunt, since Grandma is giving them to you, just take them. Let Laifu and the others have a taste.”

Only then did they accept the apples, taking Qianqian with them as they left.

After all, a baby could be fussy at night—how could they let Yimin and the old folks deal with that?

Back home, Laicai couldn’t wait to ask, “Mom, when can we eat the apples?”

“You just had roast duck tonight, wasn’t that enough? We’ll eat them tomorrow.”

The kids were a little disappointed but didn’t dare to argue. They could only hope tomorrow would come soon.

For children, festivals and special occasions always felt so far away, making time drag on endlessly.

For adults, it was the opposite. Each passing year meant growing older and worrying about expenses. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another year was gone.

The third aunt looked down at the baby in her arms and murmured, “You little girl, how much good karma did you build up in your past life?”

—

After they left, the old lady picked out the biggest apple for her eldest grandson.

Zhou Yimin washed it, then split it in half. “Grandpa, Grandma, you eat. Don’t save it—this is for you.”

The old couple was deeply moved. Lately, they felt like they were living in a dream. They had almost forgotten about their son entirely.

“Alright, let’s all eat together,” the old lady said, bringing out another apple.

After finishing their apples, she placed the family’s only kerosene lamp in Yimin’s room.

Zhou Yimin thought to himself, Next time, I need to bring home a proper lamp. Maybe even a flashlight, so Grandpa and Grandma can use it at night.

—

In the middle of the night, Zhou Yimin was woken up by frantic shouting outside.

“Sixteenth Uncle! Sixteenth Uncle!”

He quickly got up, slipped on his shoes, and opened the door to find a group of anxious people. Among them, a woman was holding a four- or five-year-old child.

“What’s wrong?”

“The child has a high fever! Can we borrow your bicycle?” Zhou Dashun asked urgently.

Zhou Yimin reached out and touched the child’s forehead—he was burning up.