Chapter 55: Old Cheng’s Worries

“Suqin, Suqin! There are two kids outside saying they’re your nephews,” an elderly woman called out.

A woman stepped out of the house in the right corner of the backyard, holding a needle and thread.

“My nephews?”

This reminded her of her sister’s two children. Ever since her sister passed away, she hadn’t seen them again. The main reason was her poor relationship with her brother-in-law—she always felt that man was cold and unfeeling.

When her sister died, her brother-in-law had made it clear that she wasn’t welcome.

From then on, she had never paid attention to the two children her sister left behind.

In truth, she had been quite fond of them—especially after she found out that her husband couldn’t have children.

“That’s right! The kids said you’re their aunt. Hurry up and take a look!” the elderly woman urged.

“Alright!”

Huang Suqin quickly put down what she was holding and ran to the front yard. When she saw the two children, she almost didn’t recognize them.

One reason was that they hadn’t seen each other in years. When her sister passed away, both kids were still very young, especially the younger one. The other reason was that the two boys were far too skinny.

But in them, she saw the shadow of her sister.

“Aunt!”

The older child was the first to call out, then tugged at his younger brother to get him to greet her too.

The younger boy timidly followed his brother’s lead and greeted her softly. Then, he quickly tried to hide the tear in his pants with his right hand while his left hand fidgeted nervously, as if afraid of being disliked.

Huang Suqin couldn’t hold back any longer—her eyes immediately turned red. She stepped forward and hugged the two children, feeling as if she was embracing two bags of bones.

“What a sin! How could your father raise you like this?”

She was both heartbroken and furious.

The older boy, Shengli, finally found someone he could confide in. Like spilling beans, he poured out all the grievances they had suffered over the years, including how his younger brother had fainted from hunger not long ago.

Huang Suqin was so enraged that she nearly stormed off to confront that scumbag brother-in-law.

“Suqin, you should take them inside for a bath, get them some clean clothes, and give them something to eat first,” the elderly woman reminded her.

As an outsider, even she was outraged to hear how the children had been treated—by their own father, no less! What kind of beast was he?

“You’re right, you’re right!”

Huang Suqin came to her senses and pulled the two boys toward the backyard.

Meanwhile, the women in the front yard had already begun whispering among themselves.

“Suqin doesn’t have children of her own. If you ask me, she should just take them in and raise them herself—they can take care of her in her old age.”

“But she’d need their father’s consent for that.”

“You really think he’d disagree?”

“You’re joking, right? A father can’t even make decisions for his own sons?”

“Even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs, but this guy… he’s just inhuman.”

—

Back at home, Huang Suqin noticed that Shengli was carrying a bag. At first, she thought it was just their clothes, but when she touched it, it didn’t feel like fabric.

“Shengli, what’s in here?” she asked.

“Aunt! Didn’t I just tell you? My little brother fainted from hunger, and a kind-hearted man on a bicycle happened to pass by. He left us some taro. We ate one,” Shengli explained, opening the bag to show her.

Sure enough, inside were a few pieces of taro.

Huang Suqin sighed—there were still good people in the world. Unlike that scumbag brother-in-law of hers, who wasn’t even worthy of being called human.

“You must remember to be grateful,” she instructed.

Shengli nodded. “Aunt, I’ll remember.”

Huang Suqin felt relieved—at least her nephews had not been led astray. They knew how to be thankful.

Then, she helped the boys wash up. Seeing how little flesh they had on their bones, she nearly broke down in tears again. In her heart, she cursed that man’s ancestors eighteen generations back.

Since she didn’t have any children’s clothes at home, she had to borrow some from the neighbors.

Their courtyard had a good sense of community, so it wasn’t hard to borrow two sets. The clothes had quite a few patches and didn’t fit very well, but for now, they would have to do.

She made two bowls of noodles and even added two eggs—something she rarely did.

But as she watched the boys, she was already thinking about how to get custody of them.

When the noodles, topped with eggs, were placed on the table, Shengyi, the younger boy, was eager to eat. However, he waited for his brother’s signal—no matter how hungry he was, he wouldn’t eat without his brother’s approval.

“Go ahead and eat!”

“Aunt! We don’t need to eat such good food. As long as we have something to eat, it’s enough. I can help Uncle with work,” Shengli said.

In his mind, food had to be earned through labor. Since he and his brother were seeking shelter with their aunt, he naturally wanted to contribute to the household.

Otherwise, he feared that his uncle might kick them out for eating for free.

Huang Suqin sighed internally, but she was also pleased by her nephews’ understanding nature.

“Eat up! The two of you won’t eat us out of house and home. You should’ve brought your brother to me sooner—I would’ve stood up for you.”

The two boys thanked her before finally starting to eat.

“Once you’re full, stay in the courtyard and don’t run outside. I’m going to find your uncle,” Huang Suqin instructed. Then, unable to sit still any longer, she left for her husband’s workplace—a machine repair factory.

The factory was a small subsidiary under the First Steel Plant, with fewer than a thousand workers.

Her husband, Cheng Siguang, was a team leader in the workshop and a sixth-level machinist. His salary was good, and he had a promising future.

His only regret in life was that they had no children.

“Old Cheng, my sister’s two boys, Shengli and Shengyi, have come to stay with us. They…” Huang Suqin recounted the boys’ suffering and then shared her thoughts on taking them in.

Cheng Siguang was momentarily excited upon hearing this, but then he fell into deep thought.

They had originally planned to adopt a child. Times were tough, and the local authorities were struggling to deal with the influx of refugees.

For adults, they could let them fend for themselves, but they couldn’t just abandon the children.

So, the authorities encouraged capable families to adopt.

However, adopting an unknown child came with risks—they didn’t know the child’s background or temperament.

Some said that given enough care, even a stone could be warmed, but a child’s personality was largely shaped by the age of three.

Of course, there were exceptions—some troubled children could still be reformed.

But those cases were rare.

“Suqin, go home first. I need to think this over. We have to completely cut ties with their father. Otherwise, we’ll have endless trouble in the future,” Cheng Siguang said calmly.

It wasn’t that he feared losing the boys to their father—he was confident he could win their loyalty.

But he didn’t want that man showing up now and then to freeload off them. No one could tolerate that.

“Alright! I’ll go buy some fabric. Shengli and Shengyi have no clothes to wear.” Huang Suqin even took out the family’s fabric ration tickets.

Cheng Siguang shook his head. “Just buy ready-made clothes. The money isn’t an issue.”

Since he had decided to take in his nephews, he wouldn’t be stingy. With his salary, supporting a family of four was no problem.

Back at the workshop, Cheng Siguang found himself distracted from work.

His coworkers noticed and asked about it. Once they learned the situation, they eagerly gave him advice.

Everyone knew that Old Cheng’s biggest wish was to have children.