Chapter 40: Theft Next Door

And now, someone was holding her like this, telling her in all seriousness, “Wherever I am will always be your home.”

A buzzing sound rang in Lin Muyu’s ears.

She lowered her head blankly, her eyes suddenly stinging for no reason.

The tears came unexpectedly, yet it felt entirely natural.

Xie Zhao held her quietly, drawing her to his chest, feeling her shoulders tremble slightly as she let out her emotions.

From the sudden disaster until now, a full seven years had passed.

She had been a wife, a mother, pushed around like a piece of merchandise.

But now, she had a home.

Xie Zhao… He said it was her home.

*

Taking care of babies at night was much harder than he had imagined.

Xie Zhao slept on the outer edge of the bed.

Beds in this era were still the most basic wooden ones.

Xie Youzhen had made this one by hand. A thick layer of straw was laid on top, followed by a bamboo mat, and finally, a mattress pad.

Families with a bit of money would use cotton, while those without would use old clothes, layering them up before covering it all with a bedsheet to make a bed.

Xie Zhao and Lin Muyu were sleeping on the family’s only cotton mattress pad.

He slept on the outermost side, Xibao and Lebao slept in the middle, and Lin Muyu slept on the innermost side.

Throughout the night, the two little babies woke up every two or three hours, crying loudly. They were either hungry or had soiled themselves. Xie Zhao had no idea how to change diapers or how much milk Xibao and Lebao needed, leaving him in a complete fluster.

In the end, it was Tian Xiufen who quietly pushed the door open and gently patted Xie Zhao on the back.

“Go sleep in the next room with your big brother. I’ll take over for the second half of the night. You still have to go to the county seat tomorrow!”

How could Tian Xiufen not know the hardships of raising children?

She doted on Xie Zhao, but she also wanted him to realize that raising children was no easy task.

Lin Muyu had given birth to his children and worn herself out for them. He needed to understand how difficult it was so he would always cherish his wife’s efforts.

Xie Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and gently handed Le Bao’er, who had just finished nursing, to Tian Xiufen.

He turned back to look at Lin Muyu, who was dozing off while leaning against the edge of the bed to nurse. “Mom, honey, thank you for your hard work,” he whispered.

Heartened, Tian Xiufen gently nudged him out of the room.

*

Outside.

It was already one in the morning.

Xie Cheng, Xie Youzhen, and Xie Tian had returned from gathering river snails and were washing up in the yard.

A hurricane lantern was lit in the yard, swaying and flickering in the cold wind.

Seeing Xie Zhao, Xie Tian’s eyes lit up. She ran over in a few quick steps and cried, “Second Brother! Look! I gathered so many!”

As she spoke, she proudly lifted her small bamboo basket, showing the river snails inside to Xie Zhao.

Oh!

There really were a lot!

Xie Zhao looked at her. Her trouser legs were soaked, and her hands and feet were covered in mud, but sweat still beaded on her forehead, and her eyes shone brightly.

“Great job!”

Xie Zhao gave her a thumbs-up.

“I’ll keep track of how much money these river snails make, and it’ll all be yours.”

Xie Zhao said with a smile.

Xie Tian froze for a moment, blinked, and then shook her head. “I don’t want it!”

She glanced toward her room and said to Xie Zhao, “Second Brother, I’m already so happy with the shoes you bought me. I didn’t gather river snails to buy things for myself. I want to save up to buy clothes and formula for my little nieces. I want our family to eat meat at every meal. I’m an aunt now! I’m an adult!”

A warm feeling washed over Xie Zhao’s heart.

He gave Xie Tian’s head a firm rub and said softly, “Alright, then Second Brother will save it for you to use for school later.”

School?

Xie Tian’s eyes widened, but the light in them quickly dimmed.

She… Could she still go to school?

*

In the yard, Xie Youzhen and Xie Cheng were drawing water from the well to wash the river snails.

A large vat was filled to the brim, with a thick layer piled at the bottom. At a glance, every single one of them was exceptionally large.

“I really didn’t expect there to be so many river snails in the winter!”

Xie Cheng took a worn towel and wiped himself down haphazardly, shivering from the cold.

“Dad and I also went to catch fish. But we didn’t get as many as yesterday, only two buckets!”

As he spoke, he smacked his lips with a hint of regret. But the next moment, he grinned at Xie Zhao. “But Dad and I caught a snakehead fish! It weighs a full three jin! It was so strong! It even slapped me across the face when we got it to shore!”

Xie Zhao glanced at the wooden bucket.

Sure enough!

In one of the wooden buckets, a large, long snakehead fish was swimming.

What a fine fish!

Its entire body was a glossy, translucent black, and its tail was powerful. It rested quietly in the water, but the other fish did their best to keep their distance.

“This fish will definitely be in high demand at the hospital! I heard an old doctor of traditional Chinese medicine say that snakehead fish is great for wound recovery. Even when the weather is warm, they’re hard to catch!”

Xie Cheng said with a laugh.

Xie Zhao nodded. “Yeah. Tomorrow, Dad will go to the hospital to sell the fish first. I’ll take you to the Aquatic Products Supply and Marketing Cooperative to show you the way. It’ll make selling the river snails easier in the future.”

With their plan set, the three of them immediately began preparing the things they would need for the next day.

The handcart, wooden buckets, and the family scale.

By the time they finished packing up, it was already half past one.

The biting cold wind spurred the three of them to hurry back inside.

Exhausted from the day’s hard work, the father and sons fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Xie Zhao was woken up by a barrage of cursing.

A bit dazed, he sat up and looked out the window. The sky was still a dusty gray. He pushed the window open to see the first faint light of dawn on the horizon, accompanied by the occasional distant, peaceful crowing of a rooster.

But this peace was shattered by a torrent of angry shouting.

It was their aunt next door, Wang Jinhua.

“Which black-hearted bastard stole from my house?! You heartless wretch! You’d better hope I never find out who you are, or I’ll dig up your ancestors and curse every single one of them!”

She cursed with absolute fury.

Xie Zhao propped himself up, wanting to listen closer, but Xie Cheng reached out and pulled him back.

“What’s there to listen to?”

He muttered, rolling over. “She’s basically just cursing Uncle’s ancestors^[1] anyway. Ignore her.”

Xie Zhao: “…”

What was that supposed to mean?

Drowsily, he drifted back to sleep.

When he finally woke up, it was already seven o’clock.

Xie Tian walked in carrying a bowl, grinning at the two of them with a face full of gossipy excitement.

“I heard Eldest Aunt’s house got robbed! Oh, they dug a huge hole right behind the pigsty! I sneaked over to take a look just now, and it’s really not small!”

She giggled and added, “I wonder what kind of treasure it was. When people asked Eldest Aunt, she wouldn’t say a word. She was just so mad she kept cursing up a storm.”

Xie Cheng finished putting on his clothes and glared at her. “Why is a young girl like you joining in on the gossip? Just eat your food!”

Xie Zhao glanced sideways. Seeing Xie Cheng’s completely uninterested expression, a few suspicions began to form in his mind.

Tsk.

Who would have thought his eldest brother had it in him?

For breakfast, Tian Xiufen had made noodles with white flour, frying two eggs for each of them and topping it off with a handful of chopped green onions. The bowls were filled to the brim, and eating it warmed them up all over.