Chapter 37: The Shock from the Reward

Upon returning to Zhoujiazhuang, the villagers greeted him from afar, recognizing that it was Zhou Yimin—after all, he was the only one who would ride a bicycle into the village.

Zhoujiazhuang was small, not even qualified to screen movies.

If anyone wanted to watch a film, they had to go to Hongxing Commune up ahead. The commune organized movie screenings periodically and would notify the surrounding villages.

However, when the villagers saw that Zhou Yimin had brought a baby back with him, they fell silent.

In times like these, people could barely feed their own families, yet he had taken in another mouth to feed? If it were them, they would probably have just walked away. If they didn’t see it, there would be no dilemma, no guilt.

Since last year, the number of people starving to death had skyrocketed. After hearing and witnessing it so often, one eventually became numb.

It was only after Zhou Yimin had walked further away that someone started to talk.

“Only Uncle Sixteen would dare to bring someone home like that.”

“Yimin is capable, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Sigh! But it’s still a human life. Little Uncle has a good heart; he can’t bear to see such things.”

Zhou Yimin was well known in the village for his kindness. He often gave food to the village children. That was why he was respected and supported—not just because of his seniority in the family.

When he got home, Zhou Yimin saw Zhou Zhiming and some men building a house, with his grandfather supervising nearby.

They noticed him as well and paused their work to greet him.

The old man stopped supervising and quickly walked toward his grandson.

“Yimin, you’re back so early?”

As he approached, he noticed the baby in Zhou Yimin’s arms, and his face immediately filled with questions.

“Grandpa, I came back right after breakfast. I didn’t even go to the steel factory.

By the way, I found this little girl on the road. I couldn’t bear to leave her.

Grandpa, why don’t we adopt her? It’s not like we can’t afford to feed her. I plan to ask Third Aunt to help take care of her—she has experience.” Zhou Yimin shared his plan.

He didn’t have the time or energy to care for a child himself, and his grandparents were too old to be burdened with it, so he thought Third Aunt would be the best choice.

The old man sighed inwardly. He knew his grandson’s nature. When faced with an abandoned infant, Zhou Yimin would definitely step in.

Having a soft heart wasn’t a bad thing.

What was bad was the state of the world!

Fortunately, their family could afford to raise her.

Outwardly, the old man smiled and agreed, “Alright! I’ll have your Third Aunt take care of her. Oh, she’s not even crying—such a well-behaved child. Pick a name for her.”

Zhou Yimin was also surprised. Ever since he picked up this little girl, she hadn’t cried at all.

“Grandpa, how about calling her Zhou Qian? Her nickname can be Qianqian.” He had already thought of the name on the way home.

The old man nodded. “Good name! My grandson is cultured, unlike the others in the village, who name their kids Tie Zhu (Iron Pillar), Gou Dan (Dog Egg), or Xiao Hua (Little Flower).”

Zhou Yimin was amused by his grandfather’s way of complimenting him.

Inside the house, his grandmother saw the little girl and, after hearing her eldest grandson’s explanation, did not object either. Their Zhou family had few descendants, so adding another member would bring more liveliness to the household.

Grandmother immediately went out to call Xu Qiang’s wife over to help take care of the baby.

“Grandpa, look—this is the certificate of merit the state awarded me, along with 500 yuan. The factory also promoted me by two levels and gave me another 100 yuan…”

Zhou Yimin eagerly took out his prizes, showing them off to his grandfather like treasures.

As expected, the old man was overjoyed when he saw the certificate, as excited as a child.

“Incredible! Absolutely incredible!”

This was probably the first certificate of merit in their village. How could he not be thrilled? Just imagine the prestige when he told others about it!

He held the certificate and kept looking around the house, feeling that their walls weren’t worthy of such an honor. For a moment, he was at a loss.

His grandson had really made him proud.

A certificate, a job promotion, hundreds of yuan, an enamel tea mug—so many prizes.

Any one of them would be enough to make the villagers envious for days.

Ignoring his slightly obsessed grandfather, Zhou Yimin took the cured duck to the kitchen to hang it up and placed the chestnuts on a stool. After some thought, he secretly took out a few bags of milk powder and put them in his shopping basket while no one was looking.

A while later, his grandmother returned with Third Aunt, followed by Laifu and his younger siblings.

“Third Aunt, sorry to trouble you.”

Third Aunt took the little girl in her arms, relieved to find that the child was in relatively good health.

“Yimin, no need to be so formal with me. Her name is Qianqian, right? Go boil some water. I’ll give her a bath and clean her up. Good thing we still have some milk powder at home.”

His grandmother also chimed in, saying she still had two bags.

“That’s right, her name is Qianqian.

Third Aunt, there’s enough milk powder. I brought back a few more bags. Laifang and the others should keep drinking it, too—don’t be reluctant. Once it’s finished, I’ll ask my friend for more.”

After saying that, Zhou Yimin went to boil water.

It really took someone experienced to care for a child properly.

At this moment, his grandmother finally noticed her husband acting strangely—wandering around the house, holding a piece of paper.

She also spotted the enamel tea mug and thermos on the table, assuming her grandson had bought them.

“Old man, what are you doing?”

The old man snapped out of it and beamed, “Look at this! The state awarded our Yimin a certificate of merit. Where do you think we should hang it?

Besides the certificate, there’s also…”

His grandmother and Third Aunt were stunned.

A cash reward of several hundred yuan?

Even though they weren’t factory workers, they had heard that job promotions were difficult—many people couldn’t get promoted even after years of working.

“Our Yimin is the most capable.” Third Aunt praised.

She then glanced at her own three children, feeling a little disappointed. If only her children were half as outstanding as their eldest cousin, she would probably laugh in her sleep.

Laifu and his siblings curiously examined the baby their mother was holding.

Grandmother beamed with pride. “In our entire family, Yimin is the most accomplished.”

What good was studying? Had her son ever brought home an award? In the end, he was seduced by a widow and abandoned his parents and child.

What a waste of effort raising him.

Then, she suggested, “Let’s make a frame for it.”

“Yes, yes!”

The old man immediately went to find someone to help, in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Laifu and his siblings came to the kitchen and asked, “Big Brother, is she going to be our little sister from now on?”

Zhou Yimin nodded. “Yes, Qianqian is your little sister. You have to look after her, alright?”

“Got it, Big Brother! I’ll carry her on my back in the future.” Laifu was very responsible.

Since their mother had to work, he often took care of his younger siblings.

Lai Cai and Lai Fang didn’t want to be left out and quickly made their own promises.

Zhou Yimin pulled out some White Rabbit candy and handed it to them as a reward.

White Rabbit candy had only been created last year as a commemorative product for the country’s tenth anniversary.

It was said that the factory could only produce 800 kilograms per day, and since it was handmade, it was incredibly rare.

Moreover, White Rabbit candy was advertised as “seven pieces equal to a glass of milk” and was considered a nutritious treat.

No one in Zhoujiazhuang had probably tasted White Rabbit candy before—Laifu and his siblings were the first.