Chapter 57: Old Cheng’s Plan

At Huang Suqin’s home, a rare dish of meat appeared on the table tonight, brought back through connections by Cheng Siguang.

Cheng Siguang was good at reading people. Through observation, he noticed that the two children were well-behaved, grateful, and had good character. He liked children like that.

At this moment, a complete plan formed in his mind.

During dinner, he frequently placed food onto the children’s plates.

The four of them looked just like a family.

After the meal, the two children eagerly helped with chores, further solidifying Cheng Siguang’s thoughts.

“Old Cheng, what do you think?” That night, as they lay in bed, Huang Suqin quietly asked her husband.

Cheng Siguang’s mind was filled with thoughts of how to bring the two children to his side. Hearing his wife’s question, he lowered his voice and said, “Tomorrow, let Shengli and Shengyi wear their old clothes and go back.”

Hearing this, Huang Suqin abruptly sat up, turning to look at her husband in disbelief. He suddenly felt a little unfamiliar to her.

Sending the children back?

“Old Cheng, you…”

Cheng Siguang realized his wife had misunderstood him and quickly explained, “Let them go back first and play along with a show. We need to completely sever Shengli and Shengyi’s ties with your brother-in-law…”

He laid out his plan in full detail.

After returning, they would act pitiful and stir up trouble—make the whole village boil over if possible. In front of everyone, they would officially cut ties to avoid future troubles.

“You shouldn’t show up. Go back and find your parents, or you won’t be able to control the situation.”

Having Shengli and Shengyi’s maternal grandparents step in was more appropriate. After all, their grandsons had been treated so badly—even a clay figurine would have its limits.

The village would also feel humiliated, indirectly putting pressure on the children’s father and helping push the matter forward.

After listening, Huang Suqin felt guilty for misunderstanding Old Cheng.

Old Cheng had thought things through far more thoroughly than she had.

“Alright, I’ll talk to Shengli and Shengyi in the morning and then head to my parents’ place for help.” Huang Suqin nodded.

“Mm! Get some rest now. Tomorrow, when you go back, bring the cornmeal and other food along.”

Hearing this, Huang Suqin felt even more ashamed.

These past days, life in the countryside had been tough. She had helped her parents’ family multiple times. Yet, Old Cheng had never said a word against it—he even supported her.

—

100 pounds of flour, 100 pounds of lamb.

This was the discounted deal that appeared in the store’s 1-yuan section this morning.

Zhou Yimin spent 2 yuan to grab it instantly and also topped up 1,000 yuan in the store.

“Yimin, good morning! We made white bread buns at home—come have some!” While brushing his teeth, Huang Suqin specially came to the central courtyard to call out to Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin swished water around in his mouth, spit out the foam, and then replied to Huang Suqin.

“Auntie Huang, you all go ahead. I’ll eat something later.”

“This kid, now that you’ve grown up, you’re suddenly acting all polite with our courtyard folks!”

Zhou Yimin felt a drop of cold sweat. Did the original owner of this body really grow up eating from different households? It felt like he had eaten at almost every house in the courtyard. In his memories, Old Zhou rarely came home and often relied on the courtyard residents to help look after him, occasionally giving them some money or food in return.

“Alright, Auntie Huang, I’ll come by in a bit then.”

It was hard to refuse such kindness.

He understood that Huang Suqin inviting him to eat was also a way of repaying him for the taro he had given to Shengli and Shengyi earlier. Otherwise, who would be eating white bread buns for breakfast these days?

Having cornbread was already a luxury.

Some families had even switched to only eating two meals a day, skipping breakfast entirely—except for those who needed to work.

“That’s more like it!”

Satisfied, Huang Suqin returned to their back courtyard.

—

At Huang Suqin’s home, she had already spoken with Shengli and Shengyi. The two children also wanted to live with their aunt, so they were completely on board and were even willing to take on their uncle’s surname.

This made Cheng Siguang overjoyed—he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Yimin, come in and eat!” Cheng Siguang called out as soon as he saw Zhou Yimin.

Shengli and Shengyi also greeted him, calling him “Big Brother Zhou” warmly.

“Uncle Cheng, long time no see!”

Turning his head, Zhou Yimin noticed Shengli and Shengyi’s clothing and felt a bit puzzled. “Shengli and Shengyi, why are you…”

“Come, sit down and let’s talk. Here’s the situation…” Cheng Siguang explained his plan, the reasoning behind it, and the children’s thoughts.

He didn’t use many words, but his explanation was clear and logical, making it easy to understand.

Zhou Yimin had always thought that Uncle Cheng, apart from his father, was one of the most educated and skilled people in the courtyard.

“That sounds like a good plan. Need any help from me?”

Cheng Siguang shook his head and smiled. “No need. In fact, I shouldn’t even be directly involved—it has to be their maternal grandparents who step in.”

They chatted while eating.

Cheng Siguang had everything planned out. Once the children were officially registered under his household, he would send Shengli and Shengyi to school. Although they were a bit older for their grade levels—especially Shengli, who was already ten—he still wanted them to get as much education as possible.

Zhou Yimin also smiled. “When you start school, Big Brother Zhou will prepare a gift for you.”

Shengyi was overjoyed. The treatment here was worlds apart from the village—it was heaven compared to the hell he had come from. Here, he could eat his fill and had people who genuinely cared for him.

Back in the village, aside from his older brother, their father and stepmother treated him like a beast of burden.

“Thank you, Big Brother Zhou!” Shengli secretly kicked his younger brother under the table.

Shengyi quickly followed up, “Thank you!”

—

After breakfast, Zhou Yimin headed to the steel factory.

Meanwhile, Huang Suqin took Shengli and Shengyi back to the village, but she didn’t enter the village. Instead, she took a detour to her parents’ home—she needed to bring out her father and older brother.

“Suqin, why are you bringing so much grain back again? Are you not keeping any for yourself?” Her mother looked at the supplies her daughter had brought, feeling worried.

It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the food—their family truly needed it.

And her daughter’s continued thoughtfulness and filial piety made them very happy.

But they worried for their daughter’s sake. What would her husband think? Most men didn’t like their wives constantly supporting their maternal families.

Huang Suqin set the cornmeal down and said, “Old Cheng asked me to bring it. Mom, I came back this time because…”

She then explained everything about her two nephews.

Upon hearing about their grandsons’ mistreatment, her parents were immediately furious. Her father, in particular, slammed the table loudly, his face red with anger.

“I’m going to call people!”

Ever since their eldest daughter passed away, they had been too ashamed to keep in touch with their son-in-law, feeling like they had let him down.

But now?

It was understandable for a man to remarry after losing his wife—they had even supported it.

But treating the children like beasts of burden, nearly starving them to death? Even strangers would curse at such cruelty, let alone their own family.

“You two don’t have kids—adopting Shengli and Shengyi would be good for everyone,” Huang Suqin’s mother said through her tears.

That way, she would feel much more at ease.

She and her husband had always worried about their younger daughter not having children. A childless marriage usually didn’t last long.

She was relieved that her son-in-law was a reasonable and good man. Her daughter marrying into the city had always been a source of pride for them—more so now that they knew she had married the right person.

A short while later, Huang Suqin’s father gathered a group of people, calling in all the cousins and extended relatives.

In this era, having more people meant having more leverage.