Chapter 52: On Edge the Whole Way

Chapter 52: A Nerve-Wracking Journey

Early the next morning, Shen Meng packed two baskets of belongings. Today, she was taking the children back to her maiden home. It had been nearly half a month since Wang Guizhi and Shen Fugui had last visited, which was highly unusual; according to their previous pattern, they certainly should have come by at least twice during this period.

In another day, the children would be starting school. Once that happened, any future trips would have to wait until the school holidays.

"Mother, is Third Aunt coming over to make clothes today?" Lu Mingyang asked tentatively, holding a patched piece of clothing, unsure of what he was doing with it.

"Your Third Aunt hasn't fully recovered yet, so she won't be coming today. The autumn clothes are mostly finished, and once the two pairs of small Kai's shoes are done, there won't be much work left. There are enough new clothes for you all to wear, and I can knit sweaters and such," Shen Meng replied. She covered the two baskets with old cloth, tied them with rope, and turned her head. "Mingyang, why are you holding that old clothing?"

"Mother, my younger siblings and I all have new clothes now. Can these old ones be given to my cousin's younger brother? I can't fit into this one anymore, and Mingliang doesn't want to wear it either."

Mingliang was such a show-off; these days he wore his new clothes every single day and wouldn't even glance at the old ones. Even Mingfang and Mingkai were becoming reluctant to wear old clothes. Although Mingyang felt this behavior was improper and wasteful, compared to new clothes, his heart still preferred the new ones.

"Alright, just pick out a couple of pieces that still look decent; forget the rest. You'll still be wearing old clothes when you're working later to keep things convenient."

Lu Mingyang's eyes lit up. He quickly agreed and turned back into the house to pack. His cousin's younger brother was just like he used to be—no new shoes or clothes, living a difficult life. He rummaged through his things and found three fruit candies that hadn't been eaten, intending to give them to the boy when he saw him later.

"Mingyang, Mingliang, go to the production brigade headquarters and ask Secretary Zhang to borrow a bicycle. I'll give you the money!"

The production team had two bicycles. If a member had an urgent matter, they could borrow one for twenty cents, but they would have to pay for any damages. Most people preferred to walk rather than borrow, fearing that a bump or scratch would result in a heavy fine.

The two boys quickly ran off with the money.

Lu Mingkai sat on a small stool at the entrance of the main hall, slowly eating a piece of peach biscuit. Shen Meng glanced into the room and saw Lu Mingfang tying her hair.

"Mingfang, hurry up. Once Mingyang and the others get back, we're leaving early. I have to go out again at noon. You kids just stay at Grandma's for a bit, and I'll come pick you up later."

Lu Mingfang quickly tied a crooked ponytail and threw on one of her checkered outer shirts.

"Mother, where are you going?"

Shen Meng blinked, meeting her daughter's clear eyes. "I'll tell you, but you mustn't tell anyone else. That doctor from yesterday has some work at her house; if I help out, she'll pay me. In a little while, your father will be at the military base, and sometimes his allowance has to go to the families of his comrades. Our family can't always rely on him. This doctor knows many people, so I'll ask her to see if she can introduce some work to me."

Lu Mingfang hadn't realized her mother was trying to earn money. She thought it must be because the pressure on the family was too great now that she and her two brothers were starting school. Last night, her mother had mentioned that Grandma had been given too little of the split money and that there must be more. When she had asked why they didn't ask the village chief to investigate, her mother said that since the whole family ate from the same pot, the accounts couldn't be strictly separated; being too calculating would hurt the children's reputation. Her mother worked too hard.

"Mother, don't worry, I definitely won't tell. You can rest easy."

"Sister, Mother, Xiao Kai heard it too!"

Shen Meng: "..."

Lu Mingfang: "..."

Oh no, she had forgotten about this little guy. He was such a tiny little thing sitting there that if you didn't look down, you wouldn't even see him!

"Xiao Kai, be good. You didn't hear anything, don't make things difficult for Mother."

Lu Mingkai stuffed the last bit of peach biscuit into his mouth and nodded heavily, crumbs falling all over his collar and chest.

Bicycles in this era were quite large, sturdy, and could carry a lot. They placed one basket on each side. Lu Mingyang held Lu Mingliang on the back, and a small stool was tied to the front crossbar. Lu Mingfang held Lu Mingkai, squeezing into the front.

After locking the house door, Shen Meng gripped the handlebars and leaned against a wall. She swung her leg over the crossbar, sat on the seat, took a deep breath, and wobbled away on the bicycle.

At first, the bike swayed violently. The oscillations were so large that the children's hearts were in their throats several times, looking at the roadside for haystacks or sand ditches so that if they fell, it wouldn't hurt too much.

By using the production team's bicycle, Shen Meng managed to leave with the two baskets. News of this quickly reached Liu Sanjin's ears. Huddled on her heated kang bed, she pounded it several times in anger.

"Wretch, you absolute wretch! We've only just split the household, and she's already taking the Lu family's grain to subsidize her maiden home! Black-hearted woman, isn't she afraid of retribution? When the eldest son comes back, he must teach you a lesson, you wretch! Waaaah..."

Xie Jinghao happened to come out to use the latrine. Hearing her mother-in-law's wailing, she hurried toward the pit, fearing she might hear something unpleasant.

Shenjia Village was not far from Lu Village. Shen Meng's maiden home was located at the eastern end of the village, right by the main road, making it very convenient to access. Their family lived in an adobe thatched house within a row of renovated courtyards, making it stand out quite a bit. As Shen Meng approached the entrance, she glanced at the roof, which was pitch black.

After a bumpy journey, she finally arrived at the doorstep. Her eyes scanned the area until she finally found a large stone by the entrance, and she propped her foot up on it.

"Mingyang, come down first. Is that okay, son? Don't fall!"

Lu Mingyang: "...It's fine, Mother."

After jumping down, his legs were so numb that he stumbled a few steps. He then quickly helped Mingliang down. The two little ones had extremely numb legs; they had been terrified the whole way, but they had finally arrived safely at their grandmother's house.

Shen Meng also breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't been easy for her either; she had nearly fallen into a ditch several times.

"Later, I'll have to see if we have enough industrial coupons at home. Our family needs to buy a bicycle too—a small one. Once we buy it and bring it home, you all can learn to ride it. It'll make going out more convenient."

"Okay," Lu Mingyang agreed. His mother had probably forgotten that all their previous industrial coupons had been swindled away by their aunt in the county. Since his mother had returned home looking so happy, he decided not to bring up anything that would spoil the mood.

It was currently the time when work was just beginning. As she pushed the bicycle toward the house, she didn't encounter anyone. Looking at the somewhat dilapidated and decaying wooden gate, she sighed and raised her hand to knock, only to hear a faint coughing sound from within the courtyard.