Chapter 21: Write a Letter to Brother Zhenping

The scene was too terrifying. Neither of them spoke, silently retreating from the room.

Lu Mingyang reached out to wipe the sweat from his face and sat heavily on the ground, panting hard. Lu Mingliang looked like he was about to speak, but instinctively suppressed his voice.

"Brother, did you see that? Our younger siblings were being held in that bad woman's arms. It was so scary. Is she possessed by a spirit? And what's wrong with our siblings? Why would they let that bad woman hold them?"

Lu Mingyang glanced at Lu Mingliang. He knew it—the bad woman wouldn't just sit idly by. As expected, she had started coaxing Mingfang and Mingkai. It was because they were young and easy to trick, wasn't it?

In a while, she would surely take the younger ones out and sell them while he and Mingliang weren't looking. *Hmph, I guessed right.* However, he couldn't say this out loud; Mingliang couldn't keep a secret, and if he spoke up, he might slip up and let the bad woman realize they knew.

"Mingliang, don't keep calling her 'that bad woman.' That's Mother. You even ate two bowls of egg noodles she made at noon. We'll ask Mingfang and Mingkai what happened tonight. Regardless, when we see Mother, we have to be polite, understood?"

"I know! I'm always polite. Every time I see her, I almost smile my face off. Brother, you just worry about yourself. Mingfang and Xiao Kai are fine. Are we still going to gather firewood?"

Lu Mingyang thought for a moment and said, "Yes. This little bit of wood isn't enough; we need to fill the woodshed."

"Okay. Oh, right, Brother—if anyone asks, just say Grandma didn't call us for dinner and that Mother is still lying on the kang with a severe injury. Say that you cooked some potatoes for us at noon."

Lu Mingyang frowned and asked, "Why?"

"Brother, are you stupid? We have to let people know. When those words reach Father's ears, he'll definitely go to Grandma. Even if Mother doesn't feed us in the future, Grandma will still have food for us. Don't forget, some of our biological father's comrades send things often. Since Grandma and the others take benefits from the soldiers, they have to support us."

Lu Mingliang spoke with some urgency, nearly jumping up and down. How could his brother not understand such simple logic!

"Mingliang, we are all members of the Lu family now. Mention the past less often to avoid causing more trouble," Lu Mingyang reminded him seriously.

Lu Mingliang curled his lip. *What kind of trouble could there be?* He was used to being called "ungrateful wolves" or "impossible to raise."

Once she sensed the two children had left, Shen Meng gently released the two sleeping children. After tucking them in properly, she covered their small bellies with a thin quilt.

Thinking back to the shocked expressions on the children's faces, she couldn't help but laugh softly. As long as they saw her good side, their guard would drop, and it would be easier for them to accept her.

While she slept in the new house hugging her daughter and son, life was not so easy for the rest of the Lu family. Having just moved to the old village, Lu Jiaxuan and Zhou Jiaojiao were very unaccustomed to the lifestyle.

Zhou Jiaojiao said nothing; during work hours, she worked even harder than before, competing to do the housework. This made Lu Jiaxuan feel extremely guilty. Last night, the atmosphere between them had been wonderful, and just as they were about to take the next step, the sound of coughing and urinating echoed from outside the courtyard. He knew instantly it was his second brother stepping out to find a spot by a wall.

In an instant, all desire vanished, replaced by awkwardness between the two. Zhou Jiaojiao turned away, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt, her soft sobs hitting Lu Jiaxuan's heart.

Looking at the woman now working hard to snap corn in the field, he felt immense heartache. He began plotting a plan to talk to his mother properly tonight.

"Jiaxuan, what are you staring at? Your sister-in-law has walked far away," Sun Shanzi teased, seeing Lu Jiaxuan staring at Zhou Jiaojiao's back.

"Get lost! Aren't you working properly?" It was the busy farming season. As a warehouse manager, he had been called out to help. In a couple of days, once the corn was harvested and brought into the warehouse, he would have to register it all. He was very busy.

"No, I'm working seriously! It's just this—I just came from the other end of the field, and I heard some old women saying that at the old courtyard, there was no food for Shen Meng or those little brats at noon. I thought you and your wife might be gossiped about, so I came to give you a heads-up."

Lu Jiaxuan's expression darkened. After a moment, he glared at Sun Shanzi. "What do you mean 'that woman'? That's my eldest sister-in-law and my nephews. Don't you dare speak of them like that in front of me again."

Sun Shanzi curled his lip. "Jiaxuan, don't mind me. I just can't stand Shen Meng. Why should the eldest aunt spend her own money and effort to take care of her and the kids, and then rent a brick house for you and your wife to live in? I was furious hearing it. That woman is truly insatiable. And Brother Zhenping, too—what was he thinking, marrying a character like that? Tsk!"

"Sun Shanzi, you're going too far. Fine, I get it. Go back to work!"

Sun Shanzi had grown up with Lu Jiaxuan; they were as close as brothers. Seeing that Lu Jiaxuan's expression wasn't good, he decided not to say more. Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something and turned back.

"Jiaxuan, let me tell you something. I heard the commune is recruiting officials. Isn't the person in charge there an acquaintance of Brother Zhenping? Write him a letter and ask him to pull some strings. Then you'll be a proper salaried worker, and you and your wife can live a life so comfortable I can't even imagine it."

Lu Jiaxuan's eyes flickered at his words, but he said nothing, merely waving him off.

The small bodies of Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang were burdened with large bundles of firewood. Their faces were covered in sweat, their pant legs rolled up, and their feet bare. Any mother seeing them would feel a pang of heartache.

"I heard the Lu family didn't call Mingyang and the others for lunch again. That woman Shen Meng is just lying on the kang. When Dr. Lu went to check yesterday, she was almost gone. Sigh, how pitiful."

"Pitiful? It's her own poisonous heart. She tried to push Jiaojiao into the river and got gored by a cow instead. It's just her own bad luck."

"Whether she's well or not doesn't matter to us, but those children... their lives are so hard. Sigh, what sensible boys. I asked Mingliang what he ate at noon, and the boy timidly said Mingyang cooked some potatoes. Honestly, what a sin!"

"No way, Auntie Lu is a good person. If she's angry, it's at Shen Meng, she wouldn't take it out on the kids!"

"Heh, who can say for sure!"

Listening to the gossip behind them, Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang silently agreed not to speak. When they brought the firewood back home, they happened to see Shen Meng coming out of the kitchen.

"You're back. I boiled some mung bean soup in the kitchen; it's warm. Go have some. Don't go gathering more wood for now; go back to the room and rest."

Although they didn't want to deal with the "bad woman," the mention of food made Lu Mingliang drop his firewood and run toward the kitchen. On the low table sat two bowls of warm mung bean soup, and he took a large gulp.

"Wow! It's so sweet!"