Chapter 55: Repairing the House for the Family

Chapter 55: Renovating the Family House

Shen Shoutian’s face lit up with joy. "Really? Xiaomeng, that’s great. Then you sit down and rest for a bit. Qinlan, tidy up our room so Xiaomeng can stay there tonight. The second brother and I will sleep on a makeshift bed in Father's room, and you can squeeze in with the kids and Xiaomei."

"Alright, I'll go do it right away."

Lü Qinlan stood up and walked toward her room. She gave Shen Meng a sheepish smile, as if afraid Shen Meng might look down on them. After all, her sister-in-law's family was far better off than theirs. This time, she had brought meat, eggs, and even a bag of clothes; she felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.

Su Xiaomei also stood up, bypassed Shen Meng and the others, and headed toward her own room to tidy up as well.

Seeing both sisters-in-law busy at work, Shen Meng felt a bit embarrassed. She suddenly felt that her decision to stay overnight was somewhat abrupt. However, looking at the Shen family, she could tell they truly missed the original owner of her body. The original owner used to go months without visiting, so her sudden return was naturally a cause for great joy.

Only after Wang Guizhi had settled Shen Fugui to sleep did she emerge from the room. In the main hall, the Shen family members were sitting together talking. Shen Yutian had put his son down to sleep and had come over to chat with his sister.

"Xiaomeng, why did you bring so many things this time? Will your mother-in-law have any complaints?"

"Haven't they split the family yet? If that old woman dares to bully Xiaomeng again, I'll go and beat her up," Shen Yutian said. He had only found out later about the grievances his younger sister had endured. He had wanted to cause a scene, but his parents wouldn't let him.

They insisted that if he caused a commotion that broke up his sister's marriage, it would be his fault. He couldn't bear such a heavy burden; it was only after his wife persuaded him to wait and see that he refrained from going.

Shen Meng felt a warmth in her heart. The Shen family had always been very good to the original owner, though the original owner had previously only thought about how to extract benefits from her in-laws—benefits that, of course, were only for herself.

However, she ultimately couldn't withstand sweet words. The stipends she obtained from Lu Zhenping and the military eventually all ended up in the pockets of Liu Sanjin and her various sisters-in-law.

"We've split the family now, and the private plots have been assigned to me. From now on, I'll be living my life with the children. I don't know how comfortable it will be!"

Wang Guizhi sighed and advised, "Xiaomeng, no matter what, your mother-in-law is still Zhenping's mother. You should still show her filial respect. Otherwise, it will make things difficult for Zhenping later. Can he really abandon his own mother?"

"I know, Mother, don't worry. As long as she doesn't cause trouble, I won't argue with her. The reason I'm not going home today is that there's something I want to discuss."

Wang Guizhi exchanged a look with her two sons and said hurriedly, "Speak up. If there are any difficulties, tell the family."

"It's not a difficulty, it's just something I need Mother and Father to agree to."

"Oh, daughter, just say it! If Mother agrees, will that be enough? You're making me anxious. I'm telling you, if you hadn't suffered grievances, would you be staying at your parental home for an extra day? Hurry and speak!"

Shen Meng quickly said, "It's not a difficulty. I was thinking about renovating the house. Our adobe house stands out quite prominently along the way. Look at our roof—the straw has turned black. It's because it's been too long. Once the snow falls this winter, the roof is bound to collapse. It would be better to strip the roof off; we can dry out the rotten straw and keep it for firewood later."

Wang Guizhi hadn't expected it to be about this and immediately waved her hands. How could they use a married daughter's money for family matters? Wouldn't people gossip about them?

"How could we let you pay for the house repairs? Father and I discussed this before. We'll have your eldest and second brothers talk to the Party Secretary later to ask for some straw from the production team. The production team's straw is cheaper, and we can just find a mason to fix it up."

"Mother is right. Xiaomeng, don't worry about the house. As long as you are doing well, Father, Mother, your second brother, and I will be at peace. Our family can get by; you shouldn't worry about us."

Shen Shoutian was happy in his heart. People used to say he had a capable brother-in-law and that he would soon be leading the family to a life of luxury. He had always refuted them, but after several years of not seeing his sister do anything for the family, people had started to gossip.

Look, wasn't his sister thinking of the family today? It was just that before the family split, even if she thought of her parental home, she couldn't let her mother-in-law know, otherwise, would the household ever be peaceful?

"What are you saying? I am married out, not sold off. I have children with Lu Zhenping, and if I want to help my parental home in the end, am I in the wrong? Mother, Big Brother, Second Brother, actually, don't think too much of it. Zhenping cares about you all too. When he wrote a letter last time, he even asked about Mother and Father's health. He even told me to be filial to you. If he comes back and sees the house in this state, he'll say I've failed him."

Wang Guizhi felt a surge of joy. She hadn't expected her son-in-law to care for them so much.

"Really?"

"How could it be false? Oh, right, the straw in my private plot hasn't been harvested yet. Big Brother, please come help me tomorrow and bring the straw back with you. We need to work early. The children have to go to school at ten tomorrow. I'll let Big Brother read Zhenping's letter then."

Shen Shoutian looked at his mother and then said, "Alright."

"Mother, Big Brother, Second Brother, seeing the state of our home makes my heart ache. When the weather is good, it's fine, but if the weather is bad and it rains heavily outside, it'll be raining inside. And Xiaobin—he's still living in the side room of the main hall. He'll be ready for marriage soon; what kind of good family would want to marry a girl into our house!"

As Shen Meng spoke, Wang Guizhi and the others fell silent. These past two years, because the family was poor, they hadn't been able to renovate the house. They had worked hard with manual labor, but the family only seemed to get poorer. They didn't know why, and sometimes they felt there was no hope.

"Just listen to me. We will tear down the house and rebuild it. I'll find someone to ask later if we can get some bricks and tiles. We'll build the house wide and sturdy. That way, it will be easier for Xiaobin to find a marriage match later."

As she spoke, Shen Meng took the money from selling the radio out of her pocket. A total of two hundred and thirty-five yuan was placed on the table. That thick stack of cash left everyone in the room stunned.

"Mother, you take this money. It certainly won't be enough to build a red brick and tile house, but it should be enough to build a few adobe rooms with black tiles. If there's any left, we can have a carpenter make some furniture and heated beds, and buy some clothes and shoes for my nephews and nieces. Big Brother and Second Brother, work hard for your work points; in the future, we'll make sure the children go to school if they can."

The original owner had essentially given her a second life. No matter what, it was a debt of rebirth. Because of this, she felt it was her duty to support the Shen family.

(End of Chapter)