Chapter 9: A Bitter Welcome and a Small Act of Kindness

Chen Fen instantly froze in terror.

She had visited her father’s hometown in the countryside during the New Year when she was very young. Though she had been very young then, the stark contrast between the rural and urban environments had left a profound impression on her.

Now, hearing Old Lady Chen’s words, Chen Fen’s temper instantly vanished, replaced by fear.

Her hands trembled as she tugged at Cai Zhen’s sleeve, pleading softly, “Mom, I don’t want to go to the countryside.”

Cai Zhen cast a glance at her husband, hoping he would intercede with a few kind words.

Chen Fen was their first child. At the time, both she and Chen Guoliang had been young, and they hadn’t given much thought to having a daughter, simply believing it was perfectly fine to have a daughter first, then a son later.

Consequently, they had truly doted on Chen Fen, who had always been the most cherished child in their home.

Cai Zhen’s father was a deputy director at a cast iron factory. Although it wasn’t a position of great authority, it still meant he was a cadre at a large state-owned factory.

Their family’s financial situation was quite good, and they could occasionally provide some extra support for their daughter.

During a time when many families subsisted on black steamed buns made from sorghum flour and wild vegetables, the Chen family could afford a bowl of corn gruel with every meal—a consistency slightly thicker than what was currently in Chen Fen’s bowl.

This was considered a very good life.

Therefore, Chen Fen knew that the pot of corn porridge Cai Zhen had cooked today likely depleted their family’s fine grains.

Despite her immense dissatisfaction, she understood this was her father’s intention. She eagerly awaited her mother to serve her a generous portion, hoping to recoup their family’s precious food.

However, when her turn came, the portion was even smaller than what she usually ate. Naturally, Chen Fen was displeased. The sight of Xiang Chen’s half-empty bowl only further fueled her anger.

She had just returned from school when she overheard people saying her grandma had arrived, so she had hidden away until it was time for dinner.

Then, her second sister had secretly told her that their grandma had brought home a wild child, who would now be part of their family.

Chen Fen had grown up listening to gossip. Moreover, when the Chen family’s fifth son was adopted a few years prior, she had been old enough to understand. She had also witnessed the hardships faced by her female classmates who had brothers. How could Chen Fen possibly like Xiang Chen?

It was only the first day, and her mother was already showing such blatant favoritism. Chen Fen could no longer tolerate it, and thus, she erupted.

But just as she burst out, before the fire in her heart could fully ignite, a colossal mountain descended from the heavens, extinguishing every spark. Old Lady Chen had effortlessly suppressed Chen Fen.

Chen Fen was terrified, but Cai Zhen’s heart was even more ablaze with anxiety. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to give her own child good food; she was merely putting on a show for her mother-in-law.

She hadn’t expected her eldest daughter to misunderstand her intentions and anger her grandmother. If the child were truly taken away, there was no telling what hardships they might endure.

Chen Guoliang caught his wife’s eye, then offered Old Lady Chen a fawning smile. “Mother,” he began, “it’s my fault for not teaching the child properly. Please don’t be angry; I’ll punish her.”

This implied that Old Lady Chen shouldn’t inflict punishment, indirectly absolving Chen Fen. After all, she was their most beloved child; how could Chen Guoliang not protect her?

Old Lady Chen took a sip of gruel from her bowl, smacking her lips. “Fine,” she said, “I know you dote on your children, and I’m too lazy to bother with the effort.”

Before the Chen family of three could rejoice at her words, she added, “Since she threw her chopsticks, she must not be hungry. She can skip this meal then.”

Chen Fen’s face instantly flushed crimson, and her eyes welled up. Food was scarce, and everyone rarely felt full; they would be hungry again soon after eating. Missing this meal meant she would be starving and unable to sleep tonight.

But Chen Fen dared not speak. Chen Guoliang and Cai Zhen, seeing this outcome, knew there was no room for discussion and said nothing further.

Chen Fang, who had largely been ignored, had long since finished her corn porridge. Seeing the situation, she gleefully took her sister’s bowl, poured the remaining porridge into her own, and ate with relish, alternating between a bite of bun and a spoonful of porridge.

Chen Fen gritted her teeth in anger. Normally, she was the one snatching food from Chen Fang; it was unheard of for Chen Fang to snatch hers.

Everyone at the table ate their own food, paying no mind to Chen Fen. Chen Fen swallowed, huffed, and turned to leave.

***

After such a scene, Xiang Chen abandoned his plan to offer his half-bowl of gruel.

Not only was he unsure if Old Lady Chen would agree, but even if she did, he glanced at the Wang family couple, who were happily eating Chen Fen’s bun, and realized his half-bowl of gruel would likely never reach the younger children’s mouths.

With that thought, Xiang Chen held his bowl, lowered his head, and took a sip.

The corn gruel was coarse, completely unlike the sweet corn porridge he had enjoyed before his transmigration. It contained some hard bits that scraped his throat, yet it also carried the faint fragrance of corn.

It wasn’t too unpleasant, and apart from that one piece of dried sweet potato, it was the best thing Xiang Chen had eaten since arriving in this world.

In the day and a half since he arrived, Xiang Chen had only eaten one bite of black bun and one piece of dried sweet potato. His stomach had long been rumbling.

Now, with something edible before him, Xiang Chen held the bowl himself, blowing on it and taking slow sips. He would blow twice, then take a mouthful.

The bowl was as large as Xiang Chen’s head. Such a tiny person, with two small chubby hands cradling the rim of the bowl, puffed out his cheeks to blow, then slowly and methodically drank the gruel. He was undeniably endearing.

Everyone else, who had long finished their food, watched Xiang Chen. Old Lady Chen’s eyes were filled with affection. Cai Zhen secretly nudged her husband, whispering, “Why do I feel like this child isn’t from an ordinary family…”

Chen Guoliang watched without blinking. This was his son! Judging by his demeanor, he was sure to become a cadre in the future. Just as he was thinking, Cai Zhen nudged him, making him pause. “No matter what family he’s from,” he said, “he’s ours now.”

Cai Zhen nodded, agreeing that her husband made sense.

After finishing half a bowl of gruel, Xiang Chen finally felt about seventy percent full. Despite his young age, his plumpness wasn’t for show.

He had always been an exceptionally good eater. When other children still needed adults to chase them with spoonfuls of food, Xiang Chen was already holding his own small bowl, devouring spoonful after spoonful of the steamed egg custard his grandmother made for him.

As he grew older, Xiang Chen’s appetite only increased year by year. Though he appeared slim and fair-skinned, he typically ate at least two bowls of rice for a main meal—and small bowls wouldn’t suffice. On top of that, he never skipped fruits or snacks after meals.

Fortunately, Xiang Chen had a metabolism that kept him from gaining weight. Otherwise, with his aversion to exercise, he would have long become a hefty man, and he certainly wouldn’t have had the courage to confess his feelings to his Male God.

Thinking of his own appetite, Xiang Chen was deeply troubled. He couldn’t even eat his fill; this transmigration was truly miserable. He wondered how much gruel his large gold ring could buy, and how long it would last him…

***

After dinner, Cai Zhen collected the dishes to wash them. Everyone’s bowls were spotless, not merely licked clean, but truly wiped with a piece of bun to remove any clinging gruel.

Even Xiang Chen’s own bowl had been taken by Chen Fen and licked clean.

Old Lady Chen sat and rested with her daughter and son-in-law for a while longer. Cai Zhen, ever tactful, discreetly handed some money to Old Lady Chen.

They had already inquired about Xiang Chen’s ‘value,’ and since they couldn’t produce so much grain at once, they couldn’t possibly let the old woman bear the financial burden.

Old Lady Chen took the money, then, satisfied, left with her daughter and son-in-law. Before departing, she even pulled a handful of dried sweet potatoes from her own bundle and gave them to Xiang Chen, handing the rest to Cai Zhen to put away.

The old woman had a generous hand; the handful of dried sweet potatoes she gave Xiang Chen was almost too much for his two small hands to grasp.

Looking at the two little girls, Chen Fang and Chen Xiaohua, who were staring longingly at the dried sweet potatoes in his hand, Xiang Chen gave one to each of them.

The two girls took them, eagerly popping them into their mouths. Xiang Chen looked at the four remaining in his hand, hesitating whether to offer one to the sulking Chen Fen across the room.

Before he could decide, Chen Fen had already risen, glaring fiercely at her two sisters. She snatched all the dried sweet potatoes from Xiang Chen’s hand, lowering her voice.

“You little bastard,” she hissed, “remember this: everything in our house is mine. If you dare touch it, I’ll rip your mouth off.”

Xiang Chen glanced at the red mark scratched on the back of his hand by Chen Fen’s nail. He took a moment to compose himself, then let out a piercing wail. “Waaah, Mama, I want Mama…”

Xiang Chen’s crying skills were well-honed; as a child, he had used them to escape countless beatings. This particular wail echoed down the corridor, reaching the neighbors who were currently chatting with Chen Guoliang and his wife about Xiang Chen’s arrival.

“Oh dear, what’s happened? Why is he crying so much?”

“Quick, go see! Hope the child hasn’t hurt himself.”

A crowd of people rushed into the Chen house. Chen Fen, whose face still bore the fierce expression she had deliberately put on to intimidate Xiang Chen, was startled by the sudden appearance of so many people and hadn’t had time to compose herself.

Xiang Chen continued to whimper, clutching his small hand. His skin was fair, making the red scratch particularly noticeable.

“Mom, I, no…” Chen Fen, realizing the atmosphere was wrong, hastily tried to explain to Cai Zhen.

Cai Zhen saw the dried sweet potatoes clutched in Chen Fen’s hand and instantly understood.

A wave of exasperation washed over her—’you want to snatch his things, at least gag him first! You’re a teenager; can’t you handle a four-year-old kid?’ But such thoughts could certainly not be voiced.

The neighbors’ gazes were already turning critical, and whispers were surely about Chen Fen’s misconduct.

Chen Guoliang shot his eldest daughter, who had been causing trouble all day, a stern glare. He said coldly, “Give the dried sweet potatoes back to your brother. If you ever snatch his things again, you’ll see how I deal with you.”

Chen Fen might dare to act spoiled with her mother, but she was somewhat afraid of her father’s cold demeanor. She quickly shoved the dried sweet potatoes back into Xiang Chen’s hand, covered her face, and ran back to her room.

Xiang Chen knew when to stop. He hadn’t truly made such a scene just for a few dried sweet potatoes; he wasn’t that petty. However, he didn’t know how long he would have to stay in this family.

The other children were one thing, but Chen Fen clearly harbored great malice towards him. If he simply endured it, not only would Chen Fen’s attitude towards him not change, but she would come to view bullying him as normal.

At his current age, it was too easy for Chen Fen to do whatever she pleased to him. Although life was difficult, Xiang Chen still wanted to live well. Therefore, he had no choice but to put on a show.

That night, Chen Fen stubbornly refused to share a bed with Xiang Chen. Xiang Chen pretended to be innocently seated on the small bed, unwilling to get down.

It was a joke—what if the couple wanted to do something intimate at night? It would be far too awkward if he were on the same bed.

Chen Guoliang and his wife had no choice. They placed their youngest daughter on the small bed for Chen Fang to watch, and had Chen Fen temporarily sleep with them.

Chen Fen’s original intention had been to drive Xiang Chen away, but it had ultimately resulted in her sleeping with her parents. It was too late to go back on it now; Chen Guoliang had to work tomorrow, and his face was already dark with displeasure. Chen Fen could only obediently get into bed.

The night deepened, and the entire house fell silent, save for Chen Guoliang’s increasingly loud snores.

Xiang Chen lay on the bed, eyes closed but unable to sleep. This time yesterday, he had been drinking with Huo Kai in his own living room. In such a short span, he had already experienced so much.

The wooden plank bed beneath him was hard, and the thin mattress was equally unyielding. Xiang Chen frowned and turned over, nearly screaming when he saw a pair of open eyes beside him.

“Aren’t you sleeping?” Xiang Chen whispered to Chen Xiaohua beside him.

This child was reportedly five years old, yet she was shorter than Xiang Chen. She didn’t speak much and had little presence.

For a long moment, Xiang Chen thought she wouldn’t respond to him, but then the little girl whispered, “Hungry…”

A wave of tenderness washed over Xiang Chen’s heart. He fumbled under his pillow and pulled out a paper packet—half a newspaper he had asked Chen Guoliang for, wrapping his remaining four dried sweet potatoes.

He pulled out one and handed it to Chen Xiaohua.

Chen Xiaohua took it, revealing a small smile. It was truly like a tiny wildflower by the roadside—soft, yet beautiful.

She nibbled on the dried sweet potato sparingly, taking tiny bites. Xiang Chen watched for a while, then felt sleepiness creeping in, his eyes slowly closing.

Just before he drifted off, he thought he heard the little girl softly whisper in his ear, “Thank you, little brother. I’ll give you dried sweet potatoes too, someday…”