Chapter 23: Sack of Compensation

The couple returned with dark expressions. The younger children dared not utter a sound, and even Chen Fen nimbly helped boil water and wipe the table. They feared the adults would vent their anger on them.

Despite their lingering anger, they still had to eat. It was another pot of sorghum and wild vegetable porridge. Cai Zhen, in her foul mood, had managed to burn the already unpalatable dish.

The blend of the wild vegetables’ astringency and the burnt pot’s bitterness was so awful it made one want to gag.

Chen Guoliang had barely taken a mouthful before he wanted to smash the bowl.

Yet, he forcibly restrained himself. Grain was scarce, and whatever they saved had to be sent back to his hometown, which was suffering from famine. There was no room for waste.

Thus, Chen Guoliang frowned and drank large gulps, the porridge barely touching his tongue before it seemed to pour straight down his throat.

The younger children mimicked him. Chen Xiaohua and Chen Fang drank with furrowed brows, while Chen Fen pursed her lips, not daring to utter a word.

***

By the time Song Wenbin knocked on the door, the Chen family had already finished their dreadful dinner.

Cai Zhen was clearing the dishes when she heard the knock and sent Chen Fang to open the door.

Chen Fang opened it to see Song Wenbin, then scampered back, tugging at Cai Zhen’s clothes to show her.

Cai Zhen immediately spotted the sack Song Wenbin was carrying, and a smile instantly broke across her sullen face. “Oh, Factory Director Song, please come in, come in quickly.”

She then turned to Chen Fen. “Danie, go pour some water!”

“No need,” Song Wenbin flatly refused. Without exchanging pleasantries with Cai Zhen, he directly addressed the head of the household, Chen Guoliang. “Comrade Chen, I need a word with you outside.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Guoliang forced a smile and walked over. “Factory Director Song, what can I do for you?”

Song Wenbin retreated two steps, allowing Chen Guoliang to step forward, then placed the sack he was holding between them. “This is the grain you spent to buy my nephew. I’m compensating you. Go find a scale and weigh it to see if it’s enough.”

Before Chen Guoliang could speak, Cai Zhen’s eyes lit up as she eagerly approached. She reached out, grabbed the sack, and intended to carry it into her room, saying, “No need to weigh it, we trust you…”

Cai Zhen’s eagerness was understandable. Seventy catties of cornmeal, if rationed carefully with black steamed buns, would feed their family for two months.

With famine rampant these past two years, many in the countryside had starved to death.

Chen Guoliang had sent a considerable amount of grain back to his village, and combined with the housing issues, the Chen family had always lived a tight existence. This sack of cornmeal was a significant windfall for them.

How could Song Wenbin allow Cai Zhen to simply take the grain? He pressed down on the sack, insisting that Chen Guoliang find a scale and reweigh it.

Left with no choice, Chen Guoliang took a steelyard scale and weighed it publicly, confirming it was exactly seventy catties. Song Wenbin then pulled out fifty yuan, counted it carefully, and handed it to Chen Guoliang.

It wasn’t that he wanted to give more, but Xiang Chen had, after all, eaten and stayed at the Chen family’s home for several days. Song Wenbin felt it was best to sever ties completely, leaving the Chen family no room for argument.

He made Chen Guoliang count the money publicly, then returned Chen Xiaohua’s shoes to Cai Zhen. Cai Zhen immediately understood that Song Wenbin knew the clothes were not theirs.

Her lips twitched twice, but she ultimately did not dare to argue with him further.

Having completed these steps, Song Wenbin pulled out the pre-prepared paper and pen and had Chen Guoliang sign a written agreement.

It clearly stated the ‘price’ paid when Xiang Chen was initially acquired, how much money and grain Song Wenbin had compensated the Chen family, and a guarantee that they would have no further relationship with Xiang Chen.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Guoliang’s face flushed crimson. With trembling hands, he finished writing the document and pressed his fingerprint. Song Wenbin then had Cai Zhen also press hers onto the paper.

Once the document was secured, Song Wenbin turned and left the Chen family’s home. The matter was resolved, and he didn’t want to be involved with that family for another second.

***

At the Song family home, Song Wenbin left with the cornmeal. Before he went, he told the two younger ones to stay inside and not go out.

As soon as he was gone, Xiang Chen sidled up to Xu Hengzhou and timidly asked, “Brother, did Uncle take grain to the Chen family?”

His mouth hadn’t stopped all afternoon, and now calling Xu Hengzhou ‘Brother’ came quite naturally to him.

“Yes,” Xu Hengzhou said, patting his head. “It’s to settle the accounts, to prevent them from causing trouble again later.”

Xiang Chen opened his mouth, then dejectedly lowered his head. He wasn’t the same as when he first transmigrated. Life at the Chen family’s home had made him understand how scarce grain was now. His ‘price’ wasn’t as low as he had thought. So much grain—it must have been a great burden for Song Wenbin!

“What are you thinking?” Xu Hengzhou instantly saw through his thoughts. He pulled the dispirited little dumpling beside him into his embrace, kneading the soft flesh of his cheeks. He smiled and said, “Why are you worrying for nothing? I’m here. I won’t let you call me ‘Brother’ for nothing.”

With his cheeks pinched, Xiang Chen spoke indistinctly, “But you don’t have money or grain either!”

Hu, money he didn’t have much, but grain he had plenty!

However, Xu Hengzhou had recently tidied his spatial dimension and discovered a problem. He had a lot of grain, but there was no way to take it out and eat it.

People’s rations now included, but were not limited to, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, and wild vegetables.

He heard that in severely affected rural areas, people ate rice husks, wheat bran, straw, and even grass roots and tree bark.

Of course, rice, this was considered fine grain, but it was too scarce. In the past two years, it was almost only available during the New Year, and even then, it wasn’t guaranteed to be obtainable.

What did Xu Hengzhou’s spatial dimension contain? Besides other things, rice and white flour were the most common.

There was also cornmeal, but it was too refined; trying to mix it into their own grain bin would be too obvious. The only thing that could probably pass unnoticed was sweet potatoes. Yet, Song Wenbin had just brought back a sack of cornmeal.

Xu Hengzhou was troubled, but what about Song Wenbin and his little dumpling?

Though he possessed a golden finger, he couldn’t use it. Xu Hengzhou, unaware of these internal struggles, thought his words had upset him, making him sad for having the desire to support a family but lacking the means.

Xiang Chen empathized. He spread his small arms and gave Xu Hengzhou a ‘manly hug,’ comforting him. “It’s okay. When you grow up, you’ll be able to earn a lot of grain.”

Xu Hengzhou’s subtle annoyance was completely dispersed by Xiang Chen’s unexpected remark. He stifled a laugh and patted the serious-faced little bun in front of him.

He suddenly felt it was truly wonderful to have met this little guy; future days wouldn’t be so boring.

Song Wenbin entered to find the two little brothers sitting intimately together, his slightly-too-mature eldest nephew’s face alight with laughter. Song Wenbin’s bad mood, caused by his dealings with the Chen family, instantly vanished.

“What are you two talking about that’s so joyful?” Song Wenbin asked, his spirits lifted, as he approached.

“Uncle, Brother said he wants to grow up quickly and earn a lot of grain!” Xiang Chen eagerly replied, then triumphantly smiled at Xu Hengzhou, as if taking credit.

Xu Hengzhou: “…I didn’t say that.”

Xiang Chen: “Brother is shy!”

Xu Hengzhou: “…” This little rascal truly couldn’t be spoiled!

“Alright, alright,” Song Wenbin said, chuckling as he picked up Xiang Chen and lifted him high. “It’s time for us to eat. You can talk about earning grain when you’re older.”

Song Wenbin went to the kitchen to boil water and make corn mush. He had been too busy today and only managed to get cornmeal, so that would be their dinner.

A large pot of corn mush was cooked, then served in a basin on the small table. They could scoop as much as they wanted.

The bowls Song Wenbin bought were all identical, about the same size as the small soup bowl Xiang Chen used before. Xiang Chen would bury his face in the mush as he drank.

Song Wenbin, with his military habits, ate very quickly. He seemed oblivious to the heat, slurping down two large bowls of mush in a flash.

After he finished, he saw that the two younger ones were still eating. He told them he was going to tidy up. Since they had just moved, everything needed organizing, and he had to remember what they lacked so he could find time to buy it.

Due to his upbringing, Xu Hengzhou always ate slowly and chewed thoroughly. Moreover, he genuinely disliked the coarse corn mush and, unlike Xiang Chen, had never known hunger, so he ate especially slowly.

Xiang Chen’s slow eating was purely because the mush was too hot and his throat was small. Also, no one was rushing him, and no one wanted to snatch food from his bowl, so he naturally wasn’t in a hurry to gulp it down.

However, not rejecting it was one thing; liking it was another. Xiang Chen was not a native child of this era; he had tasted all sorts of delicacies. Now, eating this scratchy corn mush, he couldn’t help but think of the delicious foods from his own time.

So, halfway through his meal, Xu Hengzhou heard him muttering as he ate. Curious, he leaned closer to listen. He watched Xiang Chen take a sip of mush and mumble, ‘Braised beef.’ Another sip, ‘Old altar pickled cabbage.’ Another sip, ‘Fresh shrimp and fish board’…

Xu Hengzhou: “…”

‘This little fool is probably still thinking about instant noodles from home!’

After dinner, the three of them chatted for a while, then washed up and prepared for bed. Although there were lights in the house, electricity was expensive at the time, and they had no particular activities requiring light, so they simply decided to go to bed early.

There were two rooms in the house, one slightly larger, one slightly smaller. Song Wenbin had originally planned to give the larger one to the two children, but both Xu Hengzhou and Xiang Chen refused. He had no choice but to take the larger room himself.

Aside from the bed, the room was empty. Song Wenbin looked around, planning to find time to get a wardrobe and a set of desks. Both children needed to study, and a desk was essential.

After Song Wenbin instructed Xu Hengzhou to take good care of his younger brother, he returned to his room to sleep.

Xu Hengzhou looked at the little dumpling sitting on the bed. “Do you want me to help you take off your clothes?”

Xiang Chen’s face flushed. He wasn’t really a small child. He quickly shook his head, slowly unbuttoned his clothes, took off his pants, and slipped under the covers.

Then, he looked up at Xu Hengzhou with his small head, smiling ingratiatingly. “Brother, come quickly! The bed is so soft!”

Xu Hengzhou smiled, lay down, and pinched Xiang Chen’s face. “It’s just one mattress. Isn’t your bed at home softer than this?”

Xiang Chen frowned, quietly saying, “But the mattresses at the Chen family’s house were so hard. The cotton was lumpy and uncomfortable.”

“Don’t think about it,” Xu Hengzhou said. “Their family has nothing to do with you anymore. Close your eyes and sleep.”

A while later, Xiang Chen softly called out, “Brother…”

Xu Hengzhou closed his eyes. “What is it?”

A soft little hand reached out from beside him and grasped Xu Hengzhou’s finger. Xiang Chen’s small, milky voice was soft and light in the darkness. “It’s so good to have met you…”