Chapter 27: The Grandson’s Return and a Family Confrontation

After morning classes concluded, Xiang Chen’s new friends invited him to walk home with them.

Xiang Chen, however, remained rooted at the classroom doorway. “I’ll wait for my brother,” he stated.

“Was that the one who came to find you this morning?” Zhang Xiaohu asked, his voice laced with curiosity. “Does he also attend our school? He’s incredibly tall!”

Xu Hengzhou was indeed considerably taller than others his age. During this era of scarcity, children were fortunate simply to avoid hunger; proper nutrition was a luxury, which naturally stunted their growth.

Xu Hengzhou, however, inhabited his own body. Given his family’s circumstances, they were fortunate not to be over-nourished, let alone malnourished.

With no nutritional deficiencies and excellent genetics, he had always been the tallest among his classmates since childhood. Before his transmigration, his height had already surpassed 1.8 meters.

Xiang Chen had seen Xu Hengzhou looking tall and handsome, so he didn’t quite grasp the significance of his brother’s current height.

Yet, hearing Zhang Xiaohu speak of his brother with such envy made him beam with pride, as if the compliment had been directed at him.

“That’s my brother! He’s in sixth grade,” Xiang Chen declared, his small chin lifted as he boasted to his friends about his sibling. “My brother knows everything! He’s super smart, and he’s so good to me. My brother is the best!”

When Xu Hengzhou arrived to pick him up, he witnessed the shortest Xiang Chen extolling his brother to a group of taller children. In that instant, Xiang Chen’s aura seemed to stretch to an imposing 2.8 meters!

Having been praised his entire life and accustomed to all manner of compliments, Xu Hengzhou was nonetheless moved by Xiang Chen’s simple, heartfelt praise.

He couldn’t help but smile, finding his little one utterly adorable and discerning—truly an exceptionally well-behaved child.

He walked over and took Xiang Chen’s hand, concealing his inner joy while maintaining a composed expression, as if he hadn’t heard Xiang Chen’s words or been utterly delighted by them.

Seeing Xu Hengzhou, Xiang Chen waved goodbye to his friends, then happily followed him home.

Once they were out of school and the road was less crowded, Xu Hengzhou paused. He pulled out a White Rabbit candy, peeled off its wrapper, and placed it into Xiang Chen’s mouth.

He had developed a profound interest in feeding Xiang Chen; whenever he saw Xiang Chen’s mouth empty, he felt compelled to offer him something.

Many items were difficult to produce openly, but candy was safe. Since Xiang Chen loved White Rabbit candies, Xu Hengzhou mostly gave him those.

Xiang Chen obediently opened his mouth and sucked on the candy.

Earlier that morning at school, Xu Hengzhou had subtly hinted that he possessed far more provisions than Xiang Chen imagined, reassuring him to eat without worry.

‘My brother is much smarter than me,’ Xiang Chen thought. ‘He definitely has a plan. Just as he said, I shouldn’t worry unnecessarily. Brother is always right.’

Besides, White Rabbit candy was truly delicious. Hehe…

They arrived home slightly earlier than Song Wenbin. Xu Hengzhou, possessing a key, unlocked the door directly and immediately set about boiling soup.

Song Wenbin had mentioned that he would buy a few corn cakes from the cafeteria for lunch, and they would make something light at home.

A man in his prime, he couldn’t sustain himself solely on corn porridge every day. Once he had more time, he planned to steam some *momo* to keep at home, like other families, for convenience.

Of course, their family wouldn’t be eating the dark *momo* like Chen Guoliang’s family. Song Wenbin could still afford corn flour.

Crucially, with fewer people in their household, they didn’t need to exchange fine grains for coarse ones just to fill their stomachs.

Xu Hengzhou washed and chopped the cabbage. Once the water boiled in the small pot on the stove, he added the cabbage, then a little oil and salt, creating a perfectly simple yet delicious pot of cabbage soup.

To think that Xu Hengzhou was once a young master who never lifted a finger, yet in such a short time after transmigrating, he had become adept both in the living room and the kitchen.

There was simply no other way. The only adult in the household was busy with work, and a single man raising two children meant that Xiang Chen was far too young.

Xu Hengzhou had no choice but to learn many things himself, including cooking, which he had never attempted before.

“How is it?” Xu Hengzhou scooped a spoonful of cabbage soup, blew on it to cool it, and fed it to Xiang Chen.

Xiang Chen, like a hungry chick, opened his mouth wide and eagerly swallowed the soup. After tasting it, he nodded repeatedly. “Delicious!”

How good could plain boiled cabbage soup truly be? It wasn’t the famous `Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth`, nor did they have chicken stock for flavoring.

Fortunately, the ingredients were fresh, and the cabbage was naturally sweet, resulting in a light and refreshing soup with its own unique charm.

The greatest joy for a cook is seeing others enjoy their food. Xu Hengzhou, new to culinary arts, had found an excellent diner in Xiang Chen.

Xiang Chen was truly a good boy; he never wasted food, and having tasted exquisite, carefully prepared delicacies, he never refused simple, rustic home-cooked meals.

Everything Xu Hengzhou made, Xiang Chen found delicious. With each compliment, Xu Hengzhou improved, even managing to make a simple cabbage soup more flavorful than others’.

The clear soup at lunch received unanimous praise, with Song Wenbin remarking that Xu Hengzhou’s soup was far tastier than the cafeteria’s.

After lunch, Song Wenbin handed Xu Hengzhou a stack of various coupons. Since Xu Hengzhou’s last trip to buy household necessities, he had essentially taken over half the domestic responsibilities.

Periodically, Song Wenbin would give him different types of coupons, along with money, instructing him to buy whatever was needed.

Xu Hengzhou flipped through them, noticing several meat coupons. However, there wasn’t a speck of meat to be seen, leaving him wondering.

Song Wenbin, noticing his confusion, told him, “Hold onto them. We’ll buy more for our family when the time comes.”

Xu Hengzhou nodded, tucking the coupons away. It was a large factory, and the benefits were truly excellent. Elsewhere, even grain was becoming scarce, yet the machinery factory still supplied meat.

Beside them, Xiang Chen’s eyes sparkled. ‘Meat! There’s meat to eat!’

Amused, Xu Hengzhou reached out and pinched his cheek. “You little glutton.”

Xiang Chen chuckled twice, then obligingly leaned his face in for more pinching, asking in a sweet, childish voice, “Brother, can we have braised pork?”

Xu Hengzhou glanced at Song Wenbin, who was also smiling, before gently rubbing Xiang Chen’s cheek and promising, “Be a good boy, and I’ll try to make it.”

“Okay!” Xiang Chen was so eager he almost stood at attention and swore an oath to be exceptionally well-behaved. For a ‘meat-eater’ like him, going so long without meat was pure torture.

The mere mention of it made Xiang Chen’s heart ache with longing, wishing they could buy the meat immediately.

From that day forward, Xiang Chen returned home daily, hoping Song Wenbin would mention that the meat had arrived. Yet, several days passed, and the school week was almost over without a trace of meat.

China only implemented a two-day weekend system in the mid-to-late 1990s. This meant that at the time, weekends consisted solely of Sundays.

On Saturday, after finishing their classes, the two youngest members of the Song family were about to embark on their first weekend break since starting school.

Although the much-anticipated meat still hadn’t appeared, Xiang Chen dutifully finished his meal, holding his bowl. He planned to take a short nap before heading back to school with his brother.

He had just climbed into bed, his coat still on, when suddenly, a commotion erupted outside. If it had been anyone else’s business, he would have ignored it, but Xiang Chen recognized his eldest uncle’s voice.

Xiang Chen quickly put his shoes back on and pattered to the bedroom door, peering out from behind the doorframe. He was so small; he had to protect himself. It would be terrible if he were taken hostage.

Outside, Song Wenbin stood near the entrance, with Xu Hengzhou behind him. Facing them were members of the Chen family. Leading them was none other than Old Lady Chen, who had originally bought Xiang Chen from human traffickers.

The old woman blocked the Song family’s doorway, wailing with snot and tears streaming down her face.

“Oh, the injustice! They’re snatching away our only heir, our precious child! My darling grandson, my heart’s treasure, give him back to me!”

“Mother, please stop this fuss. Let’s go,” Chen Guoliang pleaded, his face flushed with embarrassment, his dark complexion turning a deep reddish-black. He tried to pull Old Lady Chen away.

“I’m not leaving!” The old woman seized the opportunity to slide to the ground, slapping her thigh and shouting at the top of her lungs, “Old man, open your eyes and see! Our grandson has been snatched away by an official!”

The old woman’s skill at public cursing was formidable; she effortlessly summoned neighbors.

The family residential building was already densely populated, and with everyone home for lunch, the Song family’s doorway was soon crowded with onlookers.

Song Wenbin’s face darkened. ‘Listen to the nonsense this old woman is spouting,’ he thought. It sounded as if he had forcibly taken someone else’s child, when it was clearly his family’s child, and he had even provided money and provisions in return.

He spoke to Chen Guoliang with a frigid expression. “Comrade Chen Guoliang, we made it clear to you then that he is my nephew. We also compensated you with money and provisions for buying the child. What more do you want?!”

Chen Guoliang opened his mouth, stammering, “I… I know, my mother, she…”

Song Wenbin, however, had grown impatient. He directly told him, “Since everything has been settled, why are you causing trouble at our home? If you don’t leave now, I’ll call security.”

Chen Guoliang’s face grew even paler. He pulled Old Lady Chen, pleading in a low voice, “Mother, let’s go…”

“I’m not leaving!” Old Lady Chen twisted away, shaking off Chen Guoliang’s hand. She glared at Song Wenbin with wide eyes. “What money and provisions are you talking about, Leader?”

Chen Guoliang’s face changed drastically; he grabbed Old Lady Chen, intending to leave.

Cai Zhen, who had been hiding behind the crowd, also pushed her way forward, pulling Old Lady Chen with one hand and offering a placating smile to Song Wenbin with the other. “Factory Director Song, my mother is confused. We’ll take her home now.”

“Who are you calling confused!” Old Lady Chen roared, swatting Cai Zhen’s hand away, then forcefully slapping her son’s back. “Am I still your mother or not? What are you trying to do?”

Chen Guoliang awkwardly retracted his hand, standing in place with a ghastly pale face.

Song Wenbin’s expression showed a hint of doubt; he, too, realized something was amiss.

He addressed Old Lady Chen, who was waiting for his explanation, “I heard that my nephew was bought by your family from human traffickers. I compensated you with money and provisions!”

“Compensated us with money and provisions?” Old Lady Chen’s face did not brighten upon hearing the answer. Her wrinkled skin twitched a few times as she continued, “How much did you compensate?”

Song Wenbin frowned, glancing at Chen Guoliang and his wife. He probably guessed what was going on and, annoyed that they were bringing trouble to his doorstep, had no intention of saving their face.

So he directly told Old Lady Chen, “Please wait a moment.” Then he instructed Xu Hengzhou to retrieve the written agreement Chen Guoliang had signed at the time.

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