Chapter 28: The IOU and the Chicken Drumsticks

Song Wenbin took the IOU from Xu Hengzhou and unfolded it before Old Lady Chen. “Old Lady, please take a look,” he said. “This IOU was written by your son, and it bears the handprints of both him and your daughter-in-law.”

Illiterate, Old Lady Chen’s hands trembled as she asked what was written on the document.

Song Wenbin read it aloud to her. “If you don’t believe me,” he added, “you can find someone else who can read to verify it.”

Old Lady Chen’s lips twitched several times. She turned her head to look at Chen Guoliang, who was standing nearby. “Fourth Son,” she demanded, “tell me, did you write this? Are they telling the truth?”

Chen Guoliang kept his head down, unable to meet Old Lady Chen’s gaze. After a long moment, he slowly, reluctantly nodded.

“What about the grain and money then?” Old Lady Chen shouted at him. “Where did you take all that grain?”

Chen Guoliang remained silent, his head still bowed, like a stone statue.

Old Lady Chen gasped, her voice hoarse as she yelled, “The grain! Where did you take all that grain?”

Chen Guoliang maintained his silence. The humiliation of the day was overwhelming; his own mother had caused a scene at his superior’s home, and his family was in the wrong.

This man, who valued his reputation, was too distraught to think clearly.

Infuriated, Old Lady Chen drew a deep, ragged breath, clutching her chest and wailing.

“I emptied our family’s coffers for your sake, and now we’re starving, yet you won’t spare any grain. You… you want to starve your old mother to death! Where did you take my grain?”

The old woman sat disheveled on the ground, weeping mournfully. Her grief was genuine. Chen Guoliang was her most cherished child, and her words were true; to acquire a child for him, nearly all the family’s stored grain had been used.

With famine still rampant in many areas, Old Lady Chen had traded a portion of their family’s rations for cornmeal, which was how they had acquired Xiang Chen.

She had believed that as long as her Fourth Son was around, she would never go hungry, and so she had given up the grain without hesitation.

Yet, as the family faced starvation, Chen Guoliang had still not sent any grain back. Concerned, Old Lady Chen had come to the city to investigate.

Upon her arrival, Chen Guoliang was still at work, so Cai Zhen had received her.

As soon as Old Lady Chen mentioned the grain, Cai Zhen began to lament their poverty, claiming that their children were on the verge of starvation and they had no surplus grain to send back to the countryside.

Old Lady Chen naturally didn’t believe her; her daughter-in-law was cunning, and her words could only be trusted halfway at best. Old Lady Chen remained patient, waiting for her son to return and provide the grain.

As she waited idly for Chen Guoliang, she inquired about Xiang Chen’s whereabouts. She hadn’t seen the child since entering the house, and if her mind hadn’t been so preoccupied with the grain, Old Lady Chen would have asked much earlier.

Upon hearing this, Cai Zhen immediately began to sob to Old Lady Chen, claiming she had ruined Chen Guoliang and herself by buying a child from the factory director’s family.

Not only had they lost money and grain, but they had also offended the director, and who knew what future hardships awaited them.

Cai Zhen’s intention, of course, was to frighten Old Lady Chen.

However, she failed to realize that as a rural old woman, Old Lady Chen did not share the same profound reverence for Song Wenbin as Cai Zhen and Chen Guoliang did.

In peaceful times, Old Lady Chen would naturally show respect, but when it came to grain, what was the difference between that and a matter of life and death?

Before Cai Zhen could stop her, Old Lady Chen had already rushed to the Song family’s house next door. Cai Zhen herself had revealed where Song Wenbin lived, hoping to scare Old Lady Chen with her loud voice.

Unexpectedly, instead of being scared off, Old Lady Chen had gone directly to their door.

When Chen Guoliang returned, he found his own mother causing a ruckus at the Song family’s entrance. He tried to pull her away, but the situation spiraled out of control like a runaway dog, sprinting off so fast he couldn’t rein it back in.

Old Lady Chen’s desperate cries stirred sympathy among the neighbors. Everyone had some poor relatives, and workers at the machinery factory earned good wages and benefits, so helping relatives was not uncommon.

To see Chen Guoliang, whose own mother and brothers were starving, remain indifferent, truly made him unworthy of being a son.

Some kind-hearted neighbors helped Old Lady Chen up from the ground and brought her hot water. Others advised Chen Guoliang not to be so heartless, reminding him that one couldn’t only care for their own immediate family.

While distant relatives might be one thing, this was his own mother!

Chen Guoliang had a bitter truth he couldn’t voice. If he had any grain, he would have sent it back to his mother long ago, but he simply didn’t…

He gritted his teeth, then walked over and took Old Lady Chen’s arm. “Mother, let’s go home. I’ll get you some grain!”

***

Song Wenbin watched the mother and son enter the house next door before closing his own front door. Turning around, a small bundle of energy directly collided with him.

Song Wenbin instinctively caught Xiang Chen, soothing him in a gentle voice. “Scared, are we? Don’t worry, don’t be afraid. Uncle is here; they won’t take you away.”

Xiang Chen shook his head, his eyes a little red. He realized once again how fortunate he was to have a home in this era. He was grateful for his uncle and his brother; it was truly wonderful to have them.

He genuinely did not want to return to the Chen family.

“Alright, alright, all this commotion has kept you from resting.” Song Wenbin checked the time. It was already time to go to school. He gently nudged Xiang Chen. “Go get your backpack and head to school with your brother.”

Xiang Chen immediately went to grab his small backpack, then reached for Xu Hengzhou’s hand, his chubby little paw gripping Xu Hengzhou’s hand tightly.

Startled, Xu Hengzhou squeezed Xiang Chen’s hand back, leading him towards the school. Leaving early was probably for the best, to stay as far away from the neighbors as possible, ideally.

Xu Hengzhou walked Xiang Chen all the way to his classroom door. Since he often dropped Xiang Chen off and picked him up, Xiang Chen’s teachers and classmates already recognized him.

Xu Hengzhou gently pushed Xiang Chen, but Xiang Chen’s hand refused to let go. He looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Brother.”

Xu Hengzhou’s heart softened. He nearly nodded, then said softly, “Alright, brother will come pick you up as soon as class is over.”

Xiang Chen gazed at Xu Hengzhou for a few more moments before reluctantly turning and entering the classroom.

That afternoon, Xiang Chen wasn’t in the mood to play with his friends after class.

With neighbors Zhang Xiaohu and Liangliang present, they had heard about the Chen family’s affairs from their own families and thus knew Xiang Chen’s background.

Although they didn’t fully understand what was bothering him, they could see he wasn’t happy, so they didn’t pester him.

Liangliang even told Xiang Chen that if he didn’t like the Chen family, he could have his older cousin beat up Chen Fen. It was then that Xiang Chen learned Liangliang had a cousin named Li Ming, who was already in junior high.

Xiang Chen declined his friends’ kind offer. He then lent them the small toy pistol Song Wenbin had made for him, finally sending off the enthusiastic group of friends.

When school ended that afternoon, Xu Hengzhou ran downstairs as soon as his class finished. Seeing the child squatting obediently by the classroom door, waiting for him, his heart instantly softened.

He quickly walked over and crouched in front of Xiang Chen. “Have you been waiting long?” First grade dismissed earliest, so Xiang Chen always had to wait for him, which couldn’t be helped.

Xiang Chen’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Xu Hengzhou. He tucked his small hand into Xu Hengzhou’s, his tiny voice soft and sweet. “Not long at all, Brother. Let’s go home.”

Xu Hengzhou gripped the chubby little hand and pulled him up. Instead of taking him directly home, he led him behind the teaching building.

Xiang Chen followed, a little bewildered. His brother brought him delicious treats every morning—all sorts of cakes, breads, and cookies, never repeating. Every morning, Xiang Chen’s greatest anticipation was that mid-morning snack.

However, he had already eaten two cookies that morning. Why was his brother bringing him here now?

Upon reaching a secluded corner, Xu Hengzhou reached into his backpack, and Xiang Chen watched expectantly. His brother’s backpack was like a magic pouch, filled with all kinds of tasty things.

To Xiang Chen’s eager gaze, Xu Hengzhou pulled out two vacuum-sealed small chicken drumsticks. He knew Xiang Chen wanted to eat meat, but it was difficult to take out cooked meat dishes from his space.

Xu Hengzhou typically disdained these kinds of braised products and hadn’t planned to give them to Xiang Chen. However, Xiang Chen had been startled today, so a little comfort, and eating them once or twice occasionally, would be fine.

“Chicken drumsticks!” Xiang Chen gasped, looking at the two small drumsticks. “Brother, you really are Doraemon!”

“That blue fat cat.” Xu Hengzhou scoffed, clearly not holding Xiang Chen’s idol in high regard, then offered the drumsticks to Xiang Chen. “Eat quickly. Once you’re done, we’ll go back.”

Xiang Chen happily tore open the packaging. As usual, he first brought the drumstick to Xu Hengzhou’s mouth. “Brother, take a bite.”

Xiang Chen bit his lip, glanced at the other perfectly packaged drumstick in Xu Hengzhou’s hand, and whispered, “Uncle hasn’t even had any. Brother, let’s eat this one, and save the other for Uncle later, okay?”

Song Wenbin had always been wholeheartedly devoted to him and Xu Hengzhou. Every time he secretly ate delicious treats behind Song Wenbin’s back, Xiang Chen felt a little guilty.

However, the cakes and breads Xu Hengzhou gave him had short shelf lives, and he dared not risk exposing their secret by sharing with Song Wenbin, so he simply ate them himself.

But these small chicken drumsticks were different. Vacuum-sealed, they had a long shelf life and weren’t as uncommon as those other small pastries, which was why Xiang Chen had thought of it.

‘Such a soft-hearted little thing.’

Xu Hengzhou pinched Xiang Chen’s cheek and said, “Thinking too much will stunt your growth. Just eat when I tell you to. Be a good boy, and in a while, there will be even more food.”

Xiang Chen didn’t quite understand what Xu Hengzhou meant, nor why there would be more food later, but he trusted his brother. He looked up and asked, “Will Uncle get some too?”

Xu Hengzhou replied, “Everyone will.”

Only then did Xiang Chen smile, taking a reassured bite of the chicken drumstick.

The braised chicken drumstick was incredibly flavorful, packed with meat in every bite. For Xiang Chen, who hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, this drumstick was impossibly delicious; he couldn’t stop eating.

By the time he paused, only a bare bone remained in his hand.

Xu Hengzhou watched Xiang Chen finish the drumstick with a look of pure bliss, then slowly tore open the wrapper of the drumstick in his own hand. Under Xiang Chen’s longing gaze, he took a bite.

“Is it good?” Xiang Chen asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.

“Didn’t you just eat one?” Xu Hengzhou slowly swallowed the meat in his mouth. He didn’t particularly like these, but his little dumpling’s envious expression was too amusing; Xu Hengzhou couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

Xiang Chen licked his lips, crestfallen. “I ate too fast…”

Xu Hengzhou nearly choked. ‘It’s not a ginseng fruit!’

Xu Hengzhou said, “Open your mouth.”

Xiang Chen reflexively opened his mouth, and the next second, it was filled with meat.

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