Chapter 50: A Week of Recovery and Family Feuds

Xiang Chen remained hospitalized for nearly a week before he was finally discharged.

Xu Hengzhou, no longer tempted by Xiang Chen’s culinary skills, spent the remaining days dutifully eating steamed buns and gruel alongside Song Wenbin.

When it was time to collect rations, Song Wenbin returned with a sizable bag of Chinese cabbage, purchased with his supplementary food coupons. Xu Hengzhou ingeniously transformed it into a variety of dishes: cabbage soup, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and plain stir-fried cabbage, among others.

Song Wenbin privately grumbled that he was practically turning into a cabbage himself.

Fortunately, Xiang Chen was nearing his discharge. Song Wenbin, in high spirits, asked Master Zhu to procure an abundance of pork ribs, pork belly, and trotters and ears.

Anything they couldn’t finish could be braised, as braised meat was equally delicious.

On the day Xiang Chen was discharged, Xu Hengzhou prepared a feast. Song Wenbin, his wish fulfilled, devoured a bowl of braised pork, almost moved to tears. Of course, Xiang Chen couldn’t consume such rich, greasy food directly yet.

He was only allowed a single, carefully selected, smallest piece of meat. His meal was specially prepared: a bowl of delicate noodles in a rich bone broth, topped with two sunny-side-up eggs and a handful of tender greens. It looked incredibly appetizing.

Xiang Chen adored his brother’s noodles. No matter the type, his brother always managed to make them exceptionally delicious. Finishing the bowl, Xiang Chen felt the week’s worth of gloom dissipate completely.

While in the hospital, Xiang Chen had encountered a mischievous child, but he had also met kind people like Granny Zhao from the neighboring bed.

On his discharge day, Granny Zhao secretly slipped a basket to Song Wenbin. Inside were a wild pheasant and a variety of wild fruits.

These had been sent by her daughter-in-law, Chen Xiaomei’s family. Chen Xiaomei held a rural hukou, but she was the youngest child in her family, with four older brothers. Her parents doted on her, and her brothers and sisters-in-law treated her well.

Her family, knowing her struggles after marrying into the city, would occasionally gather some wild game and save it to send to her. The Zhao family was genuinely kind-hearted.

During those years of famine, many rural areas saw people starve to death. City dwellers, with their allocated grain, always had something to eat. Chen Xiaomei’s family had many children and struggled to survive the famine.

They swallowed their pride and sought help from their married daughter. Granny Zhao, being a sensible woman, insisted on deducting half of her family’s rations to send back to the Chen family. That half-portion of grain became a lifeline for the entire Chen household.

From then on, the Chen family was immensely grateful to the Zhaos, sending them any good things they managed to acquire. The wild pheasant and fruits had arrived just two days prior.

At that time, everything in the countryside was communal. Hunting wild animals and gathering wild fruits in the mountains were generally forbidden for individuals. However, the famine of those two years meant food was scarce, forcing people into the mountains for sustenance, which led to looser regulations.

Still, with so many people scrambling, acquiring these items was extremely difficult. Song Wenbin occasionally bought things secretly from villagers, so he was well aware of the difficulty and naturally declined to accept them.

Granny Zhao, however, insisted he take them. She explained that their family had received so many treats from them—biscuits and candies, all rare items bought from the provincial capital.

Her granddaughter, Qiqin, had never tasted such things before. They simply had to show their gratitude properly. Granny Zhao pleaded and reasoned, almost growing agitated with Song Wenbin, who, left with no choice, accepted the basket as a token of their sincerity.

Upon returning home, Song Wenbin obtained some good quality meat from Master Zhu and instructed Xu Hengzhou to fill the basket and send some back to the Zhao family. It wasn’t much, but it was a gesture of goodwill.

Granny Zhao, unable to refuse, accepted the meat but filled Xu Hengzhou’s basket with several of her homemade pickled vegetables. Xu Hengzhou tasted them upon his return and found them to be exceptionally flavorful, comparable to the best side dishes from his spatial storage.

Thus, through these exchanges, the two families forged a friendship. Zhao Qiqin was a gentle little girl who got along well with Xiang Chen.

Later, when Xiang Chen was secretly explaining a difficult problem to Chen Xiaohua, Zhao Qiqin came to play, and the two girls met. Xiang Chen simply introduced the two little girls, and from that single encounter, they became good friends.

Chen Xiaohua was two years younger than Zhao Qiqin, yet she possessed a more composed personality. Zhao Qiqin, owing to her harmonious family life, was more innocent. In their friendship, Chen Xiaohua was almost always the leader.

Xiang Chen had school, but Chen Xiaohua and Zhao Qiqin did not. When he saw the two girls again, they were as inseparable as twins.

Xiang Chen was delighted by this development. Both were good girls, and their acquaintance was a matter of fate. Given Chen Xiaohua’s family situation, having a close confidante was truly beneficial.

Peaceful days always passed swiftly. Time flew by, and summer gradually arrived, with temperatures climbing higher each day.

People shed their thick clothes and long sleeves, replacing them with short-sleeved shirts. Those from less fortunate families, who only owned one outer garment for spring, summer, and autumn, simply rolled up their sleeves.

Children in the family quarters cast aside their cloth shoes. Boys often went shirtless, some even running around completely naked. Girls were slightly more modest; a rare few wore small dresses, but most donned oversized, hand-me-down clothes from older siblings.

From the moment he brought back that sailor suit, he had eagerly anticipated summer’s arrival. He had always loved various majestic and handsome uniforms, enough so that he had planned to apply to a military academy.

It was thin, yet he had to wait until most of the other boys were shirtless before he was allowed to change into that outfit.

That day, Xiang Chen, dressed in his new clothes and sandals, happily ran off to find his friends. Amidst a group of boys covered in dirt and sweat, tanned dark, Xiang Chen, pristine in his white sailor suit, stood out like a crane among chickens.

Children of that era didn’t know what a sailor suit was; they all thought soldiers only wore green military uniforms. Xiang Chen, with a slight tilt of his chin, explained the common knowledge to his friends.

He told them his outfit was worn by naval uncles, soldiers who sailed on big ships! The boys were enthralled, surrounding him, chattering excitedly and asking for stories about the navy.

Xu Hengzhou had been watching from the outside corridor since Xiang Chen went downstairs. Among the group of children, their child was the most outstanding—tallest for his age, best-looking, and impeccably dressed.

Hu Hengzhou inwardly mused how well their child was raised.

In July, on the eve of summer vacation, the Song family anticipated a significant event: Xiang Chen and Xu Hengzhou were to take their junior high school entrance exams.

Song Wenbin had always been confident in his two children’s academic performance. As the exams approached, while other parents grew nervous, he merely reminded the children to do their best.

On the day of the exam, Song Wenbin specifically took time off to escort the two children to school. At that time, the junior high entrance exam didn’t have many subjects; it only tested Chinese and mathematics, concluding in half a day.

After the exams, once the report cards were distributed, summer vacation would officially begin. For students in other grades, finishing exams meant liberation. Although their treatment at home might vary based on their scores, once the initial scolding was over, summer could still be enjoyed joyfully.

However, for students taking the entrance exams, failing could lead to dropping out. While their families might not necessarily lack the tuition fees, if a child couldn’t excel in school, it was often deemed better for them to leave early and learn a trade.

At that age, a half-grown child was considered half a laborer at home. Xu Hengzhou and Xiang Chen, of course, had no such worries. They returned home after the exams, and when the results came out, both had indeed scored perfect marks, successfully entering the Affiliated Middle School of the Machinery Factory.

Because Xiang Chen’s reputation as a child prodigy was widely known, his perfect score didn’t cause much of a stir. People simply remarked, ‘The younger one in the Song family truly lives up to his name as a child prodigy; not only did he skip grades, but he also scored full marks on the junior high entrance exam.’

Under Xiang Chen’s brilliant aura, Xu Hengzhou’s achievements went largely unnoticed. While Xu Hengzhou was a year or two younger than his classmates, Xiang Chen’s brilliance was so dazzling that few paid attention to him.

Xu Hengzhou was initially a little bewildered the first time he heard someone refer to him as ‘Xiang Chen’s older brother,’ or ‘the genius’s brother.’ Then, he couldn’t help but inwardly smile. It was his first time being defined as an appendage to someone else, and the feeling was surprisingly pleasant.

While the Song family rejoiced, the neighboring Chen family erupted into chaos once more.

In truth, the neighbors had not known peace for the past few months. There were minor quarrels every three days, major arguments every five. Chen Guoliang’s heart had grown cold towards Cai Zhen, a rift forming between them.

Coupled with Old Lady Chen’s constant whispering behind the scenes, he found her increasingly unbearable. Cai Zhen wasn’t entirely foolish; though she didn’t grasp Chen Guoliang’s thoughts, she could see her husband growing colder.

At first, she tried to appease him a couple of times, but once a man’s mind changes, he’ll find fault no matter what. Having been married for so many years, Cai Zhen always felt her status was higher than Chen Guoliang’s.

After being picked on twice, she could no longer tolerate it. The couple completely fell out, clashing openly, and many household items were smashed.

Chen Xiaohua told Xiang Chen that her father had mentioned divorce several times, but her mother refused. Xiang Chen felt that if they continued like this, the couple would eventually break up.

That day, they argued again, this time over the junior high school entrance exam.

The Chen family also had a student taking the exam this year: their eldest child, Chen Fen. The Chen couple used to dote on her, believing she was intelligent and would surely get into high school, enter a factory, and become a cadre.

In reality, Chen Fen’s intelligence was only average. With some effort, and given that elementary school coursework wasn’t too difficult, achieving decent grades wasn’t a problem.

She used to focus intently on her mother’s words, studying hard for a better future. She wasn’t made to do household chores; even Chen Xiaohua did more than her. Her only task was to study, which allowed her to maintain her grades within the top ten of her class.

However, during the last six months, the Chen family was in constant turmoil, leaving no time to supervise her. Chen Fen herself was distracted, unable to focus on her studies. By the time of the final exam, relying on her previous foundation, while she didn’t come in last, her scores were quite dismal.

Comparing her to the brothers next door, Cai Zhen felt Chen Fen was utterly disappointing and severely scolded her at home. Chen Fen had previously exposed Cai Zhen to her father, causing her mother to distance herself, so she had been living cautiously ever since.

This time was no different. When Cai Zhen scolded her, she could only listen obediently. When Chen Guoliang returned, Cai Zhen complained that he wasn’t looking after the children. Chen Guoliang sneered, saying she hadn’t managed them either, and then the two began to argue.

As their emotions escalated during the argument, they resorted to physical violence. Chen Guoliang didn’t really hurt Cai Zhen; he merely pushed her when she lunged to scratch his face. He hadn’t expected Cai Zhen to lose her footing and fall.

The fall was disastrous. Cai Zhen was about to get up and continue fighting when she suddenly heard Chen Xiaohua’s scream. Following Chen Xiaohua’s pointing finger, she looked down to see a pool of dark red blood spreading beneath her.

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