I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s
Chapter 55: Renovating the House

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Renovating the House

Shen Shoutian’s face lit up with joy, "Really, Xiao Meng? That’s great! Please take a seat and rest for a while. Qin Lan, go tidy up our room for Xiao Meng to stay in tonight. I’ll sleep on the floor in dad’s room with your second brother, and you can squeeze in with the children and Xiao Mei."

"Alright, I’m on it."

Lv Qinlan stood up and headed to her own room. She gave Shen Meng a sheepish smile, afraid that their humble home wouldn’t measure up, given how much better her sister-in-law’s marital home was. This visit, Meng brought both meat and eggs, along with a bundle of clothes. Qin Lan was incredibly grateful in her heart.

Su Xiaomei also got up, walked past Shen Meng and others, and went to her room to tidy up as well.

Shen Meng felt a bit embarrassed watching her sisters-in-law getting busy for her sake. She suddenly felt it was somewhat presumptuous for her to stay the night, but looking at the Shen Family, she knew they truly missed the original host. Previously, it wouldn’t be unusual not to visit for a month or two, but suddenly returning would surely make them exceedingly happy.

Wang Guizhi had put Shen Fugui to sleep before she came out of the room. The Shen Family sat together in the main room talking. Shen Yutian had put his son to bed and joined his sister for a chat.

"Xiao Meng, why did you bring so much stuff this time? Won’t your mother-in-law have something to say?"

"We’ve divided the property, haven’t we? If that old lady dares to bully Xiao Meng again, I’ll go and give her a piece of my mind," said Shen Yutian. He only found out later about the hardships his little sister had endured and wanted to make a scene, but their parents wouldn’t allow it.

They said if he caused a stir and his sister’s family fell apart because of it, it would be his fault. He couldn’t bear such a big blame, and it was only his wife’s persuasion to wait and see that stopped him from acting on it.

Shen Meng felt warmth in her heart. The Shen Family had always been good to the original host; it’s just that previously, the original host was all about getting benefits from her in-laws, benefits which were, of course, for herself.

But in the end, no match for smooth talk, benefits obtained from Lu Zhenping and his military allowances ended up in Liu Sanjin’s and several sisters-in-law’s pockets.

"Now that we’ve divided the household, I’ve got the family plots too. I’ll take care of the children and live comfortably from now on!"

Wang Guizhi sighed and advised, "Xiao Meng, no matter what you say, your mother-in-law is still Zhenping’s mother. You should still show her respect. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for Zhenping later on. Can he really abandon his own mother?"

"Ah, I know, mom. Don’t worry, as long as she doesn’t cause trouble, I won’t argue with her. I didn’t go back home today because I have something I want to discuss."

Wang Guizhi exchanged glances with her sons and hurriedly said, "You can speak, what’s the trouble? Just tell the family."

"It’s not a problem. It’s just that I need dad and mom to agree."

"Oh dear, girl, just say it. Isn’t mom’s agreement enough? This is really frustrating. I’ll say it—if you haven’t suffered in your heart, can you please stay one more day with us? Just say it!"

Shen Meng quickly said, "There’s no trouble. I’ve been thinking about fixing up the family home. Compared to the other houses around here, our adobe house stands out quite a bit. Look at our roof; the thatch has turned black because it’s been so long. When the snow comes this winter, I’m sure the roof will collapse, so it might be better to tear off the roof. The rotten thatch can be dried and saved for firewood later."

Wang Guizhi didn’t expect it to be for this reason. She hurriedly waved her hands, saying that one can’t use a married daughter’s money for one’s own family affairs, as that would cause people to criticize.

"How could we let you take care of repairing the house? Your father and I have already discussed this. We’ll have your elder and second brothers talk to the secretary to ask for some of the production team’s thatch. It’s cheaper if it comes from the production team, and we just need to find a roofer to tidy it up a bit."

"Mother’s right, Xiao Meng, you don’t have to worry about us. As long as you are doing well, your father, mother, and your second brother will be at ease. Our family’s life is manageable; you should focus on your own life."

Shen Shoutian felt happy inside. In the past, some people would say he was lucky to have a capable brother-in-law and that the family could look forward to good fortune in the future, but he always refuted them. After waiting several years without seeing his younger sister contribute to the family, people began to gossip.

Look now, isn’t his little sister thinking about the family today? It’s just that before the family was divided, even though she felt for her maternal family, she couldn’t let her mother-in-law know. Otherwise, could there be peace at home?

"What are you talking about? I’m married, not sold. I bore children for Lu Zhenping, and now I want to give a helping hand to my maternal family. Is that so wrong? Mother, elder brother, second brother, really, you shouldn’t think too much about it. Zhenping also cares about you. The last time he wrote to me, he asked about our parents’ health. He also told me to take good care of you. If he comes back and finds out the house is in this condition, he’ll certainly be disappointed in me."

Wang Guizhi was delighted inside; she hadn’t expected her son-in-law to care so much for them.

"Really?"

"Could there be any doubt? Also, I haven’t harvested the thatch from our private plot of land yet. Tomorrow, elder brother can give me a ride, and on the way, we can haul the thatch back. We need to do it early; the children have to go to school by ten tomorrow. Then I’ll show elder brother the letter from Zhenping."

Shen Shoutian looked at his mother, then said: "Okay."

"Mother, elder brother, second brother, it really bothers me to see our home like this. It’s fine when the weather is good, but when it rains, it drips inside too. And there’s Xiao Bin, who still lives in the partitioned room of the main house. He’ll be discussing marriage soon. What kind of decent girl would marry into our family, eh?"

As Shen Meng said this, Wang Guizhi and the others fell silent. These past two years, due to the family’s poverty, they hadn’t been able to repair the house. They all worked hard for a living, but somehow, the family was getting poorer and at times felt hopeless.

"Just listen to me. We’ll knock down the house and rebuild it. I’ll ask around to see if we can get some bricks and tiles. Making the house spacious and sturdy, it will be easier for Xiao Bin to find a match later on."

Saying this, Shen Meng took out the money from selling the radio from her pocket, a total of 235 yuan, and placed it all on the table. The thick pile of money left everyone in the room in astonishment.

"This money is for mother to use. Building a house with red bricks and tiles will definitely not be enough, but to repair a few adobe houses and put on black tiles, it will certainly be sufficient. If there’s any left, we can get the carpenter to make some furniture or a heated brick bed. It can also be used to buy some clothes and socks for my nieces and nephews. Elder brother and second brother should strive to earn work points. In the future, we should let the children who can study attend school."

The original host had been given a second chance at life; Shen Meng felt obligated to pull up the Shen family as her way of repaying this.