Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 37 - 037 Embrace

Chapter 37: 037 Embrace

Granny Zhao, upon hearing the severity of the consequences, was so frightened that she quickly nodded and promised not to tell anyone. She paused for a moment and thought of the three Jianguo brothers on the second floor and asked, "What about the arrangements for the three Jianguos?"

"Let them stay at home for a while, get their health back, and then send them back," said the Old Man after pondering for a long time.

Granny Zhao, delighted, asked again, "And what about Man Lan..."

"Don’t mention that unfilial daughter. It was her own chosen path, whether bitter or sweet, she will bear it herself. As long as I’m alive for one day, she shouldn’t dream of stepping into this house!" The Old Man growled in a low voice, clearly enraged.

Granny Zhao glared resentfully at the Old Man and couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. She tucked Tian Sisi in properly and started undressing to sleep.

"Why aren’t you blowing out the lamp?"

"Blow it out yourself!"

Stubborn old woman, now she’s being contentious with me! The Old Man chuckled and shook his head, then leaned over to blow out the dim oil lamp.

In the room next to Donghua and Qinghua on the second floor, the three Jianguo brothers touched the thick cotton quilt on them and smelled it again and again. Granny Zhao had just aired it out; it was full of the scent of sunshine. "Big brother, why does it feel like we’re dreaming?" Weiguo now felt as if he’d been riding clouds and mist, afraid that once he set foot on the ground, everything before his eyes would disappear.

"It’s not a dream; we’re living in our maternal grandparents’ house. Touch your belly; isn’t it full?" Jianguo smiled, touching his brother’s stomach, which was round and not bony as before.

"Yeah, so full; I won’t wake up hungry tonight," Little Baoguo said in his tender voice, causing Jianguo’s and Weiguo’s hearts to ache. Although they usually tried to save food for their little brother, the already little food they had was barely enough to fill gaps between teeth. The poor little brother had never had a full meal since he was born. They had forgotten that they themselves had never had a full meal either!

"Baoguo, be good, sleep tight. We will sleep until dawn tonight," Jianguo softly patted his little brother, lulling him to sleep with practiced ease that showed he had been doing it since they were young.

Baoguo soon fell asleep, his face bearing a sweet smile. Weiguo looked at his little brother and, thinking of something, asked worriedly: "Big brother, now that we are eating well and sleeping well here, I wonder how Mama is doing alone at home?"

"Mama will be alright. Brother Xin Hua and Sister Sisi brought so much food over today; Mama will eat well for a long time. Without us at home, Mama can use two quilts to keep warm; she’ll be fine," Jianguo reassured his second brother in a soft voice. This second brother, having been bullied by Li Guo since childhood, was very sensitive, just like a girl.

Assured by his big brother’s words, Weiguo soon fell asleep. Jianguo looked at his brothers’ sweet sleeping faces, and his anxious heart settled down. Perhaps living at their grandparents’ house had nothing bad about it. At least no one bullied them here, everyone was gentle, and even though their grandfather was reticent, he didn’t look at them with the same disdain as their great-grandpa did. The most important thing was that his two brothers could eat their fill and dress warmly.

But they couldn’t just eat and stay for free. Jianguo decided that tomorrow he would bring Weiguo along to help his uncle with work. With his mind made up, Jianguo also drifted deeply into sleep. In the middle of the night, Granny Zhao went upstairs to check on them and saw the two older brothers keeping the youngest, Baoguo, snuggled in the middle, the three brothers nestled in each other’s embrace, sleeping soundly. Granny Zhao smiled contentedly; although Man Lan had married the wrong man, she had given birth to three good sons. While she was still healthy, she decided to do her best to help Man Lan raise her three grandsons properly. Looking at the character of the three children now, Man Lan’s future blessings seemed to be quite good.

Early the next morning, several brothers of Tian Man Yin and about a dozen robust youths from the Tian field crowded onto the village’s tractor, making a grand entrance into Huangkeng Village, led by Tian Mantu. Tian Sisi had also wanted to join in the excitement, but Zhu Aiqing glared at her, so she had to stay obediently at home. While all the others went to work, Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi prepared lunch at home.

Although the ten or so robust youths who went today were all related or connected by marriage to their family, they couldn’t be expected to work for nothing. Without bringing up anything else, at least good food had to be provided to fill their stomachs, otherwise, who would be willing to help with future family matters?

The Old Man thought for a while, then took Tian Sisi, Tian Xinhua, and a few youngsters to the back mountain. After a night’s rest, Tian Sisi’s foot had mostly healed. Wearing thick socks, she didn’t feel any pain at all.

They first went to the Moon Spring halfway up the mountain. This "spring" is more of a pond, not a large one—just about fifty or sixty square meters. Many fish swam back and forth in it, but they were extremely agile, and few people could catch them. Over time, people from Yuequan Village stopped coming here to fish. As a result, the fish in the pond grew very big and fat.

The Old Man sent Tian Xinhua to take the youngsters to catch fish in the pond while he and Tian Sisi went elsewhere. About ten minutes later, he returned with two fat rabbits and a wild chicken. Tian Xinhua saw them and smiled without saying a word, loudly calling for Qinghua, Donghua, and Jian Country to look for wild chicken eggs, leaving the pond to the Old Man and Tian Sisi.

Seeing this, Tian Sisi quickly brought out a dozen lively carps. The Old Man threaded them through the gills with a stalk of grass, strung them into a long string, and placed them in a basket. Then he took his granddaughter to find Tian Xinhua and the others. Tian Xinhua stood watching his younger brothers play. Seeing the Old Man come out, he hurriedly asked, "Great-grandpa, did you catch the fish?"

"Caught them," the Old Man answered, giving his nephew’s son an extra look. He hadn’t expected Xinhua to be so perceptive. But he assumed Xinhua merely had some suspicions, and since Xinhua was tight-lipped and reliable, it was unlikely any big issues would arise.

Tian Xinhua said cheerfully, "Great-grandpa, you really haven’t lost your touch. Every time you go up the mountain, you come back with a big catch."

Relieved by his words, the Old Man thought it was fine as long as no one suspected Ah Nan. Let this old body cover for the granddaughter then. Seeing the Old Man relax, Tian Xinhua restrained his smile and turned around. Noticing Tian Sisi quarreling with Qinghua, he couldn’t help but give her a smack on the head. That girl Ah Nan, he and the others worried themselves sick for her sake, and yet she was so carefree.

"Tian Xinhua, why did you hit me on the head?" Tian Sisi snapped, baffled. Angered, she turned and bit him hard, causing Tian Xinhua to gasp in pain. Looking at his hand, there were two bruised tooth marks, and it almost bled.

"Tian Sisi, are you born in the year of the Dog?"

"Tian Xinhua, are you out of your mind? I was born in the year of the Rabbit."

....

Everyone happily returned home. While no one was looking, Tian Sisi took out more rice and oil, and also gave Granny Zhao two or three pounds of fresh pork. Only then did she go out to play with the little ones.

But Jian Country and Wei Guo didn’t join her; they kept running down to gather firewood at the foot of the mountain, followed by Donghua and Qinghua. Thinking it over, Tian Sisi, an adult, couldn’t afford to be lazier than children. Out of shame, she also went to work. Seeing this, Tian Xinhua took the cart to follow. He let the youngsters gather firewood while he and Qinghua pushed the cart. In just a few trips, they had piled up a small mountain of firewood in the shed.

Around 12:30 pm, the tractor sputtered back. Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi had already prepared three full tables of dishes, set up in the courtyard. It was a lovely sunny day, and eating outside while basking in the sunshine felt incredibly cozy!

Seeing the big bowls of fish and meat on the tables, the ten or so young men from the Tian fields almost drooled. Brother Man Yin’s family was indeed generous. Not only did everyone get a packet of Xin’anjiang, but there was also so much meat to eat. The nutrition from this meal could last for days!

"Come on, everyone, let’s eat. You all worked hard today," Tian Bajin said with a smiling face, inviting people to the table. It was always him handling external relations for the Tian Family; the Old Man never cared for the village’s mundane affairs.

The Old Man asked Granny Zhao to bring out his wine, pouring a cup for everyone present. He raised his cup and said solemnly, "Today, you’ve all taken a considerable effort to help put up a front for my good-for-nothing daughter. I, Tian Liu Jin, truly appreciate everyone’s hard work. The meal may be simple, but I insist you eat your fill and drink heartily. I thank you all once again. I’ll drink first as a mark of respect; please feel free to follow!"

PS: Sincere thanks to readers like Wuliao Zuijian Shabi and others for their strong support!