CHAPTER 481: CHAPTER 481: DONGSHENG

The roads in Sha Family Village were only fixed a few years ago; because it is a poor village, the government funded the construction of concrete roads here. As soon as one arrives, it is apparent that this village is incomparable to Shenjia Village. Most of the people in this area are still farming, although there are also some working outside. However, most still toil under the sky, facing the earth, scrabbling in the soil for food, and some are working tough odd jobs on nearby construction sites. Although it is hard work, the money they earn is substantial.

As soon as Granny Lu entered the village, she felt her nose sour involuntarily, so much that her tears almost spilled out.

It’s still the same old village, although nearly twenty years have passed. Apart from a few new high buildings, there really isn’t much difference. Just that, having been away for too long, the roads have been repaired, and the layout of the village has changed somewhat, and she now doesn’t even know where her home is, nor if it still exists.

The family used to live in old houses. Anyhow, those three should have been able to build their own house by now, right? The land in the village is plentiful, and it’s easy to apply for a homestead allotment. As long as you are from the village, the allotments are distributed based on family circumstances.

Just like the Du Family, when the three men wanted to split the household, they simply needed to speak with the brigade, and each could receive a plot of homestead land. How they built their houses was entirely up to them.

The car could only drive on the village’s concrete road; the smaller alleyways were not accessible. While driving, there was a large truck parked, belonging to someone unknown. After searching for quite some time, and failing to locate the owner, several individuals had to step out and walk...

Currently, Granny Lu doesn’t even know the whereabouts of her three sons, making it difficult to inquire about them. Just as Granny Lu was about to ask someone, a person stared at Granny Lu for a long time before exclaiming in surprise.

"Hey, aren’t you the aunty from the Du Family?"

"Who are you?" Granny Lu widened her eyes, trying to recall something from this woman’s face, but it had been too long, and she couldn’t remember.

"It’s me, aunty," said the middle-aged woman cheerfully as she swept her hair to both sides. Seeing that Granny Lu didn’t deny her recognition, she knew she had recognized the right person even though nearly twenty years had passed and everyone had changed.

"Aunty, don’t you recognize me? I’m Xiumei, Shuangquan’s wife. When I was little, your Jinbao even peed on me."

Granny Lu still had some recollection of this incident. She was younger then, and Jinbao was her third son who indeed had peed on a young bride’s body. She only remembered it clearly because the bride had just moved to Sha Family Village and was wearing a new dress for just a few hours before it got soiled. It was an embarrassing moment, but fortunately, the bride wasn’t bothered and continued to hold Jinbao lovingly, even joking that she wished to have a child like Jinbao, though preferably not. After all, raising a child like Jinbao, who was no more tamed than a wild wolf, disrespectful and abusive like his father, served no purpose.

Later on, when Granny Lu was driven out of the village by her sons, Xiumei, pitying Granny Lu, gave her some money. After a few years, meeting now, it seemed they had both aged.

"Are you really Shuangquan’s wife?" After so many years of not meeting, people change a lot. The young bride had aged, her face lined, her clothes although not dirty, seemed worn from hard work, and evidently, she had become poor.

Sha Family Village was still the same old place, still a remote and impoverished area. Some people spent their entire lives here, never leaving this small village, and perhaps the biggest change was just the people. The once delicate flower had now wilted due to the passage of time.

The young bride had turned into a middle-aged woman, and then aged into an old lady.

"It really is you, Xiumei?"

Granny Lu felt as if she was seeing a family member, her eyes reddening, "I haven’t seen you in so many years. I never thought I’d see you again."

"Auntie, what are you saying, we’re all still living well, aren’t we?"

Xiumei felt sad hearing Granny Lu’s remarks, "Right, auntie, where have you been all these years? We all thought..." She stopped mid-sentence. Everyone knew what she was implying; they all thought Granny Lu had long passed away.

"Sigh..." Granny Lu sighed, her life’s story over the past two decades was truly hard to summarize in a few words.

"Who are these few?" Xiumei’s gaze fell on Qin Xiangyang and two others. Luckily, she was now old; otherwise, she might have blushed. The two men were tall and handsome, wearing what appeared to be city-style clothes, which must have been expensive, and they had leather shoes on. Village folks only wore a pair of sandals for two seasons during the summer. There was also a young woman, fair and clean, like a peeled egg, looking so beautiful, and she even had a light fragrance like flowers. Xiumei remembered from her school days that this was called perfume, just a drop could keep one smelling nice all day.

"Look at me, forgetting to introduce," Granny Lu pulled Qin Xiangyang over, "This is my grandson," then she pointed to Qin Xiangnuan, "my granddaughter, and my granddaughter’s husband."

Jian Zhiqing nodded to Xiumei, who didn’t know how to react to seeing such beautiful people with her. Even Granny Lu seemed younger than her.

"Xiumei," Granny Lu quickly grabbed Xiumei’s hand, "tell me, how are my three good-for-nothing sons doing now, and where is their home? I can’t seem to find them."

Xiumei’s expression changed, and she remained silent for a while.

Granny Lu’s heart skipped a beat, sensing an ominous feeling.

Xiumei really didn’t know where to start from, and just then, a young, thin man approached. He limped, looking like he would be blown away by the wind, and his clothes looked unchanged for several days, carrying a strong odor of sweat mixed with dust. Judging by the direction he came from, he likely worked at the construction site. His expression was pained, and he didn’t look well.

"Hey, Dongsheng, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Want to come over to Auntie’s for a drink of water?"