RGL – Chapter 18

Though the two kids spoke without thinking, their words left an unpleasant taste in Zhang Guihua’s ears. Back then, her sister-in-law’s family wasn’t doing as well as hers—they’d even wanted her family to help take care of their kid. And now, not even a year later, their child was going to school in the city?

The children’s envy only highlighted that her family wasn’t as well off. Zhang Guihua felt utterly embarrassed.

But she wasn’t a fool. Even if she felt bitter, she couldn’t lash out at Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong. Instead, she smacked her daughter Sun Yanyan lightly on the forehead. “What are you shouting for? Always wanting to compare everything—why don’t you compare school grades if you’re so eager to compete?”

Sun Yanyan and Sun Qiangqiang instantly quieted down, both pouting with teary eyes.

It was supposed to be a cheerful New Year celebration, yet Zhang Guihua’s scolding left Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang looking awkward—as if their visit was the reason the kids got yelled at.

Grandma Sun frowned and said disapprovingly, “Guihua, it’s the New Year—what are you doing getting so serious with the kids? They weren’t doing anything wrong. Can’t you just talk to them instead of hitting?”

“Mom, I’m disciplining my kids. You don’t need to worry about it,” Zhang Guihua shot back bluntly. After all, she ran this household—no one else had a say.

Grandma Sun felt humiliated in front of her daughter and son-in-law. Her face flushed, and she grew angry. This daughter-in-law was getting more and more out of line.

Sun Bing, though afraid of his wife, was still a filial son. He quickly stepped in, “Alright, alright, let’s just eat. The food’s getting cold.”

Only then did Zhang Guihua begrudgingly pick up her chopsticks.

Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang exchanged a glance, then quietly focused on eating.

After the meal, Sun Qiufang took Grandma Sun and headed to the small room where her younger brother Sun Hai lived.

That room had originally been a temporary shed for storing odds and ends. But Sun Hai, being a hardworking man, had repaired and improved it twice after moving in on his own.

“Xiao Hai, since you’ve got your own place and can work for yourself, I think it’s time you officially split from the family. Big Brother has his own family now. It’s not really appropriate for you to keep living together.”

Sun Qiufang truly couldn’t bear to see her little brother being treated poorly by her sister-in-law anymore. When Zhang Guihua first married in, she made it clear—she came to be a wife, not to raise her husband’s younger brother. If her older brother hadn’t insisted on marrying her, and if their family hadn’t been so poor, they never would’ve accepted such a sharp-tempered woman.

Sun Hai poured them some water and said with a smile, “I’ve already been farming my own fields. Big Brother said I can keep what I harvest. Since Mom and I still eat at their place, we just send over some grain. It’s no big deal—it’s just me, I don’t eat much.”

“You never thought about getting married and starting a family? You’re already in your mid-twenties—you should think about your future. Are you really planning to stay single?” Compared to her older brother, who was henpecked by his wife, she felt more concern for her younger brother. He’d been sickly since birth, and the family had been too poor to afford proper treatment.

Sun Hai didn’t respond.

Grandma Sun sighed, clearly distressed. “We’ve tried asking around. Just a few days ago, Auntie San from the village tried to match him with a widow from Li family village—she already has two kids. She’s also quite a few years older than Hai. I said no.” She knew it was hard to find a good match for her son and didn’t expect a young, unmarried girl, but still—if the age gap was too big, it wouldn’t feel like a proper marriage.

“My little uncle is good-looking and kind—why should he settle? Don’t worry, once we’re doing better, we’ll find someone truly good for you.” Su Min wouldn’t let her little uncle end up with someone like her aunt. Not a chance.

“What do you know, silly girl?” Sun Qiufang said, patting her on the head.

“I’m not being silly,” Su Min said, chin lifted. “If he hasn’t found the right person yet, then he should focus on building a future while he’s still young. Once he’s successful, who would care about his leg?”

Seeing her daughter speak so boldly—even about marriage prospects—Sun Qiufang pretended to scold her, “You’re still talking!”

“Alright, alright, don’t be like your sister-in-law and take your temper out on the kid. Minzi’s just trying to be kind,” Grandma Sun quickly pulled Su Min over to her side to protect her.

Sun Qiufang gave up pretending and rolled her eyes. Then she took a stack of money from her bag and handed it to Sun Hai. “Xiao Hai, we haven’t forgotten the money you gave to me and your brother-in-law. We don’t need it anymore—take it back.”

Sun Hai was caught off guard. “You really don’t need it? Just keep it for now. You can give it back when things are easier. I don’t even have much to spend money on anyway.”

Sun Qiufang pushed it back with a smile. “Don’t worry. We really don’t need it. We earned a bit in the city—enough for now. And we’re going back right after New Year. There’ll be more coming in.”

When Grandma Sun heard they’d truly made money, she was delighted. “That’s great! I was worried things wouldn’t work out in the city.”

“It’s going well,” Sun Qiufang said, beaming. She looked over at Su Changrong.

He caught the signal and added, “If Xiao Hai’s interested, he could come to the city with us and take a look. Things are stable now, and we’ve got a place for him to stay. Working with us would be better than staying here.”

Though it had been Qiufang’s idea to begin with, Su Changrong agreed wholeheartedly. He was a man who didn’t forget kindness. Back when he had hit rock bottom, his own parents and siblings hadn’t helped him. Only this brother-in-law had offered support in his time of need. Whether the money had been used or not, the gesture meant everything. He knew he owed more than money—he owed a great debt of gratitude.

Su Min was a little surprised when she heard this. She’d been thinking the same thing—once the family business picked up after the New Year, she’d bring it up with her parents to see if it could work out. She hadn’t expected her parents to bring it up first. They really were kind and thoughtful people.

Grandma Sun said hesitantly, “Letting the boy go to the city with you… will that really work? He… he’s not good at physical labor.”

No matter how she tried to spin it, her son was lame—that was a fact. Life in the village was already harder for him than for others, so how could he possibly manage in the city?

Sun Hai agreed, “I’ve never done anything else. I only know a bit about farming, and I’m not even as good as the other uncles and cousins. What would I even do out there?”

Sun Qiufang glanced at the doorway, then lowered her voice and said, “Scavenging. Don’t look down on collecting scrap—old copper, broken iron, plastic, paper… it can all be sold for money. The money Changrong and I made this past month is no less than what factory workers make. We didn’t tell anyone when we came back because we didn’t want to cause trouble.”

This was her way of hinting that Grandma Sun shouldn’t go around telling others.

Grandma Sun was a sharp woman and immediately caught on. But even so, she was shocked by what her daughter said—scavenging could make that much money? It felt unbelievable. She leaned in closer and whispered, “Is it really that much?”

Both Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang nodded.

Su Changrong said, “It’s not the most dignified job, even in the city, but we’re earning an honest living. Nothing to be ashamed of. The only thing is, can Xiao Hai handle it? Right now, your sister and I aren’t collecting scrap anymore—we’re buying it. Once you save up, you can become a buyer too.”

“Wouldn’t Xiao Hai be taking business from you two? That might not end well in the future,” Grandma Sun said, clearly worried. She wanted her son to make money, of course, but not at the cost of turning siblings into enemies.

Sun Hai nodded too. Earning money was one thing, but snatching it from your own family was another. His sister and brother-in-law had helped him; he couldn’t repay them with selfishness.

Sun Qiufang frowned and said, “Come on. If Changrong and I are saying it’s fine, of course it’s fine. It’s not like we’re the only ones doing this work—plenty of people are in this line of business. One more person like Xiao Hai won’t make a difference. Better for family to earn the money than strangers.”

Su Min looked at her parents and thought to herself that she’d really underestimated them. Letting her uncle come to the city wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision—they’d clearly thought it through.

Sun Hai thought it over and asked, “When would be a good time for me to go?”

Su Changrong answered directly, “I say go after the New Year. The crops won’t be ready to harvest for a while anyway. Worst case, have Big Brother help take care of it and just give him a little extra for the trouble.”

Sun Qiufang agreed. Once the weather warmed up, more people would start flocking to the city.

Grandma Sun looked at Sun Hai and said, “Hai, I think your sister and brother-in-law are making a lot of sense. Why don’t you give it a try? Digging in the dirt all day—when will that kind of life give you any hope? If we were a big family like others, maybe we could still live off the land. But you’re doing the work of two people and only getting half the return. Life’s just getting harder and harder. And your older brother… well, he’s useless. Completely whipped by his wife.”

Su Min added, “That’s right, Little Uncle. Come with us! When I start school, you can even help tutor me!”

She looked at Sun Hai, hope rising in her heart. If her uncle could step out into the world now, see more of it, and gain more opportunities, maybe—just maybe—his life would turn out better than in her previous life.

Sun Hai pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and thought for a while. Then he said, “Alright. I’ll get things arranged here first and come find you after the New Year.”

Next door, Zhang Guihua was cooking for New Year’s Eve in the kitchen. Sun Bing was helping her.

From time to time, Zhang Guihua peered through the kitchen window toward Sun Hai’s room, but the man hadn’t come out at all, nor had she heard a sound.

She turned to look at Sun Bing, who was silently working beside her, and said with a scowl, “Tell me, is your little sister making money and hiding it from us? They even let Minzi go to school in the city—they’re really willing to spend.”

Sun Bing scratched his head, confused. “If my sister let Minzi study, she must have her reasons. What are you so worried about?”

Zhang Guihua’s brow furrowed deeper. Her voice turned cold. “What, I can’t even ask now? Look at you, always defending her. Just look at how she treats you. She’s been talking with Sun Hai in there for ages and didn’t even call you over. Who knows what they’re talking about—probably about the city stuff.”

Hearing that, Sun Bing looked over at Sun Hai’s room, feeling a bit upset himself. They were all siblings, but the way his little sister acted made it clear—he wasn’t as important to her as Sun Hai was.