When she reached the entrance of the village, a pail of water in hand, she overheard some villagers talking about Liu Hao’s homecoming. The talk was, he had struck gold and was going to bring his parents to the city.
Changsheng’s mother quickly set the pail down and bolted for Liu Hao’s house. She wanted to ask Liu Hao if he knew whether her son would be coming back too. But when she arrived, the door was shut and bolted. She banged on the door for a while, and went back glumly when no one answered.
Meanwhile, inside Liu Hao’s house, Liu Fang was staring outside through the creak of the door.
“She’s gone, Mom.”
“Good,” said Liu Fang’s mother. She crossed her legs and draped a blanket over herself.
“Was it Changsheng’s mother?” asked Liu Hao. It sounded like her.
“Who else?” answered Liu Fang’s mother unhappily. “She never realized how good Xiao Yan was to them. Xiao Yan left all the good stuff to them, even when she herself lived as frugally as possible. All they did was take her kindness for granted. She wasn’t even her daughter, you know! It was better when Changsheng was around, but once he left, his mother began nitpicking on her endlessly. Treated her like a maid. In the end, she even stole her money and chased her out! They might have saved her life, but Xiao Yan had done more than enough to repay the favor. They really shouldn’t have mistreated her like that.”
Liu Fang’s mother marveled at the amount of coincidences in this world. Back then, she only acted out of kindness. It wasn’t safe for a girl to be outside alone at that time. Besides, she would no doubt freeze to death in that weather, lightly dressed as she was.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would be rewarded for it!
“Is the man you mentioned really Xiao Yan’s husband?” asked Liu Fang’s mother. She had asked the same question numerous times, but she still had trouble believing it.
“I think so. He said it himself,” recalled Liu Hao. He had called the man a few times afterwards, and his answers had always been the same—his family had helped his wife by giving her clothes, provisions, and a new identity. Without those, she would never have made it back to the Sea City so easily.
“He must be Sister Xiao Yan’s husband,” said Liu Fang without the slightest doubt, clenching her fists. “I’m sure of it.”
“What makes you so sure?” asked Liu Hao, rubbing her head. She was his only sister now. He was the oldest child, about five years older than her. Despite being poor, he had always been caring and considerate towards his little sister. Now that she was his only sister, he naturally gave her all of his love.
“Because I said so,” said Liu Fang, raising her chin with a tsundere look. “Sister Xiao Yan told me that she was from Sea City, and that she had a husband. She promised me that she will help me look for you if she makes it back. It’s got to be her.”
By now, Liu Fang’s mother was convinced too. Who else will give Liu Fang money and arrange a better job for him?
Now that she knew she had helped the right person, she loathed Changsheng’s mother even more. She was right about her being shortsighted. She had advised her countless times to stay away from Jin Gen’s mother, yet she never listened. How could she trust Jin Gen? He was known for being a deadbeat and a liar. Jin Gen’s family was rich now, and was even upgrading into a bigger house. Changsheng’s house, on the other hand, had been doing worse and worse ever since Changsheng left. Their garden was rife with weeds, yet no one bothered to remove them.
“What kind of job do you think Jin Gen is doing? How did he manage to make so much money in such a short time? It hasn’t even been a year, and he’s already expanding his house. He even bought a golden necklace for his mother,” she asked Liu Hao.
Jin Gen’s mother wore it every day, showing off wherever she went. If she wasn’t in the village, someone would already have lifted it off her.
“No idea,” Liu Hao shook his head. “Something shady, I suppose.”
“What else could he be doing?” Liu Fang curled her lips. “Don’t forget that he’s illiterate! He always dresses himself to the nines in the village, but who knows what he’s doing behind everyone’s backs? What kind of a boss would be stupid enough to hire someone as lazy and greedy as Jin Gen?”
“Just so,” Liu Hao nodded profusely. He had struggled in Sea City for five years before making it. Though it was mainly thanks to Xiao Yan’s husband, he couldn’t have stayed in the Sea City for five years if he hadn’t put in hard work. In the Sea City, every plot of land was worth its weight in gold. The rich were staggeringly rich, and the poor stunningly poor. Making a living here hadn’t been easy at all for a country bumpkin like him.
In those five years, he had learned how hard it was to earn money. A person without any crafts could only make money through dishonest ways, and before long they would find themselves in prison.
He didn’t know what Jin Gen was doing, but he was very skeptical when he heard that Jin Gen claimed to have connections outside and asked for money from the villagers to share those connections.
Liu Hao’s house saw a large increase in visitors, and Liu Hao’s mother received all of them with cordial hospitality. Once the villagers entered the house, however, they realized at once that Liu Hao hadn’t brought back any items of interest.
When Jin Gen came back, he had brought back many city gadgets that were rarely seen in the village. Liu Hao’s house had nothing of the sort. Plus, on the day he came back, someone noticed that he was empty-handed. Had he come back to work in the fields because he couldn’t make a living in the city
When asked, Liu Hao’s mother would smile and say nothing. She would say “Home is the best place, no?”, before seeing her guests off.
“Do you really not want to go?” asked Liu Hao. He had been trying hard to convince his parents to go to the Sea City with him. All things considered, life there was much better. The toilet, which had been the talk of the village, was present in every city household.
“Yes,” Liu Hao’s mother waved a hand. “What for? Your Dad and I are old, and we have been living in this village for our entire lives. We are accustomed to things here. If we follow you there, we wouldn’t know a single person. Besides, what could we do there? Might as well stay home and tend to the fields. At the very least, we would have friends and neighbors to talk to. We have decided on not going.”
