novelraw Chapter 224
Chapter 224
Shen Nanchu took Pei Yunzhou and Zheng Tongwei wandering around many villages in Ning'an Town, excavating five or six cultural relics with great success.
With these as a foundation, Zheng Tongwei was smoothly transferred back to the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau. Pei Yunzhou was also very lucky to be admitted to the Archaeology Department of Beijing University; although he was ranked last, he managed to get in.
School would start in mid-February.
Although they did not want to say goodbye, the time to leave had come.
Shen Nanchu, Mother Pei, and the others began to pack their things one after another.
"Sister-in-law, are we really not bringing the old cotton-padded jackets in this box?" Pei Yunzhou stood at the door, holding a neatly folded pile of clothes.
Shen Nanchu nodded.
"We're not bringing them. Let's leave these old clothes for Fourth Grandpa Wang, the elderly man in the village who relies on the five guarantees! He only has one torn cotton jacket for the winter, so these clothes will help him stay a bit warmer."
Pei Yunzhou nodded and set the clothes aside.
"Then I'll deliver them to Grandpa Zhang first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll help him tidy up his stove while I'm at it."
Grandma Pei walked out of the room holding Little Anchen.
"Let's travel light this time!"
"For the things that are inconvenient to carry, let's just sell them all to the villagers at a low price!"
"Grandma, you read my mind."
Carrying so many things while squeezing onto a train would be exhausting.
What's more, even if we took them to Beijing, we might not necessarily use them.
It would be better to just practically give them away to the villagers for half the price.
Little Anchen was at an age full of curiosity. His big, round eyes kept staring at Shen Nanchu, Pei Yunzhou, and the others as they packed.
His little hands waved around eagerly, as if he wanted to join in too.
Fortunately, he was still small.
If he were any bigger, Grandma Pei wouldn't be able to hold him.
At this moment, the couple Wang Jianguo and Yu Lanhua walked in carrying a basket. Seeing the packing scene, they stopped in their tracks.
"Little Chu, once you leave, our Wang Family Village will be missing its backbone."
Even as a man in his fifties, he felt his nose tingle today and an uncomfortable tightness in his chest.
"Life has just started getting a bit better, and now you're leaving."
"Sigh—"
"Village Chief, the foundation of our Wang Family Village has already been laid."
Shen Nanchu smiled and handed him a cup of hot tea.
"The rabbit hutch now has over twenty female rabbits, and they will give birth next month. As for our Black Sister shampoo, we will expand the production scale next year. Life in the village will only get better and better."
"Besides, it's not like I'm never coming back."
Shen Nanchu blinked playfully.
Even so, Wang Jianguo still felt a bit sad.
Yu Lanhua felt the same. With red eyes, she handed over the basket in her hands.
"Little Chu, this is the cured rabbit your uncle made himself. It tastes wonderful."
"If you like it, just call back and have your uncle make more for you."
She looked at Shen Nanchu, tears welling up in her eyes. Raising a hand to wipe them away, she added,
"I've finished reading the textile notes you got for me. Wang Dazhi is already working on the machines, and we'll start a trial run once spring arrives."
"Anut Lanhua, thank you for your hard work."
Shen Nanchu took the basket, feeling a warmth in her heart.
"Once you've learned how to do it, I will definitely come back to help you with the paperwork. When our Wang Family Village sets up the textile factory, you will be the factory manager, Auntie, allowing the women in the village to work right near their homes."
"Good, that's wonderful."
...
Actually, what Shen Nanchu was most reluctant to part with was Meiqiu.
Meiqiu was a little wolf cub she had picked up in her courtyard last year. It was only the size of a palm back then, but now it had grown to half its adult size. Its coat was shiny, and it was very intelligent and understanding of human nature.
Every day when Shen Nanchu went out, it would follow behind her; at night, it would guard the courtyard gate and growl if strangers approached.
At this moment, Meiqiu was lying at Shen Nanchu's feet, resting its head on her shoes, its tail sweeping the ground intermittently.
Shen Nanchu squatted down and patted Meiqiu's head, her fingertips feeling its warm body temperature.
Meiqiu seemed to know they were about to part. It rubbed its head against her palm, let out a low whimper, and gently licked her fingers.
"Meiqiu, from now on you will live with Anut Lanhua, okay?"
Shen Nanchu's voice choked up a bit.
"The courtyards in Beijing are small, and you wouldn't have room to stretch your legs. In Wang Family Village, you can run in the mountains with your wolf dad, bask in the sun, and chase wild hares. How free you'll be."
Yu Lanhua quickly squatted down.
"Meiqiu, come live with Auntie, and I'll feed you meat."
"You love stewed meat the most. Every month when I go to the market, I'll buy half a catty for you."
Meiqiu looked up at Shen Nanchu, its eyes full of reliance.
"Host, I can't bear to leave Meiqiu..." The system's voice sounded aggrieved, mixed with a little sniffle.
"In the past, every morning, Meiqiu would lie at the door waiting for you to wake up; at night, when you coaxed Little Anchen to sleep, it would lie by the bed... We'll never see that again."
"I can't bear to part with it either."
Shen Nanchu gently scratched Meiqiu's chin with her fingertips.
"But this is its real home. When we have time in the future, we'll come back to see it and bring it stewed meat."
Over the next few days, the villagers of Wang Family Village all came to help pack the luggage.
Fourth Grandpa Wang, leaning on his cane, tremblingly brought over a basket of eggs.
"Comrade Shen, these were laid by my old hen. Take them to eat on the road and nourish your body."
Auntie Li brought a few pairs of newly made cloth shoes and stuffed them into Shen Nanchu's hands.
"Comrade Shen, these shoes are soft and comfortable for walking on the journey, and you can wear them when you get to Beijing."
Even the children in the village brought their hidden candies and stuffed them into Pei Anchen's hands.
Shen Nanchu distributed the clothes and furniture they didn't need to take with them to the villagers in need, practically giving them away for half the price.
After the family split up, Wang Dazhi had been living with his wife Sun Fang and daughter Wang Xiumei in an abandoned old house at the west end of the village. The roof leaked in the rain, and the wind blew through in the winter.
Last year, he had saved up over twenty yuan and was just thinking about buying a decent house, but he never expected that Shen Nanchu would transfer the house she was living in to him.
"Comrade Shen, for everything in this house... are you really only charging ten yuan?"
Wang Dazhi rubbed his hands together, somewhat unable to believe it. This was a brick-and-tile house with two bedrooms, a main hall, and a small courtyard.
Just last year, Shen Nanchu had hired someone to repair the roof and replace the doors and windows.
Ten yuan wasn't even enough to buy a few rafters.
"Uncle Wang, it hasn't been easy for you and Auntie, and Sister Xiumei has reached the age for marriage proposals. You need a warm house to live in."
Shen Nanchu said with a smile.
"Just consider these ten yuan as a fee for the materials."
Sun Fang's tears fell. "Comrade Shen, you are truly a good person... We don't even know how to thank you."
...