novelraw Chapter 431 - 17: Shi Suifeng’s Arrangement_3
Chapter 431 - 17: Shi Suifeng’s Arrangement_3
Chapter 431: Chapter 17: Shi Suifeng’s Arrangement_3
"Your sister?"
The leader furrowed his brow.
"You have a sister?" He had checked the records, and there were only two brothers in the family.
Shi Suifeng sighed, "My mother originally gave birth to a girl, but we couldn’t afford to raise her, so she was given away. Now, the situation over there isn’t sustainable either, they can’t get enough to eat, and my two brothers can’t accept it at home either..."
He didn’t say more.
But the leader could already imagine the whole story — these days, there were plenty of children being born that families couldn’t afford, and there were countless girls given away.
Luckily, she wasn’t drowned or abandoned...
As for why she didn’t stay with her biological mother but chose to stay with her brother... Didn’t you hear what Shi had said? One more person at home means one more mouth to feed, and not everyone is willing for that.
"Okay, you were supposed to have a spot to follow the army anyway, just write a report and make it clear."
...
Shi Suifeng spent an afternoon reporting everything, completing the procedures, and got the keys to the house in hand.
He hadn’t finished his vacation, so he planned to rest for two more days and then prepare the house. At the very least, he needed to stock up on food for Little He.
Thinking about this, his savings were really on the brink.
The key issue was that even with the danger, there wasn’t enough to eat.
In the troops, there were plenty of men capable of hard labor, and with their help, after training, they quickly reorganized the house.
The courtyard wall was rebuilt, the ground in the front and back yards leveled, and the cellar was filled with lots of food.
If they couldn’t eat meat liberally, then surely they could have rice and flour?
Shi Suifeng felt a deep sense of pain as he touched his deflated wallet.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Chu River, after another routine meal and scolding session, received his niece’s first creation —
A little handkerchief.
There were no embroidered flowers, just a piece of mottled dyed cloth, cut into a square and simply hemmed with thread.
Looking closely, the stitches were particularly neat, with even spacing between each thread. The handkerchief was made flat and smooth, and at first glance, didn’t look too bad.
How could it not be?
Anyone could see if they held the handkerchief against the sun, the already mottled cloth was filled with countless needle holes.
After all, to do needlework well, one has to practice; without fabric or thread, the niece took a rag given by Aunt Juhua, stitching and unstitching with the same piece of thread, practicing for a long time!
When giving the handkerchief, the niece looked at her eagerly:
"Aunt, Aunt Juhua says I have talent, and soon I’ll learn to make clothes for you."
Chu River didn’t dismiss it — after all, she seemed never to have used a handkerchief before; it was quite a novelty, so she turned and gave her niece a handful of Big White Rabbit candies.
Thinking about it, she had never owned even a handkerchief before. What kind of life had she lived before?
Small wonder she lost her memory; even without the amnesia, accepting this reality would be hard.
...
The nephew also successfully brought back a basket full of dried fish, which Chu River wrapped tightly in corn husks and stuffed into her versatile fertilizer sack.
Goodness, there were so many fish, even after cleaning, they almost filled a sack. She figured she still needed to get a few more over.
Thus, she handed five yuan to her nephew, "Go to the village and get me some cloth bags or burlap sacks, the bigger and more, the better."
She reckoned Shi Suifeng wasn’t skilled enough to get a large amount of meat. After all, everything these days relied on ration tickets, so she’d have to make do on her own.
Bringing things from home shouldn’t be too scrutinized for being excessive, right?
Five yuan!
A huge sum.
The nephew had never handled so much money in his life and now patted his chest, promising, "Aunt, rest assured, I’ll get it done for you."
If it were something like this, Chu River might not be able to get it herself.
But who’d have guessed the nephew had so many friends?
Kids are easily tempted; give them money and food, and they’d sell their grandpa’s land as quick as can be!
What was more, it was just some old pack cloth or bags, most families had a few lying around. Even if they were lost, kids might end up with a bamboo shoot stir-fry instead... just tell the truth and you’d get some money back from them; it was a fair deal.
The nephew had it figured out.
And along with this sack of dried fish came good news:
"Aunt, I know how to make dried fish now!"
"You bring in some more, and I’ll keep learning."
Chu River looked at the dark sky outside, listened to the village’s sounds, and patted her nephew’s shoulder with anticipation.
"It’s late, go to bed, and meet me at the usual spot early tomorrow morning."
They had already fetched a batch from the water, so next, why not go to the mountains and bring in a wild boar!
Although she heard wild boar meat was tough, well, she hadn’t tasted it yet!
Just this thought made Chu Aiguo’s mouth water profusely.