Shen Meng leaned weakly against the kang cabinet, watching Zhou Jiaojiao and Lu Jiaxuan's angry expressions. She felt a sense of satisfaction. In her past life, the original owner was indeed vicious, but weren't they bad too?
On the surface, they seemed indifferent and didn't fight or grab, but how could those who benefited be innocent? Especially regarding the harm done to Lu Mingkai. They knew their child had harmed Lu Mingkai, yet they only offered an apology, while Lu Mingkai lost his life.
Looking at the well-cared-for child before her, her heart ached. She thought it must be the lingering consciousness of the original owner at work. She clutched her chest and silently told her that she would repay what was owed and make amends for what needed to be made, as a way of repaying the original owner for giving her a second life.
As soon as she finished these thoughts, Shen Meng felt a sense of relief.
One shouldn't be too shameful. Being too shameful leads to many concerns, especially when outsiders are around. Seeing that Lu Bangde and Zhang Hongfa had given money to Liu Sanjin and vacated the house, they felt a sense of relief. The matter was considered resolved.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, Jiaxuan and I will move out right away. We've been planning to move out as soon as possible so you and the children could stay here, but we've been so busy that it's been delayed. Jiaxuan and I will take you and the children there tonight. Thank you for your generosity. I've prepared some brown sugar and eggs, and I'll bring them over to you later!"
Despite her reluctance, Zhou Jiaojiao couldn't refuse at this moment. If she caused her to die with regrets, the blame would be immense. Since she couldn't change anything, she had to do her best to please the village chief and the Party Secretary.
After saying this, she grabbed Lu Jiaxuan and ran out.
Shen Meng's lips twitched slightly as she looked at Lu Debang and Zhang Hongfa, saying, "I'm troubling the village chief and secretary for making this trip. Out of respect for Zhenping, I'll swallow my pride and trouble you two again. When we moved here, my mother said the grain would be stored together. My children and I didn't work much, but we still got some grain based on our work points. Dad, please take Mingyang with the village chief and the others to get our grain. Mingyang is growing up; he'll have to support himself eventually. He's Zhenping's eldest son."
Mentioning "eldest son," Lu Mingyang inexplicably straightened his back.
Liu Sanjin was furious, her eyes blazing with anger. She really wanted to break off all pretense of civility, but with outsiders present, she couldn't. She was also afraid Shen Meng might really be dead; she still trusted Lu Changhong's medical skills.
Wu Xianglan was a little unhappy. The family had enough grain, and she was planning to secretly take some back to her parents' home, but when Puyi met Shen Meng's gaze, she immediately lowered her head.
"Forget it, let's wait until she dies. Then she can get a share of the eldest son's things too. Amen."
Lu Jiahe hadn't spoken because what Shen Meng said didn't concern him. Whether it was the money his mother gave him or the house his younger brother gave up, it had nothing to do with him. But the grain was different. He was the family's breadwinner, earning the most work points. His mother had said that the eldest son moving out wasn't a separation of the family. Since it wasn't a separation, why should he get a share of the grain?
"No, that grain can't be touched. That's what we men earned through hard work. Why should we give it to you? You and Mingyang can come back for meals. We haven't separated the family."
Shen Meng's eyes reddened, and she coughed repeatedly, looking like she was about to die. This startled Wu Xianglan, who immediately punched Lu Jiahe several times.
"Don't talk. My sister-in-law is in such a state. I just heard Doctor Lu say that if she gets a fever tonight, she might not make it in the next few days. You should say less. If you make her feel uneasy, she might come knocking on our door in the middle of the night." She whispered in Lu Jiahe's ear.
Lu Jiahe nudged Wu Xianglan aside with his elbow.
"Get out of the way. It's none of your business to interrupt when the men are talking. I said the grain can't be touched, and that means it. Shen Meng, how many work points do you and these little brats earn in a day? They're always asking for food. Let me tell you, I'm afraid of you, but I'm not. Don't even think about getting a share of the grain."
Zhang Hongfa's eyes darted around. He pulled Lu Debang over. Firstly, Wang Guizhi had seen quite a few people, so he had to come. Secondly, he wanted to curry favor with Lu Zhenping. His younger brother was almost sixteen, and the army was recruiting soon. If he was selected, he would need to find someone to help him in the army. With someone already in the picture, he wanted to build a good relationship for him.
“Jiahe, you can’t say that. Your sister-in-law just said that your family didn’t invite Mingyang and the others to eat, and the children are starving and catching sparrows to eat. Your sister-in-law is so badly injured now. If we don’t give them any food, do you think they’ll starve?”
Lu Jiahe was a bully at home, so he naturally didn’t dare to argue with the Party Secretary. But when it came to food, he still stubbornly said, “We couldn’t find them this time, but next time I will definitely go find them myself. They won’t go hungry. We can’t give them any food.”
“That’s a bit unreasonable. I was just thinking that Zhenping’s wife was hit by the production team’s ox, so our production team can’t just leave without any compensation. Here’s what we’ll do: the production team will give you ten yuan and thirty jin of fine grain as compensation. Zhenping’s wife, take good care of yourself and don’t think too much. Zhenping is serving in the army outside, and we don’t know when he will be back. You have to take care of yourself and wait to see him!”
Shen Meng silently pinched her thigh, and tears streamed down her face.
"Thank you for your concern, leader. Thank you, leader. As for our family's grain distribution..."
"No way! If you want grain, you'll have to get over me first." Lu Jiahe's chest heaved with anger, and Wu Xianglan couldn't pull her away.
"Distribute it! I've decided! If you don't, Bond and I won't care anymore. Aunt Wang and Uncle Shen will go to the commune and let everyone see how your Lu family forced Zhenping's wife to her death while he was away. There are some things I didn't want to say clearly, but don't treat everyone like fools. Only fools believe lies. Aunt Liu, don't you think so?"
Shen Meng: "..."
She felt that he was implying something about her, very definitely!!
Zhang Hongfa didn't want to say anything harsh, but Lu Jiahe was stubborn. If he didn't teach her a lesson, he would be a useless Party Secretary.
Liu Sanjin shuddered and pointed at Lu Jiahe, quickly saying, "We'll divide it, of course we'll divide it! Jiahe, stop talking! Your sister-in-law is so badly injured, shut your mouth! And you, are you dead? Watching your man bully your sister-in-law, drag him away! Hehe, well, father-in-law, you and Mingyang come with me to divide the grain. Mother-in-law, take good care of Xiaomeng. I'll bring the money over in a bit. Be good, okay? Good girl."
She hurriedly led her people out, afraid that if they stayed any longer, Shen Meng would make some more demands. Only after everyone had left did Shen Meng finally breathe a sigh of relief.
First battle in the transmigration, a minor victory.