“Grandma, my name is Nan Jianli.” Nan Jianli earnestly spun a backstory for herself. “Five years ago, I went to Xuancheng with my parents to do business, but we encountered bandits on the way. My parents were killed, and I only survived because my mother hid me in a secret compartment in the carriage. Seeing my parents die so tragically traumatized me, and I fell into a silly sickness.”
“I’m better now, and I want to use my original name again. It’s the only keepsake my parents left me. But don’t worry, no matter what my name is, I am still your granddaughter. I will look after my younger siblings and stay by your side.”
Old Mrs. Meng felt a pang in her heart and gripped her hand even tighter. “Good child, you’ve suffered so much! Any name is fine. Nan Jianli is a good name, it sounds grand! We’ll use this name from now on. We must remember the kindness of your parents.”
She glanced at the three people standing nearby, who were listening in a daze, and instructed, “Did you all hear that? Your eldest sister’s name is Nan Jianli. From now on, we call her A-Li!”
Meng Chengping’s eyes welled up with tears as he was the first to nod. Meng Zhu and Meng Lou followed suit, their small faces filled with solemnity.
Looking at the expressions of the people before her, the sense of drifting that had come with Nan Jianli’s soul transmigration finally faded a little.
“Alright, hurry up and pack. We’ll move the things home and leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
At Old Mrs. Meng’s command, the group gathered their emotions and began to work.
When Nan Jianli stepped into the house, the scene she saw was even more dilapidated than she had imagined. Cracked walls, a roof that let light through, a table missing a leg, unstable chairs, a cabinet with a missing door, and chipped earthenware jars.
With all this junk… was there really a need to move it?
The only things that looked acceptable were likely the bundles Liu had packed and two small bags of grain.
“Big—A-Li,” Meng Chengping pushed the door open and entered. Seeing her standing still, he thought she didn’t know where to start. He quickly stepped forward with a smile, scratching his head as he corrected his address. “Go take that bundle out first. I’ll move these things.”
Nan Jianli reached out to stop him, pointed at the table with the missing leg, and asked, “What do you want these things for?”
“They’re useful! This table and these chairs are made of good wood; they can still be used if repaired. Even if they’re truly useless, they can be used as firewood.” Meng Chengping looked around, his gaze genuinely treating everything as a treasure. “It’s just a pity about the bed. It’s too big and not easy to pull.”
“What do you mean it’s not easy? If you take the bed boards off and pad the handcart with them, you’ll actually gain a lot of space and be able to carry many more things.” Hearing her son’s words, Old Mrs. Meng slapped him in disapproval.
“Right, right! Mother is more thoughtful!” Meng Chengping replied happily, looking as if he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it himself.
Nan Jianli stood to the side, feeling a bit dumbfounded.
Good heavens, this didn’t look like fleeing from a disaster; it looked like they were eager to carry the very walls away with them.
Seeing that Meng Chengping was actually going to dismantle the bed boards, Nan Jianli hurriedly stopped him. She then pulled back Old Mrs. Meng, who was about to move the table, and asked speechlessly, “Grandma, Uncle, if I remember correctly, there are seven people in our family. The three children, including Meng Zhu, are young, and Grandma is elderly. They all need someone to look after them.”
“The only ones who can really take charge and do heavy labor are Uncle, Aunt, and me. If you want to bring so many things now, just pulling the cart will drain all our strength. Do you want to work us to death?”
Old Mrs. Meng was stunned by the question, and her hands holding the table involuntarily loosened. Meng Chengping’s movements also froze mid-air. He scratched his head, the smile on his face faltering.
“This… isn’t it just because we want to save whatever we can?”
“That’s right,” Old Mrs. Meng regained her composure, looking at the house full of old furniture with a tone full of regret. “This is our family’s old house. These things in the room are old items that have been with us for many years…”
Seeing their faces full of regret, Nan Jianli sighed helplessly. She walked over, picked up the bundle Liu had packed, and stuffed it into Old Mrs. Meng’s hands.
“Grandma, as long as we are all here, we have a home. This broken wood isn’t worth much. Once we settle down, I’ll earn money to buy new ones for you.”
These words gave Old Mrs. Meng a sudden shock, and a light instantly flickered in her cloudy eyes.
She had lived for most of her life and had never seen a young girl who could say words like “earning money to set up a home.” She hadn’t expected her granddaughter, who had been silly for many years, to be someone with such initiative!
Her grip on the bundle tightened, and she suddenly slapped her thigh hard. “Good! Grandma believes you. We’ll listen to A-Li and only take what’s needed to survive!”
“A-Li is right. Let’s save our lives first; we can have everything later. I’ll go move the grain now. We’ll travel light!” Meng Chengping nodded, and with his characteristic simple smile, he walked quickly out the door.
In the yard, Meng Zhu and Meng Lou were gathering the dried wild vegetables. They also carefully packed away the remaining seasonings in the kitchen.
Meng Chengping brought out a wheelbarrow and tied the organized items onto it. Only then did the group leave the small courtyard and return to Meng Chengping’s house at the head of the village.
Zhang was hurriedly packing things while three-year-old little Boyang sat quietly to the side, watching his mother work.
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Meng Chengping entered with the wheelbarrow, followed by Old Mrs. Meng, Nan Jianli, and the two siblings. Hearing the commotion, Zhang hurried out to meet them.
“Mother is back.” Not seeing Liu, she couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Why don’t I see my sister-in-law?”
“She ran away!” Meng Chengping replied furiously. “This morning, she wanted to sell the children, but Da Niu overheard her. She injured Da Niu with some wild man and then ran off.”
Zhang’s mouth dropped open in shock, and the clothes in her hand fell to the ground with a thud. “What? Selling children? How could she be so heartless!”
Saying this, she looked at Nan Jianli. Seeing her clear eyes and the smile on her face, she felt even more amazed.
“Aunt, my name is Nan Jianli. You can call me A-Li.” Nan Jianli took a step forward and introduced herself.
Zhang’s eyes widened even further upon hearing this, and she pointed at Nan Jianli for a long time without being able to speak. Seeing his wife like this, Meng Chengping smiled and explained everything to her once more.
Seeing them talking, Nan Jianli walked over to the pile of luggage Zhang had gathered and gave it a general inspection.
Clothes, bedding, fabric, cotton, grain…
Good, at least there was one smart person in this family. The group shouldn’t be too hard to lead.
Scanning the pile of luggage that was half a person tall, she suddenly remembered a crucial item. She stood up and asked, “Aunt, is there any oilcloth at home? The thicker, the better.”
“Oilcloth? Yes!” Zhang immediately nodded and turned to run toward the woodshed. “Two years ago, your uncle helped out at the oil mill in town. The manager rewarded him with four pieces. I’ve been keeping them tucked away!”
As she spoke, she brought out four squares of oilcloth folded neatly. They were shiny and greasy, clearly possessing excellent waterproofing qualities.
Nan Jianli’s eyes lit up as she took the oilcloth to weigh it. “Perfect! Wrap the grain and bedding in this oilcloth. That way, they won’t get soaked if it rains, and we won’t have to fear dampness.”
She demonstrated on the spot, stacking the grain bags together and carefully wrapping them in three layers of oilcloth, then tying the corners tightly with hemp rope. “Tying them like this is a hundred times sturdier than just using a cloth bundle.”
Old Mrs. Meng stood to the side holding little Boyang. The more she watched, the more satisfied she became, and she couldn’t help but praise, “A-Li’s mind is just so sharp! Chengping, hurry up and learn from her!”
Meng Chengping chuckled and stepped forward to help, tying the luggage according to Nan Jianli’s method. Zhang also joined in, stuffing cotton and fabric into the gaps of the oilcloth, which saved space and prevented moisture.
Meng Zhu and Meng Lou crouched to the side, helping to pass the hemp rope and tidy up small items, their little faces full of seriousness. Before long, the originally messy luggage was packed neatly.
Meng Chengping pulled a handcart out from the backyard and placed all the items onto it.
Everything was ready, just waiting for tomorrow’s departure.
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