Xiao Yuan’s body stiffened, his back tensing tightly.
His sharp, handsome features were covered in a layer of coldness, his thin lips pressed into a tight line.
Both of his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists.
Su Yun pressed lightly on his arm.
She gently shook her head.
“I’ll handle it.”
She spoke softly, her voice carrying a calming power.
The anger and bitterness in Xiao Yuan’s heart eased slightly.
He gave a faint “mm.”
Su Yun turned around and looked at Liu Dongmei, who was crying with grievance, a faint smile on her face.
“Mother-in-law, you’re not that old yet. Have you already reached the point of being senile?”
“Wasn’t it you who remarried and had a new husband and new children, and then ignored Brother Yuan completely?”
Liu Dongmei looked at Su Yun tearfully, shaking her head again and again in denial.
“No, no, it’s not like that… it’s not…”
“I’ve always had A-Yuan in my heart. He is my child, always my child.”
Her voice choked with sobs, tears falling endlessly, looking extremely pitiful.
Su Yun curved her lips slightly, her eyes still smiling.
“You’ve always had him in your heart?”
“Then in the two years after he injured his leg, how many times did you take care of him?”
“When your current husband drove the injured him into a grass hut, did you ever speak up for him?”
“When your other children called him ‘cripple’ over and over again, what did you do?”
“Liu Dongmei, don’t think that just because you gave birth to him, you are his great benefactor and that he owes you for life.”
“Even animals know to protect their young. But you, apart from shedding a few crocodile tears in front of us, when have you ever protected him?”
“Stop putting on this hypocritical act of motherly love, and don’t try to use filial piety to pressure him.”
“If you truly cared about him, then the best thing you could do is never contact him again for the rest of your life.”
Every word from Su Yun made Liu Dongmei’s face alternate between green and white.
Her lips moved as she muttered, “He is my child… we can’t stop seeing each other…”
“Is that so?”
Xiao Yuan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke coldly.
“Then I’ll go to the brigade leader later and write a formal severance document.”
“From today—right now—I, Xiao Yuan, have nothing to do with Liu Dongmei anymore.”
After saying this, Xiao Yuan no longer looked at her pale, paper-like face.
He lowered his gaze and looked at Su Yun beside him.
“Let’s go.”
“Mm.”
Su Yun carried her basket and, not forgetting to steady him lightly with her hand, left the second production team together with Wu Jiangtao and the others, both of them limping slightly.
Liu Dongmei stood in place, watching his receding figure as tears kept falling.
“What is this all about?”
Qin Aiguo walked out of the courtyard and glared at her.
“Why are you crying? Isn’t it better that he cut ties with you? Or do you want him to drag down Ah Xiao and the others?”
At the mention of the Qin children, Liu Dongmei quickly wiped her tears.
“I’m just sad… A-Yuan is my flesh and blood, how could he be so heartless…”
“Enough.”
Qin Aiguo stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulder.
“There’s still a lot of work at home. Go take a look. I’m going out.”
“Where are you going?” Liu Dongmei asked while wiping her tears.
Qin Aiguo smiled faintly.
“The house got burned. I’m going to see if I can get some money to repair it.”
“A Xiao is about to get married, and the second and third sons are also of marriageable age. We need a proper house for their marriages.”
At the mention of her sons and Qin Jiao, Liu Dongmei immediately stopped crying and hurried back into the house.
Qin Aiguo glanced in the direction Su Yun and the others had left, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Last night, they were lucky to escape death.
But next time, they won’t be so lucky…
Su Yun and Xiao Yuan arrived at the First Production Team.
It was only a river away from the second team.
A wide river flowed past the village, and at a bend it split into four or five streams, dividing the farmland into large sections.
Households were grouped according to these waterways into Team One, Two, Three, up to Five.
A brigade of over a thousand households—heavily populated.
The First Production Team was at the far edge, backed by continuous mountains and bordered by the winding river.
The house arranged for them by Wu Jiangtao was about fifty meters from Wu Jiangtao’s home.
It was the last house in the First Team.
“This house is a bit small, but it’s enough for you two.”
Wu Jiangtao pushed open the courtyard gate as he explained, “It was originally built for educated youths sent here, but later the policy changed and they all moved to the commune dormitory, so it became empty.”
He was mainly explaining this to Su Yun, worried she might think the house was suspicious and refuse to live there.
“It’s fine, I’m not afraid.”
Su Yun smiled and thanked him.
She had even slept in piles of corpses before—what was there to be afraid of?
Besides, the place was actually quite good. The river flowed along the left side of the house, and Wu Jiangtao’s home was fifty meters to the right, with other households further beyond.
It was quiet—perfect for recovery.
The house had three main earthen rooms, half the roof tiled and half thatched.
Besides that, there was a small kitchen and a tiny toilet in the corner of the courtyard.
Su Yun felt it was much better than the straw hut they had lived in before.
“Are we actually turning misfortune into a blessing?”
She smiled at Xiao Yuan.
His expression softened slightly, and he gently squeezed her hand.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Su Yun blinked.
Hard work?
What was hard about moving into a better house?
Then she understood what he meant.
“It’s fine. It’s actually better this way—we can arrange everything according to our preferences.”
She told him to sit aside while she asked Wu Jiangtao if there was a carpenter in the team.
She wanted to make a bed.
The house was completely empty—they couldn’t sleep like this.
Fortunately, the First Team did have a carpenter.
After hearing their request, the carpenter immediately rolled up his sleeves.
“Alright, I’ll make you a bed right now and deliver it later.”
The carpenter was very kind.
Seeing they had just moved in and had nothing, he agreed immediately.
Su Yun then added, “Could you also make a dining table and a few stools?”
Although the fire last night had not destroyed their belongings besides the house, she still didn’t have much money left.
Only about seventy yuan and some ration tickets. She needed to be frugal.
The carpenter nodded and noted it down.
Su Yun took out her money and tickets.
“How much? I’ll pay now.”
“No need,” the carpenter said. “Just register it with the team. You can use it first and repay it later with work points.”