Auntie watched with a heart softened to mush. Her own bunch of bratty boys would never think to share food—if they weren’t snatching from others, that was already restraint. Little girls were so much better—well-behaved, gentle, and understanding of sharing.
“Grandma still has plenty here, enough for everyone. Come on, take it all.”
Old Master Fu stopped her. “May I ask how to address you, comrade? And what year were you born?”
The auntie thought this old gentleman was quite handsome, spoke rather pleasantly, and carried himself like the scholarly young men described in operas… well, an old scholarly gentleman. He was completely different from her own old man, different from all the old men she’d ever seen.
Old Master Fu… please drop the “old.”
“Well, my surname is Hao, Hao Chunhua. Everyone calls me Aunt Hao, or sometimes ‘Old Ma’s wife.’ I was born in ’02, already sixty-five.”
Old Master Fu smiled. “You really don’t look it. I thought you were a younger sister. I didn’t expect you to be five years older than me—I should call you elder sister.”
Aunt Hao laughed heartily, pleased at being called young. “Oh, I’m old now. If you don’t mind, just call me Elder Sister Hao.”
Old Master Fu said, “Elder Sister Hao.”
The way he said “Elder Sister Hao” made Aunt Hao feel inexplicably elevated, and she laughed again with delight.
“Elder Sister Hao, eggs are precious goods. One is more than enough, especially with the soda. Please take the rest back. The child is young; we mustn’t let her develop bad habits of getting something for nothing.
I know you mean well, and the child has already received your kindness. We really can’t accept more.”
In the village, Aunt Hao feared nothing. She did everything with boldness and determination, her word was her bond, and she never took back what she said. But facing the Fu Family, for some reason, she didn’t dare raise her voice or assert her authority. It felt as if speaking too loudly would be a desecration toward them.
“Oh, I see… well, then, this…” The old auntie held the eggs, somewhat at a loss.
Old Master Fu smiled. “Keep them for yourself, eat them slowly. Don’t just think of the children—take care of yourself too.”
Aunt Hao chuckled, hearing such words for the first time. “Brother, you must be an educated man. The way you speak is different.”
The guards were about to make their rounds, so Aunt Hao didn’t dare stay long.
After she left, the Fu Family looked at the contact address Aunt Hao had left behind and fell into a brief silence.
“What a coincidence in the world.”
Southern Province, Cheng City, Wang County, Sunshine Commune, Gouzi Brigade, Ma Paoxiao’s household.
It was exactly the place they were heading to.
But under normal circumstances, they shouldn’t have known the specific location they were going to. They knew because they had used connections to find a place for themselves.
It wasn’t because the place was good or because they had acquaintances there, but because it was remote enough, far enough, with difficult mountain roads and few visitors—the best place for them to recuperate and regain their strength at the moment.
Unexpectedly, even in such circumstances, they could meet their future neighbors.
Third Master Fu laughed. “Our Fufu is truly a little lucky treasure.
The Ma mother and son likely hold some status in the village. This Aunt Hao is also someone whose words carry weight—otherwise, she wouldn’t carry herself so confidently when out and about.”
From a person’s behavior and attitude, one can infer the environment they grew up in.
Meeting the Ma mother and son was, for them, a good thing.
Old Master Fu, however, was not particularly pleased. He said gravely, “Fufu is still young. She should be sheltered behind us, not standing in front to shield us. Especially words like ‘bringing fortune’ or ‘having the Fortune Path’—I don’t want to hear them again. Gossip is to be feared.”
Although he had said similar things before, at that time they hadn’t realized the child’s uniqueness; it was merely praise.
Now that they knew Fufu’s special nature, they certainly couldn’t be so casual anymore.
Otherwise, careless words might be taken seriously, and trouble could arise without them even knowing.
The Fu Family immediately wiped the smiles from their faces, their expressions turning serious.
Fu Laoda said, “Don’t worry, Dad. We understand. We won’t mention this again, not even half a word.”
Third Master Fu said, “I got carried away. Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be more cautious.”
Old Second Fu, needless to say, had always been tight-lipped.
The others also expressed their commitment, vowing never to speak such words again.
Fourth Brother Fu hugged his chubby daughter, gently pressing his cheek against her plump face. “I won’t let anyone harm her.”
Pang Fu held Fanfan, sucking the soda inside. It was her first time drinking the sweet and tangy soda, and she loved it.
She pushed Fourth Brother Fu’s face away in disgust. “Scratchy, hurts Baby. Bad.”
Having gone several days without washing up, the Fu Family looked somewhat disheveled. The men had grown stubble, thick and coarse.
Yet these men loved to press their cheeks against Pang Fu’s little face.
Fourth Brother Fu wasn’t upset by his daughter’s disdain. He laughed heartily and leaned in again.
Pang Fu was amused too, dodging while using her chubby little hands to scratch his face.
Fourth Brother Fu quickly pulled back, startled. This little cotton-padded jacket was letting in some wind—her scratches were real and stung sharply.
Pang Fu, however, grew more enthusiastic, chasing after his face to wreak havoc, giggling gleefully.
Tired from playing, Pang Fu fell asleep in Fourth Brother Fu’s arms.
On the train, they ate what Zhou Hai had prepared. The Fu Family was quite grateful to him; without him, they would likely have gone hungry again.
The train didn’t provide free meals, nor would it allow them to buy food onboard. They could only stay where they were.
After Pang Fu had sneaked away before and encountered traffickers, the Fu Family now kept a very close watch. Fourth Brother Fu especially went all out to entertain the little dumpling and keep her from going out.
Admittedly, coaxing children was quite exhausting, especially with a wife who constantly opposed him.
“Baby, give her to me.” Qingqing Yin was very dissatisfied with her husband, who had monopolized their baby all day. If he weren’t her husband, she would have taken action.
Fourth Brother Fu felt utterly heartbroken as he handed over their daughter. “Qingqing, be gentle. Don’t wake Fufu.”
Several times before, he had managed to lull her to sleep, only for his troublesome wife to wake her up. Once their chubby daughter woke, she’d want to run out and play, and he’d have to coax her for a long time again.
Qingqing Yin ignored him. Once she had their daughter, she nestled in a corner, gently pinching the little one’s hands, feet, and face—every part was utterly adorable.
Fourth Brother Fu watched, rubbing his hands anxiously. She really mustn’t be woken up again.
Grandma Fu looked at Pang Fu’s beggar’s outfit and smiled. “Once we arrive, we must buy Fufu a couple of outfits first. Look at what she’s wearing.
Especially shoes. A little girl shouldn’t always go barefoot.”
Upon hearing Grandma Fu’s words, Baba hurriedly searched through his data, seeking to understand why little girls shouldn’t go barefoot.
Upon reading about cold entering the body, stomach aches, old cold legs, cold constitution, cold uterus, affecting development, fertility… and a host of other consequences, his data flickered in alarm. If only he had known, he should have changed the little master’s shoes earlier.
The interstellar childcare robot lacked this data and needed to record it. From now on, it would have to remind its little master to wear shoes.
Of course, this was on the premise that there were shoes to wear.
Fourth Brother Fu glanced at his tattered daughter, his heart aching with pity. “I understand. When the time comes, the rest of the family will also need a few new sets of clothes. Autumn has already arrived, and it will be even colder in the mountains. It’s not easy to make a trip out, so we must prepare in advance.
However, I’ve already made arrangements for our clothes. To avoid drawing attention, I’ve had them prepare only old clothes. Mom, Dad, brothers, and sisters-in-law, please bear with it and make do.
Before Fufu returned, I hadn’t planned for her, so I’ll have to buy something for her temporarily.”
The Fu family had been taken away and were now being sent off in a vehicle. Apart from the items Zhou Hai had given them and the few clothes Zhang Jianguo had sent earlier, they truly had nothing with them.
Still, what they had received couldn’t solve much. Fortunately, Fourth Brother Fu had long been prepared for this.
The Fu family being taken away by XF was something they had anticipated and prepared for.
To avoid attracting attention, all preparations were handled entirely by Fourth Brother Fu. The others only needed to take care of their personal valuables.
As for wearing old clothes, no one in the Fu family objected. Given their current situation, they dared not wear new clothes—they weren’t reckless, nor were they foolish.
Grandma Fu said, “Small places probably don’t have much ready-made clothing. If there’s nothing suitable, buy some fabric and needles and thread. I’ll make clothes for Fufu.
From now on, the family’s clothes will have to be made by ourselves.”
In the past, the Fu family either bought ready-made clothes or had them custom-made.
Although Grandma Fu hadn’t made clothes often, she enjoyed and excelled at embroidery, so making clothes would be easy for her.
Fourth Brother Fu nodded. “Alright. Once we arrive, I’ll find a way to get some fabric. It’ll be hard on you from now on, Mom.”
Among the women of the Fu family, aside from the elderly lady, none were skilled with needlework.
Grandma Fu waved her hand dismissively. Such a small matter could hardly be called hard work.