Chapter 7

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

This was the first time she had eaten such a dessert in her life. She couldn’t help but pick up a few more. Wan Shi carried two bowls out and handed them to the village chief. He said that he had made too many dishes, and these were for him and his wife to try.

Yi Ke waited for the little girl to finish eating before asking, “Little girl, do you know any family in the village that doesn’t raise pigs?”

The little girl was a little confused. She didn’t understand why Eldest Miss would suddenly ask such a question. She subconsciously shook her head. “Everyone in the village has to raise pigs. Otherwise, there won’t be any meat to eat.”

Yi Ke was a little disappointed to hear her say that. She really couldn’t accept that there was a pigsty beside the room. It was too smelly.

When the village chief heard their conversation, he suddenly remembered something and came over carefully. “I remember that Gou Dan’s family doesn’t raise pigs. His family is poor and can’t afford to buy piglets, nor do they have time to raise them.”

“Who’s Gou Dan?” Yi Ke looked puzzled. The village chief patted his head and introduced him to her. “He’s the young man who worked in the fields when you entered the village. His name is Yu Heng, and he lives at the end of the village.”

Yi Ke fell silent. She knew that the villagers thought that it was easy to raise when one had a lowly name, but she did not expect that the future crown prince of the business circle would have such a down-to-earth nickname. She thought about it and decided to go and take a look. Although this trip was indeed to relax, her main goal was to try to conquer Yu Heng so that she would be able to escape death in the future.

And she really couldn’t stand the stench of pigs.

Yu Heng cleaned up the weeds on the last piece of land before packing up and preparing to go home. Most of the families in the village had already prepared dinner, and the fragrance assaulted the nose. Yu Heng sniffed and quickened his pace to go home.

His younger sister, Yu Xiang, had already prepared the cutleries and brought the cooked potatoes to the table. His younger brother, Yu Yu, poured the mixed chicken food into the stone cistern. They had just turned 12 this year and were fraternal twins.

Due to the underdeveloped medical conditions in the countryside, coupled with the fact that Mrs. Yu had been working hard during her pregnancy, the two children were born like kittens. Now, they were even shorter than their peers. Mrs. Yu also fell ill because of malnutrition during her confinement.

When Yu Heng returned home, he rubbed his sister’s hair as usual. The little girl was like a small animal that had not grown up. Her big eyes took up almost a third of her face, making her look like a skinny little skeleton.

“Brother, you’re back! We were all waiting for you.” Yu Xiang leaned over and rubbed Yu Heng’s hand, pulling him into the house.

On the small dining table was a stainless steel basin with five potatoes in it. Beside it, on a small plate, was chili noodles. This was the family’s dinner.

“Little Heng is back. Sit down and eat.” Mrs. Yu put down the needlework in her hand and sat at the dining table. Her heart ached as she looked at the children wolfing down the food. She could not help but cry. “Good children, Mommy is useless. I’ve made you suffer.”

Yu Heng finished the potato in a few bites and picked up another one to return to his room. His father was paralyzed on the bed and had to be fed every meal. Yu Heng lifted the curtain that acted as the door and replied, “It’s fine, Mom. I’m not tired.”

There was no light in the room. Even the kerosene lamp could not be lighted in the house. The air was filled with the smell of medicine and a rotten smell, caused by not opening the window for ventilation for too long. Father Yu leaned against the head of the bed. Only his muddy eyes could still move.

Yu Heng carefully peeled the potatoes and placed them in a small bowl on the table beside him. He held a spoon and hung them bit by bit to feed Father Yu.

Yu Yu finished his portion and walked behind Yu Heng, watching him feed his father.

“Just tell me what you want to do.” Yu Heng fed his father the last mouthful of potatoes before turning around to look at his brother. He had already been busy for the entire day and was very tired. He really didn’t want to guess the young man’s thoughts.

“I heard that someone helped the Miss of the city move things today and earned more than a thousand yuan.” Yu Yu mustered his courage and looked at Yu Heng. “Brother, I’m twelve years old. I can help my family earn money.”

“You’re not allowed to go.” Yu Heng’s tone was calm. Of course, he knew about this. When he came back, he heard people say that city people were generous and could get a lot of money just by moving a little luggages. However, he still didn’t want his younger siblings to do these things. They were still young and shouldn’t shoulder the responsibility of subsidizing the family so early. He could do it himself and let his younger siblings play happily for a few more years.

Yu Yu did not dare to refute his brother. He could only take away the bowls and chopsticks and run to wash the pot.