Xiaoyi Village and Zhaozhai Village are right next to each other, separated by a small river. Crossing the little stone bridge, you arrive at Zhaozhai Village.
At this moment, it's midday. Though it's just early summer, the noon sun is still fierce, and the villagers working in the fields have gradually returned home.
Walking on the road, you occasionally encounter a few villagers coming back from the fields.
Just now, upon reaching the village entrance, I met Shitou's wife Sun Liuniang, whose parental home is in the same village as Sun Mei's. They have known each other since childhood.
Coincidentally, after getting married, Zhao Shitou and Zhao Dong were also good brothers. The two families are now neighbors, separated by just a wall, so their relationship is very good.
Upon seeing Sun Mei just now, she warmly greeted her. After a brief conversation, Sun Liuniang spoke about Sun Mei's eldest sister-in-law, Zhu Sanniang.
"Tsk, tsk, let me tell you, your brother is really unlucky to have married such a crazy woman like Zhu Sanniang. But now that he's gone early, don't know if that's fortunate or unfortunate."
Sun Liuniang is quite straightforward, without any ill intentions, but she does have a habit of being gossipy like a typical village woman, always having something to say about things she finds disagreeable.
Today, she must have seen something unpleasant about Ms. Zhu and started ranting decisively.
"As soon as your brother left, the family split up, and Ms. Zhu's true nature was completely exposed. She's a downright lazy woman, good for nothing, and the three children at home are suffering. No, wait, now there are only two. I heard that this morning she sold the little girl of the family!
Tell me, in such peaceful times with good weather, which household resorts to selling their sons and daughters? To me, she's just heartless!"
Sun Mei let out a silent sigh but did not respond to Sun Liuniang's words.
Sun Liuniang also knew Sun Mei's temperament, being someone who doesn't like to speak much, so she didn't expect Sun Mei to respond, and started venting on her own.
"You tell me, in this hot summer, she lounges at home while letting the two children work outside. If I remember correctly, her eldest son is only ten, right? The younger one is just eight, right?
Though farmer's children are sturdy and start working early, but she lounges at home and puts all the work on the children, what's the meaning of that?
Let me tell you, that heartless woman still doesn't know how she's wasting away those two kids, and now, in such scorching sunlight, the kids are still busy in the fields. Passing villagers advise them to go home and have a meal, but they dare not listen!"
Zhao Zhitong, who had almost forgotten about this, was reminded again, and upon hearing this, felt uneasy and instinctively tightened her hold around Sun Mei's neck, tenderly calling out, "Mom~"
"Hey, it's okay, mom's here." Sun Mei lifted Zhao Zhitong slightly up, speaking in a gentle voice.
Sun Liuniang, indulged in her conversation, didn't realize she had just said something that upset Zhao Zhitong. As she turned around, she suddenly noticed a few villagers seemingly carrying someone urgently toward them.
As soon as those people got close, she recognized the person who was being carried, and immediately exclaimed, "Oh, isn't this Zhu's eldest son? What's happened?"
Sun Mei recognized him as well and was equally surprised.
Among the group carrying Zhao Cheng, there happened to be Tian Cuixia, the village chief's eldest daughter-in-law, who recounted the whole situation while walking.
Generally, it was much like Sun Liuniang said: in the sweltering heat, the two children were still working in the fields. A warm-hearted person like Tian Cuixia certainly advised them.
And coincidentally, just as she was about to call them back, Zhao Cheng suddenly fell head first into the ground, which terrified her. She urgently called out to passing villagers to carry him back to the village.
Among them was an experienced villager who immediately observed that the child didn't seem to have fainted from heatstroke; rather, he seemed to have fainted from hunger.
Sun Mei listened in shock.
When the family split up, her stepmother Mrs. Wang, though stingy, already seemed excessive by allowing the eldest sister-in-law, who was a widow and an orphan, to split the family. Naturally, during the division of assets, they wouldn't let Mrs. Wang behave unruly.
As a result, she received quite a lot of property, including twenty acres of farmland, and enough flour and wheat to feed a family of four until the wheat harvest, not to mention the ten silver pieces Mrs. Wang gave her.
So, seeing that she resorted to selling her daughter today already confused Sun Mei. She thought perhaps it was because of severe bias towards her sons, and to feed them well, she sold her daughter.
But now, seeing that the eldest son has starved to fainting, it didn't seem like that was the case.
It seems that Tian Cuixia's words, about how good things don't fall into the children's hands, didn't tarnish her unjustly!
The group carried Zhao Cheng hurriedly toward Ms. Zhu's home.
But unexpectedly, when they arrived at Ms. Zhu's home, they found the gate tightly closed. After knocking for a long time, no one came to open it, seemingly like no one was home.
Tian Cuixia wondered in disbelief, "Strange, at this big noon, why isn't Ms. Zhu home cooking? Where did she go?"
The house couldn't be entered, but the child couldn't be left unattended. So, Sun Mei suggested they carry him to her place first.
Seeing Sun Mei take these two children in, the others were relieved and, after taking Zhao Cheng to Sun Mei's home, the kind villagers dispersed.
Sun Mei went into the kitchen and took a bowl of cool boiled water out of the bucket. With no kettle at home for heating water each time drinking it, and with no desire for anyone in her family to drink uncooked water from the water tank.
Thus, she boiled a pot of water after each dinner and poured it into the bucket.
After scooping it out, Sun Mei fetched a spoonful of sugar from the sugar jar and stirred it until fully dissolved before bringing the water out.
With long-term malnutrition, Zhao Cheng's current condition was definitely hypoglycemia.
Feeding him more than half a bowl of sugar water, he gradually came to consciousness.
Seeing him awaken, both Tian Cuixia and Sun Liuniang relaxed and, after bidding farewell to Sun Mei, returned to their homes.
As it was midday, they had to return home to prepare lunch as well.
Once the people over there left, Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu, the two brothers, thanked Sun Mei and prepared to go home.
Seeing the two children looking malnourished, and with filthy clothes, they seemed just like children with no mother.
Remembering Tian Cuixia's words, Sun Mei quickly stopped them, "Your mother isn't home and you guys should wait here for a while. I'll cook some noodles for you, you're starving, have something before leaving."
Zhao Zhitong, who was lying on the table nearby, also reached out to pull the two brothers, "Brothers, don't go, mom's noodles are really delicious."
"No, no, we won't eat," the two children repeatedly refused.
Saying this, they were about to leave, but how could Sun Mei truly let them go? Now that Zhu Sanniang isn't home, either they'll work again or sit outside in the sun waiting at the door.
Whether out of pity for the children or the concern for her own reputation, she couldn't just let the two children go back.
So she insisted on retaining them to have a meal at home, and perhaps due to Sun Mei's persistent questioning, younger brother Zhao Yu inadvertently revealed, "We, we can't eat at second aunt's house."
However, as he spoke, his voice progressively grew softer.