A few days later, after the Pang family and Wang Donghua had finished the grain they earned at Red Tree Slope, they were once again left without sustenance.
Pang shi grumbled at her daughter, "I heard Lu Ye doesn't even fancy Zhang Lanlan from Huangsha Village, so how could he fancy you? Zhang Lanlan is no less attractive than you, has better food and clothes, and can even bathe with running water. Even such a Lu Ye looks down on her. Alas, I advised you not to do that, but you wouldn't listen. Now look, we have to starve again."
"Mom, am I not your daughter? Is this how you talk about your own flesh and blood?" Wang Donghua rolled her eyes at her mother. "What is Zhang Lanlan anyway? A stupid pig. At least I'm smarter than her. I only failed, so you keep nagging. If I had succeeded, would you still be nagging endlessly like this?"
Pang shi sighed, "But how will we live from now on? Why don't we go work in the mine? Although the wages are low, it will keep us alive. I see that Overseer Wang has some interest in you, why don't you—"
"Mom!" Wang Donghua impatiently interrupted Pang shi. "That Overseer Wang is uglier than a toad, shorter than me, skinny and small, with a face full of pimples. Just seeing him makes me want to vomit!"
"But... but what will we live on in the future?" Pang shi turned away, wiping her tears.
Wang Donghua bit her lip and paused for a moment. "Let's go to the mine for now. We'll take it one step at a time."
Let's survive first. She refused to believe she wouldn't make a comeback in this life. One day, she would be more beautiful, nobler, and richer than Lu Ye's lowly slave wife!
She would never let that lowly slave go. Every insult she suffered would be repaid in full, word for word!
Lu Ye, Bai Sheng, you wait. I, Wang Donghua, will never let you have an easy time!
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, who had been silently mentioned several times, both sneezed.
After breakfast, Bai Sheng was discussing planting grain with Hu Da Niu. Granny Zhong, holding a half-finished woven basket, rushed over in a hurry and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, Mistress, something's wrong! Old Mrs. Chen is coming to our house with the eldest and third branches of the Lu family!"
Bai Sheng was startled and said to Hu Da Niu, "Da Niu, please go and call Grandpa. He is teaching the children martial arts behind the house."
No matter how vicious Old Mrs. Chen was, she was still Lu Ye's grandmother, and it also involved the cousins from the eldest and third branches. Although they had already separated and cut ties, the specific handling of the situation still required Lu Ye's personal decision.
A moment later, Lu Ye returned with five boys.
The little ones must have wrestled in the sand, as they were all covered in dust and panting heavily.
Tian Ya's complexion had changed significantly in the few days he had been here; the withered, sallow look was gone.
Lu Ye asked Bai Sheng to sit aside and rest. He would handle things when Old Mrs. Chen arrived.
Bai Sheng asked Granny Zhong to call Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou over. They knew some of Old Mrs. Chen's dirty dealings and could help Grandpa later.
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhong quickly ran to fetch them.
If she could help Grandpa, she would carry them over. She had been exercising daily and was now very strong.
Bai Sheng continued to sit in the main hall discussing farming with Hu Da Niu.
First, they needed to demarcate the boundaries. They hadn't established a village yet, but it was crucial to clearly define which sandy lands belonged to Huangsha Village and which belonged to Hongliu Village and Caomiao Village to avoid inadvertently occupying someone else's land and causing trouble.
They at Red Tree Slope would only cultivate the land that no one else wanted.
Lu Ye stood outside the door with the five children beside him. Seeing Old Mrs. Chen and her family arriving, Lu Hua immediately ran over, followed by Sun GAME.
Sun GAME's little face was tense. She had heard that Lu Hua's grandmother was very fierce and had come to give Lu Hua courage.
Old Mrs. Chen, leading her large family, stopped at the doorway.
Except for Old Mrs. Chen, everyone else was skin and bones, with sunken eyes, ashen faces, and cracked lips. They hadn't bathed in a long time, and standing together, their accumulated stench was quite overpowering.
Several children had large heads and bellies, but their necks, wrists, and legs were extremely thin, looking like they could break with a slight touch. It was clear that this was a sign of severe malnutrition.
Lu Yun had intended to pick a fight with Lu Baolai, but seeing his condition, he found it difficult to act.
Lu Ye neither invited them into the house nor offered them seats.
Seeing Lu Ye standing at the door with a cold expression, Old Mrs. Chen didn't get angry. She forced a smile and said to Lu Ye, "Xiao Ye, Grandma knows you're still angry with Grandma, but back then, the Zhang family controlled the well, and Grandma had no choice but to go along with them and do some unpleasant things. Grandma apologizes to you; please forgive her. It's been so long, and we are family after all. From now on, we should stick together; there's strength in numbers."
After speaking, Old Mrs. Chen winked at Xu shi, the wife of the eldest branch. Xu shi immediately stepped forward with a smiling face, "Xiao Ye, your eldest aunt was too foolish before and was instigated to do many things that wronged your parents. You are a magnanimous person, so don't hold it against your eldest aunt. Your eldest aunt has come to apologize to you personally today. You are a magnanimous person, so please forgive your eldest aunt. We are still family from now on."
Lu Ye remained indifferent, showing no emotional fluctuation, and calmly watched their performance.
Lu Hua tightly pursed her lips and remained silent. Lu Yun and Lu Yu looked at Old Mrs. Chen with disbelief. This was the first time Old Mrs. Chen had spoken so kindly to their eldest brother.
Old Mrs. Chen glanced at Yao shi, the wife of the third branch, who immediately changed her expression and smiled warmly, "Xiao Ye, it was all Third Aunt's fault before. Third Aunt apologizes to you. We are still family from now on. Your younger brother and sister often mention you." She then pushed her two children forward, "Baolai, Baozhu, quickly call out to Brother Xiao Ye!"
The two children had been instructed at home beforehand to greet Lu Ye's family warmly. Despite their reluctance, they both called out, "Brother Xiao Ye."
Lu Ye's lips curved into a mocking smile. He suddenly bent down, grabbed the collar of Lu Baolai, the eldest son of the third branch, and looked at the so-called family members in front of him, saying coldly, "If I were to wring his neck and then apologize to you, would you forgive me?"
Yao shi was terrified and immediately said with a fawning smile, "Xiao Ye, don't be impulsive. Baolai is only 8 years old, and he is your own cousin."
Old Mrs. Chen's expression turned sour, and so did everyone else. They understood Lu Ye's meaning, but what could they do? They had to live shamelessly. Even if Lu Ye didn't forgive them, they had to cling to him and beg.
At this moment, Lu Xing, who was repairing the road, arrived, out of breath. He looked at Old Mrs. Chen and his parents and asked, "Grandma, Mom, Dad, why are you here?"
Old Mrs. Chen glared at Lu Xing and scolded, "Why can't we come? This is your cousin's house! We are family! You useless thing, how dare you question your Grandma?"