The bumpy journey finally brought them to Hegou Village.
"You will live here from now on. Don't wander off unnecessarily."
"Okay, we understand. Thank you, Village Chief."
The village chief offered no response, avoiding them as if they were a plague. Once they were dropped off, he left in a hurry.
Beside the dilapidated thatched hut, there were cows and pigs being raised, emitting waves of foul odor that made Zhao Xin Nuan feel nauseous.
Jun Jiuli patted her back, helping her drink several gulps of water to recover. The usually composed Zhao Zhi Li also broke down into tears.
"It's dirty here, Papa. I don't want to live here. I want to go home, boohoo~"
"I want to go home too. It's so broken and run-down here. Mama, I'm really scared. Let's leave this place."
"No crying. This is where our family will live from now on. You must learn to overcome difficulties."
"I don't want to, I don't want to! Papa, take me away. Mama is mean to me. I don't want Mama anymore~"
The two children clung to Zhao Chen Guang's legs, one on each side. Their feet had been hurting from being pricked by stones all the way here.
The muddy path had soiled their shoes. They would have to stay in this dilapidated place from now on, and they simply couldn't bear it.
"Alright, stop crying. Nuannuan, be good. Papa will take good care of you. Zhi Li, you too. Papa will do his best to make your lives a little better."
"Papa, can we go back? This place is not good at all, it's dirty and smelly. Isn't your job very impressive? Why do we have to live in a place like this?"
"There were some issues with Papa's work. Can you understand Papa? Papa didn't want this either."
Zhao Chen Guang tried to reason with them, but the children ignored him, continuing to yell.
Zhao Chen Guang lost his patience. He bent down, tucked Zhao Zhi Li under his arm, and raised his hand to spank his backside.
Zhao Zhi Li cried even harder, his legs kicking wildly.
"Papa is bad. I hate Papa."
"Bad Papa, let go! I won't allow you to hit my brother. You're not my Papa. How did you become so bad? Mama, quickly save my brother."
Zhao Xin Nuan said, tugging at Zhao Chen Guang's sleeve, constantly looking towards Jun Jiuli for help.
"Alright, Chen Guang, stop hitting him. He's still young and doesn't understand. He'll get used to it after some time. It's our fault as parents."
"Papa, did you hear that? Mama told you to stop hitting him. Boohoo~ Let go of my brother quickly."
Zhao Chen Guang grabbed both children with one hand each and forcibly carried them into the thatched hut. As the door opened, a cloud of dust billowed out, and they then noticed someone lying inside.
Seeing Zhao Chen Guang carrying the children in, the person politely offered a smile.
"Hello, comrade. My name is Xu Han. I injured my foot a few days ago while working. I hope you don't mind."
There was no bed or window in the room. Light only entered when the door was opened. Some dried corn stalks were spread on the ground, with bedding and a pillow on top serving as his bed.
"It's fine. We are comrades from now on. My name is Zhao Chen Guang. This is my wife, Shen Bai Yang, and my two children, Zhao Zhi Li and Zhao Xin Nuan."
"Keep the door open. It will make the room brighter. There are plenty of corn stalks next to the cow shed. You can fetch some to spread on the ground.
That bag contains potatoes, and the other has some corn flour. Those are the provisions the village chief sent for you.
I've set up a simple outdoor stove. You can also use the firewood by the eaves."
"Okay, thank you."
"You're welcome."
The ground was swept clean, but the thatched roof had accumulated a lot of dust, so no matter how they cleaned, it felt dirty.
This place was previously used to house livestock when they pooled resources for meals. This small thatched hut was for the person who guarded the cows at night.
Therefore, there were no windows. The stone walls were only a little over a meter high, built with wooden frames and secured with a few nails, then covered with dry grass.
The space was cramped, and the roof was low, making it feel oppressive to live in. The two children, having just cried, stood in the corner, clutching their sleeves unhappily.
Zhao Chen Guang spread the corn stalks in a spot visible from the open door, but privacy was a luxury they could no longer afford.
Jun Jiuli took out the bedding and spread it out. Since the family of four would be sleeping, it had to be spread wide, just half a step away from Xu Han's bed.
Water Kid: "The living conditions in Hegou Village are too poor, aren't they? It's so inconvenient. You have to ask someone to leave just to change clothes."
"Good thing I don't have to change clothes here, hahaha~"
"Children need privacy too, you know ಠ_ರೃ."
"That's something Zhao Chen Guang should worry about."
Xu Han looked at the amount of things they had brought and sighed with some emotion.
"You are truly capable. I wasn't allowed to bring anything but two thin blankets when I came. Alas, they even found the money I hid in my socks."
"We were lucky."
"Tomorrow, as soon as the bell rings, we'll start working. You can follow me then. The team leader will assign us tasks."
"You're injured, and you still have to work?"
"Alas, if I don't work, I won't have food to eat. I don't want to starve to death. If I die, I'll have nothing. I want to live."
Zhao Chen Guang nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of the difficulty of survival in Hegou Village, especially with two children who could do nothing.
Xu Han was quite talkative and held infinite hope for the future, but he never mentioned his past.
It had only been a few months, yet those events felt so distant. He was more afraid of being overheard by the wrong people, which could worsen his situation.
Zhao Chen Guang's first challenge was the toilet, followed by water. Zhao Zhi Li announced he needed to use the toilet. After inquiring about its location, Zhao Chen Guang took him outside.
The toilet was a pigsty with two planks laid over the pit. Thick corn stalks were used to form a small corner against the wall for privacy.
As they approached, a strong stench filled the air. Zhao Zhi Li held his nose and walked in. Upon exiting, he vomited nearby.
He had run out without even pulling up his pants. Although he warned himself not to look down, he couldn't help but glance.
Several dead rats were floating in the pit, and numerous maggots wriggled. There were also maggots on the edge of the planks, which he had asked Zhao Chen Guang to sweep away with corn stalks.
However, as he squatted, one of them crawled out again and directly onto his feet, making Zhao Zhi Li's entire body shudder with fear.
"Boohoo, it's so disgusting, ugh~"
"It's alright, it's alright."
Zhao Chen Guang felt immense heartache. The environment was truly terrible, and he felt he had dragged his family down. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"When can we leave? I don't want to stay in this terrible place for another second."
Zhao Chen Guang hugged him, "Don't cry. Please bear with it a little longer, okay? The sun will shine eventually. Papa is not wrong, and we will be saved."
"Then who will come to save me first? Boohoo..."
"Don't cry, you'll get used to it. Boys need to be strong. You still have to protect Mama and your sister."
"Boohoo, I don't want to be a boy anymore. I want to be protected too, ahhhhh..."
Zhao Zhi Li cried until he was exhausted. He knew that even his powerful father couldn't change the current situation. He deeply regretted not listening to his aunt that day and going to his maternal grandparents' home.
He naively asked, "Papa, can Auntie come pick us up now? I want to go live at Grandma and Grandpa's."
"I'm sorry, it's all Papa's fault. Papa was too selfish. Papa swears he will take good care of you."
Saying this, he carried Zhao Zhi Li back to the thatched hut, no longer daring to meet Zhao Zhi Li's gaze.