Chapter 56: Return to Hometown (Middle)

  When he returned, Shen He no longer had the strict fatherly appearance, and smiled: "Cao Sheng really knows how to maintain his father's dignity."

  "Are you feeling better today?"

  Shen He nodded and said: "I feel much more energetic now, I reckon it won't take a few days before I can get out of bed and walk around."

  "Don't worry, let's talk after you've recovered." Shen Mo quietly collected some nourishing food from the house and softly said: "I'll go take a look at Eldest Son."

  "Take some more." Shen He smiled and said, "The ones that were sent back from Jiren Hall haven't been finished yet, and Old Master Shen sent over a lot again." As he spoke, he pointed to his own face: "Yesterday, Seventh Young Lady said my complexion was radiant, do you think I've been supplemented?"

  He nodded silently and said, "I also think that too little is better than too much." Then he packed all sorts of supplements into a large cloth bag, slung it over his shoulder and said, "Take good care of yourself, I'm leaving."

  "When are you coming back? Should I wait for you to have dinner?"

  "Later, if you can wait, then wait; if you can't wait, then don't wait." He casually dropped this irresponsible sentence and slipped out of the door.

  "You smelly little brat!" Shen He scolded with a smile.

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  The crowd in the courtyard had not dispersed, and it took Shen a lot of effort to get out. He didn't understand why these people were all stuck here, neither going up nor leaving, as if waiting for something. Later he found out that today Old Master Shen was hosting a banquet to celebrate victory, and these relatives were all here to line up for free food. They were probably waiting in their own courtyard because... maybe they thought it would be more dignified to eat after standing there for a while.

  Out of Yongchang Square, continue to walk east, and gradually leave the bustling area. The gray tile walls and neat two- or three-story buildings completely disappeared, replaced by some low, old, and dilapidated bungalows... The climate in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces is humid, and living in a bungalow is very miserable. A long plum rain season will make people and things grow beautiful green hair together.

  The whole of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces have small buildings as the main form of residence, with people living upstairs to avoid the dampness. However, for middle and lower-class families who cannot afford to build a house, they can only endure... then save money to build a house, or continue to endure.

  But they are not the worst off, there are even poorer people who can't afford to build a simple house and have to live in makeshift huts by the river. The phrase "make a hut" sounds beautiful but is actually a desperate measure... It means building a grass shed... The roof is made of dried rice straw woven into tiles, overlapping like fish scales; the beams are thick bamboo; the pillars supporting the roof are even thicker bamboo; and the walls of the house are made of rammed earth, which northerners call "dry-stacked wall".

  Such a thatched hut can only barely be considered a place to live, and it's not even qualified to block the wind and rain. A typhoon could easily blow it away to Ryukyu. However, a month ago, Shen Mo and Shen He lived in such a thatched hut, and Yao Changzi's family still lives here now.

  Following the memory in this authentic shantytown, Shenmu saw the small thatched hut where he used to live. He stood still and gazed at it, but now there were new owners inside. He gave up the idea of going in for a look and quietly walked away without looking back.

  Before long, they arrived at Zhangzi's home. What made Shen Mo extremely depressed was that it was also bustling like a fair here. Standing at the gate, looking into the brightly lit main house - whoa! The neighbors' wives and husbands were all gathered together, enthusiastically asking Zhangzi about what kind of mistreatment he had suffered during his days in Shanyin, what the living conditions were like, whether there was more rice or stones in the food they ate. They asked every detail repeatedly, as if they were extremely envious that Zhangzi had been taken away by the underworld.

  Seeing his parents serving tea and water inside, Shen Mu couldn't help but feel waves of guilt in his heart. If it weren't for the eldest son coming to visit him, if he hadn't gone to the Chenghuang Temple to find the old man, he wouldn't have clashed with Hu Tou, let alone be caught and cause his parents to suffer a great fright.

  But having walked to the door, he couldn't turn back now, could he? At worst, he'd let his parents beat him a few times to vent their anger. Shen Mo had no choice but to steel himself and go in.

  As soon as someone came in, the people in the house turned their heads in unison. The old neighbors' eyes were very sharp and they recognized Shen Mo with a slight astonishment, and suddenly became excited and couldn't hold back. They swarmed around him with a whoosh, so excited that they didn't know what to say. Just now, Yao Changzi was still the center of attention, but in an instant, he was abandoned like a worn-out shoe. The lost expression on his face made Shen Jing laugh silently and secretly feel delighted.

  These old neighbors are more reliable than those relatives in the Shen family compound who only talk but don't act. They were calling out "Tide rises, tide falls" while surrounding Shen Mo, and at the same time, they let the women go home and brought all the delicious food over. The warmth of their hospitality made him feel very comfortable.

  The eldest son's parents were also extremely enthusiastic about setting up the table, arranging chairs, and not having any intention of blaming him at all. This made Shen Mo even more embarrassed, he apologized to everyone, beckoned Shen Jing over to his side, and whispered: "Do you have any silver on you?"

  Shen Jing took a step back cautiously and said with indignation: "Are you thinking of hitting me again?"

  "Haha......" Shen Mo smiled silently and said: "Let's make a round first, wait for the gambling money to be exchanged, and I'll deduct it from my share."

  "How much?"

  "Not now," Shen Mo shook his head and said: "You bring people to buy some cooked food back, also buy a jar of yellow wine, I want to invite these neighbors to dinner."

  "Alright, call someone to follow me," Shen Jing nodded and said. These days, he had gotten used to being ordered around by Shen Mo, and of course, he was also willing to run east and west for him.

  But who would have thought that as soon as Shen Mo opened his mouth, the old neighbors disagreed and said: "Chao Sheng, this is equivalent to returning home as a guest, we should do our best as hosts, how can we let you spend money?"

  "It doesn't matter." Shen Mo shook his head and smiled: "One family shouldn't speak two different languages, it's my turn to invite the elders." The two sides pulled back and forth a few more times, but in the end, Shen Jing became impatient and left with a flourish, saying: "I'll take care of eating or not, I'll go buy first and talk later."

  When Shen Mo insisted on treating them, the old neighbors felt embarrassed and feared that their wives would not be willing to part with their best dishes, so they personally went home and brought back their finest food for Shen Mo to taste.

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  Chapter 3, still haven't written chapter 4, but don't worry, tomorrow I'll continue to work hard and launch a new challenge for chapter 4!!

  A new week has begun, it's time to rush to the top of the charts again, everyone vote and collect, support!!