PFC Chapter 148 Yan Mobai
Chapter 148 Yan Mobai
The mountains rise and fall, shrouded in mist and clouds.
Yan Mobai carried a child on her back, followed by another child, and held a large wooden basin of water in her hands as she laboriously stepped out of the threshold.
"Sis? Why are you carrying something so heavy? Let me do it!"
Yan Mobai looked up at the sound and was stunned. She quickly rubbed her eyes and asked, "Anshan? What brings you here? Is there something you need, Jasmine?"
Hua Anshan picked up a large wooden basin full of water and placed it on the playground: "Should I put it here? No, nothing happened. But I have good news. Where's my brother-in-law?"
Upon hearing that it was good news, Yan Mobai's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, instantly settled back into her stomach.
"Your brother-in-law went to the fields and should be back soon. Haven't had breakfast yet? I'll make some."
"No need! No need! I'm in a hurry. I'll go back as soon as I finish what I need to say," Hua Anshan quickly refused.
I looked down and met a pair of pure, large eyes.
It was a skinny baby, who looked only a few months old. Yan Mobai had tied him to her back with a rope. He didn't cry, but just stared at her with his big eyes wide open.
Hua Anshan patted his pockets. Oh no, he had come in such a hurry that he forgot to buy candy.
Just as she was thinking this, her eyes met those of the little baby next to Yan Mobai's legs.
The child had high cheekbones and wore only a few tattered strips of cloth. When he saw Hua Anshan notice him, he quickly hid behind Yan Mobai's legs.
Yan Mobai invited Hua Anshan into the house. Hua Anshan quickly took off the basket from his back, took out a bag of dried longan and a piece of meat, and handed them over.
"Sis, I came in a hurry and didn't bring much, please don't mind!"
Yan Mobai refused to accept it: "What are you saying? I'm overjoyed that you came to see your sister. Take the things back and give them to your children at home."
Hua Anshan looked around, but the room was empty except for a few small stools and jars.
He had no choice but to continue stuffing the things into Yan Mobai's hands: "Sister, you take them."
The child, leaning against Yan Mobai's legs and clinging to them, pointed at the meat: "Again! Mother..."
"Sister, keep it. You can make it for the kids later."
Yan Mobai then accepted the gifts with a touch of embarrassment: "Then I'll make you breakfast."
"Hey, sis, you really don't need to, I ate before I came."
"You've come all the way to my house, how can you go back on an empty stomach?"
Yan Mobai told Hua Anshan to wait inside, then stepped into another low, thatched hut.
Yes, Yan Mobai's family still lives in a thatched hut.
Calling it a thatched hut isn't entirely accurate; the main structure is made of mud bricks, and the roof is thatched.
The entire house can be seen at a glance. There are only two rooms in total, which have been divided into three small rooms and a main room, with a small kitchen built next to them.
Perhaps due to the passage of time, cracks are visible everywhere on the walls of the house, but this does not prevent sunlight from shining through them.
The thatched roof, perhaps because the owner frequently renovates it, obscures the sky.
Even so, the hut was still quite damp.
Hua Anshan guessed that it might be because rainwater seeped in from the outside when it rained.
The entire main room was spotless, showing that the owner was very diligent.
Hua Anshan sat on a small stool, looking around in surprise.
This was his first time visiting Yan Mobai's house, and he had heard from Yan Moli that his cousin's family was relatively poor.
But... he never expected to be this poor.
Logically speaking, my cousin and her husband are both hardworking people, so how come...
A child leaned against the door, peeking inside.
When he noticed Hua Anshan, he quickly covered his eyes with his hands.
It seems that if we do this, Hua Anshan won't be able to see him.
"Anshan? What brings you here?"
A man who was 1.9 meters tall but as thin as a bamboo pole walked in carrying farm tools.
Hua Anshan quickly stood up from the stool: "Brother-in-law."
Chen Dashan grinned: "Come see your sister?"
"Yes, I need to talk to you about something."
Behind Chen Dashan was a little boy who looked about eight or nine years old. When he saw Hua Anshan, he quickly greeted him, "Hello, Uncle."
"Good good."
Chen Dashan hurried to the kitchen and saw Yan Mobai cutting meat. He whispered, "Did Anshan bring this over?"
"Hmm... there are only a few sweet potatoes left at home, did I let them rot? I'll stir-fry some meat too, and the vegetables in the garden have grown up, I can stir-fry a plate of those too..." Yan Mobai rambled on.
Chen Dashan nodded: "It's okay, you boil all the sweet potatoes, I'll think of something else later."
The family was dirt poor, and the mountainous land was not suitable for farming. After a year of hard work, they could only harvest a few pounds of grain.
These few sweet potatoes were saved by the couple by tightening their belts.
Hua Anshan saw that Yan Mobai's family of five were all as thin as sticks, and without wanting to delay, he went straight into the kitchen.
"Sister, you don't need to cook my breakfast."
Here's the thing: my daughter Jasmine works at my uncle's shop. Business has been good lately, and they're looking for two short-term workers. The pay is 120 yuan a month, with meals included but accommodation not.
But Jasmine said that if you go, you'll live with her. She asked if you'd like to go.
Yan Mobai paused in her slicing of meat, turned around incredulously, and looked at Hua Anshan: "Go! I'll go!"
Chen Dashan nodded repeatedly: "Yes, your sister went!"
Hua Anshan was amused by the couple: "You didn't even ask what kind of work it was before you said you were going."
"I'm willing to do any job, as long as it's not murder or arson, as long as it pays. If I don't know how, I can learn. I'm not afraid of hardship, I can do it," Yan Mobai said.
Hua Anshan pointed to the child on her back: "What about this child?"
Jasmine called me last night and said there are two job positions: one is a salesperson in a clothing store, and the other is organizing things in the warehouse.
But don't worry, these are all shops run by my family, they're all relatives, they wouldn't lie to you.
Yan Mobai was afraid that Hua Anshan would abandon her, so she quickly said, "Your brother-in-law can take care of the child. If he can't, you can send him to my in-laws' house."
Is it urgent? How about I come with you later?
"Okay! It is indeed quite urgent, but a few more minutes won't make a difference. Once you've packed your things, we'll go."
Yan Mobai loosened the rope binding her in front of her and handed the child to Chen Dashan: "I don't need to take care of it."
"Uh... I should at least bring a set of clothes."
Yan Mobai and Chen Dashan were silent for a while, then whispered, "There are only 3 pieces of clothing in the house. Your brother-in-law has one, the eldest son has one, and this one is mine."
Hua Anshan then understood why the child at the door had tattered rags hanging from his body.
As for the child that Yan Mobai was carrying on her back, he was also completely naked.
Fine.
"Shall we leave now?"
Don't bother with breakfast, there's practically nothing in the kitchen.
When they got to town, he would buy something for Yan Mobai to eat.
Just then, an old voice rang out from outside the door: "Eldest brother, I heard your mother's relatives have arrived?"
"Yes, he is my aunt's husband."
Hua Anshan strode out of the kitchen and saw an elderly couple with gray hair, their backs hunched, carrying two bundles of vegetables.
"Mother-in-law and father-in-law."
The old man straightened his back and gave a kind smile: "Hey."
Yan Mobai was preoccupied with work and making money. She pulled her parents-in-law into a corner and said rudely, "Dad, Mom, my brother-in-law is taking me to work. Could you help watch the child?"
The old man nodded.
"Go to work without worry. We'll take care of things at home."
but,
"You're just going to go like this?"
The old man took out a few coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Yan Mobai's hand: "A poor family needs money on the road."
We'll take the three children with us, and Dashan will take you there. Your sister has found a job, but we can't keep troubling her. Buy something for yourself, don't go empty-handed, okay?
Yan Mobai refused to accept her in-laws' money: "I have..."
"What do you have? Didn't you give all your money to us two old folks for medical treatment? Take it!" The old man's attitude was firm and brooked no refusal.
Yan Mobai pursed her lips: "Okay, I'll pay you back when I get my salary."
"No need, no need, go quickly. When you get there, work hard, do more work, talk less, and learn more about what you don't understand, okay?"