Apart from Zhao Yan, who was slightly startled by the environment, the other three adapted very well. Zhao Gao, Madam Chen, and even Zhao Yun were exceptionally happy. Although the house was a bit dilapidated, it was at last their own home, and they would no longer have to live at the mercy of others.
The three of them, who had been oppressed for so long, instantly felt a great deal lighter.
"You can tidy things up and move right in. I'll be heading back now, come find me if you need anything," the Village Chief said.
Having brought Zhao Gao's family over and shown them the way, the Village Chief planned to leave. Since Zhao Gao and his family needed to clean up and settle in, his staying would only be in the way.
"Village Chief, please take your time. Thank you so much for bringing our family here. Once we're settled in, we will come over to express our gratitude properly," Zhao Yan said with a smile.
Because of the formal severance of ties with their extended family, they had only managed to bring out some basic clothes, quilts, and Zhao Yan's books. Right now, they didn't have a single coin or a single grain of rice to their name.
They were dirt poor.
Yet proper etiquette had to be observed. The Village Chief had done them a huge favor, and Zhao Yan would have felt guilty without thanking him properly.
Although there was no money at home, as the old saying goes: rely on the mountain when living by the mountain, rely on the water when living by the water.
The closest thing to their home was the mountain. Stretching as far as the eye could see, the undulating mountain range held countless riches.
Zhao Yan wasn't worried in the least.
Hearing Zhao Yan speak this way, the Village Chief felt deeply comforted. While he hadn't expected any reward from Zhao Yan, who doesn't love hearing kind words? True to his reputation as a scholar, everything he said sounded pleasant.
Having written the family separation agreement himself, the Village Chief knew all too well that Zhao Gao had essentially received nothing from the split. Zhao Dahe was truly ruthless; to sever ties just like that with a son and daughter-in-law who were so honest and hardworking, and a grandson who was smart, clever, and studious—he simply lacked any foresight!
He had never seen anyone so foolish, mistaking fish eyes for pearls. He was just waiting for Zhao Dahe to regret it.
Fortunately, Zhao Yan was sensible. By making his stance abundantly clear, Zhao Yan showed that he appreciated what had been done. For the Village Chief, who cared just as much about saving face, Zhao Yan's words hit the right spot.
He decided that as soon as he got home, he would have his wife send a bushel of rice to Zhao Yan's family. Although he was the village chief, his own family wasn't particularly wealthy either, and he had a whole household to feed. Still, he wanted to help out however he could.
"All right, you folks go ahead and clean the house. No need for any tokens of gratitude. As long as you make a good life for yourselves, this old man will be satisfied," the Village Chief said, then walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.
Zhao Yan watched the Village Chief leave before turning back to tidy up the house.
As soon as he stepped inside, the thick layer of dust made Zhao Yan wish he had a face mask.
"Cough, cough, cough. Mother, don't sweep up the dust just yet," Zhao Yan said between coughs to Madam Chen. "Splash some water on the ground before you sweep. That way the dust won't fly up so much."
The dust was truly overwhelming. Zhao Yan figured that if they kept sweeping in such bone-dry conditions, his mouth would be full of dust by the end of it—and he had no desire to "eat dirt."
Although this house was rather secluded, there happened to be a river flowing not far behind it. Even though there was no water well here, they wouldn't have to worry about a water supply.
The Village Chief certainly knew what he was doing; he was thoroughly reliable. Not only had he gifted them a house—which, dilapidated as it was, at least provided a roof over their heads—but he had also managed to prevent any objections from the villagers.
Seeing Zhao Yan choking on the dust and coughing dryly, Madam Chen found the scene rather amusing.
"Oh, right. Mother will go fetch some water right now. Sanlang, you head outside first so you don't start coughing again," Madam Chen joked in reply.
Madam Chen felt wonderfully at ease right now, brimming with energy. Just as she was about to go fetch water, however, she realized there wasn't a single bucket in the house.
Zhao Yan was left speechless.
How careless of him; he had forgotten that nobody had lived in this house for a long time.
With no other choice, Zhao Yan began a room-to-room carpet search across the three buildings. He felt as though he were playing a treasure hunting game.
The ultimate objective: find a water bucket.
While the objective sounded a bit pathetic, a water bucket was a genuine treasure to Zhao Yan at the moment.
With a bucket, they could bathe, wash things, and draw water to cook.
They could skip meals today, but Zhao Yan absolutely had to take a bath. As a doctor, he could see that the bacterial count in this house had reached severely excessive levels; the thought of going to sleep without washing was completely out of the question.
Yet jumping straight into the river to wash wasn't an option for him either. As a native southerner, he had long been accustomed to bathing alone in a private bathroom. Having him wash in the open river was equivalent to sending him to a public bathhouse in Northeast China—he couldn't do it!
It was too terrifying. To avoid stripping down and washing in the river in broad daylight, he would do whatever it took!
He was determined to find that water bucket today, come hell or high water!
Yet ideals were plump, while reality was skeletal. After searching all three rooms, apart from the roof beams and beds, Zhao Yan didn't see so much as another scrap of wood, let alone a bucket.
"Good heavens, you had me transmigrate inexplicably and didn't give me any special cheat codes, which is fine—but why can't you even give me a water bucket? A mere bucket isn't worth much anyway. What's the big deal? Heavens, you are truly stingy," Zhao Yan muttered inwardly.
"Third Brother, why are you just standing there like a daze?" Zhao Yun asked.
She had been watching him for a while now. Zhao Yan kept pacing back and forth across the three rooms, muttering under his breath the entire time. Zhao Yun couldn't quite catch what he was saying, and his eccentric behavior left her baffled.
"I wanted to find a water bucket, but I couldn't find one. I've been looking for ages, and there isn't even a shadow of a bucket," Zhao Yan said, patting Zhao Yun's head.
Zhao Yun's hair was very frizzy, feeling like hay to the touch—a clear sign of prolonged malnutrition.
Once they had money in the future, he would have to help the little girl nurse her health back. Zhao Yan simply couldn't bear to look at her sallow, emaciated appearance.
"A water bucket? There's one in the kitchen. Why didn't you go look over there?" Zhao Yun asked, puzzled. "Third Brother, come with me to get it." With that, Zhao Yun took Zhao Yan by the hand and walked toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was located behind the house and looked much more crude than the three main rooms. It didn't even have a roof, consisting only of a simple stone-built stove, a water vat, an earthen jar with a chipped lid, and the very water bucket Zhao Yan had been longing for.
Zhao Yan picked up the bucket and inspected it. It was a bit dirty, but it could still be used.
"You go inside and help Mother clean up. Third Brother will go down to the river to fetch some water," Zhao Yan told Zhao Yun.
"Third Brother, let me come with you. I want to see if there are any wild vegetables we can pick so we'll have something to eat for dinner," Zhao Yun said, looking up at Zhao Yan.
Seeing the hopeful look in the little girl's eyes, Zhao Yan found it hard to refuse.
"All right then, let's go together. But you must be careful and not wander off, otherwise I won't dare bring you out next time," Zhao Yan said, holding Zhao Yun's hand as he cautioned her.
"Third Brother, don't worry, I'll definitely be careful. I'm already eight years old. I usually go cut pigweed all by myself and nothing ever happens. We're just going to pick some wild vegetables now, it'll be fine."
Zhao Yun patted her chest and promised Zhao Yan.