Kindness from the villagers

That night, after working hard to complete the fence around their property, Zhu Changyu, Lin Ai, and their three children spread out makeshift mattresses under the large tree that stood tall in their area. The lush leaves on its branches provided shade during the day, and at night, it looked like a natural canopy, protecting them from the twinkling stars.

Lin Ai and Zhu Qing'an helped each other cook a meal using the little things left in the cloth bundle. The hot vegetable soup emitted a fragrant aroma, relaxing the tired atmosphere a little. The young Zhu Qingcheng and Zhu Qingyang helped each other gather the surrounding branches and make a small fire near their bed. Although the fire was not large, its flickering light warmed their hearts.

Zhu Changyu looked at his family who were working hard, his face that was wrinkled from exhaustion still had a faint smile on it. He took a deep breath before speaking in a soft voice.

" This place ... may not be the best place, but Dad promises to make this place our warm home ."

Those words made Lin Ai and her children smile and nod, before everyone collapsed under the old blankets, with a cool breeze blowing gently through the treetops.

The morning sunlight filtered through the green leaves of the large trees, accompanied by the sound of birds chirping from the forest. Zhu Changyu slowly moved to get up, the pain from his injuries still not fully healed, but his face was still full of determination.

The distant voices made Zhu Changyu turn his head to look. He saw a large group of villagers walking towards the area, each carrying tools such as axes, saws, and hammers. Some of them were carrying hemp ropes and sacks full of supplies in both hands.

An old man who had been helped by Zhu Changyu in the past said with a smile.

" Changyu, we're here to help you. Don't say anything more. "

Zhu Changyu was so moved that he was speechless. He raised his hand and bowed his head low.

" I never thought that everyone would be so kind to us. Thank you very much ."

As soon as the old man had finished explaining the work, all the villagers immediately got to work without any hesitation. The first group were several strong men who were skilled at cutting wood. They walked up the hill behind the land with axes and saws in hand. Sweat started to drip from their hairlines even before they reached their destination, but no one complained. This group was responsible for selecting suitable trees. The trees chosen had to be of the right size, not too big or too small. After cutting the trees down, they used axes to clear the bark and branches, before tying hemp ropes to the trunks to drag them down the hill. Some also used bamboo to make sliding frames to reduce the labor required to carry the wood.

Meanwhile, the second group below began preparing the site. They used hoes and shovels to level the ground, measure the dimensions, and plan out small houses using hemp ropes stretched out as a line. Some helped build makeshift stoves for cooking lunch, using rocks and clay found in a nearby stream.

Lin Ai was in charge of taking care of the food and water. She cooked rice in a large clay pot and boiled the vegetable soup she had brought with her frugally. Zhu Qing'an, Zhu Changyu's eldest daughter, helped her mother distribute water to the exhausted villagers. The little sisters Zhu Qingcheng and Zhu Qingyang helped wash vegetables and prepare miscellaneous goods. They not only did not do supporting work, but also ran between the different work groups, cheering on the adults with bright smiles.

The loggers began to bring the logs down from the mountain. Each log was neatly arranged according to its size. Some helped carry the long and heavy logs by tying them tightly with ropes before dragging them down together. The sound of the axe hitting the wood and the saw dragging back and forth was in harmony with the enthusiastic conversation.

" This wood can be used to make beams. This part can be used to make walls ."

Skilled villagers separate the wood according to its intended use. The posts to be used as the foundation of the house are adjusted to the correct size and have a stable angle. They use steel skewer to attach them to large rocks buried in the ground to increase their strength.

When the wood was ready, the group of workers began assembling the frame of the house, starting with the four main pillars at the corners of the house. The villagers helped hold the pillars upright, while one used a hammer to drive wooden wedges to hold the pillars steady. Then they began to place the beams to hold the pillars together. The perfectly polished beams were placed on the pillars with precision, and someone held them in place with wooden nails and thick hemp rope.

After the main structure was completed, a group began using bamboo and nipa palm leaves from the forest to thatch the roof. They used jute rope to tie the nipa palm leaves tightly to the bamboo frame to withstand the wind.

Within a day, a small, warm house had taken shape. There were two small rooms separated by bamboo for resting and storage. The space in front was designed to be open for multi-purpose use. Everyone who came to help smiled proudly when they looked at Zhu Changyu's new house.

" We're not just helping build a house, we're also helping build a new life for this family ."

One of the villagers said with a big smile, laughter and words of encouragement came from everyone around.

Zhu Changyu looked at the house filled with love and kindness, tears of gratitude welled up in his eyes, he thanked the villagers with a full heart.

" I have nothing to give you in return, but I promise that I will help you back whenever I have the chance. Thank you from the bottom of my heart ."

That night, the Zhu Changyu family settled into their new, sturdy home. Although it was small and simple, for them, it was the beginning of a better future. With the encouragement from the villagers and the cooperation they received, the family believed that they would eventually get through this hardship.

The sounds of the villagers coming to help build Zhu Changyu's house filled the air at the end of the village. The sound of hammers hitting wood, the sounds of people talking, laughing, and being enthusiastic could be heard all the way to the Zhu family's house. Hearing these sounds, Old Lady Zhu sitting in the courtyard felt her heart squeezed with jealousy and resentment. She stared at the end of the village with a hard gaze.

" You ungrateful people ! What did they do to you that you have to go and help them in droves as if you were building a palace !"

Old Lady Zhu shouted in a sharp voice, her feet stomping back and forth in frustration. The more she heard the villagers' cheerful laughter floating in the wind, the more she felt looked down upon.

" When he was here, I had to carry everything by myself ! Now that he's gone, he's acting like a hero ! Humph !"

Her dissatisfaction flared up again when she remembered that the Second Family was gone now, and there was no one to farm or help relieve the hard work of the big family. Huo Liu, the eldest daughter-in-law who was sitting nearby mending clothes, immediately became the target of her anger.

" What are you doing sitting here ? There's still a lot of housework to do ! Did I raise you to come and sew clothes or something ?!"

Old Lady Zhu spoke as she tapped the ground with her cane, causing Huo Liu to flinch and stand up in a hurry.

" I'm going to help in the kitchen, Your Majesty ..." Hua Liu replied in a low voice, but she was continuously scolded by Old Lady Zhu until her anger that had been building up for a long time exploded. She grabbed her cane and hit her daughter-in-law hard.

At that moment, Zhu Changhai was walking back home after a hard day's work. He heard his mother scolding him from afar. As he approached, he saw his mother ruthlessly beating Huo Liu. He stopped and watched the scene in front of him as if to help, but then he let out a weak sigh and walked into the house without saying anything.

" What can I say ? If my mother is angry, I have to give in ."

Zhu Changhai muttered to himself, he walked into the room and closed the door, leaving Huo Liu in physical and mental pain.

In the evening, the village headman walked into the Zhu family's house with the completed separation document. He heard a commotion coming from inside the house and saw Old Mother Zhu brutally beating her daughter-in-law.

"Stop this now!"

The village head shouted so loudly that Old Lady Zhu suddenly stopped. She turned around with an unhappy look on her face.

"Why do you want to interfere with my family again?!"

The village head walked straight in and threw the documents for separating the houses to Grandma Zhu.

"This is a document of separation and severance of ties. The secondary house is no longer part of the Zhu family. I ask you to sign and accept this!"

Old Lady Zhu grabbed the document and read it in dissatisfaction. She threw the document to the ground, but the village head just stood there with his arms crossed and a cold gaze.

"If you don't sign, I will report to the authorities. It's your choice."

Hearing this, she had no choice but to give in. She gritted her teeth and signed her name in anger.

"You guys are ungrateful! Just you wait and see, that family will never prosper!"

The village head didn't say anything else, he took back the documents and hurriedly walked out of the Zhu family's house with a serious face, before heading to the land at the end of the village to deliver the documents to the second family.

When they reached the land at the end of the village, the village head smiled widely when he saw the new house of the secondary family that had been built and taken shape. He handed over the house separation documents and changed his surname to Zhu Changyu.

"From now on, you are from the Lin family. May you all find happiness."