Give It All to Him

"Sit."

Cheng Hu raised a hand in invitation, pointing to the bamboo bench behind Gu Yu and Shen Jianan, then turned and called for his son to pour some water.

"Okay!"

Cheng Guang nodded obediently and followed his mother into the kitchen. Before long, mother and son came out carrying three bowls of water and set them on the table. "You boys talk. I'll get cooking. You're eating here tonight!"

With that, she took her son's hand and left without caring whether the two agreed, leaving Gu Yu and Shen Jianan terribly embarrassed.

Cheng Hu knew what they were thinking and waved it off. "Skipping one meal won't make life any easier for my family, but having you eat here will make your sister-in-law and Xiao Guang happy for a long time. Me too. That's something money can't buy."

As he spoke, the smile on his face faded. "Other than Educated Youth Gu, no one has visited our home in years."

Hearing that, both of them felt sorry for him. When a man fell on hard times, even people hated him like dogs did; no one wanted to get anywhere near him.

Shen Jianan pointed at the furniture in the room and changed the subject. "Brother Cheng, did you make all these?"

He had noticed the moment he entered. Aside from an old solid-wood cabinet, the furniture in the Cheng Household's main room was mostly made of bamboo and woven rattan.

Gu Yu had mentioned that Cheng Hu could weave baskets and was quite skilled, which was why Shen Jianan had asked.

Sure enough, Cheng Hu smiled again at his words. "Yeah, I made all of it."

"You're really amazing."

Shen Jianan gave Cheng Hu a thumbs-up, curling his lips in admiration. "I've seen plenty of bamboo furniture and rattan handicrafts sold for high prices before. Their workmanship wasn't as good as yours, and they even had splinters sticking out."

"That can't be right, can it?"

Cheng Hu found that hard to believe. In this era, fashionable furniture was all made of wood. Even those imported goods city people bought were crafted from top-grade timber.

Only poor people like them used rattan and bamboo. If so, how could it possibly sell for much?

But he did not know that Shen Jianan was not exaggerating. In modern society, rattan and bamboo furniture really was not cheap. A rattan-backed chair, as long as the workmanship and materials were not outrageously bad and the design looked decent, could easily sell for two or three hundred, or even more.

Still, Shen Jianan would not tell him that. After all, in this era, hardly anyone used bamboo or rattan furniture.

If he named those prices and Cheng Hu got carried away, throwing himself headfirst into it for the money, things would be fine if it worked out. But if they did not, Shen Jianan would bear a heavy sin.

So he glossed over the matter. "Some bamboo and rattan furniture does sell for a lot, but there aren't many buyers. They're mostly young people in big cities with spare cash."

Then he changed the subject and brought up the real reason for their visit. "Brother Gu told me your craftsmanship is excellent. Now that I've seen it myself, it really is good. I wanted to discuss a business deal with you."

The moment Cheng Hu heard that, he perked up and hurriedly sat straighter. "What business? Tell me."

"Small baskets, little woven hampers, and bags."

Shen Jianan stood and walked to the low cabinet behind Cheng Hu. He picked up the tiny sewing basket on top, then returned to his seat and explained his ideas while gesturing.

He wanted Cheng Hu to use bamboo or grass rattan to weave small handbags, shoulder bags, crossbody bags, and backpacks: narrow-bottomed vegetable-basket styles, suitcase styles, bucket styles, round openwork styles, square and trapezoidal styles, and oval styles.

He wanted four of each type to start with, two large and two small for every design. As for what materials to use, Cheng Hu could arrange them as he saw fit, whichever was easiest for him. But there was one requirement: the weave had to be fine and neat, with no splinters.

Shen Jianan roughly gestured out the bags' dimensions and specific shapes. Then, using Cheng Guang's draft notebook, he sketched a few simple designs and explained them in detail. Cheng Hu immediately got the idea and confidently promised, "This isn't hard. I can probably finish them in ten days."

"That fast?"

Surprise showed on Shen Jianan's face. It was no wonder he thought so. This was delicate work. He had once worked for some young women running online stores, and when they made one handicraft item, delivery times started at half a month—even with several people working at once.

Seeing that Shen Jianan did not believe him, Cheng Hu did not get angry. He merely smiled and explained, "Once you're used to weaving these things, naturally you get faster. Besides, your sister-in-law and Xiao Guang can help too. If you don't believe me, come back the day after tomorrow. I guarantee I'll have two done by then."

"Alright."

Shen Jianan smiled and nodded. "Since you've said so, what is there for me not to believe?"

Then he added, "For finished bags, as long as the quality passes inspection, I'll give you thirty cents for each large one and twenty cents for each small one."

"Th-that much?"

Cheng Hu was stunned. The materials he used all came from the mountains behind his home. Other than the effort involved, it was practically a business with no capital required.

So when he wove things for people in his brother-in-law's village, he only charged ten or twenty cents apiece. Yet now Educated Youth Shen was telling him that each bag would earn several cents. Forty bags—half large, half small—would make a full ten yuan!

He was beside himself with excitement, but feared Shen Jianan had accidentally quoted the wrong price. So he asked again, "Educated Youth Shen, those bags won't use much material. Aren't you paying too much?"

"Not at all."

Seeing how honest Cheng Hu was, Shen Jianan's impression of him improved further. "The bags use little material, but they need shaping. All told, they're more troublesome than weaving larger items."

The youth turned serious. "If the goods sell well and move quickly, I'll place an order with you every half month. But let's put the ugly words first: I may not keep buying these forever. You need to be mentally prepared. Don't make a pile of stock just to earn money, leave it sitting at home, and then cause trouble for me when it won't sell."

He had seen plenty of such things before. Some small business owners, relying on familiarity with their customers, would stuff in all sorts of extra goods and shamelessly increase the order quantity. Eventually, the customers could not stand it and stopped dealing with them.

He hated trouble more than anything, so it was better to make things clear now and avoid a tug-of-war later.

Hearing him say that, Cheng Hu felt some regret that the business could not continue forever. But then he thought that if Educated Youth Shen had not come to bring him business, he would not have earned this money at all. He became content again.

"Alright. Just tell me when you don't need them anymore."

Seeing how straightforward he was, Shen Jianan's smile deepened. He immediately pulled one yuan from his bag and held it out to Cheng Hu. "This is the deposit. Once you deliver the goods and I inspect them with no issues, I'll pay the balance."

Cheng Hu's eyes reddened as he looked at that one yuan. It was no wonder he was so emotional. Money had been too hard to earn these past years, and his family had lived too bitterly.

Though his family was small, their expenses were not. His wife had damaged her health giving birth, so she often fell ill and needed medicine. Every visit to the hospital cost at least fifty cents.

But his legs were bad. Even when he worked in the fields with everyone else, he could only earn six or seven work points a day.

On top of that, when grain was distributed, Zhao Qiancheng always found ways to deduct from his ration. So by the end of each year, what Cheng Hu earned was not even enough to feed the family and buy medicine for his wife.

Therefore, to survive, the family had sold off all their furniture except for the sewing machine in the bedroom and the cabinet Shen Jianan had seen.

Originally, those two items were meant to be sold as well, but Xiang Haiyan refused no matter what. She felt that with her poor health, Cheng Hu's lame leg, and the way people excluded him, they simply could not earn money.

But their son was already ten years old and would need to marry in a few more years. If they did not keep those two things, what would they use to get him a wife later?

Cheng Hu felt miserable and guilty, but he also had to face reality. In the end, he could only leave those two items behind.

Now, seeing that one yuan out of the blue, it truly was a huge sum to a man who had been unable to earn any serious money for years. More than that, it was affirmation and encouragement. His hands trembled as he took it, and he choked out, "Thank you. Thank you both."

Shen Jianan waved it off carelessly. In his view, they were making an equal exchange. Though he did intend to help Cheng Hu, Cheng Hu still needed to be capable and possess skills worth investing in.

Otherwise, why would he spend money to support someone for nothing? His money had not blown in on the wind. Gu Yu, sitting beside him, felt the same.

He had suggested that Shen Jianan ask Cheng Hu to make things not only because Cheng Hu was skilled, but more importantly because his character was sound and he had helped Gu Yu plenty.

Back when Gu Yu had been sent down to Red Flag Commune, many people bullied him. His days had been bitter beyond endurance, like swallowing coptis with it lodged in his throat, impossible to swallow down. He had even wanted to die.

It was then that Cheng Hu appeared and gave him a hand, letting him see hope and slowly pull himself together.

At the time, Gu Yu had been hooded and beaten with a rake. To treat his injuries, he could only sneak into the mountains to gather herbs. Unexpectedly, he ran into Cheng Hu, who had gone up the mountain to chop firewood.

Gu Yu had been terrified, afraid Cheng Hu would report him for leaving the Cattle Shed without permission. Yet Cheng Hu not only shared the dry rations he had brought, but also told him where villagers liked to go, so Gu Yu could avoid those places and keep from getting caught. Before leaving, Cheng Hu even gave him all the firewood he had chopped.

Gu Yu did not understand why Cheng Hu had helped him when his own life was already so difficult. Cheng Hu had looked up at the sky and sighed with a smile. "It's nothing. I just thought... if there had been someone back then to help me too, would things have turned out differently?"

After saying that, he dragged his lame leg away. Gu Yu watched that slightly stooped figure recede, and his heart ached fiercely.

After that, under Cheng Hu's deliberate guidance, Gu Yu learned to hunt, make traps and simple bows and arrows, and identify nonpoisonous wild vegetables, mushrooms, and fruits. Their lives—his and those several elderly men's—improved greatly, and they were not starved to death.

That was why, when Shen Jianan said he wanted these things made, Gu Yu recommended Cheng Hu. But gratitude was gratitude, and business was business. If Cheng Hu did not do a good job, Gu Yu would not show the slightest favoritism. So he first laid down a warning.

"Brother Cheng, let's put the ugly words first. If people find out Jianan is doing this, it'll definitely bring trouble.

"So I hope you, Sister-in-law, and Xiao Guang keep your mouths shut and don't go spreading this everywhere. Otherwise, if something happens, none of you will come out well. Understand?"

"Brother, don't worry."

Cheng Hu raised a hand and patted his chest in assurance. "Your sister-in-law and I aren't big mouths. We'll talk to Xiao Guang too. I guarantee not a single word will leak out."

"Good."

Gu Yu nodded in satisfaction, then told the youth beside him how he and Cheng Hu had met, right in front of Cheng Hu.

Shen Jianan listened in a daze, saying their meeting sounded just like something out of a novel, filled with legendary color.

Cheng Hu laughed heartily at that, saying Shen Jianan was adorable, like a storyteller, and especially amusing when he spoke.

Gu Yu nodded in agreement. "More than that! Our Jianan is the reincarnation of the Literary Star, @Б＃&@..."

He praised Shen Jianan to the skies, claiming there was none above him in heaven and none below him on earth. Shen Jianan blushed so hard the veins stood out, repeatedly clasping his hands in plea. "Brother, brother, I'm begging you! Stop talking! It's embarrassing, you know!?"

Unfortunately, no matter how long he begged, Gu Yu refused to stop. "Why can't I praise you? To me, you're a great literary master."

"You're still saying it!"

Shen Jianan got so angry that he stood up and punched him. Cheng Hu nearly died laughing at the two of them.

Fortunately, not long afterward, Xiang Haiyan and Cheng Guang brought the dishes into the main room. Only then did Gu Yu, under Shen Jianan's furious pounding and glare, reluctantly shut his mouth.

Cheng Hu happily handed the money to his wife and proudly told her he had earned money. He rattled on about his arrangement with Shen Jianan, then told Xiang Haiyan to buy some meat tomorrow and nourish herself. Shen Jianan and Gu Yu both laughed and teased him for being a good man.

Xiang Haiyan blushed a little. She snatched the money away and shot him an irritated look. "Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"

Yet she was extremely happy inside. Her husband cared about her and had earned money too. After all, their household had not had any income for a long time, and even their son's textbook fees had been paid with help from his uncle.

Xiang Haiyan thought that once they delivered the goods and received the remaining payment, they should first repay five yuan to her eldest brother. He had three children in school and elderly parents to support; his burden was no lighter than theirs.

After dinner, Gu Yu and Shen Jianan saw that it was still early. Thinking that the Cheng Household's roof had also been smashed through by hail, they offered to help repair it. Cheng Hu felt embarrassed, but he did not refuse.

Reality was right before him. His legs were bad, and his clansmen would not associate with him. Without someone to help, he could not repair it alone in a day or two. If another rainstorm came while his luck was poor, his wife and son would suffer terribly.

After putting on the outer garments Xiang Haiyan gave them, Gu Yu and Shen Jianan climbed onto the roof with Cheng Hu. His house had been well built and was shielded by mountain forest, so the damage was not too serious. After only two hours of work, they had replaced all the broken tiles.

The three climbed down from the roof. They had just removed their outer garments and washed their hands when Xiang Haiyan came out carrying a basin of boiled sweet potatoes. She stuffed several into each of Shen Jianan and Gu Yu's pockets, smiling as she said, "Thank you for today. I know you're in a hurry to get back, so his father and I won't keep you. Be careful on the road."

"Alright!"

The two waved goodbye. Each took a sweet potato and ate as they walked toward the Cattle Shed. When they arrived, the elderly men had not gone to sleep yet.

They were discussing the hailstorm and worrying about the two of them, afraid that their broken thatched hut could not withstand the hail and had been smashed apart, leaving them nowhere to live. The two secretly nodded. Wasn't that exactly right? It had collapsed!

Gu Yu glanced at the youth beside him, then smiled and pushed open the door. "Grandpas, Jianan and I came to see you."

Shen Jianan followed behind, calling out familiarly with him. "Grandpas, we're here."

The elderly men were all stunned, then called out one after another, "Oh my, why did you come? It's pitch-black out there. Weren't you afraid of falling?"

Though they said that, they happily rose to welcome the two and urged them to sit. "Is everything alright over there? We can't leave the Cattle Shed, otherwise we would've gone to check on you."

Lin Yanqing grabbed both youths' hands, her eyes reddened. "That hail today was terrifying. It even smashed holes in the Cattle Shed roof, and when it hit your body, the pain drilled straight into your heart.

"We old folks hid under the bedboards and thought we wouldn't make it through this trial. Luckily, Heaven wasn't completely heartless and spared our lives."

The others nodded in agreement and wiped away tears. Gu Yu's heart ached at the sight, and he hurriedly comforted them. "Grandpas, don't cry. Let's wait a little longer. Maybe in a few years, we'll be able to return to the city together. Jianan, don't you think?"

As he spoke, he signaled the youth with his eyes. Shen Jianan immediately understood and quickly nodded. "That's right."

Then he pulled all the sweet potatoes from his pockets at once. "Grandpas, Brother Gu and I saved these for you. They're still warm! Hurry and eat."

Putting one into each person's hand was not enough for him. He even went to rummage through Gu Yu's bag, leaving Gu Yu both amused and exasperated as he hurriedly handed over his share.

The elderly men's sadness instantly scattered by more than half at his antics. Finding it amusing, Li Mingda could not help teasing, "Little Gu, you're acting like a henpecked husband. In the future, will you hand all the money you earn over to Jianan too?"

"Mm."

Gu Yu raised his brows slightly and said with a perfectly serious expression, "Give it all to him."

Boom—

Shen Jianan's face went scarlet. His little heart pounded wildly as he held up a sweet potato and glared at Gu Yu without saying a word. The elderly men were equally frozen on the spot, and only after a long while did they begin speaking one after another, all laughing.

"You child..."

Lu Jianfeng pointed at him in the air several times. "You used to do everything by the book. Now you've learned to joke around?"

"Exactly, exactly."

Xie Huai'an took over, saying with amusement, "Look how frightened Jianan is. Anyone who didn't know better would think you really planned to marry him as your wife."

"What nonsense are you talking? Aren't you afraid someone will hear and drag the child into it?"

Liu Zhengjun had always been meticulous in his work and cautious in his conduct. He shot his friend an annoyed glare, then looked at Shen Jianan and coaxed him softly, "Don't be angry, child. Grandpa Xie was only teasing you."

"I-I'm not angry."

Shen Jianan stammered as he waved his hands. He unconsciously glanced at Gu Yu, and seeing the smile on his face made his heart race even harder. His breathing quickened, and his long fingers twisted together unconsciously, pale white tinged with faint pink.

Seeing that Shen Jianan was practically about to bury his head in his navel, Gu Yu was afraid that teasing him too much would backfire. So he said, "Jianan wouldn't get angry. Besides, aren't we closer than family? There's nothing wrong with giving him the money I earn."

"That's true."

Li Mingda nodded in agreement. Gu Yu had once said that although Shen Jianan was young, he had taken great care of him. The two had shared sweetness and bitterness for over a year, and their bond was no weaker than family. Besides, some family members were not even as good as friends.

His expression darkened slightly. He lowered his eyes to hide the hatred in them, then said with a smile, "For you two to meet in Red Flag Commune and become kindred friends is both your good fortune and your fate. You must cherish it well. Never do anything to betray one another, understand?"

The moment Shen Jianan and Gu Yu heard that, they knew he must have had a similar experience, perhaps related to why he had been sent down here. They could not help feeling sympathy for him and quickly nodded, speaking in unison. "Don't worry, Grandpa. We won't."

Hearing that, he repeatedly said good, then returned to his old mischievous self and chatted about this and that with the two youths.

When they learned that the pair was temporarily staying at Zhao Hongjun's home, they worried the two would return too late and inconvenience others. So they immediately ended the conversation and urged them to go back and rest.

"Alright, then. You rest early. Jianan and I will head back first."

As Gu Yu spoke, he stood and held out his hand to Shen Jianan. The youth did not find anything strange about it and naturally placed his own hand in Gu Yu's for him to hold. Then he turned and smilingly told the elderly men, "Goodbye, Grandpas."

Then he followed Gu Yu out. The elderly men watched their retreating backs and all felt that something was strange, yet none of them could say exactly what it was.