CFJWF : Chapter 8

Hey guys! Rain here, Happy New Year again! I hope you’re all doing great!
As you may know, I absolutely loooooooove gentle and slow-life stories, so when someone requested this novel, I just couldn’t resist picking it up! I hope you’ll enjoy it! Ofc it won’t be 100% so please let me know if any mistake, I’ll gladly edit the chapters !

There are 2 updates today, and another one coming next Wednesday. I’ll share the fixed schedule with you once it’s finalized.

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You can find  chapter from 1 – 7 on NU or directly on Lazy K website here ♥

Chapter 8: 

The mayor’s decision caused an uproar in the village. Even the elders remarked that in all their years, they had never heard of a village chief being dismissed.  

Village Chief Xu never imagined the consequences would be so severe and hurriedly pleaded with the mayor.  

The mayor ignored him, busy discussing matters with Chief Zhu. After Zhu left, Xiao Wanshi rushed to find a doctor from another village. He Tong, after being beaten, soon developed a fever.  

Initially, Wan Hai paid little attention to his injury from the blade, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. As a sturdy man over six feet tall, he couldn’t withstand the dizziness and soon collapsed, leaving the He family wailing in distress.  

He Zifeng carried his son back to their dilapidated home, along with his wife. Gently placing the boy on the bed, he checked his injuries. The child’s tender skin bore red marks where Xiao Wanshi had twisted him.  

Little He Ran, seeing his father upset, tried to comfort him, “It doesn’t hurt!”  

Qiu Yu’s tears fell as he reached out, and Little He Ran immediately snuggled into his arms. “Silly child,” he murmured.  

The child’s  injuries were superficial, so they let him rest on the bed for a while.  

He Zifeng said, “We’ve split from the family. They won’t bully you anymore.”  

Little He Ran nodded firmly. “Mm.”  

Qiu Yu stroked the child’s head. The child leaned against him, full of attachment, and shyly asked, “Little Daddy, can you sleep with me for a while?” As soon as he spoke, he buried his face in the blanket, embarrassed.  

Little He Ran had always been understanding for his age. Sometimes, when he saw other children clinging to their parents, he felt envious. Last night, both his fathers had lain beside him, and he felt so happy he thought he might burst. He wished for it to happen more often.  

“Alright,” Qiu Yu agreed, lying on the bed with him.  

Though they were humoring the child, the little rascal couldn’t sit still, wriggling around in his arms, his joy unmistakable.  

Seeing his son’s quick recovery lifted a weight off He Zifeng’s shoulders.  

He even began looking forward to their new life.  

The first priority was to repair the house, which had been abandoned for too long. The roof had a gaping hole that needed fixing. Upon closer inspection, there was quite a lot to be done.  

He Zifeng gathered some wood and began sawing it into planks in the courtyard.  

It was still broad daylight, and Little He Ran couldn’t sleep. He played on the bed with Qiu Yu for a while, savoring the novel experience, but his curiosity eventually led him to want to help his father.  

Noticing the child’s restlessness, Qiu Yu asked, “Shall we go outside and take a look?”  

Little He Ran, realizing his thoughts had been seen through, shyly nestled against him and sneakily planted a kiss on him cheek. Qiu Yu glanced down, and the boy giggled, hiding under the blanket.  

“Alright,” Qiu Yu relented, amused. The child’s affectionate gestures were irresistible.  

Lifting the blanket, Little He Ran leapt forward, his eyes sparkling. He seemed to enjoy the game of hide-and-seek under the covers, hiding his little head again.  

Qiu Yu uncovered him.  

Though it was fun, after just three or four rounds, the child’s forehead was dotted with sweat.  

He picked him up, and he wriggled a bit, protesting in his childish voice, “I’m big now; I can walk on my own.”  

“Be good, let me hold you for a bit,” he replied.  

Little He Ran wrapped his arms around his neck.  

Qiu Yu carried him outside, where He Zifeng had already cut quite a few planks. He was planning to use them to repair the roof.  

Little He Ran, excited, asked, “Are we going to live here from now on?”  

“Yes,” He Zifeng replied, feeling a twinge of guilt for letting his wife and son live in such a rundown place.  

But Little He Ran was thrilled, eagerly pulling Qiu Yu to explore the property. Though old and worn, the yard was spacious and could be put to good use in the future. 

They walked around the property. Although it was rundown, the courtyard was spacious and could be used for various things in the future.  

He Zifeng handed ten taels of silver to Qiu Yu. Although it seemed like a considerable amount, without any other source of income, they would soon run out. While they had split from the He family, the latter still had wealth, houses, businesses, and land, whereas they had nothing but these ten taels.  

He Zifeng knew he had to come up with a way to earn money soon!  

But for today, in high spirits, he said to Qiu Yu, “I’ll look after the child. Go buy some meat and cook something good tonight.”  

Qiu Yu agreed, realizing it made sense, and left.  

Meanwhile, He Zifeng borrowed a ladder and climbed up to patch the large hole in the roof. He also made some repairs around the house.  

The house hadn’t been lived in for years, and every little movement stirred up clouds of dust.  

Little He Ran, only four years old and very clingy, followed his father closely. Before long, his little face was smudged with dirt, making him look like a small soot-streaked kitten. He wasn’t aware of it and kept flashing a wide grin every time He Zifeng looked over.  

After some time, Qiu Yu returned with over a pound of pork. Half of it was lean meat, about the size of a palm. He sighed regretfully, “Couldn’t find any fatty meat at this time.”  

In these days of scarcity, people and pigs alike were thin, and fatty meat was highly sought after. During market days, a piece of fatty pork could yield half a jar of lard, which made any dish more fragrant.  

Lean meat, on the other hand, could turn dry and tough if not cooked well and was less popular.  

At that moment, two women who were close to Qiu Yu came by—Sister-in-law Liu and Sister-in-law Shen. They brought some wild vegetables, potatoes, half a bag of millet, four taels of brown sugar, and a large cabbage as a housewarming gift.  

It was customary to bring something when someone moved into a new home.  

“You didn’t have to bring anything, sisters. Please take it back; I appreciate the thought,” Qiu Yu said. Everyone worked hard to earn a living, and while wild vegetables were common, millet and brown sugar were rare and cost nearly ten coins.  

“It’s nothing. We just want you to settle in well,” Sister-in-law Liu said.  

Sister-in-law Shen added, “We had no idea what you were going through in that family. That old scoundrel is truly heartless.” Then she remarked, “Now that Liuzi has become village chief, things will be livelier around here.” Liuzi had been respected in the village but often undermined by Xu, the former village chief. Now the tables had turned, and Xu was no longer in a position to cause trouble.  

Qiu Yu said, “We live a bit off the beaten path, so if there’s any news, please keep us informed.”  

“Of course,” they replied. Seeing that the family was busy with house repairs, they didn’t linger. “We’ll visit again another day.”  

After seeing them off, Qiu Yu turned back to find the father and son looking like a pair of soot-streaked kittens. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Go wash up in the river. Later, I’ll make pork and cabbage dumplings,” he said, planning to buy two pounds of white flour to celebrate properly.  

The mere mention of dumplings made Little He Ran’s mouth water. Dumplings were a rare treat, usually only made during the New Year. And his Little Daddy’s dumplings were the best he’d ever tasted. He was so excited that he spun in circles. “That’s awesome!”  

Suddenly, he was lifted into the air as He Zifeng picked him up. “Bath time,” he said.  

Little He Ran wasn’t afraid at all, laughing uncontrollably as his father carried him off.  

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