“I never knew there was such a great truth.”

Su Sanlang did not know what to feel. He only felt a little bitter. He looked at the calm Zhou Heng and could not help but feel respect for him.

Su Sanlang swallowed and said, “Heng, you’re right. I know what to do.”

Su Sanlang looked deeply at Zhou Heng and turned to leave.

This time, Zhou Heng did not stop him.

Madam Zhao took a meaningful look at Zhou Heng. There were indescribable emotions in her eyes. She smiled and said, “I’ll go cook.”

When they were removed from the family tree that year, no one said that they had done the right thing. Now, what Zhou Heng said undoubtedly told them that they had done the right thing.

Madam Zhao swallowed and resisted the urge to cry. She tried her best to smile.

“Thank you, Little Brother Heng.”

Su Xiaoling spoke softly. She looked at Zhou Heng gratefully.

Zhou Heng smiled faintly and said nothing.

His gaze went to the distant sky as his thoughts raced.

Although it was difficult to change, someone had to make this change. After the first one, there would be a second and third…

—-

When Su Sanlang arrived at Chen Hu’s house, voices could be heard coming from the main room from time to time. Su Sanlang ignored them and went straight to knock on the door of the room where Chen Hu and his family lived.

Chen Hu, who was lying on the bed, seemed to be in a daze. His eyes were empty and lifeless. When Chen Erniu heard the knock on the door, she nudged Chen Hu and said softly, “Dad, someone is knocking on the door.”

Only then did Chen Hu come back to his senses. He said to Chen Erniu in a hoarse voice, “Erniu, go and see who it is.”

Chen Er Niu climbed out of bed to open the door. When she saw Su Sanlang, she smiled faintly. “Third Uncle, you’re here to see my father.”

Su Sanlang nodded gently and reached out to touch Chen Erniu’s hair as he entered. Chen Erniu closed the door behind him.

“Where are your mother and Daniu?”

Su Sanlang did not see Madam Qian and Chen Daniu and could not help but ask.

Chen Erniu pursed her lips and whispered, “Grandma asked Sister and Mother to work in the fields.”

Su Sanlang walked to Chen Hu’s bedside and sat down. Looking at the lifeless Chen Hu, he felt terrible. He had experienced it before, so he understood the pain that was worse than dying. He said in a low voice, “Hu, you have to pull yourself together.”

Chen Hu sniffed. He felt sick inside and found it difficult to breathe. He turned his head toward the inside of the bed, refusing to look at Su Sanlang or speak to him.

He was a useless man. He couldn’t do anything. He had a million things on his mind. He might as well die.

Su Sanlang sighed. He said, “Hu, have you ever thought about leaving the Chen family to live on your own, just like me?”

Chen Hu’s body stiffened. He turned around to look at Su Sanlang and said in an interfering voice, “Third Brother, what did you say?”

Chen Hu thought he had misheard.

Su Sanlang’s expression didn’t change as he slowly said, “I’m here to advise you to set up on your own. I know you’re hardworking and have done a lot of hard work at home, but your family has had the worst time here. In the past, they always said it was because you didn’t have a son, but now that you do, that hasn’t changed, has it?”

“Sister-in-law’s health isn’t good, and she’s severely injured. How many more years can she suffer? If she goes, what will happen to your girls? Have you thought about what their marriage will be like? Hu, I don’t want to see you end up like this. Think about my words carefully. If you want to start afresh, I’ll help you. When the time comes, build a house beside mine and buy a few acres of land for farming. When we’re free, we can go to town to find work together. I still have some money left from the tiger I sold that year. It’s enough for you to build a house and buy land.”

Su Sanlang looked at Chen Hu seriously. He meant every word.

Chen Hu also looked at Su Sanlang. He couldn’t stop the tears welling up in his eyes. He gripped Su Sanlang’s hand tightly as if there were so many things he wanted to say, but none of them came out. He couldn’t stop himself from whimpering.

“Hu, pull yourself together. Let’s live well and beautifully. Let those people see how well we live. If people don’t love me, I still love myself. You’re not the one at fault. They’re the ones at fault.”

Su Sanlang spoke firmly. His voice was powerful, and every word was branded into Chen Hu’s heart.

Chen Hu thought of Madam Qian. He thought of Chen Daniu and Chen Erniu, as well as his infant son. He looked up and wiped away his tears. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

“Third Brother, thank you for coming. Otherwise, I…”

Chen Hu looked at Su Sanlang gratefully. It was Su Sanlang who had saved him again, pulling him out of his predicament.

No one knew it, but he really couldn’t go on.

But Su Sanlang had come to him and told him to be brave and break out of it all, to seek another way out. Chen Hu, who had fallen into a dead-end, saw hope again. He decided to follow in Su Sanlang’s footsteps.

“Third Brother, wait for me for a few days. I’ll come to you with my entire family. I’ll borrow money from you to buy my house and land. I’ll definitely return them to you.”

Chen Hu swallowed and said, as if he had thought through everything after listening to Su Sanlang’s advice.

He didn’t need a nice house. He just needed a shack to live in.

He could rent land. If he couldn’t rent it from the same village, he could rent it from another village and farm in it. One day, he would build the house.

Seeing that Chen Hu had already thought things through and that his eyes were no longer lifeless, Su Sanlang was relieved. He nodded and said, “Okay, then I’ll wait for you.”

Chen Hu nodded. He had gained a lot of energy.

Su Sanlang remembered that he had gone through a lot of trouble when he left the Su family. He was a little worried about Chen Hu. He frowned and asked, “Hu, how are you going to mention this to them?”

“I know what to do. Don’t worry. Just wait a few days. It won’t take long.”

Chen Hu had no intention of telling Su Sanlang what he was going to do. Su Sanlang had helped him enough. He didn’t have to worry about such a small matter.

Chen Hu looked at Su Sanlang and could not help but clench his fists. He mustered his courage and said the words that he had been hesitating for many years. “Third Brother, when I come, can I become sworn brothers with you?”

Chen Hu was a little nervous. He had been thinking about this for a long time, but he didn’t dare to say it out loud.

Su Sanlang was not his biological brother, but he was like one. From then on, he did not want to acknowledge anyone but Su Sanlang as his brother.

Su Sanlang looked at Chen Hu and nodded heavily. “Of course.”

If he didn’t treat Chen Hu as a brother, he wouldn’t have come here.

After getting his answer, Chen Hu smiled. “Okay, Third Brother. Wait for me.”

Su Sanlang nodded.

“Go home. Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”

Chen Hu sat up and saw Su Sanlang out.

After Su Sanlang left, Chen Hu said to Chen Erniu, “Erniu, go to the field and call your mother and sister back for dinner.”