Chen Lan and her mother-in-law sat on opposite sides of the eight immortals table, each holding a child, while the two little ones played with bubbles.
The mother-in-law, while adjusting her grip on Jia Yao, asked Uncle De, "De Shun, have you paid the wages for the helpers at both shops? Do they know we're donating the shops to the government?"
"Yes, I told them when I paid them."
"I paid them according to what we discussed at home. Those who wanted money received an extra half month's wages, and those who wanted goods instead of money received them at half the cost price. The helpers all said our family is benevolent."
"Have you told the tenants about donating the family's land to the government?"
"Yes. It's only late February, early March. I also gave each household extra grain per person, enough to last until the summer harvest. The tenants have all said our family is generous!"
The mother-in-law's lips twitched, and she said nothing.
"Oh! Right, we need to keep enough oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea at home for three months. We brought them back from the city this afternoon and put them in the kitchen."
"Good. Tomorrow morning, the three of us will get up early, bring Er Hu and his brothers, and take two carts to the county town. First, we'll load the things for Cui Qiao's mother's family, and let Xiao Shuan deliver them. It just so happens that her sister is getting married, so the gifts will be useful and bring you and Cui Qiao honor."
Uncle De rubbed his hands, his voice stammering, "Th-this, this, how can this be?"
"It can, why can't it? We're all relatives."
"De Shun, please do me a favor tonight and carefully check the shop deeds, account books, and the land deeds for over a hundred mu of land. We must be accurate to avoid gossip."
"Are we really donating everything, leaving nothing behind?" Uncle De confirmed again.
"We said we'd donate everything, and we will. We absolutely support the government's work."
"But if we donate everything, what will our family of over a dozen people live on?" Uncle De asked persistently.
"Xiao Lan, should we keep the deed to the old family home?"
"Keep it," Chen Lan explained, "The old house is our foundation, and our ancestral graves are here!"
"Xiao Lan, have you asked your father-in-law? We've donated the land and shops according to his wishes. But I also want to know what your father-in-law plans for our family after donating the property, as De Shun asked."
Chen Lan thought to herself that now was the time to bring up her father-in-law, her great pillar of support, and finally voice her own ideas. So, Chen Lan unleashed her persuasive skills once more.
"Father-in-law said that after donating the family property, we'll wait at home for the government to assign our class status. Our class status is very important. It will affect everyone's life. A bad class status will affect our children's schooling, employment, and starting a family in the future. In short, it's very important!"
"After we get our class status certificates, will we all move away from here?"
"Move? Leave?" The mother-in-law and Uncle De exclaimed in unison.
Chen Lan nodded emphatically.
"Father-in-law said that everyone in our family knows our situation. When we say we've donated all our property, those we've offended before, and those who intentionally want to harm us, might not believe it and think we've kept something back. Now, our elders and young are not strong enough to stand up for ourselves, and we're afraid of them causing trouble. So, for the safety of the whole family, we must move away and stay far from those people."
The mother-in-law sighed, "Moving away might be good! Leaving is also an option! Did your father-in-law say where we should relocate?"
Chen Lan felt it was time to reveal a little of her plan.
"He said to go to the Changbai Mountain area in Jilin. As for the specific location, father-in-law said he needs to check it out first and find a place with few people and plenty of land. Fewer people mean fewer troubles. Father-in-law said he will take care of everything for us, so we can rest assured."
"Alright! It's getting late. Xiao Lan, I'll escort you and the children back to your room. De Shun, I'll have Wei'er bring you the shop deeds, land deeds, and account books later. You double-check them carefully, and bring them to the county town tomorrow morning."
The mother-in-law gave instructions as she walked, then strode out of the main hall.
Uncle De's reply echoed behind her, "Okay, okay, I've noted it down."