Everyone was in the same situation, so thinking this way made it easier to accept.
As more and more families returned to the village, it started to become lively again.
That day, Floyd was diverting water from the stream to the fields when he saw Old Man Liu, Dahu, and Aunt Liu entering the village.
After being gone for several months, the three of them looked extremely shabby.
Especially Aunt Liu—she looked much older than before.
Old Man Liu also seemed to have aged several years, his back was hunched.
Dahu's eyes were dull, and he looked lifeless.
Their clothes were full of patches.
Floyd was afraid Old Man Liu would make trouble for Gianna and the child.
He quickly returned home.
As he got to the door, he saw Old Man Liu knocking.
"Floyd, please have mercy and give us something to eat!"
Old Man Liu was starving. If it weren't for his sheer willpower, he might've died out there.
Floyd's face turned dark, and he rushed to the door. "What's all this noise!"
Old Man Liu's family flinched.
Old Man Liu started crying. "Floyd, please help us! I was wrong before. I shouldn't have treated you like that."
They say you only realize what you had after you lose it.
He never understood that before.
After going out and experiencing the harshness of the world, he finally understood what family meant.
He finally realized that Floyd had always been tolerant toward him.
No one out there would spoil him like Floyd did.
Out there, people would beat and curse him just for a piece of steamed bun.
Dahu was so hungry his face was pale and thin. Life outside had been miserable. When they left, they thought they'd live a better life.
But all they saw were people fleeing famine, and those people would kill for food.
Even their coarse grains were stolen. If not for what happened later…
Dahu didn't dare to think about it. He lowered his head and didn't even have the courage to look at Floyd. "Floyd, for the sake of us being brothers, can you help our family? I promise, I'll never bother you again."
Floyd looked coldly at the three of them. "You want food from me? No way. Your family still has a house, right? Exchange that house for food."
He was referring to Old Man Liu's original house—the old family home. It was worn down.
He wasn't going to be soft-hearted again.
He had been too soft before, and it led to problems with the whole village.
Old Man Liu looked at Floyd in disbelief.
He was in such a miserable state, yet Floyd still refused to help.
Angrily, he pointed at Floyd and cursed, "Did your mother's heart get eaten by a dog? At a time like this, you're still thinking about my only house. How are we supposed to live without land? Are you trying to destroy us completely?"
Their return had already drawn attention.
Now that they were arguing with Floyd, more villagers came to watch.
Floyd didn't care what others thought.
No matter what he did, others would still find fault.
Since that's the case, he might as well do what makes him happy.
He gave Old Man Liu a cold glance. "Don't you dare accuse me. I'm not forcing your family into a corner. I'm giving you a way to survive. If you go and ask anyone else if they'd give you food, you'll see how kind I'm being. This village is so remote. No rich buyer will come for your broken house."
He paused, then added with sarcasm, "Go ask the villagers who've returned if anyone wants to trade food for your house. Ask first, then decide."
"But I'm your uncle. That fact will never change," Old Man Liu said stubbornly.
Floyd's face was full of mockery. "So you do know you're my uncle! The way you act so self-righteous, anyone who doesn't know would think you're my father! If you want food, trade it for your house."
He had already decided. Trading the house would make him feel better.
After saying that, Floyd looked at the villagers watching.
He said loudly, "After I saw what kind of people you all really are, I swore I'd never let you bully me again."
Gianna and the three kids were secretly listening behind the door.
Dennis's eyes sparkled with admiration as he looked toward the door.
Daddy was amazing today.
The things he said made Dennis feel like his dad wasn't weak anymore.
He used to be so timid! Whatever others said, he'd just accept it. Even when they insulted him, he never responded.
It seemed like ever since Mom became tough, Dad was changing too!
But this kind of Dad didn't scare him at all. Instead, he thought he was really cool and strong.
Xeno clapped his hands and said, "Daddy is awesome!"
Gianna gave the three kids a helpless look.
Nori didn't say anything, but the admiration in his eyes was impossible to hide.
She opened the door and said gently, "You must be hungry after working all morning! I cooked noodles."
She hadn't actually cooked noodles. There were plenty in her space, but she couldn't use them yet.
However, she did cook some mixed grain porridge.
Each time, she carefully added some compressed biscuits to the porridge.
At first, Floyd asked suspiciously why it tasted a bit sweet.
But over time, the family got used to it.
Floyd knew Gianna was doing it on purpose.
As he closed the door, he said, "Didn't I say not to cook noodles? Let's save them for the New Year."
Gianna covered her mouth and giggled.
She cleared her throat and said seriously, "Our days will only get better. We won't eat noodles on New Year's. We'll eat big meals with meat and fish."
Those words were hard to hear.
Outside the door, Old Man Liu shivered all over.
Aunt Liu didn't dare say anything. She shrank her neck and looked at Old Man Liu for help.
Their stomachs growled with hunger.
Old Man Liu looked to the villagers for help.
But everyone looked away. No one wanted to help them.
Old Man Liu gave a bitter smile.
"Let's go back."
Lao, who stood in the corner, sighed.
After thinking for a moment, he went home, brought three flat mixed-grain biscuits, and found Old Man Liu.
Old Man Liu was full of gratitude.
"You're the best, brother!"
People say you know who truly cares during hard times. At that moment, Old Man Liu felt Lao was the kindest person in the world.
But Lao shook his head and sighed. "Now I give you a biscuit and you think I'm great. But Floyd gave your family ten pounds of mixed grain before. You and Floyd are family. No matter what happened, as the elder, you should've protected him. Instead, you got upset and teamed up with outsiders to bully and isolate him."
He had never gone against Floyd. He even scolded his own son, telling him not to join the villagers in pushing Floyd away.
Old Man Liu kept his head down, eating the biscuit silently.
Lao saw this and could only shake his head in disappointment. "Floyd has a good heart. He used to be so respectful to you. When you tricked him out of the house his parents left him, you really thought he didn't know? He understood everything. He just didn't want to argue with you. Back then, he still cared about family. But your actions were truly disappointing."