Chapter 9 Persuasion_1

The following morning, after breakfast, Yang Mengchen and his six brothers, with bamboo baskets on their backs, left the house and even borrowed a wooden cart from a neighbor.

When they arrived at the mountain and heard their sister say to cut down trees first, the six brothers, though puzzled, didn't ask any questions and worked together to chop down the trees. Yang Mengchen didn't go anywhere and obediently stayed by her brothers' side.

By mid-morning, they had felled nine thick trees and neatly stacked them on the wooden cart.

After eating the prepared eggs and wild vegetable pancakes for breakfast, the seven siblings began gathering herbs, including a good amount of yams and even caught a roe deer, which made Yang Chengbin repeatedly say Jiujiu was a lucky star who always brought a bountiful harvest.

"Jiujiu, bamboo shoots are sour and don't taste good. Unless there's nothing else to eat, people in the village won't choose bamboo shoots," Yang Chengrong explained as he saw his sister stop in front of a bamboo grove.

Yang Mengchen smiled, "Big Brother, I have a way to remove the bitterness from the bamboo shoots. Let's dig some and take them home."

"Yeah, yeah, the bamboo shoots cooked by Jiujiu are sure to be delicious!" Yang Chengbin said, his eyebrows raised and eyes shining.

Yang Chengyu patted the back of Little Eight's head hard and reprimanded, "If you want to eat, then hurry up and dig!"

Since it had rained the day before yesterday and no one had harvested them, there were naturally many bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove. The seven siblings dug a full basket of bamboo shoots before heading down the mountain to go home.

"We still have quite a bit of firewood at home, why have you cut down so much more?" Madam Yang Zhou lamented upon seeing a cartload of large trees, worried about where to put them.

"Grandma, I have a use for these big trees." Yang Mengchen said with a mysterious smile and ran into the house. After a moment, she came out holding a few sheets of herbal paper, knocked on the door of her eldest uncle's room, and then entered, closing the door behind her.

The others looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what she was up to.

Inside the room, Yang Chaowen was half-leaning on the kang, looking at his niece whose face was red and smiling warmly, a strange warmth crossing his heart.

Yang Mengchen also took a close look at her big uncle. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose, and lips that were neither thick nor thin, tightly closed. His bold and handsome face looked pale and thin, and his eyes were filled with vicissitudes and defeat.

Suppressing her emotions, Yang Mengchen walked to the edge of the kang and cheerfully said, "I heard from Fourth Brother that Big Uncle has the most amazing carpentry skills. Could you help me make this chair according to the drawing?" Then she handed the herbal paper to Yang Chaowen.

Yang Chaowen was taken aback, then his right hand gently stroked his numb legs, and a bitter smile curled on his lips, "Jiujiu, that's beyond my power."

"Is it that Big Uncle can't make it, or you just don't want to?" Yang Mengchen looked straight into Yang Chaowen's eyes.

As if unable to face his niece's deep, ink-like gaze, Yang Chaowen lowered his eyelids, his voice low and hoarse with melancholy, "Does it make a difference?"

"Of course, it does!" Keeping her hands raised with the drawing, Yang Mengchen asserted firmly, "If it's that Big Uncle can't make it, I can explain it to you one by one. With your outstanding carpentry skills, you surely can do it; but if you don't want to…" She suddenly stopped there.

After a long silence, not hearing her niece continue, Yang Chaowen couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at her, "What if I don't want to do it?"

"Does Big Uncle still care for me?" Yang Mengchen countered instead of answering.

Yang Chaowen, perplexed, replied, "I naturally care for Jiujiu, but..."

"Then why don't you want to help me?"

"That's a different matter."

"To me, it's the same thing!" Yang Mengchen said with a serious face, "If Uncle genuinely cared for me, he would grant any reasonable request I had. Now I'm just asking Uncle to make me a chair, something he clearly can do, yet refuses. It's obvious he dislikes me." Her slender little face looked pitiful, and the tears in her big eyes were on the verge of falling, tugging at one's heartstrings.

At that moment, Yang Chaowen even felt like killing himself, considering how he had saddened his dear niece, the precious apple of the family's eye who was also so sensible and understanding. He was despicable, "Jiujiu, I don't dislike you, I..."

"Does Uncle agree to help me?" The hope was evident in Yang Mengchen's misty, expectant eyes.

Yang Chaowen lowered his head and said nothing. Yang Mengchen didn't rush him either, and the room fell into a profound silence.

After a long while, Yang Mengchen lowered her extended hand, her low voice containing disappointment and apology: "It was wrong of me to force you. You should rest well, Uncle. I'll leave now." Having said that, she turned and left.

Suddenly looking up, Yang Chaowen watched his niece's frail, forlorn figure, opened his mouth wanting to say something, but in the end, it turned into a silent sigh.

Yang Mengchen, who had reached the doorway, abruptly stopped and said over her shoulder, "Uncle, I don't understand complex truths, but I know that no matter what hardships a person faces, so long as they keep living well, so long as the faith in their heart doesn't go out, so long as they have a clear conscience, everything will get better!"

Compared to someone with a terminal illness with no hope of survival, compared to soldiers at the border facing life and death at every turn, compared to those lonely and helpless people, Uncle's situation is far, far better. At least we are still alive. At least there is hope. At least the family has never abandoned us.

Now that Uncle has given up on himself, has he ever thought about the grandparents who are so worried about Uncle that they've grown much greyer? Has he thought about his wife who endures the pain and manages all household affairs? Has he thought about the eldest brother and third brother who took on the burden of life at a young age? Has he thought about the family members who are concerned and anxious for him?"

Although Yang Mengchen's voice was not loud, the people outside the room heard every word, tears welling up in their eyes, their hearts deeply moved.

"The essence of living is spirit and vitality. If that is lost, life becomes meaningless. To say something terribly unfilial, it would have been better for Uncle to have died at the beginning than to live on like this, half-dead, slowly draining the lifeblood of the family. Although it would have been painful for the family, it would have been brief compared to this prolonged suffering.

In contrast, Second Uncle fought desperately on the battlefield and survived. Even though he lost his left arm and was covered in scars, Second Uncle still faced life actively, struggling to live as best as he could. As his older brother, Uncle should set an example for his younger brother, shouldn't he?

I hope Uncle thinks about it carefully, whether to continue this self-imposed exile or adjust his attitude and start a new life."

Just as Yang Mengchen was about to open the door to leave, Yang Chaowen's hoarse voice suddenly came from behind, "Jiujiu, could I take a look at the drawing?"

"Just a look?"

After a brief silence, Yang Chaowen said solemnly, "I'll do my best."

"Did Uncle think it through?" Yang Mengchen turned around and looked directly at Yang Chaowen; seeing him nod firmly, she quickly opened the door and called out, "Eldest Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, come quick, Uncle is going to the courtyard, come help Uncle! Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, go get a chair from Grandma's room, and remember to put a thin blanket on it!"

Hearing this, Yang Chengrong and his two brothers dashed into the room, "Dad (Uncle)..." their expressions uncertain and disbelieving.

"Help me to the courtyard," said Yang Chaowen with a loving smile on his face.

Yang Chengyou and Yang Chengyu hurried to the edge of the kang and carefully supported Yang Chaowen while Yang Chengrong turned his back to his father and crouched down: "Dad, let your son carry you outside." His voice was choked with emotion and excitement, as silent tears fell from his eyes.