If Little Tree's uncle was a decent person, perhaps stepping forward for Little Tree would be feasible.
They could also adopt Little Tree in the future.
Su Xiaotian pondered for a long time about how to settle Little Tree.
She felt that the best way for Little Tree was to find a relative to raise him.
In this era, even relatives found it difficult to raise a child.
She planned to provide some money monthly, so that Little Tree's life with his relatives would be better.
She hoped this person would be the one most closely related to Little Tree by blood.
Little Tree, having been hurt by his relatives, would most likely desire comfort from them.
"Little Tree's uncle isn't a bad person, but Little Tree's aunt is a formidable woman, perhaps even more so than his eldest aunt."
Shen Zizhen repeatedly shook his head, clearly disapproving.
He had considered this possibility before, so he had incidentally inquired about these matters when they were in Nanhe Village.
He hadn't expected that everyone in Little Tree's family was so extreme, to an appalling degree.
This was precisely why Little Tree's grandmother, after her second son and his wife passed away, preferred to raise Little Tree herself rather than entrust him to any of her other sons.
It was also why, on her deathbed, she exchanged her house and courtyard for her eldest son to raise Little Tree.
The old woman believed that by the age of eighteen, a child could survive even without a house and courtyard.
She never imagined that even after occupying the house and courtyard, the other party had no intention of raising Little Tree properly.
Shen Zizhen suspected that if Little Tree were adopted by his uncle, it wouldn't be long before the child would run away to wander again.
At that point, they might not encounter people like these, and perhaps the child would truly be ruined.
Shen Zizhen had also been thinking along the way about how to settle Little Tree.
Since they were going to help, they should do it once and for all, so that Little Tree could live a normal life in the future.
Ideally, a kind-hearted family would be willing to adopt Little Tree, and with some financial assistance from him, Little Tree's life might improve.
However, this was easier said than done.
For one thing, Little Tree was at an age where he could remember things. Even if a family wanted to adopt a child, they might not want to adopt one of this age.
After all, the older the child, the more they remember, and the harder they are to bond with.
Many families would rather have an infant than a child of five or six years old, for this very reason.
If not for the fact that he hadn't discussed it with Su Taohua, Shen Zizhen would have wanted to bring the child home himself.
But he was a man who respected his wife, and a major decision like adopting a child definitely required discussion between the couple.
Su Xiaotian also fell silent. That's right, when the old woman was on her deathbed, she asked the eldest son to raise Little Tree, undoubtedly considering that the eldest son's family might be better off.
Why had she placed her hopes on Little Tree's uncle?
She was still too naive.
Since no conclusion could be reached on the matter for the time being, everyone decided to eat first.
Little Tree hadn't eaten such delicious food in a long time.
With so much meat, his mouth was watering.
But the little fellow seemed to know that this was not his home, so he didn't dare to reach for the dishes.
He just held his rice bowl and carefully scooped rice into his mouth.
An Rongxue looked at the child only shoveling rice into his mouth and felt a pang of sadness. He picked up a chopstick of fish, picked out the bones, and then placed the fish meat into the little fellow's bowl.
Little Tree was eating when a chopstick of meat suddenly appeared in his bowl. He looked up.
He saw An Rongxue's smiling face, and the little fellow was stunned for a moment.
"Eat, eat slowly, there's plenty of rice," An Rongxue said with a gentle smile. "Have a bite of fish first, and then you can have a chicken leg later."
"Yes, eat slowly, but as long as you're full, we can eat again later,"
Li Guihua, fearing the child might eat too much at once and hurt his stomach, reminded him with a smile.
In previous years, when conditions were poor, an extra set of bowls and chopsticks would be difficult to come by, but with the improved living conditions in the past two years, it was possible to give a child a meal.
Li Guihua was not stingy about letting a child have a few meals.
But honestly, if they were to raise him permanently, she might have objections. Su Dan Novel Network
After all, no one was wealthy, and raising a child was not just about providing a few meals.
If they were to truly adopt this child, there would be many subsequent issues.
For one thing, what about his education? What about getting married and building a house in the future?
"Little Tree hasn't eaten his fill in a long time, so he should eat a little less, especially the meat. Eating too much might upset his stomach," Su Xiaotian quickly added.
Little Tree, hearing these words of concern, began to cry.
No one had cared for him since his grandmother passed away.
He had lived for so long being scolded for even drinking a bit more soup, yet now someone was giving him meat.
Thinking of this, Little Tree cried even harder.
When the little fellow started crying, it was a big deal, and everyone was startled.
"Little Tree, what's wrong?"
Su Xiaotian, sitting next to Little Tree, quickly helped him wipe his tears.
"I, Sister, no one has let me eat meat in a long time, and I haven't eaten meat myself in a long time..." Little Tree said, sobbing.
Everyone listened with heavy hearts.
Grandma An exclaimed, "Oh heavens!"
After the meal, everyone's hearts were heavy.
Little Tree was left at An Rongxue's house. Li Guihua said she would give the child a bath and mend his clothes.
As for raising a child, Shen Zizhen admitted he didn't have the ability, so he could only return to the research base with a heavy heart.
When he came this time, he hadn't brought much money as he didn't expect many expenses. After calculating the travel costs, he took out ten yuan from his wallet.
This money was to be given to An Rongxue first, so that he and his wife could help look after Little Tree for a period of time.
He planned to discuss officially adopting the child with Su Taohua after he returned to the capital.
At the same time, Su Sangong also found a pair of army-green trousers from his luggage and planned to ask Li Guihua to alter them into clothes for Little Tree.
The child's clothes were truly beyond repair.
The conditions at An Rongxue's home were likely not very good, making it difficult for them to make clothes for the child.
Su Xiaotian was also not idle. She directly found a piece of cloth and then took out twenty yuan.
When the three of them met outside, they were all surprised.
"You two..." Shen Zizhen asked.
"Teacher, I found a pair of trousers and wanted to ask Aunt Guihua to help alter them into clothes for Little Tree. The child's clothes are probably beyond mending," Su Sangong said.
"I brought a plain bedsheet with me, which can also be made into clothes. I plan to give it to Aunt Guihua," Su Xiaotian also said.
"This child is so pitiful. I was thinking of giving some money to Rongxue's family to help them raise Little Tree for a while," Shen Zizhen sighed.
Sending him back to Nanhe Village was impossible!