Chapter 34

Chu Jiujiu stretched her neck, wanting to go in and take a look, but after hesitating for a long time, she retracted her foot. When she walked up and down the steps of the post office five or six times, an auntie wearing a red armband came out.

"Come in, Chu Jiujiu. It's so sunny outside, it's much cooler inside."

Chu Jiujiu stood on the bottom step, looking up blankly at the familiar aunt.

She was silent for a long time before asking, "You...you checked my household registration?"

Feng Ruyi: “…”

As a modern person, this was Chu Jiujiu's first reaction. Later, she remembered that there were no computers in this era, and checking people's household registration was not a simple task. She walked into the post office with full of doubts. Under the baptism of the loving and sympathetic gazes of the crowd, Chu Jiujiu gradually understood what was going on.

Chu Jiujiu's father once taught her that in life, the more friends you have, the more paths you can take. In the past, she had her parents' protection, but Chu Jiujiu never thought deeply about this. Now, she only has her grandfather to depend on, and all the survival rules her parents told her have been brought to her mind.

After knowing that it was Chu Shao who sold her out, Chu Jiujiu wiped away the wariness and suspicion on her face and replaced it with her signature sweet smile, "Aunt Feng, thank you. I lied that day, but you didn't blame me. I knew the first time I saw you that you are very kind and have a strong sense of justice. You are just like those aunties in blue work clothes painted on the wall, a good auntie who serves the people and contributes to society!"

Feng Ruyi didn't like to laugh much, and when she heard Chu Jiujiu's words, she felt happy, but not so happy that she could show it on her face. She just looked at Chu Jiujiu with a softer look. Seeing this, Chu Jiujiu struck while the iron was hot.

"It's true, it's true! Aunt Feng, you don't know, I had a quarrel with Zhao Shiliu yesterday, she scolded me, slandered me, I was almost mad to death, I couldn't deal with her, but I only mentioned you, I said that there is an aunt wearing a red armband in the post office, she works seriously, and is very friendly to everyone who comes to the post office, she is a good comrade of the post office and a good helper of the people, she will not blame a good person, nor will she let a bad person go. I asked her to come with me to the post office to find you, and let you judge who of us is telling the truth and who is lying. She immediately dared not speak again. I saw it clearly, she was scared when she mentioned you, Aunt Feng. Aunt Feng, you helped me, you are our family's benefactor!"

Feng Ruyi listened quietly, her expression unchanged. Her colleagues felt that she was being a bit unkind. Look how well the child spoke. These days, being praised as a good helper to the people is the highest form of praise. Alas, Section Chief Feng just had this kind of personality. It was a good thing he didn't scare the child...

The colleague had just said this in her mind when she turned around and found that Feng Ruyi was gone. After looking for a while, she saw Feng Ruyi returned to her office. After a while, she walked out quickly and handed Chu Jiujiu a bag of butter biscuits.

"Eat it with your brother on the way back. Don't eat too much at once. It's choking."

colleague:"……"

She had seen this bag of cookies before; it was brought back by Feng Ruyi's husband from a business trip to Shanghai. Many people in the post office were envious. Her apprentice, Comrade Xiao Yu, was lively and spoiled, and had asked Feng Ruyi for it several times, but Feng Ruyi had refused. Why was she so generous today?

It seems that no matter who you are, you can't say no to flattery...

The colleague walked away, teacup in hand, looking thoughtful. Chu Jiujiu, on the other hand, looked at the bag of biscuits in her hand, which seemed to her to be very crudely made, and jumped twice in applause. "These biscuits are super delicious! Aunt Feng, thank you so much! Next time my brother and I come to collect the remittance, I'll bring you something delicious too!"

Chu Jiujiu emphasized the phrase "collect the remittance" so that the people at the post office would remember it. Even if someone else from the Zhang family tried to remit the money, with Section Chief Feng in charge, they would never get any more. Feng Ruyi didn't have any extra expression. She wanted to refuse. The two children had a hard time living on their own, and she wouldn't feel good about asking her to take their things.

Just at this moment, Chu Shao came over. Finally, the second person came to the window to make a remittance. The people who came to listen to the gossip gradually dispersed, and Comrade Xiao Yu also handed him the replacement receipt.

After taking it, Chu Shao folded it up and put it among the pile of documents he brought with him. Seeing Chu Shao walking towards her, Chu Jiujiu's attention was diverted and she hurriedly said goodbye to Feng Ruyi. Feng Ruyi was interrupted and did not say these words.

The two walked out of the post office together. Chu Jiujiu was holding the biscuits. Not long after she walked out, she urged, "Quick, Grandpa, take them out and show them to me."

The two stood under the shade of a roadside tree. Chu Shao took out the receipt as he was told. The receipt was not big and had only a few lines in total. The handwritten part had the recipient's address and name on the first line and the remitter's address and name on the second line.

Chu Jiujiu read through it word by word, afraid of missing any.

——Nie Bai, XX Regiment, XXX Division, 759XX Unit, XX City, XX Province.

Looking at the series of mysterious and majestic numbers in front of her, Chu Jiujiu was quite shocked. Although she had known for a long time that her ancestors had been soldiers, this was her first time coming into contact with something related to soldiers. After a moment's pause, Chu Jiujiu raised her head.

She stared at Chu Shao without blinking. Chu Shao was also reading the words. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "This isn't the unit my father served in before. However, the code names of these two units are very similar."

Chu Jiujiu: "Do you have any impression of this person?"

Chu Shao shook his head: "No."

Chu Jiujiu was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head again. She said hesitantly, "No matter what... this person must be related to Great Grandfather or Great Grandmother. Grandpa, if not, why don't we try to contact him? Even if we can't find Great Grandfather, we can at least ask him how Great Grandfather is doing now."

"He dared to send the money, which means he is not afraid to contact us, Grandpa, what do you think?"

Chu Shao frowned, "How do I contact him?"

Chu Jiujiu pointed to the address on the receipt and said, "Here's the address, let's write to him."

You can write a letter, but you need to think carefully about what kind of letter to write.

Chu Shao put away the receipts and documents, thought for a while, then took Chu Jiujiu's hand and took her to look for a bookstore on Jiefang Street.

Fortunately, the town only had one busy street, and all the shops and institutions people needed were either on it or right next to it. Even without a map, it was not necessary to go too far.

He brought Chu Jiujiu here to buy stationery and envelopes. Actually, the post office also sold them, but the post office didn't have pens, and Chu Shao didn't want to write a letter to this man named Nie Bai in public, so he came to this bookstore.

The post office was packed, but the bookstore was nearly empty. With universities closed, the nation's elite remained semi-illiterate. The children could read, but they had no money to buy things in the bookstores. Consequently, the bookstores were the quietest places on Jiefang Street.

Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao stood in front of the counter choosing envelopes. Actually, there was nothing to choose from. They were all made of kraft paper, just one was thicker and the other was thinner. The letter paper was uniform striped paper. They bought as many sheets as they needed, and there was no pattern to choose from.

Chu Jiujiu lost interest after just one glance. She turned her head and looked at the shelves at the back. The sides of each row of shelves were marked with categories in calligraphy. Chu Jiujiu looked through them and found that there were only four categories: agriculture, people's livelihood, medicine, and quotations. The most books were in quotations, and there were very few books on the other three categories.

Chu Jiujiu looked at it for a while longer. When she turned her head back, Chu Shao was already ready to pay. One hand was on the things he was going to buy. Chu Shao turned around and asked her, "Do you want to buy a book?"

I kind of think she has a few hobbies, and reading is one of them. But the books here are so boring. She doesn't want to sit at home and read the "Soil Testing and Fertilization Technical Manual"...

Chu Jiujiu was struggling with her thoughts. She turned around and her eyes fell on the counter. Her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Why did you buy so much?"

And these didn't look like letter paper. Chu Jiujiu reached out and flipped through them. "This...is this a notebook? Chu Shao, why did you buy so many notebooks?"

"it works."

After giving a concise explanation, Chu Shao handed over the money, then raised a notebook with one hand that was thicker than two bricks stacked together. On top of the notebook were five envelopes and ten sheets of letter paper. Chu Shao was afraid that he would write badly, so he bought a few more.

There is also a box of twenty pencils. If I were to write letters alone, I would probably be able to write until Chu Shao’s twentieth birthday.

…

Walking out of the bookstore with these things and walking on the street, Chu Jiujiu thought for a while and suddenly realized: "I know, Grandpa, you want to spend money lavishly again so that people in the village will think that we have spent all our money."

"But Grandpa, this time is different from last time. What if Uncle Nie or Aunt Nie keeps sending us money? We can't play the role of a prodigal son every day. There's a saying that goes, 'get into the role.' If you keep playing the role for a long time, one day, Grandpa, you'll become a real prodigal son."

Chu Shao: “…”

"I'm not a spendthrift. These things are useful. By autumn, you should be going to school."

Chu Shao had been thinking about this matter for a long time. He hadn't mentioned it before because his family didn't have much money. At that time, he was still trying to figure out how to make money. He wouldn't tell anyone until things were finalized. Now the money problem had been solved. Even if Nie Bai stopped sending money, the money he had was enough to support Chu Jiujiu through high school. As for college tuition...

Chu Jiujiu only said that universities had been restored in the era she lived in, but she didn't know in which year the universities were restored. Chu Shao always felt that it wouldn't be that early. Forget it. He had made a plan anyway. He would save more money. If it was restored, he would send Chu Jiujiu to college. If it wasn't restored, he would keep it as her dowry.

Chu Shao was calculating in his mind, and he had calculated Chu Jiujiu's life for the next ten years or so. But he didn't expect that Chu Jiujiu would be unwilling.

Ever since hearing the word "school", Chu Jiujiu looked unhappy, "I don't want to go to school."

Chu Shao frowned, "Why don't you want to go?"

Kicking a stone off the road, Chu Jiujiu said unhappily, "School is so boring. I can understand everything the teacher says after just one listen, but the teacher still gives me a lot of homework. After finishing the homework, I don't even have time to watch cartoons. Reciting and copying the same poem over and over again, isn't that a waste of time? I want to read some other books, but the teacher says I don't pay attention in class."

Not all teachers are like this. Some teachers are older. Although they know that Chu Jiujiu is talented, they are afraid that she will be too impetuous, so they still insist on letting her take one step at a time and repeat the same learning process as other students. Some teachers are young and think that it is enough for Chu Jiujiu to learn, so they don't restrict her too much. In fact, both types of teachers are doing it for her own good. It's just that Chu Jiujiu's situation is too special. The things for elementary school students are simple and too easy for her, so it aroused her resistance.

Chu Shao didn't quite understand all this. He was silent for a moment, then tried to persuade him, "It's good to go to school here. There's only one primary school in the village, and everyone is in the same class. Everyone's progress is different, and you're progressing very fast, so the teacher can take care of you, so this situation won't happen again."

Chu Jiujiu turned to look at him, "Really?"

Chu Shao nodded steadily, "That's right."

The next second, Chu Jiujiu smiled brightly, "Grandpa, going to school is so good, why don't you go?"

Chu Shao: “…”

Seeing Chu Shao silent, Chu Jiujiu tilted her head innocently, "Grandpa, why aren't you talking?"

Chu Shao couldn't answer, and in the end he could only harp on her past mistakes, "You were trying to be nice, but you're still mocking me. I wanted to tell you before to change your habit of making up stories, but today you started making up stories again to Section Chief Feng from the post office. You didn't do anything to Zhao Shiliu, but Section Chief Feng didn't do anything to you, so why don't you be more sincere to her?"

Nonsense, even if she was sincere, would Section Chief Feng still like her so much?

Chu Jiujiu pouted and said unconvincedly, "I wasn't sincere, but I didn't hurt anyone. Wasn't Aunt Feng very happy after hearing what I said? She's happy, I'm happy, and only Grandpa is unhappy. So, Grandpa, you should reflect on whether there is something wrong with you."

Chu Shao: "...You are just quibbling."

Chu Jiujiu snorted, turned her head away and ignored Chu Shao.

Looking at the back of Chu Jiujiu's head, Chu Shao suddenly felt a headache.

"Forget it. I don't care whether it's sincere or not. But you have to change your habit of making up stories. Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"

Chu Jiujiu turned her head back and said smugly, "I'm not afraid. I don't make up stories randomly. I always make them up based on facts. Besides, my acting is so good that no one can detect it."

Seeing her take pride in her ability to make up stories, Chu Shao really wanted to smack her on the head to sober her up. But it was undeniable that Chu Jiujiu was right.

She did make up stories with good reasons, and her acting skills were really good.

At the very least, he had never seen anyone who could cry as easily as Chu Jiujiu and who could also control the extent of her tears.

Sighing, Chu Shao said helplessly: "I really don't know who you learned these things from."

Chu Jiujiu retorted: "I didn't learn it, it's inherited from my family."

Chu Shao: “…”

The Chu family is not to blame for this!

After frowning for a while, Chu Shao's expression gradually relaxed as he remembered something. He almost forgot that Chu Jiujiu's mother seemed to be a very capable woman with many talents. If it was really a family heirloom, it was probably passed down from there.

Chu Jiujiu once said that her mother was a businesswoman who owned a modest shop that sold items online every day, and her business was booming. Chu Shao was horrified by the future of technology, and even more stunned by the future of human nature.

Look at how crazy they are just to sell a few things. They are so cunning, really cunning!

But... he will have to try to learn in the future. If he still chooses to go south to do business in the future, then he must be ahead of everyone else. Even if he has to be cunning, he must be at the forefront of the times!

…

Chu Jiujiu wanted to go home and write a letter as soon as possible, so they didn't even enter the supply and marketing cooperative during this trip. On the way back, Chu Shao bought a few meat buns at the state-owned restaurant and prepared to take them back for lunch.

It was just past nine in the morning, nearly ten, when they hurried back. The state-owned restaurant had just opened, and only the steamed buns were on display. Other dishes that needed to be cooked fresh had to wait a while. The waiters were rude, and if they waited any longer, they would get the cold shoulder. Neither Chu Shao nor Chu Jiujiu wanted to stay any longer. When they got the buns, they didn't gobble them up like the other kids did, some even nibbling away chunks of the wrapping paper.

Chu Shao saw that the outer wrapping paper was a little loose, so he took it apart and wrapped it again. During this time, Chu Jiujiu was always absent-minded, and looked up at the door every few seconds.

Finally, Chu Shao finished the packaging, and Chu Jiujiu took the initiative to hand over her hand, and the two children left hand in hand.

He is generous, at ease, and well-educated. He speaks in an elegant manner without any local accent. If you listen carefully, his tone is somewhat similar to that of a radio announcer.

The waiter who sold them steamed buns watched them leave, then turned and asked his colleague, "Do you think they look like the boss's children?"

The other waiter looked up, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Maybe. Did you see the biscuits that little girl was holding? I saw them at my uncle's house before. They're only sold in big cities. They're imported. They're called oil biscuits. They're so expensive, several dollars a piece!"

This is pure nonsense. Butter biscuits are indeed more expensive than other biscuits, but it is not necessary for one biscuit to cost so much. The waitress deliberately exaggerated the price just to show off her knowledge and that her uncle is very powerful.

The other waitress didn't know and thought it was true. Now she was sure that Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu were not ordinary children. She began to regret her attitude just now, but besides regret, she was also a little confused. "Whose leader's children are they? Our town leaders, big and small, have brought their families to eat here, and I don't remember these two being among them."

There was only one state-owned restaurant in the entire town, and the waiters were more familiar with the number of town leaders and their family situations than the HR department. After a moment of silence, the boastful waitress suddenly remembered something. She clapped her hands and said firmly, "You forgot! Didn't the director of our town's Revolutionary Committee get transferred? The new director will arrive in the next two days, so he must have already arrived. These two children must be the new director's children!"

Good job.

The waitress regretted it even more. She had to know that it was the new director's son and daughter who came to eat. How could she not even wrap it properly with wrapping paper? She must have wrapped it carefully and stuffed a few more buns inside before sending it out!

…

Chu Jiujiu didn't know that her and Chu Shao's casual appearance had caused some people to misunderstand. Since returning to Qingzhu Village, Chu Jiujiu seemed to have turned on an unknown switch. She dragged Chu Shao and ran all the way. Even Chu Shao felt a little tired from running, but she was fine. She entered the house and slammed the door shut. Chu Jiujiu began to circle around Chu Shao.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Grandpa, write the letter quickly!"

Chu Shao stopped putting the letter away and looked at Chu Jiujiu in confusion, "Why are you so excited?"

Chu Jiujiu said happily, "Because we'll be able to contact Great Grandpa soon!"

Chu Shao: "...Whether we can contact him is still uncertain, don't hold out too much hope."

This didn't dampen Chu Jiujiu's enthusiasm. Chu Shao glanced at the obviously overly excited Chu Jiujiu and spoke again, "Besides, even if we can send this letter today, it will take at least a week to get there. By the time we get a reply, it will be half a month later. If there are other unexpected events, such as bad weather, or if this man named Nie Bai is stationed deep in the mountains, a delay of one or two months is possible."

Chu Jiujiu: “…”

So slow.

In her era, a greeting only takes a second. You can just send an emoji like "Have you eaten?" without even typing.

After successfully extinguishing the small spark burning in Chu Jiujiu's heart, Chu Shao went outside to sharpen a pencil. Then he returned to the house, sat on the eight-immortals table, spread out a piece of letter paper that still smelled of paper, looked at the blank space on the letter paper, and was silent for a long time. He didn't know what to write on it.

Chu Jiujiu sat quietly beside him. Seeing that he was slow to start writing, she prompted him, "Write. Write 'Uncle Nie, hello' or 'Auntie Nie, hello'."

It was all because the name Nie Bai was too androgynous. It could be a man's name, or a woman's name, there was no way to be sure. If only he was called Nie Dazhuang, then they wouldn't have to worry about it.

…

Chu Shao shook his head. "No, you can't write that. I don't know this person. I don't know his background at all. He may or may not know me."

After a pause, Chu Shao put down his pencil and said, "I don't want to expose myself before I confirm his identity."

Chu Jiujiu looked at Chu Shao's slightly immature profile and always felt that her grandfather was a little too cautious. Chu Shao himself might not have realized that he was really cautious in this regard to a point that was completely unnecessary. He thought too much and worried too much, just like the post-traumatic stress disorder described in the book.

Thinking of this, Chu Jiujiu's eyes instantly became full of pity. She thought for a moment and suggested, "How about I write it?"

Chu Shao turned his head, not quite understanding what she meant. What difference did it make whether he wrote it or she wrote it?

Chu Jiujiu touched her nose and explained, "I'm not really saying I'll write it. I...my handwriting isn't very good, so I'd rather you write it, Grandpa. But you can use my name and tone on the letter. Those who know you, Grandpa, can't possibly know me. Even if they see my name, they'll only have a little suspicion, but they won't really believe that Zhang Fengjuan has a daughter as old as me, right?"

That makes sense.

Chu Shao took an envelope and wrote Nie Bai's address on it first, then his own address. Finally, he wrote the three words "Chu Jiujiu" on the sender's name.

Chu Shao's handwriting was neat, and although his brushwork was a bit immature, one could already see the grandeur and elegance in the strokes. Chu Jiujiu immediately applauded like a little seal, praising him generously, "Grandpa's handwriting is so beautiful!"

Chu Shao hadn't written for more than half a year. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "My mother taught me. She made me practice calligraphy every day and didn't let me eat until I finished. If you practice like this, your handwriting will become beautiful."

Chu Jiujiu stopped clapping and after half a second, she naturally changed the subject, "The envelope is finished, now it's time to write the letter!"

Chu Shao: “…”

Chu Shao glanced at Chu Jiujiu and, for once, showed kindness and didn't expose her. She didn't need to worry. Zhang Fengjuan had passed away, and Chu Shao himself was a half-baked calligrapher. They didn't even have a teacher, so how could they possibly let Chu Jiujiu practice calligraphy every day?

He took out the letter paper again. This time he didn't need Chu Jiujiu to give him any advice. He thought for a while and then picked up the pen to write.

Comrade Nie Bai:

Hello, Comrade Zhang Fengjuan passed away unexpectedly in January this year.

After drawing the last period, Chu Shao put down his pen and prepared to fold the letter and put it in the envelope. Chu Jiujiu didn't react at first, but when she did, she stopped Chu Shao in surprise and said, "Wait, Grandpa, is that all you wrote?"

Chu Shao: "One sentence is enough. If he wants to find me, he will write back to ask where Chu Shao is and if anything happened. After reading his reply and getting to know him, I will write more."

"But," Chu Jiujiu asked, "what if he doesn't want to look for you?"

Chu Shao lowered his eyes, thought for a while, and then raised his eyelids again. He looked at Chu Jiujiu and said calmly and indifferently, "Then it can only be like this. He doesn't care about me. Maybe he has nothing to do with my father. Or maybe, the person who doesn't care about me is my father."

Chu Jiujiu was speechless. To be honest, she kind of hated Chu Shao, who was so rational yet ruthless, because everything he said was right, and she couldn't refute a single word. Her heart was filled with emotions, except for that tiny bit of dislike that was almost negligible, the rest was all heartache.

Grandpa is so pitiful.

So Uncle Nie Bai or Aunt Nie Bai, you must write back!

Thousands of miles away, Nie Bai finished his drill and sneezed violently on his way back to the dormitory. His fellow soldiers saw him and laughed at him, saying, "You only ran ten laps and didn't sweat much, but you've already caught a cold. Captain Nie, you're not good enough."

Upon hearing this, Nie Bai slapped the person who made the sarcastic remark on the back of his head, "Get lost! I can't do it, but can you? If you're capable, come over tonight and let's have a fight. I'll beat you down!"

The comrade raised his hands above his head, begging for mercy, and then took a few steps back. Only when he was far away from Nie Bai did he speak again in a frivolous tone: "It's bad, it's bad, the battalion commander is angry and embarrassed, hurry up and leave!"

After saying that, without waiting for Nie Bai to teach them a lesson, they had already run away quickly. Looking at the backs of these people, Nie Bai was furious, but after a few seconds, he turned his anger into a smile and went back happily.

——

Chu Shao finished writing the letter and had lunch at home. After three meat buns, he took the letter and went to the commune. There was no need to go to the post office to send a letter. There were several mailboxes throughout the town, including one at the entrance to Chu Shao's commune. When he reached the green mailbox, Chu Shao took out the envelope and took a look. The words "Chu Jiujiu" were clearly written on it. Pursing his lips, he dropped the envelope in. He heard a slight sloshing sound from the mailbox. Chu Shao stood there for a moment before heading back home.

The days that followed were much more peaceful. The old Zhang family had now become a complete stinking dog shit in Qingzhu Village. The eldest son and daughter-in-law conspired to sell Chu Jiujiu. The second son and daughter-in-law had no intention of harming her, but they had long been eyeing her money. It had to be said that they were truly a family. One openly wanted to kill her, while the other secretly blocked her livelihood. How unlucky were Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu to have to become relatives with this group of people?

As the saying goes, if a child is not well disciplined, it is the fault of the father. If one child has problems, you can blame the child yourself. But if a group of children have problems, it is obvious that the family is crooked. In the past, the villagers only thought that Mrs. Zhang was too powerful and scolded people every day. Everyone felt tired for her. Now everyone knows that Mrs. Zhang is the source of all evil in the Zhang family. If she hadn't interfered like this, her children might not have become like this.

After the villagers figured this out, they immediately gave the Zhang family a wide berth. Those living near the Zhang family were constantly seeing Mrs. Zhang. They usually avoided her, and when they couldn't avoid her, they simply pretended not to see her. Speaking even one more word to people like the Zhang family could easily lead to infection from their foul nature.

Mrs. Zhang's life in the village became increasingly difficult. No one went to work with her anymore. When she asked to borrow salt or firewood from her neighbors, she was always turned away. Even the babbling children would spit at her when they saw her, which made her so angry that she cursed at them. But the children were not afraid of her and even threw dirt into her eyes, making her scream in pain, but she couldn't catch them.

The worse things got for Mrs. Zhang, the worse things got for the Zhang family. She took her anger out on her own family, and the one particularly affected was Zhao Shiliu. Mrs. Zhang would beat and scold her at every turn, and when she realized she wouldn't resist, she intensified her violence. It wasn't that Zhao Shiliu didn't want to fight back, but her reputation was ruined. Her family didn't want her, and outsiders would point fingers at her. If she got into a fight with Mrs. Zhang and she drove her away, she'd have nowhere else to go.

Today, while eating, Mrs. Zhang started cursing her again. Zhao Shiliu didn't want to hang around her anymore and just wanted to finish her meal quickly and leave. But Mrs. Zhang saw how fast she was eating and became even more angry. She pulled her hair and cursed, "Starving ghost! Stop eating, or you won't have any food to eat in the future!"

Zhao Shiliu felt a pain on her scalp and almost shed tears. Everyone at the table was eating by themselves, and no one paid any attention to the farce between them. Not to mention the children of the old family, even her own biological child seemed to be fine. Zhao Shiliu felt a chill in her heart and could not help but look at the last person - Zhang Qingshou.

Zhang Qingshou had never given her a good look these days. No matter how Mrs. Zhang tortured her, he didn't react. Zhao Shiliu didn't believe it. She looked at Zhang Qingshou for help, hoping that he could help her. Coincidentally, Zhang Qingshou raised his head, and the two looked at each other, and Zhao Shiliu understood.

He still doubts himself.

Zhao Shiliu was filled with hatred. She hated Chu Jiujiu for framing her, hated Chu Shao for not giving in, and even more hated Zhang Qingshou and Zhang Pozi. She had been married for so many years, given birth to children, and served her parents-in-law, but in the end she ended up like this, unable to even eat properly.

Don't let her eat? She eats anyway!

Mrs. Zhang pulled her hair hard, trying to drag her out of the dining table, but Zhao Shiliu stretched out her hand, grabbed a steamed bun, and stuffed it into her mouth desperately. Looking at her ferocious expression, it seemed as if that was not a steamed bun, but the head of the person she hated the most.

Mrs. Zhang grabbed her hair with one hand and hit her mouth repeatedly with the other, "Spit it out! Spit it out!"

Zhao Shiliu tried to swallow desperately, but suddenly, Mrs. Zhang's hand hit her throat, and the piece of steamed bread that she could have swallowed was stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.

She kept coughing, but no matter how hard she coughed, the steamed bread wouldn't come out. Zhao Shiliu soon became flushed with suffocation. Mrs. Zhang thought she was pretending at first, but when she saw her face was purple, she got scared and quickly called Zhang Qingshou, "Quick, pat her on the back!"

The Zhang family's children watched in horror as Zhao Shiliu struggled in pain, while Zhang Qingshou hit her back several times. Seeing that Zhao Shiliu was almost out of breath, he clenched his fists and smashed down with all his strength. Finally, Zhao Shiliu vomited out the steamed bread. Zhao Shiliu lay on the ground, and after finally catching her breath, she felt a terrible stomachache. She was about to stand up when she heard Qiuhua from the old house shouting, "Second Aunt, you're bleeding!"

Bleeding? Where?

Zhao Shiliu looked down blankly and saw a drop of blood falling on the ground. She wiped the corner of her mouth and found that the fishy and sweet taste in her throat was not because she had coughed for too long, but because she really vomited blood.

That night, the Zhang family was in turmoil. Zhao Shiliu had broken two ribs. Doctor Huang examined him and said the broken bones had likely penetrated his stomach, requiring immediate hospitalization. Upon arriving at the hospital, Mrs. Zhang was horrified at the cost of surgery and declared her incurable. She said the cost could have given Zhang Qingshou another wife. In the end, Zhang Qingshou, mindful of their marital bond, gritted his teeth and paid.

After this incident, although Zhao Shiliu saved her life, she could no longer do farm work. The Zhang family disliked her even more and threw all the housework to her. Even though she was not well yet, she had to do it with all her might, because apart from the Zhang family, no one else would take in her when she was sick.

Sometimes, Zhao Shiliu lay awake at night, wondering why she had ended up in this situation. Finally, she finally realized the source. If she hadn't slandered Zhang Fengjuan, Chu Jiujiu wouldn't have retaliated, and Zhang Qingshou wouldn't have been so cold to her. Going back further, if she hadn't been so blinded by money and insisted on taking the remittances that didn't belong to her, Mrs. Zhang wouldn't have regarded her as such a thorn in her side. None of this would have happened.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world, and everyone must be responsible for his or her own actions.