Chapter 114

Be careful of Uncle San? What's he up to again?

Bi Chunliu couldn't understand his uncle's thoughts. He was obviously a coward, but he would always jump out and act mean from time to time, as if he would feel uncomfortable if he didn't show his presence.

"Aunt Gui, what happened to my third uncle?"

Aunt Gui: "Your third uncle and aunt sent that girl Wangdi to study with Guangyao! Don't you think this is strange? Bi Laosan, um, your third uncle was working with us a while ago with his neck stiff like this, and he walked with his chin up to the sky and his head tilted up. The look in his eyes was just like that, slanted as if he was looking down on people. Your third uncle must have something bad to say when he saw him." Aunt Gui said while imitating the arrogant and disdainful expression of Bi Sanshu to Bi Chunliu and others, saying that you all are garbage.

This shameless old man was willing to send his daughter to school. It was obvious that he was after something bigger. He might even be trying to get his niece to find a capable son-in-law for his daughter by blaming Chunliu. Ha, I saw through him right away.

Bi Chunliu: ...So that's how it is. She hadn't expected her uncle and aunt to actually send Wangdi to school, and hadn't even shown off to her. This was truly unlike them...

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on what he wants to do. Thank you, Auntie."

"Really?!" Bi Qiuguo exclaimed softly. Bi Chunliu turned to look at her and Bi Pingping. The two little girls were talking about something, their faces dancing with joy while they listened with excitement.

Aunt Gui glanced at her two daughters and whispered, "These two girls must be talking about the captain's family. I heard that the captain and his wife are getting upset lately. One of them is smoking loudly at home, and the other is throwing pots and pans in the kitchen."

Bi Chunliu: "Ah? What happened to his family?"

"Do you know the captain's daughter, Xiaomei? You know this girl, she has a good job, her boyfriend works at the grain station, he's good-looking, and he has an older brother. Her parents-in-law live with her eldest uncle's family, so she'll have a lot less to worry about after she gets married. But Xiaomei doesn't know what's wrong with her. She came back before the New Year and insisted on breaking off the engagement, saying she wasn't getting married anymore, saying that her boyfriend working at the grain station was useless and would be a nobody in the future. She also said she wanted to switch partners with her cousin, Xiaoju, the second son of Wang Laoer's family. Xiaoju's aunt introduced her to a guy a while ago who's studying cooking at a state-owned restaurant, and they're planning to meet. Do you think a cadre working at the grain station can compare to a chef? I don't know why Xiaomei is so stubborn. She was so angry at home that she was making a fuss. Wang Dayou was so angry that he wanted to hit him, but his wife tried to stop him. Oh, you don't know, it was a big fuss, tsk tsk..."

Bi Chunliu: "Xiaomei said she wanted to break off the engagement because she thought her boyfriend was a loser? How did she know he was a loser?

"Who knows? Do you think Xiaomei is stupid? If Pingping wasn't so young and my nieces and nephews were married, I would have wanted to find someone to introduce that young man to our family. Working at the grain station is such a good job!" Aunt Gui felt more and more regretful the more she spoke.

"Chunliu, Xiaoxing, why don't you go home now that you are here? Your grandma is waiting for you. Come on, let's go home." Aunt Bi San came to look for someone.

Bi Chunliu: "Aunt Gui, let's talk later. We'll go back first."

"Hey, okay."

Aunt Bi's eyes swept over the things in Xing Fei and Bi Weiguo's hands one by one. Chun Liu was indeed a good wife. Alas, it was a pity that she only brought so few things. When her mother-in-law saw them, she confiscated everything.

"Xiao Xing, I'll carry the things. You're the new son-in-law, and you'll be an honored guest when you come home for the first time!" Aunt Bi San reached out to take the things in her own hands.

Xing Fei had already been told by Bi Chunliu that he was going for the role of a cold-faced son-in-law and shouldn't appear too approachable. "Aunt, let me carry it."

"Oh, okay." Aunt Bi San withdrew her hand angrily. This niece-in-law also has some bad points. He rarely smiles and his face looks scary.

Aunt Bi San came close to Bi Chunliu and said, "I haven't seen Weiguo for a while. He's taller and stronger. I wish my Guangyao could be as strong as him." Aunt Bi San also touched Bi Weiguo's arm.

Bi Chunliu: ...In the middle of winter, what can you feel through such a thick cotton-padded jacket?

But she still said the same thing: eat more and practice more, because a chef cannot be without energy.

Aunt Bi thought her niece had some clever tricks up her sleeve, but she didn't expect them to be this. Disappointed, she thought that if she hadn't remembered Chunliu and promised to find Guangyao a good job in the future, she would have wanted Guangyao to become a chef too. Apart from anything else, it would have been enough to just improve his physique.

"Are you all here? Come in quickly, it's warmer inside." Old Mrs. Guo was already waiting at the door. She first glanced at Xing Fei, then at Bi Chunliu, and then her eyes were filled with her eldest grandson.

Aunt Bi took Wangdi to the kitchen to cook. Old Mrs. Guo glanced at the other three granddaughters who were motionless, moved her lips, but in the end she did not say to let the granddaughter who had married into another family cook. So she ordered Bi Xiahe and Bi Qiuguo to go to the kitchen to help Aunt Bi.

Aunt Bi San was in the kitchen and did not miss the opportunity to listen to the conversation in the main hall. She poked her head out of the kitchen and called out, "No need, Xia He and Qiu Guo, please sit down. We will be eating soon."

Bi Xiahe and Bi Qiuguo sat down readily.

Old Lady Guo looked at her naive granddaughter and said in what she considered to be considerate words, "Xiao Xing, you can't let these two girls just eat and do nothing in the city, otherwise they won't be able to get married in the future. Look, if I hadn't taught Chunliu how to work, she wouldn't be so capable, and she wouldn't be able to marry you, right?"

Bi Chunliu:?? How come I didn’t know I was taught by your hand?!

If Xing Fei hadn't heard his wife describe her grandmother's personality, he would have thought she had grown up with her. "Girls, just take care of yourself. My dad and I used to do most of the work. Xia He and Qiu Guo are both sensible and good students. We don't need them for household chores. They just need to study hard."

Uncle Bi, who was sitting next to him, said, "Yes, an unmarried girl should study hard. We were too busy at home before, so we let Wangdi do housework for two years. Chunliu, your sister Wangdi is really good at studying. I thought she hadn't been to school for two years, so I simply sent her to Guangyao's class. I didn't expect that this girl even ranked third in the exam before the New Year. She even helped Guangyao study, and Guangyao ranked twelfth. She has made great progress."

"Really?" Bi Chunliu didn't expect Wangdi to be so motivated. She said happily, "I'll buy Wangdi and Guangyao a few notebooks as rewards when I get home."

Uncle Bi: “…No, it will cost you so much money.” What’s the point of giving me a notebook? Give me money!

Bi Guangyao thanked Bi Chunliu quietly: "Thank you, Sister Chunliu."

Bi Chunliu touched his head. Guangyao was really thin. "Guangyao, when the weather is not so cold, you can walk around in the yard every day, walk more, and eat more."

"Yeah." Bi Guangyao nodded, "I'll listen to you."

Uncle Bi told Xing Fei about the various difficulties at home. Bi Chunliu didn't want to listen anymore, so she said she was going to the bathroom and got up and walked into the house.

Coming out of the restroom, Bi Chunliu saw Bi Guangyao waiting outside. Bi Chunliu made way for him and asked, "Guangyao, do you want to go to the restroom?"

"Sister Chunliu..."

Bi Chunliu turned to look at Bi Guangyao who was following her, "What's wrong?"

"Sister, can you think of a way to help my eldest sister?" Bi Guangyao's little face was full of begging and entanglement. He really didn't know who to talk to. Dad told Mom not to worry about it, but Mom didn't listen to him and said that she had no way. What should he do with his eldest sister?

Bi Chunliu: "Tell me what happened to Zhaodi first? Otherwise I don't know how to help her."

Bi Guangyao: "My eldest sister's mother-in-law said that she couldn't have children and forced her to take medicine. Before the New Year, my eldest sister came and she was so thin that she looked like a skeleton. She drank some water and her saliva was the color of medicine. Sister Chunliu, my eldest sister will definitely be able to have children. My second sister is pregnant."

Although Bi Guangyao's words were incoherent, he still understood that Pandi was pregnant, but Zhaodi, who got married a year earlier than her, was not pregnant yet. Zhaodi's mother-in-law was anxious and forced Zhaodi to take medicine. As a result, Zhaodi seemed to have damaged her health from the medicine.

"Which village did Zhaodi marry into?"

"Lingping Commune Harvest Brigade."

"Guangyao, I can't go to Zhaodi's house. How about this? I'll give you one dollar. You can find a way to get Zhaodi to come to the city to find me. I'll take her to see a doctor."

If Guangyao hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten Zhaodi and the others.

It was hard to say who had a more miserable life between Zhaodi and her before. But when she thought about it carefully, it seemed that Wangdi and the others were more miserable. After all, grandma would not live with their family forever.

Her mother gave birth to her first. When grandma saw that it was a granddaughter, she was very unhappy. She expected her third aunt to give birth to a grandson. As a result, her third aunt gave birth to Zhaodi. The next year, her third aunt became pregnant again and gave birth to Pandi, but her mother never got pregnant. It was not until her mother gave birth to Weiguo that grandma stopped crying and howling every New Year because there were two hens in the house that didn't lay eggs.

The year after Weiguo's birth, Third Aunt and Mom became pregnant again. Mom gave birth to Xia He, and Third Aunt gave birth to Wang Di. A year later, Mom gave birth to Qiu Guo, and Third Aunt waited another four years before giving birth to Guangyao, despite his poor health. Bi Chunliu could understand Third Aunt's desire to protect Guangyao. For rural women at that time, a son was not only a son; it also provided them with the confidence to stand up to their mother-in-law. But compared to Guangyao, Third Aunt cared less about her daughters, and after Guangyao's birth, she devoted herself even more to him.

There is no need to mention my third uncle. If my father hadn't heard from my grandmother that my third uncle wanted to find a husband for 16-year-old Zhaodi, and my father hadn't rushed back and beaten my third uncle, Zhaodi would have been about to get married.

Bi Guangyao: "Okay, Sister Chunliu, I'll think of a way. There's someone in our class whose grandmother lives in the Fengshou Brigade. I'll ask him if he can send a message."

"Okay. I'll leave you an address, and you can ask Zhaodi to find me."

Even though she couldn't help with anything else, taking Zhaodi to see a doctor would also save her from the sufferings of her past life. Because she just remembered that Zhaodi seemed to have died not long after Pandi gave birth.