The next morning, Xiao Jiu and Pang Weiwei left without saying goodbye to Zhou Shengnan.

Before leaving last night, I gave her some notes and practice papers that everyone had copied. Whether they come in handy or not is up to her.

Xiao Jiu lent Zhou Shengnan fifty-eight yuan in cash and twenty jin of grain coupons. If it weren't for this IOU, she probably wouldn't have expected to grab so much money so easily.

After a bumpy ride, I arrived back at school in the evening, time for evening self-study.

They had already eaten noodles outside, so they went back to their dorm to pack their things and planned to go straight to the classroom.

When Yuan Yuan saw them return, she spoke up before Xiao Jiu could even ask.

"They haven't come back yet, I guess I'll have to ask them for leave again tomorrow."

Zhu Hongqi's home is in Xin County, which isn't too far, but traveling back and forth by bus is quite a hassle, plus the roads might be damaged, so the travel time is about the same.

Because everyone was eager to know what they had learned in the day they missed, no one dwelled on the Zhu Hongqi issue. They went straight to the classroom to borrow notes from classmates and ask questions.

Sure enough, Gao Mingxia and Peng Juan didn't return until the end of evening self-study. It seemed they wouldn't come back until tomorrow.

Yuanyuan and Xiaojiu were washing up together.

"I went home for the weekend, and I really didn't expect it. My aunt was actually married off by my grandma. Guess how much dowry she asked for?"

Xiao Jiu thought about her aunt's age, and realized she wasn't young anymore, probably a 25-year-old woman. If she didn't get married soon, she might not be able to find a husband.

"Five hundred yuan in betrothal gifts, three turns and one ring, and the dowry consisted of only four quilts and two sets of clothes. In the future, I would have to be a ready-made mother to my two children."

The man is quite well-off; he's a doctor at Xin County People's Hospital, a permanent employee, and earns sixty or seventy yuan a month!

It could also help my aunt find a job. When my grandma saw how good the offer was, my aunt went to meet the person.

I heard he's handsome and fair-skinned, and doesn't look old at all. He's over thirty, a full twelve years older than her, and she's already willing to do this.

To be honest, I was quite surprised. I always felt that such a good thing shouldn't have come her way, given my aunt's character, tsk tsk.

Yuan Yuan's meaning was clear: she was a woman of poor character, and anyone who had bothered to inquire would never want such a woman as a wife.

But the truth is that they not only accepted it, but also gave such a large dowry, so it's normal that she couldn't understand it.

"Did your grandma inquire about the man's character? If he's alright, then he's probably attracted to your aunt's youth and beauty?"

"Pshaw, beautiful? With that sharp-tongued face that looks just like my grandma's, she's considered beautiful?"

If you're talking about youth, then compared to someone in their thirties, he's a generation younger.

But she's really not beautiful, so I don't quite understand why I married her!

Xiao Jiu thought that Yuan Yuan's suspicion was a normal reaction: "How did the one before him die?"

"They say she died in childbirth while giving birth to her second child, but who knows for sure!"

My grandma was completely blinded by how good he was; she didn't even bother to find out anything about him.

Although I find this woman incredibly annoying, I also feel that she is the one who is stirring up trouble and driving a wedge between my mother and my grandmother.

But even though something was clearly fishy, ​​no one seemed to care. Thinking about it, she's quite pathetic.

When are you getting married?

"We're getting married on National Day."

"Then let's leave it at that. It seems like this matter is a done deal."

Your grandma is the boss in your family, your dad is unreliable, and you want to get out of that family as soon as possible. It would be better if they just got into chaos, so why worry about it?

Yuan Yuan shook her head. "What I'm worried about isn't what my aunt will face, but that if something goes wrong with her, I'll be the one who suffers!"

It's no wonder that Yuan Yuan thought so badly of their family; it's because the Yuan family was inherently devoid of kindness.

This wasn't just her overthinking; she was constantly on guard against being schemed against by her own family.

“It’s okay. You’ve already made a scene. The neighborhood committee is on your side, and you’ve got your household registration book with you. What are you afraid of?”

I think the one who's going to be unlucky this time is probably your aunt herself. Your aunt is really carefree.

She really thinks she's married a good man. If she doesn't keep her eyes open, she might actually fall into his trap.

The first thing to investigate is how the man's ex-wife died, and then the man's family situation.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to marry your aunt, a woman who has no job, no character, and no looks. What makes him worthy of marrying her? She's not even fit to be a decorative vase; she'd be better suited as a maid!

"My aunt works as a nanny? She can't even cook a meal."

"So the problem becomes even bigger. She's completely useless, yet he still wants to marry her, which means he can handle her or change her!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuan was taken aback. "You mean that man might...?"

Xiao Jiu calmly patted Yuan Yuan on the shoulder.

"I didn't say anything. It's all speculation. Time will tell. Don't panic. Stay calm. Maybe it's not a bad thing for you."

——

The next day after evening self-study, looking at the gray sky, Xiao Jiu was a little worried: "Is it going to rain again? It's not over yet."

The famine hadn't subsided when they faced floods. The corn in the fields was almost completely submerged, and those who could replant were planting other short-cycle crops, since winter wheat would be planted again around mid-October.

Every household is struggling. Even with food subsidies during the floods, people often go hungry, and this has resulted in even fewer students returning to school for the new semester.

So most people just get a spoonful of the free soup the school makes for breakfast, which is so thick you can see your reflection in it. It's called soup, but it's really just like plain water. They eat it with their own dry food and pickled vegetables.

Eating eggs was too conspicuous for Xiao Jiu, so he ate them in the warehouse. He would eat two eggs and a carton of milk while running in the morning. After morning self-study, he would usually eat some mixed grain pancakes with pickled vegetables, just like his classmates.

She is currently growing and is already feeling much hungrier than before. After four classes in the morning, she is starving. Without oily or fatty foods, she doesn't feel full and relies on the occasional biscuit that slowly melts in her mouth to keep her from feeling full.

At noon, the school would steam buns or a big pot of thick noodles. The noodles looked like a lot, but they weren't as filling as cornbread.

It's noodles with vegetables, and it's savory, so it tastes good. A big bowl costs five cents, plus an ounce of grain coupons, which is quite affordable.

In their dormitory, they would buy a bowl of noodles and four steamed buns, paying a total of one cent plus two ounces of grain coupons.

Four cornbreads cost five cents each. They were high in bran and low in flour, making them dry and hard to swallow. But with just one or two grain coupons, children from poor families ate these.

I couldn't swallow the liquor, so I bought a five-cent cornbread, about the size of my palm. It wasn't very tasty, but at least it was a normal food.

So her lunch cost one cent: a bowl of noodles, a cornbread, and two ounces of grain coupons. The noodles were purely vegetarian, with chives and other leafy greens. The only flavor was saltiness. It was all about affordability.