Chapter 246 Treasure Hunt

Zhang Lan didn't have any issues with Wei Yang; she also thought he was a good match. However, it was somewhat inappropriate for the two of them to make such a big decision as marriage on their own.

Song Lubai said, "None of the female colleagues in my unit had their parents attend their weddings. Everyone just had a bit of fun. It's not like here. If your parents are around, you definitely have to be more formal. But they don't have the means there. Many people don't even have a wedding ceremony. I've met Wei Yang's parents, and the gift they gave me was quite generous..."

Song Lubai listed a bunch of good things about Wei Yang and his family, and Zhang Lan shook her head repeatedly, laughing and saying, "That's why they say girls are more outgoing. You two haven't even started living together yet, and you're already full of praise for him."

Song Lubai said, "I can only say nice things about someone if they are really good. If they are not, I would not be willing to get a marriage certificate with them."

In her eyes, Wei Yang is perfect in every way. He is undoubtedly responsible, tall, good-looking, holds a high rank, earns a high salary, and likes her.

Her in-laws will not interfere in her family affairs in the future, which means she will not have any conflicts with her mother-in-law.

Wei Yang's other family members are all in the capital, and she won't see them much in the future, let alone have any conflicts.

His third sister, Wei Zhao, seems to be quite sensible.

Although her previous dream cast a shadow over her future life, she has already registered her marriage with Wei Yang and will live a good life with him from now on.

Undoubtedly, she also liked Wei Yang.

If things get tough in the future, she'll find a way to escape; there are always more solutions than problems.

When Song Lubai arrived, Zhang Lan specially prepared a bowl of sesame oil and egg stew for her.

Since there wasn't enough room inside, everyone slept on the ground in the yard.

It's much cooler outside than inside the tenement building, but there are also a lot of mosquitoes.

Patting this and scratching that, she fell asleep in a flurry of activity and confusion. That night, Song Lubai had no dreams.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she woke up.

She was afraid that if she dreamed of those bad things again, she would be even less able to face her mother.

Zhang Lan cooked a large pot of sweet potato rice and also mixed wild vegetables with salt and vinegar.

Zhang Lan carried the wild vegetables into the house like a thief and said to the whole family, "Eat quickly, don't let anyone see, and don't leave a single bit."

Although food is not as scarce as it was during the famine years, it is still very difficult to buy food recently.

In the village, grain crops can no longer be grown on the private plots; only vegetable scraps can be grown. City dwellers don't have their own private plots, so if they want to feed their large families, they still have to dig up some wild vegetables from the fields.

This is something that can't be done during the day, so it can only be done secretly at night.

The wild vegetables had a slightly bitter taste, but they were still reasonably palatable.

After the family finished eating, those who needed to go to work went to work. With most of the adults gone, Song Lubai made her selections and chose four boys to go to Sanshui Village with her.

"Sister, what are we going to Liu Mei's village for? I heard that Liu Mei's whole family went to Xinjiang Province."

Just as Song Lubai was about to answer, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Chen Weiliang's mother's face appeared at the door.

"Xiao Song, come over to my house and have some melon."

Song Lubai knew why Chen Weiliang's mother had called her, so she responded and followed her to the next room.

Chen's mother cut the small white melon into wedges and urged Song Lubai to eat.

The small white melon isn't very big, about the size of two adult men's fists. Once you cut it open, it releases a sweet aroma. The seeds inside are very small and edible.

Song Lubai had never seen this kind of melon in Xinjiang Province, but she had eaten Hami melons with golden flesh. Although the small white melon was not as sweet as the Hami melon, it tasted good too.

"Auntie, do you have any seeds for this melon?"

Chen's mother said, "If you want it, I'll try to save some for you this year and send it to you then."

Song Lubai said, "Okay, then give the seeds to my aunt and have her send them to me."

There aren't many apartment buildings in the cities of Xinjiang Province; most have small courtyards.

Although she didn't know if her future home with Wei Yang would have a yard, she prepared seeds in advance, and if they could be planted, she would plant two in the yard.

Chen Weiliang's mother only asked about Chen Weiliang's situation after they had almost finished eating the melon.

Song Lubai said, "When I saw him last time, he was in good spirits. He should have recovered almost completely, so don't worry about him."

Chen Weiliang's mother's mouth trembled, and she swallowed back the question she shouldn't have asked.

"Do you know about that girl surnamed Yang? How are things going between her and Weiliang?"

Chen's mother looked at him with eager eyes, but Song Lubai didn't understand her meaning. She carefully told him what she knew.

Chen's father, who was smoking his pipe to the side, let out a long sigh.

The couple fell silent. Song Lubai was still thinking about finding Liu Mei's treasure trove. After talking for a while, she said, "Uncle, Aunt, could I borrow your bicycle?"

Mr. Chen asked, "Where are you going?"

Song Lubai said, "I'm going to the countryside to visit some relatives. I'll be back today."

Bicycles are valuable, and unless you're very close to the owner, they won't easily lend them out.

Song Lubai's relationship with the Chen family wasn't particularly close, but considering Song Lubai's relationship with Chen Weiliang, Chen's father thought that the two of them could look after each other over there, so he nodded without much hesitation.

Before leaving, Mr. Chen instructed, "Make sure you keep a close eye on the car and don't lose it."

Song Lubai assured him, "I will definitely return it to you properly."

As the courtyard gate closed, Chen's father said with a worried look, "Let's tell Weiliang to live with that girl."

Chen's mother disagreed, saying, "Then it would be better to find Weiliang a woman who can take care of the child; at least he'll have a child."

"It's all that brat's fault that Weiliang is like this. If it weren't for her, Weiliang would be... She's really ruined Weiliang's life! You still want him to live with Weiliang? Don't you have any backbone?!"

Mr. Chen said, "She belongs to Weiliang. She should take care of Weiliang for the rest of her life. With Weiliang's health, even if he finds someone with a child, who can stay with him for long?"

"Do you think I want Weiliang to marry her? After thinking about it for so long, I think this is the best solution."

Chen's mother fell silent.

Because she also knew that what her man said made sense.

But the more reasonable it seemed, the more unwilling she became.

It's all that brat's fault. If Weiliang marries someone else, she'll be so disgusted she'll want to vomit.

"Tell him, but from what Song said, it seems Weiliang definitely doesn't want to live with that brat anymore."

"What are we going to do? What will become of Weiliang now?!"

Chen's mother's bitterness was written all over her face; the lines around her eyes were as wrinkled as orange peel, and tears streamed down her face without her realizing it.

Father Chen slammed his fist on the table: “Shut your mouth, what are you crying for? Our Weiliang is still perfectly fine. If he doesn’t get married in the future, we’ll give him one of the eldest son’s children to adopt.”

…

Song Lubai and her three companions rode two bicycles towards Sanshui Village in the direction of Chaoyang Commune.

We arrived outside Sanshui Village around noon.

Thinking of Liu Mei's many good things, Song Lubai led the three of them into the woods without hesitation.