Chapter 39: Lack of Money Leads to Evil

Jiang Xueyi picked up her pen and wrote down the recipe in a very fluent manner.

Ten years after the apocalypse, she had forgotten how to write some characters, so she used pinyin to replace the ones she couldn't remember, which was consistent with the fact that the original owner had only attended literacy classes.

She continued, "Sister Qian, you can't achieve that flavor. Maybe there's a detail or a step that went wrong." She added, "Take these potato chips for example. The potatoes must be cut into the thickness of your fingers. Too thick or too thin won't work. Too thick will absorb oil and water, and the inside won't fry thoroughly. Too thin will make them taste bad and they'll break easily during frying."

"Also, this stuffed bun." It's actually a hamburger. "The outermost bun slices are best eaten warm. If they're too cold, they'll become hard and taste bad. Considering children's appetites, the bun slices shouldn't be too large; they should be easily swallowed in one bite."

Qian Man nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "There are so many explanations here. No wonder I can't make it taste like yours."

She pointed to the tomato meat sauce noodles on the recipe: "This noodles..."

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Chop the tomatoes and pork into small pieces and make a sauce. Cover the noodles with it and mix it up. The principle is similar to making noodles with soybean paste."

Speaking of noodles with soybean paste, she couldn't help swallowing.

How about having some noodles with soybean paste tonight?

After writing down the recipes for French fries, spaghetti bolognese and hamburgers, Jiang Xueyi also mentioned a few recipes for sweet and sour foods that she could remember and that her children liked.

Qian Man wrote it down and said gratefully, "Xiao Jiang, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, sister-in-law." Jiang Xueyi said.

Qian Man stood up: "Then I won't bother you anymore."

Jiang Xueyi: "Hey, take care." She picked up the little bun and said, "Say goodbye to Aunt Qian."

Qian Man walked to the door, put her hand on the door handle, suddenly turned around, and said hesitantly: "Xiao Jiang, there is something I don't know whether I should tell you..."

"Just say it." Jiang Xueyi said.

Qian Man paused for a moment before saying, "It's like this. When I was going to the grain station today, I passed by the supply and marketing cooperative and saw your sister walking with a strange man. They looked very intimate." He then asked, "Are they... a couple? Do you know about this?"

Jiang Xueyi was slightly surprised: "I don't know."

She said bluntly, "I won't hide it from you. My sister is the daughter of my father and my stepmother. We have always had a bad relationship. I can even say that our relationship is worse than that of most people."

Qian Man understood, no wonder.

When we were eating hotpot that day, Jiang Xueyi didn't introduce Jiang Xueqin to anyone, and Jiang Xueqin just sat in the corner without saying much.

"Okay." Qian Man said, "That's all I said. You've heard it and that's it."

"I know." Jiang Xueyi saw her off and stood there for a while.

She thought that Jiang Xueqin was targeting Captain Zhao and had been telling Liu Lu to be careful, but she didn't expect that she had her eyes on someone else. From what Qian Man said, the two of them should be together and have made an appointment to meet.

This is no wonder. Although Captain Zhao and Liu Lu quarrel from time to time, their relationship is still pretty good.

Even if Jiang Xueqian wanted to interfere, she couldn't find a military marriage.

Besides, it was a military marriage, so she had to think carefully before becoming the third party.

Just as I was thinking about it, He Chengze came back.

He said, "What are you doing standing at the door?"

"It's okay." Jiang Xueyi came back to her senses, took the coat from his hand, and said with a smile, "You came back quite early today."

"Yeah." He Chengze said, "What delicious food should we make for dinner?"

Jiang Xueyi: "How about some noodles with soybean paste?"

"Sure." He Chengze said, "I haven't had this for a long time."

Heat oil in a pan, add minced pork, and stir-fry over medium-low heat to force out the fat in the meat. Stir-fry until the minced meat changes color, each piece of meat is distinct, and is slightly browned.

After the minced meat is fried, pour in the soybean paste and a little sweet bean sauce, stir-fry quickly to allow the sauce, minced meat and oil in the pan to fully blend.

The essence of Zhajiangmian lies in the word "zhajiang".

Blanch the hand-rolled noodles, rinse them with cold water and put them in a bowl. Pour the fried sauce on top and then add finely chopped cucumber, carrot, peanuts and bean sprouts. A bowl of fragrant fried noodles is ready. It is simple and delicious.

Xiaomi kept peeking outside the kitchen, obviously attracted by the fragrance.

Jiang Xueyi brought the noodles to the table and handed the chopsticks to He Chengze: "Try it and see if it tastes good."

"Of course it's delicious, thanks to your cooking." He Chengze said with a smile.

He took the chopsticks and mixed the sauce and noodles together. The white noodles were soon stained with the dark brown sauce, making them look particularly appetizing.

He ate the noodles with soybean paste in big mouthfuls and soon the bowl was empty.

Jiang Xueyi was happy: "No one is competing with you."

He Chengze wiped his mouth and said, "Today's training was too tiring and consumed a lot of energy." He added, "I'll eat another bowl later."

Jiang Xueyi: "I'll get you some."

Just as she picked up the bowl, she heard "bang bang bang" knocks on the door, each sound getting louder than the last. It was obvious that the visitor was very rude.

He Chengze gave Jiang Xueyi a look, signaling her to stay calm.

He stood up and opened the door: "Who is it?"

As soon as the door opened a crack, Kong Hongfang couldn't wait to pry it open with her hands and pushed Jiang Xueqin forward, causing her to fall to the ground.

Kong Hongfang put her hands on her hips and cursed, "Look at what this little bitch of yours has done."

Jiang Xueyi frowned and looked at Jiang Xueqian. Jiang Xueqian didn't look at her. Her messy bangs blocked her eyes, making it impossible to see her expression.

Jiang Xueyi could only ask: "What's wrong?"

Kong Hongfang raised her head, pointed her nose to the sky and said, "That bitch, she stole my money."

Jiang Xueqian raised her head at this time: "I didn't, Aunt Kong, I didn't steal your money, I really didn't."

Kong Hongfang snorted coldly, "I didn't steal it. Then let me ask you, where did you get the money to buy the powder on your face and the new dress you're wearing?" She added, "I remember that when you came to my house to work as a nanny, you didn't get paid a penny."

Jiang Xueqian argued softly, "...My sister and brother-in-law gave it to me."

Why did they bring this up again? He Chengze said coldly, "Don't give us any money for coming here." He added, "We wanted to send you on the train back to Xiaohe Village, but you were the one who insisted on staying."

Kong Hongfang looked embarrassed because she was the one who left Jiang Xueqian behind, but she immediately became confident and said, "Did you hear that? Your sister told your brother-in-law that they didn't give you any money. Let me ask you, where did you get the money to buy clothes?"

Kong Hongfang returned home today and found that the ten yuan she had hidden under her pillow had disappeared. That was a gift from her eldest son to her, and she was reluctant to spend a penny of it.

How come it disappeared?

It is definitely impossible for her son to steal her money, and her daughter-in-law... Although she looks down on her daughter-in-law, she has to admit that with Liu Lu's personality, she would not do such a thing. As for Zhao Xiaorui, a child, it is even more impossible. She doesn't even know where the money is.

After much thought, Jiang Xueqin, who was responsible for cleaning every day, was the most suspicious.

Jiang Xueqian: "Then it can't be the money I saved myself." She added, "Auntie Kong, I really didn't steal your money."

Her eyes flickered, and she was obviously feeling guilty.

Captain Zhao arrived with his wife and daughter, and watched his mother making a scene at the He family.

He tugged at Kong Hongfang's arm a little embarrassedly and whispered, "Mom, maybe we made a mistake? Why don't we go back and look for it again?"

"Pah!" Kong Hongfang spat in his face. "How could I be wrong? I count that ten yuan with my saliva every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. It's still there when I get up in the morning, but gone when I come back in the evening. Who else could have stolen it?"

Captain Zhao also understood that his mother was a bit unreasonable and favored boys over girls, but she would not lie about such an important matter involving money.

Captain Zhao frowned and asked Jiang Xueqian, "Xiaoqian, tell me the truth, did you take my mother's money?" He added, "As long as you tell me everything and return the money, I will pretend that this never happened."

Jiang Xueqin used her right hand to pick at her left fingernails desperately, a movement she would only make when she was nervous.

She wanted to pay it back, but she had already spent most of the ten dollars.

She was dating a bachelor introduced by Hu Genhua, who was also in the army.

Although his rank is not as high as He Chengze's, he works in a lucrative logistics department, his position is not low, and he looks okay too.

She was still very satisfied.

After a few blind dates, the two began dating.

When you start dating, you have to dress up, otherwise how can you capture your partner's heart?

I heard that her boyfriend is also very popular in the army, and many female soldiers in the art troupe are eyeing him.

Jiang Xueqin has a strong sense of crisis and she has to dress up.

But dressing up definitely costs money, buying skirts, buying cosmetics, everything costs money.

Where would she get the money? The little savings she had were all used up when buying train tickets.

If Captain Zhao's family hadn't taken her in, she would probably have been living on the streets.

Just when she was at a loss, she suddenly found the ten yuan that Kong Hongfang had hidden under the pillow while cleaning the room.

I had a bad idea for a moment...

But, but she regrets it now.

She and her boyfriend haven't finalized their relationship yet.

Jiang Xueyi would definitely not let her live in her own home. Only Kong Hongfang was willing to take her in. If this matter became public, she would definitely be driven back to Xiaohe Village.

Now I can only deny it until death.

Jiang Xueqian's eyes were filled with tears, and she looked pitiful.

She crawled on her knees to grab Kong Hongfang's trouser legs: "Auntie Kong, please believe me. How could I steal your money? You have been kind to me."

Kong Hongfang kicked her away and said with gritted teeth, "You know I've been in your debt. During the time you've been staying at my house, I've owed you nothing. How dare you steal my money?"

Jiang Xueqian yelled, "I really didn't steal your money."

She gritted her teeth and said, "I...I...I won't hide it from you. Actually, I'm in a relationship. These clothes and face wipes were all bought for me by my boyfriend."

Kong Hongfang paused and said hesitantly, "Really?"

"Really." Jiang Xueqian's eyes flickered. "If you don't believe me, I can take you to ask my boyfriend."

Seeing her confident tone, Kong Hongfang also wavered: "If it wasn't you who stole it, who else could it be?"

Jiang Xueqian rolled her eyes and pointed at Zhao Xiaorui who was standing beside her: "It must have been Xiaorui who stole it. She must have accidentally seen your money while playing, and she got greedy and wanted to buy some delicious food and drinks, so she stole it quietly."

She said, "Auntie, you must be vigilant. When you are young, you steal needles. When you grow up, you steal gold. Now you steal ten yuan. In the future, you may steal a hundred or a thousand yuan."

"Bullshit." Jiang Xueyi cursed for the first time. "Xiao Rui wouldn't do such a thing."

She looked at Jiang Xueqian, and for the first time, disgust flashed in her eyes: "Xiao Rui has been to our house so many times, and nothing has been missing from our house. Even the change is left on the shoe cabinet, and she hasn't been seen taking it. How could she possibly steal Aunt Kong's money?"

Jiang Xueqian argued speciously, "Maybe she didn't need money before, but she suddenly became short of money these past two days, so she had these evil thoughts. Who knows?"

She said, "Children of this age are naturally the most dishonest. You don't doubt her, but you doubt me, an adult. Is that fair?"

Kong Hongfang's suspicious gaze shifted from Jiang Xueqin to Zhao Xiaorui.

Zhao Xiaorui was frightened by her grandmother's stern eyes. She waved her hands repeatedly: "Grandma, it really wasn't me. I won't steal your money."

"That's her." Jiang Xueqian said, "Look at her, she's so guilty."

Zhao Xiaorui's eyes were red, like a little rabbit. She choked and said, "I didn't... I really didn't..."

She looked at Captain Zhao and Liu Lu: "Dad, Mom, believe me, I really didn't steal grandma's money."

Liu Lu patted her head and said, "Don't worry, Mom will definitely believe you. How could it be that you stole the money?"

A mother and daughter are connected by heart. A mother knows her own child, and Xiaorui is not the kind of child with dirty hands and feet.

Although Captain Zhao didn't say anything, it was obvious from his expression that he believed Zhao Xiaorui.

Jiang Xueyi: "Xiao Rui, don't worry. Your Uncle He and I also believe in you. We are upright and honest, and we are not afraid of those who distort the facts."

Zhao Xiaorui's eyes were filled with tears: "Thank you, Aunt Jiang."

Kong Hongfang was also confused: "Who stole my money?"

Jiang Xueqian stepped forward and said, "Just search me and you'll know."

She had hidden the unspent money in advance, under the bricks in a corner of the courtyard. It would be impossible to find it in a short time.

Zhao Xiaorui has pocket money. If they find even a dime and a half on her, it would prove she is guilty of stealing money.

Jiang Xueqian's eyes sparkled, and she said excitedly, "Yes, search me."

Afraid that Kong Hongfang wouldn't believe it, she took the initiative to take out her pockets and said, "Auntie Kong, look, if I stole your money, how come I don't have a penny on me?"

She added, "I slept on the bench, and my luggage was so small. If I stole some money, where could I hide it?"

Kong Hongfang hesitated. What Jiang Xueqin said made sense.

She looked at Zhao Xiaorui, and the more she looked at her, the more she disliked her.

Whenever she thought that Zhao Xiaorui might have stolen her money, she would get mad: "You damned girl, tell me, did you steal my money?"

Zhao Xiaorui opened her big eyes and said in a daze: "No, grandma, I didn't steal your money."

Liu Lu yelled, "Mom, it really wasn't Xiao Rui who stole your money. I can vouch for her."

Kong Hongfang pouted at her: "Bah, you two are standing on the same side. Don't think I don't know that even if it was that damned girl who stole it, you would still protect her."

As she spoke, she was about to grab Zhao Xiaorui and said, "If you search her, you'll know whether she stole anything or not."

Liu Lu became anxious.

What if Kong Hongfang was really searched? If everyone knew that she was suspected of stealing money and was searched by her own grandmother, how would Xiaorui live her life in the future?

Liu Lu quickly stepped forward, standing in front of Zhao Xiaorui, and said nervously, "Mom, don't. Xiaorui won't steal your money."

"Get out of the way!" Kong Hongfang pushed Liu Lu aside with a ferocious look on her face, grabbed Zhao Xiaorui's arm, and was about to search her when she heard Liu Lu screaming in pain.

Liu Lu fell to the ground, clutching her stomach, her face pale. "My, my stomach..."

Jiang Xueyi saw that something was wrong and quickly squatted down: "What's wrong with your stomach?"

Liu Lu bit her lower lip tightly: "I don't know why, my stomach hurts so much."

Kong Hongfang was dumbfounded and waved her hands repeatedly: "I, I just pushed her lightly, it's none of my business."

Jiang Xueyi glared at her. What was she still talking about at this time?

She looked at Captain Zhao and said, "What are you still standing there for? Send Liu Lu to the hospital!"

Captain Zhao only then reacted: "Oh, oh."

He picked up Liu Lu and rushed outside.

Jiang Xueyi put on her shoes and said to He Chengze, "You take care of the little one at home, I'll go to the hospital."

He Chengze nodded: "If there is anything, please let me know at any time."

Jiang Xue Qian was dumbfounded. How could things turn out like this?

She picked at her right fingernails desperately: "She must be pretending, yes, she must be pretending."

Jiang Xueyi took Zhao Xiaorui to the hospital.

Zhao Xiaorui said tearfully, "Aunt Jiang, is my mom okay?"

Jiang Xueyi wiped away her tears: "No, good things will happen to her. When we get to the hospital, the doctor will check her out. She will definitely be fine."

Zhao Xiaorui said "hmm" and stopped talking, but her tears were still falling.

In the hospital, Liu Lu was lying on the bed, with Captain Zhao standing beside her with a nervous look on his face.

After carefully inquiring about Liu Lu's condition, the doctor suddenly asked, "How long has it been since you had your period?"

Liu Lu replied: "It's been... more than a month. My period has never been accurate, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

The doctor thought for a moment and said seriously, "We'll give you a detailed examination later. You might be pregnant."

Hearing this, Captain Zhao looked at Liu Lu's belly in surprise: "What, you're pregnant?"

Liu Lu was even more surprised than him: "Could it be a mistake?"

Captain Zhao: "How could that be? You said it yourself. You haven't had your period for over a month. If it's not pregnancy, then what is it?"

After the examination, the doctor gave them a confirmed result that Liu Lu was indeed pregnant.

Captain Zhao was so happy that he didn't know what to say. It had been so many years since he had waited for this child.

Liu Lu lay on the hospital bed, gently touching her lower abdomen.

She thought her period was late because Kong Hongfang was always finding fault with her and making her unhappy, so it was normal for her period to be late for a while. She didn't expect that she was actually pregnant.

At this time, Jiang Xueyi arrived with Zhao Xiaorui.

After listening to Captain Zhao talk about this happy event.

Zhao Xiaorui threw herself on the hospital bed with a look of joy: "Mom, you are really pregnant. I will have a brother or sister, right?"

Liu Lu touched her head and smiled, "Yeah."

Captain Zhao said with a beaming face, "That's right, Xiaorui, you're going to have a brother or sister."

Kong Hongfang walked in: "What brother and sister? It must be a brother."

She half-sat on the hospital bed, touching Liu Lu's hand, and said happily: "You, it can be said that the old tree has blossomed. If you give birth to a son, you will be a great contributor to our Zhao family."

Liu Lu's face froze and she tried to pull her hand back, but Zhao Hongfen held it even tighter.

Kong Hongfang had completely forgotten about losing the ten yuan. She went home happily and said she would kill an old hen and make soup for Liu Lu.

As soon as she left, Liu Lu touched her belly and said, "Whether it's a boy or a girl, I like them both."

Jiang Xueqin also learned that Liu Lu was pregnant.

She couldn't get between Liu Lu and Captain Zhao in the first place, and now that Liu Lu is pregnant, she can't do that anymore.

It seems that I have to start with her boyfriend...

Jiang Xueyi stayed with Liu Lu for the whole night and went back the next morning.

He Chengze's eyes were slightly red, obviously he had been waiting for her all night.

Jiang Xueyi: "You should go get some sleep." She added, "Liu Lu is fine. She's pregnant, but the baby isn't stable. The doctor told her to take good care of it."

He Chengze nodded: "Then I'll take a nap."

He took a short nap for two hours, had breakfast, and then went to the army.

Jiang Xueyi slept for the whole morning, and the first thing she did when she woke up was to write a letter.

Originally, she still had some sympathy for Jiang Xueqin, thinking that it was not easy for her to be born in a family that favored boys over girls. She had never informed Jiang Aiguo and Huang Xiufen about her coming here.

Now it seems that this person is completely black-hearted and cannot be kept.

I had just written half of the letter when Jiang Xueqin showed up.

She glanced at the letter paper on the table and asked bluntly, "Are you writing a letter to your parents?"

"That's right." Jiang Xueyi admitted without hesitation, "I plan to ask them to take you back."

Jiang Xueqian sneered and said, "You just don't want me to stay at the Zhao family." She added, "That's right, I don't want to stay there either."

She said, "I can go, but you have to do me a favor."

Jiang Xueyi raised her eyebrows and motioned her to continue.

Jiang Xueqian: "I'm going to my girlfriend's house to meet her soon. You accompany me. If it works out, I will naturally leave the Zhao family. Isn't this what you want?"

She smiled proudly and said, "Liu Lu is pregnant now. I heard that the pregnancy is not good. If you don't want me to stir up trouble, you have to promise me."

"What if I don't agree?" Jiang Xueyi asked.

Jiang Xueqian: "It's up to you. I can continue to stay at the Zhao family."

She blew on her fingernails and said, "You just need to accompany me. No need to talk. I will take care of everything. I just need you as my family member to be here."

"It's a deal." Jiang Xueyi said, "Whether your boyfriend succeeds or not, you have to leave the Zhao family."

"make a deal."

The time was set for the next morning.

Jiang Xueyi just treated it as a place to eat melons, so she dressed up as usual and went out.

Jiang Xue Qian dressed much more beautifully, wearing a white blouse and powdering her face, looking much prettier than usual.

She took Jiang Xueyi all the way to her boyfriend's house, and when Jiang Xueyi wasn't paying attention, she gave her a mocking look.

She asked Jiang Xueyi to come, not just to have such a family member to support her.

She also wanted to let Jiang Xueyi see how good the family conditions of the person she found were, and she had to make Jiang Xueyi envy her.

Jiang Xueqin's boyfriend's home was a bungalow in the town. When she arrived, she smoothed her hair and waited until everything was ready before knocking on the door.