Ever since the He family compensated Xia Qingqing with 20 yuan and 50 eggs, He Xiaohua's life at home has become even more difficult.
Not only did she have to work in the fields every day to earn work points, but she also had to do all the housework and could only eat until she was half full.
The only thing that made her feel better was that, thanks to her father's explanation, her mother stopped hitting her so often.
He Xiaohua is busy working in the fields and at home every day, and has no time to pay attention to what's been happening in the brigade lately.
A couple of days ago, while she was working with everyone, the others were gossiping about the team leader's family, and that's when she learned that Zhang Jianguo had gone home to visit his relatives.
That day at dinner, He Xiaohua was surprised to find that her mother had made her a big bowl full of corn porridge. She couldn't hide the surprise on her face.
Seeing her daughter standing there motionless, He's mother forced a kind smile and said, "Eat up, eat more."
“Mom, I don’t need to eat so much,” He Xiaohua said, her voice trembling slightly.
She felt no joy at all; instead, she found her mother's unusual behavior somewhat frightening, giving her the feeling of a prisoner eating his last meal before being led to the guillotine.
"Just eat what I tell you to eat. Look at how skinny you are, who would want you?" Mother He looked at He Xiaohua with disdain.
"Mom, what do you mean by this?" He Xiaohua's heart skipped a beat at the thought of whether she looked down on someone or not.
Upon hearing this, He's mother smiled and explained, "You're eighteen this year, you can start looking for a partner a long time ago. Don't worry, your parents will definitely find you a good match, and you can just wait to enjoy your life."
If she hadn't wanted to keep this daughter to work for a couple more years, she would have married her off long ago.
He Xiaohua felt a deep sadness when she thought of the 'good man' her sister had married.
In her parents' eyes, a good partner is someone who can afford a high dowry; whether their daughter will have a good life in the future is completely out of their consideration.
As if struck by a thought, a resolute glint flashed in He Xiaohua's eyes.
——
Zhang Jianguo looked at the girl who had suddenly called out to him in surprise. He quickly recalled her name and finally remembered her name: "You are He Xiaohua, right?"
Hearing that he still remembered her, He Xiaohua couldn't hide her joy: "Brother Jianguo, you still remember me."
Zhang Jianguo smiled politely and asked, "Did you call me over because you need something?"
He Xiaohua looked a little nervous, clenched her fingers tightly, and mustered her courage to say, "Brother Jianguo, I like you. Will you marry me?"
These words were so blunt that Zhang Jianguo felt completely stunned after hearing them. He looked at the girl in front of him in shock and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? We don't know each other at all."
"No, you may have forgotten, but you helped me before, and I started to like you from that time on," He Xiaohua said, feeling a little sad when she saw Zhang Jianguo's indifferent expression.
Before Zhang Jianguo joined the army, He Xiaohua once failed to take good care of her younger brother, causing him to bump his head. She was severely beaten by her mother, and He Xiaohua couldn't bear it any longer, so she secretly ran away.
She hid outside for a day and a night, and just when she was about to faint from hunger, Zhang Jianguo gave her a steamed bun. From that moment on, He Xiaohua engraved this kind boy in her heart.
Zhang Jianguo was speechless after hearing this. Over the past twenty years, he had done at least fifty or a hundred small things like helping others. If he had to marry one of them, how could he possibly manage to marry them all?
But seeing He Xiaohua's teary eyes, Zhang Jianguo felt bad about embarrassing her too much, and explained gently:
"Your feelings for me are just gratitude, not love. You should find a man who truly loves you, instead of marrying someone just out of so-called gratitude. You won't be happy that way."
"No, I just like you, Brother Jianguo, I beg you, please marry me," He Xiaohua shook her head violently, unwilling to accept Zhang Jianguo's rejection.
This was her last chance. If she couldn't marry Zhang Jianguo, she would have no choice but to wait to be sold by her parents, and she would die.
"Hey, think about it again. Marriage is a serious matter and not a game."
"I have no plans to get married for the time being. To me, you're just a stranger from the same village." Feeling he had done his duty, Zhang Jianguo said this and left without waiting for He Xiaohua's reaction.
He Xiaohua's tears welled up instantly. She slowly squatted down and buried her head between her legs: Why does everyone have to force her? All she wants is to marry the person she loves. Why is it so difficult?
"Haha, Xiaoying, this country girl is really shameless. She actually begged someone to marry her. Look at her worthless appearance."
Qin Jiajia and Liu Xiaoying passed by and witnessed He Xiaohua's confession clearly. Without caring whether the parties involved could hear it, she started complaining to Liu Xiaoying.
He Xiaohua was already heartbroken from being rejected by the person she liked, and when she heard someone mocking her like that, she suddenly stood up:
"What are you saying, you bitch? Say it again if you dare!"
Qin Jiajia never expected that this village girl would have such a bad temper. She was always the one scolding others, and no one else ever scolded her.
With her hands on her hips, she angrily cursed, "You're the slut! You like that country bumpkin, huh? Too bad he doesn't like you. He likes Xia Qingqing, that village girl."
He Xiaohua's expression changed instantly. She stared into Qin Jiajia's eyes and asked, "You're saying that Brother Jianguo likes Xia Qingqing? How could that be? I don't believe it."
Seeing that she was hurt by her words, Qin Jiajia's expression immediately turned smug: "Would I lie to you? The other day, that country bumpkin even saved a seat for Xia Qingqing and took her to a state-run restaurant. If he didn't like her, why would he be so nice to her?"
She glanced at He Xiaohua up and down and said, "Don't deny it, Xia Qingqing is indeed much prettier than you. No wonder that country bumpkin likes her and not you."
Seeing the girl's thunderstruck expression, Liu Xiaoying tugged at Qin Jiajia's arm, telling her to say less. They couldn't bear the responsibility if the girl did something rash.
"Why is it Xia Qingqing again?" He Xiaohua murmured. She really didn't want to hate Xia Qingqing, but why was there such a big difference between people?
Xia Qingqing's childhood wasn't easy because her grandparents favored boys over girls, but she had a good mother. Zhang Hongyan caused a scene at the Xia family for her daughter's sake, leading to a separation of the family.
As the only daughter of Zhang Hongyan and her husband, Xia Qingqing's life got better day by day. Even after Zhang Hongyan gave birth to a son, her attitude towards her daughter did not change.
He Xiaohua smiled bitterly. She had known since she was a child that she could only get what she wanted by fighting for it herself. Xia Qingqing, just you wait and see. I will never let you and Brother Jianguo get together.
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