Chapter Thirty-One: I meant no other thing
The sound of Granny Zhang sobbing could be heard from time to time in the main room, occasionally mixed with the voices of Qian Cuilian and a few others trying to comfort her. Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, Shen Yuzhu slowly went into the kitchen.
"Sister Ma, are you alright?"
Ma Daya's face was filled with sorrow, not for Zhang Li, but for her future and the future of her children. She was lost in thought when someone called out to her. She turned around and saw Shen Yuzhu's face full of concern.
"I'm fine, thank you for coming, Shen Zhiqing."
"I came here to see if Zhang Li had bullied you. He's lying on the kang now and can't move, so he can't bully you anymore, right?"
Upon hearing her words, Ma Daya stiffened, and after trying for a long time, she still couldn't manage a smile, which made Shen Yuzhu anxious.
"What, you're already lying on the kang (heated brick bed) and you're still not behaving? Do you think I can bully you?"
She was a little agitated as she spoke, and reached out to tug at Ma Daya's sleeve. Unexpectedly, this tug tore Ma Daya's clothes, exposing half of her shoulder, which was covered in bruises and welts, clearly indicating that she had been whipped.
Ma Daya glanced at her in a panic and quickly pulled her clothes back.
"No, it's nothing. I hit it myself. It has nothing to do with the child's father."
"Sister Ma, haven't you ever thought about getting a divorce and asking the Women's Federation for help?"
Ma Daya paused for a moment, forced a smile, and raised her hand to pat Shen Yuzhu's hand, but looking at her own gray-black nails and dirty palms, she gave up.
“I’m an outsider, I have no family, and I don’t know many people. If I get divorced, how will I live? What will happen to my children? And what about the one I gave away… Sigh, why am I telling you all this? I’m sorry, Chen Zhiqing, I’m making you feel bad.”
Shen Yuzhu sniffed and reached out to grab Ma Daya's hand.
“Sister Ma, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. But before that, you need to take good care of yourself and the children. That's why I came here. I happen to need some firewood at home. Later, you can have Zhang Jie, Yangyang, and Qianqian gather firewood for me. I'll give you two cents for a whole flatbed cartload. Is that okay?”
"What? No money needed? No money needed! If you need firewood, I'll have the kids gather it for you. Seriously, Educated Youth, I won't take a single penny from you."
Her hurried and resolute actions, fearing that Shen Yuzhu would give her money, almost startled the firewood that had just been added to the stove.
"Sister Ma, it's settled then. If you have time, could you dig up some mountain produce for me? I need it too. The food distribution will be in two months, and I definitely won't get much. Whether we can have enough to eat during the winter depends on you and the children."
Her earnestness made it impossible for Ma Daya to refuse.
“Sister Ma, if you work outside, you won’t have to take care of Zhang Li, and you can earn money. When you have money in your hands, you can support yourself and your children. With confidence, you won’t have to be afraid of anything.”
Ma Daya was slightly taken aback by what was said. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Qian Cuilian and Granny Zhang had already come out of the main room, holding hands.
"What are Shen Zhiqing and Da Ya talking about?"
Granny Zhang looked at Shen Yuzhu with her honest face, then turned to look at Ma Daya, who kept her head down and didn't say anything. She was somewhat nervous that Shen Yuzhu had arrived so quickly.
"Oh, is that so? I wanted to ask Sister Ma if your children are busy at home. If they aren't, could you help me gather some firewood? I'll give you five cents for a flatbed cart. If you have time to go up the mountain to find some mountain produce for me, I'll also pay for it as regular food."
Everyone was taken aback, and Qian Cuilian sighed.
“Look at you, you just said that your family was going to have a hard time making ends meet, and Shen, the educated youth, is already trying to help you. He gives you five cents for a flatbed cart of firewood. Where else can you find such a good deal?”
Granny Zhang stared wide-eyed at Shen Yuzhu.
"Shen Zhiqing, are you serious?"
"That's true, but Sister Ma is worried that Comrade Zhang will be left without anyone to take care of him, so she hasn't agreed yet. Sigh, I'm thinking that when we go into hibernation, I won't have enough food and firewood, so..."
Granny Zhang was so happy she could hardly stop smiling, and she clapped her hands together in joy.
“There’s no one to take care of you there, but I’m still here at home. Da Ya, you go with the children to collect firewood and find mountain produce, and send it all to Chen Zhiqing. I’ll take care of everything at home!”
Ma Daya hesitated for a moment, then nodded blankly.
She wanted to say that what Shen Zhiqing had just said didn't seem to be the price, but she swallowed the words back. Only after Shen Yuzhu and the others left did she belatedly realize that Shen Zhiqing wanted to send her and the children away so that they wouldn't become Zhang Li's punching bag.
At the same time, they're finding ways to give her money so she can build up her financial security!
Shen Yuzhu was very happy today. She finally had the opportunity to get along with her sister openly and honestly, and she could take good care of her from now on. As for her terrible marriage, she should find a way to get a divorce as soon as possible.
The room was still a bit messy. Another package Zhou Congsheng had mailed hadn't been opened yet. She first arranged the furniture, then packed her clothes, shoes, socks, and bedding inside.
Chu Lian put money in the soles of almost every quilt and shoe, ranging from ten to twenty yuan. There was even more in the quilts, along with various receipts. It took her more than half an hour just to get all the money out.
Looking at the unopened package, Shen Yuzhu gritted her teeth, picked up the scissors, and began to sort through it.
Almost everything inside was a household item. Shen Yuzhu even saw a few menstrual belts and two large bags of sanitary napkins. Of course, they couldn't compare to the ones her grandmother had hoarded in the space.
But to be able to get this in this day and age, Chu Lian must have gone through a lot of trouble.
While moved, Shen Yuzhu couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if she hadn't longed for that pitiful fatherly love in her past life and had instead married Zhou Congsheng.
Zhou Congsheng, whom she was thinking about, was now extremely annoyed.
Zhao Yue was currently having a hair-pulling argument with a woman and had even asked him to judge her case.
"Who do you think you are, daring to call me Brother Cong~Sheng~Ge~? Who are you trying to impress with your slutty talk? If you keep talking like that, I'll slap your face."
"Comrade Zhao, have you misunderstood something? I didn't mean anything by it. We went to Heilongjiang together. I just felt that we would be getting along for a long time in the future, so there was no need to be so polite with each other. I really didn't expect you to be so angry. It's all my fault. Comrade Zhou, please don't let Comrade Zhao and I have a grudge because of me."
"You bastard..."
"Zhao Yue, apologize to Comrade Qiao."
Zhao Yue stared at Zhou Congsheng in disbelief. What did this bastard just say? He wanted her to apologize to that shameless show-off??
"No, I won't apologize to that shameless bastard, Zhou Congsheng. You have a fiancée, watch out or I'll tell your wife and make you a bachelor forever."
Zhou Congsheng: "!!!"
"......."
Disorganized, undisciplined, and even trying to file false accusations—this is utterly lawless!
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