As she lay in bed, Zhuang's mother felt increasingly uneasy.
After a while, she opened her eyes and sat up angrily.
"Am I her mother-in-law, or is she my mother-in-law? How dare she boss me around? This is outrageous!"
Mrs. Zhuang was very depressed as she thought about what had happened in the past two days.
I thought I could easily handle this girl from the countryside, but I never expected to almost be driven crazy by her.
Unable to sleep, she glanced around the room and saw the bamboo cage by the bed, where the quail was chirping noisily, which annoyed her greatly.
Mrs. Zhuang frowned, feeling that she shouldn't be sleeping here; as an elder, she should be sleeping in the inner room.
After putting on her shoes and draping her coat over her shoulders, Mrs. Zhuang walked into the inner room.
"Squeak."
As soon as she pushed open the door to the inner room, Mrs. Zhuang saw the large wardrobe against the east wall, which was indeed a decent-looking item.
Turning my head, I saw a simple, large earthen pit to the north.
Seeing that there was only a military uniform and no blanket, she raised an eyebrow and felt a little uneasy.
She shook her head, didn't stay in the inner room any longer, and turned to leave.
"Aunt Zhou, Aunt Zhou, I've come to see you, Aunt Zhou."
Hearing the sound, Zhuang's mother looked outside and saw Xiao Ting wearing a military uniform, pushing open the door and walking in.
Lu Fangfang had just left when Xiao Ting arrived. What a coincidence!
After a moment's thought, Mrs. Zhuang's expression immediately turned sour. "Why are you here?"
Xiao Ting was stunned, not knowing what she had done wrong.
Holding up the bag in her hand, she said ingratiatingly, "Auntie, this is cordyceps I brought for you. It's a local specialty. It's good for your health when you soak it in water. I specially asked for it for you."
"Hmph, I wouldn't dare accept your things."
With a mocking expression, Zhuang's mother looked Xiao Ting up and down and said, "Comrade Xiao Ting, I heard you're getting married soon. I have to congratulate you, but please don't make fun of this old lady like me anymore."
"No, no..."
Xiao Ting's face turned pale, and she hurriedly waved her hands, "I...I...Waaah."
She opened her mouth, not knowing how to explain, and burst into tears.
"Auntie, sob sob, I didn't mean to lie to you. I... I really like Mingcheng, but I can't help it. My dad forced me to marry him. Sob sob, he married someone younger than me and now he wants to marry me off too. Sob sob..."
Mrs. Zhuang frowned. What kind of nonsense is this?
“I…I’m not married to him yet, we’re not husband and wife. Auntie, I’m waiting for Mingcheng. When Mingcheng comes back, I will marry him. I will not marry Xu Jinbu.”
Xiao Ting wiped away her tears while trying to explain.
These words are nine parts true and one part false.
As she spoke, she began to believe it herself, feeling that she was the most wronged person in the world, and that the whole world was letting her down.
"Comrade Xiao Ting, you may leave now."
Mrs. Zhuang shook her head and turned away.
She didn't know anything else, but she knew one thing: Xiao Ting was a lot of trouble.
Even if their son comes back and listens to his father, marrying Xiao Ting, it will still be a troublesome matter.
"aunt……"
Xiao Ting had no strength left and sat down abruptly.
Watching her mother's retreating figure, she suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Auntie, I... I heard from my father that the deputy regimental commander is about to be transferred, which will create a vacancy. Every battalion commander below him will have a chance. I... I can talk to my dad and plead with him..."
Before Xiao Ting could finish speaking, Zhuang's mother immediately turned around.
Looking at Xiao Ting on the ground, she hesitated.
If her son gets promoted, she can persuade her father to ask the old commander for a favor and have Mingcheng transferred back.
At that point, neither Battalion Commander Xu nor the discussions within the regiment will affect Mingcheng.
"Comrade Xiao Ting, you...you get up, the ground is dirty."
After hesitating for a long time, Zhuang's mother finally helped Xiao Ting up.
...
Lu Fangfang had no idea what had happened at home; she and Wang Shufen were on their way to the Sixth Team.
Looking at the pikas that kept appearing on both sides, she regretted giving the slingshot back to Tie Dan. It seemed she would have to make one herself when she had time.
Turning her head to glance at the basket Wang Shufen was carrying, she asked curiously, "Sister Shufen, what's in your basket?"
Wang Shufen laughed and pulled off the cloth covering the chicks, revealing two trembling chicks inside.
“I gave these to Comrade Xu. He lives alone at the entrance of the village and has nothing. I thought I'd give him two chicks so he can raise them to keep him company.”
"Sister Shufen, you've really thought of everything."
Lu Fangfang smiled and shook her head. Old Xu, that old bachelor, is unlikely to have any food to feed the chicks.
Summer is almost here, and there will be more small animals on the grassland. It's fine to let the chicks find their own food outside.
"Meow~"
Little Flower poked her head out, showing great interest in the chicks in the basket.
"Behave yourself."
Lu Fangfang reached out and patted Xiaohua's head.
The two walked to the village entrance and saw Old Xu busy in the yard. They quickly went over to him.
When Xu Huayun saw the chicks in the basket, he hesitated.
Let alone raising chickens, he sometimes doesn't even have enough to eat, so where would he find the grain to feed them?
Moreover, in the summer, he has to go to distant pastures to herd horses, sometimes not returning for more than ten days, so he doesn't have time to take care of these chicks.
When Xu Huayun voiced her concerns, Lu Fangfang immediately smiled.
"Old Xu, why don't you just carry a basket and take the chicks with you? When you're herding the horses, you can also herd the chickens and find some food for them in the meadow. Isn't that easy?"
"Herding chickens?"
Xu Huayun scratched his head and laughed, "Then I'll accept it. I'll be a chicken herder from now on."
He carefully took the chicks out of the basket, carried them back to his mud house, and put them in a clay basket.
There was still some coarse grain left at home, so he mixed it with water and placed it next to the chicks. After looking around the house, he turned around and tidied up again.
...
Lu Fangfang stood in the courtyard and curiously walked to the window of the adobe house to take a look.
The tomato seedlings in front of Old Xu's window were growing stronger than the ones she planted in the wasteland. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the tomato seedlings were surrounded by horse manure.
"No wonder they're horse breeders, they really live a luxurious life."
Lu Fangfang was a little envious, but Lao Xu's behavior was wrong. She picked up the shovel next to her, scooped up some soil, and covered up the horse manure.
After Lao Xu came out, the group drove their horses towards the Gona Snow Mountain.
More and more grass sprouts are emerging in the surrounding fields. In another half month, the grass will all be grown, and we won't need to go to Gona to graze our livestock anymore.
They should take advantage of this time to dig up as many cordyceps as possible.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
