She hesitated, her cheeks getting even hotter, but in the end, she gently placed her hand on it.
Song Xingzhi curled up the corner of his mouth into a smile, and helped her stand up steadily.
"Thank you, Secretary Song." Zhang Chunxue lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito.
Song Xingzhi felt the slight sweat and softness on her palm, and an indescribable joy surged in his heart.
He saw that Zhang Chunxue didn't seem to resist him as much as before, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"You're welcome, sister-in-law. Please be careful when you walk next time."
Zhang Chunxue and Zhong Xiaoxiao said goodbye to Song Xingzhi and then limped home.
Zhong Xiaoxiao supported her mother, and finally found a way to say what she had been holding back all the way: "Mom, why do you dislike Teacher Song so much? No wonder Teacher Song secretly gave me extra lessons and repeatedly told me not to tell you!"
Zhang Chunxue listened to her daughter's innocent question and recalled Song Xingzhi's intimate behavior just now. Her daughter didn't notice anything at all and just thought that she didn't like Song Xingzhi.
She felt both angry and amused. This silly girl really hasn't figured out anything about matters between men and women!
She sighed softly, thought for a moment, and then spoke carefully, "Xiaoxiao, Mom is a widow. Clerk Song is a single man who hasn't married yet. If they interact too much, the villagers will start to talk and their spit will drown you. Do you understand?"
After hearing this, Zhong Xiaoxiao curled her lips and retorted unconvincedly, "Mom, you're not right! You're single, and Teacher Song is single too. Even if you two really want to be together, who's in the way? Besides, you're still so young and a good person. If you want to find another one, that's a serious matter. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
His daughter's words were like a bolt of thunder, striking Zhang Chunxue's heart.
She was completely stunned and paused.
In her previous life, when her three sons heard that she was thinking of remarrying, which one of them didn't strongly oppose it and threaten to commit suicide?
They said she was a disgrace, that she was unfaithful to her husband, and that she had let her dead father down.
But I didn’t expect that this caring little cotton-padded jacket of hers actually thought so!
Zhang Chunxue's eyes became hot and she almost shed tears.
Zhong Xiaoxiao didn't notice her mother's strange behavior. She was thinking happily in her heart.
Teacher Song is so educated, good-looking, a nice person, and treats me well.
Her mother is capable, beautiful and kind-hearted, but her life is a bit miserable.
If these two could become a couple, they would be a perfect match!
Zhong Xiaoxiao thought secretly in her heart that she had to think of a way to bring them together!
She wants her mother to live a good life too!
When I got home, the yard was quiet.
Zhang Chunxue returned to her room first. Although the wound on the bottom of her foot was bandaged, it was still bleeding from walking all the way.
She sat carefully on the edge of the bed and untied the cloth and handkerchief.
Song Xingzhi's snow-white handkerchief was stained red with blood.
She fetched a basin of clean cold water, soaked the handkerchief in it, and scrubbed it carefully, not wanting to leave even a trace of blood.
Zhang Chunxue looked at the handkerchief and felt a little troubled.
After all, this handkerchief is a personal item, and I have used it to bandage the wound on my foot. It always feels inappropriate to return it to someone else.
She thought about it and decided to wait until the market to buy a new piece of cloth and make a new handkerchief for Song Xingzhi, or just buy a good one as compensation.
She carefully folded the washed handkerchief and placed it at the bottom of the box, then turned and went to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, the crucian carps and loaches were still jumping around in the bamboo basket.
Zhang Chunxue picked up the kitchen knife with nimble hands and, with a few "bang bang bang" strokes on the chopping board, cleaned up the largest crucian carp.
She said to Zhong Xiaoxiao who had followed her in, "Xiaoxiao, go to Aunt Wang's house at the village entrance and see if there's any freshly ground tofu. Buy some and bring it back."
Zhong Xiaoxiao responded crisply, "Okay!" and ran out with the child in her arms.
Zhang Chunxue put the pot on the stove, poured a little oil in, and fried the crucian carp on both sides until they were slightly golden brown. Then he added water, put in ginger slices, covered the pot, and began to concentrate on making fish soup for Zhou Mingli.
Not long after, the rich and delicious aroma of fish soup wafted out from the kitchen, which was so tempting that it soon filled the entire courtyard.
"Oh, what smells so good?" A shrill female voice sounded at the gate of the yard.
Li Hongjuan, holding her three-year-old son Zhong Hongqing, looked curiously towards the kitchen.
She sniffed hard, her eyes sparkling, and her saliva almost watering with greed.
"Mom, what delicious food are you making?" Li Hongjuan smiled and walked to the kitchen door in a few steps. "How about making some for Hongqing? He's your eldest grandson!"
Zhang Chunxue turned around when she heard the voice, and her eyes fell on Zhong Hongqing's round little face.
Her eldest grandson, Zhong Hongqing...
Zhang Chunxue's heart suddenly twitched, as if it was pricked by a needle.
She thought about how she had raised her eldest grandson with great difficulty in her previous life, and had always given him the best food and drink.
But what happened later?
When she was paralyzed in bed, unable to take care of herself, this grown-up grandson, dressed in a suit and tie, would come to see her with a look of disgust and impatience on his face every time. He was even unwilling to step into her room.
What did he say at the time? He said grandma was too dirty and he didn't want to go in.
Dirty? Did he dislike her being dirty at that time?
But when he was little, wasn't he dirty when she took care of his poop and pee?
Zhong Hongqing drooled: "Grandma, I want to eat fish..."
Zhang Chunxue immediately frowned and said unhappily, "What are you eating?! This is fish soup for your second aunt to nourish her body. It's for patients. Why are you, a little kid, joining in the fun?"
When Li Hongjuan heard this, the smile on her face froze and she felt very unhappy.
She curled her lips and muttered softly, "Isn't it just an illness? Why is it so expensive?"
"Who could be as sick as she is, yet still drink fish soup? After all, she's just a worthless loser who can't give birth to a son. Her life is worthless, so how can she deserve such good food?"
Although these words were spoken quietly, they were clearly heard in the quiet kitchen.
Zhang Chunxue's face turned completely cold. "Whose life are you saying is cheap? Zhou Mingli is as precious as gold to me! More precious than gold! You gave birth to a boy, but as a mother, you're not much more noble than anyone else. I think your life is pretty cheap too!"
Zhang Chunxue's words showed no mercy to Li Hongjuan.
Li Hongjuan's face turned black in an instant, like the soda at the bottom of a pot.
She was so angry that her chest heaved up and down. She pointed at Zhang Chunxue and muttered for a long time without saying a word: "Mom! How can you say that to me? After all, I am your daughter-in-law, and Hongqing is your grandson!"
(End of this chapter)
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