Chapter 58...
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Summer came exceptionally early in 1971. It was already very hot in May. Yao Anhui, who was particularly sensitive to heat after becoming pregnant, was already thinking about making summer clothes.
Yao Anhui, who is open to new things, can now not only treat the soldiers who wear vests and go shirtless with a normal attitude, but has also decided to make several short-sleeved shirts to wear in the summer.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do; adapt to circumstances. Yao Anhui has always done this kind of conformity very well. He never puts himself on the side of being different; this is his way of surviving in the imperial palace.
Under Hua Fangling's guidance and with her own creativity, Yao Anhui made light and breathable short-sleeved shirts for Lu Yuanqing, Qi Mingzhe, and herself, and they wore matching outfits (couple outfits) in June.
Of course, inevitably, several of Yao Anhui's close friends made matching outfits for their families, and for a time, matching outfits became popular in the residential compound.
That day, Qi Mingzhe, who should have gone home early after school, didn't hurry home until it was almost dark. He was carrying a grass carp in his hand, but his posture was a bit awkward. He stretched out his hand holding the fish, as if afraid of getting his clothes dirty.
These clothes are naturally matching parent-child outfits made by Yao Anhui. On the surface, they look like a very ordinary style, but in fact, there is a little tiger that Yao Anhui specially sewed on for him.
And there's even more to say about the fish in Qi Mingzhe's hand.
Because Yao Anhui needed to supplement her nutrition during her pregnancy, Qi Mingzhe and Lu Yuanqing thought about where to get some good ingredients every day. As a result, the private trading point near the family compound became a place that Lu Yuanqing and Qi Mingzhe visited every day.
Because soldiers receive high allowances and their families are willing to spend money, nearby villagers occasionally find good things they can't afford to eat themselves and bring them here to exchange for vouchers. Gradually, a trading point was formed, albeit privately, through word of mouth. No one outside the area would know about this place.
Because Lu Yuanqing wasn't suitable to go, Qi Mingzhe became the one to go to the trading point. Therefore, the first thing Qi Mingzhe did after school every day was not to go home, but to go to the trading point.
Today, Qi Mingzhe was lucky enough to get a grass carp weighing over two pounds, so he rushed home to keep it alive in the pond while it was still fresh.
Yes, the cement pond made of red bricks at Yao Anhui's house has now been turned into a fish pond.
Because they heard that eating more fish is good for pregnant women, Lu Yuanqing and Qi Mingzhe would buy fish whenever they came across them. They would keep the live ones that could be kept alive, and eat the ones that couldn't be kept alive that day. Now they have seven or eight grass carp in the pond.
Lu Yuanqing and Qi Mingzhe were also thinking about making the pond bigger so they could raise more fish. They had done their homework; fish soup not only provides nutrition but is also a good ingredient for promoting lactation in the future.
Of course, it's not just about stockpiling fish. Now there's also a chicken coop in the yard, with ten half-grown hens. If he weren't afraid of being reported, Lu Yuanqing would have liked to raise even more. His idea is that even if Yao Anhui doesn't want to eat, she can't want to eat something that's not available at home. Therefore, Lu Yuanqing has prepared many things he thinks are necessary well in advance.
Yao Anhui wanted to object, but the father and son wouldn't listen. In those days, resources were scarce and meat was hard to come by. It wasn't possible to buy meat every day, so raising fish and chickens was very necessary.
Because he raised chickens and fish at home, Qi Mingzhe had a lot more things to do. Every day, he would diligently pull up the weeds in the vegetable garden in the yard to feed the fish, and feed the yellowing vegetable leaves to the chickens.
In addition to this, Lu Yuanqing and Qi Mingzhe also took over the kitchen at home, with Qi Mingzhe cooking when Lu Yuanqing was not home.
Since Yao Anhui became pregnant, Lu Yuanqing and Qi Mingzhe have taken over the kitchen. Under the guidance of Hua Fangling, who is incredibly talented, Lu Yuanqing and Qi Mingzhe's cooking skills have improved dramatically, and they can come up with all sorts of creative dishes.
Especially Qi Mingzhe, whose cooking skills are far superior to Lu Yuanqing's at such a young age. It can only be said that Yao Anhui's life is too good to be true now.
Perhaps for this reason, Qi Mingze is now known as the "other people's child" in the family compound, and has become the public enemy of all the children in the compound. He has single-handedly raised the parents' expectations for their children, which is a very sad thing.
Of course, besides these people, there were also some who disliked Yao Anhui and thought they had caught her red-handed. They were determined to expose her hypocritical mask, with Xiao Yingying, the wife of Hu Jianguo, the battalion commander of the third battalion of the third regiment, leading the group.
Xiao Yingying was Hu Jianguo's second wife, and it wasn't a story of a heartless man who abandoned his wife after getting promoted and made a fortune.
Hu Jianguo's first wife died of illness early in his life, leaving behind two children. After Hu Jianguo married Xiao Yingying, he did not abuse the two children, but simply ignored them completely.
They were only given basic food and clothing. The food was always on the table, and the host never called them to eat or waited for them. They would clean up after themselves, never talk to them, never help them with laundry, and never make any demands on them. It was as if these two people didn't even exist in the house.
In this situation, the two children are extremely self-conscious and sensitive, representing the complete opposite of Qi Mingzhe, who grew up healthily like other children.
Don't let Qi Mingzhe's lack of enthusiasm and cheerfulness fool you; he appears mature and steady, and doesn't talk much. Especially after Yao Anhui became pregnant, Qi Mingzhe's somewhat aloof demeanor began to change. Now, he's like spring snow melting away, and anyone can see the joy emanating from within him.
As a result, there are even more people comparing Yao Anhui and Xiao Yingying.
Xiao Yingying, who had done all those things, was certainly not a magnanimous person. She had long harbored a deep hatred for Yao Anhui. Sure enough, Qi Mingzhe was stopped by Xiao Yingying as soon as he entered the family compound with the fish.
"Hello, Aunt Xiao." Qi Mingzhe was displeased with Xiao Yingying's sudden stop but did not show it. Instead, he greeted her very politely.
Qi Mingzhe valued everything about Yao Anhui highly, and of course he wouldn't allow anyone to criticize Yao Anhui's upbringing because of his own actions.
"Your name is Qi Mingzhe, right? Auntie, could you please do me a favor?" Xiao Yingying said to Qi Mingzhe with a smile.
"Aunt Xiao, I'm just a kid, I probably can't help you. How about I ask someone else for you?" Qi Mingzhe didn't want to take the bait at all, and as he spoke, he tried to call out to the passing soldier.
"Oh, you silly child." Xiao Yingying quickly interrupted him: "Don't worry, I came to you because only you can help with this."
Without waiting for Qi Mingzhe to refuse, Xiao Yingying said, "I just thought your fish looked pretty fresh, so I wanted to try something different. Don't worry, your aunt won't let you lose out. Here's 5 yuan."
"Aunt Xiao, I'm taking this fish back to give my aunt some extra nutrition. I'm sorry, I can't help you with this." Qi Mingzhe refused directly.
“Your family eats fish every few days, so you don’t need another one, right? It’s just one fish, I already told you I’d give you five yuan.” Xiao Yingying said with a grim expression, clearly not expecting Qi Mingzhe to refuse her.
“Aunt Xiao, you yourself said it was just a fish, and you bought it yourself from the supply and marketing cooperative. Besides, I don’t do this kind of speculative business. I advise you not to make a mistake, Aunt Xiao.” Qi Mingzhe turned and left after saying this. He was already being very polite by stopping her halfway.
"Tsk... It's just giving you a bite to eat in exchange for being a little slave. You really think she, surnamed Yao, would treat you like her own son?" Xiao Yingying sneered, speaking in a voice only Qi Mingzhe could hear.
Qi Mingzhe's expression didn't change at all: "You don't need to worry about that, Aunt Xiao. I know how my uncle and aunt have treated me. You should worry about your own family."
"It's like a dog biting Lü Dongbin and not recognizing a kind heart. Yao Anhui is already treating you like a farmhand even before the baby in her belly is born. She's heartlessly dumping all the work in your house on you. Once her own children are born, you'll probably be even worse off than a farmhand."
Xiao Yingying, feigning concern for Qi Mingzhe, continued, "You're still young, and there are many things you don't understand. It's not surprising that you can't distinguish between sincerity and pretense. But it's always right for you to listen to your aunt and think of your own well-being..."
"You'll need to study and get married in the future, and all of that will cost a lot of money. You're just Lu Yuanqing and Yao Anhui's nephew. Do you think they'll truly care about you? Will they really spend so much money on you? It's impossible. You're not their biological son..."
Xiao Yingying went on and on about all sorts of random things, but the gist of it was that Qi Mingzhe should start saving money now. Qi Mingzhe realized that Xiao Yingying had a deeper reason for doing this, besides trying to sow discord between him and Lu Yuanqing and Yao Anhui.
It was because he realized this that Qi Mingzhe let Xiao Yingying hold him and talk on and on. This kind of venomous snake that was watching his aunt should be caught as soon as possible.
Sure enough, for the next few days, Xiao Yingying would wait for Qi Mingzhe on his way home almost every day. Qi Mingzhe pretended to be gradually moved by Xiao Yingying, but of course, it was impossible for him to exchange his fish for her.
Qi Mingzhe, having been an emperor before, quickly figured out Xiao Yingying's intentions after spending his days battling witty ministers in the court. It was only because he was still young that he was able to resolve the matter in less than half a day.
However, to his surprise, this matter actually involved spies.
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