"Jiaojiao, why did you go out? Didn't you just say you would wash the clothes tomorrow?"
The captain saw his girl coming back, tapped his pipe, and his eyes looked a little cloudy under the light of the kerosene lamp.
"Oh, I think it's better to wash it today."
Mi Jiaojiao responded nonchalantly, "I'll go back to the house first."
"Jiao, wait a moment, Dad has something to tell you." The captain took a deep puff of the pipe he rolled himself, his brows furrowed.
Only then did Mi Jiaojiao realize that her father was different from usual.
How should I put it, I feel a little dejected.
"Dad, what's wrong with you? Just tell me if you have something to say!"
Her father Mi Yongchang is not like this usually. Why did he suddenly become so hesitant?
"Do you remember He Jiaming, the son of Widow Zhang in the Xiangqian Brigade next door? He was your elementary school classmate."
Mi Yongchang lowered his head and carefully added some more cigarettes to his cigarette, his movements extremely slow.
This cigarette is actually not a cigarette, but a medicinal herb that Mi Jiaojiao picked in the mountains. It can clear the throat and lungs when lit, and it also has a fragrant aroma.
Mi Jiaojiao was stunned: "I know, I know, what's wrong?"
She turned around and saw her father's gray hair at a glance, and felt an indescribable depression in her heart.
"Jiao, today when I was on my way to the county and passed by Xiangqian Brigade, Widow Zhang and her eldest uncle came to me and told me that her son He Jiaming was willing to become our son-in-law.
As long as you provide for Widow Zhang in her old age and give birth to a son, one of them will bear the He family name."
Mi Jiaojiao didn't say anything, and the atmosphere instantly quieted down. Mi Yongchang suddenly stood up and said, "I have something else to do. Think about it first. If you don't want to, Dad won't force you."
After saying that, he took his pipe and went out.
"Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, you're back! Tiedan asked me to catch some eels. I'll bring them back for you to eat."
A dark-looking guy suddenly rushed in and almost knocked Mi Yongchang down.
Mi Yongchang turned around and hit him with his pipe: "You little bastard, do you still care about your father?"
Unfortunately, Heidakuai didn't even give him a glance, and went to play around with Mi Jiaojiao like a pug.
Mi Jiaojiao looked at his clear eyes with mixed emotions, including anger, helplessness and regret.
If only I hadn't saved her then.
"Brother." She called out weakly.
"Hey! Jiaojiao, so good! Brother is going to catch eels~"
Mi Junjie went to the kitchen to get his equipment - bamboo clips and a bucket, then put a flashlight in his pocket and rushed out the door again just like when he came back.
Mi Yongchang, who had just walked out of the main hall and hadn't even left the courtyard, was nearly sent flying. He cursed at the shadow, "Mi Junjie! Let's see how I'll deal with you when you come back!"
Mi Jiaojiao went back to the room and lay down on the bed. Her clothes were soaked with water and stuck to her body, mixed with the sweaty smell of the dirty clothes outside.
There was a familiar unpleasant smell.
It's very similar to the smell of clothes soaked with sweat on a hot day.
Yes, she can’t live without this land and the smell of sweat in her life, so why should she dream about the moon in the sky?
Mi Jiaojiao resigned herself to her fate and climbed up, ignoring the unpleasant smell on her body, as if this was how she should be.
I opened the east room where my parents slept, and the person on the kang was motionless, as if he was asleep.
But Mi Jiaojiao knew that her mother was awake.
"Mom, I promise."
It was just the beginning of autumn and the air had grown cooler in the evening. Mi Jiaojiao heard soft crying coming from the east room. She didn't want to care or ask, so she picked up some clean clothes and went out.
Head straight to the river.
This river has existed since her grandfather's grandfather's generation. Every year, there is sufficient water to nourish countless fields, so their brigade was formerly called Fushui Village.
There was no one in the river at this time, so she took off her clothes and jumped into the river and started swimming.
Today, a female educated youth suddenly approached her and asked her if she could swim. Mi Jiaojiao denied it.
Because she knew that this person definitely had bad intentions, she planned to make an exception and not come to the river to wash clothes tonight.
Mi Jiaojiao loved playing in the water since she was very young, but those who drowned were all good swimmers. When she was seven years old, she was greedy and pestered her brother to take her to the river to catch fish.
As a result, she fell into the river.
The water plants at the bottom of the river entangled her feet. The spring water was freezing cold. Her brother rescued her, but he himself caught a cold and developed a high fever.
Later he became a better person, but his IQ did not increase and his cognition remained at the level of a child.
Her mother was in poor health and could not have any more children after giving birth to her. Mi Junjie was mentally retarded and no one was willing to marry her, so her mother hinted that she should find a live-in son-in-law.
If she didn't go to the river today and let Ke Xueruo succeed, perhaps she would face reality faster and give up forever.
But Mi Jiaojiao still went.
......
"Second sister, is this your cat?"
When Ning Shaolan returned home, Ning Xi was outside the house bathing the cat with a basin of water.
Don’t be fooled by the white fur. I changed the dirty water twice.
"Meow~"
Even in the water, the cat did not forget to maintain its elegance. It stretched its neck and called softly to Ning Shaolan.
The cat's fur was soaked and stuck to its body. The whole cat was just a skeleton, skinny and bony, but it was very well behaved. Ning Xi washed its paws and pads, and it cooperated obediently.
"Yes, my cat, she came to me on her own. Isn't she pretty?"
Ning Shaolan saw that Ning Xi only wanted to listen to the compliments, so he said against his will, "Pretty, beautiful."
"So where does she sleep at night?"
I heard that cats like to sleep in the stove, but this one had just taken a bath and was covered in white fur. Ning Shaolan couldn't imagine how dirty it would be after crawling into the stove.
"I used the template for the utility room to order a wooden box, padded it with old clothes, and put it in my room."
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