Chapter 83 Wishful Thinking Shattered
The scorching sun dried up the ground, and with each step, a cloud of dust would rise. The two walked for two miles before reaching the village entrance.
"Oh, my dear nephew, you've finally arrived! Your father-in-law was already sitting at the door waiting for you at 5 a.m.!"
The woman, with a rosy complexion and a life of ease, warmly stepped forward, snatched the cloth bag, weighed it a few times, hoisted it onto her back, and led the way with a smile.
The mountain village was not like the city. The roads were rugged, sometimes uphill and sometimes downhill. The roof of this house could very well be the yard of another house. Yunxia rarely saw such a house structure and was very curious. She stared at it with wide eyes.
"Girl, isn't it amazing? This countryside is much better than the city. You can eat wild fruits freely, and there are cats and dogs everywhere..."
During their casual conversation, they arrived at a large mansion. An old man with a towel draped over his head saw Jiang Chao and immediately leaned on his cane to go up to him, exclaiming, "My dear grandson, I've missed you so much!"
As he spoke, he reached for Jiang Chao's sleeve, but the boy dodged to the side. Seeing this, the woman blinked and helped the old man Jiang up.
"Dad, A-Chao has been traveling for several hours and is exhausted. Let me help you inside."
"Okay, okay, I was too excited."
The courtyard was large, with many houses and walls painted with fine cement, clearly indicating it was a wealthy household in the village.
"Dad, this is Xiaxia. She's staying at Lifang's house. The foster care fee alone is 5 yuan a month!"
“Goodness, eating gold leaf? That’s so expensive. Lifang is so incompetent. How could she charge so much money? Girl, I’ll take charge and talk to her. People should have a conscience.”
Ugh, is it really okay to speak ill of one's mother in front of one's eldest grandson?
"Grandpa Jiang, you don't know, it's so expensive in the city. Books, notebooks, pencils, erasers, snacks, clothes, shoes, etc., all of them cost money. Five yuan for foster care is considered a small amount. Aunt Wu treats me like her own daughter, and often pays out of her own pocket to buy me a bag of milk to help me grow."
Old Jiang was displeased upon hearing this. In his view, the money Wu Lifang spent was all from the Jiang family. His lips twitched slightly, but he swallowed his reprimand.
“Hey, Dad, Lifang can earn money. She has a secure job at the textile factory, which many people envy. It’s only natural to use her money to buy milk for the baby.”
"Hmph! Ah Chao, go back and tell your mother that Nan'er is all grown up. Find her a job in the factory. It doesn't matter if it's tiring or dirty. With a stable job, she can be more selective when she looks for a husband."
Jiang Shuo had an accident on his way to the textile factory. Old Master Jiang believed from the bottom of his heart that the factory owed the Jiang family a position, so he gave it to Jiang Nan first, and then passed it on to Jiang Wu after she got married.
"She was laid off and no longer works at the factory."
Jiang's wishful thinking was shattered. He glared at his grandson and roared, "What? Such a good job, and you just quit like that? What... don't you want to live a normal life anymore?"
"The factory is laying off people, what can my mom do?"
"Hey, there are plenty of opportunities in the city. Lifang is pretty and efficient, so why would she have trouble finding a job?"
The woman fanned herself with a palm leaf fan, cursing the old man who couldn't speak properly. Even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse; no matter how badly he fared in the city, he couldn't possibly catch up with the people in the countryside.
Wow, is this a country vacation? Why is everyone talking so sarcastically?
"Auntie really understands Aunt Wu. Not long after being laid off, she found a job as a cashier in a supermarket. The salary is about the same as before, just the hours are a bit longer."
"Being a cashier is so much fun! Dealing with money all day long, if it were me, I'd be laughing in my sleep." After saying that, he clutched his stomach and laughed heartily. Yun Xia's lips twitched slightly, and she smiled in agreement.
Just then, a little girl carrying a basket on her back and holding a sickle walked to the door, her wet almond-shaped eyes staring curiously at... the large package on the table.
"Moon, quick, call out to Brother Chao!"
Yunxia: Brother Chao, what the heck?
Yue'er unloaded her basket, put away her sickle, and shyly entered the house, saying, "Brother Chao, you've come!"
The boy, with a stern face, showed no respect and didn't utter a single groan.
"Hey, Ah Chao, you're all grown up now, still so shy. Yue'er, this is Xia Xia, she's two years younger than you, quickly call her 'little sister'."
"Hello, Xiaxia!"
"Hello, Sister Yue'er. Jiang Chao and I brought a lot of gifts for our visit. Grandpa Jiang, would you like to open them and take a look?"
"Hmph, what a spendthrift woman, always wasting money."
Everyone present knew exactly who they were talking about. They caught a glimpse of the boy's ashen face and the bulging veins on his wrists, and quickly said, "It's not easy for you to come all this way, so of course you should bring more gifts. These are all carefully selected, and some of them were even given to you for free by the supermarket owner!"
"Dad, this is all from Lifang's heart, let's accept it!"
He tapped his cane lightly on the ground, raised his beard, and remained silent. The woman knew his bad temper and called for Yue'er to open the package.
Soy milk powder, malted milk powder, biscuits, candy, canned goods...
The more Yue'er turned her head, the wider her smile became. "Grandpa, these are good things, all rare items!"
"If you have money... you might as well cut a few more pounds of meat."
Yunxia stepped forward and untied another cloth bag, revealing over ten kilograms of pork belly, which almost blinded the woman who was peeking out.
"This..." He was furious and wanted to curse, but he also really wanted to accept the gift.
"Wow, Lifang has struck it rich?"
"No, half of it was from me. It's my first time visiting, I couldn't come empty-handed!"
She was sweet-talking and capable; the more the woman looked at the little girl, the more she liked her, and she wished she could arrange a marriage between them on the spot.
If Yunxia knew what he was thinking, she would definitely have delivered a spinning kick and then pulled Jiang Chao away at top speed.
Grandpa Jiang waved his hand, signaling his daughter-in-law to put the things into the side room.
When distinguished guests arrive, the woman kills an old hen that no longer lays eggs, stir-fries a pound of pork belly, stews a large fish, and adds several seasonal vegetables. This meal is quite impressive.
At noon, Uncle, Jiang Nan, and Jiang Wu, who had been working in the fields, returned home. When Yue'er described the gifts her nephew had brought, they were so happy that their eyes narrowed, but they kept saying that it was a waste of money.
At the dinner table, Liu Dahong (the woman) subtly inquired about Yunxia's family situation. Upon learning that her father had been a deputy factory director, she became interested in arranging a marriage between them and kept urging Jiang Wu to take her out to play alone.
Yunxia didn't think much of it at first, assuming the woman was trying to curry favor and benefit her own family. But after Jiang Chao stepped on her foot and glared at her, she realized her little scheme and was immediately speechless.
What's that 9-year-old kid doing? Want to go to jail?
The woman changed the subject again, but Yunxia kept her head down and ate her ribs without answering. Even when she was called out by name, she only made a few "uh-huh" sounds.
Tai, at such a young age, already knows how to put on a stern face. Wait until she enters the family, and see how I deal with her.
“Awu, you are the older brother, so you should take good care of Xiaxia. This afternoon, when it’s not so hot, take her to the stream to play in the water and catch crabs.”
Playing in the water, getting clothes wet, slipping on the road, falling down again, being carried back—humph, this marriage proposal is now settling down, no matter what.
With Jiang Chao's reminder, Yun Xia took the opportunity while picking up food to observe the expressions of the people at the table. The woman with her eyes darting around had the word 'scheming' written all over her face.
"Hey, Yunxia, you're not allowed to go! What kind of behavior is it for a girl to play in the water!"
After saying that, he picked up a huge piece of pork rib and put it in her small bowl, staring at the woman with sharp, unfriendly eyes.
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