Chapter 248
In the middle of the night, Song Chunhua held Lingwu in her arms and watched by the moonlight as the red marks on the little girl's bottom faded considerably. Only then did she feel relieved.
The little girl was so thin, she was both hurt by her.
Song Chunhua carried Lingwu back to bed, and seeing the dried tear stains on her face, she turned around, wet a towel, wrung it out, and carefully wiped them away.
After staring at Ling Wu for a long time, Song Chunhua muttered to herself, "The little brat is quite pretty, but she's always covered in mud because she's not clean."
Even this heartless old woman softened my heart.
After washing Lingwu's face, Song Chunhua took out an iron box from under the bed, opened the lid, and took out the money she had saved for a long time.
Under the moonlight, the thin old woman carefully calculated the meager savings she had accumulated over the years for her coffin.
I counted and counted, over and over again...
She finally accepted her fate in the end.
"Almost there."
She didn't complain or sigh; she simply pushed the metal box back gently, but an idea was already in her mind.
After getting into bed, Song Chunhua hugged the little girl in her arms and used her arm as a pillow for Ling Wu.
"I never expected that little brat would be intellectual material."
Song Chunhua had never been to school and was illiterate; she had only learned a few words from the educated youth who had been sent to the countryside.
She knew that cultured people were called intellectuals, and those who could write were the future pillars of the country.
Song Chunhua held Ling Wu in her arms, thinking about what she needed to do tomorrow, and finally fell asleep with a heavy heart.
The little girl in her arms opened her eyes as she snored.
Lingwu reached out her little hand to smooth out her grandmother's furrowed brows, then nestled in her grandmother's arms and closed her eyes.
When Song Chunhua woke up the next day, she had already prepared breakfast.
"You're so lazy, you'll be sunburnt to death before you get up." Song Chunhua muttered as she placed two cornbread buns and a bowl of porridge on the table.
The wooden tabletop is dilapidated, but the legs remain sturdy.
The nails on the table legs were from some scrap materials given to Song Chunhua by the homeowner after she cleaned the entire house for them when they were building it.
The small stool was also made by Song Chunhua herself.
Lingwu sat on a small stool and looked at Song Chunhua. "I'll wait for Grandma to eat together."
"What's there to eat? I already ate. You got up so late, did you expect me to wait for you?"
Lingwu picked up the porridge and glanced at it; the porridge wasn't thick.
But she knew that there wasn't a single grain of rice in the bowl that the old woman was drinking from.
When Song Chunhua saw her staring at the porridge, her hand, which was preparing lunch for Ling Wu, froze.
"You're lucky if you get some rice to drink, so stop being so picky!"
"Did the old lady only drink rice porridge?"
Song Chunhua was putting a mooncake into Lingwu's small flower bag.
Hearing this, she pursed her thin lips and remained silent for a while before saying, "I died young, so I'll definitely eat better than you. There's no need for you, little girl, to worry about me."
After she finished speaking, not wanting to wait for Lingwu to ask any more questions, she looked up at the sky and hurriedly placed the small flower bag for Lingwu on the table in front of her.
"I'm going to town today and won't be back by noon. This bag contains your lunch."
"Now that there's no work to do, it'll give you a break, you lazy girl. But if you're not back before sunset, I'll have to keep an eye on your bottom. Don't let you run around the village clutching your backside!"
Without waiting for Lingwu, she turned around and started packing her floral cloth bag.
This means that Ling Wu doesn't need to do anything; whether she goes out to play or to school, as long as she gets home before dark, everything will be fine.
Lingwu watched her figure disappear into the courtyard before getting up and opening the old woman's bag.
There were only three steamed buns in the bag.
He then turned around and opened his bag, revealing a mooncake and two steamed buns.
Hearing Song Chunhua's footsteps as she walked back, Lingwu finished everything, turned around, returned to the small table, and started drinking her porridge.
Song Chunhua glanced at Ling Wu twice, then said nothing more, picked up her floral cloth bag, and turned to leave.
But as I walked to the door, I was still worried and wanted to give them one more word. But as soon as I turned around, before I could even say anything, a pair of hard arms grabbed my legs.
"You brat...you brat! You're trying to scare this old woman to death!"
Lingwu looked up and said, "Grandma, I will definitely make sure you live a good life in the future."
"Alright, alright, how many times have I said this? I'm not afraid of getting calluses on my lips from saying it every day. Whether we live a good life or not, we'll all live the same life. There's nothing shameful about not stealing or robbing!"
"Uh-huh!"
Seeing the little girl hugging her and nodding, Song Chunhua was finally satisfied. "Alright, let go now. If you don't let go, I won't be able to eat anything in the future. With your clingy nature, I could live like an old hag!"
"If Grandma can live a very, very long time, it wouldn't be bad if she became an old witch," Ling Wu whispered, hugging Song Chunhua's leg.
"You brat, talking nonsense again! Do you want another beating?"
Song Chunhua raised her hand high, and as soon as she finished speaking, she made a move to hit him.
Seeing this, Lingwu covered her mouth and chuckled, then let go of her hand and ran into the house.
Song Chunhua pretended to chase after the girl for a few steps, and watched as the girl nimbly ran into the house. Then, with a smile, she scolded, "You brat, wait till I get back and I'll give you a good beating!"
She turned around after saying that.
After this incident, Song Chunhua's steps were much lighter than before as she left.
Even on that harsh face, the tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"That brat." She shook her head with a smile.
midday
Lingwu sat in the forest, holding a wild ginseng she had just dug up.
After the wild ginseng was carefully wrapped in leaves, it was put into a small flower bag.
Besides wild ginseng, the small flower bag contained other medicinal herbs, some cheap and some expensive.
This wild ginseng is meant to be given to Grandma so she can sell it for a good price and improve their current financial situation.
The rest were used to gradually nourish the old lady's body.
However, I will only sell medicinal herbs once. Firstly, I know Song Chunhua's personality, and secondly, I still need to focus on my studies.
After all, what the country lacks most these days is talent.
After finishing everything, Lingwu sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree, and took out the lunch that Song Chunhua had left for her that morning.
She ate half a mooncake in small bites while looking at the small floral cloth bag pieced together from scraps of fabric.
I wonder if Grandma saw the half mooncake and the extra steamed bun.
Song Chunhua, whom Ling Wu was concerned about, had just unloaded a bag of grain.
"It's noon. Today, the big boss is treating everyone to a meat dish, so you don't need to eat the lunch you brought!"
"The big boss is such a good person!"
"..."
Amid cheers, Song Chunhua huddled in a corner and opened the floral cloth bag she had brought.
Exhausted, even his old, thin hands were trembling.
She didn't lower her head, but as soon as her hand went in, she frowned.
Looking down, Song Chunhua felt a pang of sadness when she saw the extra half of a mooncake and a steamed bun.
"That brat..."
Hearing footsteps approaching, Song Chunhua quickly raised her sleeve to wipe away the tears in her eyes.
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First, let me address the issue of the hiatus. It wasn't intentional (*)
I asked for a day off in the group chat that day and went out to have fun. Then it suddenly started raining heavily, and I caught a cold when I got home late at night.
I thought it wasn't serious and that taking a couple of cold medicine pills from home would be enough. But I forgot I was allergic to that particular cold medicine. After taking two pills, I went to sleep, and ended up feeling dizzy for two days. (p′︵‵)
I'm feeling much better now. I still have a slight fever and a cold, and my head is a little dizzy, but I'm still very glad I survived.
Waaaaah, I lost my perfect attendance record, but thankfully I'm still alive (╥_╥)
I'll take a break for a while and update one chapter a day. I'll resume normal updates next month or in the second half of October!
Sorry, my wives! [kneeling emoji]
One thing I can guarantee: this book will absolutely not be discontinued!
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