Chapter 14: Go see the third sister in the county
In the evening, Shen Qingyue said to Shen Mei, "Let's go to the county tomorrow and visit our third sister."
Shen Mei hummed.
The two sisters lay in bed. Chen Mei looked at the beams above her head and said, "She doesn't know yet. If she knew, she would definitely be happy!"
Shen Xiu is the third child, and at seventeen, she's only in her third year of junior high school. This is because her family keeps her working. While other children start attending county primary school at six or seven, Shen Xiu couldn't start until she was nine.
Originally, Shen Xiu's family didn't want her to continue her studies after graduating from elementary school.
Shen Xiu's teacher came to her, and she was able to continue her studies! Her grandparents complained a lot about this, saying they had never seen a grandmother who paid for her granddaughter's schooling.
I want the three sisters to remember this kindness forever.
According to Shen Qingyue's memory, if the family division hadn't happened, it would have been Shen Xiu's turn to marry her off. The fact that she had worked hard to get into junior high school had become a reason to demand a high bride price.
Shen Qingyue insisted on dividing the family so as not to be the victim.
Why should the three sisters work like slaves for their parents' family, and then be squeezed out of every last bit of their value? After they were married off, they never enjoyed happiness in their parents' family, and continued to suffer in their husband's family.
Fortunately, God opened his eyes and let Shen Qingyue come back.
In the darkness of the night, Shen Qingyue opened her eyes, her mind full of thoughts. Dividing the family was only the first step. She wanted to buy a house, although the village chief and Aunt Dahua were both very nice.
But the village chief has two sons. The three sisters are all female relatives. It is okay to stay here for a short time, but it is not convenient to stay here for a long time.
Chen Mei was also asleep beside her. She glanced at Shen Qingyue from the side and said, "I'm obviously the eldest sister, but you act more like an older sister than me."
She wanted to say this yesterday.
Ever since their parents passed away, their grandparents' attitude towards them has become increasingly hostile, treating them like servants.
When her parents first passed away, Chen Mei cried every day, hoping that a miracle would happen when she woke up.
But no, reality forced her to grow up. As the eldest, she consciously shouldered the burden of her two younger sisters. Shen Mei could endure hardships and grievances. As long as her two younger sisters were well, that was all that mattered.
The idea of splitting up the family had only briefly crossed her mind, and she hadn't dared to think deeply about it. But this extravagant dream, which she hadn't even dared to dream of, was actually realized under Shen Qingyue's suggestion.
Even though it had been a day since the incident, Chen Mei still felt light-headed.
This feeling is good and makes her feel at ease.
There was just one thing that made Shen Mei feel a little sorry for Shen Qingyue: "Those people in the old house are the most petty. You made them suffer such a big loss, and I'm afraid it will affect your chances of finding a partner."
Shen Qingyue had suffered in her previous life and knew that it was better not to look for a bad partner: "Don't worry, everyone in the village knows who they are. There will definitely be reasonable ones. As for those who are unreasonable, it's better not to look for them."
Shen Qingyue said to her elder sister: "I will be with you then."
When Chen Mei heard this, she immediately said, "Okay, whether you get married or not, you are still my good sister."
The two sisters thought they had a lot to talk about, but after talking about this matter, they both felt relaxed. Plus, the sheets and quilts at Aunt Dahua's house were really comfortable. They fell asleep soon.
Early the next morning.
Aunt Dahua and the village chief came together in the morning and prepared the porridge and side dishes.
Chen Mei got up early to make steamed buns made from three-grain flour. She's a master at making noodles, and she mixes the flour perfectly. It doesn't use up any refined grains, and the texture is quite good. As for the porridge, it's millet. It's more broth than rice, but it's thick.
Drinking a bowl of rice porridge early in the morning makes me feel comfortable.
Although Aunt Dahua was a wealthy woman and had told them that they could do whatever they wanted, they were still hesitant to be too extravagant as they had just arrived.
The side dish was prepared by Shen Qingyue. She picked some juicy cucumbers from the backyard early in the morning. They were the first batch of vegetables at their tenderest, and they tasted fresh and sweet.
Adding a little salt and soy sauce makes it crispy and delicious, perfect with breakfast porridge.
It was the first time Auntie Dahua had a hot meal the moment she woke up. When she woke up, the yard had been swept and even the water tank had been filled. She was surprised and delighted and asked, "When did you get up?"
Shen Qingyue said: "Just now."
Aunt Dahua said, "Thank you both for your hard work."
Gathering around the table early in the morning, Auntie Dahua showered everyone with praise, showering them with compliments. Then, they happily ate their breakfast: the multi-grain steamed buns were chewy and fragrant, the millet porridge was nourishing, and the refreshing pickles made a perfect match.
It’s true, having a hot breakfast early in the morning can really wake up my whole spirit.
After breakfast, the village chief went to the village committee to work.
Aunt Dahua took the two sisters in because she got along well with them. It would have been fine if Shen Qingyue had insisted on giving them five yuan for rent.
Now that breakfast, dinner, and cleaning were all taken care of, Aunt Dahua felt really bad. Not only did she want to return Shen Qingyue's money, she also wanted to give her some more.
I don't want to take such a big advantage of the two children.
Shen Qingyue said, "Aunt Dahua, we just want to do it, please don't worry. Also, my elder sister and I are going to the county today to visit my younger sister and tell her about the important things at home. By the way, we'll also see if there's any work we can do."
Auntie Dahua knew that Shen Qingyue was a person with her own ideas, and she no longer treated her like a child. She said, "Okay, be careful when you go out. Don't carry too much money, and be careful of pickpockets on the road. If you need a certificate from the village, just tell us."
"Um."
After breakfast, the two sisters went to the county. They paid two cents for tickets to the county early in the morning.
There are only four buses a day connecting the countryside and the county town. People from the surrounding villages have to take this bus to go to the county, and the passengers are packed like canned fish.
Fortunately, Shen Qingyue was near the window and opened it, so there was a little draft when the car was moving. Otherwise, if she sat there, she would have gotten carsick.
Shen Xiu's No. 20 Middle School was located in the suburbs of the city, and they were the first to get off the bus.
By the time we got off the bus, it was almost noon.
When they arrived at the school gate, they told the guard, and he let the two sisters in to look for someone.
This is Shen Qingyue's first time visiting her sister's school, Class 2, Grade 9.
"Someone is looking for Shen Xiu." A student said in a crisp voice.
Shen Xiu quickly raised her head and saw her second and eldest sisters coming over.
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Xiu's face. She hadn't expected them to come. She jumped for joy childishly, "Big sister, second sister, why are you here?"
Shen Qingyue looked at the white membrane her sister was chewing and drank cold water. With a pang in her heart, she said, "You're just going to eat this?"
Shen Xiu hummed. It was already a blessing that her family could allow her to go to school. To save money, Shen Xiu tried to stay in school and only ate one white membrane a day.
She just stood there when she was hungry. She was obviously a seventeen-year-old girl, but probably because of malnutrition, she looked like she was fifteen.
Shen Qingyue said: "Let's go, Second Sister will take you to eat something delicious."
The malnutrition of the third sister touched Shen Qingyue's nerves. In her previous life, she was quickly married off to the next village.
Shen Xiu rarely went back home to save money, and the two sisters had seen each other so little that they had no idea she was living like this. Now that they saw it, she couldn't just ignore it.
Shen Xiu was directly pulled out of the classroom by her second sister, and then went to the teacher's office to ask for leave. Shen Xiu was still dizzy when she was taken out of the school by her two sisters.
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