Chapter 160 One punch after another, I beat him into a goose!
There was a moment of silence in the warm air of the room.
Whether it was Zhizhi's imagination or something else, she felt as if she had been briefly embraced. The faint scent of soapberry, mixed with a slightly unknown bitter taste, was like... like the smell of Yuan Hui's fountain pen ink when he wrote.
Zhizhi wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes and pulled herself together.
"I have enough of my parents now. Making money! Celebrating the New Year! Slaughtering the pig!"
She shouted slogans to cheer herself up, completely unaware that behind the fence of the pigs next door, the pink pigs were trembling.
Zhizhi left the space with bags and packages. She looked at the vegetables and fruits that were piled up on her bed and patted her face.
"Next time I see him, I'll punch him one-on-one! I'll beat him into a gull!"
Just as I was thinking this, I heard Jiang Anchao shouting from outside.
"My dear daughter, shall we send these vegetables from the yard to the steamed bun shop? Dad's off!"
Zhizhi quickly put on her shoes, jumped out of bed, and ran outside, only to find a lot of people standing in the yard.
Mom took notes in her notebook, “Uncle Wu from the steamed bun shop ordered 100 jin of cabbage, 50 jin of mustard greens, and 10 jin of eggs. Take this jar of pickled vegetables with him as well, and tell him to give it to him to try.”
Jiang Anchao carried the cabbage onto the back of his bicycle, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Okay."
Although it was cold, he was steaming with heat after working.
"Anything else? Just tell me and I'll deliver it. Anyway, I'm on vacation and have nothing to do at home."
Zhizhi paused for a second, then forced a smile.
"I'll come and help too!"
Watching the older brother sorting the cabbages one by one, the younger brother was responsible for holding up the sacks beside him.
She simply called on her older sister, Sui Sui, to grab a small abacus and start calculating numbers.
"Dad, remember to collect the money. Sister Sui Sui, please write a note so that I don't have to misunderstand the accounts."
As she spoke, she waved to the young man, "Young man, you'll go with your dad in a bit. Eggs are fragile, so you can hold them."
Zhizhi calculated the specific numbers, and Suisui immediately wrote them down on slips of paper and handed them to Jiang Anchao.
The courtyard was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Many hands make light work, and in just over ten minutes, all the cabbages in the front yard were arranged. Deng Qiu brought an old quilt and covered them with it, saying that this would preserve them for longer.
After quickly finishing her work, Deng Qiu went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Gan Su then took a broom and began cleaning up the vegetable leaves on the ground.
Sui Sui turned to look at Zhi Zhi and noticed that she was not in a good mood.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Zhizhi snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "It's nothing."
Sui Sui patted the dust off her cotton-padded coat and sat down on the stool next to Zhi Zhi. "Zhi Zhi, you haven't been in a good mood since you came back a few days ago. You're keeping something on your mind, aren't you? Since you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. You and Gan Su are the same; you're kind to people but never say it directly. Actually, you two could have done the vegetable selling yourselves. You only asked me to come and help you because you wanted to help me leave my home. I know all that, but we're friends... friends are mutual."
She pointed to her cotton-padded jacket, which was navy blue and completely different from the little dresses her mother used to dress her up like an exquisite doll.
"Aunt Cuiping knew I worked, so she specially sewed me a cotton-padded jacket and trousers, and braided my hair. When my mom saw it, she scolded me, saying that we don't lack clothes or food at home, who am I trying to impress by playing the victim? Zhizhi... You and I are different. My parents are sick, and although it's not outwardly visible, they are truly sick inside. You have loving parents and a happy family, what can't you overcome?"
Zhizhi suddenly looked up at her older sister Suisui.
Indeed, she hadn't noticed before that Sister Sui Sui had changed a lot recently.
If the previous Sui Sui was a delicate doll placed in a glass jar, then the current Sui Sui is more like a person with flesh and blood.
She lived a very vibrant and lively life.
But what about ourselves?
My mood has been affected, and I haven't been eating or sleeping well lately.
Zhizhi rested her chin on her hand, her tone hesitant, "Sister Suisui, what do you think... if one day I leave my loving mom and dad and am taken away by a new dad who is a jerk, what will I become?"
"Parents are important, but not absolutely important. What matters most is yourself and what kind of person you want to become."
Sui Sui held her slightly cool little hand, her tone carrying a maturity beyond her years.
“You know what my dad is like, and my mom isn’t a good person either. Zhizhi, do you remember what you advised me before? You should live your own life like your own sun. My parents are like that, but the neighbors in the military family compound didn’t look down on me because of them. Zhizhi, you are more likable. You don’t need to worry about this kind of thing at all.”
Zhizhi thought for a moment, "That's right."
She's been overthinking things lately; she really doesn't need to worry about it at all.
Even if Jiang Yan really is her biological father, she can freely choose who to live with. Her household registration is already under the Jiang family, so who can take her away?
Just look at what happens when you snatch a child – that's what happens to Sang Lao Er.
Zhizhi clapped her hands, her eyes immediately lighting up, "That's it! I'm Jiang Zhixian! Jiang from Jiang'an!"
It's not the Jiang in Jiang Yan's name!
To hell with Meow Meow Ball's biological father! She only has one father, and that's Jiang Anchao!
After Zhizhi found out about this, she was extremely excited.
Just then, Wen Qingqian walked into the courtyard carrying a thermal lunchbox. "The army canteen is about to close for the holidays, so I specially steamed some meat rolls. I saw everyone was grabbing them, so I bought a lot too. Come on, little ones, wash your hands and get ready to eat!"
"Yay!"
Zhenwei immediately ran to the pool to get water and wash his hands.
"Long live Aunt Wen!"
Wen Qingqian greeted Deng Qiu in the living room. Just then, Deng Qiu finished cooking, and they quickly urged the children to sit down and eat.
"Sui Sui, stay and have a bite to eat. You've done a lot of work today."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Deng Qiu quickly called her back.
Sui Sui shook her head, a childlike smile on her face, "Aunt Deng, I'm going back now, Xiao Bao is waiting for me at home."
Deng Qiu wiped his hands, picked up two large steamed buns from the table, and walked over to her.
“Take this home and eat it. Oh, right! I've packed that vegetable in a basket for you. Take it home. It's almost Chinese New Year and everyone is short on food. Take it and don't be shy.”
Sui Sui nodded gratefully, waved goodbye to Zhi Zhi, and went home.
... ...
'Squeak—!' Sui Sui, holding vegetables and steamed buns in her arms, used her back to push open the door.
As soon as she entered the room, the strong smell of smoke made her unable to open her eyes.
Dad was lying in bed, too tired to even move a finger. The ashtray was next to his pillow, covered with cigarette butts.
Her mother stood to the side, fiddling with a towel. When she saw her arrive, she said sarcastically, "Oh, our young lady is back. She went to the Jiang family to fawn over them and enjoyed herself quite a bit."
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