Chapter 87: Pursuit is not something everyone can realize
"I really haven't been saving any money on Xiaobaihua." Ma Yuwen's heart skipped a beat when she heard her colleague's words.
Ma Yuwen knew very well that she did not have much room for upward development. At her age, this was pretty much the path she was on and she could not go very far.
"Forget about blind dates. I've never met anyone suitable before," Ma Yuwen said. "No matter who you go on a blind date with, little accidents can happen. Maybe God didn't intend for me to go on a blind date."
"Maybe it's not your destiny yet. When it is, you'll naturally find a partner," my colleague said. "Well, since you said that, I won't force you. Someone else thinks you're a good person, so they asked me to ask."
"It's all like this. Just ask, and it's all the same," Ma Yuwen said. "In the end, it's probably all going to end the same way."
It's not like Ma Yuwen hasn't been on blind dates before. At first, the other person said all sorts of things about her, saying how much the guy liked her. But when they actually met, Ma Yuwen realized it wasn't like that at all, so she didn't continue with the relationship.
Marriage is not a simple little thing, it is a big matter for a lifetime.
Ma Yuwen needed to think more about herself and not just find someone. She envied Jiang Moli. She returned to the local theater troupe and sometimes contacted her former colleagues, wondering how Jiang Moli was doing. When Jiang Moli won the award, Ma Yuwen was a little surprised, but not too much.
That year, Ma Yuwen felt that Jiang Moli deserved the award. The timing, location, and people were all right. If Jiang Moli hadn't won, it would likely have been manipulated. Those people probably knew they couldn't deny Jiang Moli the award, so they deliberately created a newcomer award so that someone else could also win. That way, the most important award wouldn't be manipulated, and people wouldn't say it was a rip-off.
Jiang Moli had no idea that Ma Yuwen hadn't married or had children yet. She wasn't familiar with Ma Yuwen and didn't pay much attention to her. When Ma Yuwen left the Provincial Little Hundred Flowers, Jiang Moli had only been there for a short time. Regardless of whether Ma Yuwen applied to be transferred back because of Jiang Moli's appearance, Jiang Moli couldn't have kept an eye on Ma Yuwen. The two of them were not on the same level, so there was really no need to keep an eye on someone else.
This is also because Jiang Moli is developing better, so she doesn't need to look back at those who are not developing as well. They are no longer colleagues, but she keeps staring at them, which makes Jiang Moli look very narrow-minded. Ma Yuwen's development is not as good as Jiang Moli's, and she occasionally pays attention to Jiang Moli's development. This is normal. People always think about those who are developing better than themselves, and they all want to catch up with others and develop as well as them.
When Zhou Yaran came to see Jiang Moli, she didn't bring her son with her. Zhou Yaran came to see Jiang Moli by herself, and she saw several chicks in the front yard.
"Are you finally planning to turn the front and back yards into chicken farms?" Zhou Yiran asked.
"My mom said that when I get pregnant and give birth, I need to eat the chickens raised at home, so she has to raise a few more chickens." Jiang Moli said, "Not only do we raise more chickens here, but the neighbors also raise more chickens."
When Old Lady Wen learned that Jiang Moli was pregnant, she asked Jiang's mother if she had enough space to raise chickens, saying that she could raise chickens at her place. Jiang's mother was really not polite and actually caught a few chicks to raise at Old Lady Wen's place. She also said that Old Lady Wen's flowers were good and that the chicks would grow up eating those flowers, and the chickens would definitely taste great. Jiang's mother also said that she would give some chickens to Old Lady Wen when the time came, and Old Lady Wen said that she relied on Jiang's mother.
"My mother brings some corn and millet to feed the chickens every day." Jiang Moli said. The key point is that the old lady of the Wen family is very happy.
Jiang Moli thought it was fate. The old lady of the Wen family couldn't play with others, but she played with Jiang's mother. Old lady Wen often said that when Jiang's mother spent more time chatting with her, she felt younger. When the Wen family came to give Old Lady Wen something, they would sometimes bring something for Jiang's mother. When Old Lady Wen's children saw Jiang's mother, they would politely call her "Auntie".
"Auntie is really capable." Zhou Yiran sighed, saying that Jiang's mother could even raise chickens next door.
"They have a good relationship," Jiang Moli said. "It's fine as long as we can chat, but I'm afraid I'll be lonely and have no one to talk to. I've been staying at home these past few days and haven't been to work. If I go to work, it's just for a short while, to get things done, and then I'll come back. If I stay at home alone for too long, I'll feel like I'm getting moldy."
"That's how pregnancy is. You have to take good care of yourself," Zhou Yiran said. "In our industry, it's hard to perform while pregnant. It can be a bit boring. If you're bored, watch TV, listen to music, or even sing a few lines at home."
"You still have to sing, you can't fall behind." Jiang Moli said, "I feel rusty after not practicing for even a month, let alone a year."
"Yes, it's always like that. When I was pregnant, I didn't practice for a while, so I became quite rusty." Zhou Yiran said, "My mom even scolded me at the time, saying that I had become stupid from giving birth."
"Aren't you fine now? You can still be the same as before." Jiang Moli said.
"As long as you don't think about climbing up the social ladder, living an ordinary life is fine." Zhou Yiran said, "I live a relatively comfortable life, and He Jingxian..."
"What's wrong with her?" Jiang Moli picked up an apple on the table.
"She, doesn't she have three children?" Zhou Yiran said, "She spends most of her time at work now and doesn't go home much. Her husband and she have a lot of arguments. Her husband himself is not very good at taking care of children. Their second aunt also asked her to go home more often, but she just won't go back."
Second Aunt Qi was the leader of their unit. She had spoken with He Jingxian, but He Jingxian still had the same attitude. Second Aunt Qi didn't want to make things too difficult for He Jingxian, or force her to go home early by not letting her go on stage. Second Aunt Qi could only turn a blind eye and let Qi Shixin discuss it with He Jingxian himself.
"Sometimes, He Jingxian's husband would come to our office with their child," Zhou Yiran said. "We were rehearsing, and her husband would sit on the stage with their child and watch."
"Didn't anyone say anything?" Jiang Moli asked.
"There's nothing much to say. You'll get used to it." Zhou Yiran said, "It's not easy for everyone. Many people can understand and be understanding. Speaking of which, He Jingxian's little daughter is quite cute."
When Qi Shixin brought his children to visit He Jingxian, he usually took one child with him, sometimes taking the older one and the younger one, yes, the oldest one. Qi Shixin was not good at taking care of children, and he didn't dare take all the children with him at once. Qi Shixin thought that if he did that, He Jingxian would pay more attention to her family.
However, He Jingxian allowed Qi Shixin to sit next to her with the child. She thought Qi Shixin was supporting her work with the child. As long as they didn't quarrel at work, there wouldn't be much of a problem.
He Jingxian has figured it out now. If she lowers her head, she has to keep it lowered. If she raises her head, she can't do it the same way as before.
"He Jingxian is patient and cruel," Zhou Yiran said. "If she hadn't been like this, there'd be no other way. She couldn't just go back and take care of the kids. We've all seen her before. During the graduation play, she was always trying to instruct others, regardless of whether they liked it or not. She'd always criticize them for this or that, short of saying she was the best. As a result, some people with worse grades than her didn't get into our company, but they joined local drama troupes and are doing just fine."
Zhou Yaran didn't know if He Jingxian regretted staying in South City, but she thought she probably didn't. After all, He Jingxian stayed in South City, and her children all had South City household registration. If He Jingxian had gone back, she might not have been able to live the life she has now.
"All I can say is, once you've made a choice, you have to move forward," Jiang Moli said. "If she wants to do something else now, then go for it. She's not too old, and even if she is, she's not incapable of pursuing what she wants. She can still continue to pursue it."
"Yeah." Zhou Yiran nodded, "That's right."
"Women aren't restricted to staying home and taking care of children," Jiang Moli said. "Children will eventually have their own lives. When I have children, I won't be able to stay home and take care of them forever. I still have to go to work. I still have to go on business trips when I need to, and call when I miss my children. Now it's better. I have a phone at home, and I can hear my children's voices and talk to them."
"That's good of you," Zhou Yiran said. "You can continue to work after having a baby. No one says that women can't work after having children. I just don't have much energy right now. I'm always thinking about the child. After work, I go home early and spend more time with the child."
"In the past, didn't you go home early after work?" Jiang Moli said. They used to go to and from get off work together, and Zhou Yiran usually went home on time.
Zhou Yiran would sometimes stay with Jiang Moli for a little longer, but not very often. Zhou Yiran was not someone who liked to work too hard, she preferred to go home and lie down and rest.
"This... is true. We grew up together, and you know everything about me." Zhou Yiran sighed, "I want to pretend in front of you, but I can't."
"Why are you pretending? Don't you know a lot about my affairs?" Jiang Moli said.
"Yes, I know all the times you cried during practice." Zhou Yiran chuckled. "When your child is born, will you let him sing opera?"
"Not necessarily. It depends on the child's own preferences. If the child doesn't like it, I won't force him to learn to sing opera." Jiang Moli said, "The child's father has a company. If he doesn't want to learn opera, he can run the company in the future. There is no need to stick to one path."
Jiang Moli somewhat understood why Teacher Lu didn't allow her child to learn opera. If she didn't have a strong passion for it, just a casual interest, then she could just treat it as a hobby. If she truly loved it, then she could learn more. Jiang Moli didn't have any particular expectations for her child. It didn't matter what she wanted to do in the future. As long as she didn't become a prodigal, that was all that mattered.
If a person is really a spendthrift, no matter how much stuff is left at home, he will squander it all.
Jiang Moli and his wife have a lot of property, but it cannot be squandered by their child. They still want to educate their child well.
"Your family is good; it doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl," Zhou Yiran said. "Unlike our family, my mom always reminds me that I'll have to ask for a dowry when the child grows up, and tells me to work harder. She knows that this is how my life will end, so how can I work harder? The child's father is just an elementary school teacher, and he still needs to get a professional title so that he can get more money when he retires. He teaches math now, and he's quite good at it, but that's because he teaches elementary school math."
"You are still thinking about him teaching mathematics." Jiang Moli said.
"It's not that I think so," Zhou Yiran said. "He sometimes has to correct homework there. I mean, there's no need to bring elementary school homework back to correct it. You can just correct it at school. The thick notebooks are hard to carry, and the things are so simple. He rarely brings students' homework back, but he brings test papers back to correct them for the students."
When Zhou Yiran saw her husband doing those things, her husband asked her if she wanted to help, but Zhou Yiran refused.
"He's trying to slack off and ask me to help grade the test papers, but I won't do it," Zhou Yiran said. "That's his job, he needs to be more attentive. It's not like he's too busy to handle it. If he were, it would be useless. I have to take care of the kids and I can't help him."
Zhou Yiran didn't grade the test papers, but she would take a look at them. "Even in elementary school, some people got zero."
Zhou Yiran found it unbelievable when she saw others getting zero points in the exam.
"My husband teaches third-grade students," Zhou Yiran said. "Really, they scored zero. I don't know how they managed the test."
Zhou Yiran thought about her man's math test scores in junior high school, where he only scored a few points.
"I don't know if it's because my husband didn't teach me well." Zhou Yiran said, "If he didn't teach me well, wouldn't that be misleading the students?"
"It's not necessarily his fault," Jiang Moli said. "Some children are just not good at math. If the test paper contains all the same type of questions, they might get zero points."
Jiang Moli still remembers classmates doing word problems, some of whom simply scored zero. It's hard to say for sure about this kind of thing; it's not necessarily the teacher's fault. It could be that the student didn't like the learning and didn't study seriously.
"How worried this child's parents must be," Zhou Yiran said. "Sometimes I worry my husband will be beaten by a student's parents, but there are students in their class who get full marks, and their grades are quite good. I asked, and their class's average math score isn't at the bottom, it's in the middle, not at the bottom, so it's pretty good."
"There are many classes in each grade in the school, so being average is pretty good." Jiang Moli said, "Not bad. You don't have to worry about work. If the child's parents are really worried, they can find someone to tutor their child. Fighting the teacher won't solve the fundamental problem."
"My child's academic performance is not easy to improve," Zhou Yiran said. "She's still young, but I'm already thinking about her future academic performance. She was born last year and she's still so small."
"Don't worry." Jiang Moli felt that Zhou Yiran was worrying too early.
"I didn't do well in school before, unlike you. Your teacher told you to go to high school," Zhou Yiran said. "My grades weren't great, but they said it was a good thing I could sing opera and do other things. My husband is a teacher, sure, but his grades are terrible too. If it weren't for the poor grades of others, he wouldn't have been able to continue studying, and he wouldn't have been able to become a teacher. It's just that he happened to have the right time."
"Maybe your child is smart?" Jiang Moli said.
"Do you believe that? How can the child be good if the parents are like this?" Zhou Yiran said, "You two are the best. You two are both talented and smart. Your child will definitely have a bright future."
"I'm just saying good things," Jiang Moli said. "Even if both husband and wife graduated from prestigious universities, their children may not necessarily be academically proficient. They may still have poor academic performance."
"The probability is much smaller," Zhou Yiran said. "It's also my mom's fault. She always likes to exaggerate. She just wants me to work hard, that's why she says those things. Really, after having this child, I feel like my status in my mom's heart has plummeted, almost to the point of having no status at all. Look, once you have a child, won't your parents only care about your child? Most of the time, it's like this, with grandparents being the closest to their children. For those of us who have children, we have to step back."
"It doesn't matter whether we retreat or not." Jiang Moli chuckled, "I have to work, and I feel at ease with them helping to take care of the children."
"This is the only way I can persuade myself." Zhou Yiran shrugged.
He Jingxian practices and rehearses diligently at work, and she's lost a little weight, but not much. If she doesn't exercise, she'll gain weight again. Even if she doesn't eat a lot, she'll still gain weight. He Jingxian weighs herself every day to maintain her weight.
When He Jingxian learned that Jiang Moli was pregnant, she wondered if Jiang Moli was afraid that her body shape would not return to normal by then? He Jingxian had a small hope in her heart. She wondered if Jiang Moli would have a second child if she gave birth to a daughter.
Family planning isn't that effective; many people still have second and third children. Family planning officials do arrest some people who are pregnant due to excessive births and have them aborted, but it depends on who they arrest. He Jingxian wasn't forced to have an abortion. She knew that if Jiang Moli wanted a second child, her in-laws would definitely take care of it.
When He Jingxian came home from work, Qi's mother took He Jingxian's three daughters home, and Qi Shixin had to cook. If Qi Shixin didn't cook, He Jingxian would come home late, and Qi Shixin would have to go hungry. Qi Shixin didn't eat himself, but the children had to eat, so he had to try to cook for himself.
Qi Shixin rarely cooked before. When he lived at home, his mother and sister-in-law would cook for him. After moving out, He Jingxian would go back home to cook in the evenings. They could buy breakfast outside, eat lunch at work, and have their mother bring the children home for lunch. But when it came to dinner, they couldn't always have their mother bring the children home.
After a long time, Brother Qi and his wife would become unhappy. They were unwilling to let the child eat at their place and still wanted the child to eat with Qi Shixin and his family.
"You're back so late again. It's already past seven o'clock." said Qi's mother.
Qi Shixin prepared the meal and brought it out. He came home from work to cook and buy vegetables, which is why he waited until now to prepare the meal. Qi's mother had to help take care of the children and do some things at home. She couldn't help Qi Shixin and his wife cook dinner every day. Qi's mother lived nearby and didn't think of paying for a servant to cook dinner for Qi Shixin and his wife. Where would she get so much money to hire someone? Qi Shixin and his wife still had to cook for themselves.
"Something delayed me a little." He Jingxian looked at the dining table, where the food was already set. He Jingxian felt that she had returned at the perfect time, as she didn't need to cook. He Jingxian didn't like cooking, she preferred singing opera.
"You're a mother of three children, so you should take better care of them." Qi's mother frowned. "You're always at work. How can you say that? Aren't you worried that your children won't be close to you in the future?"
"They are my biological children." He Jingxian washed her hands and sat down to eat.
"Shixin hasn't sat down yet, so you sit down." said Qi's mother.
"When I was cooking before, he would sit down before I even sat down," He Jingxian said. "We've been married for so many years, so why can't I just sit down and eat?"
In the past, He Jingxian would bow her head in front of Qi's mother and dare not refute her. Now, He Jingxian's attitude towards Qi's mother has changed. She has given birth to three children for the Qi family, but they are still dissatisfied with her. She is not in good health due to childbirth, but they don't seem to care about her much. He Jingxian knows that she needs to pay more attention to herself, so that they won't blame her for speaking rudely.
Qi Shixin didn't take off his apron; he still had to clean up the dishes later. He Jingxian didn't clean up much these days; she was lucky enough to be able to see the kids after dinner. Qi Shixin sometimes wondered if he'd been cheated. He felt he wasn't being treated well, and He Jingxian felt she wasn't being treated well either.
Actually, Qi Shixin wasn't that bad. At least he was still willing to cook and take care of the children. Of course, if He Jingxian hadn't realized that she needed to rehearse more, Qi Shixin wouldn't have been able to do these things. He Jingxian was the one who pushed him to this point. It wasn't He Jingxian's fault. The Qi family had forced her to have a third child.
"Mom, do you want to eat something more?" Qi Shixin asked his mother.
"I'm not eating anymore. You guys eat." Qi's mother said, "If I weren't here, you'd be in such a mess."
Qi's mother was holding her little granddaughter. With all three granddaughters around, she, as a grandmother, needed to keep an eye on them. She thought about not coming over, but her youngest son couldn't take care of three children by himself, so she had to come over, every day. Only when He Jingxian was on vacation could Qi's mother stay home more.
When He Jingxian heard what Qi's mother said, she didn't stop, but continued to eat. He Jingxian didn't care what the Qi family said or thought. The child was already born anyway, and it was those people who insisted that she have a third child. Since they wanted her to have the child, then they had to take responsibility for raising the child. They couldn't not take care of the child. They had to take care of this child, and they had to take good care of it.
Qi's mother glanced at He Jingxian. He Jingxian was now like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water. Qi's mother couldn't possibly ask her son to divorce He Jingxian. They still had three children. Divorcing to have a son also depended on the family conditions. With Qi Shixin's conditions, it was better not to divorce for the sake of having a son.
Qi's mother suspected that if Qi Shixin divorced He Jingxian, He Jingxian would not be able to take the three children with her. The three children would have to live with Qi Shixin, and Qi's mother would have to help raise them. If she had known that He Jingxian would only give birth to daughters, Qi's mother thought she should not have let He Jingxian give birth to three children. Qi's mother originally thought that He Jingxian would take better care of the children, but who knew that He Jingxian did not think about taking good care of the children and went to rehearsal.
"This dish is a bit salty. Next time, put less salt." He Jingxian said.
"My son has cooked for you, and you are still picking on me." Qi's mother said.
"He used to be like this when I cooked," He Jingxian said. "He can tell whether the food is good or not by himself. Even if I don't tell him, he'll have to change. He has a much pickier palate than I do."
He Jingxian recalled that when she cooked for Qi Shixin, Qi Shixin was always picky, saying it was too salty or that he didn't feel like eating. Qi Shixin just disliked her cooking, so he cooked for himself to see how delicious the food was.
After Qi Shixin started cooking himself, he didn't do a good job.
"Eat, eat." Qi Shixin was tired and didn't want to say these words after finishing cooking.
If Qi Shixin hadn't felt embarrassed to always go to his parents' house for dinner, he would have gone there to eat and not come back to cook. Qi Shixin looked at his three children and thought, "I should have known I shouldn't have had three children."
Qi Shixin looked at the child, who was so young. He realized that the food he cooked was still not very good, and the child still ate mainly at his parents' house. After a while, when his cooking skills improved, it would not be too late to let the child eat at home.
Qi Shixin never thought that one day he would have to stay at home and cook. Originally, He Jingxian was supposed to stay at home and cook for her.
After dinner, He Jingxian went to see the child and hugged him.
Qi's mother felt even more unhappy when she saw Qi Shixin clearing the dishes. She wanted He Jingxian to clear the dishes, but she knew that He Jingxian was not capable of doing such things now.
"When Shih Hsin was here, we didn't have to do these things," said Qi's mother.
"That's because he's your son, so you should do it for him. We live here, and his daughter is there." He Jingxian said, "The children aren't just mine, they can't all be waiting for me to cook. When I'm on vacation, I can cook for them, but when I'm at work, you can't rely on me for everything."
"You...you go to work every day, what kind of things can you do at work?" said Qi's mother.
"Even if I can't do anything fancy, I still have to go." He Jingxian said, "You don't understand what I'm pursuing, and I don't need you to understand what I'm pursuing."
When Qi's mother heard He Jingxian say this, she just wanted to shake her head. He Jingxian was really speaking casually now, so casually that Qi's mother wanted He Jingxian to shut up. He Jingxian didn't think she was wrong, she was just stating the facts, simple facts.
He Jingxian figured it out, but Jiang Yuqin didn't.
When Jiang Yuqin learned that Jiang Moli was pregnant, she was stunned at first, and then she thought, could Jiang Moli actually give birth? Jiang Yuqin had previously thought that it would be best if Jiang Moli could not give birth, and that Jiang Moli did not want to have a child.
Ding Chao went looking for an apartment and found the house where Niu Cuihua and her husband had lived. They had rented it out before, but the couple moved in for new jobs and no longer lived there. There was a small, habitable room there, with no door and separated by a curtain.
When Ding Chao told Jiang Yuqin about this house, Jiang Yuqin quickly shook her head.
"This house won't work. Using curtains to separate the rooms is like having no separation at all," Jiang Yuqin said. "We still need to give Hongwang a relatively independent space. Besides, that little room has no windows and is completely dark. Hongwang definitely won't like it."
Jiang Yuqin pretended to be concerned about Ding Hongwang, but in reality, she didn't want to rent the house Niu Cuihua had rented. Niu Cuihua and her husband had already bought a house, so Jiang Yuqin still had to rent. If Jiang Yuqin rented the house Niu Cuihua had rented, what would others think of her?
No, absolutely not!
Jiang Yuqin wanted to save face, "Let's find another house. It might be a little more expensive, but Hongwang is so big."
"Then don't rent there, change to another house." Ding Chao said.
"Is the rent enough?" Jiang Yuqin asked. "Let's talk to the landlord and pay the rent month by month. We all live here, so they won't worry about us not paying."
"I'll talk to the landlord," Ding Chao said. "There's another house, two or three buildings away, right next to Zhao Guodong and his family's. It has two rooms. Each room has its own door, and they're not very big. The two rooms combined are only slightly larger than ours."
"Then this one." Jiang Yuqin said, "It's not a problem to be close to those people. We are not living in their homes, nor do we ask them to pay rent. We can live there."
Jiang Yuqin didn't mean to deliberately avoid Zhao Guodong and his wife, she just didn't want to live in the house where Zhao Guodong and his wife had lived.
When Jiang's mother went to Niu Cuihua and her husband's place, she saw Jiang Yuqin.
Jiang's mother said something in front of Niu Cuihua, and Niu Cuihua said directly, "She moved to live near us, very close. She said the child is older and needs an extra room. Those two rooms are fine, with separate doors."
Actually, the two rooms were originally connected, with a small door in the middle. To make it easier to rent out the house, the landlord blocked the middle door and opened another one. This way, if someone wanted to rent a separate room, they could do so.
There is no private toilet over there, you have to go to the public toilet.
This wasn't a problem for Jiang Yuqin and her husband; they had always used public restrooms before. Niu Cuihua and her husband also used public restrooms when they rented their apartment, but sometimes they would go directly to the restroom on the Jiangs' side. After Niu Cuihua and her husband bought their apartment, they installed a bathroom on their side, which made it much more convenient, eliminating the need to go to the public restroom outside.
The public toilets are crowded and they have to queue, which is too troublesome. It would be better to have a private toilet, so they don't have to queue, at most their family members will have to queue.
"Jiang Yuqin is pregnant again," Niu Cuihua said, "and it's not convenient for them to live together all the time."
"She's really fast." Jiang's mother said.
"She's so lucky. She works in a private factory and doesn't have to worry about being fired." Niu Cuihua said, "Her family is really good to her. They've arranged everything for her."
Niu Cuihua didn't envy Jiang Yuqin, she just said so. Jiang Yuqin was lucky. Before her life story was exposed, she could still lord it over the Jiang family. After her life story was exposed, Jiang Yuqin still had her family to support her. How many people could be like Jiang Yuqin?
"She is the same as her family." Jiang's mother said. She knew why Jiang Yuqin's family helped Jiang Yuqin so much.
"Mom." Niu Cuihua said, "Please sit down first."
"No need to sit here anymore. We have to go back soon." Jiang's mother said.
"Mom, wait a minute." Niu Cuihua went to get a chicken, the feet of which were tied with ropes. Niu Cuihua thought that Jiang's mother would come over today, so Niu's mother and Niu Cuihua specially went to catch a chicken. There were also larger chickens at home. "This is for Jasmine to eat."
"For Jasmine?" Jiang's mother asked, "Didn't you give two last time?"
"Last time, it was the last time, this time is this time." Niu Cuihua said, "It's just a chicken. Compared with my little sister's help to us, it's nothing. Mom, please help us take it over and stew it for my little sister, and we won't go over."
"Okay." Jiang's mother nodded and took the chicken. The chicken was a bit heavy and it struggled a bit.
Jiang's mother held the chicken and didn't let it move too much.
"It would be better to put it in a bag." Niu Cuihua hurried to find a bag.
When Jiang's mother was leaving, she happened to meet Niu's mother and Niu's wife walking towards her. Jiang's mother nodded at them. Niu's wife saw the bag in Jiang's mother's hand and heard the crowing of a rooster.
"Mother-in-law, please walk slowly." Mother Niu said with a smile.
"Let's go." Jiang's mother said.
Mrs. Niu took another look at the bag. When Mother Niu saw what Mrs. Niu was doing, she said, "The reason Cuihua and her family were able to buy a house was because of the money borrowed from her sister-in-law, and her sister-in-law didn't even ask her for interest. Her sister-in-law is pregnant, so she should give her a few more chickens."
"It's the gift, it's the gift." Mrs. Niu thought to herself that her family had benefited indirectly from this. If Niu Cuihua and her husband hadn't bought a house and brought Niu's mother to the city, Mrs. Niu and her husband wouldn't have been able to come to the city so soon. Zhao Guodong did help the Niu family, so that Mrs. Niu and her husband could gain a foothold in the city more quickly.
Zhao Guodong and Jiang Moli are half-siblings, not from the same father or mother, and their relationship is quite good. However, this kind of relationship is usually separated by a layer, not to mention Niu Cuihua's family.
When Niu Dasao and her family returned home for the New Year, they all said that Zhao Guodong's family was really generous and asked Niu Cuihua to help the Niu family. Niu Dasao knew where Jiang Moli and her husband lived and that they lived in a very big house, which had nothing to do with the Niu family.
"We have two big ones at home," Niu Cuihua said, "I'll send them over later."
"Don't you want to eat?" Mrs. Niu asked in confusion.
"If we want to eat it, we can just go out and buy some." Niu Cuihua said, "This is something we raised at home. I'm giving it to my sister-in-law."
"That's fine," said Mrs. Niu. "Your sister-in-law is really nice. She lent you money to buy a house, and your daughter Jiaojiao can even learn the guzheng. Look at the life you're living now. I think this is the life a real person should live."
Mrs. Niu is too envious of Niu Cuihua. She is not Niu Cuihua's sister-in-law. Niu Cuihua's sister-in-law now only wonders why Niu Cuihua doesn't help them more.
"It's true that I rely on my sister-in-law." Niu Cuihua said, "When we bought the house, my mother-in-law didn't save as much as my sister-in-law did."
When Niu Cuihua talked about Jiang Moli, she smiled. She liked Jiang Moli very much now. When others said something bad about Jiang Moli in front of Niu Cuihua, Niu Cuihua would say that person was not good and she would roll her eyes. Who do those people think they are? How dare they say that about Jiang Moli?
Some people also said that Jiang Moli lived in such a nice house, while Zhao Guodong and his wife lived in a poor house. Niu Cuihua said that it was because Jiang Moli found a rich husband, and if she herself could not buy such a big house, she would not be able to afford it.
Niu Cuihua was sensible enough not to always go to Jiang Moli. She didn't dare to always ask her sister-in-law for help.
When Jiang Moli saw Jiang's mother returning with a chicken, she wondered, "Mom, didn't you go to collect the rent?"
"I'm going to collect the rent, and it's a good opportunity to visit your sister-in-law. She already packed a chicken and was waiting for me to come over," Jiang's mother said. "She said it was for you to eat."
"My sister-in-law only has a few chickens, and she caught three for us." Jiang Moli said.
"She gave it to you, so just take it." Jiang's mother said, "You've helped them so much, can't you also eat a few of their chickens?"
It's impossible for Jiang's mother to say she doesn't want the chicken. As long as Niu Cuihua and her husband ask her to give it to her, Jiang's mother will dare to take it back. Jiang's mother can't always side with Zhao Guodong. She brought the chicken back, not because she doesn't support Zhao Guodong. Jiang's mother believes that Zhao Guodong is Jiang Moli's biological brother after all. Zhao Guodong and his wife can't just think about taking advantage, they still have to make some sacrifices.
If Jiang's mother doesn't take the things back and instead gives them to Zhao Guodong and his wife, Zhao Guodong and his wife will become very unhappy.
"If they raise their own chickens, I'll take them. If they buy chickens from outside, I'll take them too," Jiang's mother said. "If they don't give it to me, I won't tell anyone."
"Okay." Jiang Moli felt a little embarrassed.
"You don't have to be embarrassed." Jiang's mother saw through Jiang Moli's thoughts, "You give them a lot of gifts during festivals. If they can give a little at this time, let them do it."
"Okay, let them send it. I didn't say no." Jiang Moli said, "I'll just eat the chicken leg."
Jiang Moli had been eating a lot recently, but she hadn't gained weight and was still quite slim. Jiang's mother always asked her where all the food she ate went, and the chef even prepared nutritious meals for her, just to help her replenish her body and gain some weight.
Whether it was because Jiang Moli wasn't performing or because it was the off-season, ticket sales for several of the Provincial Xiaobaihua performances were disappointing, with the numbers dropping significantly. This was giving the leadership a headache, and they even called a meeting to discuss the issue.
"Just look at the tickets sold before." Someone muttered.
Everyone was silent for a while, and then that person muttered something. The voice was not very loud, but everyone heard it.
"Look at the tickets sold before?" the leader asked in confusion.
"Yes." Teacher Li nodded. "Actually, earlier on, we didn't sell that many tickets for our performances. It may seem a little less now, but it's still better than before. After Jasmine came to our company, we've sold a lot more tickets."
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