Chapter 28 Burns on the palms and backs of the hands
"You guys can't perform well, and you still want me to give in to you? What do you mean?" He Jingxian couldn't possibly give in to these people. She had to let the leaders see her performance. "Who do you think you are? Am I your mother?"
He Jingxian's relationship with her team members is getting worse and worse. If it weren't for the fact that the graduation drama was about to be staged, the team members would probably want to change people.
It was these team members who had originally invited He Jingxian to join, believing they needed someone stronger. But after He Jingxian joined, they discovered her flaws over time. She was too good at criticizing and suppressing others, and it was too late for them to regret.
At this time, they cannot fight. If they get hurt on the face or body, it will inevitably affect the performance of the entire group.
Jiang Moli and Zhou Yiran continued rehearsals after lunch. When they learned that He Jingxian had argued with her group again, they weren't surprised. That was just He Jingxian's temper. Now that she had a backer and had been successfully transferred to the South City Drama Troupe, she didn't care what the other students would think.
In He Jingxian's eyes, the other students were losers. These losers would soon leave school and would have little chance of staying in South City. They wouldn't be of much help to her. He Jingxian naturally wouldn't give them any face. If they could still help her, she would still give them some face.
In the evening, when Jiang Moli was leaving, Sheng Jiahao came to the school to pick her up. Jiang Moli didn't participate in the rehearsal at school tonight. Their group didn't rehearse tonight, and they said everyone should get a good rest so that they would be refreshed tomorrow.
When they arrived at the compound gate, Jiang Moli got out of the car and asked Sheng Jiahao, "Would you like to come to my house for dinner?"
"Come back another day," Sheng Jiahao said. They hadn't told Jiang's parents in advance, so he just went in to eat. Jiang's mother hadn't even cooked enough. Sheng Jiahao handed the cakes and braised food he had bought to Jiang Moli. He had heard Jiang Moli say that she wanted three chicken legs, but in the end, there were seven people eating. He had just bought her a roast chicken. He had originally wanted to buy a few chicken legs, but then he thought it might be difficult to share them, so he decided to buy a whole roast chicken.
Sheng Jiahao already knew that Jiang Moli's brother and sister-in-law had moved out, and he had not yet met Zhao Guodong and his wife. After listening to Jiang Moli's words, Sheng Jiahao also knew that Jiang Moli and her sister-in-law were not the same type of people.
"That's fine." Jiang Moli nodded.
"Tomorrow night, I'm going to watch your graduation show," said Sheng Jiahao.
"Okay." Jiang Moli nodded again, "You go there often, you know where it is."
"I know." Sheng Jiahao said, "I will be on time tomorrow."
When Jiang's mother came out, Sheng Jiahao had already driven away.
Mother Jiang saw what Jiang Moli was holding and asked, "Did you buy this, or did Jiahao buy it?"
"Jiahao bought it." Jiang Moli said, "He bought a roast chicken and some cakes."
"He's really generous." Jiang's mother took the roast chicken from Jiang Moli's hand, and she still had to slice it.
Jiang's mother hadn't thought of saving it for her grandchildren. Her daughter's boyfriend had bought it, so she naturally kept it for her family. The roast chicken still had a bit of aroma, but it was much less fragrant than homemade braised food.
When Jiang Moli entered the living room, she saw her father sitting there reading a newspaper. Without her brother and sister-in-law, it was much quieter and less busy. Jiang Moli still preferred this kind of quietness and disliked the mess. Too much going on could easily lead to problems.
Niu Cuihua bought some meat. Now that they were in the city, they naturally had to live a better life. When Niu Cuihua was a housekeeper in the countryside, she rarely bought meat and knew how to save and plan. Now that she was in the city, Niu Cuihua just felt that she was going to live a good life. Suddenly, she didn't plan so much, just thinking about eating meat and buying new clothes.
Zhao Guodong just thought Niu Cuihua was celebrating their return to the city and didn't think too much about it. Zhao Guodong didn't know what Niu Cuihua did with the money he gave her. Niu Cuihua went shopping this afternoon. She didn't buy any very expensive clothes, but she did buy two sets of clothes that were not cheap. One for herself, one for her child, and one for Zhao Guodong.
"I heard that buying winter clothes in the summer is cheaper." Niu Cuihua feels that buying winter clothes now is cheaper, not more expensive. "I bought some clothes and I can wear them in winter, which also saves me some money."
"Buy it now?" Zhao Guodong was surprised. Jiang's mother gave Zhao Guodong two hundred yuan, and he took out one hundred and sixty of it and gave it to Niu Cuihua.
When they were in the countryside, Niu Cuihua was the one who took care of the family money. When Zhao Guodong returned to the city, he also gave the money to Niu Cuihua. The reason why Zhao Guodong kept some money was because he had just returned and had some things to do.
"We bought some, but it's still not enough. Let's go shopping together in a few days." Niu Cuihua said, "The city is still the city, it's different after all. There are so many clothes in the store, hanging over there, and there are fitting rooms. When we go to the market in the countryside, we just put the clothes on to see if they fit. There are no fitting rooms."
"Did you go alone?" Zhao Guodong asked.
"No, I went with my neighbors." Niu Cuihua said.
Miao Guifeng accompanied Niu Cuihua to buy clothes. Miao Guifeng was reborn, and the prices in the past years were different from those of today. In addition, Miao Guifeng now believes that women should think more about themselves. Therefore, when Niu Cuihua spent more money on new clothes, Miao Guifeng did not say no. Miao Guifeng also thought that Niu Cuihua had learned not to buy too expensive clothes, which was already very good.
Women need to think more about themselves and not just wear old clothes all the time. Women need to dress themselves up and dress up more often. If women don't dress up, the men at home will look at other women.
"How much did it cost?" Zhao Guodong asked again.
"It's not much, just twenty or thirty yuan." Niu Cuihua said, "That's all the money we need for clothes for our whole family."
Zhao Guodong couldn't help but hold his chest. Nowadays, some workers are lucky to get a salary of more than 30 yuan a month, and Niu Cuihua spent so much money in one go. This made Zhao Guodong at a loss for words. He should have brought back the old clothes instead of letting Niu Cuihua give them away. But when Zhao Guodong found out, it was too late. Niu Cuihua had already told others that she would give away the old clothes.
Niu Cuihua had said it, and Zhao Guodong couldn't say no. He couldn't lose face for Niu Cuihua, so he could only let her do as she pleased.
"Are you reluctant to leave?" Niu Cuihua asked.
"Buy longer clothes for the child so he can wear them next year." Zhao Guodong felt heartbroken.
Someone had already told Jiang's mother about Niu Cuihua's large shopping bags. They were all neighbors, and Niu Cuihua's large bags were obvious to everyone.
What else could Jiang's mother say? She could only say that Niu Cuihua and her husband had just returned to the city and had a lot of things to buy, so it was normal for them to buy more. Others pointed out that other people had also just returned to the city and didn't buy so many things, saying that Jiang's mother was very tolerant of her daughter-in-law. Jiang's mother just smiled and said that Niu Cuihua and her husband would live a good life on their own.
During the meal, Jiang Moli gave the chicken legs to her parents and she ate the chicken wings. Jiang's mother gave the chicken legs to Jiang Moli, but Jiang Moli refused.
"Dad, Mom, you guys eat." Jiang Moli said, "I want to eat chicken legs. I can eat them anytime. I have money, so I can buy them. Today, Jiahao wanted to buy a few more chicken legs, but I said no, there are only three of us, how can we eat so much? It's not very good to put it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and eat it tomorrow. I just bought a roast chicken."
"That's enough." Jiang's mother said, "Jiahao is really willing to spend money on you."
"That's totally unrelated." Jiang Moli said, "Actually, eating is the cheapest thing to spend money on. If you buy other things, that's expensive. I don't need those expensive clothes or expensive bags. I just like to eat and eat more."
Jiang Moli was the type who could eat more meat without gaining weight. If she gained weight all of a sudden, she wouldn't dare to eat meat like this. However, many people of their generation didn't eat meat every day, and the Jiang family was no exception.
"Dad, please eat." Jiang Moli saw that her father didn't touch the chicken leg, so she said deliberately, "Eat it, eat it. I'm not a three-year-old child anymore. You don't have to give me the chicken leg."
When they were little, Jiang's parents didn't eat chicken legs. Each chicken had two legs. They would give one leg to Jiang Yuqin and the other to Jiang Moli or Zhao Guodong. Jiang's mother would usually give the leg to Zhao Guodong, telling him that his brother could eat the chicken wing root just as well, as it had more meat, so she gave both to him.
Jiang's mother knew that Jiang's father valued his own children, so she valued Jiang Moli a little more and would not let her daughter suffer too much for the sake of her son.
When the child was a little older, Jiang's mother simply cut the chicken legs into small pieces so that everyone would not have to argue over the chicken legs.
"This roast chicken was bought on our street, right?" Jiang's mother tasted it after taking a bite.
"Yes." Jiang Moli said, "I stopped the car specifically to buy it."
When Sheng Jiahao returned to his parents' home, his second sister went there and happened to meet him. Sheng's second sister already knew that Sheng Jiahao and Jiang Moli were dating. She had a good impression of Jiang Moli. Jiang Moli was beautiful, sweet-mouthed, and a very sensible girl.
"When will you bring your girlfriend to meet everyone formally?" Second Sister Sheng cooked noodles for Sheng Jiahao.
"Haven't you already met him?" Sheng Jiahao said.
"That's different," said Second Sister Sheng. "Before, she was our mother's student. When you were in college, you rarely came back, and when you did, you missed Jasmine. You don't know how much Mom loved Jasmine. She always praised Jasmine, saying she was talented and hardworking. She said she learned to sing opera at a very young age and was able to persevere. She said if we had learned to sing opera, we might not have been able to stick with it."
Second Sister Sheng saw through her mother's thoughts at a glance. Her mother regretted that none of her children learned to sing opera.
"At that time, I joked with my mother that I wanted Jasmine to be her daughter-in-law. My mother also said that Jasmine had to like her son." said Second Sister Sheng.
Teacher Lu really supports Jiang Moli's development in opera. It's not that she sees a reflection of herself in Jiang Moli, but rather she respects a talent. Teacher Lu has taught many students, and Jiang Moli is not the most talented one. However, Jiang Moli is talented and hardworking, which is why she has become a leader among her peers.
"Mom, are you taking action?" Second Sister Sheng asked, "Were you the one who set them up?"
"I just took your little brother to see Jasmine's performance." Teacher Lu brought over the sliced apples. "I didn't specifically try to set them up."
Teacher Lu really just took her son to see the performance of "Five Daughters Paying Homage to Their Parents." She thought the play was so popular, so fast, that she had to let Sheng Jiahao see it, too. She believed such a good play couldn't be left out of the family. Whether they understood it or not didn't matter; the most important thing was to see it.
"I didn't say they should be together or that your brother should pursue her," Teacher Lu said. "It's your brother who fell in love with her himself."
Because Jiang Moli was a student of Teacher Lu, some people assumed that it was Teacher Lu who brought Sheng Jiahao and Jiang Moli together, and that it was Teacher Lu who asked Sheng Jiahao to pursue Jiang Moli. This was not the case. Teacher Lu's biggest role in the relationship was taking her son to see a performance. Teacher Lu had also taken her family to see other performances, not just Jiang Moli's.
"Yes, I fell in love with her myself." Sheng Jiahao nodded. "Jasmine is a very innocent person."
"As a scheming person, you really like those who are more innocent." Second Sister Sheng said. She didn't mean to say anything bad about her brother, but her brother was indeed more scheming and black-bellied. A foolish person is not suitable for doing business.
"She's not completely innocent. She knows how to think about herself and lives a very real life," said Sheng Jiahao.
"Jasmine has a good temper and doesn't like to be wronged, which is a good thing," said Second Sister Sheng. "She's not the kind of person who would push things around. If you like her, then you two should just be a good couple. She's my favorite student, and you can't let her down. Isn't that right, Mom?"
"Yes, yes." Teacher Lu said, "Jiahao, you really can't let Jasmine down. Don't let the light in Jasmine's eyes dim because of you."
"No, no." Sheng Jiahao said repeatedly, "I can't possibly make her sad."
After dinner, Jiang Moli went out for a walk with her parents to help digest the food. As they walked outside, they ran into Niu Cuihua. Niu Cuihua was washing clothes. She had just given her child a bath and told him to stay home and not run around.
The weather is hot and the children like to move around, so their clothes are all dirty.
The clothes the child wore were all old clothes. Niu Cuihua gave all the cloth that Jiang Moli and Jiang's mother had given to her family. Not only that, Niu Cuihua also deliberately left behind even more tattered clothes. When she took the child to Jiang's house, she deliberately made the child wear tattered clothes, hoping to soften Jiang's mother's heart.
Jiang's mother had encountered all kinds of hardships along the way, so how could she not know what Niu Cuihua was thinking? Jiang's mother had sent a lot of things to Niu Cuihua and her husband. If Niu Cuihua wanted to give the things away, that was her business.
Jiang Moli saw the child's old clothes, all of which had patches on them.
"Grandma." Niu Cuihua's youngest son, about two years old, walked unsteadily. Seeing Jiang's mother, Niu Cuihua asked the child to go to her.
Mother Jiang saw her little grandson, looked at his clothes, rummaged through her pockets, and took out two candies for him.
"Rinse your mouth after eating candy to avoid tooth decay," said Jiang Moli.
Jiang Moli takes exceptional care of her teeth. Teeth are a part of her appearance, and they must not be damaged, even if they are baby teeth. Children's baby teeth are prone to cavities, which cause pain. Some parents don't care whether their children have toothaches at all. When a child has a toothache, instead of taking them to the dentist, they look for folk remedies to relieve the pain.
"The children don't usually have candy to eat." Niu Cuihua said.
"..." Jiang Moli looked at Niu Cuihua. Niu Cuihua was the type who would argue with you. "Whether you've eaten candy or not, you have to brush your teeth well to keep them healthy. If you don't brush your teeth well, they'll easily decay. Children haven't had their teeth replaced yet, so if their teeth decay, they can still grow new ones. If new teeth decay, they won't grow back. It's not like they're supernumerary teeth. Everyone basically has one set of baby teeth and one set of permanent teeth."
"What do you mean by baby teeth and permanent teeth?" Niu Cuihua didn't understand. "We didn't brush our teeth much when we were young, but our teeth are still fine, aren't they?"
When Jiang Moli heard this, she was too lazy to say anything. What did the child's teeth have to do with Jiang Moli? Her nephew and niece were not close to her. With a mother like Niu Cuihua, Jiang Moli did not intend to get too close to them, lest if anything happened to them, Niu Cuihua would have to say it was Jiang Moli's problem.
Father Jiang frowned slightly. Niu Cuihua was so rude.
"Go for a walk first to help digest the food." Jiang's mother said to Jiang Moli, and don't talk to Niu Cuihua.
Jiang's mother gave candy to her grandson, and then to her granddaughter, who was slightly older. After Jiang's mother gave candy to her granddaughter, Niu Cuihua immediately went over and took the candy from her daughter.
"What did your mother tell you?" Niu Cuihua said, "When you have good things, don't just think about yourself. You still have a younger brother. You are old enough, you don't need to eat these things. Give them to your younger brother."
Jiang Moli hadn't taken two steps when she heard Niu Cuihua's words. She was speechless. Jiang Moli turned around, took the candy from Niu Cuihua's hand, peeled a piece of candy and stuffed it into her niece's mouth.
"Boys and girls are the same, men and women are equal, so what if they are older? Sisters don't have to always give in to their younger brothers, just like brothers don't have to always give in to their younger sisters." Jiang Moli said this deliberately.
"You..." Niu Cuihua didn't expect Jiang Moli to look back.
"Let the child eat," Jiang's mother said. "The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh."
"Eat, eat, eat, just eat." Niu Cuihua looked at her daughter.
Niu Cuihua's daughter was a bit timid and didn't dare to speak much. When Niu Cuihua was at her parents' home, her parents and brothers were all quite nice to her. But after she gave birth to her own child, the family ran out of things, and Niu Cuihua always wanted to give the good things to her son instead of her daughter. Daughters would eventually get married, so they only needed to eat what they had; they didn't need to eat so many good things.
Afterwards, Jiang's mother and her family of three continued their walk, and they did not continue to stare at Niu Cuihua.
Jiang Moli walked beside Jiang's mother, holding her hand.
"Mom, did you see what they were wearing?" Jiang Moli asked.
"I saw it." Jiang's mother replied.
"Is sister-in-law waiting for you to buy clothes for my nephews and nieces?" Jiang Moli had this doubt.
Not only did Jiang Moli have this idea, but Jiang's mother also had this idea.
"I've already given your brother the money. Let him take the child to buy clothes himself." Jiang's mother said, "I can't control that much."
Jiang's mother was afraid that if she went to buy clothes for the child now, Niu Cuihua would ask her to take care of the child later. If she took care of the child too much, then Niu Cuihua would be unhappy, and Jiang's father would be unhappy too. What would Jiang's mother do then?
Jiang Moli doesn't care where the money in Jiang's mother's hands is spent, but if Jiang's mother is too partial, Jiang Moli will also have some ideas.
"Your brother is old enough, an adult," Jiang's mother said. "I can't control his affairs. Your sister-in-law went shopping today and bought a lot of things, including some winter clothes."
"It's up to them. The money is in their hands. They can buy whatever they want." Jiang Moli said, "Don't spend all the money. Come back to you for it when the time comes."
"How can I afford so much money to give them?" Jiang's mother was willing to give Zhao Guodong two hundred yuan at once, which was already very good.
This was to allow Zhao Guodong and his wife to settle down in the city as quickly as possible. Niu Cuihua and his wife left their belongings in the countryside, and all of that needed to be bought. Even a good cook cannot cook without rice. Jiang's mother couldn't ask Zhao Guodong to borrow money, nor could she ask him to take an advance on his salary right after starting work. As a mother, she could only help out a little. If Zhao Guodong and his wife had to rely on Jiang's mother for constant support, she wouldn't be able to do it.
"When you have children in the future, don't be too partial to them," said Jiang's mother.
"Mom, with the current family planning policy, having a child depends on the quota," Jiang Moli said. "Without the quota, it's hard to have a child. Even if you have a child, it's hard to register the child."
"If you want to have a child, you can have one. If you want to register your household registration, you can register it," Jiang's mother said. "There are policies from above and countermeasures from below."
"I'm not going to have a baby so early. If I do, I'll just have one. Unless I have two, I'm not planning on having a second child." Jiang Moli said, "I still have my career."
"Yes, you have your career." Jiang's mother chuckled.
At that moment, Jiang Yuqin was taking her child to the hospital. She had tied the child to the leg of a table with a long rope so that the child could move. The child tried to push the table, and Jiang Yuqin happened to pour a cup of hot water onto the table, which splashed directly onto the child's arm. Fortunately, it splashed onto the arm and not the face. The water was very hot, and the child cried loudly from the scalding.
Jiang Yuqin didn't know what to do, and she tried to lift the clothes, accidentally tearing off a piece of skin. When Jiang Yuqin saw this, she was scared and rushed the child to the hospital for the doctor to treat it.
The doctor asked the child to stay in the hospital for one night first. The child had a broken skin and a large burn. If an infection occurred, it would be very easy to cause trouble.
"Can't you just apply some medicine and go back?" Jiang Yuqin didn't want Ding Chao to think that the matter was serious.
"It's such a large burn," the doctor said. "Children's skin is so delicate. For the child's own good, it's best to keep him in the hospital overnight."
When Ding Chao learned about the child's condition, he rushed to the hospital and just happened to hear what the doctor said.
"Let the child stay in the hospital." Ding Chao said, "Doctor, I'll go pay the hospital bill now."
Jiang Yuqin hadn't expected Ding Chao to return so soon. She turned to look at him, opened her mouth, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words. Jiang Yuqin was afraid that Ding Chao would blame her, so she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "I was afraid he'd run away, so I tied him to the table leg. He could still move, and the rope was tied around his waist. I didn't expect..."
"Then how did he get burned?" Ding Chao asked.
"I poured a cup of boiling water, thinking I'd let it cool down." Jiang Yuqin said, "Maybe I didn't put it properly on the table, so that's why the problem happened. I really don't know..."
"There are children at home, how can you put boiling water on the table? Can't you put it somewhere else?" Ding Chao looked at the child whose eyes were red and swollen from crying. He felt very sorry for the child. He quickly picked up the child and let the child lie on the bed first.
Jiang Yuqin looked at Ding Chao's back as he walked away quickly and hurriedly followed him.
"I really don't know. Before I tied him up, someone said he was at an active age and that if he wasn't tied up, he'd run around and be easily abducted by human traffickers." Jiang Yuqin said, "I had to cook, so I tied him up. I didn't expect something like this would happen today."
Ding Chao didn't want to talk to Jiang Yuqin. He was thinking that the child wasn't Jiang Yuqin's biological child after all, and Jiang Yuqin didn't care about the child's affairs. It was he, Ding Chao, who had wrongly trusted Jiang Yuqin. Jiang Yuqin really didn't treat the child as her own. If it was Jiang Yuqin's own child, would Jiang Yuqin be willing to treat the child like that?
Jiang Yuqin was anxious. She really didn't mean to do it. She had good intentions and didn't want anything to happen to the child, but in the end, something happened to the child. Jiang Yuqin followed Ding Chao, extremely anxious.
After arriving at the ward, Ding Chao placed the child on the bed and said to Jiang Yuqin, "You take care of the child first. I'll go pay the bill."
"I... I will definitely watch him, I will definitely keep an eye on him." Jiang Yuqin said hurriedly.
Ding Chao quickly returned with the payment. He had just overheard Jiang Yuqin tell the doctor that Jiang Yuqin was reluctant to spend money on the child. The child's condition was all because of Jiang Yuqin, and Jiang Yuqin still had the nerve to ignore the child, which made Ding Chao angry.
Seeing Ding Chao's unhappy expression, Jiang Yuqin could only explain, "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it. I really didn't expect it... I've never taken care of a child before, so I didn't know that raising a child requires so much attention. I..."
"You've never taken care of a child before, but you do now. Can't you be more considerate when taking care of a child?" Ding Chao said, "The child is still so young, he will feel pain."
"I know, I know, I didn't mean it." Jiang Yuqin said, "I swear, there won't be a next time."
"Don't let it happen again. The child is still so young, he can't handle it." Ding Chao said, "I told you to treat him as your own son. If you don't like him and don't want to raise him, we can get a divorce."
"No, no, no, don't mention divorce." Jiang Yuqin really liked Ding Chao very much. She had never thought about divorcing him. She couldn't divorce him. She wanted to be with him forever. "I will pay attention to the child's affairs. I will never let anything happen to the child again. Don't worry, I will do my best. I mean what I say."
"This time..." Ding Chao looked at the child, "The child needs to be hospitalized. The child is sick, and if the doctor says he needs to be hospitalized, he must be hospitalized. If you don't have money, just tell me. I'll borrow money to get the child hospitalized. The child's biological father is gone. He died while building a dam. I can't ignore his child. The child's biological mother has remarried. If I don't take care of him, no one will."
"We have to take care of it, we have to take care of it." Jiang Yuqin was afraid that Ding Chao would be unhappy. "We will take care of it together, together."
Jiang Yuqin looked at the child, then looked at Ding Chao, "Otherwise, you go back first, and I will take care of the child."
"No need, I'll take care of the children here, you go back first." Ding Chao was worried about Jiang Yuqin.
"This... I..." Jiang Yuqin wondered if Ding Chao was unhappy, "This... I'd better stay."
"If you tell me to go back, then go back!" Ding Chao said, "I'll take care of him here!"
Ding Chao emphasized that he was a little impatient and didn't really want to talk to Jiang Yuqin. Jiang Yuqin had no choice but to go back first.
When Jiang Yuqin took the child to the hospital, many people saw it. When Jiang's mother and Jiang Moli went for a walk, they heard others say that Jiang Yuqin's child was injured and scalded by boiling water.
"Do you want to go and take a look?" someone asked Jiang's mother.
"I won't go to see it." Jiang's mother replied, "That's someone else's business."
In the past, Jiang's mother had done a lot for Jiang Yuqin, and she had to be a good stepmother. But now, Jiang's mother no longer needs to be a good stepmother, and it's Jiang Yuqin's turn to be a good stepmother. Being a stepmother is not an easy job. Not to mention being a stepmother, even being a biological mother has all kinds of things to deal with.
Jiang's mother wanted to see how Jiang Yuqin could live her life. She was selfish and it was inevitable that she would neglect her child. If it were her biological child, she might pay more attention to it. But if it wasn't her biological child, she might not pay as much attention to it.
After returning home, Jiang Moli looked at her mother and said, "Mom, Jiang Yuqin really plans to raise that child."
"It's none of your business whether we raise her or not." Jiang's mother glanced at Jiang's father. "She's a bad girl to the core, just like her mother and her biological father. She's been in our family for so many years, and we haven't been able to make her better. Her foundation is bad, and there's no way to change it."
"..." Jiang Moli looked at her mother, then looked at her again. Why did these words sound like she was saying them, not her mother?
Mother Jiang gently tapped Jiang Moli's head and asked, "Are you stupid?"
"I just thought you wouldn't say those words." Jiang Moli said.
"That's the truth," Jiang's mother said. She wasn't Jiang Yuqin's stepmother anymore, and she had no family relationship with her. Jiang's father didn't care about her anymore, so she could say that. If Jiang's father still cared about Jiang Yuqin, Jiang's mother wouldn't say much. "Don't go to them anymore. Don't get involved in those things, okay?"
"I don't care." Jiang Moli said, "The dirty mud didn't splash on me, so why would I step on it and let the mud splash on me?"
Jiang Moli has never liked to meddle in other people's business. At most, she just wants to watch the fun.
Niu Cuihua had originally planned to wash and air all her new clothes, but she was worried they might be stolen if left hanging outside. She decided to wait until another day to wash the clothes, and she would stay home to watch over them, so they wouldn't be stolen. In the summer, the heat makes it easier to dry clothes and wash them.
After the child ate the candy, Niu Cuihua didn't think of asking her to rinse her mouth. It made no difference whether she rinsed her mouth or not, her teeth were fine.
"Your sister was afraid that I would steal the candy, so she had to stuff it into Da Niu's mouth." Niu Cuihua glanced at Zhao Guodong who was sitting beside the bed. "Dada is also my daughter. It's not like I don't love her. It's because her brother is still young. His brother is so thin and small, and he needs to be nourished."
"These are some candies given by my mother. Let them eat them." Zhao Guodong said.
"I'm not stopping them from eating. I'm just saving some so they can eat it tomorrow," said Niu Cuihua.
"No need to save, I have a job and can still buy candy." Zhao Guodong said.
"Yeah." Niu Cuihua nodded, "Take a look at the clothes I bought today and see if they fit and look pretty."
Zhao Guodong looked at the clothes and thought only of how much Niu Cuihua had spent. He hoped she hadn't spent another twenty or thirty yuan. The family only had so little money, and it was hard to afford such extravagance.
Niu Cuihua planned to buy some things to send back to her parents' home, and she also needed to send some money to her family, as they had to work too hard to make a living in the fields. Niu Cuihua wanted to let them know that she was living a happy life now, that she would be a city dweller in the future, and that she would no longer have to do the rough labor she had to do in the countryside.
Since Zhao Guodong was not the biological son of the Jiang family, Zhao Guodong did not think of taking Niu Cuihua to see Old Madam Jiang, nor did he think of giving anything to Old Madam Jiang, Old Man Jiang and others.
Jiang's mother hadn't suggested that Zhao Guodong go to the Jiang family. Old Mrs. Jiang and the others didn't like seeing Zhao Guodong. Jiang's mother meant that Zhao Guodong had grown up and didn't need to interact with other members of the Jiang family. Zhao Guodong himself knew his limits. Even before he went to the countryside, when Jiang's mother and father took Jiang Yuqin and Jiang Moli to the Jiang family, Zhao Guodong would sometimes stay at his own home and not go with them, so as not to disturb the reunion.
Zhao Guodong stayed at home alone, and Jiang's mother was inevitably sad, but she had no other choice. At most, Jiang's mother would prepare more food for Zhao Guodong, or give him some money so that he could go out to eat.
In the evening of a new day, Mrs. Jiang and the others packed up and went to Jiang Moli's school to watch her performance. Jiang's third cousin also went with his girlfriend. He and his girlfriend were engaged and were about to have a wedding banquet.
Jiang's father and mother also came. When they saw Old Lady Jiang and others, they greeted them.
"Everyone is here." Jiang's mother said with a smile.
"This is the first game, we have to come and support Jasmine." said Mrs. Jiang.
Old Mrs. Jiang was afraid of a dull atmosphere, so she told her other relatives in South City to come and have a look when they had time. Old Mrs. Jiang repeatedly emphasized to them that it was free, and she even specifically told them which group was Jiang Moli's group, asking them to be sure to come and have a look.
Old Mrs. Jiang has no control over whether others come or not. She can only say a few words to remind others. If those relatives are willing to come, that would be the best thing. If they don’t want to come, she can’t force them to come.
Not only did the Jiang family come, but Sheng Jiahao and his second sister also came, and naturally, Teacher Lu and his wife couldn't not come. Teacher Lu wanted to come and see the students, and her husband came with her if he was free in the evening.
When Sheng Jiahao saw Jiang's mother, he came over to greet them, "Uncle and Auntie."
"Jiahao, are you here alone?" Jiang's mother asked.
"No, my second sister and brother-in-law are here, and my parents are here too." Sheng Jiahao said, "I saw you, so I came over to say hello."
The elders of the two families hadn't formally met yet, so it wasn't appropriate for them to gather together now. Everyone was there to watch the show, so they just had to find a seat. When they arrived, they just sat down wherever there was a seat available; there were no specific rules for where everyone should sit.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, sit down, find a seat and sit down." Teacher Lu came over. She didn't let her husband and the others come over, she came over by herself.
Jiang's mother had had contact with Teacher Lu before. When she saw Teacher Lu, she immediately said, "Teacher Lu."
"Come, sit down," Teacher Lu said with a smile. "Today is the first day, so there aren't many people here. Take the middle seats. It's still early, and we still have more than half an hour before we start. People will continue to arrive."
"Sit down, everyone sit down." Jiang's mother said to the Jiang family.
After the Jiang family found a seat and sat down, Teacher Lu took Sheng Jiahao to sit elsewhere first.
"Is Jasmine's boyfriend the teacher's son?" asked Old Mrs. Jiang. She heard that Jiang Moli was dating, but she didn't know the details.
"Yes, it's her son. You just saw him. He's a very handsome young man." Jiang's mother said.
"He is quite handsome. He is the teacher's son, which is not bad. His family conditions are not too bad." said Mrs. Jiang.
During the Special Period, teachers were not well treated and some people looked down on them. But Mrs. Jiang was not one of those people. She believed that teachers should be respected at all times. Teachers teach and educate people and can do many things.
"Not bad." Jiang's mother sat next to Old Lady Jiang. The old lady had something to ask Jiang's mother.
"You should also be more cautious. Although her conditions are good, our Jasmine is not bad either." Old Mrs. Jiang said, "You only have one child, Jasmine... Your husband only has one child, Jasmine."
Old Mrs. Jiang realized that she had said the wrong thing, and she quickly changed her words.
"You have to pay attention to Jasmine's matter." said Mrs. Jiang.
"Yeah." Jiang's mother responded, "We will definitely pay attention to it, we will definitely pay attention to it."
Old Madam Jiang looked around, as if she was looking for someone. Mother Jiang also looked around with Old Madam Jiang. Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang had come over, as well as many people from the main house and some relatives. Those people really gave Jiang Moli face.
"Didn't your son go back to the city? Why didn't they come?" Old Mrs. Jiang asked. It didn't matter whether Zhao Guodong visited her or not, but Jiang Moli was Zhao Guodong's biological sister. "Don't they know that Moli is performing tonight? There's no need for tickets, it's free, they don't have to pay, they just want people to come here. Or are they worried that it's too late at night and there are no buses? If there are buses, the school has already arranged with the bus company, and the buses will run later these evenings."
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