Lu Qiqi, who hadn't been back to the veterans' village for a while, bought a lot of trinkets in Luzhou Prefecture to take back with her.
When they were almost at the veterans' village, Lu Qiqi took the bundle out of her spatial storage and slung it across her back before entering the village.
When Lu Qiqi arrived home, Xiao Xibao was the first to notice her return and tiptoed towards her.
She kept calling out, "Sister Qiqi is back!"
Upon hearing that Lu Qiqi had returned home, Lu Yao immediately put down her embroidery and got up to walk towards Lu Qiqi.
"Sister, you're back," Lu Yao said happily.
"Mm," Lu Qiqi said with a smile, unloading her bag and placing it on the round table. "I brought you lots of delicious food and fun things."
Little Xi Bao stood on tiptoe, pressing her hands against the edge of the round table, barely able to see what was on it.
Lu Qiqi immediately picked up Xibao and put her on a chair so that she could see clearly.
Lu Qiqi took out the items from the bundle one by one and arranged them on a small portion of the table.
Candied hawthorn skewers, sugar figurines, osmanthus cakes, hibiscus cakes, and bamboo dragonflies are all items that children love.
Xi Bao reached out to grab the food, almost tumbling over, but luckily Lu Qi Qi caught her in time.
Lu Qiqi laughed, "Don't be in such a hurry. I'll give them to you. Which one do you want to eat first?"
Xi Bao said in her childish voice, "Little Sugar Man."
"Okay," Lu Qiqi handed a small sugar figurine to Xibao, "Hold it carefully so you don't drop it."
Xi Bao took the sugar figurine, whispered a thank you, and happily began to eat it.
Lu Qiqi ruffled the hair of the adorable little Xibao, then turned her gaze back to Lu Yao and said, "I brought the peace charm to Yu'er. I hope this charm will help her live a smooth life."
Lu Yao paused for a moment, then nodded.
Seeing that Lu Yao seemed to have something on her mind but didn't know how to bring it up, Lu Qiqi asked, "Is there something you want to say to your sister?"
Lu Yao shook her head, and Lu Qiqi didn't plan to ask any further questions, perhaps she was overthinking it.
At this moment, Madam Lu brought out a plate of dishes and said, "Qiqi is back. There's so much stuff here. Hurry up and tidy it up. We're about to start eating."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi put the things back into her bundle, and Lu Yao helped her.
As soon as Li put down her bowl and chopsticks, she saw Xibao happily eating a sugar figurine. She quickly squatted down in front of Xibao and said with a smile, "You little glutton, it's almost time to eat dinner and you're still eating so much sugar. Don't ask your mother for food if you're hungry tonight."
When Xi Bao heard that she would be hungry that night, she hurriedly handed the little sugar figurine to Li Shi for safekeeping, saying, "Mother, please hold this for Xi Bao. Xi Bao doesn't want her tummy to hurt."
“Okay,” Madam Li said with a smile, “Mother will keep it for Xibao first, and she can eat it after dinner.”
Lu Qiqi scratched her head, embarrassed, and said, "Third Aunt, I didn't know that children can't eat their meals after eating candy."
After all, in her previous life, snacks were never a concept in her vocabulary when she was a child, so she didn't really understand them.
Li said, "It's alright. Children are just greedy. Our Xibao is a little glutton, you know that."
Li didn't blame her; she smiled and went back to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
At night, the family sat around the round table for dinner. Lu Qiqi had returned, and the atmosphere at the dinner table was noticeably more lively than in the previous days.
Lu Dahai and Li Qingshan each poured themselves a glass of wine, drinking to warm themselves in the winter.
The villagers sold charcoal cakes and distributed the money, and their lives got better and better. They never dared to dream of having wine and meat at every meal before, but now they actually achieved it.
After they finished eating, Li and Lu cleaned up the dishes, and Lu Yao got up to help.
Madam Lu quickly said, "Ayao, stop busying yourself and have a good talk with your sister."
She added, "Qiqi, you have to comfort Ayao. Ayao has been missing you so much these past few days that her eyes are swollen from crying."
Lu Yao lowered her head shyly and whispered in protest, "Auntie is talking nonsense, I didn't say that."
"Okay, okay, I was just talking nonsense."
Madam Lu gave Lu Qiqi a wink, and Lu Qiqi nodded in response. Madam Lu then returned to the kitchen.
Lu Qiqi put her arm around Lu Yao and they went back to Lu Yao's room.
As soon as the door closed, Lu Qiqi asked, "Does Ayao miss her sister?"
Lu Yao lowered her head and remained silent, like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished, which made Lu Qiqi feel a pang of heartache again.
Lu Qiqi softened her tone, "Sister missed you too. It's been a few days. Sister, do you think Ayao is eating well at home? Is she dressed warmly? Is she happy every day?"
Lu Yao looked up and saw Lu Qiqi's smiling face. Her awkwardness eased, and she whispered, "Ayao missed her sister."
After saying that, Lu Yao hugged Lu Qiqi's waist and buried herself in Lu Qiqi's arms.
Lu Qiqi ruffled Lu Yao's hair. She knew this was a sign that Lu Yao lacked a sense of security, and she didn't want her to grow up too quickly for the time being.
Anyway, under her protection, she believed that Lu Yao would grow up happily.
Lu Yao held her for a long time until Lu Qiqi's legs were almost numb before Lu Yao finally let her go.
Lu Qiqi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
After Lu Yao regained her composure, Lu Qiqi went back to her room, took a hot bath in her spatial dimension, and went to sleep.
...
The following afternoon.
Peace Village.
Four people, men, women, and children, stood in a dilapidated thatched hut.
A heavily pregnant woman was kneeling on the ground, clutching her belly and weeping bitterly.
"Father, Mother, I really can't live in the Liu family anymore. I'm pregnant, and my mother-in-law and father-in-law still torment me every day."
“I do all the housework at home. They even found me a laundry job. Look at my hands, they're covered in chilblains.”
"I have to wash clothes in cold water every day in this freezing weather, my hands are almost raw from washing them!"
Lu Changping knelt on the ground, bitterly recounting how inhumane her two in-laws had been to her.
Jin quickly helped Lu Changping up. Hearing that her daughter had suffered so much, tears streamed down her face.
"That heartless Liu family actually made you, a pregnant woman, do this kind of work!"
"Look at your hands! They've become like this!"
Jin lifted Lu Changping's wrist and saw that Lu Changping's hand was red and her finger bones were covered with ulcerated and scabbed chilblains.
Upon closer inspection, it all seems terrifying.
Taking advantage of Jin's distress, Lu Changping quickly revealed the purpose of her visit.
"Father, Mother, I'm not living like a human being in the Liu family. I don't want to go back anymore. Please, Father and Mother, let me stay!"
Lu Dazhuang was shocked to hear that his beloved daughter, whom he had cherished for over a decade, was being treated this way, especially since she was pregnant with their Liu family's child.
Anger surged within him, and he longed to rush to the Liu family's house and confront them.
But reason told him he couldn't do that.
The Liu family had already settled the matter of exchanging Lu Changping for a bag of chaff to become their daughter-in-law; it was a matter of money and goods being exchanged long ago.
Even if the matter goes to the authorities, as long as the Liu family refuses to release Lu Changping, they will have no way to keep her at home.
Moreover, there was simply no extra food at home to keep Lu Changping and her unborn child.
The birth of the child will be another huge expense. Lu Changhu is not yet married. If Lu Changping is kept, no one will be willing to marry their daughter to him.
Could it be that the Lu family is going to be wiped out?
no!
Absolutely not!
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