Chapter 117 Aunt Li's Peach Blossoms Wei Ning turned around...
As soon as Wei Ning turned around, he met Ding Yumei's probing gaze. His heart skipped a beat. Ding Yumei, with a tense face, asked suspiciously, "Third brother, don't you dislike these sweet snacks?"
Wei Ning's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said calmly, "Ah, I suddenly wanted to try it when I passed by today, so I bought some."
Ding Yumei didn't let him off the hook just because he said that. Instead, she continued to press him: "Didn't you used to dislike chestnuts the most?"
Ding Yumei would go to the suburbs to pick chestnuts every year, bring them back home and roast them, but Wei Ning wouldn't touch them, saying he didn't like them. Today, he suddenly spent money to buy a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts, which seemed very strange.
Wei Ning answered flawlessly: "I suddenly had a craving for it today."
Ding Yumei stared at Wei Ning with wide eyes, but Wei Ning remained calm and his expression did not change at all. Even if Ding Yumei felt that something was wrong, she could not figure out the specific situation, so she could only wave her hand and say, "Never mind."
Ding Yumei turned around, and Wei Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to step into the house, Ding Yumei suddenly turned back and asked, "Who gave you the roasted chestnuts?"
Wei Ning answered instinctively, "It was sent by Mingxi."
Oh ho!
The answer slipped out before Wei Ning realized what he had said.
Ding Yumei: "I knew it! You definitely didn't buy it yourself!"
Wei Ning was born to Ding Yumei. As soon as he bent over, Ding Yumei could guess what kind of poop he would take. From the moment Wei Ning came back today, she keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Ding Yumei leaned closer to Wei Ning, glanced at him, and said, "Mingxi gave it to you, so just say it was Mingxi who gave it to you. She's not an outsider."
Wei Ning looked up at his mother, wondering where she got this conclusion from.
He explained, "Mom, don't overthink it. There's nothing between Mingxi and me. I just gave her a ride home on my way home from get off work today, and she thanked me by giving me a bag of chestnuts."
"Oh, you even took her home!" Ding Yumei immediately seized on the key point.
Wei Ning: "I took her home because it was on my way. I was temporarily transferred to the Women's Federation these past few days, and I share an office with Mingxi. We go to and from get off work in the same place, so I took her home on my way."
Ding Yumei: "You've been temporarily transferred to the Women's Federation to work with Mingxi!"
Wei Ning: "..."
Ding Yumei: "Son, tell me the truth, do you have feelings for Mingxi? If you do, just tell me openly. I'm not the kind of person who interferes in my children's relationships. Just tell me what you have to say."
To be honest, Ding Yumei was considered a relatively open-minded parent for her time, and she didn't interfere too much in her three children's marriages. For example, with Wei Laoda's wife, although Ding Yumei arranged the marriage, it was only because Wei Laoda liked her that they started dating. As for Wu Yue, although Ding Yumei didn't like her and initially didn't want Wei Laoer to get married in the countryside, she ultimately didn't stop them from getting married.
Ding Yumei continued, "And I think Mingxi is a really nice girl, I like her a lot."
Wei Ning shrugged: "I like it too, but it doesn't matter if we both like it, because she doesn't like me."
Wei Ning hadn't intended to hide it from his family, but he was afraid that if they found out he had feelings for Mingxi, it would cause her trouble.
But now that Ding Yumei has asked this question, there's no point in him hiding it anymore.
After all, judging from Ding Yumei's attitude, even if he didn't admit it, Ding Yumei was certain that he liked Mingxi.
He simply admitted, "I think Mingxi is a good person. Last time you urged me to get married, I went to see Mingxi, but she didn't have any feelings for me. She said she wasn't planning to date or get married right now, and rejected me."
Ding Yumei raised her hand and elbowed Wei Ning, saying with exasperation, "It must be because you're always so unserious that Mingxi doesn't like you."
Wei Ning: "..."
How can you blame him for this?
Ding Yumei adored Mingxi, who had been beautiful since childhood. Furthermore, Zhao Sulan only had Mingxi as her daughter, and she was willing to spend money on her, providing her with the finest and best in everything, from food to clothing. Therefore, Mingxi was always fair-skinned, delicate, and clean; among a group of children, Mingxi was the one who attracted the most attention from the adults.
Moreover, Mingxi was sensible from a young age. She would greet adults warmly. Ding Yumei remembered that when Mingxi was little, she would always smile sweetly at her whenever she saw her in the alley and call her Aunt Ding in a childish voice.
Ding Yumei, who has three sons and envies other people's daughters every day, longs for a daughter like Mingxi.
Seeing her daughter forgetting her son, she said to Wei Ning with exasperation, "You're such a useless child! You can't even bring home someone you like. I wasted my life raising you!"
Wei Ning: "..."
He pursed his lips: "Who said I can't bring her back? I'm chasing after her right now."
Ding Yumei's eyes lit up, and her expression improved somewhat.
yes!
Although Mingxi looks down on Weining now, it doesn't mean she will look down on Weining in the future.
The thought of Wei Ning being with Ming Xi and Ming Xi sweetly calling her "Mom" filled Ding Yumei with a sweet feeling, like she had been fed honey. Her expression towards Wei Ning also improved.
"Then don't just talk the talk, you have to show your affection for Mingxi with actions. Most importantly, don't be stingy. You can't just take her home and expect her to have a pound of snacks. What kind of talk is that? Let me tell you, when your dad was pursuing me, he brought me lunchboxes for three months straight."
Wei Ning: "...Okay, I understand."
Seeing how readily he agreed, Ding Yumei's eyes became wary again: "I'm telling you this not so you can follow your dad's example and bring lunchboxes for girls. Back then, resources were scarce and conditions were poor; many families didn't have enough to eat, so your dad brought me lunchboxes. Now, no family is short of food, and if you still bring food, in the eyes of the girls, it means you don't take them seriously."
Ding Yumei's statement is a bit of an exaggeration.
People's living conditions are much better than before, but it's not enough to feel that someone doesn't care about you just because you send them food.
But if you really want to pursue a woman, you should give her something she's interested in.
Ding Yumei: "Think carefully about what Mingxi likes, and then give her that."
Wei Ning felt that Ding Yumei's words made a lot of sense. He started to think about what Mingxi usually liked.
He hadn't noticed anything particularly interesting about Mingxi. Mingxi's main interests were eating, drinking, and having fun...
As Wei Ning was pondering this, he heard Ding Yumei say again, "Keep it up, try harder. I think there's a pretty good chance you can win Mingxi's heart. A few days ago, Lao Zhao came to me to ask about your heart condition, whether it's hereditary, and whether it will affect your ability to have children in the future."
At the time, Ding Yumei hadn't realized what was going on and wondered why Zhao Sulan was suddenly asking about this. However, she didn't think much of it and assumed that the conversation had just flowed by, so she told Zhao Sulan the truth.
It has little impact. Wei Ning had the surgery early and recovered well. After growing up, it had almost no effect on her health. The doctor also said that Wei Ning's condition is not hereditary.
Now, Ding Yumei thinks back on it and realizes how lucky she was that she explained things clearly back then.
Zhao Sulan is clearly here to inquire about Wei Ning's health on behalf of Mingxi!
If she hadn't explained things clearly to Zhao Sulan back then, and Zhao Sulan had misunderstood that Wei Ning was unwell and directly rejected him, then things would have been terrible!
When Wei Ning heard that Zhao Sulan had asked Ding Yumei about the details of her illness, he immediately realized what Zhao Sulan was thinking. He was delighted, but quickly realized that this was probably Zhao Sulan's idea, and Mingxi probably didn't know.
Ding Yumei: "I think Lao Zhao has a good impression of you. Now all that's missing is Mingxi. You should try your best to let Mingxi know how you feel. Don't act so carefree all the time, like you don't care about anything. She..."
As Ding Yumei was speaking, she and Wei Ning simultaneously heard a noise at the door. They both turned around and saw Wu Yue standing on tiptoe, eavesdropping at the door.
Ding Yumei's face immediately fell: "Wu Yue, why are you back? Didn't you go out to buy things?"
Wu Yue said guiltily, "I... I didn't want to eat roasted chestnuts after I went out, so I came back."
She hadn't really wanted any roasted chestnuts, but she saw Wei Ning had some and wanted to take advantage of him. She definitely wouldn't have agreed to pay for them herself.
So, not long after leaving with Wei Lao Er, they turned back home.
Who would have thought that as soon as she returned, she heard her mother-in-law and brother-in-law talking. She immediately stopped to eavesdrop, and little did she know that she would overhear a great secret.
Her brother-in-law actually likes Mingxi!
That's Mingxi! She's the notorious female tyrant of this alley. She's strong, ruthless, and fearless of any man. If anyone displeases her, she'll send them to the police station!
Wu Yue had always thought Wei Ning was not someone to be trifled with, that he was sharp-tongued and ruthless. In the Wei family, Wei Ning was the person she dared not offend the most. Other family members might not bother with her out of consideration for family ties, but Wei Ning was different. If she crossed Wei Ning, he would really give her a thorough dressing-down.
Now, with Mingxi added to the mix, it's even more...
Wu Yue couldn't help but shudder at the mere thought of it.
Ding Yumei and Wei Ning both knew Wu Yue's personality well. Seeing her like this, they knew that she had heard everything. Ding Yumei rolled her eyes at Wu Yue and didn't bother to waste words with her.
However, interrupted by Wu Yue, Ding Yumei's conversation with Wei Ning could not continue. Ding Yumei said, "If you're not going to buy anything, then come and help me cook."
Ding Yumei not only ordered Wu Yue around, but Wei Ning was also sent out by Ding Yumei to wash vegetables.
As Wu Yue assisted, she was trembling with fear. She wanted Wei Ning to get married as soon as possible so that they could separate from the family, but she didn't want to have a terrible sister-in-law like Ming Xi!
But Wei Ning clearly likes Ming Xi. If she dares to sabotage the relationship between Wei Ning and Ming Xi, not only Wei Ning, but even her mother-in-law will not forgive her.
For a moment, Wu Yue could only cry in her heart for her own pitiful state.
Having a difficult mother-in-law and a troublesome brother-in-law is just bad enough.
Now, to make matters worse, she has a fierce and ruthless sister-in-law.
Waaah, her life is so miserable.
-
Mingxi was unaware that the Wei family had such a conversation. She hadn't taken Wei Ning's matter to heart and had forgotten about it after telling Zhao Sulan.
The next day, it was Sunday, so Mingxi didn't have to go to work. She slept in late and had breakfast when she saw Aunt He from the courtyard carrying a bundle and getting ready to go out.
Mingxi suddenly jumped out: "Aunt He, are you going to set up a stall?"
Aunt He nodded, and Mingxi said, "I'll go with you."
She wanted to join in the fun.
Aunt He: "Okay, let's go."
Aunt He's stall business is so-so. She sets up her stall in a small park, where foot traffic isn't high, much less than the pedestrian street in front of the department store or the factory entrance. However, the small park has the advantage of a quiet environment, and since there aren't many other vendors, no one bothers her. Her business isn't great, but it's alright; she can sell about ten yuan worth of goods every day, which makes her quite satisfied.
After all, she was selling handmade hair accessories made from cheap scraps of cloth, so her cost was practically zero. She earned about ten yuan a day, which added up to a little over three hundred yuan a month.
This is something that Aunt He never dared to dream of before.
Her husband is a regular worker, earning only seventy or eighty yuan a month.
She now earns more than her husband!
Aunt He had no intention of moving. How much money was enough? She was a woman in her late fifties, almost sixty, with limited production capacity; selling this much was already quite good. Business would be better elsewhere, and she wouldn't be able to handle it all. Setting up a stall in the small park was fine. She sold what people bought, and when no one was around, she chatted with Aunt Li and watched others dance and sing—it was quite nice.
Mingxi wanted to join in the fun, and Aunt He welcomed her.
Anyway, she chats with people when she's not busy, so it's good to have another Mingxi.
"Wait a moment, I'll go change my clothes, then we'll go."
Seeing that Aunt He had agreed, Mingxi hurriedly said a few words and ran back into the house to change her clothes. Less than two minutes later, after changing her clothes and saying goodbye to Zhao Sulan, Mingxi ran out.
"Aunt He, I'm all better now, let's go."
Mingxi walked towards the front yard with Aunt He. Aunt Li, who lived in the front yard, had also packed her things and was ready to go out. When she heard that Mingxi wanted to join in the fun, she was very happy to welcome her.
And so, the three of them went out together and walked towards the small park.
The place Mingxi and the others went to was called a small park, but it wasn't actually that small. There was an artificial lake in the center of the park, with a walking path paved around it, and a fairly large square outside.
People who exercise, dance, sing, or set up stalls in the neighborhood usually like to go to the square in the small park.
When Mingxi arrived at the small park with Aunt He and Aunt Li, there were already some stalls set up nearby. Mingxi peeked out and saw that they were selling large bowls of tea, and there were also stalls selling children's toys and ring toss games.
Aunt He and Aunt Li, familiar with the place, led Mingxi to the side of the tea stall, spread out their bundles, and laid out their goods.
While setting up her things, Aunt He whispered gossip to Mingxi: "See that young man selling big bowls of tea over there? He's a good businessman. In the summer he sells popsicles and cold drinks, now that it's getting cooler he sells big bowls of tea, and when it gets even colder in winter he'll sell candied hawthorns."
Mingxi peeked to the side and saw that the stall owner selling large bowls of tea was a young man, who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. She remarked, "Huh, he does quite a variety of businesses."
Aunt He continued, "His whole family is very good at business. His father works as a laborer in the factory, in charge of loading and unloading. After work, he also goes to the train station area to pick up passengers by tricycle. His mother is not idle either; she sets up a stall outside the movie theater to sell snacks."
At this point, she sighed, "Actually, this family has had a tough time. There are four people in the family, only the head of the household has a job, and there's also a sick little girl. In order to treat the little girl's illness, the family has accumulated a lot of debt, so they had no choice but to set up stalls outside. But fortunately, conditions are better now, and everyone is willing to spend money, so their business is doing quite well. I heard that they have paid off all their debts now."
After listening, Mingxi subconsciously glanced again in the direction of the young man selling large bowls of tea. The fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy was not fully developed yet, with a slender figure and a sunny smile on his face. Just looking at his smile, it was impossible to imagine how hard he had worked.
As Aunt He was talking to Mingxi, an old man with gray hair and wearing a Zhongshan suit came over. He went to the tea stall, handed over two cents, and asked for a bowl of tea. After the young man selling the tea handed it to him, he began to inquire.
"Xiao Gao, how is your sister's health?"
Upon hearing this, the young man selling tea scratched the back of his head and said, "Thank you for remembering me. My sister is much better now. Last time she went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor prescribed a new, highly effective medicine. It worked very well for her, and she hasn't had a relapse in a long time."
The old man nodded: "Yes, that's good."
The young man named Xiao Gao said, "I still have to thank you. If it weren't for you introducing us to Dr. Huang, my sister wouldn't have been able to get better."
The old man waved his hand: "Hey, it's nothing, I was just saying it casually. By the way, now that your sister's condition has improved and your family's financial situation has gotten better, your studies can't be delayed any longer. Have you finished reading the books I gave you last time? If you have, come to my house today to get two more. I just picked out two workbooks at the bookstore yesterday, so you can take them with you."
He earnestly said, "Studying is still very important, especially for young people like you. The country needs talent now, and the shortage of highly educated people will only become more acute. You always had excellent grades in school, and it's such a pity that you had to drop out just because of your family situation..."
The young man opposite him nodded seriously upon hearing this, while Mingxi curiously nudged Aunt He: "Who is this old man?"
Aunt He: "This is Teacher Hou, the principal of the nearby No. 2 Middle School, a cultured man."
She whispered gossip to Mingxi: "Teacher Hou had a tough time too. He was a teacher his whole life, dedicated and responsible, teaching countless students. But during the Cultural Revolution, he was targeted by people who disliked him, who reported him and sent him to the countryside. In the end, he was sentenced to labor reform, made to clean public toilets, and was constantly being criticized. His wife was already in poor health, and because of this, she became depressed and passed away a few years later. His only child was serving in the army and was supposed to be promoted, but because of his family background, he was transferred to the most difficult island. It wasn't until 1977, when the college entrance examination was reinstated, that Teacher Hou was exonerated. Perhaps because of Teacher Hou's good teaching performance, or perhaps to make amends, after his exoneration, he was promoted to principal."
Aunt He curled her lip in disdain as she said this: "If you ask me, what's the use of being promoted to principal? Can it make up for all the suffering he's endured in the past? Can his lost wife come back? Can the years his son missed be made up for? But Teacher Hou is kind-hearted and doesn't care about these things. He agreed to be the principal, and after becoming the principal, he has been very responsible to the students in the school. When he saw that there were students in the school with poor family circumstances, he used his own salary to pay for the students' tuition and book fees, and he even considered the students' families."
She gestured with her chin and said, "That Xiao Gao who sells big bowls of tea over there is an example. His family is poor and can't afford the tuition. He didn't go to high school after being admitted. Teacher Hou found out about this and came to persuade him. But Xiao Gao's situation is different from other children. Other children don't go to school because they don't have money, but Xiao Gao doesn't go to school because he can earn money outside. He earns money for his younger sister's medical expenses. Every day he goes to school, he earns less money, and his sister might not be able to afford medicine. So no matter what Teacher Hou says, he just won't go to school. Later, when Teacher Hou found out about this situation, he took the initiative to introduce a doctor to Xiao Gao's sister. He also brought Xiao Gao his school textbooks and exercises so that even if he doesn't go to school, he shouldn't forget to study. He can help Xiao Gao keep his student status so that he can continue his studies when his family's situation improves."
Mingxi truly admired Aunt He.
Aunt He has only been setting up her stall for a few days, yet she has already found out all these things clearly.
Aunt He was just born at the wrong time. If she had been born a few decades later, she would definitely be the number one female paparazzi in the industry.
Aunt He waved her hand, indicating: It's just basic stuff.
While Aunt He and Mingxi were gossiping about Teacher Hou, they saw Teacher Hou walk up to Aunt Li's stall, take out a small booklet, and say, "Comrade Li, I brought you that poetry collection you mentioned you were interested in last time."
Aunt Li quickly wiped her hands with the hem of her clothes: "This, this, Teacher Hou..."
She pursed her lips shyly and said, "I just said it casually, how come you actually brought it to me? I'm not very educated, I'm afraid this collection of poems would be a waste for me."
Teacher Hou: "You can't say that. A collection of poems is meant to be read by people. It's not important how high your cultural level is. What's important is that you can resonate with the author's words, which is very precious."
Aunt Li: "Then...then I'll accept it?"
Teacher Hou: "Please accept this. By the way, I also have other works by this author here. I wonder if you'd be interested..."
Mingxi's eyes lit up as she watched the two people getting closer and closer to each other.
She tugged at Aunt He's sleeve: "Aunt He!"
Aunt He exclaimed "Ah!" in confusion, not understanding what Mingxi meant.
Mingxi pointed at Teacher Hou and whispered, "Teacher Hou has a crush on Aunt Li!"
"What?!" Aunt He's eyes widened instantly.
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Author's Note: Sorry I'm a little late [laughing and crying emoji]
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