Xu Xiangjuan kept repeating Zhou Chengning’s words to herself several times... Was her man saying any sweet words to her?
"I'm not as hard-working or tired as you are. I have to walk to work and stand for hours at school. I don't know how thick the calluses on my feet are. You teachers also have psychological pressure... If you think I'm hard-working and tired, then you can help me more in the future and give me a hand. You still have winter and summer vacations to help me. Don't go to work on road construction next summer. Follow me and start a small business."
Being a teacher, especially one who has to walk to school and stand all day, must be hard.
She didn't think much of it before. The man in her family was tall and had a big frame. It didn't seem to be noticeable when he put on clothes, but he was actually very thin.
Roads have been built in recent years. There are special construction units, and nearby villagers can also sign up to participate. It is semi-voluntary. The salary is not much, only 20 yuan a month, and lunch is included.
It's a tiring summer vacation and the weather is still hot. Unless you are so poor that you can barely make ends meet and have many children to raise, no one would be willing to go.
Zhou Chengning couldn't sit idle, and felt that he couldn't sit idle either, so he signed up every summer vacation. Xu Xiangjuan thought that it was a good way to earn some money and it also provided lunch, so she agreed to let her husband go.
That’s not possible now. Instead of having the energy and time, I might as well do some small business with her.
She had thought it through. During the next two or three years, she would stay at home to take care of the children. During the long vacation, her husband would go to set up a stall to do some business. Didn't her husband want to buy a small tricycle? He wouldn't need it during the vacation, so he could use it as a cart for her to do business.
When Niu Niu goes to kindergarten, she doesn't plan to do small business. Although it is profitable, it is too hard. She will go to work in a factory. In her previous life, she was a workshop director. Now that her children can support themselves, she retires early and goes out to play.
She didn't go to the factory to be a female worker. There were clerical positions in the factory. She only has a high school education now. As long as she casually mentioned that her husband was a teacher at the town's middle school, she would instantly be associated with intellectuals, right?
"Juan, you are so nice." Zhou Chengning kissed Xu Xiangjuan on the face. Before Xu Xiangjuan had time to blush, he blushed first.
He became bolder, but his skin wasn't as thick as before.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Don't be so cheesy... I guess you and Guagua didn't meet your parents and little brother and little sister Zhou today."
Zhou Chengning's younger brother and sister are just called "Little Brother and Little Sister", or "Little Sister". Xu Xiangjuan thinks these names are really casual.
Zhou Chengning was still glad that he didn't see his parents and younger brothers and sisters today, "No."
Xu Xiangjuan: "That's good. You are no better than a three-year-old child like Guagua. When Guagua is a few years older, he will be more talkative than you, his father."
Whatever my lover says is what it is. "Well, I have nothing to say."
Xu Xiangjuan was annoyed by his clinginess. "Don't hug me. I'm sewing a quilt. You have time to put away the clothes outside and let the quilt air out. Put away the clothes and wash the rice. It's time to cook dinner."
"It's still early, let's go later. I just came back from grandpa's place, I want to sit down and rest for a while."
"It's up to you." Xu Xiangjuan continued with her work.
To be honest, after her son Aning fell ill and passed away, she just wanted him to live a more comfortable life. Not to mention Aning's life in his previous life, Aning has suffered a lot now. From childhood to adulthood, how many days has he had a good life?
If you can rely on him in small matters, then rely on him.
Zhou Chengning didn't know that his lover had compared him to Guagua, and concluded that he was not as troublesome as Guagua. Now he was watching his lover mending the clothes.
The two of them were quiet all the time. Zhou Chengning would occasionally praise Xu Xiangjuan, and Xu Xiangjuan would respond and tell him that as a grown man he shouldn't touch her sewing box, and if he needed clothes mended he shouldn't do it himself but just leave it to her.
The man had thick hands, so it was difficult for him to thread the needle. She was also afraid that the man would forget to pull out the needle and prick someone. What if?
In short, I just feel uneasy.
...
Within two days, big brother's package and Niu Niu's crib arrived.
The small bed arrived first, and Xu Xiangjuan was satisfied with it. Zhou Chengning was away at work, so Xu Xiangjuan put the small wooden bed and the small quilt in the yard to dry in the sun.
"Mom, I want one too." When Guagua heard his mother say that it was for Niu Niu, he also wanted one.
"Guagua, you are a big kid now. If you don't want to share a bed with mom and dad, mom will give you a separate room. You will have your own bed in the future... Look at your brother's bed. Guagua, can you climb into it? And it's very troublesome to get down. It's like being locked in a cage. Mom made this room for Niu Niu because she was afraid that Niu Niu would fall down."
Guagua is a big child now. If she wants, it’s not impossible to give her a small single room. After all, children are grown up and need independence.
"I don't want this, I want a room." Guagua was fooled.
There is a fence next to Niu Niu's bed. The fence is higher than the bed where Xu Xiangjuan sleeps, so it would be difficult for Gua Gua to climb in.
This small bed is for Niu Niu who can neither crawl nor walk. Of course, Niu Niu has no problem being carried by an adult. Although Gua Gua also needs his father to carry him, he is a hyperactive person and likes to run and jump. After Gua Gua heard his mother say cage, the more he looked at it, the more he thought it resembled a cage.
I don't want a cage anymore, I want a room of my own.
Guagua thought about it, so Xu Xiangjuan took her to see the rooms. There were quite a few small rooms in the house. The one she took Guagua to was also the small room where Guagua lived after going to school in his previous life.
There is no bed in the small room right now. “Do you want this room? If Guagua wants it, it will be Guagua’s room from now on.”
Guagua was very satisfied. In fact, she was satisfied as long as she had her own room. "I want this one."
"Mom will put a small stool and chair for you later. We don't have a bed yet. I'll make a bed for you when we buy a car and have some money." Speaking of cars, Xu Xiangjuan thought of a small tricycle, although... but...
Forget it, it’s all for the convenience of my family anyway, and I don’t know if I can ride home.
If the tricycle was still there, there was no doubt that I would not be able to get on the bus and would have to ride it back by myself.
When her parents were young, they would get up at three or four in the morning and walk to the county town. It was lucky that they had a small tricycle.
Xu Xiangjuan went to get a small stool and a chair. The chairs at home were neither high nor low, so the small stool was definitely short. Guagua was small now, so he could sit on the small stool by himself and use the chair as a table.
When he grows up a little bit, if there aren’t enough chairs, we can set up a table for him.
Guagua knew that he had to get his mother's permission to do anything now, "Okay, Mom, can I put my things in there?"
Xu Xiangjuan: "Yes, but you can't put bugs in there."
Although Guagua is small, he is very independent and doesn’t cry like other children, so she is relieved.
"Okay mom, I know!"
After saying this, Guagua went to move things.
After arranging a small room for Guagua, Xu Xiangjuan went to take care of her own things, such as quilts, shoes and clothes. Winter can be really busy.
When Zhou Chengning came back, Gua Gua was already waiting for his father at the gate of the yard.
"Dad! My room!" Gua Gua pulled her father to see her new room.
Zhou Chengning didn't know what was going on, so he followed his daughter into the small room in the house that had been empty.
"Guagua, is this what mom told you?"
"Yes! Good mommy said this is mine!" Gua Gua was so happy to have his own room that he moved all his shoes over, although he only had a few pairs.
She originally wanted to move some clothes, but Xu Xiangjuan wouldn't let her and just gave her a small jacket as a favor.
Guagua also folded the small jacket and placed it on the chair. Although the child did not fold it neatly, it was obvious that it was folded.
"Guagua, did mom make new shoes for you?"
Zhou Chengning saw a row of small shoes placed in the corner, and at a glance he spotted a pair of different small shoes.
His daughter didn't have many shoes, so he remembered them all. Usually when he went home, he would watch his wife sew quilts or knit sweaters, but he had never seen her make shoes.
He probably made it for Gua Gua during the day. I have to say, he was quite envious of Gua Gua.
Guagua still treasures his new shoes very much, "Yes! New shoes! My good mother said that I can wear them as New Year's shoes."
She will wait until the Chinese New Year to wear it.
"Guagua, mom is so good to you, you have to treat mom well in the future, okay?"
"Know."
"Okay, let's go eat first. Did Gua Gua help his mother with housework at night?" Zhou Chengning took Gua Gua's hand and went to wash his hands first.
"Yes! Help mom wash the fish!"
"We have fish to eat tonight. Are you happy, Guagua?"
He didn’t know whether Guagua was happy or not, he was very happy.
This afternoon Xu Xiangjuan got two rice fish from her parents. Her parents had three big ones and two small ones. Xu Xiangjuan picked two small ones and braised them in the evening. The small ones were about the length of her palm.
She steamed half of the duck with sauce that she got from Aunt Aning, and gave the other half directly to her parents. Her parents said to keep it for them to eat at noon tomorrow, and specifically asked for it to be stir-fried with spicy food. Well, since her parents are not afraid of spicy food, she will stir-fry it with spicy food to satisfy them.
Dinner with a plate of green vegetables and a bowl of okra soup can be said to be very sumptuous.
Zhou Chengning brought Guagua to the outer room and saw a table full of sumptuous dishes. "Juan, what good day is today? There is fish and meat. Isn't the meat saved for the New Year?"
It’s obvious that the small fish were not bought. Most likely, my wife got them from her parents-in-law. It’s impossible that the two small fish were dried specially for the New Year. The pickled duck can be kept for the New Year, and there will be an extra meat dish during the New Year.
Xu Xiangjuan: "It's not a good day, and we can't eat meat every day. We have to satisfy our craving for meat. There are only two small fish, and I'm too lazy to release them. I'll just bring them back and cook them. You can sit down and eat... I'll chop half of the duck and give it to my parents. Do you have any objection?"
It seemed like she acted first and asked for permission later, but at least she respected her man's opinion by saying it.
Zhou Chengning had no objection, "No, no."
Xu Xiangjuan: "When I gave it to my parents, I told them it was your pickled duck."
Zhou Chengning: "You don't have to tell me it's mine. Juan, just tell me you bought it. My parents might not be happy to hear it's mine."
"Why don't you say it's dad's? Adults can't lie." Gua Gua interrupted.
Xu Xiangjuan picked up a piece of green vegetables for Guagua with chopsticks and said, "Why don't you want to take the meat? My dad is very happy. He even ordered duck with pickled mustard sauce tomorrow... Guagua, eat more green vegetables to grow taller."
The growth of green vegetables is just to trick Guagua into eating them. Guagua has become less and less interested in eating green vegetables recently, so he can't be spoiled.
Guagua: "I don't want vegetables, I want meat."
"You can only eat the meat after you finish the vegetables in the bowl, otherwise the meat will be for Dad."
"Dad, eat vegetables and grow taller." Gua Gua pushed his small bowl in front of Zhou Chengning.
There were a few boiled green vegetables on the rice. As long as it was the food Xu Xiangjuan ate herself, she would basically put little oil and salt in it or not. The taste was rather bland and edible, but since there was meat tonight, Gua Gua didn’t want to eat it.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Your dad is already so tall, what else do you want to grow? If you don't eat your vegetables, even Niuniu will be taller than you."
Guagua: "Niuniu doesn't eat vegetables, and Niuniu is not as tall as me."
Niu Niu is so tiny that he can’t even sit up, so he is definitely not as tall as her.
Guagua means that Niu Niu doesn’t eat vegetables and she doesn’t want to eat them either.
"Niu Niu hasn't grown teeth yet. When his teeth grow, Mom will let him eat vegetables."
The little girl was eloquent, just like her mother. As the mother and daughter talked, Zhou Chengning couldn't stop smiling and took a small green vegetable from Guagua's bowl. "Guagua, finish the rest yourself."
Guagua couldn't talk back to his mother, so when he saw his father pick up a vegetable, he took the bowl back and started eating.
After dinner, Xu Xiangjuan carried the newly awakened Niu Niu for a walk in the yard.
She doesn't eat much for dinner, as long as she isn't hungry. She usually puts down her chopsticks early. If Niu Niu is awake, she will go to take care of Niu Niu. If Niu Niu is not awake, she will wait until the two have finished their dinner before leaving the table and going to the small room next to the kitchen to clean up. She can't leave the table early. Guagua has a lot of ideas, and Aning is a soft-hearted person, so she agrees to whatever Guagua says.
Dad is soft-hearted, but Mom is hard-hearted, so he has to make sure she finishes her meal properly.
The small room next to the kitchen was originally used to store firewood, but there was too much firewood and it couldn't hold it all. She thought it was too small so she just left it empty and moved to a bigger room to store firewood. She used this room as a bathroom. In order not to affect the father and daughter from washing dishes and brushing their teeth, she would wipe herself in this room after eating. As for other days, she would go to the kitchen because it was more convenient.
Most of the time, Xu Xiangjuan finished washing up and went back to the inner room earlier than Zhou Chengning and Guagua. The few times it was because Niu Niu woke up, she would feed Niu Niu, coax Niu Niu, and also carry Niu Niu for a walk in the yard.
"Juan, the dishes are washed. Guagua and I have also washed... I'll hold Niu Niu, you go wash first." Zhou Chengning carried Guagua to the inner room and came out to talk to Xu Xiangjuan.
This is the first time I heard my man take the initiative to hug Niu Niu.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to hold the baby. Guagua has asked him to hold him many times. He just thinks Niu Niu is too small. He didn’t dare to hold the baby when Guagua was just born, for fear that if he used too much force, the baby would cry.
Every time Xu Xiangjuan let Zhou Chengning hold the baby, she would tell him how to hold the baby. This time was no exception. Only when she saw that Niu Niu was not crying when being held by his father did she feel at ease to go take a bath.
The kitchen door was bolted. The windows were covered with newspapers, and Xu Xiangjuan was distracted by the sounds in the yard while taking a shower.
She will definitely be able to hear Niu Niu if he cries.
At present, there is only a kerosene lamp in the house. Generally, it depends on what time Zhou Chengning gets off work. Dinner can be had when he comes back. He came back relatively early today, and it was still early after dinner and washing up. Although it was a little dark in the yard, it was not pitch black.
It was already autumn, the weather had cooled down, and there were few mosquitoes in the yard. Zhou Chengning thought that if mosquitoes were around a soft and tender baby like Niu Niu, it would definitely attract them.
Niu Niu had just been fed by his mother and had his feces and urine cleaned up. His father was not rude. Although he was used to seeing his mother, his father was not a stranger, so the father and son got along quite harmoniously for a while.
Zhou Chengning didn't go over until Xu Xiangjuan came out. "Juan, I'll go back to the inner room with you first, and then go to the kitchen to get some water."
"Well, don't forget to move Niu Niu's bed to the outer room."
Zhou Chengning: "Has Niu Niu's bed arrived?"
Xu Xiangjuan pointed to a corner of the yard and said, "It's right there. The smell will be released during the day, and I'll cover it with a cloth at night."
"Okay, I'll move to the outer room later."
Xu Xiangjuan had nothing in her hands except a piece of soap in a box. The soap was placed outside, and the clothes were left for Zhou Chengning to wash the next morning.
She is not a person who does not do housework. She has to take care of the children day and night and do this and that. Not long after giving birth, she naturally needs to rest and cannot take on all the work. It is of course natural for the father to do the work.
She couldn't stand those grown men who had to wait for food and be served every day.
After putting the soap away, Xu Xiangjuan took Niu Niu and went to the inner room first, "Gua Gua, what are you doing?"
"sleep."
"What's hidden under the covers?"
"No."
Niu Niu was also looking at his sister at this time. Xu Xiangjuan couldn't bring herself to turn over the child's quilt to see what was hidden, so she sat on the bed holding Niu Niu and pretended nothing had happened.
After Zhou Chengning poured the water and put away the dirty clothes, he went to move the small bed to the outer room.
"Juan, the crib is polished very smoothly. I touched it and there are no splinters. Niu Niu can lie on it without worry."
The sound came before Zhou Chengning entered the inner room. It was not very clear at night, but it felt very good and sturdy. He could even put three-year-old Guagua on it to sleep.
After entering the inner room, Zhou Chengning noticed that the atmosphere was not right. When he spoke, his lover did not respond as usual.
Gua Gua didn't lie down, but sat on the bed with his legs stretched into the quilt, but this time he lowered his head, almost burying his little head in the quilt.
As for Juan, she sat on the bed holding Niu Niu and teasing him, and Niu Niu would occasionally laugh.
...The one who seems to be the most abnormal should be Gua Gua, as if he has done something wrong and made his mother angry.
Since his lover didn't say anything, Zhou Chengning hardened his heart and pretended that he hadn't seen anything, and went straight to bed.
In fact, he really wanted Guagua to apologize to his mother. It must be Guagua's fault. How could Juan make a mistake?
Gua Gua sat there without saying a word. Zhou Chengning lay down, his eyes turning to his daughter and then to his lover.
His eyes were not moving around in a big way, but rather obscurely, so neither Xu Xiangjuan nor Guagua noticed.
After coaxing Niu Niu to sleep, Xu Xiangjuan put Niu Niu down and prepared to turn off the lights.
"Mother."
Guagua's frustrated voice rang out just as Xu Xiangjuan was about to turn off the lights.
"What's wrong? What's the matter, Guagua?"
"This is my money. It was given to me by my great-grandfather and my grandparents." Guagua held the eight cents in his two little hands.
Xu Xiangjuan thought it was something else, but it turned out to be the kid's private money. "Keep your money."
When she first came in, maybe it was Gua Gua's private money. Her mother felt guilty when she came in. She told her parents that now they could only give Gua Gua one cent and not more. The little guy must have hidden these few cents for a long time.
As long as they don't steal money from adults, she won't stop the children from saving their own money.
Of course, if it were my previous life, I might have taken Gua Gua’s private money without any explanation, and even said it was saved for me by saying, “Mom saved it for you.”
When adults say they save money for their children, they generally won't return it to the children.
"Thank you, Mom!" Gua Gua immediately became happy.
Xu Xiangjuan understood what was happening. It turned out that the little guy thought she was going to swallow up her private money.
"Go to bed quickly."
Only after Guagua put his eight cents away and lay down in bed did Xu Xiangjuan turn off the lights.
Zhou Chengning, however, thought a lot about Gua Gua's hiding of money.
...
After Zhou Chengning heated up the pot in the morning, Xu Xiangjuan asked him to wash clothes, since the firewood could burn for a while anyway.
There is a well in the yard at home. Zhou Chengning was washing clothes while Guagua took a ladle from the side and scooped water from the bucket to pour water for his father.
While Zhou Chengning was washing clothes, she educated Guagua, "Guagua, you should tell mom when you save money in the future, okay? It's best not to hide it from mom. Look, mom didn't take Guagua's money last night, did she?"
"Yeah dad, I get it."
Zhou Chengning thought that Guagua had heard it, and now wondered what Guagua saved money for, "Is our Guagua saving money to buy candy?"
For someone like him, it’s enough for him not to go hungry. Sometimes the school would give teachers notebooks and pens, so he didn’t have to buy them. Moreover, the school had a library, and when he had no classes in the morning and couldn’t go home, he liked to stay there and read.
Zhou Chengning, who felt that his spiritual and material needs were met, could not understand the idea of a three-year-old child saving money.
"It's not candy, it's a doll. It won't fall over. It rocks back and forth. Miaomiao has it at home."
After listening to Guagua's description, Zhou Chengning roughly knew that it was a tumbler. "Guagua should save money well. He will definitely be able to buy a doll in the future and put it in his room."
His wife mentioned to him in the morning that that room would be Guagua's room from now on, and Guagua could sleep there when he grows up.
Zhou Chengning himself had no money, so when he heard his daughter say she wanted to buy a doll, he didn't even think about buying it for her. He just encouraged her to save money.
My daughter inherited her mother's intelligence, so she must be able to save money quickly.
"Yeah!" Gua Gua knew that her father had no money and didn't expect him to buy it for her. But when she heard her father say to put it in her room, she became full of energy again.
After Zhou Chengning finished washing the clothes and breakfast was almost ready, the father and daughter went to eat after hanging the clothes to dry.
"The package my eldest brother sent has arrived, and the ticket should have arrived as well. I'll go get it today, and then we can take Gua Gua to the city on your day off."
Yesterday when Xu Xiangjuan returned home, she happened to meet Xiao Li who was delivering a package to her parents' house. She couldn't go back to see what was in the package, so she decided to go and check it this morning. Her mother would tell her what was in it anyway.
Guagua always remembered his mother's promise to go to the city, and now he heard it, "Go to the city and eat meat!"
The meat in the city must be more delicious.
Xu Xiangjuan bluntly criticized Guagua, "There is no meat to eat. If Guagua wants to eat meat, then use Guagua's own money to buy meat. He already ate meat last night and is still thinking about eating meat."
Guagua was born in the 1980s. His life was not as hard as that of children born in earlier years and decades, but it was not as privileged as children who could eat meat for every meal later. As life got better, children became picky eaters. Not only did they not like vegetables, but there were also children who did not like meat, which made mothers very worried.
Children nowadays have no natural resistance to sugar and meat, so they are easy to raise.
When Gua Gua heard his mother say that he would use his own money to eat meat, he immediately stopped talking about eating meat.
Hearing that he could go to the county town to buy a car on his weekend, Zhou Chengning was delighted, "Guagua, Dad will ride his bike to take you and Mom home then."
"Okay!" In fact, Guagua had never traveled far. The farthest he had probably traveled was to his great-grandfather's house. Guagua had never thought that the rusty bicycle in the corner was a means of transportation, but whatever his father said was what it was!
Seeing the excitement of the father and daughter, Xu Xiangjuan wanted to laugh but she held it back.
...
After the child’s father went to school, Xu Xiangjuan took Gua Gua and Niu Niu to her mother’s house.
Wu Caifeng and Xu Gensheng were having dinner. When they saw their daughter coming, Wu Caifeng couldn't wait to tell her what her elder brother had sent back yesterday.
There are three items: beef jerky, canned food, and milk biscuits, and of course, bicycle tickets.
The milk biscuits smelled very strong. Xu Xiangjuan took one, broke off a little for herself, and gave the rest to Gua Gua.
It is too sweet.
Gua Gua enjoyed the meal and asked grandma for another piece.
Wu Caifeng and Xu Gensheng's main job today is to dry the rice that was harvested a while ago. It just so happens that the weather is good today, which is suitable for drying the rice.
The grain drying ground is not far from her parents' home. Xu Xiangjuan holds Niu Niu in her arms. Once Niu Niu wakes up and wants to feed, she will take Niu Niu back home, which is only a few steps away. When it is time to cook, she will take Gua Gua back to cook.
In the afternoon, Xu Xiangjuan did not make shoes or knit sweaters, but was still basking in the sun in the valley.
"It's really bad. This time Wang Qiang beat his wife and sent her to the county hospital." When the women were together, they liked to gossip.
Xu Xiangjuan had nothing to do with Wang Qiang, so she didn't feel anything when she heard the gossip.
An old lady brought up the topic of Xu Xiangjuan, "His wife is so miserable. It's a good thing Juan didn't marry him."
"Juan didn't even know who beat whom into the hospital after she got married."
When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter.
Gua Gua was still conscientiously completing the bird-chasing task assigned to her by her grandma. When she heard the laughter from the women, she looked over and saw that there seemed to be nothing interesting, so she continued her patrol.
Wu Caifeng felt uncomfortable after hearing this. "Can my daughter be bullied? Forget about that dung ball that hits a woman. Even a dung beetle wouldn't want to push him away."
"Where did you hit this time?" Xu Xiangjuan asked calmly.
Soon the topic shifted to Wang Qiang's wife. The women seemed to know every generation of Wang Qiang's wife's ancestors, from where she was injured to how she married into the Wang family. They dug up every detail of her.
Although most of the women in the village are gossipy, they have never said anything bad about Wang Qiang's wife. It is impossible for a person to cheat on another man or have any other thoughts. But Wang Qiang has promiscuous relationships with both men and women outside, loves drinking and smoking, and beats his wife when he gets home. He is simply the scum of the village.
Everyone talks bad about him behind his back, but he is timid and polite to others in person.
After all, Wang Qiang has older brothers, and the Wang family has a good relationship with the village chief's family, so ordinary villagers dare not offend them.
Xu Xiangjuan had lived for several years and had never left Laiyang County, so she naturally knew something about Wang Qiang's family.
As long as they don't provoke her, she won't kill them in advance for no reason.
She also knew that Wang Qiang's wife was in the hospital this time. She was beaten half to death and threatened to hang herself in the hospital. Finally, her family couldn't bear it anymore and agreed to divorce her. The divorce took place half a year later.
Yes, at this time, you have to get your parents’ consent before you can get a divorce. Your parents’ family is a woman’s support. If they disagree, it will be like the sky is falling in the eyes of the indecisive young wife, and death is more pleasant than living.
The most courageous thing Wang Qiang's wife has ever done in her life was to go to the hospital and hang herself to get a divorce.
In the end, it seemed that she took her daughter to work outside. She and Wang Qiang had a daughter, and Wang Qiang sometimes beat her daughter. According to later people, Wang Qiang was a violent person and committed domestic violence on a daily basis.
Any tough-minded daughter-in-law would not end up like her. A tough-minded daughter-in-law would say that either you die or I die. But with the daughter-in-law that Wang Qiang is now, only I can die.
After talking about Wang Qiang's wife, the women turned the topic to girls and boys, worrying about their own children.
Niu Niu was awake at this time, and was held in Xu Xiangjuan's arms. Xu Xiangjuan covered Niu Niu's ears with one hand. She would not sit here if Niu Niu fell asleep. With women's loud voices, Niu Niu would be scared awake.
...
"Mom, use this bottle, scoop two spoonfuls of milk powder, mix half a bottle with warm water and give it to Niu Niu to drink." Xu Xiangjuan put Niu Niu down and explained to her mother.
Wu Caifeng urged them to leave, "I know, hurry up, or you'll miss the bus."
Zhou Chengning and Guagua were waiting outside the courtyard gate. When they first arrived, Guagua asked his father, "Dad, why don't you go into grandpa and grandma's house? Grandma will give me something to eat."
"Guagua, if your grandma gives you something, you should eat it. You can't ask for more. You have to be polite."
Guagua knows that her grandparents will give her food, so she never asks them for it. "My mom doesn't let me ask my grandma for food. They give it to me."
Zhou Chengning: "Dad is waiting for mom outside. If we want to go out, dad will wait for mom outside and not go in, so we can walk less."
In fact, he didn't want his mother-in-law to be an eyesore by seeing him.
Guagua agreed when he heard it, "I'll go with Dad and walk less."
Walking is so tiring. Her legs are not as long as her parents’, so walking must be more tiring than her parents’.
After Xu Xiangjuan arranged everything for Niu Niu, the family of three set off for the county town.
It was Gua Gua’s first time to take a bus. He was carried on the bus by his father and then sat on his lap.
Guagua is small, so we don’t need to buy tickets. Today, our family of three arrived early and had seats.
Xu Xiangjuan and Zhou Chengning, the two adults, were fine, but Guagua, the little child, was sitting on his father's lap, looking here and there, as if he was seeing the world for the first time.
Their child Guagua is quite well behaved. He would yell and shout before getting on the car, disturbing others' leisure and his parents would be scolded.
"Mom, I brought money." Gua Gua took out two cents. She was going out today. Her father said he was going to the city to buy a car, and she also wanted to buy something.
Ever since his mother found out that he had hidden his own money last night, Guagua no longer hides his money. In the morning, when his father takes him out of bed, he has to count the money first. He has become a little money-grubber. Xu Xiangjuan saw two cents and said, "Hide the money well and don't lose it."
Guagua didn’t have any other thoughts, she just wanted to show her mother that she brought money, and after her mother saw it, she put it in her pocket.
The smell in the car was still unpleasant and the road was very bumpy. Guagua's face turned pale. After getting out of the car and being held by his father, he still felt dizzy.
"Let's go first and take Gua Gua to drink some water." Xu Xiangjuan didn't bring any dry food today, but she brought a water bottle. She was thinking that when the child's father comes back in the afternoon and rides the tricycle, he might be thirsty while riding, so he can have some water to drink.
It seems that I need to give Gua Gua a sip of this water in advance.
I took Guagua to the street and gave him a sip of water. The little guy finally looked more normal. "Don't take the car."
Xu Xiangjuan touched the small bun on Guagua's head and said, "Okay, we won't take that car. Dad will ride his bike to take us home when we get back."
When Guagua recovered, he no longer wanted to be held. He just wanted to walk by himself. Only when he walked by himself could he feel down to earth and have a sense of security.
Xu Xiangjuan took 1,000 yuan with her when she went out today. In addition to buying a car, she also planned to buy a wallet for herself, and a cotton coat and hat for her grandfather.
When Guagua arrived at the department store, he became excited. He held the two cents in his hand and wanted to buy this and that. He asked the saleswoman how much it cost, but he could not afford anything.
The tricycle was still there, so Xu Xiangjuan paid for it and put it there first, to be taken away after buying other things.
As for Guagua, she was not worried at all. Even if Guagua’s father was lost, Guagua could not be lost, so she could just go for a walk.
I will come back when I realize that my two cents have nothing to buy.
To the three-year-old girl, two cents already felt like a lot. When the saleswoman explained to her that this thing would cost twenty for one cent and that thing would cost one hundred for one cent, Gua Gua chose to go back to her mother.
Xu Xiangjuan picked out a cotton hat for her grandfather and bought one for Zhou Chengning as well.
This cotton hat costs 7 yuan each, and she can't afford to buy too much. Fortunately, except for some expensive branded goods such as watches and bicycles, most items in the department store are reasonably priced.
"For you, one for you and one for grandpa."
When Zhou Chengning heard that his lover wanted to buy him a hat, he quickly refused. It was too expensive. "Juan, no, I don't need a hat...Juan, buy one for yourself, not for me."
"Guagua's, Niu Niu's, and mine can all be made of wool. We don't go out very often, so it's warm to stay indoors. This cotton hat is thick, and now men wear one when they go out in winter... I'll buy one for my dad too."
Xu Xiangjuan took another one as she spoke. She did not include the money her aunt gave to her grandfather, but the money she bought for her father and her husband. So she had 14 yuan less.
If you don’t manage a household, you don’t know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are.
Just when I was lamenting how expensive it was, Gua Gua came back.
"Mom, this is for you."
"What is Guagua doing with his own money to give to his mother?"
Guagua: "Mom bought something that's too expensive. Give mom two cents and she can save two cents."
When Zhou Chengning felt that his daughter had really grown up, Xu Xiangjuan noticed her daughter's intention, but did not say anything and took the two cents that was warmed by her daughter's little hands.
Zhou Chengning couldn't refuse the hat in the end, so Xu Xiangjuan let him try it on.
“It’s soft and warm.”
"As long as it's warm, go buy a hot water bottle."
Gua Gua’s money was in his mother’s hands, but he didn’t dare tell her what he wanted to buy and just followed his parents silently.
The hot water bottles nowadays are all old-fashioned rubber hot water bottles. They have a strong smell, but they are sturdy and durable. In winter, pour hot water into them and put them in the quilt first. When you go to bed, the quilt will be warm.
A hot water bottle costs two yuan. I buy one for grandpa, one for Guagua, one for Aning, and one for her. I also put one in Niu Niu’s quilt, but not too close to Niu Niu. After warming Niu Niu’s quilt, I put it at the end of the bed. The bed is not big anyway.
Niu Niu and Gua Gua’s hot water bottles can be used to make “sweaters” when they get home. They can just fill them with hot water and put the sweaters on.
Xu Xiangjuan brought 1000 yuan today, 400 of which were from her grandfather and 600 were for her own family. She mainly had large expenses for her family, including children and adults, so she bought several copies at a time.
After buying the hot water bottle, Xu Xiangjuan went to buy a wallet and also bought a two-cent purse for Guagua. The design of the bag was a bit like an ancient sachet and was slightly larger than Guagua's palm. Guagua liked it very much and wanted to put six cents in it as soon as he got home.
The wallet Xu Xiangjuan bought is like a lady's handbag, costing 3 yuan each and can hold coins and banknotes.
When choosing a wallet for herself, Xu Xiangjuan remembered that she accidentally saw Zhou Chengning clip two yuan into his notebook last time, so she simply bought a wallet for Zhou Chengning, a black one-yuan wallet with a relatively simple design, but it was still usable.
After spending the whole morning shopping, Xu Xiangjuan had almost used up the 600 yuan she had brought with her. She used the 400 yuan she had left with her grandfather to buy him clothes and shoes worth 300 yuan, and the remaining 100 yuan was used to buy a few quilts from her mother's home.
A thick quilt for winter, a thin quilt for spring and summer, and a blanket as well. In short, I had three hundred left out of the seven hundred and returned it to grandpa.
Grandpa’s thatched hut also needs to be reinforced. It is not realistic to build a new one, but we can ask Aning to contact someone to reinforce it, so that we don’t have to worry about the old man when it rains or snows.
When they came out of the department store, the tricycles were packed, but the mother and daughter could still sit down. For lunch, Xu Xiangjuan did not take the father and daughter to the small restaurant they had eaten at last time, but went to another restaurant.
With thirty yuan left, Xu Xiangjuan ordered stir-fried cabbage with oil, shredded potatoes and pork slices, mapo tofu, and two bowls of rice, spending a total of six yuan.
This small restaurant is not like a big cafeteria where you can only order whatever dishes you see. It has its own menu and the dishes are cooked specially for you.
If the rice is gone, you can serve it yourself.
Zhou Chengning was worried about the tricycle outside. Xu Xiangjuan asked him to come in, but he refused and insisted on guarding the tricycle for fear that it would be stolen. Xu Xiangjuan had no choice but to let him guard it and send him food later.
Fortunately, there were not many people in the restaurant at the moment, so it wasn't too strange for her man to be guarding a cart of things outside.
Guagua carried his purse into the restaurant, and when he saw the braised pork on the next table, he almost drooled, "Mom, meat."
"We'll have meat to eat later." It's been a while since I've eaten pork. I'll cut two or three pounds of pork later.
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