Zhou Chengning admitted that he was slow in some aspects. He usually couldn't tell whether others looked down on him or not. Even if they did, he wouldn't feel much. But once it came to his lover, he would feel very uncomfortable knowing that someone looked down on his lover.
He loves people so well.
The tossing and turning noise next to her was really disturbing. Xu Xiangjuan poked the quilt next to her with her finger and asked, "What's going on so late at night?"
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, nothing, I just can't sleep."
Xu Xiangjuan: "We're going to dig bamboo shoots early tomorrow morning, go to bed early."
Her father went out these two days to visit his old brother who was in the provincial hospital due to a broken bone. He was temporarily staying at his third brother's house in the provincial capital. Since her father was busy digging bamboo shoots and had no time, she had to go with him.
I took Niu Niu out of the quilt and sent her to her mother's house. I asked her mother to come and take care of Niu Niu if she woke up.
Xu Xiangjuan has already talked to Guagua. Guagua is in kindergarten now and has many friends. He is not so dependent on adults. He promised his mother that he would treat his grandmother well.
After arranging the children, she had finished all the housework. She had to get up early tomorrow. She had to make breakfast and save some for her mother. After breakfast, she and Aning would go up the mountain early and come back before lunch.
Zhou Chengning: "Well, I will go to bed early."
From the tone of his voice, he didn't seem like he could go to bed early. "…What's wrong? Are you worried about something?"
Maybe it was really at night, and Zhou Chengning was so eager to talk that he just half-truthed what was in his heart, "Juan, I am looked down upon."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Why do you care about people who look down on you? You are a teacher, you have students who respect you, you are my husband, the father of our children, we all care about you, why do you care about those insignificant looks?"
After all, she is someone who has worked hard in society and has a lot of experience, so she speaks in a somewhat mature manner.
It is normal to be looked down upon by others. No matter where you are or what you do, there will be a circle of discrimination, and it cannot be eliminated at all. Since it cannot be eliminated, just think positively and live happily without caring about how others discriminate against you.
Zhou Chengning thought carefully about what his lover said, and understood a lot more, "Juan, I understand."
Xu Xiangjuan: "I'm glad you understand. Have a good sleep at night, and you won't feel so bad when you wake up."
She didn't intend to find out who looked down on Aning. Even if she asked, she wouldn't be able to do anything. The most important thing was Aning's mentality.
...
It was still dark when they got up. Xu Xiangjuan lit the kerosene lamp and went to cook breakfast. Zhou Chengning heard her and got up too.
The two of them worked quickly together. They cooked breakfast, ate it, and went out. Neither of the two children woke up.
It was not yet the spring equinox, and although it was hot during the day, it was cool in the mornings. Xu Xiangjuan went up the mountain wearing tattered clothes that she almost never wore. She wore a lot of clothes because she was afraid of the cold. Zhou Chengning was not afraid of the cold very much, and it would be hot during the day, and he had to move heavy things, so he did not wear too many clothes, neither too thick nor too thin.
The two people brought a large woven bag, a hoe, and a rope to tie the woven bag. It was very light and it would be difficult to carry other things up the mountain.
Xu Xiangjuan originally wanted to take a bamboo basket and scissors so that she could pick wild vegetables, mushrooms and fruits. But then she thought better of it. She could fill a woven bag with bamboo shoots, and it was already difficult to go up the mountain, so she didn't want to make things more troublesome when going down.
She might have gone up the mountain often when she was young and was familiar with the mountain, but now Xu Xiangjuan felt that going up the mountain was too difficult.
She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had climbed this inconvenient mountain. It had to be climbed and jumped at times, and there were overgrown weeds and trees. If no one went up the mountain regularly, the weeds and trees would soon grow again and hinder people from walking.
Although it has not officially entered spring, many trees have already sprouted new buds. The green water and green mountains provide a beautiful view, but Xu Xiangjuan is in no mood to appreciate it at this moment.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, don't be afraid, I will carry you up. After you are up, I will hand you the hoe and the woven bag. You hold on, I will climb up soon."
Xu Xiangjuan looked at the hurdle in front of her and really didn't know what to do.
If they wanted to go up further, they had to climb up this "staircase" which was very high for Xu Xiangjuan.
The height was up to her chest. How was she going to get up there? She couldn't even move up with her hands.
This height is not too bad for Zhou Chengning, he can climb up by supporting himself with his hands.
"Just put the woven bag and the hoe directly on there. You hold me up and I'll see if I can get up there." Xu Xiangjuan put the hoe and the woven bag on there first, prepared herself mentally, and let Zhou Chengning hold her up.
Zhou Chengning obeyed and hugged his lover's waist and lifted him up.
There was a height difference between the two people. Xu Xiangjuan was startled when she was lifted like this, but she quickly reacted and started climbing the mountain.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, stay away, I'll come up now."
"Do you need me to hold your hand?" Xu Xiangjuan sat down on the ground. She was a little nervous now.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, no need, I can go up by myself."
After hearing what her husband said, Xu Xiangjuan quickly gave up her seat.
Zhou Chengning was not as slow as her and climbed up quickly.
There was no such high obstacle to cross below, but there were too many weeds and it was hard to tell where the ground was solid and where it was empty. Zhou Chengning held a hoe in one hand and poked the ground from time to time. He used the hoe to cut grass and branches in front to lead the way, while Xu Xiangjuan followed behind him, holding his hand as he walked.
"Is there no other way to go?" Xu Xiangjuan walked to the back and hugged Zhou Chengning's arms with both hands. She was almost tired from walking.
Zhou Chengning: "No, this road is relatively easy to walk on. Not many people go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots now, so not many people are walking, so it is more difficult to walk than usual."
The farmland area in Maodong Village is vast and the mountains are not high. Any of the mountains in Hongshan Town where Zhou Chengning lives are higher than the mountains here. Higher means harder to climb, but the one for digging bamboo shoots is not difficult to climb.
And now that his lover is so dependent on the arms that hold him, he even hopes that the road will be more difficult.
Arriving at the bamboo forest, the couple started to work. Xu Xiangjuan took out gloves and put them on herself while Zhou Chengning used a hoe to dig bamboo shoots. Digging bamboo shoots was a delicate job, so Xu Xiangjuan cooperated with them while wearing gloves, trying her best not to damage the bamboo shoots.
It's early now, and not many people come here to dig bamboo shoots. There's no competition and no pressure, so the couple can dig as much as they want.
In the end, they didn't have the energy to dig more, and they stopped when the water was almost reaching the mouth of the woven bag.
"It's so heavy. Aning, can you lift it? If not, let's carry it down together." Xu Xiangjuan tied the mouth of the woven bag with the rope she brought, tried to lift it herself, but found it was too heavy.
Zhou Chengning was still able to move the things, but it was not as strenuous for him as it was for his wife. "Juan, just lead the way with the hoe, I can move it."
"Don't make it hard on yourself and don't carry it on your shoulders. It's too dangerous. We can stop and rest when we get tired." It was indeed not easy for two people to move on this mountain road. This was all Xu Xiangjuan could say.
The way down the mountain was much more convenient and less tiring. Xu Xiangjuan could even jump down the ridge that reached her chest by herself.
I will definitely boil some hot water to wipe my body when I get home today. I sweated a lot in the mountains.
When the couple returned, Gua Gua was talking to his grandmother in the yard about what happened in the kindergarten. Xu Xiangjuan didn't know how long Gua Gua had been talking. Niu Niu didn't make much noise because his sister was talking the whole time and was being held by his grandmother, so he listened to his sister talking with his grandmother.
Seeing his mother, Niu Niu quickly cried out "Oh, oh, oh". Xu Xiangjuan heard Niu Niu's cry and said, "Mom, go change your clothes first and hold Niu Niu later."
As long as mom is there, Niu Niu didn’t cry and continued to listen to his sister, but still wanted his mom to hug him.
Zhou Chengning put the woven bag in the yard and followed Xu Xiangjuan into the inner room to change clothes.
It’s really inconvenient to be seen in this outfit now.
"You can't go up the mountain alone in the future, do you understand?" Xu Xiangjuan took off her dirty coat and changed her pants.
Thinking about today's experience of going up the mountain, I can't help but say a few more words.
"Juan, you've said it many times, I remember it all."
Xu Xiangjuan changed her clothes herself and helped Zhou Chengning change them. "Remember this. It's better not to go up the mountain if you don't have anything to do. Just chop firewood down below. If you don't go with a group, don't go into the mountain."
Zhou Chengning didn't button his clothes himself when his lover was doing it. He waited until he buttoned the top button and said, "Juan, am I awesome today?"
Xu Xiangjuan had buttoned up the top button and had already raised her face slightly. When she heard Zhou Chengning's words, she looked up at him and said, "Yeah, very impressive."
Without her man, she would definitely not dare to go up the mountain.
How terrible the cold and lonely mountains are.
"Are there any rewards?" Of course you can do things at home that you dare not do outside.
Xu Xiangjuan: "What kind of reward do you want? Do you want me to make you meat buns? Meat buns may not be satisfying enough, so I'll make you meat dumplings during the Qingming Festival. That will fill you up."
"I don't want the reward of eating meat, I want this." Zhou Chengning pointed to his cheek and lowered his head to his lover's mouth.
"You did a good job today. Keep it up." Xu Xiangjuan was not shy either. She changed her position and kissed Zhou Chengning on the mouth.
It was their first time to kiss, and Zhou Chengning’s face was burning. His lover took the dirty clothes out, but he still didn’t dare to leave the inner room.
After only a few days in kindergarten, Gua Gua had a lot of "stories" to tell. Xu Xiangjuan, who was brushing clothes nearby and listening, found it very funny. Wu Caifeng was also very happy to hear her granddaughter's vivid descriptions.
Although his mother didn't hold him, she was by his side, and he also enjoyed his sister's storytelling.
Zhou Chengning calmed himself down for a while before coming out of the inner room to help his wife fetch water to wash clothes.
Guagua: "Grandma, I can write a lot of words now. I will write for you and stick it on the door during the Chinese New Year."
Guagua was talking about Spring Festival couplets. Wu Caifeng would go to buy Spring Festival couplets before the Chinese New Year. The couplets in the village were not expensive. Villagers who could write calligraphy sold them cheaply. You could buy a pair for one cent to bring happiness.
Hearing his daughter's brazen words, Zhou Chengning was too embarrassed to speak.
Having just kissed his lover, and with his mother-in-law who already had a grudge against him around, Zhou Chengning had been trying hard to work quietly and keep his presence to a minimum. When his daughter said this, he almost couldn't help but give her a lecture.
When Wu Caifeng heard her granddaughter say that she could write, she was so happy that she praised her several times and said that Gua Gua would become the top female scholar in the future.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Guagua, what characters can you write?"
Guagua said proudly: "I can write my own name!"
Being so proud of being able to write two words, Xu Xiangjuan: "Do you want to write your name and stick it on grandma's door to ward off evil spirits?"
Guagua didn't understand so he asked, "What is warding off evil spirits?"
Wu Caifeng defended her granddaughter, "Why are you talking about warding off evil spirits? What does Guagua's writing of couplets have to do with the door gods?"
Xu Xiangjuan: "Mom, do you really want Guagua to write a couplet?"
Wu Caifeng: "You can't write anymore? My granddaughter can write, so what's wrong with writing couplets?"
Guagua: "Yes! What's wrong!"
Zhou Chengning wanted to laugh but didn't dare to.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
