Chapter 30 My wife is young and frail.
Do you know Xishan Farm?
Seeing the bewildered look on Qin Suisui's face, Sister Wu continued, "You're new here, so you probably don't know, but Xishan Farm is the farm closest to the Wild Forest!"
"The Wilderness Forest is what the locals call it. It's so primitive that no one ever sets foot in it, hence the name 'Wilderness.' Only the most heinous criminals are sent down to the Wilderness Forest to cut down trees and clear land. The Xishan Farm is right next to the Wilderness Forest, and there are so many mosquitoes that you could carry a person away! I don't know what Xue Jiao did or who she offended to be assigned there. I heard she'll be staying there for a while!"
Qin Suisui touched her nose guiltily, then remembered that she was also a victim in this matter, so why should she feel guilty? She immediately put her hand down again.
After taking the measurements and cutting the fabric, Qin Suisui bid farewell to Sister Wu and prepared to go home.
I promised Grandma Mai that I would go to the village to check on Maida's injuries in three days, but three or four days have passed already. It should have been done long ago.
Seeing that Zan Zan was having a great time playing with Xiao Hua, Qin Sui Sui discussed with him, "Zan Zan, why don't you stay at Aunt Wu's house and play with Sister Xiao Hua? Mom has some things to do and needs to go to the village next door. I'll come back to pick you up before dinner, okay?"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that her mother was leaving, Zan Zan, who had been lying on the ground playing marbles, sprang up like a little firecracker, darted to Qin Sui Sui, and hugged her leg tightly: "Mom, I want to go with you, please take me with you, okay? I promise I'll be good and won't cause you any trouble."
The little guy's voice was soft and pitiful, which reminded Qin Suisui of the day she returned from the Guangmingding Brigade and saw the little guy squatting alone at the door of his house. He looked so pitiful that her heart softened instantly.
"Okay, Zan Zan wants to go, so Mommy will take you!"
Seeing the good relationship between the mother and daughter, Sister Wu was happy for them: "Children are all like that. Xiao Hua was the same when she was little. Back then, before I joined the army, I worked in the village. Every time I asked her to play with the other children in the village, she wouldn't want to and insisted on staying with me. I had no choice but to take her with me. I would be cutting wheat in the field, and she would play on the ridge next to the field. When she got tired, I would spread my clothes on the grass for her to sleep on. The conditions were tough, but look, she's doing just fine, isn't she? Actually, children are happy doing anything as long as they're with their mothers!"
Wu's words made Qin Suisui tighten her grip on Zanzan's hand.
As if sensing her mother's mood, Zan Zan's face lit up with a big smile, and she nodded in agreement, "Mmm! As long as I'm with Mom, Zan Zan is happy!"
Qin Suisui felt her heart melt, and at that moment she even secretly thought that she would not have any more children, but would only raise Zanzan and give him all her love!
Pei Jiuyan, who was completely unaware of the matter, was in his office being bewildered by Commander Jia.
"Commander, my wife is young and frail; she can't handle so much work! And you have to submit it within a week—it's too rushed!"
Commander Jia glared at him: "You brat! Even when you're protecting food, you're more protective than this! Isn't this a special case that needs special treatment? Comrade Qin Suisui is capable, this is called 'the capable should do more,' and it's something that contributes to the provincial capital and the country. Why don't you ask her opinion? What if she's willing?"
Pei Jiuyan's expression remained unchanged, and his words flowed exceptionally smoothly: "Even if she's willing, I can't be! You know her family just went through a major upheaval, and she hasn't recovered physically or emotionally yet. Translating hundreds of documents in a week is practically killing her. The top leader said that health is the foundation of revolution! Without good health, how can we carry out the revolution? How can we contribute to the provincial capital and the country?"
Commander Jia was so angry he was snorting through his nose. After a long while, he finally started cursing, "Reduce! Reduce! Reduce! I'll reduce it for you, okay? Take all of this and this and this... is that alright?"
Pei Jiuyan counted them and there were exactly 52 left. He then raised his eyelids and said, "I'll go back and discuss it with her. If she doesn't agree, then we'll have to ask them to find someone else."
Commander Jia then snorted, "Take it back first. If she's willing, she can start work tonight without you having to come back for it. I get annoyed just looking at you!"
Pei Jiuyan then leisurely packed up the documents and returned to his office.
Completely unaware that she had taken on another job, Qin Suisui was currently riding her bicycle with Zanzan on the back, heading towards the village. Worried about Zanzan's safety, Qin Suisui even went to Uncle Lin's place to get a "baby chair" to put on the back of the bicycle.
Zanzan sat on the back of Qin Suisui's seat, munching on a White Rabbit milk candy, swinging her little feet and chattering away: "Mommy, Mommy, is this my special seat?"
"With this, will you take me with you wherever you go from now on?"
"Mommy, Mommy, can I stop going to daycare from now on? I don't like Teacher Jiaojiao."
"Mom, what are we going to do later...?"
Qin Suisui didn't find it annoying at all. On the contrary, with Zan Zan, such a chatterbox, accompanying her all the way, she found it quite lively.
As they passed the grove of trees from last time, Qin Suisui glanced inside instinctively, and Zanzan followed suit. They immediately spotted a large tree laden with golden mangoes, and Zanzan exclaimed dramatically, "Mommy, there's a huge mango tree! It's full of mangoes, can we pick some?"
Qin Suisui was also somewhat tempted, suddenly realizing that she hadn't eaten much fruit since arriving! Her mother-in-law had been here these past few days, and she hadn't been in her spatial dimension much either. The mangoes outside were ripe, so the ones inside must be ripe too!
Thinking of the soft, sweet bananas, the juicy lychees, and the refreshing coconut water, Qin Suisui couldn't help but swallow hard. In her homeland, fruit was a rare commodity, hard to buy even with money. But Qiongtan Island, due to its climate, was a paradise for fruit! Qin Suisui secretly resolved to find an opportunity to transplant more fruit into her space!
Meeting Zan Zan's expectant gaze, Qin Sui Sui nodded happily and picked Zan Zan up: "Okay, then let's go in and pick a few! This is a wild mango tree, we can pick a few without any problem." She didn't know if she was saying this to comfort herself or to comfort Zan Zan.
The mango tree was about 10 meters away from the roadside. Qin Suisui picked up a dead stick and tapped it on the ground while leading Zan Zan inside.
The mango tree was very tall, but because the mangoes were so plentiful and dense, the branches were bent under the weight. Qin Suisui estimated the height, found a branch, moved her arms and legs slightly, and nimbly climbed up the tree. Once she reached the distance she had estimated, she asked Zanzan to hand her the stick she had just received.
"Zan Zan, Mommy's going to knock down a mango! Stand back! Be careful not to hit your head and turn into a little fool!"
As Zan Zan giggled and ran off, mangoes and leaves tumbled down from the tree. Once the mangoes stopped falling, Zan Zan ran back to the tree, picking them up and excitedly shouting, "Mommy, you're so amazing! You're so strong! So many mangoes fell down!"
Qin Suisui climbed down from the tree and picked up the mangoes on the ground. She then realized that these were the same variety as the mango tree she had transplanted into her space. They were both small Taiwanese mangoes, also known as egg mangoes. They were small in size, had a strong aroma, and a sweet and sour taste. They were Qin Suisui's favorite mango variety.
As the mother and daughter were happily picking mangoes from the ground, a small voice suddenly came from beside them: "Sister, you've come to the village again? Did you come to see me?"
Qin Suisui felt a shiver run through her body, as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
She turned her head and saw Tiger, whom she had seen before, standing under a banana tree, clutching a handful of herbs and covered in dirt, looking at her.
Qin Suisui smiled and nodded at him, then called him over and gave him a few mangoes. She noticed he was holding a bunch of Bupleurum chinense (柴胡). She was a little surprised; she hadn't noticed it here last time she visited. Bupleurum chinense prefers warm, humid environments and is highly adaptable, being cold-resistant, drought-resistant, but susceptible to waterlogging. However, its growth is inhibited when temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it mainly grows in Northeast, North, Northwest, and East China. She hadn't expected to find it on Qiongzhou Island; this island is truly diverse!
"Tiger, why are you digging up these herbs? Is someone sick? Is your mother sick?"
Tiger carefully held the mango in his arms and shook his head: "It's not that Mom is sick, it's that Grandpa Niu's grandson Lele is sick with a fever. Mom said this herb can reduce fever, but they have to go to work and don't have time to look for it. I remember seeing this herb here last time, so I came to dig it up."
Qin Suisui nodded, and under the cover of the cloth bag, took out two fever-reducing pills from her spatial storage and handed them to him: "Take these pills. They're fever reducers. You can use them with these herbs for better results. But you should still ask your mother first to see if Lele's symptoms are suitable for this." Tiger's mother should know a little about pharmacology.
Unexpectedly, Hu Zi waved his hand in alarm: "Sister, this medicine is too expensive, we can't accept it. We people in the cowshed are not worthy of such good medicine!"
Qin Suisui felt a pang of sadness. She put the medicine back into Hu Zi's hand and patted his head. "Don't listen to their nonsense. Every one of us is precious, every life is precious. You're just facing some difficulties right now, it doesn't mean you're inferior to anyone else. You need to take good care of your health, and if you have the chance, study hard. Things will definitely get better!"
Qin Suisui's words were like a thunderbolt to Hu Zi. Ever since he could remember, everyone had called him a "stinking intellectual."
He called him a "little brat," saying he was worthless and deserved to die. But his sister told him that he was precious, that they were just going through a tough time, and that things would get better in the future.
Tiger got excited and nodded solemnly to Qin Suisui: "Yes! Our lives will definitely get better and better. When I grow up, I will definitely repay my sister! My name is Xie Simai, and sister, please don't forget me!"
Qin Suisui nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, that's the right way to think! People should move forward... Wait! What did you say your name was? Aren't you called Tiger?"
Tiger scratched his head: "Tiger is my nickname. My mother said that calling me Tiger in the cowshed won't cause any trouble. My real name is Xie Simai. My mother said it's the 'Si' in 'longing' and the 'Mai' in 'wheat'."
Qin Suisui was stunned, as if struck by lightning, and after a long while, she finally asked, "Your mother's name isn't Xie Ting, is it?"
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