Chapter 62
Chu Liqiang always thought that no matter how shameless or immoral a person was, he would always have a bottom line. However, the facts told him that his idea was totally wrong.
Now Chu Liqiang finally understood why the letter he sent was like a stone sinking into the sea and he never received a reply. His good brother must have been so scared that he burned the letter as soon as he received it, for fear that he would be involved with these criminals again.
Chu Liqiang was not sad, he just felt that he was too naive.
He actually wanted to send Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu to such relatives. If he really sent them there, these two children would probably be eaten to pieces by them.
Nie Bai left. Chu Liqiang sat on the chair, looking at the letter on the table in silence. He didn't know whether he should tell Chu Shao about this matter.
One thing he had always found strange was that Chu Shao had been exchanging letters with him for so long, yet he had never once asked about his grandparents, his second uncle, his third uncle, or anyone else. Even if their relationship was superficial, as long as they hadn't fallen out, they would have definitely said hello. However, Chu Shao acted as if he didn't even know these people, not even mentioning them once.
Chu Liqiang couldn't help but start to recall. Could it be that when they were in the capital before, Chu Lidi and the others bullied Chu Shao?
That shouldn't be the case. The whole family was there at that time. Chu Shao was their only son and also Chu Xinghua's eldest grandson. Chu Xinghua had always valued him very much. Chu Lidi and others should not have dared to show their attitude openly.
Strange, why does Chu Shao hate Chu Lidi and the others so much?
No matter how Ren Chu Liqiang thought about it, he could not have imagined that it was Chu Jiujiu who came and spoiled Chu Shao's ending in advance. In the past, Chu Shao really had no feelings for his third uncle and the others, and also for the grandmother who had no blood relationship with him, but since he knew that he would be ruthlessly driven out by them in the future, and even they would not recognize him as a member of the Chu family, he completely hated these relatives.
After a moment of hesitation, Chu Liqiang finally told Chu Shao about this matter. They were a family, and Chu Shao was thirteen years old this year. He was half an adult and should know the situation in the family. As for how to deal with it, they would wait until they reunited to discuss it.
After finishing writing, Chu Liqiang took the envelope and sealed the letter inside. He had sent a lot of bills last month, so he didn't need to send any this month, but after thinking about it, he still stuffed a few coupons in it.
It’s not easy for a child to live alone, so just buy him whatever he wants. This is the only thing he can do.
After sealing the envelope and thinking for a while, Chu Liqiang took out another blank piece of letter paper.
This letter was not sent to Chu Shao and his friends, but to an old acquaintance in the Northwest Military Region.
After learning about what his father had experienced, he felt that he should try to find him. Even if he could not help at all, at least he could let him know that he had not been abandoned by all his relatives.
——
Chu Liqiang's reply letter revealed the secret that Chu Jiujiu wanted to know most.
It turned out to be her step-grandmother! As she said, every grandma is kind. Look at Grandma Han and her own grandma, both are the best grandmas in the world. It doesn't make sense that when it comes to Chu Shao, his grandma is like the Queen Mother in the TV series, vicious and ruthless, and can even be cruel to her own grandson.
After learning that they were not related by blood, Chu Jiujiu felt relieved.
She couldn't even be considered Chu Liqiang's mother, and certainly not Chu Shao's grandmother. Calling her grandma was just a matter of generational differences. If we really counted her by relationship, she was just a relative of the family, much like the third aunt of the second aunt.
After reading the letter, Chu Jiujiu clipped the letter into Chu Shao's notebook. It was early spring recently, and there was little rain, but the wind was quite strong. With the windows open, things in the house were blown away at some point.
Chu Shao went to work again. He and Han Shengyi took turns helping Wen Xiuwei with the work. Chu Shao did more, while Han Shengyi did less. With the addition of Chu Jiujiu, she was no longer a useless person in farm work. She could help with watering and pulling out some weeds, which was no problem.
Moreover, Wen Xiuwei felt at ease and did not move at all unless others helped her. She also worked together. From her own work and the work done by others, she could now get nine or ten work points a day, which was better than most villagers in Xujiawan.
But the villagers couldn't say anything to her, because she had people from other villages to help her. Two boys and a little girl together were equivalent to a strong adult man.
Some gossips saw that Wen Xiuwei earned so many work points every day and wanted to make trouble for her, but the people who helped her with the work were all children, and these children were orphans or half-orphans, and there was not even a middle-aged parent at home. How could they make trouble for her? In the end, they could only say hatefully that Wen Zhiqing was probably a monster, otherwise how could he even order children around!
Let others say whatever they want. Wen Xiuwei has never been accustomed to anything else in her life, but being stared at has become ingrained in her. As long as those people don't affect her life, she will pretend not to hear them. No matter how strong the wind is, she will remain unmoved.
In the morning, I stayed in the farmland with a few children, and in the afternoon, I returned to the dormitory and sat quietly. The first month's subsidy for educated youth had arrived. The money was not much, but there were a lot of bills for food, daily necessities, etc.
The educated youth came to the countryside with great difficulty, so the country naturally had to provide them with more subsidies. Let's not talk about anything else, just take food as an example. They didn't do anything, but they only got 200 kilograms of food every year. No wonder the educated youth in Xujiawan loved to be lazy. Anyway, they wouldn't starve to death, so it didn't matter whether they worked more or less.
The subsidies for educated youth in the entire Qingshi Town were the same, and the educated youth in Qingzhu Village also had so much food. This was why Ma Wenjuan could survive with only three or four work points a day.
But unlike the other educated youth in Xujiawan, Ma Wenjuan did not slack off. She worked very hard, but her physical strength was too poor. Even if she worked hard, she could only get a few work points a day.
In addition to grain, there were oil coupons, meat coupons, sugar coupons, cloth coupons and other things, which also had limits. Luo Shuyang and his friends were old educated youth, and each of them had one or two taels of oil coupons, two or two taels of meat coupons, one or two taels of sugar coupons, and one foot and three inches of cloth coupons each month.
The new educated youths doubled their money in the first month, and also received rare tickets such as shoe tickets and industrial coupons.
Because they ate from a big pot, after getting the tickets, Luo Shuyang collected all the tickets needed for cooking, and collected the same amount from everyone, but kept the meat tickets in everyone's hands. The educated youth could only eat meat once a year when the pig was slaughtered. If they wanted to eat meat on other days, they could only go to the state-owned restaurant in the town.
As for buying meat from the supply and marketing cooperative and cooking it yourself, forget it. Some people are generous, others stingy. Everyone's happy to eat meat, but when it comes to collecting receipts and money, some people hold their wallets tightly and refuse to pay. If you don't share the cost and buy it yourself, then after you bring it back, you'll end up eating it all together.
Luo Shuyang did just that. Ren Shengli and Lu Wanhua didn't ask her for it, but she was very concerned about her reputation. Besides, the two of them couldn't help but look into the pot, so she had no choice but to invite them to come and eat together.
Sun Yuqin originally had no problem with eating from the communal pot. She ate whatever others cooked, and aside from nitpicking about the cooking skills, she never complained. But after her receipts and food were taken away, Sun Yuqin suddenly realized that the food was not free, but originally belonged to her. From that day on, Sun Yuqin became a stingy person. She had to watch others cook. If they added a little too much oil, she would complain. If they accidentally fried two pieces of cabbage, she would complain too. If she went to the bathroom and came back to see the pot lid closed, she would still complain, suspecting the cook of stealing everyone's food.
There were only five educated youth in total, but Sun Yuqin was so troublesome that everyone was annoyed and had no good face for her. On the other hand, Wen Xiuwei was always quiet and never quarreled with others. If someone asked her for help, she would help if she could. If she really couldn't help, she would politely refuse so that people wouldn't get angry.
In the entire Xujiawan Youth League site, she was the least worrying person. Although she always stayed with the children of Qingzhu Village, which made others feel a little strange, she did not affect others, so others had no right to say anything about her.
Gradually, everyone liked to accompany Wen Xiuwei. When they went to the town to buy things or have a meal, they would call her instead of Sun Yuqin.
Wen Xiuwei seldom spoke in the dormitory, and Luo Shuyang was their class monitor, so she was in charge of all matters, big and small. Sun Yuqin inevitably thought that Luo Shuyang was the one who took the lead in excluding her. She targeted Luo Shuyang, and since Luo Shuyang was not someone to be trifled with, she fought back. The two of them turned the educated youth dormitory into a palace of storage for talents, with all kinds of open and covert struggles, and it was a lively scene.
Wen Xiuwei doesn't care about these things. Let others fight however they want, just don't drag her into it.
Carefully cutting the cloth in her hand, Wen Xiuwei put on the needle. She lowered her eyes, and her fingers moved flexibly, sewing the cut cloth together one by one.
Spring has arrived, and all the people working on the farm have taken off their cotton-padded clothes. Chu Jiujiu is still wearing hers, but it won't be long before she too changes into light clothing.
The styles of clothes in rural areas are similar, and the children's clothes sold in the town are also similar. Chu Jiujiu likes to wear different things from others, so Wen Xiuwei plans to make her a sleeveless plaid dress that is very popular in Shanghai nowadays.
When wearing this skirt, she also had to wear a top underneath. She bought red brick-colored plaid cloth from the supply and marketing cooperative. When she was leaving, she was lucky enough to run into the supply and marketing cooperative that was rarely open to sell rags.
These scraps were actually the leftover material after each piece of cloth had been cut. Some of these scraps were stained with machine oil, some had the patterns printed crookedly because the machines hadn't been properly closed before leaving the factory, and some were simply too short to sell. These scraps were priced the same as regular cloth, but no cloth coupons were required. She and Lu Wanhua squeezed into the crowd and, amidst the scramble among others, each bought a considerable amount of loot.
Lu Wanhua didn't even look at the pattern and grabbed two cards. There were originally three cards, but unfortunately the tail of the other card was grabbed by someone and was snatched away. Wen Xiuwei was quick-eyed and quick-handed and grabbed the three cards she liked. Someone also took a fancy to the cloth she wanted and pulled the other end to snatch it from her, but Wen Xiuwei exerted force and snatched the cloth away.
There were three pieces of cloth: one two feet long, pure white, with green ink splatters printed on one side; one one foot and eight inches, dark blue, cut into strange triangles; and the last piece, a full four feet long, was tan striped. This color is very popular in people's eyes today, but when paired with stripes, it looks out of place. Older people don't like stripes, thinking them too garish, while young people hate this earthy color. Therefore, this piece of cloth, although there is nothing wrong with it, was still put in the list of rags.
For the first time in her life, Wen Xiuwei felt like she had gotten a great deal. She walked back excitedly, holding the cloth. Seeing her excitement, Lu Wanhua couldn't help but laugh: "Xiuwei, you're finally a bit down-to-earth now. When you first came, I was afraid that you would go back to heaven and become a fairy one day."
Wen Xiuwei felt a little embarrassed by her teasing, "What are you talking about? I wish I were a fairy. Then I could weave cloth myself and wouldn't have to spend money to buy it from the supply and marketing cooperative."
Lu Wanhua laughed out loud, "Not bad! Those aunties didn't grab as much as you did, Xiuwei. The real person never reveals his true face. I'm talking about you. How did you grab so much? Why can't I grab more than others?"
Wen Xiuwei just smiled and said nothing. There was no skill in this kind of thing. Just hold on to it and don't let go. She only had a few cloth coupons in her hand. She had finally caught up with the opportunity to buy some scraps of cloth. If others wanted to snatch it from her, they could dream on.
Wen Xiuwei is such a puzzling person. Sometimes she is so easy to bully, and sometimes she is too strong. Today, the person who tried to snatch the cloth from her was an old lady. When Wen Xiuwei pulled the cloth towards her, the old lady used all her strength, and finally let it go due to exhaustion. Under the influence of inertia, she almost fell on her butt. Fortunately, there were people around her who bounced her back.
The old lady felt that she was unlucky today. Among a hundred educated youth, ninety-nine of them would be embarrassed to snatch things from the elderly, but she happened to meet that one percent today.
Wen Xiuwei doesn't care about the old lady or Lu Wanhua, she only cares about the cloth under her hands.
She would use the white and brick-red cloth to make a dress for Chu Jiujiu, and the blue cloth to sew a shoulder bag for herself so that she could bring something with her to work. As for the last brown striped cloth, she planned to make a top for Chu Shao and Han Shengyi respectively, and she could use the extra cloth to make a pillowcase for herself.
As for the scraps of cloth left after everything is done, they can be sewn together to make a few sachets. Spring is here and the Waking of Insects is coming soon. There are too many insects in the countryside, and hanging a sachet on your body can also serve as an insect repellent.
After living under someone else's roof for so many years, no one understood what it meant to be thrifty and frugal better than Wen Xiuwei. She curled her lips slightly, looking at the needle and thread in her hand. Thinking of the surprised expressions on Chu Jiujiu and the others' faces after receiving the clothes she had sent, her mood suddenly became better.
——
When Chu Shao has time to help Wen Xiuwei, Chu Jiujiu will no longer go there. If she doesn't go there herself, she will pull Han Shengyi and ask him not to go there either.
Han Shengyi didn't know that she was trying to create an opportunity for Chu Shao and Wen Xiuwei to be alone, but to be honest, if Chu Jiujiu didn't go there, he wouldn't be able to go to Xujiawan alone.
After spending a long time with Chu Shao, although they often bickered, they always had something to talk about. However, when he was alone with Wen Xiuwei, he really didn't know what to talk about.
In February, apricot and peach blossoms at the foot of the mountain began to bloom. When she saw this scene, she excitedly ran to the tree and tried to catch the petals falling in the wind in a very artistic way. However, there was basically no wind in February, and Chu Jiujiu had to stand under the tree with her hands raised like a fool for more than ten or twenty minutes before she could catch a soft petal.
In March, the peach blossoms on the mountain also bloomed. After learning from the villagers that the peach blossoms in Taohuaao were in full bloom, Chu Jiujiu immediately pulled Han Shengyi up the mountain.
Taohuaao is a small valley deep in the mountains. The hillsides on both sides are covered with peach trees. These peach trees not only bloom, but also bear fruit. However, it is not known whether it is a problem with the variety or the soil here is not fertile enough. In short, the peaches are either extremely sour or have not yet ripened and have been eaten by insects and birds, so it is never the turn of humans to pick them.
And there are only so many fruits on a tree, it's so pitiful.
Peach trees attract caterpillars. After summer, the place people least want to visit is Taohuaao. But now it is early spring, and the insects are still dormant underground. The peach trees in Taohuaao do not bear fruit well, but the flowers are first-class beauty. When Chu Jiujiu climbed up, she almost died of exhaustion halfway. When she saw the vast pink beauty in Taohuaao, peach blossoms were clustered on the branches, and the stream was flowing quietly on the ground. The petals were blown down by the wind and fell to the edge of the stream. They trembled twice, but finally could not withstand the push of the water and finally drifted with the flow.
Peach blossoms, cool streams, and spring breezes are all half-hidden in the silky mist. It is getting late, and the mountain fog is gradually dissipating. Standing at the entrance, Chu Jiujiu can even see the mist gradually rising.
Occasionally, a strange bird call came to her ears. Chu Jiujiu stood there blankly. This scene should be the most beautiful picture she had ever seen in her life.
Chu Jiujiu was stunned for a long time, and finally blurted out two words: "It's so beautiful."
Han Shengyi also thought this place was beautiful, but he was able to apply what he had learned: "Peach blossoms and flowing water disappear into the distance, a world apart from the human world."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Damn it, she also remembered this poem, but she was so shocked just now that she didn't even think of reciting it.
She came up the mountain today, not only to see the peach blossoms, but also to do one thing. Leaving Han Shengyi behind, she ran to the peach forest, looked up at the peach trees that looked similar, trying to find the branch with the most flowers.
Han Shengyi didn't understand what she was doing. He looked up with her for a while, but he didn't see anything strange. He asked, "What are you looking at? It's just blooming. There can't be peaches on the tree."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Am I just a foodie in your eyes?
"I'm not looking for peaches. I'm looking for the branch with the most flowers. We have a saying where you break off the branch with the most flowers and hit whoever it falls on, and that person will have good luck in love."
Han Shengyi: "...You want romantic luck?"
Chu Jiujiu looked at him speechlessly, "I'm not going to hit myself."
Feeling relieved, Han Shengyi didn't understand why he was so nervous. He raised his head again, walked around a few steps, and then pointed at a heavy branch and said, "See if that one will work."
The more flowers the tree blooms, the worse the harvest will be this year. Like the tree Han Shengyi pointed out, it is obvious that it will have a miscarriage this year. Breaking off a branch from it may help relieve some of the pressure on it.
Chu Jiujiu ran over and felt that she was almost there. She jumped up as hard as she could but still couldn't reach the top. Seeing this, Han Shengyi rolled up his sleeves and climbed up in a few steps. He pressed down and was about to fold it down from the base. Chu Jiujiu quickly told him: "From the top! Just fold it from the thin part."
Han Shengyi paused, then moved a little higher and snapped the peach branch off. Han Shengyi did not climb down, but simply let go and jumped to the ground. The peach branch was intact, without a single flower falling off.
This peach branch was about fifty centimeters long. After Chu Jiujiu took it, she turned it over and over twice as if it were a treasure. Then, when Han Shengyi wasn't paying attention, she knocked it on his shoulder.
"Okay, now you're going to have some luck!"
The blossoms on the peach branches rustled as they moved. Han Shengyi blinked at Chu Jiujiu's smug, unwavering faith, and smiled, "We have a theory over there, too."
Chu Jiujiu asked curiously, "What's that?"
Han Shengyi: "We don't believe in peach blossoms bringing luck in love over there. Instead, there's a saying that holding a peach branch can make you see ghosts."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Her expression was frozen on her face, and the corners of Chu Jiujiu's mouth were still raised. Maintaining this posture, she said dryly: "No, no way, are you lying to me?"
Han Shengyi: "No, haven't you heard of peach wood swords? I remember the old people said that peach wood swords can drive away evil spirits, but before they were made into peach wood swords, especially peach branches with peach blossoms like this, the effect is not just as simple as driving away evil spirits."
Chu Jiujiu looked at him in panic. After a new year, she had become a little more cautious and would not believe everything others said. However, even if she only believed half of it, it would be enough for her to worry for a long time.
Holding the peach branch, Chu Jiujiu didn't know whether to hold it tightly or throw it away. When going down the mountain, she secretly glanced at Han Shengyi for a long time, but still felt that he was lying to her.
After leaving Taohuaao and returning to the familiar forest area, Chu Jiujiu looked at the road ahead while searching around for any newly grown fruits and mushrooms.
As the saying goes, a thief never leaves empty-handed. They had finally made it to the mountain, so they naturally couldn't go down empty-handed.
However, this season is the most desolate time in the mountains. There is a gap between the old and the new. Many flowers are blooming, but none are bearing fruit. There is less rain, so not many mushrooms grow, except for shiitake mushrooms and white mushrooms. These two have strong vitality and are everywhere in the rainy season. Now in the dry season, one or two can still grow.
Chu Jiujiu doesn't like eating mushrooms, and she was not careful when she saw them, so Han Shengyi picked them up for her.
Seeing a big one, Han Shengyi called Chu Jiujiu, "Look, this one is the biggest."
Chu Jiujiu looked over and found that they were mushrooms. She immediately lost interest. "No matter how big they are, they are still mushrooms. I sent all my mushrooms to the army. You can't even finish all your mushrooms. Grandma Han made mushroom sauce with the rest. Brother Shengyi, if we really can't eat them all, how about we take them to town and sell them?"
Han Shengyi picked some mushrooms and threw them into the basket on his back. "No one wants these mushrooms. There are too many. I can't sell them for a good price."
Chu Jiujiu looked helpless. Look, she said, these small mushrooms are really everywhere here. They grow under the big trees and beside the ditches in the city. There are so many of them that no one buys them.
"How about making it into mushroom sauce? I think Chu Shao likes it very much. So there should be people in the city who like it too."
Han Shengyi was about to answer when he heard voices coming from a distance.
"Can you please walk faster?"
"I, I'm wearing new shoes today, so I can't walk fast. Brother, please wait for me."
"I'm so annoyed. If you didn't insist on seeing peach blossoms, I wouldn't come to a place like this. Mom doesn't either. Why did you ask me to bring you here? Can't you just come by yourself?"
As they spoke, the two men had already walked out from the corner. Guo Youtian was walking in front with big strides, and Guo Youmian behind could not keep up. She was in a hurry and felt pain in her feet after running. But if she slowed down a little, Guo Youtian would leave her behind. When she was feeling embarrassed and annoyed, Guo Youtian in front of her suddenly stopped. Guo Youmian looked up curiously and saw Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi. She was stunned for a moment.
She took two quick steps and came in front of Han Shengyi, looking at them nervously.
"Brother Han, Sister Jiujiu, why are you here?"
Just after she asked this question, Guo Youmian saw the peach branch in Chu Jiujiu's hand. She smiled and said, "You are here to see the peach blossoms too. This peach branch is so beautiful. I want to pick one and put it in a vase."
The local people's houses were all bare, but the Guo family actually had a vase. Chu Jiujiu had a better understanding of the Guo family's situation.
If we only count in Qingzhu Village, Guo Youmian is definitely a rich and beautiful woman!
Chu Jiujiu had neither good nor bad feelings towards her. To Chu Jiujiu, Guo Youmian was just an ordinary person she didn't know. She was always very kind to ordinary people.
Chu Jiujiu smiled as well, revealing two dimples. She said, "Ask your brother to help you pick them. The peach tree is very tall, and those who can't climb trees can't even get up there."
Chu Jiujiu's words didn't mean anything, but Guo Youmian was stunned when he heard it. "Sister Jiujiu, who picked the peach branch for you?"
Chu Jiujiu gave her a strange look. There were only a few people present. If it wasn't her who broke it, who else could it be?
She didn't answer immediately. Over there, Han Shengyi lifted the backpack on his back and said for her, "I folded it. The fog on the mountain has dissipated. It's a good time for you to go now. Jiujiu and I will go back first."
After saying that, he symbolically held Chu Jiujiu's hand. He did this to remind Chu Jiujiu to go down the mountain with him. Last year, they often held hands, but this year, Grandma Han called Han Shengyi aside and talked to him for a long time. The specific meaning was that they were all grown up, and they should not fight without restraint in the future. Jiujiu was a girl, and he had to pay attention to the boundaries between them.
From then on, Han Shengyi would not hold Chu Jiujiu's hand unless it was something serious. After discovering that he did this, Chu Shao secretly reflected on himself and changed the small gesture of holding hands. Although he and Chu Jiujiu are related by blood, it is better to pay attention to the things that should be paid attention to.
However, Grandma Han miscalculated. She only reminded her grandson, but forgot to remind the other party, Chu Jiujiu. She was not yet aware of this and would still hug others when she got excited. Seeing Han Shengyi reaching out for her, Chu Jiujiu naturally offered her little hand, then took his hand, took the initiative, and ran down the mountain.
Since they are not planning to sell the mushrooms for money, then they should not stay here. Otherwise, it won’t be long before Han Shengyi’s backpack is filled with mushrooms!
…
Chu Jiujiu ran so fast to avoid Xianggu, but Guo Youmian and Guo Youtian behind her thought that she was trying to avoid them.
Guo Youmian is too delicate and always thinks things are very complicated, while Guo Youtian is very straightforward and thinks very simply. He thinks that Chu Jiujiu is just like other little girls in the village and ran away because she thought he looked fierce.
Frowning, Guo Youtian asked his sister, "Is that Chu Jiujiu?"
Guo Youmian hummed uninterestedly.
Looking back at the direction Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi had left, Guo Youtian said angrily, "Humph, she's so close to Han Shengyi, no wonder!"
Han Shengyi brought the peach branches and mushrooms down the mountain. This time, because the weather was not humid enough and Chu Jiujiu interrupted him, he didn't get much. He only filled a thin layer of mushrooms in his backpack. He handed the backpack to Grandma Han and went to the vegetable patch. Chu Jiujiu took the peach branches back home.
Chu Shao was studying at the desk. Half a year had passed and the learning progress of the three of them had changed. One advantage of one-on-one teaching was that it could be adapted at any time. Now Chu Shao had already started learning math, physics and chemistry for the first year of high school, while Chu Jiujiu was still in the first year of junior high school.
In fact, Chu Jiujiu is not bad in math, physics and chemistry. Not compared with her peers, but only compared with ordinary junior high school students, she is also a top student in the class. However, there is a genius in these areas in her family, so she can only be crushed everywhere.
She tiptoed in, and as she expected, Chu Shao was calculating those obscure formulas again. Chu Jiujiu chuckled in her heart, and came behind Chu Shao. She suddenly stretched out the peach branch and knocked Chu Shao on the back.
The sound of wind was heard, and Chu Shao turned his head reflexively. He was too fast, and Chu Jiujiu did not have time to retract his arm, so the many peach blossoms covered with pollen slapped on Chu Shao's face.
Chu Shao: “…”
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Taking the peach branch off his face, Chu Shao instantly switched to a furious state: "Chu Jiujiu! What are you doing?!"
Chu Jiujiu knew she was in the wrong, so she tried to run away. However, after only one step, Chu Shao grabbed her collar.
Why do everyone like to pull her collar? Is it because she is too short?
Han Shengyi and Chu Shao: Yes, that’s the reason.
…
Being grabbed by the collar, Chu Jiujiu had no choice but to turn around and apologize to Chu Shao: "Grandpa, I was wrong. I only wanted to hit you on the back, but I didn't expect you to turn your head so suddenly, so I hit you in the face."
Chu Shao: "...You mean, this is still my fault? Where did you get the peach branch? It's fine, why are you hitting me? I'm not possessed by a ghost!"
Chu Jiujiu was stunned for a moment, then her face turned horrified. "How could you say that! Aren't peach branches used to improve romantic luck? Why are you all saying it's related to that?"
What the hell is going on? Chu Shao asked, puzzled, "What? You don't even dare to say the word 'ghost'. Are you really afraid of ghosts?"
Hearing his words, Chu Jiujiu immediately adjusted her expression to be calm and nonchalant. "I'm not afraid. A gentleman doesn't talk about strange things. There is only science in this world, not ghosts or gods."
Chu Shao let out a long "oh" and then asked her, "Then may I ask, how did you get here?"
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
You are so wicked.
Chu Shao was just teasing her, not intending to scare her like Han Shengyi did. Holding the peach branch, Chu Shao remembered what she had said before, "Change your romantic luck, why are you trying to change my romantic luck for me for no reason?"
Chu Jiujiu snatched the peach branch back and placed it carefully on the table to prevent it from being destroyed by Chu Shao. She pouted and said, "It's all so that you and grandma can get married sooner. Then I won't have to run around like a divorced child."
Chu Shao: "...I'm only thirteen years old this year."
Don’t you think you’re urging marriage too early?
Chu Jiujiu blinked, "So what? You can have a premature love relationship."
There's no chatting today.
After a lot of effort, Chu Shao was no longer sensitive to the name Wen Xiuwei. When Chu Jiujiu mentioned it normally, he could give a normal answer. But now, he started to be allergic to the word "puppy love" again.
Chu Shao usually acted mature, but that was because his environment forced him to mature early. However, when it came to relationships, he was still like a blank slate. No matter how others urged him, it was useless; he had to rely on himself. It was obvious that Chu Shao hadn't developed his intelligence, which was why he always looked like a brat.
He was willing to help Wen Xiuwei with work and was willing to give her money and things, but he never thought about chatting with her or spending more time with her. His actions were based on his sense of responsibility, not the kind of affection that only adults could understand.
Chu Jiujiu didn't understand this because she was also a little brat. Chu Shao was scared away by her and didn't come back until just before dinner. After dinner at Han's house, the three of them went to class together. After class, Grandma Han suddenly came over and asked Chu Shao and Han Shengyi to go to the small supply and marketing cooperative at the entrance of the commune to buy some things.
It was getting late and the white moon was out. The supply and marketing cooperative would close in half an hour, so the two boys hurried over. After dark, Grandma Han didn't let Chu Jiujiu go out, so she had to go home by herself.
When she returned home and closed the door, the room suddenly became extremely dark. Chu Jiujiu had not yet remembered what happened during the day, but she walked into the bedroom as if she knew the way. When she was about to light the oil lamp on the desk, she saw the peach branch on the desk in a blink of an eye.
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Chu Jiujiu said she was not afraid, but she was still very honest in her heart. She was nervous in the house for a few minutes. Seeing that it was getting darker, she rushed out of the house and stood in the yard. With the moonlight and Dahuang and Erhuang as her companions, she felt much more at ease.
But this was not enough. Hearing the sound of neighbors talking in the distance, Chu Jiujiu simply walked out and even opened the gate of the yard, just to let the voices in and reduce the fear in her heart.
After opening the gate, Chu Jiujiu was about to go back when she heard someone running outside. Thinking that it was Han Shengyi and Chu Shao coming back, Chu Jiujiu quickly took the giant flashlight at home and ran over to greet them.
Halfway through her run, she felt something was wrong. First, the direction. This wasn't the direction from outside the village, but the direction from down the mountain. Then, the time. Han Shengyi and Chu Shao had only been out for ten minutes. How could they be back so quickly? Confused, Chu Jiujiu, like every protagonist in a horror movie, subconsciously turned on the flashlight.
The yellow light with a very long range hit the opponent, instantly illuminating the blood on his body. Because his eyes were stabbed, he grimaced, and with the dirty blood on his face and hands, he looked even more terrifying.
Chu Jiujiu was stunned for a moment, then burst into her sharpest scream: "Grandma Han! Help me, there is a ghost! Aa ...
Ding Yiming: “…”
You are the ghost, your whole family is a ghost!
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