"Fourth Aunt, wouldn't it be too conspicuous for us to use a wheelbarrow? People in the know say you're pregnant and can't do heavy work, and besides, neither Grandma nor I are good at it. Those nosy family members might gossip about us, which would affect Fourth Uncle, which would be bad."
It's not that Li Qingju didn't think so much, but she really had no better way. She had bleeding before, and she thought it was her period, so she didn't take it too seriously. She just felt that the amount of blood that month was particularly small. It wasn't until she fainted in the second month that she found out she was pregnant after a check-up.
The doctor specifically advised him not to do any heavy work, especially in the first few months, and not to sit or stand for long periods of time and stretch himself. Zhou Chuanwu went to the factory and asked for two months' leave.
Most of the military wives stationed in Xinjiang have jobs. It is difficult to find a job in other places, but here there is a lot of work to be done and talent is even harder to come by. As long as there are willing military wives, whether they are educated or not, there will be a job that suits them.
She thought that although this operation might make a hole now, it would only be a one-time thing. She couldn't report it one or two times every day, as that would be a real hole.
Qiu Yuling understood her aunt's concerns. "I remember the melon farmers delivered the melons to our vegetable garden that day. It's not close to here, but it's not far either. Let's put the melons in the vegetable garden, under the pumpkin vines. I can run back and forth two or three times with my small backpack and carry them back."
"This? It's quite heavy. Listen to what Fourth Aunt said. You're still growing. If you press too hard, you won't grow taller."
"It's okay. I'm just like my mother. I'm naturally strong. I can carry you at home, too. Don't worry."
"Just do as Yuling said. Let's go together after dark. Wild vegetable dumplings are delicious right now. Cover your backpack with some wild vegetables. Oh, and pick two big pumpkins to make some pumpkin buns. Make more later and share some with your neighbors."
"That's fine."
Li Qingjue would not be back to work for long, so she thought for a moment and decided to go out in the afternoon. This would free her up to wind up the wool she had stored and start knitting the sweater and trousers.
"Grandma, you stay in the house with my aunt, I'm going out for a walk."
"Go ahead, you restless monkey."
Qiu Yuling put on the small basket after washing and went out.
We're going to walk a little further today.
Unfortunately, she hadn't walked far when she ran into Duan Yao, who was also carrying a basket.
"Hello, Aunt Duan."
Duan Yao just nodded twice lightly. Seeing this, Qiu Yuling did not go forward to talk to her. Instead, Duan Yao called her from behind.
"Hey, little girl."
Qiu Yuling: ...I introduced her to her yesterday, and she still called her. But it doesn’t matter. They don’t live together, so it doesn’t matter whether she remembers it or not.
"Aunt Duan, do you want to ask me something?"
"It's okay, since we met, let's go out together."
I really wanted to refuse, "Huh? Oh, okay."
"Who are you to Captain Zhou's family?"
"Captain Zhou is my fourth uncle." There should be nothing wrong with saying this, right?
"Oh, Captain Zhou hasn't come back yet?"
"I don't know. My aunt said that according to military discipline, family members are not allowed to ask or talk nonsense." Did you hear that? I'm just a kid. Don't talk about family matters.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be so sensible for a child. Good children should obey the rules."
"Discipline belongs to everyone, everyone must abide by it." Qiu Yuling smiled sweetly.
"Aunt Duan, where are you going? If we're not going the same way, you don't have to take care of me. Just go about your business."
"Oh, how about I go to the forest near the Kum River in front to dig some herbs? Is it on our way?" Duan Yao looked at Qiu Yuling with a smile.
"That's really convenient." There are rivers and forests along the way, the road is very smooth.
Later on, Duan Yao did not mention family matters anymore, but instead asked about Qiu Yuling's academic performance.
With the questions and answers, Duan Yao became more and more cheerful. She thought the little girl was just starting out, but she didn't expect that she knew quite a lot in her studies. Although her answers were occasionally immature or biased, they were indeed of a certain standard.
"How come you're already in the third grade at such a young age?"
"I'm in the fourth grade when school starts." Qiu Yuling felt embarrassed. In her heart, she felt that it was a bit unethical for a former master's degree holder to pretend to be a child to fool the natives.
"You're truly amazing! Some people are naturally smart, quick learners, and quick to grasp everything. Don't waste your talent. You must work harder and serve our country better in the future."
"Yes, I will, Aunt Duan. I will work hard to grow up and contribute to the construction of our motherland." Qiu Yuling answered seriously.
Some people were talking, feeling anxious and walking very fast. The sun was already high in the sky. There were many children playing in the water by the river, and there were also aunties washing clothes.
"Oh, Doctor Duan, such a pretty girl, is she a relative visiting our home?" A woman wearing a blue headscarf was the first to see Duan Yao and Qiu Yuling.
"They're not my relatives, they're from Captain Zhou's family. We met them on the road and were worried about the little girl wandering around alone, so we came here with her."
"Dr. Duan is still so thoughtful and enthusiastic."
Duan Yao just smiled gently and said nothing more, "Well, Yuling, you can have fun by yourself. Don't go into the water. I'll go pick herbs across the way."
"Well, thank you Aunt Duan for taking care of me. You go ahead and do your work. I'll play for a while and then go home."
After hearing what Qiu Yuling said, Duan Yao stopped worrying and turned around to do her own thing.
There are many small stones on the shallows on the shore. Although it is called a river, it doesn’t even reach an adult’s knees. It is probably a seasonal river.
At this moment, the upstream water is probably being saved to send to the Corps to irrigate crops, and even the riverbed here is leaking.
When Qiu Yuling saw Dr. Duan, he rolled up his trouser legs and waded across the river.
There were also many naked children making a fuss in the water. It was not dangerous, so the adults didn't care and just chatted among themselves.
Qiu Yuling picked up some beautiful stones to maintain her childish persona, and also plucked a lot of flowers and plants. Some of them entered the space from the basket, and some of them she picked out and threw aside because she didn't like them after playing with them.
"Hey, girl, hold the clothes for me."
Qiu Yuling was quick to step on the clothes that were floating towards her.
"Thank you, little girl. What's your name?" Political Commissar Wu's mother picked up the clothes, shook them in the river several times, and did not forget to talk.
"Grandma Wu, my name is Qiu Yuling." Qiu Yuling heard a naked boy call her Grandma Wu just now, and she thought it should be okay for her to call her that too.
"Oh, the little girl is quite smart. She even knows that my aunt's last name is Wu." It was the woman with the blue headscarf who came over to help wring the clothes.
"Niu Dan and the others were just barking here. It's nothing special if the little girl heard them." The old lady wrung out her clothes and turned to call Qiu Yuling again, "Yuling, come to Grandma Wu and eat some fruit. We picked it this morning."
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