Chapter 208: There is a clue
Zhang Hongying spent a long time wringing out the clothes in the basin and put them in a bamboo basket. As soon as she stood up, she passed by the entrance of the yard. She called out, "Sister-in-law!" Then she wiped her wet hands on her body and went down the eaves to take Chuyi over.
"Oh, it's time to sleep."
Gao Xiulan said, "He fell asleep. He was so limp when he was asleep that it was hard to hold him. I had to rest several times along the way before I got home."
Zhang Hongying said, "I'll hold the child for you. Go home quickly and put down the backpack so you can catch your breath. It's very uncomfortable to carry the pressure on your back or hold the child in your arms." As she said that, she followed Gao Xiulan holding the child.
Gao Xiulan sighed as she walked, "What should I do? A few days ago, Dongcai carried her on his back while he was plowing the fields in the mountains. Today, he's carrying manure, so I can't carry her. I have to do everything. It's really hard to do anything with this little thing."
As she spoke, she entered the yard, squatted on the eaves, and lowered the backpack against the pillar. She sat on the ground for a long time before catching her breath and getting up. "I'm getting older, and every year really isn't as good as it used to be. When I was young, I lived like this a few years ago. I raised all these siblings by doing this kind of work, and I didn't find it annoying. But now it's really not possible anymore. Time is unforgiving."
After catching his breath, he opened the door to the main room and put Chuyi on the bed.
The little thing opened its eyes, turned over and went back to sleep.
Gao Xiulan covered her with a quilt and left the room, then said to Zhang Hongying: "This is because the first day of the lunar year is noble, healthy, and well-behaved. If it were not noble, I don't know what to do."
Zhang Hongying didn't know how to comfort her. Only those who have experienced life know how to live.
"You were just a little late coming back. Zhou Meiying came to see you and said that the thing you asked her to introduce to Dongcai was going well."
Gao Xiulan's eyes lit up: "Didn't you ask her what she said?"
"I couldn't help asking. They said she lived deep in the mountains over at Maoerling, and they had too many children to support, so they wanted to give her away. They said she was pretty, though a little thin. Also, she was a little young, only seventeen this year."
"How can that be possible? You're not old enough!"
Zhang Hongying said, "That's what I told her, too. But what she meant was that she wanted you to see if you could spare some time to go over and see her. If you think the girl is suitable, you can take her in first, which can be considered as finding her a job. As long as she's okay, you can raise her at home for two years. Apart from anything else, at least she can help you. For the specific situation, you can go back to Liu Zhaoxing's house and ask him about it. Then talk to your eldest brother and ask Dongcai to see what he thinks."
"What's his idea? What the hell is his idea? He wants to become a monk. He was so scared after a bad experience that he thinks all women in the world are like Li Laiying, with no future at all. I'm so pissed off at him."
Zhang Hongying said, "That woman must have been frightened. It's only for a short time, but she'll be fine after a while. Dongcai is a kind and honest man who treats people with sincerity, but someone stabbed him so hard. He must feel bad."
Gao Xiulan sighed, "I'll go find out what's going on first, and then when I have time I'll go take a look, and then we'll decide. I think someone too young is really unreliable, unless they're really good."
"Let's wait and see. I can't say anything good about Zhou Meiying, but she's been a matchmaker for so many years, so she's pretty reliable. Didn't she find Lu Mingqing's wife? She's quite good."
"Okay, I get it. I've been causing you all so much worry every day."
Zhang Hongying scoffed, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? We don't have much to worry about. Don't be like that. We're all family, so there's no need for those polite words. I'll go over first and rinse and dry the jacket while the sun is still out. I'll be busy later and won't have time."
"Go ahead and do your thing."
Not long after the sun set in the afternoon, Gao Xiulan asked Lu Dongfu to take Chuyi with her and went to Liu Chaoxing's house.
I stayed there for a long time and didn't come back until it was almost dark.
After dinner and rest, he told Lu Minghai what he had found out.
Zhou Meiying praised the girl to the hilt, telling me all the good and bad things about her. The biggest problem was her age, but her family said they had too many children and not enough food, so they didn't plan to keep a girl of similar age. If we didn't want her, we would definitely ask for someone else and send her to someone else's family. I want to take some time to take a look. If she's really good, I'll take her home and raise her as my daughter for two years. It would be a pity to miss her. If she's not good, I'll ask Zhou Meiying to continue looking for her.
Lu Minghai sighed and patted her gently: "If you think it's okay, go and have a look. If it's really good, that's a good thing. Once you've settled down, your heart will be at peace. With one more person, you won't have to work so hard." It was Gao Xiulan who chose Lu Mingjiang's wife. She also found partners for his two daughters. They all lived a good life. Lu Minghai thought his wife's judgment in people was quite good. The only time she had a flaw was when she was with Lu Dongcai.
Gao Xiulan was a person who acted quickly. After agreeing with Lu Minghai, she went to look for Zhou Meiying again. While they were not busy, the two of them crossed Maoerling to meet her.
Lu Minghai said this, but he was worried. A few yuan in betrothal gifts would be fine, but they wanted food. Food was the most scarce thing at home. Last year, they had given the brigade some money, so they didn't have much. If they gave more, how would their family survive this year? Finding a wife was a big deal. If they didn't find the right one, they wouldn't have to settle down. But if they did, they had to settle down.
It has only been less than two months since Lu Dongcai's divorce, but he is already in a hurry to find a partner. Wen Wan is shocked.
"He chose Li Laiying himself, right? He must have really loved her. How could he find someone new in such a short time?"
Lu Dongping said, "Who knows? Anyway, he had his eye on Li Laiying at the time, and this time, my aunt said we had to listen to her. She and Zhou Meiying traveled over mountains and rivers to see her. She said she was a very spiritual girl, but she was young. Her family was in a very bad situation, with so many children. He had originally wanted to keep her at home to help with the housework for a few more years, but now there was no other way, so he had to send her away. Their demands were even more ruthless than Lu Mingqing's wife's family's. They wanted cloth coupons for two sets of clothes and a hundred kilograms of grain."
Wen Wan was stunned for a long time: "I thought the conditions here were already bad enough, but there are even more annoying ones than ours. How come they don't even treat girls as human beings and just use them to trade for this and that?"
"In the mountains, favoring sons over daughters is a common practice. When life becomes difficult, people often think of exchanging their daughters for supplies to support their sons, who can carry on the family line and provide for their old age. On the other hand, those girls whose parents exchanged food for food aren't necessarily bad when they move to new families. No matter how bad their lives are, they can't be worse than their original families. There's always something better than before."
"I suddenly understand Li Laiying's crazy desire for a son."
Lu Dongping rubbed her head and said, "Don't think too much. In the future, it doesn't matter whether we have a son or a daughter."
Wen Wan patted him: "Didn't you say you didn't want children?"
"Just don't do it for now. We'll have it when you're a little taller."
Wen Wan pouted and started teasing him: "What if I don't want it anymore if it grows a little longer?"
Lu Dongping bent down and kissed her: "Then don't, we can just spend our whole lives together."
Wen Wan lay in his arms and chuckled, "If mother hears this, we'll both be in trouble."
Lu Dongping smiled and rubbed her: "When she wants to beat someone up, you have to protect me!"
Gao Xiulan acted quickly, going to the mountains to see the girl in person. Unfortunately, she went there at the wrong time, and for some reason, she was being beaten. Zhou Meiying didn't show up, so she went to ask for a bowl of water. Unfortunately, she didn't get any water and was scolded.
Her original words were: "We have to fetch water ourselves. It's not easy to drink water. There is a river beside the road. You can drink as much as you want in the river." After that, he ignored her and continued to curse.
The little girl was indeed small, pale and thin, and looked like she could be blown down by a strong wind.
Her facial features are well-developed, but they haven't fully grown yet, so she looks very young. If she grows up, she will be a very pretty girl.
After being beaten several times, he curled up into a ball and cried, but he didn't dare to cry out loud. After being beaten, he heard scolding, wiped his tears, carried the rotten backpack, and went out of the yard into the mountains.
The clothes were patched up, and the heels of the shoes were missing, leaving half of the feet on the ground. In March, it was a little warmer at noon when the sun came out, but it was still very cold in the mountains in the morning and evening.
It looks really pitiful.
Gao Xiulan also has daughters, and she never tortured her two daughters like this during the most difficult years. This is simply not treating them as human beings.
But no matter how pitiful she is, she is looking for a daughter-in-law, not doing good deeds.
Since he failed to get any water, he had to turn back and find Zhou Meiying and tell her about the situation.
Zhou Meiying said, "Why do you care if they are kind or not? They want coupons and food. As long as you like that girl, you have to make it clear. Once you give her the things, the food will be transferred and you will have nothing to do with them in the future. Who would go to this big mountain valley for no reason?"
Gao Xiulan said, "That's true, but family is also important. It's not impossible for bad bamboo to produce good shoots, but it's rare. Most of the time, the upper beam is crooked and the lower beam is crooked. The family is so mean that they don't even want to give a bowl of water. No one knows what kind of character the girl raised in such a family will have."
"Didn't you say you were going up the mountain to pick pig grass? Let's go and take a look. Anyway, since we're here, we might as well keep an eye on the person today. It's so far. My God, my feet hurt from walking so much."
Gao Xiulan said, "This is really hard work for you. It has delayed you for a whole day. Whether it succeeds or not, I will bring you two eggs to make up for it later."
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