Chapter 209: Received
Everyone in the Lu family except Lu Dongcai probably knew what Gao Xiulan and Zhou Meiying were doing in Maoerling.
It was too far to go up the mountain and down the river, so he left as soon as it was light in the morning and left the child to Lu Dongcai on the first day of the new year. Then he asked Zhang Hongying to help take care of the child when she was free.
He left before dawn in the morning and came back only after it got dark in the evening.
Lu Dongcai felt deeply how difficult it was for his mother.
When she came back in the evening, Gao Xiulan was so hungry that she ate two bowls of rice. She put down her bowl and hugged Chuyi in her arms. Lu Dongfu washed the dishes. The family sat in the kitchen. Gao Xiulan then told Lu Dongcai: "I went to Maoerling today with your cousin Zhou. I found a girl for you there."
Lu Dongcai was stunned for a moment: "Mom, I'm not in a hurry to find someone. It's only been two months since the divorce."
Gao Xiulan said angrily, "Yes, you've only been divorced for two months, but I've tortured you for more than two months!"
Lu Dongcai remained silent.
Lu Minghai took over the conversation: "You went to see it today, how was it?"
"It's just that I'm a little young, there's nothing else to choose from."
Lu Minghai was silent for a long time. "You didn't show up, did you? Should I ask Liu Zhaoxing's wife to talk to someone and see if giving some money as a betrothal gift is okay?"
Gao Xiulan shook her head: "You don't even know how far it is. You've walked a lot. How can you trouble someone to run back and forth? You're already busy now, so how can you have time to go back and forth again? Zhou Meiying went there again and talked for a long time, asking for four feet of cloth coupons and one hundred kilograms of grain. If you send the things over, you can ask the team over there to issue a letter of introduction to transfer the grain relationship, and then you can take the person away directly. I asked around. There are too many children in the family and not enough labor. Every year, the head of grain is collected, and it's terrible when it comes to making up for it. It's just the beginning of spring and they can't make ends meet. I asked around to see if there is anyone who wants a daughter-in-law. If you want to give your daughter away, you have to ask for grain and cloth. These two are precious things. Who in that area is willing to give them away. But you never know. The girl is capable and good-looking. Who knows? There might be other families who like her."
Lu Dongcai said, "You knew she was fine after just one look?"
Gao Xiulan glared at him angrily: "My eyesight isn't as flawed as yours! I've lived for most of my life and have eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. How could I have been wrong? What kind of character is that? How can I not see it?"
Lu Dongcai lost his voice again.
Okay, he stopped talking. He said, "Whatever you want to do, as long as his mother is happy."
Lu Minghai said, "Since you think it's a good idea, then let's settle it. As for food, if it doesn't work out, I'll go to the third brother to see if I can get some. I also have cloth coupons. You—"
Gao Xiulan pursed her lips and said, "I'll shamelessly ask Hongying if she has any extra money to use first. All the tickets I had last year were used up on Chuyi, and by the end of the year I didn't have enough work points, and I still have no tickets. After all, this is a major event in my life, and I have to do it eventually. It doesn't matter if I do it sooner or later. If I work hard this year, I'll be able to recover next year. As long as there's no bad luck that ruins the family, I'll be able to get back on my feet sooner or later."
In this case, even if this matter is decided, it will have to be discussed with Lu Mingjiang and his wife.
March is not too busy. We have to repair the dams and canals, and by the end of the month we have to sow the seeds and cover the seedlings. Then we have to remove the first weeds in the spring fields. We really don't have the time to deal with personal problems.
Food is extremely hard to come by these days. You may not be able to buy it even if you have money. It’s just the beginning of the new year and there is still almost a year left. It’s not a good time to ask for a loan now.
Lu Minghai suggested sharing some grain with Lu Mingjiang's family, but after some thought, he hesitated to ask for it. He decided to weigh out 100 kilograms from the family rations first, and then ask for it later if it wasn't enough. But he really couldn't do it without asking for the cloth coupons.
Zhang Hongying was also straightforward. Gao Xiulan took the initiative and gave her the ticket directly: "Don't think about giving it to me in a hurry. I don't need it for the time being. As long as he is a good person and can take good care of Chuyi and reduce the burden on the family and get along well with Dongcai, it is better than anything else."
Gao Xiulan said, "There's one more thing I need to trouble you with. I might have to ask Dongping to come along. A hundred kilograms of food requires two people to carry. You know your brother, he's getting old after all. He suffered a lot when he was young. He really can't do anything as well as before these past two years, otherwise he wouldn't have handed over the captaincy to someone else. I'll discuss with Zhou Meiying and see if we can ask her to come along again this Sunday and bring him and his father to deliver the food. I'll also have Dongping come along. He knows everything about issuing letters of introduction and transferring food, so I'll feel more at ease with him."
She was not worried about the two pigs and two chickens at home being taken care of by Lu Dongfu, but the important thing was that it was the first day of the new year and she couldn't leave them alone with Lu Dongfu. It was also not convenient for her to take the children and run so far over mountains and rivers.
Zhang Hongying agreed readily and turned around to tell Lu Dongping about it.
This is a big deal. Not to mention not going to the commune on Sunday, even if Lu Dongping goes, he has to ask for leave.
It just so happened that the team was repairing a canal these few days, and it would take a few days before leveling the fields and sowing seeds, so it was a good time to take care of these personal issues.
Early on Sunday morning, Lu Dongping got up before it was light outside. Wen Wan was drowsy and only felt that he got up and went out. Once the door was closed, the sound of people talking outside was also blocked out. She turned over and continued to sleep until it was light outside before getting up.
I don't have to go to the fields for the next two days. I'm busy with the areas in front of and behind the door and the small private plot. I won't cook early. I'll start doing some miscellaneous chores in the morning.
Wen Wan slept a little longer without hesitation. It was already bright outside. Zhang Hongying was talking outside, accompanied by the clucking of old hens.
She got up and straightened her hair inside the house before going out to fetch water and wash. Lu Mingjiang and Lu Donglin were no longer home. Lu Chun'e was crouching by the door doing homework, while Zhang Hongying was chopping grass for the pigs behind the pillar.
Wen Wan got used to sleeping in from time to time and felt that her skin had become very thick and she didn't seem as embarrassed as before.
After cleaning up, he asked Zhang Hongying, "Mom, how are you going to cook in the morning?"
Zhang Hongying replied while chopping pig grass: "I made some dough last night, and it's risen just now. I'm going to make steamed buns later, but I'm busy now and don't have time to make them. I'll steam a lot at once. It should be enough to eat for a few days in these two days of good weather."
"Okay, I'll help you."
Zhang Hongying asked her, "Are you not busy today?"
"I'm not busy. After dinner, I can go pick some grass for the pigs, and then come back to continue mending shoe soles."
Zhang Hongying no longer cared about it, as long as she had something to do.
The vegetables in the field had sprouted mosses over the past two days, leaving nothing to eat except the cauliflower sprouts. Zhang Hongying went out and gathered a large handful, scalding them in a pot and covering them with the leaves to make choy cai. Only when she ate it did Wen Wan realize that this choy cai truly lived up to its name; it made her nose and tears flow uncontrollably.
By the time they finished steaming the buns and eating, it was already midday. The sun was out, warm, and Wen Wan and Lu Chun'e went out to gather grass for the pigs. Zhang Hongying, on the other hand, was home, slicing and slicing the vegetables from the vast clumps of greens in the yard. She blanched some and dried them in the sun for candied vegetables, while others were rubbed with salt and hung out to dry.
Going out to pick pig grass is not all about picking pig grass.
While Lu Chun'e was weeding the wheat fields, Wen Wan, with a small hoe and basket, dug edible wild vegetables from the edge of the fields. Shepherd's purse was no longer viable, but the newly emerged watercress, dandelions, and Qingming vegetables were all acceptable, along with clumps of wild onions, all unique to this season. Around Qingming Festival, the toon buds appeared, along with elm seeds, locust flowers, and even mountain bamboo shoots and fern moss—all ready to be served in a bowl.
This is Wen Wan's second spring here. She is much more familiar with the place than last year. She knows that there are many good things in spring. As long as she works hard and brings more home, she will not have to worry about having nothing to eat.
During this period, pig grass was particularly easy to pull. There were pigweed, goose intestines, cat ears, and curled ears in the wheat fields. With quick hands and feet, they could pull a full basket of them before noon. The two of them got home before the sun had set.
Lu Chun'e put down her backpack and took a breath. "Sister-in-law, when do you think my brother and his friends will be back? They said it's quite far, and I don't know if they'll have to walk in the dark. Even with torches, the mountain roads won't be easy to walk on after dark."
Wen Wan went into the house and scooped some water out to wash her hands. After washing her hands, she walked back into the house and answered her as she walked, "It shouldn't be that late. We've already agreed to send the things over, complete the formalities, and bring the people back. It won't take long."
Lu Chun'e sighed, "I hope this sister-in-law can be a good one, otherwise Brother Dongcai will be in trouble." After saying that, she watched Wen Wan lift the cloth covering the sewing machine and asked, "Sister-in-law, do you want to use the machine?"
Wen Wan replied, "It's still early. I made clothes for your brother, and they're still a little unhemmed. I'll finish them today and you can wear them."
"Then I'll go get the soles too. I'll come over to your place and we can talk."
Wen Wan smiled and said, "Okay, go get it!"
The two people can do their own things and still get together to chat without delaying what they are doing.
"I heard from my mother that this guy is still young, not even old enough to get a marriage certificate. But my aunt-in-law likes him and said she wants to bring him over to live at home first, and then get the marriage certificate when he's old enough."
Lu Chun'e said, "Auntie is very good at judging people. She picked the partners for Sister Chunyan and Sister Chunmei. You see, both of their brothers-in-law are very good people."
As I was talking, the person who was talking came back.
Hearing the noise outside, Lu Chun'e put down the soles of her shoes and went outside. Wen Wan also stood up and ran out.
Lu Dongping and the others had returned and were talking at the entrance of the yard. Wen Wan immediately saw the girl following Lu Dongcai.
Look at it, it's really small! She doesn't even have a decent hairband, it's a mess, the clothes on her body can hardly cover her body, half of her calves are exposed under her pants, and her feet are even more exposed, with her toes in front and her heels in the back.
Because he was too thin, his eyes looked particularly large and prominent, and he looked around confusedly.
Is this where she will live from now on?
It was much better than she thought.
Lu Chun'e smiled at her and called her, "Sister-in-law!"
She’s too small, and she can’t even call herself sister-in-law without adding a “small” in front of it.
The girl was stunned for a moment, probably because she hadn't figured it out yet, but she still smiled at her. There was a shallow dimple at the corner of her mouth when she smiled, which looked pretty nice.
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