Chapter 42
There were many villagers surrounding the farm. The butcher was holding a knife in his hand. The team leader asked the breeder to arrange some manpower and find a few strong men to carry out a few pigs and tie them up.
Meng Jinyu was afraid that the scene of slaughtering a pig was too scary, so she originally didn't allow Youyou and Shanshan to go. But Youyou said that she was fearless and insisted on coming with her brothers and sisters.
In the end, Meng Jinyu had no choice but to go with her little girl, but Shanshan was timid to begin with, and no matter how Youyou acted coquettishly and cutely, he didn't dare to go with them.
"Brother, will it hurt for the piglet to be slaughtered?" Hearing the "grunting" sound, Youyou couldn't help but ask.
The pig-killing scene was a bit cruel. Jiang Cheng was worried that it would leave a trauma on Youyou. It would be terrible if the little girl had a nightmare at night, so he pulled her aside.
"It might be a bit painful." Jiang Cheng hesitated about how to explain, but he was tongue-tied and could only scratch his head, "But they have been well fed and watered this year..."
Seeing her brother's tangled look, Youyou tilted her head and said, "Although it hurts, they will have a new home now that they are eaten by well-behaved kids like us."
Jiang Cheng's eyes lit up: "Youyou is right!"
At this moment, Daniu happened to pass by and whispered in Niuniu's ear: "Don't they have to poop after eating? After they poop, they will have no home again."
Niuniu pouted and said, "You have to poop anyway, so you don't have to eat pork!"
"That won't do." Daniu snorted, "Red-braised pork is so delicious, you can only taste it once a year, you want to have it all to yourself, you're dreaming!"
Niu Niu felt aggrieved and unhappy.
Normally, there was no meat for breakfast, lunch or dinner at home. Sometimes, my grandmother wanted to save money and would even combine breakfast and lunch into one meal, only giving her a bowl of thin rice soup with some pickles. She was so hungry that she was choking.
But my brother is different. My mother loves him very much. When she sees him hungry, she feels distressed and secretly feeds him some delicious food, and tells him not to tell anyone.
But they live in the same house, how could Niu Niu not know what her brother ate?
Sometimes I can smell it when I pass by him.
She was a little girl, a money-loser in her parents' eyes. She didn't dare to hope that they would be nicer to her. She just hoped that the food at home would not be so bad, so that she could satisfy her cravings a little.
Therefore, what Niu Niu looks forward to most is the New Year’s Eve dinner every year.
On that day, the dishes at home would be more abundant. After all, it only happens once a year. If you eat sparingly, you will be laughed at by other villagers.
"I don't want to keep it all for myself, brother, don't talk nonsense in front of mom." Niu Niu said in a low voice.
"Then it depends on your performance!" Da Niu curled his lips and arrogantly squeezed to the front of the crowd to watch the fun.
From a distance, Youyou saw brother Da Niu and sister Niu Niu watching the butcher slaughter a pig.
"Youyou, don't watch. Brother will take you to play." Jiang Cheng took Youyou's hand and left the farm.
At this time, Youyou suddenly found that Jiang Guo was missing.
She immediately asked, "Where's my sister?"
Jiang Cheng looked back and didn't see Jiang Guo, so he said, "I don't know where she went. Maybe she went to Zhao Taohong's house. She's in the village anyway. It's impossible for her to get lost."
However, Youyou waved her hands vigorously: "No, sister doesn't like sister Taohong and doesn't want to play with her. Brother, let's go find sister."
Jiang Cheng couldn't persuade Youyou, so he had to go with her to find Jiang Guo.
At this time, Jiang Guo had indeed been pulled away by Zhao Taohong.
"Guoguo, I saw a small cave on the mountain in the next village last time. It looks very interesting. Let's go there together." Zhao Taohong said.
"I'm not going. Haven't you heard about Xiao Ding in our village?" Jiang Guo said.
This incident spread throughout the village a while ago. It was said that Xiao Ding had a quarrel with his family at that time, so he climbed up the mountain angrily and did not come back all day.
Later, his family realized something was wrong, so they went out in the dark with flashlights to look for him, and discovered that their son had fallen at the foot of the mountain.
When he was found, Xiao Ding was almost dead. Fortunately, his family rushed him to the town hospital in time and saved his life.
Jiang Guo valued his life, so he never went to the back mountain to play again after that.
"It's okay. Zhou Zhiqing will go with us this time." Zhao Taohong said, "He's grown up enough to protect us."
"My brother said that it's dangerous on the mountain. If we slip, no one except the barefoot doctor will be able to help us." Jiang Guo asked curiously, "Is Zhou Zhiqing a barefoot doctor? Can he protect us?"
Zhao Taohong didn't know why Jiang Guo suddenly became so difficult to deal with.
But this time, as long as she can trick Jiang Guo into going up the mountain, Zhou Zhiqing will give her a hairpin.
It is now the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and New Year's Eve is coming soon. If she can wear a new hairpin during the New Year...
Just thinking about it makes me happy!
Zhao Taohong's eyes rolled around desperately, thinking that Jiang Guo would only respond to soft words and not hard ones, so she began to play the victim: "Guoguo, this is very important to me, I beg you, just accompany me." The corners of her mouth curved down, and she said helplessly, "Actually, my current father is not my biological father. My father was sent down to the countryside, and my mother remarried with me. Now my father is locked up in the cowshed in Linxi Village. You can only see him by going to the back mountain. Just accompany me to take a look."
Jiang Guo was confused: "Your father is not your biological father? I've never heard you say that before."
"Really." Zhao Taohong said, "It's almost the New Year. My mother has prepared delicious food at home. I guess she will start working early in the morning on New Year's Eve. I'm living under someone else's roof, so I have to help my mother and I definitely won't have time to escape. In this way, I won't be able to see my biological father. Guoguo, come with me to take a look."
Jiang Guo tilted his head, lost in thought.
It’s really hard to believe that such a small village like Fenglin could have so many weird things.
If this continues, all the stepfathers and stepmothers in the village can line up to form a small production team.
"Okay." Jiang Guo said, "You're pretty miserable too."
Zhao Taohong wiped away the tears that she had forced out and pulled Jiang Guo up the mountain together.
It was even colder on the mountain. When the chilly wind blew over, Jiang Guo immediately shivered with cold.
At this time, Zhao Taohong saw Zhou Siru who had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as Zhou Siru saw the two of them, a smile of approval immediately appeared on his lips. He nodded and pointed to his head, indicating that Zhao Taohong's hairpin was fixed.
Zhao Taohong couldn't help but feel secretly delighted, with anticipation gleaming in her eyes.
"Taohong, where is your dad?" Jiang Guo looked around, searching for the cowshed. "Is that Linxi Village over there?"
Only then did Zhao Taohong remember the lie she had told.
Once you tell a lie, you have to use thousands of lies to cover it up. She walked over with a red face, tiptoed, and finally saw the cowshed of Linxi Village. She howled, "My father is there."
Jiang Guo was puzzled when he saw that she cried for a long time but didn't shed a single tear.
But Zhou Siru said, "Let's sit on the side and don't disturb classmate Zhao."
Zhao Taohong was really tired of howling, and seeing that Zhou Siru had given her room to perform, she had no choice but to continue acting.
"Dad, I have a very bad life here. My stepfather often beats me."
"It would be nice if you were still here. You loved me so much and took me to raise pigs every day."
"I miss you so much... When can you take me home..."
Jiang Guo sat not far away, listening to Zhao Taohong's crying and shouting, muttering: "She was still raising pigs before being sent down? I've never heard of it..."
Zhou Siru laughed dryly and changed the subject: "Student Jiang, I heard that your parents are divorced. You live with your father, so you must miss your mother a lot, right?"
Just now at the breeding farm, he heard what Jiang Guo said to her brother and sister.
He remembered that Jiang Guo had a very bad relationship with her mother in her previous life, but he didn't expect that in this life, she would be depressed because of her mother's neglect.
It turns out that the heartless Jiang Guo also has weaknesses.
"I don't miss you." Jiang Guo said subconsciously.
"How could I not miss him? There is no child who doesn't want to be with his mother. Although Zhao Taohong misses her father so much now, fortunately she still has a mother who loves her."
Jiang Guo pursed her lips.
She could see that her father was very cold towards her and her brother, and looked down on them as burdens.
But her brother is luckier than her because he can often go home with Youyou, which means that her brother has two homes.
"If you are sad, just cry." Zhou Siru said gently, "You are still just a child, a child who is not loved by your mother. It is normal for you to cry even if you are wronged."
Jiang Guo puffed up her cheeks in anger: "Who said my mother doesn't love me?"
"Does your mother love you?" Zhou Siru smiled. "I often run into her in the village. She is very patient and careful when taking care of your brothers and sisters. However, I have never seen her talk to you."
Naturally, he had found out all this recently.
He was a little surprised to learn about the past grievances between the mother and daughter, but this time, he had a solution.
Find the most vulnerable corner of Jiang Guo's heart, and then conquer it...
"If you're in a bad mood, you can come and talk to me."
What he lacked was a chance to get deep into her heart. As long as she gave him more such opportunities, they would get closer.
In this way, a little affection took root in his heart, and when she grew up, his chance would come.
Zhou Siru raised his hand, wanting to give Jiang Guo a "pat on the head" move that was popular in later generations.
However, he didn't expect that just when his hand was about to touch Jiang Guo's hair, she suddenly dodged back and stood up with a "pop".
Zhou Siru was stunned for a moment.
Jiang Guo's face darkened. "My mother was very patient and careful when she took care of me. From childhood to adulthood, I have never worn other people's leftover clothes, and I have never eaten less or missed a day of school like Niuniu because I am a girl. Even if we don't talk now, it's my business. What does it have to do with you?"
That's right, although her relationship with her mother was becoming increasingly distant, they hadn't even had a good conversation with each other for several months.
But so what?
This is her business, and outsiders have no right to interfere.
"What qualifications do you have to laugh at me?" Jiang Guo stood and asked condescendingly.
Zhou Siru secretly cried out in his heart that something was wrong.
He forgot that a girl of this age, although she might be fragile, her fragility was necessarily wrapped up in a strong self-esteem.
"I'm not laughing at you!" Zhou Siru said anxiously.
Jiang Guo glanced at him and said, "I've never seen any educated youth talk as much as you do!"
After she finished speaking, she turned around and went to find Zhao Taohong.
But unexpectedly, Zhao Taohong disappeared.
Zhou Siru came over and said, "She was crying and snotting just now. Maybe she had nowhere to wipe her tears, so she went home to wash her face."
Jiang Guo prepared to go down the mountain to find her.
But he added, "Wait a minute. If Zhao comes back and finds you're not here, will she search the whole mountain for you? That would be bad if something dangerous happened. Let's just stay here and wait for her to come back."
Jiang Guo hesitated for a moment, felt that it seemed to make sense, and agreed.
…
Youyou and her brother looked around but couldn't find Jiang Guo.
"It's time to share the meat! It's time to share the pork!"
They went back carrying their little baskets.
The production team members took a large scale and weighed the pork.
At this time Jiang Huanming also came with Nie Xiaojia.
"The amount of pork is based on the number of people in each household. There are only you and your mother in your family, so the amount you get won't be too much, but it should be enough for everyone to eat." Jiang Huanming said, "Tell your mother not to save any pork and stew it. She just gave birth and needs to replenish her body."
Nie Xiaojia agreed obediently and thanked Jin Minmin softly as Jin Minmin instructed.
"What a good kid." Jiang Huanming said again, "By the way, how is your brother doing recently?"
Nie Xiaojia's eyes were red again: "My brother likes to cry a lot, and he cries every night. My grandma said that something happened at home and she didn't want to stay, so my mother and I had to take turns to take care of him at night. I don't know why my brother likes to cry so much."
"This is not going to be easy." Jiang Huanming sighed, "The child is still young and can't be left alone right now. You have to ask your mother to think of a solution, otherwise when she goes back to school to teach, what will your brother do?"
Because Jin Minmin had suffered heavy bleeding and her delivery was not smooth, Lin Zhiqing did not publicize what she had done at school.
Only a few students from the same village told their elders about it, but everyone kept silent about it because they thought it would cause trouble for them, so not many people knew about it.
Nie Xiaojia remembered her mother's repeated warnings, asking her not to tell Jiang Huanming about this: "Uncle Jiang, my mother said that it's a blessing to have kind people like you, otherwise she wouldn't know what to do."
Jiang Huanming smiled and said, "Take the pork back with you."
…
Youyou should have been very happy to get the pork, but she couldn't muster up any energy because she hadn't found her sister yet.
Little Tuanzi took the basket home, gave the pork to his mother, turned around, and ran out again.
"Youyou——" Meng Jinyu called from behind, shook her head helplessly, and said to Shanshan, "Look at your sister, she just came back and is going out again."
Shanshan blinked her eyes and said, "I want to go play with my sister, too."
Meng Jinyu always felt that Shanshan was too introverted and that it would be nice if she could play wildly with her brothers and sisters. She waved her hand and said, "The farm has already slaughtered the pigs, so go ahead and play."
Shanshan hurriedly ran out, kicking her short legs to look for Youyou.
Seeing his brother catching up, the little dumpling stopped and said seriously: "Shanshan, I'm going to do something serious."
"Let's work together." Shanshan said in a baby voice.
So the brother and sister set out together to find their sister.
My sister is already twelve years old. After the Chinese New Year, she will be a thirteen-year-old girl. If it were any other time, Youyou wouldn’t have been so worried.
But this time is different, there are bad guys staring at her covetously.
"Let's go find Sister Taohong." said Youyou.
The two little guys went to Zhao's house in a heroic and high-spirited manner.
Zhao Taohong was shelling beans in the yard. When she saw them, she looked confused and asked, "Are you Guoguo's brother or sister?"
"Do you know where my sister went?" Youyou asked.
Zhao Taohong was stunned for a moment, then she remembered her pretty hairpin and immediately shook her head, "I don't know."
Youyou tilted her head: "Didn't my sister play with you?"
She immediately pointed to the basket in front of her and said, "It's New Year's Day. I have to help at home and can't go out to play."
Youyou had no choice but to leave the Zhao family.
Along the way, she walked with her short legs, looking like she was worried about something.
Where will my sister go?
Or, does my sister have other friends?
"Let's go find Zhou Zhiqing!" Youyou suddenly said with an idea.
The brother and sister went to the educated youth site again.
Many of the educated youth at the educated youth sites were already crying. They missed home and wanted to go home for the New Year.
Youyou looked for Zhou Zhiqing among the crowd of crying people, but couldn't find him. So she asked one of the older sisters, but she just shook her head.
"Zhou Siru went out early in the morning."
Youyou became more and more worried about her sister.
"Shanshan, where did your sister go?" she asked.
Turning around and looking into her brother's clear eyes, Youyou sighed again: "How did you know..."
"Sister Taohong..." Shanshan's voice was soft.
Youyou frowned: "She said she has never seen my sister."
"She's lying." Shanshan raised her little face and said softly, "Her eyes kept rolling around."
Youyou slapped her forehead.
Yes, some older kids do lie, why didn't she think of that?
…
When the sun was about to set, Youyou trotted home and told her mother that her sister was missing.
When Meng Jinyu heard this, she immediately put down the work at hand and took her two children to Zhao's house.
At first, Zhao Taohong refused to admit it and lied with her eyes open: "I was at home all day and I didn't see Guoguo at all!"
After hearing this, Zhao's mother hesitated and said, "Taohong, didn't you go to the breeding farm this morning?"
"Sister Taohong, if you lie now, won't you be exposed when my sister comes back?" Youyou said seriously, "Only an idiot would tell such a lie."
Meng Jinyu's face darkened and she said sternly, "Will you tell me or not? If you don't tell me and Jiang Guo gets into an accident, I'll see if I'll let you go!"
Zhao Taohong still wanted to stick out her neck and deny it, but when she met Meng Jinyu's eyes, she finally panicked.
She is really afraid of Guoguo's mother...
"I, I said..." Zhao Taohong bit her lip, "It was Zhou Zhiqing who asked me to take Guoguo to the mountain to play. I thought that since we were all educated youth from the same village, there wouldn't be any danger, so I agreed. Zhou Zhiqing said that after I took the child to the mountain, I would go home first, and then..."
With a "slap", Zhao's father slapped her forehead: "You are confused!"
"Take me up the mountain immediately." Meng Jinyu said seriously.
Mother Zhao also immediately said: "I will go to the village to find some people, let's go up the mountain together."
"No." Meng Jinyu didn't even think about it, "Don't spread this matter first."
Jiang Guo was only twelve years old. If the incident became a big deal, the rumors in the village would overwhelm the child.
She didn't want her child to suffer any psychological trauma.
Zhao's father and mother nodded and immediately pulled Zhao Taohong up the mountain.
Meng Jinyu was worried that it would be inconvenient to take care of the two little ones, so she asked Youyou and Shanshan to go home first.
It was not yet dark, and Meng Jinyu followed Zhao Taohong closely, urging her all the way up the mountain.
What Jiang Guo had done in the past had deeply hurt her heart, but no matter what, she was her daughter.
No matter what, she would never let her child come to any harm.
Along the way, Meng Jinyu's eyes were red.
Zhao Taohong's parents were also very worried, fearing that the educated youth had ill intentions. After all, he was able to use some means to trick Zhao Taohong into bringing Jiang Guo up the mountain, so he must have some ulterior motive.
"Taohong, what are you thinking about? Isn't Jiang Guo your friend? She asked you to take her up the mountain, and you really did?" Zhao's mother said angrily.
Zhao Taohong's right cheek was still red and burning with pain. She cried and said, "It's a hairpin... Zhou Zhiqing said he could give me a hairpin..."
Father Zhao was so angry that he twisted her arm fiercely and cursed: "For a hairpin, you can do such a stupid thing!"
Meng Jinyu was so angry that her head felt dizzy.
If anything happens to Jiang Guo, she will make Zhao Taohong pay for it!
The mountain in Fenglin Village is not high, nor is it rugged and steep. The group hurried forward and soon reached the top of the mountain.
As soon as Zhao Taohong went up the mountain, she immediately returned to the original place to look for Jiang Guo, but there was no one there.
It was getting dark.
Zhao Taohong looked around nervously, not daring to even look at Meng Jinyu.
Meng Jinyu started to jog, pushing aside the bushes. Her heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was about to jump out of her throat.
…
Jiang Guo was dragged by Zhou Siru into the small cave.
"You can go in and take a look. It's really fun." Zhou Siru said, "It's getting dark soon. Maybe there will be fireflies."
"You're talking nonsense! Fireflies only appear in summer, and it's winter now!" Jiang Guo took two steps back, "I don't want to go in."
Zhou Siru’s expression became increasingly ugly.
From the moment he returned to the age of eighteen, he placed all his hopes for life on Jiang Guo.
He tried to show his affection to her countless times, trying to get her attention, but she seemed to be unable to understand and was unwilling to pay any attention to him.
Today, he asked Zhao Taohong to trick her into the mountains. He thought that the two of them, in the cold wind, could start a pure and beautiful story...
However, Jiang Guo disappointed him again.
This is his last chance.
"Come in, come in and take a look." Zhou Siru's temper became more and more anxious, and his expression became more and more ugly.
"I don't want it! If you do this again, I'm going to tell the village chief!" Jiang Guo was completely annoyed and turned around to run down the mountain.
"Guoguo!" Zhou Siru chased after her, "I won't hurt you, don't be afraid!"
But when Jiang Guo looked back, she was frightened by him.
The sky was getting darker and darker, and Zhou Siru's face became unusually dark.
He was chasing her from behind, his handsome face actually looked a little more ferocious and extremely paranoid.
Jiang Guo sensed the danger, her face turned pale, and she ran forward quickly, trying to find a way down the mountain.
But it was too dark. She was trying to avoid Zhou Siru while looking for a way out. She accidentally tripped over the firewood on the ground and fell forward.
Jiang Guo fell to the ground, his palms were bleeding and in excruciating pain.
"Why are you so scared of me?"
"I don't eat people."
"I just taught you and took you to the mountains to play. Aren't these what you need?"
Jiang Guo stepped back in fear, saying, "Go away! Go away!"
Zhou Siru didn't really want to do anything to Jiang Guo.
He was just extremely angry and wanted to scare this ungrateful girl.
He moved forward, approaching step by step. When he saw Jiang Guo trembling and retreating, a strange pleasure appeared in his eyes.
The pleasure of revenge made his smile become extremely strange: "Are you afraid?"
Jiang Guo was so scared that she cried out.
She ignored the pain in her palm and reached out to grab the firewood on the ground, wanting to throw it at him.
However, she couldn't hit Zhou Siru.
Jiang Guo turned around and tried her best to stand up, but the next second, her hair was grabbed fiercely by Zhou Siru.
She cried out in pain and kicked him hard.
With a sudden force, Zhou Siru pushed her to the ground.
He was already irritated and picked up a handful of dry firewood on the ground.
A shadow loomed over us, and everything in front of us seemed pitch black.
It's over, she's finished.
Jiang Guo's breathing seemed to stop at this moment.
Seeing him raise his hand and about to smash the firewood in his hand towards her, Jiang Guo closed her eyes tightly.
"Guoguo-Guoguo!" At this moment, a familiar voice was heard.
Jiang Guo opened her eyes in disbelief and saw four people running towards her, one of whom was her mother.
There were still traces of tears on her face, and she looked at her mother in a daze.
As soon as Meng Jinyu saw Jiang Guo's pitiful appearance, she immediately kicked Zhou Siru.
Zhou Siru was kicked in the vitals, his face turned pale, and he took several steps back.
She stepped forward, snatched the firewood from his hand, and smashed it hard on his head and body.
The situation turned around, Zhou Siru begged for mercy, but Zhao's father had already stepped forward and started beating and kicking him.
"What did you do to Guoguo?" Meng Jinyu's eyes were red and she pinched his neck tightly.
"No, she just fell down." Zhou Siru was so scared that his breathing became rapid. He protected his head and tried to break free from her hand.
From Jiang Guo's perspective, Meng Jinyu looked very embarrassed.
Her face and eyes were red. She pinched Zhou Siru tightly with all her might and cursed loudly, no longer caring about her image.
Watching her mother venting her anger for her, Jiang Guo couldn't help but be stunned, thinking back to her childhood.
She was still young at that time, as small as Youyou, but she was not as well-behaved as her sister and always liked to make trouble at home.
When her mother goes to work, she always follows her mother around and causes trouble. After work, she always lies on her mother's back and asks her to carry her home.
She knew her mother was also very tired, but she still wanted to act coquettishly, and smiled happily after she succeeded.
Her mother couldn't do anything with her, so she always said that she was a spoiled girl and no one knew when she would grow up.
But until she was twelve years old, she still hadn't learned to be sensible.
Unconsciously, her tears slowly fell and soaked her face.
Jiang Guo's hand was injured, but his legs could still walk.
After Zhou Siru was beaten until she was covered in blood, she followed her mother down the mountain and went home.
Along the way, Meng Jinyu, who had not spoken to her for a long time, was finally willing to talk to her.
"What did he do to you?"
Jiang Guo recounted what had just happened.
Meng Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Youyou said that you hate this educated youth. If that's the case, why do you stay alone in the mountains with him?" Meng Jinyu asked again.
Behind him, Zhao's father dragged Zhou Siru down the mountain. He was also glad that his daughter did not really make a big mistake.
However, the next second, after hearing Jiang Guo's words, his whole body froze.
"Zhao Taohong said her father was sent down to the countryside and locked up in the cowshed in Linxi Village. She wanted me to accompany her to visit her father. After we went up the mountain, she cried for a while and then went down to wash her face. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to find me when she came back, so I had to stay there and wait." Her voice was very soft, and she would pause for a moment because of the pain in her palms. "Later, I wanted to leave, but Zhou Zhiqing wouldn't let me. That's when I felt something was wrong."
Father Zhao's face flushed red all of a sudden. He let go of Zhou Siru and slapped Zhao Taohong fiercely: "You said I was demoted?"
As soon as he let go of his hand, Zhou Siru fell directly to the ground, his face hitting the stone pillar, and he hissed in pain.
Zhao Taohong was beaten so hard that she felt dizzy and started crying.
Jiang Guo then realized that Zhao Taohong was lying to her, and frowned: "She also said that her mother remarried with her and that life was not easy. Her stepfather beat her all the time, and she missed her biological father in the cowshed so much!"
Mother Zhao was so angry that her whole body was shaking and she twisted Zhao Taohong's ears hard.
Out of nowhere, her daughter was making up stories about her remarrying. How would she face herself if this got out?
Is this because he is too evil-hearted or has no brains?
…
After Jiang Guo returned home, he did not tell anyone what happened today.
She hid in the house, blowing air into her palms with a wronged look on her face. Whenever she felt pain, her nose felt sore.
I remember when she was a child, whenever she got injured while playing with her friends in the fields, her mother would feel distressed and carefully help her treat the wound.
But now, her mother just sent her back and took Zhou Zhiqing away.
Jiang Guo didn't know if she had learned to be sensible. She just suddenly felt that her clinging to her stepmother in the past was quite hurtful.
After all, if it was the stepmother who abandoned her younger brother and sold her younger sister, she would definitely not rush over without hesitation and beat and kick a tall male educated youth when she was in danger.
"Guoguo, where did you go today?" Jiang Cheng asked as he lifted the curtain on her kang.
Jiang Guo quickly shook her head: "I didn't go anywhere."
She doesn't want to say.
What happened in the back mountain was so scary, and she was afraid that Zhou Zhiqing would retaliate against her if she told others about it.
What should I do if he gets angry and finds another opportunity to hit me?
Just thinking of his fierce and cold appearance, Jiang Guo couldn't help but shiver.
Her eyes were red, and she tried to raise the corners of her mouth as much as possible, and whispered: "Brother, I'm hungry."
Jiang Cheng scratched the back of his head: "Okay, then I'll go find you something to eat."
…
What Jiang Guo didn't expect was that she didn't see Zhou Zhiqing the next morning.
A few steps further, she heard the villagers talking.
"I don't know what happened. Who beat him like this?"
"Everyone has been busy with the New Year these past two days. No one noticed what Zhou Zhiqing did yesterday or who beat him up..."
"The village committee officials didn't say anything and just sent him back. I heard that it was because Zhou Zhiqing didn't obey the brigade's discipline and was often lazy and slacking off."
"I don't think he looks like a good person. Otherwise, why do other educated youths in the educated youth center dislike him?"
They said that the village chief wrote a letter to his superiors, asking to send Zhou Siru back.
Logically speaking, they should have waited for a reply from their superiors before letting them go back, but unexpectedly, the village committee cadres were unwilling to wait for a moment. At dawn, Zhou Siru, with a bruised face and nose, packed up his bags and left.
The educated youth who were sent back would definitely be punished. No one knew what the village chief wrote in the letter, but it could be guessed that it would definitely not be something good.
His superiors might exile him to a remote area. He had never suffered much, and was lazy, impulsive, and stupid. It was easy to imagine that he would have a hard time in the days ahead.
It is also possible that the leaders will deal with this matter seriously, and he will probably be sent directly to labor reform.
No matter what the outcome is, it's all his own fault.
Jiang Guo was very happy listening to the villagers' discussions.
I will never have to see Zhou Zhiqing again.
At the same time, her heart felt warm.
It turns out that her mother is still willing to protect her.
…
After dealing with Zhou Siru, Meng Jinyu was in a particularly good mood.
In her previous life, Jiang Guo was silly and kept getting close to Zhou Zhiqing, but in this life, this girl is actually quite capable.
She didn't know what had happened to make Jiang Guo so disgusted with Zhou Zhiqing, but no matter what, from now on, this person would no longer appear in their lives, and that was enough.
"Mom, Shanshan and I are going to put up Spring Festival couplets together!" Youyou's soft and tender voice came from outside the house.
Today is New Year’s Eve.
The whole village was bustling with activity, and everyone was preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Meng Jinyu asked an old man in the village to write the Spring Festival couplets. She originally planned to wait until after killing the fish before putting them up, but she didn't expect that the two little ones couldn't wait any longer.
"Let me do it." Meng Jinyu came out and scratched Youyou's little nose. "If you two little brats come to put up Spring Festival couplets, won't everyone who passes by have to squat and look at our couplets?"
When Youyou heard this, she nodded in agreement: "Then Youyou should eat more. I will let Youyou take care of it next year."
Shanshan also jumped up: "I want to eat more too!"
Meng Jinyu chuckled, took the couplets from Youyou's hand, pointed them at her door, adjusted the angle, and pasted them carefully.
It is obviously just a simple Spring Festival couplet, but after it is posted, it immediately adds a festive atmosphere to the New Year.
The two little kids were so happy that they called their friends everywhere, wanting everyone to come and see what was happening.
Meng Jinyu was amused by them and said, "You two should go change into new clothes first."
When Youyou heard this, her eyes brightened and she happily pulled her brother back to the house to change clothes.
This little cotton-padded jacket has been at home for a long time. They open the cupboard from time to time to look at it, looking forward to wearing it today!
After the two children entered the house, Meng Jinyu began to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
On New Year’s Eve, you must eat well. In order to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner, many villagers in the village get up before dawn to prepare various ingredients.
Meng Jinyu only has two little ones at home. She is thankful that Youyou and Shanshan don't cause trouble. She doesn't expect them to help. Fortunately, Ruan Jinguo was worried that she would be too busy, so he sent a lot of delicious food early in the morning. Now he is riding his bike back to his home.
Meng Jinyu was very skillful in killing the fish. After knocking the fish unconscious with a tap, she used a knife to remove the scales and internal organs, and smeared a layer of salt on them. That was it.
The children had had fish soup last time, and this time, she wanted to make them a braised fish.
Next came the pork that had just been distributed in the village. It was pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat. Unlike the meat of later generations, the fragrance could be smelled even before it was cooked.
Since we have braised fish, let’s not make braised pork. Instead, give the children a pot of pork stewed with vermicelli. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
For some dishes that require a lot of time, Meng Jinyu would put them in the pot to stew first. She would naturally be willing to use the oil that she usually did not want to use, but on New Year’s Eve, she would not skimp on it.
As soon as the oil was poured, the pot immediately became shiny. Some onions, ginger and garlic were thrown in to stir-fry. Before the meat was put in, Youyou and Shanshan in the room were already so hungry that they couldn't wait to eat.
…
On the other side, the Jiang family was also preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, and everyone had a happy look on their faces.
Zhu Dali’s cooking skills are very good. The fried tofu balls just out of the pan are placed on the eight-immortals table, exuding fragrance.
Jiang Cheng walked to the eight-immortals table, took one and put it into his mouth, then heard the conversation between his eldest aunt and second aunt coming from the kitchen.
"Sister-in-law, do you think our mother will give the kids New Year's money tonight?"
"Shh - stop talking. It will be embarrassing if mom hears you."
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Wang Xiaofen smiled. "But then again, it's Chinese New Year, the whole family should be together to have fun. Didn't Meng Jinyu seem quite cocky before? She even had to spend New Year's Eve by herself with two kids. Just thinking about it - Tsk tsk!"
Zhu Dali sighed, "She's really pitiful. She's a strong-willed person and always says she's doing well outside... I don't know what they're going to eat today. As a mother with two kids, she doesn't even have her own family. How sad it must be? Why don't we take Youyou and Shanshan home to eat, so as not to make the children suffer..."
Wang Xiaofen:? ? ?
She wanted to make fun of Meng Jinyu, but why did her sister-in-law feel sympathy for her instead?
Both Meng Jinyu and the two children had slapped her in the face, so she hoped that their family could be as pitiful as possible.
She had even made up her mind that she would walk around the thatched house at the end of the village while chewing her homemade fried tofu balls and show off to Meng Jinyu!
This New Year's Eve, she felt relieved when she saw Meng Jinyu hiding at home with her two children, drinking rice soup and crying.
…
"Youyou, take your brother outside to play first. Mom will call you when dinner is ready." Meng Jinyu said to the children in the room.
"I know!" Youyou pulled her brother and ran out, "Let's go celebrate the New Year in new clothes—"
The two little balls were running wildly in the cold wind, their little faces turned red.
However, they didn’t feel cold at all because their new cotton-padded jackets were both warm and beautiful!
"Wow! This little cotton jacket is so pretty!"
“Are these Youyou and Shanshan’s new clothes? They’re even prettier than the ready-made clothes sold in the department store!”
The friends gathered around and praised Youyou and Shanshan for their cute little cotton-padded jackets.
Youyou grinned, smiling sweetly, and feeling a little embarrassed.
However, at this moment, she raised her eyes and saw a familiar figure in her peripheral vision.
Youyou thought she had seen it wrong and blinked hard.
Unexpectedly, after opening his eyes again, the little dumpling saw more clearly...
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