Mingmei didn't expect that she would get pregnant so soon, but since she was pregnant, she should be treated as a pregnant woman.
Anyway, no matter how valuable she is to others, she values herself very much. Her mother once said that a woman needs to be well taken care of when she is pregnant. In the past, whatever nutrition she ate was her own, but now there is a child competing for it.
Mingmei thought about it and it made sense, so late in the evening, she gave herself a snack and ate two cookies.
When Zhuang Zhixi came back from fetching water, he saw that she had started eating again. He didn't say anything, but poured her a glass of water and put a White Rabbit candy in it. Mingmei looked at the water cup and said, "They say White Rabbit candy is equal to milk, but if you really put it in the water cup, it won't melt very well."
Zhuang Zhixi: “Just leave it there.”
He said, "If it doesn't dissolve today, drink it tomorrow morning. I'll try to find a way to exchange it for a milk powder ticket to buy some milk powder, and you can also replenish it."
Even though they were in the old city, it was not easy to buy milk powder. Malted milk was still okay, but milk powder was rare. Especially adult milk powder, which was even rarer. People with jobs like theirs would not be eligible for such tickets.
Zhuang Zhixi started to talk, trying to figure out who he could get one from. If he couldn't get one, he would have to go to the black market. Although the ticket was quite scarce, it was usually possible to find it from ticket scalpers. After all, that was what they did.
Mingmei nodded and agreed. She was very conscious of being a pregnant woman.
She thought for a moment and said, "Go to my house tomorrow and ask my mom. She might have some connections."
Zhuang Zhixi raised his eyebrows, and Mingmei said coquettishly: "My sister-in-law has given birth to two children, and my nephew has eaten milk powder. Even if my mother doesn't have any connections, she knows where to go to get it."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Okay."
He said, "I've got some hot water. Although the weather is warm, you should still soak your feet to relieve your fatigue."
He found a footbath and poured hot water for his wife. Mingmei saw how serious he was and burst out laughing. She said coquettishly, "I've only been pregnant for about a month. How long will it take for you to take care of me like this? Besides, aren't you afraid that others will find out and laugh at you?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "What's the big deal? You are my wife. You are not an outsider."
He said: "It's a good opportunity for me to exercise and get used to it. When the baby is born in the future, I won't be too busy. I can still help take care of the baby." Zhuang Zhixi: "When Hu Tou and Xiao Yan Zi were young, my mother took care of them during the day, and my brother and sister-in-law took care of them at night. I guess it's the same for us."
Although the child has not been born yet, the father has already started pulling out his hair. He said: "Just thinking about it will make you feel tired."
Mingmei: "It's too early. It's still a long time before the baby is born. Oh, by the way, let me show you something good."
Mingmei ostenatiously stretched out her hand, opened her clenched palm, and raised the corner of her mouth: "How is it?"
Zhuang Zhixi: “Fuck!”
He looked at this in shock, then looked up at Mingmei and said, "This, this, this..."
Mingmei whispered, "My grandfather gave it to me, and only to me."
I feel a little proud when talking about this, and I say happily: "My grandpa loves me the most."
Zhuang Zhixi: “That’s really good.”
Mingmei: “Isn’t it!”
She hummed a little tune, very proudly, and said: "Grandpa told me to wear it, but I don't wear much in summer, isn't it a little obvious?"
Zhuang Zhixi gave her some advice, saying, "Don't wear it around your neck. If the car shakes a little, it will be exposed and someone might have bad intentions. Put it in a secret pocket and pin it with a safety pin. Not only will it be invisible, it won't fall out either. It's guaranteed to be fine."
Mingmei thought about it and it made sense.
She nodded seriously and said, "That's it."
She shook the little golden Buddha in her hand and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that I would start making money right after I got pregnant."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Then when we have a baby in the future, whether it is a boy or a girl, let's name it Zhaocai. "
Mingmei's face darkened instantly, and she shouted directly: "Get lost."
Zhuang Zhixi burst out laughing, and Mingmei rolled her eyes at him: "Stop talking nonsense."
Zhuang Zhixi: "You are so fierce. If you are such a fierce mother, your baby will definitely have a bad temper too."
Mingmei clenched her fists and said, "You are looking for trouble, right? Believe it or not, I will not be polite. Don't think I can't do anything just because I have a baby. How could my baby have a bad temper? He is the most well-behaved and adorable one."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled even brighter.
Mingmei: "You are still smiling foolishly. You must apologize."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Okay, okay, I apologize. It's all my fault for being so mean."
Mingmei: “That’s more like it.”
Mingmei: "By the way, why did you boil the water for so long?"
Zhuang Zhixi showed a gossipy attitude and said, "Well, this happened to be when my sister-in-law was gossiping, so I followed her for a while. You didn't expect it, did you? The Zhou family decided not to bother with Bai Doudou and his son."
This is really surprising and somewhat reasonable.
Mingmei: "Oh, I'll go!"
She opened her eyes wide in surprise. Mingmei asked incredulously, "But why? How could their family agree so easily when they were so angry? They wouldn't just let it go if Bai Fendou threatened to jump off the building, right? If that's the case, I don't believe it at all."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled meaningfully.
Mingmei poked him: "Don't be like this, tell me something."
Zhuang Zhixi: "The Zhou family must be jealous of others, so they may not let Bai Fendou and his son off easily. But I guess the Su family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law must have played some tricks to please the Su family, but I don't know what they did to please the Su family. I guess it has something to do with the children. The Zhou family's biggest concern now is the children. I guess it has something to do with this, but the specifics of the matter are Definitely only known by the parties involved. How can we know?"
He thought for a moment and added, "But we'll probably know after a while. This kind of thing can't be kept secret."
Mingmei rolled her eyes. "What's going on? Could it be that the Su family wants to give one of their children to the Zhou family for adoption? Well, they have more sons anyway."
Mingmei's imagination was beyond imagination, but Zhuang Zhixi couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I really can't dream of such an outrageous thing. I know it's not like this. How could Aunt Zhou want someone else's child? If she was satisfied with just one child, she wouldn't have waited until Zhou Qun was over 30. His family must want their own child."
Mingmei: “Yes.”
Anyway, I'm just curious.
But it also makes people feel a little confused.
Mingmei: "They are really gods. They can even let such a thing go. But the Su family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are really capable."
Zhuang Zhixi: "So I said, they are very willing to take risks."
The couple washed up and went to bed together. Zhuang Zhixi said, "Go to bed early. You are already pregnant."
Mingmei: "I know, I know. Why are you in such a hurry? Just tell me more."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Anything we say now is just speculation. Just wait a few days. No matter what it is, we are all from the same courtyard, and it will always come out. If it's really a big deal, it can't be hidden."
Mingmei: "This Bai Fendou is so wicked to plot against you. If he is not punished this time, I will put a sack on him and beat him up."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Even if the Zhou family lets it go, the factory will definitely punish them. However, if Zhou Qun, Jiang Lu, and Bai Fendou insist that they were joking and that the other things didn't exist and that it was a complete misunderstanding, then it's really impossible to deal with them severely."
After a pause, he said, "I don't think it will be too serious, but there will definitely be punishment. I think Chief Liu is not someone who can tolerate any injustice. Not to mention that what Bai Fendou did brought shame to the Security Department, just the person who jumped off the building today is speechless enough. Chief Liu is the head of the Security Department in our factory, so he must have a background. Just wait and see, Bai Fendou will definitely be kicked out of the Security Department."
Mingmei still felt unsatisfied and said, "This is a bargain for them. Aunt Zhou has already smashed the glass for the Bai family. Otherwise, I would have smashed the glass too! I have never seen such a shameless and unreasonable bastard."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Oh my wife is so nice, don't be angry, don't be angry, it's not worth it for us to be angry over such an idiot, just wait, things may not change, it's not too late for this. I, Zhuang Zhixi, am not someone you can mess with."
Do you think that the egg is broken and that's it? Don't even think about it!
Mingmei immediately perked up and said, "If you want to deal with him, you must tell me. I will go with you."
Zhuang Zhixi gently patted his wife's back and said, "We are gentlemen. Gentlemen use words instead of fists."
Mingmei: “Tsk~”
Zhuang Zhixi: "Okay, go to sleep. I promise to report everything to Comrade Mingmei. Okay?"
Mingmei: "Okay."
She pulled the quilt and said, "Come closer. I want to rest my head on your arm."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Okay."
He chuckled and moved closer to Mingmei.
The couple snuggled together. Mingmei said, "Good night."
Zhuang Zhixi lowered his head, kissed her forehead, and said, "Good night, go to sleep."
Zhuang Zhixi and his wife fell asleep after their night talk, but there were many people who couldn't sleep that night. It seemed that everyone's sleep quality was not very good recently. Zhao Guihua said to Zhuang Laonian: "I want to raise two chickens in the yard."
Actually, although it is forbidden to do this or that now, it is still possible to raise chickens. However, there is a limit on the number of chickens you can raise. Each household can raise a maximum of two. For example, many rural families raise two chickens, and the eggs are hard currency and can be exchanged for money.
The village doesn't have any other sources of income, so they can only rely on this to make money.
However, few people in the city raise chickens. It's not that they don't know how to raise chickens, but the objective conditions don't allow it. For those who live in buildings, it's not necessary to say that there is no place at all. The same is true for a compound like theirs, although they can raise chickens. But you can't let them roam freely, otherwise the chicken poop will be everywhere, which will not only damage the environment, but also disgust the neighbors. And if it is dirty and messy and destroys the collective honor of the compound, then people will criticize you.
Of course, you can also raise chickens in a small fence at the door of your house, but the yard belongs to everyone. Even if you want to raise chickens, you can only fence a small area at the door of your house, and the chickens can't move freely. If they are always locked up and don't lay eggs, then it's not worth it. And if you raise chickens, you will inevitably be "targeted" by the neighbors around you. When the time comes, you will have to replace one at your house and I will replace another, which is a lot of trouble.
So although their courtyard houses are much better than buildings in terms of objective conditions, people are not very keen on doing this.
Of course, there was another objective reason for their yard, there was a petty thief.
If he steals it when I'm not paying attention, then all my work will be in vain.
Zhuang Laonian was thinking of this, and he said, "This Jinlai is a three-handed man. What if we raise chickens and he steals the eggs? Can you still go to their house to fight? His family will cry and make a scene. You actually made me angry."
Zhao Guihua: "I know, but my eldest daughter-in-law and I are both at home. Can't the two of us keep an eye on the three thieves? Then we are too useless, right? Besides, I raise chickens for my youngest daughter-in-law to eat. If anyone wants to trade with me, I have an excuse not to do so. After she gives birth and is out of confinement, I will stop raising chickens."
Zhao Guihua whispered, "I know raising chickens is troublesome, but meat, eggs and milk are the most nutritious. We have a certain amount of meat to buy, but we can't find such a way to buy milk. We can only rely on eggs to increase nutrition for pregnant women."
If it had been ten years later, they could have ordered some milk or goat milk to supplement Mingmei, but now there is none. Such channels are basically only for old cadres. Ordinary cadres' families are in trouble.
Zhuang Laonian said: "You are right about this."
Zhao Guihua: "That's right. When the eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant with Tiger Head, we could still go to the vegetable market and the pigeon market to buy things. At that time, we could give her eggs every now and then. Later, when Xiaoyanzi was born, it was a bit tight, but we could still buy them, not in fixed quantities like now. Now they are all daughters-in-law, and the eldest daughter-in-law can get the same treatment, so why can't I arrange for the third daughter-in-law? The third daughter-in-law is a new wife and doesn't know anything, but the third daughter-in-law knows everything. I don't want the child to feel that the gap is too big. Besides, it's our child after all, don't you think?"
Zhuang Laonian: "Then I'll listen to you."
Zhao Guihua: "Okay, I've been looking for it recently. You think it's an old hen that can lay eggs immediately, but it's not easy to find it."
Zhuang Laonian nodded in approval.
Now, no matter what you buy, all supplies are in short supply. Take the sewing ticket for example. They have been looking for it for a long time, but they just can't find it. Of course, they can find ticket scalpers on the black market, but they can't go there often.
"You decide on these matters."
Zhao Guihua: "Of course I make the decision. Who else could it be?"
She turned over and said, "Move over there. It's really comfortable to sleep on a warm kang at your age."
"Then you sleep on the kang."
Zhao Guihua's mouth twitched and she said, "It's getting warmer day by day, and you let me sleep on the kang. Why didn't you let me sleep on the kang in the middle of winter? You're really afraid of killing me with the heat."
Zhuang Laonian looked innocent: "Didn't you just say you wanted to sleep on the kang..."
Zhao Guihua: "It's cold today."
Zhuang Lao Ni: "Okay, okay, you can sleep whenever you want, I will listen to you, okay?"
Zhao Guihua laughed: "You have a conscience."
She said, "Didn't I say I would make you a piece of Dacron? I've made it, and I can sew it on tomorrow after I buy the buttons."
Zhuang Laonian: "Ah, so fast, what is this..."
Since he was a child, he has rarely had the opportunity to wear new clothes.
People were poor in the old society, but when they came to the new society and lived a stable life, the children were growing up one by one, and as parents, how could they bear to spend all the money on themselves? He and his wife would only do one thing every few years.
Because my youngest son got married in winter, the last time he made new clothes, they were thick ones, and he hasn’t made new short-sleeved summer clothes for four or five years.
He said, "My dear, you are so kind to me."
Zhao Guihua: "If I don't treat you well, who can I treat well? My children have their own children too, and they can't just focus on us. We should support each other."
In fact, in her previous life, although her two sons were a little unhappy, they still had a good relationship on the surface, and they were also quite filial. But Zhao Guihua still knew that it was unrealistic to expect her children to accompany her all the time.
They all have their own jobs and their own things to do, but she is alone most of the time.
"We are fine."
Zhao Guihua was serious, and Zhuang Laonian could hear the caution in her words, so he nodded and said, "Okay."
He happily showed his eight teeth.
As expected, his wife liked him the most! The old couple chatted late at night, and the Su family next door was also not asleep.
Aunt Su told Wang Xiangxiu: "Go to Zhaodi's place after get off work tomorrow and ask Zhaodi to come back to see me. Forget it, forget it, I'll go there by myself. I'll go in the morning and show the right attitude early. We can't delay. I've thought about finding someone to have a child for the Zhou family. It won't work if my family doesn't have any contact with me for decades. Although your family is poor, it's also from the city, so it won't work. But Zhaodi's in-laws may have someone suitable. Anyway, I must find out everything about this matter when I go there today. We have to let the Zhou family see our actions, otherwise the old hag in the Zhou family will never stop."
"I know, Mom. But Mom, isn't it easy for you to deal with her? We can just fool them. When Bai Fendou and the others come out, what can she do to us?"
After hearing this, Aunt Su quickly shook her head and said, "No, you can't fool them about this matter. I know Aunt Zhou. This child's matter is her bottom line. If we dare to fool her about this matter, they are capable of killing people."
Aunt Su saw it clearly: "Mrs. Zhou Li has been looking forward to having a child for more than ten years. This is not a joke."
Wang Xiangxiu: "Then I understand."
"Tomorrow, urge Zhou Qun and his wife to go to the security department to speak for Bai Fendou and his son."
"good."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a good idea. Aunt Su looked at Wang Xiangxiu and said earnestly: "This time, although it is a disaster, it is also an opportunity. Maybe we can find someone who is easy to control. Then we can use this person to bite off a piece of fat meat from the Zhou family."
Aunt Su's eyes were focused, full of calculations, and she said proudly: "I don't believe that they can remain calm when it comes to the children's affairs."
She comforted Wang Xiangxiu again: "Xiu'er, there is no daughter-in-law as good as you in our courtyard. You gave birth to three sons for our Su family. You are a hero of our Su family. No one can compare to you."
Wang Xiangxiu smiled softly, with a hint of pride.
"We are living a hard life now, but good times are coming. They can't compare."
"Um."
Although every family has its own problems, it has to be said that everyone is very satisfied with their current life.
Early in the morning, all kinds of sounds come one after another, and it is another busy new day.
Zhuang Zhixi went out a quarter of an hour earlier than usual, specifically to send his wife off.
In the morning, Zhao Guihua boiled two eggs. Mingmei got one for herself, and Hutou and Xiaoyanzi got one each. This was thanks to her being thoughtful. After buying eggs once at the hospital gate, she went back a few more times and bought another one.
Otherwise, if they only rely on the quota, how could they have so many eggs at home?
She wanted to raise chickens because of this, so that if someone really thought her family consumed too many eggs, she would have something to explain.
Zhao Guihua was very busy today. She went out early in the morning and went straight to the back street to find Aunt Lian.
Yes, it was Aunt Lian who took on various jobs. Zhao Guihua knew that she would definitely take on this kind of work. Zhao Guihua actually knew some people, but it was easy to find a chick. But it was not easy to find an old hen that was laying eggs. She was in a hurry, so she naturally had to find a "professional".
Zhao Guihua arrived at Aunt Lian's courtyard and was stopped by someone as soon as she entered the yard: "Aunt, who are you looking for?"
It is like this now. If you are a stranger, there will be women with bound feet staring at you when you enter the alley. Don't even think about doing anything bad.
Zhao Guihua: "Is Aunt Lian here?"
"Are you looking for Aunt Lian?" The neighbor was a little subtle, and then shouted loudly: "Aunt Lian!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Lian came out in her slippers. When she saw Zhao Guihua, she was quite surprised: "Huh? Why are you here?"
In fact, despite her extensive business, most people are reluctant to associate with her, firstly because they are afraid of being implicated, and secondly because they feel ashamed. Nowadays, only formal factory workers are considered decent jobs. Others are not worthy of being on the stage.
If a few decades later, an old lady is self-reliant and conducts various activities to earn her living, everyone will say: It's making money, it's not shameful.
But it's not possible now. I don't have a formal job now. It's really embarrassing to do all kinds of things all day. Aunt Lian doesn't interact much with her neighbors. Aunt Lian: "Come in, come in and sit down. Why are you here, sister?"
When Zhao Guihua entered the house, she saw some cardboard boxes piled up. It seemed that she was also working on the street pasting paper boxes.
Zhao Guihua: "Aunt Lian, I know you know a lot of people and have a lot of connections, so I want to ask you to find two old hens that can lay eggs right away."
Aunt Lian: "Old hen?"
Zhao Guihua nodded: "Yes, I need it urgently, and I don't know when I can find it. That's why I thought of you, the know-it-all."
Aunt Lian smiled and said, "You've found the right person. If you find someone else, it won't work. But if you find me, I can make sure it's all right for you. OK, just wait and see. I'll make it for you in the next two or three days."
Zhao Guihua: "This money..."
Aunt Lian gestured with one finger, and Zhao Guihua immediately said, "Okay!"
Although Aunt Lian also did some random things to make money, she also took this job. No matter if it was a big job or a small job, she would make money anyway.
Zhao Guihua calmed down and became happy. She asked in a low voice: "Aunt Lian, that garment factory...?"
Aunt Lian quickly waved her hands: "You can't go!"
She cursed, "They are crazy. You said they were making good money, why did they go crazy? They even dared to collude with the insiders and the outsiders. Sister, I have to thank you for reminding me last time. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have been imprisoned now. I am also lucky. I didn't go there again, so I escaped. The few people who often went there during that period were caught. The big brother at the gate, you have seen him, he is old and has been sent to labor reform."
If it were someone else, she would definitely not tell this, but Zhao Guihua reminded her and saved her from being caught, so she could tell this to others.
"The leader of their factory has been replaced, so the person who looks after the warehouse has to be replaced. In the past, we just bought some scraps of cloth, and even the leader turned a blind eye. After all, if we didn't buy them, they would be sold cheaply to various factories and sewn into small rags to wipe the machines, which is not worth much. But do you think they have gone crazy just because of the change of leaders? They just want to make a fortune. Even the good materials are cut into pieces and stuffed into the waste materials, and then shipped out with the help of insiders and outsiders. And there are several groups of people every day, which is such a big deal. Do you think it will not be spread out? After you told me, I didn't dare to go again. It didn't take long, about half a month, before they were arrested. I almost went to jail, but fortunately I only went there that time and didn't catch them on the scene. colluded with each other, and these things had nothing to do with me. No one made things difficult for me."
If you go there often and get caught on the spot, you're done for.
She sighed, "My good situation, this big money-making business, is ruined."
She had lost a large source of income, but Aunt Lian also said, "Don't worry, I understand this matter. I'll communicate well in the future and can go buy scraps of cloth. I'll definitely tell you and call you."
Zhao Guihua: "Okay, that's great."
"Oh, by the way. The public toilet near your yard was haunted some time ago, right? Do you want to exorcise the ghost?" Aunt Lian's eyes were bright, and she was trying to attract some business for herself.
Zhao Guihua: "...No need, I don't believe that."
She was reborn, and an old lady of her age was still a little superstitious. But Zhao Guihua didn't believe that the toilet was haunted. She would be a fool if she believed it. Who did it? How could she not know?
She said, "You should sell this job to someone else."
Aunt Lian said regretfully: "Look at you, you can't just believe in nothing."
Zhao Guihua smiled: "I can't believe everything. Okay, I won't chat with you here anymore. I have to go back to work. I have a lot of things to do at home."
"become."
Aunt Lian didn't waste any time and said, "I'll go ask for the old hen for you right away."
The two of them went out together, and the neighbor looked over and asked: "Are they leaving?"
Aunt Lian grabbed the neighbor and said, "Do you have any relatives in the countryside? This girl wants to trade for two laying hens. Do you have any connections there?"
Zhao Guihua: "Then I'll trouble you."
Aunt Lian: "What's the big deal? Go back and leave this to me."
Zhao Guihua nodded and was about to leave when Aunt Lian suddenly said, "Oh, is there an egg broken in your yard?"
Zhao Guihua: "...You are talking about Bai Fendou and his son."
Aunt Lian perked up all of a sudden: "Hey, wait, don't leave yet, tell us something!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the yard came out and surrounded Zhao Guihua.
Zhao Guihua: “…”
"What's going on?!"
"Sister, can you tell me something?"
Zhao Guihua felt that Bai Fendou was really going to become famous.
However, he was somewhat famous. After all, falling into a public toilet was a very rare occurrence, and the person involved was still him.
Zhao Guihua swallowed her saliva and said, "Although he is a neighbor, I no longer work at the machinery factory, so I didn't see the scene. He hasn't been back since the accident."
"Ah, can this be put back?"
"I don't think so. This kind of person is a hooligan. We can't let him go."
"You can imagine how horny he is. The guy who's always messing around with the aunt is also from your hospital, right? There's really a hidden dragon here, a crouching tiger!"
Zhao Guihua: “…”
It's so fucking embarrassing!
She felt that as a neighbor, she was embarrassed.
Fortunately, she still has some thick skin. If this happened to an ordinary person, she would cry. Zhao Guihua complained silently in her heart, and then said, "I really don't know what happened, but he was the one who fell into the toilet last time."
"Ah? This is really..."
Zhao Guihua threw out a topic and quickly said, "I have something else to do at home, so I'll leave first. If you are really curious, go to the hospital. He is still staying in the hospital anyway."
"I'm sure I can't get out..."
"I guess so."
"Not really?"
Seeing everyone discussing heatedly, Zhao Guihua quickly squeezed out, trotted out of the alley, and walked home cursing. Bai Fendou and Zhou Qun really ruined the reputation of their courtyard. It was a pity for the other people living in the No. 44 courtyard.
She walked back in dismay. Just as she reached the entrance of the alley, she ran into Aunt Su. She raised her eyebrows and said, "Old Su, what are you doing...?"
You know, Aunt Su rarely leaves the alley. Her basic range of activities is her yard, and there is a public toilet outside the yard. As for other places, she rarely goes there.
Zhao Guihua was very puzzled: "Are you going out?"
Aunt Su smiled softly and said, "I'm going to go to my eldest daughter's house."
She also looked at Zhao Guihua: "Where did you come from so early in the morning?"
Zhao Guihua: "I went to the back street and asked someone to find me two old hens that can lay eggs from the countryside. I plan to raise chickens. My daughter-in-law is pregnant now, so I should give her some nourishment."
Aunt Su smiled softly and said, "You are such a good mother-in-law. You started taking care of the baby right after she got pregnant. Any girl who marries into your family will be blessed. But Lao Zhao, you also need to change your temper. Your daughter-in-law will be afraid of your temper."
That's what she said, but the smile on her face was fake. They were all old neighbors, so everyone knew each other.
Zhao Guihua smiled: "Of course, although I have a bad temper, I do things in a down-to-earth manner, not in a pretentious way."
Aunt Su could tell that this was a mockery of her, but she didn't change her expression, because she was talking about Zhao Guihua anyway.
But she didn't have much time to greet Zhao Guihua. She only said a few words and then said, "I have to go to my daughter's place. Let's talk later."
Aunt Su was in a hurry, and Zhao Guihua looked at her back, thoughtful.
But is Aunt Su important? Not at all. Zhao Guihua went home quickly. She planned to build a small fence chicken coop. Although it is always said that children and grandchildren have their own blessings, who made her a mother?
Really, I just can't let go and have to worry about the whole family.
The news that Zhao Guihua was building a chicken coop and preparing to raise chickens spread quickly throughout the courtyard. When Aunt Zhou saw it, she immediately said, "Since your family can raise chickens, we should raise chickens too."
Zhao Guihua: "Raise it? You don't need to ask me for permission."
Aunt Zhou was choked and snorted, but she was in a good mood today, so she didn't argue with Zhao Guihua. Instead, she said, "Go pick up some wood to build a chicken coop, and pick up some for me too. I need some."
Zhao Guihua rolled her eyes: "I'm your mother? How can I control you? Go pick it up yourself."
Aunt Zhou was furious: "How can you talk like that? Neighbors should help each other, why are you so selfish?"
Zhao Guihua: "Bah. Who are you calling selfish? You are the most selfish person in this yard? I owe you what you have, but I have to prepare this and that for you? Can you please have some shame? Get out of my way, you are always taking advantage of me."
Aunt Zhou: "Who are you talking about taking advantage of? Do I need to take advantage of my family with such conditions? Everyone knows that my family has the best conditions in our courtyard. Why should I? Humph."
She was not welcome in the yard now. Seeing that everyone was looking at her mockingly, Aunt Zhou was even more unhappy. She snorted heavily and turned to go back in. After a while, she came out again and said loudly: "With my family's conditions, we can afford to buy it every day. We don't raise it anymore. I will buy a big rooster tomorrow and kill it to nourish my son. I will try to have a boy in one go!"
Those who were supposed to go to work had already gone to work, and the housewives all smiled meaningfully and didn't say a word.
Aunt Zhou is very boastful, but who doesn’t know who?
If it was so easy for his family to give birth to a child, Aunt Su would not have felt superior to Aunt Zhou for more than ten years. No matter how good Zhou Qun was, and no matter how much Aunt Zhou emphasized that her family was the richest in the compound, she would still be at a loss when it came to children.
In the past, everyone thought that it must be because Jiang Lu was infertile. If it wasn't a woman, who else could be responsible for this? It certainly wasn't a man's fault. But recently, some things about Zhou Qun were exposed, and everyone began to have some ideas.
He is so young and he is already messing around with an older woman. It's possible that he messed up things when he was young.
Although the wife of the master who was involved with Zhou Qun has passed away, and some other well-known people have also refused to admit it, so that the Zhou Qun incident has a half-hearted ending, with much thunder and little rain. But everyone knows that this must be true.
So it’s hard to say why the Zhou family has no children.
Seeing that no one was cheering for her, Aunt Zhou continued, "Whoever has extra meat coupons, please exchange them with me. I have to give more to our Zhou Qun."
She added, "If you go shopping for meat and come across pork kidneys, you must tell me."
Everyone: “…”
Is this necessary to make up for it?
Zhao Guihua, however, glanced at Aunt Zhou twice more during her work. She suddenly said, "It's not a festival, why is Aunt Su going to her daughter's house like this?"
Everyone knows that Aunt Su has a very bad relationship with her in-laws, and they never visit each other.
Although Aunt Su is good at acting, her daughter is digging into her husband's family and squeezing them out to subsidize her own family. Even if she is good at acting, it is useless because this involves her personal interests. So she doesn't get along well with her two in-laws. They don't interact with each other.
During the Chinese New Year and other holidays, even the two sons-in-law and grandchildren would not come to visit.
Even Aunt Su's two daughters came back in a hurry every time, just dropping their things and leaving. They came back secretly and were in a hurry to go back.
For example, Mingmei has been married for several months, almost half a year, but she has never met Su Zhaodi and Su Pandi from this family.
So it was still quite shocking when Aunt Su went to her daughter's house.
Zhao Guihua raised her head when she said this, and just in time to see Aunt Zhou's flash of joy, Zhao Guihua slightly raised her eyebrows. She was increasingly speculating that the Su family's mother and daughter must have agreed to some conditions from the Zhou family in order to "save" Bai Fendou and his son.
The Su family has no money, and even no people. Zhou Qun and Wang Xiangxiu have had a special relationship for a long time, so there is no reason for them to agree to make such an offer so easily.
But she heard yesterday that the Zhou family was willing to let Bai Fendou and his son go...the child! After Zhao Guihua analyzed the situation, she suddenly realized the reason.
She looked at Aunt Zhou again, frowned, and thought: Could it be that Aunt Su found someone to give birth to Zhou Qun's child? After all, a "distant relative" from Aunt Zhou's family came in the previous life.
Could it be that this person was found by Aunt Su?
Although this didn't happen in my previous life, there might be other opportunities, or Aunt Su might take the initiative to help? When Zhao Guihua thought of this, she felt like she was going to vomit.
These people are really terrible.
She quickly lowered her head and continued working on her fence.
Aunt Zhou smiled and said, "I will go back to my parents' home to take a look after a while."
She first laid the groundwork for the topic.
Aunt Wang was surprised and asked, "You don't have a fever, do you? Haven't you had any contact with your family for decades?"
Aunt Zhou: "When people get older, they always feel nostalgic."
Aunt Wang: “…”
I really don't believe this at all.
Zhao Guihua: “…” It’s confirmed, the Zhou family is going to find someone to give birth to Zhou Qun’s child.
But... Zhou Qun seems to be infertile! This is really...
Zhou Guihua felt that these people were being too chaotic.
She often felt like her family didn’t fit in in the front yard because they weren’t quirky enough.
Really, it's totally out of place.
These three families are all weird in their own way! Jiang Lu is also like this, how could she agree to it? Zhao Guihua felt extremely puzzled.
She really didn't understand Jiang Lu at all, but Jiang Lu was also in a daze, thinking about this matter. This matter started last night, when Aunt Su came to their house, and they had never thought that Aunt Su would actually talk about this matter.
She proposed to find someone to help Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu give birth to a child in exchange for Bai Fendou and his son.
Whether it was Aunt Zhou, Zhou Qun, or even her, they all felt that this deal was very worthwhile.
As for Bai Fendou, a man whose balls were kicked to pieces, whether he went in or not would not affect her at all, but a child... this was a temptation she could not resist. She wanted to give Zhou Qun a child so badly.
She had been married for more than ten years and had been criticized countless times because of her children.
Now this is really an irresistible temptation. She can't let the Zhou family be extinct. If there is such an opportunity, she still wants to grasp it. When the time comes, drive that woman away and raise the child by herself. Isn't it the same as her own? She can't let the Zhou family be extinct, and she can't let Zhou Qun be extinct.
Zhou Qun is such a good man who has never despised her. He shouldn't have ended up like this.
Zhao Guihua couldn't understand why Jiang Lu agreed. In fact, Jiang Lu hadn't objected from the beginning. She had recently drunk dog blood, boy's urine, and even more disgusting folk remedies, but her stomach was still not moving.
What else could she do?
So now if someone else can give Zhou Qun a child, she would be happy, as long as the child calls her "Mom", it is her child. She must give the Zhou family more children. Anyway, as long as she keeps it a secret, others may not know, right?
When she got pregnant, she would send the baby to the countryside to be raised. She would put on a fake belly and then say she was pregnant. No one would know and would be able to gossip about her. She thought this was actually a pretty good idea.
"Ginger reed."
Zhou Qun came over and said, "Let's go to the security department together."
Jiang Lu: "Okay."
He stood up.
The couple left the office together. As soon as they left, the people in the office looked at each other and whispered, "What are they going to do?"
"Who knows?"
"Jiang Lu has been in a daze since early morning."
“I don’t understand.”
The two of them didn't pay attention to everyone's comments. They walked together. There was no one in the corridor. Jiang Lu wanted to hold Zhou Qun's arm, but Zhou Qun quickly moved away, with disgust flashing in his eyes. Jiang Lu didn't notice it, thinking that he accidentally moved his arm away. She took a step after him, held Zhou Qun's arm, and said, "Brother Qun, no matter what, we will be fine."
Zhou Qun hummed softly and wanted to pull his hand away, but he held back.
Although Aunt Zhou and Jiang Lu were very happy about this matter, Zhou Qun did not raise any objections. But in fact, if he was really happy, Zhou Qun was not. He just wanted a son, and as for a new woman... Ever since the haunted toilet incident, he really had no interest in women.
Well, not only was he not very interested, he now found women to be quite disgusting.
He said, "Wife, do we really want to do this? Although I really want a son, I always feel that women outside are disgusting. I am not interested at all."
Jiang Lu looked at him with emotion and said, "Brother Qun, I know you love me the most, so just be patient. Let's just be patient. As long as we have a child, it will be fine... We can't live without a child."
Zhou Qun was silent for a moment, then nodded: "You are right, I was being willful."
"No, Brother Qun, I know you do this because you love me."
Zhou Qun smiled subtly, then said seriously: "I can swear to you that I have no interest in women outside."
Jiang Lu was even more moved and said excitedly: "Brother Qun, we will definitely be happy in the future."
Zhou Qun nodded, and the couple went downstairs. As soon as they reached the second floor, they saw Zhuang Zhixi coming out of their director's office. Zhuang Zhixi was wearing a white shirt and navy blue trousers. Generally speaking, the male comrades in the office basically dressed like this.
But Zhuang Zhixi is over 1.8 meters tall, with a straight back and long legs, and he looks like a guard of honor, and he looks very energetic.
Zhou Qun: "Xiaozhuang..."
Why didn't he notice before that Zhuang Zhixi was so tall?
Zhuang Zhixi greeted him politely and then went back to the office. Zhou Qun glanced over there and said, "It's a pity that Xiaozhuang found such a wife."
Jiang Lu nodded: "Xiao Zhuang is indeed not worthy of his wife. His wife is quite good."
Zhou Qun was speechless. He said, "I said that Xiaozhuang's wife is not worthy of Xiaozhuang. You got it wrong."
Jiang Lu: "...Uh, is there?"
She held a different opinion, but she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she immediately said, "You're right. Xiaozhuang's wife is indeed not worthy of Xiaozhuang."
Zhou Qun: "That's right. Mingmei doesn't look heroic enough, and her temper isn't very good. She looks delicate and squeamish, but she's also irritable and loves to fight. A woman should be gentle and affectionate, but she gets physical over a disagreement. How can that be? It's so vulgar!"
He glanced at Zhuang Zhixi's office again and said, "Although Xiaozhuang is a bit of a nag, he is a sunny boy and he is also smart. He didn't catch up with the right time to take the college entrance examination. If he could still take the college entrance examination, he would definitely pass. The two brothers in his family had good grades when they were in school. You see, Zhuang Laonian and Zhao Guihua are at the level of literacy classes, but both sons are good at studying. I don't know who they look like. But Zhuang Zhiyuan is not as good as Zhuang Zhixi. He didn't pass the college entrance examination that year, but it is rare to be able to pass the college entrance examination. He is already considered good, otherwise he would not have been able to directly enter the railway department, right?"
Jiang Lu nodded: "You have a point. Hey, don't you dislike their family? Why are you saying good things about them?"
Zhou Qun said righteously: "I am just like this. I seek truth from facts and treat things one way or another."
Jiang Lu looked at Zhou Qun with admiration and said, "Brother Qun, you are such an exceptionally good person."
Zhou Qun gave a very forced smile.
The couple went all the way to the security department. Zhuang Zhixi stood at the window and watched them go by, then returned to his seat. Although he was a newcomer to the Propaganda Department, their director did not treat him as a newcomer, and had already assigned him a task.
Lao Huang: "The director asked you to write an article to promote our factory?"
Zhuang Zhixi nodded: "I have no idea at all."
Sister Cui: "Who said it wasn't?"
In previous years, everyone was very sad, after all, there were so many flattering words over and over again, and it was okay for them to just read them on the radio station. But if they were asked to submit their articles to various journals, it would be difficult for them to be accepted.
In previous years, everyone was scratching their heads over this issue, but this year everyone was pretending to be dead and begging for mercy.
This job was assigned to the newcomer Zhuang Zhixi.
Sister Cui is a nice person. She has become familiar with Zhuang Zhixi in the past two days. She lowered her voice and whispered to him, "You have already written it. If you can pass it, then pass it. If you can't pass it, it's okay to withdraw it. We have withdrawn many times in previous years. Don't push yourself too hard."
Zhuang Zhixi nodded in acceptance.
Sister Cui immediately said, "Hey, have you heard? Bai Fendou tried to jump off the building in the hospital yesterday?"
Everyone nodded: "I heard about it."
Lao Cao: "This morning, the security department had to say something to everyone they met at the door. Now everyone in the factory knows about it. It's really embarrassing for men. I have never seen such a coward. He has the courage to do bad things, but not the courage to bear the consequences."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Do you want to know the latest developments?"
Everyone looked at him and asked, "What's going on? Is there any new progress on this matter?"
"Xiao Zhuang, don't hide it, just tell me now."
"Yes, you are from the same courtyard, so you are well-informed. You must tell us. But what progress can be made in this matter? Isn't it just about how to deal with Bai Fendou and his son?"
Zhuang Zhixi smiled and said calmly, "The latest news is that Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu have forgiven Bai Fendou. They should go to the security department today to explain and plead for Bai Fendou and his son. I think they should be in the security department now."
"What!"
“Fuck!”
At this time, even Xiao Xu, who always disliked Zhuang Zhixi, came over to gossip, and showed a very confused expression. He just couldn't understand this matter.
Everyone exclaimed in shock, then looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment. Old Huang even scratched his hair, making it a mess, and deeply lamented the complexity of this society.
A tech geek like him is really not suitable for such a complex society with such complicated human hearts.
Such a big thing, can it be forgotten? Everyone was as quiet as a chicken, and they were all very confused.
The one who was even more confused, extremely confused, was the Security Department. Section Chief Liu looked at Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu standing in front of him and couldn't help but pick his ears and said, "What did you say? Can you tell me again? Did I hear it wrong? I must have heard it wrong?"
Zhou Qun was a little embarrassed, but still repeated it.
At this point, not to mention Chief Liu, everyone in the Security Department was petrified.
Zhang Saner asked a soul-searching question: "He flirted with your wife, and you actually said it was a joke, forget it???"
Zhou Qun was embarrassed but sincere: "We are all neighbors. He didn't do it on purpose. We should allow people to make mistakes and give them a chance to correct them. Besides, he didn't make a mistake. He didn't mean any harm. He was just joking with me. In fact, he just likes to joke around. We do this all the time."
He pushed Jiang Lu, who nodded immediately: "Yes, I was making a fuss, it's not a big deal."
Section Chief Liu was at a loss for words: "He was joking? He was joking and you kicked him to pieces?"
Jiang Lu was also embarrassed, but she held on: "Actually, I was too excited at the time and misunderstood him a little, but when I think about it, I know that he is not that kind of person. We in the security department can't wrongly accuse good people!"
Section Chief Liu finally couldn't stand it anymore: "Bullshit! Good guy? What kind of good guy is he? What he did, how can he be called a good guy? I don't know what benefits you received to let him go. But I want to tell you, you are helping the evil! You are making a mistake. Think carefully before you speak! You are doing this, right?"
Jiang Lu panicked for a moment.
Zhou Qun looked at Section Chief Liu and exclaimed how manly he was!
But he quickly reacted and held his wife's hand. Jiang Lu was full of courage. She said seriously: "I didn't take any benefits, and I didn't lie. I just can't watch a good person being wronged!"
Section Chief Liu was furious.
He looked at the couple, pointed at them and said angrily: "Get out of here!"
(End of this chapter)
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