Chapter 36 Chapter 36 (Inverted v) [VIP]
Bai Zhuo was filled with anger and worry when he heard this. "There have been more than ten cases of house robberies like this in this town. These bastards know how to scout the area, and I suspect they're organized. They only target the elderly and the weak who are at home."
"It's okay to just steal things, but some bastards even hurt people."
"The police don't care?"
"We should! But we only have a dozen or so police officers and traffic police in our town. How can we handle it all? Besides, these bastards cover their faces tightly and run away after grabbing things. Now that the surveillance network is completely broken, it's hard for the police to catch them."
"There's been some vagrants and drug addicts popping up in town lately. They're roaming the streets and robbing people all day. Be careful when you go out."
In a society ruled by law, Bai Yu never expected the town's security to be so chaotic.
"It's freezing. Don't stand at the door. Let's go inside and talk."
Bai Zhuo led them into the living room, where the windows were covered with quilts, leaving only half a sliver of light. This was the family housing allocated to them by the mining area. It was quite old and small, with two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom, barely fifty or sixty square meters. But because the neighbors were all former colleagues and friends, even after buying a new house, Bai Qiujin and his wife were reluctant to move. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is easier to look after than a distant relative.
The living room, shared with the kitchen, was cramped, and the dining table was usually folded up after meals. There was also a coal stove next to the sofa, making it difficult to access the aisle. However, the stove's small size did provide good insulation, though the smell was unpleasant.
Bai He placed the chicken he had brought with him on the ground. "You're here, why bring anything?" Bai Zhuo said disapprovingly.
A thin girl was warming herself by the coal stove, looking at the few people with curiosity and shyness.
"This is my wife, Zhang Ling. You can just call her Lingzi," Bai Zhuo pointed at her and introduced her casually. My wife is younger than my nephews and nieces, so they probably wouldn't call her aunt.
Then Bai Zhuo introduced Bai Yu and Bai He to Zhang Ling, "These are my second uncle's grandchildren, Bai He and Bai Yu."
"Who is this?" Pointing at Ning Zelan, Bai Zhuo was confused. It was a completely unfamiliar face.
Bai Yu and Ning Zelan looked at each other, took his hand and said with a smile, "My boyfriend"
"Huh?" Bai Zhuo was a little surprised. He looked at him carefully, then smiled so hard that his eyes almost narrowed into a line. He praised exaggeratedly, "Not bad, very handsome. You two look very compatible!"
Ning Zelan's face turned red.
Bai He and Bai Yu are used to Bai Zhuo's unreliable style.
"Reiko, go get some food from the cupboard in the room and set it out. Also, take a bottle of yogurt for each person."
"Yeah." Zhang Ling nodded softly. When she stood up, everyone noticed that her belly was slightly bulging.
After she entered the room, Bai Yu asked jokingly, "Uncle, how old is your wife? You didn't trick her into marrying you, did you?"
Zhang Ling is so thin and weak that she looks like she is not even an adult. She is really no match for Bai Zhuo, who is tall and a little overweight in his middle age.
Due to the imbalance in the gender ratio in society and the high cost of marriage, many people who cannot get married have evil ideas and specifically try to deceive ignorant girls. Once the girls have had sex and given birth to children, they can no longer leave even if they want to.
This situation is not uncommon in both rural and urban areas, where many ignorant people are proud of having a wife without spending a penny. In their eyes, women have become objects, tools for carrying on the family line.
As a woman, Bai Yu is very disgusted with such behavior.
"Is this the kind of person I am in your eyes?" Bai Zhuo was so angry that his nose was crooked. He slapped the sofa and said angrily, "Although Xiaoling is indeed much younger than me, she is 21 years old this year and an adult. Otherwise, how could I get a marriage certificate with her? Besides, Xiaoling and I met at the factory. We were in a free love relationship and got married because we both felt it was suitable." The more Bai Zhuo spoke, the angrier he became.
It's good that it's not a lie. Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that he was about to get angry, Bai Yu quickly comforted him, "I know that although you are careless, you are definitely a person who abides by the rules. Did I say something wrong?"
"Forget it." Bai Zhuo also knew that he was usually lazy and unruly, and suddenly he found such a young wife. It was normal for them to have misunderstandings.
"Where are uncle and aunt?" Bai He asked.
"I went to the supermarket to buy things."
"Isn't it very chaotic outside?" Bai Yu asked in surprise.
"People from several nearby buildings made an appointment to go out together. There were about 70 or 80 of them."
"That's fine."
At this time, Zhang Ling walked out of the room with a basin in one hand. One basin was filled with melon seeds, peanuts and some snacks, and the other was filled with several boxes of yogurt. They were all full and looked very scary as they walked on the crowded path.
Bai Yu and Ning Zelan quickly stood up to help, but someone got there before them and said, "Xiaoling, you're still pregnant, be careful."
Bai Yu nodded secretly in his heart. It seemed that he really liked her, otherwise why would such a straight and unintelligent uncle like him care about her?
"Drink, you're welcome." Bai Zhuo stuffed a bottle into everyone's hands.
Bai Yu took the yogurt and drank it without rushing to ask, "Uncle, do you have enough food at home?"
The town already implemented purchase restrictions during the floods, and I wonder what's happening now? It's always better to be in the countryside at this time; you have land and food, and you don't have to worry.
"There's enough food. Even though the supermarket has a purchase limit, the daily supplies I buy are enough for daily life. Plus, my parents love to stock up on things when there are sales at the supermarket, so there's still quite a bit left at home."
"By the way, how are Second Uncle and the others? Are they all well?"
Bai Yu: "My grandma has a little cough, but overall she is in good health."
Second uncle and his wife were always kind to him, and Bai Zhuo remembered them all. "I have a few bottles of cough syrup at home. You can take one away later. You should pay more attention to them. Although my second uncle and aunt are still in good health, their physical functions will definitely not keep up with their age.
This is such terrible weather. I almost passed out from the cold last night because I didn’t cover myself properly with a blanket.”
"Yes."
"When will your wedding be held?" Bai Yu suddenly remembered something important.
"I don't know. There's nothing I can do about this situation," Bai Zhuo said gloomily. He felt unlucky, having come from a different era. Food purchases were restricted, and even banquets couldn't be held. But Bai Zhuo still cherished his wife, whom he had met in her thirties, and was determined to give her a grand wedding once the situation improved.
"I'll definitely let you know once the time is confirmed."
After chatting for a while and learning about the situation in the town and the outside world, they left.
As I walked out of the building, I heard mournful cries. A carport in the community had been converted into a mourning room, covered with white paper, yellow paper money and burnt ashes flying everywhere in the wind, and more than ten coffins were placed inside.
If you used to see coffins next to your own home, you'd definitely be terrified, but this year, everyone seems to have gotten used to it. In Sheshui Village alone, there were eight or nine cases of people dying of freezing or illness during the sudden drop in temperature. These coffins can't be buried for now, so they're just being stored nearby.
My great-aunt Bai Yueji lived in the community in front of Bai Zhuo's house. When we arrived at her house, it was my great-uncle Guo Dongfang who opened the door. Seeing the things the people were carrying, his eyes lit up. He enthusiastically took the chicken Ning Zelan handed over and said, "Your rural life is so good. You still have chicken to eat. We haven't had meat in a month."
Bai Yu smiled and said nothing. If the countryside were really good, you wouldn't live in the town.
"It must have been difficult for you to come all the way here! Come and have some hot water. Your aunt went to the supermarket to buy some things and will be back soon."
"Brother and sister, eat something." At this time, Bai Yueji's granddaughter Guo Caiwei came out of the room holding a small box. Her pair of round eyes like black grapes were filled with curiosity, joy and shyness.
Amber Kuo is only nine years old and in third grade, a significant age gap from Bai He and Bai Yu. Although they are cousins, they only see each other once during the Lunar New Year and don't interact much. But Amber Kuo has a very good impression of them, because every time they meet, the two siblings always give her tons of delicious and fun things she's never seen before. It's so rare for them to visit her, and the little girl pulls out her entire snack box.
"Take it back. Brothers and sisters are adults. How can they eat food from you children?"
Guo Dongfang glared at his granddaughter, thinking that she was ignorant and didn't think about how much a box of snacks was worth now, so she just put it out like that.
Guo Caiwei's mouth suddenly dropped, and she looked at her grandfather and then at Bai He and the others, feeling at a loss.
Bai Yu simply couldn't bear to look at this uncle-in-law. She thought the children were the best. She smiled and said to Guo Caiwei, "Weiwei, can I have a candy from you?"
"Okay, this is the best milk chocolate candy." Feeling Bai Yu's friendliness, Guo Caiwei smiled and leaned close to Bai Yu. She picked out her favorite chocolate from the box and placed it in Bai Yu's palm. Then she secretly glanced at Bai He and Ning Zelan, who hadn't said much, and hugged her snack box tightly, feeling both excited and a little timid.
"Help your two brothers pick out a candy too."
"good."
The girl's well-behaved appearance is really pleasing to the eye.
Bai Yu couldn't help but rub her head and face. Ning Zelan, who was standing next to her, watched this scene, and his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something.
The few of them had come to visit because Grandpa Bai was worried, so they naturally wouldn't stay long. Before leaving, Bai Yuqi grabbed a bag full of sunflower seeds and peanuts from the fruit bowl on the table.
Bai He followed suit. His pockets were deep, but the basin was empty before he could fill it up. Guo Dongfang's heartache was beyond words.
"It's really, really unruly." Guo Dongfang, who closed the door, couldn't help but say it with a painful feeling.
Bai Yu shook his head as he left the house. It was a local custom that when a young person found a partner, they would take him or her to their relatives' house to get acquainted with the family. Bai Zhuo, who was standing in front of them, gave Ning Zelan a red envelope of 1,000 yuan, while Guo Dongfang was reluctant to even offer them a bite of food.
It wasn't that Bai Yufei cared about this, but when Guo Dongfang's daughter brought her boyfriend to their house, Grandpa and Grandma Bai also gave her a big red envelope, but Guo Dongfang couldn't even do the most basic reciprocity. They weren't saints, so how could they not have any thoughts in their hearts?
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