Chapter 10 The Laziest Man in the Countryside 70 (10)
When Wang Xiuju returned, she mentioned Li Zhenzhu.
She turned to her husband and said, "Tomorrow, have her come with me to peel peanuts. I really like this girl; she's pretty and quite polite."
Ji Hong frowned: "Aren't you afraid of what others will say? These are jobs that educated youth aren't allowed to do."
Because you can pocket some peanuts while doing tasks like shelling peanuts, but you can't take too much because someone is watching.
These easy jobs, which also offered some financial advantage, were ones that no one wanted the educated youth to do.
"What are you saying? She's just a young girl, and I was watching her."
Then she glanced at her youngest son, who had gone to his room to sleep after finishing his meal, and said, "I just think that girl is a good match for our youngest son."
Everyone stared at Wang Xiuju in disbelief.
The three children, not understanding what was going on, also looked at their grandmother.
"Are you crazy? Do you think these educated youths would even look at these country bumpkins from the village?" Ji Hong was so angry he laughed.
"So what if they're peasants? Aren't they peasants now? I heard from the eldest brother that the youngest sister has feelings for that educated youth. It's obvious she's interested in him."
“Our family is not bad, and we have plenty of labor. In the past, so many people wanted to marry into our family.”
The daughters-in-law exchanged glances.
Before she married into the family, the Ji family was indeed quite popular.
Ji Lao Er laughed: "In the past, all those women wanted to marry one of us three brothers, but no one wanted to marry the youngest brother."
The second sister-in-law pinched her husband and said, "What are you saying? You're going to get scolded again soon."
"What are you saying, you brat?" Wang Xiuju slapped him. "Your brother hasn't found a wife yet. I'm really worried about his health. He needs to have an heir."
Wang Xiuju was telling the truth: "No girl in the village wanted to marry him; they thought he was a lazy bum."
“But what about educated youth? We don’t know if they will stay here for the rest of their lives. As long as they give birth to a child for the youngest son, whether it’s a boy or a girl, they will be a benefactor to our Ji family. If they have the opportunity to return to the city in the future, your father and I will not stop them.”
Do you understand what I mean?
No one spoke; they remained silent.
Ji Hong remained silent, but he felt that Wang Xiuju was quite right.
At least it left Ji Huaizhi with an heir.
Brothers can help each other, but having your own child is different; it ensures you have someone to rely on in your old age.
During this period, Ji Huaizhi was much better than before. Everyone understood that it was because his second sister-in-law was unable to go to work due to pregnancy preservation, so Ji Huaizhi got up in the morning, ate breakfast, and went out.
I guess they were afraid of damaging Ji Ersao's reputation.
Everyone thought Ji Huaizhi would just find a haystack to sleep in, but they never expected that he would come back empty-handed every time.
Sometimes they bring wild fruits and wild eggs, and if they're lucky, they might even spot a pheasant.
Today, while bathing in the river, he caught quite a few fish.
They tore off a few bamboo leaves from the shore, twisted them into ropes, and strung the fish on them.
Xuanfeng flapped its wings and flew to Ji Huaizhi's head: "You little rascal, you're here."
Ji Huaizhi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and soon after, he heard voices coming from behind the reeds next door: "Dad, these are the peanuts and four eggs I traded with the villagers."
"Take this back with Mom to supplement your nutrition."
“Pearl, take it and eat it yourself. Your mother and I are doing fine now, so don’t come looking for us too often. It’s too risky.” Li Decheng was working on the other side.
Unexpectedly, Li Zhenzhu came to see him and He Xianglan again at noon today.
"It's alright, I've been very careful." Li Zhenzhu put the peanuts into Li Decheng's pocket. "The eggs are cooked. You eat them first, then take them to Mom. I'm fine if you're both doing well."
Seeing how sensible his daughter was, Li Decheng felt a pang of sadness.
He was waiting for an opportunity to make a name for himself in the village.
My daughter won't have to live in fear anymore.
Just as the two were about to part ways, they heard a rustling sound from the reeds nearby. When they saw a figure appear in their line of sight, Li Decheng immediately blocked his daughter's path.
"Run!"
"You'd better get out of here!"
Li Zhenzhu gritted her teeth, but her expression froze when she saw that it was Ji Huaizhi.
At the same time, I felt a sense of relief.
Ji Huaizhi rolled up his trousers to his knees, wearing a wet vest and carrying a string of fish as he stepped forward.
"Young comrade..." Li Decheng was sweating profusely, not expecting Ji Huaizhi to fall straight down.
These fish also fell to the ground and kept thrashing their tails.
Li Decheng instinctively caught Ji Huaizhi, then, realizing what was happening, told Li Zhenzhu to hurry up and leave!
"Dad, I...why don't you take a look at him first?"
Li Decheng frowned: "I know this man. He's the village secretary's youngest son. I'll take him back in a bit, so don't worry about him."
Li Zhenzhu opened her mouth, hesitated for a couple of steps after hearing her father's words, then turned back when she remembered that he had given her things twice before.
She was only doing it for the sake of the goods.
"Dad, can you take a look at him and see what's wrong? I know him. The wild eggs and wild fruits I gave you before were from him."
"You know this lazybones?"
Li Zhenzhu's words stunned Li Decheng, who looked at Ji Huaizhi with suspicion.
I then realized that he had a handsome face.
Why would a man give a girl something for no reason? Doesn't Li Decheng understand why?
She immediately wanted to throw the man in her arms away.
Seeing the worry in her daughter's eyes, she had no choice but to resign herself to letting Ji Huaizhi lie down. She briefly looked at the whites of his eyes and pupils, listened to his heartbeat for a while, her brows furrowed tightly, and then took his pulse.
After doing all this, Li Decheng's expression was strange.
Li Zhenzhu thought he was seriously ill, and asked anxiously, "What's wrong with him?"
"I hope nothing bad has happened to him."
Li Decheng's tone was somewhat uncertain: "He...is asleep."
"Huh?" Li Zhenzhu looked down at the man's face. Was he asleep?
When Ji Huaizhi woke up again, the family had already finished eating. When Ji Huaizhi came out, his sister-in-law said, "Your food is still in the pot, go and eat it."
“I used the fish you brought to make fish soup, and your second sister-in-law also baked some flatbread.”
Ji Huaizhi lowered his head and walked towards the kitchen. Before he even entered, he heard his sister-in-law continue, "Mom and Dad took two fish to thank Li Decheng in the cowshed. Don't go to the river next time."
"What if you lose your footing and fall into the river?"
Ji Huaizhi: "I will be careful."
Ji Laoda raised his eyes: "You feel uncomfortable because you're freeloading at home?"
Ji Huaizhi remained silent and went into the kitchen to get his own food rations.
"Little brother, don't give up on yourself. What if things get better someday?" Boss Ji comforted him.
In the evenings, the educated youth gathered in the courtyard to cool off. Some recited poems, some sang, and some played the harmonica, finding joy amidst the hardship of their impoverished lives.
Then everyone sat together and chatted, talking about village gossip.
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