Zhao Xiuying is not yet fifty years old. I heard that her family was a wealthy peasant family when she was young, otherwise she wouldn't have bound her feet. But after her husband died, life became increasingly difficult, and she aged quickly. In addition, because she had bound feet, she always looked like she was walking on stilts. She was also thin and small, which made her look older.
She's timid and somewhat of a bully who preys on the weak. She's not inherently a bad person. It's something ingrained in her that makes her unconsciously hurt others, like Da Cui, and like Feng Lichun after her divorce.
But to say she's that bad is not necessarily true. After all, some erroneous ideas are a mark of the times.
“You just told Yuanbao that his father is about to get married and will have another child next year. How do you think Yuanbao will manage in that family?”
“If I have food, then my eldest grandson must also have food. Yuanbao is the eldest son and grandson of the Zhou family. He has to stay with his father.”
“Yuanbao is a boy, is it enough for him to just eat his fill? As for the rest, can you make that decision?”
Zhao Xiuying thought to herself, "If I marry another wife, will she be like you, getting whatever she says at home?" Now that her son is a high-ranking official, he'll definitely make his daughter-in-law listen to him. Zhao Xiuying glared and slammed her hand on the table.
"She dares?"
Seeing that she was still going strong, Xu Keke couldn't help but laugh. "You, don't make decisions for Zhou Chengguang. If he remarries, he definitely won't marry a country woman like me. If you take matters into your own hands here, you'll ruin his marriage. Zhou Chengguang is the kind of person who doesn't even send letters home after liberation. Don't provoke him any further. He's fine with you because you don't need his help with food and lodging while you're in the army, but if you upset him, things could get really complicated."
Zhao Xiuying simply didn't want to admit it, not that she truly didn't know. They were all soldiers; after liberation, everyone knew to write home to let them know they were safe. Even if they thought they and their children were gone, they should have written to the village to inquire. He didn't want Feng Lichun as a wife, and he didn't even care about his own mother.
Zhao Xiuying thought about her new daughter-in-law from earlier that day. She was young and from the city. Could the woman really be willing to be a stepmother? What if this caused a rift with her son? Whether they got married or not was none of her business. She didn't want to damage their mother-son relationship.
Seeing that Zhao Xiuying's eyes were no longer as certain as before, Xu Keke quickly followed up,
“But you don’t need to worry. His father is now part of an organization. No matter who it is, he has to take care of his mother, otherwise what will people think of him? Besides, even if I take Yuanbao away, he is still Zhou Chengguang’s son. This is something that both Zhou Chengguang and Yuanbao have to acknowledge for the rest of their lives.”
Zhao Xiuying nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, no matter where Yuanbao goes, he will always be surnamed Zhou."
Xu Keke smiled, thinking that might not be the case.
So the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reached an agreement and went back to their rooms to sleep.
The next morning, Zhao Xiuying's door was tightly closed, and Xu Keke didn't bother with her, only waking up the two siblings.
After everyone had finished washing up, seeing that Xu Keke was about to go out with them, Yuanbao asked Xu Keke in surprise,
"Mom, you want to come to the cafeteria with us."
Before Xu Keke could reply, there was a knock on the door. It was Aunt Hua from next door.
“Mengzi left in a hurry today, and I was so busy that I forgot. He asked me to tell you that the kids need to go to the canteen early today, otherwise they shouldn’t go, because the army has a mission today.”
"Is it still possible to make it now?" Xu Keke asked, noticing the lunchbox in her hand; she must have just returned from the cafeteria.
"It's no use, is it? When I came out, the cafeteria looked like it was locked."
So, the reason she came over and said that was simply to do what Liao Meng had asked her to do. But saying it or not, the result was the same. This was the second time, following the last time she tricked Da Cui into admitting to stealing. Now, Xu Keke could easily see through her character.
Seeing Xu Keke's cold face and silence, Aunt Hua didn't care. She had already heard that they were leaving tomorrow. She had originally thought that since Xu Keke's husband was Mengzi's superior, getting along well with her would be beneficial to her husband. But it turned out that it wasn't like that at all. Just because she was close to Xu Keke, she couldn't even get a place to live in the family compound.
She was still unhappy, so Aunt Hua stopped pretending, snorted, and turned to go back into the house.
Xu Keke didn't have time to argue with her right now. The cafeteria was locked, which meant that person must have arrived by now. She asked Da Cui to take out the naan they had taken from the cafeteria that day, broke it open, and handed it to them.
After the commotion that day, the guesthouse gave them a thermos. Xu Keke found the tea mug she had brought, poured in some water, and ate a little with the two children while it was still warm. Then she took them out the door.
From the moment I stepped out of the guesthouse, there were guards every three steps and sentries every five. On the other side of the half-wall, I could see many family members wearing brand-new clothes. Their faces were filled with excitement, joy, and anticipation as they walked in groups of three or five towards the camp.
In her past life, Da Cui confessed to stealing the money, and Feng Lichun, anxious and angry, became even more ill. That day, the two children hadn't returned from the cafeteria for a long time, so she went out to greet them. What she saw was the scene before her.
That day, the two children didn't bring anything back. Feng Lichun assumed that the cafeteria had refused to serve them food again. Afraid that the two children would be upset, she didn't press them for details.
Therefore, the scene before him was the same as what Feng Lichun had seen in his previous life.
In her previous life, Feng Lichun simply took the children back. This time, Xu Keke, with her two children, walked forward openly and confidently.
Da Cui and Yuan Bao usually go to the cafeteria to get their food like this. They all assumed Xu Keke wanted to double-check if the cafeteria was really locked, and didn't think anything was wrong.
The three of them walked on without anyone stopping them. Xu Keke led the two children smoothly to the army canteen. The canteen doors were indeed closed. After only a glance, Xu Keke led the two children along a path beside the canteen.
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