Chapter 81 Free Love
When Lu Mingyue went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things, she was almost knocked down as soon as she reached the door.
Fortunately, Wang Fengmei reacted quickly and caught her.
"Oh dear, who's in such a hurry?" Wang Fengmei frowned and looked towards the door.
Only then did the two realize that it was Lin Qiaozhen who had rushed out; her eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears.
Following closely behind was Zhang Haihua, whose face was so gloomy it could drip water.
"Zhang Haihua, what are you doing? Why are you bullying this young girl?"
Wang Fengmei had always liked Lin Qiaozhen, who spoke gently and behaved politely, when she bought things at the supply and marketing cooperative. Now, seeing Zhang Haihua being so aggressive, she couldn't help but stand up and speak for her.
Zhang Haihua sneered and put her hands on her hips: "I bullied her? She seduced my nephew and ruined my niece's good boyfriend. I haven't settled the score with her yet!"
Lin Qiaozhen's face turned pale, and she hurriedly shook her head: "I didn't. Comrade Li and I have an open and aboveboard revolutionary relationship."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.
Just then, a familiar figure strode out from outside the crowd.
Li Jianguo, dressed in neat work clothes, had a sharp look in his eyes. When he saw Lin Qiaozhen with red eyes and surrounded by people, his face instantly darkened.
"Qiaozhen!" He strode forward, shielding her behind him, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Haihua like a knife. "Aunt, what are you doing?"
Zhang Haihua was taken aback by his sudden appearance and paused for a moment before saying, "Jianguo, you've come at the right time. I was just about to ask you, what's going on between you and this woman?"
Li Jianguo frowned: "She's my girlfriend, and our relationship is perfectly legitimate. Aunt, by publicly humiliating her like this, you're damaging our camaraderie!"
"A boyfriend?" Zhang Haihua's voice rose. "You didn't discuss it with your family before finding a boyfriend? And he's an orphan who grew up relying on the kindness of others!"
“So what if I’m an orphan? I haven’t done anything illegal or disorderly.” Lin Qiaozhen mustered her courage and stepped out from behind Li Jianguo.
"Jianguo and I fell in love freely, openly and honestly!"
Li Jianguo grasped her hand, his gaze unwavering: "That's right, I like Qiaozhen, and she likes me too. No one can interfere in our relationship!"
People around them were talking about it, some supporting it and others questioning it.
Seeing this, Director Wang quickly stepped in to mediate: "Alright, alright, let the young people handle their own affairs. Zhang Haihua, as an elder, you should also respect the choices of the younger generation."
How can Zhang Haihua be respected!
"I went through so much trouble to raise you and even went to great lengths to find you a job, and this is how you repay me?"
Her words were like a knife, slicing through the surrounding silence.
Li Jianguo frowned, looking troubled. "Auntie, I appreciate your help, but that doesn't mean you can interfere in my love life. Qiaozhen is a good girl, and we truly love each other."
"Truly in love?" Zhang Haihua sneered. "Although she's never been married, do you know anything about her family background? You're someone I personally mentored, how can you just find anyone? How can I face my relatives with this?"
Lin Qiaozhen's face turned pale, and she couldn't help but say, "Aunt Zhang, although I am an orphan, I have always worked hard and lived earnestly. Jianguo and I are truly in love, please grant us your blessing."
"Give me my way?" Zhang Haihua suddenly raised her voice, "Unless I'm dead!"
Zhang Haihua shook off the village chief's hand, glared fiercely at Lin Qiaozhen, and turned to leave.
Li Jianguo held Lin Qiaozhen's hand tightly and whispered comfortingly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Lin Qiaozhen shook her head, her eyes full of gratitude: "I'm fine, thank you for arriving in time."
Li Jianguo held her hand tightly: "Don't worry, I will talk to your uncle and aunt about this later."
He doesn't deny that he was able to have his current job thanks to the help of his uncle and aunt over the years.
He is grateful for their care in his old age, but that doesn't mean he has to sacrifice his own happiness in return.
Lin Qiaozhen wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and returned to her post.
Although her eyes were still a little red, she tried her best to make her smile look natural.
Li Jianguo offered a few words of comfort, and only after she calmed down did he return to work with peace of mind.
The crowd at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative gradually dispersed after being persuaded by the director.
The director smiled and said to Lin Qiaozhen, "Don't take it to heart. Comrade Zhang just has a short temper. He'll be fine in a couple of days."
As the crowd dispersed, Lu Mingyue and Wang Fengmei entered the supply and marketing cooperative and headed straight for the stationery counter.
"Comrade, give me two pencils and an exercise book," Lu Mingyue said with a smile.
Wang Fengmei added from the side, "Bring another arithmetic notebook; the children need to learn arithmetic."
The sales clerk skillfully wrapped up the stationery, and the two paid and left the supply and marketing cooperative together.
As soon as she left the supply and marketing cooperative, Wang Fengmei couldn't help but tell Lu Mingyue about Zhang Haihua.
Lu Mingyue had learned about the details of the incident from Zheng Xiuhua.
Li Jianguo's situation is truly difficult; on one hand, there's the debt of gratitude for his upbringing, and on the other hand, there's his beloved.
Although Zhang Haihua's reputation isn't great, she did raise the child in a real way.
Li Jianguo has always kept in mind the kindness shown to him: they provided him with education, found him a job, and helped him establish himself in the city.
But matters of the heart cannot be decided by one party alone.
Li Jianguo knew that he couldn't sacrifice his life's happiness just out of gratitude.
But you can't ignore your aunt's years of hard work just because you're pursuing love.
Lu Mingyue and Wang Fengmei also found this matter troublesome when they talked about it.
"This child is caught in the middle, truly caught in a dilemma," Wang Fengmei sighed.
Lu Mingyue nodded: "Yes, but ultimately, matters of the heart must be decided by oneself. We can only work on Comrade Zhang slowly, making her understand that the child's happiness is more important than anything else."
Back home, Lu Mingyue called Leilei to the table and took out the newly bought pencils and notebooks.
"Today, Mommy will teach you how to write your own name, okay?" she said gently.
Leilei nodded excitedly, holding the pencil carefully.
Lu Mingyue held his hand and taught him to write the character "磊" stroke by stroke.
“This character has three ‘stone’ radicals, just like you, strong and powerful,” she explained patiently.
Leilei wrote with great concentration. Although his strokes were crooked at first, they became more and more legible as he wrote.
After writing his name, Lu Mingyue taught him to write the character "人" (person).
"These two strokes, one left and one right, are like the mutual support between people."
Although Leilei writes slowly, his handwriting is decent and he can barely fit the characters into the grid.
Seeing that he was practicing well, Lu Mingyue then took out her arithmetic book and began to teach Leilei to count and do simple addition and subtraction.
Leilei learns very quickly, and soon he can complete several simple arithmetic problems independently.
Lu Mingyue was surprised that he could calculate so quickly. "Have you studied this before?"
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