Chapter 113 Poor Cousin
When he went to the west room just now, Li Wensong learned who Ai Xiaoxia was from Lu Jingshen. At this time, he said to Ai Xiaoxia, "Thank you, cousin."
Ai Xiaoxia nodded and said, "Eat, have lunch here at noon. Your brother and I will drive you back this afternoon. Don't worry."
Li Wensong didn't know whether to agree or not, so he looked at Li Shaofen.
Li Shaofen smiled and said, "We are all family, there is no need to be polite to your sister-in-law."
Li Wensong said to Ai Xiaoxia happily: "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Lu Jingyuan took out the shrimp crackers that Li Wensong liked, opened them and handed them to him: "Eat it, this is delicious."
Li Wensong and Lu Jingyuan were not much older than each other and had been good friends since childhood, so he didn't hesitate to eat what Lu Jingyuan gave him.
The two little brothers talked about some interesting things about their age while eating, and asked Lu Jingshen a few questions from time to time. After all, in the hearts of these two little boys, this big brother was a very knowledgeable and great existence.
Li Shaofen took out Li Wensong's insoles and put them and the shoes on the fire wall to roast, then went to the kitchen to deal with the two rabbits.
Ai Xiaoxia also followed Li Shaofen out and lent a hand to help.
Seeing Ai Xiaoxia come out, Li Shaofen closed the door, then sighed and whispered to Ai Xiaoxia: "This is the eldest son of your uncle Li Fuqiang. This child has a miserable life. His mother passed away early. The aunt your uncle married later has a peculiar temper. We dare not visit her often. She treats Wensong..." As she spoke, she wiped away her tears, remembering the last time she went back and saw her beating Li Wensong with a rattan stick.
When Ai Xiaoxia heard her stepmother's words, she guessed something. She said to Li Shaofen, "Mom, don't worry. Our family is doing well now. We will always find a way to help my cousin."
She had a good impression of Li Wensong. Although the child grew up in a difficult environment, he was grateful and optimistic. She also heard Lu Jingshen mention his former aunt, who was Li Wensong's biological mother. When she was alive, she was very kind to Lu Jingshen, Lu Lin and Lu Jingyuan. They would visit her aunt's house every holiday, so she was naturally willing to help.
Li Shaofen trusted Ai Xiaoxia very much and nodded. "Well, this child is really pitiful. He is closer to our family than your uncle. He can't rely on you. Living with your father-in-law is also very inconvenient."
Ai Xiaoxia had also heard about these things. Lu Jingshen's uncle had poor legs and feet when he was a child, and the Li family was poor, so his uncle was considered a son-in-law and they didn't want to disturb him too much.
She said to Li Shaofen, "Mom, we have to ask Wensong whether he wants to go to school or work. This life decision should be made by him."
"You're more thoughtful than Mom. We can't easily make decisions for our children. Let's ask about it during dinner later."
"Okay, Mom, don't worry. Even if we take a step back, we can still let Wensong come to work in our store in the future. There's always a way out."
"It's different now that my children have made it big. Now I feel like nothing is a big deal and I don't have to worry about anything." Having said that, Li Shaofen was no longer worried. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled.
Ai Xiaoxia also smiled and said, "That's right, Mom, let's cook lunch earlier and make a few more dishes."
"Okay, then you go in first. I'll pack up the rabbit and take it with you when you and Jingshen return to the city."
"Mom, can you handle the rabbit fur? I want to use it to make a fur collar."
"You can't use this right away after processing it. If you like it, I'll buy you a few later."
"Then I'll go with you. Oh, Mom, take me to buy some duck feathers. I plan to make a down jacket."
Li Shaofen had seen down jackets before, but wasn't too impressed. "Though they're warm, they're hairy. I saw people wearing them at the market, and once they took them off, their sweaters were covered in hair, like Zhou Paopi cleaning out a chicken coop."
Ai Xiaoxia couldn't help laughing when she heard Li Shaofen's description. "Mom, that's because they didn't handle it well. There are too many hair strands, and the fabric isn't good enough. I know how to make it so the hair doesn't leak. I'll try it first. If it works, I'll make it for you and Dad. It's warmer."
"Okay, then get the rabbit out first. I'll take you to buy some from Old Qian on the front street, who sells chicken, duck, and goose feathers. He also has rabbit fur."
"Well, I'll boil some water for you."
At this time, Lu Jingshen also came out: "I'll carry firewood." Then he went out to carry firewood.
Ai Xiaoxia admired this aspect of Lu Jingshen: he didn't talk much, but he was always honest and would do whatever he said.
And this guy can work in a white shirt without getting dirty. I still don’t understand how he does it. I’ll have to ask him when I have time.
Because the rabbits were trapped yesterday and were already dead by then, it was easy for Li Shaofen to clean them up and she finished it quickly.
After packing, Ai Xiaoxia went with Li Shaofen to buy rabbit skins and duck feathers.
Walking to the door and looking at the car, Ai Xiaoxia really wanted to drive around. When she got back, she would definitely ask Lu Jingshen to teach her how to drive.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked as they walked. Ai Xiaoxia also talked about some things in the city and asked Li Shaofen if she would go with them to the city to take a look this time.
Li Shaofen calculated the time and said that she would not go this time as she could not miss the market. Now she had many old customers and what she would lose was not money but reputation.
Ai Xiaoxia agreed with her mother-in-law's point of view, so she let her mother-in-law choose the time herself, and then she would come back to pick them up.
Li Shaofen said that she would check the time herself, and as she was speaking they arrived at Lao Qian's house.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, I started to pick out rabbit fur. I picked out three gray ones and two white ones. I also bought some duck feathers. After packing them up and paying, I went home.
When she got home, Ai Xiaoxia packed up all the things and put them in the car.
Li Shaofen started to cook lunch, and Ai Xiaoxia went over to help. After a while, Lu Jingshen also came out to help chop the chicken. The house was very lively.
The lunch was very sumptuous. While eating, Li Wensong rolled up his sleeves, revealing the many scars on his arms. Everyone knew how these scars came about, but no one wanted Li Wensong to recall them while eating, so no one mentioned it, but they all felt very uncomfortable.
When they were almost done eating, Li Shaofen asked Li Wensong, "Wensong, what do you want to do in the future?"
Li Wensong didn't need to think too much and said directly: "My dad said that after the New Year, he would let me go to the construction site with the villagers to work."
Li Shaofen asked again: "Then what do you want to do?"
Li Wensong shook his head and said, "It's useless for me to do anything. I have to listen to my dad anyway."
Lu Jingshen put down his chopsticks, looked at Li Wensong and said, "You're only sixteen. If you go out and do hard labor now, you'll have to do it for the rest of your life. I think you should finish high school first, and then learn some skills."
Because he knew that Li Wensong dropped out of school in the first grade of junior high school, it was unlikely for him to take the college entrance examination again, but Lu Jingshen felt that no matter what he did, he had to have some cultural knowledge, so he still suggested that Li Wensong finish junior high school.
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