Huang Meijuan came down from the mountain, looking distressed and limping in a sorry state.
Seeing Zheng Xu sitting in their house, they wanted to make an effort to save face, but his mood was just too low.
"Meijuan, I'm going to Huangjiazhuang today. This is some dried vegetables your mother asked me to bring you. You..." Zheng Xu sighed, unsure of what to say next.
Huang Meijuan thought she had cried all she could while she was in the mountains, but when she saw the dried vegetables her family had brought her, she couldn't hold back her tears again.
Huang Meijuan collapsed to the ground, covering her mouth and crying in a very suppressed manner.
Zheng Xu, being a man, couldn't comfort Huang Meijuan, so he left the dried vegetables behind, told Chen Jiancheng, and left.
The death of a child in the village made him, as the village head, feel uneasy.
Huang Meijuan didn't go to work on her first day, and Bai Jiaojiao thought she must be recuperating at home.
But after three days, Huang Meijuan still hadn't come, so Bai Jiaojiao asked Chen Hong, "Team leader, did Sister Meijuan take sick leave?"
"Oh dear, she almost died of illness at home these past few days."
Huang Meijuan was so anxious and stressed that she developed a high fever at home and hasn't been able to get out of bed for the past few days.
Upon learning this news, Bai Jiaojiao went to the Chen family's house after work at noon.
Life has to go on; I can't stay sad forever.
Bai Jiaojiao took two ounces of glutinous rice strips from home and went over. She saw Huang Meijuan pouring herself some water, while her father-in-law was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) inside the room smoking his pipe.
"Sister Meijuan."
"Jiaojiao, you're here." When Huang Meijuan saw Bai Jiaojiao, her dim eyes finally brightened, but only for a moment, and then she returned to her lifeless state.
"You haven't come to work these past few days. I heard you were sick, so I came to see you."
Bai Jiaojiao placed the rice strips on the table, and Huang Meijuan hurriedly waved her hand, saying, "You're here, why are you bringing anything?"
“I made these just for fun, and there aren’t many. You can use them as a toothpaste.”
Bai Jiaojiao pulled Huang Meijuan to sit down: "Sister Meijuan, is your foot almost healed?"
"It's just a sore spot, but I can walk fine now. I haven't even thanked you enough for what happened a few days ago, I'm such a mess..."
Bai Jiaojiao admired Huang Meijuan for being able to hold back her tears.
The two chatted for a while, and neither of them mentioned Zhuangzhuang again. Bai Jiaojiao had to go home to cook, so she said goodbye to Huang Meijuan.
After Bai Jiaojiao left, Huang Meijuan couldn't hold back her tears.
After so many days, the first person to have a heart-to-heart talk with her was actually a stranger.
Chen Jiancheng acted as if he couldn't see her at all, not saying a word. When she was sick, he didn't come over to cook or clean for her, nor did he show any concern whatsoever.
Huang Meijuan's illness is getting worse the more she suppresses it. If Bai Jiaojiao hadn't come over and talked to her today, she might have really gone crazy.
When Huang Meijuan went to the kitchen, she saw that Chen Jiancheng had already used up all the dried vegetables that her family had sent. She thought about the sweet potatoes and dried radishes she had been eating for the past two days, and she felt terrible.
When Bai Jiaojiao returned home, she felt that she had done everything she could, and how Huang Meijuan lived her life from now on was her own choice.
Shen Heng returned home unusually late today; it turned out he had gone to the pier to buy some clams.
The clams here have thin shells but plump meat. Because they are fresh, they don't require any cooking skills. After removing the mud from inside, put them in a pot with a ladle of water and a spoonful of salt, steam them, and they're ready to eat.
This is basically how seafood is cooked in Shili Village, so you can taste the most original flavor.
Bai Jiaojiao chopped some scallions and chili peppers, intending to cook something different for Shen Heng.
Shen Heng completely agreed with Bai Jiaojiao's idea regarding how to eat.
"Today at the dock, I heard from people in Xiangyang Village that someone from their village was injured at work; his lower body got caught in a machine and he's paralyzed."
"Hmm?" Bai Jiaojiao was quite surprised that Shen Heng was suddenly talking about gossip.
"The factory covered his medical expenses. They said his upper body is fine and he can go out in a wheelchair in the future. Do you know what a wheelchair is?" Shen Heng raised an eyebrow at Bai Jiaojiao.
"I know."
Shen Heng looked at Bai Jiaojiao and smiled. Bai Jiaojiao was puzzled and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"How much does that thing cost? Let's get one for my father-in-law."
Shen Heng thought to himself, a wheelchair is just a chair with wheels on it, how expensive can it be?
Upon hearing this, Bai Jiaojiao suddenly realized, "I never imagined that your son-in-law would be better than my daughter."
"Of course! I absolutely adore my father-in-law. Without him, would I have such a wonderful wife?"
Shen Heng's words were quite nonsensical, and Bai Jiaojiao glared at him: "Then go to my father's house and kiss him."
Shen Heng leaned closer: "Can we buy this wheelchair at the hospital? How much would it cost?"
“Then I don’t know,” Shen Heng’s suggestion was indeed good, and Bai Jiaojiao secretly regretted that she hadn’t thought of it. “Otherwise, let’s go and take a look when we have some free time.”
Bai Jiaojiao knew that this wheelchair couldn't be cheap; two-wheeled items, like bicycles, would cost over a hundred yuan.
It wasn't that she was worried about the money; after all, she could earn fifteen yuan a day by selling twenty catties of glutinous rice strips, which would be enough to make her money back in a week. It was just that she didn't know where she could buy a wheelchair.
"I'll ask around first, so I don't end up coming back empty-handed."
“Sure. My dad’s birthday is next month. If we can buy it, it’ll make the old man happy.”
Bai Jiaojiao smiled and her eyes narrowed. She remembered that Bai Shiqing had told her that Bai Zhiman used to be a tall man of 1.8 meters, strong and handsome, and full of vigor. In the two years after their mother passed away, many people came to him for matchmaking.
Bai Zhiman declined all offers, declaring that he would not find a stepmother for his children and would wait until his youngest daughter got married before bringing up the matter of finding a second wife.
But fate had other plans, and Bai Zhiman became paralyzed.
This old father has dedicated his entire life to his children. His idea of not finding a stepmother for his children is far beyond that of most men, which is why the Bai family's children all respect their father.
Although Bai Jiaojiao didn't grow up with Bai Zhiman, she still received the same things Bai Zhiman gave Ding Shifang in the Ding family, so it was only right that she be filial to Bai Zhiman.
Seeing Bai Jiaojiao happy made Shen Heng happy too. The stir-fried clams with chili peppers were incredibly delicious, both spicy and fresh. At first, he laughed at Bai Jiaojiao for being so particular about eating clams, but later she sucked all the clam shells clean from the whole bowl.
"Hiss... I'll put less chili next time." Shen Heng has a mild palate and still can't handle spicy food very well.
Bai Jiaojiao glanced at him. Little did she know that this man would even suck on the skin. How could the soup not be spicy? Why didn't he lick the bottom of the bowl too?
Just as Bai Jiaojiao was thinking this, Shen Heng broke off a piece of cornbread, smeared it on the bottom of the bowl, and the soup got stuck on the cornbread.
Bai Jiaojiao: ......
"Heng-ge, if you like it, I'll buy some more tomorrow."
Clams are at their fattest right now, and they're incredibly cheap.
"Okay, I'll buy it again tomorrow."
Although eating too many clams can easily lead to gout, eating them three to five times a year is not a big problem.
Bai Jiaojiao discovered that Shen Heng was like a child, extremely enthusiastic about food.
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