As Bai Jiaojiao said this, Bai Shiqing's expression changed repeatedly. She said awkwardly, "I can't help it. Didn't you say he went to meet potential partners today? They came last time, and he went again this time. He must have liked them last time."
What Bai Shiqing said was exactly what Bai Jiaojiao was worried about.
"Second sister, no matter what, please pass this message on to him."
Bai Shiqing nodded. Bai Jiaojiao was right. No matter what Li Shuxian chose, she should at least tell him the truth.
Whether Li Shuxian broke off the relationship with that person out of cruelty or he really fell for her and even paid for her medical treatment, Bai Jiaojiao didn't care.
When Li Shuxian returned to the village, he made a point of passing by the field where Bai Shiqing was working.
Li's mother was very considerate and chose a different path.
"Hey, Li Shuxian! Wait a minute!"
When Li Shuxian heard Bai Shiqing call his name, he felt a ticklish sensation in his stomach.
"What's wrong?"
Li Shuxian waited at the edge of the field, watching Bai Shiqing slowly walk towards him.
"Are you going to Huangjiazhuang for a blind date today?"
"I did go, but..."
Li Shuxian wanted to explain, but Bai Shiqing interrupted him when she heard him admit it and saw the joy on his face. She then relayed the information directly: "That girl is sick, and she said her family won't treat her, so she wants to find a husband as soon as possible. If you're with her, it'll cost a lot of money. My younger sister told me this, and I was afraid you wouldn't know, so I'm telling you."
Li Shuxian was initially surprised, but then suddenly understood why Huang Yingying wanted to cling to him.
Although their family's conditions were not as good as those in the town, they were considered well-off in the countryside. If Huang Yingying wanted to get medical treatment, she needed to find a family that could afford it.
Li Shuxian felt much better: "Why are you asking about these things? Don't you want me to be with that person?"
Just now, Li's mother said with absolute certainty that she could persuade Bai Shiqing to come home with him. Now that Li Shuxian has seen Bai Shiqing, he already wants to bring her to his own territory.
Bai Shiqing retorted, "I'd only bother with your business if I had nothing better to do! You can be friends with whoever you want! I already told you it was just something my little sister overheard. You saved me last time, so I'm just repaying a debt of gratitude."
"Repaying a debt of gratitude?"
Li Shuxian repeated it once.
"What else did you think? You think I'm jealous of you?!"
Seeing that Li Shuxian showed no anger whatsoever after hearing the news that Huang Yingying had lied to him, Bai Shiqing felt extremely bitter.
How much did Li Shuxian like Huang Yingying that he could accept this?
Bai Shiqing couldn't help but blurt out her true feelings. After she finished speaking, she realized it was inappropriate, but it was too late to take it back.
Li Shuxian was naturally dull-witted in such matters and couldn't grasp the true meaning behind them at all.
What he heard was that Bai Shiqing wouldn't be jealous of him.
"I know you look down on me!"
Li Shuxian stormed off in a huff.
Repaying a debt of gratitude?
What kind of gratitude are you talking about!
In stories, isn't the way people repay kindness usually by becoming someone's wife?
When Li Shuxian returned home, he looked unhappy again. Before his mother could ask, Li Shuxian said, "There's no need to go to the Bai family. They don't even look at me!"
What's wrong with you now?
"Bai Shiqing said it herself! Let's not go and embarrass ourselves."
Li Shuxian felt incredibly choked up; this was the first time he had ever experienced such a feeling.
Bai Shiqing felt wronged and upset, but she was too embarrassed to tell others, so she could only keep it to herself.
Bai Jiaojiao thought that as long as Bai Shiqing told Li Shuxian about this, no matter what Li Shuxian thought, Aunt Qing wouldn't be a fool, and this ordeal should be over.
She felt relieved. She had been struggling with how to tell Bai Shiqing about it, but when she told Bai Shiqing today, Bai Shiqing didn't ask any questions and believed her immediately.
If she had known it was this simple, she wouldn't have worried about it for so many days.
Bai Jiaojiao is in a good mood today, so she's making dumplings at home.
Upon hearing Shen Heng open the door, Bai Jiaojiao put the dumplings she had wrapped inside.
These days, how many families can afford to eat dumplings twice a year?
They're always making bags for their family every few days.
"Look what this is!"
Shen Heng called from outside the courtyard. Bai Jiaojiao put the pot lid on and went outside to look: "Wheelchair!"
This wheelchair is made entirely of steel and rubber, with no seat cushion and a hard backrest. You need to put something on it to make it comfortable.
"Let my second sister sew a cushion for Dad."
Bai Jiaojiao is well aware that she can't do well in this area.
"Hey, why don't you thank Brother Heng properly?"
Bai Jiaojiao's eyes were practically glued to her wheelchair, and Shen Heng felt ignored, so he had no choice but to ask for a reward himself.
Bai Jiaojiao immediately hugged Shen Heng's arm, stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed him on the cheek: "The dumplings are going to stick together, wait a minute!"
Watching Bai Jiaojiao bustling about, Shen Heng couldn't help but smile.
He put the wheelchair in the bedroom and then went to the yard to tend the vegetable garden.
The radishes he had planted before had all been harvested by Bai Jiaojiao, and the original spots had been planted with persimmons. The eggplants and cucumbers had already sprouted, and the trellis for the green beans had been set up. This yard of vegetables was just waiting to be harvested in the fall.
Looking at his increasingly vibrant home, Shen Heng felt a sense of comfort.
He crept into the kitchen, hesitantly offering to help Bai Jiaojiao with something, but Bai Jiaojiao instructed him, "You chop some garlic, don't stand next to me, you'll delay the production!"
The kitchen was small to begin with, so once Shen Heng came in, the two of them had to squeeze together.
Shen Heng wasn't angry at all that Bai Jiaojiao disliked him, and obediently went to chop garlic.
"Brother Heng, at the current rate of earning money, our house can be built before we even plant wheat in October."
Bai Jiaojiao calculated that with 450 yuan a month, after deducting expenses, she could save 1700 to 1800 yuan in September. This amount would be enough to build a small courtyard next door.
"Okay, if it's soon, I'll go find someone, and we can get a plot of land nearby and start building slowly."
Bai Jiaojiao thought the same thing: "Our yard is already quite big, will we be able to get approval for a foundation next to it?"
"This is nothing, anyway, nobody lives in this area, we'll just pay."
In the village, several generations live together in one house, and the houses are built piece by piece. But there are only two people in their family, so Bai Jiaojiao wasn't sure.
She was relieved to hear Shen Heng say that.
If they don't get permission for the land next to their house, they'll have to demolish and rebuild it if they want to build a new house. Then they'll have to find temporary accommodation, which will be very troublesome.
"If we can live there and build at the same time, then we can buy the materials now and build slowly, there's no rush."
The main problem is that, except in winter, it's difficult to find people who can help at a fixed time.
However, Bai Jiaojiao wanted to move into the new house before winter, as brick houses were much warmer than thatched mud houses.
"Okay, whatever you say. I'll go to the brigade to get it approved tomorrow."
Building a new house for Bai Jiaojiao is one of Shen Heng's obsessions. "From now on, this place will be used as a warehouse, where we'll raise chickens and grow vegetables. We'll live over there, and we'll build a house with the same layout as your parents' house, with two side rooms for the children to live in later. We can store some materials here now."
"Child? We don't need to, do we?"
Bai Jiaojiao never intended for her child to be born in the village.
"What do you mean?" You really won't have a child for him?
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