"Really? Then let's have a good chat now. Your ice cube will arrive soon and I should leave." Xiaocao calmed down and sat opposite Zhou Yuanyuan.
Zhao Qingshan hadn't announced Wen Ziqing and Zhou Yuanyuan's engagement to the village because Zhou Yuanyuan was still young. But Wen Ziqing often followed Zhou Yuanyuan around, and everyone in Zhaojiagou knew him. Xiaocao was no exception.
Xiaocao still remembers Wen Ziqing, the cold-faced boy who often followed Zhou Yuanyuan around all day. As a child, Xiaocao was very afraid of Wen Ziqing. Whenever he showed up, Xiaocao would say goodbye to Zhou Yuanyuan.
Zhao Xiaocao and Zhou Yuanyuan were chatting, and she told Zhou Yuanyuan a lot of little secrets between girls, including that several boys at school had written her love letters. Finally, Xiaocao also told Zhou Yuanyuan that she should be able to get into a university in Kyoto City next fall.
Zhou Yuanyuan was a good listener. After all, she wasn't a real sixteen-year-old girl, so she always offered a well-placed analysis of whatever Zhao Xiaocao was talking about. When Xiaocao mentioned her plans to go to Kyoto City to study at university next year, Zhou Yuanyuan also expressed her warm welcome.
Just when Zhao Xiaocao asked Zhou Yuanyuan with a smirk on her face whether Wen Ziqing was her boyfriend, Wen Ziqing just happened to arrive at the door.
Seeing the person she had been talking about behind her back suddenly appear in front of her, Zhao Xiaocao was so scared that she quickly said goodbye to Zhou Yuanyuan. Before leaving, Zhao Xiaocao noticed with a guilty conscience that Wen Ziqing did not have the rice, flour or other food that Zhou Yuanyuan had mentioned.
Wen Ziqing was unable to make the call he was about to make. Perhaps it was because the snow was too thick, but the telephone line in Zhaojiagou was broken and he couldn't make the call.
The road from Zhaojiagou to Sanhe Town was covered with snow again. Before the sun came out, it was impossible to clear a road to Sanhe Town unless it was cleared manually.
Thinking that Gutiezhu was right under their noses, they weren't worried about him running off somewhere. Zhou Yuanyuan and Wen Ziqing debated for a moment before putting the matter aside. After all, Gutiezhu's case was just their speculation. Before they could confirm Gutiezhu's guilt, even if Wen Ziqing was willing to brave the heavy snow to report the crime to the Sanhe Town Police Station, they still needed the police to respond.
Covered by snow, the roads, mountains, and fields are all covered in white, and even the roads and gullies cannot be distinguished. Before the snow melts, no one dares to wander around in the wilderness foolishly. If you accidentally fall into a ditch, it will be no joke.
Wen Ziqing went to the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water. Just when he took out two pheasants from the storage bag and was about to pluck their feathers, Aunt Gu came to Zhou Yuanyuan with Xiaocao.
Aunt Gu was holding a basket with two cabbages in it that she had harvested before the snow fell. The cabbages were grown in Aunt Gu's own vegetable garden. Although it had been more than a month since they were harvested, they were still juicy inside after she peeled off the two yellow leaves. Each cabbage weighed five or six kilograms.
Xiaocao held a cloth bag in each of his left and right hands. One bag contained husked rice, and the other contained flour. There were about ten pounds of rice and four or five pounds of flour.
"Yuanyuan, you guys worked so hard to shoot a grouse, and now you're bringing it to me, I'm really embarrassed." Aunt Gu's wrinkles smoothed out when she saw Zhou Yuanyuan. Over the years, Zhao Yunxiang had sent Aunt Gu many gifts every year, and Aunt Gu had always felt embarrassed. Seeing Zhou Yuanyuan return to Zhoujia Village, she felt compelled to do her best to show her appreciation.
When Wen Ziqing went to borrow Zhao Youtian's phone, he gave the grouse to Zhao Youtian and Aunt Gu. Unexpectedly, Aunt Gu was so stubborn that she ate Zhou Yuanyuan's chicken and still gave her so many "return gifts", which made Zhou Yuanyuan feel embarrassed.
But I can't accept it, right? I'll be letting down Aunt Gu's kindness. Zhou Yuanyuan felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but look at Wen Ziqing.
Wen Ziqing nodded and signaled Zhou Yuanyuan to accept the things first.
If they refused Aunt Gu's kindness, it would hurt her feelings. Favors are a two-way street, especially for someone as strong-willed as Aunt Gu. If you only give without accepting her kindness, she'll be unhappy. At most, they could give Aunt Gu some money when they left Zhaojiagou.
When Aunt Gu came in, Wen Ziqing had already put down the half-plucked pheasant in his hand and came out of the kitchen to greet Aunt Gu.
Hearing Wen Ziqing's "Hello, Auntie," Auntie Gu's eyes narrowed with joy. After not seeing him for a few years, Wen Ziqing hadn't changed much, except for being taller and stronger. In Auntie Gu's eyes, Wen Ziqing had grown up and become more energetic. Auntie Gu was one of the few people in Zhaojiagou who knew that Wen Ziqing was Zhou Yuanyuan's son-in-law. Because of this connection, in Auntie Gu's heart, Wen Ziqing was no different from any of the Zhao family's children.
Zhou Yuanyuan saw that Aunt Gu’s hair was almost white, and she looked much older than she was eight years ago.
Aunt Gu held Zhou Yuanyuan's hand and talked for a long time before taking Zhao Xiaocao away from Zhao Qingshan's house.
"Xiaocao! A person's kindness comes from getting along with others. Don't be like your mother, who only looks at the petty gains in front of her and pushes away the best help." Aunt Gu taught Xiaocao the principles of life as they walked.
China is a society of personal connections; it takes three to build a strong team, and it takes three stakes to build a fence! Since Zhao Xiaocao had decided to go to Kyoto City to attend university, she was sure to cause Zhou Yuanyuan's family a lot of trouble. Aunt Gu braved the cold weather to deliver rice and noodles to Zhou Yuanyuan, hoping to pave the way for Zhao Xiaocao and, by the way, to gauge Zhou Yuanyuan's attitude towards her.
If Zhou Yuanyuan grows up to be different from when she was little, becoming arrogant and difficult to get along with, Aunt Gu would rather let Xiaocao go to Kyoto City and work harder than to bother Zhou Yuanyuan. At present, it seems that Zhou Yuanyuan is a girl with a conscience. Xiaocao has such a friend, right!
"Yes, grandma, I'll listen to you." Zhao Xiaocao nodded, agreeing with Auntie Gu's point of view. Zhao Xiaocao knew that Auntie Gu was speaking from the heart. Just now, when she and her grandma were taking things out, Xiaocao's mother, Zheng Qiulian, was crying and shouting behind them. People who didn't know would think that their family had been robbed!
Thinking of Zheng Qiulian, Zhao Xiaocao was sometimes speechless. Zheng Qiulian had a problem: she couldn't stand seeing her family's belongings taken away, and she wanted to take everything home. Xiaocao knew that it wasn't her mother's fault, because their family was poor! When she made money, she would definitely change her mother's bad habits.
As Xiaocao expected, as soon as Xiaocao and Aunt Gu took their things and left, Zheng Qiulian started making trouble at home again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
