Zhang Wei had just stepped into the Lu family home when she looked around.
These days, the Lu family happens to be in the midst of the busy farming season, because the eldest branch of the family is away from home...
Therefore, there weren't enough people in the family. Xu Tianqing, the fourth son's wife who was originally in charge of the housework this month, was also pulled in to help.
Shen Qianqian and Lu Yunzhi never cared about housework; they only took care of keeping their own room clean.
So, Zhang Wei glanced around and saw that the yard was covered with half-dried yellow mud. A gust of wind blew by, and it seemed to stir up dust that filled the air.
This is hardly a habitable environment.
This was the first thought that popped into Zhang Wei's mind!
Shen Qianqian noticed her mother's slightly furrowed brows and quickly pulled her to see her room: "Mom, let me show you the room where Lu Yunzhi and I live. We've tidied it up really well."
Shen Qianqian and Lu Yunzhi's room was the largest of the five brothers' rooms. As soon as you entered, you could see a wooden table and a wooden frame placed in the center of the room, which were essential for their family to cook their own meals.
Further inside, there was a double bed, with a small bedside table next to it, and a short distance from the foot of the bed...
There was a wooden cabinet, which was divided into two parts. One side was filled with food, and the other side had clothes hanging on it.
The bed and the wooden cabinet were bought by Lu Yunzhi through a connection when Shen Qianqian and Lu Yunzhi got married.
The furnishings in Shen Qianqian's house were already considered top-notch in the village, but Zhang Wei was still not satisfied, and she didn't intend to voice all her dissatisfaction at the moment.
She knew that forcing this stubborn girl wouldn't work.
Zhang Wei pulled out a wooden stool and sat down, feigning reproach, saying, "I've been here so long, and you won't even pour me a cup of hot water?"
"Yes, yes, I'll go right now!" Shen Qianqian's face lit up with a smile. Since her mother had said that, it must mean she was giving in.
She made two cups of malted milk powder, handing one to Zhang Wei and keeping the other for herself.
Zhang Wei raised her cup, about to put it in her mouth, but suddenly stopped: "I remember now, I brought you some food when I came. I just put it at the door, go and bring it in. Otherwise, if the other members of the Lu family see it later, we'll have to take it out and divide it up."
"Mom, you're so good to me!" Shen Qianqian excitedly hugged Zhang Wei, gave her a big kiss, and then went off to get her things.
Zhang Wei sneered inwardly. Sure enough, she knew the Lu family was no good.
Judging from Qianqian's reaction, being asked to share her things is probably a regular occurrence for her.
I absolutely must take her with me this time!!!
As soon as Shen Qianqian left the room, Zhang Wei quickly took out sleeping pills from her bag and put them into Shen Qianqian's glass of water.
The medicine melted extremely quickly. By the time Shen Qianqian returned to the room, the pills had completely dissolved into the milky white liquid.
Shen Qianqian tidied up her things and put them in the cabinet, then picked up her glass and drank the water in one gulp. She then sat down opposite Zhang Wei and chatted with her about her experience as an educated youth sent to the countryside, as well as her first encounter and falling in love with Lu Yunzhi.
When Shen Qianqian first arrived in the countryside, the heavy farm work was naturally difficult for her, as she had been pampered since childhood. Her fellow educated youth in the same dormitory, except for Shen Qian, ignored her and even disliked her at times. This was simply because the other educated youth in the dormitory had a "bad" impression of Shen Qianqian.
We were all sent to the countryside as educated youth together, so why is she the only one who receives packages from home every week? Besides, she's beautiful, delicate, and her family treats her well. What's she doing in the countryside? Isn't she just showing off in front of those of us who were forced to go?
But Shen Qianqian knew that her purpose in coming to the countryside, besides getting away from that suffocating home, was also because of one person... Lu Yunzhi.
Her first encounter with Lu Yunzhi actually took place in the city. She had argued with her father and ran away from home in a huff. It was nighttime when she was ambushed by a group of thugs. If Lu Yunzhi hadn't happened to be passing by and saved her, she probably would have died two years ago that night.
Fortunately, during her first week in the countryside, she happened to meet Lu Yunzhi, who was home for the holidays. Seeing that she couldn't handle all the work alone, Lu Yunzhi would help Shen Qianqian with her chores after finishing his own. Gradually, the two became more and more familiar with each other, and feelings even developed between them...
After finishing her sentence, Shen Qianqian yawned. It was strange; she had slept for a long time last night, yet she was still incredibly sleepy. In a daze, she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep on the table.
Zhang Wei gazed at her sleeping daughter, her mind replaying the story Chen Qianqian had just told her. Although Lu Yunzhi in the story was portrayed as a righteous and responsible person, perhaps due to her failed marriage with her ex-husband, she still couldn't fully trust the Lu family with her daughter. However, the happy expression on her daughter's face while telling the story didn't seem entirely fake...
Perhaps she could test these two.
Thinking this way, Zhang Wei found the helper she had initially hired to help carry Shen Qianqian to the car at the village entrance and drive her back to the city.
...
Meanwhile, Lu Yunzhi met with his former comrade-in-arms Chen Zhan in the county town.
Like Lu Yunzhi, Chen Zhan was injured during the last mission. However, unlike Lu Yunzhi, Chen Zhan injured his knee. If his recovery is not good, he may have to live with crutches for the rest of his life.
The two knew from their time in the hospital that their military service was over; after all, even with the best recovery, they could never reach their pre-injury level. So, they decided to start a business together after their discharge. They had already finalized their business plan, but the first hurdle was finding a suitable location for their factory.
These past few days, Lu Yunzhi and Chen Zhan had visited factories of all sizes, but hadn't found a suitable one. Either the factories were too small, or renting them was too expensive. They spent another day there, still empty-handed. But the two weren't discouraged; after all, success can't be rushed.
The two didn't return home until evening. Before going back, Lu Yunzhi specially went to the pastry shop to pack some pastries to take back to Shen Qianqian. He could already imagine the way Qianqian's eyes would light up when she saw the pastries.
However, when Lu Yunzhi pushed open the door to his house, there was no one there.
Two empty cups sat on the table, and the cabinet was filled to the brim with gifts, but Shen Qianqian was nowhere to be seen.
In the utter silence, he could only hear his own breathing and the frantic pounding of his heart. A nameless unease crept into his heart. In a daze, he felt as if the scenes of him and Shen Qianqian yesterday were all a false dream, and he was still the poor boy who could only stand under the tree, looking up at the pear blossoms on the branches...
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