After Zhao Meiyun left, Zhao Qiujuan became somewhat absent-minded.
Shi Zhen is actually dating Guan Baiyu... This is so surprising!
She has no interest in studying anymore!
But after the initial surprise, upon closer reflection, it seemed normal.
Shi Zhen had always been most concerned about Guan Baiyu, and he would go to see Guan Baiyu every weekend...
However, two men together...
Shi Zhen went to the construction site that day and then went home, while Duan Hongming went back to the company.
Back at the company, he noticed that Zhao Qiujuan seemed out of sorts, appearing dazed and confused.
It wasn't like this this morning... Could it be that her scumbag ex-boyfriend has come looking for her again?
"What happened to Zhao Qiujuan?" Duan Hongming asked one of the company's employees, a local who had been working there.
"Her mother came to see her today and talked to her for a while. After that, she stopped studying altogether. I don't know what happened," the man said.
Duan Hongming thought for a moment, then went to find Zhao Qiujuan: "What's wrong?"
"I...I'm fine." Zhao Qiujuan smiled at Duan Hongming. She definitely had to keep Shi Zhen's matter a secret. She couldn't even tell Shi Ting, let alone Duan Hongming.
"I heard your mother came? What did she say to you?" Duan Hongming asked.
Zhao Qiujuan thought for a moment and said vaguely, "It's nothing."
"Is it because of your marriage?" Duan Hongming asked again. Zhao Qiujuan's family shouldn't be very well-off... Is her mother forcing her to get married? Or forcing her to marry a scumbag?
Zhao Qiujuan nodded quickly: "Yes."
"Don't listen too much to your elders. You should make your own decisions about your marriage. As for your ex-boyfriend, you shouldn't think about him anymore..." Duan Hongming said earnestly.
Zhao Qiujuan said, "I understand... You're such a good person!" Zhao Qiujuan genuinely felt that Duan Hongming was a good person; he stood up for her and cared about her!
Duan Hongming also felt that he was a good person, and went back to work contentedly.
Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng came to Changxi City, but Shi Zhen did not accompany them.
Firstly, he has a lot of things to do, and secondly, people may not necessarily like him spending time with them.
Shi Zhen went off to do his work, so Guan Baiyu took Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian to wander around.
However, the two did not stay in Changxi City for long. After staying for three nights, they asked to leave and invited Guan Baiyu to the Mu family.
Jiang Xingsheng didn't have a good relationship with his family, but Mu Tian had a very good relationship with hers, and they would spend the Chinese New Year at the Mu family's house.
Guan Baiyu agreed to go after the New Year.
Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng were already very satisfied with this, so they readily agreed.
Fang Miyan gave birth right after Mu Tian and the others left.
Shi Zhen only received the news the next day, and then he took Guan Baiyu and gifts to visit Fang Miyan.
Fang Miyan is usually hardworking, strong, and young. It is said that she got off the delivery bed quickly after giving birth.
However, later, Chen Xiaofen forbade her to get out of bed and told her to lie down and rest.
For their generation, childbirth was quite difficult. Back then, the family only had one set of bedding, and if it got dirty, there was nothing to cover themselves with. The delivery room was made of straw.
This kind of thing... even in Guanjia Village, it was like this back then.
Some people suffer in their early years and can't bear to see their younger generations enjoy life. Fortunately, Chen Xiaofen is not like that. She wholeheartedly wants Fang Miyan to have a good postpartum period.
When Shi Zhen arrived, he saw her serving Fang Miyan a bowl of oily pig's trotter soup, while she talked about some experiences passed down from the older generation, such as eating more eggs and brown sugar, and drinking more soup.
They also said we shouldn't eat leafy greens, because eating too many would reduce milk production.
Shi Zhen said, "We didn't have enough to eat before, so we didn't produce enough milk. We still need to maintain a balanced diet... Listen to the doctor!"
When Shi Ting gave birth to her last child, he paid attention to it. According to what he knew, postpartum nutrition should be balanced, and vegetables should not be omitted.
There's one good thing about Chen Xiaofen and Zhao Meiyun.
Perhaps because they used to live in the mountains and felt out of place in the world when they first came out, knowing nothing, they were willing to listen to young people.
Such people are much easier to get along with than middle-aged and elderly people who think they know more than young people and demand that young people listen to them.
After consulting with the doctor, Chen Xiaofen kept saying that she would make sure to cook a balanced meal of meat and vegetables for Fang Miyan from now on.
Because Fang Miyan gave birth before the Lunar New Year, Chen Xiaofen and the others won't be going back for the holiday this year. Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun also decided not to go back either.
Going back would be too tiring; it's better to stay here.
Even during the Lunar New Year, shops in Anshan Town and Changxi City remain open, and the vegetable market stays open from New Year's Eve to the first day of the Lunar New Year... It's so comfortable to live here!
Shi Zhen didn't want to go back either; his old house must be even more dilapidated now.
Shi Zhen remembers that before long, after most of the people in their village went out to work, no one was willing to farm anymore, so the village became empty in just a few years.
Shi Zhen came over, bringing several packs of diapers as a gift.
By this time, diapers were already available, and the hospital in Anshan Town even forced Shi Xingchao to buy a pack.
However, based on Shi Zhen's understanding of Shi Xingchao, he definitely wouldn't buy diapers again after being discharged from the hospital.
So he simply gave some away.
This child can use cloth diapers during the day, but disposable diapers are more convenient at night.
"Shi Zhen, why did you buy this? It's a waste of money," Shi Xingchao said.
Shi Zhen said, "This is convenient, and the bed won't be covered in urine."
He remembered that when Shi Ting was little, their house had a certain smell, and the bed was always covered in it... cough cough!
Shi Xingchao said, "There won't be any on the bed. Shi Zhen, let me tell you, this diaper has a waterproof outer layer! I removed the cotton wadding from the diaper we used yesterday. We can put a cloth diaper inside and reuse it for many days. When it wears out, we can just change it."
Shi Zhen: "..."
Shi Xingchao then asked, "Where did you buy these diapers? How much did they cost?"
Shi Zhen said, "This is something I bought for your son, not yours. Don't even think about selling it! You can use your method during the day, but at night you should use diapers so you can get a better night's sleep."
"Sigh... Thanks." Shi Xingchao said, looking regretful.
Shi Zhen: "..."
However, that's not the main point.
Shi Zhen suddenly noticed that all of Shi Xingchao's son's clothes were old...
Shi Xingchao said, "Children should wear hand-me-downs, so I asked the villagers for some old clothes. Now that most children are only children, they had nothing to do with these clothes, so they gave them away very readily. I think this child won't need to buy clothes anymore..."
Alright... whatever makes Shi Xingchao happy.
However, his son certainly won't be happy.
Shi Zhen silently felt sorry for the child.
Shi Zhen's construction sites gradually stopped work. On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, all the construction sites stopped work and the workers went home.
Earlier, Shi Zhen gave the workers a benefit: he could help them buy train tickets, with the money deducted from their year-end bonuses.
The workers were particularly happy, and as a result, all the workers in his company left smoothly.
Shi Zhen, of course, didn't forget to give Duan Hongming a large red envelope, containing a full six thousand yuan, enough for him to have a good New Year. On New Year's Eve, Shi Zhen took Guan Baiyu back to celebrate the New Year with Shi Dalin and the others.
For the past few years, Guan Baiyu had always spent the Lunar New Year with Shi Zhen and the others, and no one had thought anything of it before, but this year... Shi Dalin avoided Guan Baiyu, and as for Zhao Meiyun...
As soon as Guan Baiyu entered, Zhao Meiyun brought out a bowl of brown sugar and eggs.
Guan Baiyu, holding the brown sugar and egg dish, asked Shi Zhen with some confusion, "Why are you giving me this?" He'd never had this before... and while he didn't dislike brown sugar boiled eggs, he didn't particularly like them either.
“You can give it to me if you don’t like it,” Shi Zhen said in a low voice. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Where we come from… when a new bride visits during the New Year, she is given a bowl of brown sugar and eggs.”
Guan Baiyu's face immediately turned red.
Shi Ting, completely unaware of the situation, was still asking Zhao Meiyun, "Mom, why don't I have brown sugar and eggs?"
Zhao Meiyun didn't even ask her if she wanted any food, let alone say that there wasn't any left.
She felt a little wronged.
"Then... do you want some? If you do, I'll make you a bowl?" Zhao Meiyun asked.
Shi Ting said, "No need for that. I can't eat anything else after I've had brown sugar and eggs."
There are so many delicious foods during the Chinese New Year, she wants to save room for other things.
Her mom fried some meatballs and fish, which tasted much better than eggs.
She just didn't understand why Guan Baiyu was treated differently.
Was Guan Baiyu a guest? Shi Ting went to get a fried meatball to eat, and then she saw Guan Baiyu eat a brown sugar egg and give the other one to her brother.
Guan Baiyu's face was particularly red.
"Brother Baiyu, why is your face so red?" Shi Ting asked Guan Baiyu.
Guan Baiyu said, "It's a bit hot inside."
"Oh!" Shi Ting nodded without suspicion.
Shi Zhen laughed from the side.
Shi Ting still liked Guan Baiyu very much. After eating the meatballs, she went to talk to Guan Baiyu, who was sitting on the sofa, and asked him what university was like.
Guan Baiyu then picked out some and told her about them.
Shi Ting was quite eager to go, and said, "That's great! I've always wanted to visit your school, but my brother doesn't want to take me! Brother Bai Yu, you don't know, I told my classmates that I have a brother studying at H University, and they are so envious of me!"
As Shi Ting spoke, she moved closer and closer to Guan Baiyu.
Shi Zhen walked over and said to Guan Baiyu, "Xiaoyu, move aside."
Guan Baiyu smiled and stepped aside.
Shi Zhen then sat down between the two.
Shi Ting didn't notice anything amiss. Upon seeing her brother, she immediately grabbed Shi Zhen's arm and exclaimed, "Brother, when are you going to take me to the provincial capital? I want to go!"
"I'll take you next year."
"It's settled then, brother, you can't lie to me!" Shi Ting said.
"I'm not lying to you."
“Sigh, brother, I often didn’t even see you for the past six months…” Shi Ting sighed. She had weekends off, but Shi Zhen was usually not around. They could only have dinner together on Sunday nights.
However, she has many friends at school now, so she doesn't really care.
Shi Zhen said, "There's nothing I can do, I'm in a relationship, I don't have time to spend with you." Zhao Meiyun and the others hadn't told Shi Ting about his relationship with Guan Baiyu, but Shi Zhen didn't intend to hide it from Shi Ting.
Although this girl is silly, she won't tell anyone about this kind of thing.
She knew it all along in her past life, but she never told anyone.
Shi Ting was completely dumbfounded: "What?"
"I'm in a relationship."
"Brother, you found a girlfriend? Who is she?" Shi Ting asked curiously.
"Not girlfriend, boyfriend." Shi Zhen put his arms around Guan Baiyu's neck and kissed Guan Baiyu on the cheek.
Shi Ting was dumbfounded.
Shi Dalin angrily said, "This is offensive to public morals."
Shi Zhen laughed when he heard Shi Dalin say that.
At this moment, Shi Ting finally came to her senses: "Brother Bai Yu is a girl? No, you said he was your boyfriend... Brother, you're a girl? No, that's not right either..."
Shi Zhen ruffled her hair, smiled, and left, leaving Guan Baiyu and Shi Ting staring at each other.
Guan Baiyu said, "We are both men, and we are in a relationship."
"You can do that?" Shi Ting was shocked.
"Yes," Guan Baiyu said.
Shi Ting fell silent, her brows furrowed in confusion. After a long pause, she finally said, "So that's why my brother treats you better than me—he's prioritizing his lover over his sister..."
Shi Ting understood!
Her brother treated her very well. People in her village used to tell her that once her brother married his sister-in-law, he wouldn't treat her well anymore.
On one occasion, she even cried and begged her brother not to marry his sister-in-law.
At the time, her brother said that even if he married his sister-in-law, he would still treat her well.
Now it seems... men's words can't be trusted.
But what the villagers said... was all true.
Sigh, this kind of situation is not uncommon among her classmates at their preschool teacher training school.
Shi Ting looked at Guan Baiyu, then at Shi Zhen, and thought that if it was Guan Baiyu, it would be easier to accept.
After all, she was already used to this differential treatment.
"You can't tell anyone about this, understand?" Guan Baiyu instructed Shi Ting.
Afterwards, he also talked to Shi Ting about some things, such as what impact this matter would have on them if it were leaked.
Shi Ting quickly replied, "I promise I won't tell anyone!"
"Sweetie... I'll treat you to something delicious next time you come to the provincial capital," Guan Baiyu said.
"Brother Baiyu, what are some good places to eat in the provincial capital?"
Guan Baiyu immediately said some things, and as he spoke, he came to talk about his biological parents.
Shi Ting then realized that Guan Baiyu wasn't her cousin: "Oh, I see! I was worried that you two were related by blood, it's great that you're not!"
Guan Baiyu: "..." We're all men, why are you talking about marriage! And what's there to worry about?
Zhao Meiyun takes ancestor worship and other important matters very seriously during the Lunar New Year, and she specially bought candles to light.
Even so, it was only 5 p.m. when everything was done.
Everyone was hungry and waiting for dinner, so Zhao Meiyun waved her hand and started eating right away.
After they finished eating, they played cards together and waited to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
At the same time, the Mu family.
The Mu family is still making dumplings.
The Mu family's old house is quite large, but with over thirty people gathered inside, it still felt very crowded.
Mu Tian has three older brothers, who together have ten children. Now her eldest brother is already a grandson... How could her family not be large?
Before Mu Tian and Tao Hanyi divorced, she wouldn't come back for the Chinese New Year. After the divorce, she lived here, and during the New Year, everyone would always ask her about her future plans. Now... they all ask Guan Baiyu.
"I heard that this child's adoptive parents treat him well?"
"It's good that the child didn't suffer."
"I saw the photo, he's really handsome and promising."
...
Everyone was praising Guan Baiyu, but Mu Tian felt uncomfortable listening to it. Finally, she said, "This child only reports good news and not bad. I just found out that he had a hard time in the past..."
Mu Tian didn't mention Shi Zhen's matter, but she did mention some things about the Guan family.
"This child has suffered so much, why didn't he come back for the New Year?"
"I even prepared red envelopes."
"It's really not easy to do so well in the college entrance examination under such conditions."
...
Mu Tian said, "He went to celebrate the New Year with the people who helped him, and he will come back after the New Year."
Jiang Xingsheng watched Mu Tian talking to her family.
Compared to his family, Mu Tian's relatives were far better off. Although Mu Tian's sisters-in-law had their own selfish motives, they were absolutely impeccable in their dealings with the public.
However, it was the right thing for Guan Baiyu not to come for the New Year.
Sometimes, even well-intentioned words can make people feel uncomfortable.
Of course, coming over after the New Year... that's the right thing to do.
These are all connections.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Guan Baiyu took Shi Ting out to play.
Many shops were closed on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but some were open. Guan Baiyu bought whatever Shi Ting wanted for her, spending several hundred yuan. Shi Ting was so eager to call Guan Baiyu "sister-in-law" that she wanted to.
Guan Baiyu: "..." This is really unnecessary.
Shi Zhen: "..." His sister is so easy to bribe.
However, Shi Ting is much better off now than in her previous life. With his constant guidance, she is no longer easily fooled by small favors.
The best part is... Shi Ting attended a preschool teacher training school, which was essentially an all-girls school.
When Shi Ting was in junior high school, some boys liked her and secretly pursued her, but now she can't even have contact with men.
So safe!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com