Chapter 15 Chapter 15 (Catching Bugs) You are going to have a stepmother
Xue Lanhua meant well, but as soon as she finished speaking, the two carrot-headed people who were carrying their small packages froze in their faces and pouty mouths, looking like they were about to cry.
These two children have almost never left Lu Qinghe. Moreover, they promised a few days ago that they could stay with their mother no matter where they go. Now, they feel wronged and afraid if they leave her even for one night.
"I'll send it to you two tomorrow morning, okay?" Xue Lanhua looked at the twins with a helpless smile.
"Hmm..." Although Lu Yang felt uncomfortable, he still endured it and covered his mouth without crying.
Lu Yao couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes seemed to be cut off and the next second she opened her mouth wide and prepared to howl.
"There's a place to stay at home, come back with me." Zhao Zhanming said.
"Mom, they can't leave me." Lu Qinghe squatted down and covered Lu Yao's mouth, rubbing the two children's faces. "Don't cry, don't cry. I didn't say to leave you behind. You come with us."
"Really?" Lu Yao rubbed Lu Qinghe's hand.
"Of course. When has Mom ever lied to you?"
After coaxing the child and saying goodbye to her family, Lu Qinghe and Zhao Zhanming walked towards Zhaojiagou.
The two villages are close to each other, but there is a short uninhabited mountain road in between.
Lu Qinghe walked with one child in each hand. As the sky grew darker and the road ahead became more rugged, she thought for a moment, squatted down, and prepared to pick up the child and walk.
"Your name is Lu Yang, right?" Zhao Zhanming also bent his straight waist.
Although Zhao Zhanming tried to keep his tone calm when speaking, he was always straightforward and concise out of habit.
Lu Yang looked over and nodded carefully.
"Can I hold you?" Zhao Zhanming asked again
Lu Yang was stunned and looked at his sister who was already in Lu Qinghe's arms.
Lu Yao pursed her lips, wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, and buried her little head in the crook of Lu Qinghe's neck without saying a word.
Lu Qinghe smiled: "Yaoyao is used to being held by me."
Zhao Zhanming nodded and looked at Lu Yang, "Where's Yangyang?"
Lu Yang tilted his head and thought for a moment, then looked straight at Zhao Zhanming and stretched out his arms to his new father.
Zhao Zhanming easily carried the child on his shoulders.
In the darkness of the night, the four of them seemed like a family. Except for Lu Yao making faces at Lu Yang from time to time and Lu Yang snorting in anger, everything seemed very harmonious.
-
Zhao family.
"Aunt Guo, I heard you say Lu Qinghe was young, but you didn't mention how pretty she was. When I first saw her when I came to visit her a few days ago, I thought she had never given birth."
The guests from the Zhao family had almost all been sent away, leaving only Aunt Guo as the last one to leave.
"That's not bad!" Aunt Guo smiled so hard that her teeth showed. "I'm not exaggerating, but here in the mountains, Aunt Guo never uses those fancy matchmaking tricks. Whatever I say is what it is. So what? You got a beautiful young daughter-in-law, you feel happy, right?!"
Zhao Chengshi lowered his head and packed his things without saying a word.
Sun Juhua and her eldest daughter-in-law Wang Cuiping looked at each other and forced a smile.
"Beautiful, beautiful, okay, then I won't send Aunt Guo off."
Aunt Guo went out and saw the Zhao family close the door. Her smile suddenly stopped.
Adoptive parents are no match for biological parents. They are not happy that their son has found such a good woman. What kind of people are they!
It was because Zhao Zhanming was in better condition, otherwise she would have married Qinghe to someone else.
With a snort, Aunt Guo rolled her eyes before leaving.
Inside the Zhao family's house, the family was packing up their things from the day. Except for their grandson Zhao Tianlei who was squatting outside playing with a sandbag, everyone else had a dull expression on their faces.
"Once Zhan Ming gets married, it will be even harder to get him to send money home." Sun Juhua curled her lips, clearly unhappy. "Lu Qinghe is young and well-dressed. Even if she tries to persuade him, she won't get a penny."
Wang Cuiping supported her waist and sat down: "Who said it wasn't? Judging from what Big Brother said, I guess he has to take Zirui with him. When they introduced him to me, they asked for him to accompany the army. If the whole family leaves, who will take care of our family then?"
Zhao Chengshi sighed, "It was you two who pushed for the blind date in the first place, and now it's you two who are unhappy after the marriage. Zhan Ming has had it tough too, so you two should just be quiet."
"Stop playing dumb."
Sun Juhua glared at Zhao Chengshi. "I'm pushing him to go on a blind date because my second son's wife is about to give birth in three months. By then, there will be many children at home, and we can take care of them all. Besides, childcare doesn't cost money, right? My third son is also looking for someone soon, and he's asking for money everywhere. I'm pushing him to come back and go on a blind date, but he's really thinking about finding a woman to stay at home and do the housework and take care of the children."
There are some things to consider when choosing a daughter-in-law. She can be good in terms of conditions, but not in every aspect, especially in terms of being well-groomed. She also cannot be too beautiful, as a vixen will still seduce a man's heart.
When the couple starts living together, the relationship with their parents will inevitably become more distant. Zhao Zhanming is still an adopted son, so it will be even more difficult for his family to control him.
"Before we got married, didn't you know Zhan Ming wanted to join the army?"
"I only realized how young your partner is when we met. If I can control Zhan Ming, will our family benefit?"
I hoped that Zhao Zhanming would become successful and filial to his family, but I didn't expect him to become like this.
I hope Zhao Zhanming will find a wife to share the housework, but I don't hope he will find a young and pretty wife who will agree to accompany him to live with the army.
Besides, they are not her biological children, so of course she still hopes that her two sons can live a better life.
Zhao Zirui sat at the door waiting for his father to come home, holding his cheek and listening to the adults talking. He didn't understand much, but he roughly knew that they didn't seem to like their new mother very much.
But why does he feel that... the new mother is actually quite good?
Although he only had time to say hello during the day, he remembered that his new mother smelled sweet and even asked her children to play with him. The two older brothers and sisters were also very interesting.
Zhao Zirui: "Grandma, my new mother speaks so softly and gently."
"You know nothing!"
Sun Juhua spat, "No matter how gentle she is, she's still a stepmother. The gentler she is, the more your father will listen to her. Then she'll only treat her own children well, and your father will no longer care about you. You'll just have to follow her and eat the stick."
Zhao Zirui was obviously frightened. His thin body trembled as he was already timid. He had originally wanted to wait for his parents to come back at the door, but now he walked into the house hesitantly.
"Hahaha, you're going to have a stepmother!" Zhao Tianlei, the second son, pinched his waist and pointed at Zhao Zirui and laughed, "Then your vicious stepmother will beat and scold you and won't let you eat enough, hahaha!"
Zhao Zirui ran to find Sun Juhua feeling aggrieved.
Sun Juhua raised her hand and patted the back of Zhao Zirui's outstretched hand.
The force wasn't strong, but for a child, it was enough to leave a red mark.
"Grandma..." Zhao Zirui didn't dare to cry, but just followed his grandmother who gave him a little sense of security.
"Why are you yelling? Your stepmother will hit you harder than me. There's no way she'll spoil you like at home!"
However, Wang Cuiping, the second wife, suddenly thought of something. Seeing that Zhao Zirui's eyes were red with grievance again, she suddenly patted her hands gently.
"Zi Rui, come to your aunt. If you are afraid of your stepmother, why don't you let her and the others go with the army, and you stay with grandma and aunt, okay?"
This is really a good idea. He can coax Zirui by saying that he can't bear to leave his grandparents, and then Zhao Zhanming can send some money home.
But Zhao Zirui didn't move at all, just stood there buttoning his trouser seams.
Wang Cuiping was about to say something when she heard footsteps outside.
"We're back."
Zhao Zhanming pushed open the door. Zhao Zirui's eyes were originally filled with hope, but the next second when he saw Lu Yang in Zhao Zhanming's arms, he could no longer hold back. He turned around and ran into the house with tears in his eyes.
"This child..."
Zhao Zhanming frowned, put Lu Yang down, and turned to look at Sun Juhua: "Mom, what's wrong with Zirui?"
Sun Juhua smiled and said, "I don't know. Maybe he missed you. He seemed fine just now. Or maybe..."
Sun Juhua said this, and suddenly looked at Lu Qinghe and the two children beside her. "Maybe they saw Dad holding this boy just now?"
"Mom and Dad, his name is Lu Yang, Lu Yang Lu Yao, call him." Lu Qinghe said lightly.
After watching the two children obediently call out to everyone in the yard, Lu Qinghe continued, "I don't think it's necessarily because of this. I met Zirui during the day, and he played well with the two children. Mom, if someone heard you say this, they would think you were deliberately trying to sow discord."
Sun Juhua's face suddenly turned green. "That's not what I meant. Besides, no one would hear me. Who do you think is an outsider?"
Lu Qinghe said calmly, "I didn't mean that. It's just that words like this can easily cause misunderstandings and destroy unity, so I'd better try to say as little as possible. Although we are all family here, if the children hear it, they will inevitably think too much. I am just taking care of their feelings."
She easily resolved the stumbling block that Sun Juhua had put in her words. Without giving Sun Juhua a chance to speak, she lowered her head and patted the two children, "Go talk to Zirui and ask if his brother is feeling unwell."
After saying that, he looked up at Zhao Zhanming again and said, "There are no outsiders in the room, right? I'll let them go in directly."
"Of course not."
Zhao Zhanming looked at Lu Qinghe with a look of certainty in his eyes, "Let them in."
Lu Yao and Lu Yang were not shy to begin with, and Lu Yao was a bit of a rascal, so she ran all the way while shouting "Brother Zirui". The two social thugs found the person in no time.
"The child raised by Qinghe is quite good-tempered." Sun Juhua glanced at the room indifferently.
Lu Qinghe smiled and said, "Mom, don't praise me. Children's temperaments are innate. As long as they are kind, they are good children. Zirui is the same."
Zhao Bowen, the second son of the Zhao family, stood with his hands behind his back, watching from behind. "Mom didn't say Zirui had a bad temper. You said the child was overthinking it. Sister-in-law, I think you're overthinking it. We are all farmers, and we don't keep things in our hearts."
Zhao Zhanming frowned. "Of course I have to think about it. After all, Qinghe has two children. If parents don't worry about them, who will? Second brother, you don't have to worry about the family's livelihood. It's easy to work during the day. As a father, aren't you a little too careless? It's good to be carefree, but you have to be careful and attentive when it comes to life, right?"
In the darkness of night, there was only a kerosene lamp in the yard.
Zhao Zhanming's face had turned cold.
Originally, today was a good day, and he had no intention of giving them a hard time, but now it seems that he has been too good-tempered these days.
Lu Qinghe naturally understood what Zhao Zhanming meant and played along, "Of course. When Zhanming and I get married and have four children, it's normal for me to be more considerate. How can I become famous if I live my life in a muddle?"
Zhao Zhanming glanced sideways, glanced at Lu Qinghe again, and then nodded softly.
Seeing Zhao Zhanming's expression turn cold, Zhao Bowen was indeed a little timid and smiled, "Brother, you're joking. I'm definitely worried about the family matters too."
"Really? I wonder if my second brother's work points this year are the same as in previous years. They're still not as high as our mother's."
“…”
Although Zhao Bowen is married, Zhao Zhanming gives him a monthly subsidy. Even though Sun Juhua cries poor every day, thirty yuan is enough for their family expenses, so Zhao Bowen becomes more and more lazy.
"Well, it's getting late."
Zhao Chengshi noticed that the atmosphere in the yard was not right, so he cleared his throat and came out to smooth things over. "Aren't you thirsty after all that talking? Those of you who haven't finished packing up your things from the day, go ahead and get some rest after you're done."
Zhao Zhanming was obviously on the side of the new daughter-in-law. His face darkened. Zhao Bowen and his wife had nothing else to say. They shrank their necks and carried their son back to the house.
The third child, Zhao Guodong, was only seventeen years old. He was playing by himself nearby. When he heard Zhao Chengshi calling him, he lowered his head and followed him to wash the dishes.
Sun Juhua's face turned even worse. She was already upset enough because Lu Qinghe blocked all her words.
As a result, in front of the new daughter-in-law, Zhao Zhanming didn't give her any face at all, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.
"Zhao Chengshi, you don't even speak up for me."
Zhao Chengshi frowned, and the wrinkles on his face deepened. "It's a happy new day. It's not too late to say anything tomorrow. I understand your feelings, but Zhan Ming is a soft-hearted person. Judging from his expression, his new wife is different from the old one, and she is not a pushover either. You'd better take it easy."
"Bah, I think he is taking advantage of the foxy girl's soft side, and then comes to take advantage of our family, so you should just protect him."
"Who's protecting him? After all, I'm doing this for Bowen and Guodong's own good."
“…”
The sound of washing dishes next to the water tank drowned out the old couple's voices.
On the other side, Lu Qinghe followed Zhao Zhanming to familiarize himself with the Zhao family's environment.
"Zhao Zhanming."
"Um?"
"Did I just... speak a little too bluntly?"
Long before meeting his parents, Zhao Zhanming told Lu Qinghe that she didn't need to consider her in-laws' expressions, which was why she spoke so recklessly just now.
Only after seeing the person did Lu Qinghe understand.
Even if Zhao Zhanming didn't say it, given her temper, she probably couldn't suppress those words.
But it’s better to ask more questions to avoid any resentment from both of you later.
"Is it straight? I think it's fine." Zhao Zhanming looked normal and didn't show any discomfort.
"real?"
"I don't tell lies."
Lu Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, "That's fine."
Zhao Zhanming looked down at her expression, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Not only that, but you can always say that in the future."
"……ah?"
"Um."
Zhao Zhanming glanced calmly outside the main hall. "Although I haven't been home for many years, I know everything about our family. There are some things wrong with my parents' behavior. If you feel unhappy or unhappy about that, just say it."
My God, on the first day of the wedding, the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law no longer exists for Lu Qinghe?
If it were someone else, they would probably be polite, but Lu Qinghe didn't think so.
Men's mouths can be deceiving. This is an opportunity. I must seize the opportunity and get rid of the matter.
Lu Qinghe: "This, this is what you said. If you don't like it, you can say anything."
"Yeah, that's what I said."
Zhao Zhanming said without hesitation, "And if you feel like you're being targeted, don't doubt yourself. It's definitely not your fault, it's because of me."
"Qinghe, it was not easy for you to marry me and agree to join the army. Now if my family gossips about me because I'm an adopted son, that would be even more wrong of me. Don't worry, do what you want, I'm here for you."
Lu Qinghe's words were just a test, but after hearing Zhao Zhanming's sincere words, she actually felt a little sorry for him.
"You make us both feel pathetic. Okay, I understand. Don't worry, I won't let myself get hurt."
Zhao Zhanming smiled faintly, "Well, I'm going to take a shower. You go into the room first. I'll take care of Zirui later. You rest."
"good."
When Lu Qinghe entered the room, he saw three little kids whispering to each other around the bed.
Zhao Zirui, who had been crying just now, still had red eyes. When he saw Lu Qinghe come in, he was stunned and didn't say anything.
Lu Yang was a smart boy. When he saw his mother coming in, he closed the door, pulled Lu Qinghe's hand and asked her to bend down, and whispered in her ear.
"Mom, that bad grandma outside is bullying brother Zirui!"
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