Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Able to give birth and raise
When farmers are busy working in the fields, lunch is usually prepared by the women in the family and brought to the edge of the field. After eating, they can rest for a while and then continue to work, which can save some energy and time.
Most of the children in the village just learned their own names and then stopped going to school. They followed the adults to do small chores in the fields within their ability, such as picking beans and sheep dung. When they accumulated enough, they would send them to the team and it would count as work points.
The Zhao family of □□ people waited until it was almost dark before they followed him back home.
As soon as Zhao Chengshi pushed the door open, he saw chopped firewood piled against the wall. The yard inside and out was obviously clean and tidy.
"Big brother is back, isn't he?" Zhao Bowen, the second son of the Zhao family, sneered. "No wonder he's a soldier. Even if he's energetic, he must have been eating meat and rice porridge all day in the army. Unlike us, who work in the fields all day, working ourselves to death without any food in our stomachs."
In his early years, Zhao Bowen saw Zhao Zhanming joining the army, his position getting higher and higher and his salary getting better and better, so he wanted to go too.
But he recruited soldiers twice and was rejected each time.
He also wanted Zhao Zhanming to help him through the back door, but to no avail. As a result, Zhao Laoer felt sour in his mouth every time they met.
Hearing the noise coming from the house, the second son's wife, Wang Cuiping, poked her husband and said, "Okay, don't let the eldest brother hear it!"
"Why, am I afraid of him?"
"Mom, Dad, Second Child"
As he was speaking, Zhao Zhanming had already walked out. He stood in the yard with a tall and strong figure. He was half a head taller than anyone else in the Zhao family. With the corners of his sleeves rolled up, the muscular blocks on his big arms were solid and powerful. No matter how you looked at him, it was clear that he was not someone to be trifled with.
"Second brother, who are you afraid of?" Zhao Zhanming looked sideways and said in a light tone.
"...I didn't say anything, brother, you heard it wrong."
Zhao Laoer touched his nose and didn't dare to continue what he had just said.
Zhao Chengshi looked at his wife and grandson Juhua, then looked at the work Zhao Zhanming was doing in the yard. He threw down his hoe, took out his pipe and put it in his mouth.
"Why did you come back so late? Your mother sent you letters twice. How come the stamps didn't cost money?"
Zhao Zhanming: "Something happened in the army, so it's hard to ask for leave. I'll rush back as soon as I'm done."
The third child, Zhao Guodong, was still young. He casually said hello, threw down the basket and ran out for a walk. At this time, the children following behind him also ran in.
The second room has two boys, one big and one small.
Zhao Zhanming got married late, and his youngest son, Zhao Zirui, is younger than both of Zhao Guodong's children. At this moment, with his hair disheveled and wearing clothes that are one size larger than his body, he staggered to Wang Juhua.
Sun Juhua pushed Zhao Zirui forward and asked, "Go see who's back?"
Zhao Zirui looked around blankly with his little face covered in dirt. When he came to his senses, he was stunned at first, and then his eyes turned red.
"Zi Rui, come over here."
As soon as Zhao Zhanming opened his mouth, Zhao Zirui burst into tears and staggered into his father's arms.
Sun Juhua was a little impatient. "Why are you crying? It's like you've been wronged at home. What? Are you going to complain to your dad about your grandma not taking good care of you?"
Zhao Zhanming frowned, patted his son's back, and whispered to comfort him before looking up. "How can you say that, Mom? It's all thanks to you that I've raised Zirui these past few years. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take care of him in the army. I'm afraid he wouldn't even have enough to eat."
"That's all I need to know." Sun Juhua sighed. "Okay, I'll go cook. I'll talk to you later."
"Um."
Zhao Zhanming responded, then glanced at the well-dressed clothes on Zhao Guodong's two children. He lowered his eyes and rolled up his youngest son's slightly long trouser legs. "Don't cry. I'll take you to wash your face."
"dad."
Zhao Zirui tightly grasped the corner of Zhao Zhanming's clothes, tears welling up in his eyes, yet he was also a little timid. "You...are you going to leave again after you come back this time?"
Going to leave.
But Zhao Zhanming did not answer his son immediately. He reached out to wipe his son's tears again, picked him up and took him to the well to wash his face.
No one in the Zhao family seemed very happy to see their son, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, come home.
After finishing the bland dinner, Aunt Guo came. Sun Juhua then called Zhao Zhanming and went into the yard together.
Seeing that Zhao Zhanming did not refuse, Sun Juhua felt that there would definitely be a chance this time.
After all, it’s actually all about Zhao Zhanming finding a wife. No matter what he said before, he had no idea, but now maybe he has finally come to his senses.
Aunt Guo was a relatively reliable matchmaker in Dagu Village. She didn't make empty promises or flatter others. Following Sun Juhua's suggestion, she gave Zhao Zhanming several names.
"The widowed sister-in-law of Zhou Laosan's family is pretty and charming. Many men have had their eyes on her, but she never took a liking to her. But when she heard that it was for Zhao Zhanming, she immediately agreed."
"We are all neighbors, so I won't hide it from you, auntie. There is also the butcher's daughter. Although that brother is a little short and has more pockmarks on his face, it's his first marriage, and it's rare for someone in the family to eat meat. As the saying goes, a woman three years older than you is a treasure. The two families will definitely have a prosperous future together."
"There's also Lu from our Dagu Village. She's a good girl, with impeccable looks and character. I'm afraid there will be a lot of matchmakers coming to her house in the next couple of days. But she has two children with her, so she's a bit of a burden."
Sun Juhua's eyes twitched. "The widow of the Zhou family is pretty, but her heart is pretty too. Although she hasn't been on a blind date, there are many men, young and old, coming and going around her house. She's a restless person. But I think the butcher's daughter is pretty good. Life is the same for everyone else, and being pretty doesn't mean you can eat it."
Aunt Guo covered her mole and laughed so hard that she fell backwards. "Who says it's not? But I've picked out a lot and I think they're all good. It depends on what Zhan Ming thinks."
"Lu family? Is it the one called Lu Qinghe?" Zhao Zhanming asked.
Aunt Guo smiled so hard that her teeth showed, "Look, everyone who just came back knows it, it's this girl! She's younger, only 25, and can bear children and raise them. She will definitely be a caring person in the future."
"She just divorced her husband a few days ago, can she agree?"
"You don't know this. The Wu family man has been gone for six years. I haven't seen him again, let alone money. The in-laws are even thinking of killing their daughter-in-law. People are all made of flesh and blood. Who wouldn't feel cold after such a commotion? The Lu family has had a grudge against that man for a long time. I'm familiar with her second aunt, and her mother is already looking for him."
"That's what my mother meant. What did she mean?"
"That's what my mother meant! It's not convenient to come over right now. If you're interested, I'll go ask again after a few days when the situation has subsided."
Zhao Zhanming hesitated for a moment.
Aunt Guo coughed twice and reminded: "Don't think there's anything wrong. If you have any ideas, please speak up quickly. Otherwise, I know there will be two or three bachelors waiting to come to you!"
"And... Auntie, let me be frank with you. Although that girl is taking care of two children, it was Master Zhao who saw to it that she was given the family property and compensation. Oh, if I weren't so familiar with her second aunt, it would be hard to say."
Sun Juhua looked on with a bit of discomfort. "I know that girl. She's good at everything, both at home and outside. She's capable, but... I still think she's not as good as the butcher's daughter."
Family property is a fixed number. There is definitely a difference between having enough to eat one meal and having enough to eat every other meal. No matter how you think about it, the butcher's family is better off.
"Let's just go with the Lu family."
Zhao Zhanming ignored Sun Juhua's opinion. After a moment's thought, he said directly, "I heard Master Zhao mention it today. He said that he is a person of good character. Aunt Guo, please ask about it for me someday. It's late tonight. If you have a chance, I'll take my things and go to your house to see you."
Sun Juhua stopped talking.
Aunt Guo pursed her lips and smiled even more. "Okay, okay, leave it to me. Zhan Ming is really worthy of being the one I raised since he was a child. He is still so sensible!"
As soon as Aunt Guo left, Sun Juhua was about to say something, but Zhao Zhanming left under the pretext of giving the child a bath.
When she went to bed at night, Sun Juhua complained to Zhao Chengshi.
Zhao Chengshi lay on his side on the bed, holding his buttocks and not taking it seriously. "Why, do you still want to find him a fairy from heaven?"
"If there's a fairy, I'll keep it for my son. I'm thinking of finding someone with better conditions. Our third son will be looking for a woman soon, and he'll have a lot of money to spend. Zhao Zhanming is getting more and more cunning as he grows older. Now that he's been promoted, the money he sends back is still the same as it was two years ago. Who would believe it if I told anyone else?"
"Didn't he say that adopting a son over there also requires money? Well, whether this will work or not is still uncertain. Why are you in such a hurry? I have to go to work tomorrow. I'm going to sleep."
Sun Juhua rolled her eyes, cursed, and then lay down.
-
It was evening again, and the sky was full of clouds.
The big yellow dog opposite the Lu family shouted twice at the intersection, and the children from several nearby houses ran back chasing each other and laughing.
In a blink of an eye, Lu Qinghe had already returned to her parents' home for five or six days. She walked out as she knew the way and called Yaoyao and Yangyang, who had just run home, into the house.
Yangyang: "Mom, the picture book you drew for us is so interesting. Several kids asked me for it today. It's much more interesting than learning to read in literacy class."
Yaoyao: "That's right, the little man picture above teaches you how to read and you can immediately understand the meaning. The character '出' is actually two mountains stacked together. Yangyang could never remember it before."
"Who said I can't remember? I, I remember it!"
The so-called pictorials were certainly not the colored printed paper used by the village brigade, but rather the little figures that Lu Qinghe had casually drawn on straw paper when she had nothing to do these days, and used them to teach her two children to read.
Dagu Village is poor, not only in terms of food and clothing, but also in terms of thinking.
There are many people in the village who can read, but there are only a few who can know more than ten characters.
But the brigade's literacy class has been running for several years, and not only are there no students attending classes, even the teacher who teaches them how to read has disappeared.
Among the nearby villages, there is only one school left over from the past, Zhaojiagou. No matter how old you are, you can be sent there if you want to go. However, the school only teaches the class and does not care about the students. If you want to study, you can study, if you don’t want to study, forget it.
As they were talking, the people from the Lu family who went to work in the fields also arrived home.
Lu Qinghe patted the two children's heads and said, "Alright, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner. Tonight we have small crucian carp soup and cornmeal pancakes."
"I know, Mom."
"There's meat to eat! Mom, I'm going to wash my hands now!"
Lu Qingshan, who had just entered the house, leaned over to take a look at the straw paper left by the two children, his eyes widened, "When did my sister become so skilled?"
"I learned it from the posters on the brigade's bulletin board. I just drew it for fun. Brother, did you ask for me?"
"I asked, the school in Zhaojiagou is still accepting students, and the tuition and textbook fees are six yuan a year. Do you really want to send Yangyang and Yaoyao there?"
Before Lu Qinghe could say anything, the taciturn Lu Fengshou glared at him, puffing out his beard. "What's the point of studying those bookish things? Even if you have the will, you're not destined for it. It's a waste of money and effort. You might as well learn how to do farm work and start working to earn money!"
Lu Qingshan tried to speak up for his sister: "Hasn't our Xiaoshan and Xiaohai both gone to school for a year? At least they should learn their own names, right?"
"Forget about the boys, but what is Yaoyao going to do there? She's always looking for trouble. Can't she let people have some peace? I'd say that school is a sham. They say there are teachers, but even after handing out the textbooks, I haven't seen any teachers teaching anything. It's better to save money. You'll have two children in the future, so it's better to be frugal than anything else. Your mother and I can take care of you for a few more days while we're alive. But if we're gone, your two brothers will have their own families. What will you do?"
In fact, Lu Fengshou was not bad to Lu Qinghe's two children. These days, they were given the same food, clothing and other expenses as his own two grandsons, and he did not treat them differently.
But the old man's idea couldn't be changed in a short time. He started from saying that literacy was useless to saying that money should be saved, and finally urged me to go on a blind date.
Lu Qinghe argued for a few words and was too lazy to say anything else. She just made up her mind secretly that for the sake of her child and herself, she had to find a way to get out.
Sister-in-law Zhou Feng arrived home carrying a bamboo basket. Seeing Lu Qinghe wearing an apron, she quickly put down her things and came over to help wash her hands. "You're not feeling well. You finally came back to stay here. It's okay to rest for a few days. It won't waste time when we come back to do it."
Lu Qingshan nodded and said yes, and called his fourteen-year-old eldest son Lu Xiaohai to go to the yard to chop firewood together.
Second sister-in-law Zhang Meizhi rubbed her arms, called her son Xiaoshan over with a faint expression and asked him a few questions about what he did at home during the day, and then followed him into the kitchen.
Zhang Meizhi: "Actually, Qinghe is in good health. Look at her, she's been taking care of the children for so many years, and apart from being a little thin, she's hardly ever been sick. This is because she has a good foundation. If she was lying down all the time, she might get sick. Qinghe, I want to eat fried potatoes tomorrow. I'll wash them in advance and put them in the basket for you later."
Xue Lanhua came over with a handful of wild vegetables. "Go, go, go sew Xiaoshan's belt. I see he's been holding up his trousers for a long time. Leave it to me."
“Hey.”
As soon as Zhang Meizhi left, Zhou Feng pursed her lips and glanced at Lu Qinghe's face, "Meizhi is a straightforward person, don't think too much about it."
Lu Qinghe smiled and said it was okay.
The Lu family has not split up, and the married sister-in-law came back to live with her, bringing two more children to sleep in. It would be fine if the stay was short, but if she really had to stay for a year or two, even the good-tempered sister-in-law would probably have doubts.
"Why should I care about her? She's not the head of the family. How can she just say she's unhappy?" Xue Lanhua said as she cleaned the stove.
"That's right, Mom." Zhou Feng smiled, then turned around and remembered something. She glanced at Lu Qinghe with a smile, "By the way, Mom, Aunt Guo from West Village has come to see you twice. I saw that you two had a good chat this afternoon. Do you have anything good to say to Qinghe?"
"This time there's actually a suitable one!"
Xue Lanhua pulled Lu Qinghe over and said carefully, "You just got divorced, so it's not convenient for someone to come directly to your house. Two matchmakers from Dagu Village have come to me these days. I asked around and found a good one who's also looking for a wife."
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