Chapter 334 Chapter 335: The Taste of Childhood
Zhou's mother led her to the department store and asked, "Has the midwife come to see you these days?"
"I've checked it out. It's fine! I was told to be careful when walking and not to fall."
"Then you should be careful." Zhou's mother looked back at her, "Did Jianjun tell you anything when he came back from the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"As soon as he got home, he said he had drunk too much and had a headache, so he went to sleep. When he woke up, he complained of shoulder pain, saying that his third brother and youngest brother asked him to carry stone slabs, and he carried all the stone slabs."
Zhou Yumei looked at her happily and said, "Mom, Jianjun said that my brother and his family's house is very well built. No other family in the village has a house as good as theirs, right?"
Mother Zhou was also very happy when she thought of the new houses. "The houses are well built. When you are one month old, I will ask your elder brother to take you back to see them."
Zhou Yumei nodded happily, "Yes! I've wanted to go home for a long time, but Jianjun's mother won't allow this or that."
Mother Zhou frowned, "Did your mother-in-law say anything after Jianjun came back from the Mid-Autumn Festival?" The family was too busy on the day of the beam-raising ceremony, so He Jianjun ate and left without saying a few words.
"No one said anything. Jianjun is afraid of his mother, so they don't talk much." Zhou Yumei looked at her curiously, "Did you talk about Jianjun?"
"We said he did something wrong, but your brother and the youngest one warned him a few times because they were afraid that the He family would favor boys over girls."
"oh!"
Mother Zhou patted her hands and comforted her softly, "Whether it's a boy or a girl, it's your fate. Don't forget that you have a mother's family. If you have anything, come back and discuss it with mom. Got it?"
Zhou Yumei felt warm at heart after hearing this. "I know. I've thought about it too. If I really have a daughter, I'll keep her at home and find a son-in-law. My neighbor Chen found a son-in-law and her life is much better than mine."
Seeing that she hadn't thought about having a second child yet, Zhou's mother didn't mention it, "Yes, you should have some ideas of your own. Don't listen to your mother-in-law. Your husband said that if your mother-in-law dares to complain, we will take you back. Your sisters-in-law also said so."
"Yes!" Zhou Yumei held her hand tightly, "Mom, now that you've said it, I'm not afraid anymore."
Zhou's mother took her hand and whispered, "Chunyan said that when you are one month old, she will open up the wall of your house, build a house and open a small shop, and sell ice jelly, cold noodles and so on."
Zhou Yumei smiled bitterly and said, "The He family is different from ours. Their mother controls all the money. After Jianjun and I got married, he even had to ask his mother for money to buy cigarettes. We didn't even have money to buy bricks, let alone open a small shop."
Seeing that she didn't object and was only worried about not having enough money, Zhou's mother smiled and said, "We're firing up a kiln at home! Your old man said that if you build one more layer of bricks in the kiln, you won't be able to use them all. You don't have to worry about the capital either. The youngest said he would lend it to you. Don't worry, you'll have mom and them with you for everything."
Zhou Yumei's nose felt sore after hearing this. She took out her handkerchief to wipe it and nodded heavily, "I'll remember it."
"Chunyan said that when you have nothing to do, go and see how those stalls sell things, and see what sells well."
"Yeah! The guys next door who sell ice water and ice jelly can make a lot of money in a day when things are going well."
"Then why doesn't your mother-in-law get some to sell?"
"Nothing she cooked tasted good. She closed the stall after just two days."
Zhou's mother said with a smile: "Didn't I ask you to help?"
Zhou Yumei smiled and shook her head, "I won't help her. Once the money is in her hands, it will be difficult for her to leak even a penny."
Mother Zhou curled her lips in disdain, "You are such a miser, you only take in but never spend."
Zhou Yumei nodded repeatedly, "Even Lian Jianjun said that about his mother."
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they went to the department store. Zhou's mother pulled out a few feet of fine cotton cloth and bought some cotton, and then they walked back together. "I have prepared all your things. This is the one bought for Chunyan's belly."
Zhou Yumei said happily: "Chunyan is pregnant?"
"Yeah! It's almost two months. This baby is so sweet. Chunyan didn't even react when washing pig intestines and cooking fish."
“I seldom vomited then.”
"The child loves you! Relax your mind. Whether it is a boy or a girl, it is your fate."
"Got it!"
When the mother and daughter returned to the He family, Zhou's mother exchanged a few polite words with He's mother and then said goodbye. He's mother walked her a few steps before returning to the yard.
"Yumei, I think your mother is getting younger and younger!"
Zhou Yumei thought about it and felt that it was true. "Now that the youngest child has become a successful person, my mother and the others are relieved."
He's mother looked at her with a smile on her face. "It's good that your brother from your mother's side is capable. You must talk to your brother and help you and Jianjun find a way. When we make money, we will renovate the house."
Zhou Yumei thought about opening a small shop, smiled and nodded, "Yes, I will go back to my parents' home with Jianjun when I am one month old and tell my brother and the others."
After Zhou's mother resolved a worry, she returned home briskly, went to see the new house, and then went to the back mountain.
Yang Chunyan and Zhou Huaian carried baskets and put white hyacinth seeds and fertilizer into the dug holes, while Zhou Huairong and his two brothers squatted down to plant.
Zhou Huaian looked up and saw Zhou's mother, "How is my sister?"
"Your sister is fine. He Jianjun never mentioned the idea of having a second child to his mother when he got home. I told Yumei about opening a small shop."
Zhou Huaian curled his lips and said, "I told you, He Jianjun is useless."
"It's better not to say anything, so that Yumei won't be upset by her nagging." Zhou's mother looked around and said, "Have you planted all the land?"
Yang Chunyan nodded, "The area below is full of herbs like plantain. The white hyacinth we picked last night can be used to grow two to three acres of land."
"Yes, the soil is moist after the rain and it's easy to grow without watering. You guys are busy, I'll go check it out and then I'll go back from the back mountain."
"Yes!" Yang Chunyan continued to put white hyacinth in the basket.
…
After lunch, Yang Chunyan and Zhou Huaian went up the mountain and walked towards the forest where gardenias grew in the northwest.
Along the way, the two dug up some ground ivy and wild ginseng, and saw some unripe Xanthium sibiricum, but they didn't find any other herbs.
Several clusters of golden cherries in the bushes are almost ripe. People in the mountains like to pick them and make wine with them. Not only is this stuff sour, but the thorns on the fruit are also very prickly.
The two walked forward through the woods. Yang Chunyan saw the purple-black fruits on the bushes and said, "There are myrtles here too. There are better things farther away from the village."
The fruits of the myrtle look like mini wine glasses. When you break them open, you can see a core in the flesh that looks like a worm, and is covered with many seeds.
The ripe myrtle fruit is purple-black and tastes best at this time.
The fruit is like mulberries, and after eating it, your teeth and tongue will be stained purple-black.
"I'll pick them for you!" Zhou Huaian climbed down a branch, picked a handful and handed it to her, "Eat less. I'm sick of eating this. When I was a kid, I went up the mountain with Ding Ding Cat to find a lot of them. I ate too much and couldn't poop. It was so uncomfortable."
"Eating too much myrtle will cause constipation. Go home and make a bowl of salt water to drink and you will feel better." Yang Chunyan wiped it with her hand, broke it open, took out the core and put it in her mouth. It still tasted like when she was a child.
(End of this chapter)
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