Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Family Leave

The lover in my memory has become blurred.

His adoptive parents said Jiang Qiuyue was capable and that taking him to a blind date was just a formality, as they had already made up their minds. This was how everyone in the village got married, and at the time, he thought everyone did the same.

"Zhengrong, come on and tell me something." Chen Guowei also joined in the fun and nudged Lin Zhengrong's arm curiously.

He lived in the same dormitory with Lin Zhengrong, but he rarely heard Lin Zhengrong talk about family matters.

"She is..." Lin Zhengrong thought seriously, "a very simple person."

"Simplicity is good. We all come from simple, poor peasant families." Chen Guowei never lets anyone off the hook, and asked with a smile, "And then, are there no other special features?"

"Go away, why are you so concerned about other people's wives?" Lin Zhengrong changed the subject, "Mr. Zhang's wife just arrived today, let's toast to them."

He has a good alcohol tolerance and drank several glasses in a row without feeling anything.

On the way back, Lin Zhengrong took a detour to the communication room and asked if there was any telegram for him.

He could not listen to just one person's opinion about what was in Jiang Qiuyue's letter, so he sent a telegram to the captain Hu Haizhi.

But it’s been two days, why hasn’t the captain replied to his telegram yet?

In fact, the telegram had already been delivered to the Hu family, but Hu Haizhi had been attending meetings in town for the past few days. When he got home after dark, he ate a few bites and went to bed.

His wife remembered the telegram on the first day, but when she started doing housework, she forgot about it.

It was several days later before their family discovered Lin Zhengrong's telegram.

At this time, the Lin family was also looking forward to the postman delivering letters, but day after day, Jiang Qiuyue received the package, so why hadn't their letters arrived yet?

When the postman passed by Taohua Village that day, Wang Chunhua stopped the postman on purpose. When she learned that it was Jiang Qiuyue who took the letter, she angrily knocked on the door.

Jiang Qiuyue had just finished lunch when Niu Dali and his team had already built the frame of the kitchen and just needed to apply a layer of mud made of yellow mud and straw.

She was watching Niu Dali and the others working, and heard Wang Chunhua swearing outside, so she slowly went to open the door.

Niu Jianshe asked, "I see Auntie Lin is very angry, do you want us to accompany you?"

"No need, we are all family, nothing will happen." Jiang Qiuyue sneered in her heart. Even ten Wang Chunhuas would not be her match.

Niu Jianshe: …even now they are talking about separation, are we really a family?

Jiang Qiuyue opened the door for Wang Chunhua and put one foot on the door frame to stop Wang Chunhua.

"Jiang Qiuyue, were you the one who took the letter sent by Sanzhu?" Wang Chunhua pointed at Jiang Qiuyue.

Jiang Qiuyue said, "Mom, I didn't ask you about this matter, which is already very good. How can you accuse me of being an adulterer?"

"Did we say something wrong? If you're not having an affair, why are you stealing food and wanting to divide the family property?" Wang Chunhua felt a pain in her chest when she thought about it. That was a full two hundred yuan. If the money was still there, would Sanzhu have fought her to the death?

As Wang Chunhua spoke, she poked Jiang Qiuyue with her hand. When she was about to poke Jiang Qiuyue's forehead again, Jiang Qiuyue suddenly reached out and grabbed Wang Chunhua's finger, and pushed down hard.

"ah!"

A scream startled everyone nearby.

Niu Dali rushed out of the kitchen, thinking something had happened to Jiang Qiuyue. Niu Dali asked loudly, "Qiuyue, what's wrong with you?"

"It was me! I was beaten!" Wang Chunhua felt her fingers were broken, and she sat on the ground with her body bent. "Oh my God, the daughter-in-law beat the mother-in-law, everyone come and see! This is so unjust!"

She howled miserably, like a ghost. Jiang Youcai covered his ears and said, "I say, old man, Sister Qiuyue is such a good person. As a mother-in-law, why don't you just keep quiet?"

"You bastard, did I talk to you?" Wang Chunhua jumped up and hit her injured finger, screaming in pain again.

When Lin Fugui and the villagers heard the news and arrived, they saw Wang Chunhua sitting on the ground, kicking her legs and saying she was dying.

"Life is boring now, I might as well die!" Wang Chunhua had lost one of her front teeth and her voice was leaking. She didn't care whether the scene looked good or not, she only wanted to get Jiang Qiuyue scolded.

When Lin Fugui learned that Jiang Qiuyue had torn up the letter he had written, he accused her, "Jiang Qiuyue, are you going too far? Sanzhu, go find the captain. I want to see if he will help her this time!"

Lin Sanzhu said that the captain had gone to the town. Lin Fugui frowned. He was still thinking about how to get the money back when he heard Jiang Qiuyue tell him the contents of the letter.

"We are all from the same village. I, Jiang Qiuyue, have done things with a clear conscience. Before the separation, I was the one doing all the housework. Do I look like someone who has the energy to be an adulterer?"

Jiang Qiuyue's voice became louder and louder. "Have you ever seen parents-in-law slander their daughter-in-law for having an affair in order to sow discord?"

I have never heard of such a thing before. It was Lin Fugui's cousin Lin Jiawang who spoke up, "Fugui, how could you do such a thing?"

Everyone in the village can see what kind of person Jiang Qiuyue is. She is more capable than men. Anyone who sees her will praise the Lin family for being lucky to have such a good daughter-in-law.

No one would believe that she was a slut.

Lin Fugui never thought that the letter would be taken away by Jiang Qiuyue, and he never thought that Jiang Qiuyue would be so shameless as to tell it out loud. If this continued, he would lose all his face.

He turned to glare at his wife and said fiercely, "I told you it was a misunderstanding, why did you still let Sanzhu mail the letter?"

Wang Chunhua: ...wasn’t it written by the old man himself?

"Hurry up and apologize to Qiuyue. This is a nonsense. Qiuyue is not that kind of person." Lin Fugui pushed Wang Chunhua forward and whispered in her ear, "Stop making trouble. Do you want the villagers to laugh at your whole family?"

It's enough to embarrass one person. He is the man of the family and he has to maintain his reputation.

Wang Chunhua couldn't say the words of apology, especially to Jiang Qiuyue, so she grabbed her younger son and asked him to apologize.

Lin Sanzhu said sorry reluctantly. Seeing that the Lin family admitted their mistakes, the villagers lost interest and slowly dispersed.

Jiang Qiuyue called Lin Fugui, "Dad, don't do this kind of thing next time. You are an old man, isn't it embarrassing?"

Seeing Lin Fugui's face turn red, Jiang Qiuyue continued, "If you really ruin my reputation and make me unable to live, I will set fire to you when you sleep at night."

In the past, Lin Fugui didn't believe that Jiang Qiuyue would dare to do this, but now he believes it. "Jiang Qiuyue, we are Dazhu's parents after all. If you treat us like this, aren't you afraid that Dazhu will come back and divorce you?"

"Dad, you should worry about yourself. You treat me and the child like this, Dazhu should cut off all ties with you." Jiang Qiuyue sneered, "If Dazhu is not clear-headed, I would like to divorce you."

"Also, since we're already at loggerheads, let me make this clear: if anyone of you slanders me again, I'll beat him up!"

Hearing this, Wang Chunhua's fingers hurt even more. Jiang Qiuyue didn't know where she got the strength from, and almost broke her fingers.

The Lin family went home in anger. The previous letter was intercepted by Jiang Qiuyue. Lin Fugui wrote a new one and asked Lin Sanzhu to run to the post office in the town to mail it.

After Jiang Qiuyue finished scolding, she knew she would be quiet for a while, so she happily went to see her new kitchen.

There is strength in numbers. In nine days, Niu Dali and his team helped Jiang Qiuyue finish the work.

Jiang Qiuyue paid them their wages, and Jiang Youcai was reluctant to leave. "Sister Qiuyue, do you have other work at home? I don't want wages, just provide me with food."

During the nine days, Jiang Qiuyue cooked every dish differently. Not only did Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan gain weight, but the Jiang brothers also gained weight.

Jiang Youde pulled his brother out, "Don't embarrass yourself."

"I can't bear to miss the food that Sister Qiuyue cooks. I envy Beibei and Nannan so much. They can eat the food that Sister Qiuyue cooks every day." Jiang Youcai stopped at the door and said, "Sister Qiuyue, if you need any work in the future, call me and I will come!"

Jiang Qiuyue smiled and said yes. Not long after she saw Jiang Youcai and the others off, Auntie Niu brought over a basket of mushrooms.

"They are all picked from the mountains. There are a lot of mushrooms this year. I'll give them to you to taste."

When Jiang Qiuyue got off work before, she loved to watch videos of cooking, growing vegetables, and picking up mushrooms. It didn’t matter whether she ate or not, what was important was the process of picking up the mushrooms!

"Auntie Niu, are you going tomorrow? Can you take me with you?" Jiang Qiuyue excitedly grabbed Auntie Niu's hand.

Auntie Niu thought Jiang Qiuyue wanted to get some food for the family, so she smiled and said, "Why not? Of course you can!"

After breakfast the next day, Jiang Qiuyue took her two children to the Niu family.

Niu Zhuangzhuang boasted proudly, "Look at the things drying in the yard, half of them were picked by me, isn't that amazing?"

"Awesome! Brother Zhuangzhuang is the best!" Lin Beibei gave him high emotional value. Not only did she praise him verbally, she also gave him a thumbs up. "Once we get into the mountains, can Brother Zhuangzhuang take me to look for mushrooms?"

"Sure, just follow me closely and I guarantee you'll pick up a lot." Niu Zhuangzhuang was very happy. After setting off, he would visit Lin Beibei and his sister from time to time.

Jiang Qiuyue took picking mushrooms as a hobby, and when she saw clusters of mushrooms in the forest, she couldn't take her eyes off them.

She followed Auntie Niu and soon filled half a basket with some red and some brown. Some were just emerging and were chubby and very cute, making people want to pinch them.

After half a day, Jiang Qiuyue's backpack was full, and the two children's baskets were also full.

They went to Niu's house together and asked Aunt Niu to help screen the food, otherwise they would not feel safe eating it.

"You can wipe the red mushroom with a damp cloth and use it to make soup or steam eggs after drying. The black one is called the charcoal mushroom, which is more astringent and suitable for stir-frying peppers. And..."

Auntie Niu introduced each mushroom to Jiang Qiuyue in detail. "The leftover mushrooms can be dried and saved for later. We can pick mushrooms twice a year here. People at home who have nothing to do will go into the mountains."

After returning home, Jiang Qiuyue washed the black charcoal mushrooms first. They needed to be boiled in water before frying. Aunt Niu said that if you add some rice when cooking, it will be fine if the rice does not change color.

After the mushrooms are cooked, add oil and minced garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, then add the mushrooms and chili peppers. The ingredients only require simple salt and soy sauce. Complex seasonings will cover up the original flavor of the mushrooms.

"Mom, it smells so good." Lin Beibei's mouth was watering. "Let me help get the dishes and chopsticks!"

A wooden rack was built at the door of the kitchen, and Jiang Qiuyue planted two tiger beans next to it. In another month, the beans will have climbed all over the wooden rack, and she can sit underneath and enjoy the cool air.

Now they eat under the eaves of the kitchen. Lin Beibei is very proactive in helping to set up the table and chairs, and then takes her sister to wash hands.

Jiang Qiuyue also cooked egg drop soup, and after they sat down, she served everyone a generous portion of rice. The taste of the black charcoal mushroom was indeed a little bland, but it was this unique taste combined with the umami flavor that awakened every taste bud.

She now understood why so many people still eat mushrooms every year even though they look like little people.

The bowl of mushrooms was soon finished, and Jiang Qiuyue touched her stomach contentedly. Because she didn't do farm work, her skin became whiter and her complexion looked much better.

As a person, you should be nice to yourself. Even if you become a mother, you should still be beautiful.

After Lin Beibei finished washing the dishes, she ran over expectantly and asked, "Mom, are we going to pick mushrooms this afternoon?"

Looking at the scorching sun above her head, Jiang Qiuyue shook her head and said she would not go. It was so sunny in the afternoon, she would not go.

Picking mushrooms is fun, not her job. As long as there is enough to eat, there are plenty of them on the mountain anyway.

"You two are not allowed to go by yourselves." Jiang Qiuyue saw that Lin Beibei's eyes were instantly lost, and said in a serious tone, "Without an adult accompanying you, if you fall into a ditch on the mountain, no one will know."

Since they didn't want to go into the mountains and had no TV or radio to entertain themselves, Jiang Qiuyue thought about it and decided to just teach her two children to read.

The original owner only graduated from elementary school, but it was enough to teach Lin Beibei and two others.

Jiang Qiuyue took a branch and wrote on the ground, "Watch carefully and follow me stroke by stroke."

Ten minutes later, Jiang Qiuyue was relieved to see that Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan were able to write their own names.

It seems that they won’t need any tutoring in the future, as they are very talented in studying!

Not bad, not bad, the family has been divided and the living expenses have been increased. Although Lin Nannan is still unwilling to speak, the two children are very sensible.

Jiang Qiuyue felt that her days ahead would be very comfortable.

At this time, Lin Zhengrong received another letter from Jiang Qiuyue.

Dried shrimp?

Dried scallops?

fruit?

Also split up?

What's wrong with Jiang Qiuyue? Didn't he just send back the bacon and sausage?

Lin Zhengrong was full of doubts.

Didn't the captain receive his telegram? Why hasn't he replied yet?

"Zhengrong, why are you frowning?" Chen Guowei came back from getting food. "There is stewed meat in the cafeteria today. I managed to grab some with great difficulty. Don't say that I don't think about you. If you have anything to say, let's talk after we finish eating."

Just as he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door and said that there was a telegram from Lin Zhengrong in the communication room.

Before Chen Guowei could react, he saw a gust of wind blowing in front of him. When he turned around, Lin Zhengrong had already run away.

"What telegram? Why are you so urgent?" Chen Guowei found Lin Zhengrong's lunch box and left half of the meat for Lin Zhengrong.

Lin Zhengrong ran all the way to the transmission room, and after receiving the telegram, there were only two words in his mouth - real.

Telegrams are charged by word count. He thought it was faster to send a telegram than to write a letter, so he spent a little more money to ask the captain whether Jiang Qiuyue's statement that the Lin family treated her and her child badly was true or not. He didn't expect that it would take so long before he received the telegram.

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Lin Zhengrong felt mixed emotions.

He had been on duty for many years and had accumulated a lot of unused home leave. After thinking about it, he knocked on the door of the political commissar's office.

"It's Zhengrong, I was just about to call you. I have very good news to tell you, come and sit down!"