A bustling county town
The mother and daughter pointed to different corners of the room, discussing how to decorate them.
I plan to put a shoe rack near the entrance. It doesn't need to be too big, since the two of them don't have many pairs of shoes.
The kitchen is on the left as you enter. It's quite small, but thankfully it has a window overlooking the hallway. This means you won't have to worry about cooking fumes not dissipating properly when you're cooking.
The landlord had built two layers of cabinets and a sink in the kitchen using cement slabs, which was quite convenient overall. When it was time to cook, she would buy a coal stove, as the wood-burning stove from her hometown could not be used, since there was no firewood forest here.
Wang Yao thought that her mother would cook all kinds of delicious food for her here in the future. Oh right, this would also be where her mother's career would start.
The bathroom is right next to the kitchen, and it also has a sink, so I won't have to squat in the yard to brush my teeth anymore.
Further inside is a living room, which is the largest room. Liu Xiangmei said she wanted to find a wire bed so she could sleep in it in the living room. That way, if she went out to sell breakfast, she wouldn't have to worry about disturbing Wang Yao's sleep. Even if Wang Yao refused, she was determined to do it.
Passing through the living room, you enter the bedroom. Inside the bedroom is a large window. Opening the window, you can see Dingyuan Road and directly view the dormitory building of the county's No. 1 Middle School.
Wang Yao plans to buy a desk to put in front of the window, since she is a high school student and still needs to study at home.
After completing their plan, the two locked the door and left. Although they had rented a place, they didn't have any basic necessities, so they couldn't move in immediately and would have to stay in a hotel tonight.
Back on Xuefu Road, there were more pedestrians. An elderly man was walking eastward, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan. Wang Yao remembered that there was a stadium over there.
Some middle-aged people were also walking with their children towards the area next to the county's No. 1 Middle School. By the way, next to the school is a clothing wholesale market, and loudspeakers at the entrance were blaring advertisements for a clearance sale: "Everything on clearance! Everything on clearance! Clothes all starting at five yuan!" "Affordable and cheap, you'll regret it if you miss it! Clearance sale, the best deals are here!"
As more and more people went inside, Wang Yao had no interest in looking at the clothes. She was so hungry that she felt dizzy and all she wanted to do was eat.
Having learned their lesson at noon, the mother and daughter found a cold noodle shop and each ordered a bowl of cold noodles and a bottle of soda.
The cold noodles in Zhouxian County are on the softer side, filled with soybean sprouts, and the chili oil is just fragrant, not spicy at all.
The chewy texture of the cold noodles and the crispness of the bean sprouts, combined with the numbing chili oil and a final sip of soda, made Wang Yao feel very satisfied.
Liu Xiangmei, however, seemed to be deep in thought as she savored the taste of the cold noodles.
After the two left the cold noodle shop, Liu Xiangmei finally spoke up about what she had been thinking.
"You can also make liangpi (cold skin noodles)?"
"Yes, I've done it for you and your dad before, don't you remember?"
Wang Yao tried to recall carefully, but unfortunately, decades had passed since her previous life, and she could no longer remember many things.
She could only mumble, "Oh, I remember, I just didn't think of it. As long as you know how to make it, that's fine. I really like cold noodles. Your skills are good, so it's sure to turn out great."
Wang Yao was feeling guilty and didn't notice Liu Xiangmei's change in expression. She suddenly remembered the cold noodles she made at home last time, and they tasted far worse than the ones she ate today.
She was surprised that her daughter trusted her so much, and suddenly she felt a little uneasy.
Liu Xiangmei quickly changed the subject, "Let's go to the wholesale market now," she said, looking Wang Yao up and down, "I'll get you some new clothes, you're going to high school soon, you need to look presentable."
Wang Yao looked down at herself. What did this mean? What was wrong with her appearance? Although there was a small hole in the hem of her clothes, it was quite normal these days!
Although she was disliked by her mother and a little unwilling, Wang Yao was still very happy when buying clothes.
Short-sleeved shirts were five yuan each, two for eight yuan each; pants were ten yuan a pair, three for twenty-five yuan each. For Wang Yao, who had experienced 21st-century prices, these prices were practically free.
However, the mother and daughter did not go on a shopping spree. They each bought two short-sleeved shirts and then added three pairs of pants to their order before returning to the hotel.
Looking out the window of her hotel room, Liu Xiangmei saw that the streetlights were already on, making the area brightly lit, and there were quite a few people on Xuefu Road.
A child was holding an ice pop, and several other children nearby were drooling as they watched.
Some girls gathered in twos and threes to jump rope, reciting the rhyme "Malan flowers bloom at twenty-one, two eights two five six, two eights two five seven..."
In some shops where there are no customers, the owner will move a stool outside, fanning away mosquitoes with a palm leaf fan while talking to people.
Such liveliness was unfamiliar to Liu Xiangmei, who had lived in the countryside for many years. She was used to the darkness outside her house after dark, when adults and children would go home to sleep.
Seeing the hustle and bustle outside, she clicked her tongue in admiration, "The city is so much better than the village!"
…
The next morning, Wang Yao reluctantly got out of bed again, urged by Liu Xiangmei.
When I opened my eyes, it was still barely dawn outside, but in Comrade Liu Xiangmei's words, "the sun was already high in the sky."
Wang Yao was speechless. She didn't dare to say anything and could only try to keep up with her mother's pace as quickly as possible.
Today they are going back to their hometown to bring back anything they can use to the county town.
After checking out, they went back to their rented room, put down the clothes and other things they had brought with them the day before, and then headed towards the bus station.
As the two were buying steamed buns for breakfast from a stall in front of the bus station, they heard someone call out, "Xiang Mei, Yao Yao..."
Wang Yao turned her head and saw that her second aunt was walking towards them, looking anxious and in a bad mood.
As soon as Liu Xiangqiu approached, he launched into a tirade: "Where did you two go last night? I waited all afternoon yesterday. I asked both of the two buses that went to your town, and the drivers said they hadn't seen you. I called your village last night, and the villagers said they hadn't seen you return either. I thought you were lost. I was so worried that I even went to the police station, do you know that? What were you doing yesterday?"
Liu Xiangmei was completely bewildered by Liu Xiangqiu's outburst. She opened her mouth silently, then said with an embarrassed smile, "It's not like we need to alarm the police station. We're in the city now. Don't worry, don't worry. What did the police station do to you?"
Liu Xiangqiu rolled her eyes at Liu Xiangmei, annoyed. "What can they do? They said you're a grown man and should be fine in the county. They told me that if I can't contact you today, they'll send the police to help me look for you. Tell me, how can you act like an adult? What kind of adult is as unreliable as you? You didn't even tell me you weren't back in town? And to make matters worse, you brought Yao Yao with you, Yao Yao..."
Seeing Liu Xiangqiu firing off like a machine gun, with no sign of stopping, Wang Yao had no choice but to interrupt: "Second Aunt, Second Aunt, I'm so sorry, my mom and I were busy yesterday and forgot to tell you. I made you worry for nothing. It was really not intentional."
Liu Xiangqiu was just angry on impulse. Thinking of her worries yesterday, she was eager to vent her anger when she saw her sister. But when she heard her niece's solemn apology, the anger in her chest "poof"ed out.
She rolled her eyes at Liu Xiangmei again, grabbed Wang Yao's hand and rubbed it, "Look at her, what a sensible child! How did she end up with such an unreliable mother? What mother is as unreliable as you!"
After complaining, she continued, "So you're planning to go back to town now? Why don't you let Yao Yao stay? School starts in a few days anyway. She can stay at my house and play with Xiao Min. I'll take Yao Yao to register on September 1st. What do you think, Yao Yao? Do you want to go?"
Before Wang Yao could refuse, Liu Xiangmei spoke up first, "Yaoyao won't be going today. She still has to help me when we get back to town..."
Liu Xiangmei was only halfway through her sentence when Liu Xiangqiu interrupted her impatiently, "Yaoyao is going to high school soon, and the workload will be heavy. Why aren't you letting her rest and recuperate this summer vacation? Why are you in such a hurry to make her do chores for you? Is your farm work more important than Yaoyao's health?"
Seeing that Liu Xiangqiu was about to start arguing again, Wang Yao realized that her second aunt was still angry, which was why she was being so hostile towards her mother.
But neither her mother nor she knew that her aunt would be waiting for them to come back. She and her mother are both grown up, they can't just get lost!
My aunt meant well, but who can I complain to about this?
Wang Yao quickly stepped in to act as a fire extinguisher again, saying, "Second Aunt, didn't my mom tell me to go back to do farm work? We're going back to move."
Liu Xiangqiu: "You don't need to move alone..."
She got halfway through her sentence and it stuck in her throat.
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