leave
Having made up her mind to go to the county town, Liu Xiangmei didn't procrastinate. She quickly organized everything at home and packed away the things they might need after arriving in the county town separately.
However, she didn't plan to bring too much stuff when she went to the county town tomorrow. She just planned to bring a change of clothes and toiletries, since she didn't know what the situation would be like in the county town.
The next morning, as soon as the rooster crowed, Liu Xiangmei got up, fed the chickens, and prepared a large basin of chicken feed to put in the bamboo grove.
We'll deal with these chickens when we come back next time.
Wang Yao was still asleep when Comrade Liu Xiangmei dragged her out of bed and made her stand by the sink with her eyes closed, mechanically brushing her teeth.
It was far too early; the sky was still barely light, and the mountain mist hadn't dissipated. A gust of wind blew by, and she shivered.
Liu Xiangmei's urging voice rang out again from inside the house, "Hurry up, I've already prepared the food. Come over quickly, eat, and we can leave early!"
Wang Yao splashed water on her face, fully waking up, and replied, "Coming!"
Urged on by Liu Xiangmei, the mother and daughter locked the doors and windows, each carrying a small bag, and headed down the mountain.
Their commotion did not escape the notice of the Wang family next door.
When Liu Lan came out of the house, she still had a bruised and swollen face, and it looked even worse than yesterday.
As she watched the mother and daughter walk further and further away, she asked Wang Sheng beside her, "Old man, where do you think they're going?"
Wang Sheng puffed on his pipe, his brows furrowed tightly, and remained silent.
He didn't know where the mother and daughter had gone so early in the morning. In the past, as elders, they could have waited for them to come back and ask, but after being forced to sign that certificate yesterday, they couldn't even ask.
From now on, we'll be considered two completely separate families. Sigh, what a mess!
He glanced in the direction of his eldest son Wang Tianmiao's grave, then lowered his head and went back into the house, leaving Liu Lan alone leaning against the door frame, muttering curses under her breath.
Everyone else left yesterday, leaving only her family behind. Her family blamed her, but who was she doing it for? Her heart was always with her husband, her son, and her grandson, yet in the end, no one understood her.
Everything was fine until Wang Yao, that troublemaker, went around asking around in the surrounding villages. She said that every girl in the village had to help with chores at a young age and get married early to get a dowry, just like her elders had told her.
She was different from others; she only knew how to bury herself in her studies and not only couldn't help her family earn money, but she also spent money lavishly.
Ultimately, it's because he read too much and ruined his brain that he's become such a disobedient and unfilial person.
"Achoo!" Wang Yao sneezed loudly.
Liu Xiangmei looked at the short-sleeved shirt she was wearing and said with dissatisfaction, "I told you to wear another layer of clothing, but you didn't listen. Don't you know it's chilly in the mountains in the morning? Quickly get another layer of clothing to wear."
Wang Yao waved her hand, "It's nothing, I didn't catch a cold. It must be my grandma scolding me. I just looked back and saw my grandma standing at the door watching us through the bamboo forest. She must be the one who's being mean."
Liu Xiangmei slapped her, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and take it out and add it."
Wang Yao sighed helplessly, "There's a kind of coldness that only your mom feels."
The mother and daughter walked slowly, and it wasn't until sunrise that they reached the town, where they took a bus to the county.
Once the driver had gathered enough passengers, the bus finally set off, swaying precariously.
The roads in the town are made of cement, but because they haven't been repaired for a long time, they are full of potholes, and everyone is constantly being jolted from side to side and thrown high into the air.
As the sun rose, the temperature inside the bus increased, and the smell of sweat and gasoline mingled together. Less than ten minutes after the bus started, Wang Yao already felt short of breath.
She glanced at her clothes; the jacket that had been forcibly put on her on the way had been taken off, but she was still wearing long sleeves and trousers.
In the sweltering heat of summer, she was still covering herself up so tightly. If she wasn't hot, who would be? But she couldn't blame anyone but herself. She was the one who didn't want to expose her arms and legs, so she deserved to suffer.
She used to feel embarrassed about showing her arms and legs because of some teenage anxieties, but she doesn't feel that way anymore. Only she knows how uncomfortable it is.
She was busy in the mountains a couple of days ago and didn't even notice the heat. Now she feels like her clothes are suffocating her and she wishes she could change into something cooler right away.
After a bumpy two-hour ride, the bus finally arrived at the county bus station.
When Wang Yao stood up, she quickly took a few breaths of fresh air, and the dizziness finally subsided a little.
Compared to Wang Yao, Liu Xiangmei seemed completely unfazed. She remained energetic, leading Wang Yao forward while reminding her, "There are a lot of people here, so stay close to me."
Finally, after getting through the crowded flow of people, Liu Xiangmei breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You haven't come to visit your second aunt's house for the New Year with me and your dad for the past few years. Do you still remember where your second aunt's house is?"
In fact, Wang Yao knew how to get to her second aunt's house, which was located near the train station.
In her past life, every year when she went home to pay respects to her parents, her second aunt would invite her to stay at her house. However, she only stayed once, and afterwards she would just pass by to deliver some things to her second aunt and then leave.
But she wasn't quite sure, and could only shake her head and say, "How could I possibly remember that?"
Liu Xiangmei pointed in the direction of her second aunt's house, "Look, that's the shop her family owns."
My second aunt's house is right across from the train station. She runs a general store, and from a distance, you can see her arranging goods in the store.
There were many small restaurants around the grocery store, and the owners stood at the door shouting loudly to attract customers.
"Steamed dumplings, steamed dumplings, freshly steamed steamed dumplings..."
"Eat, eat, noodles, rice..."
"Fast food boxes are cheap and affordable..."
When the mother and daughter entered, Aunt Liu Xiangqiu saw them. She quickly put down what she was holding and happily stepped forward to take Liu Xiangmei's hand, "Third sister, why did you come out of the county? Come in and sit down."
The grocery store was piled high with small commodities, from edible items to usable items. Liu Xiangqiu took out two low stools from behind the counter and placed them at the feet of Liu Xiangmei and her daughter.
Seeing Liu Xiangqiu busy pouring tea and getting food, Liu Xiangmei put her bag on the ground and advised, "Second sister, don't bother, we've already eaten."
Liu Xiangqiu placed several kinds of snacks that children like on a small plate in front of Wang Yao, and then put a chicken leg bread into Wang Yao's hand, saying, "I got this for Yao Yao. Children like to eat this bread now. Yao Yao, eat it quickly."
Wang Yao pretended to be shy and thanked him, looking at the chicken leg bread with bamboo skewers stuck in her hand, which had indeed been popular for a long time.
The commotion in the grocery store alerted the people behind it, and an old woman peeked out from behind the curtain.
That was Liu Xiangqiu's mother-in-law.
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