The good mother-in-law felt sorry for Qiuhua, so she asked her to look after Jianqing and ran home to boil two boiled eggs and brought them over.
"Eat these two eggs." The good mother-in-law came in with a bowl.
Qiuhua was embarrassed and said quickly, "My dear mother-in-law, you are so kind. I am full. Please eat some. Eggs are expensive."
"I cooked it just for you. If I don't eat it, you can eat it."
Good mother-in-law put the bowl on the table and urged her to eat quickly, but Qiuhua wanted to take the bowl back. Qiuhua could no longer refuse and had to pick up the bowl and eat.
"Oh, you little girl are really good, you are sensible and hardworking. It would be great if you were a few years older. You would be perfect for our National Day."
Hearing her say this, Qiuhua blushed all the way to her neck. Xiaoniangyu was very embarrassed to say such things out loud, but Haopo, being old, didn't care much and just said whatever came to her mind.
"Our National Day is pretty good, but we've been pairing one after another, but nothing has worked out. We don't know what kind of little ladyfish he wants, and the family is worried."
Qiuhua was not in a position to express her opinion on such matters, but she remembered that Zhao Meiying had mentioned Xu Guoqing before, and she thought it would be nice if she could mention it in front of her mother-in-law. However, when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to say them, and she didn't know if Meiying would be unhappy if she did so. She hesitated and didn't speak.
"Good mother-in-law, my brother has a good reputation and there are many young ladies who want to marry him. Don't worry."
"How can I not worry? I'm already at such an age. If I don't get married soon, I'll be single forever."
Jianqing pulled a piece of grass in the yard and passed the blade through the gap in the fence, letting the chicks and ducklings peck at it one by one. Haopo and Qiuhua were talking, but their eyes never left him.
After eating the eggs, Qiuhua continued to embroider while chatting with her mother-in-law.
"Oh, Dahua is also unengaged. It's so frustrating. Such a good kid, good-looking and honest, why is he still unmatched?"
"Our beams are so thin, my dear mother-in-law, that my little daughter-in-law will not be happy when she sees them."
Haopo nodded to show that she understood, but she felt sorry for Dahua in her heart.
"Why didn't the two little sisters who always came to see you come today?" When the good mother-in-law asked this, Qiuhua felt happy in her heart. It was time to mention Zhao Meiying.
"Zhao Meiying was here yesterday. She always brings things here, and I feel so embarrassed. She is very kind and treats people very well."
Haopo nodded in agreement. Of course she knew Zhao Meiying's family.
"I know that little girl's family. Her parents are both railway workers. She's well-off, and she's a decent-sized girl." She thought carefully and asked, "Is she older than you?"
Qiuhua didn't know whether Haopo was asking casually or had just remembered something, so she quickly replied, "Yes, yes, it's bigger than me."
She said this to remind her mother-in-law that Zhao Meiying was not that young and could be considered as her granddaughter-in-law. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law did not seem to understand the meaning.
"Wow..." Little Jianqing's howling voice was heard outside the house. It turned out that he was having so much fun that he stumbled around the fence and accidentally fell flat on his face.
Good mother-in-law hurriedly stood up, helped little Jianqing up, and wiped his smiling face with her hands. The mud mixed with tears and snot was all smeared on her hands. Qiuhua offered her handkerchief, but she waved her hands and said, "No, no, such a white handkerchief, how can you use it to wipe this."
As she spoke, she carried little Jianqing to the well, Qiuhua helped to fetch a basin of water, and Haopo squatted down and held him between her chest and thighs, making him unable to move. She scooped up some cold water with one hand and splashed it on his face. The little monkey shivered from the cold and howled even louder.
"Cry, cry, cry. Who made you fall like this?" The good mother-in-law cursed but had a smile on her face.
After cleaning up, Haopo took Xiao Jianqing home.
Qiuhua sat back in front of the embroidery frame and continued to work. Because she chatted with her mother-in-law in the afternoon, her work was a little slower, and she did not reach the expected progress today. However, she was not angry in her heart. This time she was confident that a slight delay in progress would not affect her completion on time.
The family returned late that evening, so Qiuhua made dinner first. She cooked porridge again. Rice was running low, and she wouldn't be able to eat white rice for several days. The only dish she had was pickled radish. Qiuhua figured she'd have to go to bed early, or else her stomach would growl with hunger.
It was getting dark. Qiuhua waited at the door but saw no one. After a long time, she saw three black spots appear. When she got closer, she found that Dahua was holding a wild rabbit in his hand.
"Brother, where did this rabbit come from?"
Qiuhua looked at the rabbit in his hand curiously. Dahua held it by its ears, and its body dangled in the air. Occasionally, it would kick its hind legs, struggle wildly, and then calm down as if it had accepted its fate, its eyes staring at the person in front of it.
"I'm so lucky today! When we were coming back, my feet hurt from walking. I thought there were pebbles in my shoes, so I sat down to take them off. Suddenly, a rabbit appeared. I kicked it in a hurry, and it landed right on me!"
Dahua was extremely excited and spoke with great joy. His father and mother were also very happy. Xiaohua next to them was eager to poke the rabbit with his fingers.
Dahua put the rabbit, chicks and ducklings together. At night, the chicks and ducklings all went into the chicken coop, leaving only the rabbit huddled in the corner.
"I'll kill the rabbit tomorrow, skin it and cook a pot of rabbit meat, okay?" Dahua suggested after eating the porridge.
Qiuhua thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "We're running out of rice. Brother, why don't you take the rabbit to the street to sell it, and then buy some rice. We can do without meat, but we can't live without rice."
The girl was right. Dahua thought that he was not thoughtful enough and just wanted to eat rabbit meat.
"You're right. We can't do without rice. I'll go to the street to sell rabbits early tomorrow morning and bring back the rice."
"Eat meat, I want to eat meat." Xiaohua understood the conversation between the two and stamped his feet anxiously while speaking. His goal was very clear: to eat meat.
Dahua held him on his lap and coaxed him, "Don't make trouble. There is no rice at home, and you will starve too. Sell the rabbits for money to buy rice, which can last for several days!" Xiaohua was not willing to give up after hearing this. He somersaulted and cried on Dahua's lap.
"If you make trouble again, I will kick you out and let you be eaten by the big wild cat!" Dahua threatened, losing his patience.
When Xiaohua heard this, he immediately shut up, but his little mouth was pouted so high that you could hang an oil bottle on it, and tears welled up in his eyes, looking very aggrieved.
Seeing this, Dahua softened his tone and said, "Just wait, next time I'll catch you a bigger one and braise it for you."
Only then did Xiaohua wipe away her tears.
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