Chapter Fifteen: Going to the Bathhouse to See the Truth
Why don't we go and listen? Anyway, Tiger's maternal grandfather's house is on the mountain, so going early or late by half an hour won't make much difference.
Having made up her mind, Lin Baozhu picked up her basket and quietly retreated to the corner of the courtyard.
Inside the main room, Lin's mother was pouring a bowl of plain water for Shi Hanqiao, her face beaming with a warm smile: "Little sister, is Haifeng's injury alright?"
"I had the barefoot doctor bandage me up yesterday, and I was able to walk around in the fields this morning. I'll be able to go back to work in ten days or half a month."
Shi Hanqiao took the bowl, her fingertips gently stroking the rim, and then changed the subject, "I've come today to discuss something serious with you, my dear sister."
She looked up at Lin's mother, her smile now tinged with seriousness: "Baozhu has ruined her reputation because of my son, and even broke off her engagement with the Bi family. We feel terrible about that. If you don't mind that Haifeng retired due to injury, we'll accept this marriage."
Don't worry, older sister. As long as the two children are engaged, the dowry of 660 yuan will be paid in full, along with the "three turns and one sound" (bicycle, sewing machine, watch, and radio) and forty-eight legs (furniture)—everything will be provided. The military has also said that once Haifeng has fully recovered, they will arrange a formal job for him.
She paused, and seeing that Lin's mother was listening attentively, she added, "If the two children want to live with us, I'll expand the west wing. If they want to live separately, I have a plot of land where I can build a new tiled house."
Lin's mother's eyes lit up. She had been worried that Baozhu's reputation would be affected after breaking off the engagement with the Bi family, and was thinking of finding a son-in-law to live with the family in a couple of years so that her daughter wouldn't suffer after marriage. Unexpectedly, Shi Hanqiao took the initiative to come to their door right after the engagement was broken off.
Putting aside how tempting these conditions are, her willingness to take responsibility alone makes her feel genuinely comfortable.
"Young lady, about this matter..." Lin's mother rubbed her hands together, unable to hide her smile.
“Baozhu is a very decisive girl. I’ll have to ask her what she thinks later.”
"That's right, that's right."
Shi Hanqiao smiled gently, “The children’s feelings are the most important. If Baozhu has no objection, let the two children get to know each other first. If they get along, they can get engaged. If they don’t, we can still be relatives.”
"Good, good, good!" Lin's mother said "good" three times in a row.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Shi Hanqiao got up to take her leave. Lin Baozhu, who was hiding in the next room, waited until the footsteps faded away before coming out with a smile.
Lin's mother reached out and poked her forehead, her eyes and brows full of joy: "You silly girl, where were you hiding just now? But the attitude of Qin Haifeng's family is much better than that of the Bi family. The key is that Qin Haifeng is tall and strong, and looks very solid. Although he retired due to injury, according to his mother, his physical condition is not seriously affected."
Although Guo Cuicui said that, she was still unsure because she didn't know where Qin Haifeng was injured. Perhaps... she should let the old man...
Second, take him to a public bathhouse to take a bath and see if he's telling the truth.
Lin Baozhu recalled Qin Haifeng's appearance and physique.
To be honest, that guy's looks, height, and physique were exactly what she wanted. Since she was born into this world, she was going to find someone to marry sooner or later, so why not find someone she liked?
"Mother, Qin Haifeng is good-looking and tall. We can try getting along with him."
"That's more like it. Tomorrow, I'll give them a reply. Okay, you should go now. The sun will get strong soon, so be careful not to get a tan."
Upon hearing this, Lin Baozhu said nothing more, turned around, picked up her basket, and walked outside...
Tiger's maternal grandmother's home was in Wanghu Village, nestled halfway up a mountain. Most of the villagers were hunters. They had no shortage of meat, but they often lacked food. Every few days, hunters would carry meat or animal hides down the mountain to exchange for grain.
The mountain road winds and twists, with trees on both sides providing ample shade, making it quite cool.
After walking for about half an hour, she bumped into a middle-aged man with several wild rabbits hanging from his waist. The man had a scar on his face that ran from his forehead to behind his ear, and he was walking towards her in a hurry.
As he passed Lin Baozhu, he glanced at her, his eyes filled with wariness. Lin Baozhu's nose twitched slightly, and she frowned—the man's smell of blood was indeed quite strong!
She shook her head, not thinking about it anymore, and continued walking up the mountain. Passing a grove of trees, she glimpsed a small pond hidden within, with a few wild duck feathers floating on the reeds. Seeing that this place was rarely visited, she immediately had an idea: when she had time, she would come back to collect some wild duck eggs and catch a few ducks.
Let's go back. The space is so vast; wouldn't it be a waste of this cheat code if we didn't keep some living things in it?
Upon reaching the entrance of Wanghuzhai Village, a wooden sign hung from the branch of an old locust tree. The five characters "Hunting Vanguard Team" painted in red were swollen from being soaked by the rain, and the edges were curled up. At the base of the wall, stacks of animal hides were half a person's height.
The village loudspeaker was blaring, repeatedly shouting, "Grasp revolution and promote production, hunt more and hand over more to the public."
In the distance, several men pushed a wooden cart over. Their red vests were soaked with sweat, but they couldn't stop smiling: "If we hand over this batch of hides to the commune, we can exchange it for at least several hundred kilograms of coarse grain!"
A group of children surrounded the cart, clapping and cheering, with Tiger being the loudest. He ran alongside the cart while pulling Little Sweetie along with him.
Lin Baozhu was delighted to see that the two children were a bit fatter than when she last saw them, with rosy cheeks, and secretly stuffed a few pounds of flour into the basket.
"Tiger!"
Hearing the shout, Lin Huzi turned around abruptly, saw Lin Baozhu, immediately shook off his friend's hand, grabbed Tiantian and rushed over: "Auntie! What brings you here?"
"Auntie, hug me! Sweetie misses you so much!"
Lin Baozhu put down the basket, picked up Tiantian, took out two pieces of fruit candy from her pocket, unwrapped them, and stuffed them into the two little ones' mouths.
"Missing your aunt and not going back?"
"Grandma said that Grandma and the others are busy with the wheat harvest and can't keep up."
Tiger chimed in, "Auntie, let's have lunch here! My auntie's dried duck is so delicious, you have to try it!"
"We'll talk about food later. Let's take Auntie to Grandma's house first."
Lin Baozhu poked his forehead. These days, food is precious; you can't just eat at someone else's house.
Just then, a man pushing a cart joked, "Hey, Tiger, is this your aunt? She's really pretty!"
Tiger puffed out his little chest and said proudly, "Of course! My aunt takes after me!"
He was the brightest star in his maternal grandmother's village.
"Hahaha..." Tiger's words made the people around him burst into laughter.
Lin Baozhu poked Lin Huzi's forehead, then picked up Lin Tiantian and followed her to her maternal grandmother's house.
Lin Huzi's maternal grandmother's house is located in the middle of the village. As soon as you enter the door, you can see a short woman wearing a blue jacket waving a broom to swat away the flies on the hanging meat strips.
"Grandma, my aunt has come to pick us up."
Hearing the noise, the woman glanced towards the door and saw Lin Baozhu holding Tiantian in one arm and carrying a basket in the other. She exclaimed "Oh dear!" and quickly put the broom down, took Tiantian out of her arms, and said with a smile, "Big fat girl, your aunt is so thin and small, don't crush her. Baozhu, come inside quickly."
“Auntie, Tiger and Sweetie have been staying in the village for quite a while now, and my mother asked me to bring them back. I heard that Second Sister-in-law is coming soon. This is some eggs, brown sugar, and some fine grains that my grandmother has saved up.”
He then placed the basket on the stone table in the courtyard.
"What is your mother doing? Tiger and Sweetie are my grandsons. Are you afraid I'll mistreat them?"
Just as they were saying this, they heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from the front gate.
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