Chapter 2
In the afternoon, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family steamed a large pot of white flour buns and slaughtered an old hen that had been raised for more than a year to make soup. The house was filled with the aroma of chicken soup, and even the adults couldn't help swallowing their saliva. The potatoes were cut into thin strips and fried with salt. When they were served, they were sprinkled with chopped green onions. The dish was delicious and fragrant.
"Hey," the second son's wife, who was feeding the chickens, came over and nudged her waist with her elbow, "the third son's family came back yesterday and brought two cans of malted milk. Did you see it?"
"Malt?"
Afraid that her sister-in-law didn't know what malted milk was, Li Hongmei quickly began to explain, "It's a good thing, and it's only sold in the county town. Last month, I brought some grass roots back to my mother's house, and my sister-in-law made a small bowl for me to taste. It was fragrant and sweet, with a strong milk flavor."
"I thought the third brother and his wife brought it back for me and you, sister-in-law, but who knew they never took it out."
When Li Hongmei thought of this, she couldn't help but worry in her heart. Her son Cao Gen was weak and it would be good if he could drink some malted milk to nourish him.
"The third couple have been married for so many years and still don't have a child. Maybe it's their destiny to be childless. Do they have any idea of adopting a child?"
Her daughter Fengyin is five years old this year. The third brother and his wife are both cadres and work in the county. Their family is well-off. If they adopt Fengyin, not only will their family have one less burden, but Fengyin can also go to school in the county and inherit the house and money left by the third brother and his wife in the future.
As a mother, she can also benefit from it.
"What? Adoption?" Zhang Yueju was shocked by her words, but soon calmed down.
Her family's Shuanzhu is twelve years old, and Tiezhu is ten years old. Even if they want to be adopted, it is not her family's turn, and she is reluctant to do so.
During dinner, Li Hongmei couldn't help but ask about the adoption.
"The third wife, Cao Gen is weak, and your second brother and I have to raise three children together. Your second brother has to work alone, so we are inevitably a little tight on money. I see that the third wife likes children very much. Why don't you adopt Feng Yin to your name and raise him..."
When Feng Yin, who was eating nearby, heard this, she hurriedly lowered her head to eat so as not to let others see the joy on her face.
As expected, Li Hongmei mentioned the adoption issue to Lin Youqing and his wife, and it was worth it that I had brainwashed her for so long.
Li Hongmei's plan was very precise, and He Guijuan felt uncomfortable because they wanted to adopt a child, not raise a child for the second son and his wife.
Lin Youqing glanced at his wife and refused. "We are all busy with work and have no plans to raise children. As for the tight financial situation mentioned by my second sister-in-law, Guijuan, my eldest brother and I contribute to the family's financial support every month. We all eat from the same pot and treat the children equally. These days, no one has a lot of money."
"this……"
"Let's eat." Lin Youqing picked up a piece of fish for his wife with chopsticks, obviously not wanting to continue this topic.
The third brother and his wife were unwilling to adopt the child, so Li Hongmei had to change the subject and asked about the two cans of malted milk. "Third brother, I saw two cans of malted milk among the things you brought back yesterday..."
He Guijuan said calmly, "Second sister-in-law is too sharp-eyed, but those two bottles of malted milk were asked by others to bring us back. We have to give them back when we have time. Malted milk is not easy to get."
Sensing the mockery in He Guijuan's tone, Lin Laoer frowned impatiently and looked at Li Hongmei, "You are the only one who talks too much during the meal."
Dinner ended with everyone having their own thoughts. At Jiang Jiang's house, after dinner, they settled the old hen, simply wiped their face and feet with hot water, and lay down.
Jiang Jiang's house only had a kerosene lamp, and the lampshade had long been broken. Last month, Uncle Fugui gave her some lamp oil, but Jiang Jiang had never been willing to use it. She usually ate early and went to bed before it got dark.
Jiang Jiang's home is an earthen kiln. Although it looks shabby from the outside and is so poor that there is not much furniture, Jiang Jiang has kept the inside very clean and there is not a single musty smell.
The old hen is like a family member to Azhu.
This chicken was bought when Jiang Jiang's father was still alive. He bought it to lay eggs. He said that after the chicken laid eggs, he would cook an egg for her every day. Unfortunately, before the chicken could lay eggs, her father fell off a cliff and died.
The days of dawn in the twelfth lunar month come late. It was probably after six o'clock when a hint of paleness appeared in the sky. Jiang Jiang shivered as the cold well water covered his face.
Jiang Jiang opened the bag that Lin Youqing had given her yesterday, took out an apple from it, and took a small bite. It was indeed juicy, crispy and sweet, sweeter than any candy she had ever eaten.
"It's delicious." Jiang Jiang squinted his eyes happily.
At daybreak, Zhang Yueju was already cooking. He Guijuan felt bad when she thought that her sister-in-law had been the only one doing the cooking during the two days they had been back in Dongxi Village.
Lin Youqing next to her was still asleep. He Guijuan got up, put on her clothes, tucked in the quilt for her husband, and planned to help Zhang Yueju make breakfast.
"Sister-in-law, let me help you."
Zhang Yueju was stunned for a moment, "Okay, go and help me wash the vegetables."
He Guijuan was washing vegetables when her second sister-in-law's daughter Fengyin came running over and asked, "Third Aunt, is there anything I can help you with?"
Zhang Yueju was watching from the side and found it very rare. Fengyin was the girl who was most reluctant to work on weekdays, but today she actually came to help on her own initiative.
He Guijuan looked at the child with a smile and pointed to a bunch of leeks on the table next to the stove. "Then help Aunt San get the leeks over and we'll pick them together."
I didn’t buy meat at home today, but I saved up a dozen eggs some time ago. I plan to fry them with leeks and eggs, which will be a good meat dish.
"Okay." After Feng Yin took the leeks, she moved a small stool and sat in front of He Guijuan, shaking her little head.
Breakfast consisted of fried eggs with leeks and cornmeal porridge, as well as a dish of pickles that Zhang Yueju had made with radish sprouts.
After breakfast, He Guijuan gave Fengyin a handful of mints as a reward.
"I see that Fengyin is quite attached to you." Lin Youqing was busy writing a work plan. Thinking of how Fengyin sat clinging to his wife during breakfast, he couldn't help but say this.
"I've never seen Fengyin be so close to us before since we came back." Dong Guilan didn't care and buried her head in tidying up her clothes. Fengyin, a child of her age, didn't understand anything. It was just the adults who taught her.
In the final analysis, it was nothing more than her second sister-in-law wanting her to adopt her daughter Fengyin, and there was no way He Guijuan would agree to that.
"My second sister-in-law is quite cunning. I put the two bottles of malted milk in a cloth bag, but I didn't expect that she would still find them."
He Guijuan did not lie to Li Hongmei. Her high school classmate Wang Shuwen married in the same village and gave birth to a child half a month ago. One of the cans of malted milk was asked by her classmate Wang Shuwen's husband to buy it, and she went through a lot of trouble to buy it.
As for the other can, Lin Youqing has a bad stomach, a chronic problem for many years. Malted milk has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach and enhancing physical fitness. Drinking some malted milk can be good for his body.
"How do you feel, kid Jiang Jiang?"
He Guijuan nodded, "He's a good kid. Although his skin is a little sallow, probably because he's been hungry for many years, his facial features are pretty good. He'll be suitable for art when he grows up."
Anyway, she was unwilling to help her eldest or second sister-in-law raise the children. In the end, they would still be better off with their own biological parents, and her efforts would be in vain.
His wife's idea was similar to his own. Lin Youqing nodded and said, "We still have a few days of vacation. Let's spend more time with the child and ask her what she wants."
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