He hadn't been home for six years, even when his wife Liang Qi's parents passed away. The two elderly people only had one daughter, Liang Qi.
Liu Zhenhe only sent about ten yuan to this family every month, but never sent any extra letters.
Liang Qi's life in the village should have been pretty good with the money, but the mother and daughter's lives were worse than before.
The money that her mother-in-law and father-in-law sent her every month was spent in disguise. The original owner was also a brainless person. In order to please her parents-in-law, she would give them whatever they asked for. It was not even enough for a month's living expenses, but she lost a lot of money.
Money was tight and the child suffered as well, becoming as thin as a monkey from hunger.
Her husband's sisters were very dissatisfied with her and were jealous of their younger brother who sent money to Liang Qi every month without fail.
They made sarcastic remarks intentionally or unintentionally, and spread rumors that she, a woman, seduced someone else's husband, and the rumors were spread with details.
Even worse was her husband's sister, her sister-in-law, who slandered her for having an affair with someone else because she was lonely, and the rumors became more and more intense.
The Liu family wrote a letter to Liu Zhenhe. Liu Zhenhe, who was far away in Xinjiang, rushed back as soon as he received the letter from home. He did not listen to any explanation from Liang Qi and did not ask any questions. He made the final decision.
He divorced Liang Qi directly, and Liang Qi was abandoned just like that.
The child and the house were left to the woman, and the man only sent ten yuan in child support every month, which was a few yuan less than before.
Liu Zhenhe did not delay and went to Xinjiang overnight after the divorce. There were all kinds of rumors in the village. The chatty old ladies sat under a big tree at the entrance of the village, chatting about gossip.
"Did Liu Zhenhe hide one in Xinjiang?"
"That shouldn't be the case! It doesn't look like it!"
"Why not? How can a man take care of himself so white, plump and clean? Anyway, I don't believe it."
"Indeed, my husband works at the town's supply and marketing cooperative. If he doesn't come home for three days, he'll always come back with bags of dirty clothes and a face covered in stubble. How many men can take care of themselves, let alone a young master?"
"If you say so, it's true. No wonder they divorced so quickly. Poor Liang's kid."
"What's so pitiful about it? People in the village say that the slutty girl from the Liang family seduces single men in the village! They even say it with details," a woman said jealously.
Liang Qi has a cold white skin that never gets tanned. He goes out all day long and never gets tanned.
"You said it was a rumor, and you didn't see it with your own eyes. You'd better be more careful with your words. Liang Qi looks like an honest child, not like what the villagers say." Someone said objectively.
"That's right. He's like a workhorse all day long. How can he have time for something else? I don't know which bastard spread this rumor."
"People nowadays can say hurtful things without paying any price, so they can speak foul language so unscrupulously." Educated people are different, they speak with such elegance.
"You said no, then why did the rumor spread in the village that Liang Qi cheated on someone? It couldn't be said for no reason!"
"Yeah, why is it that no one else has spread the rumor, but she is the only one who is rumored to have seduced men? Isn't it because she is restless?" The woman saw that no one believed that Liang Qi seduced others, and she became a little impatient and hurried to throw dirty water on her.
"Their home is quite far from the village, but it's quite close to the Liu family. If they were stealing someone, wouldn't they have been discovered long ago? Could it be just a rumor and not the truth?"
"Who says it's not true? If it were true, Liang Qi would have been abandoned by the Liu family long ago. I guess this is just the Liu family crying thief to make room for the new bride."
Based on the original owner's memory, Liang Qi was very sure that Liu Zhenhe had a woman outside. In six years, anything was possible. The woman didn't go and the man didn't come back, and they lived in two separate places.
The man should have had a family and children in Xinjiang by now, but he refused to listen to any explanation and didn't want the child.
The original owner also had doubts, but she had no one to support her, and Captain Chen accepted the gifts from the Liu family and was even more biased towards the Liu family. Liang Qi could only bear all the suffering.
In a short while, both the Liu and Liang families became the talk of the village, and every family was laughing at them.
It is difficult for a divorced woman to gain a foothold in the village. Facing her daughter's tender face every day, the original owner suppressed the sadness in her heart and worked hard every day, just to prevent herself from thinking too much and earn six work points to support her and the child.
But her feet were small, so she couldn't run as fast as others. Others laughed at her and said that a lady with bound feet had no destiny as a government official's wife.
Liang Qi sorted out all these troublesome things, preparing to catch the person who spread the rumors one day and see if she would not give him a hard time.
Don't think about it anymore. It's a foregone conclusion. There's no point thinking about it. I must think about improving my daughter's food.
Liang Qi was thinking about something and ate slowly.
When she came to her senses, she saw that her daughter had finished eating. She had licked the bottom of the bowl clean. Her little hands were resting on both sides of her face, and she was looking at her innocently.
"Are you full, daughter?" Liang Qi saw the child's clean bowl.
"I'm so full." The child said with a smile, and then continued, "Mom, I will cook for you in the future."
After Liang Qi came here, his heart had been wandering, but now he was warmed and calmed by the child's words.
"How come my little Phoenix is so nice? She is really mommy's little cotton-padded jacket, mua mua." Liang Qi kissed her madly.
Liang Qi was very glad that her daughter did not become inferior because of the original owner's divorce, and she is still the optimistic and cheerful little sun.
"Then I'll make it for mom next time." The child's words interrupted Liang Qi's distraction.
"Okay, how about mommy help you light the fire next time you make it?"
"That's great! I can make delicious food with my mom." The child jumped up and cheered.
"Okay, make something delicious for my baby. Mom will go to the fields later. You stay home and throw the wild vegetables in the yard to feed the chickens."
"I want to help you with the work, too." Little Phoenix pulled Liang Qi's clothes and shook them.
"Baby, you're helping Mommy by feeding the chickens."
Liang Qi didn't want her daughter to go out with her and listen to others talking about her and Liu Zhenhe.
"Okay!" He sighed like a little adult while sitting on the small wooden stool and compromised obediently.
"Tonight, when mom comes back from work, I'll make you something delicious."
Then she continued, "Don't drink cold water in the future. Mom will boil some boiled water for you later."
"What is boiled water?" the child asked curiously with his watery eyes.
"Ah! It means boiled water that has cooled down and becomes boiled water," Liang Qi patiently explained to the child.
"Also, Mom will make you some vegetable pancakes later. Eat some before Mom comes back in the afternoon. Don't starve yourself, or Mom will be very sad."
The child would rather starve than leave her to her. The little girl was so well-behaved that Liang Qi felt very distressed.
"I understand, Mom." Little Phoenix said obediently.
Looking at my daughter's dark and thin little face filled with happiness, her big bright eyes were full of smiles.
The original owner hadn't made cakes for her children for some time. In order to save food, the mother and daughter had been eating potato porridge during this period.
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