Chapter 3 Chapter 3 When a new bride comes home, there will be gossip...
In the evening, we cooked several dishes with one fish. We were full after eating the fish, but Jiang Hongguo only rested for one night last night, which was not enough. She wanted to rest more.
She pretended to have a stomachache and curled up to refuse being held. Gu Changzong wanted to take her to the clinic, but Jiang Hongguo was just pretending. She just wanted to take a nap, so she said that her period might have come.
It was indeed coming, she hoped it would come. She didn't understand what had happened to Changzong yet, and was afraid of getting pregnant. It would be great if it really came.
Gu Changzong went out. Jiang Hongguo heard the door closing. She sat up and took a look. It seemed that he had left the yard. She didn't know what he was doing, so she didn't care.
Jiang Hongguo closed his eyes contentedly. Before he fell asleep, he could feel a slight heat at the tip of his nose, which also had a sweet taste.
She quickly opened her eyes, and Changzong had just lit the kerosene lamp. In the steaming cup was brown sugar water.
"Changzong, whose house did you borrow the brown sugar from? What did you say?" Jiang Hongguo could imagine that this idiot would tell the truth.
Gu Changzong lowered his head and said, "I told Aunt Liu that you had a stomachache, and she gave me two taels of brown sugar that she made in the spring. I didn't ask for it in vain, I gave her money to buy it."
Brown sugar can be bought at the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town. Now no coupons are required, but it is often out of stock. Before Changzong was changed, Jiang Hongguo had no spare money to buy brown sugar, and few families in the village were willing to buy it.
Aunt Liu's family planted two mu of sugarcane. They dug pits in the fall to store the sugarcane. In the spring, they dug the sugarcane out and boiled a few pounds of brown sugar to save for her daughter to eat during the confinement period.
Jiang Hongguo was furious: "You just know how to waste money."
Gu Changzong accepted the insult and did not refute.
After Jiang Hongguo finished complaining, she felt guilty again. The money used to buy brown sugar was earned by Changzong from odd jobs in the county town. She didn't really want to scold him, but she was worried that his sudden wealth would arouse jealousy and inquisition.
Although his stomach didn't hurt, the brown sugar water was still very comfortable to drink. Jiang Hongguo took the initiative to hug him and said, "Don't spend money recklessly in the future. My stomach doesn't hurt anymore. Let's go to sleep."
Gu Changzong's eyes brightened again. That night he just hugged Jiang Hongguo and kissed her.
Jiang Hongguo's period really came. She found out in the morning. Gu Changzong had already gone to change the sheets. Jiang Hongguo was lying on the bed, curled up like a shrimp. Her face was pale and she looked weak. She couldn't even eat.
Aunt Liu saw Gu Changzong drying bed sheets, so she brought over a coarse porcelain plate made in an earthen kiln and filled it with a few pieces of brown sugar and gave it to Jiang Hongguo to drink.
The child had been without a mother since she was young, and was frightened when she had her first menstruation. It was Aunt Liu who taught her how to sleep. During the menstrual period, she was in so much pain that she couldn't get out of bed. It was somewhat inconvenient for her biological father to take care of her before, but Gu Zhiqing was willing to wash and take care of her, so Hongguo was considered lucky.
"Hongguo, these pieces are boiled with ginger. Drink this first."
"Thank you, auntie. I'll ask Changzong to give you the money later."
"Don't be polite to me. I want to discuss something with you. Changzong is really capable. He can set traps to catch rabbits, pheasants and ducks in the mountains. Can you let your uncle go with him? I have a high school student at home. It's too expensive."
No wonder, Hongguo had her period before, but she never tasted this earthy brown sugar.
She didn't know how Changzong caught the wild rabbits, pheasants and ducks, but she didn't dare let anyone follow him.
"Aunt, you don't know, the mountains are very dangerous. Changzong was chased by a wolf once, and I didn't let him go. We don't have any children here, so we don't dare to take risks. Uncle is the pillar of the family, and we can't let him take risks."
After hearing this, Aunt Liu stopped and was reluctant to give up the local brown sugar.
Unexpectedly, Gu Changzong finished drying the sheets, took out twenty cents and said he wanted to buy these pieces.
Aunt Liu wanted to accept the sugar but was too embarrassed to do so, so she said she would give it to him as a gift and ask him to do her a favor. However, the favor was not done and she felt bad about giving him the sugar.
When Hongguo's father was alive, he was very caring towards his neighbors and seemed stingy when accepting money.
Jiang Hongguo said, "Changzong, you gave too much money to buy brown sugar last night. This is a supplement for us. Put the money away quickly, otherwise Auntie will be unhappy."
Aunt Liu was very embarrassed and refused, "That's right, you gave me half a catty of money last night, why do you need so much? Stop paying."
In fact, Changzong originally wanted to buy half a catty, but Aunt Liu only poured out two taels last night. Jiang Hongguo knew that kind people were often bullied. There was nothing she could do about it before, but now that Changzong had changed, there was no need for Hongguo to continue to swallow her anger.
…
Jiang Hongguo's menstrual period lasts a long time and takes a full week to end. This time, she had the most comfortable period. She almost didn't have to get out of bed. The water for washing feet was brought to the bedside. There was also mugwort in the foot bath tub. When the hot steam fumigated, Jiang Hongguo's tears fell into the wooden tub one by one.
Gu Changzong panicked: "Is it because the mugwort makes you uncomfortable?"
It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable; it was that she felt too comfortable. No man in the whole village had ever heard of bringing water for washing feet to his wife. Jiang Hongguo thought that even if Changzong was Wong Tai Sin in disguise, she would accept it.
She suddenly laughed again. It shouldn't be the case. The big rooster in the backyard had dared to run up to Changzong to show off his power.
"Changzong, my period is over, so I don't need to soak anymore." Jiang Hongguo said with a blushing face.
Gu Changzong's black pupils were very bright. Jiang Hongguo saw only her own beautiful shadow in the reflection of his pupils.
This time Jiang Hongguo put aside her suspicion and wariness, and just treated Changzong as a good husband. She slowly felt the taste of the situation, but she was not physically strong enough and soon wanted to go to bed. Changzong was not so easy to coax that night. She couldn't beat him, and she didn't feel any pain when she bit him. He even put his arm to her mouth and asked her to bite it. Hongguo's teeth hurt, so she gave up biting him.
Thinking about the week's soaking of feet in mugwort, I couldn't get angry. I pushed the feet several times but failed, and I wasted my energy.
Chang Zong kept calling her name, aggrieved and fierce: "Guo Guo, you took the initiative, how can you regret it?"
Jiang Hongguo was so angry that she couldn't take the initiative next time.
Hongguo couldn't get up in the morning. In the past, she was afraid of being called a lazy daughter-in-law, but this month Gu Changzong didn't want her to go to the fields, do the laundry or cook. She could stay in bed if she wanted, and Changzong wouldn't say anything. So she was not afraid of other people's gossip.
"Hongguo, are you still sleeping?"
It was Aunt Liu again. Changzong was not at home, so Aunt Liu came straight into the room.
Jiang Hongguo quickly put on her clothes, feeling a little angry that Aunt Liu was so ungentlemanly and treated her like a child by coming in without knocking. Fortunately, Chang Zong had cleaned up the room, so there was no shameful mess in the room.
"Auntie, it's such a nice day, why are you here to see me instead of going out to the fields?"
Aunt Liu looked gossipy: "Who told you to get up so late? Don't you know that Aunt Wang's wedding has been moved up and the wedding will be held the day after tomorrow. Your cooking is delicious, so they want you to help in the kitchen. They asked me to tell them, but her family is so busy that they don't have time to come."
The day after tomorrow? That means there are only three days left, how can we prepare in time?
"It's just too late. Her family is busy."
"Why are you in such a hurry? What happened?"
Aunt Liu had a look of disdain on her face: "Auntie Wang's youngest son went to the Meng family and did that with the Meng family's daughter in broad daylight. He was afraid that the scandal would spread, so he had to hurry up and get married."
It was indeed inappropriate to be at my father-in-law's house in broad daylight, so Jiang Hongguo agreed to help in the kitchen.
The night before the wedding banquet, Jiang Hongguo refused to let Gu Changzong get close to her, for fear that he would be laughed at for having sore legs when he turned around.
There was a banquet at noon, and Aunt Liu came knocking on the door at two or three o'clock in the morning. Hongguo took a half-worn, dark-colored, dirt-resistant coat and put it on. She tucked the hem of her coat into her waistband, looked at her flat belly and thin waist, and pulled the hem of her coat out again.
Opening the door in the dark, she reminded Changzong to go for a drink at noon.
Gu Changzong disliked this kind of hustle and bustle the most and would rather eat vegetables at home: "Isn't it that one person from each family goes? I won't go."
Jiang Hongguo was there to help in the kitchen, so she didn't count towards the wine party. She brought the same gift as everyone else, and it wasn't a small amount either, so why didn't she go to the wine party? Could it be that Changzong was afraid of seeing Meng Qingdai?
We will be in the same village from now on. If we don’t see each other today, we will see each other tomorrow. Jiang Hongguo began to think wildly.
"Hongguo, are you still not well?"
"Okay, I'll come."
Jiang Hongguo snatched the flashlight from Chang Zong's hand and said, "You don't want to go because you're afraid that you'll be sad to see Meng Qingdai getting married?"
Why would Gu Changzong be sad about an unrelated person getting married? Why would Hong Guo think so?
"Okay, I'll go then."
…
Aunt Wang is keen on helping other people with weddings and funerals. Today, her family is having a wedding, so she doesn't have to worry about anything in the kitchen. Aunt Liu will take care of the overall arrangements, while Jiang Hongguo will be in charge of pounding, stewing and making sweet lotus root meat on her side.
Aunt Wang's family was marrying off their youngest son, and the girl's family did not ask for a dowry. The wedding banquet was considered the best in the village, and the pork alone was half a pig.
The bride was brought back in the morning. The bridal chamber was so lively that you had to squeeze in to see the new bride. Everyone who saw her praised her for being so beautiful.
Is she really that pretty? Jiang Hongguo was not jealous. She had seen Meng Qingdai before. At that time, she just couldn't understand why everyone in the literacy class said that she was prettier than Meng Qingdai, but Gu Zhiqing only praised Meng Qingdai.
She wanted to go and see now, so she waited until the banquet was about to start and found some time, then she peeked through the door at the bride sitting cross-legged on the wedding bed.
She still has the same facial features, but with makeup on, a good complexion, and a smile at the corners of her eyes. She used to be a shy unmarried girl, but today she is a happy and charming bride. She is pretty, but not as pretty as myself.
Jiang Hongguo could only compare secretly in her heart. When she turned back to toast, Changzong could see the bride. She wondered what he was thinking. Could he see the change in Meng Qingdai's expression like she did?
Gu Changzong arrived just as the banquet began. As soon as the dishes were served, Jiang Hongguo and the aunts and wives became even busier. When she heard that the newlyweds were coming out to toast, she took a few glances in her busy schedule. Changzong really didn't look at Meng Qingdai differently, and Meng Qingdai didn't pay much attention to Changzong either. There was really nothing between them.
Seeing this with his own eyes, Jiang Hongguo felt happy and the meatballs he made became rounder and rounder.
…
After the banquet, Jiang Hongguo did not leave. He waited for the dishes to be distributed. These were not the leftovers from the banquet, but the side dishes left over from the kitchen. Each kitchen helper could get a bowl, and they were all delicious meat dishes. Of course, everyone accepted them. They couldn't have worked in vain.
Gu Changzong called her home, "Guoguo, you got up too early. Go home and catch up on your sleep. I'll make you something delicious tonight."
The aunts who were talking about this all teased Jiang Hongguo, "Hongguo, what kind of drug did you give Gu Zhiqing? Why does he love you so much now?"
Jiang Hongguo had no idea that this had only happened a month ago. She was afraid of attracting more ridicule, so she hurriedly pulled Gu Changzong back regardless of the occasion.
On the way, Jiang Hongguo quarreled with him: "I'm waiting for the food to be distributed. Can't you come back by yourself? Why do you have to drag me?"
"Guoguo, I will never let you live the hard life you had before. We don't lack that bowl of meat to eat." Gu Changzong said with heartache.
Jiang Hongguo is funny, is that the same thing?
It seemed to be the same thing. If it hadn't been so bitter in the past, she wouldn't have stared at the pot of lotus root and sweet pork. Normally, her family didn't make such a troublesome dish, and she wanted to bring it back for Changzong to try.
"Is the braised sweet pork belly with lotus root delicious at today's banquet?" Jiang Hongguo asked.
"It's delicious. As soon as it's on the table, everyone eats it with just one chopstick."
"I did it." Jiang Hongguo said proudly.
Gu Changzong looked at her steadily, with a serious face: "Guoguo, you are sweeter than that sweet lotus root."
Jiang Hongguo blushed and was so smooth-talking. Who did she learn this from? Gu Zhiqing was not like this before.
In the afternoon, Aunt Liu came back and brought back the bowl of sweet lotus root meat that Jiang Hongguo deserved.
Jiang Hongguo ate two more pieces of food for dinner, which made Gu Changzong very happy. However, he did not make trouble for her at night. Jiang Hongguo was a little surprised, but she was secretly happy that she could have a good sleep, so she did not think too much about it.
The next morning, she got up early, took her breakfast bowl and went to visit relatives. There was a new daughter-in-law marrying in, so there must be some casual chatting.
Sure enough, Aunt Wang was also holding a bowl, standing at the door of Aunt Liu's house, chatting about her new daughter-in-law whom her family had just married yesterday, and she looked unhappy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
