Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Return to the City (Revised)
Liu Mianmian and her friends had originally planned to stay in the village for one or two nights and then go back, but plans couldn't keep up with changes and they suddenly had to deal with the contracting of fish ponds and mountain land, so they could only stay for a few more days.
I originally wanted Shen Weizhuo and the others to go back first, but Shen Weizhuo said that staying in the countryside for a few days would be a good opportunity to change his mind.
Shen Weiyun was even more happy and reluctant to leave. She grew up in the city and found everything in the countryside new. She spent the whole day taking her two friends, Yu Huanhuan and Yu Suisui, to catch fish and cicadas, and had a lot of fun.
As for Wang Zhiyuan, Liu Mianmian discovered that this retired soldier seemed to be really interested in breeding. He and Yu Guodong have been getting along very well recently, and the two have even started discussing starting a pig farm together in the future.
He is really dedicated to the pig farming business.
In the meantime, they also ran to the village to attend a market.
The previous few times they went to the market were to sell goods, but this was the first time they went there purely for the sake of going to the market. Anyway, they would have to stay for a few more days, and the four of them would live there, so the Yu family also had to prepare food and drinks. Liu Mianmian simply bought a bunch of chickens, ducks, fish and meat at the market, and returned home with a full load, which made everyone in the village envious.
Whose daughter would buy bags and bags of things for her parents' home after getting married? Not to mention an adopted daughter, even a biological daughter can't do that!
Those who had previously worked as crickets for Old Yu's family and raised other people's daughters for nothing were once again ridiculed by others.
If this is considered raising someone else's daughter for free, then what about your own daughter?
It's not that a daughter has to help her parents, but if you laugh at others for raising their daughter in vain, then they should see how your family is not raising her in vain, right?
Liu Mianmian was unaware of these things, but Xu Li was well aware. She felt that her energy had improved a lot recently, and she walked with even more energy. Since her daughter had money, she didn't say anything about not spending it recklessly. Instead, she used her best housekeeping skills to cook delicious meals.
The families living near Lao Yu's house have been suffering terribly recently.
Normally, everyone eats about the same amount, especially in the summer when the weather is hot and people don’t eat big fish or meat. Some people get up early in the morning to cook a pot of porridge and eat it all day long.
Now the Yu family has delicious food every day. They really beat their children more often.
Liu Mianmian naturally didn't pay attention to these things. She and the Yu brothers went to the village to meet the leaders and technicians.
When the villagers heard about their story, they thought it was a good example of increasing farmers' income and becoming rich. In particular, they wanted to introduce the latest peanut varieties and trial-plant them on the mountains. This would be like taking the lead and helping the villagers to test it first. If the trial planting was effective, it could be promoted in the village.
Qianjin Township has many hilly areas with similar soil, and the township has been looking for solutions. Introducing new varieties isn't difficult, but the problem is that locals are reluctant to take the risk, fearing they'll work for months and end up with only a small harvest.
Now that someone is willing to be the first to try something new, the township is extremely happy. So when Liu Mianmian suggested that the township technicians help track the progress and provide technical support at any time, the township leaders agreed without hesitation.
After negotiating with the township, Yu Guoliang and his team got to work. They asked a few close friends in the village to come and help. They first cleaned up the ponds and mountains on the Liuxia Village side. Then, while disinfecting the land, releasing fish fry and planting peanuts, they cleaned up the ponds and mountains on the Xiaodun Village side.
All of a sudden we were working in full swing.
Liu Mianmian and the others then said goodbye and left.
But to everyone's surprise, Wang Zhiyuan actually stayed. Although the pig farm couldn't be opened yet, Wang Zhiyuan had already agreed with Yu Guodong to invest some money in the fish ponds and mountain land in Xiaodun Village, and then he and Wang Guodong would start the business together.
"No, he just quietly stayed in Qianjin Township?" Aunt Liu was speechless. "This guy is really unreliable. He's so old, but he's still so impatient. It's not convenient for him to stay there as a foreigner. Where to live, what to eat, aren't these all problems?"
Liu Mianmian leaned back on the recliner, breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile, "He lives with my second brother. If that doesn't work out, he can just live in my room. He can eat at my house. He's now a partner with my second brother. We're as close as a pair of pants. Don't worry, he won't suffer any loss."
The countryside was quite comfortable, but compared to that, the city was definitely more convenient. Moreover, after being away for so many days, returning to Qiuzhi Lane, Liu Mianmian felt like she was "home" for the first time in this time and space. Lying under the pomegranate tree, she felt completely limp and relaxed.
"Well, I'm not afraid that he will suffer any loss. I'm afraid that he will cause trouble for your parents." Aunt Liu said.
"No, it's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks. Besides, Brother Zhiyuan also gave my parents food expenses." It doesn't matter in the short term, but if it's a long time, it would be best to pay some food expenses, so Liu Mianmian persuaded Xu Li to accept the money.
"That's good. Otherwise, who could afford to feed a big, strong man like him every day?" Aunt Liu sighed. "Why does he like farming and raising pigs so much? His father and I are even discussing finding him a job in South City."
"Farming and raising pigs are also good. Maybe I can become a millionaire in no time." Many millionaires in the 1980s made their money from farming and breeding. After all, materials were not abundant at that time, and having enough food and clothing was the top priority for the people.
"Your parents really love you. Look, they have prepared so many things for you. It's not easy for farmers to save up things, and you have brought back all the good things." Aunt Liu was packing up the things Liu Mianmian and others brought back from Qianjin Township. She thought to herself that it didn't matter whether they were biological children or not. The biological parents were always thinking about sucking blood from their daughter. It would be better for the adoptive parents to really care about whether the child could have enough food and clothes.
"These woolen gloves are beautifully knitted." Aunt Liu took out two pairs of woolen gloves, a larger pair for Shen Weizhou and a smaller pair for Liu Mianmian. "You don't need them now. I'll wash them for you and then I'll make some mothballs for you to put away."
After collecting some odds and ends, Aunt Liu stared at a large clay pot and frowned: "How did you get this thing back from all this way? It's so heavy."
The villagers went to the south city to buy peanut seeds. There was not enough space for people, but we could carry the stuff. They helped us deliver it directly to the entrance of the alley, and we brought it in when we came back.
Aunt Liu continued to frown: "So many things, did you carry them back by yourselves?"
If Wang Zhiyuan had come along, it would have been normal. Wang Zhiyuan was quite strong and had trained regularly in the army, so carrying these things would have been no problem. The problem was that Wang Zhiyuan stayed in Qianjin Township, leaving Shen Weizhou, Shen Weiyun, and Liu Mianmian alone. Aunt Liu felt that it was a difficult task no matter how she looked at it.
Actually, it was brought back by Shen Weizhuo.
This man is quite strong and seems to be carrying so many things with ease.
But considering that if it was Shen Weizhou, Aunt Liu would probably be scared and make tonic for him immediately, Liu Mianmian had to say that it was an unfamiliar neighbor who helped, and this fooled Aunt Liu.
"This jar is full of radish strips. Oh my, how can we finish them all!" Aunt Liu exclaimed.
"These radish strips are really delicious. My mother pickled them herself." Liu Mianmian glanced at the pottery jar and said, "I'll get some glass bottles to put them in and let Liu Anmin sell them." Liu Anmin's eldest brother was an educated youth who went to the countryside. His eldest sister-in-law followed him back to the city and had no job, so she set up a stall in the educated youth's vegetable market to sell vegetables. After Aunt Liu heard about it, she would patronize his eldest sister-in-law's stall every time she went to the educated youth's vegetable market.
Liu Mianmian really thought that Xu Li’s pickled radish was delicious and felt that there should be a market for it, so she specially made a clay jar to try it out.
Aunt Liu was very curious when she heard her say that. She went to find a bowl and chopsticks, picked up a radish strip, took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately: "Oh, it's delicious. Most people can't pickle it to this taste. It's crispy and sweet. Director Yu likes this one the most. I'll save some for you."
After thinking for a moment, Aunt Liu said, "I'll go ask around in the alley later. I'm sure there are a lot of people who want to buy it."
Liu Mianmian: "Well, let's go buy some glass bottles first."
Aunt Liu stood up immediately and said, "I'll call your Uncle Wang's workplace and ask him to buy it." She hurriedly made the call.
Liu Mianmian laughed.
Aunt Liu is such a lovely person, warm-hearted, quiet, and simple and kind.
Shen Weiyun was probably too engrossed in playing in the countryside and was physically exhausted. He went to sleep as soon as he got home. Shen Weizhuo was called away by the research institute as soon as he came back. As soon as the nagging Aunt Liu left, the yard suddenly became quiet.
Liu Mianmian felt that she was actually a little tired. She stared at the small green fruits on the pomegranate tree, her eyes gradually became blurred, and she fell asleep unknowingly.
She was shaken awake.
"Um?"
Liu Mianmian opened her eyes and stared at Shen Weizhou, who was bending over to look at her. She slowly came to her senses: "You're back?"
Shen Weizhou hummed, sat down on the small stool next to him, took Liu Mianmian's hand, held it in his, pinched her fingers, and said, "Wake up first, dinner will be served soon."
"Oh." Liu Mianmian scratched his palm.
Shen Weizhou glanced at her and asked, "Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"
Liu Mianmian said lazily, "Teacher Jin is hoping that I won't have to go to work for the entire summer vacation. That's fine too. It's so hot during the summer vacation, it's nice to stay at home."
Shen Weizhou had never seen such a lazy person before, and couldn't help laughing: "Then why don't you just stop going to work?"
Liu Mianmian immediately shook her head: "How can that be possible? Only by going to work can she maintain a normal schedule and social life." If she didn't go to work, she probably wouldn't want to get up or see anyone every day.
"Plus, the salary at a Western restaurant is quite high. Occasionally, you can hear some interesting gossip. You can also listen to Manager Chen talk about the gossip in Hong Kong. Which wealthy family has just revealed their illegitimate child, which wealthy wife has teamed up to deal with their extramarital affairs, and which rich young man has several girlfriends at the same time. It's completely different from the mainland."
Shen Weizhou was speechless. He really didn't understand what was so interesting about these gossips. However, he asked, "Do you like Hong Kong City?"
Liu Mianmian: "It's okay."
Shen Weizhou thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid it won't work this year. The research institute's project can't be completed yet. Let's wait until next year. We can go to Gangcheng to visit grandma. Her brothers and sisters are all in Gangcheng."
Liu Mianmian looked at him curiously: "Do you guys still keep in touch?"
The original book did mention that other members of the Xu family in Nancheng went to Gangcheng in their early years and developed well there. Later, they helped Shen Weihong and his wife for the sake of Shen Bokang.
The book doesn't describe it much. Liu Mianmian thought that it was after Shen Weizhuo's death that the Xu family in Hong Kong started to contact the mainland, which was a good opportunity for Shen Weihong and others.
Now it seems that this is not the case?
Shen Weizhou nodded and said, "After the border was opened, my uncle and aunt came to the mainland together and invited us to Hong Kong City. However, my health has always been poor, so it is not convenient for me to travel far."
"Speaking of this, you have stopped taking the prescription originally prescribed by Mr. Bai for a while, right? Shouldn't you go for a follow-up visit and readjust the prescription?" Liu Mianmian said.
Shen Weizhou was silent for two seconds and said, "Well, I'll go there in a couple of days."
"Shall I go with you?"
"...Alright." Shen Weizhou changed the subject, "Shall we go see a movie tomorrow night?"
"Hmm?" Liu Mianmian looked up at him and suddenly realized that she had never been to a movie since she came to this world, so she said, "Okay, how about asking Mom and Dad to come along?"
Shen Weizhou pinched her fingertips again and asked, "What do you think?"
Liu Mianmian suddenly had an epiphany and realized that Shen Weizhuo was inviting her to go out alone to see a movie...it was a date!
She raised her lips and said, "How about not calling anymore?"
Shen Weizhou glanced at her and found her cunning look particularly amusing. He couldn't help but reach out and scratch her nose: "Hmm."
"Brother and sister-in-law are ready to eat!"
Shen Weiyun suddenly rushed out of the restaurant, then screamed "Ah" and covered his eyes, "I didn't see anything." He turned around and ran back kicking and stomping.
“…”
Liu Mianmian thought speechlessly, you act as if we really did something, but we are obviously more innocent than the fish pond contracted by Yu Guoliang.
Not so innocent.
After all, they had slept on that narrow bed in the countryside for several nights. In the dead of night, when they were alone, a man and a woman, there would always be times when they couldn't help but touch and talk... Especially Shen Weizhuo, it was as if he had unlocked some seal... Stop, stop, don't think about it anymore.
Liu Mianmian cleared her throat and said, "Let's go eat."
"Um."
After dinner, Liu Mianmian thought of something: "Would it be convenient to ask your uncle, aunt, and grandmother to help us open a stock account?"
She had long wanted to test the waters in the Hong Kong stock market, but Manager Chen told her that the mainland had strict regulations in this regard, and it was very difficult for mainland residents to go to Hong Kong without a valid reason, let alone open an account to trade stocks in Hong Kong. She had to give up for the time being.
Now that she knew that Shen Weizhuo had been in contact with the Xu family in Gangcheng and that they seemed to have a good relationship, Liu Mianmian suddenly became eager to ride the waves in the Gangcheng stock market.
If it really doesn't work, she can ask her uncle or aunt to help hold the shares. After all, they are wealthy people with considerable assets and should not look down on her small fortune. There is no risk of financial disputes for the time being.
"Well, I'll ask later." Shen Weizhou asked as he sorted out the documents on the desk, "Would you like to go wash up first?"
Liu Mianmian was still thinking about the stock market and replied casually, "Yeah, I'll go there soon."
Shen Weizhou looked back at her, walked over, leaned over and kissed her on the lips, his voice low and gentle: "Be good, go now."
Liu Mianmian finally reacted and her face suddenly turned red.
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