Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Visiting to Thank You

Mrs. Zhang ignored Qi Huiying who ran away, and touched her chest in fear and said, "Jianhong, it's a good thing you caught the snake, otherwise the two children might have been bitten!"

Then he pointed at the snake and said, "You are so brave, girl. You dare to catch such a big snake. Aren't you afraid that it will bite you?"

Han Jianhong shrugged and said, "Auntie, when I was a kid in the countryside, I often caught snakes. During the famine years, everyone in the village went up the mountain to catch snakes."

Mrs. Zhang thought of what she had heard from others before, that Han Jianhong grew up in the countryside and only came to join the army in the past two years.

Although the conditions on the island are rather harsh, it is not so bad that the children would go around the mountains catching snakes out of hunger. Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but feel a little distressed when she thought of this.

She asked uncertainly, "So, you're going to eat this too?"

Han Jianhong nodded and said, "Yes. Auntie, this snake is delicious when it is skinned and stewed. Do you want to try it?"

"No, thanks." Mrs. Zhang quickly shook her head and refused. Damn it, she didn't dare to eat this.

But Xia Qinqin suddenly asked, "Is it really delicious?"

Han Jianhong looked down at her expectant eyes, nodded, thought for a moment and said, "But if you want to eat it, you have to ask your parents and get their consent."

Xia Qinqin looked at the scary long snake and shrank her body. This snake looked so scary. She didn't know whether her mother would let her eat it or not.

Meng Yufei, who was looking at the account book, suddenly felt something move in her heart, as if she heard Qinqin's call in her ears.

She frowned and touched her chest, and began to worry whether something had happened to Qinqin. After thinking about it, she shook her head and felt that she was worrying too much. This island is very safe, and there are people standing guard at the gate of the family compound. Whether it is a stranger from outside who wants to come in, or a child here who wants to go out alone, it is not easy, and there will be no danger.

After clearing her mind, Meng Yufei continued to look at the account book carefully.

It was not until half past eleven that Xiao Zhang from the Personnel Department next door knocked on the door and interrupted her.

"Sister Meng, I heard that you are working in the Finance Department. That's great! We will be colleagues in the future."

Meng Yufei raised her head, saw Xiao Zhang and smiled, "Director Wang asked me to come over and help."

Xiao Zhang walked over and said, "Let's go. It's already 11:30 and time to get off work. Let's pack up and go eat. We don't have to work until 2:30 in the afternoon."

Meng Yufei looked at her watch in surprise: "I didn't expect it was so late. Thank you for reminding me, otherwise I wouldn't have known."

She closed the account book and locked it in the cabinet, then picked up her bag and went out with Xiao Zhang.

"Sister Meng, I'm eating in the cafeteria. Are you going home to eat or are you also eating in the cafeteria?"

Meng Yufei took out a lunch box from her bag and said, "I'll get two dishes from the cafeteria and eat them at home."

Xiao Zhang nodded and said, "Oh, I forgot that you have Qinqin and Captain Xia at home. It's not like me who can eat all the food without the whole family being hungry."

Today the dishes in the cafeteria are still mainly seafood. At Xiao Zhang's recommendation, Meng Yufei ordered a dish of stir-fried squid. She had never eaten this before, but it looked a bit strange in shape.

I also made a dish of scrambled eggs with spinach, a bowl of seaweed and egg soup, and half a pound of rice.

The total cost was fifty-five cents, but no meat ticket was required for the squid. Meng Yufei thought that if it tasted good, she could order it again next time. Anything that didn't require a ticket was good.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Zhang, Meng Yufei walked home carrying her lunch box.

When I got home, Xia Junshan had already returned, and Xia Qinqin had also been brought home from next door.

"You're back. How about working there today?" Xia Junshan walked forward and took the lunch box from Meng Yufei and asked.

Meng Yufei put her bag on the hook behind the door and said, "I spent the whole morning looking at the account book. It's okay. It's not as complicated as I thought. I should be able to finish it in another afternoon."

Xia Qinqin ran over and hugged Meng Yufei's thighs and said coquettishly: "Mom, I miss you so much~"

Meng Yufei squatted down and kissed her daughter's little face with a smile, "Mom misses Qinqin too. Did you have fun playing with Sister Fangfang this morning?"

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm happy~ We dressed the doll, and Sister Fangfang even braided it. The braids she made are so beautiful. She learned it from her second sister..."

Meng Yufei pulled her talkative daughter to wash her hands, and listened to her talk with a smile about what she had played in the morning.

Xia Junshan placed his chopsticks on the dining table and poured the food from the lunch box into the plate. He was definitely not so particular when he usually ate, but since his wife liked it, he followed her way.

Xia Qinqin talked for a long time and her mouth felt dry so she swallowed. Meng Yufei led her to the dining table and poured her a glass of boiled water.

"By the way, Mom, Sister Fangfang and I went to pick flowers. There were so many beautiful flowers there. We also met a very amazing sister. She caught a very long snake! She also said that snakes are delicious..."

"Snake?" Meng Yufei frowned and asked hurriedly, "Qinqin, who did you say caught the snake?"

Xia Qinqin blinked and said, "My amazing sister caught it."

Xia Junshan then spoke up, "It's the eldest daughter of Captain Han, named Han Jianhong, the girl we met on the day we arrived. When I went to pick up Qinqin next door, I heard from Mrs. Zhang that Qinqin and Fangfang encountered a snake while playing, and Jianhong caught it..."

"Qinqin, were you bitten?" Meng Yufei was so scared that she quickly pulled her daughter up and asked, and hurriedly touched her small body with both hands to check for any wounds.

Xia Qinqin shook her head and said, "It didn't bite me."

Seeing Meng Yufei's nervous face, Xia Junshan hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, I just checked and there was no bite. Besides, the snake is a water snake and is not poisonous."

Xia Junshan grew up in the countryside, where snakes, insects, rats and ants were very common. He didn't think there was anything to be afraid of, so he didn't take it seriously after making sure the child was not bitten.

Meng Yufei still carefully checked Xia Qinqin, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was fine. She hugged her daughter and said, "It's all mom's fault. Mom will never abandon you again next time."

Xia Qinqin patted her mother's shoulder gently and said, "Mom, I'm fine."

Xia Junshan leaned over and comforted her, "Fei Fei, don't think too much. Who knew there would be a snake? It has nothing to do with you. Don't worry, I will report to the division commander this afternoon, and then I will organize the officers of the family compound to clean up all the bushes on the roadside to prevent these things from appearing again in the future."

Meng Yufei took a deep breath to calm herself down. She grew up in Haishi and had never seen many insects, let alone snakes. She thought the most dangerous thing for her children was to be kidnapped. She didn't have to worry about it in the family compound. Who knew there would be snakes?

"I'm really scared when I think about it. What if I hadn't met the Han girl at that time? What if the snake was poisonous... If I got bitten, I would..." Having said this, she didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Xia Junshan patted her on the shoulder and consoled her, "Don't think too much. The child is fine. Poisonous snakes are all in the sea. Usually there are no snakes around the family compound. This time it's just an unfortunate coincidence..."

Meng Yufei sighed and said, "No matter what, I'll keep Qinqin with me this afternoon. I'm really worried about her being out there alone."

Xia Junshan took his wife and daughter to the dining table and served them both food.

Meng Yufei took the bowl and said, "By the way, we have to thank Jianhong this time. If it weren't for her, our Qinqin might have been bitten by a snake. After dinner, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things and thank her in person."

"Okay, that's what I should do." Xia Junshan nodded.

Xia Qinqin suddenly said, "That awesome sister said she wanted to take the snake home and eat it."

Xia Junshan said: "Hey, this girl knows how to eat. Snake meat tastes really good."

Xia Qinqin's eyes lit up, "Really? My awesome sister said that if I want to eat, I have to ask mom and dad, 'Mom, can I eat it?'" She then looked at Meng Yufei expectantly.

Listening to Xia Qinqin's words, Meng Yufei's mind flashed with the image of her daughter eating snake meat. She quickly shook her head and said, "No! Children can't eat it. Wait until you grow up."

In order to divert her daughter's attention, Meng Yufei picked up a piece of squid and put it in her bowl, "This is squid, try it and see if it tastes good."

Xia Qinqin stared at the squid tentacles in the bowl, which she had never seen before. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "Mom, is the food that Auntie Xiao Zhang gave me yesterday also called squid?"

Meng Yufei was stunned. She didn't expect that she still remembered this. She nodded and said, "Yes, she gave you dried squid yesterday. Today's is fresh. Come and taste it and see how it tastes."

Xia Qinqin picked up the squid and put it in her mouth. The crisp and delicious taste spread in her mouth, "Delicious!"

"Then eat more." Meng Yufei picked up a few more pieces for her.

Seeing her daughter concentrating on eating the squid, Meng Yufei breathed a sigh of relief. She was really worried that she would make a fuss about eating snake meat.

Xia Junshan burst out laughing, and Meng Yufei glared at him unhappily. This guy really likes to make trouble!

Receiving his daughter-in-law's warning look, Xia Junshan wisely stopped laughing and hurriedly picked up some food for her.

After dinner, the family of three went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two bags of peach cakes and two pounds of candy. Peach cakes were one yuan per pound, and the two bags of peach cakes weighed eight taels and cost eighty cents, and they also used two snack tickets worth four taels.

Peach cakes are a delicacy these days. They contain oil, sugar and flour, all of which are precious things. It is very prestigious for an ordinary family to bring two bags of peach cakes when visiting relatives during festivals.

The candy was just ordinary cubes of candy from the supply and marketing cooperative. This was the only kind of candy left here today. I spent fifty cents on it, but didn’t use any coupons.

I went to the fruit stand and bought the coconuts I ordered yesterday, and two pounds of strawberries. The strawberries were still priced the same as that day, two pounds for sixty cents.

Seeing the "big customer" coming back again, Zheng Sanmei enthusiastically gave her an extra coconut, but Meng Yufei was naturally embarrassed to accept it.

"Sister, there are coconut trees everywhere on our island. It's a little troublesome to pick them, but you don't need to take care of them at other times, so they are very cheap. This one is only five cents. Just consider it as my thanks for taking care of my fruit stall. Please continue to buy fruit from me in the future."

"Thank you then." Meng Yufei took it with a smile.

Sister Zheng said, "When you get back, open this coconut and you'll find it's full of coconut juice. It's sweet and refreshing and delicious."

Xia Qinqin pointed at the coconut curiously and asked, "Is it all water?"

"Yes." Zheng Sanmei picked up a coconut, put it next to Xia Qinqin's ear and shook it, and said with a smile: "Listen, is there the sound of water?"

Xia Qinqin pricked up her ears and indeed heard the sound of water. She opened her mouth in surprise and said, "Wow, there really is water."

She looked at the round coconut again. It looked like a ball and was very solid. She wondered, "Why doesn't the water leak out? Where is the lid?"

Zheng Sanmei laughed and said, "It has no cover, it just grows like this on the tree."

Xia Qinqin still looked at the coconut in confusion, and Meng Yufei said to her, "Let's open it when we get home and take a closer look at what's inside, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

The family of three left the supply and marketing cooperative carrying large and small bags. Except for the coconuts that they kept for their own consumption, the other items were prepared as thank-you gifts for the Han family.

Peach cakes, candies, and strawberries, these three things were already very grand as a thank-you gift. After all, Xia Qinqin wasn't really bitten by a snake, and most people would just say thank you verbally and let it go. Neighbors wouldn't be that polite, not to mention that the other person was just a half-grown child.

The main reason why Meng Yufei and Xia Junshan attach so much importance to this is because they love Xia Qinqin too much. They want to thank anyone who saves their daughter, no matter who it is.

—————

At the Han family's home, a family of five sat around the dining table.

Captain Han and his current wife Wei Shufang are both remarried. Captain Han married his first wife in the countryside before he joined the army. After she died of illness, she left behind a daughter, Han Jianhong, who has been raised in the countryside.

Wei Shufang was a worker at the soap factory in Qiongzhou City. Her husband was killed by a branch that broke off the road when he went out during a typhoon. She also left behind a daughter who was two years younger than Han Jianhong. Later, she changed her surname to Han and named her Han Jianping.

After they got married, they had another son, Han Jianbao, who is only five years old this year.

After Wei Shufang got married, she continued to work at the soap factory. However, after she remarried, her ex-mother-in-law would come to her workplace every now and then to make trouble, demanding the return of the pension that the factory had given to her son.

In the end, the situation became so serious that Wei Shufang simply sold her job, took the money and brought her daughter to the island to join the army.

She knows how to behave and has good relationships with people since coming to the island. Although she is a city girl, she is not pretentious at all and can communicate with her relatives from the country.

After she took her stepdaughter from the countryside in two years ago, she provided her with the same food, clothing and other necessities as her own daughter. Many people even saw her giving her son's snacks to her stepdaughter, which further confirmed her reputation as a good stepmother.

In addition to the usual dishes made by Wei Shufang, there was also a dish of fragrant meat on the table today. Han Jianbao pointed at the meat and shouted, "It smells so good! It's meat! I want to eat it!"

Bang! Han Jianping slapped his hand, "What are you eating? Do you know what kind of meat this is?"

"Ah, it hurts!" Han Jianbao covered his hand and shouted, complaining to his mother: "Mom, my sister hit me!"

Wei Shufang took her son's hand and rubbed it, then said to her daughter: "Just talk to him nicely, why hit him?"

Han Jianping pointed at the plate of meat and said, "Mom, this is snake meat. It's so scary. Who would eat this?" She glanced at Han Jianhong who was silent beside her and said disdainfully, "Only country people would eat this. We city people just buy pork or chicken if we want to eat meat."

Wei Shufang said: "Jianping, please be careful with your words."

Han Jianping said: "Humph, what I said is all true."

Wei Shufang turned to her husband and said, "It's my fault too. I talked too much at Captain Cao's house this morning, and when I came back, Jianhong had already roasted the snake meat. I should have come back earlier to stop her."

Han Jianping said: "Mom, how can I blame you? Some people are just looking for trouble."

Captain Han pursed his lips and said nothing. After a moment, he said to Han Jianhong, "There is no shortage of food at home. Don't eat these things in the future."

Han Jianhong glanced at the people at the table, sneered in his heart, stood up, picked up the plate of meat and placed it in front of himself, "If you don't want to eat it, I'll eat it myself."

If it were in the previous life, hearing Han Jianping's sarcasm just now, I would definitely feel inferior and ashamed of my own behavior.

But now I just think it's ridiculous. They don't like to eat, so they eat alone! After living a new life, Han Jianhong thought it through. He was originally a country boy. Isn't it normal to do some things that country boys do?

What's more, isn't her father also a country boy?

Wei Shufang and her daughter thought themselves great as city dwellers. In their previous life, they always found fault with her lifestyle, belittled her, and discriminated against her, causing her to have an increasingly inferior self-esteem.

Now that I think about it, what's so noble about that? One of them married a Korean captain who was born in the countryside, and the other changed her surname to a countryman's. I wonder what they are looking down on?

Thinking of this, Han Jianhong looked up and saw her father's dissatisfied eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she thought self-deprecatingly: Maybe I am the only real country bumpkin in this family now.

The family continued to eat in a depressing atmosphere. At the table, only Han Jianbao glanced over from time to time to look at Han Jianhong who was eating with great relish, and secretly swallowed his saliva.

When the Xia family of three arrived, the Han family had already finished their meal. It was Han Jianping who opened the door. She noticed what the visitor was carrying and shouted happily to the house, "Mom, we have guests."

Wei Shufang was mending her son's clothes. The clothes he wore out in the morning were in good condition, but when he came back at noon, there was a hole at the cuff. When she heard her daughter's voice, she put down her needlework and looked up at the door.

Seeing the person coming, Captain Xia, she naturally guessed that the pretty woman next to her was the new family member. She stood up and said with a smile, "Captain Xia, why are you here?"

Leader Han, who was preparing for a nap in his bedroom, hurried out when he heard the voices, "Lao Xia, sister-in-law, why are you two here? Come and sit down."

He extended his hand and led the two of them to sit on the sofa, and then said to Wei Shufang, "Go and pour two cups of tea."

"Yeah, okay."

Xia Junshan put the things on the tea table and said, "We came here specifically to express our gratitude. This morning, your eldest daughter Jianhong saved my Qinqin."

"Ah?" Captain Han was stunned. "Who are you talking about? Jianhong, who saved your Qinqin."

He looked down at the girl leaning in Meng Yufei's arms and knew that this was Captain Xia's daughter. He heard that the couple only had one daughter and they doted on her very much.

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Yes, this morning when my Qinqin was playing on the roadside, a snake appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, Jianhong showed up in time and caught it. We are here to thank her specially."

Wei Shufang poured the tea and brought it over, smiling and saying, "You are too polite. She is just a child. Why should you talk about thank you or not?"

Meng Yufei took the teacup and looked at the family of four standing in the living room. Captain Han was sitting on the sofa chatting with Xia Junshan. Wei Shufang poured the tea and sat next to Captain Han. The two children standing next to them kept their eyes on the tea table.

She couldn't help but ask, "Where's Jianhong? Isn't she at home?"

Wei Shufang said, "She was in the kitchen. The snake was cooked at noon. We didn't dare to eat it, so she ate it all by herself."

She said this as if she was Han Jianhongzui Tan, who was still eating alone in the kitchen after the whole family had finished their meal.

In fact, Han Jianhong was washing dishes in the kitchen.

Since Han Jianhong failed to pass the junior high school entrance exam last year, she has not been going to school and has been staying at home. Naturally, she has started to take on housework, such as washing clothes, washing dishes and sweeping the floor. As for cooking, Wei Shufang has always been the one who does it because she needs to buy vegetables and meat.

Meng Yufei stood up and said, "Then I'll go to the kitchen to see her and thank her in person."

Wei Shufang's polite smile froze, and she stood up and said, "No need, the kitchen is a mess, I'll just call her out."

As they were talking, Han Jianhong came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes and was a little surprised to see the people in the living room.

When Xia Qinqin saw her coming out, she ran to her side and said with a smile, "Sister, my parents and I are here to thank you."

Meng Yufei walked up to her, her eyes swept over her water-stained hands, her eyes moved slightly, and she smiled, "Jianhong, luckily you found the snake in time and saved Qinqin this morning. Auntie and uncle are really grateful to you."

Han Jianhong said: "No, it's okay, I just happened to pass by."

Xia Qinqin asked curiously: "Sister, did you eat the snake? Is it delicious? Mom said children can't eat it."

Han Jianping next to her interrupted and said, "Who would eat that? Only country people like her would eat it. It's disgusting."

This made the atmosphere suddenly awkward.

Meng Yufei held Han Jianhong's hand and said, "My old Xia really likes to eat it, but Auntie is timid and doesn't dare to eat it. Qinqin is very greedy, her eyes light up when she hears about food, so if we really give it to her, it will be wasted."

Xia Junshan said with a smile: "Old Han, Jianhong is like you, brave and courageous. Like father, like daughter."

Head Han smiled and said, "She grew up in the countryside and is a tough person."

Meng Yufei pulled Han Jianhong to sit on the sofa and praised him, "Captain Han, your Jianhong is brave and kind-hearted. He is a rare good child."

Captain Han smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Sister-in-law, you are too polite. She was just helping out."

Meng Yufei looked at Han Jianhong and asked, "Jianhong, how old are you this year?"

Han Jianhong replied: "Fifteen."

Meng Yufei said, "You're only fifteen, but you're really tall. You look almost 1.7 meters tall."

Han Jianhong shook his head and said, "I don't know, I haven't measured it."

Wei Shufang suddenly said, "My child's father and I have always been worried about this. It will be difficult for a girl to find a husband in the future if she grows so tall." She shook her head in distress as she spoke.

Captain Han nodded in agreement: "Yes, this girl will grow taller."

Han Jianping sneered and said, "She is indeed a big fool. She only graduated from primary school last year and didn't even get into junior high school. I was too embarrassed to say I knew her at school."

Her tone was full of gloating. When Captain Han heard this, his smile froze and his expression turned unhappy. However, Han Jianping was his stepdaughter, so he couldn't say anything, especially since she was telling the truth.

Wei Shufang secretly gave Han Jianping a look, asking her to be more careful, but she did not refute her words.

A hint of hatred flashed across Han Jianhong's lowered eyes. Because she was tall, she not only heard these words all the time at home, but her classmates at school also often teased her for being taller than boys. The word "big fool" always made her hunch her back subconsciously.

Meng Yufei looked at the family coldly, patted Han Jianhong's hand soothingly and said, "Your customs are different from ours. In our city, we envy tall children, whether they are boys or girls. Look at the stars in the movies, they are all tall, and the models in magazines, they don't choose girls who are shorter than 1.7 meters."

Han Jianping curled her lips and muttered, "What's so great about Haishi? Does she want to be a celebrity model?"

Her words were also directed at the elder Meng Yufei, and Captain Han's already unhappy expression became even uglier.

Wei Shufang saw that Captain Han's face was gloomy, so she quickly said, "Girl, what are you mumbling about?" She turned to Meng Yufei and smiled, "Sister-in-law, don't argue with a child."

Meng Yufei said calmly: "What my sister-in-law said is true. We ordinary people don't want to be stars. I heard that many families don't like their children to be tall because tall clothes will waste fabric. However, "

She smiled and said, "According to the welfare benefits provided by Head Han, you shouldn't have to worry about this problem when raising a child."

Captain Han unconsciously glanced at Han Jianhong's clothes and found that the sleeves were obviously shorter...