Zhou Xiaojun quickly recounted what had happened to him and his sister, saying, "I'm really not lying to you. If you don't believe me, ask my sister."
Zhou Xiaolan nodded quickly, still feeling lingering fear when she thought about it now.
Zhao Yue'e quickly put her hands together and kept chanting. Zhou Xiaolan only heard a long list of Buddha names. She really didn't know that her grandmother had this ability to remember so many, and all of them were names she had never heard of before.
You should know that this old lady is very good at cursing, and sometimes she can go on and on for an entire afternoon without repeating herself.
Now she is also hoping that the Buddhas she prayed to will grant her wish; that scene was truly terrifying.
Hua Xiangyun knew how much psychological trauma her unintentional actions had caused to the siblings.
Even if she knew, she would only applaud and praise, so this was a lucky accident for her.
"Mother, you can't say such things outside," Bai Ailian said with worry, fearing her mother-in-law's loose tongue might cause them trouble.
"Perhaps the two children are seeing things and are mistaken," Bai Ailian comforted them.
“It’s possible for an individual to be mistaken, but my sister and I both saw it at the same time.” Zhou Xiaojun hugged his arms, feeling a chill run down his spine. “Grandma, what do we do? Will that thing come back with us?”
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Although Bai Ailian didn't believe it, she was also a little scared after what the boy said. "Don't wander around for a while. There are many people in our courtyard, and it's lively. Nothing will happen."
Zhou Jinfeng took Zhou Changchun out for a walk. When they returned home, they found the stove and pots cold, and the women and children in the house sitting together, looking at each other.
"What are you doing? Don't you know it's lunchtime?"
Zhou Changchun's face darkened; in his view, these people were simply slacking off.
"How is it? Did Xiaolan meet with the second son of the Hua family?" Zhou Jinfa asked, asking about something he had been concerned about.
Zhou Xiaolan shook her head; she was still a little flustered and had no time to think about the matter.
“If we can’t get close, then forget it,” Zhou Jinfeng said calmly. “I went for a walk with your grandfather, and guess who I ran into?”
"Who did you run into?" Bai Ailian was still very polite and asked immediately.
"I ran into Section Chief Yang," Zhou Jinfeng said with a big smile. "Do you remember Section Chief Yang's nephew?"
"I have some recollection of him. Didn't I hear he joined the army?" She naturally knew Zhou Jinfeng's superior and had some knowledge of Section Chief Yang's family.
"I just ran into Section Chief Yang at the factory gate. He was introducing Jiang Yi to Section Chief Li, saying that he had returned from military service."
"What does that have to do with our family? He'll definitely have a job after he's discharged from the army. Do you think he'd give his job to our family?" Bai Ailian didn't care.
"Are you stupid? That's Jiang Yi. He's the only one left in the Jiang family now. Have you forgotten the small courtyard next to our compound? It belongs to his family."
When Zhou Jinfeng talked about that courtyard, his eyes lit up. It was a detached courtyard with a lot of rooms, a total of ten.
The Jiang family must have made some contribution, but this large courtyard has remained in their hands for so long.
The neighbors on both sides had their share of envy and even considered it, but the higher-ups had given the order: it was directly given by the ministry, and no one was allowed to make any moves.
Later, an accident occurred, and Jiang Yi's parents died in the accident. Once the two martyr certificates were issued, no one else could even think of taking advantage of them.
Jiang Yi was young when he moved in to live with Section Chief Yang and his family. It is said that Comrade Jiang severed ties with all the other branches of the Jiang family in order to protect his nephew.
To avoid any trouble from her in-laws, she deposited all the compensation money into Jiang Yi's name. She was responsible for raising the child to adulthood, and if anyone objected, she would take the child and move out.
At the time, opinions were mixed throughout Heping County. Some said that Jiang Yin was too protective of her maternal family, while others said that Jiang Yin would eventually swindle her nephew out of his money.
But as the days went by, Jiang Yin never took Section Chief Yang to live in Jiang Yi's courtyard. Instead, the whole family squeezed into two small courtyards.
When Jiang Yi grew up, many people started to have designs on him. In his case, even if the factory didn't have a permanent position, they would at least arrange a temporary worker for him, and after a couple of years, he would naturally become a permanent employee.
This is no pitiful child with no one to rely on; he's practically everyone's ideal son-in-law.
Who knew that he would turn around and join the army, and even when he came back over the years, it was always a fleeting visit.
But things are different now. Now that he's back, who in the whole county can compare to him in terms of conditions?
Hua Zhian's conditions were simply insignificant compared to his.
"It's him," Bai Ailian exclaimed, her face lighting up with surprise. "Is this news true?"
If they could really marry their daughter to Jiang Yi, who doesn't have any proper elders, then their in-laws could...
"Of course it's true, I'd even joke about it. Before too many people know about it, you should get your daughter ready. I remember the company gave out some cloth ration coupons, so we can make her a new outfit."
Zhou Jinfeng glanced at Zhou Xiaolan's appearance and couldn't help but feel disgusted. "She spent so much time with Hua Xiangyun, but she didn't learn anything. What's the use of being hardworking and having a good reputation if you're not as good as being pretty..."
Zhou Xiaolan looked completely bewildered; she seemed to understand what he was saying, yet she didn't quite.
"You really should tidy yourself up," Bai Ailian said, looking at her drab and dusty outfit with a hint of disdain. She was reluctant to ask her to take out her cloth coupons. "Is there any way for you and Hua Xiangyun to reconcile? I've noticed she's been wearing new clothes these past few days. Why don't you go and ask her if she can give you some of her old clothes that she's taken off?"
Zhou Xiaolan pursed her lips, feeling wronged. "She doesn't even talk to me anymore. Besides, with Grandma Tian around, even if we go back to our old relationship, Grandma Tian wouldn't agree."
Even if they are old clothes, they can be altered and worn again. That's how their family has always lived. How could they possibly have extras to give to others?
“You’re really useless,” Bai Ailian walked into the room and rummaged around for a bit, then pulled out a few cloth coupons. “Come on, I’ll take you to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some cloth, and then we’ll get a haircut later.”
Upon hearing that it was necessary to make clothes for Zhou Xiaolan and spend money, Zhao Yue'e objected, saying, "She's a money-losing girl, why waste money on her?"
It's not like we have no clothes to wear. Washing them clean is perfectly fine. How can a girl be so lazy in the future?
Zhou Jinfeng called Zhao Yue'e aside and whispered for a while. Zhao Yue'e looked at Zhou Xiaolan with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Is she really okay like this?" Zhao Yue'e asked with some disdain, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and endured the heartache to tell Bai Ailian, "Buy her another box of clam oil. Her face is cracked and looks rather frightening."
She's gone to great lengths to afford a big house in the future, hoping her daughter will live up to her expectations and not let her suffer a loss.
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