Chapter 20: A Powerful Remedy
At the hospital.
Although Liu Mei's face was still pale, she was much more energetic than when she had just given birth.
Lin Shuhong had already come to the hospital and told Liu Xingchun about it. Liu Mei was unwilling to give up and didn't let Liu Xingchun go back to the village. She just told her never to go to Zhang Cui's house again.
She did this not only for Li Guangming, but also for herself.
She herself was in poor health, and Lin Shuhong still had to go to work every day. There was no one to take care of the child during the day, so she had to leave Liu Xingchun at the hospital.
Liu Xingchun is obedient and capable; with her around, her life is so much easier.
The downside of leaving people in the hospital is that it's inconvenient to eat. If they can't eat at Zhang Cui's place, they have to order food from the hospital, which costs a lot of extra money.
Seeing that Aunt Li and Zhang Cui had reached an agreement, Liu Mei was so anxious that blisters appeared on the corners of her mouth.
Once the two parties have made a decision, it's not good to sabotage it; it won't sound good if word gets out. So, we can only work harder before it's finalized.
Judging from Zhang Cui's expression, she takes this matter very seriously. Li Guangming is such a good catch, he should be her niece's husband. She has to find a way to make this happen.
Taking it slow won't work; we need to take drastic measures.
As Liu Mei was nursing her child, lost in thought, the ward door was pushed open, and the thin and clean-looking Li Guangming walked in.
Liu Mei quickly turned to the side to gather her clothes and pulled the quilt up a bit.
“Aunt Li, your nephew is so filial. He comes over every few days, just like your own son.”
Sister Li was all smiles.
She knew her nephew hadn't come here for her sake, but rather to run into Song Lubai.
After exchanging a few polite words with Liu Mei, Sister Li looked at Li Guangming reproachfully, "Last time you brought over some snacks, why didn't you come up yourself? You had to trouble that young lady to bring them up."
Li Guangming was taken aback. "Snacks? She brought them up?"
Last time, when he shoved all the snacks at Song Lubai, he was so embarrassed he almost exploded. He couldn't stand there any longer, so he cowardly ran away.
He started to regret it after running a short distance.
But the regret I felt back then wasn't as intense as the frustration and dejection I feel now.
She brought up the things she was given to her. What does that mean? Does it mean she doesn't like him?
Li Guangming's toes curled up inside his shoe.
Even though he hadn't started dating anyone yet, he experienced the heartache of losing a lover.
But then I thought about it again. He said last time that he bought it to thank the people in the ward who helped his aunt, so it was reasonable for her to bring it up.
Thinking it through, he comforted himself again.
Seeing her nephew looking so dejected, Sister Li asked Liu Mei, "Why hasn't that girl Lu Bai come these past few days?"
Liu Mei heard from Lin Shuhong that Song Lubai had found a job, but she didn't want to tell Aunt Li.
If this news were shared, Aunt Li would think that Song Lubai and her nephew would be a better match.
"I don't know either, maybe something happened at home."
After staying for less than ten minutes, Li Guangming left disappointed.
At Liu Mei's prompting, Liu Xingchun chased after her.
"Comrade Li, wait a moment."
Li Guangming looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Liu Xingchun's heart was pounding with nervousness.
She didn't know what her aunt was planning, but she would do as her aunt instructed.
Because her aunt would never harm her.
Liu Xingchun's voice was barely audible, and she didn't even realize her face was as red as a monkey's bottom. "Comrade Li, are you going to meet Song Lubai? You came to see her today, didn't you?"
Li Guangming's face turned bright red when his thoughts were exposed.
Since he found out about Song Lubai, he had been pondering her name countless times in his mind.
He didn't know what was wrong with him; after just one meeting, he couldn't forget Song Lubai.
Even though Liu Xingchun's voice was very soft, he could still make out the three words "Song Lubai" in her words.
He coughed awkwardly. "What's wrong?"
Liu Xingchun's heart was pounding: "My aunt will be discharged from the hospital in a couple of days. She just had a baby at home and will be inviting relatives and friends to a meal. Song Lubai will also be going to the countryside with us. Our village is quite fun. If you want to see her, come on Thursday. Come to my house and I'll treat you."
Li Guangming hesitated, "This isn't quite right, after all, I'm an outsider."
Liu Xingchun clenched her fists, secretly encouraging herself, "Song Lubai knows you're going on a blind date with her. She said she doesn't know you well and is worried that if it doesn't work out in the city, it won't sound good. So she wants to get to know you beforehand. This is a new society now, and she wants to find someone she likes. On the day, there will be many people, so you two won't be so obvious when you talk. If you feel it's not a good match, then there's no need for a formal meeting."
Now, Li Guangming was completely relieved of all his doubts. "Okay, thank you for telling me. I'll definitely go. Please give me the address..."
After the two made their agreement, Li Guangming left with a mix of trepidation, anticipation, and excitement.
Liu Xingchun's mind was full of questions.
She said everything she was told, but she really didn't know what her aunt was trying to do.
…
These past two days have been unusually quiet, with no extra work to do. After leaving get off work on time, Song Lubai leisurely carried her cloth bag home.
She usually eats breakfast at home, lunch at the cafeteria, and dinner at home.
However, after get off work, she would always go to the cafeteria to see if there was anything good to eat, and if so, she would buy it and take it home.
Today, the canteen even had meat-filled fried dough sticks, and what's better is that you only need food coupons, not meat coupons.
Song Lubai was patrolling nearby and arrived early, so she was lucky enough to buy freshly baked pies.
The meat pie smelled delicious, and both sides were fried to a golden brown. It looked juicy and steaming hot, making her mouth water and her stomach rumble.
The last time she ate meat was when her mother brought back dried green beans stir-fried with meat from the factory canteen.
She could have finished both meat patties herself, but she had to bear taking them home to share.
Each person can only get a small piece; just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
When will she finally be able to eat meat until she's stuffed?
As she walked near the tenement building, she encountered familiar aunties, uncles, and other women along the way, greeting them warmly.
Once upstairs and inside, the smell of meat filled Song Lubai with immense joy.
"What a lucky day! There's meat to eat today!"
When the Lin brothers, Jianshe and Heping, saw her return, they cheered and came to greet her.
"Sis, you're finally back! We wouldn't eat until you came back, we were starving!"
The twins' complaints could lift the roof off.
Song Lubai was flattered and overwhelmed.
We'll have to wait for her to come back before we can have meat. How dare she?
"Mom, Uncle, did you strike it rich?"
Zhang Cui glared at her.
Lin Dahai smiled and said, "Your brother Shuhong just gave me these meat coupons, and they'll expire in a few days. Hurry up and buy some meat to eat, or it'll be a waste."
People greeted her with smiles, and Song Lubai would respond with kind words and pleasantries.
She placed two meat pies wrapped in oil paper on the table. "I also bought meat pies. I don't need meat coupons, just grain coupons. I don't have many grain coupons left, so you have to give me some more."
The twins cheered even louder, their sniffling revealing their eagerness.
The fatty meat was rendered into oil, and the lean meat was shredded and stir-fried, turning an enticing brownish-red color with soy sauce.
The chopsticks flew in and out of the plate as the family of five happily ate the savory and meaty meat-filled pies.
In the end, not a single crumb was left on the plate, and the twins even wiped the soup clean with cornbread.
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