Chapter 29 Drinks
Her heart, pounding so hard, urged Song Lubai to hurry to Sanshui Village, completely ignoring her mother's cries.
Zhang Cui, carrying a bunch of things, couldn't catch up with Song Lubai. She called out to Song Lubai several times, but Song Lubai didn't listen. Zhang Cui could only stand there staring blankly, muttering that Song Lubai was unreliable and wondering what she was up to.
Song Lubai went to the station. She was lucky today. After buying her ticket, she boarded the bus to the county town in less than 20 minutes.
After a bumpy ride on the dirt road for less than half an hour, she arrived in the county town. After getting off the bus, she rushed to her aunt's house.
My aunt's house was in a remote area, and she ran nonstop until she was covered in sweat and panting heavily before finally finding it.
It's almost one o'clock now, and it will be dark in less than four hours.
Queuing in line at the department store wasted a lot of time, and it would take at least one or two hours to ride a bicycle to Liu Mei's house in the countryside.
Song Lubai was extremely anxious, and to make matters worse, her aunt's bicycle wasn't home at the moment.
Chang Zhenzhen looked at her in surprise: "Why are you here again today?"
Song Lubai grabbed her arm, "Go and borrow a bicycle for me, I want to go to the countryside."
Chang Zhenzhen muttered, "What are you going to the countryside for? It's not so easy to borrow a bicycle. Everyone needs one, and they all treasure them like the plague. I can't lend one out. Which township are you going to? What are you going there for? I happen to be free, so I'll go with you."
Song Lubai was in a panic, and then she thought of Lin Shuhong.
Lin Shuhong's family has a bicycle, but I don't know if they used it today.
She didn't know Liu Mei's current situation, nor did she know why Li Guangming had gone to the countryside, but her bad premonition told her that Li Guangming's trip to the countryside was inseparable from Liu Mei.
The main reason is that yesterday's dream felt too real.
Li Guangming lay there, covered in blood and unconscious.
"You stay at home, Chang Guangtao. You're coming with me."
If something really happens, having a strong boy with you can always come in handy.
Chang Zhenzhen pouted: "What's wrong? Why did you bring him but not me?"
Song Lubai didn't explain much to her, and pulled Chang Guangtao along to Lin Shuhong's house.
Sanshui Village.
A truck was parked in an open space in the village, not far from Liu Mei's mother's house, which attracted the attention of the villagers.
Everyone chimed in, envying Liu Mei for marrying well, having influential relatives in the city who could even drive their cars into the village.
"What relatives? I think that young man might be Xingchun's boyfriend. Xingchun was just leading those two around the village."
"If Liu Mei had relatives like that, wouldn't everyone know about it by now?"
“I think they’re relatives from Liu Mei’s mother-in-law’s side. They live in the city, how could they let us know about their relatives?”
While they were talking, Liu Xingchun returned with two men.
One of them was Li Guangming, who was dressed smartly, and the other was Wang Feng, Li Guangming's mentor at the department store, who was about ten years older than him. The two were good partners and usually worked together on purchasing, loading, and dispatching goods.
Feeling uneasy about coming alone, Li Guangming asked his master to accompany him.
"Xingchun, is your aunt staying at her parents' house for postpartum confinement?"
Liu Xingchun replied with a smile, "My aunt is feeling weak right now, she'll stay home for a few days and then go back."
The gossipy old woman said, "What kind of married daughter goes back to her parents' home to have her postpartum confinement? It's so unlucky, it'll bring bad luck to her parents' home. I just don't understand, your aunt is so ignorant, and your grandparents and parents are so ignorant too?"
Liu Xingchun wanted to say, "What's it to you? Her grandparents and parents have no objections to her family's affairs. How dare you, an outsider, interfere?" But in front of Li Guangming, she couldn't say anything and could only give an awkward smile.
Even after Liu Xingchun and her entourage left, the gossipy old woman was still chatting amongst herself in the crowd:
"You think you married so well? If you really married well, you wouldn't have to go back to your parents' home for postpartum care. If you had someone to take care of you, you would have stayed in the city. A stepmother can't compare to a biological mother. She's not your mother-in-law. She must have a lot of trouble with you every day."
This is a classic example of someone who can't stand seeing others do well.
After the old woman finished speaking, the people around her felt much more at ease.
Looking at the car in front of me again, my eyes aren't so red anymore.
So what if she married up in a better position? So what if she married someone from the city? She still has no one to take care of her during her postpartum period and has to go back to her parents' home to bother them.
At that moment, they couldn't possibly remember that most of the women in the village didn't even have time to rest after giving birth and had to go back to work in the fields with their babies.
The villagers didn't know that Liu Mei was only staying at her parents' home for a day or two before returning to the county town after settling things with Liu Xingchun and Li Guangming.
Liu Mei's family consists of nearly twenty people, young and old, living in two adjacent courtyards.
It wasn't mealtime yet, but the aroma of meat was already wafting from the kitchen.
Li Guangming politely answered the Liu family's questions, but in his heart he was wondering why Song Lubai hadn't arrived yet.
Once they found an opening, Li Guangming asked Liu Xingchun, "Why isn't she here yet? If she doesn't come in another half hour, we'll have to leave. It's getting dark, and it will take us an hour or so to drive back to the city."
Liu Xingchun's palms were slippery from sweat. She anxiously repeated what she had said not long ago, "She made an appointment with us for today. Maybe something came up and she was delayed, or maybe she forgot. Don't worry, since you're already here, why don't you have a meal before you leave? We've already wasted time, so what's a little more?"
Liu Xingchun already knew her aunt's plan. Although her methods were a bit underhanded, as long as she could marry into the city smoothly, she would have endless good days ahead.
Liu Xingchun clenched her fists to encourage herself.
Li Guangming still held onto the hope that Song Lubai would come, and with his master Wang Feng also advising him not to rush, he could only patiently continue to wait.
The meal was ready in no time.
The food on the Liu family's table today is of the same standard as during the Chinese New Year.
Steamed white flour buns, dried rabbit meat, stir-fried rooster, scrambled eggs, fried peanuts coated in white sugar, and glistening braised pork.
The menu wasn't extensive, but every dish was top-notch.
In the first few years, there was a famine, and we haven't fully recovered yet. Even people in the city can't often eat such good food, let alone people in the village.
Where there's meat, there must be wine.
Li Guangming refused: "I still have to drive back in a while, and it's not safe to drive after drinking."
Liu Mei's father advised, "If you've had too much to drink, just stay here for one night. We can give you a spare room, and you can go back early tomorrow morning without any problem."
Wang Feng is a heavy drinker. He feels uncomfortable eating meat without drinking alcohol. He is not a strong-willed person, and once he finishes a glass of wine, he doesn't need anyone to persuade him to drink anymore.
Wang Feng, his breath reeking of alcohol, poured Li Guangming a glass of wine, his tongue slurring, "Have a drink. It won't matter if we go back tomorrow. Maybe that girl got the date wrong; she might come tomorrow."
And so, Li Guangming also started drinking.
Li Guangming wasn't a big drinker to begin with, and his face flushed after just one glass of wine.
Inside the room, Liu Mei lay on the bed holding her child. Hearing the commotion outside, a satisfied smile curved her lips.
Liu Mei's parents and grandparents at the table all knew what they were there for today, and seeing that things were going so smoothly, they urged her to drink even more enthusiastically.
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