Chapter 301 Chen Yu
While talking to Zhao Hongying, Song Lubai finished cleaning all the mushrooms. Seeing that Zhao Hongying was still there, she said, "If you want to eat mushrooms, we can go pick them together another day. There are plenty in the forest."
It's impossible to get her to give it to you.
Zhao Hongying said regretfully, "Okay, there are just so many mushrooms these days. I picked quite a few last year too."
As Zhao Hongying was about to leave, Wei Zhao brought a girl who was about the same age as Song Lubai into the courtyard with his luggage.
"When was the wall built? When I got to the gate, I didn't even recognize this as our home."
Wei Zhao remembered that when he left, the area was full of reeds, but within a month or so, every household had built a wall around their courtyard.
There was also a shed and a stove built inside the courtyard wall of her house.
Zhao Hongying turned around and asked with a smile, "What did you do back in your hometown? You only came back after a month or so."
Wei Zhao disliked Zhao Hongying and was somewhat puzzled as to why Song Lubai was associating with her.
"Why do I need to explain to you when I go back to my hometown? You're being quite nosy."
Recalling the times Wei Zhao had ridiculed her, Zhao Hongying said sheepishly, "Xiao Song, I'll head back now."
Before leaving, Zhao Hongying couldn't help but glance at the young woman next to Wei Zhao. She felt a prickling sensation in her heart, eager to know who that woman was.
Chen Shaohua and his two companions, who were playing nearby, returned home and saw their mother in the yard. They happily surrounded her.
The young girl stood alone to one side, staring blankly at the courtyard wall.
Song Lubai cut a watermelon and invited everyone to eat.
She noticed the way Chen Shaohua looked at the girl; they clearly knew each other.
Song Lubai offered the woman a watermelon, but she waved it off awkwardly with her eyes darting away, indicating that she didn't want it.
Wei Zhao introduced Song Lubai, saying, "This is Shaohua's older sister, Chen Yu. She must be tired from the long journey, so I'll let her come inside and rest first."
When Wei Zhao came back into the courtyard, she ate watermelon and said to Song Lubai, "Chen Yu is the same age as you."
Song Lubai couldn't hide her curiosity at all, "Is she Shaohua's older sister?"
Wei Zhao nodded and said in a low voice, "She was born to Old Chen's ex-wife. Chen Yu's mother remarried. She has basically lived at the school for the past few years. Her mother went to a farm in Northeast China with her current husband. She didn't want to go. She hasn't been close to her father or her mother for the past few years. She had some trouble at the school a while ago. I had no choice but to bring her here."
With more people in the family, more food would be consumed. If there were no other way, Wei Zhao would not have wanted to bring his stepdaughter along.
"Gaiming, I'll ask Weiyang to find me some work. Once she's feeling better, I'll let her go out to work."
Earn as much as you can, but since Wei Yang is paying for all the food and drinks, it's hard to guarantee that Song Lubai won't have any complaints.
Song Lubai asked, "Is she in college?"
Wei Zhao lowered his eyelashes and nodded. "I read it, but don't ask her about school anymore. She doesn't like to talk to people now and can't work. She's having some psychological problems. You'll have to be more understanding of her from now on."
Wei Zhao didn't want to talk about what Chen Yu had experienced, but Chen Yu would be here for a long time to come. If Chen Yu did nothing, it was hard to guarantee that Song Lubai wouldn't have any objections. If it caused family conflicts, then it would be her problem.
If Wei Yang were unmarried, it would be fine; if it were just her and her child, it would be fine too. But Chen Yu is an outsider to both Song Lubai and Wei Yang, and she can't expect them to be as tolerant of Chen Yu as she is.
She felt indebted to Lao Chen, which is why she brought his daughter over after his accident. But Wei Yang and Song Lubai owe Lao Chen nothing.
"Shaohua, take Jingwen to gather some firewood."
Chen Shaohua glanced at the pile of firewood. Although he felt that he didn't need to gather any more firewood, he still obediently took his younger brother with him.
Wei Zhao took out a few candies from the bundle he had brought back, handed them to Chen Dongyang, and said, "Go and eat them with the others."
After sending all the children away, Wei Zhao remained silent for a long time.
Because she found that some things were really hard to say.
Song Lubai rinsed the knife, preparing to chop mushrooms and start cooking.
She had just stood up when she heard Wei Zhao whisper, "That girl was bullied at school because of her father's situation."
Song Lubai never imagined that people's hearts could be so treacherous.
"Weren't the people who bullied him arrested?"
Wei Zhao thought she was really naive. She didn't really want to talk about that anymore, but just told her, "Don't look at her with pity in the future. Just pretend you don't know anything. She's already feeling sensitive right now."
Song Lubai nodded. "I know what's important."
She wondered what Chen Yu should call her given their relationship. Could it be that he would call her "Auntie" like Chen Shaohua and the other two?
They're the same age, and it just feels weird.
"Sis, I heard these wild mushrooms are really delicious. You've gotten so thin, eat some more later."
The mushrooms they picked today were enough for two meals, but with two more people, Song Lubai decided to cook them all at once.
Wei Zhao sighed inwardly, took out a photo from his bag and handed it to Song Lubai, "This is your and Wei Yang's wedding photo, it's been colored."
Song Lubai was pleasantly surprised.
This is the first color photo in her home.
The background of Tiananmen Square in the wedding photo is brick red. Song Lubai had never been to the capital and pointed to the photo, asking, "Is this the same color as Tiananmen Square in the capital?"
Wei Zhao said, "There's a slight difference. The one in the photo is too bright. Wei Yang will definitely take you back to see it later, and then you'll understand."
In another photo, the wheat field is green, the sky is blue, and the stones are yellowish-brown, which looks a bit fake. However, she and Wei Yang in the photo look more real than in the black and white photo, with a more vibrant and human touch.
She happily put the photo back in the room. She had intended to put it with the other photos, but then thought that she should show it to Wei Yang, so she put it on the bed.
There were many people today, so she cooked sweet potato and mixed grain rice.
The rice was almost cooked, so I put the pot on the back burner and started stir-frying the vegetables.
Just as the garlic and scallions were being cooked, Wei Yang returned pushing a small cart full of firewood.
The siblings talked as they unloaded firewood. When they were finally finished unloading, Song Lubai noticed a layer of bricks at the bottom of the cart.
The bricks were for the bathroom; Wei Yang bought them from the brick factory and used them to cover the firewood.
After stir-frying the scallions and garlic until fragrant, Song Lubai added a spoonful of bean paste and chopped chili peppers. She then quickly stir-fried the mushrooms and added some soy sauce.
Although the aroma of stir-fried mushrooms isn't as strong as that of meat, it's still quite enticing, wafting for miles around.
After serving all the dishes, Hou Zhao washed the pot and added a pot of bathwater.
After finishing his work, Wei Yang washed his hands and asked, "Should we build a toilet in the yard?"
The public restroom is a bit far from home, making it very inconvenient to use it in the middle of the night.
He originally planned to build one not far behind the house, but the area behind it had been turned into vegetable gardens. If he built it in the yard, the yard would be a bit small and the smell would be too strong in the summer.
Thinking of what the outhouse looked like in the summer, Song Lubai shook her head and said, "Don't do that in the yard."
If you leave it in the yard, it will smell so bad that you can't even eat.
Wei Zhao served the food and brought it in to Chen Yu.
When she came out, Wei Yang frowned and said, "How old is she? From now on, invite her out to eat with us."
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