Wu Ju was so angry that she threw the child back to Zhang Xiaoqin and poked Zhang Xiaoqin's head hard.
"How can it be the same? That's a sick child. We don't have the money to treat him, and keeping him by my side would mean he's dying. Besides, he's not my flesh and blood. Look at yourself, would I be willing to give you away? I'm telling you, don't ever mention this to me again. Just stay quiet, raise the child well, and live a peaceful life with me. Do you hear me?"
Zhang Xiaoqin rolled her eyes at Wu Ju with a look of disapproval, muttering softly, "Alright, you're so fierce, it's like it's eaten **."
"Okay, take good care of her. I'll go buy some necessities for you and the child. Remember, keep all the things you shouldn't say to yourself. She—Fu Jiaorong—is your and Fu Jun's biological child."
Zhang Xiaoqin frowned and nodded reluctantly.
After Wu Ju finished speaking, she hurried towards the door.
Shumei originally thought that her life could go on like this, but unfortunately, it rained on a rainy night. Even though she gritted her teeth and persevered, God was unwilling to give her a chance to breathe.
One day, she met Zhang Binglin at the entrance of the village. Zhang Binglin looked dazed, with a dull look in his eyes, and was spinning around in place.
She came back from work and casually asked, "Dad, what are you doing hanging around here? Did you drop something?"
Zhang Binglin looked up when he heard someone's voice. He excitedly grabbed Shumei's arm and said excitedly, "Aju! You're back! How could I have forgotten the way home? I've been looking for you for a long time and can't find you. I keep going back to the same place."
What? Aju?
Shumei was completely confused. Even if Zhang Binglin's eyesight was very poor, he could not have been unable to tell the difference between her and Wu Ju.
She hurriedly put down the hoe on her shoulder and grabbed Zhang Binglin's arm tightly, "Father, I'm Shumei, can you see me clearly?"
Zhang Binglin raised his head and stared at Shumei. "Ah? Shumei, who is Shumei? You are obviously Ah Ju! What are you trying to say? Have I done something wrong again?"
Shumei was confused. She touched Zhang Binglin's forehead with her hand, then waved her hand in front of Zhang Binglin's eyes.
Zhang Binglin pushed Shumei's hand away in disgust and started rubbing it back and forth again.
"Dad, don't scare me! What's wrong with you?" Shumei grabbed Zhang Binglin's arm again and asked anxiously.
"Hey! Wen Dazui, it's great to meet you. My memory is so bad! How come I can't find the way home? Can you show me the way? I don't know if I've run into a ghost wall. I keep walking around and end up back where I started."
Zhang Binglin was even more outrageous this time. He actually mistook Shumei for Wen Dazui and grabbed Shumei's arm to ask her for directions.
Shumei stopped asking questions. She guessed that Zhang Binglin didn't just have poor eyesight, he was unconscious.
She picked up the hoe, grabbed Zhang Binglin's arm and helped him back home.
As soon as she entered the yard, Wu Ju saw Shumei carrying a backpack and a hoe, and the two of them came back together. She thought that Zhang Binglin had gone to help Shumei in the fields, and she felt unhappy.
"What's going on? There are nails in my own field, but there are sweet potatoes in Boyi's field, right? I tried to persuade him but he refused to follow me to the field, and now he just turned around and ran to someone else's field. You are all ungrateful people. I am exhausted all day and my back aches, but no one has ever shown any concern for me."
While brushing the dust off her body with an old towel, Wu Ju said everything she wanted to say in one breath. Shu Mei wanted to interrupt and explain but she couldn't.
She only left a few plots of land for her own use, growing fruits and vegetables, and gave the rest to Shumei. Every year, just like paying grain to the state, she would weigh out the grain and give it to Wu Ju and the others according to the agreement. If this was considered tiring for her, then Shumei would have no way of living.
"Mom, I met Dad at the entrance of the village. He was wandering around there and didn't even recognize me. Come and see what happened." After Wu Ju finished muttering, Shumei hurriedly explained the reason.
Upon hearing this, Wu Ju threw the towel in her hand onto the stone table and hurried forward to ask the dazed Zhang Binglin, "Old man, what's wrong with you? What are you trying to do? I'd like to teach you a lesson. You've been causing trouble for me every other day. If you make me angry, you'll have to bear the consequences."
Zhang Binglin kept muttering to himself, as if he hadn't heard what Wu Ju said at all.
When Wu Ju saw that Zhang Binglin dared to ignore her, she was so angry that she grabbed a bamboo stick in the yard and was about to hit Zhang Binglin.
Seeing this, Shumei quickly let go of the hoe in her hand and ran over to grab Wu Ju's arm to stop them. The two of them pulled and tugged at each other, as if they were fighting, and Zhang Binglin became a complete outsider.
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