Fang Qiao declined, saying, "I'm sorry, little brother, I don't have any money. I can't help you this time."
“When have you ever helped me? Not last time, and definitely not this time. My brother-in-law is a foreman at his factory. He earns at least fifty yuan a month, right? One of him makes as much as the combined salaries of three people in our family. How could you possibly not have money!”
Fang Lu smirked unhappily: "Second sister, are you even my real sister? Why do you always make excuses when it comes to borrowing money? If you don't want to lend me money, just say so. Don't pretend to be poor."
Fang Qiao got angry when she heard Fang Lu speak like that. He was over twenty years old and still couldn't see the difference between right and wrong. He had no sense of propriety at all.
A polite refusal means you don't want to lend it! Why ask again? What's the point of asking?
"Yes, I just don't want to lend it to you. You can help in an emergency, but you can't support someone who's always in need. You're over twenty years old now, so don't always ask others for help. You should learn to be self-reliant."
Seeing that Fang Qiaozhen was angry, Fang Lu's momentum weakened, and he muttered softly, "You're my sister, not a stranger."
"You only realize I'm your sister when you need money?"
His face-changing skills are truly exceptional.
Fang Qiao curled her lip, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Fang Lu, the youngest son in the family, was spoiled from a young age and was not used to being subservient. He was both ashamed and angry at Fang Qiao's blunt tone, and his voice suddenly rose: "Sister, I just borrowed ten yuan from you, why are you belittling me like this? Are you really going to be so heartless as to watch me sleep on the streets?"
"How could that be?" Fang Qiao said with a smile. "Your factory has employee dormitories, you can stay there."
“The factory’s single-room dormitories are all allocated to regular employees, but I’m a temporary worker. Temporary workers can only live in a large dormitory with eight people in one room.” Fang Lu’s face was ugly, and he said angrily, “Those stinky men don’t like to take a bath, and their bedding is dirty, smelly, and crawling with lice. I’m not going to live there.”
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Fang Qiao shrugged helplessly. Seeing the bus approaching out of the corner of her eye, she didn't want to talk to Fang Lu anymore, so she patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Alright, the bus is here, I'm leaving. You should just stay home."
"elder sister?"
Fang Lu called out weakly twice, but Fang Qiao didn't soften at all. As soon as the bus came to a stop, she couldn't wait to pull Cheng Baidong, who was holding a child, onto the bus. While still leaning against the seat, she stretched her hand out of the window to wave goodbye to him, smiling brightly.
Fang Luqi's straight molars.
You have such a thick skin!
How dare you smile if you won't lend me money!
Fang Qiao didn't care whether Fang Lu was unhappy or not; she was happy as long as she was happy.
You know what, seeing Fang Lu, who was so arrogant and haughty in her past life, now acting all coquettish and subservient in front of her for ten yuan, she actually felt quite pleased.
The bus traveled two stops further, and Fang Qiao and Cheng Baidong got off the bus as usual and transferred to a jeep.
Cheng Baidong started the car, and Fang Qiao put her arm around An An in the back seat, playing with her chubby little hands.
Cheng Baidong backed the car out of the parking space and, looking through the rearview mirror, asked Fang Qiao, "Honey, should we go straight home? Or should we go downtown for a stroll?"
Fang Qiao shook her head: "I'm not going shopping anymore. The more traditional the festival, the more red armbands there are on the streets of the city. Everyone is so tense that the festive atmosphere is ruined. It's much more interesting in the countryside."
"Okay, then let's not shop anymore and just go home."
Fang Qiao thought for a moment and said, "I bought half a pound of meat at home in advance, so I'll make some dumplings when I get back. As for fruit, the persimmons in my space are ripe, and they taste better than the ones outside and are also full of spiritual energy. Pick some for me. Eating persimmons for the Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes a complete and happy year."
"Okay," Cheng Baidong replied.
In the evening, after the dumplings were cooked, Fang Qiao closed the door and locked it from the inside. She then directed Cheng Baidong to move the square table from the dining room to the courtyard, where they finished their meal.
After dinner, we enjoyed crispy mooncakes and sweet persimmons under the grape trellis while admiring the moon. My first Mid-Autumn Festival since arriving in Beijing had come to an end.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather got colder and colder, and Fang Qiao was six months pregnant.
Because she was pregnant with twins, Fang Qiao already felt her body becoming heavy at only six months old.
Moreover, the little ones inside are probably vying for space, moving around all day long, one not moving while the other moves, never stopping all day long.
This is only the second trimester; by the third trimester, she'll be causing quite a ruckus inside her.
The six-month prenatal checkup was still very simple. After listening to the fetal heartbeats and knowing that both babies were doing well, Fang Qiao felt relieved.
During this time, Yang Fengxia came to the family compound several times crying, saying that her eldest brother, Fang Hai, had forgotten his mother after getting married and was being urged by his sister-in-law to divide the family property. Her younger brother, Fang Lu, was also a worry; the family was almost starving but still wanted to move out, and there was no money left for him to rent a place.
Fang Qiao offered a few words of comfort, treated her to a good meal, and politely saw her off on the bus. Other than that, she didn't do anything else.
After Yang Fengxia visited a few times, she finally understood her daughter's intentions and realized that she would never again provide financial support to her family. Gradually, she stopped visiting altogether.
Fang Qiao wasn't particularly upset about this.
Because her feelings for her maternal family had been almost completely worn away in her previous life.
Two months passed by at a leisurely pace, until January 1st, 1972 (Gregorian calendar).
There were no holidays for the Gregorian calendar year in the 1970s.
That day, Cheng Baidong not only went to work as usual, but when he came home from get off work in the evening, he also told Fang Qiao some surprising news.
"Honey, I have to go on a long trip tomorrow."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
