Fang Qiao was kicking a shuttlecock and didn't turn around when she heard the door open.
Jiang Moli then boldly walked into the courtyard, stood aside with her bowl in hand, and watched.
"...99, 100!"
When Tian Tian counted to one hundred, Fang Qiao stopped, caught the shuttlecock flying in the air, and handed it to Tian Tian so she could kick it herself.
Jiang Moli said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you kick the shuttlecock really well. You kicked it a hundred times in a row without breaking. You're amazing."
"It's alright."
"You can't hit someone who's smiling," Fang Qiao said modestly, then looked at the bowl in her hand: "What's this?"
Jiang Moli explained, "Oh, I traded half a pound of soybeans with Widow Zhang from the neighboring village who makes tofu, and got three ounces of tofu. I couldn't finish it all by myself at home, and since tofu is easy to chew, I decided to cut it in half and bring it over to you so Grandma can have some extra food at noon."
Jiang Moli was also the old lady's granddaughter-in-law, and it was only natural for a granddaughter-in-law to be filial to her elders. After she said that, Fang Qiao couldn't refuse.
"Then I'll accept it on behalf of Grandma."
Fang Qiao took the bowl from her, put half a block of tofu into her own bowl, and then returned Jiang Moli's bowl to her.
After delivering the tofu, Jiang Moli lingered, trying to make conversation by asking, "Where's Grandma?"
Fang Qiao: "I went to visit Aunt Cheng across the street."
"Oh, okay." Jiang Moli nodded, glanced around, and lowered her voice to ask, "Did you ask Cheng Baidong about what I told you yesterday?"
"About work?" Fang Qiao asked.
Jiang Moli nodded repeatedly, "Yes."
Fang Qiao said casually, "Oh, I asked, and he said the job has been arranged, and I can start working in a while."
"Where is the job?" Jiang Moli was genuinely curious now that Cheng Baidong had actually been assigned a job.
"From out of town."
Jiang Moli could tell that Fang Qiao was trying to hide something, but she was too curious to give up. While pressing for answers, she also provoked her with a question: "Where is 'outside the city'? You don't know, do you?"
Fang Qiao readily admitted, "Yes, I didn't know."
When her attempt to sow discord failed, Jiang Moli gave a dry laugh to ease the awkward atmosphere: "Cheng Bodong is really something, he only tells half of what he means, which makes people curious."
“That’s just the nature of his job; everything has to be kept secret. I’m used to it.” Fang Qiao finished speaking and didn’t forget to add, “You’ve never been in contact with soldiers before, have you? It’s okay, you’ll find out later. Don’t ask about everything; you won’t find out anyway.”
Jiang Moli: "..."
They couldn't exchange a single word that day.
She gritted her teeth, then smiled again: "Sister-in-law, Cheng Baidong is going to work in another city, you should go with him, right?"
Fang Qiao hummed in agreement: "Of course."
"So you've all left, and the house is just sitting there empty?" Jiang Moli's dark eyes darted around. "An empty house will fall apart quickly if no one lives in it. It's just sitting there doing nothing anyway. If you ask me, you should find someone to take care of it for you, so it doesn't get ruined."
"Great idea." Fang Qiao nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking too. We're really on the same page."
Jiang Moli's eyes lit up with joy, and she volunteered, "Then I..."
But before she could even open her mouth, Fang Qiao excitedly interrupted her: "I've already talked to my third aunt. When Bai Dong and I go to another city, they'll move in with Grandma. Grandma is getting old and needs someone to take care of her. It'll be perfect for them to move in. The house won't be idle, and they can take care of each other. It's a win-win situation."
"Is it...is it...agreed?" Jiang Moli's smile twisted for a moment, her pearly teeth biting her lips tightly, her lower lip so red it was almost bleeding.
Fang Qiao, seemingly oblivious to Jiang Moli's unusual behavior, replied with a smile, "Yes, just now, Bai Dong personally went to talk to Third Aunt. He should be back by now."
Just a few seconds after Fang Qiao finished speaking, Cheng Baidong's tall figure suddenly appeared at the door.
"Oh my, what a coincidence! Speak of the devil and he appears."
Fang Qiao called out to Cheng Baidong with a look of surprise, but her tone was tinged with reproach: "Baidong, why are you only coming back now? What did you talk about with Third Aunt? You've been gone for far too long."
Cheng Baidong glanced at Jiang Moli beside him and saw her biting her lip with resentment in her eyes. He immediately understood that Fang Qiao wanted to make Jiang Moli give up and clearly tell her that the house had been given away and that she should stop having any ulterior motives or trying to take it.
"I went to the brigade headquarters to complete the formalities, which took a little time."
As expected, Jiang Moli panicked when she sensed something was wrong and quickly asked, "What kind of procedures are you going to complete with your third aunt?"
"The procedures for transferring the house." Cheng Baidong said directly, "In a few days, our whole family will move to another place to work and settle down, so we won't be able to live in this house anymore. Xiaoqiang is also of age to be allocated a homestead, so let's just transfer it to him."
"Oh, is that so..." Jiang Moli was utterly dejected as her plans, which had been thwarted for so long, fell through.
In addition, Cheng Baidong's sharp eyes seemed to pierce through people's hearts, and Jiang Moli always felt that Cheng Baidong could see through her plans.
It felt like something from a sewer had been forced into the sun; Jiang Moli felt extremely uncomfortable all over.
She forced a stiff smile and said, "It's a win-win situation, which is great."
She couldn't stay at Fang Qiao's house any longer, so she made up an excuse and ran away in a panic.
Fang Qiao closed the front door again and asked Cheng Baidong, "Was everything alright?"
"It went smoothly. Director Li is on leave at home, and with her watching over things, the village chief is very cooperative." Cheng Baidong took the agreement stamped with the brigade's official seal from his pocket and handed it to Fang Qiao: "Two copies, one for me and one for my third aunt. You keep this one."
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