Chapter 44 Chapter 44 It’s better to be with a donkey than with you…
Xiaojuan pursed her lips and lowered her head, suddenly feeling that she had lost her appetite.
Wu Shizhong gave her another piece of twice-cooked pork and said, "Don't you like meat the most? Eat a few more bites. Look, I'm telling you something, and you're so—"
Xiaojuan said, "Today is my birthday. Can you say something else?"
Wu Shizhong was about to eat with his bowl in hand when he paused, put it down, and said, "I don't have any special ideas. How about we go to the cafeteria and get two more dishes?"
Xiaojuan also found it extremely boring. She put the twice-cooked pork back on the plate and took two bites of rice: "I'm full, you can eat it all."
She was about to get up when Wu Shizhong called her: "Hey——"
Xiaojuan looked over and asked, "What's going on?"
Wu Shizhong chewed his twice-cooked pork and said, "Have you sent the money to my mother and my son? She has no money for medical treatment at home and is waiting for my salary."
"She remembers my birthday better than you do," Xiaojuan said glumly. "Every year she gets sick on my birthday, and I knew she'd send it in advance this year." Then, Xiaojuan got up, walked to the door, opened it, and said, "I'm going to do the laundry."
Wu Shizhong quickly put the bowl down. He finally realized something was wrong with Xiaojuan, so he came over and grabbed the basin, saying, "You leave it there. Why wash it today, it's your birthday?"
Xiaojuan said, "Yes, if I don't wash and soak today, I will still have to wash it tomorrow."
Wu Shizhong, who was known for his easygoing, honest demeanor, responded with a simple, honest voice, "Captain Gu washes his wife's clothes, so I'll do the same for you. Don't you like reading newspapers? There were some old papers in the office that no one wanted, so I brought them back for you to look after. I'll wash the dishes and clothes after dinner, so you don't have to do anything today."
He held Xiaojuan's shoulders and pulled her back into the house, and the basin in her hand was placed at the door.
Wu Shizhong then spoke to her for a long time, saying nice things, but he didn't mention his parents-in-law, Qingmei, or Captain Gu.
Xiaojuan initially thought that Wu Shizhong wanted her to rely on her childhood sweetheart's relationship, but when she saw that he didn't mention it, she breathed a sigh of relief.
As for not having anything for her birthday, Xiaojuan was used to it. The fifty yuan her parents-in-law gave her each month was always not enough. Wu Shizhong was a filial son, and she couldn't control or stop him.
What's more, this is her second marriage with Wu Shizhong.
No one else knows that Wu Shizhong had a deceased wife who died after giving birth to a son.
Her parents-in-law didn't work at home, only caring for their grandson. Every month, Wu Shizhong sent the bulk of his earnings to them. Even so, others accused her of marrying Wu Shizhong because of his wealth. She didn't get what she wanted.
Wu Shizhong handed Xiaojuan the newspaper and asked her to sit at the desk and read it slowly. He then devoured the twice-cooked pork in big mouthfuls and then went to wash the dishes.
Xiaojuan couldn't calm down and couldn't read a single word in the newspaper. Too much had happened today.
But just as Wu Shizhong went out to wash the dishes, he came back and said with regret: "Look at me, I'm clumsy and broke the dishes again. It's all because someone came suddenly and scared me. How can a grown man be seen washing dishes -"
Xiaojuan stood up suddenly, walked over to him, looked at the broken porcelain bowl in his hand, and said distressedly: "These are my dowry bowls, a pair. If one is broken, what will happen to the other one?"
Wu Shizhong coaxed Xiaojuan, saying, "If it's broken, you can't put it back together. Just go buy another pair later. We won't make a scene over a bowl. We're not rural women. You're a military wife, you have manners."
Xiaojuan finally got angry and said angrily, "What do you mean by 'low-class'? There are only two bowls at home, and you broke one, yet you still want to buy a pair? All the money goes back to your mother to support her son, so where does she get the money to let you buy something just like that? Normally, you wouldn't even spend an extra meal ticket, so why are you being so generous today?"
Wu Shizhong was sensitive to the meaning behind Xiaojuan's words and pointed at the table and said, "Isn't it your birthday today that I ordered the twice-cooked pork?"
Xiaojuan sneered and said, "Oh, okay. I'll believe it for now. Otherwise, I really look down on you."
Wu Shizhong said, "Then what do you think I'm going to do?"
Xiaojuan said nothing. She stood up and walked to the door, picked up the basin and said, "Just take a rest."
This was a double entendre, and Wu Shizhong was not sure what she meant.
Xiaojuan went out with the basin in her arms. The door of Room 301 was open, and cheerful voices could be heard from inside.
Qingmei was imitating Wang Chuanxing's words with Gu Qingzhou. Xiaojuan could guess what kind of face Qingmei should make, which made Captain Gu laugh softly.
She took two steps and heard a noise behind her. She looked up and saw that it was Captain Gu coming out with a mop. No wonder he didn't close the door. He was mopping the floor to ventilate the room.
Gu Qingzhou saw her in front, nodded, and walked past sideways with the mop in hand.
In the corridor, there were three or two soldiers returning from work. Gu Qingzhou didn't feel embarrassed and stopped to talk for a few words before going to the bathroom to wash the mop.
Xiaojuan looked at him thoughtfully and slowly walked towards the bathroom.
Her sister-in-law was already washing clothes in the bathroom. Not long after Xiaojuan went over, Gu Qingzhou had already returned with a mop.
The sisters-in-law saw it all, and when Gu Qingzhou left, they whispered to each other. Xiaojuan was rubbing clothes in silence. After listening for a while, she could hear what they were saying, saying that Captain Gu's wife was lucky and that Captain Gu loved her and helped with the work.
Across from them, Xiaojuan quietly washed clothes without saying a word. As she was leaving, she stood at the door and said, "So you also think all housework has to be done by women? If you think that way, you're worse than Captain Gu. At least he doesn't think it's shameful for men to do housework."
After Xiaojuan finished speaking, she angrily returned to her room carrying the half-washed basin.
Wu Shizhong was sitting on the bed, legs crossed, listening to the radio. When he saw her come back, he said without raising his eyelids, "Are you done with the shower? Why are you so quick today? Is there no one in the bathroom?"
Xiaojuan said, "Come here and wash it."
Wu Shizhong paused while turning the radio, leaning halfway out to look at Xiaojuan's dark face. Knowing she was in a bad mood, he sighed and said, "Here it comes. Hey, I'm the only one who spoils you like this."
Xiao Juan sneered and said, "Isn't it right to spoil me? Your parents think I'm enjoying myself here, so please spoil me a little more."
Wu Shizhong sensed the tone was off and subconsciously glanced over to the next room. In the back room lived his boss's boss's boss. He quickly made a "shushing" gesture and coaxed Xiaojuan, saying, "I was wrong. You sit down and I'll wash now. Just give me the instructions."
Room 301.
The windows were left open at night.
It was rare for Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou to leave the doors and windows open.
"There's no signal here either." Qingmei stood on the desk, Gu Qingzhou holding her calf. She held the radio a little closer to the window and said depressedly, "I tried for a long time but there's no sound in the room. It's so boring."
Gu Qingzhou looked at the high school textbooks he had studied on the desk and said to Qingmei, "How about you study and I accompany you?"
"This is the only way." Qingmei opened her arms, and Gu Qingzhou held her waist and carried her down, placing her safely on the bench, like a little ancestor who could not be touched or bumped.
Gu Qingzhou accompanied Qingmei to study for a while. Seeing that she was tired, he got up and made her a cup of sweet malted milk.
Qingmei held the teacup, yawned, and said, "I've learned almost everything. I need to improve on my writing skills. You can help me with that later."
Gu Qingzhou had studied in the Soviet Union and was familiar with revolutionary vocabulary and famous quotations, some of which were in authentic Russian.
He pulled out a notebook he'd used to write about his thoughts while studying abroad, handed it to Qingmei, and said, "Learn and memorize the sentences in it. They're all classic quotes. There's also a small selection of famous quotes I translated at the back. They're rare, but they'll add the finishing touch."
Qingmei was flipping through the ideological report book, which had vigorous and powerful handwriting, just like Gu Qingzhou's personality, with a strong character.
"Okay. I'll take my time." Qingmei didn't think she had any major problems in other areas besides Chinese. In math, she should focus on old-school problem-solving techniques and avoid using overly advanced techniques.
She didn't want to become a famous mathematician by accident. She couldn't become one and didn't want to deal with numbers all day long.
Gu Qingzhou thought of Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan. Without their childhood sweethearts, he wondered if they would study well.
Qingmei propped up her face with one hand and said, "I believe they can study well even without me. Before I came here, they had already decided to pursue a career in education. It's difficult, but there's a saying that goes, 'The journey may be long, but the destination will be reached; the task may be difficult, but success will be achieved.' Keep studying, keep studying for the college entrance exam, and good results will come."
Gu Qingzhou laughed and said, "I see you worry a lot about them, just like an old mother."
"If I am the old mother, you are the old father."
Qingmei frowned and sighed, "Oh, my two daughters! I hope they can do well. Dad, if you get any other information, remember to give them a copy."
Gu Qingzhou laughed and said, "Okay, mother of the child."
A few days passed like this.
During the day, Qingmei played with Xiaojuan, Lu Lu and others, studied in the afternoon, and listened to Gu Qingzhou's lectures on articles or the mathematical methods commonly used in that era in the evening.
On Friday, Qingmei prepared her bag for going home early.
It contains the study plans she prepared for her two daughters based on their academic foundation. She and Gu Qingzhou customized them together, and they mainly focus on test preparation.
After Gu Qingzhou finished his work at the army, Xiao Jin drove them back to Donghe Village and came to pick them up on Sunday afternoon.
When Qingmei left, there were still fruits hanging on the fruit trees in the blue brick courtyard.
I came back today, and it has only been ten days. The fruits have been picked and the yellow and green leaves are spinning in the wind.
Dried eggplants, sweet potatoes, and beans were spread out on the ground, drying in the sun. A cellar had been dug beneath the left wall. A large basket sat at the entrance, filled with purslane, bittercress, and dandelions that Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan had gathered in the mountains a few days ago. There were also a few bunches of wild garlic in a basin, probably to be mixed with platycodon grandiflorum for pickling.
Knowing Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou were coming back, Zhao Wuhe arrived early, carrying four spare ribs. Zhao Xiaoxing grabbed a fully grown hen from behind the house, prepared it, and had Xiaoyan stew it in a clay pot for a delicious chicken soup.
Qingmei stood in the yard, feeling that some changes had taken place, yet also feeling that nothing had changed.
"It's only ten days, enough for me to arrange for someone to dig a cellar at most."
Gu Qingzhou smiled and patted Qingmei's shoulder and said, "Look, your eldest daughter is out to greet you."
"You guys came back so quickly. The weather is nice and the road is easy to walk on, right?"
Zhao Xiaoxing, wearing an apron, came out of the house and said loudly, "Grandma went to play at Grandma Ying's house again. I'll call her back when dinner is ready."
Qingmei entered the house and saw Xiaoyan adding firewood to the small stove with a math book in her hand.
"How come you all love studying so much all of a sudden?" Qingmei said happily, "I know a female comrade in the army who also likes math."
Xiaoyan waved to Qingmei, and Qingmei walked over. Xiaoyan whispered to Qingmei, "We've hired a math teacher from night school to help us with our homework."
Qingmei was shocked. She straightened up and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Good boy, you still know that you have to make up for the lessons. I didn't give them to you for nothing, did I?"
Zhao Xiaoxing came in carrying a bundle of firewood and said, "Of course we know it's not good, so we'll just give him food. Our chickens are just starting to lay eggs, so we'll give him fifteen eggs every month and five kilograms of rice."
Xiaoyan glanced at Zhao Xiaoxing cautiously, then mustered the courage to complain to Qingmei: "Xing'er thinks I'm too strict and plans to stop learning from me."
"Is strictness bad?" Qingmei knew the math teacher was also a visionary. Back in night school, he'd given a speech to the class about the importance of never stagnating in academic studies, figuring that one day, learning would be a thing of the past again.
Xiaoyan and Qingmei whispered, "Of course, if he wants to just goof off, he can just teach us. He even gave us individual questions."
Qingmei looked at Zhao Xiaoxing with a squint. Zhao Xiaoxing held the firewood and tried hard not to look at Qingmei's face.
Gu Qingzhou remained silent, but he was overjoyed to see this scene. It looked more and more like mother and daughter.
Zhao Xiaoxing took the fire poker, raised it up and pointed at Xiaoyan opposite her.
Xiaoyan hid behind Qingmei, like a punching bag, but in fact she was a snitch.
Qingmei got up and went to Zhao Xiaoxing's room to look for her homework book. Zhao Xiaoxing followed behind her, fiddling with her clothes.
Qingmei flipped through a few pages and said in surprise, "You're doing pretty well, aren't you? You even know how to use the Pythagorean theorem?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "I don't study well, and Teacher Chen always scolds me."
Teacher Chen is the math teacher.
Qingmei said, "It's indeed difficult for your level, but this is knowledge that you must master. Take your time and follow the teacher's progress. He must think you can master it before he teaches you."
Zhao Xiaoxing said "Oh" reluctantly, and Qingmei laughed at her: "You seem unwilling to do this and that, but you still did what the teacher said. You might as well be willing."
Zhao Xiaoxing pointed to her head and said, "I'm happy to do it, but this place is not doing well. If I had Xiaoyan's brain, I would also be happy to study all day long."
Qingmei said, "The human brain is like a machine. The more you use it, the more flexible it becomes. If you don't use it, it will rust."
Zhao Xiaoxing sighed and said, "I heard from Teacher Chen that there used to be specialized fashion universities, right? He said that those didn't require a high academic score. I'm also interested... What if it were really possible in the future... I'm just giving an example. If I could go to a specialized university like that and major in fashion, wouldn't the clothes I made be even better looking?"
Qingmei said, "No need to use metaphors. As long as you work hard, you'll definitely get in." Especially after next year, when everything is in ruins and all colleges and universities are recruiting students, everyone's first choice is traditional colleges, like these junior colleges, which have relatively low requirements.
The person Zhao Xiaoxing trusted most was Qingmei. She knew that if she were to compete purely on academics, she probably wouldn't be able to get into university. But if she were to apply for a junior college, she might give it a try.
In fact, Qingmei has always urged them to study, and they also vaguely feel that Qingmei knows that they will take the college entrance examination in the future.
Qingmei was talking to Zhao Xiaoxing in the room when she turned around and heard Zhao Wuhe's voice outside: "My good daughter-in-law, come quickly."
Qingmei called out crisply, "Mom, I'm coming."
When Zhao Wuhe heard Qingmei just call her "Mom", she felt relaxed all over.
Qingmei ran out and saw Zhao Wuhe coming back home to get a large suitcase. It was a rare brown suitcase with wheels, very fashionable.
When Zhao Wuhe saw her coming, she signaled Gu Qingzhou to put the heavy suitcase down and then open it.
Qingmei stopped and was dumbfounded. The box was full of food.
Zhao Wuhe took out a package of oil-paper and opened it to show Qingmei: "These are good for women to eat. This is called fish--"
Zhao Xiaoxing then interjected, "It's just dried fish bubbles. We kill the fish and stew them all with tofu. I didn't know we could dry them and keep them."
Zhao Wuhe and Qingmei: "..."
Zhao Wuhe thought, forget it, it’s better to call it fish bubbles, otherwise calling it fish maw will make people target you easily.
Then she took out another oil-paper package and opened it to show Qingmei. After seeing it, Qingmei's eyes widened.
Zhao Xiaoxing also saw it. She casually put her arm around Xiaoyan's shoulders and whispered, "The vermicelli is a bit yellowish. Auntie, you're not giving stale food to your daughter-in-law. How can a mother-in-law still be so mean?"
Zhao Wuhe stood on one leg and started to take off her shoes. She wanted to slap her in the face with the shoe.
What's the difference between a fan and not a fan? She heard Qingmei say that she had a cough in the winter, and she was worried that she might have asthma, so her friend Tofu Hai got some bird's nest for her.
Bird’s nest warms and nourishes the lungs. Lin Daiyu in the Dream of Red Mansions ate a small bowl of it every day.
Qingmei covered her mouth and laughed, Zhao Xiaoxing deserved to be beaten.
Xiaoyan was in the middle, and she couldn't tell what those things were.
Ordinary people don't have it. But Xiaoyan saw how angry Zhao Wuhe was, so she thought it would be okay to bring some junk for Qingmei to eat.
Last time, Zhao Wuhe cleaned out the supplements from the bottom of the box at home and threw them all to Chen Qiaoxiang without caring how long they had been there.
After returning home, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Her daughter-in-law had lived with her for two lifetimes and had never had anything good to eat, yet how could it all be taken away by Chen Qiaoxiang? A mother-in-law shouldn't be so inconsiderate.
Qingmei was away these days and didn't know that Zhao Wuhe was taking care of all this every day.
There are also some rare dates, preserved fruits, donkey-hide gelatin, etc., as well as some dried sickle fish, yellow croaker, etc.
"You still have a month to stay, so take your time eating these. When you're done, come back next month and I'll make you something else."
Zhao Wuhe said to Qingmei lovingly, "There are also butterfly cakes, chocolates, almond cookies, and peach cakes. These can't be eaten as meals. Sometimes, if you don't have an appetite in the morning, you can mix them with some warm milk."
Qingmei really didn't expect Zhao Wuhe to raise her like a pig. Even Gu Qingzhou, who rarely expressed opinions about the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, smiled and said, "You are not pregnant yet. When you are pregnant, you will have to bring the bowl of food to your mouth to feed you."
Zhao Wuhe said, "I'm happy with that too. It's none of your business."
Gu Qingzhou said: "How can I not care? I will take care of my wife myself. You can just go find some delicious food when you have free time."
Zhao Wuhe was unhappy: "You can't be at home 24 hours a day, don't you have to go to work during the day? Every year, during training, practice, and business trips, are ghosts doing it for you?"
Gu Qingzhou clasped his hands together and said, "Mom, I was wrong. Stop talking."
Qingmei helped Gu Qingzhou speak: "He also said that he would take me to the commercial building to buy some supplements during the next break, so that I can gain weight in the fall. I didn't expect you to have prepared it first."
Zhao Wuhe smiled and said, "I know you have a good relationship. Don't be reluctant. Eat as much as you can, but don't make yourself sick. We can't afford anything else, but we can definitely provide food and drink for our daughter-in-law."
Gu Qingzhou said: "Mom, what about mine?"
Zhao Wuhe yelled, "Eat in your cafeteria."
Qingmei is about to have fun.
After Zhao Wuhe finished explaining, she pointed to a small basket behind her and said to Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan, "This is for Grandma and you. They're all fresh cakes, delivered from Daoxiang Village yesterday."
Zhao Xiaoxing ran over and picked up the basket. Inside were twenty or thirty yuan worth of high-end dim sum she had never seen before. "Auntie, thank you for thinking of us."
Zhao Wuhe said frankly: "Don't thank me, I bought this for my daughter-in-law."
Zhao Xiaoxing laughed heartily: "I wouldn't have sent it if I hadn't thought of it. I'll go into the house and cook. You guys can sit on the kang."
After a while, grandma came back.
Qingmei talked to her grandmother for a long time. Seeing that she was fine, her grandmother was relieved and focused on complaining to Qingmei about Grandma Ying.
Qingmei listened carefully and expressed her opinions from time to time. The old lady said that her granddaughter was still the best and she would never play with Grandma Ying again.
After dinner, grandma went to bed early.
When Qingmei asked Xiaoyan, she found out that Grandma and Grandma Ying had made an appointment to go to the market tomorrow morning.
Qingmei stayed peacefully for the night, and the next day she and Gu Qingzhou followed Brother Fang to the market to buy potatoes, sweet potatoes and cabbage.
The potatoes and sweet potatoes we brought back were dumped into the cellar and stored there for the entire winter.
Under the eaves stood three neat rows of Chinese cabbages, all of them frost-beaten and growing sweeter with age.
In the evening, when Qingmei had nothing to do, she followed Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan to night school.
In the evening, Mr. Chen's math class was again. He pushed his glasses up with a gentle demeanor. Even after seven or eight years in the countryside, he still had a teacher's aura. He saw Qingmei coming and asked her to go to the blackboard to do the math problems. The others worked on their own below.
Qingmei was writing questions on the blackboard, but her hands stopped moving as she wrote.
She heard someone whistling outside and shouting loudly: "A bunch of fake advanced people, pretending to be intellectuals. They are all illiterate people who can't even recognize a few words. Don't they know what will happen to the "stinking ninth"?"
Qingmei turned her head and saw that Teacher Chen had no expression on his face, and the other students in the audience had already gotten used to it.
Zhao Xiaoxing winked at Qingmei, telling her not to meddle in other people's business and to do the questions quickly.
Xiaoyan also looked at Qingmei and frowned.
Qingmei saw that there were only about ten people coming to class every day, both men and women. How could someone suddenly curse outside without caring about the dignity of their fellow villagers?
She was not the kind of person who meddles in other people's business, so she patiently finished the questions and walked downstairs. Suddenly, she found that there was an acquaintance sitting in the last row who rarely appeared here, Xiao Mahua.
Xiao Mahua lowered her head so low that it was almost touching the table. The man outside seemed to be drunk and kept shouting her name.
It would have been fine if it was just a quarrel between young lovers, but the man not only cursed, but also cursed all the classmates who were striving for progress.
Qingmei's original seat was by the window, but she found it noisy, so she sat down next to Xiao Mahua and listened to the math teacher's lecture while suppressing her temper.
After a while, the man felt that everyone in the classroom was ignoring him. He cursed breathlessly and stood by the window staring at Guo Rong.
He was very angry that Guo Rong, also known as Xiao Mahua, broke up with him. Without mentioning any other reasons, she said that he didn't like studying and didn't pursue progress.
What is learning? What is progress? For him, whose ancestors have been digging in the fields for generations, it is the most useless thing.
Especially since he had spent some time in the city and seen what the people with red armbands did in the school, he became more convinced that studying was useless.
He felt that Guo Rong had gone astray and that she had quarreled with him and broken up with him because of that, and he was not convinced.
He was drunk and emboldened. After searching for a long time, he finally found a stone the size of two palms. He gritted his teeth, raised it up and prepared to throw it into the window.
His target was Guo Rong, but next to Xiao Mahua was none other than Qingmei. If the glass broke, both of them would suffer.
The students inside were all listening to the class and didn't notice what was happening here.
Just as he lifted it up, he heard a cry of "Er-ang Er-ang" beside him, and then a huge donkey's butt appeared in front of him. His eyes went dark, and the stone fell on his feet. The moment he lowered his head to pick it up, he flew out!
An old and boastful voice said, "Oh my goodness, that kick, old man, you didn't control your strength."
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