Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Adult Color Troubles
Zhao Wuhe didn't tell Qingmei about the matter in order to avoid causing her miscarriage.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Qingmei simply didn't ask. She trusted Zhao Wuhe and, judging by the situation, she guessed it was to protect herself.
"Xing'er, why did you kill chickens again?" Qingmei walked into the house with the bucket. "I've gained a lot of weight."
Zhao Wuhe laughed dryly and said, "It's not all about you. She's been under a lot of pressure lately. She has English exams on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and math detentions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. She's memorizing vocabulary when the roosters crow, and she's still solving math problems when the dogs are asleep. The only way she can relieve her stress is to pluck the happiest hen in your name."
Qingmei knew that Zhao Xiaoxing had to be supervised. She wanted to learn, but she had little autonomy in learning. She was like a donkey, and she would only move when whipped.
Qingmei found a basket from the kitchen and poured the pecans she had brought into it. Zhao Wuhe came over to help, and together they carried the pecans to the shady area in the yard to let them air dry.
Walnuts should be dry. The skins are still damp when you first collect them. Keep them out of the sun and out of the wind for easy storage.
After they finished their work outside, Zhao Wuhe went into the kitchen to cook.
Qingmei was looking through past exam papers on the table under the camphor tree.
On the other side, Wang Cuijiang, who was limping back, had lost everyone along the way. She walked with a bruised face and was afraid of being seen.
She was worried that she would be blamed for her complaint, so she returned home in fear.
Wu Yongchu was still waiting for her to come back with the popsicles. Seeing that his grandmother had nothing in her hands, he rushed over to search her pockets. Seeing nothing in her pockets, he demanded, "Where's the popsicle?"
Wang Cuijiang shook off his hand, took down the mirror hanging on the wall, looked at it with a grin, and said to him, "Go to the clinic and get me a bottle of medicine purple."
Wu Yongchu didn't care about the injury on his grandmother's face. He held out his hand and said, "Give me the money. Purple medicine is 15 cents a bottle."
Wang Cuijiang took out a dime and fifty cents for him, and Wu Yongchu shouted, "Five cents for running errands, give it to me now!"
Wang Cuijiang was furious. She was beaten back at such an old age, but her grandson didn't feel sorry for her and only talked about money.
She grabbed Wu Yongchu's hand and hit him a few times with her palm, neither light nor heavy. Wu Yongchu pulled his hand back and cried, "You old fool, you hit me!"
Wu Shizhong, who had just returned from lunchtime, happened to hear this. He grabbed Wu Yongchu and raised his hand to slap him, but Wang Cuijiang grabbed his sleeve and said, "If you want to hit him, kill me first!"
Wu Shizhong then saw the wound on his mother's face and quickly helped Wang Cuijiang sit on a chair and asked, "Mom, how did you get hurt? What happened?"
Wang Cuijiang avoided his gaze, covered her severely swollen left cheek with one hand and said, "You old fool, you rolled down the stairs."
Wu Shizhong was not blind and could see the finger marks on her face. He turned his head and asked Wu Yongchu, "Did you see grandma fall?"
Wang Cuijiang gave Wu Yongchu a look, and Wu Yongchu said in a flat voice, "I saw it. It fell right in front of our house."
Wu Shizhong didn't know what to say now. He couldn't say that his mother and son had lied to him.
But Wang Cuijiang was often beaten. She would fight with other women in the village every few days. Three years ago, her front teeth were knocked out. Later, when she was visiting relatives and felt it was unsightly, she paid 70 cents to have the teeth replaced at a barefoot doctor.
"If you don't want to say anything, just don't cause trouble for me in the army." Wu Shizhong was a little angry. He stood up and wanted to ask Xiaojuan why she was not at home cooking. Then he remembered that she had to go to register for the college entrance examination today, and he became even more annoyed.
"I'm going to the cafeteria to get food. You guys wait at home."
After he left, Wu Yongchu opened his hands to his grandmother and said, "Give me money."
Wang Cuijiang had no choice but to take out fifty cents and give it to Wu Yongchu, saying, "Good grandson, you're very considerate. Take this money, and when that whore comes back, give her a good scolding."
Wu Yongchu said: "I am busy now. I am out taking pictures."
When Wu Shizhong came back from getting food, Wu Yongchu had not returned yet.
Wu Shizhong had no appetite and felt ashamed and angry at Wang Cuijiang's miserable appearance. In Hongxing Village, Wang Cuijiang had been humiliated by everyone. Everyone in the surrounding area knew that there was an old lady who loved to gossip and was always beaten.
She didn't think it was a big deal because she was far away. At most, she could give some medical expenses, but she was still concerned about her mother's health. After joining the army, this feeling of love and filial piety was not much erased by her.
Wang Cuijiang looked at her husband's expression at home, and then came over to look at her son's expression.
She was actually a little scared. She was glad that she didn't fight back when she was beaten. This time, she was in the wrong first, and Zhao Wuhe was the one who hit her later, so the two of them were even.
If she fought back, the two would start a fight and it would be of no benefit to her son if the matter got out of hand.
Wang Cuijiang couldn't eat either, so she put her chopsticks down on the bowl and went back to bed.
She didn't tell Wu Shizhong what happened, but someone told him.
At the time, not only the two young family members were there, but several people were also standing on the roadside. They watched for a short while before Zhao Wuhe let them go.
One of them knew a soldier under Wu Shizhong, and he used a roundabout way to let Wu Shizhong know what had happened.
Wu Shizhong never expected his own mother to be so foolish. It was enough for her to gossip about others in the village, but she actually went to Captain Gu's mother and instigated others to bully her daughter-in-law.
Who is Comrade Qingmei? Even the drama troupe staged a play called "Qingmei Saves People"!
Wu Shizhong came up from downstairs and saw his mother lying on the bed groaning and his son throwing a tantrum on the floor, asking for a popsicle. He grabbed the child and kicked him in the butt: "Get out!"
Wang Cuijiang saw his attitude and knew something was wrong. She hesitated between continuing to pretend to be sick in bed or telling her son everything.
Wu Shizhong didn't give her a chance to argue, nor did he ask her any more questions. He rummaged through boxes and cupboards, finding a pack of cigarettes he had brought back from his hometown, and a bottle of Yellow River Daqu, hidden away in the bottom of the box.
Wu Shizhong usually has a good temper when meeting everyone, but today, after closing the door, he ignored Wu Yongchu who was howling outside and looked terribly ugly.
"What are you doing with all this?" Wang Cuijiang couldn't stand the current atmosphere. She propped herself up and got up from the bed and said, "Say something. Why are you giving Mom the cold shoulder?"
Wu Shizhong said in a low voice, "I dare not turn my back on you. You are so capable that your tongue can even reach the regiment commander's home. It's a waste of your talent to stay in the countryside."
"How can you talk to your mother like that?"
Seeing that the matter was discovered, Wang Cuijiang shirked responsibility and said, "Didn't I just want to help you vent your anger? You didn't become deputy company commander this time, and your score was two points short. If Captain Gu's family had been willing to speak up for you, you would have been promoted long ago! You could have earned more than 30 yuan a month! Your wife is always following her childhood sweetheart, and yet you have ended up like this. Do you still have any dignity left?"
Wu Shizhong said, "Is face as important as official hat? If they don't mind this time, that's fine. But if they do, I'll buy you boat tickets tomorrow and you can go back home quickly."
Wang Cuijiang said angrily, "I really don't know what you're thinking. If the official hat is so important, why don't you fight for it? Why do you keep it when you don't need it? How can you do that?"
Wu Shizhong said, "That's easy for you to say. Why don't you try to become a women's director or a village committee cadre? I have no connections, no education, and I became a platoon leader all on my own. The regiment has made it very clear this time that they will try to get me a promotion by the end of the year. If you make a fuss like this, they'll just cross my name out. I, your son, will be a platoon leader for the rest of my life!"
Wang Cuijiang said, "I'm just angry that Captain Gu and his family didn't help you. Don't you know she even complained—"
"Don't tell me about this kind of trivial stuff. I don't have time to listen." Wu Shizhong was about to cry because of his mother's stupidity: "You can give up the benefits...ah."
Wang Cuijiang said, "Benefits? What benefits?"
Wu Shizhong knocked on the table and said, "Their families visit each other frequently, so naturally people will think that our two families have a good relationship. Do I need to tell you the rest of this?"
Wang Cuijiang sat by the bed and thought for a long time, and finally it dawned on her that her son was not an ordinary person and was smarter than anyone else.
Wang Cuijiang wanted to slap herself a few more times. She said regretfully, "What if my mother offends someone? Can't her mother-in-law tell her?"
Wu Shizhong pointed at the things on the ground and said, "We need to find a chance to bring it up and apologize. The sooner the better."
Wang Cuijiang covered her aching cheek and said, "I don't dare go over there."
While they were talking, there was a knock on the door.
Xiaojuan had calmed down and returned from the playground alone.
Qingmei was right. The dawn was just ahead. She had to stand firm in her position. Even if others did not make progress, she would also demand progress of herself.
She was prepared to face Wang Cuijiang's sarcasm, but when she opened the door, she was faced with a bruised but smiling Wang Cuijiang.
She couldn't help but look back at the sunset. Will the sun rise from the west tomorrow?
Wang Cuijiang took Xiaojuan's hand affectionately and said, "Why are you back just now? Have you eaten yet? Mom will go to the cafeteria to get you something to eat."
Xiaojuan hadn't planned on eating, but when she heard Wang Cuijiang's words, she sneered and said, "You're going to serve me food? You won't spit in it?"
Wang Cuijiang was just about to force a smile when her facial muscles twitched, causing her to gasp in pain.
Wu Shizhong sat at the dinner table, still maintaining a friendly attitude: "Are you back? How about signing up? There's still some food here, can you have a bite?"
Xiaojuan saw cigarettes and alcohol on the ground and asked in confusion, "What are you doing with them?"
I bought the cigarettes and Yellow River Daqu last year, thinking I'd get a promotion and use them for a treat. They've been locked away in a box ever since I used them.
Wu Shizhong glanced at Wang Cuijiang, who hesitantly said, "I accidentally had some misunderstandings with Comrade Qingmei's mother-in-law. Could you do me a favor and send these to her and apologize for me?"
"You made a mistake and I went to apologize?" Xiaojuan suddenly laughed: "How could someone misunderstand you for no reason?"
Wang Cuijiang was choked by her indifferent words. She smiled pitifully and said, "My dear daughter-in-law, I know I have done many wrong things in the past. Please help me this time."
Xiao Juan glanced at Wu Shizhong, who was sitting motionless at the dinner table. She sneered and said, "Okay, when you return home, I'll apologize for you."
Wang Cuijiang almost couldn't breathe. She pointed at Xiaojuan's nose with a trembling finger, but she couldn't utter a curse for a long time.
Wu Shizhong said calmly, "I've finished eating and am going out for a walk. You can do whatever you want."
In the past, when Wu Shizhong said this, Xiaojuan was always afraid that her savior would be disappointed, so she relied on him in everything. Even if it meant not letting her get pregnant and have her own child, she endured the disappointment.
Now she found it ridiculous. Wu Shizhong's own mother had offended someone, but she was asked to apologize in a servile manner. Why?
"I'm not going. You can do whatever you want." Xiaojuan walked to the table, opened the locked drawer, took out the book, turned on the desk lamp and started reading.
*** ***
In June, cicada monkeys begin to appear.
With its claws scratched on a distant tree trunk, it screamed at the top of its lungs for the arrival of summer.
Qingmei was more than six months pregnant and felt stuffy in the room. She had to stand by the window to get some fresh air after sitting at the desk for a while.
The Tianxian brand electric fan that Gu Qingzhou asked someone to buy was a hot-selling product of the Sandalwood Motor Factory. It was now shaking and blowing beside Qingmei's left hand.
Xiaojuan was going to meet a fellow villager today and would be back later. Qingmei couldn't stay home alone, so she packed up her textbooks on the desk and headed out to the yard.
Ruan Siqiao opened the window on the second floor and was about to call her when he saw Qingmei sitting under the camphor tree studying. He called out, "Xiaomei, come to my house for dinner this afternoon. I'm making dumplings today."
Qingmei said, "Our mother will come over later. When she comes, I will go up with her?"
Ruan Siqiao was still thinking of letting Qingmei take charge of the cooking to check the saltiness of the dumpling filling, but after hearing this, he simply said, "Then make it in your room, so you don't have to go up and down and get inconvenienced."
Qingmei smiled and said, "Okay."
She was working on a math test paper with predicted topics in her hand. It was given by Teacher Chen to Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan. He had painstakingly prepared three sets of questions by combining previous real questions.
Last week, Zhao Xiaoxing came in with her test paper, excitedly announcing she'd passed. Qingmei was happy for her and wanted to test her own abilities.
She was concentrating on solving a problem under the camphor tree and didn't even notice Zhao Wuhe coming from outside.
Zhao Wuhe went into the house alone, washed her hands, changed her clothes, and then picked grapes one by one for Qingmei, washed them, and placed them in front of her. Qingmei didn't even raise her eyelids.
Zhao Wuhe noticed a light sweat on her forehead, so she went in again, took a palm-leaf fan, and sat beside Qingmei, gently fanning her lovingly. Like countless parents who hope their daughters will become successful, she quietly watched over her.
After Qingmei finished the last big question, she suddenly realized that there was someone sitting next to her.
Zhao Wuhe was afraid of scaring her, so she spoke first: "It's me."
Qingmei covered her bulging belly and said, "I don't even know when you came. Just by yourself?"
Zhao Wuhe said, "Xiaoyan is here too. She knows you've been feeling dry lately, so she learned how to make jelly from Hua'er's second sister-in-law. She went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy the ingredients and will be here soon."
Qingmei hadn't eaten jelly for a long time and was immediately looking forward to it.
Zhao Wuhe looked up at the spreading shade of the tree. Because it was a camphor tree, there were no noisy cicada monkeys, but instead there was a fresh fragrance of camphor wood.
She sniffed it and said, "Is this safe for you?"
Qingmei said, "It's okay."
Zhao Wuhe saw a small pimple on her jaw and stood up and said, "I'll get you some erythromycin. Hey, I never saw you as angry as you when I was pregnant."
Qingmei licked her lips and didn't dare to speak.
She was more than just angry.
After the beginning of early summer, Gu Qingzhou behaved like a nobody at home and walked around her shirtless every day.
Recently, during the team training, his skin has become two shades darker, and his smile is bright and brilliant, making Qingmei's eyes go straight. From time to time, he would show off by lifting his arm to show Qingmei the results of his training, and then put it in front of Qingmei for her to touch and pinch.
Qingmei was extremely resentful.
Isn't it said that men feel uncomfortable when they are pregnant? Why is she the one feeling uncomfortable in this family?
Later, Qingmei figured it out. Gu Qingzhou spent his days finding ways to exercise and release his energy, and occasionally he would try to fight with her for the benefits he had. Naturally, he lived a more comfortable life than her.
In fact, the doctor said that the couple could live together after the pregnancy. Gu Qingzhou knew his own limitations. His wife became more and more timid after she became pregnant. He was sometimes too fierce, and he was afraid that he would lose control and hurt his wife, so he simply decided to keep a vegetarian diet.
"Xiaomei." Xiaojuan stood outside the yard, carrying a bamboo basket, her face flushed. She walked into the yard, took out the lotus flowers from the basket, gave them to Qingmei, and said, "This is for you. My fellow villager brought them to you."
"What a beautiful twin lotus! It's so precious." Qingmei had read in the news before that some twin lotus in the south are specially protected and are a very rare lotus.
Qingmei admired the twin lotus flowers, each petal was pink and delicate, half open and half closed, full of fresh and elegant texture.
"My hometown is a province with thousands of lakes, and the people there say the lotus symbolizes purity. Only those with the virtues and bearing of a gentleman are a perfect match for it. The twin lotus flowers, blooming together, share a heart, roots, and blessings. They symbolize a long-lasting happy marriage and a lasting bond. I hope you and Captain Gu will love each other, and that your unborn baby will be healthy and happy."
Nothing is more touching than sincere blessings.
Qingmei held the beautiful and auspicious twin lotus flowers in her arms, sniffed them, and held them in her arms with care. She took Xiaojuan's hand and placed it on her belly and said, "With your blessing, our whole family will be as happy as you wish."
Xiaojuan carefully touched her bulging belly and felt happy.
In the past, she really wanted to have a child with Wu Shizhong, and she was looking forward to happiness at that time.
Later, she wanted to have a child again because she wanted to maintain their relationship. But now she has changed her mind. Seeing how Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou get along, she feels that such a family deserves to have a child, and the child born in this way will feel the love of their parents and the warmth of the family.
Let’s just forget about her and Wu Shizhong.
"Hey, are you Comrade Xiaojuan? My name is Xiaoyan. Sister Xiaomei has told you about me, right?"
Xiaoyan came back from the supply and marketing cooperative, carrying the materials she bought. She walked into the yard politely and greeted Xiaojuan.
"So you are Xiaoyan. I've heard of her many times."
Xiaojuan had heard Qingmei talk many times about a pair of good sisters in her hometown. She had never had the chance to meet them, but today she finally met them: "Come, I'll help you carry your things."
Qingmei sat under the tree and watched the two of them talking to each other with a smile on their faces. Unconsciously, she found that Xiaoyan had grown a lot.
In the past, she was a little girl who didn’t dare to speak loudly and was timid. But after these few times, she spoke louder and felt more confident.
Zhao Xiaoxing said Xiaoyan constantly compared herself to her. Zhao Xiaoxing got criticized, while Xiaoyan received praise. This made her increasingly confident.
Zhao Xiaoxing was a heartless person. She criticized whenever she could, but she was happy just to have a full stomach. If she could get a few stitches, that day would be even better.
Zhao Wuhe came out of the house and saw Qingmei admiring the flowers outside. She said with a smile, "Xiaoyan is really good. She also thanked Xiaojuan for taking care of you and asked her to let you rest more and drink more water."
Qingmei held the lotus in her arms and said with a smile, "She is a good child."
When Zhao Wuhe saw the twin lotus flowers, she was amazed: "This is too beautiful! I can't even paint a picture of such a beautiful lotus."
Just as she finished sighing, Xiaojuan came out of the house after putting things away, holding a few lotus pods and said, "The new lotus pods are tender and sweet, would you like to have some?"
Qingmei was overjoyed. Although things were getting better and better, fresh food from both north and south was still rare. If Xiaojuan's fellow villager hadn't had a lotus pond and picked lotus roots before boarding the train, she wouldn't have been able to enjoy such delicious food.
She was about to reach out to take it when she heard Xiaojuan say, "I see you've been feeling a bit irritated lately. Lotus seed cores are great for relieving internal heat. You should eat more."
Qingmei took back her outstretched little hand and felt resentful again.
Well, now everyone knows that she is angry.
Xiaojuan didn't know why she was so angry, and she thought it was caused by pregnancy, exams, and the weather. Little did she know that the biggest cause was the fragrant and firm Captain Gu beside Qingmei's pillow.
Xiaojuan thought Qingmei wouldn't eat it, so she went back to the kitchen to get a small plate, peeled the seeds one by one, and imitated Zhao Wuhe, letting Qingmei eat them with toothpicks.
After eating a green plum, I found the lotus seeds to be tender, sweet and refreshing, and the lotus seed core was slightly bitter but sweet. As soon as I put one in my mouth, I wanted to eat the next one.
Ruan Siqiao, who came down from upstairs with the dumpling stuffing, originally wanted to show her kindness to her sister-in-law in front of her mother-in-law. She was sweating from the exhaustion of chopping the dumpling stuffing in such hot weather.
When the food was delivered, I didn't see my mother-in-law at first. Instead, I saw a new person coming in. She was huddled on a bench like a young wife, peeling lotus seeds for the green plums one by one, and serving her steadily.
Ruan Siqiao: “…”
Why are we still queuing up to be served?
Is the gap between people really that huge? Is this really how the world works?
Qingmei picked a lotus seed and handed it to her to taste. Ruan Siqiao took it and felt sour in her heart.
"What are you doing outside with that pestle? Come in and knead the dough." Zhao Wuhe, wearing an apron, called out, "Boss, are you coming back for dinner tonight?"
Ruan Siqiao pouted as he walked into the house and said, "Come back to eat. It's so rare for you to make dumplings, why don't you come back?"
Even though the elder sister-in-law was jealous, she was jealous of herself, and she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. Qingmei saw her expression and secretly laughed.
Gu Qingzhou came back from get off work in the evening.
Seeing his young wife still studying outside, he walked over, his tall figure blocking the light, lowered his head and said, "Why don't you go in? Are you ready to feed the mosquitoes?"
Qingmei looked at the weeds growing in the yard and muttered, "I'm still waiting for you. Look."
She held her belly and lifted her legs up. Gu Qingzhou saw a small red dot on it, which must be a mosquito bite.
My wife has been having trouble sleeping lately, tossing and turning. If I get mosquito bites and it itches, I'm afraid it will make it even harder to fall asleep.
He supported his young wife with one hand and held her notebook and notes with the other, and walked her into the house.
Sitting on the sofa, he first applied medicine on his wife's calf, ignoring the fiery look in her eyes. After applying the medicine, he went to the yard by himself. While he had some time, he prepared to pull out the weeds to avoid mosquitoes.
After a while, the street lights outside the yard came on, and the goose-yellow light cast a warm circle on his sturdy body.
Gu Qingzhou was used to working in the army, so when he got hot, he took off his vest.
Qingmei continued to stare at her precious flesh with a fiery look, and was so slow to notice that there were people standing behind her.
Gu Qingzhou had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, so he didn't need to deliberately pull in his abs, and his eight-pack abs were faintly visible as he moved. His waist was so alluring that Xiaojuan, Ruan Siqiao, and even Xiaoyan covered their eyes with their hands and peeked through their cracks, even though they knew they weren't allowed to look at him.
Qingmei seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to kill them by surprise, with a fierce look in her eyes like a little wolf guarding its food.
"What are you looking at?!"
"No, we didn't see anything!"
Xiaoyan wanted to pull Xiaojuan away, but Qingmei pointed the feather duster at her nose. The two of them stopped and hid behind Ruan Siqiao, not daring to move.
Ruan Siqiao stood before her brother and sister-in-law, ready to eat her, feeling like crying but unable to. She had no other thoughts, and who knew why, for some inexplicable reason, she stopped dead in her tracks...
Qingmei put her hands on her hips and swayed in front of her with her belly bulging: "Then what are you looking at?"
Ruan Siqiao: "Look at the street lights."
Qingmei: "What's wrong with the streetlight?"
Ruan Siqiao said nonchalantly, "Haha, your streetlight is really strong, not really bright."
Xiaoyan and Xiaojuan: "......"
If I don't kill you today, it would be unjust.
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