Chapter 28: Sister, I'm here to seek refuge with you
Jiang Xueyi took out an oil-paper bag containing snacks and shared the food with He Chengze and Zhao Xiaorui.
Zhao Xiaorui didn't expect that there would be snacks to eat while watching a movie. Her cheeks were so full of food that she looked like a little hamster.
Jiang Xueyi grabbed another handful of spiced melon seeds and gave them to Qian Man: "Give me some melon seeds."
Qian Man was just enjoying the moment when she felt her mouth was dry.
Jiang Xueyi gave her a handful of melon seeds, and she was overjoyed: "Why did you bring this?"
Jiang Xueyi stuffed the melon seeds into her palm and said, "We also have dried sweet potatoes and dried persimmons. Do you want any?"
"Yes!" Qian Man continued to eat, saying, "Where did you buy it, the supply and marketing cooperative? Or at the market? Why didn't I see it?"
She likes to eat this, too.
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Our captain He asked a fellow villager to do it for us."
All natural, sun-dried, and tastes amazing.
Qian Man glared at Captain Zhu and said, "Look, why is there such a big gap between people?"
He Chengze knew to ask his fellow villagers to get snacks for Jiang Xueyi, but he came to the movie empty-handed.
These two stools were borrowed from an acquaintance of hers.
Captain Zhu shrank his neck after being scolded, and took half of the five-spice melon seeds from her hand and ate them.
Jiang Xueyi took a dried sweet potato and ate it while watching.
Xiaomi rubbed her calf.
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "I almost forgot about you."
She took a small piece of dried sweet potato and fed it to Xiaomi. Xiaomi held the dried sweet potato in his two little paws and ate it sweetly.
When the movie was getting exciting, the Japanese invaders in the Heifengkou stronghold prepared to launch a sneak attack on Gaojiazhuang.
Village Party Secretary Gao Laozhong was patrolling the village vigilantly as usual.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of unusual movement. Looking intently, he saw dark shadows outside the village and the Japanese invaders' helmets flashing coldly in the dim moonlight.
Gao Laozhong's heart suddenly sank, realizing that the village was in imminent danger. Without hesitation, he ran towards the old locust tree at the entrance of the village. There hung a large bell there. As long as he rang it, the villagers would be saved.
When the performance reached its exciting part, everyone cheered and stamped their feet one after another; when encountering thrilling scenes, the women would unconsciously cover their mouths, and the children beside them would nervously clutch the corners of their clothes.
After watching the movie, everyone was still not satisfied and kept discussing the plot of the movie when leaving.
He Chengze carried the stool and asked Jiang Xueyi with a smile: "Is the movie good?"
"It looks good." Jiang Xueyi said with lingering satisfaction.
She originally thought that after being used to watching the blockbusters of later generations, she would not be able to watch this kind of black and white movie.
Unexpectedly, the plot of the movie is so compact, the actors' acting skills are online, and the soundtrack is also very uplifting, which immediately arouses the audience's emotions.
On the way home, the movie clips were still replaying in my mind.
When they were almost downstairs, Zhao Xiaorui suddenly tugged at Jiang Xueyi's clothes and said timidly, "Aunt Jiang, can I go to your house and sit for a while? I don't want to go home so soon."
Jiang Xueyi paused for a moment, then smiled: "Okay."
After returning home, He Chengze put the chair away.
Put the leftover dried sweet potatoes, persimmons, and five-spice melon seeds in a sealed jar.
Jiang Xueyi's eyes were glued to the jar, and she finally managed to look away.
Seeing this, He Chengze smiled and said, "Are you hungry?"
Jiang Xueyi nodded honestly: "Snacks are not enough to fill you up. I was hungry on the way back."
She touched Zhao Xiaorui's head and asked, "Xiaorui, are you hungry?"
Zhao Xiaorui wasn't really hungry, but she knew that everything Aunt Jiang cooked was delicious.
Nodding like a chick pecking at rice: "I'm hungry."
He Chengze: "Then, cook some noodles?"
"No soup." Jiang Xueyi said.
She has a big belly now and it is inconvenient for her to go to the toilet. She eats more soup noodles and tends to go to the toilet at night.
He Chengze thought for a moment and said, "Let's make some noodles with scallion oil." He added, "Ever since the scallions on the balcony sprouted, you've been nagging about this."
Jiang Xueyi pushed him into the kitchen with a smile: "Just eat this, make more, you can eat too."
"The onions haven't been picked yet—"
Jiang Xueyi: "Xiao Rui and I will help you pick them, go wash the pot first."
Cut the green onions into small pieces as long as your fingers, separate the white and green parts, and then cut some chopped green onions for later use.
Add cold oil to a pan and fry the white part of the scallion until it turns black, then put it into a bowl. Add the green part of the scallion to the pan over medium-low heat and slowly fry to bring out the scallion aroma.
When the green onions are fried into dark brown, remove them and mix them with the white part of the onions. Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt and other seasonings to make a fragrant sauce.
Blanch the noodles, then take them out and rinse them with cold water after they are cooked. Pour in the scallion oil sauce that has been fried in advance, and sprinkle with green chopped green onions. A bowl of scallion oil noodles is ready.
The whole kitchen and living room are filled with the aroma of scallion oil.
Jiang Xueyi sat at the table and couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fragrance.
Zhao Xiaorui blinked and suddenly said, "Aunt Jiang, why is Uncle He cooking in your family?"
Her big eyes were full of confusion: "My mother always cooks in our family. I've never seen my father in the kitchen."
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "In our family, whoever is free cooks. I'm pregnant now and my body is heavy, so it's not very convenient for me. So your Uncle He should cook more."
Zhao Xiaorui said "Oh" and said, "That's probably because my dad is busy and my mom is always free."
He Chengze brought out the scallion oil noodles and said to Zhao Xiaorui with a smile, "Try my cooking skills."
Jiang Xueyi took the small bowl, mixed the noodles and scallion oil with chopsticks, and placed it in front of Zhao Xiaorui.
The white noodles were instantly dyed into a deep yellow, making them mouth-watering.
Zhao Xiaorui picked up a piece of shiny noodles with chopsticks. Before she put it in her mouth, the rich aroma had already penetrated her nostrils.
Take a bite, the noodles are chewy and springy, the richness and caramelized aroma of scallion oil bloom on the tip of the tongue, and the freshness of chopped green onions is layered, making you want to eat one bite after another, eating until your forehead sweats slightly, and your heart is full of soothing satisfaction.
Her eyes sparkled: "It's delicious."
He Chengze: "As long as you like it."
He was also hungry, so he finished the noodles with scallion oil in just a few bites.
I went to get another bowl.
When the three of them had almost finished eating, a quarrel suddenly came from next door, and He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi subconsciously put down their chopsticks.
Jiang Xueyi glanced at Zhao Xiaorui and quickly gave He Chengze a wink.
He Chengze stood up and said loudly: "Xiao Rui, do you want some lemonade?"
Zhao Xiaorui looked up: "I want to."
He Chengze brought the lemonade, and there was no movement next door.
Jiang Xueyi almost thought she had misheard and was about to pick up the chopsticks.
A fierce quarrel broke out next door again, and the noise was very loud.
"Tell me, do you look like a good wife? You've been married for how long, and apart from giving birth to a baby boy, is there any movement in your belly?"
Then came the voice of Captain Zhao, "Mom, Liu Lu has a job, so whether she gives birth to a boy or not isn't that important..."
"What's wrong with having a job? If you say that, then I've never worked my whole life, farming in the countryside. Do I deserve to die? Let me tell you, there are so many women with jobs, but how many of them can give birth to boys?"
Captain Zhao: "That's not what I meant..."
"I don't care what you mean. Take that damned little girl of yours back to the countryside and raise her. You two should try harder while you're still young and try to have a boy."
"Mom, please stop arguing. If you keep arguing, the neighbors will hear you. It's embarrassing..."
Before she could finish her words, there was a loud "bang", as if something heavy had hit the ground, followed by the old lady's frightened scream.
Zhao Xiaorui was so scared that she squatted on the ground, and Jiang Xueyi quickly covered her ears.
He Chengze mouthed: "Do you want to stop the fight?"
He Chengze shook his head and imitated her mouth shape: "I can't persuade you."
People at this moment valued face more than life. If they went to the house to stop the fight, how would Captain Zhao survive in the army in the future?
Unless someone says it themselves, just pretend you don't know.
There was a quarrel next door for a while, and finally it died down.
Zhao Xiaorui still looked frightened and couldn't recover for a long time.
Seeing this, Jiang Xueyi winked at He Chengze and said to Zhao Xiaorui, "Xiaorui, how about we play a game?"
Zhao Xiaorui remained in a daze and didn't say anything.
Jiang Xueyi: "I'll play with your Uncle He first, and you can join if you're interested."
The game she and He Chengze played wasn't a very novel one, it was just a homemade version of Monopoly.
There weren't many entertainment activities at night these days, so Jiang Xueyi racked her brains to come up with a lot of interesting little games that she had played before.
Monopoly is one example.
When He Chengze asked her about it, she said that it was the old professor who was locked up in the village cowshed who taught her to play.
The old professor is knowledgeable, so it would be right to recommend him.
She hand-drew the Monopoly map herself. Since banks weren't common at the time, she used credit unions instead. Passing through a credit union would earn her ten yuan, passing through a supply and marketing cooperative would allow her to buy items, and passing through a hospital would require her to stay in the hospital for three days, stopping to roll the dice three times...
Jiang Xueyi felt a sense of accomplishment after finishing her work, and she often asked He Chengze to play with her.
The two of them played it very well.
"I threw a six!"
"Haha, you're in the hospital. Stay for three days."
"It's my turn, it's my turn."
He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi's voices grew louder and louder, soon drowning out the quarreling next door.
Zhao Xiaorui was a child at heart, and her attention was immediately drawn to her. She couldn't help but lean over.
Seeing this, Jiang Xueyi pulled her over and said, "Xiao Rui, do you want to play? I'll teach you."
Zhao Xiaorui looked at the colorful map, her eyes shining, nodded, and said "hmm" heavily.
Playing Monopoly with three people is more fun than with two people, and it can unlock more diverse gameplay.
After playing several games in a row, she was in high spirits.
She pouted and said, "Uncle He, Aunt Jiang, you guys play more, that's why you always win. I don't accept it, I must win back next time."
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Okay, when you come back, I'll take you to play other fun games."
The wall clock pointed to ten o'clock. Zhao Xiaorui knew that even if she didn't want to leave, she had to go home.
She couldn't help but frown at the thought of going home.
Jiang Xueyi touched her head and said, "I'll take you home."
Zhao Xiaorui hummed softly.
Jiang Xueyi took her and knocked on the door of Zhao's house.
The door opened, but it was not Liu Lu who came out, but an old lady about fifty years old.
She had a slightly hunched back, sunken eye sockets, a hooked nose that drooped downwards, and deep wrinkles at the corners of her mouth that looked as if they had been carved with a knife.
She was dressed quite nicely, in a red coat and black wide-leg pants, looking like a very fashionable old lady.
On her left wrist she wore a thin gold bracelet and a jade bracelet stacked together.
The jade quality is not very good, a bit gray.
Seeing Jiang Xueyi staring at the bracelet on her hand, the old lady shook her hand proudly, and the bracelet jingled: "This is called Jin Yu Man Tang, there is a reason for it."
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said politely, "It's quite beautiful."
The old lady was satisfied with the compliment from her and asked, "Who are you?"
Jiang Xueyi: "My husband's last name is He, and we live next door at 208." Then she asked, "Who are you?"
Kong Hongfang raised her chin proudly: "My son is Zhao Qingshan. He is the regimental commander in the army and is in charge of a large group of people."
It turned out to be Captain Zhao’s mother.
Kong Hongfang asked again: "Why are you coming to our house so late?"
Jiang Xueyi brought Zhao Xiaorui out from behind her. "Oh, it's like this. Liu Lu asked me to take Xiaorui to see an open-air movie. She also played at my house for a while. It's getting late now, so I'll take her back."
Considering that Jiang Xueyi lives next door, she must have heard the quarrel they had just had.
A trace of embarrassment crossed Kong Hongfang's face. She waved at Zhao Xiaorui and scolded, "Why are you standing there? Come here."
Jiang Xueyi took the time to glance through the crack in the door and saw broken things all over the floor.
She didn't ask any more questions, just exchanged a few words with Kong Hongfang and went home.
When he got home, He Chengze asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Xueyi shook her head. "Xiao Rui has been sent back safely." She added, "The ground was a mess. I didn't see Liu Lu or Captain Zhao, but I did see Xiao Rui's grandmother."
The two of them sighed.
It's getting late now, so I washed up and went to bed.
The next morning, He Chengze went to the military camp and Jiang Xueyi was home alone.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Liu Lu came.
She sat on a stool, her eyes red and bloodshot, and it was obvious that she had not slept well the night before.
"I came to thank you." Liu Lu said, "Xiao Rui told me that she had a lot of fun at your house yesterday."
"There's no need to talk about thanking each other between us." Jiang Xueyi said nothing more, pushing a plate of pumpkin pie towards her, "Try the pumpkin pie I made, it's freshly baked. Bring a few back for Captain Zhao and the others later."
Liu Lu shook her head with a haggard look on her face: "I can't eat. I have no appetite."
Jiang Xueyi looked at her face and asked, "Have you not eaten anything since last night?"
Liu Lu nodded hesitantly.
Jiang Xueyi sighed softly, "Man is like iron, and food is like steel. If you don't eat for a meal, you will be hungry. You can't do that." She added, "No matter how big the incident is, you must take care of your health."
"You're right." Liu Lu picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of pumpkin pie and put it in her mouth.
The pumpkin pie is crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside.
Even though Liu Lu didn't have much of an appetite, she had to admit that the pumpkin pie was delicious.
She couldn't help but take a bite, and another bite.
Seeing Liu Lu eat two pieces of pumpkin pie, Jiang Xueyi started to tease her, "Eating some sweets will make you feel better."
Liu Lu put down her chopsticks and said, "Yesterday... you and Captain He heard it, right?"
Jiang Xueyi was very honest: "I heard a little bit, the sound insulation of this house is not very good."
Liu Lu opened up and angrily said, "That old hag came up from the countryside without a word and said she was going to live with us from now on. She also said that I couldn't give birth to a boy, so it was Xiao Rui who was responsible. She wanted to take Xiao Rui away and raise her."
She looks sharp and bold on the outside, but she is actually very soft-hearted. If she hadn't been angry, she wouldn't have called Kong Hongfang an old hag.
Liu Lu gritted her teeth and said, "I've seen Old Zhao's two nephews. They're so dirty because of her. There's mud between their fingernails. They look like little beggars. And this one is a boy. With her son-loving nature, I don't know what kind of person she'll raise Xiao Rui to be."
Whenever she thought about Xiao Rui becoming like her two nephews, a dirty little beggar, her heart ached as if it was being cut out.
Jiang Xueyi patted her hands and soothed her, "Why did you quarrel last night?"
"Don't mention it." Liu Lu was filled with anger when she mentioned this. "That old hag came over and asked us to give her a room. So we gave it to her. After all, she is Lao Zhao's biological mother. I cleaned up Xiao Rui's room for her. Xiao Rui is still young, so she can just stay with Lao Zhao and me at night."
"Old Zhao also told me that after this period, he persuaded my mother-in-law to return to the countryside." He added, "But when she was cleaning Xiaorui's room, she saw Xiaorui's skirt made of shaggy cloth and immediately tried to grab it. If she didn't give it to me, she would throw a tantrum."
Jiang Xueyi was speechless. This old lady was really...
She said, "Why did she grab Xiaorui's clothes?"
This isn't her size either.
Liu Lu rolled her eyes and said, "She said she'd take it back for her two grandsons to wear." She added, "It's not shabby for a boy to wear a girl's skirt."
Kong Hongfang didn't mind, saying that at worst she could just take the clothes apart and make new ones for boys.
Zhao Xiaorui heard this and cried until her voice became hoarse.
She loved her quiff skirt.
This wasn't the end. Liu Lu continued, "That old hag wasn't done yet. Xiao Rui got tired of her crying, so she threatened to take her away to the countryside and raise her. She even said she was going to change the child's name. Guess what it was?"
Jiang Xueyi replied at the right moment: "What's your name?"
Liu Lu rolled her eyes in annoyance: "Call him Dainan!"
Jiang Xueyi was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth. This old lady must still be living in the Qing Dynasty. Didn't anyone notify her after the liberation?
She said, "However, the most important thing in this matter is not Mrs. Kong's opinion, but what Captain Zhao says."
Liu Lu said, "He's currently siding with us, mother and daughter." She gritted her teeth and said, "Anyway, I've already made up my mind. If that old hag really takes Xiao Rui away, I'll fight her to the death."
As a mother, Liu Lu is strong. She is really prepared to fight to the death with Kong Hongfang.
Jiang Xueyi quickly expressed her support: "I support you. If you need anything from me, just let me know."
Liu Lu smiled at her and said, "It's enough that you have such a thoughtful thought. Take good care of your baby, pregnant woman." She added, "By the way, when is your due date?"
Jiang Xueyi counted the days: "It's almost time, only one month left."
Liu Lu nodded: "Your day is good. The weather will not be too hot or too cold. It will be comfortable for both adults and children. It will also be much easier for you to recuperate during the confinement period."
Jiang Xueyi had never given birth to a child, so she pulled Liu Lu aside and asked her a few more questions.
Liu Lu explained in detail the precautions for childbirth and glanced at the wall clock: "It's twelve o'clock. I have to go home and cook. Otherwise, that old hag will make a fuss again and say that I am not acting like a wife."
In order to receive Kong Hongfang, she had to work and take care of her life at the same time, which was really like burning the candle at both ends.
Jiang Xueyi: "Hey, go and get busy."
In the afternoon, He Chengze got off work, went shopping, and brought back a wild mint.
Jiang Xueyi was very happy, but she saw that the mint was a little wilted: "Hurry up and plant it on the balcony."
He Chengze nodded, found an empty red clay flowerpot, filled it with soil, and planted the mint in it.
Jiang Xueyi watered it and said, "Mint grows fast. It will probably become a patch in no time."
He Chengze took the watering can from her hand and watered the other vegetables: "These tomatoes are all red, why don't you pick them?" He added, "I'll pick them later and make you a dish of tomato, potato and beef brisket stew."
"Don't." Jiang Xueyi pointed at the tomatoes and said with a smile, "Don't pick them. The fruits are bright red and beautiful. I'm using this pot for viewing, not eating. Don't try to pick them."
He Chengze smiled and said, "Okay, I won't bother with it."
He touched the loofah hanging on the balcony to dry: "It's drying pretty fast. Soon we'll have loofah to wash pots and dishes."
He glanced at two teacups on the coffee table and asked, "Who's coming this afternoon?"
"Liu Lu." Jiang Xueyi said, "She came to chat with me this morning, and I forgot to clean up."
As he was about to collect them, He Chengze stopped him: "I'll do it. From now on, you can leave these things there and I'll collect them when I come back."
"That won't work! It'll stink." Jiang Xueyi laughed, "Don't treat me like a glass doll that will break if you touch it."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
Jiang Xueyi went to open the door and said with a smile, "I guess it was Liu Lu who came to ask me for the recipe. She told me this morning that Xiao Rui really liked the lemonade I made."
The door opened, but the person standing outside was not Liu Lu.
Jiang Xueyi was very surprised and raised her eyebrows: "Why is it you?!"
Jiang Xue Qian lowered her eyelashes and said in her heart: Why can't it be me?
She was actually more surprised than Jiang Xueyi. Her eyes swept across Jiang Xueyi's fair and smooth face without a single pore, with surprise, envy, and a bit of jealousy in her eyes.
She thought that when she came here, she would see Jiang Xueyi, whose face was yellow and covered with spots due to pregnancy.
After all, all pregnant women in the village look like this, no matter how young and beautiful they were before.
What I didn't expect to see was that Jiang Xueyi's skin was even whiter and smoother than before she was pregnant, with a faint blush, and she looked very healthy.
She was wearing a white dress with a lotus leaf collar and small blue flowers. Judging from the fabric and style, it was the popular one sold in department stores.
The bulging belly did not damage her beauty at all, but instead added a bit of pregnancy beauty.
The originally thin shoulder blades had a gentle curve, and the delicate and small chin was softened by the plumpness of pregnancy, making those spring-like eyes even brighter, as if all the brilliance was gathered into the eyes and overflowed from the bulging belly.
Jiang Xueqian's eyes swept over Jiang Xueyi's face, figure, and even her hair.
She had to admit that Jiang Xueyi lived a better life after getting married than at home, and it was much, much better.
Jiang Xueyi frowned slightly, not understanding why Jiang Xueqin didn't say a word after coming, but instead stared at her.
He Chengze came over: "Who's here?"
He saw Jiang Xueqian and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why is it you?"
The couple had a tacit understanding and said exactly the same thing.
Jiang Xueqian's expression changed, and she put on a pitiful look: "Sister, I'm here to seek refuge with you."
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