That night, He Ruixue stayed at her eldest brother's house for dinner. On the table were the scallion fried eggs and braised pork with potatoes that she brought back from the company cafeteria.
Everyone at the table was busy eating, and only after they had cleared the dishes in their bowls did they have time to chat about family matters.
He Chunsheng asked with concern, "Dongbao, how is your new house? Are the water pipes and electrical wires all right?"
"It's pretty good, but no one is there to boil water for me when I want to take a shower."
"Why don't you just be lazy to death?"
Wang Taozhi glanced at her children and said, "Xiaojie, didn't you say that the bathroom in your aunt's house is better than the bathhouse? From now on, you can go to the new house to take a bath, and help your aunt boil water while you're at it."
"Mom, why me again?"
"It's inconvenient for a grown man. You're the only one suitable for our family. If it's not you, are you going to let your sister go?"
He Xiaoai didn't realize that she was the one who had to do the work. She clapped her hands and said, "I want to go. I like my aunt's house."
He Ruixue pinched her face, the tender soft flesh, and teased her, "Then when you have a weekend off, come to sleep at my aunt's house?"
"No."
She quickly shook her head and said incoherently, "I want to go out and play. I don't want to stay overnight. Mom said there's a monster at my aunt's house that eats children. It came out in the middle of the night and snatched me away."
"Sister-in-law, how could you scare Xiaoai?"
"What a fuss! Weren't you all brought up to be scared? In the past, you could still tell her there were wolves in the mountains, but now that you live in the city, you have to find something to scare her, otherwise how can she sleep well at night?
Besides, your house is haunted, and I haven't wronged anyone."
Wang Taozhi didn't think there was anything wrong with her intimidation education and continued to talk, "Oh, I almost forgot to say, you are so lazy. Every time people in the yard see you coming back with a sack, they don't know what good things you brought, so they gather around me to ask.
Oh, I'm so embarrassed to mention it. Who could have guessed that it was full of your dirty clothes that you hadn't washed for a few days? Fortunately it's not summer, otherwise it would have been smelly when you brought it back."
He Ruixue muttered guiltily, "It's because you don't dare to come to my house, sister-in-law. It's obviously more convenient to fetch water and wash clothes at my house."
"Oh, I'm going to be your farmhand? Not only will I be here to tend your vegetable garden, but I'll also be doing your laundry and cooking. Even in the old days, this wasn't the norm. Why don't you just go get married?"
If I really marry you, would you agree?
He Ruixue didn't say what she was thinking, as it would provoke her conservative worldview. Instead, she said sincerely, "Sister-in-law, don't be angry. Our store occasionally sells washing machines. I'll keep an eye out for them and buy you one when I save enough money."
"You just bought a house, so you should save money first and pay back the money you owe your second sister. How can anyone wash clothes cleanly with that washing machine? It wastes water and electricity and damages clothes. Forget it, our family is not that rich."
She looked disdainful, but her tone was cheerful. "He Xiaojie, next time you go to your aunt's house to boil water, don't forget to bring back her dirty clothes. Or you can just wash them. You're a grown-up girl now. I remember you always washed your own clothes since you were little, and they were pretty clean."
He Xiaojie: “…”
What do you mean when she went to boil water, you really treated her as a fire-making girl?
She would rather not wash it clean and not have to do anything like her sister-in-law.
Of course, this is just a thought. If it were her, her mother would not tolerate it and would use the feather duster on her.
He Xiaojie just responded muffledly, "I know."
On the bright side, I can use my aunt's soap and laundry detergent freely.
It's not like at home, where her mother would be dissatisfied if she scraped off a little more soap skin, and she would like to just use her fingernails to scrape off some foam when she takes a bath.
As for laundry detergent, you should not use it if you can. Just rub it a few more times as she said. Why waste the money?
The water used after washing cannot be wasted and must be saved for washing the mop. The water fee in the compound is shared equally among the people. If someone draws an extra bucket of water, everyone will see it. Next time when paying, there will be something to say, and the argument will continue endlessly.
All the dishes were taken away. He Ruixue drank some water and suddenly said, "Brother, can you pick me up and drop me off at get off work these days?"
"OK."
He Chunsheng agreed without a second thought, and then asked why. "What happened? Did you have a bad relationship with your colleagues? Someone wants to put a sack on you and beat you up on the street? I'll get some coworkers to beat you back. We'll take the initiative."
"How can a girl be so barbaric?"
Wang Taozhi glared at him, her voice filled with worry. "Dongbao, is it because a male colleague asked you out and you refused, and he's still pestering you?"
"Neither. I get along well with my colleagues. It's someone I don't know. I always feel like someone is following me when I go home."
He Chunsheng's face turned serious. "Okay, Dongbao, I'll accompany you to and from get off work from now on. I want to see who's so bold. Taozhi, please use your office phone to contact Xia Sheng tomorrow. Qiao Rui has to step in on this matter. We can't get his word out."
"No rush, we haven't caught him yet. It might just be a misunderstanding."
"Humph, he follows the little girl for no reason. How can he be a good person? Don't let me catch him."
As he spoke, He Chunsheng glanced at He Xiaotuan and said, "Please help me with more work these few days so that I can go home peacefully and leave work early."
"Dad, I don't know how to do a lot of things. The electrical team can't do without you. How about you stay in the factory and I'll protect my aunt?"
"you?"
He Chunsheng looked him up and down, his lips curled up, his disdain evident in his words, "With your skinny arms and legs, if you really get into trouble, you'll probably run faster than your aunt. If two people come, they can beat you into a pancake. If you don't know how to do it, go learn! I'll spoil you."
"Mom, look at Dad, has he ever said that about your eldest son?"
Unfortunately, his complaints were ineffective. Wang Taozhi only became more aggressive. She nodded perfunctorily, "Yeah, go wash the dishes. Don't you realize that you and this dining table are the same here? You both have legs and can't move."
…
For several consecutive days, He Chunsheng accompanied He Ruixue to and from get off work, but the journey was smooth.
Not only did he not feel that his sister was being suspicious, but his mood became even more solemn. "Dongbao, those people are too cunning. They must have planned this. From now on, I won't go with you. I will follow you from a distance. Don't worry, we will catch them sooner or later."
"Okay, big brother, thank you for your help."
"What are you talking about? I used to take you to and from school when you were a kid, so it doesn't take up any time."
It was also on this night that Jiang Zengguang ran out drunk and, under the influence of alcohol, pounced directly on He Ruixue.
He Ruixue, who had anticipated this, kicked him away, but he did not give up. He locked his sticky eyes on her, saying dirty words while reaching out to pull her clothes.
How could He Chunsheng bear it after seeing this? He rushed over and punched him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. Then he pressed him down and attacked him left and right, specifically targeting his eye sockets, stomach and other weak spots, for fear of not causing him any internal injuries.
The muscles in his arms were tense, showing that he swung his fists with all his might each time.
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