Chapter 56 The boss's scapegoating (1)
It can be seen that Liu Xuexu is favored at home. Section Chief Hao has been persuading Liu Xuexu to return to Beijing, but no matter how much he persuades her, Liu Xuexu remains unmoved and is unwilling to leave...
Section Chief Hao had no other choice. After finishing his meal, he took out a hundred yuan and handed it to Bai Zhenggan, "Brother Bai, I'll have to ask you to take care of Xuexu. It's mid-September now, so Xuexu will bother you until the tenth day of the winter month. Then you can ask Song Zhi to take him to the county town to catch a train. This hundred yuan will be Xuexu and Haishan's living expenses. I'm sorry to bother your family!"
Bai Zhenggan waved his hand and refused to pay.
Liu Xuexu took the money and stuffed it into Tang Liren's hand, "Aunt, please keep this money. There are two more people, Haishan and I, in the family. It's not enough to cause you trouble. We are clumsy and can't do anything. We are a burden to the family!"
Tang Liren looked at Song Zhi.
Song Zhi nodded.
Tang Liren said, "Oh, you are so polite... I will accept it. If you want to eat anything, just tell your auntie and I promise to find a way to make it for you, okay?"
"Thank you, auntie!" said Liu Xuexu.
Then he pulled Guan Haishan's sleeve again and whispered, "Thank her quickly!"
Guan Haishan exclaimed, "Ah!" and came to her senses, "Thank you!"
After lunch, Section Chief Hao left in a hurry.
Taotao packed up and prepared to go to the library.
Bai Zhenggan stopped her and said, "Taozi, you have to be prepared... In a few days, other villages will send people to our village to learn from us. The most important thing is that the library will offer courses on crop pest control and spiritual civilization suggestions... You'd better come up with a teaching plan based on these two points and teach them how to do it!"
Taotao smiled and said, "Is it considered advanced?"
Bai Zhenggan knew what his daughter was talking about, but since there were strangers at home, he didn't say much. He just laughed and scolded, "Why don't you go now?"
Taotao ran out smiling.
Tang Liren called her again, "Taozi, wait a minute! Send food to your Sixth Grandma first... Thanks to Xuxue and Haishan, our family has good food today. Your Sixth Grandma fell a few days ago and has been lying in bed for a few days... Send some delicious food to whet her appetite. If she eats well, she will get better faster!"
Hearing this, Taotao ran back, took the bag of food wrapped in tung leaves by Tang Liren, and ran out again.
Liu Xuexu ran out quickly, "Taotao! Wait for me..."
Song Zhi was stunned.
But Liu Xuexu had already disappeared!
Song Zhi was so angry that he clenched his fists, wishing he could grab Liu Xuexu's neck and drag him back!
In fact, he wanted to do that.
Guan Haishan looked at Song Zhi steadily and asked, "Brother, you left without saying a word...don't you want to explain something to me?"
Song Zhi took a look at Guan Haishan - a 22-year-old girl with a shaved head, raised eyebrows, and a rather fierce look.
He got off the kang without saying a word, put on his shoes and left.
Kwan Hoi-Shan: …
But she was not convinced and ran out after Song Zhi.
Bai Zhenggan and Tang Liren followed their backs and looked at them.
Bai Zhenggan, "Why are Song Zhi's brothers and sisters like this? They are so weird!"
Tang Liren, "Oh, Song Zhi explained to me that people who engage in art are like this..."
Bai Zhenggan said, "But it's hard to watch, especially Xuexu, who is no different from a girl. If she gets too close to Taotao, I'll feel uncomfortable."
Tang Liren, "Now that you mention it, I'm worried too. I'll go talk to Song Zhi and ask him to keep an eye on Xuexu!"
Bai Zhenggan, "And Guan Haishan, you said that she wandered around Song County for more than a month in order to find Song Zhi... Is she interested in Song Zhi?"
Tang Liren, "That's definitely interesting! If I were Song Zhi, I would have run away too. Between Haishan and Taotao, I would definitely choose Taotao! What does it mean for a good girl to shave her head? She must not like Song Zhi. If she likes Song Zhi, then she shouldn't have become a nun!"
Bai Zhenggan said, "Well, I am doing this for art! I am not becoming a nun!"
Tang Liren, "Why does she have to shave her head for art? Does art offend her hair?"
Bai Zhenggan: ...
Well, he is just an old country man, and he doesn't understand art.
"Okay, go do whatever you need to do. I have to go to the village committee to write the materials for Yan Naqian." Bai Zhenggan said.
Tang Liren, "Is she going to die this time?"
Bai Zhenggan said, "How would I, an ordinary citizen, know? What I need to do now is to get the 250 yuan she owes to our village before she is sentenced!"
Tang Liren understood, "Humph, forging a national document is a serious crime! Let's see how many years he can be sentenced to!"
On the other side, Taotao and Liu Xuexu went out together.
Liu Xuexu, "Taotao, is Sixth Grandma your relative?"
“No!”
After thinking for a while, Taotao changed her words, "Yes! In our village... almost half of the villagers are relatives. But Grandma Liu is an old lonely woman. Her husband died before liberation, her son was a volunteer soldier and never came back, and she had a daughter who married and died. Only her granddaughter would come to see her from time to time."
Liu Xuexu understood, "Your family are all good people."
Tao Tao, "Everyone in our village is like this. If anyone can eat something good, they will definitely send some to the lonely old people in the tribe... Oh, what a beautiful bowl of flowers!"
Colorful wild flowers are blooming in the bushes beside the mountain road.
Each flower really looks like a small bowl, with a single petal and colors of red, white and yellow. It looks so fresh and vibrant in this autumn when everything is bleak.
Taotao carefully picked a large bunch of flowers and some pretty leaves, and placed them around the bouquet. She then wrapped the bottom of the bouquet with tung leaves and continued walking towards Sixth Grandma's house.
Liu Xuexu followed Taotao closely.
After a while, they arrived at Sixth Grandma's house. Taotao shouted, "Grandma! I'm Taotao... I'm here to bring you food!" and then pushed the door open and went in.
As soon as I entered the yard, I saw that the yard was full of fallen leaves. Because the owner was ill, it had not been cleaned for a long time.
Taotao ran into the house and saw Sixth Grandma half-sitting on the bed, eating a bag of tung leaf rice.
The old man smiled and said, "Is Taotao here?"
Taotao walked over and took a look at the meal that Sixth Grandma was eating.
——The staple food is rice mixed with beans, and the side dishes are pickled vegetables and stir-fried cabbage.
At first glance, it is clear that the women in the village take turns to prepare the meal for the elderly.
"Grandma, can you please wait a while before eating?" Taotao walked forward, took the tung leaf rice that grandma was holding, put it on the table beside her, and then ran out.
She took the big broom placed next to the courtyard wall, and swept all the fallen leaves in the yard to the side in a few strokes. She put them in a dustpan and placed them outside the courtyard gate.
Seeing that the yard that had just been cleaned was full of dust, she went to the kitchen to fetch some water and poured it in the yard.
Liu Xuexu stood stupidly in the yard, looking at the dilapidated and deserted courtyard, which suddenly became neat and clean.
Tao Tao went to fetch a recliner and a bench and placed them under the persimmon tree in the yard. She turned around and called Liu Xuexu, "Xuexu, grandma's foot is injured. Can you come with me into the house and help grandma out?"
Liu Xuexu nodded and followed Taotao into the house. She helped Sixth Grandma down from the bed, carried the old woman to the clean yard, and let her sit on the recliner.
"Oh," exclaimed Granny Six, "The sun is so nice today!"
Tao Tao smiled and placed the half bag of tung rice that the Sixth Grandma was eating and the tung leaf rice she brought on the bench next to the recliner. She also poured a glass of water and placed it on the bench. Then she said to the old woman, "Grandma, you eat. I'll go in and clean up the room for you, okay?"
The old man smiled and nodded.
Taotao ordered Liu Xuexu, "Xuexu, go to the kitchen, fill a wooden basin with water, and take a rag, and bring it to Grandma's room."
She went into her grandmother's room to clean up.
Liu Xuexu also turned and ran to the kitchen, and ran out after a while, "Taotao, I can't find a rag!"
“The rag is usually hung behind the door!”
By the time Liu Xuexu tremblingly carried half a basin of water into Sixth Grandma's room, Taotao had almost finished cleaning the house.
——The window was open, and the quilts, bedding, pillows and other items on the bed had all been taken to the yard to dry in the sun. A large bunch of wild flowers that Taotao had just picked was also placed under the window.
Seeing Liu Xuexu coming in, Taotao said "thank you" to him, then picked up a wet towel and began to wipe the furniture in the room.
Actually, the smell in the house is not very good.
The scrubbed furniture exuded cold moisture, which was then illuminated by the bright sunlight coming in from the window...those indescribable smells slowly dissipated, and the rich fragrance of wild flowers filled the house, making people inexplicably happy.
Liu Xuexu leaned against the door, watching the house, which had originally been filled with an air of oldness and decay, suddenly become full of vitality again.
Taotao ran out again.
Sixth Grandma was sitting on a recliner eating the tung leaf rice wrapped in tung leaves that Taotao had brought, smiling.
Tao Tao, "Grandma, I'll pack some persimmons and take them away!"
Sixth Grandma, "Take it! Take as much as you want!"
Tao Tao called Liu Xuexu over again, "Xuexu, come and help!"
As soon as the words fell——
Someone pushed the door open and walked in.
It’s Song Zhi.
He greeted the Sixth Grandma, "Hello, Grandma!"
Following behind him was an angry bald-headed Kwan Hoi-shan.
Grandma Six said with a smile, "Is Song Zhiqing here?" Then she looked at Guan Haishan curiously.
When Tao Tao saw Song Zhi, she quickly called him, "Song Zhi! Let's get some persimmons!"
Song Zhi nodded, then went to find a small basket, a long bamboo pole, and a sickle, and tied the sickle to the long bamboo pole; Taotao tied an apron around her waist, and then lifted the bottom of the apron with her hands.
After getting ready, the two looked at each other in tacit understanding.
Song Zhi picked up a long bamboo pole and went to cut the red persimmons from the tall persimmon tree.
A plump, fiery red persimmon fell from the sky——
Taotao quickly stepped forward and caught it with her apron!
"Xuexu, put the persimmons into the small basket." Taotao instructed him.
Liu Xuexu picked up the persimmon from Taotao's apron pocket and put it into the small basket.
In this way, Song Zhi cut the persimmons, Taotao caught them, and Liu Xuexu collected the persimmons... After a short while, the three of them worked together to collect two small baskets of persimmons.
Tao Tao said that was enough, and that they would come back to collect the rest next time, and then arranged, "We take one basket away, and leave one basket for grandma. We take the soft ones that can be eaten immediately, and leave the half-cooked ones for grandma."
Guan Haishan sneered, "This is a persimmon tree in someone else's yard! How dare you pick persimmons from someone else's yard, and take away the ripe persimmons, leaving them with raw persimmons that are inedible?"
Taotao was very surprised and couldn't help but look at Song Zhi.
Song Zhi, "Don't pay attention to her."
Taotao looked at Grandma Liu again - the old woman had already finished her meal, both meals, and was now lying on a recliner, squinting her eyes and taking a nap.
Taotao didn't say anything, for fear of waking up her grandmother.
Willow snow catkins have already started to divide the persimmons.
The crowd quickly divided the fruits into two baskets, one for fully ripe fruits and one for slightly raw fruits.
Taotao placed the basket of raw persimmons next to grandma's reclining chair, and placed three fully-ripened big red persimmons on top. Then she held the basket of fully-ripened persimmons with great effort, and said to everyone in a low voice, "Let's not disturb grandma's nap, and move more gently."
Song Zhi reached out and grabbed the basket of persimmons that Tao Tao was holding...
Liu Xuexu also wanted to help Taotao, but was a step too late and ended up with nothing.
Everyone left Sixth Grandma's yard quietly.
After they walked away, Tao Tao said to Guan Haishan, "Sixth Grandma is alone, she can't eat too many persimmons. At most, she can eat two or three a day. The remaining raw persimmons will slowly ripen in a few days, so she can eat a few every day, right?"
Guan Haishan rolled her eyes at Taotao and reached out to take a persimmon.
Tao Tao, "You can't eat Sixth Granny's persimmons for nothing!"
When Guan Haishan heard this, she threw the persimmon into the grass beside her and left angrily.
After running two steps, she turned back and called Song Zhi, "Brother! Come here!"
Song Zhi pretended not to hear and said to Tao Tao, "Don't cook for Guan Haishan tonight unless she picks up the persimmon and eats it, and does something for Sixth Grandmother."
Taotao nodded with a smile.
The two men left.
Liu Xuexu looked at Guan Haishan and followed Taotao.
Guan Haishan was stunned.
She was indignant and felt that Song Zhi should be closer to her. She also thought that this was her first day in this remote mountain village where no one even lived. How could Song Zhi be so at ease and not care about her? Ignore her?
After thinking it over again, Guan Haishan followed them again with a wronged look on her face.
When Taotao arrived at the library, the entrance was already crowded with villagers in groups of three or four.
Seeing her and Song Zhi coming, the villagers joked -
"Taotao, you are late today!"
"Oh, what beautiful persimmons! Taotao, have you been to Sixth Grandma's house?"
"I didn't have enough for lunch, Taotao, can you give me a persimmon?"
"Sister Taotao, what are we going to learn today?"
Tao Tao asked everyone to share the persimmons, and then said, "Look, these persimmons were picked from the Sixth Grandma's yard, and now everyone is eating them... One should be grateful to the one who receives the favor, and one should be grateful to the one who eats the favor! Everyone who has eaten persimmons today, go and see the Sixth Grandma!"
"That's fine! Anyway, I have nothing to do these few days. I'll go over and help Sixth Granny wash her hair!"
"When I go to collect firewood later, help Sixth Granny collect some too!"
"Let me help Sixth Granny fetch water!"
"I also help Liu Tai carry water. Let's arrange shifts. You carry water today and it's my turn tomorrow!"
"Count me in!"
"Sixth Grandma and I live close together, so I'll sweep the yard for her!"
Tao Tao added, "I just moved grandma to the yard to bask in the sun and take a nap. If any aunt or sister-in-law is free later, go back and move her!"
Someone responded immediately.
So Taotao took out the key, opened the door of the library, and took out the small blackboard, chalk, and the books for today's lecture.
Then she started lecturing.
The library offers two classes every day at noon. One is a character recognition class, the purpose of which is to teach everyone to recognize 20 new characters, and then to check and review what they have learned previously; and then to preview what they will learn tomorrow. One class is an agricultural knowledge class, and today’s class is about the ecological cycle of the duck pen.
Gradually, more and more people came to attend the class...
There are at least forty or fifty people!
Taotao was originally a lively and simple person, and her teaching style was also very simple and easy to understand. The villagers who listened to the lecture were very serious, and they took small dead branches to draw on the ground to practice...
Liu Xuexu stood aside, looking at Taotao obsessively.
——What kind of fairy did he meet? Not only is she beautiful, she is also very kind-hearted. Why are there such perfect people in the world? Why!
Guan Haishan gritted her teeth and thought: It turns out that what Bai Taotao said was true? You can’t eat the persimmons from Sixth Grandma for free. If you eat the persimmons from the old lady, do you have to work for her?
She felt a little flustered, and hesitated whether to go back and pick up the broken persimmon...
But picking persimmons is a small matter, she doesn't want to help the old woman with the work! The yard was old and dirty, and she didn't want to go in at all!
so--
Song Zhi is her brother, it is impossible for him not to give her food.
Thinking of this, Guan Haishan felt more confident.
She also stared at Bai Taotao during class——
However, what Bai Taotao taught were all very simple knowledge, but her style was so lively and cute that people fell into it unconsciously...
After the literacy class was over, Guan Haishan realized that she had been standing for a whole hour?
My feet are numb.
When she turned around again, she saw Song Zhi sitting beside her, looking at Bai Taotao with a smile on his face. Liu Xuexu was also leaning against a tree, looking at Bai Taotao with a silly smile...
I'm very angry.
Guan Haishan was so angry that she walked up to Song Zhi and said, "Brother, come here!" After that, she held Song Zhi's hand.
"Let go." Song Zhi's expression turned cold.
Guan Haishan didn't let go, "How did you become like this? Did I offend you? Don't you remember the friendship we had when we were kids?"
"Let go." Song Zhi warned her again.
Guan Haishan refused to let go and glared at him with a pout.
Song Zhi slapped Guan Haishan's hand hard with his backhand.
Guan Haishan was stunned.
——There was a burning pain on the back of my hand, and when I looked again, I saw that the back of my hand was red and swollen.
Song Zhi hit her?
Guan Haishan was shocked, "Brother, you..."
Song Zhi said coldly: "You asked me three questions in total, right? Then listen carefully, I will only say it once."
"First, you asked me how I became like this? Guan Haishan, I don't know what I have become in your eyes. But I am living very well now. I live in a very friendly family and experience happiness that I have never felt before, which makes me very happy. In contrast, in the past 24 years of my life, I have been stuck in the quagmire and lived a miserable life every day."
After a pause, Song Zhi asked Guan Haishan, "Your question means that you think I should be as unhappy as before? Do you want me to return to my original lifeless state?"
Guan Haishan shook her head desperately, "No, no!"
Song Zhi continued, "The second question you asked me - have you offended me? Yes, you have offended me. Because you shouldn't have come to me, and you shouldn't have disturbed the peace and happiness that I finally got. I don't want your appearance to cause any misunderstandings to the girl I like!"
Guan Haishan stared at him blankly and shook her head desperately, "The girl you like...you, you really like someone else?"
Song Zhi continued, "Third, you asked me why I don't miss the affection we had when we were young? Guan Haishan, what affection did we have when we were young? Or did your so-called affection mean that you dragged me to death again and again? Is it because I struggled to survive every time that I became the affection that you can't cut off in your eyes?"
Guan Haishan's eyes were filled with tears, "Brother! You are my salvation..."
"Redemption?" Song Zhi chuckled, "Am I your redemption?"
Song Zhi asked back, "But have you ever thought that I, who was dragged into hell by you, also need to be redeemed?"
Guan Haishan was stunned.
Song Zhi didn't care about Guan Haishan's emotions at all, and said word by word: "Guan Haishan, it was Taotao who brought me back from hell... She brought me back to the world, and brought me to experience the most beautiful family love and friendship in the world, to see the most beautiful scenery, and to taste the most delicious food. I work hard for hope with her every day... Most importantly, she made me have beautiful dreams for the future. I want to work hard to pursue my dreams with her."
"I don't want to go back to the past. I like the present and want to..."
After a pause, Song Zhi lowered his voice and said, "I like Bai Taotao, and I want to marry her. However, she and her family haven't accepted me yet, so I have to work harder to get her parents to recognize me, and also to get her to... accept my pursuit."
It was the first time that Song Zhi spoke out the words hidden deep in his heart in front of outsiders, and his face couldn't help but turn red.
Guan Haishan's face turned pale in an instant, "Brother, you like Bai Taotao? What about me?"
Song Zhi glanced at her coldly, "I also want to know, what does it have to do with you that I like Bai Taotao?"
Guan Haishan said with tears in her eyes: "I like you!"
"So I have to like you?" Song Zhi asked back.
Guan Haishan was speechless.
After a while, she said again: "Song Zhi, are you such an ungrateful person? Have you forgotten my mother's kindness in raising you?"
Song Zhi looked at Guan Haishan steadily and asked, "Then according to you, what should I do?"
Guan Haishan couldn't help but look at Bai Taotao.
——Bai Taotao is teaching the villagers her second lesson. She was born beautiful and lovely. Although she wore plain old clothes and her appearance was ordinary, she had an indescribable...elegant temperament.
Now, she clearly heard Song Zhi say that he liked Bai Taotao?
Any woman would be jealous of Bai Taotao's beauty. Guan Haishan could never compare with a beauty like Bai Taotao! How can she compete with Bai Taotao?
After hesitating for a while, Guan Haishan looked at Song Zhi again - he was tall and handsome, but his personality was... rather silent and boring, but she grew up with him and had long been accustomed to having someone who would always stay within her reach in obscurity...
Guan Haishan mustered up the courage to say: "I, I hope you can come with me, and then... we can build a small family and let my mother's spirit rest in peace."
"Your mother's spirit in heaven has long rested in peace." Song Zhi said coldly.
Guan Haishan was stunned and said angrily: "Song Zhi, what do you mean? My mother's kindness in raising you..."
Song Zhi, "I am not blaspheming your mother's kindness in raising me. I just want to ask, how many times did your mother raise me?"
"you--"
Song Zhi said: "Why don't you think about why I came to this small mountain village?"
Guan Haishan was stunned.
Song Zhi, "It's because your brother Guan Hailong has already asked for a favor from me before you."
Guan Haishan's face turned pale instantly, "You mean..."
"Fang Shenghao stayed in the city, but your brother had to go to the countryside. Your brother thought your father was partial to you, and he was resentful. So he came to me and asked me to exchange the city spot with me for your mother's kindness in raising me. I agreed." Song Zhi said coldly, "... Guan Haishan, I have already repaid your mother for raising me."
“No!!!” Kwan Hoi-Shan screamed, “My brother can’t be that kind of person!”
Her scream caused everyone in the class, including Bai Taotao, to stop and look at her and Song Zhi curiously.
Song Zhi waved at Taotao, meaning that they should continue with their classes.
He stood up and walked a few steps back away from the crowd, but made sure that he and Guan Haishan were still within Taotao's sight.
Guan Haishan immediately followed and yelled at Song Zhi, "Impossible! My brother...would never do that! He wouldn't be so despicable!"
Song Zhi sneered, "How noble are you?"
Kwan Hoi-Shan: …
——Yes, how noble is she? Her brother used his favor to force Song Zhi to give up his place in the city; wasn't she also using his favor to force Song Zhi to marry her?
Guan Haishan just felt her face burning for no apparent reason.
Song Zhi, "Do you know why your brother told you my address?"
"Why?" Guan Haishan's mind was very confused now.
Song Zhi, "Because my teacher's project was also shut down, he still faces the dilemma of going to the countryside to work in the production team. If I'm not mistaken, he told you my address out of revenge against me. After all, when he wanted to exchange places with me, he once said that he knew I didn't like your entanglement, so he would try his best to stop you."
Kwan Hoi-Shan was stunned.
——Is that true? In Song Zhi's view, her love for him was an extremely painful entanglement? Even her own brother saw it? ? ?
Song Zhi, "By the way, has your brother gone to the countryside?"
Guan Haishan said after a long while: "No, he had a fight with Fang Shenghao and injured his leg... The doctor said that it would never heal and he would be a cripple for the rest of his life. Later, Fang Shenghao switched with him, and he went to work in Fang Shenghao's unit while Fang Shenghao went to the countryside."
Song Zhi was a little surprised.
Guan Haishan closed her eyes.
She still didn't give up, so she asked Song Zhi resentfully, "Brother, I will never mention my mother's kindness in raising you again...but do you really have no feelings for me at all?"
"No."
"I don't believe it!" Guan Haishan yelled.
Song Zhi, "Okay, I'll tell you the truth... My feelings for you are such that I just want to stay away from you and never see you again. That's why I studied so hard since I was a child, just to get into boarding school. During the New Year and other holidays, I didn't want to go to your house at all, because I knew that as soon as I went there, you would want to drag me to death..."
"Guan Haishan, I really...hate you." Song Zhi said.
Guan Haishan collapsed, "Song Zhi, you are lying!"
Song Zhi, "I am telling the truth. It is up to you whether you listen or not. It is up to you whether you believe it or not. I hope you can leave here as soon as possible so that I can have some peace and quiet."
After saying that, he returned to the area where Taotao's class was held.
When he turned around, he saw Liu Xuexu drooling and staring at Taotao with an obsessed look, which made Song Zhi feel even more unhappy.
At this time, Taotao had already finished teaching everyone.
The villagers dispersed in groups of three or four. Taotao carried a small backpack and whispered with Zhou Xiaoni, apparently wanting to go up the mountain.
Song Zhi went over and asked, "Are you going up the mountain?"
Tao Tao nodded, "Xiao Ni and I are going to pick wild chestnuts, you can go back now!"
Song Zhi, "I'll go too."
Tao Tao thought about it and thought that since he was strong, it would be good if he could bring back more. So she said, "Let's go together. Why don't you go home first and pick up an empty basket to see if there is anything good and bring back more."
Liu Xuexu rushed over, "Taotao! I'm going too. Can you get me a backpack?"
Tao Tao said generously: "Okay!"
Everyone walked towards Taotao's house.
Guan Haishan followed behind reluctantly.
As expected, Song Zhi went back and picked out an empty basket, and took out two backpacks. Liu Xuexu took one and put it on her back, and took the other backpack and asked Guan Haishan to carry it.
Guan Haishan was unwilling and took two steps faster, and Liu Xuexu chased after her.
Song Zhi took the opportunity to say to Tao Tao: "Look, they are such a perfect match!"
Peach@
:? ? ?
——Just now you and Guan Haishan had a quarrel in front of so many people, and she cried like that... It’s obvious that she likes you!
Song Zhi could understand Taotao's disapproving look.
But he had to say this and he had to do this, this was the only way for him to save himself - now he had no accomplices, and he couldn't make a tiger out of three people, so he had to put on more eye drops in front of Taotao. As long as he says more, it will more or less affect Taotao's opinion of Guan Haishan and Liu Xuexu.
"Guan Haishan and Liu Xuexu must be good friends. Otherwise, if Guan Haishan was so willful and ran away from Kyoto alone, would Liu Xuexu follow her and make trouble? And the two of them have been wandering outside for more than a month... What do you think?" Song Zhi said.
Taotao thought about it and agreed.
Song Zhi continued to exaggerate, "When they were staying at the guesthouse, they might have stayed in the same room!"
Taotao immediately looked at Song Zhi with burning eyes - that time in the city, she and Song Zhi also slept in the same room, but she just couldn't sleep with him!
"Even if we sleep in the same room, it doesn't mean anything!" Taotao said.
Song Zhi: ...
——So why should I shoot myself in the foot!
As they were talking, Taotao and Xiaoni walked to the wild chestnut forest. There were already several villagers there, and it seemed that they had a rich harvest.
After greeting each other, Taotao and Xiaoni demonstrated how to pick chestnuts - the chestnut shells have thorns and cannot be picked directly with hands. So you have to pick up a dead branch and skillfully pick up the hairy chestnuts and let them fly into the backpack or basket by themselves.
Liu Xuexu was very excited, and started hitting the dead branches with them.
By the time he had enough fun, Taotao, Xiaoni'er and Song Zhi had already filled the two large baskets and the backpack almost completely!
Liu Xuexu then hurriedly put seven or eight chestnuts into his own backpack, and then added a few to Guan Haishan's backpack...
Song Zhi kept whispering in Taotao's ear, "Look! They have such a good relationship!"
Taotao was both amused and confused.
——She didn’t expect that Song Zhi’s real intention was to brainwash her. She just felt that Song Zhi was now very eager to sever his relationship with Guan Haishan.
Seeing that the baskets and backpacks were almost full, Taotao and Xiaoni said they wanted to go back.
As a result, halfway through the journey, Taotao discovered a few more hawthorn trees! The trees are full of bright red fruits and the air is filled with sweet and sour fruity aroma, so tempting!
So everyone stopped to pick hawthorns again.
It was the first time for Liu Xuexu to eat fruit picked directly from the tree. He picked one and ate it, and it was so sour that he almost lost his teeth! He squinted his eyes and gritted his teeth, and it took him a while to get rid of the soreness before he finally recovered.
But seeing that Guan Haishan was unhappy, Liu Xuexu rolled her eyes, picked another one, and put it directly to Guan Haishan's mouth, "Haishan, this one is so sweet, you eat it!"
The fruit was right next to her mouth. Guan Haishan opened her mouth and ate it. She was almost killed by the sourness!
She was so angry that she raised her hand and chased after Liu Xuexu, but Liu Xuexu ran away with a strange smile.
Song Zhi quickly said to Tao Tao, "Look, how close they are! They are a perfect match!"
As soon as the words fell——
As they were running around, Liu Xuexu and Guan Haishan startled a rat snake in the grass. The snake made a "whoosh" sound, twisted its body and ran away...
Liu Xuexu and Guan Haishan were frightened and hugged each other and screamed!
Song Zhi sighed again, "They are so loving!"
Bai Taotao laughed.
Liu Xuexu and Guan Haishan ran over in a panic.
Liu Xuexu, "There's a snake in Taotao! It's so scary!"
Tao Tao, "Actually, you scared it. Look, it ran away, didn't it?"
Guan Haishan also came to Song Zhi with tears in her eyes, "Brother, there is a snake, it's so scary!"
Song Zhi said "hmm" lightly, "...I'm scared too." But he didn't look like he was that scared. Instead, he had an indescribable sense of alienation.
Guan Haishan was stunned. Her fear had not yet dissipated, and an indescribable sense of loss arose in her heart again.
Liu Xuexu kept pestering Taotao, asking her how many kinds of snakes there were on the mountain, how to eat chestnuts, how to eat hawthorns...
All of a sudden, Taotao and Xiaoni picked a lot of hawthorns, and then they all went down the mountain together.
Xiao Ni said goodbye and went home, Taotao and Song Zhi also went home.
Guan Haishan walked listlessly at the back. When she saw the elegant Song Zhi walking in front carrying a load on his back, she felt sour and upset and very uncomfortable.
When Xingxing returned home, she was so happy to see her sister and Song Zhi bringing back so many chestnuts and hawthorns! She quickly dumped all the mountain products on the high ground in the yard, and asked Hongdou and Huangdou to pick up the hawthorns. She then used the tongs to pick out the chestnuts from their hairy shells one by one...
The two dogs sent by Uncle Tang, one named Huzi and the other named Baozi, came up curiously and sniffed around.
Liu Xuexu also asked: "Should we throw away this chestnut shell? I can help!"
Xing Xing, "Don't throw them away, don't throw them away. Put these chestnut shells here to dry. They contain oil, which is best for starting a fire!"
Liu Xuexu suddenly realized.
Xing Xing picked up the chestnuts, put them in a small sack, and weighed them. She said with satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad, at least ten pounds! Fourth sister, can you make a dish of braised pork belly with chestnuts tonight?"
Tao Tao, "Okay, go ahead and do it. Can you do it alone? I want to make hawthorn cakes while these hawthorns are fresh."
Xing Xing licked her lips and said, "I'm fine! Then let's split up!"
The two sisters were busy with their own things.
Taotao first washed the hawthorn fruits, then cut the flesh in half with a knife, and asked Hongdou to take a tin spoon to dig out the core and set the flesh aside. Then I found a small charcoal stove, lit a fire, put the pot on, poured water, put the pitted pulp and brown sugar into the pot, boiled it until it boiled, then turned to low heat and simmered it slowly.
Finally, she took out the mortar and sat next to the small charcoal stove. From time to time, she used a spoon to scoop the pulp from the pot, poured it into the mortar, and used a small round-headed wooden pestle to press the pulp into a paste, which she then poured back into the small pot.
At the same time, she also instructed Hongdou to stir it constantly in the pot with a small spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
This was repeated several times. After more than half an hour, the fruit pulp in the pot had all turned into mud... The air was filled with the rich aroma of brown sugar mixed with hawthorn, which was mouth-watering.
Taotao asked Huangdou to bring a pair of clean chopsticks and stir the ingredients in the small pot.
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