Chapter 15
Soon after Lu Qin took her grandson Dongdong to the county town, Sun Laimei became restless and stood at the door with her crutches, looking around.
"Chun Nong, I'm going out for a walk."
She shouted inside and walked even faster than when she didn't have the cane.
Lu Chunnong was busy cleaning the chicken coop, covered in dust. When she came out with the broom, her mother-in-law was nowhere to be seen.
"Mother"
After a while, he shouted for a long time but no one responded. He guessed that the person had gone far away. He looked up at the weather and became anxious.
The weather was very good before the New Year, the sun was high in the sky, and Sun Laimei was out of breath after walking a few more steps.
Next to the bamboo forest at the foot of the brigade square, a group of people were sitting and chatting.
"Hey, look, isn't that Sun Laimei? Her leg is healed."
"She's not well yet. I haven't seen her using a cane."
"Sun Laimei, what are you doing there?" Aunt Zhang shouted loudly, "Come and sit here. The sun is so nice today."
Sun Laimei paused and looked at the large group of people under the big tree. She felt very uncomfortable. She didn't know whether to leave or not.
For about a year or two, she didn't sit with the people in the team, mainly because of rumors.
Whenever she saw someone familiar, she would look at her as if to say "Are you stupid?" and instigate her on how to discipline her daughter-in-law and tell her not to let her son focus all his attention on her.
But in fact, only the person involved knows whether life is good or not. In order to avoid being disgusted, she simply stays at home and takes care of her grandson.
Seeing that she couldn't come, Aunt Zhang came over and said, "We've been calling you for a long time, why don't you come? I see that you've been living with your daughter-in-law for so long that your personality is becoming more and more like hers. You never leave the house, and you don't even hang out with the people around here. How can this be okay?"
Hearing this, Sun Laimei smiled awkwardly and didn't answer.
She is different from her daughter-in-law. Her daughter-in-law can't even talk to people of the same age in the brigade. What's that called? People who have educated and those who haven't have different levels of thinking. And don't think she doesn't know that there were people who "pointed fingers" in front of her daughter-in-law and looked down on her for marrying someone in the brigade with a burden.
Seeing no way to hide, she limped to the foot of a tree. Aunt Zhang gave her her stool and then squeezed in with the others, saying, "Sit down!"
Sun Laimei glanced at everyone and sat down awkwardly with the help of her crutches.
Aunt Zhang's eyes fell on her legs. "I see your legs are healing pretty quickly. It seemed like you couldn't walk a few days ago."
Not only that, Aunt Zhang noticed that her complexion was rosy, "You must have taken some supplements, and your complexion looks much better."
Not to mention that it wasn't particularly bad before, but he looked pale and looked overwhelmed.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone who was nearby looked over.
Sun Laimei didn't bring a mirror, and she felt uncomfortable being stared at. "What can I eat? You all know my family's conditions."
The food she ate was worse than that of most families in the brigade.
She thought about it and realized that at most she had less work to do after returning, as all the heavy work had been taken away by Lu Qin. Besides, there was no man to take care of the family before, and she, an old woman, had to worry about everything. When her mind was heavy, her body naturally could not be well taken care of.
Aunt Zhang didn't quite believe it, and seeing that she was unwilling to say anything, she didn't ask any more questions.
"By the way, where is your grandson Dongdong?"
In the past, he followed Sun Laimei every day, and even carried her on his back when he was working. He was simply the lifeblood of their Kong family, but every grandson in the team was their lifeblood.
When this was mentioned, Sun Laimei remembered the purpose of her trip. "My Dongdong and Lu Qin went to the county town to play."
"I went to the county town."
Aunt Liu, who was standing next to Aunt Zhao, was startled.
Aunt Wang was sewing shoe soles and was so frightened that she almost poked her hand. "Ouch, I'm going to go deaf from your yelling."
Aunt Liu smiled sheepishly, then revealed a gossipy look. "I just remembered something. Liu Taohua from the captain's family mentioned that there have been human traffickers in the county town recently."
"What"
Now no one will dislike who has a louder voice.
Seeing that they were unaware, Aunt Liu continued, "Didn't something happen in the neighboring county a few years ago? This year, the damage has spread to our area. I wonder if they'll even come to the countryside. You should all go home and take good care of your children these days."
"What a beast!"
Now, even in broad daylight, no one could sit still, as if there were thorns under their butts.
Aunt Zhang nodded and decided to tell her children not to go out when she got home.
She turned around and prepared to ask Sun Laimei if she wanted to go back.
Sun Laimei had already picked up her crutches and stood up, her face tense. "I'll go ahead and take a look."
Her heart was pounding. Lu Qin had let her grandson fall down in broad daylight. Now that he was in the county town, what if he didn't hold her tightly?
The brigade square was still some distance from the entrance. Aunt Zhang asked, "You weren't going to the entrance to wait for your child, were you? How could your legs handle such a long walk?"
Sun Laimei simply didn't listen.
In the distance, Zhou Laigen was driving a ox cart towards this side.
"Look, isn't it back?"
"We're here, everyone hurry down!" Zhou Laigeng reminded them.
After the person blocking his way got off, Lu Qin climbed down from the car with a grin on his face, with a baby tied in front of him, covered with his coat.
In the county town, not long after they started shopping, his nephew fell asleep. He couldn't hold him in his arms or carry him on his back, as he was afraid that he would fall off halfway, so he could only keep doing what he had done before.
After Kong Dongdong fell asleep, his head tilted back, his little mouth pouting, and his two little hands clenched into fists and placed on his uncle's shoulders.
Staring at his sleeping face, Lu Qin looked depressed. He slept comfortably, but if he kept the same posture for a long time, his legs and waist would be broken.
"Uncle Lai Gen, I'm leaving first." He said hello.
Zhou Laigen pointed to the child in his arms and waved his hand to indicate that he understood.
He held his adopted nephew in his arms, weighed him up, and moved forward step by step.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly felt unwell all over.
When he looked up, wow, he was almost scared.
Why are there so many people?
He looked back and saw someone else behind him. He guessed that they were waiting for someone behind them.
But when he glanced past, he saw his old aunt.
Right in the middle of the crowd.
After getting mentally prepared, he walked over with a smile, covering his nephew's ears and said, "Hello, auntie, hello, I'm basking in the sun."
The distance he was close to made it easier for Sun Laimei to see her grandson. Lu Qin released his hands, and Sun Laimei gently lifted a corner of her clothes, and the lingering smell of braised pork hit her in the face.
Sun Laimei, “…”
Looking closely, Kong Dongdong was sleeping soundly with a greasy layer on his lips.
All her worries disappeared in an instant. She felt that she had worried for so long in vain. She put on her clothes again.
Lu Qin was in the middle of it and didn't smell anything at all. He reached out and covered his nephew's ears again.
Sun Laimei didn't feel like sitting any longer. "Sister Zhao, we'll go back first."
Aunt Zhao was beaming. The fish Lu Qin had asked Sun Hongqi to share with her the day before yesterday were still alive and kicking. They were sure to last until the New Year. When she heard she wanted to go home, she said nothing more, "Okay, it's getting late, I have to go back and make dinner too!"
Lu Qin freed up one hand and helped his aunt go home.
Aunt Wang sniffed carefully and nudged the person next to her with her arm, "Do you smell the smell of meat?"
"You're crazy about meat, right?"
Here, the two of them went home.
Lu Qin asked casually, "Auntie, your leg hasn't fully healed yet, why did you walk to the brigade square?"
Sun Laimei felt a little uncomfortable. "I'm just taking a walk, just taking a casual walk, and also came to greet you."
Before he could ask any more questions, Lu Chunnong came out when he heard the sound and looked into his arms.
Lu Qin smiled and called out "sister" softly, pointing to the person in his arms, and then pointing to the room.
Lu Chunnong subconsciously wanted to carry the person over, but then he remembered that he was dirty, "You carry him in."
Lu Qin agreed and pushed open the door.
The Kong family had only three rooms for living. Lu Chunnong lived in the largest room; his room was the second largest; and his aunt's room was the smallest.
As soon as you enter the house, you will feel clean and bright.
Lu Qin immediately withdrew his gaze, bent down and put the kid on the bed, pulled a corner of the quilt to cover him, but suddenly he felt a different touch under his hand. He was stunned for a moment, and when he realized what it was, he pretended nothing happened and covered the quilt tightly.
After coming out, he closed the door behind him and said, "Sister,"
Lu Chunnong didn't think about it, "I've packed it up."
"Well, sister, I'm going back to the room to change clothes."
Lu Qin closed the door, took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, hid the banknotes first, and then took the money out to find his sister.
As his nephew was still sleeping, he did not dare to shout, "Sister!"
Sun Laimei was used to hearing him shouting "Sister" every day at home. She calmly pointed in a direction and said, "In the kitchen."
Lu Qin said thank you to his aunt and immediately went to the kitchen to look for someone.
When I turned around, a gust of wind blew from behind me.
The tall young man handed her a bunch of change for more than eleven yuan. "Sister, this is for you to pay back later."
Lu Chunnong took a step back. After hearing what he said, she lowered her head and her gaze paused.
She lowered her eyes, without any doubt, wiped the water stains on her clothes with her hands, smoothed out the wrinkles on the money and carefully put it in her pocket.
Just by her action, Lu Qin felt a pain in his heart, but at the same time, he felt a lot lighter on his shoulders.
Thank you so much, Comrade Zhu Hong.
******
Comrade Zhu in the room sneezed.
Qian Hongying was working overtime today. When she walked in, she found her daughter's door closed. Worried that her daughter was hungry, she called out, "Honghong, come out for dinner. Mom brought you some braised pork from the factory cafeteria."
After the dishes were laid out, there was no response for a long time.
"Red"
She put down her things and was about to push the door open, but then she remembered that she had to knock on the door as she asked, so she raised her hand and said, "Honghong"
"Oh mom, I don't want to eat, stop shouting!" There was a buzzing sound from inside, and it sounded a little impatient after being disturbed.
"What are you doing in there? I brought you some braised pork." She wondered and emphasized it again.
The voice was quite high. "Put it aside for now. I have something else to do. I will eat it myself later."
Qian Hongying stopped knocking on the door and didn't dare push it open. She was afraid of her daughter when she got angry.
So she waited until her husband Zhu Guofu came home from get off work, but Zhu Hong still hadn't come out.
"Where's Honghong? Why didn't she come out to eat?"
Qian Hongying found an empty bowl, picked out the fat ones, and pouted towards the room. "She said she wanted to eat later, so I saved some for her to eat tonight."
They only have this one daughter, and they really treat her like a treasure.
In the inner room, Zhu Hong looked at herself in the mirror under the light and trimmed her eyebrows slightly. She looked left and right and tried to follow the steps in the notebook. Perhaps women are born with an intuition about beauty, and she gradually found the feel for it.
Then she braided her hair and rummaged through boxes and drawers to find wearable clothes.
The next morning, Qian Hongying went to the cafeteria first. When she came back, she found that her daughter had already left. She went to the kitchen and found that the meat left for her yesterday had not been eaten.
She looked at the small bowl of meat in the pot, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
As soon as I frowned, it was time to go to work.
She was busy before the New Year, and she put on the gloves skillfully in a few seconds.
A colleague who was close to her came over after finishing his housework, stood beside her, and after catching his breath, he suddenly asked her, "Hey, I, I remember that your Honghong works in the supply and marketing cooperative, right?"
Qian Hongying responded quickly, with a friendly look on her face, "Yes, if you want to buy something, I'll ask my Honghong to pay more attention and save it for you."
The middle-aged woman smiled. "Thank you very much. But that's not what I want to talk about. I heard from my family that the director of the supply and marketing cooperative in the city is coming to inspect. Please ask your daughter Zhu Hong to pay more attention."
"Why did this happen out of nowhere?" Qian Hongying was surprised.
"Hey, isn't it almost Chinese New Year? They're strictly controlling it. You have to keep it a secret."
What are we investigating? Actually, everyone knows what we are investigating. We are serving the people.
Qian Hongying immediately remembered her daughter's usual arrogant look and asked anxiously, "Why didn't she do that last year?"
"Your daughter didn't go to work at the supply and marketing cooperative last year."
Her eyes went dark, and she hurriedly took off her sleeves. "Please ask for leave for me later, I'll go take a look."
She prayed that today wasn't the best day, and her brother and sister-in-law did the same, not even telling her the news.
"Hey Hongying, are you okay?" the middle-aged woman realized belatedly.
Qian Hongying didn’t know whether she was okay or not. She was such a troublesome daughter of hers.
The author has something to say:
I updated it early today, and some cuties guessed a lot in the comment section.
It’s time to get a V. I’ll try to save up tomorrow.
Then, there are red envelopes for entering the V chapter. I hope everyone will support me! Thank you!
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