Chapter 101

Zhen Zhen didn't know how to get along with her daughter, and if she tried to get close to her now, it would only make Su Xiu psychologically unbalanced. She wanted to take it slow, care about her silently, and slowly get back the love that Su Xiu had lost.

The two brothers Meng Daguo were spending the first time with their sister and were all a little excited. Tan Wenyin suggested that they give Su Xiu a gift.

"As brothers, you should show some respect."

There was nothing special about the gifts, but what should they give? The three men were completely clueless and had no idea.

Jiao Huilan suggested making two new cotton shirts for her sister.

"My sister didn't have a good life in the Su family. I don't know how many times her clothes had been patched, and her buttocks were all torn," Jiao Huilan said with great concern. "I saw her hands were frozen purple, so I took off her cotton coat and took a look. Her cotton coat and pants were stuffed with reeds and hay instead of cotton."

Meng Daguo was furious. He originally wanted to rob all the 5,000 yuan, but Zhen Zhen was afraid that he would end up in trouble. He was afraid that the other party would do something extreme and since he raised Su Xiu, he should be compensated.

Now that I think about it, the Su family is really a piece of shit. Giving them 2,000 yuan is already too much.

People weren't rich these days, but they weren't so poor that they had to stuff their cotton-padded clothes with reeds. That was something that people did in the 1960s.

Tan Wenyin pondered:

"Forget about making a cotton shirt. My sister is young and hasn't found a partner yet. It would be better to give her a down jacket or something. It would make her look more fashionable when she goes out."

Tan Wenyin made this suggestion because she knew that the Meng family was not short of money. Otherwise, she would not dare to ask for the down jacket which cost hundreds of dollars.

Jiao Huilan was not reluctant to part with it. "Then I'll go pick out two down jackets for my sister tomorrow."

When Meng Daguo decided to send clothes, Tao Aihong immediately said, "Then let's send two pairs of shoes."

If the gift you give as a farewell gift is cheap, it is not presentable and people will talk about it. But it is different if you give shoes as a gift. How much is a pair of shoes worth?

Meng Hua originally wanted to give a consecrated pendant as a gift, but he came back in a hurry and did not have any ready-made jade on hand.

"I heard from Aunt Cuihua that Su Xiu likes to do handicrafts, so I will give her a sewing machine."

Tao Aihong curled her lips and thought that Meng Hua was quite partial. The first thing he did was to give them a sewing machine. Sewing machines were so expensive, and she had never seen Meng Hua be so generous to them.

Besides, since he gave her a sewing machine, it seemed that her second sister-in-law was too stingy to give her shoes.

Tao Aihong winked at Meng Eryong, who came over and asked, "What's going on? Are your eyes cramping?"

Tao Aihong was so angry that she fainted. "We gave our sister so many things, she wouldn't refuse them, right?"

"You give something away, and someone still doesn't want it?" Meng Eryong laughed. "She's not stupid. Besides, she's a member of this family. She has a share of everything in this family."

Tao Aihong's face changed and she immediately felt something was wrong. It turned out that the three sons of the Meng family thought so!

She pulled Meng Eryong into the house and asked, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean Su Xiu has a share in this family? She hasn't lived at home in these years. We have been taking care of our mother. What right does she have to share our property?"

Only then did Meng Eryong understand what Tao Aihong meant.

His face darkened, "Why do you think about this little bit of family property all day? My mother is not dead yet. No matter how stupid I am, I can't think about my mother's things after she dies."

"She's not dead now, but she will definitely die in the future. When your mother dies, how will this family be divided? Now that Su Xiu is brought back, how dare you let her eat ready-made food? Why? My sister-in-law and I work so hard, buying goods, making clothes, cooking, etc. all day long, and she doesn't have to do anything, and she gets a share of the money!"

Meng Eryong naturally didn't want to share the money with his sister, but he also felt that his family had let his sister down.

"Mom is not stupid. The bulk of the property will definitely be given to me and my elder brother. Even Meng Hua will have to stand aside. How can Su Xiu get an equal share?" Meng Eryong pondered, "I think Mom will give her some of the property, but not too much. After a girl gets married, she will become someone else's family. If Mom gives it all to Su Xiu, won't her future man take advantage of her?"

"That's exactly it!"

Li Decheng and Secretary Wang originally wanted to hold a banquet to entertain the Meng family. Su Xiu happened to have returned, and Li Decheng was very happy. He asked the village to pay for a team of chefs to cook the meal, and set up more than a dozen tables for the banquet, making it like a wedding and giving the Meng family enough face.

Li Decheng smiled and picked up the wine glass, and came to Su Xiu, "Su Xiu, Uncle Decheng will introduce you."

Su Xiu was a quiet person. She picked up her glass of wine and followed Li Decheng in silence.

Li Decheng kept introducing her to the people in the village, and Su Xiu greeted them obediently.

"Su Xiu, right? I held you in my arms when you were little."

"Su Xiu is back, Gui Zhi has a son and a daughter, it's truly a life of wonder."

"Su Xiu is lucky. She is enjoying herself as soon as she comes back."

Su Xiu found something strange. Although Batou Village was a well-known poor village in the county, the villagers were dressed very decently. Some women were even wearing cotton jackets that she had never seen before. Jiao Huilan said that this kind of clothing was called down jacket, which was light and warm.

The complexions of the people in Batou village are all very fresh and rosy, unlike the people in Sujia village, where everyone has a pale face. The villagers never smile and have bitter faces every day.

The fields in Batou Village do not grow crops.

I heard from the villagers that they wanted to start making clothes as soon as the fourth day of the New Year. They also said that they had worked hard in the past few years and would take a good rest after the Western-style building was built.

The more Su Xiu listened, the more puzzled she became. Jiao Huilan seemed to see what she was thinking and explained:

"Our clothes are all processed by villagers. My mother also asked the villagers to grow saffron and other medicinal herbs to make money. Last year, each family in the village received about 5,000 yuan. If nothing unexpected happens next year, the village will also grow a kind of pepper from other places. It was also my mother's suggestion. The peppers grown will be sold to our Zhenxin Food Factory to make chili sauce."

Su Xiu knew that the Meng family made money from business, but she didn't know that it was Zhen Guizhi's idea to do business.

She seemed quite powerful, unlike the selfish, vicious and mean image of her mother that she had imagined.

She was not close to me, nor did she complain that she had her reasons for giving her away, nor did she pretend to be pitiful and say how difficult her life was.

Her attitude was always indifferent, so Su Xiu's hatred had no basis.

Su Xiu is not talkative, so Jiao Huilan naturally has to act like the eldest sister-in-law.

"You'll be a part of this family when you come back. Mom won't leave you behind. She will definitely arrange for you to learn a craft or some useful skills."

Su Xiu's eyes widened. "It costs money to learn things."

Jiao Huilan laughed, "What's the big deal about spending money? As long as you want to learn, mother will pay for you."

Su Xiu clenched her fists. She wanted to learn sewing and also wanted to learn knowledge, but she didn't want to accept Zhen Guizhi's charity.

Meng Daguo and Jiao Huilan went to the county town and came back with a big bag of things. Jiao Huilan opened a black down jacket and put it on Su Xiu.

"My sister is 166cm tall, which is considered tall for our county. This size is perfect for her."

It was Su Xiu's first time to wear a down jacket. She touched the slippery fabric carefully. The down jacket was so light and thin, without any weight at all, but she didn't feel cold at all when she put it on.

Tao Aihong's shoes were also brought, two pairs, both made of leather, one pair of velvet and the other pair of plain shoes.

Su Xiu was of good stature and thin, and when she put on the down jacket and leather shoes, she looked completely different, and even Zhen Zhen was surprised.

"Not bad, not bad. If you learn how to put on makeup and dress up, you will be more energetic like a young girl." Zhen Zhen glanced at Su Xiu's black down jacket and wondered if she was getting old. She actually thought black was old-fashioned. She should buy two red down jackets to make herself brighter. "Young girls should wear more different colors."

Su Xiu nervously pinched the hem of her clothes and nodded silently.

Meng Nan walked over, holding Su Xiu's hand, and was full of curiosity about this young lady who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Grandma, is this little aunt really yours?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room instantly fell silent. After all, the topic was sensitive and everyone was afraid that Zhen Zhen would be embarrassed.

Zhen Zhen chuckled and said, "She is the daughter of whoever your father gave birth to her."

"Oh, my aunt doesn't look like grandma, but I look like grandma."

Meng Nan pulled Zhen Zhen's arm and rubbed it, fearing that her grandmother would no longer love her now that she had a younger aunt.

Arya pulled her other arm, "I look like that."

"What do you look like? You look like a skinny monkey. If you were put in a zoo, they would charge admission. If you look like grandma, then what is grandma? Monkey milk?"

Sanwa forcefully grabbed Zhen Zhen's neck and tried to hang on her.

"I do!"

Si Ya pushed him away, "You are nothing! You have no right to interrupt a woman when she is talking!"

Sanwa was angry and was about to push Siya away. Wuwa came over quietly and took advantage of the situation. He put his arms around Zhenzhen's neck and asked Zhenzhen to hug him.

Zhen Zhen picked him up and Wu Wa whispered in her ear:

"Grandma, I look most like you."

Zhen Zhen laughed and patted his little butt, "How did you know that?"

"You see, we both have some natural curls."

Xiaowu pulled the fur behind his neck and rolled it up to show Zhenzhen.

Meng Nan pulled him down unhappily. "What do you mean by similar? Look at your hair, it's as curly as a poodle! How can my hair be so curly? Can you stop pretending to be a fake?"

Xiao Wu curled his lips, "Go do your homework!"

Zhen Zhen originally wanted to stay in the countryside until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year before returning to the city, but her plan was disrupted by Su Xiu. She wanted to go back early and take Su Xiu to familiarize herself with the environment at home.

It just so happened that Jiang Dongping and Meng Hua were planning to visit a pharmaceutical factory, so they decided to go back to the city together.

Jiang Dongping borrowed a Santana from someone, thinking that driving to the inspection would give him more face and make others respect him.

The two of them dressed up carefully, both wearing suits and ties.

Su Xiu couldn't take her eyes off them and felt that these two people were just clothes racks, wearing clothes she had never seen before.

She had a problem since she was a child. She wanted to imprint the clothes she saw in her mind, draw them and make them.

Meng Hua is a mature businessman. Zhen Zhen trusts him and has nothing to say. She just tells the two of them to drive carefully and then uses the key to open the door.

Su Xiu was obviously a little surprised when she saw the two-story building in front of her.

She has never lived in such a nice house in her life.

"Is it okay for you to live on the second floor?" Zhen Zhen asked gently.

Su Xiu nodded.

Zhen Zhen smiled, took out a set of cartoon fabrics from the space, and asked the workers to make a four-piece bedding set for Su Xiu.

There is no such fashionable bedding as four-piece sets in the countryside these days.

The four-piece set made by Zhen Zhen includes a quilt cover, a fitted sheet, and a pillow, and she also made a cute pillow for her.

When Su Xiu saw the pink and tender cartoon bed sheets, she felt like she was being treated like a child.

The mother and daughter stood together, covered with a bed sheet. The warm sunlight shone on Zhen Zhen, making her look gentle and making people want to get close to her.

Su Xiu was stunned for a moment. She had never looked at the other person straight in the eyes in these days, and it turned out that the other person looked like this.

Zhen Zhen pulled one corner of the quilt and said, "It's windy at night. It's a bit cold to cover yourself with just a down quilt. If you put a cotton quilt on top, you'll be much more comfortable."

Su Xiu quickly retracted her gaze and said, "Yeah."

"Tell me if you feel cold. If you can't find me, go find your sister-in-law."

"Um."

"If you can't find your sister-in-law, you can find Meng Nan. This girl is also capable."

"Um."

As soon as the bed sheets were laid, Meng Nan came running in with four soldiers. The five of them jumped onto the bed and rolled around.

"Freshly laid out new sheets, five little monkeys!"

Meng Nan chuckled, "Grandma is biased. I don't even have a down quilt to cover myself with, but you gave all the good things to my aunt."

Su Xiu then realized that not everyone can cover themselves with a down quilt. She felt inexplicably embarrassed and uncomfortable about this preference.

Zhen Zhen patted her little butt, "Okay, stop bothering your aunt and let her be quiet."

"Grandma, I saw a very funny story." Meng Nan chuckled.

The four kids cheered: "Hahaha, this is so funny! He is so stupid!"

Zhen Zhen cooperated: "What story?"

"There was a man sitting on a boat, and his sword fell into the river, but he actually made a mark on the boat, saying that the sword fell here. He didn't know that the boat would move, and after reaching the shore, he actually jumped into the river to look for the sword at the place where he made the mark!! Grandma, do you think he is stupid?"

A group of children were laughing so hard that they were rolling on the ground.

Zhen Zhen smiled, "It's really funny, but people are not always so stupid. When they get older, they start to regret the past, and want to go back to a certain point in time again and again to find what they lost. But time passes so long, how can it be so easy to find what is lost? In the end, we are all people who are trying to find a sword by carving a mark on a boat."

Meng Nan seemed to understand, but the four children didn't understand at all, yet they thought it made a lot of sense.

Su Xiu felt as if her heart was burned.

Does Zhen Guizhi care about what others know? Is she hinting that she regrets giving herself away? Has she ever wished that time could go back to the past so that she could correct her mistakes?

What is lost cannot be found again. Can the relationship between Zhen Guizhi and her mother-daughter really be repaired?

She came back with the intention of revenge. If the other party knew his mistake, could she really forgive him without any regrets?

Su Xiu fell into unprecedented confusion.