Chapter 45
Cheng Su is a quiet girl, and both Gou Zi Niang and Zhang Cuihua like her.
Gouzi's mother was knitting wool. "My elder sister-in-law and I learned a new knitting method. Weaving black wool into strands and filling the middle with different colors, the sweaters knitted in this way are so trendy!"
Zhen Zhen imagined it and thought it was probably just to use black lines to outline a series of flat 8s and fill in the middle with various colors. She had seen sweaters like this before, and if the contrasting colors in the middle were handled well, it would still be very trendy.
"You have so many colors of wool?" Zhen Zhen asked.
"No, that's not the case," said Gouzi's mother honestly. "What kind of pretty colors do my ugly country girl and boy need? I just found some old wool. I'm just addicted to knitting sweaters, so I knitted two for them."
Zhang Cuihua wanted to knit a sweater for her granddaughter and wanted to learn Gou Zi's knitting method, so Zhen Zhen also followed suit.
It so happened that Meng Zhaodi had an English question that she didn't want to ask Zhen Zhen. The question was very simple, and in later generations it might be at the elementary school level, but in the age of information blockade, this question was already considered very difficult.
Zhen Zhen gave her some pointers. Cheng Su originally thought that Aunt Zhen was just giving her some pointers, but she found out that Aunt Zhen had clear ideas for solving problems and her English pronunciation was standard, much better than her.
Isn't Aunt Zhen a rural woman? How come her English pronunciation is more standard than her English teacher?
Cheng Su felt that when Aunt Zhen was explaining the topic, she was radiating wisdom.
Cheng Su's face flushed, and she looked at Zhen Zhen with admiration, "Auntie Zhen, can I study with Meng Zhaodi? I used to have very good grades and was always number one in the grade. I won't embarrass you."
What else can Zhen Zhen say?
Who can resist a beautiful girl who treats you as her mother?
What's more, there are stars twinkling in the other person's eyes?
So, Cheng Su and Meng Zhaodi came to the Meng family to study.
Cheng Su usually helped in the kitchen of the educated youth. The people in Batou Village were accustomed to having two meals a day and eating early in the morning, so the kitchen was completely busy before nine o'clock and work would not start until around four o'clock in the afternoon, so Cheng Su still had a lot of time during the day.
She progresses slowly, but she has a solid foundation.
Meng Zhaodi almost shut herself off after taking a class with her. Only then did she realize how big the gap was between rural students and urban students.
However, the advantage of studying together is that you can ask each other for advice and encourage each other, share your knowledge and experience, and learn with great interest.
After class every morning, Cheng Su saw Meng Zhaodi helping the Meng family with work, and she was also considerate enough to ask her to work as a handyman for Aunt Zhen. As a result, Zhen Zhen did not spend a penny and gained a right protector.
Zhen Zhen opened a sack of melon seeds. Cheng Su rolled up her sleeves, picked up a spatula, and said softly:
"Auntie Zhen, do you want to fry melon seeds? Can I help you? Sister Huilan taught me, and I fry them better than she did!"
Jiao Huilan entered the kitchen and was not surprised to see Cheng Su. However, Tao Aihong curled her lips, thinking that Cheng Su treated her as his own daughter.
Jiao Huilan added firewood and said:
"Mom, our melon seeds are so fragrant. Can we make something to prove that they are our melon seeds?"
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Huilan is coming up with more and more ideas. Tell me what we can do."
Jiao Huilan felt a little embarrassed by her mother-in-law's praise. Under her mother-in-law's trusting eyes, she gritted her teeth and said:
"I was thinking about whether I could draw a pattern or write a name on the packaging paper to prove that these are our original melon seeds, which are unique to our company and there is no other brand like us. This way, when customers buy melon seeds, they can identify us and will not buy the wrong ones."
Jiao Huilan thought it was simple. When they went to work in the fields, Li Decheng often made up slogans to encourage them.
Don’t mention it, some slogans have really different effects when shouted!
Originally, only eight acres of land could be planted, but after hearing the call, one acre of land was used for planting.
If her melon seeds also had a slogan or name, would people recognize their melon seeds more?
Zhen Zhen didn't expect Jiao Huilan to say such creative words. Isn't this a trademark for future generations?
It's just that people don't have this awareness these days.
Zhen Zhen glanced at Jiao Huilan approvingly, "Huilan, what do you think we can name it?"
Jiao Huilan couldn't think of it for a moment, so Tao Aihong mentioned a few.
"Golden rooster, woodpecker, Meng's melon seeds."
Zhen Zhen thinks these names are all okay, but they are not particularly catchy or catchy. Ordinary people these days prefer names that are down-to-earth, simple and easy to remember.
Jiao Huilan groaned: "I have a name."
Cheng Su blinked, "I thought of one too."
Jiao Huilan looked at the melon seeds affectionately. She thought of the good times she had with her mother-in-law when she ate melon seeds, and her mother-in-law's expectations, encouragement, and teachings. The small melon seeds contained the deep love between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"I'm thinking about my good mother-in-law, Susu, what are you thinking about?"
Cheng Su blushed again and said a little embarrassedly:
"What I think is somewhat similar to you. I think of good mother melon seeds."
Both of them stared at Zhen Zhen embarrassedly, waiting for her reaction. Zhen Zhen could only smile what she thought was a kind smile.
Forget about being a good mother-in-law, now a good mother has come out, she is so grateful!
Tao Aihong curled her lips. Why didn’t she realize before that Jiao Huilan was such a flatterer?
Fortunately, the mother-in-law melon seeds are still there! Why not just name them Mengpo melon seeds?
No matter how much Zhen Zhen gritted her teeth, she couldn't deny that Good Mother-in-law was a very memorable name and was also suitable for other foods.
If the brand becomes bigger in the future, this name can continue to be used.
She took out a blank piece of wrapping paper and used a brush dipped in ink to DIY on the paper. Without laser printing or special tools, she couldn’t be as detailed as later generations, but she still drew a silhouette in the lower right corner of the wrapping paper.
High cheeks, thin lips, slightly retracted chin, and half-hanging bun.
This is an image of a very gentle and virtuous middle-aged woman, which is in line with the brand positioning. In the middle of the packaging paper, five small characters "Good Mother-in-law Melon Seeds" are written with a brush. It is not conspicuous and will not attract special attention.
After the name was given, selling melon seeds became much more formal.
In the evening, Meng Hua looked at the packaging paper designed by his mother and was amazed.
One was because he lamented his mother's handwriting. In the past, his mother always asked them to write letters for her, and he thought his mother could not write. Who knew that his mother actually had beautiful handwriting.
Secondly, he sighed at his mother's ideas. His mother had more ideas than him. He was still reselling supplies to make a little profit, but his mother was thinking about becoming bigger and stronger.
Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong also thought it was a good idea. After all, it was just a piece of paper. With this piece of paper, word of mouth would spread and Good Mother-in-law Guazi would quickly become famous.
There is no key information on this paper. Even if someone is targeting them, no one can find them through this paper.
From that day on, Good Mother-in-law melon seeds became popular in the county. The melon seeds were already selling well, and after the packaging paper was improved, it not only looked regular but also very novel!
Besides, the name of a good mother-in-law is easy to remember!
In the past, when people asked me where the melon seeds came from, I would say I bought them at the cinema. Now I can change my words and say I bought the melon seeds from Haopo Po’s shop.
Both the original and salted melon seeds from Haopobo’s store are delicious.
The reputation is unquestionable.
Now that Meng Daguo was no longer busy, he started to use the pig farm on the mountain again. With last year's experience, he raised a total of twenty piglets this time.
Originally, we could have raised a batch of pigs at the beginning of the year, but after the weather got hot, it was inconvenient to slaughter and sell the pork. Once a severe crackdown occurred, the pork could not be sold, and there was no refrigerator to store it, so it was easy to lose all the money.
So Meng Daguo decided to do the same as last year, raising pigs in the middle of the year, slaughtering them at the end of the year, and selling them in the county town before the New Year.
Dealing with so many pigs all day long, Meng Daguo came home smelling of pig shit every day. Fortunately, he also raised pigs at home, so no one suspected anything.
The weather was hot, so Zhen Zhen carried a basket and went to the vegetable garden.
She planted a lot of vegetables last year, but the harvest was not very good.
This year, she summed up her experience and piled up dead tree leaves, cauliflower, leftover vegetable leaves, fruit peels, etc. to make compost to improve the soil. She also used farmyard manure and fruit peel enzymes appropriately, and invited three technical consultants, Zhang Cuihua, Gou Zi's mother, and Li Decheng, his wife, to give her advice. Finally, she had a good harvest this year.
The cucumber racks are full of fruits, and the tomato racks are full of green, red and orange fruits. The big ones are as big as two fists, and the small ones are the size of eggs. You can eat them every day and still can't finish them.
There are even more vegetables, including beans, loofah, eggplant, leeks, and lettuce. Beans never grow big due to insufficient sunlight, but loofah is very productive. Lettuce is like leeks, after you cut the top, leaves will still grow out from the bottom.
Pick a few beans and stir-fry them, eat the eggplants braised, and cucumber and eggs are the lightest combination, suitable for summer consumption.
Then take out a piece of good pork belly from the space, make it crispy, sprinkle some soy sauce and chili powder, wrap it all in lettuce and stuff it all in your mouth. It's so comfortable!
Even Zhen Zhen, who doesn't like meat, ate a lot, let alone other people in the family.
The two large plates of meat were cleared out in no time.
Daya covered her belly and said, "Grandma, roasted pork belly is so delicious!"
Erya and Sanwa clapped together.
Zhen Zhen smiled, the number of little flatterers increased from one to three.
She gave Mrs. Meng and her father a portion of pork belly and lettuce. They ate until their mouths were full of oil. After finishing the meal, Mrs. Meng was still sighing:
"Old man, how come the second son's family is so good at eating? Not only pork belly, but also lettuce. I've never seen that before!"
"Last year, she led all the women in the village to pickle spicy cabbage. Everyone in the village praised her for her ability to pickle spicy cabbage. Gouzi's father said that Zhen Guizhi didn't work in the fields, but spent all day thinking about these foods!"
Old Mrs. Meng attributed everything to the fact that her second daughter-in-law did not work.
It’s just that everyone used to say that the second daughter-in-law was a glutton but lazy, but now she seems to have become a different person, so everyone started praising her for her ability to eat.
Old Mrs. Meng also thought it was possible. She had long forgotten how her second daughter-in-law had fought with her in the past, and now her mind was full of how her second daughter-in-law treated her.
"I just hope Huilan can give birth to a boy, so that she can live up to Daguo's father."
Old Lady Meng's father didn't care about those things. The third child was a boy, and even though Daguo had no son, the second branch of the family was not considered to be extinct.
The next day there was a heavy rain, and the water in the yard flowed back into the house. The whole family used wash basins and toothbrush cups together and finally scooped out the water.
But Erya picked up a toad, Daya picked up some fish and shrimps, and Sanwa was covered in mud.
Zhen Zhen boiled some water to wash the dolls, washed them clean, and then cooked some pork bone soup and put some tomato noodles in it.
Children love to eat this. Paired with some chopped meat from the leg bones, it has both carbohydrates and protein, and comes with soup and water. Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable to eat this?
There was a pregnant woman at home, so Zhen Zhen also made a portion for Jiao Huilan. When she entered the house carrying the pork rib noodles, she saw Jiao Huilan sitting in front of the sewing machine busy with her big belly.
At first, Meng Eryong asked to put the sewing machine in his room, but Zhen Zhen put it in his own room for the sake of fairness.
"Huilan, eat noodles."
Jiao Huilan smiled and stood up, holding her back, "Mom, why didn't you call me when you were making noodles? How could I ask you to cook in person?"
Zhen Zhen smiled, this son loved her very much.
She picked up the small dress made by Jiao Huilan and was really surprised. It was much better than the ones she had practiced on.
"Isn't this the skirt I drew?"
Zhen Zhen occasionally drew patterns on paper, but she was not trained in this field, so she could often draw but not make. In addition, fabric was hard to find these days, so she often drew a princess dress but made a beggar's outfit.
But Jiao Huilan seemed to have the ability to turn decay into magic, and she was able to put her designs into practice.
“This is much better than my drawing!”
Jiao Huilan was a little embarrassed, "Mom, your drawing is good, I just did it randomly, don't laugh at me."
"Huilan, you are too modest. How can this be just a casual act? I won't talk about the skirt I drew for Daya, but the overalls you made for Sanwa. This style is also very trendy. I will ask Sanwa to wear the pants you made for the family photo later."
Jiao Huilan couldn't quite believe it.
"Mom, am I really that good?"
"Mother never speaks in vain. To be honest, Huilan, you are more talented in making clothes than cooking. Although you are a good cook, that is for the sake of supporting your family, not your hobby. But mother can see that you are very interested in sewing. You have almost torn apart all the old clothes at home. The clothes you make with old cloth are more beautiful than the ones you buy. I think if you practice more, you can surpass Feng Taixi."
The encouragement from her mother-in-law gave Jiao Huilan a great boost of confidence. She was no longer the timid daughter-in-law who dared not speak in front of her mother-in-law.
"Mom, I'll listen to you. I'll practice more recently and try to surpass Feng Taixi."
Zhen Zhen was extremely pleased to see the dazzling Jiao Huilan in front of him:
"Huilan, women are not meant to just be around the stove, men and children. Let's not talk about the distant past, let's talk about the near future! Tailor Feng's family background is not good, but she relies on this craft to support her family, and the village party secretary also guarantees her and avoids being persecuted. In my opinion, this is an excellent woman. One day, you can also be such a woman."
Jiao Huilan nodded repeatedly. She had loved sewing since she was a child, but her mother was unwilling to send her to learn tailoring, so she could only hide away and learn by herself secretly.
I was self-taught and my family was reluctant to provide me with fabrics and threads.
If her mother-in-law hadn't bought a sewing machine, Jiao Huilan would have kept sewing in her heart for the rest of her life.
Jiao Huilan operates the sewing machine just like Zhen Zhen weaving wool, and she makes use of every opportunity!
She was very productive. She sewed a small wavy-brimmed hat for Daya, two skirts for Erya, a few pairs of shorts for Sanwa, and a pine green skirt with vintage lace buttons for her favorite mother-in-law.
This skirt is pretty, but it's a bit too designer and doesn't fit in with the countryside.
Zhen Zhen was a little worried at first, but since the clothes were made by her daughter-in-law, she still had to wear them out to show off.
Zhang Cuihua was eating melon seeds, "How old-fashioned!"
Gouzi's mother shook her head: "It looks like the one my grandma burned a few years ago."
Since they didn't like it, Zhen Zhen felt relieved.
Cheng Sulai went to school at home, so she inevitably ran into Meng Hua. Occasionally, she would ask Meng Hua questions she didn't know how to solve, and Meng Hua would explain them to her with a normal expression.
Zhen Zhen saw that his expression seemed to have let it go. Maybe he still liked Cheng Su, but he was already Meng Hua who had seen the world.
He knew that in the vast universe, love was nothing.
No matter what, Zhen Zhen was very happy that his third son could let go of his obsession with Cheng Su.
This way, the Zhen family won't be involved in the bad debts of the hero and heroine, and won't be tortured by the crazy criticism and revenge of the hero.
"Third brother, what do you think of Cheng Su and Zhaodi's foundation?" Zhen Zhen walked up and asked.
Meng Hua pushed his glasses and said, "Cheng Su is not bad. If there is a college entrance examination, I think she will have no problem. But Zhaodi's foundation is too poor. With her foundation, it doesn't make much difference whether she studies or not."
Meng Zhaodi paused when she reached the door, her face turning slightly pale.
Zhen Zhen smiled, picked up Sanwa and said:
"Who said that it doesn't matter whether you study or not? If you study, you will have a chance. You don't think Zhaodi is promising because she has a poor foundation. I think she is promising because I know that if a girl like her doesn't study, she will have no future at all. I believe she knows this."
Meng Zhaodi held the pen tightly.
Meng Hua held out his hands, "Mom, let's wait and see."
Jiao Huilan made so many clothes that her family couldn't wear them all, so Zhen Zhen suggested that she take them to the market to sell.
Jiao Huilan was shocked. "Is this possible? Clothes need to be measured before they can be made."
"Why not? The nightgown you made for me is very loose. I think it can be worn by people weighing from 90 kg to 150 kg. Clothes like this can be made without tailoring." Zhen Zhen said.
“But I’m afraid I’m not doing it well.”
"Isn't this good? In my opinion, no one can do better than you." Zhen Zhen said sincerely.
Jiao Huilan suspected that her mother-in-law was deceiving her, but she was also somewhat eager to give it a try, and finally nodded in agreement.
The summer vacation passed quickly, and Meng Hua planned to return to school early. Although he studied hard every day, he was still worried that he could not keep up with the progress.
Jiao Huilan made another meal of dumplings for him as a farewell gift.
The third son has been home for two months, and Zhen Zhen is tired of him.
Meng Hua refused the money, so Zhen Zhen prepared two new sets of clothes, two pairs of shoes, two pairs of pants, a bottle of Lego, dozens of packets of soy milk powder, and a net bag of apples for him.
As for stationery, Zhen Zhen didn't prepare any this year. If the third son has money, he can go to Beijing to buy them. The stationery there is much better than that in the county.
Not long after Meng Hua left, Meng Li gave birth to twins.
"They were born last night. I only found out about it this morning when Jiang Dongping came to announce the good news. He said they were a pair of boys and both mother and child were safe."
Mrs. Meng was very happy. She was painting wedding eggs at home and Zhen Zhen came to help her.
Zhen Zhen smiled and said:
"Meng Li is also blessed. You were worried that she would have a bad marriage and that her second marriage would not go smoothly. Now you are finally relieved, right?"
Mrs. Meng nodded: "Jiang Dongping is the only child in the family, and his mother is in that situation. Our Meng Li has two children in her life. Even if Meng Li is a second marriage, the Jiang family can't find any fault with her! They have to worship our Meng Li as a hero!"
Everyone knows that Meng Li is divorced and the responsibility does not lie with her, but there are still some people who say that Meng Li is not decent and that is why Zhou Changsheng doesn't want her.
Mrs. Meng was naturally angry, and she just hoped that her daughter would get pregnant and slap those people in the face.
"I heard that after Zhou Changsheng's mother heard the news, she closed her eyes and passed out." Mrs. Meng took pleasure in the misfortune.
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