Chapter 58
The next day, Zhen's second wife came home by bike.
After those four people fell, Brother Zhen's problem was solved. He has now returned to school to teach, but I don't know if the vice-principal is still doing anything.
No matter what, Zhen Ersao had a feeling that all the hard work had paid off. Being able to go back to teaching and earn some money to live on would mean she was settled.
Zhen Ersao came mainly to get clothes this time.
Jiao Huilan is now an expert at sewing. She has made a lot of clothes for several children in the family. Together with the ones bought by Zhen Zhen, the number of clothes her children have is not as much as that of all the children in the village combined.
The child grew up quickly and his clothes became too small for him before he could wear them, so Zhen Zhen wanted to give some of them to the grandson of Zhen Ersao's family.
Wang Ling gave birth to a boy in January. Zhen Zhen sent pig's trotters and brown sugar to her, and told Zhen's second wife about it, and told her to come home to get them.
Zhen Ersao also knew her. She was very discerning and loved to spend money on her children. She sighed every time she saw Daya.
The child is so young, but he has so many nice clothes made for him, and they are all made of good materials. Even adults don’t spend so much money.
She thought the clothes of the Meng family's children were good, and she was happy even if they were hand-me-down clothes. Besides, it was normal for these two children to wear other people's hand-me-down clothes. People in the countryside said that children would be better kept alive if they wore clothes from many families.
Zhen Zhen gave her all the clothes she had sorted out, filling a whole big bag. There were summer clothes, pajamas, cotton-padded clothes, sweaters, all of which were half-new. Some of the clothes didn't even have any signs of being washed. They were much more fashionable than the clothes on the market.
Mrs. Zhen was very happy, "There are too many. All the children at home can't wear them all."
"Not many. Two of them were newly made by Huilan." Zhen Zhen said.
Mrs. Zhen also felt that Jiao Huilan had changed a lot during her visit this time. When she heard that Jiao Huilan was making clothes, she had long wanted to help promote Jiao Huilan. In the past, due to the identity of Mr. Zhen, she did not dare to tell anyone about this. Now that Mr. Zhen has been rehabilitated, she can also bring some business to Jiao Huilan.
"Please thank Huilan for me. Without you, we don't know how we would have gotten through the past two years."
Her sister-in-law has really helped them a lot. Last year, she even sent them several bags of rice. Although Second Brother Zhen also often took care of his sister in the past, there are very few people who know how to be grateful these days.
Last year, when Zhang Cuihua was making pickled vegetables, Zhen Zhen also dug up some wild Chinese mustard greens and cut some radishes and asked her to help pickle the black pickled vegetables.
Zhang Cuihua is good at making pickled vegetables and spicy sauce, so Zhen Zhen picked some out and put them in a jar for Zhen Ersao to take home and eat.
Sister Zhen didn't refuse either. She smiled and said, "I'll bring the jar back to you later."
"It's delicious. I'll bring it to you next time."
During the Chinese New Year, Zhen Ersao sent her some pancakes, saying that she had someone make them for her. The pancakes tasted good. When relatives visit each other, there is nothing else to do but eat and drink. If your family has good things, give me some, and my family will give you some. With the coming and going of relatives, doesn't it create the human touch?
As soon as Zhen Ersao left, Meng Zhaodi and Cheng Su came over with books.
Under the gentle breeze and spring sunshine, the two girls are immersed in the discussion of knowledge. They look calm but persistent, with a kind of heart-warming beauty.
"Auntie, we don't know the answer to a question. Cheng Su said we should choose C, but I think we should choose B," said Meng Zhaodi.
This was an English grammar question. Zhen Zhen often did it when she was in junior high school and she was deeply impressed by it. She took a look at it and explained it to them.
"Zhaodi is right." Zhen Zhen said with a smile.
Cheng Su pursed her lips and said, "Zhao Di has made great progress. If I don't work harder, she will catch up with me."
"Nonsense, you are obviously much better than me, yet you still say you don't work hard. When we were working in the fields and taking a break, you were reading a book. This spirit makes me feel ashamed."
Meng Zhaodi felt a strong sense of crisis. She was far behind Cheng Su. Even if she tried very hard, she could only be on par with Cheng Su. It was too difficult to surpass her.
The competition between the two has always been healthy, and Zhen Zhen is happy to see them making progress together. She smiled and said:
"If you have the opportunity to enter university in the future, your opponents will be middle and high school students from all over the country, people who have been suppressed for many years and have never had the opportunity to enter university. You should know how terrifying it is for people trapped in darkness to detect the light of day. Competing with this group of people will put you under a lot of pressure."
Maybe because Zhen Zhen often talked about the college entrance examination, Meng Zhaodi and Cheng Su both felt that the college entrance examination would definitely be resumed.
After hearing what Zhen Zhen said, they both felt a stronger sense of crisis.
When Meng Zhaodi went back, she took a few unused candles from here. Zhen Zhen reminded her to take care of her eyes and didn't say anything else.
This year, not only did Zhen Zhen rarely go to the black market, but Zhao Meilan and her husband also became much more conservative.
Originally they wanted to do it secretly, but her husband calculated and found out that Sister Zhen had not come to the county town to see them for a long time.
Judging from Sister Zhen's way of doing things, she probably heard some rumors.
The two of them thought about it and decided to wait and see, waiting for Sister Zhen to return to the stage before working together.
Zhen Zhen didn't know about these things, she was simply lazy for a while.
She now had quite a bit of money on hand, not to mention the 13,000 in the public account, and 2,000 to 3,000 in her own piggy bank, not to mention antiques like gold bracelets, hairpins, and porcelain bowls.
The money may not seem like much these days, but it lasts a long time. A few thousand dollars is enough for her to live for more than ten years.
There is no concept of commercial housing nowadays, so it is not possible to buy houses in large quantities and collect rent. Otherwise, she would definitely exchange all her money for houses and rely on rent to support her old age.
In May, Meng Li asked someone to bring news that she had given birth to a girl weighing 6.8 jin, and both mother and daughter were safe.
Mrs. Meng was extremely happy and started helping to make the wedding eggs early in the morning.
Her marriage was a cause for concern, but fortunately everything went smoothly after her second marriage. She wanted a son, so she had two sons, and she wanted a daughter, so she had a daughter. Now she has two sons and one daughter, and both husband and wife's careers are on the rise.
At the beginning of the year, Jiang Dongping also received a salary increase, and Cao's parents helped to look after the children. Wasn't his life better than anyone else's?
Now that Mrs. Meng no longer takes the Zhou family seriously, she occasionally says with pride:
"The Zhou family tricked a girl from the supply and marketing cooperative into marrying him, but what good is that? If a son can't have children, then no matter how capable the daughter-in-law is, she can't give birth to a child out of thin air."
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Is Meng Li okay?"
"It's fine. I always complained that her belly was too small, but I didn't expect the baby she gave birth to wouldn't be that thin."
Mrs. Meng also had old ideas. She thought that a woman should gain weight to give birth to a child. She always told Meng Li to eat more, but Meng Li never listened. When she gave birth, she only weighed over 120 pounds, which was too thin.
Mrs. Meng was always worried that her pregnancy would not be smooth and the baby would be difficult to raise.
In fact, Meng Li also listened to Zhen Zhen's words. Her two babies were born too close together. Although she was young, it was a big burden on her body.
Zhen Zhen told her not to eat too much, to lose weight so that she could recover more easily and her hormones wouldn't get messed up.
Meng Li has no other advantages except that she is obedient. She is willing to listen to whoever lives better than her.
Let’s not talk about anything else about her aunt, but her figure, looks and skin are really impeccable.
The last time my aunt went to the county town to see her, her colleague said that this aunt must have come from a big city. How could a rural area raise such a person?
After Meng Li gave birth to her first and second babies, she followed the method her aunt told her to do mixed feeding. Neither the mother nor the babies suffered too much, and the babies still grew up plump.
The child's head was not flattened when he slept, so his facial features are more three-dimensional than other children, and he looks smarter.
Unlike children who sleep with flat heads, they always have a simple and honest look.
Meng Li felt that her aunt was indeed an experienced person, more capable than her mother and two sisters-in-law. In addition, when Cao's sister called her, she also agreed with her aunt's idea, saying that mothers in big cities would not let their children get too fat, because eating too much would be bad for the baby's business.
Meng Li firmly followed what her aunt said, eating less pasta and drinking less corn porridge. She could eat coarse grains and meat, but not too greasy food. She should eat less watermelon in summer, but could eat some apples and oranges.
However, food these days is not as abundant as it is in later generations, so it is impossible to be so strict.
When Zhen Zhen went to see Meng Li, he felt that she did a good job. She returned to her previous figure after giving birth. She did not have any burden of losing weight, and the baby was not thin.
"I've finally got my wish come true, having a daughter." Zhen Zhen smiled and picked up the child. "This child looks like Jiang Dongping, with fair skin, a high nose bridge, a chin and lips like yours, and a demeanor like Jiang Dongping's."
Meng Li also thought the daughter was thoughtful and liked the newborn very much. "Her father was very proud. He thought the daughter and he were cut from the same cloth. The two sons were no match for her."
Jiang Dongping told her to smile and said, "My aunt said it looks like me, so don't be dissatisfied."
Meng Li sneered, "Isn't it because I was born well? In the end, it's all my credit."
"Yes, yes, yes, it's all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, I would still be a single and wouldn't have given birth to two sons and one daughter. I really want to thank you, Ms. Meng, for marrying me." Jiang Dongping said with a smile.
Everyone in the room laughed. Mrs. Meng was so happy. Nowadays, it is hard to find a man who loves his children and wife so much. Jiang Dongping is a really good son-in-law. He has a good character and a stable job. He is not a big burden on his parents.
At first, Mrs. Meng was worried that Jiang Dongping's mother was really mentally ill. But after getting to know her for a long time, she realized that she was just shy of strangers.
Mrs. Meng was glad that she listened to her second son's wife, otherwise Meng Li would not have been able to live such a good life.
The Cao family's parents were busy all the time, which touched Mrs. Meng. She took the Cao family's mother's hand and said:
"Thanks to you, if I hadn't met you, I wouldn't know how to take care of these three children."
Cao's mother was also a very simple woman, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to raise her son so well. Unfortunately, she raised her son too well and died in the line of duty early.
"To be honest, a few years ago we really wanted to follow our son. We also had a connection with Dabao and Erbao. After taking care of these two children, we both feel much better and feel that our lives have a purpose."
When Mrs. Meng heard her talk about her son, she wiped her tears and said, "You are both good people. Let Dabao and Erbao take care of you in your old age. If they dare to be unfilial, I will be the first to disagree."
Cao's mother smiled naively. She had told the man about this. Even her own children were unfilial, let alone other people's children. Although they acknowledged them as their godfathers, they never thought of asking for anything in return.
Both of them are supported by the government and receive a lot of money every month. People from the factory come to visit the old leader from time to time, so the money is definitely enough for them.
The daughter-in-law's family lives well. The daughter and son-in-law's combined salary is 200 yuan a month. The daughter's parents-in-law are even better off. They are all old cadres from the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and each of them receives a monthly allowance of more than 100 yuan.
The total salary for a family of four is about 500 to 600 yuan, which is quite good.
They want to give subsidies to their grandchildren, but don't want their daughters-in-law, because they really don't think highly of the little money they have.
The reason I helped Meng Li was purely fate. I just liked Dabao and Erbao, and raising them to make them happy was enough for me.
Cao's mother was honest and simple-minded, and she got along well with Zhen Zhen. When Zhen Zhen came in, he saw an abandoned factory near the community and asked about it.
"It's the house of an old colleague from our factory. It hasn't been renovated for a long time and it's not very habitable, so the old couple moved to another place and the house has been empty ever since."
Zhen Zhen is also making plans for the future. She cannot go to Beijing in the short term without a household registration. Even if she goes there, housing will be a problem. She estimates that she will have to wait until the policy is completely relaxed in two years before she can go there. So she wants to open a shop in the county first and build up her family business first.
She planned to make the county town her own place of prosperity, using the strategy of surrounding the city with the countryside.
Zhen Zhen understood what was going on after hearing this.
Meng Hua graduated this year. He sent a telegram in the middle of the year saying that he was busy over there and would not be coming back this summer.
The telegram also instructed Meng Zhaodi and Cheng Su to study hard.
Meng Daguo felt that his brother must have been wronged in the capital, otherwise he would not be unable to even afford the travel expenses.
As for the sentences about studying hard, Meng Daguo thought they were just unimportant polite remarks, but Zhen Zhen stared at the telegram for a long time.
It seems that the third son is doing well. At least he has a channel to get important information. He only mentioned it specifically when he heard the rumor that the college entrance examination would be resumed. Otherwise, given his style of sending telegrams, he would not have added a single word.
After seeing the telegram, Cheng Su and Meng Zhaodi studied harder.
This year Zhenzhen harvested chestnuts as usual, and also harvested a lot of winter dates.
Although the dates grown by the farmers were not as big as the dates grown with growth enhancers in later generations, they tasted quite sweet. She washed the winter dates, drew a few lines on the outside of the dates, and then removed the date pits with chopsticks.
Put the winter dates in a pot and cook until they are soft. After draining the water, pour water, rock sugar and white sugar into the pot, simmer over low heat and then take out and air-dry.
The sweetness didn't attract the cat, but it attracted a few greedy kittens. Daya pinched one and put it in her mouth, and her eyes lit up.
"Grandma, dates are delicious." Daya thought that Grandma could perform magic and could conjure up delicious food every day. The other children envied her for having such a good grandma. Da Wang even said that he wanted to be her grandma and grandson.
"Grandma is so disgusting." said Erya.
"I'll eat whatever grandma cooks." said Sanwa.
"It's delicious." said Si Ya.
Zhen Zhen gave each person two dates, and asked Meng Daguo to climb a ladder and put the rest in a basket to dry in the air.
It is delicious when eaten as candied fruit when it is half soft and half hard, and it can be kept for a year after being air-dried. No wonder the kids are so excited.
Jiao Huilan also tasted it and said, "Mom, all the snacks you make are delicious."
What Jiao Huilan said was also true. Her mother-in-law is really a jack of all trades. She can do business, make snacks, and manage the household and children. Other people always say that children are so messy, but with four children in her family, she has never felt that they are difficult to manage.
In the final analysis, it is because the mother-in-law knows how to train the baby. Look, the baby just finished eating snacks and lined up to rinse his mouth and wash his hands. His hygiene habits are very good.
Tao Aihong pinched a few candied dates, which were so sweet to her heart. The candied dates she usually used to make rice dumplings were not as delicious as those made by her mother-in-law.
Tao Aihong didn't admit anything else, but she was convinced by her mother-in-law's ability. She went back to her room and said to Meng Eryong:
"Why haven't I heard that your mother can cook so many dishes before?"
Before she got married, her mother-in-law had a very bad reputation. How come she suddenly became so capable?
Meng Eryong was stunned by his question. His mother had a bad reputation in the past, but that was not understood by the villagers. His mother had always been so secretive, beautiful, intelligent, gentle and virtuous, radiating the greatness and glory of motherhood.
Tao Aihong pondered, "When did your mother change?"
"It was around the time you got married, right?" Meng Eryong felt that his mother's previous bad image was deliberately created. This was the wisdom of being a human being.
Tao Aihong thought that her father-in-law could make money, but her mother-in-law was just a freeloader and didn't care about anyone. Later, her father-in-law died, and her mother-in-law was forced to take over, which is how her mother-in-law became what she is today.
So, for a woman to go from being useless to being capable, all she needs is the death of a man.
Tao Aihong glanced at Meng Eryong meaningfully, which made Meng Eryong frown. "What are you planning now?"
"I didn't do anything to you, what do you mean by harassing you?"
"You haven't done anything to me yet? You've been pushing me down all day long, saying that if I have another child I won't have to work in the fields to earn points. Now I finally understand that I, Meng Eryong, am just a tool for you to avoid work." Meng Eryong was so angry that he pulled the quilt together.
Tao Aihong got angry when she saw him like this, and she was too embarrassed to say that Meng Daguo was tired of working hard every night, so why was Meng Eryong all good-looking but useless?
Jiao Huilan didn't look as good as her originally, but now she is moisturized and looks so radiant.
On the other hand, she was like a balloon that had been sucked dry, and her complexion was getting worse day by day.
Tao Aihong was so angry that she bit Meng Eryong on the belly button. Meng Eryong was so angry that he wanted to stuff his toes into her mouth, but Tao Aihong beat him up again.
After the preserves were dried, Zhen Zhen put most of them into the space. She also put away the melon seeds, chestnuts, spiced peanuts, duck necks and other things she usually made.
Not going to the county town doesn't mean not working. These things won't go bad if you keep them. When you can sell them, you can sell them all at once. Wouldn't you still make money?
At the end of October, when the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came out, it was like a thunderclap throughout China, and most people were stunned when they heard the news.
The college entrance examination was suspended for ten years and has now been resumed, leaving no room for preparation.
Many educated youth squatted on the ground and cried when they heard the news. After being excited, they started to borrow books. After ten years of discontinuation, there were very few books left on the market. When they went to the countryside, many people felt that they had no hope of passing the college entrance examination, so they simply did not bring any books back. Now they are regretting it so much.
Those who had brought books and had insisted on reading were crying with joy and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to return to the city.
Qian Ziyi also came to borrow books in the evening. He did have some books at home, but no review materials. Now that the college entrance examination has just been resumed, all the old materials have been snapped up and are impossible to buy. No one is willing to lend the materials to others for copying.
After all, the less people who know about it, the less competitors we have. No one is stupid.
Qian Ziyi knew that Cheng Su and Meng Zhaodi had a lot of information, so he wanted to come over and ask.
Many of the questions in these materials were written by Zhen Zhen. Since they couldn't make a decision, they came to ask Zhen Zhen for his opinion.
Zhen Zhen had a good impression of Qian Ziyi. At least last time he was willing to help Song Xiaohong, which proved that this man was not a coward.
He has been working in the countryside for many years and is now 24 years old. He is long past the age for marriage, but he has never had an affair with any girl. This proves that there is no big problem with his character, and Zhen Zhen is willing to help him.
She gave Qian Ziyi two books of Cheng Suyong's remaining exercises and highlighted the key points for him.
Qian Ziyi was in a daze whenever he opened his books these days. He had no idea what the college entrance examination would test. But after he had the key points, he immediately had a direction.
After returning home, Qian Ziyi locked the door of his room. Zhang Cuihua said that he never came out to eat, and he rarely drank water in order to go to the toilet less often.
But it doesn't matter because everyone is working so hard.
In fact, Cheng Su and Meng Zhaodi were almost ready, but they still did not dare to neglect it, especially when they saw others reading while eating, going to the toilet, and sleeping. They became nervous and kept reading every day. They didn't do any farm work and stayed in their room all day.
Meng Zhaodi simply moved in with Cheng Su. As soon as she walked into the house, Zhang Qiaohong came in and started scolding her:
"You silly girl, I told you to look after your two younger brothers, but you came here to slack off. You're still studying for the college entrance exam. I don't know what kind of person you are. You want to go to college before you even finish junior high school? There has never been a female college student in our Batou Village. Do you really think you are a golden phoenix that can fly to the big city and become a fairy?"
Meng Zhaodi was so angry that she started to cry. Zhen Zhen patted her shoulder and said, "You continue reading. I'll go out and take a look."
Meng Zhaodi didn't dare to be pretentious anymore. She wiped her tears and continued to recite.
Zhen Zhen pushed the door open and came out. Zhang Qiaohong didn't expect her to be at home. She smiled awkwardly, "Auntie is at home. Where's my daughter Zhaodi? I'll ask her to go back and do some work."
"She is preparing for the college entrance examination, which is just over a month away."
Zhang Qiaohong didn't dare to challenge her, but she was still a little unhappy.
"Auntie, I'm not saying this, but I know my Zhaodi better than you do. She has been dumb since she was little. She is far less intelligent than Lai Di, and even less so than my two sons. How could such a dumb person like her possibly get into college?"
Zhang Qiaohong's motherly behavior made Zhen Zhen angry, "What's wrong with Zhaodi being stupid?"
"How can she not be stupid? She has been a fool since she was little. She has no sense of propriety and she locks herself in her room every day. Look how smart my younger brother is. He never takes any loss. Unlike her, she is a stubborn person and doesn't even like me as her mother."
Zhen Zhen was not polite at all, "I think Zhaodi is much smarter than you and Dazhu. I'm not saying anything bad about you, but there should be a limit to favoring boys over girls. You knew that your daughter was going to take the college entrance examination, but not only did you not help her, you also held her back."
Zhang Qiaohong didn't really have to be with Meng Zhaodi, but she knew that there was no way this daughter would be able to get into university.
This registration is purely a joke.
When the results came out, she knew she had to give up, because she knew a pheasant could never turn into a phoenix.
Seeing that Meng Zhaodi is not young anymore, Zhang Qiaohong is waiting for her to give up and then arranges a blind date for her.
She had her eyes on a boy named Cao Liang from the next village. He was 20 years old and good-looking, though a little short. However, Cao Liang worked at the commune grain station, and although he was not a formal employee, he was paid a salary. He was more than a match for Meng Zhaodi.
Zhen Zhen shook his head, "I told you long ago that Zhaodi is still young and needs to stay for two more years. What's this Cao Liang? No matter how good the conditions are, can it be as good as our Zhaodi getting into college?"
Zhang Qiaohong chuckled, "Oh, auntie, do you really believe that she can pass the exam? Zhaodi is such a fool, she actually fooled you around. Forget it, forget it, you will know when the result comes out."
When Meng Daguo came back, he first scooped some water to rub his hands clean. There were two candidates at home, so his mother took the children to play with Old Lady Meng.
He walked and talked quietly. After dinner, he couldn't stand talking like a cat, so he took Jiao Huilan out for a walk.
Not long after the autumn harvest, the haystacks in the village were piled up in rows. Meng Daguo saw that there was no one around, so he pushed Jiao Huilan back, and the two of them fell into the haystack together.
Jiao Huilan jumped up and down. She had never thought that this would happen. She thought she was just going out for a walk tonight to see how the crops were doing.
Who would have thought...
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