Chapter 019: Racking Your Brains
When Wen Kexin woke up, she found herself lying flat on the nursing bed.
Wen Ping'an was sitting on a chair in front of his father's bed, swinging his legs and chatting with his old man in a low voice.
Mother pushed the door open and walked in from outside, holding a lunch box in her hand.
The sound of the door opening woke her up from her deep sleep.
"Mom, why did I fall asleep? Did you go to the cafeteria to get food?"
Wang Qiaolian said distressedly: "Kexin, you may be too tired, sleep a little longer, mother has brought back the meal."
Wen Kexin sat up and felt that the headache had disappeared.
I saw that there was porridge in my mother's lunch box, as well as a few cornmeal cakes, and a lot of pickles on the lid of the lunch box.
Wang Qiaolian closed the door and whispered, "Corn cakes are cheap, so I bought three. Pickles are free, so I asked for a little more. We don't have to buy vegetables at noon..."
Wen Kexin almost shed tears. Poor mother, she had developed a habit over decades and would rather spend every penny carefully.
No, it’s broken into ten petals!
"Mom, I have money, there's no need to be so frugal."
As she spoke, she took out five yuan from her pocket and handed it over.
"Silly child, the little money your grandmother gave you is not enough to treat your father's illness. Didn't your money come from your uncle? Mother doesn't want to owe your uncle too much, otherwise you will feel ashamed in your husband's family."
My mother's thoughts were the same as those of most rural women of that era.
They are hardworking and kind-hearted. They work hard every day to earn ten work points, which is only a little over ten cents in cash.
It would be good if I could earn enough to cover my food expenses by the end of the year.
"Mom, don't think too much. Didn't Song Mo say he would find a job for my dad?"
"I have discussed this with your father. He is worried that I will be bullied by bad people. He is even more afraid that people will look down on me because I am a woman. If I lose my job, it will be bad. I should wait until your father recovers before going to work in the town."
"Mom, that's fine. Song Mo said don't worry about the money, he'll find a way. Once my dad starts working, our family will be well off."
"Silly girl, you think too simply. With your grandmother's personality, we won't get anything from the separation. We don't know where we will live in the future, and we have to eat and drink every day. If we can save a penny now, we can be more relaxed in the future. Besides, if we want to separate the family, we can only do so while your father is recovering from his illness. If your father recovers from his injury, your grandmother will definitely not agree to separate the family."
Wen Kexin immediately understood that her mother was so harsh on her because she had so many things on her mind.
Not only did she see the situation clearly, she also saw through her grandmother's thoughts. It turned out that her mother knew what was going on.
At this moment, Wen Kexin really wanted to tell her parents that she had space so that they would not have to worry.
I thought that my parents were timid and I was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to accept it.
If you become restless every day because of this incident, you will be harming them.
She thought for a while and said, "Mom, after the division, we will ask the team leader for help. Doesn't the team have two old houses that no one lives in? We can rent them and build houses when we have money. As for food, I will find a way."
"What can you do?"
Wen Kexin quickly thought of something and said mysteriously, "Mom, don't I like reading? I know a few kinds of herbs and can process them. When I go back to the mountains to pick them, I can sell them to the Chinese medicine shop in town and exchange them for money."
Wang Qiaolian looked at her in surprise and asked, "Really?"
"Of course, during the day, when I have nothing to do, I'll go to the county's Chinese medicine store to ask if they sell medicinal herbs and what kind of herbs they sell. After I go back, I'll go to the mountains to collect herbs."
Wang Qiaolian's eyes suddenly lit up and she said, "That's fine. Mother and your sisters will go with you to the mountain to collect herbs."
Wen Pingan immediately raised his hand and said, "Mom, there's me too!"
"Yes! And our little Ping An."
The little guy puffed out his chest, his face full of pride.
Wen Kexin felt amused and continued, "Mom and Dad, Song Mo and I have discussed this. I will take care of the old and the young at his house in the next few years, so he can be relieved of his worries. He said he would give me ten yuan a month as a reward. I will use this money for my family, so you don't have to worry."
This sentence seems to have stirred up a hornet's nest!
Wang Qiaolian immediately glared in anger and grabbed a towel to hit him.
"Do you have any conscience, girl? The son-in-law is so good to us. You should marry him and serve his mother and take care of his two nieces and nephews. This is what you should do. How can you accept money?"
“Bang!”
Wen Kexin quickly blocked him with her hands and said, "Mom, don't hit me! Song Mo said this on his own initiative, I didn't ask for it. Besides, I'm only fifteen years old, and I can only register for marriage at eighteen. I do housework in his house, and it's okay for him to compensate me."
Although Wang Qiaolian stopped hitting him, she continued to scold him in a bad mood.
"There are many 15- and 16-year-old girls getting married in this village. Have you ever heard of any family getting money from their husband's family to support their parents? We don't want your money."
Wen Kexin suddenly had a headache, forgetting that people of this generation are very honest and find it difficult to accept the concept of paid services.
"Mom, will you accept the money I earn from collecting herbs?"
Wang Qiaolian's face suddenly became conflicted. Logically speaking, when her daughter got married, the money she earned belonged to her husband's family, and her parents' family should not take it.
But at home...
Wen Kexin understood when she saw her mother's expression.
He said in a desperate tone: "After the family splits up, I will go back to live there. I will return to the Song family when I turn 18."
Wang Qiaolian said angrily, "How can this be possible? As the saying goes, a daughter who is married off is like water spilled. If you come back to help your parents, people will scold you. How can you have the face to return to the Song family in the future?"
"Mom, this is not okay, and that is not okay. As a daughter, am I going to watch my parents suffer? Then how can I call for help?"
When Wen Kexin said this, tears welled up in her eyes.
She was playing the sympathy card to force her parents to agree.
Wang Qiaolian's eyes quickly turned red, and she said in embarrassment, "Kexin, don't be sad. It's all because of your parents' helplessness. You can leave the task of collecting herbs to me and your two sisters. Even if we use your money, it's considered a loan. When your father has a job and the family is well-off, he will pay you back. You are not a burden now, but when you have a child with your uncle in the future, you will know how difficult life is."
Wen Jiancheng relaxed his frown and said, "Your mother is right. Using your money is considered a loan. It's not easy for your mother-in-law either. We can't burden your son-in-law."
Wen Kexin breathed a sigh of relief.
After racking my brains, I finally found a way that my parents could accept.
As long as she is here, life at home will get better and better.
She suddenly remembered something and said, "Mom and Dad, don't tell anyone about the job Song Mo found for you when you get home, or else your job will be snatched away by your third uncle like last time."
She knew from the original owner's memory that ten years ago, her father went to the town to rescue an old man who had fallen down and sent him home.
The old man was so grateful that he not only gave him a lot of gifts, but also promised to find him a temporary job.
Wen Jiancheng was very happy. When he got home, he happily told his family about it.
Old Lady Wen rolled her eyes and said, "Second brother, don't go. Let the third brother go to work in the town."
"mother……"
"You are married and your wife is pregnant. If you go to work in town, what will Qiaolian do at home? Give this job to your third brother. He will thank you for the rest of his life."
"Mom, I can rent a house in town and bring Qiao Lian with me."
Old Lady Wen's face darkened as she scolded him, "Second brother, you've grown up and you don't listen to your mother anymore, right? You ungrateful wolf..."
Wen Jiancheng was scolded so badly that he couldn't even raise his head. Thinking of his wife's big belly and his mother's kindness in raising him, he had to nod and agree.
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