Chapter 88: Sympathy
Tonight, Wen Jiancheng and his wife couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Wen Jiancheng said softly, "Qiao Lian, I never dreamed that she wasn't my mother, let alone that there was a clue about my father. Maybe one day your family will be able to find her."
Wang Qiaolian's eyes suddenly turned red. She shook her head and said, "My situation is different from yours. I'd better keep this to myself."
Wen Jiancheng nodded slightly, thinking back to the time when he first met his wife more than ten years ago.
That year, when he was 22 years old, he encountered a natural disaster that occurred once in a century.
Old Mrs. Wen regarded the family’s food as her life. She didn’t want to have another place to eat, nor did she mention finding him a wife.
The villagers who didn't know the truth tried to persuade her, "Your second son is already 22, right? There are many people fleeing famine now, and there are many good girls. As long as you bring three or five kilograms of grain, you can find a wife for your second son."
Mrs. Wen immediately got angry and cursed, "Bah! Why are you meddling in my family's affairs? We don't even have enough food to eat, how can we give it away to outsiders? My second son is sensible and said he'll get married in a few years."
Wen Jiancheng felt bitter. People got married early in this era and it was common for boys in the village to get married at the age of seventeen or eighteen.
If you are not married by the age of 20, you will be laughed at. Now I am 22 years old and am often called an old bachelor. Who will be willing to marry me in a few years?
He didn't want to make his mother angry, so he could only silently accept it.
I went to the town to do odd jobs that day and saw a ragged girl of about sixteen or seventeen kneeling and crying beside a woman in her forties.
It was obvious that these two people were fleeing from famine.
Many people gathered around, and everyone was talking about it: "This girl is great, who can help bury her? Take her back."
"These days, everyone has to tighten their belts to make ends meet..."
Wen Jiancheng's heart beat fast when he saw the girl crying pitifully. He walked over and asked a few questions with concern. Only then did we know that the girl had followed her mother to live with her relatives, but she didn't find any relatives and her mother died of illness.
She didn't know what to do.
I could only ask someone to bury my mother.
At this time, a man in his forties with a bald head looked at her with an obscene look and said, "Girl, I will help you bury the dead. Come with me and I will make sure you have enough to eat."
This girl was Wang Qiao Lian. When she saw the ugly monster with a ferocious face, she was so frightened by what he said that her whole body trembled.
What does it mean to bury the dead?
The man's face was full of contempt and his tone was one of a kind. You could tell he was not a good person.
Who dares to say that they are full at this time? It's good enough if you can eat half full and not starve to death. This is obviously a lie!
She cried with tears streaming down her face, "I won't go with you, please help me?"
Wen Jiancheng stepped forward and said to the man, "Big brother, the girl is afraid of you and doesn't want to go with you, so don't force her."
The people around him also criticized him, "How old are you? You still want a little girl to go with you? Do you have any shame?"
Wang Qiaolian looked at Wen Jiancheng. The young man was sensible and handsome. She gritted her teeth, knelt down and said, "Brother, please help me bury my mother. Please take me away."
Wen Jiancheng was at a loss for words and said apologetically, "Girl, I'm so poor and have no money in my pocket. I'm really sorry..."
Wang Qiaolian quickly came up with an idea. She looked at everyone and said, "Grandpas, aunts, uncles, aunts, and big brothers and sisters, can you please help us? Otherwise, I will die... woo woo..."
The onlookers all sighed in their hearts, threw some money at her, and someone even gave her half a multi-grain pancake.
Wen Jiancheng gritted his teeth and went to the employer's house to borrow some money.
With the money together, they bought a thin coffin and buried the dead old man.
In this way, Wen Jiancheng brought Wang Qiaolian back home as his wife.
Later, Wang Qiaolian told Wen Jiancheng the truth that the dead woman was her wet nurse.
Her family was wealthy before liberation, but later her parents died in a tragedy and her two brothers fled.
She followed her wet nurse back to her hometown and lived there for a few years, and later her identity was discovered.
Her wet nurse took her to live with her cousin, but she sold all her belongings. When she arrived here, she heard that her cousin's family had moved, and she didn't know where they had moved to.
The wet nurse died of anger and depression.
The couple didn't tell anyone these words and told everyone else that they were just fleeing from famine.
Wang Qiaolian was worried that her identity would be exposed, and following Wen Jiancheng's instructions, she obediently spoke less and worked more in the Wen family. She gave birth to several children and was also bullied by the old lady Wen for many years.
Now, Wen Jiancheng can search for his relatives in a big way.
But Wang Qiaolian’s two brothers did not dare to tell anyone about her disappearance.
A feeling of sympathy came over them, and they whispered words of comfort to each other, hoping that one day they would be able to find their loved ones.
Besides, Mrs. Wen and her daughter didn’t come back until midnight.
Because there were no street lights on the road, it was pitch black everywhere.
The dirt roads in rural areas are not only narrow but also bumpy. Drivers dare not drive fast for safety reasons.
It took twice as long as usual to finally get back to the county.
Sensing that the driver was in a bad mood, the mother and daughter dared not complain on the road, let alone whisper in his ear. They could only keep all their worries in their hearts.
After getting off the car and entering the house, Wen Hehua said with a gloomy face: "Mom, think carefully, maybe you forgot about those treasures when you moved them to another place."
Old Mrs. Wen shook her head and said, "I have never moved to another place. I think your sister-in-law took me there."
"But isn't the lock on the door intact? How did she get the key?"
"It was because the lock on the door was intact that mother thought it was stolen by a family member. Your eldest brother is too honest, and the second and third pillars are not that cunning. Only your eldest sister-in-law is very cunning. She might have made a key while I was asleep. Those things must have been stolen by her."
Wen Hehua recalled that this time when she went back to her third brother's house in town, her eldest sister-in-law's fawning smile was all fake.
He immediately started cursing, "You can't judge a person by his appearance. How can my sister-in-law be so wicked? She is jealous that we let Dazhuzi take the blame. I wanted to talk to Director Ma and ask Dazhuzi to come back earlier. Since she is so unkind, don't blame me for being unjust."
Not only did Old Mrs. Wen feel bad for her treasures, she was also upset that her daughter had taken the initiative to write off all the child support.
She grumbled in dissatisfaction, "I don't know what you were thinking. Why did you block the child support that idiot Lao Er and I asked for?"
Mom still can’t figure it out?
Wen Hehua could only break it up and explain patiently, "Mom, they were so poor that they couldn't even come up with 20 yuan, let alone 200 yuan. At that time, I was not only afraid of wasting time, but also wanted to break off relations with them as soon as possible to avoid trouble in the future. Besides, it would also leave a good impression on the villagers, so that they wouldn't point fingers and talk about me when I get married."
Old Mrs. Wen suddenly understood what her daughter was thinking.
"You are right, but my coffin is gone, and I didn't get any benefits from the second house. What will you do if you don't have a dowry when you get married?"
Wen Hehua frowned, and soon came up with an idea and said, "Mom, Director Ma is very generous to me. I will find a way to get more benefits from him and save them up, then I will have my dowry."
Mrs. Wen's eyes lit up immediately and she praised, "My Lotus is smart. Don't rush into marriage. The more you spend time together, the more opportunities you will have to reap the benefits."
Wen Hehua blushed, nodded slightly and said, "Mom, I think so too!"
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