Song Qing shoveled the snow from the ground and the pile of wooden planks together; the snow mixed with mud looked dark.
An'an really wanted to play in the snow, but after glancing at her mother's expression, she didn't dare to actually reach out and play in the snow. She could only keep poking at it with a small stick.
"Be careful not to fall into the snow."
Song Qing found it somewhat amusing. How could she not see the eager look on her daughter's face, her little eyes constantly glancing at her? She was so clever.
An'an was a very naughty child, but she gradually became more sensible after going to Ancheng.
When she attended early childhood education classes, the other children would often ask her, "Where's your dad?"
At first, An'an would try her best to explain that her father was in the army, but later more and more children asked her if her father didn't want her anymore and why he never came back.
Seeing other children with their fathers, she gradually realized that her family was different from theirs.
She was very sensible and didn't ask Song Qing directly. Instead, she became more and more silent and considerate of her mother.
She was afraid that Song Qing would have too much trouble taking care of her alone, so she started to do everything herself. She didn't need Song Qing to worry about her studies, and even if she encountered grievances at school, she would just swallow them alone.
The parents all praised her highly, saying she was the most sensible child in that government dormitory area.
"This child is so sensible. She knows that her father is not around and her mother is raising her alone. She doesn't need anyone to supervise her studies at all. Unlike my son, who gets on the roof and tearing off the tiles if I don't discipline him for three days. He's such a headache."
"Fortunately, this child is sensible, otherwise Xiao Song wouldn't have to work so hard."
Those people, with a tone tinged with envy and pity, kept emphasizing the differences in their family circumstances.
By the time Song Qing realized it, she didn't know how to tell her daughter, as she was busy with Chen Yuqi's family matters at the time.
Later, she was promoted, and each time it seemed like there were more important things to do. Until she fell seriously ill, she never had the chance to have a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter.
Song Qing didn't write home to tell her family when she was sick, as they were busy and couldn't take care of her. Her workplace knew about her situation and could only arrange for a colleague to go to the hospital after get off work. Usually, An'an was by her side taking care of her.
She lay in the hospital for two months. An'an was terrified. When her mother was at her sickest, An'an would often look at her cautiously with pleading eyes, afraid that something might really happen to her.
When Song Qing noticed, he switched back to his usual self and casually talked to her about school.
That look pierced Song Qing's heart. Her daughter had nothing but her; she couldn't let her be alone.
At the same time, she also regrets not giving her daughter a better life, which makes her feel insecure and fearful.
“Mommy, duck.” An’an’s words interrupted Song Qing’s thoughts.
Her playmates in Xin'an were all older than her, and they taught her a lot.
While reciting the rhyme, An'an drew a duck on the ground. Today's duck was particularly plump, and it couldn't help but look up proudly at its mother, waiting for her to praise it.
The three-and-a-half-year-old child doesn't understand anything yet. Song Qing secretly cheered herself up, thinking that God must have known her regret and let her go back to her daughter's childhood. She would definitely give her a different life.
Lu Yang had already unloaded all the bricks from the cart and was about to push the wooden cart away when he noticed that Song Qing seemed to have suddenly fallen into grief.
He initially thought that their relationship had grown closer over the past few days, but then he realized that she was still very far away from him.
He didn't know why Song Qing was sad, nor did he know how to comfort her.
Fortunately, An'an quickly caught her attention. Seeing the mother and daughter clinging to their mother's leg and acting spoiled, and the mother trying to suppress her laughter, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Lu Yang made four trips back and forth and finally brought the bricks back. Just then, the whistle blew to end the training. He parked the wooden cart at the door and planned to go and get two of his men to help.
"I'll call a few people over to move the wood away and see how to build the wall tomorrow."
Several people in the camp had also helped out in the construction team in the new district. They could ask them for help with bricklaying, but for building fire pits, they would have to ask the nearby commune if they knew any villagers who did that.
He led a few people to the gate, and from a distance he saw Wang Minggui hesitating at the gate.
"Company Commander."
"You go in first, I'll be right there. Your sister-in-law is inside too."
The group scratched their heads, greeted Wang Minggui, and went inside.
"Old Lu, I'm truly sorry for what happened."
Wang Minggui pulled Lu Yang aside. He had just finished training and ran back to try to persuade Zhou Lian again, but unexpectedly, Zhou Lian said that Lu Yang had already agreed to switch with them.
He looked at Lu Yang apologetically, but Lu Yang didn't say anything. Wang Minggui felt even more resentful, so he stuffed a handful of things into Lu Yang's arms and left quickly.
"Remember to contact me if you need anything."
————
Xin'an.
As Tian Qiaozhu tidied the house, she sighed, "I wonder how my daughter is doing over there? Is my son-in-law treating her well?"
"Who told you to send your daughter there to suffer? Your daughter has her own salary. We can help her out sometimes. She can take good care of An'an by herself."
Song Hai had always opposed his daughter going to join the army. He had gone to great lengths to extricate the Song family and Song Qing from the situation. Now that the Chen family's affairs would no longer affect them, he felt he could divorce Lu Yang.
"Smack!" Tian Qiaozhu slammed the feather duster down hard, and Song Hai silently shrank back.
"What's wrong with you? You don't want anything good for your daughter at all. Xiao Lu is a good person, and besides, he is An'an's father after all."
“He wasn’t really happy to get married back then, and the Lu family even tried to use this to pressure my daughter. But our family doesn’t owe them anything.”
"So what if he wasn't willing at first? Feelings need to be cultivated. Didn't your daughter have that back then too?"
"I can't control what the Lu family does. It's their life, and since they're not in Xin'an anymore, the Lu family can't affect them."
Tian Qiaozhu was grateful to the Lu family, so it was normal for them to show some displeasure.
"Don't forget that Lu Yang had a girlfriend before. You're going to send your daughter into a fire pit."
Song Hai was desperate and grasped at straws. His daughter had someone in her heart, and Lu Yang also had a girlfriend. He even planned to have them get married for a while and then separate in a few years.
"That happened so many years ago. Lu Yang hasn't said anything all these years, and your daughter has long since moved on from that previous relationship. Do you really want them to get a divorce?"
Song Hai really hoped so, but he didn't want his daughter to have much contact with the Lu family. That family wasn't good people, and Lu Yang was just barely acceptable.
He muttered under his breath, "You didn't even know they were hiding it!"
Upon hearing this, Tian Qiaozhu immediately threw a feather duster at them.
Something.
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