Ming i was transferred to the office to work as a statistician. This internal transfer was not particularly troubleso and was quickly processed. She handed over her work to her predecessor, Little Cui, who seed quite pleased with the arrangent. Little Cui remarked, "This transfer is such a blessing. I've always wanted to work on the buses."
Little Cui had a mother who was unwell and required dication, as well as children to support, so she naturally wanted to earn more money.
Ming i was also happy. She suggested, "You should prepare a larger water bottle and buy so stuff like balloon flower from the pharmacy. Our unit reimburses for these expenses."
Although the buses had speakers, there were still many occasions where one had to shout at the top of their lungs, especially during holidays when the buses were crowded. By the end of the day, one's throat would feel parched. Little Cui appreciated Ming i's advice and nodded, "Alright, I know this. I've already prepared everything."
They both worked for the sa unit, though in different departnts. They could see each other and often interacted.
Ming i recalled a dream she had about an accident and warned, "Also, during bad weather like rain or snow, the bus might skid. If you encounter such conditions, be sure to remind the passengers and hold onto the handrails. Our positions are particularly prone to being thrown forward, so be very careful and hold on tight. Your safety is important too."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. I won't be careless. Thank you for the reminder," Little Cui replied, taking the advice seriously.
Little Cui continued, "The work here in the statistics departnt isn't too heavy, but it's best to do a small review every week, checking the dispatch records. This way, by the end of the month, you'll be more relaxed and won't be caught off guard if sothing goes wrong. You'll be able to quickly identify where the errors are."
"Okay," Ming i agreed.
"Also, we need to schedule the shifts. You should post the schedule for the next week every Saturday afternoon."
Little Cui went on to give more instructions, which Ming i diligently noted down in her notebook. Little Cui was surprised and said, "Oh? You're left-handed."
Ming i replied, "I can use both hands. I used to be left-handed as a child, but my parents made switch, so now I can use both."
Little Cui asked, "Can you write different things with both hands at the sa ti?"
Ming i chuckled and said, "No way! Don't think I'm so kind of genius. I'm just an ordinary person."
Little Cui sighed and said, "You're not ordinary at all. You're quite famous here at the bus station for being a remarkable person."
Ming i innocently blinked her eyes. Little Cui added, "You're the fastest to get promoted and get a raise."
Ming i replied, "Isn't it because I caught a thief?"
She continued, "Oh right, you should also be careful about pickpockets on the bus. Besides reminding passengers, keep an eye out yourself. Don't be reckless. You can always ask the section chief or others for advice."
Little Cui assured her, "Don't worry, I know."
The two won exchanged more advice about their respective jobs. Ming i had already taken Little Cui to et the bus driver she would be working with. Little Cui, in turn, introduced Ming i to the office staff, saying, "Let introduce you to everyone here. This is Sister Chen, this is..."
At this point, she laughed and said, "Actually, I don't need to introduce anyone. You already know them."
Little Cui wasn't familiar with the bus drivers because they were mostly middle-aged n, and she was a young woman. The drivers were rarely at the bus station, so she didn't know them well. However, Ming i couldn't be unfamiliar with the office staff; she was a local girl from the bus station.
Ming i also laughed and said, "Yeah, no need for introductions. You can go ahead and get busy."
Little Cui replied, "Alright, I'll be on my way then."
Ming i returned to her desk and took a deep breath.
"Feeling nervous?" Sister Chen asked.
Ming i nodded and said, "It's a new job. I've always worked on the buses, so coming to the office is a bit of an adjustnt."
Sister Chen comforted her, "You'll get used to it soon. The work here isn't too heavy, just requires a bit more attention to detail."
Ming i replied, "I'll do my best."
As she turned her head, she saw Sister Zhong had already started knitting a sweater.
Ming i thought to herself, "Alright, so the office work is indeed more relaxed."
Her first day in the office began like this. Ming i didn't slack off. She poured herself a cup of water and started carefully reviewing past materials, aiming to get familiar with her new duties as soon as possible. Although everyone said the work was simple, she still needed so ti to adapt.
"Ming i," soone called.
Ming i looked up and said, "Yes?"
"What are you drinking?" Sister Chen asked, curious about Ming i's cup.
Ming i looked down and said, "Oh, you an this? It's lemon."
"Lemon?"
Everyone seed a bit curious, as this was sothing they hadn't heard of before.
Ming i explained, "It's a kind of fruit. Unlike apples, you can't eat it directly; it's ant to be soaked in water. These are dried lemon slices. My uncle sent them to from out of town after hearing that I'm pregnant. He said it's good for sothing, but I can't rember exactly what. I don't really understand it, but I just drink it."
Sister Chen exclaid, "That's quite unusual. I've never seen it before."
Sister Zhong also leaned over to take a look.
Ming i offered, "Would you like to try so?"
Sister Chen quickly shook her head. "No, no, we can't compete with a pregnant woman for food."
Sister Zhong glanced at Sister Chen and remained silent.
Sister Chen continued, "We're not pregnant, so we don't need it. You enjoy it. How many months along are you?"
Ming i replied, "A little over one month."
"Oh, you found out so early?" Everyone was quite surprised. Usually, many people only discovered their pregnancy around two or three months. Ming i nodded and said, "Yes, I had morning sickness and the doctor was able to tell from my pulse."
"That's quite early," Sister Chen remarked.
Ming i added, "Yes, a woman in our courtyard is about two months pregnant, and she found out later than I did."
The won in the office quickly started chatting about pregnancy and childbirth. Apart from one unmarried woman, the rest were all married and had children, so the topic was a natural fit. Ming i was naturally sociable and quickly adapted to the conversation.
Sister Chen, who was quite straightforward, said, "My house is just two buildings away from yours. If you need to pass on a ssage, just tell . I know your mom."
Ming i smiled and nodded, "Okay."
Sister Chen sighed and said, "You know, when your mom was working, we called her Sister Lan. Now that her daughter is working, we're called Sister Chen, Sister Zhong, Sister Wang... It's a bit confusing."
Ming i suppressed a laugh and said, "We'll just call each other by our nas."
"That makes sense," Sister Chen agreed.
Technically, Ming i should have called them "Aunt," but with so many people taking over their parents' jobs, the titles had beco quite mixed up. Everyone just called each other by their first nas, which was more convenient.
"Ming i, I've noticed your husband always cos to pick you up. He's quite handso. You two make a good-looking couple. What does he do?" soone asked.
Ming i replied, "He works at the Machinery City. He's in the propaganda departnt of the machinery factory."
"That's a good job," the woman remarked.
...
The conversation continued lively until it was ti to go ho. Ming i sat on the back of Zhuang Zhixi's bicycle and remarked, "I feel like I talked just as much today as I usually do when selling tickets. The only difference is that I didn't have to shout."
She leaned against Zhuang Zhixi's back. Zhuang Zhixi said, "It's your first day. Everyone was probably just being extra friendly. It might calm down in a couple of days."
Ming i nodded, "Probably."
She swung her legs lightly and said, "I wonder if they've finished cleaning the restroom by now."
Zhuang Zhixi's mouth twitched, but he remained firm, "They must have finished by now. It's the third day. If they haven't finished cleaning a septic tank in three days, that would be too inconsiderate. We're suffering here, and they don't even live nearby. That would be really inconsiderate."
If it were cold weather, it wouldn't be so bad, but with the hot weather, the sll was quite strong. Everyone in the neighborhood was complaining.
Zhuang Zhixi had already heard that so people couldn't stand it and had gone to the street office to protest.
"I think the leaders who made this decision must have a few screws loose. Seriously, who in their right mind would hide gold and silver treasures in a cesspool? They even searched ticulously. I'm truly amazed. Besides, who would take sothing and not hide it away but leave it in place? Are they brain dead? I think they're just plain crazy."
Ming i: "Maybe... they wanted to observe people's reactions?"
She thought this was quite possible.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Then why not build a toilet to observe? Digging through feces to observe is just plain sick."
The couple couldn't understand it at all, and they weren't the only ones. Everyone around them couldn't make sense of it either.
Fortunately, the couple didn't encounter such a situation when they returned ho today. It seed they had finally regained so sanity and didn't continue this madness into the third day. However, as soon as they entered the courtyard, they felt that today's atmosphere was unusually lively.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Why is everyone here?"
"Oh, you young couple don't know. The verdict on Aunt Zhou has co down."
"Ah, what is it?"
Zhao Guihua: "She's being charged with promoting feudal superstitions, using superstitions to curse others, and being exploited by bad elents, nearly causing a major incident. She's sentenced to four months in jail."
Four months?
Ming i and Zhuang Zhixi exchanged glances, both sowhat shocked. That was quite a long ti.
He whispered, "How did you find out?"
Zhao Guihua pointed at Aunt Wang and said, "Aunt Wang went to the neighborhood office to deliver matchboxes today and happened to hear the notice."
The speed now is quite fast.
Aunt Wang also sighed, "I thought she might be released."
They thought this way because of the previous incident with Bai Fendou, which ended with him being released. Unexpectedly, Aunt Zhou, who seed less severe than Bai Fendou's case, was being dealt with.
Zhao Guihua pondered and said, "Our factory's security departnt also handles these matters. However, since everyone is from the sa factory and there are acquaintances who can help, so cases, if not too serious, are handled lightly. After all, we're all from the sa factory. But if it falls into the hands of the police or higher authorities, they will handle it by the book. Especially in Aunt Zhou's case, since it's from another district's police station, they naturally investigate and handle it normally."
Aunt Wang whispered, "Actually..."
She looked around the courtyard and hesitated before saying, "I heard, just heard, that the victim, Aunt Zhou's in-laws, demanded strict punishnt. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been... so severe."
"My goodness."
"Oh, why go to such extres..."
"This in-law is making it hard to et again in the future."
People nowadays are used to minimizing major issues. Although they didn't like Aunt Zhou, hearing that she was going to jail made them unconsciously speak up for her. After all, they weren't the victims. It's easy to talk when you're not the one affected.
"This is a bit ruthless."
"Exactly, once Aunt Zhou returns, Jiang Lu's life will definitely be even harder. Why don't the parents think more about their child? This is too hasty."
"That's true."
Zhao Guihua, hearing this, felt a bit annoyed. She was a straightforward person, speaking her mind and often fighting for everyone's rights. But many tis, after she played the bad cop, soone else would play the good cop, making her seem like she was in the wrong.
Those who benefited were seen as innocent, while she was labeled as hot-tempered. In the case of the Su family, Zhao Guihua had suffered in her previous life. The suffering wasn't about losing anything but not gaining a good reputation.
She was speaking up for everyone, yet she didn't get any credit. So this ti, Zhao Guihua wouldn't get involved. She listened to everyone's comnts without saying a word, thinking it had nothing to do with her. Aunt Wang said, "I think maybe Jiang Lu's family doesn't want to be in-laws anymore. This might be forcing Jiang Lu to divorce."
"Ah, breaking up a temple is better than breaking up a marriage. If they do this, it's Jiang Lu's parents' fault."
"Exactly."
"This won't do."
Ming i pursed her lips, thinking what's the big deal? Zhou Qun isn't a good person anyway. The things she heard when she played the ghost are clear evidence. So no matter how well Zhou Qun acts, Ming i firmly believes he's not a good person.
Such a despicable person, suspected of infertility, Jiang Lu should divorce early to escape her suffering.
Jiang Lu so desperately wants a child; she should leave Zhou Qun.
In the question of who can't have children between Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu, Ming i firmly believes it must be Zhou Qun.
Zhao Guihua, seeing everyone seed to sympathize with Aunt Zhou being jailed, couldn't stand it anymore and turned to go ho. Ming i imdiately followed, holding Zhao Guihua's arm, "Mom, let's go together."
Zhao Guihua glanced at her, and Ming i smiled sweetly, "Let's go together!"
Once inside, Ming i suddenly thought of sothing and turned to Zhuang Zhixi, "When it's less crowded, collect the salted fish. I think it's almost dry. Plus, it's cloudy today. It might rain."
"Okay."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled, "I'm actually looking forward to rain."
Being his mother, Zhao Guihua knew what he was thinking just by his expression.
She looked at Zhuang Zhixi and chuckled, "You just love watching the chaos, don't you?"
Zhuang Zhixi was quite calm and justified, "I like rain, isn't that allowed? Rain is also cool."
Zhao Guihua: "You clearly want to see the fun with Bai Fendou and his father."
As for the Bai father and son, they are truly unique. They are unwilling to spend money and live with broken window glass. Even if they didn't replace the glass, they could at least block it with sothing cheap.
But no, they insist on enduring it, claiming it's cooler this way.
The problem is, today is only June 1st. It's not even hot yet. Sure, it's hot at noon, but the temperature difference between morning and evening is significant. These two are just stubborn.
If it rains... The Zhuang family silently looked across at the Bai's, knowing they would suffer.
Ming i: "Did they go to work today?"
Zhuang Zhixi nodded, "Yes, the factory can't give them too long off. Besides, cleaning the toilet isn't heavy work; it doesn't affect their job."
Zhuang Zhixi sighed, "Speaking of Bai Fendou, he sure has a connection with toilets. The toilet in our alley is finally cleaned, and the sll is fading. But he's gone to clean the factory toilet now."
He joked, "He didn't get a promotion at the factory, but he's beco the director of the toilet."
"You're just mocking them," Zhao Guihua rolled her eyes again, peeking out the window to check the weather. It was indeed cloudy. Recently, there seed to be rain, but it hadn't co yet. A few days ago, it was cloudy all day but didn't rain. She didn't know if it would today.
She said, "Anyway, don't forget to collect the fish."
Zhuang Zhixi: "I'll do it, I'll do it right now."
Zhao Guihua: "I wonder when these red armbands will finish and leave. They're really holding back. If it weren't for them, I'd have dried the second batch of fish by now."
Ming i: "Mom, I think they'll be done soon. They've been at it for days and found nothing. Even if they wanted to observe reactions, they've probably seen enough. They're not the type to stick around."
Zhao Guihua nodded, finding Ming i's analysis quite reasonable.
She said, "They better leave soon so I can go catch fish on the mountain. With more people going up, it's hard to guard the good spots. If word gets out, there won't be such good fishing opportunities."
Ming i excitedly said, "I'm off on weekends now. I'll go with you on weekends."
Zhao Guihua said, "Where are you going? You're pregnant now. Don't go up the mountain and ss around. What if you get too tired and strain yourself?"
Ming i pouted and said coquettishly, "Mom, other people work until just before giving birth. Look at , I've only just found out I'm pregnant. What's there to worry about?"
Zhao Guihua didn't think the sa way. She said, "It's precisely because you've just beco pregnant that you need to be more careful. Besides, being pregnant is already very hard. Other people work until just before giving birth because they have no other choice due to their circumstances. If they had a choice, why would they risk their health? This is the ti when you should take the best care of yourself. Giving birth is like passing through the gates of hell. How can you be careless? Furthermore, if you don't take good care of yourself during pregnancy and don't rest properly during the postpartum period, it can lead to many health issues. You can't just ruin your body for the sake of having a child, can you?"
Although she was an older lady who had lived through the old society, she had also experienced the changes of the tis. She was a fashionable old lady, even if she didn't understand many modern ideas, she still tried to keep up with the younger generation and had absorbed a lot of knowledge.
So things, even without new knowledge, she understood intuitively. Sotis, when she didn't understand, it was just an act.
For example, when it cos to pregnancy, who doesn't know that you should take good care of yourself?
But many people just can't take good care of themselves or don't know how to rest properly after giving birth. Wang Zhaodi once ntioned that her mother had to get up the day after giving birth to cook and do laundry, or else her grandmother would scold her. So it's clear that sotis people are forced to do things they don't want to.
But their family had the ans, and she had no intention of making her daughter-in-law suffer. Naturally, she hoped her daughter-in-law would take good care of herself.
She said, "Take it easy."
Ming i blinked and smiled, saying, "Okay."
Zhao Guihua asked, "Oh, right. Since the last ti we went to the hospital, you haven't gone again, have you?"
Ming i shook her head, "No."
Zhao Guihua was speechless. "You fool, how co you don't know how to take care of yourself? Tomorrow, take so ti off and I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up."
Ming i blinked her big eyes and said, "But I'm fine."
Zhao Guihua replied, "Of course, I know you're fine. But you're pregnant, and you need to go to the hospital for check-ups every now and then. First, to confirm the timing, and second, to check your health condition. You really..."
She looked Ming i up and down and sincerely said, "You're such a blockhead."
Ming i just chuckled.
Ming i wasn't annoyed at all after being scolded. If she couldn't tell good from bad, then she really would have lived up to Zhao Guihua's words—being a blockhead.
However, the rain still didn't fall.
Zhuang Zhixi was extrely disappointed. The guy was just that mischievous, always looking for so entertainnt. There was one thing Ming i had guessed right. She thought those people with red armbands weren't good at working. It turned out she was right. Unexpectedly, they finally withdrew.
Of course, the toilet wasn't finished properly either. They hired a group of people to do the work, only sending two people to supervise.
The people who actually worked hard got the job done quickly.
Zhao Guihua heard about it from the neighbors early in the morning but didn't pay much attention. She rode her bicycle to the bus station to pick up Ming i. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the hospital together. The doctor who received them was the sa one as last ti.
She had a kind face and even rembered Ming i and Zhao Guihua. She smiled and said, "It's you again."
This ti, when she took Ming i's pulse, she was quite certain. She said, "Ming i is about one and a half months pregnant, but definitely not two months yet." Compared to the last ti when she was not so sure, this ti she was quite confident. She said, "Your pregnancy is still early, but your physical condition is good. Don't do any strenuous exercise. In the early stages of pregnancy, you need to be even more careful. If possible, make sure your nutrition is adequate."
Ming i replied, "Okay."
Ming i knew she was carrying twins, but she couldn't say it, because she couldn't explain how she knew. However, Zhao Guihua spoke up. She rembered that in her previous life, Ming i had been very tired when she was pregnant with twins, so she wanted to bring it up early to make her take better care of herself.
She said, "Doctor, do you think she might be carrying two? My daughter was pregnant with twins, and I noticed that Ming i has had reactions early on. Could she be carrying two as well?"
The senior doctor replied, "It's hard to say. Her pregnancy is still too early to tell. You can co back in about three months, and I'll take her pulse again. By then, it should be possible to determine it. Before that, it's just a guess and not entirely certain."
Zhao Guihua said, "I thought it would be easy to find out."
The senior doctor smiled. "It's not that simple. You have to wait until about three months. Even though I'm sowhat well-known in Beijing for this, I still can't be sure when the pregnancy is too early. Others would have even more trouble. So don't be in a hurry. If you go to a Western doctor for an examination, they can accurately determine it, but again, it's not possible at this ti. When the pregnancy is early, no one can be sure. It's all speculation. However, if there's a family history of twins, then it's not impossible. If she's carrying two, it will be more tiring, so she needs to take extra care."
Zhao Guihua and Ming i both nodded seriously. Both of them knew the truth but had to act as if they didn't. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law left the hospital together. Zhao Guihua took a deep breath and said, "Co, I'll take you back to your unit. The doctor is right. We just need to be careful and ticulous. We don't need to think too much about it early on. We... Hmm? Eh? Isn't that Jiang Lu?"
Ming i followed Zhao Guihua's gaze and saw Jiang Lu walking alone, looking lost, clutching a piece of paper, and turning into the restroom.
She wasn't alone; there was also an energetic-looking old lady with her. The old lady was dressed neatly, without a single patch, clearly a well-off and pampered woman.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance and followed them without hesitation. Both of them loved to watch interesting situations.
They followed and stood silently at the door, listening to the conversation inside. "Let see."
Jiang Lu bit her lip and shook her head, but her reaction made the old lady understand imdiately. Even without seeing the examination report, the old lady guessed what it said. She said, "You're fine, aren't you!"
Jiang Lu bit her lip and started to cry.
The old lady slapped her back and scolded, "Why are you being so foolish? Why are you crying at a ti like this? Tell , you're fine, aren't you? You can have children, can't you?"
Jiang Lu still cried and didn't speak. The old lady didn't care and directly pried the paper out of her hand. She put on her reading glasses and carefully examined it, her lips trembling slightly. When she finished reading, she said with a sob, "You can have children. You really can. You two haven't had children not because of you. I knew it, I knew it wasn't my daughter's fault. That Zhou family blad you, Aunt Zhou, she deserves to die. She really deserves to die. Divorce, we're fine, let's divorce. We'll find soone who can have children. We'll live a good life and not get entangled in the Zhou family's ss, sinking with them."
The old lady was too excited. Over the past ten years, her daughter had suffered so much because she couldn't have children. Now it was ti for the truth to co out.
"Divorce!" she said firmly.
Jiang Lu kept crying, but at this mont, she firmly shook her head and said, "I won't."
"What!" The old lady's eyes widened.
Jiang Lu was extrely determined. "I won't. I won't divorce."
She begged bitterly, "Mom, I'm begging you, don't make us divorce. I have feelings for Zhou Qun, and he treats very well. I don't want to divorce, and I can't divorce. If I divorce, what kind of person can I find? Besides, I don't want to find soone else. Zhou Qun has been so good to all these years. Even when they said I couldn't have children, he never complained or blad . Now that it's proven he can't have children, should I imdiately abandon him? Mom, even if you beat to death, even if you disown , I won't leave Zhou Qun."
You, you, you. You're going to drive to death. You've always wanted a child, haven't you? How can you have a child with Zhou Qun?
Jiang Lu: "I have my own way, Mom. I can have a child. Although, it's a bit unfair to Zhou Qun, but I want to have a child for the Zhou family. He won't bla . I'm doing this for my own family."
Even the well-experienced old lady was shocked. She said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jiang Lu was serious: "I will have a child. In the future, you all need to be nicer to Zhou Qun. I plan to find soone to have a child with, and Zhou Qun won't know about it. Our daughter has wronged Zhou Qun, it's our Jiang family's fault, not the Zhou family's. You all need to help Zhou Qun more."
If she has a child with soone else, then it's the Jiang family's fault towards the Zhou family.
Although, although she's doing it for the family, she still hurts Zhou Qun's love for her. She hopes that by doing this, her parents will feel more guilty towards Zhou Qun and help him more. It's not fair that her father is always scheming for her brother and not for her husband, right?
She said seriously: "Mom, Zhou Qun and I will take good care of you in the future."
The old lady: "..."
She looked at her daughter with a mix of emotions and said, "What are you talking about? We owe the Zhou family? What nonsense! Zhou's old lady has hard your father so much, and Zhou Qun can't have children. Do you really want to stay in this family until you die? It's the Zhou family that owes us, not the other way around. How can you be so confused now?"
Jiang Lu: "But if I have a child with soone else, isn't that wronging the Zhou family?"
The old lady, however, didn't get swayed by Jiang Lu: "He can't have children, that's his fault. You can choose to divorce him."
Jiang Lu: "No!"
The Jiang family's old lady looked at her daughter, who was so confused that it was beyond repair. She took a deep breath and asked, "Do you really not want a divorce?"
Jiang Lu raised her head, firm: "I would rather die than divorce him. Don't even dream about it."
The old lady: "You... you..."
She was so angry she could barely breathe.
Jiang Lu: "Mom, are you confused too? You should know, a good woman doesn't marry twice. I know you think Zhou Qun isn't good enough for , but I think Qun Ge is the best man in the world. I've never thought about remarrying. As for the child... I've thought about it before. If I couldn't get pregnant, I would find soone to have a child for him. Now, it's actually good, I'm fine, so I'll just find a way. There's always a way to overco difficulties."
Jiang's mother: "..."
She leaned against the wall, feeling like she was about to faint from anger.
Jiang Lu: "Mom, can you help find a man? Soone who is in good health, good-looking, and has so education. A man like that would give birth to a child with better genetics."
Jiang Lu, you could say she's traditional, and she really is.
You could say she understands so reasoning, and she does, she even knows about genetics.
"Since we're going to have a child, I want to have a boy in one go. It's best to find a man who has had several sons in a row. I don't know many people, can you help find such a man?"
Jiang Lu spoke so logically that her mother was about to faint from anger. She looked at her daughter with frustration, finally unable to hold back her anger, and said coldly, "If you don't divorce, don't consider us your parents anymore."
She continued, "As for the family's belongings, everything has nothing to do with you. If you don't divorce, you won't get a penny from us."
She looked at her daughter and said, "I don't know how the Zhou family turned you into this, but I'm putting this out here. You have to listen, whether you want to or not. If you don't divorce, we will sever ties."
She took a few deep breaths and turned to leave.
Zhao Guihua and Ming i, who had been eavesdropping at the door, quickly turned and rushed into a ward.
The patients in the ward all looked over.
Zhao Guihua didn't care what others thought and peeked outside secretly. She saw Jiang Lu's mother leave directly. Soon after, Jiang Lu ca out, her eyes red, walking very fast.
Zhao Guihua and Ming i exchanged a glance. Ming i: "Uh..."
Zhao Guihua: "Let's go too."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law left together, but they walked quite slowly, as they didn't want to run into Jiang Lu. Fortunately, Jiang Lu was eager to leave the hospital and walked very fast. By the ti they ca out, they couldn't see Jiang Lu anymore.
Zhao Guihua drove Ming i to her workplace.
Throughout the journey, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were unusually quiet. They really didn't know what to say, both a bit stunned.
Especially Ming i, in her mind, Jiang Lu was a bit confused, but even so, she never expected Jiang Lu to do sothing like this. She actually wanted to have a child with soone else. What's more, she didn't plan to divorce and wanted to pass this child off as Zhou Qun's.
Not only that, but she also wanted to drag her family into it. She wanted her family to feel guilty towards the Zhou family so they would help Zhou Qun.
This logic, Ming i went over it several tis but still couldn't understand it.
Is this sothing a person can do?
Until they reached the workplace, she finally spoke: "Mom... do you think Jiang Lu is sick?"
Looking at Jiang Lu's mother, she didn't seem to be a confused person.
Her mom isn't confused, so how did she beco like this?
Zhao Guihua was also quite speechless. She said, "Who knows."
She reminded Ming i: "Don't talk about this with others, after all, it's soone else's privacy. We shouldn't discuss it."
Ming i blinked: "Not even Zhuang Zhixi?"
Zhao Guihua: "..." Forget it, you can tell him. If Jiang Lu gets pregnant, that little rascal Zhuang Zhixi will probably figure it out anyway. That guy doesn't know who he takes after; being so smart isn't normal. But you two shouldn't talk about it outside, and I won't either. They can do whatever they want; we shouldn't get involved. If sothing goes wrong, it's over. Who knows if Zhou Qun will go crazy.
Ming i: "I understand."
Not just Ming i was greatly shocked, even Zhao Guihua, an experienced old lady, felt the sa way. She really didn't understand how Jiang Lu could be so infatuated. Does Zhou Qun really have that much charm?
But what's so good about Zhou Qun?
If it's looks, he's not particularly outstanding;
If it's education, he only went to elentary school, oh, and didn't even graduate properly;
If it's family conditions, he's from a single-parent family, with a mother who is so an that she can be described as vicious.
Even in their marital relationship, he's only a three-second man. On top of that, he doesn't follow the rules and fools around outside. Such a man, she really doesn't understand what Jiang Lu sees in him. She just doesn't get it.
If it were Wang Zhaodi, Zhao Guihua could understand.
Because Wang Zhaodi's original family is too poor, no matter what kind of person she finds, it will be better than her original life. Zhou Qun, in this era, has a very high salary. Naturally, many people would be willing. After all, compared to just surviving and having enough to eat, even if the Zhou family is not ideal, it can be tolerated.
But it shouldn't be Jiang Lu.
Jiang Lu's family conditions are quite good; her parents are well-off and also have so influence. Her family situation is favorable, and even her parents are not confused people. You can tell from what they do and what Jiang Lu's mother said.
Her family is much better than all the families in their courtyard.
But even so, Jiang Lu is stuck in this quagmire and refuses to co out.
Zhao Guihua started shaking her head again, shaking it continuously. She just doesn't understand!
But compared to Ming i, she knows Jiang Lu better. In her previous life, Jiang Lu was also unwilling to co out, probably brainwashed by the Zhou family (mother and son) to the core. In her heart, no one can compare to Zhou Qun.
Of course, it's just soone else's business; they can watch the drama, but it's not good to get involved. Just recently, the Red Armbands have withdrawn, and she plans to go up the mountain. As for whether those people are just pretending.
Zhao Guihua isn't too worried about that.
As long as you can fish, it's not wrong, right?
She doesn't steal, doesn't rob, and doesn't engage in speculation.
She didn't go before because she didn't want to be watched, but now that the Red Armbands are fewer, the problem isn't too big.
Zhao Guihua went ho and called Liang ifen, then they left together. But before leaving, she reminded Aunt Wang to keep an eye on the house. Normally, they wouldn't leave the house unattended, but luckily, the three little thieves are all at school.
They can co back early.
Zhao Guihua had made up her mind to return before the children got out of school, which was why she had called upon Liang ifen. If she had wanted to stay on the mountain longer, she wouldn't have dared. There was a thief in the courtyard, and that made things inconvenient.
Liang ifen asked, "How's Sister-in-law doing?"
Zhao Guihua replied, "She's fine."
She added, "Ming i might be carrying twins."
She wanted to prepare everyone in advance, so she said, "It's not certain yet. We'll have to wait a while longer and get the doctor to check again. For now, it's just a suspicion."
By subtly shifting the focus, it seed as though the doctor had suggested it, rather than her. Liang ifen raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, "If she's carrying two, that would be quite a challenge."
Zhao Guihua nodded in agreent.
Liang ifen didn't say anything more. She rubbed her belly, thinking about how she hadn't been able to conceive again. Two children were just too few. She had worked hard to give birth to two, while her sister-in-law seed to have it all figured out in one go.
This thought left her feeling a bit sour.
She wanted to have a third child, but she and her husband hadn't been using any contraception, and yet, after so many years, she still hadn't conceived... Liang ifen sighed.
Zhao Guihua asked, "What's wrong?"
Liang ifen replied, "Mom, why haven't I been able to conceive again after so many years?"
Zhao Guihua shrugged, "How would I know? If you're worried, go to the hospital and get checked."
Liang ifen imdiately shook her head, "What's the point of going to the hospital? I've already had two kids, so I know I can have more. No need to go to the hospital. Maybe it's just not the right ti yet."
People back then were very superstitious about going to the hospital.
Zhao Guihua didn't say anything further. Regardless of what she was thinking, the conversation between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ca to a halt. The two of them set off for the mountain together, and their pace was not slow. The weather had been a bit overcast recently, but even though it was overcast, it wasn't particularly cool. Instead, the low pressure made it feel stuffy.
Zhao Guihua and Liang ifen didn't encounter anyone on their way up the mountain. Generally, people avoided going up the mountain on such days, fearing a sudden downpour. Getting trapped on the mountain wasn't a concern, but getting soaked in a heavy rain wasn't worth it. If one fell ill, the few things they had picked on the mountain might not even cover the cost of dical treatnt. So, the mountain was eerily quiet.
When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reached their destination, Zhao Guihua checked the small traps she had set earlier. To her surprise, there was actually a rabbit inside. It was unclear when it had fallen in, but the rabbit had already eaten all the grass around the basket and was weak and wobbly from hunger.
Without hesitation, Zhao Guihua tied up the rabbit and placed it in her basket.
If they could have such a catch every day, that would be wonderful. However, such good fortune was rare.
Zhao Guihua said, "Co, help set the nets. I'll tell you, on days like this, when we feel suffocated, the fish feel the sa. I had a great catch last ti during such weather."
Liang ifen replied, "Alright!"
Zhao Guihua added, "Don't be greedy. We need to head back before the kids get out of school. Co on~"
The two of them quickly got to work. As Zhao Guihua had predicted, their harvest was quite good. This kind of weather was better for catching fish than a sunny day. With two people working together, their pace was faster, and soon they had filled a basket.
Although the fish were of varying sizes, even the smaller ones looked decent.
Zhao Guihua said, "Let's catch one more basket, and then we'll head back."
Liang ifen agreed, "I think that's a good idea."
The two of them worked busily, moving quickly and reaping a good harvest. On days like this, most people didn't want to go up the mountain, and Zhao Guihua and Liang ifen felt the sa. However, since they were already there, they wanted to make the most of it before heading back.
Gurgle gurgle!
Zhao Guihua's stomach growled, and Liang ifen's followed suit.
Zhao Guihua said, "We left in a hurry, and I forgot to bring any dry rations. You should roast a couple of fish."
After a pause, she added, "Roast six of them. Let's eat until we're full before we continue working."
Liang ifen happily agreed, "Sure!"
Eating fish until full—what kind of family was this?
But the roasted fish slled so delicious. They had left in a hurry and hadn't brought any salt, but even without it, the fish tasted great. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ate their fill. Liang ifen rubbed her belly and said, "I think eating like this is going to spoil my palate."
Zhao Guihua laughed, "Then don't eat."
Liang ifen chuckled, "Hehe."
This was sothing she had picked up from Ming i. Whenever she couldn't argue with her mother-in-law, she would just "hehe" or "hehehe," just laughing it off. Her mother-in-law usually wouldn't press the issue further. Sure enough, Zhao Guihua didn't say anything more.
After eating, the two of them felt full of energy to continue working.
"Co on, let's keep going!"
As they resud their work, they didn't notice that soone had spotted the smoke from their fish roasting.
A group of boys had gone up the mountain to explore, but after a morning of nothing, they were all a bit grumpy. As they sat down to rest, one of them suddenly exclaid, "Hey, look! Is that smoke? Soone's building a fire."
"Let see... Oh, yeah, it is!"
"But why would soone build a fire in the mountains! What if it catches fire? Are they crazy?"
"Co on, let's go check it out."
They imdiately got up, with one of them saying, "On a day like this, it's not like they need the fire for warmth. They'd be roasting themselves alive. I bet they're roasting sothing."
"Right."
This clever boy continued to analyze, "If they had caught just a little, they could have taken it ho directly. Why build a fire here? So, I'm guessing it's not just a little sothing."
"Oh, could it be that soone caught a wild boar?"
Ever since they had caught a wild boar in these mountains, they had been coming up whenever they had free ti. "Treasure hunting" in the mountains was much more interesting than fighting at the back of the sea. Thinking about it this way, they quickly headed towards the source of the smoke.
"Let's go see!"
The path in the mountains wasn't easy to navigate, and they weren't taking the usual route up and down, so their progress was slow.
As they made their way, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were having good luck. They pulled up another net, and this one was quite substantial. After packing it up, they found they were almost full. Zhao Guihua looked at the sky and said, "Let's do one more net, and then we'll head back."
Liang ifen agreed, "Sounds good."
The two of them had been doing this for so ti and were quite skilled. They quickly pulled up another net and filled their baskets. Zhao Guihua looked at the sky and said, "Alright, let's head down the mountain."
Liang ifen went over to make sure their fire wouldn't cause any problems, and then the two of them pushed the cart down the mountain. Other families treated their bicycles like treasures, riding them carefully and ticulously cleaning them every day, fearing that their bicycles would suffer even a small "injustice," but their family didn't care about that.
The bicycle hadn't been bought for long, but it already looked quite worn. Although they would carefully clean it every ti they got ho, their bicycle was used a lot for work. The two baskets were tied to the left and right of the bicycle, and Liang ifen pushed the cart carefully.
Zhao Guihua wasn't idle either; she had a basket on her back with a rabbit inside. Along the way, they encountered wild vegetables and fruits, so they would take out the rabbit, tie it to the back seat, and throw their harvest into the baskets. They moved slowly down the mountain. Just as they started, they heard the lively chatter and footsteps of a group of people. Zhao Guihua patted her head, thinking that these young n sure had a lot of energy.
Zhao Guihua hesitated for a mont and said, "Oldest daughter-in-law, stop. Let's hide in the bushes."
She didn't want to run into these young n. If they saw their abundant harvest, they would definitely ask where it ca from. If they didn't tell them, they would be pestered. Even if they did tell them, these young n hadn't brought any fishing tools, and they would probably ask to borrow the nets. If they had to wait for them to finish using the nets, they might not get ho until late. And without any containers for the fish, they might even have to go down the mountain to find help. In the end, it might be nightfall before they could get ho. If they went down the mountain together, then their two baskets of fish would be exposed. Being pestered like that would be very troubleso.
If they lent the nets to them first and waited for them to return them later...
Zhao Guihua also felt that wasn't a good idea. Their coming to visit wouldn't be a good thing. She hadn't thought about building any relationships, as they were from different social classes. Moreover, they were all young n, brash and inexperienced. Whether they would return the nets or not was uncertain.
This was sothing they had paid for themselves.
If these people coming weren't the villagers who had discovered the pond in their previous life, then Zhao Guihua thought it would be even more troubleso. Just from the sound of their voices, it was clear there were more than a couple of them. With people struggling as they were, this was no small matter. If they were forced to leave the fish behind...
So, the best strategy was to hide.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quickly hid themselves. Zhao Guihua stared intently in the direction of the sound, while Liang ifen was so nervous that she didn't even dare to breathe heavily. She didn't understand why they had to hide, but since her shrewd mother-in-law had made the decision, it must be the right thing to do.
Neither of them spoke. Sure enough, as soon as they hid, they saw six or seven young lads coming from the other direction. They were following the general direction of the smoke to head this way. In fact, the smoke had long since dissipated, but that didn't stop them from coming over to check it out.
"Hey, we've been here before, haven't we?"
"Yeah, the last ti we were chasing rabbits. I rember Little Five saying there was a fishy sll here..."
"Hahaha, what fishy sll? I said he was talking nonsense. I didn't sll anything..."
"Well, maybe there really is one. Let's head up the mountain."
"Alright, I feel like it's in this direction."
"Wait, look, there are traces of soone having walked this way."
"Ah, yes! Let's follow this path that's been stepped on, co on!"
The group followed the path and ran up the mountain.
Liang ifen looked at Zhao Guihua, who sighed, "We won't be able to keep this fish pond."
Although they had indeed reaped the benefits of it for almost half a year, the thought of losing the fish pond was still quite disheartening.
Zhao Guihua: "What a good fish pond it was."
Liang ifen: "They... they probably won't say anything, right? We know, but we haven't spoken about it."
In fact, they had all guessed that it wasn't just their family who had discovered the fish pond. So families living at the foot of the mountain, who often went up the mountain, were bound to have found it too. It wasn't exactly a secret that couldn't be seen. It was just that everyone kept quiet about it, because if they spoke up, what would happen to them?
And the pond was quite full of fish, so those who knew about it would co and catch so secretly to enrich their own tables. There might even be families like theirs who caught fish to make salted fish, preparing for the winter. So Liang ifen thought that maybe these people, even if they knew, wouldn't say anything.
They could still co in the future.
But Zhao Guihua firmly shook her head and said, "Don't think about it. There's no such good luck anymore."
Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly heard a cheer from up the mountain.
"Ahhh! Holy cow!"
"Oh my God, there's a pond here."
"Look, soone must have been fishing here. The edges are all wet, soone's been catching fish here..."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Let's catch so fish, guys..."
Although the distance wasn't very close, the excitent of these young lads was so loud that, despite the intermittent nature of their shouts, Zhao Guihua could still make out what they were saying. She said, "Let's hurry down the mountain."
Liang ifen: "???"
Zhao Guihua: "They're young and full of energy. If they really catch a lot of fish, they'll definitely boast about it. It'll probably spread like wildfire. We don't want to be involved."
Liang ifen: "If it gets out..."
Zhao Guihua: "That's why I'm sighing. I reckon there won't be such good luck anymore. Let's hurry and leave."
Zhao Guihua didn't know what to say. These people had actually followed the path they had taken to find the pond. While she felt regretful, she also thought it was perhaps fate! After all, in their previous life, it was these very lads who had publicized the fish pond.
This ti, it seed to be them again.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quickened their pace. They descended the mountain and, riding their bikes, headed towards the city.
Woohoo, what a great fish pond!
The two quickly descended the mountain and rode their bikes back, hurrying as much as they could, finally arriving ho in the evening. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they were imdiately spotted by Aunt Su...
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