71: Chapter 70: Drink Coffee Then Eat lon 71: Chapter 70: Drink Coffee Then Eat lon Lin Nianhe set down her pen and calmly picked up her tea cup, took a sip of water.
Then, as if she had just noticed soone outside, she smiled and waved at Miao Yulan, as a greeting.
Looking at her radiant smile, Miao Yulan hesitated for a mont and walked toward her.
The closer she got, the more uneasy she felt, and her steps slowed down.
When she was three steps away from the window, Miao Yulan finally couldn’t move forward anymore.
She stood there, as if she had trespassed into a place she shouldn’t be.
Lin Nianhe sighed softly in her heart.
Perhaps it was because of the old lady she saw today, she couldn’t help but think of Miao Yulan’s family again.
Maybe her family also has a mother who takes pride in having a son.
Lin Nianhe asked, “Is there sothing you need from ?”
She softened her voice, afraid of scaring Miao Yulan away.
Miao Yulan was holding a vegetable basin in one hand and clutching the corner of her clothes with the other.
Her hands were still dusty from just coming off work.
She quickly glanced at the stack of books and asked hesitantly, “I, I…
I see you often read, do you, do you…
have any newspapers that I could borrow to read?”
Actually, she wanted to borrow a book; she wanted to read “Red Rock.” She had glanced through a copy that her desk mate had during school, and she rembered it till now.
But she was too shy to ask, afraid that Lin Nianhe would not want to lend it or find it botherso to lend.
Lin Nianhe nodded without hesitation: “Sure, wait a mont, I’ll find it for you.”
“No, no, no…” Miao Yulan quickly shook her head.
She awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth, revealing an unattractive smile, “My hands are dirty, I’ll co and get it from you after I finish cooking…
is that okay?”
She was always so cautious, always afraid her words would trouble others or be disliked.
Last ti she borrowed money, probably took all her courage.
“That’s fine.”
Lin Nianhe nodded, “Actually, I just put them away.
I’ll get them out for you later.”
Her tone was calm, showing no impatience.
Miao Yulan relaxed a bit, and her smile beca less stiff.
She thanked her and went back to the vegetable garden.
Lin Nianhe twirled her fountain pen twice, pulled open the drawer, and took out the newspapers.
Ever since there were books on the desk, these old newspapers had long ceased to make an appearance.
Lin Nianhe picked out a few that she had read, slightly shuffled their order, and then neatly stacked them to one side, waiting for Miao Yulan to co and get them.
She lowered her head to read, listening as the footsteps receded, much lighter than when they ca.
A smile inadvertently ford on Lin Nianhe’s lips.
She took out a set of practice questions and started working on them as she felt the sleepiness coming on.
Just as the clanking of the spatula in the front yard ceased, Lin Nianhe tily put down her pen, pulled the curtains closed, and prepared for a nap.
Yawning, she had just unfastened a button when a loud shout ca from the front yard—
“Miao Laidi!”
Lin Nianhe’s hand trembled, and the button was fastened again.
After that shout from the front yard, a series of dialects she couldn’t quite understand followed.
The voices were familiar, especially the cursing.
Lin Nianhe yawned again.
This drama was ill-tid; she was sleepy.
After hesitating for three seconds, Lin Nianhe took a cup of coffee from the space, threw her head back and drank it down, then grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and rushed out in a dash.
Who needs sleep during the day when you can sleep peacefully at night!
A nap is not as essential as enjoying so gossip!
Lin Nianhe arrived just in ti, a round of fighting had already finished in the front yard.
Miao Yulan’s face bore two bright red handprints, and she trembled like a quail, held tightly in Wang Xue’s arms.
Further ahead were Wen Lan and Yu Xiangqin, seemingly in unspoken agreent, each grabbing one of the newcor’s arms, keeping her away from Miao Yulan.
As for Wang Shui, she waited for Lin Nianhe, standing next to the east wall—a spot where she could see everything clearly without getting involved.
The newcor…
Lin Nianhe recognized her.
The lady who had shared a ride with her to the Nine-miles Team.
Lin Nianhe walked over to Wang Shui with so sunflower seeds, opened her palm, and offered so: “What happened?”
Wang Shui took a few seeds and said, “I tried to pull Xiao Lan over, but she went to wash her hands and was too far from , couldn’t grab her.”
Lin Nianhe: “…”
She realized lately that Wang Shui’s wallet had grown thicker, and she seed to be heading in a direction of having more money than sense.
Was she asking about Wen Lan starting a fight?
Wen Lan wanting to fight three tis a day was hardly a surprise.
Fortunately, Wang Shui didn’t have too much money.
After a pause, she continued, “It should be Miao Yulan’s mother who arrived.
The mont she walked in, she started cursing, claiming that Miao Yulan tricked her about the address of the village team, making her walk extra distances for nothing.”
After finishing, Wang Shui smirked.
They both knew, Miao Yulan’s mother would only co here for one reason—
Her eldest daughter’s betrothal money.
Miao Yulan hadn’t dealt with it, nor had she ntioned it again, seeming to have sent a letter ho explaining her lack of money.
They all thought due to the distance and difficulty, Miao Yulan’s mother wouldn’t literally co knocking.
Yet, here she was.
Lin Nianhe poked Wang Shui’s waist: “On my way back today, I ran into that lady, but she said she was going to Nine-miles Team.”
“Huh?” Wang Shui was perplexed, “Is there so misunderstanding here?
She couldn’t have gotten it wrong.”
Lin Nianhe didn’t respond.
She felt there was indeed a high possibility of misrembering.
They whispered among themselves, while the nearby male Educated youths either feigned or were genuinely clueless, standing like a row of wooden posts.
It wasn’t really their fault; the woman was older and a comrade, they couldn’t just manhandle her, what else could they do but watch?
Lin Nianhe found sothing quite amusing—
Wang Xue and Miao Yulan were close to the kitchen, and standing in front of them was Fu Aiguo.
His fists were clenched tight, muscles all tensed up, eyes fixed on the lady as if ready to rush forward should she break free from Wen Lan and Yu Xiangqin.
Lin Nianhe cracked sunflower seeds.
Well, a hidden lon twist.
“… You damn little wretch, I fed and clothed you, and you dared to lie about the address of the village team, I should have never kept you, should have drowned you in a urine pot…”
The grandmom, while being pulled back by her arms, couldn’t hit anyone but still continued to curse.
Her voice was so sharply piercing that Lin Nianhe couldn’t think straight against such a backdrop.
She rubbed her forehead and asked Wang Shui, “Should we intervene?”
Wang Shui countered, “How do we intervene?”
Lin Nianhe locked eyes with her for a mont, then they both thought of soone:
“Aunt Wang.”
In such tis, in such situations, they had to call in the top enforcer of Ten Miles Team to manage the scene!
The front yard door was no option; Lin Nianhe was about to head back to the backyard to scale the wall when the grandma suddenly cald down.
Finally slling the aroma of the food, she ceased her swearing and struggling.
“Miao Laidi!
What are you dazing out for?
Your mom has traveled a long way and is nearly starving, can’t you serve so rice to your mom?”
Lin Nianhe drew her foot back inside.
Such imdiate twists and turns, indeed typical of this grandma’s style.
Reviews
All reviews (0)