The young woman who was just about to knock on the door happened to hear this sentence, "What’s wrong with the little uncle? Did he have a nightmare?" After speaking, she pressed her ear against the door to listen for a response from inside.
After a while, the door opened. A young man wearing straw sandals, his hair hanging loose behind him, instinctively looked at her belly. It was flat; she wasn’t pregnant.
Sister-in-law hadn’t married Xu Hu.
He inexplicably breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Noticing his gaze, Lin Qiao looked down for a glance but saw nothing, "What’s wrong?"
Song Tingfan snapped back to reality, shifted his gaze away, stamring, "N-n-nothing."
His stamring was a common occurrence, and Lin Qiao didn’t mind, "What did you say about not wanting sothing just now?"
Don’t want sister-in-law to marry Xu Hu.
Song Tingfan wasn’t good at lying, nervously scratching the back of his head, "I... dread that Lai Cai was stealing at."
Not far away, Lai Cai, thinking its master was calling it, wagged its tail and ca over.
A few days ago, Lai Cai did indeed steal at, and Song Tingfan caught it and gave it a few hits. Naturally, Lin Qiao believed him, "The at at ho is stored in a jar; it can’t reach it."
"Hurry up and eat breakfast; you’ll be late for class."
After breakfast, Song Tingfan applied dicine to Lin Qiao’s face, estimating that it was good ointnt; the bruises from yesterday had mostly faded.
However, traces of having been hit were still vaguely visible.
Song Qin felt sorry for her when she saw her getting ready to sell cold dishes in town, "Qiao’er, don’t go today, just rest at ho for a few days."
"It’s fine. With the weather not too hot recently, it’s good to sell more. When it gets hot, it won’t sell well."
Lin Qiao continued to pack things as usual, while speaking, "Today, grandfather and grandmother, you should co to town with . I’m afraid I can’t manage alone."
If she ntioned taking the two to the pharmacy for a checkup, given their frugal nature, they probably wouldn’t go. Once in town, she could just coax them casually into going to the dical hall.
Song Qin and Song Rong had long wanted to help her; she had always refused them. Imdiately, both nodded happily.
With everyone going to town, there would be no one to make lunch for Song Tingfan. Lin Qiao explained the als at ho, "Cook lunch yourself. There are no vegetables; pick so from the field, and there are pancakes and peach blossom cakes chilled in the water jar."
"Sister-in-law, I’m not a kid. I know how to cook. You and grandfather, grandmother, be careful on the road and co back early in the afternoon." Song Tingfan said in a mature manner.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiao didn’t say much more. The four of them left the house one by one, locking the courtyard gate behind them.
School
Usually lively Zhou Tiedan was uncharacteristically slumped over the desk today. After sitting down, Song Tingfan glanced at him and pursed his lips, "What’s wrong?"
Zhou Tiedan looked up at him, face drooping, and whimpered quietly, "Tingfan, Yu Hehua got engaged to soone else."
Once boys and girls turned thirteen, families would start to look around and compare. Once two families were satisfied with each other, they would get engaged, generally waiting until fifteen to choose a wedding date.
Seeing his features wrinkle up, Song Tingfan couldn’t quite grasp his feelings and simply uttered an "Oh."
Zhou Tiedan felt even more upset, muttering softly, "My sister-in-law said the next one would be prettier, but in the village, besides your sister-in-law, no one is better looking than Yu Hehua."
At the ntion of his own sister-in-law, Song Tingfan "turned hostile" and no longer paid attention to him, speaking stiffly, "Don’t think about my sister-in-law!"
"Song Tingfan, you’re so weird! I just said your sister-in-law is good-looking, nothing else."
Zhou Tiedan glanced at him, then again, several tis, unconsciously adding, "You look like soone has taken your wife."
"Don’t speak nonsense." Song Tingfan hurriedly refuted him.
"I’m not lying; you look at yourself in a mirror. Every ti soone ntions your sister-in-law, you change completely."
"She’s my sister-in-law."
"Yes, yes, she’s your sister-in-law. But poor , my Yu Hehua is gone, and Song Tingfan, don’t talk to Wu Erwa, he took my Yu Hehua, and I have an unending hatred with him."
"If you make friends with him, I won’t be friends with you anymore."
Just then, Cheng Sheng entered, and imdiately all the children in the school sat down properly.
anwhile, in town, around 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Lin Qiao had set up her cold dish stall, and it was still early, with not many people passing by. Song Qin and Song Rong, not knowing cold dishes sold well, greeted each passerby to co and take a look.
Old Man Li at the noodle stall wasn’t busy and was sitting peeling garlic, "Why isn’t Tingfan here today?"
"He’s studying." Lin Qiao responded before inviting Song Qin and Song Rong to sit.
With no one buying, Song Qin was a bit anxious, "I’ll not sit; Qiao’er, you sit. I’ll go ahead and holler."
Old Man Li laughed, "Sister, cold dishes sell well; soon there will be people rushing to buy, don’t worry."
"Yes, grandma, the cold dishes will sell; you rest for a while."
Lin Qiao noticed Song Rong walking while pressing his back, so she got up and went over, "Grandfather, is your back sore? Let massage it."
"No need." Song Rong was embarrassed to let his granddaughter-in-law massage his back, but Lin Qiao still helped him with his back.
Old Man Li, feeling chatty, said, "Rubbing so rubbing alcohol at ho will help with back pain."
"When people get old, it’s either back pain or leg pain. A few days ago, my leg hurt for no reason, so I went to see the doctor, but the doctor couldn’t figure out anything wrong..."
Amidst his chatter, business ca to the cold dish stall, one custor after another, and soon most of the dishes were sold, leaving a small portion of cold fish mint.
With nothing else to pair it with, it probably wouldn’t sell anymore.
Lin Qiao served so in a small bowl and offered it to Old Man Li, "Grandfather, there’s so fish mint left; would you like so?"
Old Man Li didn’t stand on ceremony, picked up a few pieces with chopsticks, and put them in his mouth. They were crunchy and tender, without a hint of bitterness, "This stuff is good for noodles."
"Tomorrow, bring half a pound; I’ll serve it on the noodle table for them to eat."
"Sure, then I’ll charge Grandfather four cents a pound." Lin Qiao didn’t sell it to him at a high price; four cents for a pound of prepared fish mint just broke even.
Old Man Li knew business wasn’t easy, "No, sell it as you should; otherwise, I’d feel too embarrassed to buy from you later."
He rembered sothing and pulled out a cloth bag from under the stall, "I forgot to give this to you earlier; these are homade rice crackers." As he spoke, he handed each of them a piece.
"It’s too bad Tingfan isn’t here; next ti he’s here, I’ll let him have so."
Lin Qiao thanked him, wrapping the rice crackers in a cloth scarf to put in the basket, intending to take them back for Song Tingfan.
Seeing this, Song Qin and Song Rong realized she was planning to take it back for Tingfan, and Song Qin handed her the rice cracker, "Grandma’s teeth aren’t good, Qiao’er, take it and eat it."
"Grandma, I’m not a child, you can’t fool ."
Lin Qiao’s eyes curved with a smile, "Later, we’ll make rice crackers ourselves. Didn’t Grandma say she can make them? When the ti cos, Grandma, you teach ."
"Okay."
Song Qin split the rice cracker in half and gave her one half. Lin Qiao didn’t refuse, knowing that if she didn’t eat it, the old couple probably wouldn’t either.
"Is this Lady Song?" A sudden voice sounded.
Lin Qiao looked up to see a fifteen or sixteen-year-old young man, wearing a brown short cotton coat, slightly thin, "What’s the matter?"
"I’m from Fulaoyun, and our shopkeeper is inviting you over to discuss so business." The young man said.
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