??36: Chapter 36: Moved_1
36: Chapter 36: Moved_1
The twilight descended on the countryside, blurring the colors, and the sky, once stacked with evening clouds, steadily lost its original hues.
The village seed enshrouded in a mist.
Outside the youth’s lit room, Li Qiao finished his day’s revision and, holding his books, bid his fellow educated youths farewell, “I need to do a big cleanup at ho tomorrow, sort out the stuff for boarding when school starts.
We’ll see each other again over the weekend.”
“Alright, take care.”
Li Qiao waved to them and headed ho with Old Mrs.
Qin.
Just as he set down his books inside the house, Old Mrs.
Qin said, “Qiaoqiao, try on the sweater I’ve knitted for you.
When it gets a bit warr, you can wear it on its own.”
Li Qiao was pleasantly surprised, having thought the black sweater was Qin Jin’s.
It was for her after all.
Her face brightened with joy as she said, “Sure, thank you, Grandma.” She removed her bulky coat and undergarnt, then slipped on the sweater Old Mrs.
Qin had knitted for her, feeling the soft, warm wool against her neck.
“Why be polite?
The sweater is slightly loose, but it’s just right.
It makes you look not too thin.” Old Mrs.
Qin’s gaze dropped down—to the girl’s thick cotton pants and black cloth cotton shoes, which didn’t match the sweater at all.
Her eyes scanned around, and under the bed, there were only two pairs of slippers, one of which belonged to her grandson.
“Do you have thinner pants and shoes to wear?”
Li Qiao nodded slightly, “Yes, but they were too ssy under the bed and got dusty, so I cleaned them and put them away in a box.”
Old Mrs.
Qin said, “Let
know if you need anything.
As long as I can do it, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.”
Li Qiao’s eyes gradually reddened, moved to the point of choking up, and she hugged Old Mrs.
Qin tightly, “Grandma, you’re so good to .
Once I get into university and move to the city, I’ll make sure you can co and live in comfort with .”
Old Mrs.
Qin chuckled softly, her voice warm, “You’re my granddaughter-in-law, which makes you my half-granddaughter.
Who else should I be good to but you?
Go wash up and rest early.” She too had attended school, a girls’ school back in her day, but she had never invested such effort in a granddaughter-in-law.
Life was indeed not easy for the child.
Li Qiao obediently nodded and carefully folded the sweater before placing it back in the box.
Her eyes swept over to the bright red woolen overcoat, which would match perfectly with the black sweater.
….
The next day was clear.
Li Qiao carried the quilt to hang and air on the clothesline by the door.
“Morning, why didn’t you go to the youth spot today?” Peng Chunhua carried a washbasin, tossing the water inside toward the alley.
Li Qiao’s gaze skimd over the puddle on the ground and frowned slightly.
Before the New Year, when it snowed and iced, the ice at the entrance of the alley wouldn’t lt, clearly because soone kept pouring water there.
She had always thought Old Mrs.
Qin was too lazy to walk the extra steps to the river near the entrance to throw the water, and had even advised her not to dump it carelessly, to which the old lady had, after a mont of surprise, agreed.
Looking back now, she realized she had been thoughtless.
She should have asked for clarity.
Li Qiao redirected her attention, “School’s about to start, so I need to tidy up at ho.
I’ll go to the youth spot next weekend.”
Peng Chunhua looked around, “You know, I ant well in warning you not to go, so as not to upset Old Mrs.
Qin.
Just yesterday she was saying behind your back that there’s sothing improper between you and Principal Han.
Each ti you go there, she keeps an eye on you.”
Li Qiao’s expression chilled.
Did they take her for a fool?
If Old Mrs.
Qin really suspected anything, she would have hinted at it long ago, just like when they registered.
This woman not only stirred trouble but also tarnished her and Han Ting’s reputation.
How malicious!
Her tone contained a hint of severity, “Really?
Grandma said she disliked visiting around, only going out with
because staying ho was too boring.
Why is she saying one thing and doing another?
I’ll go ask her for an explanation!”
Peng Chunhua’s palms imdiately began to sweat, fearing Old Mrs.
Qin’s rebuke.
She grabbed Li Qiao’s wrist, “Hey, if you make a fuss, how will you get along later, seeing each other every day?
It would put Jin in a tough position too, right?”
Li Qiao hesitated briefly.
Indeed, neighbors should avoid falling out.
But she had to make sothing clear to Peng Chunhua, “That’s true.
I’ll let it pass this ti.
If she talks again, tell , and I must confront her about it!”
Peng Chunhua felt uneasy, “Yeah.”
Li Qiao turned back to the courtyard to peel vegetable leaves to feed the rabbits and noticed the mother rabbit was missing.
She called out to Old Mrs.
Qin’s room, “Grandma, did you sell the big rabbit to Captain Feng’s wife?” A few days ago, several families ca to look at the rabbits, so even offering high prices.
Old Mrs.
Qin was inclined to sell but worried about being reported and didn’t dare.
It had taken Captain Feng’s wife several days of persuasion.
Old Mrs.
Qin had asked for her opinion.
After considering that Old Mrs.
Qin couldn’t always be burdened with feeding it while she was at school, she agreed.
Old Mrs.
Qin ca out of the house, “I later changed my mind about selling it and planned to save it to make a stew for you.
What’s wrong?”
“It’s gone.” Li Qiao removed the straw covering the rabbit cage; the bamboo strip on the side of the cage had broken, and the rabbit could have just squeezed through it.
“It didn’t run away, did it?
We need to look for it right away,” Old Mrs.
Qin said.
Only after fixing the cage did Li Qiao go out to look for the rabbit, but it was nowhere to be seen in the vicinity.
She had a bad feeling about this.
at was a rare commodity during those tis.
“Qiaoqiao, what’s the hurry?” Yu Feng ca out shelling sunflower seeds.
“Auntie, have you seen my rabbit?”
“No, did you lose it?”
“Yeah, the biggest one, must have been about five or six pounds.” Li Qiao was in pain over the loss.
She had raised it for over a month, spending nearly an hour each day gathering leftover vegetable leaves others had thrown away to feed it.
So leaves were even soiled with slop, which she had to wash off, her hands freezing numb, all for naught.
Yu Feng’s eyes rolled, “Then you’d better hurry up and find it.” She perfunctorily went back ho and told her two daughters-in-law.
The three of them agreed and set out to look for the rabbit.
With so luck, the family might be able to enjoy so at that day.
…
Li Qiao looked further away and was ready to give up, unable to find the rabbit.
Old Mrs.
Qin also returned from not far off, “Qiaoqiao, did you find it?”
“No, let’s stop looking,” Li Qiao said.
Old Mrs.
Qin regretted, “Had I known, I would have sold it to Captain Feng’s wife.
We could have made more than a yuan.” How many pencil leads could that have bought for the child?
Li Qiao consoled, “Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise?
We may have lost the rabbit today, but tomorrow it might bring its partner back, and soon we’ll have a whole litter.
We’re in luck then.”
Old Mrs.
Qin laughed, “You’re quite the optimist.”
Li Qiao grinned, as not being optimistic wasn’t an option.
After she finished marking a test paper and went out for a walk, she saw Peng Chunhua holding a bag of soy sauce and a packet of spices: “Cooking so early?
Are you making stew?”
Peng Chunhua looked startled, her hand trembled, and the soy sauce packet fell to the ground: “Yes, yes, have you guys eaten yet?”
Li Qiao: “We haven’t started cooking yet.”
“Oh, you’re busy, I should get back ho.” Peng Chunhua knocked open the door, went in, and then fastened the lock behind her.
Li Qiao found it strange.
The Feng family’s main house was newly built with rare red bricks.
Along with Peng Chunhua’s dowry of nurous modern furnishings and a sewing machine, they generally liked to leave the door open to show off, but today, oddly, they kept a low profile.
….
At noon, Old Mrs.
Qin started a fire to cook and slled the scent of at.
She looked up to see smoke rising from the kitchen of the Feng family next door.
A thought struck her, and she stepped out, finding the Feng family’s main door tightly locked.
In the past, if the Feng family had at, they’d want the whole village to know.
Why had they locked their door today?
They couldn’t have found and killed her rabbit, could they?
With this thought,
Old Mrs.
Qin approached and knocked on the door: “Is Chunhua there?”
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