Chapter 005.

While Zhong Minfen was cursing and sputtering, Servant Huai Zhong came back in a hurry with a shovel on his shoulder.

He entered the yard and casually put the shovel to the side, went to the door of the cookhouse, and asked with a sharp intake of breath, “What’s wrong?”

He was working in the production team, and when he heard that something had happened at home, he immediately rushed back.

Zhong Minfen sat on the bench with her hands on her thighs.

She slightly tilted her head to look at the service Huai Zhong, still no good mood: “Your old undead father came back, shameless thing, was I took a rolling pin to beat away. Next time he dares to come, I’ll break his old undead legs!”

Serving Huai Zhong looked at Zhong Min Fen to calm her breath, and thought about it in her heart.

He hadn’t seen anyone for more than twenty years, but suddenly came back at this time, naturally because his third brother had become an officer.

Not why affection, but want to rely on the identity of the biological father to get the light, so that the service Huai Ming filial piety him.

Serving Huai Zhong sat down on the bench next to him, lowered his head and whispered, “When I was nine years old he abandoned our family of four and ran off to Zhao City, how can he still have the nerve to come back?”

At that time, the family relied on Zhong Minfen to hold the fort alone, and when he was a little older, he helped along.

Zhong Minfen was not as angry as she was just now.

But still continued to curse: “Just shameless!”

Zhen Zhen and Chen Qingmei, as daughters-in-law, could not follow the scolding, so they did not say much.

Zhen Zhen has been behind Zhong Minfen to help Zhong Minfen calm down, Chen Qingmei also raised her hand to stroke Zhong Minfen’s shoulder.

Zhong Minfen’s temper came and went quickly.

After drinking two bowls of water and scolding Shui Dafu and his young wife, the anger in her heart was almost vented.

Next, she did not break into pieces again, very dry to reveal that this did not happen.

Lying in bed at night, Chen Qingmei said to Shui Huaizhong, “I didn’t realize that there was such a thing in your family.”

Shui Huaizhong was afraid that she would be upset, so he explained, “It’s been too long, twenty-four or twenty-five years, and no one in the family wanted to talk about him, so I didn’t tell you about it in detail. If it wasn’t for Huai Ming, he wouldn’t have come back.”

Chen Qingmei didn’t have any other thoughts, but only asked, “Do you think he’ll just let it go?”

Servant Huai Zhong said, “It’s impossible for him to return to our family now, and according to Mother’s temperament, she won’t let him come back. He didn’t come back when the family needed him in earlier years, and hasn’t even come to see us for more than twenty years, let alone talk about raising us. Now wanting to come back to enjoy happiness, how can there be such a good thing?”

She said with a sigh of relief, “Huai Ming is in the army and won’t come back, so he can’t find him either.”

Chen Qingmei looked sideways at Shi Huaizhong, “That’s not necessarily true.”

Shui Huizhong: “How can you say it’s not certain?”

Chen Qingmei: “He has legs. He can’t find his way to the military district.”

After a moment’s pause, Servant Huai Zhong looked sideways at Chen Qingmei.

***

Serving Dafu didn’t come back to Baiyun Brigade after being beaten away by Zhong Minfen.

And he, the old undead, didn’t affect the family’s festive mood for New Year’s Eve.

On New Year’s Eve, the family got up early in the morning, cleaned the house and outside the house, and then put up spring couplets and window decals.

After half a day of cleaning, the family spent the next half a day making New Year’s Eve dinner.

In the evening, a table full of dishes were put on the table, including rich and mellow pork with preserved vegetables, chili pepper stir-fry, stir-fried rooster, roasted mutton, braised fish garnished with cilantro and scallions. ……

Just smelling the flavors made my mouth water.

This meal was full and satisfying.

After eating, the family sat around the fire pit to observe the New Year and chat.

The content of the conversation was joyful and celebratory, and the stories told were all fun.

Shui Danling and Shui Xingguo loved to listen to the stories and listened to the adults with their eyes wide open.

After New Year’s Eve, it was New Year, and everything was new.

In the first month of the year, everyone was free, getting high on melon seeds and snacks, visiting friends and relatives, and chatting with each other.

Zhen Zhen went back to her mother’s house on the second day of the new year, and as in previous years, she was on her own.

Unlike in previous years, when she returned to her mother’s home, her elder brother and sister-in-law were all very warm and polite to her.

With the two sisters-in-law cooking in the stove room.

Sister-in-law was choosing celery and asked Zhen Zhen, “Huai Ming didn’t say when he’d be back?”

Zhen Zhen shook her head, “I didn’t say exactly when.”

Everyone knew that the army was not free, so they didn’t say much.

Second Sister-in-law followed, “Zhen Zhen, why don’t you go over to see him? You haven’t seen him for so many years, so go over to see him and spend a few days there. I don’t know when I’ll have to wait at home for him to come back.”

Zhen Zhen still shook her head and smiled weakly, “I’m afraid I’ll disturb him.”

Seeing that Zhen Zhen was not taking the initiative like this, her elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law advised her together for a while longer.

Zhen Zhen all listened and nodded, not saying much.

After sister-in-law and second sister-in-law finished persuading her, they brought up another topic, “I heard that your father-in-law is back, is that right?”

Since it was brought up, Zhen Zhen also told her two sisters-in-law about the situation on the day that Servant Dafu came back.

The two sisters-in-law listened carefully to Zhen Zhen’s words.

The first sister-in-law said, “Your mother-in-law is really a great person.”

The second sister-in-law said of Shi Dafu, “Your father-in-law is really a man of honor.”

Sister-in-law put the celery with the leaves removed into the wash basin, “No matter what, he’s Huai Ming’s real father, so of course he’s willing to do this. Huai Ming has his blood in his veins, no matter how much he hasn’t raised him, no matter how much he’s not close to him, he can’t deny this relationship.”

Second sister-in-law disagreed, “He lost his wife and child more than twenty years ago and ran away with his young wife, he has not cared about anything since he was a child, and when he saw that his son had made a good living, he immediately came out to pick up a ready-made one, so why should he recognize him as his father?”

Sister-in-law: “That’s not how you say it, a real father is a real father, no one can change that, it’s not a matter of whether you recognize him or not. If there was no Shi Dafu, there would be no Shi Huaiming, much less a cadre Shi Huaiming, don’t you think?”

Second Sister-in-law bawled, “I said I wouldn’t recognize it if I did!”

Sister-in-law: “You’re so unreasonable. Serving Auntie can disown Serving Dafu as a man, but Serving Huai Ming must recognize him as his own father. Giving birth to a child is a favor, and it’s the same thing everywhere you go.”

Second Sister-in-Law: “Eh? Who exactly is being unreasonable ah ……”

Seeing that sister-in-law and second sister-in-law were going to quarrel over this matter, Zhen Zhen quickly spoke out, “Sister-in-law, mother has already beaten him away, he is afraid of mother, he shouldn’t come to the door again, don’t be angry.”

Second sister-in-law’s mood was interrupted by Zhen Zhen, so she didn’t say anything further.

Sister-in-law is also smart not to mention further, after all, it is not their business, gossip, even if it is a bit funny to quarrel over this anger, New Year’s Eve is not good to quarrel at home.

The second sister-in-law no longer and sister-in-law to raise each other, turn to look at ZhenZhen asked: “ZhenZhen, service HuaiMing is your man, this is your family matter, you do not care ah?”

Zhen Zhen thought to herself that it wasn’t necessarily her family’s business, if it was a divorce, it wouldn’t be her family’s business.

Even if it is, she’s not in charge now, and Shui Dafu isn’t her real father, so she replied, “Mother is in charge now, so this is definitely Mother’s business. Furthermore, that is the third brother’s own father, in the end it is the third brother’s business, how he thinks is the most important thing, how it is not my turn to manage …….”

Listening to Zhen Zhen’s words, sister-in-law and second sister-in-law somehow thought together again.

The first sister-in-law looked at Zhen Zhen for a while, changed her tone and said: “Zhen Zhen, why do I feel that you do not consider yourself and Shui Huai Ming as a family ah. You are husband and wife, husband and wife are one, his affairs are your affairs.”

Zhen Zhen pursed her lips and whispered, “I married him for the first half of the month he left, the time together was too short, I don’t know how a husband and wife should be …….”

During that big half month together, they weren’t like other couples either.

Hearing Zhen Zhen say this, sister-in-law and second sister-in-law looked at each other.

Then her sister-in-law relaxed her tone and said, “Why, Huai Ming is back now, so you’ll have plenty of time to be together in the future, so you’ll know if you can spend some time with him.”

Will you be able to spend time with him?

Zhen Zhen always dared not envision such things, fearing that she would be too happy too soon.

Now along with the topic a little so imagine, the heart was born with yearning and expectation, also mixed with some nervousness and sweetness, heart “puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh” fast beating.

But in a few moments, she was able to collect such thoughts.

***

The three sisters-in-law said these gossip to make a good meal.

The first month of the year is free, after dinner Zhen Zhen stayed at her mother’s house for a while longer, still with the sister-in-law and second sister-in-law to say some family gossip.

Speaking to the sun in the west, stop talking and get up to go home.

She repeatedly refused to say no, elder brother and sister-in-law two brother and sister-in-law still sent her to the village head.

Standing at the head of the village watching Zhen Zhen stepping on shallow footprints walking away, elder brother and sister-in-law and two brothers and sisters-in-law turned back to the village.

Big brother said with his hands behind his back, “If Zhen Zhen can get hold of Shui Huai Ming, she will be able to enjoy great happiness in her life, and our family will be able to follow along with her, and we will have a backer in the future.”

Sister-in-law chimed in, “I see that Zhen Zhen is dumb, so I taught her those words, but I don’t know if she listened to them or not.”

Second brother sighed softly next to her, “The bad thing is that she doesn’t have a child.”

Second sister-in-law: “Who says it isn’t.”

……

Zhen Zhen herself didn’t worry so much.

Anyway, no matter what, she can live a good life.

She doesn’t have any big ambitions, as long as she can live her own life well, it’s fine.

Zhen Zhen used her scarf to cover half of her face as she hurried home, her steps not too slow, occasionally trotting.

There was a small figure of her on the long country lanes.

By the time she arrived home, the sun had just set over the treetops.

When she arrived home and entered the yard, Zhen Zhen raised her hand and pulled down her scarf to reveal her whole face. When she saw Shui Huaixia’s husband talking to Shui Huaizhong in the main house, she first went over to say hello, and then went back to her room, ready to take off the scarf and put it away.

But just as she reached the door of her room and raised the curtain of canvas hanging on the door, she saw Servant Huaixia.

Servant Huaixia was sitting in front of her mirror with a red scarf around her neck.

Seeing Zhen Zhen come back, Servant Huaixia obviously froze for a moment, then but then said normally, “You’re back.”

Zhen Zhen did not make a sound to call out to her second sister, but simply replied, “Uh-huh,” and lowered the curtain in her hand to enter the room.

She took off the scarf around her neck and hung it above the bed, then turned her head to look at Shi Huaixia.

Servant Huaixia is still looking in the mirror, and said in the mirror, “The red color is just beautiful.”

Especially if it’s still yarn, foggy and translucent, compared to the dirt cloth they usually wear, I don’t know how many times better it looks.

Once this veil was worn around the neck, the whole person immediately brightened up.

Seeing that Zhen Zhen didn’t say anything, Servant Huaixia turned back.

She looked at Zhen Zhen and said nonchalantly, “Give me this sarong.”

Zhen Zhen looked at her for a moment, still not speaking.

Then she suddenly walked next to Serving Huaixia, and without waiting for Serving Huaixia to react, she directly reached into her neck and unclipped the sarong, holding it in her hand and said, “Sorry Second Sister, this can’t be gifted …….”

Said pause for two seconds, and then continued, “You also should not turn over my things, wear my things.”

“Hey! What do you mean your stuff ah!” Servant Huaixia reacted, her eyes glaring.

She stood up taller than Zhen Zhen and used her height and aura to oppress Zhen Zhen, “Did you buy this thing? This was bought by my third brother, it’s something from my Servant family! I’m giving you face by asking you to give it to me, so what if I just take it?”

Zhen Zhen looked at her, “This was given to me by my third brother, taking it without my permission is stealing.”

Hearing this, Servant Huaixia frowned again.

She had always disliked Zhen Zhen, and this moment was even more unbearable.

She snorted a little, “Stealing? Who are you talking about stealing? You should realize that this family’s surname is Shui, not Lin, and everything in this house is our Shui family’s, not yours, do you understand?”

Zhen Zhen tops her breath, “I’m the daughter-in-law of the Servant family, the Servant family is now my family, you’re rummaging through my boxes behind my back, stealing and wearing my sarong, and trying to take it away, that’s stealing, do you understand?”

Heh!

Servant Huaixia’s eyes glared again.

Seeing that the aunt and sister-in-law were about to quarrel, Zhong Minfen and Chen Qingmei heard the commotion and came over.

Zhong Minfen hit the door curtain and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhen Zhen, holding a sarong in her hand, said first: “She went through my suitcase, wore my sarong, and wanted to take it away.”

Zhong Minfen looked at the sarong in Zhen Zhen’s hand and then looked at Zhui Huaixia.

With a taut face, she looked at Shi Huaixia and said, “What are you doing?”

Shi Huaixia answered, “Mother, I like this scarf and want to take it back to wear for a few days.”

“No way.” Before Zhong Minfen could say anything, Zhen Zhen directly refused.

When she heard this, Shi Huaixia became angry again and turned her head towards Zhen Zhen with a brush, her voice rising, “Aigoo, you really think you’re a member of the family, and it’s not yet known if Xiao San Zi will repudiate you! You don’t want to be too happy too soon, thinking that collecting a red scarf will make you the chief’s wife, look at yourself, are you worthy of our family Huai Ming?”

Just as Shi Huaixia finished speaking, Zhong Minfen came over and slapped her back twice.

Shui Huaixia was annoyed by the beating, and turned her head to look at Zhong Minfen again, “Mother, why are you hitting me?”

Zhong Minfen reached out and dragged her outside, “I’m hitting you for being a bitch!”

After dragging her outside, Servant Huai Zhong and Servant Huai Xia came out of the main house.

Serving Huai Zhong walked up to her and asked, “You’re fine, what’s wrong?”

Shui Huaixia said loudly: “Big brother, mother beat me!”

Zhong Minfen: “You deserve it!”

She said, “You deserved it!” and hit her twice more.

There was a lot of noise outside, but Zhen Zhen didn’t go out.

Chen Qingmei also did not go out, she pulled Zhen Zhen sat down on the edge of the bed, whispered to comfort Zhen Zhen.

Coaxed her, “Don’t listen to her nonsense, don’t take it to heart, ah.”

Zhen Zhen’s hand pinched the red gauze scarf lowered her eyebrows and did not speak.

Chen Qingmei stroked her back again and coaxed her for a while.

Zhong Minfen after training service Huaixia came in, also soft voice, coaxed Zhen Zhen a few sentences.

Zhen Zhen lowered her head and gently sniffled, raising her head to look at Zhong Minfen.

She spoke out with a somewhat hoarse voice, ”Mother, next time when you write back to third brother, tell him a sentence in the letter that I’ll go over and look for him. Make it clear in person, if he wants to divorce me, I won’t pester him.”

Zhong Minfen’s heart sank unexpectedly when she heard this.

She slapped Zhen Zhen on the back of her hand, “You are also talking nonsense! What divorce? If Huai Ming dares to mention divorce to you, I dare to sever the mother-child relationship with him! Huai Ming’s daughter-in-law can only be you!”

Zhen Zhen looked at the red scarf in her hand.

Didn’t say another word.

***

Because the family had purchased a lot of New Year’s goods, Serving Huaixia’s family was originally going to stay for another dinner.

But because she and Zhen Zhen made a scene, Zhong Minfen didn’t keep them for dinner.

When she left, she asked them to bring back some things, all of which were sent back by Servant Huai Ming.

Servant Huaixia was dissatisfied but didn’t dare to say anything more, suffocating her cheeks to a black and green color.

On the way back, she couldn’t help but complain to her man, Sun Deshu: “I think my mother is senile, I’m her own daughter, that Lin Zhenzhen is an outsider, how can she drive me away?”

Sun Deshu calmly said, “This matter is really what you did wrong, how can you go into someone’s room to rummage through things and take out their things to wear? And you also said such unpleasant words.”

Serving Huaixia was stimulated again, both eyes stood up, “You also elbowed your way out?”

Sun Deshu: “I’m just reasoning with you.”

Bao Shu Net w w w . x b a o s h u . c o m

SZHUAIXIA: “Who are you trying to reason with?”

Sun Deshu: “……”

It was better for him to shut up.

With Zhong Minfen protecting her, Zhen Zhen didn’t suffer much.

But after being provoked by Servant Huaixia, she suddenly didn’t want to drag out the matter between her and Servant Huai Ming any longer.

In her mind, she thought that it would be good to see Mr. Huai Ming earlier, to know his attitude towards her earlier, and to have a result earlier.

Lying in bed at night, she tossed and turned, thinking about this matter.

At the end of her thoughts, she made up her mind that she would not wait, she would take the initiative to go over and look for Shui Huai Ming.

A blunt knife is not as sharp as a fast knife.

It was a night of restless sleep.

The next day after waking up and eating, Zhen Zhen didn’t go out to the door again either.

There was no hiding things between people in the village, and her quarrel with Shui Huaixia last night would definitely be the center of conversation today.

She didn’t want to be dragged into talking about it, so she simply stayed at home and didn’t go out.

After lunch she didn’t go out either.

The sun was warm in the middle of the afternoon, and she sat alone in the yard, hooking her sweater in the sun.

The sun made her so warm and lazy that she accidentally fell asleep in a chair.

When she was sleeping deeply, she was suddenly startled by the sound of the door and opened her eyes to sit up straight.

In her sleepy eyes, she saw what looked like a letter carrier standing on the courtyard gate, and Zhen Zhen instantly woke up completely.

She stood up and put down the woolen crochet hook in her hand and went up to the gate.

When she got to the gate, the postman handed her a letter and said with a smile, “Another letter from your house.”

Now Zhen Zhen was a little nervous at the sight of the letter, and the next pinch felt heavy in her hand.

Suppressing her slight nervousness, she asked the mailman to wait a moment and busied herself with going back inside.

Returning to the yard door again, Zhen Zhen sent a few pieces of candy into the mailman’s hand and said with a smile, “Thank you.”

This is the New Year’s Day figure a celebration, the mailman took the candy also said thank you.

Seeing the mailman walk away, Zhen Zhen took the letter and returned to the courtyard.

Before she reached the chair, she stopped again, stood and thought for a while, turned and went out of the yard.

She took the letter and went to the home of the young girl who was at the table with Shidan Ling.

Shui Danling ran out of the yard and asked Zhen Zhen, “Third aunt, what’s wrong?”

Zhen Zhen handed the letter in her hand to her, “Is this a letter from your third uncle?”

Servant Danling took the envelope and glanced at the words on it.

After reading it she raised her head to look at Zhen Zhen, her eyes round and bright, smiling and nodding at Zhen Zhen, “It’s third uncle.”

Zhen Zhen also smiled slightly, “You go home and read it to me.”

Servant Danling nodded twice more.

Then she turned around and told a few of her playmates that she had something to go home for, and pulled Zhen Zhen to run away.

The two girls, one big and one small, hurriedly ran back to the house.

Entering the yard, they sat down on the bench in front of the house.

Serving Danling gasped and carefully tore open the envelope, took out the letter paper from inside.

She unfolded the paper and read the letter to Zhen Zhen, word by word, without any emotion.

Zhen Zhen listened attentively, but in the middle of it, she also lost her concentration for a while.

She thought that this time she would write back and tell Squire Huai Ming that she was going over to him.

Just as she was lost in thought, Shui Danling read a sentence, “I have applied to the above for a house, probably out of the first month will be approved, with a place to live, by then mother and Zhen Zhen together to come over …….”

Zhen Zhen returned to her senses and interrupted Shi Danling, “What did you just read?”

Serving Danling backward a little, “Oh, third uncle said he applied for a house from above, out of the first month will be able to be approved, called you and grandma, by then to his side to go.”

“Me?” Zhen Zhen leaned forward slightly, looking at Shi Dan Ling unexpectedly.

Servant Danling read the letter carefully again, “Yes, you’re the only third aunt in our family named Zhen Zhen.”

Zhen Zhen opened her eyes to the letter paper, although she could not read the dense pen letters, but her heartbeat was really accelerating, “puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh” very heavy.

She did not hold back, asked again: “Really?”

Servant Danling this time with a finger on the letter paper, to show Zhen Zhen, “These two words, Zhen Zhen.”

Zhen Zhen looked at those two words, her heartbeat got heavier and heavier, a little bit of light floated out of her eyes, the corners of her mouth curved a little bit, and she answered, “Oh.”