Chapter 033.
After compressing Zhen Zhen’s ankles with water from the deep well, Servant Huai Ming looked for Zhong Min Fen and asked, “Mother, do you have any strips of cloth at home?”
Zhong Minfen put down her work and went to her room to look for a while, and found half of an old shirt with a hole in it, used scissors to cut a small slit along the edge, and tore a strip of cloth down.
Shi Huai Ming took the strip of cloth and went back to Zhen Zhen’s room, and fixed her ankle with a bandage.
After bandaging it, he told Zhen Zhen to lie down against the pillows, and lifted her injured foot to rest on the cool pillow.
After lying down, Zhen Zhen looked at him and said, “No need to do this, right?”
Although it is true that the sprain is very painful and a little swollen, but she is not so delicate.
Serving Huai Ming looked at her and said, “Of course, or else it won’t heal for a long time.”
After saying that he took the book to Zhen Zhen, “You lie down and read the book, I’ll go to the health center to get you some medicine.”
Zhen Zhen didn’t say anything else, took the book from him, and watched as he beat up the curtain and left the room.
When he went out, she looked at the swaying curtain for a while, then withdrew her gaze and opened the book to read further.
Her eyes fell on the pages.
The corners of her mouth curved involuntarily.
***
After Serving Huai Ming went out for a while, Chen Qingmei and Serving Huai Zhong came back from work.
Seeing Zhen Zhen lying on the bed with cloth wrapped around her feet, Chen Qingmei let out a cry and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhen Zhen, holding a book in her hand, looked at Chen Qingmei and said, “Sister-in-law, I got lucky today and sprained my foot.”
Spraining her foot is not a big deal, but spraining it is not a small matter.
Chen Qingmei walks over to the bedside and sits down, taking a look at Zhen Zhen’s foot, “Is it swollen?”
Zhen Zhen nodded, “It’s a bit swollen, but I don’t feel it’s too serious.”
Chen Qingmei said, “If it’s swollen, it’s quite serious, don’t take it seriously, lie down and get better.”
She looked at Zhen Zhen’s feet and asked with a smile, “Huai Ming wrapped them for you, didn’t he?”
The corners of Zhen Zhen’s eyes were also colored with a light smile, and she nodded at her.
Chen Qingmei looked at Zhen Zhen with a smile for a while, then suddenly asked in a low voice, “I heard that Huai Ming carried you back?”
Zhen Zhen knew that they would talk about this, and she nodded at Chen Qingmei again in embarrassment.
The smile in Chen Qingmei’s eyes grew thicker, “You don’t know, now people in the village are envious of you, saying that Huai Ming is not only good at being an official, but also loves his daughter-in-law so much that he can’t be picked out of 10,000 men.”
She said, “You said that Huai Ming doesn’t like you, but as far as we can see, he really likes you.”
Zhen Zhen was still embarrassed and whispered, “He really didn’t like me before.”
Chen Qingmei looked at Zhen Zhen, “That’s not necessarily true, he may have had you in his heart for a long time, but he wasn’t too clear about it himself, or he was a bit awkward and hid it without showing it. Sometimes you don’t look at what he said on his lips, but also look at what he did on his actions, most men don’t like to show these things.”
Zhen Zhen looked at Chen Qingmei and thought.
In fact, after arriving in the city, Servant Huai Ming did treat her very well.
Food, clothing, and other things that were good went without saying.
He took her out to play on Sundays, bought her a cloth tiger, taught her how to ride a bicycle, and ran so far behind him all the way home without letting her fall at all.
He bought her chocolates when she was in a bad mood with Li Shuang.
When she went out to dinner with Li Shuang and Wen, he personally went to the restaurant to carry her home.
Then when she was having her period and had a stomach ache, he brought the meal to her in the bedroom for her to eat.
……
Seeing that Zhen Zhen was out of breath and not speaking, Chen Qingmei silently asked again for a moment, “How is it? Have you made up with him now?”
Zhen Zhen looked back and shook her head, “Sister-in-law, not yet.”
Chen Qingmei looked at her, “Then sister-in-law say a few words, do you want to hear?”
Zhen Zhen nodded her head dryly, “Sister-in-law, you say it.”
Chen Qingmei sat closer to Zhen Zhen and whispered, “Sister-in-law wants to tell you, don’t go into the bull’s eye and only think about those bad things. Now that Huai Ming obviously knows how good you are, and is obviously anxious, he will definitely treat you better in the future. You, on the other hand, should give him a step down and go back with him. Sister-in-law, I don’t have much knowledge, I don’t know about those imaginary things, let’s just talk about the real and visible things. You think about how lucky you are, now you are the head of the group’s wife! In our township, even in the whole county, what man can compare with Huai Ming? And what woman can compare to you? You’ve been in the city for so long, you’ve been raised like a white doughnut, you should know better than to live in the city in the countryside. Don’t be a fool, understand?”
After hearing Chen Qingmei’s words, Zhen Zhen looked at Chen Qingmei and blinked.
Chen Qingmei looked at Zhen Zhen for another moment of silence, then patted her hand, “I’ll go out and help Mother cook.”
Chen Qingmei got up and went out.
Zhen Zhen leaned against the bed and thought hard.
***
No one in the family allowed Zhen Zhen to move around, so if she didn’t have to get out of bed unless it was necessary, Zhen Zhen honestly lay in bed.
Lying in bed can not do anything else, it just so happens that her book has not finished reading, naturally, holding the book to continue to read.
After two or three days of lying in bed like this, the book was finished, and her feet were able to walk on the ground.
Of course, it still hurts to step on it, and running and jumping are not possible, so it is still idle at home.
After she could walk, Zhen Zhen wanted to take the finished book and return it to Xue Fan.
But Squire Huai Ming didn’t let her go out, he just took her book and took it to Xue Fan for her.
There was nothing to do at home, Zhen Zhen took out the colander and found a needle and thread to do.
Sitting in her room, she made a few stitches for the soles of her shoes, and suddenly heard someone in the yard shouting, “Is anyone home?”
The voice sounds familiar, Zhen Zhen put down the needlework work out, only to see is her big brother Lin Zhihong came.
It has been a long time since I saw my big brother, there is a little surprise, Zhen Zhen smiled up and called him: “Big brother!”
Lin Zhihong was also happy to see Zhen Zhen, also smiled and said: “You still recognize big brother ah?”
Zhen Zhen led him towards the main house, “I can not recognize anyone, but I can not recognize you, big brother ah?”
Letting Lin Zhihong sit down, she went to the kitchen to pour water.
Just after pouring water and coming out of the kitchen, Servant Huai Ming returned from returning books.
Servant Huai Ming hurriedly came over to take the bowl of water in Zhen Zhen’s hand and asked her, “Where are you taking it?”
Zhen Zhen gestured towards the main house, “My elder brother is here.”
Servant Huai Ming answered, carrying the bowl of water with Zhen Zhen to the main house.
When they entered the main house, Servant Huai Ming put the water bowl on the table in front of Li Zhihong and politely said, “Big brother drink water.”
Lin Zhihong did not recognize Shi Huai Ming, hesitated for a while and asked Zhen Zhen, “This is ……”
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, “Shi Huai Ming ah.”
Lin Zhihong has seen Shi Huai Ming less often than she has, and more than five years have not seen, naturally do not recognize.
Hearing this, Lin Zhihong hurriedly stood up and said, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t recognize you at once. Huai Ming, I am Zhen Zhen’s elder brother. Didn’t I hear that you guys came back, so I came to bring you over to the house for the day. I didn’t come over the other day because I was afraid that you had just arrived home and had a lot of things to do.”
Speaking of this, Servant Huai Ming also hurriedly explained, “Big brother, it’s us who are sorry, Zhen Zhen accidentally sprained her foot two days ago, and today she was just able to walk on the ground, otherwise she would have already gone over to see you and second brother.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Lin Zhihong was very polite, and went to care about Zhen Zhen, “How did you sprain it, is it seriously hurt?”
Zhen Zhen said, “Nothing, not heavy.”
Lin Zhihong looked at her and asked, “Then can you walk to our house?”
Before Zhen Zhen could say anything, Shui Huai Ming spoke up and said, “I’ll use a crate to pull her over.”
Lin Zhihong sniffed and nodded again, “Yes, yes, yes.”
Because he was not familiar with her, and Squire Huai Ming was now a different character, Lin Zhihong looked very nervous.
He looks face taut, speak is also in a hurry, and said: “Why don’t we move now? The family is already busy making lunch, let’s arrive home earlier and have lunch earlier.”
Servant Huai Ming had no opinion, “Okay, I’ll go and talk to Mother.”
After saying this, he went out to look for Zhong Minfen, leaving Zhen Zhen and Lin Zhihong in the house.
Watching him leave the courtyard gate, Lin Zhihong withdrew his gaze and sighed in relief.
He picks up the bowl and gulps down half a bowl of water, then looks at Zhen Zhen and says, “Being a cadre is just different, it’s majestic to look at, when I’m in front of him, I don’t even know how to say anything.”
Zhen Zhen smiles and pacifies him, “It’s fine if you don’t think of him as a cadre.”
Lin Zhihong shook his head, “A cadre is a cadre, it’s only right that we honor him.”
After Zhen Zhen and Lin Zhihong had a few words, Shui Huai Ming returned from outside.
He had more carts in his hands, and pulled them directly to the courtyard to stop.
Lin Zhihong hurriedly got up and came out, helping Zhen Zhen onto the cart.
When Zhen Zhen was seated on the cart, he took the initiative to pull the cart and said, “Let me pull it.”
He was the eldest brother, of course, Squire Huai Ming did not want him to pull.
He took the handle in his own hand and pulled Zhen Zhen out the door, letting Lin Zhihong follow beside him.
Lin Zhihong spoke to Squire Huai Ming along the way, it was all in a respectful tone, not at all the way a great uncle should be.
When he arrived at the Lin Family Village, he saw many people standing at the head of the village, men and women, young and old.
Lin Zhihong smiled and said to Servant Huai Ming and Zhen Zhen, “All of them came spontaneously to greet you.”
Hearing this, Zhen Zhen turned her head to look, and when she saw so many people at the head of the village, she froze and blinked.
She hadn’t seen such a large gathering of people in her entire life.
In the past, she couldn’t even imagine in her dreams that she, a little girl who had no presence in the village since she was a child and was not valued by anyone, would one day return to her mother’s home to be greeted by so many people.