Chapter 34: Testing
Rural people have been working in the fields all year round. If they have to work in a hurry, it is late to finish work. The Zhou brothers and sisters did not come back until it was almost dark. They asked the children to go home to pick out sweet potato seedlings in the middle of the afternoon, but the adults did not return.
Grandma Zhou takes care of the cooking at home. She waits for her children and grandchildren to come back, washes her hands and feet, and then eats.
Brother Zhou was born in the summer, and his name is Zhou Xialong. His sister was born in the autumn, so she was named Qiufeng. Her parents have the beautiful wish that their children will become dragons and their daughters will become phoenixes.
Sitting at the table, Zhou Xialong looked at a large pot of stewed pig's feet, fried egg wedges, meatballs, and washed vegetables. He was quite puzzled: "Mom, what's good today?" "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival.
" Grandma Zhou’s face glowed brightly and she answered naturally.
Brother Zhou's wife named Liu Tong pouted slightly and didn't believe her mother-in-law's words. She felt there must be some reason, but she pretended to be stupid and didn't ask.
Zhou Qiufeng didn't ask any questions. Only Zhou Tianming, the youngest grandson of the Zhou family, praised his grandma for her craftsmanship without hesitation, which also made the old man grin from ear to ear.
The Zhou family finished their meal happily. The family took a shower and washed clothes. After finishing their work, everyone went back to their own rooms. The Zhou family's children went back to his room to read, and Zhou brother and his wife went back to their room to watch TV.
TVs are not expensive these days, and the Zhou family is one of the most generous families in the village. They have several TVs, one in the main room in the upper room, one in the lobby of the small western-style building downstairs, and one in the couple’s room. Come, it’s convenient for the young couple to watch TV and do some loving things between husband and wife.
After Zhou Qiufeng returned to her parents' home, she also bought a TV for her parents to put in their room. When her father passed away, she was afraid that her old mother would not be able to think about it, so she moved back to her mother's room to be with the old man. Later, she even slept with her daughter together, so that it was convenient to chat with the old man.
Grandma Zhou and the girl went back to the room to watch TV for a while. Grandma Zhou pulled the girl over and spoke in a low voice: "Qiu Feng, let me tell you something. Someone is here to mediate for you today..." "Mom,
I If you don’t want to get married, I’ll stay with you.” Before my mother could finish her words, Zhou Qiufeng interrupted her.
"Qiu Feng, please listen to what I have to say before you make a decision." Grandma Zhou was afraid that the girl would shout so loudly that everyone would know, so she shushed her in a low voice, ran to the door again, gently opened it and looked outside. , I didn’t see my daughter-in-law and children coming to eavesdrop, so I went back and sat down.
Zhou Qiufeng was obedient and did not immediately refute, looking gloomy.
Grandma Zhou also guessed that the girl was not feeling well, and still continued the endless topic: "Qiufeng, you are my girl, so I naturally feel sorry for you, but I am getting old. Since I got seriously ill last year, I have also felt worse and worse. I may not be able to do it anymore." I left that day. What would you do if I left? Your brother is your biological brother from the same mother. Naturally, he will not drive you away. You know what kind of person your sister-in-law is. Your father and I are here, You are waiting for us at home, and she is still gossiping about you behind your back and dislikes you living in your parents' house. She has been talking more and more this year. If I were gone, I don't know what she would say. Can you bear being criticized every day? Four words? If you use up all your money, I'm afraid you will be kicked out to beg for rice..."
Zhou Qiufeng's heart was blocked and her throat was sore. In the countryside, the water thrown by the married daughter would No one would like a daughter to go back to her parents' home after divorce. She has parents to protect her, and her life is relatively easy. If those girls without parents get divorced, it is rare for them to have a brother-in-law or sister-in-law at home who can accept their aunt to live with her parents' parents. They can only marry someone else or marry someone else. Living in a rental house.
When a woman is a girl at home, she has a family. Once she gets married, the home where she was born and raised becomes her natal family. When she comes to her husband's family, she is also an outsider to her husband's family. Therefore, once a woman gets married, it is almost as if she no longer has a home.
If you cannot live your whole life in your husband's family and you have no property or house, you have nothing and you are truly homeless.
"Qiufeng, as people say, a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as a doghouse at home. You still have to have a home of your own. It doesn't matter if it's harder, it doesn't matter if life is harder. It's good for a couple to grow old together. You have to have a home of your own." Think about it, is that what happened?" Grandma Zhou saw the girl lowering her head, sighed, got up and went to the cabinet to take out a bag of tomatoes, then returned and stuffed one into the girl.
Zhou Qiufeng, who was bowing his head and feeling sad, still lowered his head with many red fruits in his hand. He rubbed it a few times, took it to his mouth and took a bite. Because he was preoccupied, he didn't taste anything at first. He took two more bites and raised his head in surprise. .
"Did you taste it?" Grandma Zhou smiled meaningfully when she saw that the girl finally returned to normal from her lost state.
"A gift from Lele?" Zhou Qiufeng determined from my mother's expression where the fruit came from. She only tasted this taste once and she would never mistake it.
"Yes." Grandma Zhou said with affection in her eyes: "That child is really a pitiful and annoying child. He has suffered so much at such a young age and it is not easy for him not to grow crooked. Lele is here to hold this child today. She bought people's hearts and said she wanted a new mother and asked me to be her matchmaker, which stumped me."
Zhou Qiufeng was shocked: "Mom, you said Lele asked you... to be a matchmaker?"
"Yes, Lele said she My family is poor and I don’t have much, so I took this as a gift to the matchmaker."
"Lele is so good, why do you want to find a new mother? Who does she like?" "
Lele said she really wanted to take her home from the street today. That person at home is her new mother, and I don’t know who is driving her back today. This thing is really embarrassing for me. Yueqing has bad feet and can’t do heavy work. What’s more, Lele is already so old and will go to college soon. Probably no one wants to marry into the Lele family and endure the hardships. Think about it, marrying a girl from that family is equivalent to raising a father and daughter, working as cows and horses for half of their lives. It's really not worth it... Oh, I feel sorry for little Lele, and I can't bear to say no
. She told me to think about it for the time being. After I figured out how to tell the woman, I would ask her who her favorite new mother was. Lele felt that it was not a problem for his father to live like that all his life, so he wanted to help his father find a companion. It reminds me of you, and it’s not a problem for you to be like this, so after Lele left, someone came to talk to you, so I said I would advise you and see what you mean, Qiu Feng, what do you think?"
Zhou Qiufeng was extremely shocked. Wasn't she the one who brought Lele back from the street today? Does Lele like her as a new mother? !
Her mind was very confused, and she didn't pay much attention to what my mother was talking about later. In a daze, she heard my mother say that someone else was coming to propose marriage to her. Her brain was even more confused, and she didn't know how happy she was. Is she Le Zhongyi’s ideal new mother?
The chaotic thoughts made her upset. When the old woman asked her about her thoughts, she answered vaguely and casually: "Mom, let me think about it before talking about it."
"Okay, think about it slowly, there's no rush anyway." Grandma Zhou readily agreed, but the girl didn't refuse directly, indicating that it was still possible.
(End of chapter)