Chapter 31
As for the female teacher from the university that my father mentioned to me last time…
Xia Zhe scratched his head, unable to recall how she looked.
Forget it, let's not talk about her anymore.
There was no point caring about these people now. After all, he had already decided who he was going to marry.
Alright, you decide on your own marriage. As long as Qiao Mei passes the political review, there's no problem on my end!
Qin Dong then asked curiously,
So which family's daughter did you fall in love with at first sight, for you to make a decision on such an important matter as marriage right now? Is she very pretty?
At this point, Xia Zhe could not help but shiver. She looked… probably she would scare you to death.
Let's get the marriage registered first. When I'm done with my mission, I'll bring her home to see you guys,
he said.
Since the two of them had spent the night together, they had to get married so that no one would have any designs on Qiao Mei. At the same time, Grandpa Qiao Qiang would also feel more at ease.
Although… Qiao Mei was not very pleasing to the eye, she was already his now. Since that was the case, he would protect her.
I'm on a mission here and I don't think I'll be able to finish it anytime soon. Please help me get my marriage certificate done, then go to the village and treat the villagers to a meal. We'll make some arrangements for the wedding and then deliver the marriage certificate to her. Then we can consider the matter done.
This would make her relatives give up.
So soon?
Qin Dong suddenly thought of something and asked,
Could it be that you are still hiding something from me?
When Xia Zhe heard this, his face felt like it was on fire. It turned red in an instant and it was like he could suddenly hear the moans from that night and the pleasure of release…
Although he knew that it was unlikely for anything to happen after a one night stand, they had done it more than once that night. If they ended up having a child… he could not let anyone gossip about the child that might be born.
I was drunk the other day, so I made a mistake…
Xia Zhe said softly.
Ah? You rascal… you're really…
Now Qin Dong heard this clearly. Even as he was admonishing his nephew, he was also itching to know what happened.
What kind of girl could make his steel-hearted nephew lose control?
As a man, he knew very well that there was no such thing as one losing control when drunk. That was just an excuse. If a man was really drunk, he would not be able to do anything. If he had done something, then he was definitely a willing partner.
Xia Zhe blushed. Neither did he lose control after being drunk, nor did he pretend to be crazy under the influence of alcohol. He had accidentally fallen for a trick…
Xia Zhe exhaled and said slowly,
Don't tell my parents about this first. I'll tell them myself when I get back.
Qin Dong immediately replied,
I understand. You can say it yourself when you're back!
He had taken down the address of this woman and noted that she was likely a village girl. With the characters of his younger sister and brother-in-law, wouldn't the Xia Family explode when they knew about it?
The explosion was not the scary part, the scary part would be if they object to this marriage.
He thought differently from this couple of the Xia family. He felt that a real man had to depend on himself to build his career. He must work on it one shot at a time and not rely on unorthodox methods which were not dependable at all.
Besides, if a man worked hard for his career outside and did not have a woman he liked waiting at home, then that life would feel empty. He would not feel comfortable even if he had a good life.
Now that his nephew finally found someone he liked, he must protect this marriage and not let that Xia family couple ruin it.
After hanging up, Qin Dong immediately took action. He made a few phone calls to the Northeast precinct and someone immediately boarded the train to Qiao Mei's house.
Wedding matters should be handled quickly and not be delayed so that it would set everyone's mind at ease once everything is done.
He was Xia Zhe's uncle after all!
Chapter 32
Qiao Mei took the big bowl of chestnuts and exchanged it for half a catty of rice.
At this time, staple grains were definitely more expensive than snacks. If Qiao Mei had not specially cooked the chestnuts and brought them over with the intoxicating smell, the other family would definitely not give her the rice.
It was because for mountain produce like chestnuts, every family could go out to pick them up when they were free. No family was lacking in this, so there was no market for it.
Qiao Qiang's family was tiny, and the old one was lame while the young one had been lazy. Otherwise, his family would have been able to fill up half their storeroom with mountain produce.
After finishing her work, Qiao Mei thought of the chicks, ducklings and goslings in the storeroom so she cooked half a bowl of chestnuts for them. Qiao Qiang's heart ached when he saw that and he watched them glumly from the side.
When our bean sprouts are ready and we sell them, we'll get some bran to feed them,
Qiao Mei said in a comforting tone.
Of course, she only said that to comfort her grandfather. If the meat of the fowl were to taste good, they naturally had to be fed more food that had been catalyzed by the jade pendant.
The next morning, Qiao Mei went to check on her bean sprouts once she woke up.
The bean sprouts had already grown long and the next step was to change the water quickly and put them in the basket.
Qiao Qiang also stood at the side and looked at the sprouts happily.
If the first step was so easy, the second step would definitely be easier. He suddenly started to look forward to it and decided he must get to work now and make more baskets in the yard.
After Qiao Mei finished her work, she shouldered her carrying pole into the mountain again and picked up some fruits and firewood.
Every year, Qiao Qiang was the one who went to pick up firewood. The original owner of the body was too lazy and did not do any chores at home. This year, Qiao Qiang's health had gotten worse so he did not pick up much firewood and now, there was not enough firewood in the kitchen.
However, Qiao Mei's main goal of going out was to make use of the opportunity to get rid of all the dirt on her body. But this time, she did not walk towards the hot spring as she had seen a few children heading there.
The news of the chestnuts from yesterday had spread throughout the village. Children who had nothing better to do all headed towards the hot spring area.
She did not take it to heart. This time, she would just walk around the back mountain.
This area of the mountain was not very high and there were only some small trees around. Everyone only came here to do things like chop wood and pick mushrooms. If they wanted other mountain produce, they had to go higher into the mountain.
At this time of the season, there were no fruits, but it did not matter to Qiao Mei. She could make fruits even without them.
Qiao Mei found a place with lush trees and pushed her way in as the tender leaves and new branches growing in the early spring provided coverage for her. She dug a hole and buried a few seeds inside.
This time, she planted chili.
After a few minutes, the chili turned from seeds to saplings, and then from saplings to mature chili plants. Very soon, there were many red chilies hanging from the branches.
Qiao Mei did not pluck them immediately. Instead, she tried to communicate with them.
Tell me, which one of you is the least spicy?
She used to like spicy food and felt that everything was tasteless without chili, but when she ate too much chili, she would get diarrhea. Eating chili was always a dilemma to her.
Now here was a good thing. She wanted to develop a type of chili that was fragrant but not spicy. She would be well-fed and well-clothed by her own hands!
She liked the fragrance of the chili but not the spiciness. Every time, her stomach would hurt from the spiciness, making her very uncomfortable.
The red chilies on the branches quivered and there seemed to be voices coming from them. The sounds were faint, but she understood them.
After listening for a long time, Qiao Mei plucked a red chili and tasted it. It was still very spicy. She took out a seed from the chili and planted it again.
A few minutes later, red chilies filled the branches again.
Tell me, which of you is the least spicy?
Chapter 33
After more than 10 times, Qiao Mei plucked the fruit again.
Every time the energy exchange ended, the chilies would naturally dry up on the branches and there would be the fragrance of chilies in the air.
Qiao Mei put the chili in her mouth and chewed it. It was crispy and filled her mouth with the fragrance of chili, but her mouth did not hurt at all.
That's it!
This was the type of chili that she wanted.
Qiao Mei immediately took all the chilies from the plant and retrieved half a catty of seeds from them.
These seeds would be used for planting in the field at home. This way, she could be open about these chilies in the future.
After harvesting these seeds, she planted another chili seed. She looked at the chilies hanging on the grown chili plant and asked,
Speak! Which one of you is the most spicy?
After more than 10 rounds, she felt that the spiciness level was still insufficient and continued for another 30-odd rounds.
Finally, after 60 rounds of chilies, the spiciness had been doubled. This was the chili weapon she wanted.
Smelling it from afar would already make people choke and struggle for breath. Qiao Mei covered her mouth and crushed a chili with her hand. Her fingers immediately swelled up and it was so spicy that it hurt.
A cooling sensation then manifested from the jade pendant and spread to her fingers and the swelling immediately subsided.
Hahahaha, that's great!
Qiao Mei happily plucked all of the dried up chilies and wrapped them with cloth before crushing them into powder.
Is the spiciness of this chili too strong or what?
Qiao Mei said while sneezing.
Would one drop of chili water made from this chili powder make one go blind?
Forget it, forget it. She had already made it.
If she had to start all over again, she would have worked for nothing. Furthermore, there was not enough time anymore.
She looked up at the sun. It was already close to noon and she had to hurry down the mountain with the firewood. But when she got home and pushed open the door, she saw someone she had not expected to see.
Why are you at my house again?
Qiao Mei snatched the hoe he was holding in his hand and asked with a frown.
Wang Yong looked at her and covered his nose in disgust, thinking that she was just like what the rumors said. Qiao Mei was smelly again.
I saw that your family's land was still empty and it felt like such a pity, so I came to help you loosen the soil and grow something.
He did not look at Qiao Mei and just continued talking.
So you're also here to take advantage of us as well. You're not welcome here. Hurry up and leave!
Qiao Mei wanted to drive him away.
Wang Yong's brows instantly furrowed as he breathed heavily. He had never met such a person who was so misguided. There was nothing he could do if she was good-looking, but the fact was that she was so ugly and dark and fat, and yet she was still so arrogant.
She must be crazy!
It was all her grandfather's fault for spoiling her, she did not know her place and worth in life. Once she married into his family, he would definitely educate her properly and let her see her true self clearly.
I don't have any other intention, I just want to help you loosen the soil and get some work done.
Wang Yong did not leave. If he wanted to educate Qiao Mei, he had to marry her first.
Qiao Mei looked Wang Yong up and down, reading his thoughts.
Don't be so fixated on my grandfather's salary. His salary is not even enough to feed me. No matter who I marry in the future, no one can think about eyeing this money,
she said to him in a direct manner.
Wang Yong did not say a word, but the corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile. Only a woman who had yet to marry would be so naive. Once she married into his family, he would naturally teach her the meaning of being virtuous and filial.
Qiao Mei could tell that this was a stubborn person. She hated people who kept pestering her.
Hurry up and get lost! If you don't get lost, I'll call for help!
Chapter 34
Qiao Mei picked up the hoe beside her and threw it towards the ground. The hoe swung around and smashed the mud all over the ground.
Mud flew up and splashed onto Wang Yong's leg, causing him a lot of pain.
He jumped in fright and retreated in the direction of the hoe, and got unknowingly chased out of the courtyard by Qiao Mei.
I, Qiao Mei, am very self-aware. I can't afford to provoke a good man like you who caused his wife to be cursed dead. Don't ever come to my house again and don't enter my house, or I'll break your legs.
Qiao Mei swung the hoe and smashed the wooden door next to her.
This door was a little old and already tattered. Qiao Mei had picked up a new piece of wood today and was going to change it out. Now was the perfect time to make good use of the old door.
Wood shavings scattered in all directions and one piece flew directly into Wang Yong's face, leaving a bloody mark.
He wiped his face and cast a few vicious glances at Qiao Mei before turning to leave.
At this moment, Qiao Qiang walked over and stood beside Qiao Mei. Looking at Wang Yong's retreating figure, he said,
In the future, try to avoid offending such despicable people if you can. Otherwise, you might get yourself into trouble.
Qiao Mei shook her head and said calmly,
He has his eyes on us now. We have what he wants here. It's not as if we can hide from it just because we don't offend him.
There's no way to hide from him, so there's no need to hide. Let's face him head-on and take him down! It's just that, take him down and it's done!
As soon as Qiao Mei said those words, Qiao Qiang's eyes lit up. He looked at Qiao Mei in front of him and felt a faint sense of pride. This was the first time he felt that his granddaughter resembled him, so full of vigor!
Not only was she hot-blooded, but she was also calm and smart and possessed the ability to see people for what they were. It made him feel so gratified that he wanted to cry.
Even if he died now and his granddaughter Qiao Mei could not marry Xia Zhe, he would be able to leave with peace of mind. His granddaughter was capable of being independent now.
Qiao Mei did not think too much about it. She quickly picked up the hoe and quickly did some planting in her field so that everyone would stop eyeing it.
The two people in the courtyard did not know that someone from outside the village had specially come looking for them.
Two serious-looking men in military uniforms entered the village and went to Village Chief Zhao's house.
Looking at the two men, the entire village started to talk about it. Everyone stood in their own courtyard and looked in the direction of Village Chief Zhao's house.
What had happened?
Was there going to be another critique meeting? Who were they going to criticize this time?
Village Chief Zhao was also very nervous. However, the moment these two men opened their mouths, they asked about Qiao Mei. He was stunned for a moment and thought, could something have happened to Qiao Qiang?
Is he going to be interrogated by the organization at such an old age? He is crippled and sick as well. How pitiful.
That kid, Qiao Mei, had never done anything wrong.
Other than being a little lazy and eating a lot, she did not do anything wrong, right? As for her parents, her father was gone and her mother had remarried. Anyway, there was nothing bad that was attributable to her.
It was actually normal for her to be a little lazy. After all, with Qiao Mei's size, it would be difficult for her to even walk two steps, let alone do any work.
Besides, his heart softened when he thought about how Qiao Mei called him Uncle Zhao a few days ago. In addition, Zhao Liang sympathized with Qiao Qiang and so did not say anything bad about her.
The two of them asked about Qiao Mei and followed up with questions about Qiao Qiang as well, mainly asking about his life over the past few years.
Before the two of them came, they had already checked out Qiao Mei's family background. They did not expect to find such an old hero in this mountain village and felt emotional about it.
Shouldn't an old hero like him retire in a big house in the capital city? At the very least, he should be living in a specialized nursing home in the province and be taken care of by professionals!
Why was he in such a small village?
Chapter 35
Such an old hero definitely would not want to burden the country and he had even asked for the lowest retirement salary. He was truly a hero!
Based on what they found out in their research, the two of them respected Qiao Qiang and so they just asked the standard questions about Qiao Mei.
For a person like Qiao Mei, who was a descendant of a hero and had never left the village since she was born, what problem could there be?
Zhao Liang saw that the two of them were in high spirits and did not seem to be making any arrest for a critique session, so he tried asking,
You two are here to see the old hero, right? His house is on the mountain at the back, I can bring you there!
We still have a mission to complete this time. Maybe next time!
one of the men said.
According to the standard procedure, they should go to Qiao Mei's house for another face-to-face review. There were still things that needed to be signed off.
However, the higher-ups specifically told them that there was no need to go to Qiao Mei's house. The young girl was thin-skinned and it was meant to be a surprise for her. Anyway, they did not understand anything about young people, so they just followed their orders.
This was something that Xia Zhe had specially instructed his uncle, Qin Dong, to do. If his uncle knew what Qiao Mei looked like, this marriage might be over…
Zhao Liang asked carefully,
What… are we supposed to do?
The two men looked at each other. After all, this was not a bad thing. If the villagers were to think wrongly and disturb the old hero, then it would be their fault. So one of them said,
It's not a big deal. Comrade Qiao Mei is going to join the big family of military wives. We are following the usual practice of doing a political examination so no need to alarm Old Mr Qiao.
During that time, it was not like in the future, where any necessary checks could be completed immediately on the computer. The political inspections of this period needed to be reviewed layer by layer on-site, and with Xia Zhe's special identity, they had to be more cautious.
These two people who came here not only had to talk to the village head, but they also had to go around the village and talk to other villagers. If Qiao Mei had any ideological issues, she would definitely fail the examination.
Zhao Liang was stunned for a moment. He blinked his eyes and recalled the handsome young man in military uniform who came to the village a few days ago. That young man was so good-looking that he even took a few more glances at him!
Qiao Mei to match that handsome guy?
Why did he feel that it was a little inappropriate?
Instantly, Zhao Liang felt a trace of regret in his heart. He should have said something unpleasant just now. This did not seem too good.
Very quickly, his rationality returned and he did not say anything in the end. He then brought the two of them to look for other people in the village.
He specially brought the two of them to the Dong family house at the end of the village. Last night, he even heard the Dong family aunt praising Qiao Mei. At the Dong family house, Qiao Mei was highly praised by the Dong family aunt, earning nods from the two military staff.
After that, he brought them to Wang Wu's house.
Qiao Mei had bought four piglets at one go from his family, which had helped them a lot, so they also put in a few good words. Qiao Mei's image became even better and the military staff noted it down again.
Besides, the children of the Wang family were honest. In the past, they had no grudges with Qiao Mei so there was no need for them to badmouth her.
Finally, they went to the homes of a few honest villagers. Under Zhao Liang's threatening gaze, no one dared to say anything bad about Qiao Mei.
The two military staff happily wrote in their notes that an outstanding and forward-thinking woman was about to become a military wife.
When they left, the village instantly erupted.
When Xia Zhe came that day, many people in the village saw him. Xia Zhe's appearance really left a deep impression on them and they did not even think of trying to get close to him.
How did Qiao Mei get her hands on such a handsome boy?
Who asked her to have a good grandfather? I heard that the young man's grandfather is Qiao Qiang's comrade.
This was what Qiao Yu heard when she led him to his destination that day, now it was being spread to all the families in the village.
Oh, so it is a life-saving friendship. Otherwise, how could he have found such a good grandson-in-law?
Someone managed to guess the truth.
Chapter 36
However, everyone in the village thought that the truth was Qiao Qiang wanted to entrust his granddaughter to someone else before he died, and his comrade-in-arms betrothed his grandson to Qiao Mei in order to repay the kindness of saving his life back then.
In short, the village was abuzz because of this matter.
No matter how enthusiastic the discussion was, Qiao Mei's family was protected from it.
After the lunch break ended, everyone went out to work again. During the spring farming season, unless one was seriously ill and about to die, one must go out to work.
There was no one in the village who was as lazy as the original owner of the body and did not need to go out to work.
As for Qiao Mei not going out to work, it would seem that she actually used to receive the tacit approval of the entire village. Now that she had become diligent, no one asked her to go out to work as well. It was such a strange situation.
Hence, no one mentioned anything about this marriage to her.
Besides, how could she not know that she was getting married? Everyone thought that Qiao Mei already knew about it, so no one came by to say anything.
Logically speaking, relatives would usually come by to chat about such matters. However, Qiao Qiang's only relatives in the village were Qiao Zhuang's family.
Now that Qiao Zhuang's family was about to go mad from anger, why would they still come to her house to announce the good news? What they wanted the most was to come to his funeral to take over Qiao Qiang's land. This would be most in line with what they wanted!
Qiao Yu sat on the ridge of the mountain, wiping her tears while she was working. Why wasn't she Qiao Qiang's granddaughter? Why didn't such a good thing happen to her?
She was so jealous of Qiao Mei.
…
Qiao Mei did not know anything at the moment and was happily planting vegetable seeds in the courtyard.
Seeds of common vegetables that every household would have, like string beans, eggplants, tomatoes, cabbages and potatoes, among others.
Lastly, she planted sunflowers in a circle near the wall of the courtyard. When harvest time came around, she would be able to reap two baskets full of sunflower seeds!
After finishing her work in the courtyard, Qiao Mei took the hoe and went to the two pieces of land given to them by the village.
Now, every household had land given by the village. On these lands, they could grow some vegetables and other crops and everything they harvested would belong to them. Therefore, together with the grains distributed by the village, each household basically would have enough to eat.
Of course, this was only what the higher-ups had predicted. But in reality, in a village, basically there were very few households that could eat their fill every day.
At this time, there was very little harvest from the fields, but there was a lot of work to be done. People could not get meat in their diets, so they needed to eat more grains.
Very little to eat and a lot to do, this was the reason why she never felt full.
…
The plot of land here was not as big as the fields at the courtyard.
This was also Qiao Mei's first time coming here this spring. Or rather, it was her first time coming here to clean up after more than ten years and she found herself being worked to the bones.
One day was not enough for her to clean up the land. She came again the next day and spent the entire morning cleaning up before the land was all done up and the seeds planted.
The land here was suitable for planting crops like radishes and cabbages, but now was not the season for radishes and cabbages. Those needed to be planted in autumn.
So, Qiao Mei planned to plant potatoes and corn on this land. By the time she harvested all of these, it would be a good time to plant cabbages. In this way, there would be an uninterrupted supply of vegetables at home.
Just as she was done, Qiao Mei looked up and saw Zhao Liang running over. He shouted at her,
Mei Mei, hurry up and go home! Hurry!
Qiao Mei was stunned for a moment and she felt her eyelids twitch. She threw away the hoe in her hand and ran towards the house.
Hopefully nothing is wrong with Qiao Qiang!
In the end, she heard Zhao Liang shouting from behind,
Today is your wedding day, quickly go home and pack up. Your grandfather told you to hurry home and prepare for the wedding.
Qiao Mei's legs gave way and she almost sprained her waist.
What?
Wedding???
Chapter 37
Qiao Mei walked home briskly and saw her grandfather standing at the door to welcome the guests. He was smiling so widely that his eyes could barely be seen.
There were a few well-dressed people standing beside her. Qiao Mei knew all of them, they were officers from the county who would bear gifts and visit her grandfather during the new year.
These people had also brought a lot of things this time round. A few bags of rice were placed in the courtyard, as well as a few bags of noodles, a few large baskets of eggs and sugar, two crates of liquor and a few bags of fruits.
There was even half a pig's worth of pork on the ground.
It was neither the new year nor any holiday season at the moment. Could these be her wedding gifts?
Qiao Mei guessed correctly this time. These were all congratulatory gifts, but they were not from the county officers as there were no such rules. These were all brought by the officers on behalf of Qin Dong who paid for them out of his own pocket.
These were his wedding gifts for his nephew and niece-in-law.
When these people saw Qiao Mei, they were not surprised at all.
After all, they had seen Qiao Mei grow up from a weak girl to a black and fat Black Bear Spirit.
But what surprised them was that Qiao Mei actually managed to get married!
However, when they thought about Qiao Qiang's status, his relationship with Xia Zhe's grandfather, plus the fact that Qiao Qiang said the two young people had been engaged since young, they found it understandable.
Qiao Mei, look! This is your marriage certificate!
Qiao Qiang's eyes lit up when he saw Qiao Mei and he hastily handed her a red booklet.
Qiao Mei was shocked. She didn't even need to go personally to get married now?
There aren't any photos on this marriage certificate. Comrade Xia Zhe is still on a mission and hasn't returned yet. You two can just paste the photos yourselves,
one of the officers said.
Qiao Mei froze on the stop and blinked her eyes, not knowing what to say.
So Xia Zhe doesn't even need to attend his own wedding too.
She kept the marriage certificate carefully and remained silent.
Now that she had gotten her marriage certificate, she felt very secure. She was thankful that Xia Zhe was a responsible person, otherwise the children in her womb would be illegitimate.
During this day and age, it would be a hard blow to two young children who did not know who their father was. The mockery from the people around them would shame them enough to give them a nightmarish burden for the rest of their lives.
Thank you!
Qiao Mei carefully put away the marriage certificate and placed it in the wooden box under the bed. She then hid the wooden box inside a brick joint at the bedside.
At this moment, in order for her children to have a complete family and a responsible father, she decided that she must treat Xia Zhe better in the coming days.
Look at Qiao Mei, she's so happy that she's gone all silly!
The villagers who were squatting outside the window watching the fun laughed and said to one another.
At occasions like this, everyone would be looking in at the windows openly and no one would say anything.
Qiao Mei, come out quickly. Quickly come out and prepare for your wedding. Today, we will invite the whole village to our house for a meal and have a grand celebration!
Qiao Qiang shouted happily.
Aiyo, Uncle Qiao, how can you let the bride do work on her wedding day? Let me help, there's no need to trouble Mei Mei!
Auntie Dong from the end of the village said laughingly.
Me too!
All the older women talked together at once.
They looked at the half a pig's worth of pork in the courtyard and almost drooled. It had been more than half a month since they had eaten meat and they were all dying to have some. This wedding would be a good excuse to have a good meal.
Okay, okay!
Qiao Qiang was so happy that he had no words.
But at this moment, someone came out to interrupt everything.
Chapter 38
When Qiao Zhuang's eldest daughter-in-law heard that there was going to be a wedding, she rushed over in a hurry. When she heard Qiao Qiang's last words, she smiled coldly and said,
Uncle, do you intend to keep your word? Whether we can eat meat or not, we have to wait and hear it from your Qiao Mei's mouth. If we're asked to spit it out right after we eat it, it will be an ugly situation.
Based on her understanding of Qiao Mei, it was totally within her usual behavior.
When she said this, the atmosphere immediately turned cold. Everyone also felt that Qiao Mei was someone who could do such things.
Every year during the new year and festive periods, Qiao Mei would be very anxious about the meat at home. No one was allowed to touch her meat, not even Qiao Qiang.
Who were they to her?
If they were not allowed to eat it after it was cooked, wouldn't that be even more disappointing?
Qiao Mei walked out of the house and smiled at Big Auntie Qiao.
Big Auntie is right. As long as I don't say anything, no one can eat a piece of meat from my house!
The atmosphere became even colder now. Qiao Qiang's smile froze. Was his granddaughter going to revert to her old self with the food aggression and laziness?
After saying that, Qiao Mei shifted her gaze away from the Qiao family auntie and looked at the people around her. She laughed loudly and said,
Today is my big day and now I will speak. No one can think about going home today. You can only leave after you have eaten your fill at my house!
Auntie Dong, I remember that you still have some cabbages at home. Give us two! I'll make some pork stewed with cabbage for everyone,
Qiao Mei continued.
Auntie Dong was stunned for a moment when she heard but immediately smiled and said,
Okay, okay, I'll go home and get the cabbages now!
She had a big family so she needed to store a lot of food. Until now, she still had half a basket of cabbages in the storeroom. It had lasted them until now, so it was not a big deal to take out a few cabbages to share.
Furthermore, Qiao Mei was offering half a pig's worth of pork for everyone to eat, so how could they feel sore about contributing two cabbages?
The Dong family aunt walked back to her house and soon returned with four or five cabbages which still had fresh and tender leaves on them.
On her end, Qiao Mei took the big knife and started to chop through the pork bones. Cleanly and nimbly, she quickly cut up the pork as if she was preparing to cook it all.
It was unlike her to be so generous.
Qiao Mei was really very happy!
Not only was she married, but she was also having children and the two children even had a responsible father.
Feelings could be nurtured slowly after marriage. She believed that with her hard work, her marriage could also get better.
Although she had never been married, she had seen and heard many things in her time. She was confident that she could create a loving family environment for her children.
If they really could not develop feelings for each other… she could just wait for society to evolve before finding a new father for the two children in her womb!
Qiao Qiang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that his granddaughter was exceptionally forthright and did not revert to her old ways. Now the smile on his face became even brighter.
The courtyard was filled with cheers and laughter. It was livelier than it ever had been.
Only Qiao Zhuang's eldest daughter-in-law could not find the heart to laugh.
She watched as Qiao Mei put all the meat into the pot and started cooking. Her heart ached so much as she had intended to take some pork back with her.
Now that the weather was getting warmer, the pork could not be stored for too long. If Qiao Qiang's family could not finish it, it should not be a problem to give them some pork now, right?
Furthermore, she did not intend to take the pork for free. She would pay for it! Although her family did not have any money now, they would have some spare cash after the autumn harvest and she had intended to owe it until then.
Of course, with Qiao Qiang's health, if he could not wait until then, then it could not be blamed on them.
But now, Qiao Mei had thrown half a pig's worth of pork into the pot and cooked it all with the vegetables.
Her plan failed!
The meat was divided up and used in different dishes. Some were made into braised pork, some were steamed, and some were stewed with cabbage. In the blink of an eye, Qiao Mei had made seven to eight dishes and all the dishes looked, smelled, and tasted good!
The aroma of the dishes wafted up from the stove and it was extremely intoxicating!
It was not only the children playing in the courtyard who peered into the kitchen, but even the adults who were chatting in the courtyard could not help themselves as well. They had never smelled anything so fragrant.
It was simply too aromatic!
Chapter 39
Qiao Mei can cook?
Oh my goodness, it smells so good. Did she make everything herself?
She looks so diligent!
The seven to eight dishes on the table were all made by Qiao Mei. The people around her were in a flurry as they handed her the ingredients and did not look as nimble as Qiao Mei.
Everyone stood outside the kitchen window and looked inside. They were all so shocked that their teeth almost fell out. Was this the legendary lazy and greedy Qiao Mei?
No one else in the kitchen was as efficient as her. There was no one in the entire village who could cook as well as her.
The Qiao Mei of today really shocked everyone. She had completely refreshed the villagers' impression of her.
When the dishes were ready, the fragrance filled everyone's nose. When all of them tasted the top-notch delicacies on the table, they could not help but give their thumbs up. There were even a few old ladies who regretted not getting Qiao Mei as their daughter-in-law.
In their opinion, when choosing a wife, looks were secondary. The most important thing was that the wife must be efficient in her work and the ability to cook would be an added bonus.
But now, it was no longer possible. Qiao Mei was already married.
…
At the end of the meal, everyone was stuffed to the fullest. Before leaving, they each had a bowl of food to take with them.
Auntie Dong's bowl was especially filled to the brim with pork until it was almost overflowing.
There's no need for so much. You can keep it for yourself!
The Dong family aunt wanted to decline.
It's fine, just take it! I can't eat meat anymore.
Qiao Mei smiled and said,
If I eat more, my man won't like me anymore.
Hearing this, the smiles of the people around her froze. The way Qiao Mei said it, it was as if the handsome young man had already taken a fancy to her.
By now, everyone knew that Qiao Mei's husband was tall and handsome. They also knew that Qiao Mei and him had been betrothed since they were young, and Qiao Qiang and his grandfather had a life-and-death relationship.
Moreover, everyone knew that today was actually a makeup date. The day that the handsome young man came to the village was the actual day of the wedding. It was written clearly on the marriage certificate.
Unfortunately, he had an important mission that day, so he had to leave first and he left on the next day.
That was what Qiao Qiang and Qiao Mei had told the villagers by way of explanation.
Qiao Mei was particularly insistent on clearly stating the actual day of their wedding. If she did not make it clear that they had already wedded that day, it would be difficult later to explain the children in her womb.
For this, Qiao Mei even pretended to be shy and had secretly asked the older ladies about the matters of the bedroom.
For example, continued bleeding for a few days after they consummated their marriage, was that abnormal?
She had felt pain down there for a few days, was she sick?
These questions shocked the older ladies. They thought that since the man could even accept someone like Qiao Mei, he was really not picky…
After a moment of surprise, they were not stingy at all with their experiences.
A child like Qiao Mei, who did not have her mother by her side to take care of her, was really pitiful… she was even muddled about these basic things!
Everyone believed what the pair of grandfather and granddaughter said together. However, the last point about the handsome lad leaving because he had a mission, no one believed that.
It must be Qiao Mei's looks that sent him away in a hurry.
After all, according to what the villagers said, Xia Zhe had left very quickly. He was in such a hurry to leave that he did not seem like a newlywed…
However, he still completed the marriage registration with Qiao Mei, which proved that he was a responsible man. He even got someone to send so many things and betrothal gifts. What a good man!
All the unmarried ladies in the village were extremely jealous of Qiao Mei for marrying such a good man.
Especially Qiao Yu, who dug in and ate two bowls of rice.
Chapter 40
Qiao Zhuang's family was preparing to start their farm work and only sent their eldest daughter-in-law and third daughter-in-law.
In the end, when they heard that half a pig's worth of pork was cooked, the whole family ran over in a hurry and ate to their hearts' content at Qiao Mei's house. When almost everyone had left, Qiao Zhuang's family still did not go.
Why are you all sitting there looking at me? Don't you know how to take the initiative to help? Wash the dishes and wipe the table. After you're done, you still have to return them to others!
Qiao Mei shouted at them.
They had invited the entire village over for a meal, but only one person from each household came. There were only six tables in the courtyard, but Qiao Zhuang's family already occupied two and a half tables!
With so many people here, Qiao Mei's house did not even have enough tables and cutlery. She had to borrow them from her neighbors.
Now that it was all done, she naturally had to wash all the borrowed items before returning them.
You wretched girl, you're actually ordering your second grandpa to work? You're really unfilial. How can you be like this?!
The Qiao family's eldest daughter-in-law sat where she was and lectured with her hands on her hips.
I didn't ask my second grandpa,
Qiao Mei said.
Big Auntie Qiao wanted to retort.
Qiao Mei added,
I didn't ask you either. Can't I ask your nephews and nieces? They're not my elders. After eating, can't they do some work?
Big Auntie Qiao choked on her words when she heard that.
The third auntie of the Qiao family put down the peanuts in her hand and said slowly,
Your male cousins don't do any work in the kitchen when they are at home. Don't expect them to do your chores.
In the end, she turned around and called out to Qiao Yu.
Qiao Yu, go help your niece! Don't be a freeloader!
Qiao Yu reluctantly put down the bowl and looked pitifully at Qiao Ye next to her.
Qiao Ye was the daughter of the Qiao family's third daughter-in-law. She was also 17 years old this year and another pitiful person who was not welcomed at home. She usually followed behind her mother and helped out with household chores all day long.
Seeing Qiao Yu's gaze, Qiao Ye nodded and stood up. She began to quietly clear the dishes and cutlery on the table.
Qiao Yu ran to Qiao Mei's side and smiled ingratiatingly.
Sister Qiao Mei, take a break and let them do this. Let's go in and take a look at your betrothal gifts and see what's inside!
There would definitely be betrothal gifts at a wedding.
These things were all belated gifts from Xia Zhe. Although he had no experience, he had gotten his uncle Qin Dong to help him settle all these. His uncle was the commissar and had helped many people with their marriages before so it was all very familiar to him.
Now that it was his own nephew's wedding, wouldn't he want to do a grand job?
After being aware of the basic situation of Qiao Mei's family, he prepared a list of things to buy including a few pieces of cloth, a few thick blankets, two large porcelain basins and some essential items like soap and towels, among others. These were all for the couple.
There were also some things that should have been prepared by Qiao Mei, but Qin Dong also bought them.
It was said that there were also several big ticket items like a bicycle, watches, a radio and a sewing machine!
These were Xia Zhe's real betrothal gifts!
However, Qin Dong was late with his instructions and it was not possible to get all these big-ticket items in one day in such a small town. Since second-hand items were not suitable for the occasion, Qin Dong had asked someone to buy them from the city and to send them over in a few days.
The story was repeated by the staff who came over to handle the matter. On a joyous occasion, people tended to want to repeat stories that could be shown off.
When they heard this, everyone in the village was extremely envious, especially Qiao Yu.
Among the betrothal gifts, there was a beautiful piece of colored cloth embroidered with golden thread. It sparkled under the sunlight and looked gorgeous.
It was not just Qiao Yu, no one in the village had ever seen such beautiful fabric.
Qiao Mei wearing such a fabric was simply a reckless waste!