Chapter 41
Qiao Yu walked over and looked intently at the cloth.
This piece of cloth looked really beautiful and it would look so good on her.
If the cloth was made into a dress, it would be the most beautiful dress in the world. If it was made into a pair of pants, it would be the most shiny pair of pants.
Qiao Yu could not help but walk closer and closer. She reached out with her fingers and was about to touch the fabric when a voice piped up from the side to stop her.
Stop!
Qiao Mei walked out from the side and reached out to stop her.
I'm just looking. not doing anything.
Qiao Yu sounded aggrieved to be called out in front of everyone and looked embarrassed.
She really liked this piece of fabric.
Oh?
Qiao Mei nodded and reached out to pull the cloth, but she then happened to flip it open, revealing banknotes inside.
Whoosh!
The money fell all over the ground, stunning everyone who was at the door.
Oh my goodness, so much money!
Big Auntie Qiao, who was at the door, tried to rush in with an uncontrollable look of joy on her face. She had never seen so much money in her life.
Qiao Mei spread out her arms and pushed away Big Auntie Qiao who was rushing over. Then she also stopped Third Auntie Qiao who was trying to sneakily make her through the door. The two women stood at the door and stomped their feet.
They might have been able to sneak some money home, but their plan was ruined now.
Qiao Mei gave the two of them a big smile before shouting,
Don't come over again. If you do it, don't blame me for being rude!
Big Auntie Qiao and Third Auntie Qiao looked at Qiao Mei's size and thought about how she had pushed them just now. They just stood where they were and did not move forward.
Qiao Yu also stood on the stop and did not move forward.
Qiao Mei faced outside and said,
I'm going in to take inventory. I'll have to trouble all you sisters to help me clean up the courtyard.
With that, she slammed the door shut.
Big Auntie Qiao and Third Auntie Qiao, who were left outside, felt very indignant. They craned their necks to look in through the window and could only vaguely see Qiao Mei bending down to pick up the money.
There were about two hundred banknotes on the ground.
Qiao Mei began to pick up the banknotes one by one.
She picked them up and placed them on the table, patted the dust off them and wiped them clean before starting to count the money.
There were a total of 200 banknotes now!
Wrapped in the middle of the cloth was also a piece of brown paper with two big words
Betrothal Gift
on it!
The two Qiao aunties standing outside the window were practically seeing stars. This was probably a few thousand dollars, it was way too much money for Qiao Mei's betrothal gift.
The person who married her was really generous!
Qiao Mei kept the money with a big smile and hid it close to her body before opening the door.
At that moment Qiao Mei opened the door.
The two Qiao aunties immediately rushed in. Qiao Mei knew what the two of them were up to, so she spoke up before them,
Let me say this first. If you want to take advantage of me, it's definitely impossible!
She gazed at the two aunties and her words were callous.
However, Big Auntie Qiao acted as if she did not hear anything. She smiled at Qiao Mei and said,
Qiao Mei, there are so many betrothal gifts in the house now and the two of you can't use them all. What about lending them to us?
Lend you?
Qiao Mei said lightly and glanced at her.
What are these things that you're talking about? Soap and towels?
I don't want to say this, but if I lend you things like soap and towels, how are you going to return them to me?
Big Auntie Qiao was speechless but she rolled her eyes and wanted to enter the room.
Second Uncle Qiao's family was not considered poor, but they did not buy things like soap so as to save money,
So none of them had really used soap before.
It's fine even if it's not soap. I don't mind things like basin or cloth or anything.
Big Auntie Qiao craned her head to look inside.
Next to her, Third Auntie Qiao was also casting a covetous stare.
Chapter 42
It was as if the things in this house were already theirs and they were now just short of bringing these things home.
These are my betrothal gifts. I won't lend anything to anyone, let alone let you take away even a needle or thread. You can rest assured of that!
Qiao Mei made it very clear in a direct manner. She was afraid that they would not understand her, so she made sure to emphasize the tone of her voice.
Anyone who heard her would know that she was not to be trifled with.
The two aunties looked at each other. Big Auntie Qiao walked over first and stuck her head out to look inside. She exclaimed,
I'll just look and I won't touch anything. I'm just going to take a look, you're not petty to the extent that I can't look, right?
At the side, Third Auntie Qiao was waiting for an opportunity to make a move, looking at the interaction between the two of them with shifty eyes.
One look and Qiao Mei immediately knew what the two of them were up to.
She then picked up a broom placed outside the door and waved it vigorously, shouting at the two aunties,
The two of you better don't come over. If you come any further, I can't guarantee that the broom in my hand won't swing at your heads and scratch your faces.
When the time comes, I'll see how you can get daughters-in-law with faces like that!
As she spoke, she spinned the broom around in her hand.
Coupled with the muscles on her arms, she looked a little scary. These few actions made the two aunties cry out in fear and they could not help taking a step back.
If you don't leave now, I'm going to call for help,
Qiao Mei continued.
I want to see which one of you wants to let the entire village know that you want to take away my betrothal gifts!
These words were meant to shame them.
Although the two Qiao aunties did not care about the opinions of the villagers, they felt a little afraid when they thought of the two comrades who sent over the betrothal gifts.
After all, they were soldiers. It would not be good if they heard about what happened.
There was no other choice. The two of them reluctantly took a last look at the piece of fabric in the room and then exchanged a look with each other. They turned around, full of resentment, and spat on the ground.
Pfft, do you really think we care about such lousy betrothal gifts?
That's right. I think that young man is really blind to marry you. Wait and see, when he sees your true colors after you marry him, he won't want you anymore!
Very quickly, the two of them walked further and further away, cursing every few steps.
When the two of them reached the front room, they saw people still in the courtyard and were glad they could finally find someone to talk to.
At this moment, other than the Qiao family, there were still a few neighbors who had not left yet.
Qiao Qiang sat on a stool, speaking to the person beside him with a smile.
When Big Auntie Qiao saw Qiao Qiang, she jogged over.
Uncle, you have to discipline your Qiao Mei. The two of us went to look at the betrothal gifts and wanted to borrow something. The moment we asked, we were chased out by Qiao Mei! She really has no affection for us as her aunties!
That's right, Uncle!
Third Auntie Qiao managed to squeeze some tears from her eyes.
Uncle, she can't step on people like this. I'm her aunt, not a thief. Is there a need for her to be so guarded? The two of us really feel terrible!
The people around them stopped what they were doing to glance at the two of them.
Qiao Zhuang glared at the two of them. They were really useless, not even able to handle such a small matter.
Qiao Yu took a look at Qiao Qiang and glanced at that room from the corner of her eye.
Third Auntie Qiao continued to kick up a fuss.
There's a lot of money wrapped in that cloth, probably a few thousand dollars. I don't think Qiao Mei is someone who knows how to save money. She might just wastefully spend it all!
Her voice was thunderous, as if she wanted the whole village to hear her.
A smug look flashed across her eyes. It would be good if everyone knew about it. If and when the money got stolen for no reason, then it would become a big joke.
Qiao Qiang slammed his liquor glass on the table and said,
The amount of betrothal gifts and money that our family has has nothing to do with your Qiao Zhuang's family. Don't even have any ideas about this money!
And those betrothal gifts all belong to my Mei Mei!
Chapter 43
My Mei Mei can use those betrothal gifts in any way she wants. She can give them to whoever she wants, or not. You people have no right to kick up a fuss there!
With that, he made a big tap with his walking stalk, which made a crisp knocking sound in the courtyard.
After the sound rang out, no one refuted him.
The remaining neighbors saw that Qiao Qiang did not look too good and found excuses to leave.
Fortunately, the leftover food and utensils in the courtyard were almost all cleaned up. When Qiao Mei came out later, she would just need to tidy up a little.
There were now only a few Qiao family members left in the courtyard.
Qiao Zhuang sat at the table next to Qiao Qiang and looked at him.
Big brother, don't be angry. We're not the kind of people who covet your Qiao Mei's betrothal gifts. Look, our Qiao Yu and Qiao Ye even helped you clean up the courtyard, right?
After all, we're all relatives!
These words did not sound like Qiao Zhuang at all.
Qiao Qiang looked at him strangely and kept quiet. Big Auntie Qiao and Third Auntie Qiao, who were next to him, hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Qiao Zhuang continued,
However, I have a favor to ask of you and I hope you can help me. If you can help me, we will always remember your kindness.
He spoke so nicely, but once Qiao Qiang recalled what he had done before, he remained furious.
Qiao Qiang glanced sideways at him.
What favor?
Hearing this, Qiao Zhuang continued,
I found a job in town for my fifth son at the town's supply and marketing cooperative. It's a good job!
He rubbed his chin proudly.
Qiao Qiang nodded.
It is a good job!
It was true that in the current era, having a job in the supply and marketing cooperative was equivalent to working at a supermarket in a shopping mall. One did not have to do farm work in the village and it was a good job that everyone would be envious of.
Among the people living in the areas surrounding the village, who would not want a job in town?
Furthermore, it was still in the supply and marketing cooperative. There was money to be made and the work was light.
Right, so our village is more than ten miles away from town, which means that it's a walk of about 30 miles a day. This is really too far,
Qiao Zhuang continued.
I'm actually thinking of getting my fifth son a bicycle. Coincidentally, Qiao Mei doesn't really go out and won't need a bicycle.
Why not let my fifth son ride it for now and if Qiao Mei needs it in the future, we will send it over whenever you want!
Send it over?
This is definitely impossible. After all, once things are in our house, there would be nothing to spit out.
A smile flashed across Qiao Zhuang's eyes, but he did not show it on his face.
In this era, it was normal for relatives to borrow things from each other. Although the things that they wanted to borrow were Qiao Mei's betrothal gifts, betrothal gifts were also things meant to be used, were they not?
Big Auntie Qiao, who was beside him, was instantly filled with delight and looked eagerly at the bicycle parked in the courtyard.
This was a brand new bicycle!
Once it reached Qiao Zhuang's house, it would mean that she would also be able to ride it. This bicycle would belong to them and no one would be able to take it away.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Qiang did not beat around the bush at all.
He pulled a long face and said gruffly,
No!
This answer shattered Big Auntie Qiao's fantasy straightaway, making her frown with unhappiness.
Uncle, you won't lend us either this or that. Are we still relatives? Are you really not going to give us any favors? Then if anything happens to Qiao Mei in the future, don't look to our family for help!
She did not say much, but her words carried a faint threat.
The meaning was obvious. They wanted Qiao Mei's bicycle and if they did not get it, they would not consider the two families to be relatives anymore!
Haha!
When Qiao Qiang heard this, he laughed so happily that his beard shook.
Chapter 44
Even if I give you this bicycle, will you help my family? I'm afraid not, right? Your family is so used to snatching things from others, and now you want to snatch things from my house?
There was a little harshness in the last sentence.
After all, he was once a soldier and had killed people on the battlefield. He retained an imposing manner and could still be very fierce.
He glared at them and none of the Qiao family members dared to speak.
Even Qiao Zhuang just opened his mouth but did not say anything.
I'll say this today. Don't you dare have any ideas about my Mei Mei's betrothal gifts. Those things all belong to her and she can do anything with them. You're not allowed to take even a single needle and thread!
Qiao Qiang's voice was firm and powerful.
These words caused the Qiao family members to be speechless and they stood on the spot, looking at one another. For a moment, the courtyard fell into a strange silence and no one said a word.
After a while, Qiao Zhuang stood up and shouted,
Go back!
He stomped his foot on the ground, which made a loud sound. Then he stood up first and walked towards the main door.
Behind him, the Qiao family members also filed out. Their greedy gazes swept across the bicycle in the courtyard and they left reluctantly.
After they left, the entire courtyard finally fell quiet.
Qiao Qiang sat on the stool and recalled the first time he saw Qiao Mei. At that time, he had just returned from the capital. Once he got home, he only managed to find out that his son had died of illness and his daughter-in-law had remarried.
His only granddaughter was being fostered by his second brother, Qiao Zhuang.
He hurriedly ran to Qiao Zhuang's house, only to see a very skinny girl in the courtyard. The hair on her head was very sparse and her entire face was sallow and thin, and it looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
The little girl sat alone in the courtyard, washing clothes.
Her small body looked so small in front of a big basin and it was shocking to see her small hands covered in sores.
Upon asking, he was surprised to find out that this little girl was Qiao Mei!
Without another word, he brought Qiao Mei back to his house. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed and that skinny little girl from back then had grown up so well.
Grandfather!
Just as Qiao Qiang was immersed in his memories, he did not realize that Qiao Mei was already behind him. He responded softly, looking a little down.
If only he had come back earlier, his granddaughter would not have suffered so much.
Qiao Mei quickly went in front of her grandfather with a handful of bean sprouts.
She beamed and showed it to Qiao Qiang.
Grandfather, look. Our bean sprouts are ready. We can sell them in the city tomorrow!
She looked extremely happy.
Good good good!
Looking at the fresh bean sprouts in her hand, Qiao Qiang could not help but cheer three times.
I'll go with you tomorrow morning. I won't be at ease if you go alone. You haven't been to the city yet!
Okay! Grandfather, you go in to rest first. I'll clean up the house,
Qiao Mei replied obediently.
After Qiao Mei finished cleaning up, she fell asleep quickly.
Early the next morning, the two of them woke up to crowing sounds coming from the backyard. At this time, it was just early dawn and the air was very fresh.
Qiao Mei prepared a simple breakfast and ate with Qiao Qiang before they set off for the city.
She carried a large basket of bean sprouts on her back. When she thought of how nice the bean sprouts looked, she felt happy and not tired at all. After all, she did have a lot of strength.
After transmigrating here, her strength was the thing she was most satisfied with. Not only could she punish evil people to protect herself, but she could also do farm work!
The village was more than ten miles away from the town and the two of them had to walk there.
The two of them started walking before dawn and it took them more than an hour to reach the town. They only took a break when they reached the train station in town.
Not long after, they got on a train that came through the town and arrived in the city.
Chapter 45
As soon as they arrived in the city, Qiao Qiang straightaway led Qiao Mei to the armed forces department where his previous subordinates were.
Xiao Chen, I'm here!
Qiao Qiang walked straight into the innermost office of the armed forces department and went to sit down on the sofa, looking extremely relaxed.
Qiao Mei was shocked to see him behaving as if he had returned to his home.
However, she did not expect that someone would have a bigger reaction than her.
A person jumped out from behind the table with an excited expression and shouted,
Commander Qiao, why are you here? I really miss you!
Very quickly, a burly man with stubble all over his face appeared in front of them. He was more than 1.8 meters tall and had a silly smile on his face.
He was Chen Hu!
Nicknamed Hu Zi, he was one of the soldiers reporting to Qiao Qiang back then.
He was now working in the armed forces department. As he had real-life experience on the battlefield, he was now considered one of the heads in the armed forces department.
Qiao Qiang had come here to look for his old subordinate.
When Qiao Qiang heard his words, he waved his hand.
Don't address me as commander anymore. I'm no longer a regiment commander and it sounds very awkward!
Okay, okay, okay!
Chen Hu immediately agreed and then he looked worried. He checked out Qiao Qiang carefully and continued,
How's your health? Why are you here, did something happen?
He knew that Qiao Qiang's body was already exhausted and he was not as healthy as before.
Initially, he wanted to fetch Qiao Qiang to the sanatorium in the city. However, Qiao Qiang firmly rejected the idea. It seemed like he could not let go of his little granddaughter.
Coming to the city now, could it be… He looked at Qiao Qiang worriedly.
However, Qiao Qiang shook his head and said with a rosy face,
My health is so much better than before. It's all thanks to my Mei Mei taking good care of me!
There was cheerfulness in his voice.
A look of surprise flashed across Chen Hu's eyes. He looked Qiao Qiang up and down and found him to be in good spirits indeed.
He was genuinely happy about that.
After saying that, he smiled and glanced at Qiao Mei beside him before continuing,
I'm here mainly to ask you for a favor!
Aiyo! Old regiment commander, please don't say that. Just tell me what you want me to do!
Chen Hu replied quickly, feeling abashed and waving his hands.
Back then, he was just a junior soldier under Commander Qiao. Now, as long as Commander Qiao wanted something, he just needed to say it out.
Then, he turned his attention to the big basket of things that Qiao Mei had placed on the floor.
The big basket was covered with thatch and he was unable to see what was inside.
At first, he just thought that this was something they had come to buy in the city!
But now, there was probably something more interesting inside.
Come and take a look!
Qiao Qiang walked up to the bean sprouts and lifted the thatch covering it.
At this moment, Chen Hu finally saw what was inside.
This was actually a basket full of bean sprouts!
The crisp bean sprouts were neatly arranged in the big basket. The sprouts were emerald green with a slight shine to them and the buds on them also appeared crisp, making them look very appetizing.
I came here this time because I want you to help me find a market for this. Look at these bean sprouts, they're so fresh and look so delicious!
Qiao Qiang said, looking at the bean sprouts happily.
Chen Hu reached out to pick up a few bean sprouts, put them in his mouth and chew them.
He did not expect to taste something so crisp and fragrant with traces of sweetness the moment they entered his mouth. It was no different from eating high quality fruits.
It did not even have the taste of beans!
These were indeed high quality bean sprouts and would definitely make a delicious stir-fry.
Xiao Liu!
After Chen Hu finished tasting the bean sprouts, he yelled towards the direction of the door.
Hurry up and come over!
When the guard standing outside the door heard him, he immediately jogged into the room, saluted Qiao Qiang and Chen Hu and waited respectfully for instructions.
Take this basket of bean sprouts to the supply and marketing cooperative now. After you get it registered there, buy back the basket of bean sprouts! Do you understand?
Chen Hu said sternly and took out 20 dollars from his pocket.
Chapter 46
The junior soldier standing there was stunned for a moment. Then, he glanced at Qiao Qiang before he quickly snapped back to attention.
He immediately said loudly,
I promise to complete the mission!
Chen Hu nodded, indicating that he could take the bean sprouts away. However, to his surprise, when the soldier reached out to pick up the bean sprouts, he stumbled.
His hands almost did not manage to lift the bean sprouts!
This scene really gave Chen Hu a shock. He also walked forward and reached out to try lifting the basket of bean sprouts.
He got a shock the moment he tried to lift it up.
This basket of bean sprouts had to weigh at least 100 catties. This girl was actually carrying such a heavy load of bean sprouts on her back when she came in just now?
He turned to look at Qiao Mei in shock.
Qiao Mei, who was standing at the side, smiled and looked at Chen Hu. She greeted him sweetly,
Hello, Uncle Chen!
The first thing he saw was her huge figure, but her voice made people think of a Lolita-like character with a young girl's sweet tone. Coupled with her figure, it was a little… contrasting.
He was stunned for a moment, then he nodded.
He remembered hearing that Xia Zhe was very satisfied and liked Qiao Mei a lot.
This fetish… is really…
Chen Hu looked at Qiao Mei and praised,
Such a heavy basket, you're not bad!
Hehe, it's not a big deal! All the flesh on my body is not just for show!
Qiao Mei replied with a grin.
From the interaction between Qiao Qiang and him just now, she could tell that this uncle must be a good person and was a person that she could be close with.
Hahahaha!
Chen Hu laughed heartily. He felt that Qiao Mei had a good personality. She was indeed Qiao Qiang's granddaughter.
After that, he glared at the soldier beside him and hollered,
Why aren't you taking it? What are you waiting for?
Yes!
The soldier immediately responded and picked up the basket from the floor before walking out.
After that was done, Chen Hu immediately invited his two esteemed guests to the tea room inside. Then he made some tea, poured them water and placed snacks and fruits on the table. After he was done, he closed the door.
Old leader!
Chen Hu stuck his head out and had a look outside the room before he sat back to look at Qiao Qiang and said,
I feel that the sky here… is going to change again!
He hesitated as he spoke.
However, when he saw Qiao Qiang glaring at him, he continued,
I feel that the sky here… is really going to change!
It's time for a change!
Qiao Qiang took a sip of water and spoke slowly.
The current policy did not allow private transactions. In the current market, only some agricultural by-products could be bought and sold. Even for the supply and marketing cooperative, there were certain things that they could accept but not others.
Right now, it was still not possible to buy and sell everything, so Qiao Mei's bean sprouts could only be sold in the city.
However, the current atmosphere was already different from before.
In other words, the world was about to change!
Qiao Mei, who was beside him, pretended not to understand anything, but she was thinking that it was still a little too early for that.
From the perspective of a modern person like her, change was sure to happen because the market economy would definitely open up. For the sake of development, there definitely needed to be an open economy.
This was a good thing for the country and for everyone.
Thinking about the opening of the economy, she suddenly remembered a major event that would happen this year. That would be the huge earthquake in March.
Many people died in that great earthquake.
Since I have already transmigrated to this era, should I be doing something?
Perhaps by doing that, I won't waste my role as a transmigrator?
As she thought of that, a look of contemplation flashed across her eyes.
…
At the supply and marketing cooperative.
Xiao Liu carried the basket of bean sprouts to the supply and marketing cooperative and when the clerk inside saw that it was Chen Hu's guard, he immediately came out to welcome him.
Chapter 47
What brings you here?
the clerk asked cheerfully.
Xiao Liu was mindful of what Chen Hu told him and immediately said,
This is our Section Head Chen's bean sprouts. Hurry up and weigh it. After that, I still have to bring it back quickly!
Okay, okay!
The clerk was also good at handling such matters.
Once he saw this situation, he knew what he had to do. After taking the basket of bean sprouts, he quickly weighed and registered it.
Everything was done in a jiffy.
The clerk looked at the green bean sprouts in the basket and could not help himself from reaching out to take a few for a taste.
After putting them in his mouth, his eyes lit up and he said,
How much are these bean sprouts? It's crispy and sweet and really delicious.
With that, he wanted to take some bean sprouts out of the basket again.
He did not expect Xiao Liu, who was beside him, to slap his hand away and said loudly,
You can't eat anymore. Our Section Head Chen is still waiting for this basket of bean sprouts!
Let me have half a catty… or no, give me a catty!
Xiao Liu was direct in his reply.
He could not help it. The quality of these bean sprouts was really too good. The bean sprouts were so crispy and sweet that they would definitely be very delicious when stir-fried. They could even pass off as fruits.
No way!
Xiao Liu immediately refused righteously.
Section Head Chen had instructed that not a single bean sprout should go missing.
With that, he carried the bean sprouts back.
In the office.
Xiao Liu came in with the basket on his back and handed over the money he made.
A total of 107 catties, sold for 15 dollars and 53 cents. This is the money earned!
Okay,
Chen Hu replied and turned to hand the money to Qiao Mei.
Qiao Mei was very happy and reached out to count the 15 dollars and 53 cents.
The cost of this trip was only two to three dollars, but they had made a net profit of 12 to 13 dollars. This was simply a huge profit!
I'm only selling one basket now. What if I sell more than ten baskets a day? What if I sell more?
Aren't I going to be rich?
Thinking of this, she felt a warmth in her heart, as if she had already earned a lot of money.
She looked at Chen Hu and immediately asked,
Uncle Chen, what do you plan to do with these bean sprouts?
Bring home half of the lot to eat and distribute the other half to everyone in this place, so that everyone gets to have a taste of these bean sprouts!
Chen Hu said immediately without any hesitation.
Since he would not be able to finish all these delicious bean sprouts, he must definitely share them with others.
However, when Qiao Mei heard this, she shook her head in disapproval.
I still have six baskets at home. If I bring one basket every day in the future, can all of you still finish it?
Chen Hu was at a loss for words.
Qiao Qiang, who was at the side, felt a little awkward. He lowered his head and pretended to drink his tea silently, but he was actually trying to suppress his laughter.
This was also what he intended to tell Chen Hu. Now that his Mei Mei had said it out, there was no need for him to waste his breath.
Mei Mei actually managed to think like him.
How intelligent!
Chen Hu, who was at the side, thought for a moment and picked up a handful of bean sprouts. He immediately agreed and said,
That should be fine. If it's one basket a day, it will still be all eaten up!
These bean sprouts were so delicious that even if he did not eat it himself, he could give it to other people and they would like it.
Besides, he could also sell it.
This quality and price were already very good and there would definitely be buyers.
However, he did not expect Qiao Mei to speak again,
What if I can deliver 10 baskets a day?
This sentence completely choked Chen Hu up.
10 baskets a day?
Won't eating so much bean sprouts make me look like one?
There was definitely no way to consume so much bean sprouts. Even if he could give them away for free, he did not make that much salary to buy them all!
In this case, there was really nothing he could do.
A look of shock flashed across his face before he said,
10 baskets a day… We…
He did not finish his sentence, but it was obvious from his expression.
Chapter 48
Qiao Mei burst out laughing and was forthright with her opinion.
I feel that you don't have to take all of it yourself. You can sell these bean sprouts in the supply and marketing cooperative. The quality of these bean sprouts is so good that there will definitely be buyers!
With such a big volume of bean sprouts, it would be best if they could supply it to major hotels or restaurants.
That would mean high demand and stable sales.
However, the market had not opened up yet so they could not openly send the bean sprouts to hotels or restaurants. They could only settle for the next best thing and send them to the supply and marketing cooperative as the fixed marketplace.
This way, there would be a location to conduct the transactions.
It was also not a bad choice.
Chen Hu had sat in his seat worrying about the issue but now his eyes lit up. He looked at Qiao Mei and gave her a thumbs up. He turned towards Qiao Qiang and praised,
Not bad! Old Leader, your little girl is really smart!
Alright, send as many bean sprouts as you have. As long as you put them at our supply and marketing cooperative, we will definitely help you sell them!
The way he spoke was very bold and forthright.
Qiao Mei and Qiao Qiang both nodded. After hearing that, they bade farewell to Chen Hu.
…
The two of them left the office and went to the supply and marketing cooperative at the opposite side.
Qiao Mei's eyes shone as she looked at the 15 dollars she had just received.
Now that she finally had money in her hands, and it was money she had earned herself, she could buy more things now.
Although there were the betrothal gifts at home, those were all good fabrics and brand new. Qiao Mei could not bear to use them.
She would now go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some fabric to make some blankets and stuff so that she would not dirty the new bedding.
Furthermore, she was now pregnant.
She still had to make some clothes for the children so that once they were born, they would be able to wear the clothes she had made for them herself.
Maybe things like little hats, little pants, little pajamas. Just the thought of that made Qiao Mei's heart tingle. The moment she walked into the supply and marketing cooperative, she went on a buying frenzy!
Qiao Qiang stood at the side and watched her choose one thing after another.
By the time they came out of the supply and marketing cooperative, she had already spent all the 15 dollars in her hands. Even the retirement salary of 50 dollars that Qiao Qiang just received had been completely spent.
The big basket on her back was now filled with fabric and daily necessities.
The two of them got off the train and walked home happily. Qiao Qiang thought about how the 50 dollars he had just received was gone in the blink of an eye as well as the extra 15 dollars.
The speed at which she spent money… was really a little fast!
However, the money was finally not spent on only food this time but on buying useful things. In that sense, it was quite reasonable.
That's alright… My granddaughter is no longer a little girl and has become a young lady.
It was time that she paid attention to her looks. He just wondered what his Mei Mei would look like when she was all dressed up.
His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Qiao Mei's plump figure in front of him.
…
However, what the two of them did not know was that just as they were walking home from the train station in town, there were two people knocking on their door.
Knock, knock!
Knock, knock. Is anyone home?
Two people, who looked like delivery men and had a vehicle parked behind them, were knocking on Qiao Mei's door.
After two minutes of knocking, there was still no response.
What should we do? There shouldn't be no one inside, right?
One of the delivery men at the door frowned and said.
The other man nodded, also doubtfully trying to listen out for sounds in the courtyard.
At this moment, Qiao Yu, who was passing by Qiao Mei's house, heard their conversation and walked towards them.
She asked,
Hello, are you here to look for this family?
As she spoke, she looked at the truck behind them.
She could vaguely see some big boxes inside with words like sewing machine and other wording on them.
Could it be that… these two were here to deliver betrothal gifts?
At the thought of this, the smile on Qiao Yu's face became even more obvious and she looked at the two comrades.
One of them said,
Hello, comrade. We're here to deliver the betrothal gifts. Do you know where this family has gone?
Chapter 49
Oh! Hello, I'm a relative of this family and the bride is my relative. I heard that they went to the city early in the morning and I don't know when they'll be back,
Qiao Yu said slowly.
As expected, she saw the troubled expressions on the two comrades' faces.
The sky was almost dark outside now. If they could not go back on time, it would be difficult to make their way around when it got dark.
How about this!
Qiao Yu continued.
Why don't you guys leave the things in my courtyard first? When they come back, they can just move them back from my house!
Put them in a relative's house?
The two delivery comrades looked at each other and sized up Qiao Yu. They could see that Qiao Yu had mud on herself and it was likely that she had just returned from the field.
It was probably believable!
After the two of them exchanged a look, one of them said,
Alright, then please lead the way. We'll put the things in your courtyard first and they can retrieve them when they're back!
Okay, okay! Let's go!
Qiao Yu said.
Along the way, the two of them also did not just blindly believe what Qiao Yu said. They asked Qiao Yu about her relationship with Qiao Mei and found out that they were indeed relatives.
However, no one in the village said anything about how the relationship was.
There were also some people who wanted to see Qiao Mei being made a fool. They wanted to see Qiao Mei's reaction when she returned and found out that her dowry had been snatched by Qiao Zhuang's family!
They did not want to offend Qiao Qiang.
However, it was best not to offend Qiao Zhuang too.
After all, Qiao Zhuang was a village bully and had done countless evil deeds in the village. Everyone was afraid of him and did not want to be chased around with a broom by his family.
After Qiao Yu left, many people talked about her.
This Qiao Yu is really not a good thing!
A few women in the village stood together and discussed among themselves as they watched Qiao Yu leave.
That's right, that's right. How could she take Qiao Mei's dowry to her own house?
However, did you notice that Qiao Mei seems to have changed a little? She has become a little different from the Qiao Mei we remembered!
Oh yes, she seems to have become fairer and she speaks a bit nicer now.
She's completely different from how we imagined her in the past. In the past, I thought she was ugly and lazy, but now I think she's quite normal!
…
Qiao Yu led the two men to Qiao Zhuang's courtyard.
It was evening and Qiao Zhuang's family was having dinner. When they saw the few people, they were stunned.
Qiao Zhuang looked at Qiao Yu and did not say anything.
Qiao Yu smiled and made introductions.
These two are comrades who came to deliver betrothal gifts. There's no one at Sister Qiao Mei's house, so they'll leave the things at our house first. When they come back, we'll send them over!
Looks of surprise flashed across the eyes of everyone at the table.
Big Auntie Qiao smiled at the two comrades and said,
Thank you for your hard work, comrades. It's safer to put the things in our house!
There was no need to say it any clearer. The family immediately understood.
After all, who would have anything against these big-ticket items?
The whole family was grinning from ear to ear as they looked at the truck full of items. They carried the items out of the truck together with the two comrades and flattering words rolled off their tongues constantly, sweet-talking the two comrades into a false sense of security.
They successfully sent the two of them off in the end.
Qiao Zhuang and his family then sat in the courtyard and looked again at the betrothal gifts in front of them. They were all pleasantly surprised as they discussed the issue.
Wow! So many betrothal gifts are all in our house now?!
Big Auntie Qiao looked at the sewing machine in front of her and chuckled.
At this moment, the second auntie looked at the sewing machine and asked curiously,
When do you intend to return this betrothal gift?
She was the village accountant, so she naturally did not need a sewing machine.
However, it was always good to have these things. Whenever these things were mentioned, the villagers would get so envious.
What do you mean by return?
Qiao Zhuang said unhurriedly. He glanced at Second Auntie Qiao and said coldly,
Since this betrothal gift is already in our house, then it belongs to us.
So naturally I'll return it when it's broken!
Then, he turned towards Qiao Yu, who was standing in the corner as usual, and said,
Qiao Yu, you did well this time!
Chapter 50
Qiao Yu stood on the spot and looked at Qiao Zhuang in disbelief.
The family had always treated her as an invisible person, so she had never been on the receiving end of such treatment. This was because the men in the family never even bothered to look at her, let alone praise her like this.
At this moment, she felt a sense of great joy.
She opened her mouth excitedly.
Yes, yes!
There was a sense of uncontrollable excitement in her chest.
Qiao Zhuang was even happier. He looked at the things in the courtyard and laughed loudly.
…
On the way home with her grandfather, Qiao Mei bumped into the villagers who had finished work for the day.
When the villagers saw the pair of grandfather and granddaughter carrying many shopping bags, they were not surprised but greeted them normally instead.
Qiao Mei and her grandfather had always been like this. On the day that Qiao Qiang received his salary, they would go shopping and then come back with many shopping bags.
Ordinary families may not even be able to go shopping once a year, but Qiao Mei's family would go shopping every month. Every time, they looked as though they were doing major shopping for the new year and would attract a lot of attention.
However, this time round, everyone's expression was a little strange.
There were people snickering at the pair of them, people who looked like they were gleefully waiting to watch some drama and people who shook their heads and sighed.
Everyone had a different expression, but there was something strange about the expressions on many people's faces.
Qiao Mei frowned and asked directly,
Why do you all have an expression like this? Did my house collapse?
The people around her were stunned and looked over in surprise.
Qiao Qiang was also caught by surprise. He did not expect his granddaughter to be able to tell that there was something wrong and he was quite impressed.
The passers-by stopped and looked at one another. No one made a sound.
Qiao Mei had a bad feeling.
What's going on? Did my house really collapse?
Qiao Mei frowned and her tone became fierce.
Her voice had a sweet Lolita-like tone. When she spoke, her voice was delicate and soft, making it impossible to intimidate anyone. Instead, it would sound funny if she tried.
If she did not sound so fierce, she probably would not make people feel afraid but would make them laugh instead.
No, no!
A few people standing in front of her replied as they shook their heads and met her gaze.
This little girl's voice was cute, but she had an imposing manner.
Her eyes were fixed on them, making them feel timid. She spoke again.
If the house is fine… then the vegetable field at home was dug up?
Qiao Mei continued to ask.
Her tone was still fierce.
No, no!
The people in the crowd beside her continued to reply.
Everyone looked like they wanted to say something but did not dare to speak for some reason.
Seeing them like this, Qiao Mei suddenly thought of Qiao Zhuang's family.
Qiao Mei continued,
Could it be… related to Qiao Zhuang's family? Did they do something again?
As soon as she mentioned Qiao Zhuang's family, Qiao Mei felt that the people in the crowd immediately shut their mouths and kept quiet.
The mood became even more serious.
At this point, Qiao Mei finally understood one thing. This matter must be related to Qiao Zhuang's family and nobody dared to say it out loud because of the thuggish behavior of Qiao Zhuang's family.
Everyone looked shocked to find that Qiao Mei had made a correct guess.
Qiao Mei did not know anything at first, but based on her own guesses, she gradually found the real culprit.
Impressive!
When did Qiao Mei become so clever?
All the various expressions on people's faces were very interesting. The way they looked at Qiao Mei also changed a little, but the whole place was still silent.
I understand now. I'll go to Qiao Zhuang's house to take a look later.
Qiao Mei waved her hand and made a move to go home with the basket on her back.
In her other life, she was a senior lawyer who specialized in cases dealing with vicious people. Those people thought that they were very powerful, so they bullied other people and did all kinds of evil things.
People like that dared to do anything.
Chapter 51
It was normal for these villagers to have concerns. After all, they still had to live in this village and it was not wise for them to become enemies with Qiao Zhuang's family.
She heard that Qiao Zhuang's wife was snatched home by him and forced to marry him.
She did not know if he had killed anyone, but there was one thing she could be sure of, and that was he definitely did not do as many bad things as the people Qiao Mei had put to trial in her other life.
After Qiao Mei and Qiao Qiang left, the crowd continued walking forward.
However, Third Auntie Qiao, who was in the crowd, took a look at what had happened and quickly ran back to her house.
…
Qiao Qiang stood behind Qiao Mei and looked at her basket-carrying back view with a smile in his eyes.
Mei Mei is amazing!
He had never expected his Mei Mei to be able to find out what was going on, but just now, Mei Mei had managed to find out everything by just asking a few questions.
He had initially thought of going to ask Zhao Liang about it. The fact that Qiao Zhuang was involved in the matter would definitely put Zhao Liang in a difficult position.
After all, this matter was about the bullies in the village. It was hard to decide whether to talk about it.
He had completely no intention to make things difficult for Zhao Liang and he also did not want to implicate so many other people in his own affairs.
But now, his Mei Mei had found out everything with just a short conversation.
How impressive!
…
Very quickly, the two of them reached home. Qiao Mei put down everything and went to the kitchen to cook.
After being out for a whole day, even if she was not hungry, Qiao Qiang must be hungry.
She went into the kitchen and picked up a cabbage. With some lard, she made a simple dish of cabbage fried with lard.
Coupled with a bowl of thick porridge, it felt extremely comforting.
After Qiao Qiang comfortably finished drinking a bowl, he sat on the stool and looked at Qiao Mei while trying hard to keep his eyes open.
Mei Mei, don't go to Qiao Zhuang's house alone. When grandfather feels better, grandfather will go with you!
Grandfather, don't worry. I won't enter his house!
Qiao Mei said as she quickly tidied up the things on the table.
There were too many people in his house and she was outnumbered. Even though she was not afraid of this family, she would not go in and argue with them.
She would be at a great disadvantage.
She was not a stupid person and would not do something that would hurt herself.
Then what do you plan to do?
Qiao Qiang asked as he yawned and forced himself to keep his eyes open.
Qiao Mei wiped the table and continued,
I'll just walk around the area near their house and see what's going on!
That's not good either. What if they find out and decide to attack you?
Qiao Qiang said worriedly.
It's okay, I'm not someone who will let myself suffer!
Qiao Mei said as she clenched her fists and looked at her strong body.
Her current body was herculean with great strength.
However, Qiao Zhuang had a lot of family members and they were all shameless. Naturally, their behavior could not be predicted using common sense and Qiao Qiang was still afraid that Qiao Mei would be at a disadvantage.
Grandfather, don't worry. I'll just go one round and I won't force it!
Qiao Mei packed up the house and turned around to leave.
Qiao Qiang nodded helplessly and did not say anything else. Although his body had recovered a lot, he was also afraid that he would not be able to hold on for long. It was necessary to let Qiao Mei go out and explore by herself.
…
Qiao Mei quietly walked out of the door and walked around Qiao Zhuang's family house, but she did not enter.
She was pregnant with twins now and her stomach was very precious. She could not go head-on with people like them as her babies were priceless.
If they should bump into her, they would not be able to bear the responsibility in the event that anything went wrong.
After she made a round, Qiao Mei walked to a big tree beside Qiao Zhuang's house. After a round of energy exchange, this tree could finally communicate normally with her.
This tree was a 100-year-old tree with a trunk two to three meters thick.
However, it was not really able to understand what Qiao Mei meant. It could only try its best to describe the things and people it had seen.
Soon, this big tree told Qiao Mei what it had seen.
When it was dark today, Qiao Yu had brought people who drove a truck full of things to her house. Qiao Zhuang and his family were very happy and praised Qiao Yu.
Chapter 52
It also said that the sewing machine, radio and watch was hidden under the bed and placed among the firewood in the east room. It also told Qiao Mei where everything else was hidden.
After Qiao Mei heard everything, she smiled and left.
Now was not the time to fight them head-on. She was much more precious than this group of people.
When Qiao Mei returned, she saw that her grandfather was actually still awake, desperately trying to stay awake just to wait for her.
He only fell into a deep sleep after making sure that Qiao Mei was fine.
The next morning, Qiao Mei carried her basket and went to the city alone.
She had experience now after her grandfather showed her the way yesterday.
Chen Hu, who had been waiting in the office for a long time, heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly let Xiao Liu take over the basket.
Yesterday, he had already contacted the people he was going to send the produce to. If Qiao Mei did not turn up today, it would be hard for him to explain himself. Others would think that he was hiding these bean sprouts from them.
At least she was here now.
When she got there, the first thing Qiao Mei said was,
Uncle Chen, I was bullied by someone in the village!
Her voice was righteous and very loud.
Chen Hu was stunned for a moment before he immediately replied,
Who bullied you? Tell uncle quickly so that uncle can stand up for you!
Behind him, Xiao Liu also nodded hurriedly.
A smile flashed across Qiao Mei's eyes. This uncle is indeed reliable!
My betrothal gifts, including the radio, watch and sewing machine, which cost about 700 to 800 dollars, were robbed by my Second Grandpa's family!
Qiao Mei said.
Chen Hu was stunned for a moment. He originally thought that the type of bullying Qiao Mei meant was something like a simple fight between people of the same age. He did not expect it to involve robbing!
And robbing of betrothal gifts at that!
This was even more unacceptable. He had never heard of anyone robbing betrothal gifts. This was a really wicked thing to do.
I'll bring people immediately… No, no, no.
Chen Hu seemed to have thought of something else and continued,
How about this? You bring more than 10 people back with you now and go grab the betrothal gifts back. I want to see who dares to fight back!
If they dare to fight back, get Xiao Liu to bring them all in!
At this point, his eyes flared with ferocity.
This was no longer the junior soldier reporting to Qiao Qiang, but the section head of the armed forces department in the city. Whoever dared to provoke him would definitely have to pay the price.
Xiao Liu nodded and went out with the basket of bean sprouts.
Thank you, Uncle Chen!
Qiao Mei smiled and thanked him.
Chen Hu laughed and then seemed to have thought of something.
Look at the life you're living now… When you go back, go and persuade your grandfather to look on the bright side of things. Your uncle and auntie didn't do things on purpose back then. Tell him not to take it to heart.
Now… he should be enjoying time with his children and grandchildren. Besides, isn't the standard of medical care better in the capital now? That's good news for his illness!
Qiao Mei was dumbfounded and stunned when she heard this.
What? Uncle and auntie?
In all of Qiao Mei's past memories, there were no uncles or aunties. Where did the uncle and auntie come from?
Her father was an only child. When she was young, her grandmother was killed by bandits on the mountain, which was the reason why Qiao Qiang joined the army in a fit of anger and became a soldier.
Where did these uncle and auntie come from now?
Ever since Qiao Qiang returned to the village, Qiao Mei had never heard Qiao Qiang mention it nor did she have any impression of it.
Although Qiao Mei was very surprised, she quickly adjusted her expression and said in a light manner to Chen Hu,
Grandfather won't go to the capital alone to look for them. Grandfather is worried about me.
How would he be alone? Your auntie and the others live in a big house in the capital. You're just one more person and they naturally won't mind you joining them. Your grandfather won't be separated from you either.
Chapter 53
Besides, the standard of medical care in the capital is definitely better than what we have here. When the time comes, your grandfather's illness…
Chen Hu continued.
Qiao Qiang's illness…
Although the doctor said that it was incurable, it would be good to be able to enjoy life in the capital at the end of one's life.
Your grandfather still can't let go of what happened back then.
Chen Hu gave a long sigh.
If Qiao Guo and Qiao Lan hadn't cut ties with your grandfather back then, perhaps they would have been dragged down by him. Who can judge right from wrong about things that happened back then?
At this point, Qiao Mei's eyes lit up!
Qiao Guo and Qiao Lan? Now that she even knew their names, she would have the upper hand on things in the future.
In that chaotic era of self-preservation, such things were quite common.
Moreover, according to Chen Hu, her grandfather was the regiment commander back then. From being regiment commander to returning to the countryside to recuperate, she could imagine how much suffering her grandfather had gone through.
In the face of imminent danger, it was very normal for everyone to protect themselves.
She wondered if Qiao Guo and Qiao Lan were her grandfather's biological or adopted children?
Grandfather is unwilling to tell me about what happened back then.
Qiao Mei asked curiously,
How old are my uncle and auntie? What exactly happened in the past?
Chen Hu sighed resignedly and recalled what happened at that time.
He really could not bear to see Commander Qiao living alone. Besides, Qiao Mei was now married and would naturally have to leave to be with her husband's family one day. At that time, he could not imagine his old regiment commander being all alone.
Just thinking about that scene of his old regiment commander being all by himself when the time came made him feel terrible.
It would be good to tell Qiao Mei the story about her uncle and auntie now. This way, she would be able to understand the situation at home and it might be easier for Qiao Mei to persuade his old regiment commander.
Thinking of this, Chen Hu explained,
Your uncle and auntie are the children of the second wife that the regiment commander married when he was 35 years old. Now, one of them is 38 years old and the other is 36 years old. Back then, your grandfather and his father-in-law had a quarrel because of different opinions and then later, Commander Qiao came back to our village alone.
I see!
Qiao Mei nodded.
In that case, her grandfather must have had such a different opinion from them that they could not live together. She wondered how they were doing now.
What about them now?
Qiao Mei continued to ask.
Since her grandfather had returned home 10 years ago, then that family must have been the victors back then.
However, at this juncture, there was going to be a huge reshuffle in power. In the eyes of Qiao Mei, who came from the future, the ideological winners from ten years ago were going to become really unlucky this time.
Grandfather could not go back to be with them at this juncture.
If her grandfather was thought to be on the same side as them, wouldn't her grandfather have suffered for nothing for the past 10 years?
The family of your uncle and auntie…
At this point, Chen Hu stopped and did not say anything else.
According to what he heard, Qiao Guo and Qiao Lan had not been doing too well in the past two years. However, he did not want to say it now in case Qiao Mei told Qiao Qiang and made him worried.
They're all living very well now.
Chen Hu thought for a moment and continued,
They're waiting for you two to go over and enjoy life!
Enjoy life?
It would be good enough if they did not get dragged down together, how could they be able to go over to enjoy life?
A dark glint flashed across Qiao Mei's eyes, but she did not say anything.
At this moment, Xiao Liu pushed open the door and walked in. He handed the 15 dollars in his hand to Qiao Mei and said,
This is the 15 dollars from the sale. Just now, when the people from the supply and marketing cooperative saw me bringing the bean sprouts again, they came to snatch a handful to try and they found these bean sprouts very delicious. They wanted to know where I bought these bean sprouts from as they also wanted to get some!
Under Chen Hu's angry gaze, he added,
It's just a small handful. They know that this is your bean sprouts and don't dare to grab too much!
Chapter 54
Chen Hu continued,
Later, tell them not to care about the origins of these bean sprouts. When I'm done eating, I'll share some with them!
Okay!
Little Liu replied happily.
In this manner, there was then no need to always be on guard against those people in the future. These bean sprouts were really in high demand and many people kept thinking about them.
Also, go out and get a few people now. Get… a dozen people. You guys follow Qiao Mei back to the village and grab her betrothal gifts back for her. If anyone is disobedient, tie them up and bring them in!
Chen Hu gave a fierce stare with the imposing manner of the section head of the armed forces department.
Yes!
Xiao Liu immediately replied and walked out to gather a group of people.
Seeing this, Qiao Mei also prepared to leave. Since she was already in the city now, she had to go out and look for some green beans. Otherwise, if she did not have enough green beans at home, she would not be able to keep up with the supply of bean sprouts.
Just as she was about to go off, Chen Hu stopped her.
Xiao Mei!
Chen Hu's eyes flashed with doubt as he continued,
Didn't you say last time that you could grow more bean sprouts? Then can you grow ten baskets a day now?
Anticipation flashed in his eyes.
Qiao Mei replied without any hesitation,
Of course, but I need more green beans. I'll go buy some green beans now, otherwise there won't be enough.
After she said that, she saw Chen Hu turned around and took out a big bag of green beans from under the sofa.
A gunny sack was filled to the brim.
Qiao Mei's eyes lit up when she saw the bag of green beans. She walked over and opened the bag and discovered that the green beans inside were all extremely plump. One look and she could tell that they were good quality green beans. Naturally, the bean sprouts that grew from these would be of higher quality and tasted better.
These green beans weigh about 100 catties!
Chen Hu stood at the side and noted Qiao Mei's expression. He quickly tied up the bag and said proudly,
These green beans are from the best batch that I got the supply and marketing cooperative to keep for me. If you want more in the future, just come and get them!
Good, now I can produce about 1,000 catties of bean sprouts.
Qiao Mei nodded happily.
Now that she had green beans and also the type of the highest quality, she could naturally produce better bean sprouts.
Coupled with her energy, the bean sprouts produced would probably be even more delicious.
Alright, take all of these and grow more bean sprouts. I'm still waiting for them. Bring as much as you have, just bring them over!
Chen Hu hurriedly said.
The main job of the armed forces department now was to train the militia. Recently, the higher-ups had a mission to train hundreds of militiamen so the meals of these militiamen needed to be taken care of.
These militiamen were all big strong men and could easily eat three bowls of rice each at every meal.
Therefore, Qiao Mei's bean sprouts were not a problem. No matter how much she sent over, there would be some place to use them.
It was a perfect solution for these bean sprouts.
Besides, the quality of these bean sprouts was so good that the militiamen would probably be very happy to eat them.
This was killing many birds with one stone.
Okay!
Qiao Mei's eyes flashed with a smile.
I'll take all the green beans in this bag. The money for the green beans can be deducted from the money from the sale of bean sprouts tomorrow.
She would not take the beans for free, she would still pay for them.
When Chen Hu heard this, the smile on his face widened. In the past, he had heard not so good rumors about Qiao Mei, but now that he had interacted with her, he realized that it was not the case.
Although she was fat and had an astonishing figure, she was still quite a capable person.
…
Soon, Qiao Mei got into a big truck and took a bumpy ride into the village.
She sat in the front passenger seat given that she was pregnant now. If she squeezed in the back of the truck with a bunch of men, what if an accident should happen?
As soon as the truck entered the village, it attracted the attention of the entire village.
Everyone looked at the truck and wondered about what was going on. Why did a vehicle come in now?
Could it be that there was going to be some new policy in the village?
Chapter 55
Last year, there were also trucks that came by. A group of people got off and said that they were from the lecture troupe, here to tell everyone about the latest policies and they even distributed some food.
What's going on?
asked the old man smoking at the village entrance.
The auntie beside him was plucking a withered vegetable leaf but her eyes were sharp enough to see Qiao Mei sitting in the front passenger seat. She exclaimed,
Isn't that Qiao Mei from Qiao Qiang's family? Is she sitting in the car?
What what? Qiao Mei is in the car?
asked Uncle Niu who was passing by.
Let's go over and take a look. I wonder what happened!
Let's go take a look!
The group of people followed the big truck and more people gathered along the way until they reached Qiao Zhuang's house.
Wow!
To everyone's surprise, as soon as the truck stopped, more than 10 men got down and rushed towards Qiao Zhuang's courtyard.
What an aggressive manner!
It was noon now. Qiao Zhuang and his family were resting in the courtyard after work. Big Auntie Qiao was washing vegetables in the courtyard while Third Auntie was burning firewood in the kitchen.
The courtyard was very quiet.
Then about a dozen militiamen rushed into the courtyard, blocked the door and immediately surrounded the entire courtyard. Each of them had a gun strapped to the waist.
It was clear from their imposing manner that these were not ordinary people.
At this moment, even the usually fierce Qiao Zhuang was frightened. His legs were trembling and the cigarette in his hand fell to the ground.
The few men from Qiao Zhuang's family also all huddled against the wall.
What… what's wrong?
Qiao Zhuang's lips trembled as he asked softly.
He observed the people around him carefully.
The current militia did not have a uniform so what they wore were their own clothes. These clothes were all patched up and did not look new.
They looked no different from ordinary people except that they had guns strapped to their waists.
Other than soldiers, there were also bandits who carried guns, so he could not be sure of the identities of the people in front of him.
The people in the courtyard heard his question but did not speak. Everyone looked at the door.
A person slowly got out of the front passenger seat of the truck at the gate.
It was Qiao Mei!
Qiao Mei got down from the truck and slowly walked to the center of the courtyard. The villagers at the door all exclaimed loudly and craned their heads to look inside.
Now was the time to watch the fun.
After the militiaman at the door saw Qiao Mei get off the truck and walk in, he immediately closed the door to block off the villagers' views.
Now, the villagers could only stand at the door and peep in through the gap.
In the courtyard, Qiao Zhuang was stunned when he saw Qiao Mei coming. After getting over the shock, he immediately reacted to what was going on.
Second Grandpa, what are you busy with? Are you done with work?
Qiao Mei walked over slowly with a smile on her face. She looked at the Qiao family members in the courtyard and spoke.
The moment they heard the voice, the terrified members of Qiao Zhuang's family immediately came to attention.
Yes, yes, work is done!
Qiao Zhuang quickly replied.
His attitude this time was the best she had even seen. He even looked at her with a little fear.
Qiao Mei smiled and nodded. She continued to ask with a bright smile,
I heard that you took something from my family?
When Qiao Zhuang heard this, realization flashed across his eyes.
So she was really here to ask for something!
But how did she know that the things were at his house? Furthermore, she had made preparations in advance and brought such a large group of people to the courtyard.
It was obvious that she had come prepared!
However, there was one thing that Qiao Zhuang could not understand. He had heard that Qiao Mei had set off early in the morning, Qiao Qiang was at home alone and neither of them asked anyone in the village for information.
The two people who delivered the items yesterday had also boarded the train earlier and left the village long ago.
Then how did Qiao Mei know that the betrothal gifts were in their house?
What is it?
Qiao Zhuang pretended not to know what she was talking about even as his eyes flashed with his thoughts.
In this situation, even if these people surrounded his courtyard, he still did not want to hand over the things. Those were all good stuff.
Chapter 56
Even if his family had money, they might not be able to buy these things.
In this era, one needed the corresponding coupons to buy things like sewing machines, radios and watches. Without coupons, one would not be able to buy them!
You think I won't know if you don't admit it? I would advise you not to refuse to speak now.
Those betrothal gifts are due to arrive within these few days. You secretly hide them in your house, do you think I won't know? If I realize that something was wrong, won't I ask my man? Even if you don't tell me now, I can still know!
Qiao Mei continued speaking.
Qiao Zhuang was at a loss for words. For sure he did not think too much about it when he saw such good stuff.
He had thought that there were so many people in his family, so how could he be afraid of Qiao Mei and Qiao Qiang?
Besides, if the villagers did not say anything and the people who delivered the gifts had left, by the time the two of them found out, there was nothing they could do about it. His family would have been able to use the things for a few months.
Even if they knew and he told them he did not say anything about not returning the things and had only borrowed them, what could they do? Could they sentence him? What relatives did not borrow things from each other?
Therefore, after thinking about it, he did not take the matter seriously at all.
However, he did not expect that not only did Qiao Mei know about the matter, but she even brought so many people to his courtyard.
The people she brought all had guns.
Are you afraid now? Chen Hu from the armed forces department used to be my grandfather's subordinate and he has now sent these people here to support me! It's really disappointing that you people actually did such a thing!
Qiao Mei continued.
Now you see, if you continue to deny it, the guns of these people in the courtyard won't agree with you. They'll take you to jail and convict you of theft!
She especially emphasized her last few words loudly. After all, this group of people were not nice people. If she did not spell out their crime, none of them would be afraid.
She was a lawyer for many years in her other life, so she naturally knew how unreasonable people like them were.
Now that she had brought up her grandfather's relationship with her Uncle Chen Hu, she would be able to scare them a little. The title of section head of the armed forces department was not only for show, it really held some real weight.
With guns, there was the power to restrain people.
A trace of fear flashed across Qiao Zhuang's eyes.
After Qiao Qiang returned from the capital, he had never seen him use his connections. Why did he suddenly appear to know the section head of the armed forces department?
Now, immediately, at once. Bring out the things in the same manner as you took them in. I'm still waiting to go home!
Qiao Mei said.
Qiao Zhuang felt a huge sense of reluctance. Those things had not even been used yet. After he took them, he only kept them in the house and did not have the time to take them out for a look yet. Was he going to return them now?
Go! Take them out!
Xiao Liu shouted and glared at him angrily.
When the people in the courtyard heard the shout, they immediately raised their guns and pointed them at Qiao Zhuang, as if they were about to shoot him in the head within the next second.
This action frightened all Qiao Zhuang's family members in the courtyard.
They immediately hugged their heads and squatted down.
Qiao Zhuang's body swayed as he also got really shocked. When he regained his senses, he gritted his teeth and said to Big Auntie Qiao who was squatting beside him,
Go get it!
Big Auntie Qiao hurriedly stood up and rushed into the room. The door slammed shut with a loud bang after her.
You guys go too!
Qiao Zhuang refused to get it himself as he found it too embarrassing. He said the words to his two sons who were squatting nearest to him.
Qiao Wang and Qiao Gang looked up and saw their father's gaze. They also stood up reluctantly and walked towards the rooms.
Qiao Wang walked towards the kitchen and looked at the pile of firewood. He took a big stick and poked it into the firewood pile. In a few moments, he flipped the pile open, revealing a brand new sewing machine still in its packaging inside.
Chapter 57
A ruthless glint flashed across his eyes. He was about to smash the wooden box with the wooden stick when he heard a sweet female voice in the courtyard.
Everything was fine when you took it. If it's broken when you take it out, it won't be as simple as just compensating money to me. When the time comes, the crime of personal property damage will be added to the crime of theft.
Qiao Mei stood in the courtyard and looked towards the inside of the house.
Her voice was very loud to ensure that everyone in the courtyard could hear her. She had never even used her betrothal gifts before, so she could not bear to let this group of people ruin it!
When Qiao Wang heard these words, his face turned green with anger.
However, he did not dare to say anything and could only turn his back to Qiao Mei with a glare and let out a deep breath.
Qiao Gang had just taken the watch out from under the bed. When he heard Qiao Mei's words, his hand trembled and he almost dropped the watch on the floor.
Qiao Yu, who was next to him, quickly reached out and caught the watch.
She was so scared that the blood had drained from her face.
She was the one who got the people to deliver these betrothal gifts to their house. Now that she already could not reap any benefits, if she broke the watch instead and had to go to jail, then it was all too terrible!
She would definitely get a beating.
Soon, Qiao Gang and Qiao Wang took out the items. The sewing machine and the watch were brand new and not damaged at all. The radio was also in good condition, as were the other bits and pieces.
Most of the things were not even unwrapped.
Qiao Mei nodded in satisfaction. She stood in front of them smilingly and she prepared to let them off.
Now was not the time to fall out with them. After all, she still had to live in this village. Otherwise, she would not be able to stay in the village in the future and they would really become mortal enemies.
She turned around and took all these things with her. She sat in the truck and left under the surprised gazes of the group of people at Qiao Zhuang's door.
Everyone was extremely surprised!
Qiao Mei had actually snatched back her betrothal gifts from Qiao Zhuang's house. It was the first time something like that happened.
In the past, many people in the village had been bullied by Qiao Zhuang's family, but this was the first time they had seen someone deal with them like Qiao Mei, who looked like she won a battle with no injuries at all.
The villagers looked at the truck Qiao Mei was in with changed expressions.
Qiao Qiang, who was already waiting anxiously at home, heard the sound of a truck. He walked out and saw a group of burly men moving things into the house.
Only then did he know that Qiao Mei had snatched the betrothal gifts back!
Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Qiao Mei with mixed feelings.
He never imagined that his Mei Mei would one day be able to rely on her intelligence and wisdom to ride on others' strength to grab back her own things.
Previously, he had been worried that his status would implicate Chen Hu, so he had not allowed himself to have too much contact with him. But now, there was probably no need to do so anymore. Things were going to change in the future and the situation looked to be bright.
Good, good, good. Come, Mei Mei. Let's take out what we have and prepare a table full of dishes for these good comrades. We have to treat them to a good meal!
Don't! We can't let you go through so much trouble. We're militia, so we naturally can't use the things of the commoners!
Xiao Liu waved his hand and quickly declined.
However, before he could get into the car, Qiao Mei grabbed him and he found himself stuck to the spot, unable to move.
Let's eat together. You're all ordinary people too. Since we're all ordinary people, it doesn't matter if we eat together. Besides, if your Section Head Chen was here, he would also agree!
Qiao Mei said.
The burly men in the truck laughed and immediately felt that Qiao Mei was quite cute.
None of you is allowed to leave. If you leave, I'll complain to your Section Head Chen!
Qiao Mei threatened.
Xiao Liu really had no choice. Now that he was grabbed by Qiao Mei, he could not move at all, not even to take a step forward. He could only listen to her and let everyone eat before leaving.
Aye!
Xiao Liu replied resignedly.
Chapter 58
Hearing his agreement, Qiao Mei smiled and let go of his arm. She walked to the kitchen to prepare a large table of dishes to serve them.
Her body was now in a much better condition than before. She had no problem entertaining more than ten people and her body was still quite strong.
On an arrangement of bean sprouts, she stewed some cabbage, pork and vermicelli.
She also cooked a few pumpkins!
Although there was only a little bit of pork left from a few days ago, it was already good enough to be able to get some meat in their meals in this era. Furthermore, the portion was big enough to be filling for everyone.
She was sure she could let them have a happy meal together.
After Qiao Mei was done with the dishes and placed them on the table, everyone was tempted by the smell. There was no doubt that Qiao Mei's meal was highly agreeable with everyone.
No one expected this plump girl to be so good at cooking!
In this era, it was already good enough to have sufficient food to eat.
Everyone had food, so they just made do with it. They did not have any extravagant hopes of eating delicious food.
After the dozen or so people finished eating, they did not stay for long. They took the remaining baskets of bean sprouts from Qiao Mei's house and hurried back to the city.
These bean sprouts were supposed to take another two to three days to be ready, but Qiao Mei had the energy to solve this issue.
She took out the bean sprouts. Under the thatch covering were tender bean sprouts.
These people did not suspect anything and carried the bean sprouts up onto the truck. Qiao Qiang also did not feel that anything was wrong.
This way, they could take a few baskets of bean sprouts with them at once and save Qiao Mei a lot of effort.
She would have the time and energy to do other things!
After all, her first task now was to lose weight and become prettier. Naturally, she had to spend more time in the mountains.
There's no hurry with the money. Just note it down in the account book and we'll calculate it later.
Qiao Mei was at the door, sending them off.
She hesitated for a moment before continuing,
Go back and help me ask about this. In the future, I would like to send the bean sprouts by the first train every day. This way, you can just pick up the bean sprouts at a fixed time every day! I don't have to run around either.
No problem, I'll tell him when I get back.
Xiao Liu sat in the front passenger seat and agreed readily.
After Qiao Mei sent the truck away, she immediately started to soak the green beans and clean up the mess on the table.
This time, it was to produce more than 1,000 catties.
She did not know if Uncle Chen Hu could finish everything at his end, but if he could not, he would probably have a way to get rid of it all. Thinking of this, she went up the mountain in peace.
This time round, she found a lot of good things on the mountain.
Not only were there chestnuts in the basket she was carrying, but there were also some other things. She filled her baskets up with things from the mountain and went on her way home.
When she passed by Qiao Zhuang's house, she could clearly hear Qiao Yu crying as if she had been beaten up.
Serves you right!
It was her fault for not having good intentions and thinking about those crooked thoughts all day long.
When Qiao Mei passed by, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qiao family happened to come out and was about to go out for a walk.
Yo, isn't this Mei Mei? Based on how you look, did you go to the mountain to find something good again? Come, let auntie see what's inside!
As Big Auntie Qiao spoke, she walked towards Qiao Mei. Everyone in the village knew that Qiao Mei had gotten some good stuff from the mountains recently. She wanted to see if she could sneak some stuff home.
However, before she could get close, she had to cover her nose from the smell emanating from Qiao Mei's body and could not help but take a few steps back.
Qiao Mei put down her burden and rested for a while. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked,
Big Auntie Qiao, do you remember what my mother said? When are you going to return this house to me?
As soon as she said this, a trace of fear flashed across Big Auntie Qiao's eyes before she sorted out her thoughts and replied.
What house? What are you talking about? How come I don't know anything and isn't your family living well at the end of the village? We don't go to your house to cause trouble now.
Chapter 59
Qiao Mei looked at her and said word by word,
Don't lie through your teeth. Your family occupied my family house and now you're denying it?
Back then, my mother made it very clear that if you take good care of me, the house will belong to you. If you don't take good care of me, she won't give it to you even if she had to return it to the brigade!
This wretched girl actually remembered all these things!
Now, she actually wanted to take the house back?
Big Auntie Qiao looked at her hatefully and held back her anger as she said,
These things are between adults. You were still young back then. What do you know?
With that, she went back through the door without looking back.
Back then, there was indeed such a matter. When Qiao Mei's mother left, she even drafted an agreement with the brigade because of this. Everyone in the brigade knew about it back then.
However, over the years, no one dared to find trouble with their family.
This agreement was naturally left unsettled. Otherwise, just based on how skinny Qiao Mei was back then, this house would have been taken away long ago.
This wretched girl could still remember!
It seemed that they had to pay more attention in the future and not let her bring up old matters again. Their family was very used to living in the house by now, so they were naturally unwilling to return it.
Qiao Mei, who was standing on the spot, looked at the closed door in contemplation.
If she asked them for the house directly, they would definitely disagree.
She could only use her wits to get it back, so she would have to make other plans in the future. Anyway, she would definitely get the house back.
When she got home, Qiao Qiang was already used to seeing these two big carrying baskets filled with things. It was spring in the mountains now, so there were naturally many things to find. It all depended on one's luck.
Naturally, his Mei Mei had the best luck.
Qiao Mei took out some small nuts from the basket and prepared to feed them to the chickens, ducks and geese in the backyard. After all, these little guys also had to grow bigger.
Qiao Qiang, who was standing at the side, felt his heart ache.
These were all edible nuts. When there was no food, just eating these things would fill one's stomach.
Qiao Mei saw the look in his eyes and comforted him.
Grandpa, after we sell these baskets of bean sprouts, we can get back our principal sum. When Uncle Chen Hu gives me the money for selling bean sprouts today, our family will have enough money to go to the city to buy more food.
When the time comes, we can sell the bean sprouts grown from these 100 catties of green beans, then buy green beans, and then sell bean sprouts. This way, we can make a lot of money!
These words made Qiao Qiang smile until his eyes disappeared.
He naturally knew this logic, but because he had gone hungry before, he naturally cherished food very much.
Thinking of the changes in the family in the past few days, Qiao Qiang looked at Qiao Mei with joy.
Mei Mei… had really changed drastically!
Now, she knew how to grow bean sprouts to earn money and had good culinary skills. All of these were probably thanks to that kid Xia Zhe. If not for that kid's appearance, Mei Mei would not have become like another person.
Perhaps… This was the power of love?
I wonder how Xia Zhe is doing over there. Write to him when you have time and build some rapport with him. Ask him how he's doing over there!
Qiao Qiang thought of Xia Zhe and reminded Qiao Mei.
Xia Zhe was such a good catch and she must not let him lose him. As his new wife, Qiao Mei still had to build up her relationship with him.
Write to him?
Qiao Mei was stunned when she heard this and tried her best to recall her past memories.
Does the original owner of the body know how to write?
Under her best efforts to recall her past memories, she remembered that when she was young, her grandfather had tried to teach her to write. Those words that he taught her were the most simple words.
Unfortunately, the original owner of the body had no intention of learning and could not pick it up.
In the end, she did not know many words and her standard was very low.
Chapter 60
At the thought of this, Qiao Mei's eyes lit up. She looked at her grandfather and said,
Grandfather, I'll write to him, but you have to help me and teach me how to write. I've forgotten most of the words by now!
Okay, okay, okay.
As they spoke about this, Qiao Qiang nodded with a smile.
It would be best if Qiao Mei had the inclination to study. All his years of studies would not go to waste and he could impart everything he knew to Mei Mei.
Joy flashed across Qiao Mei's eyes.
Not only would she write to Xia Zhe, but she would learn more words at a reasonable speed. In the near future, she would want to take the college entrance examination and go to university!
She was not willing to be an illiterate person forever.
Besides, looking at the time period, the college entrance examination would be resuming next year. Naturally, she had to prepare early.
The college entrance examination was a good opportunity for upward social mobility!
After all, she had married Xia Zhe. His background was not an ordinary one and he might still be reluctant to accept a countryside woman like her. Perhaps even the children she was carrying would be mocked and ridiculed.
In order for her children and herself not to be looked down upon, she must work hard and get into university.
Qiao Mei took out a few books from the wooden box under Qiao Qiang's bed. These books were left over from Qiao Qiang's school days and they were good options for use as Qiao Mei's beginner books.
Qiao Mei took out the books and flipped through them to get ready for her lessons the next day.
The next morning, the two of them started their lessons after breakfast.
Very quickly, Qiao Mei showed great aptitude for studying. She only needed to go through the words that Qiao Qiang taught her for two or three times before memorizing them well. Moreover, the speed at which she was learning did not cause Qiao Qiang to feel that something was wrong.
After a day of studying, Qiao Qiang nodded with a smile and said in satisfaction,
My Mei Mei is just so smart!
In one day, he had almost taught her all the words he knew.
…
The next morning, Xiao Liu came again in a car.
He put down the empty basket and said happily to Qiao Mei,
Now we want more bean sprouts, as much as you have! I brought you 1,000 catties of green beans this time!
After they brought the bean sprouts back yesterday, they all ate to their heart's content.
Even the leader who came by for inspection was happy with it.
The leader said jokingly,
Section Head Chen, when there's such good stuff, don't keep it for yourself. Share with all of us!
The leader was joking but Chen Hu dared not treat it as a joke. Naturally, he had to try his best to satisfy his leader.
He immediately replied,
We had taken this from a production brigade. If our leaders want it, we definitely have to satisfy them.
The leader smiled but said nothing. Only then was he satisfied.
Of course, these bean sprouts were not given for free. Even if they were taken from a production brigade, they needed to be paid for.
So now, in addition to providing for the armed forces, they also had to give each of these leaders 400 to 500 catties of bean sprouts every day. Based on these calculations, there was a need for production of a lot of bean sprouts every day.
Xiao Liu asked with uncertainty,
How much bean sprouts can you grow in a day? We have a great demand here!
Probably about 1,000 catties a day. Anything more than that, the quality might be compromised,
Qiao Mei said after some thought.
The maximum amount of bean sprouts that she could grow would be around 1,000 catties, which was about 13 to 14 baskets.
If she were to grow more, it would probably attract attention. There was a limit to what a person could do.
She had to act like a normal person and could not let anyone notice that something was out of the ordinary.
Alright! Then when can you get the first batch done?
Xiao Liu asked.
At that time, I'll bring the car to collect the bean sprouts!
It was now 1,000 catties.
In the past, the amount was 100 catties and it could be transported by train. The bean sprouts could be loaded during a train stop. But it was different now as 1,000 catties could not be loaded onto the train in an instant.
Qiao Mei thought for a moment.
In four or five days. By then, 1,000 catties of bean sprouts will be ready and you can come and get them then.
Okay!
Xiao Liu was quite happy.
Now that there were 1,000 catties of bean sprouts being produced, he could eat bean sprouts every day. These were crisp and good bean sprouts!