С нетерпением жду весеннего ветерка!

Глава 84

Qiuqin was making lunch. While cooking tofu, she scooped out the leftover scraps, rubbed them in her hands, and then smeared them on her face without hesitation—for intense moisturizing and whitening effects…

In short, all the vegetables and fruits in the house were used to make face masks!

Zhang Hongwei gave his aunt a whole set of cosmetics, which he specially asked someone to bring from Hong Kong; they were very precious.

It was the first time Qiuqin had ever faced a full set of tools: foundation, blush, eyeliner, and brushes of various sizes lined up in a row. She sat in front of the dressing table, trembling with fear.

Qiu Shanglin patiently instructed: First, apply face cream, and wait for it to be fully absorbed before applying foundation. The foundation should be light and thin, not like you're applying flour... Just a light layer of foundation is enough; scribbling is not the style of a respectable person. Use a large brush to lightly sweep blush onto the cheekbones, brushing upwards to make you look more energetic; eyeliner and eyeshadow are unnecessary—we're not performing, and smoky eyes and panda eyes aren't fashionable these days... And definitely don't wear bright red lips; that looks like a vampire, not beautiful... We advocate natural makeup and delicate pink lips...

Qiuqin had an oval face with chubby cheeks and a slightly babyish appearance. Her hair was in terrible condition, so Shanglin had the hairdresser cut it and dye it a dark brown. Hair dyeing techniques were not yet mature enough; pure black would be too heavy and deliberate, while a dark brown wasn't too dark, yet it was completely undetectable that she had her hair dyed. The hairstyle was a bob cut, popular in later years, with long, slanted bangs and a slight curl at the front, which elongated her face, concealed her chubby cheeks, and made her look very slim. After the cut, the hairdresser exclaimed in amazement; she had personally witnessed how a hairstyle could transform a person's image.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Qiuqin felt she had never looked neat, energetic, or beautiful.

She returned to the village wearing a bright red down jacket. As soon as she entered the village, she was surrounded by a group of women who had just finished work. They tugged at her hair with envy and praised her for looking "stylish".

"Stylish" is almost the highest compliment rural women can give to their peers.

At the same time, Qiuqin began to read.

Compared to others, her education level wasn't low; she at least graduated from junior high school—it's just that educational qualifications in that era were often inflated. Qiuqin didn't live in a good era. She attended primary school in the village and occasionally participated in the production team's large-scale production activities. She only actually studied for one year of junior high school, and she was often busy helping to pick up wheat ears and cut pig feed. The school gave her a junior high school graduation certificate, which she searched high and low for a long time before finally finding it at the bottom of a box; it had long since yellowed.

Shanglin made her learn Mandarin by listening to the radio. She stipulated that Mandarin must be spoken even at home.

Many books from the Qiu family study were moved to Qiu Qin's home, ranging from elementary school textbooks, breeding techniques, planting manuals, various newspapers and magazines, ancient literature, and foreign literary classics...

Later, even her eldest son could recite, swaying his head, "Newly brewed wine, green as ants; a small red clay stove; evening approaches, snow threatens; shall we share a cup?"

The saying "Books make people progress" is partially true.

Qiuqin began to think. She realized that life wasn't just about farming, having children, and serving one's husband and in-laws; that adversity could ignite a fighting spirit; and that the world wasn't limited to Qiujia Village, Zifang Town, or even Province C. China had many neighboring countries, and the West included not only the United States but also many smaller nations. Capitalism wasn't entirely evil; it had its merits…

Qiuqin is very clever; she can apply what she has learned to other situations.

Shanglin even doubted whether Qiuqin would still be interested in her husband after a year or two.

Qiuqin insisted that she would protect her complete family for the sake of her child's future.

Shanglin taught her how to interact with people. The village women were feisty, but their skills were mostly limited to their own homes. Once they entered the countryside and faced 'city people,' they would be timid and at a loss.

Qiuqin hired people to grow vegetables in her own greenhouse, so she didn't need to do it herself. Cheng Jiu's vegetable company was still in its development stage, so Shanglin asked her to join the company to help out, doing odd jobs, communicating with the villagers, and going to the market with Cheng Jiu to socialize and learn how to speak politely and behave appropriately. Unconsciously, Qiuqin shed her past shyness and helplessness in front of strangers. She began to stand openly and confidently in front of people, speaking fluently and gracefully.

Having grown up in the countryside herself, Qiuqin had a knack for dealing with farmers. The company inevitably had to interact with them. Initially, the tasks of harvesting vegetables and distributing seeds weren't noticeable, but as the contracts increased, more and more troublemakers tried to sabotage things and take advantage. Qiuqin demonstrated the effectiveness of her upbringing in the countryside; all the farmers' attempts to fool the untrained eye vanished before her. Women who stood with their hands on their hips and cursed weren't scary, and stuffing rotten vegetables in the middle wouldn't work… Cheng Chong praised her highly. With Qiuqin's consent, he decided to hire her as a company employee, specifically to mediate conflicts and handle some internal affairs.

During this period, the actions against Qin's uncle also continued.

While Qiuqin was studying hard and transforming herself, her husband Liu Chao rented an apartment in Huaiqiao City and lived a comfortable life with his mistress.

The old woman won't divorce me? I'll only pay for my son's tuition. Without any income, let's see how long you can hold out!

Heaven is too far away, but the human world is just right. The mistress, a vocational school graduate with some education, didn't enjoy her happiness for long before encountering the same problems every city woman who marries a rural husband faces.

Husband's hometown.

She didn't have to deal with these things before because she had a wife who looked haggard, and the people back home would naturally go to her instead of bothering her in the city.

Recently, for some reason, my husband's relatives from his hometown have been bypassing me and coming directly to the city. First, it was Liu Chao's brother and sister-in-law.

We heard that my younger brother has settled down in the city and married a city girl. We're here to visit his wife.

They seemed to have forgotten about the younger brother's wife in the countryside, instead showering his mistress with concern and affection. They even offered her some local mountain produce as a gift, urging her to visit her parents when she had time, as they were too old to travel.

The mistress's cold face turned into a smile.

What she feared most was that Liu Chao's family wouldn't agree to him getting a divorce and being with her. Even though the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, what woman wouldn't want to be blessed by everyone?

My brother and sister-in-law stayed at my house for two weeks, eating, drinking and having fun with me. They praised my mistress endlessly. When they left, they packed big bags and small things, including fabrics, clothes, shoes and delicious food from the city. We couldn't let them come all this way for nothing—naturally, Liu Chao paid the bill.

Next are his younger brother and sister-in-law... nephews and nieces... cousins... older cousins... uncles... paternal uncles... maternal grandfathers... cousins of his maternal grandmother's nephew's wife's brother...

People from my hometown kept coming in droves.

Initially, it was just a visit to relatives and a casual stroll around the city.

Later, all the neighbors and relatives who came to the city settled here. People came to see doctors, run errands, sell fruit, collect scrap... At its peak, the two-bedroom apartment was packed with people. Apart from the master bedroom, which was unoccupied, even the living room was occupied by four or five grown men sleeping on the floor. The sound of snoring rose and fell, and there was nowhere to step if you went to the toilet in the middle of the night.

The mistress listened intently to the snoring, her eyes wide with annoyance. She grabbed the man next to her and demanded, "When are they going to leave?!"

Liu Chao rolled over, hugged her, and comforted her, "It'll be over soon, it'll be over soon."

Your husband finally made it big, like a phoenix soaring from a remote mountain village, so of course everyone thinks he's amazing. But isn't that a bit of a triumph for us?

In the past, Liu Chao valued relationships and, even more so, his pride.

When people from his hometown came to visit, he naturally ran around helping them. But he was busy with his business and couldn't always be there for them. Fortunately, his mistress had a government job with a relatively easy schedule, and she had days off every now and then. So she no longer had the freedom to go shopping for clothes, but instead spent her time running between the hospital and the market…

Relatives came over for dinner. At first, they were very polite, saying, "Sister-in-law/brother's wife/niece-in-law, don't bother, we'll cook ourselves." Then came the clattering from the kitchen. Someone peeked in, hands propped up, and gave a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile. "This stove is so advanced! We don't even know how to use it..."

After finally teaching her, she always forgot to turn off the valve, or she'd get burned by the flames. The mistress was scolded by Liu Chao: "How can you be so insensible? How can you let your great-uncle cook for himself?"

The mistress no longer had time to chat with her girlfriends; she had to take care of her relatives. Laundry, cooking, housework…

Liu Chao only has one son, whom he cherishes dearly. He thinks about his son every few days. In the past, his wife wouldn't allow him to bring his son to the city, but now she's relented. Not only does she allow him to bring his son, but she also arranges for someone to send him over every few days so that he can live with his father and strengthen their bond.

Liu Chao was busy with other things, so he took the child to the zoo and left the childcare to his mistress.

The mistress wasn't a bad person. She loved Liu Chao and wanted to be a good stepmother; the child wasn't naughty at all. The child, raised by the older woman, was chubby, lively, and adorable, holding her hand obediently and calling her "Auntie," adding, "Auntie is so beautiful."

A few words from him softened her heart, and she wished he were her own son.

My son wants shrimp today, fried chicken tomorrow, and braised pork head the day after. His pencil case is so pretty, and they've released the newest eraser. I want a drink. Let's go to the zoo tomorrow…

The mistress gradually began to have doubts: Was I also this difficult to raise when I was a child?

Eating too much makes him feel stuffed, eating too little makes him hungry, and today he has diarrhea and tomorrow he has a toothache. When Liu Chao came home at night, he touched his son's face with heartache and scolded him, "How do you take care of your child? You know he's greedy, but you still give him candy!"

The mistress was filled with resentment.

She cries if I don't give it to her; what can I do?

Runny nose, not dressed warmly enough.

I caught a cold because I was wearing too many clothes.

She cut her hand while helping her wash the dishes; she didn't cover herself properly with the blanket at night... The mistress finally understood the old woman's words: It's hard to be a stepmother.

She had to take care of visiting relatives and children. Every now and then, her son's cousins would come over, and the two boys would fight like crazy at home. She couldn't persuade them or hit them, so she was caught in a dilemma.

This went on for half a year. Liu Chao touched her hand, "Wife, why are your hands so rough? They're all calloused." The mistress complained, "It's all for taking care of your family and son..."

Liu Chao loves you. I'll give you more money tomorrow so you can go shopping and buy new clothes.

The next day, my son came again. He wanted delicious food, new clothes, and to go to the zoo...

Liu Chao's life was also not going well.

He used to help his wife's cousin with his business, and later started doing business on his own. He's quick-witted, but unfortunately lacks formal education. He made his fortune selling vegetables and wholesaling popsicles, but now he looks down on small-scale wholesale and retail and has switched to supplying canteens and shops of large organizations.

With factories, schools, and other institutions under his control, he could earn a considerable amount of money each year and have no worries about food and drink.

Later, he opened a restaurant in the city, which was very popular and successful for a while.