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Глава 86

He stared blankly at Qiuqin, not even bothering to wipe himself. Qiuqin smiled politely, "Mr. Liu, you're so careless." She called a waiter for a napkin and handed it to him to wipe his face.

Liu Chao was stunned, too shocked to move on his own. Qiu Qin handed him a napkin, which he took and held in his hand without wiping himself. He just stared at her in disbelief.

One pot stew

Qiu Qin and Liu Chao's comical reunion at the hotel was vividly reenacted by Cheng Chong for Shang Lin. Liu Chao, in disbelief and too ashamed to confront his wife in public, forced a smile as he watched her chatting and drinking with another man. He then dragged Qiu Qin into reenacting the scene. Meanwhile, Qiu Shang Lin, lounging lazily on the sofa, reminded Aunt Qin that her uncle was definitely coming back, probably in the next few days. "It's a mix of separation and reunion," he said. "Have you thought it through?"

Qiuqin was certain that she wanted a complete family and for her son to grow up in a complete family.

I am filled with endless sorrow. I wanted to direct a scene where Qin Xianglian angrily rebukes Chen Shimei and the old woman divorces the unfaithful man, but Qin Gu, you won't give me the chance.

Qiuqin is now well-off and has a good job, so she has no need to rely on Liu Chao for a living. Why should she continue to live with a man who has changed his mind?

Qiuqin lowered her head, her heart heavy.

In the 1990s, divorce was still a novel concept. For ordinary people, a divorce meant that no matter how hard a woman worked or how successful she was, she would be the subject of gossip for the rest of her life. Her son would be looked down upon at school, and future partners would have to be very careful—his parents' marriage was unhappy, and the son might resemble his father; who knew if he would be a womanizer?

Qiuqin lacked the confidence to shoulder the burden alone. She also didn't want to find a stepfather for her son. The best option was to bring the unfaithful man back into the family. Even if they just made do, it would still be a successful life.

Shanglin talked to her for a long time, but she remained steadfast in her convictions. Shanglin could only sigh, lamenting that a beautiful flower had been wasted on cow dung. The ideological differences created by the times were not something she could change simply by wishing to.

Zhang Hongwei tapped her forehead, both amused and exasperated. "What do you know, you little girl? Society is never forgiving of women..."

She spoke with a heavy heart. In recent years, she had tried her best to balance work and family, but she was still not liked by her in-laws, who always thought it was unseemly for a woman to be out in public. Her sisters-in-law were even more critical and gossipy. If it weren't for her husband's support and her children's understanding, she didn't know if she would have made it this far.

Shanglin hugged his mother and said sweetly, "I love you the most, my dearest is Mom..."

Unable to bear her blatant expression, Zhang Hongwei gently patted her, pushed her away a little, rubbed his goosebumps, but still looked at his daughter with affection: "Mom has seen a lot now, I don't expect you and your brother to be very successful. I just hope our family is safe and sound, and that you find a good son-in-law and your brother finds a good wife, and that we can have four generations under one roof..." She became more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes sparkling, as if she could already foresee that day.

Shanglin pursed his lips, said nothing, and let go of her while sitting up to peel an apple.

Xia Lin, however, got excited and, without any shame, said, "After my brother and sister got married, they still lived in our house. The man went out to earn money, and my sister was responsible for cooking at home..."

Shanglin roared, "Qiuxia Lin, what nonsense are you spouting!" Luckily, Changsheng wasn't there.

Xia Lin chuckled, "Are you shy? Don't deny it, everyone in the family thinks you and my brother are a couple..."

Shanglin reached out to hit his younger brother, but Zhang Hongwei stopped him and comforted him, saying, "You're still young. We'll talk about things later. Who knows what you'll be like when you grow up?"

She thought Changsheng was good, and Gu Zhiyuan was good too. But the children were still young and unsettled; who knew what their temperaments would be like in the future? She would only feel at ease if she could find a good son-in-law for her daughter.

Shanglin Yangmei brandished a knife and threatened his younger brother: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll shave your head and lock you in the house! I raised you and Li Changsheng like my own sons, why are you marrying someone else!"

Zhang Hongwei was both amused and exasperated. He slapped his daughter and scolded her angrily, "You're talking nonsense! What son? How old are you?!"

Xia Lin stuck out her tongue at her sister, while Shang Lin gave him a smirk; neither of them would back down.

After summer vacation, she will be entering the third year of junior high school, and the workload will become increasingly heavy. Shanglin hopes to have a relaxing summer vacation so that she can face the upcoming high school entrance examination with a relaxed mindset. There are too many complicated things to do at home, and the phone keeps ringing with people coming and going. Her study plan is also constantly interrupted by Xialin's friends. After discussing it, they decided to spend the summer vacation at her maternal grandmother's house.

The plan only included her, Xia Lin, and Li Changsheng. When Gu Zhiyuan was on the phone with Xia Lin, he heard that they were going to the mountains to escape the summer heat and that they could also hunt there. He hurriedly grabbed his wallet, didn't even have time to tell his family, and took the bus to come over.

Shanglin had no choice but to bring him along as well.

Another problem arose the night before I left.

Ji Yunwen invited Changsheng to play ball, but Changsheng declined, casually mentioning that he needed to go to his maternal grandmother's house to focus on his studies, and also mentioning that scorpions could be found in the mountains. Ji Yunwen discussed it with his parents, and that evening, Ji's father brought gifts to the Qiu family, asking Shanglin to tutor Ji Yunwen in preparation for the high school entrance exam.

The group grew from three to one, making it a grand five-person team. The boys were beaming with pride, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

Shanglin looked at them with a worried expression. When they got together, how could they possibly think about studying?

Just as she expected, the four boys arrived at the mountain village and went wild with joy.

The house wasn't just occupied by two elderly people; cousins on summer vacation were also there: Zhang Leshan, Zhang Leshui, Zhang Le… basically, a whole room full of Zhang family cousins, all roughly the same age, and all on good terms with Xia Lin. Over the years, the families had visited each other frequently, and they were all acquainted with Li Changsheng as well. Although Gu Zhiyuan and Ji Yunwen were meeting for the first time, it didn't hinder their illicit affair from developing rapidly. Talking about video games, martial arts movies, basketball, and football, the passionate young men quickly put on masks and then enthusiastically swept away their enthusiasm.

Grandma stood on tiptoe and called out, "Don't go into the water..." As soon as she finished speaking, her figure disappeared at the end of the uneven, winding path.

Shang Lin smiled and said, "Grandma, don't worry about them. Let them go wild. There are a lot of them, they won't cause any trouble. It's almost noon, I'll help you start the fire and cook."

Grandma patted Shanglin affectionately, saying, "You're such a good girl. You didn't need to start the fire; look how dirty you've gotten."

Shanglin kept smiling and didn't argue. She just followed along, fetching firewood and finding matches to start a fire. She loved the process of starting a fire, finding satisfaction in watching the cold stove gradually glow red in her hands. She loved the aroma of the branches wafting through the fire.

All of my uncles are away doing business, leaving only my grandfather and his two elderly parents in our hometown. My grandfather's health is poor, and he's tired of living in Zifang Town, so he insists on returning home. Zhang Hongwei and his brothers discussed building a multi-story house, but the old man wouldn't allow it. He's used to living in a single-story house and really dislikes high-rises. In his words: "People need to be close to the earth to be healthy; if you're suspended in mid-air all day, how can you not get sick?"

They couldn't persuade him otherwise, so they only renovated the old house, which was still a single-story house with a courtyard, front and back. The front courtyard belonged to the two elderly people, while the back courtyard was the uncle's property, which he rarely lived in and used only as a warehouse. The courtyard was divided into a vegetable garden and a flower bed. The grandfather loved flowers, and the children, knowing his taste, brought him all sorts of rare potted plants, a dazzling array, some of which Shanglin didn't even recognize.

The most common plant we grow is the sunflower. The old folks say it's a cheap plant, easy to care for; just a little sunlight and water and it will thrive. We need several pots a year, and our house is almost overflowing with them. In the height of summer, the countless pale pink flowers are like stars in the sky.

Grandma was growing vegetables in the corner of the house. Scallions, bok choy, purslane, mint, and lotus leaves; loofah and bitter melon were climbing up the wall. Grandma proudly pulled Shanglin up the ladder to the roof, pointing to the big pumpkin: "Tonight Grandma is making pumpkin and millet porridge, this year's new rice!"

Shanglin sat in front of the stove, tending the fire, while Grandma busied herself by the pot. Every now and then, she would add firewood, and Shanglin would chatter on and on about the gossip of the surrounding villages: "Your eldest uncle and aunt are arguing again; so-and-so's old man passed away a couple of days ago; so-and-so's daughter-in-law is unfilial and kicked her parents-in-law out of the house; your second uncle bought me this and that when he came back..." As the old woman got older, her speech became incoherent, and she could repeat the same thing over and over again.

Shanglin hates it when people waste time, but she is very patient with her grandmother.

He listened with a smile the whole time, occasionally chiming in with a comment or sharing some fun things about school.

Whether in her later life or after her rebirth, her grandmother's love for her was unparalleled. The frail girl, disliked by everyone in her later life, always found her happiest moments at her grandmother's house. Her grandmother didn't discriminate against her because she was a girl, secretly giving her delicious candy and money to buy stationery.

Shanglin had the deepest affection for her maternal grandmother, and they maintained contact even after their deaths. Occasionally, when she returned to her hometown, she would pass through Zifang Town without stopping and go directly to see her maternal grandmother.

Steamed buns were filling the pot, and they helped her prepare vegetables. Li Changsheng liked fried food, so they picked fresh mint and lotus leaves, dipped them in batter, and fried them until golden brown. As they were busy in the kitchen, someone outside called out, "Auntie, Auntie?"

Grandma quickly wiped her hands, and Shanglin, carrying a bunch of large-eared vegetables, followed her out to see.

She is the wife of Dazhu, the neighbor across the street. She is within five degrees of kinship with her uncles, and Shanglin would call her aunt.

Dazhu's wife carried a basket of pears and a piece of meat in her hand, handing it to her grandmother: "I just heard the dog barking. Dazhu came back and said it seems like his niece has arrived. She just got home and definitely won't come to our house for dinner. So, I brought you some early pears from yesterday so you can try them. There's no good meat left at the market at this time, so I went to the early market to buy a piece of pork tenderloin."

She is a straightforward and efficient woman; she explained things in just a few words without being verbose.

Shang Lin smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt. We bought meat when we came. We'll keep the pears for now, but we don't need the meat."

Dazhu's wife waved her hand dismissively: "Take it and eat! I saw quite a few people came, and Gousheng and the others are all home too, there's still not enough to eat!"

Shang Lin wanted to laugh, but he held it in.

Gousheng, Gousheng, the cousin she named Zhang Leshui back then, ultimately couldn't escape the misfortune of his nickname. He suffered a serious illness in his childhood, and the elders determined that he would not survive, so he was called Gousheng from then on.

Grandma didn't stand on ceremony with her. The neighbors often visited each other, and if anyone had something special, they would share it with everyone. If anyone had guests, they would bring some vegetables and meat. She also got along well with Dazhu's wife and they could talk to each other easily.

He called out, "Wait a minute, my niece bought me some roasted sunflower seeds and roasted pine nuts. Take some back with you."

Shanglin said helplessly, "It's pistachios and almonds..."

Grandma didn't care what they called her. She went inside and rummaged through the snacks they had brought. She picked out a bag of snacks that you couldn't find in the countryside, such as beef jerky and pistachios, put them in the empty basket, and handed it to Dazhu's wife.

She refused to accept it: "Keep it for yourself. Your niece bought it especially for you."

Shanglin smiled and said, "Auntie, don't be so polite. Grandma can't eat this, so we brought it to satisfy her craving. There's still a lot left. Take it back for your cousin and tell him to come over and play with Xialin."

Dazhu's wife has a son who is only eight or nine years old.

She stopped refusing and accepted it, laughing heartily, "He's already off having fun with Xia Lin and the others, there's no need to call him! Come to your aunt's house for lunch tomorrow, I'll steam some vegetarian buns for you!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, she left, and Shanglin and her grandmother continued cooking.

Following up on the previous conversation, the old lady said, "Life has gotten better these past few years, and Dazhu's wife has finally suffered less. Back then, Dazhu was useless; he couldn't do farm work and didn't want to go out to work. The two of them suffered so much. Your father helped by hiring technicians to teach us how to grow new varieties of fruit and cultivate grapes, and finally, life in our village has gotten a little better."

She smiled, pursing her lips, and remained silent. She had specially hired the technician, secretly using Qiu Jianguo's name; of course, she couldn't reveal this.