klisemfg Chapter 271 Your seed is good, quite plump, but you yourself are no good!
Chapter 271 Your seed is good, quite plump, but you yourself are no good!
Tao Yingzhen came out of the house and looked at Qiao Manman with surprise: "Girl, you're here! Come in quickly, have you eaten yet? Grandma will steam some egg custard for you!"
Qiao Manman put the basket in the corner: "Grandma, don't bother, I've eaten and came over. My comrades from the army came over for a blind date today, and I came to see you and Grandpa when they weren't looking."
Where's my grandpa? I haven't seen him.
"I went for a walk in the mountains. I figured you wouldn't be back so soon since you'd only been gone a few days!"
The old lady took Qiao Manman's hand and sat her down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "It's alright, you can chat with Grandma, Grandma knows a lot too!"
Qiao Manman laughed heartily and chatted with the old lady about interesting things in Qingshan Brigade.
Remembering something, she suddenly asked, "Grandma, did I forget to tell you that Mom is pregnant again, and with twins!"
"What? You're serious? Niannian is pregnant?"
"Yes, I'll probably be born a month or two later than my second aunt!"
"That's great! That's great! Runming has suffered for so many years, finally there's some good news!"
Qiao Manman patted her back gently and said that everything would be alright. After the woman calmed down, she took out the gift she had prepared from her basket.
There are ten catties of rice, ten catties of wheat flour, a bag of red dates, a can of tea, a bag of dried beef, and more than twenty eggs.
"Grandma, you and Grandpa hide well, I'll come to see you when I have time!"
Tao Yingzhen suddenly exclaimed, "You're leaving already? Your grandpa hasn't even come downstairs yet!"
Qiao Manman glanced at the sky: "It's getting late, I have to go back to the drying ground."
"Yes, yes, go back quickly, lest someone find out."
"It's not that we can't be discovered, it's just that the time isn't right. One day, we'll be able to hold hands and stand openly in the sunlight!"
Tao Yingzhen nodded with satisfaction and saw Qiao Manman off.
As I was looking around, I forgot what I was doing in the blink of an eye. I went back inside and spent half the day making lunch, and only when I went to get the rice did I remember that my granddaughter had come by.
The old lady slapped her forehead in annoyance: "I'm really getting old, I can even forget Man'er. Later, I'll have the old man brew me some medicine to refresh my mind!"
Completely unaware, Qiao Manman had used a talisman on her. Unless Qiao Manman approached her, she wouldn't even notice her. Yet, if she deliberately went looking for her, she could still see her – a perfect act of invisibility.
The lively scene at the drying ground was coming to an end.
Song Zhengkang was discussing the wedding date with Political Commissar Zou: "In my opinion, the sooner the better. However, young people should get to know each other, and on this point, we fully respect the opinions of our military comrades."
"Alright, let them get to know each other, then set a good date for the wedding!"
Logically speaking, soldiers are not allowed to date women near their station.
Firstly, they were worried about them having family and friends, which might distract them from their mission. Secondly, they were concerned about the impact on local dating and marriage prospects. After all, any girl would know how to choose a soldier over a peasant.
But this group of people is different. They are a huge problem at home, and no one wants them at work either.
The leaders had no choice but to find a solution for them. After all, in this era, not only are houses allocated, but if you don't get married, you'll be talked to and "assigned" a partner.
After the get-together ended, the group set off back to their unit.
Qiao Manman was drowsy and fell asleep after sharing the good news with Lu Yuan.
After resting for a night, I borrowed Zhang's farm tools the next day and went to work in the vegetable garden.
As soon as she got over there, she saw an old woman staring at her menacingly and giving her a vicious glare.
"Little Lu's wife, you're so young, why are you competing with this old woman for the vegetable garden? You should use that time to go back and have more kids."
Your husband has plenty of money; he can buy whatever he wants to eat. Unlike us, with so many family members, we have to scrimp and save on our meager allowances, constantly worried about running out of food.
Qiao Manman smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, this is my family's vegetable garden, and I have the right to cultivate it. Besides, life is only a few decades long, and besides having children, there are many other wonderful things."
Look at the sky, how blue it is! Look at the sunshine, how warm it is! Look at the willow tree in the corner, haven't it already sprouted new buds? Look at yourself, don't you want to go out for a walk?
Grandma Zhou: "......"
"Aunt Zhou told me that you're getting old and she's worried about you working so hard. She said it wasn't easy for you to raise several children, and now that you're old, you should enjoy your retirement!"
"Ah, really?"
Grandma Zhou blinked: "It seems pretty tough. When I was young, I did laundry, cooked, chopped firewood, and fed the pigs every day..."
I didn't initially feel that I was suffering much, but as I spoke, I suddenly became emotional. I raised my hand to wipe away my tears.
Qiao Manman listened and nodded, not forgetting to gather fallen leaves with farm tools. After finishing, she picked up a hoe to hoe the ground, but Grandma Zhou thought she was working too hard, so she took the hoe from her and quickly finished the job for her.
The two went back together, and it wasn't until they reached the family building that Old Mrs. Zhou realized what she had done.
Just as he was about to argue with Qiao Manman, he was given a handful of fruit candies.
Grandma Zhou held the pink cellophane in her hand, feeling neither pleased nor disappointed: "Don't think you can bribe me with two candies!"
Qiao Manman nodded perfunctorily, then smiled and took the other woman's arm: "Sister-in-law Zhou said you're the best at tending the land. We young people have no experience, so we'll have to rely on your guidance."
"How about this, could you look after my plot of land for me when you have some free time? Once the seedlings are grown, I'll share half the harvest with you?"
Grandma Zhou's eyes flickered; she thought this was a good idea. However, she needed to discuss the terms.
"Well, since you've entrusted the vegetable garden to me, you can't complain about how much I eat."
Also, we have to prepare the seeds ourselves, and fetch the water ourselves. My wife is old and has a bad back, so she can't do this kind of work.”
Qiao Manman opened her clear, big eyes and asked, "Then why are you doing this? You can't just lend your name and take half of my output!"
Grandma Zhou's eyes lit up: "I'll be in charge of fertilizing and catching bugs, and also keeping an eye on others so they don't steal your little greens!"
Qiao Manman snapped her fingers: "Deal!"
Thinking that half of the output was nothing, since she couldn't finish it all, she might as well take it out and have some peace and quiet.
Moreover, Commander Zhou and Lu Yuan have a good relationship, and his family is indeed facing difficulties.
Of course, this hardship is built on a foundation of happiness. A family with seven children—five mischievous boys and two lovely girls—lives a meager monthly salary.
To ease her son's burden, Grandma Zhou was frugal wherever possible. She was also diligent, and over the years, she not only kept her small vegetable garden in perfect order but also cultivated other land whenever she could find a spare spot.
Plant a tomato here, a pumpkin vine there, and they've been blooming all over the family compound, causing quite a few arguments.
The house is also not idle; we've set up many flower racks and planted scallions, ginger, and garlic.
That's why Qiao Manman showed kindness to Old Lady Zhou. She wasn't a truly evil person; she was just overwhelmed by the pressures of life.
Qiao Manman returned home and used her consciousness to remove the restrictions on the small vegetable garden around the villa, allowing the seedlings to grow strong, flower, and bear fruit.
Then the seeds were collected and placed on the windowsill to dry. After the first spring rain, wearing rubber boots, we came here to dig holes and plant the seeds.
As expected, Grandma Zhou was tending to her vegetable garden. Seeing Qiao Manman's clumsy movements, she couldn't resist and snatched her pocket.
"Your seeds are good, they're all quite plump, it's just that you're not a good person."