Chapter 45: The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife
Chapter 45: Helping Out
Wang Hao explained with a stiff smile, "Her family only has about fifty or sixty kilograms of chestnuts stored. It's not enough to do any business. She's just pregnant and craving sweets. Seeing that sugar-roasted chestnuts are delicious, she wants to learn to make some for herself."
Chen Chunli is from the neighboring town, and everyone in the area is familiar with the streets, houses, and yards. When it comes to collecting debts, people often roam the streets and alleys, well aware of the surroundings.
Whether the chestnuts were stored by her family or obtained through other means is quite obvious.
Chen Chunli's personality is well-known to her neighbors, especially to Luo Shiliu and others who are close to Wang Hao.
For the sake of brotherhood, they decide to let things slide.
...
Bai Lu felt someone touching her forehead in a dazed state. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a magnified handsome face, a wrist, close at hand.
She blinked, looking bewildered, "Why are you touching my forehead?"
Xiao Cheng calmly withdrew his hand, and his palm felt normal in temperature. He replied casually, "No reason."
The early morning sun shone through the window, casting a faint ray that highlighted his eyes, appearing as if he hadn't slept all night.
Bai Lu was puzzled, "Didn't you sleep last night?"
"I did."
Xiao Cheng unhurriedly lifted the blanket, got up, dressed, put on his shoes, and glanced back.
Seeing Bai Lu also sitting up, rubbing her eyes and yawning, lazily moving to get out of bed, he couldn't help but say, "You can sleep a bit more."
Bai Lu patted her slightly bulging belly, seriously saying, "I'm hungry; I need to get up and make breakfast."
Xiao Cheng intended to suggest she wait until he finishes dressing, but she had already shed her lazy demeanor, quickly arranged the blanket, and got out of bed.
Putting on shoes, stretching lazily in front of the mirror, picking up the cotton-padded jacket draped over the back of the chair, she put it on, buttoning it up as she walked out, taking small steps.
As if stepping on clouds, light and slow.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wei was squatting by the well, brushing his teeth.
Bai Lu, holding a toothbrush with toothpaste squeezed on it, a water cup, and an enamel washbasin, approached to fetch water, "Xiao Wei, tomorrow is Qingming Festival. Shouldn't you have a day off? You guys are probably on break, right?"
After taking the water, she began brushing her teeth. She didn't usually squat down, even when picking up things; there was a certain posture to it.
Unlike Wang Cuihua next door, who squatted casually anytime and anywhere, with no regard for appearance.
However, standing and brushing her teeth made the foam high, so Xiao Wei, afraid that a white cloud would appear above her head, moved a bit away.
"Today is Friday." Therefore, regardless of whether tomorrow was Qingming Festival or not, they would have the weekend off.
"Oh..." Bai Lu nodded in understanding.
Xiao Wei didn't understand why she didn't lean towards Big Brother but instead moved to his side, making him constantly subjected to occasional glances from that direction, feeling like ants crawling all over him.
Quickly finishing brushing her teeth and washing her face, she ran back to the kitchen to rinse rice and put it in the pot. Today, it was his turn to cook porridge.
In the past few days, Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng had been making noodles with eggs for breakfast, which was delicious but required them to get up early.
The breakfast here, simple congee with side dishes, was easy to prepare. Just cut some dry radish into small dice.
Bai Lu prepared two bowls, one with added chili and soy sauce, the other pure radish dice.
Unable to handle the spiciness of raw chili, Xiao Wei put his chopsticks toward the bowl occasionally mixed with chili when it was close to Xiao Cheng.
Being peppered made his lips red; he would drink a few sips of porridge and continue the battle with chili and radish dice.
After breakfast
Xiao Wei went to school, Xiao Cheng went next door to build houses, and Bai Lu went to the backyard vegetable garden, taking a long-handled wooden spoon to the small river, scooping water to irrigate the vegetables.
If water was poured directly onto the vegetable plot, the small vegetable seedlings would be bent and difficult to recover.
The old hen squatted in the chicken nest, quietly brooding eggs, occasionally lifting its head to glance at the small figure watering the vegetables.
A few days ago, Bai Lu specifically went to Zhang Sao's house to buy a batch of freshly laid eggs to select twelve eggs with embryonic filaments for the old hen to hatch chicks.
Xiao Wei couldn't be happier, and although he didn't show any joy on his face, he would go to the chicken coop every day after school.
Pouring water halfway, there was a knock on the door. Bai Lu put down the long-handled spoon and went to open the door.
The person knocking was an unfamiliar elder woman.
She wore a dark old cotton jacket, military green Liberation shoes on her feet, and her pants were stained with yellow mud. She was not fat, slightly thin, with a round face and thick lips. She looked around fifty years old, and in her hand, she held a notebook and a pen.
Speaking amiably, "Is this the home of Xiao Zhigang's son, Xiao Cheng?"
"Yes, it's Xiao Cheng's home." Bai Lu nodded lightly.
The elder woman confirmed she had found the right place and explained her purpose, "Well, tomorrow is Qingming Festival, and the people from Xiao Village are going to the mountains to worship our ancestors. I am Li Hongying, the wife of Xiao Village head Xiao Guofu. We came to town today to inform the Xiao family members and collect money for incense and candles. It's 1.5 yuan per person, so you can give money for the number of people from your family who will be attending."
The ancestral land of the Xiao family is on the other side of the river, up in the mountains. Over the years, many people have moved to the town.
Every Qingming Festival, family members are notified to go back for the ancestral worship. Xiao Zhigang used to go back before he passed away.
After Xiao Zhigang's death, Xiao family members didn't inform Xiao Cheng, partly due to his notorious reputation as a local bully.
Secondly, they thought it was inappropriate for Xiao Cheng, who was in this business, to come back and embarrass the Xiao ancestors.
Li Hongying came today to inform Xiao Cheng after hearing from people in town that he seemed to have changed recently. They heard he hasn't been leading people around the streets for a while and was even building houses for the neighbor.
She specifically avoided the neighboring house when informing others, only looking from a distance to see Xiao Cheng laying bricks. After confirming his recent activities, she and Xiao Guofu split up, with her coming to inform Xiao Cheng.
Hearing the rumors confirmed when collecting money from other households, Li Hongying felt relieved when Bai Lu handed over 4.5 yuan
for five incense candles.
Opening up, she spoke in a much more cordial tone, "Bai Lu, Auntie wants to ask for a small favor."
Bai Lu also had matters to attend to regarding the Xiao family's ancestral land. Helping each other out was the best option. She smiled and said, "Xiao Cheng is also from the Xiao family. We are all family, and if there's anything, just tell me. I'll help if I can."
Li Hongying, feeling more at ease with Bai Lu's smiling face, continued, "Up until now, we've counted 138 Xiao family members who will return to the village for ancestral worship in town."
"The journey back to the village is long, taking about three or four hours by the riverside. I heard that Xiao Cheng knows the owner of the brick factory, and I was wondering if he could ask the brick factory owner to borrow a few brick trucks. These military green six-wheeled large brick trucks can carry quite a few people at once."
Li Hongying deliberately emphasized the military green large brick trucks, not the hand-operated six-wheeled tractors.
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