Chapter 199: Reborn in the Nineties: The Tyrant Flower Chapter 200 Picking Up Mother

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"Remarry?" Liu Zhanggui didn't react for a moment: "She didn't say remarry either."

But then Liu Zhanggui thought about it and felt that what Chai Mi said made sense.

Back when they made trouble about divorce, it was because Liu Zhanggui, while working outside, had an unclear relationship with another woman.

This matter was a long time ago.

Now they're both old, Liu Zhanggui has no one who wants him, wife Xue Haiyan also has no one who wants her...

Then making do together again isn't impossible.

The key is, Liu Zhanggui has a son. The main reason this son can't marry a wife is because Liu Zhanggui is also a confirmed bachelor, no wait...

He's an old confirmed bachelor.

Although Liu Zhanggui is the Village Chief, an old confirmed bachelor leading a young confirmed bachelor through life, which family's daughter would dare marry their son?

"Then I'll go take a look tomorrow."

"Bring some things, don't go empty-handed." Chai Mi had quite the air of an experienced person: "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law are nearly eighty, they can't say much. You have to let my aunt see that you value her, right? Buy a big gold bracelet, give it to her..."

Liu Zhanggui agreed directly.

Song Qiushui on the side wasn't happy, and said to her father Song Qingshan: "Dad, you buy me a big gold bracelet too... I heard those Yao girls wear an armful of gold bracelets, I want to wear them too."

Song Qingshan's mouth twitched: With my little money, buying one gold bracelet is hard enough, and you want to wear an armful?

Doesn't she get tired?

"Buy buy buy... tomorrow I'll go buy you one."

Regardless of whether he had money or not, Song Qingshan agreed; worst case he'd pull a famine to buy gold bracelets.

A few people chatted idly, and over there the troupe leader started burning incense.

After a while, the people in front of the small shop became more and more, basically the whole village came.

Chai Youqing also led Chai Xiu over; Chai Mi waved, and Chai Youqing came to the front.

Chai Mi held Chai Xiu and put her on a small wooden stool to the side to sit first, then let Chai Xiu also crack melon seeds and eat peanuts.

When it reached seven-thirty, the gong sounded, and the shadow puppet play opened.

The first performance was Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit, suitable for young and old alike.

After the first performance ended, Chai Mi's eldest aunt's family arrived; they lived far away, so they were delayed on the road for a while.

Chai Mi and her eldest aunt bumped heads, talking about going to maternal grandmother's house tomorrow.

Eldest aunt Su Jin grumbled: "Better to bring her back early; your maternal grandmother is bedridden, your maternal grandfather has even fewer days left to live, your mother staying at her natal family is ultimately not a proper thing."

"Mm." Chai Mi naturally understood these matters too.

The shadow puppet play was quite good; Chai Mi watched until past eleven, seeing that the troupe had no intention of finishing, estimating it would at least go until the latter half of the night.

Chai Mi couldn't hold on a bit, and besides, Chai Xiu next to her had long since fallen asleep.

Chai Mi had Chai Youqing watch Chai Xiu, and she went to catch fish with Song Qiushui.

Fortunately with last time's experience, it was familiar going and they caught twenty-odd fish.

Too many and they couldn't carry them; Chai Mi didn't expect these fish to sell for much money anyway.

After all, rich people are in the city; to take these fish to the city to sell, in this hot weather they'd probably stink before arriving.

And country people have limited purchasing power; fish isn't a daily necessity, not necessarily easy to sell...

Besides, others can catch fish too.

Better to eat them ourselves; it solves some nutrition problems and we can give some as gifts, killing two birds with one stone.

Returned and slept three or four hours perfunctorily; because she had things on her mind, she woke up relatively early.

Only four-thirty, Chai Mi got up, fed the cattle and sheep and cooked rice, not yet six o'clock.

After eating breakfast, Chai Mi dozed a bit more.

When Song Qiushui came over, Chai Mi woke up.

Song Qiushui was dressed suspiciously fresh; not to mention the big and small packages she'd packed a whole pile of things, Song Qiushui even put on sunglasses and a headscarf, looking entirely like an idiot who doesn't eat worldly food...

Chai Mi stared dumbfounded: "Sister, if one didn't know better they'd think you're going to your maternal grandmother's house; why did you bring so much stuff?"

Song Qiushui waved a small hand: "Who knows if we'll manage to scrounge a meal? Your maternal grandmother's place is a deep mountain gully; I have to bring my own provisions."

Chai Mi took a look: instant noodles, ham sausages, peanuts all brought, even several catties of salted meat.

Salted meat is similar to the South's cured meat; it's when bought pork can't be finished and there's no refrigerator, people salt-cure it so the meat keeps longer.

"Why didn't you bring the pot too? Acting like my maternal grandmother's family can't afford your two liang of rice."

"Hehehe, the pot's too heavy, can't carry it." Song Qiushui didn't feel she brought too much; going out once is not easy.

If it weren't for going out with Chai Mi, Song Qiushui's parents would definitely never have let Song Qiushui go out.

After all, Song Qiushui is a precious treasure; if she went out alone, the two elders wouldn't be at ease.

Chai Mi didn't change clothes, wearing yesterday's clothes, just brought a few fish and two bags of potatoes...

The potatoes were newly dug; four bags total dug in the vegetable garden; in a few days they'll prepare to plant Chinese cabbage, so the potatoes were dug.

Anyway her own family can't finish eating them; just right to send some to her uncles.

Chai Mi had actually long wanted to bring her mother back; otherwise she's busy all day and still has to coax Chai Xiu; although Chai Xiu is relatively obedient and honest, she's ultimately a child, easy to lose.

After bringing her mother back, she should consider how to earn money.

This year's harvest doesn't look good; no rain till now, might even have to irrigate the fields, all headache-inducing matters. Once the crop harvest is bad, the family will be even more strapped for cash; the money-earning problem is pressing.

And this matter, she couldn't count on anyone else either.

After all, other people didn't have money either……

Chai Mi also took two braids of garlic, the heads weren't large, also grown in the family vegetable garden.

Chai Mi's maternal grandmother's home was a deep mountain gully, over there going to market and such was especially difficult, growing vegetables was also hard, conditions even more bitter.

Although they lived off the mountains, besides not lacking firewood, they lacked everything.

After all, what the mountains could produce was limited, catching a few rabbits was already a good thing. The problem was rabbits were also too valuable, only a dozen or so yuan each. Catching rabbits to sell wasn't as good as going out to work for wages, and moreover it was easy to catch nothing.

As for wild pheasants and such, not tasty……

The rest, like wild boars, none……

Medicinal herbs in the mountains weren't that many either, it wasn't a primeval forest, where would there be that many medicinal herbs.

Chai Mi's maternal grandmother's home, sources of livelihood mainly two. One was farming, mainly planting sweet potatoes, not that the sweet potato yield was high there, but the sweet potatoes there were tasty, so they could sell for a higher price, therefore planting sweet potatoes was the main cash crop there.

The other was selling some mountain goods, mainly wild red mushrooms. The rest occasionally selling some large dates, mountain dates……

Of course, there were also some selling strange and odd things, but those were all a minority.

As for Chai Mi wanting to give some potatoes, it was entirely because the other family also didn't have any, giving potatoes was more practical and cost-effective……

But adding what Song Qiushui gave, it appeared very luxurious. Two bags of potatoes, two braids of garlic, over a dozen large fish, twenty jin of vermicelli, twenty jin of salted pork, a bundle of dried noodles, even a bag of rice and a bag of white flour that Song Qingshan had just carried over to the door……

Indeed very luxurious.

These things in later times would appear very practical. But in this era, they would appear extremely luxurious.

In this era, although people had solved the food and clothing problem, in the countryside, rice and white flour also weren't available at every meal. Like in Chai Mi's hometown area, the staple food of this era was millet rice, sorghum rice, and corn cakes.

Rice and white flour, although not to say only eaten at New Year, were only eaten to improve the diet.

So, this bag of white flour and rice from Song Qiushui appeared all the more precious.

Chai Mi didn't say much, but in her heart she was still quite grateful to Song Qiushui.

Song Qiushui, when speaking, had a rather frivolous air, but handling matters was very reliable.

Song Qiushui clapped her hands, suddenly as if remembering something, asked: "Is your cousin reliable? It's already past six, he still hasn't come?"

Originally last night when Chai Mi saw Liu San, she told Liu San to come pick her up around six in the morning.

Chai Mi checked the time, felt he should be coming: "Soon, guess he'll arrive any moment."

Just as they spoke, Liu San drove up in his newly bought eighth-hand Wuling Hongguang.

A dark blue Wuling Hongguang.

Before Liu San bought a ninth-hand small truck, recently maybe he made money again, directly bought this Wuling Hongguang.

In Liu San's words, the Wuling Hongguang normally can carry people, when going to market to sell fruit, can directly remove the rear seats, then can load vegetables.

One is it runs fast, two is many fruits fear rain and such, having a canopy is better.

Of course, Liu San's fruit business wasn't that big like in later times, generally one trip only loaded several hundred jin of fruit, this Wuling Hongguang suited him just right.

Beep beep.

Liu San honked the horn twice, then got out of the car, and Zhang Hailan also got out together.

"Aiyo…… tsk tsk." Chai Mi clicked her tongue: "Cousin, you rascal, upgraded from a bird gun to a cannon. Got yourself a big minivan."

Liu San hehe laughed, scratched his head: "Got to keep up with the times……"

Mainly because wife Zhang Hailan strongly demanded it, Liu San didn't dare not agree.

So, Liu San just spoke, and Su Jin who hadn't gotten out of the car yet muttered: "Keep up with the times my ass…… isn't it that spendthrift bitch, insisting on buying?"

Fortunately Zhang Hailan heard it, but pretended not to…… otherwise this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would have to quarrel again.

"Aiya, Chai Mi you rascal. Rice and white flour both, overdoing it? What, planning to live at your maternal grandmother's for half a year……" Zhang Hailan saw Chai Mi taking so much stuff, a bit stunned, couldn't help saying: "We're just going to visit, conveniently bringing my third aunt back, how did you pack like moving house?"

"You think I want to bring it……" Chai Mi laughed: "Don't I have to fill your car up? Otherwise you drove for nothing……"

"Hahaha……"

"Hehehe……"

Several people laughing, Liu San went to shoulder Chai Mi's things, then got in the car.

Chai Mi's eldest aunt Su Jin sat in the front passenger seat, Chai Mi and Song Qiushui sat in the second row, Zhang Hailan sat in the back.

"Sister-in-law, crowded? If so I'll go to the back?" Chai Mi asked.

"Not too crowded, the first two days loading the car more, that was crowded, squeezed my belly big……"

Zhang Hailan just spoke, Chai Mi frowned: "Don't talk nonsense, that's you getting fat again."

Zhang Hailan indeed got fat again.

"Exactly, doing nothing all day, just knows how to eat……" Su Jin muttered in front.

Chai Mi spread her hands, patted the seat: "Eldest aunt, look at you every day. My sister-in-law being a bit fat shows our family eats well, has money, can support people……"

Zhang Hailan originally had some dissatisfaction from mother-in-law's complaints, but hearing Chai Mi's words, immediately happy: "No wonder they say Chai Mi speaks well, makes people fond…… your family really raises people well. Look at your eldest aunt, even fatter……"

Chai Mi: "Er……"

Chai Mi didn't know what to say. Fortunately mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, neither were ill-intentioned people, just talk.

Song Qiushui: "Anyway you two are both pretty fat, lose weight…… your waists, both catching up to water vats in thickness……"

"Where? At most water bucket thick……"

"Showing off eating every day, both catching up to stone rollers……"

Several people sat in the car, and set off.

The car went quite fast, although Chai Mi kept telling Liu San to slow down, but Liu San wanted to save fuel, that guy drove faster than flying.

Originally over half an hour's drive, in ten-odd minutes they arrived.

However, same as last time's taxi, stopped at a place very far from the village entrance.

After all, the latter half of the road into the village, still couldn't be entered.

It requires people to walk.

Wenjiagou was also mentioned earlier; this place is indeed a deep mountain valley.

It can be said to be surrounded by mountains on all four sides; the road into the village is also very difficult to walk.

Only ox carts and donkey carts can get in.

Even later when highways were built, entry and exit remained very difficult.

However, this time there is a bit of a problem.

The problem is, Chai Mi and Aunt Su Jin brought a bit too many things this time.

Last time Chai Mi came basically empty-handed, so it didn't matter; this time she brought so many things...

"Ai, Chai Mi. How are we going to get so many things in?" Song Qiushui looked at that especially high mountain road, and her heart retreated: "It's hard enough for people to get up."

Song Qiushui then pried open the car door, got out, walked around nearby, then exclaimed: "This damn place is indeed a deep mountain valley. Chai Mi, look at that mountain. I estimate at our home the sun sets at seven or eight in the evening, but at your maternal grandmother's home it gets dark at four or five, right?"

To the west of Wenjiagou is precisely the biggest mountain among the four surrounding mountains; although it doesn't tower into the clouds, it still has an elevation of several hundred meters.

Su Jin in the car pursed her lips: "The sun can't be seen from three-thirty, but it's not dark yet. Dark is about the same as our place; it's just that the sun can't be seen, and the village gets a bit dim. The sun still sets at whatever time it sets; it's just that when the village reaches dusk, the light isn't good."

Su Jin grew up living here, so naturally she is familiar.

"Aunt, there really are a lot of things. Why not call my cousin, hitch a cart to haul them..." Chai Mi suggested.

Su Jin rolled her eyes: "That prodigal son your uncle sired — where would he have a cart? I heard a few days ago he sold the donkey; now the family only has a bicycle. Can't hitch a cart... Three, you walk there, have your second uncle hitch a cart to come."