Chapter 200: Rebirth in the Nineties: The Tyrant Flower Chapter 201: Wenjiagou

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Liu San didn't waste words, just walked straight there.

Along the way Zhang Hailan still thought about letting Liu San just take some things, but Su Jin refused.

Anyway, it was Chai Mi's second uncle bringing the cart, so there was no rush.

Chai Mi had come to her maternal grandmother's home quite a few times, but her impression was very blurry. First, in her previous life, when she was younger, her family was always having trouble, and instead her uncles and her maternal grandmother and grandfather came more often, so she herself hadn't come to her maternal grandmother's home much. Besides, the road on her maternal grandmother's side was indeed hard to walk; one trip was like walking the Sichuan-Tibet route.

Second, her mother had died young in her previous life, and her maternal grandmother and grandfather might have been in poor spirits because their daughter passed away early, and they also died early, so in later years when Chai Mi went to her maternal grandmother's home, she didn't even know how to get there.

After all, since her mother was gone, Chai Mi had been somewhat distanced by her maternal grandmother's family.

It wasn't even seven o'clock yet, the sun wasn't too strong, and with the nearby mountains being high, the temperature wasn't particularly high.

Distant mountains like dark ink.

Cooking smoke curled gently.

A very pastoral scene.

Song Qiushui walked with her hands behind her back, speaking with a flavor of playing the pipa on a zither: "If we were here... and a few burly men with big knives jumped out ahead, we'd all be robbed on the road today."

Chai Mi just laughed that Song Qiushui had nothing proper to say, then said: "This isn't ancient times; where would there be so many bandits."

Su Jin said instead: "There were. When I was little, there were bandits around here."

Su Jin sighed: "Back then there was no liberation yet, and there was a bandit gang around here. They were really formidable; every autumn, they'd go house to house robbing grain..."

"Eh? Great Aunt..." Song Qiushui suddenly interrupted Su Jin's words.

Song Qiushui considered herself and Chai Mi to be sisters, so she didn't go by her cousin sister Song Qiuping's side, and also called Su Jin Great Aunt.

"Great Aunt, you say back then did bandits also rob money, grain, and women? Then why didn't they rob you? Could it be because Great Aunt you were already this fat when young..."

Su Jin was stunned: "..."

"My mother-in-law is sturdy; bandits couldn't carry her..." Zhang Hailan laughed from the side.

Chai Mi was also made to laugh by Zhang Hailan.

As for speaking, one had to look at Song Qiushui; this fellow truly had a dog's mouth that couldn't spit out ivory...

The spiritual little sister's spiritual thinking was always rather unconventional.

Su Jin didn't get angry either, muttering: "Robbing grain... bandits just rob food. Rob people for what? Robbing one person means another mouth to feed; bandits aren't stupid, after robbing them back they'd still have to support them, and they themselves couldn't even eat enough. Besides, back then every household was poor and couldn't eat enough; when I was young, I was thin... thinner than Chai Mi."

That's what was said, but Chai Mi really hadn't seen her Great Aunt when she was thin; from when Chai Mi could remember, Su Jin had been fat.

And getting fatter and fatter.

First, Su Jin herself didn't do much work; although she had many children, one son and two daughters, Su Jin herself had divorced very early, marrying at sixteen or seventeen, then giving birth to Liu San, and Liu San also married quite early; by the time Liu San married, most of the household and outside work was handled by Liu San's wife Zhang Hailan.

With a daughter-in-law to wash clothes and cook, she, at only over forty years old, had been a mother-in-law for many years. Although not like an ancient old family matriarch who could have the final word, she indeed did much less physical labor.

Another reason was that Su Jin's mother-in-law had passed away early... her grandmother and grandfather had long been gone, so there was no need to be angry.

Good mindset, not getting angry, and she gradually got fatter; now she wasn't one hundred seventy or eighty, but one hundred forty or fifty.

Su Jin also opened the car door, preparing to get out.

Zhang Hailan hurried to support her: "Mother, go slow, your legs and feet aren't nimble, go slow getting out."

Su Jin had a face full of impatience, muttering: "I've walked this road for decades walking, and haven't fallen to death... no need to hold me."

After Zhang Hailan saw Su Jin get out of the car, she stopped supporting her.

"Shall we few walk into the village first? Or wait until second uncle brings the cart to haul things before going in?"

"Let's stroll a bit."

So everyone walked onto the dirt road; as for that cart and the things in the cart, they'd wait for Liu San to handle them later.

Anyway, in this day and age, one wouldn't be careless and lose the car...

After all, people who could drive were few and far between.

Su Jin actually hadn't returned to her mother's family for two or three years; her body had indeed become somewhat obese, and walking wasn't as nimble. These two years, although her daughter-in-law Zhang Hailan hadn't actively been angry with her, Su Jin herself was angry.

Zhang Hailan had been married into the door for seven or eight years, neither giving birth nor supporting children, and this had become her heartache.

And it was a heartache for the whole family.

Moreover, the county hospital's medical level in this era wasn't very good. The hospital had examined many times, but in the end couldn't say a specific reason.

Like Chai Mi's mother, who gave birth to daughters, and the Old Chai Family jumped up, saying it affected their Chai family's continuation of the family line.

And Zhang Hailan, who didn't give birth, made Su Jin this mother-in-law under even greater pressure.

Su Jin's husband Liu Qiyuan was even more worried and frowning all day; as soon as he got home he said his line was cut off, which made Su Jin even more tormented.

So, even though Su Jin looked extremely calm on the surface, her inner torment was more severe than Chai Mi's mother's.

Su Jin's body became obese; first because she had enough food and clothing, second because she had heavy worries.

Chai Mi naturally knew this matter; in her previous life, Chai Mi's great aunt's husband Liu Qiyuan, that is, Su Jin's husband, finally because of this problem, died of depression at not too old an age.

And until many years later, the information Chai Mi knew was that Liu San had a bit of a problem, while Zhang Hailan didn't have many problems.

If it were later generations, this problem could actually be solved with test-tube babies.

But the current medical level couldn't.

And Liu San had always avoided illness and feared doctors...

That was the key problem.

And this problem had no solution; as long as Liu San didn't go see a doctor, then Su Jin's heartache couldn't be resolved.

Su Jin's family's approach was to always have Zhang Hailan go see a doctor. But Zhang Hailan didn't have many problems. Although Zhang Hailan's body also had a small problem, the problem Chai Mi knew should be that Zhang Hailan's fallopian tubes were a bit narrow...

This ailment, it's not major if you call it major, not minor if you call it minor. Surgery can resolve it…… of course, without surgery, it can also be more or less the same.

Anyway, the difficulty ratio is just relatively high.

And Chai Mi's Aunt Su Jin has always insisted it's Zhang Hailan's problem, going to hospitals of all kinds, clinics of all kinds, taking medicine of all kinds, but it just shows no effect.

Naturally, it would be strange if it did show effect.

After all, Liu San's problem is the real problem……

To explain with a simple comparison: Liu San wouldn't have children with other women either. But Zhang Hailan with other men could possibly have children, only the children's physical constitution wouldn't necessarily be especially good.

Chai Mi saw Su Jin still holding to her old attitude, targeting Zhang Hailan at every turn; although Zhang Hailan said nothing, she would inevitably feel uncomfortable inside.

This kind of problem cannot be solved.

To solve it, Liu San would have to go see a doctor first……

But among relatives and friends, no one dares bring up this topic.

After all, no one would say to Su Jin's face that her son is no good……

So, no solution.

Chai Mi and Song Qiushui, though somewhat thin and weak, were young and strong; even Song Qiushui, skinny as a rail, walked this kind of mountain path easily and leisurely.

Song Qiushui walked while looking around, scanning left and right, foolishly hoping she might run into a rabbit.

"Ai ya, Chai Mi. You say, the ancients said 'wait by a tree stump for a rabbit', wait by a tree stump for a rabbit. I've walked over ten minutes already, how come I haven't seen a rabbit?"

Chai Mi pursed her lips: "Forget it. With your IQ, it'd be a miracle if you caught a rabbit. Sister, catching rabbits has to be in winter. This isn't a fairy tale; you say there's a rabbit and a rabbit jumps into your pot. In this scorching heat, the mountains are high and roads far on my maternal grandmother's side, there's not much water in the mountains, rabbits generally aren't in the mountains. They're probably even thirstier than you, likely crouching by some water pit. If you want to wait by a tree stump for a rabbit now, you have to go to the river bend. Otherwise, wait till winter comes here, maybe you'll catch a rabbit."

"Winter forget it." Song Qiushui said half-dead: "This broken road is even more outrageous than when the two of us went to Ge Zi Dong to catch fish."

Wenjiagou's geographical location is indeed poor. So poor it's surrounded by mountains on all sides……

Chai Mi sometimes recalls words her mother Su Wan once said: If the family weren't poor, she wouldn't have married your father……

Indeed, her mother's maternal home life was too bitterly hard.

So hard that once you left Wenjiagou, everywhere felt like a paradise.

"Then what to do? Should I carry you?"

Chai Mi made a move to piggyback Song Qiushui, and Song Qiushui didn't stand on ceremony, climbing right up.

But Chai Mi took two steps, then put Song Qiushui back down.

Chai Mi rubbed her shoulder: "Qiu Shui, you're painfully bony. Don't lose weight anymore……"

Chai Mi was thin in a very normal way, but Song Qiushui recently was thin in a not-so-normal way.

Song Qiushui shook her head: "I'll thin down to a bolt of lightning, flash-blind my dad's dog eyes!"

Chai Mi silently gave a thumbs-up.

Unexpectedly, Song Qiushui's next sentence went to Su Jin: "Aunt, why do you all live here? It's not like you can't go out, why don't you think about moving out?"

Actually Chai Mi had similar questions.

In later times, Wenjiagou had fewer and fewer people; young people went out to work, children went out to study, only those who couldn't leave remained, and finally the government relocated them too.

Chai Mi sometimes couldn't understand: just why doesn't her maternal grandmother's home consider moving out?

The big mountains don't have much land; though there are stretches of barren mountains, there's nothing valuable now, is there?

"I heard your maternal grandmother say. Our Wenjiagou was a Mongol city during the Mongol-Han division of rule, a fortress or something; the villagers are all descendants of Mongols from back then, guarding something or other……" Su Jin wasn't too clear either, so she could only give a muddled explanation.

"Guard the Great Qing? The Great Qing perished several hundred years ago……" Song Qiushui suddenly blurted out.

Chai Mi quite agreed with this statement. After all, Wenjiagou here is indeed easy to defend, hard to attack……

It's just……

Just that Mongols should be herding horses and sheep on the plains, how did they run into the deep mountains?

"Who knows, maybe there's some treasure underground. Before the Qing entered the Pass they buried treasures and such……"

Just as they spoke, they heard the creaking sound of a donkey cart.

Looking again, they saw a small black donkey pulling a wooden-plank cart, coming slowly along.

The driver was tall and thin, in a hemp-blue Zhongshan suit, somewhat balding, wearing an old-style hat that looked bought as a set with that Zhongshan suit.

"Yu~"

The arrival was precisely Chai Mi's Second Uncle Su Tang.

The earlier text also explained: actually Chai Mi's Second Uncle is not a blood Second Uncle.

Only back then Chai Mi's maternal grandfather's brother died, and her maternal grandfather, in a flood, rescued Chai Mi's Second Uncle and Oldest Uncle.

From then on it was no different from blood kin.

Su Tang stopped the cart: "Old Aunt, you're back."

Su Jin patted her leg, sat down on a stone by the path; anyway the mountain roadside was all stones.

Su Jin just panted heavily; this journey nearly exhausted her to death.

The others had no issues, but Su Jin was exhausted beyond measure.

"Mm, came back to take a look." Su Jin said: "Second Uncle, we brought things, they're in the cart. That who…… where's Liu San?"

"Liu San, he went to my place first, then went to his Da Jiu's to take a look. He said you brought back a lot of things, I figured you'd be worn out, so I hitched the cart and came." Su Tang said: "Then what about me, I'll just go directly, what cart is it?"

"Big steamed bun." Zhang Hailan said. "Keys are with me, Second Uncle I'll go with you."

"Second Uncle, I think do this instead. You first take my Aunt to my maternal grandmother's home, come back later to haul things. I feel my Aunt can't walk anymore……" Chai Mi said: "Otherwise later there'll be more trouble. Second Uncle you just first take my Aunt and my Sister-in-law to my maternal grandmother's home, my Aunt hasn't been back in two or three years, anxious to see my maternal grandmother."

Su Jin agreed; after all she truly couldn't walk.

Zhang Hailan still wanted to call Chai Mi along: "Chai Mi, you go too. Later, let your male cousin and Second Uncle come haul things."

Chai Mi shook her head, pointed at the small donkey: "I have to walk there sooner or later. This donkey pulling you and my Aunt is already scorching; you two big lumps, if I go I'd still have to walk. Better to help Second Uncle carry some things later."

Several people didn't waste more words; Su Tang drove the small donkey, pulling Zhang Hailan and Su Jin away.

After twenty-odd minutes, Su Tang returned again.

Chai Mi's Da Jiu also came along on this trip.

Chai Mi's Da Jiu was called Su Rong; from far away, Chai Mi heard that unceasing coughing and guessed it was Da Jiu Su Rong arriving.

When she got close and looked, sure enough it was Su Rong.

Chai Mi's Da Jiu Su Rong was already fifty-seven; when he was young he seemed to have had tuberculosis, so he kept coughing and his health wasn't good. Moreover Su Rong wasn't tall, and had a bit of a hunchback, skin especially dark; when he spoke he also coughed nonstop: "Ah... aiyo... cough cough... Chai Mi... came... ya... your mother, all... miss you. Always... cough cough... mutter about you."

Chai Mi hurried over, patted Su Rong: "Da Jiu, you say your health is bad, then don't come out to meet me. You've coughed so hard your lungs are about to come out."