Chapter 204: Rebirth in the Nineties: The Tyrant Flower, Chapter 205: Tiedan

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chai Mi

However, Chai Mi wasn't too worried.

Based on Chai Mi's understanding of the old man and old woman at the old residence and that group of people, Chai Mi estimated they would cause trouble.

Chai Mi was also waiting for them to cause trouble; recently she had been in a bad mood anyway, so she could give them a lesson.

At night, Chai Mi secretly told her mother about catching the badger, and then Su Wan joined Chai Mi in skinning the badger and rendering its oil.

Badger oil had very unique uses, and was purely natural, containing no hormones. It could be applied externally or taken internally.

External application could quickly restore skin for trauma, burns, and skin peeling, even regrow hair, and treat conditions like vitiligo, though its main use was for scalds and burns.

Of course, it could also treat hemorrhoids.

Taken internally, it was used to repair mucous membranes; many people understood its specific effects.

However, medicine is three parts poison, so those without illness should try not to use medicine.

This badger was actually quite fat; after processing, there were fully seven or eight catties of top-grade badger oil.

Chai Mi sealed it in a small jar and hid it away.

Afterwards the family ate dinner; Chai Youqing, because his wife had returned, deliberately drank two liang, and at the dinner table declared: I, Chai Youqing, was sorry to you before; from now on I will reform and start anew...

Su Wan originally didn't have too many thoughts; she had a timid personality, merely feeling that life had been hard before, and now that the family had a third child, life might be even harder.

The saying goes: Have fewer children and plant more trees; raise fewer children and raise more pigs.

Cough cough...

The slogans of this era were indeed like this; on the village walls it was always written this way.

The actual situation was also so.

One child indeed lived leisurely; many families in the village with one child had more comfortable lives.

Take Chai Mi's Second Uncle Chai You Fu's family; Chai You Fu's salary might not necessarily be more than Chai Mi's family's farming income, but they had only one child, so when Chai Mi could enter high school but couldn't afford to study, Chai Min could go to high school.

Take Song Qiushui again; her family had only one child, and Song Qiushui's life really was eating the best and drinking the finest.

So Su Wan's worries were not without reason.

Chai Mi told Su Wan about getting back the four thousand yuan famine relief money from the old residence, but they had spent some in the last two days, leaving a total of 3300 yuan.

This money was enough for the family's food, clothing, and expenses for a period of time.

"The day after tomorrow I'll hold a full-month banquet for my younger sister." Chai Mi steered the topic to Chai Xin's full-month banquet. "When I was born, we simply held one. Later, when Xiu'er had her full month, my grandmother had this and that, couldn't manage it. Counting it up, our family hasn't had an event for nearly twenty years; we've only gone out to give gift money, and haven't collected a single cent."

Although Su Wan had been hospitalized the previous few days and many people visited, that wasn't a happy occasion.

"Our family hasn't had any happy events these years, but Chai Xin's full month counts as one. No matter what, Mom and Dad have had a child again after many years. More children, more joy in the family. No matter what outsiders say, talk of girls or boys, none of it matters. My grandfather still had three sons; didn't my grandmother still get beaten by my Second Aunt until she couldn't find north?"

Su Wan: "Er..."

The eldest unmarried woman speaks with force.

Chai Youqing's face was awkward, but only awkward; after all, it wasn't him who hit, and the one who lost face was Song Qiuping...

Chai Xiu only knew how to eat, and while eating she spouted reasoning: "The book says: A growing boy eats his father to death. I think my little sister is quite good, like a skinny monkey; from now on she definitely can't eat... so I won't join my sister in worrying that you two elders will be eaten to death."

Chai Mi frowned and retorted at Chai Xiu: "Go read some proper books; where do you get all these crooked doctrines all day? My little sister is indeed ugly, but you can't call her a skinny monkey; you should call her a thin dog..."

Su Wan glared: A thin dog doesn't sound as good as a skinny monkey...

"Forget it, forget it; from now on our family Chai Xin's nickname will be Tiedan. I think her life is quite tough; after all this trouble, nothing happened." Chai Mi made a summary-like statement. Then she said: "It's settled. The third child's nickname is Tiedan."

Su Wan's brow was twisted into a rope: "Chai Mi... this Tiedan isn't a nickname a girl should have..."

Chai Youqing also hesitated to speak.

Chai Mi directly said: "Oh, it's just a nickname. It's not a formal name. I think Tiedan suits Chai Xin; look, she's smiling..."

Chai Xin, who was just one month old and understood nothing, was lying on the kang head grinning, showing two toothless little lips; and indeed she was quite cute.

Many years later Chai Xin recalled the experience of her nickname being Tiedan: My eldest sister was afraid I would become a traitor later, so she deliberately named me Tiedan, saying it would give me the iron will of Pavel Korchagin...

Su Wan was extremely opposed in her heart, but forced by her daughter Chai Mi's dominance, she could only be forced to accept this fact.

Chai Mi naturally saw Chai Xin smiling so happily... Chai Mi couldn't help but soften a little; as an elder sister, her younger sister had been born over a month ago, and Chai Mi held Chai Xin for the first time: "Mom, not to mention anything else, our family Tiedan's physique is truly good, much better than Xiu'er when she was little. Xiu'er when she was little was sick three days out of two; this time a cold, next time a fever, the day after pneumonia... look at our Tiedan'er; not only did Mom's insufficient milk mean she wasn't full, she was also born in a difficult birth; when she was just born I remember she was only three catties and four taels, and now she's seven or eight catties. Not bad, not bad..."

The little baby seemed to feel the rare affection from her sister; in an instant her little mouth grinned, and she smiled even sweeter...

But Chai Mi frowned and put Chai Xin back on the kang head.

No, this girl would be a white-eyed wolf in the future; now she had already learned to flatter and fawn, to follow the powerful and turn with the wind...

Good tea Tiedan!!!

Su Wan didn't notice the change in Chai Mi's expression, and thought Chai Mi was tired from the day and couldn't hold Chai Xin anymore; smiling she said: "Tiedan'er is indeed sturdy, and has a tough life."

Su Wan said this and then remembered her youngest daughter's difficult journey.

Difficult birth, insufficient milk, and the weather was extremely hot.

But perhaps it was because when heaven was about to confer a great responsibility on this person, it must first suffer his heart and will, strain his sinews and bones, expose his body to hunger...

Tiedan'er not only survived, but now she was quite chubby, extremely cute.

"By the way, if we hold the full-month banquet for your younger sister the day after tomorrow, how many tables should we prepare?" Su Wan was asking her husband Chai Youqing, but Chai Youqing didn't dare speak.

Chai Youqing knew well that what he said didn't count now; he directly cast his gaze toward Chai Mi.

Chai Mi calculated: on the relatives' side there were three aunts and three uncles, plus a large crowd of cousins; that would be three or four tables.

As for these few uncles and aunts...

Chai Mi didn't count them in.

Anyway she estimated they wouldn't come; at most Chai You Fu might come...

Not quite accurate yet.

A while back Chai Mi coaxed Chai Zhongxiao into saying his old aunts were returning home, and arranged a senior teaching position for Che Lianyun, but by now they must have realized they were tricked...

Then they wouldn't treat them as human beings at all.

But Chai Mi had plenty of excuses to make them come obediently, smiling as they came and smiling as they left, and even giving a generous gift.

Speaking of the village, Sanjiacun is quite large, with over thirteen hundred households. Old Chai's clan alone has four or five hundred people; if each household sends one person to give gift money, that's seventy or eighty people. Ten people per table, so that's ten tables.

"Let's go with twelve tables, and buy supplies for thirteen tables. For the dishes, I'll make a list in a bit, and we'll do a twelve-table four-course banquet: four cold dishes, four hot dishes, four large platters, and four bowls. Let Liu Zhanggui be the Toast Master; he doesn't seem to have anything proper to do all day anyway, and being idle is being idle. As for writing the Gift Ledger, if my Second Uncle doesn't come, let Song Qingshan do it. For serving tea and pouring water, I'll rope in Chai Dajun and Chai Min later; they wouldn't dare refuse..."

Chai Mi had her own calculations.

For Chai Mi, holding a banquet in the countryside meant something different to everyone.

For Chai Mi, it was a good opportunity to collect share money.

But for Chai You De and his wife, if Chai Mi had Chai Dajun serve plates, it would mean she thought highly of Chai You De. This was exactly an opportunity to let Chai Dajun step forward, so outsiders could see his son...

Maybe some blind girl would take a fancy to him?!

For the young men of the village, holding a banquet was a fine place for matchmaking.

So Chai Mi figured that as long as she had Chai Dajun come, even if Chai You De and his wife cursed Chai Mi in their hearts, they'd still have to say with their mouths: Chai Mi, you really are a good person!

As for Chai Min...

Chai Mi figured that Chai Min loved showing off and loved tea the most... people like that would come even if you didn't call them...

And once Chai You De came, Chai Zhongxiao wouldn't dare not go.

So, on the surface making them spend money and work, actually Chai Mi was making them not only spend money and work, but also rush to say Chai Mi was good...

Chai Mi: After you've all handed over your money, I'll deal with you.

After settling these, Chai Mi said: "Mom, on that day stay in the West Room and leave the East Room free; otherwise if everyone comes to the East Room, your body won't be able to take it."

"Dad, don't run around at that time. If anything happens, no one can find you; don't mess up this time. At that time wash up and brush your teeth properly, dress cleanly and stand at attention at the Da Men to greet guests."

Chai Youqing and Su Wan both agreed.

After dinner, Chai Mi strolled over to Song Qingshan's house first, asking him to help write the Gift Ledger the day after tomorrow.

Then she went to Liu Zhanggui's house.

As luck would have it, Liu Zhanggui's wife had just finished surgery, and was half-pushed, half-reluctantly brought home by Liu Zhijing.

Just as Chai Mi reached the door, she saw Liu Zhijing having hired a minibus, helping Mother Xue Haiyan get off at home.

Chai Mi wasn't too worried, and stepped forward to deliberately call out: "Auntie."

Then she asked with a tone full of concern: "Auntie, you're finally back. You've been gone these past few years; Zhanggui Uncle has missed you terribly, going on about you all day. Last night he was watching shadow play, and when he saw Liang Shanbo and Zhu Shadow Screen, that fellow's tears wouldn't stop, he was slapping his thighs as he watched, saying it would be great if you, Auntie, were here. Da Zhi wouldn't have ended up unable to marry a wife, right..."

Liu Zhanggui had been standing to the side with a cold face, not knowing what to say, but hearing Chai Mi say this, his expression immediately became rich and animated.

Quite the attitude of a prodigal son returning, worth more than gold.

"I was young before; this time you're back, don't leave again. The child is grown and at the age to marry a wife; without a mother, no family's daughter would be willing..."

Looking at Liu Zhanggui's half-dead expression, Chai Mi couldn't help but sigh: Liu Zhanggui might not have other merits, but when he became deep in feeling, he was quite moving.

Then Chai Mi turned to look at Xue Haiyan.

Xue Haiyan had had surgery five or six days ago, a cervical tumor operation.

Her body was somewhat weak.

But Xue Haiyan was still very fat...

Though many people, once they get up in years, their bodies start to go out of shape. But Chai Mi knew Xue Haiyan's figure was absolutely from eating.

When Liu Zhanggui had a mistress back then, Xue Haiyan had once been anxious and lost weight for a time, but the rest of the time Xue Haiyan was fat. Essentially speaking, Liu Zhanggui's current health was still well maintained.

Quite a handsome old man...

Chai Mi thought if Liu Zhanggui found a new old partner, it wouldn't be a big problem. But if Xue Haiyan could find another old man, the difficulty would probably be great.

Of course, things in the past should long since be turned over.

Xue Haiyan being able to return basically meant agreeing to remarry.

Xue Haiyan wore a large skirt and nearsighted glasses, her body bloated at over two hundred catties, her face full of flesh; she was a shrewd person. She had also heard from her son Da Zhi that Chai Mi had said those words back then, and afterward took her to the hospital for an examination, and the examination found she was ill.

Fortunately, she went to the hospital early, and it was a benign tumor.

If she had gone late, it would have been cancer.

No matter how you said it, Xue Haiyan felt Chai Mi owed her half a life-saving grace...

Though they weren't her rebirth parents, this grace was great enough that she, Xue Haiyan, simply couldn't repay it.

Life, how to repay?

Besides, Liu Zhijing looked like he couldn't marry a wife, already in his twenties, just because she and Liu Zhanggui divorced and had a bad reputation... if Da Zhi ended up a bachelor for life, wouldn't he hate her, his own mother, in the future!

After thinking for a long time, Xue Haiyan had almost firmly decided on the idea of returning to remarry. Now...

What was lacking.

"Chai Mi, you say that bastard thing of your uncle from two years ago, I'm not afraid of losing face. Let me tell you, back then our family, your Third Grandfather and your several uncles and elders, all opposed him finding that woman."

Xue Haiyan naturally was talking about Liu Zhanggui finding a mistress a few years ago.

"I was worried at home... I said in my heart, I said Liu Zhanggui must absolutely not bring that woman back to our old home; he works outside and messes around, I pretended not to see... this child is grown up; as long as he doesn't bring that woman to our side of the family, no one would know. As a result... sigh..."

Xue Haiyan spoke, remembering the past heaviness, and tears immediately came down.

That crying made Chai Mi feel somewhat sad too.

Silent tears are the truest feelings.

As a result, everyone knew...

Chai Mi also knew that back then that woman followed Liu Zhanggui and ran to the county train station... and refused to leave no matter what.

Forced afterward, Xue Haiyan said to make Liu Zhanggui's mistress move, so they divorced.