Chapter 249: No one is superfluous

The Gu family's conditions were much better than where Zhao Daya married.

Zhao Liuniang was generous to her own sister, packing up quite a few good things that she usually scrimped on.

Half a tael of brown sugar, half a strip of cured meat, a handful of red dates, and two steamed buns.

Most were thank-you gifts Lin Zhao gave her for helping the Third Sister-in-law.

She couldn't bear to eat them, wanting to save them for the New Year, but she didn't feel bad about sharing some with her sister; she was raised by her sister, Old Man Zhao wanted to send her to the mountain to feed the wolves, but the eldest sister saved her, saving her own rations to secretly feed her, and that was how she survived.

Not to mention, when the eldest sister heard Laimei had injured her head, she brought ten eggs when she came. She didn't know how long she had saved those ten eggs.

Zhao Daya's expression changed slightly when she saw the things her little sister handed over.

She pushed them away repeatedly.

"Where did you get so many good things?"

"What are you giving them to me for, I don't want them! There is grain at home."

"Laimei was injured to that extent, he needs to recuperate, soak these red dates in water, I heard it can replenish blood, brown sugar too, and the cured meat, wait until he gets better, then cook it for him to eat."

"Why are there steamed buns? Steamed at home?"

Zhao Liuniang said: "There are more at home, their mouths won't suffer, these are specially left for you. Xiaxia isn't having that time of the month and her stomach hurts, give her the red dates and brown sugar, I wanted to give them to her long ago, but never had the chance, Eldest Sister, you give them to her for me, tell her it's from her little aunt, don't take credit for me."

"Eat the cured meat and steamed buns together, taste the meat. Eldest Sister, you know my husband's family conditions are okay, my Third Sister-in-law often subsidizes Bangbang and the others, the malted milk Yu Yu drinks is all given by her Third Aunt, you really don't need to worry about me, I'm doing quite well."

Zhao Daya listened to her little sister say this, struggling, a battle between heaven and man in her mind.

Zhao Liuniang stuffed the things into her hands.

"You are my biological sister, I give you things, what's there to be embarrassed about, be generous, don't be a stranger."

Except for being somewhat timid in front of Old Man Zhao, Zhao Liuniang's personality was bright and straightforward.

Zhao Daya had no choice but to accept.

"That's right." Zhao Liuniang said.

She had heard long ago that Xiaxia had that time of the month and hurt so much she was dying, brown sugar couldn't cure the illness, but it could make her feel a bit more comfortable.

Zhao Daya said: "Your sisters-in-law are all good, get along well with them, don't be competitive, be diligent, it's nothing to suffer a little loss occasionally, don't be too calculating as a family."

Liuniang's sister-in-law's life was good, she was afraid her little sister would develop thoughts she shouldn't have.

People must focus on their own lives, don't compare, how can one live comfortably if one is always comparing.

Zhao Liuniang listened. "I know."

Zhao Daya smiled awkwardly. "You've had your own ideas since you were small, I'm talking too much, don't be annoyed with me."

"Not annoyed." Zhao Liuniang intimately held her eldest sister's arm. "Not annoyed for a lifetime, I like listening to Eldest Sister teach me."

She was raised by her eldest sister, to her, the eldest sister was like a mother, no, more important than a mother.

Zhao Daya felt warm inside.

The sisters had just stepped out the door when they saw Gu Qingzhou pushing a bicycle over, a basket hanging on the handlebars.

"Mom asked me to see Daya sister off." he said.

Zhao Liuniang's expression was happy. "Mom has heart."

After speaking, she looked at Zhao Daya. "Eldest Sister, you don't have to walk back, let Qingzhou take you, riding a bike is fast."

Zhao Daya had never ridden a bicycle, waving her hands in confusion. "No, no, it's too much trouble, I'll just walk back, I'm used to it..."

"Eldest Sister!" Zhao Liuniang interrupted her refusal. "The bicycle is Third Sister-in-law's, she's willing to lend it out, don't feel embarrassed, it's fine, both the eldest sister-in-law and I have sat on it, it's fine."

"Walking back is so much trouble, why not ride if there's a bike."

Gu Qingzhou watched his Gu Gu Ersao persuade people, remaining silent throughout.

Zhao Daya pulled at her clothes uncomfortably, not refusing again, but still feeling very constrained.

Zhao Liuniang helped her onto the bike.

After sitting on it, Zhao Daya was dazed, never expecting she would have a day to sit on a bicycle.

"Qingzhou, ride slowly on the road." Zhao Liuniang instructed, planning to boil an egg for her brother-in-law tomorrow morning.

Gu Qingzhou nodded, seeing that his Gu Gu Ersao and her eldest sister didn't speak again, kicked his foot, and the bicycle slid away from the spot.

In the brigade where Zhao Daya lived, the commune members hadn't seen a bicycle come by.

Seeing a bicycle, it was as if they had seen something rare, and they all stepped forward.

Seeing Zhao Daya, they were stunned. "Daya?!"

Zhao Daya jumped off the bike and waved at the villagers.

"It's me." she smiled shyly.

The villagers surrounded Gu Qingzhou and turned around the women's bicycle, some older women reaching out to pinch Gu Qingzhou's arm.

"The young man is quite handsome, do you have a partner? If not, Auntie will introduce you to one."

While speaking, those eyes landed on the bicycle, wishing they could push it back to their own home.

Gu Qingzhou was almost scared silly, when had he ever seen such wild older women?

It seemed... he was a piece of pork with more fat than lean meat.

So scary.

The young man tried hard to dodge.

Zhao Daya couldn't stand it, that embarrassment of being stared at faded away completely. She stepped forward and pushed aside the onlookers.

"This is my little sister's brother-in-law, he's still in school, in high school, don't surround him, if you scare him, Liuniang will make a scene with me."

When the villagers heard Gu Qingzhou was a high school student, their eyes shone even brighter.

"Oh my, he's a high-achieving student, amazing." The older woman who said she would introduce a partner to Gu Qingzhou was full of smiles. "High-achieving students also need to get married and have children, the girl I want to introduce to you is very watery and smart, and she's diligent, although she doesn't know many characters, what's the use of knowing characters to live a life, she..."

Before the older woman finished speaking, another person interrupted her. "Hahaha, Auntie Qian, you're talking about your little daughter, right? Stop tormenting the young man. Who in the village doesn't know your little daughter is lazy, doesn't know how to do anything, are you marrying her back to be an ancestor? Don't harm people."

The older woman pushing her own daughter was angry.

She couldn't help but resent her daughter in her heart, why didn't she care about her reputation at all, making it impossible for her to find a good son-in-law with culture...

Gu Qingzhou: "..."

He was silent.

Were the older women in this brigade so... fierce?

Grabbing people and introducing partners.

Don't they need to look at character?

And they aren't afraid he's a bad guy.

Zhao Daya seemed to see Gu Qingzhou's emotions and said embarrassedly: "... The people in the village are more enthusiastic, want to sit at home?" She extended an invitation, wanting to invite Liuniang's brother-in-law to drink some water.

Gu Qingzhou shook his head.

"No, there's still something at home, I'll go back first."

After greeting Zhao Daya, he stepped on the bicycle and left.

"Sigh, why are you walking so fast, chat a while longer." The older women hadn't chatted enough, shouting with regret.

Gu Qingzhou didn't look back, instead pedaling faster.

He was the same as his own third brother, not talking much, steady and introverted, most afraid of dealing with the grandpas and grandmas in the village.

Enduring this for half a day was truly hard for little Gu!!

The young man, whose figure was as straight as a little white poplar, zoomed away.

The villagers withdrew their gazes with regret.

Then.

Zhao Daya was surrounded.

"Daya, your little sister married quite well, I heard the Harvest Brigade is planting mushrooms, those mushrooms can earn a lot of money, didn't you ask if our brigade can plant them?" someone asked first.

This was a big deal that could earn money, the whole village cared.

Before, they didn't know who to ask, but now, they had caught the opportunity!

Zhao Daya shook her head. "I don't know."

"How could you not know, didn't you ask?" The moment the words fell, the person who asked shook his head again. "Impossible, even if you didn't ask, could your little sister not tell you?"

Another person said urgently: "Daya, if you know, don't deliberately hide it, we don't have any bad intentions, it's just... if our brigade can also plant them, we will go to the brigade leader, beg the brigade leader to go to the commune secretary, let our brigade also become that what... pilot?!"

"I heard people say the East Wind Brigade is building mushroom rooms, when will it be our brigade's turn, I heard planting mushrooms earns quite a bit."

The villagers surrounded Zhao Daya, chattering and talking.

"I really don't know, I didn't ask much." Zhao Daya raised her volume slightly. "However, Liuniang said, something about a stove, hmm, it means it will be our turn sooner or later."

She was embarrassed to say she didn't understand.

An old man with culture guessed, "It must be 'don't be impatient'."

Zhao Daya hurriedly nodded. "Right, right, right, that's it."

The old man looked at her and said: "The literacy class must be run, people still need to have culture."

"Otherwise, you can't even understand what people are saying."

These words weren't aimed at anyone, just a small feeling.

Zhao Daya's cheeks were burning, stammering, she said in a low voice: "... I'll learn, if the literacy class opens for one day, I'll learn for one day."

After seeing Liuniang, she found that the gap between her and her little sister was getting bigger and bigger, not to say whether life was good or bad, but in other aspects.

—Like what Liuniang said, sometimes she wouldn't understand.

"You have this determination, it's good." The old man with ink in his stomach had an appreciative look.

His expression was serious. "It won't do not to know characters in the future."

Zhao Daya saw it in her eyes and remembered it in her heart, making a decision to learn characters.

Someone listened with one ear and out the other, only wanting more income to fill their stomach, asking urgently: "What does 'don't be impatient' mean?"

"Can our brigade plant mushrooms or not?!"

The old man sighed slowly and replied: "Don't be anxious, wait for the notice."

The villagers were discouraged.

Their shoulders slumped, looking like they had lost their spirit.

Zhao Daya pursed her lips, and while no one was paying attention, she secretly slipped home.

In her hand, there was what Zhao Liuniang subsidized, and a small basket.

This basket was stuffed by Liuniang's brother-in-law, she didn't know what was inside yet.

Back home.

A girl named Xiaxia greeted her.

"... Mom, you're back, why are you back so early?" The Harvest Brigade was quite far, if walking, it would take nearly two hours.

Zhao Daya smiled: "Your little aunt's brother-in-law sent me by bike, so I came back early."

"Bicycle?" The little girl's eyes shone.

"Right."

Xiaxia's expression was envious. "Little Aunt's family bought a bicycle?!"

"That bicycle is your little aunt's sister-in-law's." Zhao Daya explained to her daughter.

"Oh." Xiaxia wasn't surprised anymore.

She had seen her little aunt's two sisters-in-law.

She knew who her mother was talking about.

That one who looked more like a city person than a city person... she didn't know what to call her.

Zhao Daya first opened the basket, inside were two yams, one jin of high-quality flour.

She was stunned on the spot.

"This..."

Xiaxia was also dumbfounded.

She could almost smell the wheat fragrance of the white flour.

The little girl swallowed her saliva and said: "Mom, this is... high-quality flour? Where did it come from?"

"... The Gu family sent it." Zhao Daya was moved beyond words.

Bringing things for Laimei was what she, the eldest aunt, should do, never expecting the Gu family to return the gift, and with such good things!

Grain that could fill the stomach, how could it not be a good thing.

"Ah...?" Xiaxia was surprised. "The Gu family is truly good."

Zhao Daya said: "Yes, they are all very good."

She sent the valuable things in the house, and her husband wasn't very happy... let's see what he says now!

At this moment, Zhao Daya's spine straightened.

She took out the red dates and brown sugar again and gave them to her daughter. "Your little aunt gave them to you. Drink them with water when you have your period, eat a red date when you're free, it's good for your body."

Xiaxia suddenly received so many good things, her eyes curved.

"Little Aunt gave them to me? Little Aunt is truly good."

Yes, her little sister is good. Zhao Daya said in her heart.

Back then, everyone in the village said she was stupid, she couldn't even live herself, yet she raised a superfluous one.

Wouldn't it be better to "send" Liuniang away, one less burden.

What superfluous?

No one is superfluous.

That is a life.

She gritted her teeth, eating one less bite herself, and had to raise her little sister, and just like that, fed her bit by bit until she grew up.

Zhao Daya never thought about a return, but, her little sister's feedback still made her eye sockets feel hot.

Truly good.

They survived.

Even.

They had the small ability to feed back to each other.

Lin Zhao had also heard about the Zhao family's affairs.

The situation of the Zhao sisters was a microcosm of rural girls, she had seen many, and was long used to it.

However.

Hearing about Old Man Zhao's "retribution," she was still happy for the six Zhao sisters.

Speaking of her biological father being inconvenient to move and unable to travel far, Zhao Liuniang was full of pleasure.

She was becoming less guarded in front of Lin Zhao.

"..." Lin Zhao was speechless for a while and said: "It's quite good, using thirty jin of grain a year to exchange for a peaceful life. Gu Gu Ersao, don't feel bad, Bangbang and Laimei can pick up a few jin of grain every year, this little bit doesn't count for anything to our family."

"... Not feeling bad." Zhao Liuniang said stiffly.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she felt bad. Thinking that thirty jin of grain was for that person, it was too painful!

Lin Zhao saw through her at a glance and reminded: "You still have the income from planting mushrooms, you sold more than ten yuan the first time."

Hearing this, Zhao Liuniang immediately smiled like a flower.

Slapping her thigh and laughing like a goose.

Lin Zhao's mouth twitched.

After laughing for a while, Zhao Liuniang rubbed her cheeks, the smile on her face disappeared, and her voice sank. "The report card will be out soon, I don't know how Bangbang and Laimei did..."

Lin Zhao's expression remained unchanged.

"Aren't you worried?" Zhao Liuniang had been pondering for the past few days, if the brothers failed again, how to give them an unforgettable winter vacation.

She had a heart that hoped her sons would become dragons.

No way, who let the people with high education in the family mix the best.

Those who say education is useless are all talking shit.

Education is useless, then why does the factory recruit workers and always want middle school students, high school students, those who don't know characters don't even have the chance to sign up.

Her life is just like this, Bangbang and Laimei must go out.

To say something whimsical, wait until their Third Uncle is more powerful, and can arrange it for them, it won't work if they don't have the ability.

"Not worried," Lin Zhao said. "Yubao and Hengbao should have done quite well."

"How do you know?"

Lin Zhao's eyebrows curved. "They have a good foundation, after all, I taught them, and their little uncle also taught them, if they still can't do well..."

That's also fine.

After all, it's only the first grade.

The twins are young, if they can't keep up, they can just repeat the grade.

However, she felt the possibility was small.

Both cubs were smart, the elementary school curriculum wasn't difficult for them. ===== CHAPTER 250 =====