Chapter 45 : But I feel uncomfortable

The child looked familiar, and she was carrying a large basket.  

Seeing her, she waved.  

“Sister Weiwei!!”  

Song Shiwei took a closer look and realized it was Xiaojun’s sister, Xiao Cui.  

She quickly put down the hoe in her hand.  

“Xiao Cui? Why are you here?”  

The soldier on duty saluted her.  

“Sister-in-law, since you know her, I’ll take my leave.”  

Song Shiwei smiled and nodded.  

“I know her. It’s okay. Go ahead with your duties. I’ll see her off later.”  

After the soldier left, Xiao Cui suddenly knelt down in front of Song Shiwei.  

Song Shiwei was startled and quickly reached out to pull her up.  

“Xiao Cui, what are you doing? Get up!”  

But Xiao Cui just kept crying and refused to rise.  

“Sister Weiwei, I really don’t know how to repay you for your kindness to our family! I can only kowtow to you and wish you a long life!”  

Hearing her words, Song Shiwei’s eyes turned red with emotion.  

“Get up! Xiao Cui! Hurry and get up!”  

Sun Meimei, who was nearby hanging clothes to dry, couldn’t help but wipe away her own tears as she watched the scene.  

She quickly stepped forward to help pull Xiao Cui up.  

“Xiao Cui, listen to Sister Weiwei and get up quickly! The ground is cold, your knees will hurt!”  

In the end, Xiao Cui still insisted on kowtowing three times before standing up.  

Noticing the hoe beside Song Shiwei, she quickly set down her basket and began helping with the fieldwork.  

Song Shiwei and Sun Meimei exchanged helpless smiles.  

This child had such a simple and honest nature. If they didn’t let her do something, she truly wouldn’t be able to sleep or eat in peace.  

If working would make her feel better, then let her help!  

Over the past few days, Song Shiwei had gathered many vegetable seeds from Sun Meimei, Jian Qiu, and others beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Even though it was a little late in the season, they could still be planted.  

She also had seeds for radishes, cabbage, green beans, and spinach, which were perfect for planting in early autumn.  

What would have taken her an entire day was finished in less than two hours with Xiao Cui’s help.  

This child was truly hardworking. After planting, she even carried a bucket to the well, fetching water to thoroughly irrigate the fields.  

By the time everything was done, the sky was already growing dark.  

Song Shiwei wanted to keep her for dinner, but Xiao Cui declined.  

“Sister Weiwei, I won’t eat here. My grandparents are waiting for me to go home and cook.”  

As she spoke, she handed over the basket she had brought with her.  

“Sister Weiwei, I have no way to repay your kindness. These are peaches from the trees we planted. They’re very sweet. I brought them for you to try!”  

Song Shiwei lifted the floral cloth covering the basket and saw large, juicy peaches inside.  

They looked delicious! They must be so sweet!  

She didn’t hesitate to accept them.  

“Thank you! Please send my regards to your grandparents. If I’m free tomorrow, I’ll visit them!”  

Xiao Cui suddenly looked flustered, her face turning red. She quickly nodded and then turned around, running off as if someone were chasing her.  

Watching her disappear, Song Shiwei couldn’t help but wonder what was that about?  

She carried the peaches inside, thinking that the children would be back soon from playing outside.  

Just as she was about to wash the peaches, something unexpected happened.  

As she poured the peaches into a basin, a small cloth pouch, wrapped in a handkerchief, fell out from the bottom of the basket.  

She picked it up, a sudden bad feeling rising in her chest.  

Hastily, she unwrapped it.  

Inside was a roll of money small denominations, only one- or two-cent notes. It was clear that the owner of the money had painstakingly saved for a long time.  

She counted the bills.  

Five dollars.  

This wasn’t much for her, but for Xiao Cui’s family, it was a fortune enough to buy medicine for her grandparents for several days.

Thinking of this, Song Shiwei furrowed her brows tightly.  

She wanted to chase after Xiao Cui, but after thinking it over, she decided not to.  

Even if she caught up and returned the money, Xiao Cui probably wouldn’t accept it. Forcing it back on her would only make Xiao Cui feel uncomfortable.  

For a moment, Song Shiwei held the roll of money tightly in her hand, feeling uneasy for a long time.  

In that case, why not find a way to help her make some money?  

That way, she could indirectly support Xiao Cui’s family as well.  

She carefully placed the roll of money in her pocket.  

After washing the peaches, she started cooking.  

There were still various dishes left from the ones Zhou Xiaoyan had sent last time. She fried some potatoes, made a cold cucumber salad, baked some pancakes, and cooked a pot of rice porridge.  

By the time she finished, the children and Zhou Tingyue had returned home.  

Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin were delighted when they saw the peaches on the table.  

“Wow! Peaches!!”  

“Mom, where did these peaches come from?”  

Song Shiwei walked out of the kitchen with a smile.  

“Your sister Xiao Cui brought them. She said they’re from her own home!”  

Zhou Xinxin cheered and immediately grabbed a peach to eat.  

The moment she bit into it, juice dripped from the corners of her mouth.  

“Wow, Sister Xiao Cui’s peaches are so sweet!”  

Zhou Wei nodded in agreement as he ate. “Sweet! Really sweet!”  

All the children had returned, except for Zhou Cheng.  

Song Shiwei couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s your eldest brother? Why don’t I see him?”  

Zhou Lin hesitated for a moment, but Zhou Wei quickly answered, “Big brother couldn’t run as fast as us! He should be back soon!”  

Just as he finished speaking, Zhou Cheng walked in. Seeing that, Song Shiwei stopped worrying and called the children to eat.  

However, during the meal, Zhou Cheng ate very slowly, and his hands seemed to be bothering him.  

“Zhou Cheng, what’s wrong with you?”  

Zhou Tingyue also looked over in concern.  

Zhou Cheng quickly scratched his hand and smiled. “Oh, it’s nothing! I was playing leapfrog with Huzi and the others and accidentally twisted my hand!”  

Zhou Lin, Zhou Wei, and the others seemed hesitant to speak, all glancing at Zhou Cheng’s hand with concern.  

Fortunately, Song Shiwei didn’t press the issue. After all, every boy had his own little secrets. As long as he hadn’t done anything bad, she didn’t want to interfere too much.  

After dinner, when the children had fallen asleep, Song Shiwei took the bag of money out of her pocket.  

“Tingyue, Xiao Cui secretly hid this money in the peach basket. When she came here today, she kowtowed to me three times before I could stop her…”  

Zhou Tingyue looked at her expression, then at the money in front of them. He reached out his large hand, gently stroking her head, and asked softly, “Does this make you feel upset?”  

Song Shiwei pouted and nodded.  

“Those two kids have had such a hard life. They’re so sensible. I… I want to help them!”  

Zhou Tingyue nodded. “Then help them. If you need money, just tell me how much, and I’ll figure something out!”  

Song Shiwei loved how he always had her back! He supported whatever she wanted to do.  

She had been feeling upset, but his words made her smile helplessly.  

She playfully poked his waist.  

“Why do you agree to everything I say? Aren’t you afraid I’ll squander all your money?”  

Zhou Tingyue chuckled and grabbed her mischievous little hand.  

“Don’t worry, even if you spend every penny, I’ll make sure you and the kids never go hungry!”  

His words warmed Song Shiwei’s heart.  

“You and your sweet talk!”  

Zhou Tingyue pulled her into his arms and lay back on the bed.  

“Are you feeling better now? Still upset?”  

Song Shiwei shook her head.  

“I feel fine now. I’m not upset anymore!”  

But as soon as she said that, Zhou Tingyue’s eyes darkened slightly.  

He pouted and buried his face in her soft, fair neck, murmuring pitifully,  

“But now I’m the one who’s not feeling well…”