Chapter 31: Zhou Jiajia Was Pregnant

“This lady is…” Zhang Linghe looked toward Si Yueyue.

“Oh, my name is Si Yueyue. I just heard this comrade say they were selling the house, so I came to take a look.”

Upon hearing that she came to see the house, the elderly couple quickly welcomed her inside.

Si Yueyue inspected the place as she walked through, occasionally nodding and sometimes pursing her lips.

The house was actually quite good—though old, it had been well maintained. It was a courtyard house with a main building of three rooms and two side rooms.

There were also three rooms each in the east and west wing rooms, and three “reversed sitting” rooms facing south. It was more than enough space for a whole family to live comfortably.

In the yard, there was even a well they had dug themselves, which spared the family the inconvenience of fetching water.

It was just the price that seemed a bit low. She thought she would need to find someone to inquire about it.

“Are all the house certificates in order?”

“Complete, complete. This is the family’s ancestral house. When it was built, the plan was to find a husband for my younger sister, so it was made this way.”

“May I bring someone to see it? You know, the amount of money for buying a house isn’t small. I can’t make the decision alone.”

“Of course.”

“Then we’ll come after lunch. Please wait for us at home then.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble. But, this is my family’s ancestral house, so I have to tell you clearly beforehand: if it’s not well cared for, I’d rather not sell it.”

“Of course, don’t worry. If we decide to buy it, we will definitely cherish the house. After all, we are spending a lot on it…”

After discussing with the Zhang family and confirming the time to come in the afternoon, Si Yueyue picked up her basket. It was getting late, so she hurried to the Waste Recycling Station.

On the way, Si Yueyue happily thought to herself: “Ah, I wonder if this will be like other stories, where she finds some bargain by chance?”

Then she shook her head; such thoughts were no good. If the two houses just now were truly fine, that alone was already a bargain.

There weren’t so many bargains waiting for people in the world.

When she saw the large characters reading “Waste Recycling Station.” Si Yueyue only then realized she had arrived.

“What are you here for?” The elderly gatekeeper asked her.

“Hello, sir! I’m here to find some paper. Branches are really… well, you know.”

The gatekeeper nodded, understanding since many people came for the same reason.

“Go ahead. All the paper is piled in the very back. Don’t wander elsewhere or get hurt—I won’t be responsible.”

“Got it, sir.”

Si Yueyue went straight to the innermost area of the Waste Recycling Station.

She looked at the messy piles of books on the ground, her heart aching. Although she knew the college entrance exam would resume and things would return to normal, she still couldn’t help but feel sad for all the people who had suffered in recent years.

After calming herself, Si Yueyue began searching through the high school textbooks.

While searching, she also found a few ancient books and paintings. She stored them all in her space—if she left them there, they would just be ruined.

She thought maybe later she could find a chance to restore them.

There were also some comic books, blank exercise books, and middle school textbooks…

Si Yueyue picked up one book after another. Without realizing it, a tall pile of books had formed in front of her. When she finally came back to her senses, the pile was half her height.

Her mouth twitched slightly — how was she going to carry all this out later?

The gatekeeper, seeing that she hadn’t come out for a long time, worried something might have happened and came over.

When he saw the huge stack of books, he was speechless.

“Are you going to carry all this back yourself?”

Si Yueyue raised her hands and said to the gatekeeper: “No problem, sir. I can definitely carry it back.”

“Alright then. I’ll find you a sack to pack them in, and then take them to the scale.”

“Okay, thank you, sir.”

“Hey, don’t thank me yet. The sacks cost two cents each.”

“…”

“Got it, sir.”

Seeing Si Yueyue suddenly droop her head, the gatekeeper couldn’t help but want to laugh.

After weighing the books, he looked at Si Yueyue, who was still in shock, and said: “It comes to one yuan fifty. You can take them all.”

Si Yueyue was startled and looked at the gatekeeper in surprise: “Really?”

“Why? Not willing? Should I weigh it again?”

“Ah… no, no, no, I didn’t mean that. One yuan fifty, one yuan fifty is fine, it’s fine.”

Si Yueyue hurriedly took out one yuan fifty from her pocket and handed it to the gatekeeper, then waved her hand at him: “Thank you, sir!”

The gatekeeper waved his hand: “Go ahead.”

Si Yueyue struggled to carry the heavy sack. After passing a secluded alley, she quickly headed there.

Then she looked around cautiously. Seeing no suspicious people, she took out a few high school textbooks from the sack and placed them in her basket as a cover.

The rest she stored inside her space. Otherwise, carrying such heavy books back and forth would tire her to death.

After putting the sack into her space, Si Yueyue took out some vegetables, eggs, meat, and rice flour to deliver to Eldest Sister-in-law later.

The things from her own family were Eldest Sister-in-law’s strength; she had to support her.

Otherwise, it would be in vain for Eldest Sister-in-law to care so much about her and the children.

Si Yueyue looked at the fully loaded basket and nodded with satisfaction.

“Alright, I’ll take some of these to Eldest Sister-in-law, use the rest as cover, and then fill the basket again before heading back. Then I’ll just charge it to the newly issued royalties.”

Seeing nothing amiss, Si Yueyue finally hoisted the basket onto her back.

Whoa—she almost couldn’t stand up. This weight wasn’t something a person who didn’t work could carry for long.

If she hadn’t recently been holding two children often and built up a bit of strength, she probably would have collapsed on the ground.

She moved her arms and legs to confirm everything was okay, then strode toward Zhang Zhenzhen’s home.

Meanwhile, at Shanhe Brigade.

Zhou Guifen had gotten up early to pack. She was preparing to take Zhou Jiajia and her husband to visit the Lei Family and thank Grandma Zhao.

The old man had told her yesterday that the younger sister-in-law had taken leave today and wasn’t working, probably at home.

So today she was taking her niece and nephew-in-law to express their gratitude in person.

Thinking back, she still felt a chill down her spine. If it weren’t for An An’s timely reminder, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“Jiajia, Wang Er, are you ready? We’re going out.”

A voice came from inside the house: “Alright, Auntie, we’re coming now.”

Zhou Guifen nodded with satisfaction. Her only wish had come true; her niece seemed lighter and more cheerful.

This was the true daughter of the Zhou family.

After a short while, the young couple walked out, their faces full of happiness. Seeing Zhou Guifen waiting outside, they felt a bit shy.

“Alright, let’s go. Wang Er, support Jiajia.” Such a hard-won child—what if she fell?

“Okay.”

Zhou Guifen looked at the couple with growing approval.

The three of them went to the Lei Family. Outside the yard, they heard the children’s giggles.

The two little ones had been a little sad after waking up and not seeing their mother, but after Grandma explained and they ate a delicious breakfast, they slowly accepted that their mother was out.

Grandma Zhao was now amusing her two little grandsons, distracting them so they wouldn’t think of their mother.

“Cuilan, is she at home?”

Hearing Zhou Guifen’s voice, Grandma Zhao quickly opened the door and replied: “She’s at home. What’s up, sister-in-law?”

“Oh, Jiajia and Wang Er came too? Come in, come in.”

“Auntie!” The young couple called out in unison.

“Hey, come on in quickly.” Grandma Zhao looked at the rosy-faced young couple and nodded.

Inside, the two little ones saw Zhou Guifen enter and happily shouted: “Grandma!”

“Oh, Great-grandma came to see An An and Lele. Where are An An and Lele?”

Lele held up a building block and handed it to Zhou Guifen: “Grandma~ ah… ten thousand…”

“Oh my, how could anyone not like these little rascals? Are you letting Great-grandma play too?”

“Mm… Grandma~”

“All right, all right, Great-grandma will play along.”

Wang Er and his wife, coming in last, saw the adorable An An and Lele and their hearts softened. Those two little ones were truly lovable.

Grandma Zhao went back inside and brought out a long bench for the couple to sit on, then took a small stool for herself, sitting beside the bamboo mat.

After Zhou Jiajia settled down, Wang Er handed Grandma Zhao something: “Auntie, these are a little gift for An An and Lele. Please keep them.”

Grandma Zhao repeatedly refused: “How can I accept things from you two? You haven’t had it easy either. Take them back.”

“Auntie…”

At that moment, Zhou Guifen turned around, took the things from Wang Er’s hands, and directly stuffed them into Grandma Zhao’s arms.