Chapter 2

Jiang Nianzi, an adult, couldn’t bring herself to eat the good food in front of the children without sharing.

Thinking about it, she picked up her chopsticks and broke the two poached eggs into four pieces, intending to give one to each person.

“Mom, you eat.” She first gave one to Ding Hongmei.

Ding Hongmei was stunned and quickly blocked it with her chopsticks: “Zizi, what are you doing?”

Jiang Nianzi had read the original novel and knew that the original character was shy but always gentle and obedient.

She softened her tone and said: “Mom, I can’t finish it all by myself, you guys share some.”

Ding Hongmei knew that her daughter was the most considerate.

Hearing this, she immediately blushed and scolded: “You little dead girl, you can’t even finish this little bit, no wonder you can’t gain weight. Mom doesn’t like to eat eggs, you eat them yourself.”

Saying that, she unceremoniously threw the eggs back into Jiang Nianzi’s bowl.

Jiang Nianzi was afraid that being too insistent would arouse suspicion, so she didn’t continue, only looking at Jiang Doudou and Jiang Cheng.

In this era, eggs were rare. Their family’s conditions couldn’t afford them. This was because Grandma was treating someone, and the person gave the eggs to Grandma, who then brought them back.

Jiang Cheng saw Jiang Nianzi’s expression and knew that his sister had softened her heart again, so he quickly covered his bowl and said: “Zizi, brother doesn’t like to eat eggs either, you eat them.”

How could he not like them? The eggs were just out of the pot, and Jiang Nianzi could see them swallowing their saliva.

Jiang Doudou, while swallowing his saliva, stared enviously at the eggs in Jiang Nianzi’s bowl, and said insincerely: “Sister, Doudou doesn’t like to eat eggs either.”

He liked them, he liked them very much! Jiang Doudou loved to eat eggs.

But Mom said that Sister’s body was weak and she suffered in the womb, so they had to be good to her, and good things should be reserved for her.

Jiang Doudou’s little appearance melted Jiang Nianzi’s heart.

What a treasure of a family!

They were poor in material things, but the love they had for each other was a richness that Jiang Nianzi had never experienced before.

Knowing that persisting would only lead to suspicion, Jiang Nianzi didn’t insist, but her heart was already prepared.

She would definitely make everyone in this family live a good life!

Seeing her eating the eggs with her head down, Ding Hongmei lovingly stroked her head. Sure enough, her daughter was the most considerate.

–

Lying in bed at night, Jiang Nianzi was filled with mixed emotions.

The house was just a simple three-room tile house, but the rooms were separated.

There was a living room in the middle, and rooms on both sides. The kitchen was behind the living room.

There were two rooms on the left side of the living room, one for Jiang Cheng and Jiang Doudou to sleep in, and one for Ding Hongmei and her sister Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue worked in the county town to help support the family.

Only Jiang Nianzi had a room of her own.

She lived on the right side of the living room. There were two rooms on the right, one for storing things and one for her.

This family really spoiled Jiang Nianzi, their daughter.

In this era, the country had been liberated, and Jiang Nianzi thought about how she should earn money to improve her family’s conditions. Unconsciously, she fell asleep.

The next day, she woke up and was pulled by Ding Hongmei, who said they were going to the town to call her cousin.

Jiang Nianzi was the only child in the family who had studied in high school.

Therefore, every time she went to town to make a phone call, Ding Hongmei would bring her daughter along.

It just so happened that someone from the village was going to town, and the uncle from the next door took his ox cart there.

This was Jiang Nianzi’s first time riding an ox cart.

The back of the ox cart was a wooden frame, like a short, flat rectangular box.

It looked very novel, but it was very dirty.

Ding Hongmei didn’t care at all, she sat down directly, and then remembered something and quickly took off her coat to put on the ox cart before beckoning Jiang Nianzi.

“Nianzi, come, sit on Mom’s clothes, it’s clean.”

Ding Hongmei was also wearing ragged patched clothes, only Jiang Nianzi’s clothes were without patches.

Dark blue coarse cloth, the style was extremely simple.

If it had been before, Jiang Nianzi would definitely have been very particular, but perhaps because of the environment, she adapted quickly.

Being carefully protected by Ding Hongmei, Jiang Nianzi lowered her head, hiding the moisture in her eyes, and said in a muffled voice: “Mom, it’s cold, you wear it yourself, I’m not afraid of getting dirty.”

Saying that, she stepped onto the ox cart, turned around, and sat down on the edge.

It was dirty and smelly, but her heart was warm, a warmth she had never felt before.

In her previous life, although her family was a big one, there was hardly any warmth in the family.

When she was injured from fighting, her father only cared about whether she had won or lost. As for the injury, he thought it was commonplace and didn’t need to be taken care of.

And her grandfather?

He only cared about whether she had memorized the acupuncture techniques and recited the prescriptions.

As for whether she was tired or not, it wasn’t within his consideration. She was grateful to her grandfather and father for teaching her the skills to survive, but a family without love, only right and wrong, would make people feel lonely and depressed. She had always longed for a family who loved her.

There were five or six people on the ox cart, all from the village.

Her daughter cared for her, and Ding Hongmei was proud, her chin held high.

There was an aunt in the village who couldn’t stand Ding Hongmei’s way of pampering her daughter, and she whispered to the people next to her: “A money-losing item, only she treats her like a treasure.”

She spoke very softly, but Jiang Nianzi and Ding Hongmei still heard it.

Ding Hongmei was not someone to be trifled with, she immediately widened her eyes and glared at Liu Shenshen, scolding her fiercely: “Liu Widow, who are you calling a money-losing item? My daughter is fine, if I hear you say that again, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

Ding Hongmei’s fierceness was famous in the village. If she was angered, she could chase people to their homes with a knife.

Liu Shenshen was just being careless with her mouth. Seeing Ding Hongmei getting angry, she dared not provoke her.

She quickly changed the subject and said: “I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Better not be.” Ding Hongmei snorted.

Then, remembering that her daughter was sensitive, she quickly comforted her: “Zizi, don’t listen to that stinky woman’s nonsense, our Zizi is not a money-losing item, daughters are the ones who know how to care for their mothers the most.”

Jiang Nianzi didn’t take it to heart at all. She only felt that the ignorant thinking of this era was harmful.

Women making things difficult for women.

Fortunately, Ding Hongmei wasn’t like that.

But hearing her scold the stinky woman unceremoniously in front of others, Jiang Nianzi couldn’t help but raise the corners of her mouth.

The other villagers saw that the situation was a little awkward, and they quickly smoothed things over.

“Hongmei, Zizi is eighteen years old, isn’t it time for her to find a husband?”

The speaker was the village matchmaker, Zhang Cuifang.

Although her purpose was to smooth things over, she also had her own thoughts.

Don’t look at the fact that others were gossiping behind Ding Hongmei’s back about her pampering Jiang Nianzi, who was sickly, but in fact, they were jealous.

This girl of hers, although her body wasn’t very good, she was the most beautiful girl in the ten miles around.

When she just graduated from high school, there were many wealthy people in the town who had their eyes on her, and they all asked her to help them arrange a marriage.

How could Ding Hongmei listen to this: “Don’t have this idea, my daughter is not in a hurry.”

Her daughter suffered in the womb and was pampered by her, Ding Hongmei couldn’t bear to let her daughter marry and be bullied, and she wanted to find a son-in-law.

After being given a cold face, Zhang Cuifang’s smile was a little awkward, but she didn’t say anything more.

Fortunately, they soon arrived in town.

Ding Hongmei pulled Jiang Nianzi straight to the town’s agricultural cooperative and made a phone call to her nephew.