Chapter 127: It’s time for the High School Entrance Examination

As the workday was nearing its end, a doctor from the commune health center in the neighboring village happened to visit the Qingshan Village brigade headquarters. He briefed the party secretary and the Captain on Shitou’s situation, mentioning that the center director had sent him over.

The doctor said, “The twenty yuan that was paid has already been spent. Now there’s a debt for medical expenses. If we don’t renew the fees soon, the center won’t be able to continue providing Shitou with intravenous antibiotics. The consequences could be dire.”

Members of the Sun family were called back early from the fields. The village secretary and the Captain were deeply troubled, and by the end of the workday in the fields, no solution had been reached.

The eldest and third wives of the Sun family began blaming the second wife. If it weren’t for the trouble she caused, they wouldn’t be in such a humiliating situation.

Luo Qiao finished work and went home to cook. Today, she made mung bean porridge, steamed two batches of sugar buns and flower rolls, stir-fried fennel with garlic, and prepared smashed cucumbers.

Just as she finished cooking, she heard someone calling outside her door. Luo Qiao washed her hands quickly and went out.

It was her classmate Qiao Ruimei again, the one who had visited last time. “Hello, Ruimei,” Luo Qiao greeted her.

Qiao Ruimei looked at Luo Qiao and said, “Next Monday, the teacher wants you to come to school early. The high school entrance exam is on Wednesday.”

Luo Qiao smiled and replied, “Got it, thank you so much for coming again on such a hot day. Please wait for a moment.”

She quickly picked a melon and a cucumber from the backyard, washed them in the kitchen, and then brought them out to hand to Qiao Ruimei. “It’s too hot today, making you come all this way again. Take these with you to quench your thirst on the road.”

Qiao Ruimei felt a bit embarrassed. Last time, Luo Qiao had received red dates from her, and now she was giving her melons again. She thought she really shouldn’t have, but the melon looked so delicious.

Luo Qiao insisted and placed the items into her hands, saying, “These were all grown by myself, nothing valuable.”

Blushing, Qiao Ruimei replied, “Thank you.”

Luo Qiao said, “No need to thank me. It’s just me bothering you.”

After seeing Qiao Ruimei off, Luo Qiao noticed that Lu Yichen hadn’t returned yet. Thinking if he didn’t come back soon, she would go to the health center to deliver his meal herself.

Just as she was about to fetch a bamboo tube to ladle the porridge, she heard the door knocking, signaling someone entering the courtyard.

Peering outside, she saw that Lu Yichen had returned. Although the lunchbox had already been washed, Luo Qiao still scalded it with boiling water before filling it with food.

After preparing the meal, she set it aside for Lu Yichen to eat first before she would go deliver the food later.

Lu Yichen came over carrying a bag of rice, intending to put it in the kitchen, but he noticed the things piled on the floor.

Pointing to the items on the floor, Lu Yichen asked, “Did you go to the commune this morning?”

Luo Qiao replied, “No, those are gifts someone else brought.”

Intentionally, Luo Qiao left these items out, thinking it might be useful to have some extra supplies in the storage space in the future.

So he roughly recounted what happened in the city that day. Lu Yichen tapped Luo Qiao’s forehead and said, “You’re getting bolder, but you did well.”

Luo Qiao rubbed her forehead when she was tapped and said, “That hurts like crazy.”

Lu Yichen replied casually, “If it doesn’t hurt, you won’t remember.”

After finishing his meal and taking Shitou’s food, Lu Yichen left. However, not long after, he returned.

Hearing the commotion, Luo Qiao came out and was puzzled, “Why are you back again?”

Lu Yichen asked, “Can you ride a bicycle?”

Luo Qiao nodded and asked, “Yes, why? Do you have something urgent and can’t go?”

Lu Yichen propped up his bicycle and said, “Tidy up and go deliver food to Shitou. I was just at the Sun family’s place in the brigade headquarters. It’s chaos there now. I’ll go check it out and handle Shitou’s matter as soon as possible.”