A charming widow in her 70s married a factory manager and raised his children.

Chapter 21 Sugar-Coated Bullets

Zhuang Qingxiang was getting annoyed by Tian Pandi's nagging, especially when she heard her mention Director Lu, so she quickly explained.

"No, I know my place perfectly well. How could I possibly have such thoughts about Factory Director Lu? Besides, what kind of person do you take Factory Director Lu for? How could he possibly be interested in someone like me?"

"Since you're not interested, I'll introduce you to a good man," Tian Pandi immediately chimed in. "Your aunt has a keen eye for people; she's sure to find you someone you like."

Zhuang Qingxiang smiled bitterly: "Auntie, since you've inquired about me, you should know my situation. I have nowhere to go if I leave here... and my husband just died, so I don't have any plans to find someone else for the time being. Even if you want to help me, could you please wait a while?"

"That's right. I'm getting senile. Your husband's seven-day mourning period was only recently. If you start looking for someone now, people will gossip. I'll go ahead and you keep looking. You can't miss out on a good one, right?" Tian Pandi said with a smile.

Zhuang Qingxiang had only wanted to get rid of her quickly, but she didn't expect her to take it seriously. In a panic, she quickly changed the subject.

"Um... Auntie, I'd like to trade some eggs. Could you help me? If anyone's willing to trade for a laying hen, I'd also like one."

In the sweltering heat, chickens don't lay eggs as much, but people can still manage to collect a few. Eggs don't keep well, so she was willing to pay five cents for each egg. Aunt Tian was overjoyed and immediately said goodbye to go back and get the eggs for her.

Zhuang Qingxiang breathed a sigh of relief after finally seeing the person off.

She's already thirty and has two children, a boy and a girl, making a perfect family. So she hasn't thought about remarrying and doesn't want to discuss marriage.

Aunt Tian lived in Xiya Village, which was very close to the factory. She quickly delivered twenty eggs and a laying hen.

Zhuang Qingxiang took out the envelope that Lu Congyue had given her before his business trip and handed the money to Aunt Tian.

Aunt Tian beamed with joy and asked if she needed anything else, saying she would bring it to her when she came over tomorrow.

"Then let's bring some vegetables," Zhuang Qingxiang said with a smile. "The vegetables I planted haven't grown yet."

Aunt Tian readily agreed, but before leaving, she added worriedly, "Xiao Zhuang, I think you're a good person, but there's no such thing as an innocent person being innocent in this world. You still need to think about your reputation."

After Aunt Tian left, Zhuang Qingxiang sighed.

She had already guessed what people outside would say about her before she arrived.

A widow living in a single man's house—she'd probably be the subject of a lot of gossip and criticism.

She's just pretending not to know.

As for what happens next...

Let's talk about it later!

Zhuang Qingxiang didn't want to dwell on the dreadful future; having died once, she only wanted to live in the present.

When Xiao Qianyue returned home, she found another hen in the yard. She jumped for joy and fed the two hens the insects she had caught and the earthworms she had dug up outside, hoping they would lay more eggs.

When Lu Congyue returned, he also noticed it. He frowned slightly: "Just buy the hen, kill it, and eat it. How many eggs can it lay if you keep it? Isn't the money I left you enough?"

"Enough! Enough." Zhuang Qingxiang hurriedly went into the room, took out the envelope, and placed it on the table. "Director Lu, this is the rest."

Lu Congyue looked at it and put another five yuan in: "Buy what you need. If you need anything and can't buy it, just tell me. Forget about raising chickens; they won't lay many eggs in this weather."

Zhuang Qingxiang glanced at him, guessing that he wanted to eat it, and then obediently said, "There's no time today, I'll stew one tomorrow, will you come back for lunch?"

Lu Congyue hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Dinner was a simple home-cooked meal, light and simple. The only meat dish was a bowl of steamed egg custard, which Zhuang Qingxiang divided into three portions, one for each person.

After taking the first bite, Lu Congyue paused for a few seconds before continuing, eating steadily and quickly.

After eating, I only had one feeling, which was that it was as if I hadn't eaten anything.

This woman's cooking skills are completely unlike those of someone from the countryside! Absolutely not!

After dinner, Lu Congyue took the initiative to clean up the mess. Zhuang Qingxiang didn't want to be alone with him, so she went back to her room to take care of the children.

When Lu Congyue finished his work and sat down in the house, he heard the sounds of a woman and a child laughing and joking inside.

He had grown accustomed to the quiet and deserted house over the years, but these past few days he had only felt annoyed by the noise. Now, however, he felt a different kind of emotion in his heart.

This is probably what other people's homes look like, right?

After a while, the child started to whine, and Lu Congyue heard the woman's gentle coaxing voice.

"Cheng Lin, be good, let Dong Hua eat first."

Lu Congyue's throat tightened, but then he remembered that Zhuang Qingxiang was now feeding two children. He had heard that boys have a big appetite, and it would be difficult to feed two boys to their fill, otherwise she wouldn't have fed her children rice oil.

We can only keep trying to find a way to get someone to buy milk powder from another place and send it over, and then prepare more oily food for her.

Two hens are definitely not enough.

Lu Congyue pondered and wrote a letter to his friends in Haishi.

The next day at lunchtime, Lu Congyue got his food from the cafeteria and came back. The chicken soup had just been cooked and he could sit down and eat.

Coming home and sitting down to a hot bowl of soup was a completely new experience for him.

These people must have investigated him, right?

I don't know how this chicken soup was made, it's clearly a clear broth, but it's exceptionally delicious.

He has faced and withstood the temptations of sugar-coated bullets.

The hotter Lu Cong ate, the more wary he became.

Zhuang Qingxiang breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lu Congyue eating with relish.

It seems my guess was right; he only refused to let her raise the animals because he wanted to eat them.

I hope that after he finishes this one, he won't immediately want to eat another one, otherwise Yueyue will be sad.

"Director Lu, have a chicken leg."

Zhuang Qingxiang put a chicken leg into Lu Congyue's bowl, then picked up another one and put it into Xiao Qianyue's bowl, saying, "Yueyue, eat chicken legs."

"Mommy, eat!" Little Qian Yue quickly covered her small bowl. "Give it to Mommy, Yueyue won't eat it."

"Mom has other meat to eat, this chicken leg is specially for Yueyue." Zhuang Qingxiang deliberately put on a stern face, "Our Yueyue needs to eat more so she can grow tall and run fast."

But Xiao Qianyue wasn't buying it at all and insisted that Zhuang Qingxiang eat the chicken leg.

Just then, a chicken leg landed in Zhuang Qingxiang's bowl.

Zhuang Qingxiang was taken aback.

Lu Congyue remained expressionless, then decisively picked out two more chicken wings and placed them into Zhuang Qingxiang's and Xiao Qianyue's bowls.

"Eat!" he commanded.

Xiao Qianyue didn't dare to breathe loudly and quickly buried her head in eating the chicken leg.

Zhuang Qingxiang didn't dare to say anything and just lowered her head to eat.

The room suddenly became quiet and deserted, so quiet that Lu Congyue felt full immediately.

"I'm going to work, you guys take your time eating," Lu Congyue said, getting up.

Zhuang Qingxiang and Xiao Qianyue quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks and stood up respectfully.

I'm even fuller now.

Lu Congyue strode away from home.

He ran into Niu Jianzhong on the road and asked, "How have you been these past few days?"

"There's been no movement. She hasn't been out at all. Only a woman surnamed Tian from Xiya Village came looking for her. Also, her daughter wandered around outside all afternoon, seemingly catching bugs, but I don't know if she was really catching them or just pretending. But a child that young shouldn't be like that," Niu Jianzhong said hurriedly.

Lu Congyue frowned slightly: "Just because she's young doesn't mean it's not a big deal. The younger they are, the more obedient they are, and the less attention they attract when they do things. In short, it's good to pay more attention to them."

"Yes!" Niu Jianzhong replied immediately.

Lu Congyue nodded, then suddenly remembered something and turned to walk back.