novellhall Chapter 129 Who is truly in dire straits?
Chapter 129 Who is truly in dire straits?
Seeing that Qiao An was still asleep, Huo Jiyun got up and covered her with a blanket.
I went out the door and into the kitchen, intending to make breakfast to reward my wife for a hard night's work.
Qiao An always gets up on time, but today she didn't get up from the kang (a heated brick bed) until the sun was high in the sky, yawning.
"Ouch, my aching back!" Qiao An rubbed her sore back and cursed Huo Jiyun under her breath for being an animal.
She got up, dressed, and went to the main room to wash up. Just as she squeezed on her toothpaste and was about to brush her teeth, Huo Ning ran out from the side room.
"Mom, why are you getting up so late today? Is the kang (heated brick bed) in the side room too comfortable?"
Su An's lips twitched. How could this be explained?
It's both comfortable and uncomfortable; the feeling is too complicated.
"How did you know it was because the kang (heated brick bed) in the side room was too comfortable?" Huo Jiyun asked, bringing breakfast into the room after hearing Qiao An get up.
Huo Ning put her hands on her hips and said, "Mom never sleeps in. If she hadn't been so comfortable yesterday, she wouldn't have gotten up so late."
Joan's cheeks burned.
Children speak without restraint, children speak without restraint.
Huo Jiyun looked at Qiao An with great interest, "Oh? An'an, were you comfortable last night?"
Qiao An suddenly threw the wet towel at Huo Jiyun.
He grabbed it and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
The one who started this, dare to laugh?
Qiao An ran over quickly and punched him in the chest.
"Uh..." Huo Jiyun frowned slightly and took two steps back.
He was clutching his shoulder, as if he was in great pain.
Qiao An suddenly remembered that his injury was on his shoulder. Could it be that the blow had aggravated the wound?
"Are you alright? I didn't use any force. Let me see." Joan stood on tiptoe, trying to unbutton his clothes to check.
"Honey, isn't it inappropriate to do this in broad daylight?"
Huo Jiyun pulled her into his arms, his expression no longer showing any pain.
"You're faking it," Joan said through gritted teeth.
"If I don't pretend, how can I expect my wife to dote on me?"
Huo Jiyun even spoke sweet nothings to the children without restraint.
"Alright, alright, the child is still here."
Qiao An squirmed and struggled in his arms, accidentally touching Huo Jiyun's most sensitive spot.
Huo Jiyun bit her lip and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He had never felt this way while he was in the army. Why did he act like a pervert when he came home, reacting whenever he saw Qiao An?
Huo Jiyun released Qiao An and pulled her to the dining table.
"I cooked some porridge for you this morning, drink it while it's hot."
Qiao An sat down and drank the rice porridge that Huo Jiyun had cooked.
After a whole night of running around, how could I not be hungry?
If Huo Jiyun and the others hadn't been there, Qiao An would have had to go into her spatial storage to get some bread.
"An'an, today is already the second day of the Lunar New Year. You only have five days. Is that enough?" Huo Jiyun was referring to the blueprints.
Joan's mouth was bulging, like a little squirrel.
She nodded and mumbled, "That's enough, two days will be enough."
Huo Jiyun reached out and stroked her smooth black hair. "An'an is really amazing."
"By the way, I was thinking of visiting Fan Lin's parents this afternoon. If I hadn't met Lin Wan in town, I wouldn't have known that Fan Lin's parents also lived in Jinshui Town."
He stared at Joan's face, afraid she would get angry.
"I'll be back in a bit, it won't take up much time."
It wasn't that Qiao An didn't trust Huo Jiyun; it was that she didn't trust Lin Wan.
Lin Wan is clearly a scheming woman.
According to Huo Jiyun, Lin Wan has never taken her child back to her hometown in all these years.
Why did Huo Jiyun come back this year, and why did she come back too?
So they're here to play a female-female competition with themselves.
"How about this, I'll go with you. Just so we don't slack off, or people will think I hold a grudge."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
At noon, Qiao An cooked a few simple dishes and steamed a bowl of egg custard for each of the children.
After dinner, Huo Jiyun went to wash the dishes, while Qiao An stayed in the house preparing the items she would take with her when she went out in the afternoon.
Canned goods, snacks, malted milk powder, and fruit were all stuffed into fishing nets.
In this day and age, what Joanne received was considered a very good New Year's gift.
In the afternoon, the children went out to play in their new clothes, and Huo Jiyun rode a tricycle with Qiao An towards Jinshui Town.
The cold wind blew into her neck, and Qiao An tightened the scarf on her head.
If high-ranking leaders like Xu Zhengqiang keep their word, she can get a car for free as long as they help the machine tool factory produce the machine within two months.
Having a car will make it much more convenient to go anywhere.
It can also provide shelter from the wind and rain, making it much better than a tricycle.
Soon, Huo Jiyun arrived at their home according to the address left by Fan Liangui.
They got out of the car and were about to knock on the door when they heard arguing coming from inside.
Huo Jiyun lowered his hand, and the two listened to the sounds inside through the door.
"Is this what we eat during the Lunar New Year? Does the Fan family want to starve me and my child to death?"
"Lin Wan, no...it's not like that. My husband and I don't have much money, and we don't have formal jobs. We only make about ten yuan a month together, it's really..."
"What do you mean 'really'? Don't you have a son? He won't give you money? Humph! If you ask me, he just doesn't want to spend money on us, mother and son, does he?"
Lin Wan's voice was sharp and sarcastic, and Huo Jiyun's brows furrowed in dismay upon hearing it.
Lin Wan, who lived in the military compound, was usually gentle and generous. She spoke quietly to everyone and never argued with anyone.
Why would you speak to your elders like that today?
"My husband died, my world collapsed. You lost your son, but you still have one son. In the end, it's my fate that's so miserable!"
"I'm a woman raising my child alone in the Northwest, penniless and powerless. What kind of life am I living? I finally manage to come back to my hometown, and I still have to suffer this kind of humiliation."
"Lin Wan, don't cry. It'll be bad if the neighbors hear you," Xu Fengxian said, trying to comfort her.
"So you know it's shameful? Your daughter-in-law and grandson come all the way back for the New Year, and you're eating meager meals every day. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Alright! Okay, stop yelling. I'll go to the second son's house tomorrow and ask them for some money. It'll all go to you and your daughter, okay?"
"That's more like it."
The arguing inside gradually subsided, and Qiao An looked up at Huo Jiyun.
I noticed that he looked very unwell.
Qiao An suddenly remembered that in the novel, Huo Jiyun gave Lin Wan and her son money every month because Lin Wan said she had transferred the subsidy money for martyrs' families to Fan Lin's parents.
Huo Jiyun felt that Lin Wan was sensible and kind, and couldn't bear to see the mother and son living in poverty, so he used his own salary to help them.
Only after overhearing the conversation inside did Huo Jiyun realize that Lin Wan had never given the elderly couple any money at all.
The ones who were truly struggling financially were not her, but Fan Liangui and Xu Fengxian.
Joanne tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to knock on the door.
"Don't make it too obvious."
Upon hearing Qiao An's instructions, Huo Jiyun quickly adjusted his expression.
"Knock knock knock"
A moment later, footsteps could be heard in the courtyard.
Who is it?
"Auntie, it's me, Huo Jiyun."
The door was opened from the inside.
Xu Fengxian smiled broadly, "It's Commander Huo! Please come in, please come in."
Huo Jiyun pushed the tricycle into the yard, with Qiao An following beside him.
"Auntie, Ji Yun and I brought you and Uncle some food. Please don't mind."
Qiao An sent the heavy fishing net bag to Xu Fengxian.
Xu Fengxian was taken aback at first, then her eyes reddened slightly. "You're too kind. This is too valuable. We can't accept it."