novellhall Chapter 139 Eating melon seeds, chatting, and watching the show
Chapter 139 Eating melon seeds, chatting, and watching the show
At noon, Huo Yanchuan came back with two watermelons.
It's just the beginning of summer here, a bit later than other places, and watermelons have only just come into season and are very expensive.
"You bought watermelons?" she asked gently and happily when she saw that Huo Yanchuan had bought two at once.
"Didn't you want to eat some? I happened to go to town today, so I bought two on my way back."
Huo Yanchuan put the watermelon into the kitchen and scooped some cold water from the bucket to chill it, so it would be refreshingly cool to eat later.
Wenrou was taken aback. She had only casually mentioned it during dinner yesterday: "On such a hot day, it would be so refreshing to eat a slice of chilled watermelon."
I didn't expect him to remember that sentence and buy it for her today?
After the watermelon is chilled by cold water, it tastes both icy and sweet when you eat it, and it's so refreshing that it makes your body feel like all the heat is instantly dissipated.
Wenrou ate half of it in one go, and Huo Yanchuan also ate a small portion of it, leaving the rest for her to eat later that night.
"Watermelons are so expensive these days, and Huo Tuan bought two right away. He really spoils his wife."
"It's so hot! I wish I could have a watermelon."
"I want to eat what you're talking about too, but unfortunately we can only look. Our family can't afford such expensive watermelons."
Everyone else in the compound looked on with envy at the sight.
However, to their surprise, Sister Wang's family also bought a watermelon the next day.
"Oh my, Sister Wang, you bought watermelons too?" someone asked sourly after seeing this.
Wang's family used to be the poorest in the whole compound, but now they can even afford to buy watermelons.
"If Xiaoya wants to eat one, let's buy her one to try," Sister Wang said to the others.
"Oh dear, I'm not trying to be mean, but Xiaoya is just a little girl. She'll still get married when she grows up. You've raised her so well, won't she just end up benefiting her in-laws?" Someone felt uncomfortable seeing how well Wang's wife treated the little girl.
"That's right, sister-in-law, you've been influenced by Huo Tuan's wife. Your little girl's schooling is useless; she'd be better off staying home and helping you with chores so you and Aunt Zhu can have an easier time," Sun Mei said to Sister-in-law Wang, crossing her legs and cracking sunflower seeds.
Aunt Zhu, who was washing clothes at the door, nodded in agreement when she heard this.
"See, I told you so. What's the point of sending a little girl to school? What's the point of wasting money? It's better to save it for my grandson in the future."
Aunt Zhu had long wanted to take Wang's money, but she had never had the chance.
Xiao Ya stood next to Sister Wang, looked up at her mother, and tightly gripped the hem of Sister Wang's clothes with both hands.
She was worried that her mother wouldn't let her go to school, since her mother was pregnant and her grandmother was saying everywhere that it was a baby boy.
After her younger brother was born, she was afraid that her mother would give all her love to him and not let her go to school.
"Mom, how about... how about I stop going to school and help you grow mushrooms to earn money?" Although Xiaoya was unwilling, she still didn't want to make things difficult for Sister-in-law Wang.
"Little girl, don't listen to what they say. You are your mother's daughter. I will sell everything I own to support your schooling. We will go to university in the future. As for growing mushrooms, I can manage that by myself. You just focus on your studies."
Sister-in-law Wang glared at the others. She always remembered what Wenrou had said: girls are just like boys; they can go to university and make something of themselves in the future.
In the past, she would have been skeptical as well.
But isn't Wenrou a good example now? And then there's Teacher Peng; the way cultured people speak is just different.
Therefore, she firmly believed that only through studying could one achieve great things.
She also hopes that her daughter will be able to visit bigger cities when she grows up, and that she can take her along to broaden her horizons.
Anyway, she can make money growing mushrooms now, although not much, but enough to pay for her daughter's tuition.
Sister Wang touched the baby in her belly, and she would never be biased, no matter whether the child was a boy or a girl.
"Come on, let's go home. Mom will cut you some watermelon." Sister Wang pulled the little girl towards home.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Sister-in-law Wang, Aunt Zhu had no choice but to follow her into the house.
"Mom, if you ever say you won't let Xiaoya go to school again, I'll divorce Zhu Chao, and we'll live separately as mother and daughter." Wang's sister-in-law felt she had to make things clear to her mother-in-law, otherwise Xiaoya would overthink things.
Aunt Zhu refused to listen, saying, "I was just saying it, I won't say it again. You're carrying our Zhu family's grandson, you can't get a divorce."
Aunt Zhu is still counting on Sister Wang to grow mushrooms to earn money for her family, and there's also the baby in her belly, so of course she doesn't dare say anything she doesn't want to hear.
Seeing her like this, Sister-in-law Wang became even more certain that following Wenrou was definitely the right thing to do.
If it weren't for her gentleness, she would probably still be living at the mercy of her mother-in-law, and her daughter wouldn't be able to go to school.
"Xiao Ya, go and take some of the fried dough sticks and chess pieces that Mom made to Aunt Wenrou." After finishing the watermelon, Sister Wang was busy in the kitchen for a long time, frying a table full of fragrant and crispy fried dough sticks.
Xiao Ya put down what she was holding, responded, and hurriedly went to the kitchen to get some fruit and chess pieces for Wenrou.
"Auntie, this was made by my mom." The little girl ran over and handed the food to Wenrou.
When Wenrou saw what Xiaoya brought, she quickly reached out and took it.
"Little girl, come in quickly." Wenrou saw that she was covered in sweat and hurriedly invited her in.
Sister-in-law Wang usually makes a lot of snacks for Xiaoya to take to school.
Fried dough sticks are her specialty. Freshly fried dough sticks are sprinkled with chili powder, salt, and five-spice powder, making them crispy and delicious.
Wenrou was amazed by the food she had tried last time, so she casually praised it.
From then on, whenever Sister Wang fried dough sticks, she would have Xiao Ya bring some to her.
There are also "chess piece beans," which are made by cutting noodles into bean-sized pieces and baking them in a pan. She added five-spice powder to them, making them crispy, salty, and fragrant—much tastier than sunflower seeds.
After Xiaoya came in, she played with her two younger sisters for a while.
"Auntie, both of your little sisters are so pretty. They have such beautiful eyes and such fair skin."
Xiao Ya really likes Wenrou's two daughters. After school, she often comes over to do her homework while playing with the two little sisters.
"Our little girl is also pretty. When she grows up and dresses up, she'll be a little beauty too," she said with a gentle smile.
She also gave Xiaoya some food she had made herself, so that she could take it back to Sister Wang.
Xiao Ya responded and took the bowl back.
In the evening, Wenrou was too hot to sleep, and the two children were sweating profusely.
She had no choice but to fan the child to cool him down. When Huo Yanchuan returned, he took the fan from her and, seeing her covered in sweat, started fanning her as well.
"Why is the weather getting hotter and hotter?" Wenrou walked into the kitchen, drank a large bowl of cold water, and complained to Huo Yanchuan.
"This is how it is in the summer here. The fans won't be back for a few more days, so please bear with it for now."
Huo Yanchuan felt a little sorry for his wife when he saw how hot she was.
The temperature actually cooled down a bit in the evening, but thankfully it only lasted for a short while. By the middle of the night, you'd need a quilt.
The temperature difference between day and night is extreme here. The surface temperature can reach over 60 degrees Celsius during the day, while the air temperature is generally around 45 degrees Celsius.
At night, especially in the latter half of the night, the temperature will drop sharply to around eight or nine degrees Celsius.
She can manage to stay up a little longer at night, but now she doesn't dare to go out during the day.
Summer in the Gobi Desert comes fiercely and harshly. When the sun comes out, it's like an overturned, red-hot iron pot. Even the wind is scalding, and the sun is so intense that it can peel off a layer of skin.
Once the fan arrived, she stayed home with her two children and never went out unless absolutely necessary.
After taking a shower, Huo Yanchuan went to bed and lay down next to Wenrou.
Wenrou casually recounted the events of the day to him, including the fried dough sticks that Sister Wang had given her. She couldn't resist eating a lot of them, and now she felt a bit feverish.
Huo Yanchuan listened attentively to her rambling account, without finding it annoying.
She spoke gently, and then, without anyone noticing, she fell asleep.
When Huo Yanchuan turned around, he found that she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. He reached out and pulled the quilt over her.
The next day, the troops were to deliver supplies to Hao Gang and his men. Peng Xiaowan handed over the things she had prepared beforehand, asking them to give them to Hao Gang as well.
She also wrote a letter to Hao Gang, hoping that he could take good care of himself over there.
As the truck carrying the supplies drove further and further away, Peng Xiaowan felt a little sad again.
Before they knew it, Hao Gang and the others had been gone for more than half a month.
She didn't know how much longer she could wait, or when he would come back.
Wenrou knew Peng Xiaowan was still worried, so she talked to her for a while to help her distract herself.
Just then, Shen Qingshuang finally returned from the countryside.
Accompanying her were Zhou Dayong's mother, He Cuihua, and his two younger brothers.
In the past few months, the Zhou family has been unable to hold their heads high in the village because of what happened before.
No one in the village cares about their family anymore, and even Zhou Dayong's two younger brothers are being bullied by the village children.
The two, who were originally spoiled and arrogant, have changed a lot now.
Wenrou was talking with Peng Xiaowan at the door when she saw He Cuihua walk in with two children.
He Cuihua also saw Wenrou, and her eyes were filled with hatred.
If it weren't for that gentle man, their family wouldn't be in this state now.
After learning that her son was going to make a meritorious contribution, He Cuihua insisted on coming with Shen Qingshuang and wanted her to help take care of her two younger sons.
Shen Qingshuang's former spoiled princess temperament is gone now, and she is very obedient in front of He Cuihua.
She was also worried about what would happen if Zhou Dayong didn't want her after he made a contribution.
She knew that she couldn't rely on anyone now and could only depend on the Zhou family.
After returning home, she realized that she was Zhou's daughter-in-law and part of the Zhou family.
Only when their family is harmonious and peaceful will they avoid being ridiculed by others.
If Dayong can perform meritorious service this time, his family will have hope for the future.
However, after returning this time, she managed to investigate some things.
Hearing the villagers' description of the spy, she was certain that the person they were talking about was Huo Yanchuan.
This is something she's been struggling to understand lately: if Huo Yanchuan is a spy, then why is he still able to stay in the military?
Moreover, what she found most unacceptable was that Huo Yanchuan had slept with Wenrou in such a muddled way.
No wonder those two children look so much like Huo Yanchuan; they are his offspring.
So he wasn't infertile; his health had never been a problem, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to have two children.
But why would he lie to himself?
If he hadn't said he couldn't have children, she wouldn't have chosen to marry Zhou Dayong.
It's too late to say anything now. She's already married to Zhou Dayong, and things can never go back to the way they were.
Even so, she wouldn't let Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan have an easy time.
The fact that Huo Yanchuan was a spy could only be told to Zhou Dayong when he returned.
Surprisingly, when Huo Yanchuan went to the village, no one noticed that he looked very similar to the spy they had arrested before.
However, according to the villagers, when they caught the spy, he was covered in wounds and his face was covered in mud; he didn't look like a human being at all.
Furthermore, Huo Yanchuan was wearing a military uniform when he returned. Even if someone noticed that he resembled that spy, no one would suspect him of being a spy.
After all, no one would believe that a soldier in military uniform could be a spy.
"Xiao Wan, do you want some watermelon?" Wenrou turned her gaze away and asked Peng Xiaowan.
There was one watermelon left from the one Huo Yanchuan bought last time, which she chilled in cold water this morning, so it's perfect to eat now.
"Yeah, it's so hot. Eating some watermelon will help cool us down," Peng Xiaowan said, wiping the sweat from her brow.
These days, Hao Gang isn't home, so she often comes to Wenrou's place for meals and to help take care of her two children.
Of course, she couldn't just freeload. Sometimes she would bring over meat and vegetables she bought, and she would also buy things for the two children.
"Then wait a moment." Wenrou said, stood up, went to the kitchen, cut up the chilled watermelon, and brought it out.
Since the two had nothing else to do, they chatted and ate some watermelon.
At this moment, Zhou Dayong's two younger brothers saw Wenrou eating watermelon and couldn't help but lick their lips, tugging at He Cuihua's clothes, wanting her to buy them watermelon as well.
When He Cuihua looked at the money in her pocket, she realized that she couldn't even afford to eat watermelon anymore, let alone make a living.
Her face turned cold, and she reached out and pulled the two children inside.
"Eat, eat, eat! All you do all day is eat. You don't even know we're broke. I think you two have been spoiled rotten!" she yelled angrily.
With the family in such a state, and seeing her two youngest sons still so disappointing, He Cuihua became even angrier.
In the past, she would never have been willing to scold or beat her two youngest sons, but things are different now. If they continue to be disappointing, the Zhou family is truly doomed.
Wenrou smiled when she saw this, and continued to eat her melon seeds with her head down.