My Happy Daily Life After Being Reborn-Chapter 44 - 27 Jiang Xiaomei

44: Chapter 27 Jiang Xiaomei

44 -27 Jiang Xiaomei

Luo Yufang returned to see the refrigerator in the kitchen, and upon asking the price, grumbled nonstop about wasting money.

Judging by her attitude, if it weren’t for the two boxes of sea fish, she would have definitely returned it.

“Hey, sister-in-law, come see what I’ve got for you!” Lin Xiaoguai was stirring up a dish while Luo Yufang was sitting on a small stool washing vegetables, and Shen Chi was making a fire, when Shen Xiu’s excited voice suddenly came from outside.

Lin Xiaoguai continued her cooking, turned her head, and saw Shen Xiu burst in, pulling out the contents of her pocket to show her.

“Quail eggs?!

Where did you get them?” Lin Xiaoguai was somewhat surprised; nobody around here raised quails.

“I found them.” Shen Xiu put the quail eggs into a basin, “I went to play in the countryside with Chun Niu and the others today.

I found these on the mountain, and I traded them for some sugar.”

“Grandma, I remember there was quite a bit of fermented tofu juice left after we finished the fermented tofu last time, right?” Lin Xiaoguai made the query after dishing out the chives from the pan.

“There is, do you want to eat it?” Luo Yufang nodded her head.

Lin Xiaoguai shook her head, “I want to make some fermented tofu-coated quail eggs.” She would have preferred to make sweet-and-sour or tea-leaf quail eggs, but things like ketchup, tea leaves, anise, or cinnamon weren’t available at this time, and she couldn’t smuggle them out from her space.

Luo Yufang had never heard of making quail eggs this way, but she had confidence in her granddaughter-in-law’s cooking skills, so she had no objections, and neither did anyone else.

Stir-fried chives, braised silver carp, quail eggs in a crusty coating, plus an egg drop soup, and their family had a full meal.

“If I keep eating like this, I won’t be able to swallow my food when I return to the troops.” Finished, Shen Chi sighed; his wife’s cooking was beyond words.

“Should we buy a TV?” At night, as Lin Xiaoguai leaned on the bed reading a book, Shen Chi suddenly suggested.

Lin Xiaoguai was puzzled, “Why are you suddenly thinking of this?”

Shen Chi glanced at the book in her hand with a hint of dissatisfaction and said indifferently, “Aren’t you bored at home?”

“Not at all, I can read books.” Lin Xiaoguai shook the book in her hand.

Shen Chi was not a careful person in daily life, so she didn’t avoid him when reading obscure ones.

However, in front of Shen Xiu, she had to conceal them.

Shen Chi felt a bit of indignant; having a cultured wife was not necessarily a good thing; with a book, even her own husband went unnoticed—what’s the deal with that?

Lin Xiaoguai didn’t pay attention to his emotions; her mind continued to immerse in the world of the book.

It was already her second pottery book, and she felt an itching to try her hand at it once Shen Chi left, planning to enter her space and give it a go.

While at home, Shen Chi did some of the heavier chores, and in his spare time, he took Lin Xiaoguai out to buy things for her.

In just a few days, the number of her personal belongings had doubled.

“Xiao Guai?”

That day, as Lin Xiaoguai was picking eggplants in the courtyard, she suddenly heard someone call her.

She looked up and saw a dark, plump and sturdy girl smiling at her with her head poked out.

Lin Xiaoguai was somewhat stunned as she looked at the face squeezed together, barely making out the features, and suddenly felt like crying.

“Xiao Mei…”

In her previous life, she had many friends, but the only true friend she acknowledged was the one before her eyes.

Jiang Xiaomei wasn’t pretty, dark and plump, but whenever people mentioned having a “beautiful soul,” Lin Xiaoguai would immediately think of her.

This plump girl was always mocked, bullied, but never fought back or tattled and never cried, always laughing carelessly.

She would often trade her lunchbox for others’ dry food out of pity at school, clumsy but always with the kindest heart.

In her previous life when she had a miscarriage and lost her ability to bear children, one day suddenly, she heard people saying that she had drunk pesticide to commit suicide.

The reason was that her child husband had run away after deceiving her family out of all their money, and her parents had died from resentment.

Jiang Xiaomei’s smile grew even wider as she dashed over with her sturdy legs and grabbed her hand, “Xiao Guai, don’t be mad at me, I didn’t mean to come see you like this.”

Lin Xiaoguai pulled Jiang Xiaomei into the house.

Luo Yufang, who was sewing on buttons, looked up and saw them and asked in surprise, “Wanwan, is this your friend?”

She was taken aback; the girl’s image was simply too exaggerated, and when she was with her granddaughter-in-law, they looked like complete opposites.

Lin Xiaoguai nodded and then said, “Grandma, I’ll take her to my room to talk.”

“Go ahead, go ahead.” Luo Yufang nodded, then asked, “Will she have lunch here?”

“Yes, of course.” Lin Xiaoguai didn’t even ask Jiang Xiaomei but declared, “Grandma, would you mind buying some pork belly?

I’ll make braised pork for lunch.”

Seeing how seriously she treated her friend, Luo Yufang nodded, “Alright, I’ll go buy it right now.”

After closing the door, Lin Xiaoguai hugged Jiang Xiaomei, with a hint of a sob, “Xiao Mei…”

“Xiao Guai, don’t cry, it’s my fault for not coming to see you sooner.” Jiang Xiaomei patted her back clumsily, trying to soothe her.

Lin Xiaoguai sniffled, regained her composure, and pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed.

Jiang Xiaomei took out a stack of banknotes from her pocket and stuffed them into Lin Xiaoguai’s hand, “Take this, I originally wanted to buy you some nice food, but I went too late, and the supply and marketing cooperative only had leftovers.

Knowing you like fresh things, I didn’t buy any.”

“Why are you giving me money?

Keep it for yourself.” Lin Xiaoguai tried to push it back, that stack was at least two hundred yuan, but her strength was no match for Jiang Xiaomei.

“Just take it, or I’ll get unhappy,” Jiang Xiaomei said as she pressed Lin Xiaoguai’s hand and stuffed the money into her pocket.

Jiang Xiaomei’s family was considered wealthy in the village, yet she was only this generous with Lin Xiaoguai.

Feeling helpless, Lin Xiaoguai accepted the money.

“Why haven’t you come to see me for so long?” She knew something must have happened at Jiang Xiaomei’s home, probably involving her fiancé, but she couldn’t ask directly.

“It’s Aidang, insisting on doing business.

My dad and Mom wouldn’t agree, so he’s been causing a fuss at home ever since.

My dad even fell ill from anger, and Mom’s health isn’t good either.

Aidang disappears all day and when he returns, he only picks fights.

With me needed at home for caretaking, I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to,” Jiang Xiaomei said, frustrated.

Like Lin Xiaoguai, Jiang Xiaomei was also an older unmarried woman, but she had no brothers, and her parents doted on her immensely despite being their only treasure after many years of marriage.

Jiang Xiaomei’s fiancé was named Luo Aidang.

His parents died when he was young, and since he had a child betrothal with Jiang Xiaomei, Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang took him in as their own son.

Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang were kind-hearted and treated Luo Aidang as their own child.

However, people in the countryside enjoyed gossiping, saying he was merely a ‘child husband’, and over time, Luo Aidang became gloomy and reticent, silent to the point that no one knew what he was thinking.

Lin Xiaoguai had also encountered Luo Aidang but didn’t hold a good impression of him.

Once when Xiaomei was being mocked, he simply walked by without a glance, wearing clothes bought with the Luo Family’s money and carrying a school bag sewn by Aunt Jiang.

However, as far as she knew, Luo Aidang was a thankless wretch but not the kind to have an active mind.

Someone else must have been advising him when he managed to swindle the Luo Family’s money in their previous life.

Thinking of another rumor from back then, she had a guess as to who might be involved.

“Did he ask your parents for money?” Lin Xiaoguai raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Xiaomei nodded.

“How much?”

“Two thousand,” Jiang Xiaomei said despondently.

“My Mom and Dad have been sick these past years, unable to earn work points, and also needing money for medicine.

Where could they get so much money?”

This silly girl…

Lin Xiaoguai sighed inwardly; surely, Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang had the means, and simply didn’t want to give the money.

“Xiaomei, do you like Luo Aidang?” Lin Xiaoguai suddenly asked.

Jiang Xiaomei’s face turned a dark shade of red, “Wha – What are you suddenly talking about liking or not liking…

”

Looking into Lin Xiaoguai’s eyes, Jiang Xiaomei realized that Xiaoguai wasn’t teasing her; she was earnestly asking.

After carefully thinking, she said, “I can’t say that I like him.” Hesitating, she added, “Sometimes he’s actually quite annoying.

Although he doesn’t bully me, he never steps in when I’m being bullied.

He’s not even as good as Brother Dameng.” She might be naive, but she wasn’t stupid; although she thought of Luo Aidang as family, she knew clearly who treated her well.

The Big Brother Dameng that Jiang Xiaomei mentioned was her cousin.

Even though he too looked down on her for being ugly, he always stood up for her when others tried to bully her.

Lin Xiaoguai vaguely remembered that boy, who seemed to have a crush on her as well.

“So, you’re saying you don’t actually want to marry him that much?” Lin Xiaoguai asked again.

“I don’t know,” Jiang Xiaomei said, scratching her head.

“But my dad and Mom want me to marry Aidang; they definitely want what’s best for me.

And…”

She said with some self-deprecation, “I’m so ugly, it’s unlikely anyone else would want to marry me.”

Lin Xiaoguai shook her head inwardly.

Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang must be having doubts by now.

While Jiang Xiaomei was oblivious to Luo Aidang’s true intentions, those two certainly weren’t blind.

“Xiaomei, can I come to your house to play this afternoon?” Lin Xiaoguai had made up her mind; she needed to have a talk with Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang.

They probably thought Luo Aidang just wanted to get his hands on some extra cash and never considered that he might seek revenge for a perceived slight.

Xiaomei’s naive nature couldn’t be entirely trusted, and her soft-heartedness might lead her to confront Luo Aidang, attempting to persuade him to change his ways. freēnovelkiss.com

“Ah!?” Jiang Xiaomei was startled, “Why do you suddenly want to come to my place to play?”

“Don’t you welcome me?” Lin Xiaoguai feigned discontent.

Jiang Xiaomei quickly waved her hands, “No, no, of course, I welcome you, but you right now…” She glanced at Lin Xiaoguai’s belly.

“It’s fine, I’m already five months along, and the pregnancy is stable now.

Besides, we can take the bus to the town first, and then walk to your house.

It’s not much of a walk anyway,” Lin Xiaoguai was not worried about the child in her womb.

As she said, it was only a short walk from the town to Xiaomei’s house, and she regularly walked much further than that.

Relieved, Jiang Xiaomei said, “That’s good, the peaches at home are ripe, I forgot to pick some to bring over.

When you come, you should take lots back with you.”

“By the way, is Luo Aidang at home?” Lin Xiaoguai asked, just to be sure.

Jiang Xiaomei shook her head, “He’s gone during the day now, doesn’t even go to school, I have no idea where he wanders off to.”