Chapter 44: Chapter 44: This Girl Is Coming to Your Place

"Just a little?" Wang Xuehong said angrily. "Why don’t you count how much stuff you’ve sent to your family over the years? Have I ever said a single word about it? And now look at you, complaining that I can’t provide you with a good life. If you don’t want to live like this anymore, just say the word."

When Pang Xiaofang heard this, she immediately covered her face and started crying. "I knew it! You’re tired of me! Tell me, do you have a mistress on the side? You’re just trying to kick me out to make room for her, aren’t you? Tell me, aren’t you?"

Wang Xuehong was so furious he was practically fuming. He slammed his hand on the table. "You woman! You’re completely unreasonable!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

With that, he turned and stormed into the house, forcefully slamming the door behind him.

Pang Xiaofang wiped away a tear and, huffing indignantly, turned and went into the kitchen.

Su Qing had no idea that her departure had triggered an argument between Wang Xuehong and Pang Xiaofang. She was in a hurry to get to the county town to deliver some wild boar meat to Fu Yuzhen. After all, work in the village ended relatively early, so if she hurried, she could make it back by dusk.

"Su Qing, we’ve already bought meat. Why are you bringing more? Quick, take it back," Tang Suqin said hurriedly when she saw Su Qing arriving with the meat.

"Aunt Zhao, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please don’t refuse it. Just accept it." Compared to Pang Xiaofang, Su Qing had a much better impression of Tang Suqin.

"We have meat at home. You should keep it for yourself." Tang Suqin refused to take it. "It’s not easy for a girl like you, living on your own. We appreciate the thought, but you should take the meat back."

Seeing that Tang Suqin was determined not to accept it, Su Qing shoved the meat into her hands, turned, and ran. "Aunt Zhao, you keep the meat! I’m leaving now!"

"Hey, Su Qing!" Tang Suqin hadn’t expected Su Qing to just drop the meat and run. She chased after her for a few steps but couldn’t catch up. Left with no choice, she accepted the meat and went back inside to speak with Zhao Youcai. "That girl, Su Qing... She didn’t even come inside. She just tossed the meat in the yard and ran off."

Zhao Youcai took a drag from his dry pipe and nodded. "Alright, let’s just accept it this time. I’ll have a word with the girl later. She can’t be giving things away all the time. No matter how much you have, you can’t sustain this kind of giving. That’s no way to live."

"Alright. I’ll see what I can prepare as a return gift for the girl." Tang Suqin nodded and took the meat to the kitchen.

Zhao Youcai’s eight-year-old son, Zhao Mantao, came running into the yard holding a fish. "Mom! Look! Me and Second Brother caught another fish! Whoa, that’s a lot of meat!"

Seeing the meat in Tang Suqin’s hands, Zhao Mantao’s eyes lit up. "Mom, can we eat meat tonight?"

"Alright, we’ll have meat tonight," Tang Suqin said with a smile. She had bought two pounds of meat and a pound of ribs from Su Qing earlier, and now Su Qing had given them another five pounds. That came to a good eight pounds of meat. Her children were still young; they needed the extra nutrition.

Tang Suqin was never the stingy type. Now that she had meat, she was more than willing to cook something good for her children.

After delivering meat to Wang Xuehong’s and Zhao Youcai’s families, Su Qing left the village and headed straight for the county town. Just before reaching it, she found a secluded spot where no one was around, took out her back basket, and placed a pig’s trotter, ten pounds of pork, and some mushrooms inside. It filled more than half the basket. Only then did she continue on to Fu Yuzhen’s home.

Fu Yuzhen had previously told Su Qing that her family still lived in the same old house. So, using the original owner of this body’s memories, Su Qing easily found Fu Yuzhen’s home.

The Fu Family lived in the employee dorms for the mechanics factory. Fu Yuzhen’s husband was a senior engineer there, so they had been assigned a large apartment with three bedrooms and one living room. The couple had two sons: the elder, Pan Youming, who was two years older than Su Qing, and the younger, Pan Youshan, who was three years younger. Back when Su Qing lived in the county town with her parents, the two families had been close, and she, Pan Youming, and Pan Youshan had practically grown up together.

"Qingqing!" Hearing a knock, Fu Yuzhen opened the door and was overjoyed to see Su Qing. "Come in, quick, come in!" she said hurriedly.

An older woman who had followed Su Qing up the stairs commented, "Well now, Yu Zhen, is this girl visiting you?"

When Su Qing had entered the building with her back basket, this woman had been right behind her. She had followed mainly because Su Qing was not only a stranger but also had a large, very conspicuous scar on her left cheek. Curious, she had trailed behind to see whose apartment she was visiting, only to find it was Fu Yuzhen’s.

Fu Yuzhen smiled and said, "Granny Sun, this is Su Qing. You remember her, don’t you?"

"What? Su Qing?" Granny Sun did, of course, remember Su Qing. A few years ago, she used to come play at the Fu Family’s home with her parents all the time. But then something happened to Su Shengjun, and Fu Yuzhen’s husband was transferred, so their whole family moved away. She hadn’t seen Su Qing since.

Granny Sun looked Su Qing up and down. "Su Qing, dear, what happened to your face? How did you get such a big scar? Oh, my. For a young girl like you... what are you going to do with a scar like that?"

Hearing this, Fu Yuzhen quickly interjected, "The doctor said it can be healed with the right medicine."

Fu Yuzhen was hoping Su Qing’s face would heal quickly. She didn’t want outsiders commenting on the scar, and she worried that hearing such things too often would make Su Qing develop a complex or become depressed.

Su Qing, however, wasn’t bothered by it. ’It’ll be healed sooner or later, anyway,’ she thought. Thus, Granny Sun’s words didn’t affect her.

Granny Sun was clearly skeptical of Fu Yuzhen’s words. Such a large scar, and it looked like it had been there for years—how could that possibly be healed? She figured it was just something people said.

However, as a neighbor, it wouldn’t be right to argue the point, so she just smiled and said, "Oh, well, if it can be healed, that’s wonderful. Just wonderful."

Fu Yuzhen exchanged a few more words with Granny Sun before quickly pulling Su Qing inside and shutting the door. Once it was closed, she said to Su Qing, "Qingqing, don’t you worry about that scar on your face. I’ve already asked someone to look for those few herbs. Once we find them and prepare the medicine, we should be able to heal it."

"Okay," Su Qing nodded with a smile. "Don’t worry, Aunt Fu. I don’t let it get to me."

The Fu family had already eaten dinner. Pan Youming and Pan Youshan were out playing with friends and hadn’t returned yet. Fu Yuzhen’s husband, Pan Runqing, however, was home. Hearing the commotion, he came out of his room, looked closely at Su Qing for a moment, and said, "Is that Qingqing?"

Fu Yuzhen had already told Pan Runqing about Su Qing’s situation. He had been indignant about what she’d been through, and seeing her now, he felt a great deal of sympathy.

Su Qing smiled and greeted him, "Uncle Pan, it’s been a long time."

"It really has been a long time. You’ve grown into a young lady," Pan Runqing said, smiling and nodding. "You should come visit us more often whenever you’re free."

"Okay," Su Qing agreed with a smiling nod.

Fu Yuzhen quickly asked, "Qingqing, have you had dinner? I can whip something up for you."

"There’s no need, Aunt Fu. I’ve already eaten," Su Qing said quickly. She took off her back basket and added, "I brought you all something."