Cheng Su looked over and saw two middle-aged women exiting the station, each carrying a heavy load of large and small bags. It was none other than Qi Taiguo’s mother, Mother Qi, and his eldest sister, Qi Fenglian.
Mother Qi was lugging a big snakeskin bag, which bulged with unknown contents and looked incredibly heavy. She also had a large cloth bag on her back, dressed in a dusty long shirt and pants, her hair all disheveled.
As for Qi Fenglian, she was carrying a child on her back, her hands each grasping something. In one hand, she held a large white plastic jug full of a golden-yellow liquid that sloshed around—probably the peanut oil Mother Qi always talked about. In the other hand, she was actually carrying a rooster, its wings and feet tied.
Cheng Su and Qi Taiguo hurriedly walked over, pushing their bicycles.
"Mom, big sister, it’s fine that you came, but why bring so much stuff?" Qi Taiguo took over the heavy bag from Mother Qi with concern, feeling it: "You even brought a bag of rice, aren’t you finding it too heavy?"
"Exactly, Mom, you can buy anything in Qing City." Cheng Su went to take the large jug of oil from Qi Fenglian.
"What do you know, the rice grown at home tastes the best. We had a good harvest this year, and there is plenty at home; bringing it here means you won’t have to buy any," Mother Qi explained.
"Yes, Mom also brought some sweet potatoes and peanuts, saying she wanted you to try something fresh." Qi Fenglian laughed and managed to dodge Cheng Su’s hand: "Taiguo’s wife, this jug of oil is really heavy, you won’t be able to handle it, let me carry it, I’m used to it!"
"But you’re still carrying Baobao!" Cheng Su insisted, snatching the oil jug away, which was indeed very heavy, sinking down as soon as she took it.
As Qi Taiguo was unloading the big backpack from Mother Qi’s back, he saw this and shouted, "Hey hey, put that down, don’t carry it, let me do it, you can’t carry it!"
Mother Qi was rubbing her lower back when she heard Qi Taiguo’s anxious words, her interest immediately piqued, her eyes darting toward Cheng Su’s belly: "Why can’t she carry it? Is my daughter-in-law pregnant?"
Pregnant women should not lift heavy objects.
Uh...
Both Qi Taiguo and Cheng Su looked embarrassed.
Qi Fenglian also looked over, and Cheng Su had no choice but to assert firmly, "That’s not the case."
"Yeah, Mom, it’s not like that. She doesn’t have the strength. This jug of oil weighs at least twenty pounds; she can’t handle it. It would be terrible if she hurt her back," Qi Taiguo added.
Mother Qi’s disappointment was evident as she pouted, "It’s only about twenty pounds of oil, how heavy can that be? She’s just being delicate!" She glanced at Cheng Su’s attire with a slight scowl, commenting, "And this outfit, with such high heels, who wears that for work?"
Qi Fenglian had noticed her sister-in-law’s attire long before—a pair of high-heeled black leather shoes, a black pair of long pants, a thin knitted sweater, her hair draped loosely, her skin fair and glowing, even prettier than the last time she went home, looking even more fashionable!
"Mom, you don’t understand, this is how city people dress, Taiguo’s wife is just following fashion!" Qi Fenglian smoothed things over with a laugh.
Cheng Su gave her an appreciative glance and added with a smile, "That’s right, Mom. I’ll take you and big sister to the mall later, get you dressed up fashionable and pretty!"
"Forget it, we villagers work in the fields every day, how can we wear such clothes?" Mother Qi said dismissively.
Qi Taiguo had already secured the bag of rice and the large backpack to the back of the bicycle, and he was also tying the pair of roosters to the side. As for that jug of oil, he strapped it to the top of the backpack, stacking everything high.
"Hey, where did this bicycle come from? It’s useful to have a bike!" Seeing this, Qi Fenglian changed the subject.
"It’s ours, Taiguo bought it!" Cheng Su replied.