Gu Ruoqing lifted her chin highly and snorted. “Humph! This is the first time so I will not fuss about it. But if it still happens the next time, just wait and see how I will deal with you all!”
“Yes, yes, yes. Qing Qing, don’t be angry. There will not be a next time. Don’t worry!”
Chen Honghua coaxed Gu Ruoqing frantically in fear that she would be annoyed.
It was well-known in the Qing River Brigade that Zhang Xiaohui married a guy in the city and everyone was discussing it. In this age, villagers yearned to be a city resident as they were supplied with food and need not labor in the fields. A requirement to work in factories was to be a city resident and this was simply heavenly days to these villagers.
Thus, it was truly unbelievable that Zhang Xiaohui was able to marry a city man when she was in her middle age and had a child from her previous marriage. In the eyes of Chen Honghua and similar other people, Zhang Xiaohui was more than capable.
Even Gu Ruoqing could also follow her mother and enter the city and they, too, wanted to enter the city.
Without eating her meal, Chen Honghua led Gu Ruoqing into her room and Gu Ruoqing fell asleep in there that afternoon.
Chen Honghua sneaked out quietly. Her mother, Wang Qiuhua, was cleaning up the kitchen while Chen Ergui brought Chen Xiaobao out to play in fear that he would disturb Gu Ruoqing.
In the kitchen, Wang Qiuhua kept sighing as she looked at the pot of which contents were emptied cleanly. Chen Honghua went over and persuaded, “Mother, are you sad over those rice?”
Wang Qiuhua said, “Can I not be? Look how much she ate. It’s enough for Xiaobao to eat for a day. And those eggs. Two whole eggs. She actually finished them all without leaving any for Xiaobao. No wonder Xiaobao would be so angry.”
Chen Honghua said, “Mother, I know that it pains you and it’s the same for me too. But there’s no choice. Think about it, are we going to spend the rest of our lives in this village? There’s no pay nor coupons and it’s extremely difficult to even buy items. What about Zhang Xiaohui? The Zhang family is so disgusting and shameless but even she can marry into the city.
“Gu Ruoqing was inferior to me last time! The Zhang family did not even care about her while the Gu family only dotes on Gu Qingyao. But look, Gu Ruoqing has become a city girl now and she would definitely marry someone in the city next time. Mother, I’m unwilling to resign to this!”
Wang Qiuhua frowned. “But will this really work?”
Chen Honghua said, “We have to try regardless of whether it will work or not. Apart from Gu Ruoqing, can we still find anyone else?”
Wang Qiuhua had nothing to say then. They were all peasants who had nothing and did not know anyone from the city.
Chen Honghua said, “Mother, I’ve been close to Gu Ruoqing since the past. Now, if we placate her and treat her well, we can ask her father to let me work in the textile factory in the city and I will have pay then! It’s thirty to forty yuan a month! By then, I will have money and coupons to buy things for you and Xiaobao.
“Mother, look at me. My looks are pretty decent too and I can marry in two years. I can bring Xiaobao into the city only if I go to the city. Otherwise, are you going to let our intelligent Xiaobao labor in the village fields for his entire life? Can you bear to?”
Of course not!
Wang Qiuhua was completely persuaded. At the thought of her precious son, she immediately thought that what her daughter said made a lot of sense. It was only if her daughter married a city man would their family have hope and Xiaobao have a promising future.
“Alright. It’s settled. You must win Gu Ruoqing’s favor!”
“Mhm!”
…
All of this was still temporarily unknown to Gu Qingyao but she guessed it very quickly.