CHAPTER 163: 162: RUMORS (FIRST UPDATE) REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS

After Zhang Zhenlian returned home, the family finally sat down to eat. Old Man Zhang had only scooped half a bowl of rice when someone came looking for them. Zhang Deli, drenched in sweat, hurried in.

"Zhang Zhong, stop eating, my Juanzi is sick, we can’t delay any longer. She needs to be sent to the hospital in town." Zhang Deli was indeed Zhang Juanzi’s father.

Zhang Zhong put down his chopsticks, "What’s going on? How did she get sick all of a sudden?"

Saying this, he picked up the clothes from the kang and started putting them on. Xu Lanxiang, who was beside him, grew anxious too. The carriage belonged to the team, and whenever something happened in the village, people would just come over without informing the village chief. In the end, wasn’t it still their family’s fault? Now, in front of everyone, Xu Lanxiang felt embarrassed to speak up.

After sending the people out the door, it was only then that Zhang Deli regained his composure, "Auntie, I spoke with the team first before coming here. However, this really inconveniences your family as Zhang Zhong had to leave his meal halfway to come help."

"What are you saying? The child is important. Stop talking and get the child to the hospital first." Hearing this, Xu Lanxiang felt a wave of relief, speaking frankly and openly.

After they watched the two leave, they faintly heard Zhang Deli mention something about someone coughing blood. Then, he furrowed his brow and went back into the house. Zhang Zhenlian glanced outside and asked, "Mom, what happened?"

"Who knows? Lately, I’ve heard about someone being sick, running a low fever, everyone thought it was just a cold. Who would’ve thought she would start coughing up blood today? It seems quite serious." Xu Lanxiang shook her head regretfully, unwilling to talk about it with her daughter, and instead asked her daughter about school, "You and Ye Ling grew up in the same village. Even if things aren’t good between you two, it’s still better than with outsiders. So, you should get along well with Ye Ling, don’t have conflicts. If something really happens, Ye Ling won’t ignore you."

Zhang Zhenlian felt guilty as she listened, just responding absent-mindedly, before quietly asking, "Mom, wasn’t Zhang Juanzi with Wang Hai? What’s happening with them now?"

"What else? They said they’re too young and should wait a couple of years to get married, but I don’t think it’s promising. The Wang Family doesn’t like this match, and with Zhang Juanzi falling ill now, who knows what it’ll turn into." Xu Lanxiang also didn’t want to discuss these things with her daughter and put a piece of chicken in her daughter’s bowl, "Eat, why are you worried about these things every day? You’ve gotten into high school now; you should focus on your studies, and get into a good university. Even if we have to sell everything, we’ll support you through school. You’ve seen how your father and I work our whole lives, back bent to the fields. It’s the fate of the poor. If you end up in the fields, what can you accomplish? You can’t even make enough work points in a year to support yourself."

Zhang Zhenlian’s eyes flashed with impatience, but she pretended to listen, her mind elsewhere. Since she started middle school, her mother had been saying this repeatedly, and anyone hearing it every day would be tired of it. Xu Lanxiang noticed her daughter’s silence and knew she wasn’t fond of such talks, so she sighed and added more pieces of chicken to her daughter’s bowl.

After dinner, Zhang Zhenlian saw her mother preparing to leave, "Mom, where are you going?"

"Ye Ling is back, and brought a few male classmates. I need to check in on them." Xu Lanxiang told her daughter to stay home, "Your dad will be back late, you stay home and study, I won’t be long."

She also wanted to inquire about her daughter’s situation at school.

Ever since she mentioned Ye Ling, her daughter fell silent, and Xu Lanxiang suspected that the relationship between her daughter and Ye Ling wasn’t good. Her daughter’s pride was high, and despite appearing gentle, no one knew her better than her mother. It was because of limited experiences and no real setbacks yet. If she were to face a real setback one day, she’d understand when it’s already too late.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhenlian sat up and held her back, "Mom, don’t go. Even if you mean well, they might not take it that way. When I delivered chicken today, I didn’t see Ye Ling looking particularly happy either."

"I know what Ye Ling is like. She’s a calculating child. I see that you feel you’ve grown up now, have your ideas, right?" Seeing her daughter like this, Xu Lanxiang realized her daughter was worried she overheard something, reinforcing her decision to go, "She’s just a girl but staying with several teenage boys isn’t good for talk. I’ll go check on her. If she’s willing, I’ll have her come stay at our house. Besides, our kang is big."

Zhang Zhenlian still wasn’t at ease, "Then I’ll go with you."

She started getting off the kang.

Xu Lanxiang stopped her, "You stay home and keep an eye on things. Who would be at home if someone came by?"

With such a serious tone, Zhang Zhenlian couldn’t insist, so she remained seated on the kang, watching through the window as her mother walked out of the yard towards the west side of the village.

After eating, Ye Ling was kneading dough, using a mixture of cabbage and salted dandelions for filling, which didn’t require adding salt, saving a bit of expense. As for the dough, it was a mixture of cornmeal and wheat flour.

Xu Lalan opened the door and was surprised to see someone working by candlelight in the kitchen, "Are you fermenting dough?"

"Yeah, planning to make some wild vegetable buns to see if I can sell some tomorrow." Anyway, villagers often sold such things, and Ye Ling had no reason to hide it.

Xu Lanxiang nodded, "That’s good. If you can’t eat it all, sell some. Making money is always a good thing."

She didn’t advise further, knowing when to stop.

Ye Ling quite enjoyed dealing with smart people. Having finished kneading the dough, she washed her hands and invited her in, "Auntie, come inside."

Then she introduced Zhao Guodong and the other two to Xu Lanxiang, and after chatting a few lines, she asked about her daughter’s school life. Zhao Guodong and Wang Ping disliked Ji Hong and Zhou Haiying the most, but Zhang Zhenlian somehow ended up with them, always tagging behind them, which they couldn’t avoid mentioning. After grasping the situation, although Xu Lanxiang continued smiling, her expression was less amicable than before.

Ye Ling interrupted, "Auntie, it’s quite late. Was there something specific you wanted to discuss?"

Because of previous dealings with Grandma’s affairs, bringing the cart to town, Ye Ling had always been grateful to Xu Lanxiang, so even if Zhang Zhenlian acted out at school, Ye Ling never pressed her too hard.

"I heard you brought classmates home, so I wanted to check on you." Xu Lanxiang hesitated a bit before speaking, "Lingzi, Auntie considers you one of our family as well. Staying with your classmates is fine, but all being so grown, sharing a kang doesn’t seem right. Why not come stay at Auntie’s place?"

"Auntie, don’t worry. Earlier, Uncle Wang also suggested it, but I refused. We’re all from the same compound, what trouble could there be? I’m not concerned about rumors; I know I’m doing right." Ye Ling didn’t reject Xu Lanxiang’s concern as she might have with Wang Changjiang’s comments, "Auntie, thank you regardless, I know you’re genuinely concerned."

Xu Lanxiang didn’t press further, "You’re a sensible child, no need to insist then. With only Zhenlian at home, I’ll head back now."

Ye Ling expressed her gratitude again, seeing her off, and returned inside. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian [qidian.com]. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)