"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 imdiately covered her face and started crying. "I knew it! You’re tired of ! Tell , do you have a mistress on the side? You’re just trying to kick out to make room for her, aren’t you? Tell , aren’t you?"
Wang Xuehong was so furious he was practically fuming. He slamd his hand on the table. "You woman! You’re completely unreasonable!"
With that, he turned and stord 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 argunt between Wang Xuehong and Pang Xiaofang. She was in a hurry to get to the county town to deliver so wild boar at 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 at. Why are you bringing more? Quick, take it back," Tang Suqin said hurriedly when she saw Su Qing arriving with the at.
"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 at at ho. 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 at back."
Seeing that Tang Suqin was determined not to accept it, Su Qing shoved the at into her hands, turned, and ran. "Aunt Zhao, you keep the at! I’m leaving now!"
"Hey, Su Qing!" Tang Suqin hadn’t expected Su Qing to just drop the at and run. She chased after her for a few steps but couldn’t catch up. Left with no choice, she accepted the at and went back inside to speak with Zhao Youcai. "That girl, Su Qing... She didn’t even co inside. She just tossed the at in the yard and ran off."
Zhao Youcai took a drag from his dry pipe and nodded. "Alright, let’s just accept it this ti. I’ll have a word with the girl later. She can’t be giving things away all the ti. 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 at to the kitchen.
Zhao Youcai’s eight-year-old son, Zhao Mantao, ca running into the yard holding a fish. "Mom! Look! and Second Brother caught another fish! Whoa, that’s a lot of at!"
Seeing the at in Tang Suqin’s hands, Zhao Mantao’s eyes lit up. "Mom, can we eat at tonight?"
"Alright, we’ll have at tonight," Tang Suqin said with a smile. She had bought two pounds of at and a pound of ribs from Su Qing earlier, and now Su Qing had given them another five pounds. That ca to a good eight pounds of at. Her children were still young; they needed the extra nutrition.
Tang Suqin was never the stingy type. Now that she had at, she was more than willing to cook sothing good for her children.
After delivering at 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 so mushrooms inside. It filled more than half the basket. Only then did she continue on to Fu Yuzhen’s ho.
Fu Yuzhen had previously told Su Qing that her family still lived in the sa old house. So, using the original owner of this body’s mories, Su Qing easily found Fu Yuzhen’s ho.
The Fu Family lived in the employee dorms for the chanics factory. Fu Yuzhen’s husband was a senior engineer there, so they had been assigned a large apartnt 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. "Co in, quick, co in!" she said hurriedly.
An older woman who had followed Su Qing up the stairs comnted, "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 apartnt she was visiting, only to find it was Fu Yuzhen’s.
Fu Yuzhen smiled and said, "Granny Sun, this is Su Qing. You rember her, don’t you?"
"What? Su Qing?" Granny Sun did, of course, rember Su Qing. A few years ago, she used to co play at the Fu Family’s ho with her parents all the ti. But then sothing 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 dicine."
Fu Yuzhen was hoping Su Qing’s face would heal quickly. She didn’t want outsiders comnting on the scar, and she worried that hearing such things too often would make Su Qing develop a complex or beco 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 sothing 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 soone to look for those few herbs. Once we find them and prepare the dicine, 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 ."
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 ho. Hearing the commotion, he ca out of his room, looked closely at Su Qing for a mont, 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 ti."
"It really has been a long ti. You’ve grown into a young lady," Pan Runqing said, smiling and nodding. "You should co 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 sothing 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 sothing."
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