Chapter 64
Bai Xue smiled at Yang Xiaorou and Gu Yao, then turned to Ye Qingzhi and said, “Can I have a word with you in private?”
What is it that even Yang Xiaorou can’t know?
Ye Qingzhi pondered for a moment, then nodded and led Bai Xue to the backyard. “Go on.”
Bai Xue looked at the slightly chubbier and better-complexioned Ye Qingzhi, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
“I heard you have a folk remedy for having a son. Can I buy it from you? I can also trade for it.”
“I don’t have a folk remedy for having a son,” Ye Qingzhi said, waving her hand to stop Bai Xue from speaking. “I only have a recipe that can condition the body and at most, promote pregnancy.”
“Promoting pregnancy is enough,” Bai Xue said, nodding excitedly.
She had thought she would not care about other people’s opinions anymore, but the pointing fingers these few days had made her understand that she simply couldn’t.
“Alright. How about this, there’s one herb in this prescription that’s harder to buy. If you can get it, you can give me some,” Ye Qingzhi said. She certainly wouldn’t take money, and it wouldn’t be good to ask for other things. But to give it for free also felt uncomfortable, so she simply asked for the herbs.
Bai Xue nodded without hesitation. With the background of the Bai and Wu families, it was not difficult to get some herbs.
She saw Ye Qingzhi write a copy for her with her own hand. When she took it and looked, it was a very delicate handwriting. It was hard to imagine that the person who wrote it had never been to school.
“What?” Ye Qingzhi asked, looking up and seeing Bai Xue looking at her suspiciously.
“Have you really never been to school?” Bai Xue was very curious.
“I’ve only been to literacy classes. What? Is my handwriting too ugly to be seen?” Ye Qingzhi asked in return.
Bai Xue carefully folded the prescription and put it in her pocket. “On the contrary, you write very well. The handwriting reflects the person.”
Many high school students did not write as well as Ye Qingzhi, which was why she was puzzled.
“I’ve practiced for a long time,” Ye Qingzhi said, glancing at her.
She herself wrote averagely. In her past life, she had always wanted to practice calligraphy, but she had always procrastinated.
In this life, in order to make the fact that she could write known, after she had arrived at the base, she had bought paper and a pen and had practiced every day without fail. She had made some small achievements and could now write a decent hand.
This time, Bai Xue was really a little impressed with Ye Qingzhi. To have learned all the common characters just by going to literacy classes, and then to constantly read and study, and to start practicing writing after she had the means. To be able to write so well in just a short year, you could tell she had put in a lot of hard work.
“You are very outstanding,” Bai Xue said. She had previously thought that He Qiming had only taken a fancy to Ye Qingzhi’s appearance, but now she felt that He Qiming’s judgment was indeed sharp.
“What a rarity. You also praise others?” Ye Qingzhi raised an eyebrow.
Seeing Yang Xiaorou and Gu Yao constantly looking over at them, as if they were worried they would fight, she couldn’t help but laugh. She and Bai Xue actually had no deep hatred for each other, they just didn’t get along.
After Bai Xue had left, Yang Xiaorou immediately came over. “What did Bai Xue want?”
“Since she avoided you, it means she doesn’t want you to know. If I tell you right after she’s left, that’s not very good, is it?” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.
Yang Xiaorou awkwardly suppressed her curiosity and did not ask any more, carrying a full basket of vegetables back.
Two days later, the children’s grades came out. He Jingyan and Ye Anmin, as expected, both got perfect scores. Ye Anjie was careless and made a mistake in a math problem, so he only got one perfect score.
“Two plus two equals four. I know that. I misread it as the previous question,” Ye Anjie said, looking at the big 98 on his math paper with a dejected look.
“So did Mama say that after you’ve finished all the questions, you should check them carefully again? Look, you clearly know this question. Because of your carelessness, you lost two points. Isn’t that a great injustice?” Seeing him looking unhappy, Ye Qingzhi said with a smile, “Alright, it’s fine if you didn’t do well this time. Just don’t make the same mistake next time. Then you can get a perfect score.”
The three children all got good grades. They had to have a good meal tonight to celebrate.
Scrambled eggs with green onions, lard residue with green vegetables, cured meat with garlic sprouts, and also shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, plus a cucumber salad and kimchi. A total of seven dishes, just like the New Year.
“What’s the happy occasion today, to be so rich?” He Qiming asked curiously when he came home and saw these dishes.
“The older brothers got perfect scores. Mama said we should celebrate,” Yangyang said, holding a piece of cucumber with a hole in it, into which he had poured some white sugar. It was fragrant, sweet, and crispy.
“Did your older brothers all get perfect scores?” He Qiming asked, looking at the three children with joy. He patted each of their shoulders. “Good job. Keep it up.”
Ye Anjie lowered his head in shame. “I only got one perfect score.”
How could he be so careless? He could clearly have gotten a perfect score. Then he would have gotten a perfect score just like his two older brothers.
“It’s fine. Dad knows you’re a smart child. As long as you’re willing to work hard, you can definitely get a perfect score next time,” He Qiming said with a smile, encouraging him.
Ye Anjie was a relatively carefree child. After a delicious dinner, he threw the sadness of not getting a perfect score to the back of his mind.
Li Jinfeng’s two children also did well. Li Wenshu got 95 in Chinese and 92 in math, ranking fourth in the class. Li Wenhua even got a perfect score.
Gu Yao’s two children were both in preschool. Li Jun was not bad, with 80 in Chinese and 85 in math. Xiaoxiao’s grades were a bit less than ideal, with 70 in Chinese and only 44 in math. But she was young and couldn’t sit still. She might get better when she was older.
As for Yang Xiaorou’s Shen Jiahao, he got 75 in Chinese and 81 in math, which was considered average in the class. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but compared to the two He Jingyan brothers, his grades were not satisfactory.
“Ma, don’t hit me, don’t hit me,” Shen Jiahao said, standing on the other side of the table, staring at the feather duster in Yang Xiaorou’s hand. “I’ve already performed exceptionally well. You can’t compare me to geniuses like He Jingyan and Ye Anmin!”
“Nonsense! Don’t make excuses for your own lack of effort. Look at Jingyan and Anmin. They do their homework as soon as they get home from school. What about you? I have to urge you three or four times every time. You don’t start until the last minute. I’m a high school graduate and I tutor you every day, and this is the score you give me in return?” Yang Xiaorou’s eyes were blazing with fire.
“How am I not working hard? I’m clearly working very hard, but I just can’t remember. What can I do? Actually, you can’t blame me for this. You have to blame you and Dad for not giving me a smart brain. Hey, hey, hey, I’m serious. Don’t get excited!” Shen Jiahao said, running away when he saw Yang Xiaorou chase after him.
“It’s true. For the Chinese text, He Jingyan can memorize it after reading it twice, and so can Ye Anmin. They’re just naturally smart. I can’t compare to them no matter how hard I try,” Shen Jiahao said, a little dejected.
He also had his pride. He couldn’t beat He Jingyan in a fight before, so he had wanted to rely on the fact that he had studied for a few more months than He Jingyan to beat them in the exams. But in the first exam, their scores were about the same as his.
By the second exam, He Jingyan and Ye Anmin were already far ahead. After that, the two of them had always been in first place, and he could only watch from afar.
“Are they really that amazing?” Yang Xiaorou asked, looking at him suspiciously.
“It’s true, it’s true. You’ll know as soon as you ask. Why would I lie to you?” Seeing Yang Xiaorou put down the feather duster, Shen Jiahao breathed a small sigh of relief.
He used to be a 60-point-is-enough person. In order not to be laughed at by He Jingyan and Ye Anmin, he had been attending class seriously every day, which was how he had gotten his current score.
“Hmph! I’ll go and ask. You’d better not be lying to me,” Yang Xiaorou said, glaring at him. She continued, “But you still procrastinate too much with your homework. You must learn from Jingyan and Anmin in this regard. Do your homework first after school, and then go and play.”
Thinking of Ye Qingzhi’s few children, they were so obedient. Not only could they do their homework on their own, but they would also help Ye Qingzhi with chores and never made her worry. It was really enviable.
On the other side, Gu Yao and Li Yang were also sighing. Their two daughters were not only mischievous, but also not good at studying. What would they do in the future?
“I’ve decided,” Gu Yao said suddenly, startling Li Yang.
“What?” Li Yang asked, looking at Gu Yao in confusion. With these two mischievous girls of hers, what could be done to save them?
“In the future, I’ll have the three children go to Qingzhi’s house to do their homework and have Jingyan and the others help them with their studies. With them as role models, our three children, especially Xiaoxiao and Minmin, will at least be able to sit still,” Gu Yao said, thinking of Xiaoxiao and Minmin’s restless appearance, and wanting to beat someone.
Li Yang was a little hesitant. “Will that be too much trouble for Qingzhi? After the children get home from school in the afternoon, it’s dinner time. If they do their homework at Qingzhi’s house, then Qingzhi will definitely have them stay for dinner. Once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, it’s definitely not okay.”
Gu Yao had originally wanted to say that she could pick up the children before dinner, but if Ye Qingzhi made something delicious, she would definitely have the children stay there to eat. And if there were any snacks, she couldn’t not give some to Little Jun and the others.
Just as Li Yang had said, once or twice was fine. After a long time, no matter how generous Ye Qingzhi was, she would have some thoughts.
“I was too presumptuous. But our three children’s grades are really bad,” Gu Yao said, thinking of the few children’s grades, and getting a headache.
As soon as the exam results were announced, Ye Qingzhi became the object of envy of all the military wives. Her husband was tall and handsome, gentle and considerate, and her few children’s grades were so good, and they were also well-behaved and sensible.
And so, after Old Mrs. Li had seen the few children and now heard their grades, she couldn’t help but have other ideas.
“Little Ye’s few children are good-looking, and I didn’t expect them to be so good at studying. How old is her older son? Eight, right? He’s a year older than our Wenshu. Isn’t that just right? How about we arrange a child marriage?”
“Don’t mention it. Jingyan and Anmin are both good children, and they’re also good-looking. I mentioned a child marriage to Qingzhi last year, but she didn’t agree,” Li Jinfeng said. She was also envious of the two children, He Jingyan and Ye Anmin. Even Ye Anjie was not bad. It was a pity that Ye Qingzhi was firmly against child marriage.
“What? She doesn’t even like our Wenshu?” Although Old Mrs. Li preferred her grandson, she also doted on her granddaughter.
“No, Qingzhi said that the children are still young and will have their own ideas when they grow up. She won’t interfere in their love lives,” Li Jinfeng said, shaking her head.
Old Mrs. Li pouted. “What do children know? This marriage is a big deal and they must listen to their parents.”
The parents’ command and the matchmaker’s words. What did children know? They only cared if the other person was good-looking. So the parents had to make the decision in a marriage.
Her son, Li Hanxing, was a battalion commander. Although his rank was one level lower than He Qiming’s, a high-ranking family marrying off their daughter and a low-ranking family marrying in their son was considered a good match. They were also from the same place, with the same customs. And her Wenshu was not bad-looking, and her grades were not bad either. They had grown up together and knew each other well. Wasn’t that better than the children just finding someone outside?
“Ma, you must not mention this to Qingzhi again. Although she’s a country wife, many of her ideas are the same as the city wives’. Otherwise, how could she get along so well with Yang Xiaorou?” Li Jinfeng felt that Ye Qingzhi’s style was also very much like a city wife’s.
“Then aren’t you getting along well with that Yang Xiaorou too?” Old Mrs. Li said, not taking it seriously.
“It’s different. Although I have contact with Yang Xiaorou, we’re not really close. The reason we can sit and chat together is because of Qingzhi,” she said. Li Jinfeng still had this much self-awareness.
Grades were something for people with children to worry about. Bai Xue did not care about this. She just wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible.
Her actions were very fast. On the day she got the prescription, she had someone look for the herbs. By today, all the herbs had been mailed, and she was just waiting for Old Hu to help her get the medicine.
“Old Hu, is this prescription really alright?” Bai Xue asked, a little worried.
“It’s a very good recipe. Not only can it condition your body, but it can also promote pregnancy. I’ve changed one of the herbs according to your body. You can drink it for seven days first, and then come and see me for a pulse check after you’ve finished it,” Old Hu said, glancing at her and continuing to get the medicine.
He had already seen this prescription three times. The first time was when Ye Qingzhi had brought it, the second time was Li Jinfeng, and he had not expected Bai Xue to also want this prescription. But this recipe was indeed not bad.
Ye Qingzhi had only told He Qiming about Bai Xue asking for the recipe. But she herself had told Yang Xiaorou about it.
“When I asked you last time, didn’t you say you didn’t have a secret recipe for having a son?” Yang Xiaorou asked in a low voice.
“I don’t. This is a recipe for conditioning the body. If you want to condition your body, I can also give you this recipe,” Ye Qingzhi said casually.
She had gotten this recipe from her grandaunt. Ye Qingzhi had sent her some herbs that were only available here, and also a catty of milk powder, as an exchange.
Yang Xiaorou waved her hand. Her body was fine, and she didn’t want a second child. One Shen Jiahao was enough.
“Children are valuable for their quality, not their quantity. If you don’t teach them well, it’s useless to have ten or eight of them. I’m scared of having children. I had a difficult birth at that time, and it almost killed me. My Old Shen also said he doesn’t want a second child,” Yang Xiaorou said, thinking of Li Jinfeng having one after another, and couldn’t help but shiver. “If I were like Jinfeng, I would rather get a divorce.”
Five of them. And from her appearance, she was going to have a sixth. If she was unlucky and it was another daughter, she would definitely have a seventh. Hiss, it was scary just thinking about it.
As the two were chatting, they saw He Qiming come back in a hurry and hand Ye Qingzhi a telegram.
Seeing that they had something to do, Yang Xiaorou quickly got up to leave. “Qingzhi, you’re busy. I’ll be going now. If you need any help, just let me know.”
Ye Qingzhi said thank you and looked at the words on the telegram: “Dad seriously injured in a fight. Return quickly.”
“What does that mean? Did your dad get into a fight with someone?” Ye Qingzhi asked, looking at He Qiming in confusion.
“Auntie Ye sent the telegram. It must be your dad,” He Qiming said. He felt that if He Dali had been seriously injured in a fight, it would have been his older brother or his third younger brother who had sent the telegram. In any case, it couldn’t have been Auntie Ye.
Ye Qingzhi pursed her lips. She could not have any contact with her parents while they were alive, but when they died, she had to show up. Otherwise, not only would she be drowned in saliva, but even He Qiming and the children would be affected.
So if Ye Shuiping really died, she would definitely have to go back for the funeral.
“Have you called? Is Auntie Ye still at the post and telecommunications office?” Ye Qingzhi asked, wanting to make a phone call.
“I had something to do at the time. I saw the telegram an hour later. When I called back, Auntie Ye was already gone. But don’t worry, I’ve asked a friend to go to the hospital. I believe there will be news soon,” He Qiming said, patting Ye Qingzhi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your father-in-law is a good person and will be fine.”
Seeing Ye Qingzhi’s worried look, He Qiming thought she was worried about Ye Shuiping’s safety.
In fact, Ye Qingzhi was worried about having to go home and face the original host’s parents’ family. There would definitely be a lot of trouble then.
He Qiming went to the communication room to wait for a call. After more than an hour, he came back again.
It turned out that two villages had been fighting over irrigation water. There were nearly a hundred people at the time, either holding carrying poles or hoes. Ye Shuiping’s head had been hit by someone’s hoe, and his skull had been split open on the spot. By the time he was sent to the hospital, he was already breathing his last.
“The doctor said it’s just a matter of these two days and has already asked your family to prepare for the funeral,” He Qiming said with some reluctance.
Ye Qingzhi had no feelings for Ye Shuiping and really couldn’t cry. She wanted to brew some feelings through the original host’s memories, but she found that the father and daughter had hardly spoken a few words. In her memory, Ye Shuiping had always ignored the original host, or had scolded her in various ways, and had occasionally even hit her…
For such a father, Ye Qingzhi really found it hard to cry.
She simply threw herself into He Qiming’s arms and buried her head in his chest. “Qiming, I have to go back. No matter what, he is the father who gave birth to me and raised me. I can’t not go to his funeral.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you have to go back. It just so happens that the children are on summer vacation, and I still have my annual leave this year. Let’s take the children back together,” He Qiming said, holding Ye Qingzhi tightly, wanting to comfort her.
Ye Qingzhi frowned. She had not thought of taking He Qiming and the children back. For Ye Shuiping’s funeral, she could just go back by herself.
“You’re busy with work, and Yangyang is still young. How about I go back by myself?” He Qiming’s work was special and could be completely pushed off.
“No. How can I let you go back by yourself?” If he didn’t go back with her, what if Qingzhi was bullied?
Ye Qingzhi thought of her own parents. She hadn’t seen them for a whole year. She didn’t know how they were now, if they were in good health, or if they missed her…
Her nose tingled, her eyes reddened, and tears started to well up.
He Qiming looked down and saw Ye Qingzhi crying like this. His heart ached as he wiped her tears. No matter how tough she sounded, they were her parents after all. How could she really be indifferent?
“Don’t cry. I’ll go and ask for leave right away. You pack your things. We’ll leave today,” He Qiming said, kissing Ye Qingzhi’s eyes. He turned and went to the leader to ask for leave, and also to find someone to buy the latest train sleeper tickets.
Not long after He Qiming left, Yang Xiaorou and Gu Yao came over, out of breath. Seeing Ye Qingzhi crying there, they sat down next to her on both sides.
“We just ran into Regiment Commander He. He said something happened to your parents’ family. What is it? Is it serious? Is there anything we can help with?” Gu Yao asked, holding Ye Qingzhi’s hand and looking at her with concern.
“Xiaorou, Gu Yao, my dad might not make it these two days, so I have to rush back as soon as possible. I… I really didn’t expect it. He’s only in his fifties and has always been in good health. But just because he was fighting with the people from the next village over irrigation water, he was beaten to death. How could this happen?” Ye Qingzhi thought of her parents from her past life, and her tears started to fall again.
“What, Uncle… is it confirmed?” Yang Xiaorou asked in shock.
Ye Qingzhi nodded, crying. “Qiming specially asked his friend to go to the hospital to see. He confirmed it’s my dad.”
“Qingzhi, natural and man-made disasters are unavoidable for ordinary people. You have to look on the bright side,” Gu Yao comforted her gently.
Ye Qingzhi wailed, “That’s my dad. Although he wasn’t good to me, how can I look on the bright side?”