Chapter 53
Ye Qingzhi only found out the next day that Bai Xue had already left with her brother. She seemed to have left without telling anyone, just quietly.
She suddenly remembered a saying she had seen on the internet in her past life: a true departure has no farewell. This time, Bai Xue really had no farewell.
“It’s one thing for her not to say goodbye to you, but why didn’t she even tell me?” Yang Xiaorou felt a little upset.
After Bai Xue had sent the wrong cosmetics that time, Shen Qingyuan had told her to distance herself from Bai Xue. Their relationship had not been as close as before, but they had been friends for many years. Knowing that Bai Xu was coming to take her home, Yang Xiaorou had even prepared a farewell gift, which she had not been able to give now.
“Never mind you. I heard from Qiming that she didn’t even say goodbye to Regiment Commander Xu,” Ye Qingzhi said in a low voice.
Thinking that Bai Xue hadn’t even said goodbye to Xu Kaisheng, Yang Xiaorou immediately felt much better.
“Qingzhi, do you think Bai Xue will come back this time she leaves?” Yang Xiaorou couldn’t help but ask.
In fact, Yang Xiaorou was very clear that this time Bai Xue left, she would most likely not come back. They might never see each other again.
Yang Xiaorou regretted distancing herself from Bai Xue a little, and she blamed herself even more for not helping her properly before. At least she should have spent more time with her.
Ye Qingzhi patted Yang Xiaorou’s arm in silent comfort.
In fact, in her opinion, it was also good for Bai Xue and Regiment Commander Xu to get a divorce. The attitude of the Xu family, the pointing fingers of the people around them—this marriage had only brought Bai Xue suffering. To stay together by force was just mutual torture.
With Bai Xue’s qualifications, she could completely find another man with good qualifications in all aspects. If it was really as she had guessed, that they couldn’t have children because of a genetic problem, then Bai Xue could still have a child of her own.
A week later, Regiment Commander Xu’s mother, Su Liuli, came to the base again, but this time she was alone.
She had wanted to bring the young girl from last time, but she also knew that Xu Kaisheng and Bai Xue had just divorced. She couldn’t be too anxious, otherwise it would make Xu Kaisheng seem too desperate and would damage his reputation.
“Qingzhi, do you know? Auntie Xu is here again. She’s probably here to confirm if Brother Xu is really divorced,” Yang Xiaorou said. She suddenly felt that it was also good for Bai Xue to get a divorce. With such a mother-in-law, it was really suffocating.
“Actually, from Auntie Xu’s perspective, she’s not wrong. She only has one son, and they haven’t had a child for five years of marriage. As a mother, she’s definitely anxious,” Li Jinfeng said, touching her belly. She thought of herself again.
Li Hanxing’s family also only had him as a son, so she could understand her in-laws wanting a grandson. She hoped this one would be a son.
Just as Yang Xiaorou had guessed, Su Liuli had come this time to confirm if Bai Xue really wanted a divorce. In any case, she had to make their divorce a reality.
Finding that Xu Kaisheng had really filed for divorce, she used the Xu family’s connections to have the application report approved by the higher-ups. After getting the divorce certificate, from then on, they were free to marry whomever they wanted and had nothing to do with each other.
Su Liuli only stayed for two days this time. After the matter was resolved, she immediately set off for Beijing. She had to choose a good daughter-in-law for Xu Kaisheng. The young girl from last time could be a mistress, but not a daughter-in-law.
“Did Auntie Xu leave?” Ye Qingzhi asked, scooping a basin of melon seeds and putting it on the heated brick bed table.
“She left in the morning. Qingzhi, these melon seeds you bought are not bad. Where did you buy them?” Yang Xiaorou asked, grabbing a handful and slowly cracking them.
“I bought them on the roadside in town. I also think they’re not bad. I’ll definitely buy more next time I see them,” Ye Qingzhi said, nudging Li Jinfeng with her elbow. “Is Cao Liyan on a blind date with Company Commander Zhang?”
“You know too? That’s right. Her sister-in-law, Jin Xiuli, was the matchmaker. I don’t know if it will work out,” Li Jinfeng said. She felt that this pair was unlikely. Cao Liyan’s standards were too high. She probably wouldn’t take a fancy to Company Commander Zhang.
Not only her, but Gu Yao and Li Yang also thought so. Cao Liyan and Company Commander Zhang would not work out.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the end of the year.
In the past, at this time, no matter how poor, they would prepare some things for the New Year, like couplets, window flowers, and so on. Now, it was not allowed to paste couplets or set off firecrackers. Even the New Year’s holiday was canceled, so there was no festive atmosphere at all.
But the children were still very happy. After all, they were a year older, could eat a lot of delicious food, and most importantly, had lucky money.
“Mama, brother said that in a few more days, I’ll be a year older and become four,” Yangyang said, holding up four chubby fingers and looking at Ye Qingzhi with sparkling eyes.
“That’s right. Our Yangyang will be four after the New Year. Then you’ll be a big boy and have to be even more obedient, understand?” Ye Qingzhi was frying meatballs. A few were just ready. She scooped them into a bowl and handed them to He Jingyang. “Go and eat with your brothers.”
Children always looked forward to growing up, especially a child Yangyang’s age. Hearing that he would be a year older, he was so happy he jumped up and down.
“Mama, then can I go to school with my brothers?” Yangyang asked, holding the bowl, not in a hurry to eat the meatballs, and looking at Ye Qingzhi with anticipation.
“Not next year. You have to wait until you’re five. It’ll be soon. Don’t you have Haohao to play with you?” Ye Qingzhi said patiently.
Children of this age seemed to like to play with older children. Not only Yangyang, but Haohao also liked to follow Ye Anjie and the others around.
“Alright, the meatballs are about to get cold. Go and eat with your brothers,” Ye Qingzhi said, coaxing Yangyang out, worried that he would be splattered by the oil here.
She had fried a lot of meatballs and filled three bowls. She had Jingyan, Anmin, and Anjie send them to Gu Yao and the others.
Before long, the three children came back one after another, their bowls not empty. Li Jinfeng had returned a bowl of fried tofu, Gu Yao had fried dough twists, and Yang Xiaorou had a bowl of chicken.
“So rich?” He Qiming asked, coming back from work and seeing the things on the stove, teasingly.
“I sent some meatballs to Xiaorou and the others. These are all their return gifts,” Ye Qingzhi said, picking up a meatball and feeding it to He Qiming. “How does it taste?”
He Qiming directly gave a thumbs-up, then sat behind the stove to start the fire. “My parents sent a letter. They said my dad’s old ailment is acting up.”
He Dali has an ailment? When she saw him back home, he was full of life and did not look like he had a chronic illness.
“They said his leg hurts,” He Qiming said, adding a piece of firewood, his tone indifferent. “I’m planning to give them an extra five yuan this month, as a New Year’s gift.”
Although they had already split the family, they were still He Qiming’s biological parents. It was just an extra five yuan for the New Year. Of course, Ye Qingzhi would not object.
“Alright. Should we prepare a New Year’s gift?” Ye Qingzhi asked politely.
“No need. The extra five yuan is the New Year’s gift,” He Qiming said. He felt that he had already given enough.
Ye Qingzhi nodded and did not ask any more. For her not to stop him from giving money was filial piety.
In Dayangcun, Yang Fuzhen was sitting at the door, sunbathing and sewing shoe soles. Seeing her older son, He Qigao, come back, she immediately asked, “Did you get the money? Did Qiming send a package back?”
He Qigao handed the ten yuan to Yang Fuzhen. “He just gave an extra five yuan, for you and Dad to eat a little better for the New Year. There’s nothing else.”
Yang Fuzhen took the “Great Unity” bill in disbelief. “Is it really just ten yuan? Nothing else?”
“It’s true. Why would I lie to you?” He Qigao asked with a frown, unhappy.
Beside him, He Dali, who was chopping firewood, threw down his axe, his face grim. “What does the second son mean by this? Is he trying to get rid of a beggar?”
“It must be that Ye Qingzhi who is stopping him. I thought she was a good one, but it turns out she’s even worse than Xu Baoli,” Yang Fuzhen said angrily, throwing down the shoe sole.
At first, she had taken a fancy to Ye Qingzhi because she was well-behaved and sensible. She had not expected it to be all an act. As soon as she got married, she had instigated He Qiming to take her to join the army. Now, she was even stopping the second son from being filial to them.
Wang Xiuhua’s eyes darted around, and she said with a worried look, “I wonder how Yangyang is doing now. The two children Second Sister-in-law brought are so cunning. They won’t bully our Yangyang, will they?”
“She dares!” Yang Fuzhen’s eyes widened.
Wang Xiuhua pouted. “The sky is high and the emperor is far away. Even if Second Sister-in-law bullies Yangyang, we won’t know!”
Li Hehua glanced at Wang Xiuhua. “It probably won’t happen. Second Brother is watching.”
“Him? He’s so bewitched by that Ye Qingzhi that he doesn’t even want his parents anymore. Will he still care about his son? It’s all Dahong’s fault. Why did she have to introduce a widow? She should have found a young girl at the beginning,” Yang Fuzhen said, regretting it more and more.
If she had found an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, how could she have been as opinionated as Ye Qingzhi, to have joined the army with her children without a word?
Besides, an inexperienced young girl would do whatever they said. Not like now, where the second son was completely controlled by that vixen Ye Qingzhi.
“No, Eldest, write a letter to the second son and tell him to keep a closer eye on Ye Qingzhi. Yangyang is a descendant of our He family and cannot be bullied,” He Dali said with a worried look.
“Yes, yes, write a letter to Second Brother. And by the way, tell him about Second Sister-in-law’s family coming to find her,” Wang Xiuhua immediately agreed.
With a greedy father-in-law and mother-in-law, He Qiming would definitely not like it. If she instigated him a few more times, he might even come to dislike Ye Qingzhi.
Li Hehua walked to He Qigao’s side, tugged on his sleeve, and said in a low voice, “Don’t forget our matter.”
Li Hehua had taken a fancy to He Qiming’s house. The house was new, well-decorated, and had two large yards in the front and back. Since they were not living there anyway, she wanted to borrow it for a while.
Ye Qingzhi, who was far away in the Northwest, had no idea what her in-laws were plotting again. She was spanking Yangyang’s little bottom.
“Didn’t I say that children can’t go behind the stove, and they certainly can’t play with fire?” Ye Qingzhi said to Yangyang in such a fierce tone for the first time.
This little rascal had taken Haohao to play with fire behind the stove. If she hadn’t discovered it in time, it would have been a small matter if the kitchen had burned down, but it would have been a disaster if the two children had been burned.
“Mama, I know I was wrong,” Yangyang sobbed, admitting his mistake.
“Auntie Ye, it’s not Yangyang’s fault. I learned how to start a fire and wanted to show it to Yangyang,” Qi Hao said, bravely standing up when he saw Yangyang being hit.
“Of course you’re at fault,” Li Yang said. She had not expected that in such a short time, Qi Hao had caused such a big trouble with Yangyang.
She grabbed Qi Hao and spanked his little bottom a few times.
“Sob, sob, sob, Mama, I was wrong,” Qi Hao said, clutching his little bottom and crying.
“Mama, I also know I was wrong. I’ll never do it again,” Yangyang said, seeing this and afraid that Ye Qingzhi would hit him again, and obediently admitted his mistake.
“You two, go and stand in the corner and reflect for ten minutes,” Ye Qingzhi said, looking at Yangyang’s small, dark face, her heart full of fear.
If she had been a little later, the fire would have spread to the firewood pile. The two children were so young. What if they had been burned?
Li Yang’s hands were trembling slightly. After the two children had gone to stand in the corner, she immediately apologized to Ye Qingzhi in a low voice. “This is all Haohao’s fault. If he hadn’t spoken, Yangyang wouldn’t have gone to play with fire.”
“The child is still young and doesn’t know any better. Why blame him? But this time, we must let them learn their lesson, so that they won’t play with fire again next time,” Ye Qingzhi said, seeing Yangyang secretly peeking over. She glared at him. “Stand properly. Don’t look around.”
He Jingyang pouted, his round eyes looking at his few older brothers, hoping they would help him plead.
But this time, the mistake he had made was too big. He Jingyan and the others were also angry and felt that he needed to be taught a good lesson, so they all looked away and ignored him.
After standing for a full ten minutes, Li Yang took Qi Hao back. Although Ye Qingzhi let Yangyang come back and sit down, she did not pay him any attention.
“What’s wrong?” He Qiming asked when he came home. He saw Yangyang sitting alone by the stove, wanting to get close to Ye Qingzhi but not daring to. He looked so pitiful.
“Papa,” Yangyang said, his eyes lighting up when he saw He Qiming. He ran over and hugged his leg, glanced at Ye Qingzhi, and said dejectedly, “Yangyang was not good. He played with fire with Haohao. Mama is angry.”
“Played with fire?” He Qiming frowned and looked at Ye Qingzhi. “Is everything alright?”
If it was just playing casually by the stove, Ye Qingzhi would not be so angry.
“Those two little rascals ran behind the stove to play with fire. It’s a good thing I discovered it in time. Otherwise, the fire would have spread to the firewood pile,” Ye Qingzhi said. Seeing the tears in Yangyang’s eyes, her heart softened, and she beckoned to him.
Seeing this, Yangyang’s eyes instantly lit up. He rushed to Ye Qingzhi. “Mama, I know I was wrong.”
“Do you really know you were wrong?” Ye Qingzhi asked, holding Yangyang and looking down at him.
Yangyang quickly nodded. “I know. I shouldn’t have played with fire. Mama, I won’t do it again.”
Ye Qingzhi stroked his small head and said seriously, “There can be no next time, understand?”
“I know,” Yangyang nodded heavily.
Not two days after this incident, a house in the family compound caught fire. It was caused by the children in the family playing with fire. Unfortunately, it was not discovered in time, and both the kitchen and the bedroom were burned down. The mother of the house beat the child half to death.
Yangyang and Haohao were scared to death when they saw this and repeatedly promised that they would never play with fire again.
“What, did Yangyang also play with fire at home?” Li Jinfeng asked, pinching Yangyang’s small cheek. “This time, the Liu family has suffered a great loss. Almost all their clothes and quilts have to be bought again. She even borrowed cloth tickets from me. Did she ask you?”
Ye Qingzhi shook her head. Everyone knew that her family had many children and not enough cloth tickets. Besides, He Qiming had also borrowed a lot from his comrades and was now in the process of repaying them.
“Sigh, for such a thing to happen right before the New Year, their family is really unlucky,” Li Jinfeng said in a low voice.
“Sister Jinfeng, don’t say that. Be careful not to be heard by someone with ill intentions,” Ye Qingzhi reminded her.
The Liu family spent the New Year with the help of everyone, and then they slowly bought things again. At least they had a salary, and a good one at that. If it had been an ordinary family, it would have taken at least a few years to recover.
Ye Qingzhi had no cloth tickets to lend, so she lent five balls of yarn. On New Year’s Eve, she also brought a bowl of dumplings over.
“Did you deliver it?” Seeing He Jingyan and Ye Anmin come back, Ye Qingzhi patted the snow off them with a feather duster. “Go and warm yourselves by the fire. We can eat in a bit.”
“Ma, the New Year’s Eve dinner at Auntie Liu’s house is so rich. There’s chicken, duck, fish, meat, dumplings, and buns,” Ye Anmin said. He felt it was even richer than their own family’s.
Ye Qingzhi smiled. She was not the only one who had sent things. This family had sent a little, and that family had sent a little. Of course, the Liu family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was rich.
“Never mind others. Come on, everyone, let’s eat,” Ye Qingzhi said, bringing the last dish to the table.
Before she knew it, she had been in this world for almost half a year. First, she had become a widow, then she had gotten married on a blind date, and then she had become a mother of four. In just a few months, her life had been more exciting than her thirty years in her past life.
“Wife, thank you for your hard work,” He Qiming said, holding up a glass of apple water to toast her.
“You’ve also worked hard,” Ye Qingzhi said, holding up her glass and clinking it with He Qiming’s, her smile radiant.