Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 271

Seeing that her steamed buns were being praised, Cheng Jinxi smiled and said, "If you like them, eat more. I made a lot here, all for you to take on the train. I also prepared some pickled vegetables, which I will pack in lunchboxes later. I'll also bring some fruit, so don't go hungry on the way."

As soon as Zhou Chunhong entered the kitchen, she smelled the delicious aroma and couldn't wait to sit down at the table to eat. However, before she could even start eating, Cheng Jinxi tapped her on the head and said, "Eat, eat, all you know is how to eat. Eat less today. Look how fat you've gotten. Your cousin and older brother are going to take the train today and won't be back for several days. Leave more food for your older brother and cousin. Eat less today."

Zhou Chunhong felt wronged. She pouted and stammered, "Mom, couldn't you... cook more? You told me... to eat less."

Cheng Jinxi started to mutter, "It's no use cooking more; you always eat the most. I might as well ask you to eat less."

Zhao Da'e chuckled upon hearing this, but still spoke up for Zhou Chunhong, saying, "Auntie, I'm fine. I'm small and don't eat much, while my second cousin is still growing, so it's okay for her to eat more."

Zhou Chunhong was immediately happy when she heard Zhao Da'e speak up for her.

So Zhou Chunhong said to Cheng Jinxi, "Mom, the goose said... it's okay, anyway I can... eat a little more."

Zhou Chunhong started eating. The porridge she drank at first was a little too hot, and she had to keep breathing on it and saying "Hot, hot, hot" repeatedly.

Seeing this, Cheng Jinxi shook her head helplessly, lamenting how she could have given birth to such a daughter who neither helps with chores nor eats properly, and who is also quite chubby. Will anyone want her when she gets married?

Everyone sat down to eat, and Zhou Chunhong ate the most heartily. Seeing this, Zhou Chunwen couldn't help but start nagging, "Chunhong, your older brother has been away these past few days, and we have to help with some of the housework. You can't be lazy these days. Even though you eat so much, you still have to help with the housework. Do you hear me?"

Upon hearing about work, Zhou Chunhong slumped down, instantly losing interest in the rice in her bowl, and said sullenly, "I...I...I know."

Who likes to do housework? Zhou Chunhong even thought that she must marry a hardworking husband in the future so that she could do less housework.

As they were finishing their meal, Cheng Jinxi started nagging again, "Tianfu, there are a lot of people and suspicious eyes at the train station. Remember to hold Da'e's hand at all times and don't let her lose you, lest she be kidnapped by human traffickers. If Da'e goes missing, I'll hold you responsible."

Zhou Tianfu said helplessly, "I understand, Mom. Don't worry, I'm reliable."

Even Zhao Da'e said, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm still very clever. No one can kidnap me."

Zhou Chunwen laughed and said, "Yes, yes, the goose is the most clever one; it's not one to suffer a loss."

Everyone present burst into laughter.

Cheng Jinxi laughed happily, but still felt the need to offer some reminders, "Trains aren't as convenient as home. You'll have to spend some money, so don't go hungry. Also, with more people comes more scammers. If strangers approach you, don't pay them any attention. And geese, if a stranger offers you candy, don't accept it either, understand? It's a popular scam lately, let me tell you..."

Seeing Cheng Jinxi start to ramble on and on, Zhao Da'e and Zhou Tianfu exchanged a helpless glance and could only listen silently.

Zhao Da'e wanted to argue, she wouldn't be so stupid as to be fooled, but she still listened to her aunt finish telling the story.

Cheng Jinxi picked up a large food box and put in about twenty large steamed buns. Feeling that it wouldn't be enough for the two of them, she simply added a few more buns, along with two jars of homemade pickled vegetables and two pairs of chopsticks. That would be Zhao Da'e and Zhou Tianfu's food for the next few days.

Not only that, Cheng Jinxi also prepared apples for the two of them, all grown by the villagers themselves. They could eat apples while sitting on the train for a long time, otherwise it would be too stuffy and uncomfortable.

Finally, Cheng Rongguo arrived on his tricycle. He stopped in front of Cheng Jinxi's house and urged, "Big Goose, Tianfu, we should set off now."

Cheng Jinxi called out towards the door, "I know, big brother, wait outside a little longer!"

Cheng Jinxi made Zhao Da'e put on a warmer red cotton-padded coat. Looking at the inner garments Zhao Da'e was wearing, which were only two rather thin clothes, Cheng Jinxi felt that he would catch a cold if he dressed like that, so she found a warmer inner garment in the house and made Zhao Da'e change into it.

“Big Goose, wear more clothes. You don’t have enough clothes. You’ll get cold easily. And you’re going to Qiqihar, which is in the north and colder than here. You need to wear more clothes. Not only that, you should also bring a thick coat so you can change when you get off the train.”

Zhao Da'e felt helpless. She felt she was already wearing enough clothes today. "Auntie, I'm already sweating from the heat. Can I take off my clothes? It might get even hotter on the train."

Cheng Jinxi shook her head and began to nag, "No, you can go without clothes, but you can't go without them. Qiqihar is very cold. Bringing one or two clothes is better than not bringing any. You can put them on if you feel cold after getting off the train. Da'e, you have to listen to your aunt on this matter."

Helpless, Zhao Da'e had no choice but to do as his aunt said and bring a few more clothes.

Seeing that Zhao Da'e was doing his job obediently, Cheng Jinxi breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Zhou Tianfu wanted to sneak away; he didn't want to carry so many clothes, it was too tiring.

But as he reached the door, Cheng Jinxi spotted him and said coldly, "Come back here."

Zhou Tianfu jolted awake and immediately turned around and stood up straight. "What's wrong, Mom? Uncle is already urging us to leave. We need to get going right away."

Cheng Jinxi didn't care at all. She pulled Zhou Tianfu by the collar and led him back to the room, saying, "We're not short of time. You and Mom go back and get some more clothes. You mustn't get cold, or you'll easily get sick."

Zhou Tianfu was on the verge of tears, and had no choice but to obediently follow Cheng Jinxi back to his room to get his clothes.

Zhao Da'e looked at Zhou Tianfu with heartache and shook her head helplessly. There was nothing she could do for her cousin. She couldn't help him much. Even she had been dragged along by her aunt to bring a lot of clothes.

There's nothing I can do to help you. Good luck, cousin.

When Zhou Tianfu came out of the room, he was even fatter than when he came in. He was wearing clothes and a thick hat, and even Zhao Da'e was wearing a small hat.

In Cheng Jinxi's words, a hat is essential for both wind protection and warmth.

After doing all that, Cheng Jinxi stuffed a few hundred yuan into Zhou Tianfu's hand and said, "This money is for your train fare. Use the rest to buy some good food on the train. Don't be too frugal; you have to spend what you need to spend."

Zhou Tianfu felt a warmth in his heart. "I know, Mom. Don't nag me. I'll be careful."

Cheng Jinxi tapped Zhou Tianfu on the forehead and scolded him, "You child, I'm doing this for your own good, and you still complain that I'm nagging."

Zhao Da'e called out from the doorway, "Big Cousin, we need to hurry up and leave. Uncle is still waiting outside."

Zhou Tianfu carried a food box and a bag of fruit out the door, with Cheng Jinxi following behind, still nagging, "It's not like home outside. You must be careful when you're out and about. Don't trust strangers, be careful not to get scammed, understand?"

Seeing Cheng Jinxi like this, Zhao Da'e couldn't help but say, "A mother worries about her son even when he travels a thousand miles away."

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's poem, Cheng Rongguo couldn't help but praise, "Well said, Da'e! You're definitely going to be a great student who gets into university!"

Zhao Da'e felt embarrassed and scratched her head, saying, "It's nothing, Uncle. I just learned it from the children in the village who go to school. I only know a few simple lines of poetry, like 'Spring cotton is unaware of dawn.'"

Cheng Rongguo laughed and said, "You can recite poems just by listening to them casually. When you go to school, you'll know even more. I think you were born to be a scholar."

Zhao Da'e blushed at the praise, and laughed heartily, "Oh, not at all, actually I also think I'm cut out for studying."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Rongguo couldn't help but laugh.

Then, seeing that Cheng Jinxi was still nagging, Cheng Rongguo couldn't help but say, "Alright, Jinxi, the child is just going out for a short trip. When I was Tianfu's age, I went out of the village several times. Besides, the security is pretty good now, not as chaotic as before, so don't worry."

Cheng Jinxi frowned, clearly still somewhat worried. "But brother, this is Tianfu's first time traveling so far, so I can't help but worry a bit. But the child is growing up, so it's good for him to travel far and broaden his horizons."

Zhao Dage had already climbed onto the tricycle and was sitting on the wooden railing by the side. Zhou Tianfu also got on the tricycle and comforted Cheng Jinxi, saying, "Mom, don't worry about me. I'm quite reliable."

Cheng Jinxi said, "Yes, yes, you are a steady person. You need to take good care of the goose, do you hear me?"

“Okay, Mom,” Zhou Tianfu replied.

Seeing this, Cheng Rongguo shook his head helplessly. When he was young, he never understood why his parents were always worried about this and that when he was just doing some things or going on a long trip. But now that he is a parent himself, he can understand his parents.

Children you've cared for since they were little, no matter how old they are, are still children in your eyes and need your care, so naturally you'll worry about them more.

"Hold on tight, we're leaving!"

Cheng Rongguo pedaled hard, and the wheels started turning. He needed to ride his bike from the two of them to the town to catch a bus to the train station, which would take all morning. Moreover, the train from Qiqihar departed at 2 p.m., so the journey would be quite rushed.

When Cheng Rongguo thought about how his youngest sister would be coming back soon, he sighed, "I haven't seen your aunt for a long time, probably five or six years. I didn't agree when your aunt married someone from Qiqihar. I said it was too far away and what if she was bullied? But your aunt wouldn't listen and insisted on marrying someone so far away. There was nothing I could do."

"But I never expected that, just five or six years later, your aunt would start making a fuss about getting a divorce and wanting to come back. If only your aunt had listened to me and married someone from one of the nearby villages, at least I would be here. If your aunt were ever bullied, I could go to her house and stand up for her and get justice."

In Zhao Da'e's memory, she remembered her aunt. In her previous life, her aunt was unable to have children, so her husband's family wanted to divorce her and find another wife who could have children.

When my aunt returned to the village, she had a difficult time because she was divorced, there were rumors that she couldn't have children, and she was disliked by her aunt for living at her uncle's house.

But this life will be different no matter what. When spring comes, she will start preparing to build a new house. She needs to build more rooms so that not only her cousins ​​can move in, but also her aunt. As for whether her father agrees or not, his opinion doesn't matter. She is the one who is paying for it, so it should be up to her and her mother to decide.

Thinking of Cheng Jinxiao, Cheng Rongguo reminisced about the old days when he had just started a family. Cheng Jinxiao was only a few years old and the youngest child in the family. She was so small back then that she would chase after him and call out "Brother, brother!"

Now his younger sister is being bullied in another city, and he, as her older brother, can't do anything to help her. In fact, he even agreed with Zhu Yufeng at first, not wanting Cheng Jinxiao to come back. Thinking of this, Cheng Rongguo felt extremely guilty.

He said to Zhou Tianfu, "Tianfu, if you go to pick up your aunt and she succeeds in getting a divorce, then help me beat up your ex-uncle."

It's a pity that Cheng Jinxiao lives far away, and he has things to do, otherwise he would have gone to pick her up in person and then beat up the bastard who bullied her.

Cheng Rongguo originally wanted to pick up Cheng Jinxiao in person because he felt guilty towards her. However, his wife strongly opposed his going, and as the main breadwinner of the family, he had a lot of work to do during the Spring Festival and couldn't leave.

Zhou Tianfu assured Cheng Rongguo, "Don't worry, Uncle, I would have done it even without you telling me. And Mom told me the same thing yesterday: when you bring Aunt back, you can't let her come back feeling wronged. It would be best to make a scene there. Even if you're divorced, you should still try to get more compensation for Aunt."

Zhao Da'e also raised his hand, "Me too! I'm eloquent and can be a great help!"

Zhou Tianfu couldn't help but laugh when he saw Zhao Da'e, who was wearing a big red cotton-padded coat, seriously raise his hand.

This angered Zhao Da'e, who crossed his arms and said, "What's wrong, cousin? Don't laugh at me, I'm much better than you!"

Zhou Tianfu covered his mouth with his hand to laugh, but seeing that Zhao Da'e was a little angry, he had no choice but to quickly say, "Yes, yes, I won't make fun of you anymore. I admit that you are much better than me, is that alright?"

Zhao Da'e then proudly raised her little face and said happily, "This is not bad!"

I didn't say anything, but I felt uneasy. My uncle wasn't going to today's occasion... sigh, that's a bit outrageous. But my uncle's health has never been good; he's always coughing and wheezing, so it's really not good for him to travel far, and besides, he can't leave my grandmother's place.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Every family has its own problems.