Nothing serious happened to Hutou.
He just had mild food poisoning. After careful questioning, the doctor learned that the child had picked and eaten some wild berries by the roadside with his friends after school. As luck would have it, these wild berries were slightly poisonous.
Adults with stronger bodies might barely notice it, perhaps just feeling slightly uncomfortable, but it's different for children.
Little Hutou was so young, so he naturally felt much worse. Lying in the hospital bed with his pale little face, he said weakly, "Dad, I'll never pick wild berries again."
The berries tasted awful and made him suffer so much - the child truly hated those bad fruits now.
Zhuang Zhiyuan sat by the bed, rubbing Hutou's stomach, saying, "Well, let's see if you'll dare to be so greedy again."
If it weren't for seeing the child's pale face and weakened state, showing how much he had suffered, he would have wanted to spank the little rascal - eating things he'd never seen before! Such reckless behavior.
"From now on, don't just eat things you've never seen before!"
Hutou replied pitifully, "I only took one bite. It was bitter and made my mouth numb. It tasted bad so I threw it away. I didn't even give any to my sister!"
That's why Xiao Yanzi was fine. Seeing his son's defensive expression, Zhuang Zhiyuan asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Children can't pretend, and he replied, "It still hurts, but not as much as before."
The child whimpered softly, his little face buried in the pillow, asking, "Dad, can I go home tomorrow?"
Zhuang Zhiyuan replied, "No. Your grandmother went to pay the fees. You need to stay in the hospital for three days for observation."
Hutou's big eyes dimmed, saying, "I have to stay here for three more days?"
"Yes."
Zhuang Zhiyuan could tell his son didn't want to stay here at all, but they weren't medical experts, and the doctor's orders had to be strictly followed. Besides, what the doctor said made sense - the child was so young, so extra observation would be good to prevent any subsequent problems.
It would give the adults more peace of mind.
Moreover, two more days of IV drips would help him recover better.
Zhuang Zhiyuan said, "Don't worry about anything, little one. Just rest well, and your mom will take care of you here."
"I want Grandma!"
Hutou had his own demands - he loved his grandmother the most.
Liang Meifen muttered quietly, "You ungrateful little thing."
Hutou managed a pitiful smile, "I want Grandma, I want to find Grandma~" The sick child was being a bit willful.
"Your grandma went to pay the fees."
Just as he finished speaking, they saw Zhao Guihua hurrying in, her face full of shock, wearing an expression like she'd just discovered major gossip. Old Man Zhuang noticed immediately and quickly asked, "What happened?"
Zhao Guihua said, "Guess who I just met downstairs? I saw people from our compound - Bai Fendou and Zhou Qun got into a fight and were brought to the hospital."
"What?!"
Zhuang Zhiyuan was stunned. He really couldn't understand how these two older brothers, who were even older than him, could be so impulsive.
He asked, "Where are they?"
Zhao Guihua replied, "They're in the treatment room on the second floor. I didn't ask for details - Bai Fendou was bleeding profusely, and they all had injuries. I didn't dare delay their treatment."
Zhao Guihua remembered that this hadn't happened in her previous life, but she wasn't surprised.
After all, their compound was always lively.
Fighting broke out every few days.
"I'll go take a look." Who wouldn't be curious about such things?
Zhao Guihua said, "Go ahead, many people from our compound are there. They came to bring them in."
Zhuang Zhiyuan rushed out, and Liang Meifen hesitated before saying, "I'll go look too."
Zhao Guihua didn't stop them. Instead, she said to Old Man Zhuang, "You can go watch the commotion too if you want."
Old Man Zhuang smiled, "What's the point of me going? They'll tell us everything when they come back anyway."
There were other patients in the ward. Zhao Guihua noticed it was getting late and said, "Then you should go home. You have work tomorrow. We'll be fine staying here, but you need to rest, or you won't have energy during the day."
Old Man Zhuang said, "I can handle one night."
Zhao Guihua frowned, "Handle what? You think you're still young? Go quickly, don't make me say it twice. Why won't you listen to advice?"
When Zhao Guihua got stern, Old Man Zhuang immediately became submissive. He hesitated and said, "How about I just make do here for the night? I wouldn't get much sleep at home anyway."
There were still two empty beds in their ward.
Zhao Guihua thought for a moment and said, "That works too."
Going home would waste time, so it made more sense to sleep here and go straight to the factory in the morning. She said, "Then go to sleep."
By this time, little Hutou was also drowsy. The child had been fighting sleep for a while, only staying awake because of his stomach pain. Zhao Guihua watched the IV drip and said, "Grandma will keep an eye on it, you go to sleep."
Hutou softly replied "Oh."
Zhao Guihua pulled up Hutou's blanket and patted him. The child quickly fell asleep. It was now late at night, and everyone was sleeping, making the ward particularly quiet. However, Zhao Guihua stayed awake, as she needed to monitor Hutou's IV drip.
She sat by the bed, watching her eldest grandson. Among all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Hutou was the most honest and open-minded. The saying that you can tell a person's character by age three seemed to have some truth - Hutou was an obedient and honest child when young, and he remained the same as he grew up. He was also the child who spent the most time with her.
It wasn't that the other children weren't filial - all the children in their family were quite filial - but this eldest grandson was the one who always stayed by her side, taking care of her. Looking at the child's pale face, she felt heartbroken. After all, what did the child do wrong?
What child isn't greedy these days?
Zhao Guihua pondered how to vary their meals at home to make them better. If they couldn't even eat well, wouldn't it be a waste of her chance to live life again? One shouldn't be so useless.
Zhao Guihua was deep in thought about improving their family's meals, but what she didn't know was that everyone in their family, from the oldest to the youngest, thought they ate quite well. Compared to many families who only ate meat once or twice a month, their meals were actually quite good.
After all, every week, they had fish at least once and meat at least once.
Even for a working-class family, this wasn't something everyone could afford.
The ward was very quiet, and Zhao Guihua was lost in deep thought. However, outside the ward was a different story. While it wasn't noticeable on their third floor, the second floor was unusually lively. When Zhuang Zhiyuan and his wife went down to see what was happening, they immediately saw Old Man Bai demanding money from Jiang Lu.
In his view, whether it was his injury or his son's injury, Jiang Lu should pay for it.
But Jiang Lu was also angry, pointing at Old Man Bai and cursing. In their compound, she usually maintained the image of an educated young wife, so this sudden outburst was shocking to everyone. Actually, Jiang Lu wasn't just angry about the money - if it weren't for Bai Fendou, her husband wouldn't have been injured, and this infuriated her.
The two families started yelling at each other in the hospital. Jiang Lu didn't hold back at all, shouting, "We were catching a thief, and your son not only interfered but threw the first punch. We would be justified even if we beat him to death! Look at me, look at my husband - we're the victims here, and now you're coming to throw your weight around? Uncle Bai, this isn't how things should be done!"
"How dare you speak to me like that, young woman! That's all in the past now, that matter is settled, but your husband broke my windows! Let's deal with one thing at a time."
"If your son hadn't protected the thief, if your son hadn't thrown the first punch, none of this would have happened, it wouldn't be like this!"
"What are you all arguing about? This is a hospital!" A nurse came out to scold them. "Are you going to let other patients rest or not?"
"This isn't my fault, their family..."
"Your family is just like thieves..."
Both sides went back and forth, arguing until it seemed the sky would fall. Not just Zhuang Zhiyuan and his wife, but even patients from the second-floor wards came out in their hospital gowns to watch the commotion. They hadn't seen anything like this before.
Zhuang Zhiyuan watched the scene with a toothache-like expression. To be honest, many people in their courtyard always thought that Jiang Lu was the gentlest. However, people truly cannot be judged by their appearance. How could Jiang Lu, with her strong will, be so easily controlled by Madam Zhou Li?
It was beyond understanding.
Liang Meifen was also startled, but her thoughts differed from Zhuang Zhiyuan's. She thought that a mother-in-law is naturally capable of suppressing her daughter-in-law. Even Jiang Lu, who was so difficult to deal with, had to act subservient and timid in front of Madam Zhou Li.
So, being a daughter-in-law means enduring, and one day you will outlast the mother-in-law and eventually become one yourself after many years of suffering.
They watched the commotion from the crowd when Aunt Wang quickly emerged. Aunt Wang couldn't stay hidden; as a fellow resident, she felt too embarrassed. Such embarrassment was unbearable for her.
Why were there so many trivial matters in their large courtyard?
At this moment, Aunt Wang envied Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei, the young couple. Look at how smart they were, not showing up at all. It was the right decision not to come!
It was so embarrassing!
Under the overwhelming sense of embarrassment, Aunt Wang used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to escape.
Although Aunt Wang felt embarrassed, she also found the spectacle enjoyable. But was the excitement really worth it? The next morning, many residents in their courtyard had large dark circles under their eyes, and their eye bags were almost drooping to their chins.
Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei, however, seemed in good spirits, as they had slept at home.
In the morning, Zhuang Zhixi didn't cook breakfast. He had woken up rather late, so he decided to use his personal savings to buy breakfast. He went out with a basin to buy youtiao (fried dough sticks) and douzhi (soybean milk). Xiao Yanzi, who had woken up early, followed Ming Mei around, and Ming Mei braided her hair into two little pigtails.
Ming Mei contributed two red hair elastics, and Xiao Yanzi's eyes curved with joy as she sweetly said, "Thank you, Auntie."
Ming Mei replied, "You're welcome. Your little mouth is so sweet."
Xiao Yanzi proudly patted her chest and said, "Teacher says that children should be polite."
Ming Mei stifled a laugh and nodded, "Xiao Yanzi is right."
"What are you talking about?" Zhuang Zhixi returned with the food and asked, "Xiao Yanzi, did you wash your hands?"
Xiao Yanzi loudly replied, "I did!"
Her big eyes were glued to the youtiao, her mouth watering.
Although they were from Beijing, being able to have youtiao for breakfast at this time was quite a treat for a family. Just like Zhao Guihua, who had traveled through time, she had only bought youtiao a few times.
So, Xiao Yanzi's eyes couldn't help but widen at the sight of the youtiao.
Zhuang Zhixi said, "Let's eat. After that, I'll take you to the hospital to bring breakfast to your brother."
"What breakfast?"
Zhuang Zhixi turned around and exclaimed, "Mom, why are you back?"
Looking again, he saw his older brother Zhuang Zhiyuan, and he quickly invited them to sit and eat. "There's plenty; I thought I'd bring some to you after we finished eating. How is Hutou?"
Zhao Guihua and the others were hungry after their early return.
Zhao Guihua started with a big bowl of douzhi. Although many people couldn't stand the taste, feeling it was like swill, as a native of Beijing, Zhao Guihua relished it. She thought it was the most authentic at this moment.
She said, "Hutou had mild food poisoning, but he's fine. The doctor prescribed three days of IV and hospitalization for observation."
Zhuang Zhixi asked, "What did he eat?"
Zhao Guihua replied, "Oh, kids will eat anything they find. I..."
She explained Hutou's situation and added, "I didn't sleep all night. I came back to get some rest, and your brother will pack some things and return to the hospital. Your sister-in-law is currently looking after the child."
Zhuang Zhixi suggested, "Should I take the day off to take care of Hutou? You all need to rest."
Zhuang Zhiyuan replied, "No need. Your sister-in-law and I can manage, plus Mom is helping. Don't take leave. Constantly taking leave, what will your superiors think? What will your colleagues think? How will you advance? You can't stay a cashier in the clinic forever. People need to have aspirations. You should read more, study current policies, and strive to..."
"Stop it!"
Zhao Guihua couldn't take it anymore. This man always had so many words.
She said, "Eat your meal. Don't spout so much nonsense."
Zhuang Zhiyuan pouted, feeling wronged, as he thought his mother was too authoritarian. What he said was entirely correct.
Looking at his brother, he was happily eating without paying attention.
He sighed deeply, realizing that only he in the family was ambitious. He quietly ate his meal, but Zhao Guihua spoke up, "They were quite intense yesterday. I saw their doors kicked down. How did they fight?"
"Pfft!" Zhuang Zhixi almost spat out his food, quickly covering his mouth, then laughed.
Ming Mei blinked, shyly saying, "I kicked them."
"Pfft!"
This revelation was shocking.
Ming Mei quickly added, "I was helping."
She looked innocent.
Zhuang Zhixi said, "That's right. My wife is very righteous."
"Auntie is amazing. Auntie just flicked her hand, and the person flew out..." Xiao Yanzi mimicked, "Thud, they hit the door, and the door fell!"
Zhao Guihua smiled.
Zhuang Zhiyuan swallowed hard, realizing his sister-in-law was formidable.
Zhao Guihua said, "It's fine, kick them if you need to."
The Zhuang brothers both gave their mother a thumbs up. Clearly, their mother was also a tough one.
Ming Mei smiled, saying, "I knew Mom would be on my side. Mom, you don't know, yesterday they did this... then... later... Bai Fendou got slapped by Jiang Lu, and he fell on Zhou Qun, who yelped, it was quite a scene..."
Zhao Guihua and Zhuang Zhiyuan only knew that the two families had fought, but they didn't know there were so many incidents beforehand. This sequence of events was truly astonishing. Zhao Guihua listened for a long time, exclaiming, "They really know how to make trouble."
Ming Mei said, "Exactly."
As Ming Mei was enthusiastically recounting, Zhuang Zhixi suddenly said, "Wife, if you don't leave now, you'll be late for work."
Ming Mei: "Ah!"
She screamed, darted back into the house, grabbed her bag, and pedaled off on her bicycle like a rabbit, leaving in a flash.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Be careful!"
"Got it~" Ming Mei's voice came from afar, her bicycle riding like a streak of light and fire.
With no need for Zhuang Zhixi at home, he quickly got ready for work, handed Xiao Yanzi to his mother, and said, "Mom, take her to kindergarten, okay?"
Xiao Yanzi softly said, "I want to see my brother."
Zhao Guihua decisively replied, "I'll take you after school."
Xiao Yanzi: "…Oh."
Actually, the kindergarten was just for playing, especially for Xiao Yanzi's age group. Going or not didn't matter much, but Zhao Guihua still sent her off. With Hutou not at home, keeping this little one at home would require constant supervision.
Zhao Guihua planned to go to the mountain today.
Although Zhuang Zhiyuan had mentioned going to the mountain, this unexpected event meant he couldn't.
Zhao Guihua specifically went to check on Old Man Lan's house, saying, "It definitely won't be moved today, it'll be tomorrow. If the old man comes over, entertain him. I'll take a nap and then go out."
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "Huh? Mom, where are you going? You…"
"Are you the mom or am I the mom? Don't ask so much."
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "Alright."
This wasn't Zhao Guihua intentionally keeping secrets from her son; it was just that explaining one thing led to another, and it was better not to start. Zhao Guihua had thought a lot last night, trying to figure out how to improve their family's quality of life.
Although their family had several people working and some money, this was an era where even money couldn't buy things. She could frequent the black market, but that place wasn't very safe, and if she got noticed, it would be troublesome.
Zhao Guihua pondered for most of the night, thinking back and forth, and finally came up with an idea.
Oh, this wasn't a memory from her previous life, but from a few days ago. A few days ago, she went up the mountain to fish but ended up catching a rabbit. She vaguely remembered seeing a chestnut tree in the distance while chasing the rabbit.
At the time, she was focused on the rabbit and didn't pay much attention, but she vaguely remembered it.
She planned to go and check it out. If it really was a chestnut tree, she could wait for it to ripen and pick some to make snacks. Eating them fresh would be great too. Plus, if there was a chestnut tree, it would likely attract some small animals. She could wait and see if she could catch anything.
Besides, she also planned to bring matches. Last time, she had found the rabbit's den nearby, though she wasn't sure if there were still rabbits there now. But she still planned to go and check. If there was no wind, she could try a fire attack to see if she could catch a rabbit.
This was a bit of a long shot, so Zhao Guihua didn't want to go into too much detail.
Zhao Guihua: "Alright, you tidy up, I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Zhao Guihua hadn't slept all night, and her energy was really starting to wane. It's true that with age, you can't stay up too late. Although she felt she could handle it, she really couldn't. Zhao Guihua didn't change her clothes, just lay down on the bed fully dressed, and fell asleep instantly.
Zhuang Zhiyuan finished the rest of the work, saying, "Come on, I'll take you to school."
Xiao Yanzi: "Oh."
Why did she have to go to school?
The little girl with pigtails really didn't want to go to school, but she still followed her father out the door. This was when having a car at home came in handy. Zhuang Zhiyuan took his daughter to school in no time and then took a short nap himself.
But when he woke up again, he found his mother was no longer at home, and the bicycle was gone too. However, the fishing rod was still there, so she definitely wasn't fishing.
Zhuang Zhiyuan rubbed his eyes, feeling like he heard his brother's voice. Wasn't his brother at work?
Zhuang Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, thinking he must be sleep-deprived.
"Grandpa, is this okay?" Just as Zhuang Zhiyuan thought he must be hallucinating, he heard his brother's voice again. Going outside, he saw it really was Zhuang Zhixi.
Zhuang Zhixi was with an energetic old man.
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "Old Man Lan, right? I'm Zhixi's older brother, Zhuang Zhiyuan."
He didn't recognize the old man but guessed who he was. Naturally, he should be warm and welcoming: "Come, come, let's go to my place for some tea. My mother said they won't move in today, it'll be tomorrow. Come, let's go to my place for some tea."
Old Man Lan: "No need."
The old man checked the room, saying, "Hmm, not bad."
Zhuang Zhiyuan asked his brother in a low voice, "What's going on?"
Zhuang Zhixi smiled: "Well, the factory leader knows I'm Old Man Lan's grandson-in-law, so they assigned me to help the old man move."
Actually, the old man had a few disciples he could have asked, but the factory leader wanted to be considerate, so they assigned Zhuang Zhixi. Zhuang Zhixi moved a corner cabinet, asking, "Should I put this here?"
The old man nodded, saying, "That's fine, yes."
Old Man Lan had come from Jinling with not much, but since he was going to live here, he needed to buy some things. The old man took Zhuang Zhixi to buy two cabinets in the morning.
"I heard there was a commotion here last night?" the old man asked.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Indeed! Oh, you don't know, it was quite the scene. It was my wife who stepped in and stopped them. But these people, they don't know how to be grateful. As soon as she stopped them, they started fighting again. They're still in the hospital now."
Old Man Lan smiled: "You people in this courtyard, what a harmonious big family, so harmonious! A five-star courtyard!"
Aunt Wang, who had just woken up from a nap, heard this and her mouth twitched. She felt her footsteps become heavier as she walked forward. This old man, he was always so sarcastic.
He must have been beaten up a lot when he was young, right?
As the courtyard manager, Aunt Wang felt quite embarrassed, but Zhuang Zhixi just smiled and said, "Grandpa, you see, who's right? Although our courtyard has a lot of incidents, it's also lively, isn't it? If you buy a radio, it's not cheap, and radio tickets are hard to come by. Radios also consume electricity. Which one isn't money? But our courtyard is lively, which saves you this money."
He put on a cheerful expression, saying, "Other courtyards don't have as much fun as ours! Watching these daily dramas, you don't even need to buy a radio."
"You make a good point, young man, I like that," Old Man Lan said, not sure if he was being sincere or sarcastic again: "How did you come up with that? You're so smart."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled and said, "If I weren't smart, how could I be worthy of Ming Mei? You see, me and your granddaughter, aren't we a perfect match, made in heaven?"
Old Man Lan nodded: "That's true, quite a good match."
He smiled and said, "When Ming Mei was little, the first time she came to Jinling by car, she broke the radio I had just bought. You both have a connection with radios, don't you? It's a perfect match."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled: "Oh, she was so cute when she was little."
"Indeed, the cutest, most obedient, and most sensible," Old Man Lan said.
This conversation between the old and the young was so awkward that it felt like you could dig out three rooms with your toes. Zhuang Zhiyuan, who wasn't as skilled, already felt extremely uncomfortable.
As for Aunt Wang, she had turned around and gone back inside, pretending she had never come out.
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "Well, that... "
The old and young men turned to look at Zhuang Zhiyuan. Zhuang Zhiyuan took a deep breath and said, "My son is sick, I have to go to the hospital, so I won't be able to keep you company. Old Man, tomorrow when you move in, let's drink together."
The old man nodded with dignity: "Alright."
Zhuang Zhiyuan sighed in relief in his heart and quickly picked up his pace, leaving in a hurry.
Zhuang Zhixi smiled and said, "It's fine, Grandpa, they can leave, I'll keep you company. Take a look at what's missing at home, I'll go with you to buy it. We can chat as we go. You don't know, the moment I saw you, I felt like we were old friends. Treat me like your own grandson, I've always been introverted, but with you, I really have so much to say. And hey, if you need anything, just tell me, I won't hesitate."
Old Man Lan glanced at him and said, "Oh, you're introverted, you're really too introverted. Out of all the people I've met, you're the most introverted, no one is more introverted than you."
Zhuang Zhiyuan stumbled, almost falling, and hurried into the house, quickly packing up to go to the hospital as fast as possible. Could they really talk like this without feeling embarrassed?
It seemed that only Zhuang Zhixi could keep up with this.
Zhuang Zhiyuan locked the door and left quickly, running all the way. Old Man Lan watched Zhuang Zhiyuan's back and said, "Your brother looks like a steady and reliable person."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled: "Probably worried about his child. My nephew is still in the hospital, the kid ate some wild fruit and got food poisoning. By the way, Grandpa, let me tell you about what happened last night? It was quite the scene."
"Sure," Old Man Lan took out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Give me some."
Old Man Lan looked at Zhuang Zhixi again, and Zhuang Zhixi said, "Hehe, chatting without melon seeds, half the fun is gone."
This time, Old Man Lan agreed, nodding in approval.
The two of them squatted at the door, chatting and eating melon seeds. Passersby: "..."
You two, that's going too far.
Aunt Su's house couldn't see the door of Old Man Lan's house, so she kept coming out to peek at their activities, evaluating whether this old man was worth trying to win over.
Aunt Su had relied on the "support" of others in her youth, but she wasn't like Wang Xiangxiu, who was foolish enough to eat grass from her own yard. Aunt Su had her own affairs, but she never touched grass from her own yard.
In their courtyard, the only fish she kept was Old Man Bai, and she never let him get his way, all for the sake of a good reputation. This was very important. So, although Aunt Su had some small thoughts, she was also considering whether this person was worth getting close to. After all, if she really got involved with this person, she would have to distance herself from Old Man Bai. Otherwise, the neighbors' gossip would not be little.
She was not young anymore, and she couldn't afford to lose such a person.
Moreover, she still had her grandson Hutou to support her old age, and she couldn't let them lose face.
In one courtyard, she couldn't keep two fish.
So, Aunt Su kept going back and forth, partly to test the old man's attitude towards her, and partly to see what kind of person he was. After several rounds, she was speechless.
Listen to what this old guy is saying?
"Oh, the people in your courtyard are so friendly, really too friendly~"
"I never thought that in the famous city of Beijing, the old saying is called the emperor's feet, and there are still thieves lurking~"
"Such a warm and close neighborhood relationship is really enviable..."
...
Aunt Su: "……"
This old turtle's words just make you want to hit him, she immediately looked at the old man unfavorably. This mean old man deserved to be a bachelor!
This person actually said that about her grandson, it was too much, no love at all. And Zhuang Zhixi, that little turtle, just had to show off, didn't he? Was it really necessary to spread rumors about her grandson stealing? That mouth just keeps running off, not a good person at all.
She angrily left, and Zhuang Zhixi glanced up and said with a smile: "Grandpa, it's almost noon, let's go out and have a bite to eat?"
Old Man Lan: "Sure, Donglaishun."
Zhuang Zhixi was naturally familiar, smiling: "You treat me, huh?"
Old Man Lan: "Filial, you're really too filial, not taking any advantage of the elderly at all."
Zhuang Zhixi laughed and said: "Look at you, you misunderstood me, I was just joking. Between us, of course, I'll treat you. Let's go."
He said: "I'll introduce you to some places around here, the bathhouse, the grocery store, and..."
Zhuang Zhixi kept talking, and luckily, Old Man Lan didn't seem unhappy, but rather enjoyed listening. Although he looked serious, since he had moved here, he was very willing to quickly integrate into life.
The two of them headed towards Donglaishun, enjoying a leisurely life.
Meanwhile, Zhao Guihua rode her bike to the outskirts and up the mountain.
Zhao Guihua was like this, thinking of something and doing it right away. But it wasn't until she rode out to the outskirts that she realized, how could she be so stupid? There were still a few big men in the house, why didn't she know how to order them around?
Although they usually went to work, there was always a day off, spoiling them to the point of having food delivered to their mouths and clothes handed to their hands.
Zhao Guihua was very envious of her mother-in-law at this time, who could control everyone in the house with gentle words. As for her, she had to be like a lioness. Although Zhao Guihua complained in her heart, she still pedaled with vigor.
At forty-five, in the eyes of ordinary people, it was already old age.
But Zhao Guihua deeply felt that she was still young, capable of anything!
She had lived over a hundred years, and looking at it that way, she was not even fifty yet, not even halfway through her life, so she was still young. Zhao Guihua didn't have the old age of this age, she was full of energy.
She climbed the mountain, locked her bike to a tree, and after searching around, hey, she really found it. It was indeed a chestnut tree, but it wasn't the season for chestnuts to ripen, that would be autumn. However, even though the chestnut tree was on the mountain, it was possible that someone else had also set their sights on it. Now there was no one watching because the chestnuts hadn't ripened yet.
Zhao Guihua marked the spot in her mind, planning to come often in the fall. She would get as many as she could, even if it was just to roast some chestnuts, they would be very delicious.
Slither...
Zhao Guihua was pondering when suddenly she felt something pass by her, a rabbit!!
Zhao Guihua's eyes lit up and she immediately turned to look, only to be startled: "Pfft, what rabbit, it's a little green snake."
The little green snake slithered into the grass, and Zhao Guihua then realized that in the spring, snakes and insects were also more numerous. She picked up a stick and, while looking around, used it to scare off these creatures.
She didn't catch those things, and they shouldn't come looking for her either.
She used the stick to beat the grass as she headed towards the place where she had seen a rabbit hole earlier, hoping to catch a rabbit and improve their life. In fact, from the "fish for meat" exchange at the end of the year, they still had a lot left, but who would ever have too much of such things?
Not to mention, this was free.
Free is good.
Zhao Guihua thought that if she could get fresh meat, she would eat fresh. If not, she would eat the preserved meat at home, anyway, there was a backup plan. Zhao Guihua arrived at the destination, and although she wasn't very good at judging whether there were rabbits inside, luckily there was no wind today, so she could proceed with her original plan.
After getting older, Zhao Guihua's favorite thing to watch were small videos about rural life, farming, breeding, hunting. Even though she knew nine out of ten were staged, she still enjoyed watching them, feeling like she was back in her youth.
As for those celebrity entertainment and social news, she didn't care to watch.
Boring.
Zhao Guihua got to work quickly, searching around for other rabbit holes. A crafty rabbit has three burrows, and the rabbit was very cunning. She had to find other holes before she could start a fire. No matter what, she had to try.
Zhao Guihua quickly got busy, and soon found another rabbit hole not far away. She persevered and found the third and fourth holes one after another. Zhao Guihua didn't know if there were any more, but after searching further, she didn't find any. It was said that rabbit holes were interconnected, so Zhao Guihua planned to block two of them.
She really hoped that the rabbit's burrows were like the tunnels in the tunnel war, interconnected, otherwise, it would be in vain.
She directly found wild grass, branches, and stones to block the two farthest holes, and then prepared to light a fire at another hole. Actually, doing this in the mountains was a bit risky, but luckily there was no wind today, and the rabbit hole itself was very small, so a small fire was enough, which made people feel more at ease.
Zhao Guihua blocked the farthest rabbit hole and left the two relatively close ones, then lit a fire at one of the holes.
She herself quickly ran to the other side and lay in ambush at the hole, preparing well, setting up a bag, waiting for the rabbit to fall into the net—provided there was a rabbit inside.
Zhao Guihua quickly took action, lying at the hole, looking far away, seeing the fire start to burn at the other small hole, she quietly waited, hoping she hadn't wasted her time today.
Speaking of which, she, this old lady, was really a disgrace to those who were reborn.
Those who were reborn made a fortune, had a successful career, and love, reaching the peak of life, sweeping everything before them. Not having a hundred million assets was considered a failure. But she, a pitiful old lady, just wanted to block a rabbit hole, and didn't even know if there was a rabbit inside.
That was really mediocre.
Looking at herself, she knew of a fish pond, but she didn't know how to fish, so it was very sad!
Zhao Guihua despised herself a bit, and felt that the timing of her rebirth was just so-so. If it was ten years later, she could still set up a stall in Xidan. Selling clothes in the early 1980s was quite profitable. But now it seemed impossible. She could only stay low-key.
The timing was wrong, so she had to stay low.
However, Zhao Guihua soon realized that she was different from the typical reincarnated characters in novels. Those reincarnated individuals usually struggled in the countryside, eventually passing the college entrance exam, moving to the capital, and starting their own businesses. But she, Zhao Guihua, had a much higher starting point.
She was a native of the old city, which already gave her a lot of luck compared to others. So it wasn't surprising that she didn't become a wealthy entrepreneur by beating everyone else. After all, good things can't all be monopolized by one person.
As Zhao Guihua was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a slight movement. Although it was small and she was distracted, she immediately noticed it. Zhao Guihua perked up and looked ahead.
Sure enough, as soon as she focused, she saw a rabbit dart out of a hole, followed by a second one. Both rabbits seemed to be unable to bear the smoke and darted out quickly, almost simultaneously, tumbling into a bag. Zhao Guihua didn't wait to see if there was a third one and didn't hesitate. She quickly pressed down on the bag.
The rabbits struggled inside the bag, and Zhao Guihua quickly found a rope to tie it up. She then went to the other end to extinguish the fire, stomping on it several times to make sure it was out before she finally relaxed and clapped her hands.
She proudly put her hands on her hips and laughed heartily, "I'm just amazing!"
It was difficult to catch rabbits, yet she managed to catch two in a row. That's two words: awesome!
Zhao Guihua became quite boastful.
No matter what, as an old lady, she could catch nimble rabbits and even use "military tactics." That was pretty impressive. She felt quite accomplished, and Zhao Guihua started to gloat.
This meant they could have a better meal tonight. If she could catch rabbits every few days, this would be a pretty good secret base.
Before her reincarnation, she had nothing better to do than listen to stories about spicy wives and good times in certain eras, watching various protagonists go crazy on the mountain. Back then, Zhao Guihua didn't understand. She was just an old lady from the city.
Now, she finally experienced the benefits of going up the mountain to "hunt for treasures."
There were indeed practical benefits on the mountain!
She could repeat the menu from the last time she caught a rabbit.
Although her fishing skills were average, she was a rabbit killer!
Little rabbit, be obedient, open the door, come to the bowl!
