Being a Guest

After Grandma Zhou finished talking about family matters, fearing that Hua Jin Yin would feel burdened, she brought up another topic: "Shou Jia and his wife divorced, and his wife has been asking about you these past few days, saying you agreed to help her..."

Hua Jin Yin hadn't forgotten about Bai Kang Di's matter. Previously, when Xia Yu agreed to let her help Bai Kang Di, she had sent someone to inquire about Bai Kang Di's past. As long as the other side responded with no issues, she could help Bai Kang Di get a household registration.

"Auntie, where is she now? I'll go find her later."

Grandma Zhou said: "She's staying at the brigade headquarters; she can't stay at Shou Jia's place. Ever since the divorce, Zhou Shou Jia hasn't been working properly, just lying on the big rock at the village entrance every day. No one washes his clothes; you can smell him from a distance, and no one in the village wants to walk past him."

Thinking of Zhou Shou Jia's dirty appearance from before, Hua Jin Yin frowned. Without Bai Kang Di managing him, he would probably revert to his old self soon.

When she returned home, Fang Yan Hong was cooking in the kitchen, and Zhou Xiao Mai sat beside a wooden cart, making incomprehensible babbling sounds.

Zhou Xiao Mai said a sentence, and Fang Yan Hong responded with one.

Wang Xiu Li had placed a stool in the courtyard, with a basin containing two sets of clothes on the ground in front of her. She was originally sitting upright, watching Gang Zheng and Tie Zheng play with rocks, but hearing footsteps, she quickly grabbed the clothes and rubbed them twice.

Grandma Zhou pretended not to see, turning to the outer room: "Hong, Comrade Er Hua's unit member is visiting today. Make two good dishes."

"I know, Mother. You go back to your room and sit." Fang Yan Hong replied, went to the corner where a jar was placed, and took out some cured meat.

Because it was harvest season, the food at home was better than usual, but no matter how good, it was only sorghum meal for everyone to eat their fill, and the dishes were pickled vegetables. Tonight, at best, they would have wild vegetable and egg soup cooked with lard.

Grandma said to make two good dishes, so there must be meat and eggs.

Grandma Zhou came back to help Fang Yan Hong cook, so how could she go back to her room? Her cooking skills weren't great, so she could only help from the side.

With Grandma Zhou helping, Hua Jin Yin and Yu Se couldn't go inside, so the four of them stayed outside, working and chatting. Inadvertently looking up, she saw Zhou Lan Xiang and Zhou Xia He peeking out from the window of the other room. Seeing Hua Jin Yin look over, the two immediately retracted their heads.

Hua Jin Yin pouted, *did I really think Zhou Lan Xiang was heartbroken? Turns out the sisters are just lazy together. Anyway, their future lives are their own to live; I'm just a distant relative, no need to say much.*

A moment later, Fang Yan Hong had already made a plate of stir-fried toon sprouts with eggs and a plate of stir-fried fern with cured meat.

The aroma wafted out, and Gang Zheng and Tie Zheng immediately scurried in: "Second Auntie, what smells so good?"

Fang Yan Hong didn't like her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law Zhang Yun, but she had no prejudice against these two children. She led them to wash their dirty hands, then gave each a piece of meat, blew on it to cool it, and placed it in their palms: "Eat slowly. After you finish, you must wait until it's served on the table to eat more."

Gang Zheng and Tie Zheng happily ran out with the meat, sitting on the doorstep, eating with small bites.

Wang Xiu Li looked this way several times, calling her two sons over, but neither paid her any attention. Wang Xiu Li quickly wrung out the clothes in the basin, hung them to dry, and walked towards her two sons.

As soon as Gang Zheng and Tie Zheng saw their mother coming, they immediately stuffed the meat into their mouths, making Wang Xiu Li's face turn green.

Thinking of how she had once asked her to mix rock sugar with water for Tie Zheng to drink, and she had instead stuffed it all into her own mouth, Hua Jin Yin shook her head speechlessly.

Returning from work, Zhang Yun smelled the aroma as soon as she entered the courtyard and loudly exclaimed: "What day is it today? Why is there meat to eat?"

As a result, upon entering the courtyard and seeing Hua Jin Yin standing there, her face immediately fell: "Er Hua is here? No wonder the house is cooking meat."

Hua Jin Yin pretended not to notice her attitude, smiling and calling out: "First Auntie, you're back? I've already drawn water; you should go wash up quickly."

Zhang Yun coldly "hmm"-ed, turned, and went into the house to grab a tattered towel.

Zhou Lan Xiang and Zhou Xia He also came out of their room at this time. Zhou Zhang Yun massaged her shoulders and back, asking solicitously, which made Zhang Yun's face relax: "These two lazy girls, remember to gather more firewood tomorrow for cooking. Your mother doesn't manage the household, and she's not capable of saving up a dowry for you. Your dowries will have to depend on you saving them yourselves."

Grandma Zhou immediately burst into laughter: "Oh, I don't need to arrange a dowry? That's good then, I save some money."

Zhang Yun had originally intended to say harsh words in front of Hua Jin Yin for Grandma to hear. She figured Grandma wouldn't want to make Hua Jin Yin uncomfortable and would definitely swallow her anger, but she didn't expect Grandma to directly wash her hands of the dowry matter, making her feel guilty. If Grandma truly didn't care, who would be decent enough to marry these two girls later?

But thinking of how Grandma had forced her to divide the family a few days ago, and in the end, it was Zhou Lai Cai who tearfully begged Grandma, and Grandma only decided to observe for a period, so she didn't have the courage to argue with Grandma.

However, Zhou Lai Cai was very happy to see Hua Jin Yin, completely oblivious to the exchange between his mother and wife: "Er Hua, it's not that your First Uncle is scolding you, but since you're staying in our brigade, why are you still so unfamiliar with our home? Come often to eat when you're not busy. Your auntie is happy whenever you visit; her health has been better since you came to our brigade."

"Alright, I'll come to eat when I'm not busy in the future." Hua Jin Yin replied with a smile, thinking to herself: *Grandma's health is good because of the supernatural ability I channeled, what does it have to do with her mood?*

*Anyway, I still need to use my supernatural ability to comb through Grandma Zhou and Grandpa Zhou's bodies later.*

Behind them, Zhou Xiao Ya and Zhou Xiao Yue ran to Hua Jin Yin's side, constantly asking her about raising pigs, goats, and cows in the future.

Zhou Lai Fu went to the commune in the afternoon and picked up Zhou Xiao Ya and Zhou Xiao Yue from school on the way back, telling his two daughters about how the brigade would raise many pigs, goats, and cows in the future. These two girls went to the fields to cut pig grass for work points as soon as they returned to the brigade.

Now, seeing Hua Jin Yin, they wanted to know from her if it was true.

After Hua Jin Yin assured them, Zhou Xiao Ya said: "Then from now on, we'll go cut pig grass every day after school."

The brigade awarded one work point for a basket of pig grass. As long as they were diligent, earning three work points every day after school was not a problem, which would also save their aunt and two older cousins from constantly making sarcastic remarks about them not earning work points and having to spend the family's money on schooling.

Fortunately, after Grandma Zhou's intervention, and with someone from the city staying at their home, Zhang Yun and the others, apart from a few sarcastic remarks, didn't dare to cause trouble, and dinner passed smoothly.

Hua Jin Yin had originally wanted to take Yu Se back to the city to stay, but after dinner, it was already evening, so the two decided to stay overnight at the educated youth point.

As soon as they stepped out, they saw a woman lingering outside. Hua Jin Yin asked: "Who's there?"