Ai Cao took a bus home on Saturday.
Gu Dong did not know in advance, so when she returned home, her courtyard door was locked. She thought that Gu Dong might be in the field.
She ran over to take a look.
Sure enough, everyone was working in the field.
"Ai Cao is back!"
"How was school?"
"Gu Dong is over there!"
..
Ai Cao walked through the field path.
The surrounding villagers greeted them one after another. Mugwort was a little shy and nodded in response one by one. Those who should greet them greeted them politely.
Because Ai San An had taken the entrance exam and settled down in the city to work,
There was a craze for studying in the village, so when they saw Ai Cao, a high school student, coming back, many people took the initiative to greet her.
"Hmph, isn't it just high school? What's the big deal! "Zhang Xianglan bent down to pull the grass. She looked at the villagers talking to Ai Cao on the path with disdain.
"There's nothing wrong with studying, as long as you know what's right and shame.
It's much better than being illiterate! After she finishes high school, she will be much better than most of the girls in the village, "Cao Aiguo, who was beside her, retorted with a frown when he heard Zhang Xianglan's words.
"What? Do you think I don't study enough? "Zhang Xianglan's tone suddenly changed.
She raised her head high and looked at Cao Aiguo.
She looked like she would not let him off if he dared to say that he did not like her.
Cao Aiguo looked at Zhang Xianglan like a shrew.
His frown deepened.
In his heart, he really did dislike Zhang Xianglan for not studying enough.
She was only in junior high school.
She was not even in high school.
But in the end, he just said expressionlessly, "No, let's work. Otherwise, we will fall behind."
He didn't want Zhang Xianglan to do anything that would embarrass her in public and become a laughingstock. However, looking at Ai Cao walking away, he was still a little unwilling. Why could Gu Dong, a peasant, have a wife who was a high school student, while he, a city person, married someone who did not even graduate from junior high school?
Zhang Xianglan was actually doing well in school, but later on, when there was a movement, everyone stopped studying. In the second year of junior high school, she responded to the call to join the movement. In the past, she did not think it was a big deal. She even felt that what she did was right. But now, seeing Cao Aiguo's reaction, Zhang Xianglan's heart sank. Was it wrong not to study?
No matter what Zhang Xianglan thought, some things could not be changed. On the other side, Mugwort had also found Gu Dong.
"Why are you back? Did something happen? Or are you missing something? "Gu Dong wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked with concern.
There were only two buses from the town to the county. One left in the morning and one returned in the afternoon. It was very inconvenient to go back and forth, especially to the county. They could only catch the afternoon bus. Seeing Ai Cao come back, Gu Dong thought something happened.
"No, nothing happened. I just wanted to come home and take a look." I miss you. But Ai Cao was too embarrassed to say the last sentence.
There was still at least half an hour before work ended. Gu Dong could not walk, and Ai Cao could not stand on the ground. Many people were looking at her. She could only roll up her sleeves and follow Gu Dong to pull the weeds.
"If the crops really grow like this, this autumn …" Ai Cao looked at Gu Dong bitterly.
In school, she had only heard that the autumn crops did not grow well. But the Ai Cao did not know how bad it was. It had rained a few times recently, so there was no shortage of water. Also, it was the time for the crops to grow. But now that she saw the crops, she felt that what her classmate said was not exaggerated at all.
There were only a few seedlings scattered far away. They were short and small, and they looked malnourished.
"There is no other way. The summer sun is too strong, and it can't recover. Sigh, this winter is going to be tough. "Gu Dong looked around and sighed.
The couple worked and chatted. Ai Cao slowly learned from Gu Dong about what happened in the village when she was not around.
Ai Ershun's wife was pregnant. Although Ai Dabao's wife was still arrogant, she was not as unreasonable as before. Now, she became her mother-in-law. She scolded her from time to time. But since she was pregnant, no one dared to order her to work. But in the end, they would not spoil her.
As for Ai San An, according to his mother in the village, he had a girlfriend. His girlfriend was from the county and was a worker in the textile factory like him. The Ai family was obviously very proud of this. This matter could not be investigated, but everyone in the village already knew about it.
Fu Qiang now had a foothold in town. He no longer participated in the village's labor force and went to work in the government office every day. Duan Xue was now more than four months pregnant. The team leader's family treasured her so much that they did not even participate in the daily labor.
"No one in the village said anything?" Ai Cao asked Gu Dong curiously. Back then, Fu Fang could go to work in the factory after her pregnancy was stable. She could not stand it anymore and was allowed to go home.
"Anyway, the team leader has the final say in the village. The others will only talk about it in private and will not talk about it in front of him. Also, no work points will be given if you don't work. This is very fair, so no one has any objections."
Gu Dong felt that the team leader had set a good example. In the future, when it was his Ai Cao's turn to have a child, he would directly follow their example. No work points, no work.
"Oh." Ai Cao said meaningfully. She understood. After all, the team leader's position in the village was now the highest. "Duan Xue's life is quite good. Her life now is not much worse than that in the city."
After staying in the county for a few days, she heard a lot. Ai Cao also knew that even if she was a worker in the city, it was not particularly easy. Although she was not affected by the wind or rain, she had to go to work on time every day. In some places, the system was very strict, and it was not easy to apply for leave. She was not as free as she was in the village.
"It's good to be rich in the city. But it's also troublesome to be poor in the city. Don't you remember the other families in Jiang Yuan?" Gu Dong said with concern.
After experiencing so many things, Gu Dong now felt that no matter where he lived, money was the king. It was difficult to go anywhere without money. With money, there would be opportunities to live a comfortable life.
Looking at Fu Jiu now, although he was still working, because of the money he earned from fish farming, his child was about to be born. He was no longer as anxious and stressed as before. Now, from time to time, he would go to the black market to buy delicious food to improve his life. His life was comfortable.
In fact, whether one lived a good life or not depended on the family's conditions and the man. Now, in the village, only Duan Xue and Fu Fang could stay at home and take care of the baby without working. As for Ai Dabao's wife, she was only let home by her mother-in-law after crying like a ghost and crying like a wolf.
When she came back in the evening, she had to take the bus back to the county the next morning. At most, Ai Cao would stay with the Ai family for a night.
First, she carried things with Gu Dong to visit their grandfather. Then, the two of them closed the door and talked about husband and wife.
The night passed. In the morning, Gu Dong lay in bed and hugged Ai Cao. He did not want to wake her up.
"Hurry up and let go. If you don't get up and prepare, I won't be able to take the bus in town!" Ai Cao pulled his ear.
She knew that he was reluctant to leave, but she had no choice. She had to leave. She did not ask for leave when she came back. If she did not inform them and did not go, she would definitely be punished.
Before Ai Cao left, she left a lot of food for Gu Dong. There were chicken, duck, fish, rice, noodles, and fruits. It was enough for Gu Dong to eat for more than a month. After she went to town, she found a deserted place and took out the things she had prepared in advance from Zhuangzi. She was going to bring them back to school.
Gu Dong was already resentful that Ai Cao had to leave. Not only that, he had to go to work because he had something to do at the last minute. He was so angry that he almost quit.
But after all, they were living in the village now. They still had to listen to the team's arrangements.
The bus swayed as it carried Mugwort to the city. When she arrived at the school, there weren't many students there. She quickly tidied up the things she brought and planned to go to the reading room to read the newspaper.
When she was at home, she had a radio. Now that she was at school, she could only read the newspaper. Only one teacher had a radio, and he only played it occasionally.
Ren Wanwan came to school early in the afternoon. As soon as she arrived, she pulled Ai Cao aside and asked about the situation at home. She heard from home that the growth of grain in many villages and towns was worrying.
"It's really not good. There will be a shortage of grain during the autumn harvest." Ai Cao was worried.
"Don't worry. If you don't have enough grain, just tell me." Ren Wanwan treated Ai Cao as a friend. She was afraid that Ai Cao would be like other students and start saving grain now to have a better life in the future.
"Okay, but I don't need it now. Hehe, I still have something to give you." Ai Cao said as he handed the bag he brought back in the morning to Ren Wanwan. Inside the bag were five or six peaches and three apples.
"Wow! It's already this season, and you can still get fresh peaches! "It was September now. Except for canned peaches, it was really rare to see peaches.
"Did you forget that we live next to the mountains? Gu Dong found it in the mountains!" Ai Cao returned everything to Gu Dong.
"Oh, oh, really? Hehe, that's great. Thank you very much. I have a use for it. It's my grandpa's birthday next week. I'll send it home tomorrow at noon. This way, my dad and the others can use it when they go over. "
Every day after class, time passed very quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already National Day. This National Day was only a one-day holiday. The county's high school was going to hold an activity, and those who received it had to come and watch.
Feng Xiaomei sang a song while Zhang Feng and Guo Yang acted out a skit about heroes saving people. When it was Ai Cao and Ren Wanwan's turn, the two of them didn't want to do anything alone, so they directly joined the class chorus.
This time, the performance was to be performed at the county's Ministry of Culture and Armed Forces. Ai Cao was a little nervous, but more than that, he was curious.
However, when it came to the performance, he only felt that it was troublesome. The only thing that made Ai Cao feel a little fresh in this performance was Ren Wanwan.
Ai Cao looked at her daily food, clothing, and speech. He knew that her family should be well-off, but he didn't expect her father to be the county's Mayor!
No wonder Feng Xiaomei didn't dare to do anything in front of Ren Wanwan, no matter how spoiled she was in class.
However, Ai Cao only had an impression of who Ren Wanwan's father was. Compared to this, Ai Cao was more concerned about going home.
This time, when they returned to the village, they were already preparing for the autumn harvest.
"It will be time to harvest in 3 to 5 days. At that time, I won't be able to visit you. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, you can look for Jiang Yuan. "Gu Dong instructed Ai Cao seriously.
"Okay, I know. I'm at school, and I don't have much to do. You have to take care of yourself. You can hide the food at home." Ai Cao touched Gu Dong's face. He was reluctant to part with him.
"Don't worry. I made a cellar behind the house. The food is temporarily placed there. If you don't go to the back, you won't be able to see it. "
Recently, Fu Jiu's house was burglarized in the middle of the night. Although the burglars were scared away, Ai Cao was still worried.
"You must take care of yourself. Lock the doors and windows at night. If someone comes to the yard and rummages, just pretend you don't know." Ai Cao's face was full of worry.
"It's just a possibility. Don't worry. I will be alert." Gu Dong comforted Ai Cao.
Fu Jiu suspected that the burglars were the work of the Zhang brothers. It seemed that they heard from somewhere that Fu Jiu and Gu Dong had sold a lot of fish to make money.
Fu Jiu said that these people might not know whether it was true or not. But they saw that his family was doing well recently, so they were bold enough to try.
A person should not show off his wealth. Once he did, he would be targeted by others.
Because of the money, Fu Jiu's life was indeed better recently. He went to town to buy some rice and flour. If he did this too often, it would be hard to avoid being noticed.
Gu Dong did not tell Ai Cao that his house had also been rummaged through before. However, it was during the day when he was working. He knew exactly where the things in his house were. Moreover, he was the only one in the house. He could tell at a glance whether or not the things were touched.
In the bedside table, a few cotton-padded clothes made last winter were missing. The kitchen was missing 3 to 4 Jin of white rice and 1 Jin of white flour. As for the other things that were not found, they were all small things.
When Gu Dong came back from the fields, he saw that the lock on his house was not right. He immediately checked it. At the same time, he was sweating profusely. He was glad that most of his important things were in Zhuangzi, Ai Cao.
The only big thing was the radio. Because he was working all day, he gave it to his grandfather. He wanted him to listen to the radio when he was herding the sheep. This way, he would not be too lonely with the sheep.
Gu Dong did not tell his grandfather about this because it was useless to tell his grandfather. Most likely, the things that were stolen from his house could not be found. Moreover, it was too eye-catching to tell others that his house had lost things. He also did not tell Ai Cao, mainly because he was afraid that she would be worried.
Gu Dong was afraid that he would not be able to hide this matter from Ai Cao if he did not send a lot of things to his grandfather. After the food was stolen, he ate the food that was sent to his grandfather's house.
After this incident, Gu Dong gave Ai Cao all the money in the house before she left.
"You keep it in Zhuangzi. If I don't have money, I will ask you for it." Although he could hide it well at home, he felt that it was not as safe as letting Ai Cao carry Zhuangzi.
"Okay!" It did not matter who was in charge of the money in the house. After all, they were all together.
Not long after, the autumn harvest began. However, the real hardship came after the harvest. The food distributed to each family was not enough.
In the middle of October, the Gu family was burglarized again. It was during the day when Gu Dong went up the mountain. However, nothing was stolen. The burglar only took a few sweet potatoes from the kitchen.
Although Fu Jiu had Fu Fang at home every day, Fu Jiu did not dare to go out recently. Fu Fang was seven months pregnant. If they really encountered a burglar, it was not a big deal if the things were stolen. However, they were afraid that something would happen to Fu Jiu.
After the autumn harvest, almost everyone in the village who could go up the mountain went up the mountain. Everyone was looking for food, mountain products, and fruits. Everything that could be eaten was taken away.
Even so, because the autumn harvest was not ideal, the gloomy atmosphere in the village did not ease.
It was not until the end of October that a piece of news spread through the newspapers and broadcasted. It brought a trace of joy to some people in the village.
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