Lin Qingping's nickname was 'Bottle.'
Gu Junsheng ate quickly, letting out a sound of approval, 'Mm.'
Grandma and Grandpa hurriedly left to prepare the items for her return visit to her parents' home.
By the time Lin Qingping leisurely finished eating, everything had already been prepared.
When Lin Qingping looked, there were four large pieces of pork, a basket of eggs, a chicken, a duck, a fish, two bags of milk powder, and two pieces of new cloth.
In their rural village in the 1970s, this was already considered a very generous gift.
Liu Fen said to Gu Junsheng, 'Wrap up the red envelope.'
As she spoke, she kept glancing at Lin Qingping's expression to see if she was satisfied, knowing very well that she was the type to dig for things when visiting her parental home.
Gu Junsheng responded with a 'Okay,' but Lin Qingping stepped forward and said, 'Wait.'
Liu Fen thought she found the gift insufficient and her expression changed.
Lin Qingping first took out the two bags of milk powder and set them aside. 'This is for Zhiyuan to drink; he's growing and milk is good for him.' At this time in rural areas, milk powder was a rare and valuable item.
Then Lin Qingping picked a piece of meat from the remaining large pile, grabbed a fish, handed them to Gu Junsheng, and wiped her hands. 'That's all; it's enough.'
Liu Fen thought she had made a mistake and widened her eyes in surprise, and Gu Junsheng also showed a look of astonishment."Let's go." Lin Qingping said nothing, just grabbed Gu Juncheng's arm and walked.
Lin Qingping's home was in the neighboring village, so they had to go on foot. Gu Juncheng walked quickly — how could Lin Qingping keep up?
Whenever Gu Juncheng walked faster, Lin Qingping would stop and glare at him in place.
He walked for quite a distance before realizing she hadn't kept up, so he stopped to wait for her, and only after she caught up did they continue walking together.
This stop-and-go pace went on for almost two hours before they finally reached the Lin family home.
At that time, her grandmother was still alive, her younger brother was small, and there was also a second younger sister, two years her junior.
The moment she entered, her family was very surprised, especially her grandmother, who greeted her most enthusiastically. However, her gaze kept drifting past Lin Qingping to Gu Juncheng behind her. When she saw that Gu Juncheng was only carrying a piece of meat and a fish, her expression noticeably dimmed.
Gu Juncheng, being highly perceptive, could hardly miss it and felt somewhat uneasy standing there.
Lin Qingping gave him a firm tug and helped him sit down.
Her grandmother took the meat and fish to the kitchen to prepare them. Her mother accompanied Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng, chatting for a while. They talked about her father, her second sister, and her younger brother being out working in the fields, then gradually moved on to village gossip, bringing up the main topic. "Do you remember that Mrs. Lin at the east end of the village? Her daughter married a man from the town and bought a bicycle — how impressive!" Her mother spoke with gleaming eyes.
"Oh." Lin Qingping responded faintly.
In her previous life, this happened too. After her mother said this, she forced Gu Juncheng to get a bicycle ticket, and using Gu Juncheng's money, immediately added a bicycle for her maternal family. Her younger brother rode it every day, idling around everywhere.
Her mother didn't get the answer she wanted, paused with a start, then smiled and said, "Zhaodi is almost ready for an engagement too. Our family is in better conditions; we could arrange a good match… Yes, her younger sister's name is Zhaodi. Why she's named that is self-evident.
In her previous life, her sister married before she was twenty, even better off than her, and the bride price was 'five hundred yuan,' huh—except, the other party was crippled and abusive. Her sister had two pregnancies that ended in miscarriages due to being beaten, and later, unable to have children, beatings became routine, and eventually, she fell ill and died young… "Change her second sister's name. Zhaodi, Zhaodi, it sounds so unpleasant." Lin Qingping, who had spent money generously in the past life, said bluntly.
Her mother was momentarily surprised, then laughed, "These are minor matters. Anyway, since you already have a brother, change it if you want. As for this bicycle…" Her mother said, glancing at Gu Juncheng.
"I'll find a way to handle it later…" Gu Juncheng agreed obediently, but suddenly felt his thigh being pinched by a small hand, tightly, and Lin Qingping took over the conversation.
"This is quite difficult. No tickets, and we don't even have a bicycle ourselves!" Lin Qingping recalled the scene from her previous life where her mother reluctantly made her buy a bike for her brother.
"Oh." Lin Qingping responded lightly.
After her mother said this, she forced Gu Juncheng to get a bicycle ticket, and with the money Gu Juncheng given, she immediately added a bicycle to her parents' family, and her brother rode it every day, idle everywhere.
Her mother didn't get the answer she wanted, she smiled and said with a smile, "Zhao Di is almost going to kiss her, our family conditions are better, and we can also say a good kiss...· Yes, her sister's name is Zhaodi, why she is called this name, it is self-evident.
In the previous life, her sister got married before she was twenty, and she married "better" than her, and "exchanged" for a bride price of five hundred yuan, hum, but the other party was crippled, and she beat someone, her sister was pregnant twice and was beaten and miscarried twice, because she couldn't have children later, and being beaten became commonplace, and in the end, she fell ill and died at a young age...· Change the name of the second sister, how ugly it sounds. Lin Qingping, who was happy to pay money in his previous life, only said.
Her mother was stunned and smiled, "It's all a trivial matter, anyway, you already have your brother, just change it, this bicycle... Her mother said, and then looked at Gu Juncheng.
"I'll find a way to ... this matter when the time comes" Gu Juncheng kindly agreed, and suddenly felt that his thigh was pinched by a small hand, and he was pinched very hard, and the conversation was also taken over by Lin Qingping.
"This is quite difficult, we don't have tickets, we don't have bicycles ourselves!" Lin Qingping couldn't help but think of the situation in her previous life when her mother encouraged her to buy a car for her brother.
Everything started from now.
First, she wanted a bicycle, then a watch, and later, she wanted a car, a house, all kinds of property… Her mother's smile had already started to become strained. "How can Mrs. Lin get a ticket? Her son-in-law is from the town."
"Then why didn't you sell me to someone from the town in the first place? To sell me to a soldier? Soldiers are poor, incompetent, they can't get anything." Lin Qingping bluntly shot back, making her mother's face flush red. The word 'sell' really doesn't sound pleasant. Her mother's expression changed, and Gu Juncheng also looked displeased. She remained calm; she naturally knew Gu Juncheng was capable, but why chase after these empty honors? In her past life, it was exactly because she loved empty prestige too much that she always complied with every request! And that's how she ended up at such a fate! Gu Juncheng didn't think that way. He spoke again, "Although it's a bit difficult, …" "But" he hadn't finished speaking when Lin Qingping grabbed him again, as if she wanted to pinch off a piece of his flesh in anger. Well, Gu Juncheng fell silent again. Lin Qingping, however, got up. "I'm going to the field to check on Dad and my younger sister, then I'll return. There's a lot to do at home."
Gu Juncheng then prepared to pull out a red envelope, and his thigh suffered for the third time.
As a result, the red envelope wasn't taken out.
Her mother got up to see him off, saying, "Eat first before going back. Your father and Zhaodi will be back for dinner soon."
Lin Qingping didn't stay; she really went to the fields. After greeting her father, she called her second sister aside to talk; this was the main reason for her visit.
Her second sister was drenched in sweat, her skin dark from the sun, showing that the work in the fields was hard. Yet it was peak farming season, and her younger brother was nowhere to be seen.
Even after experiencing such a life for the second time, Lin Qingping still felt heavy-hearted. She looked at her frail second sister and asked, "Is mother planning to arrange a marriage for you?"
Her second sister was momentarily stunned, then nodded, lowering her eyes to hide the sadness in them.
"Don't agree!" Lin Qingping held her hand and gave her some money. "Take this money secretly, buy some notebooks and pens, and see if you can get some books. If you can, buy them; if not, I'll find a way. Study hard, you must aim for university!"
Her second sister could hardly believe her eyes, staring wide-eyed at her sister. Going to university had become the most popular topic among village children who went to school in the city, but for a rural girl like her, it seemed more impossible than plucking a moon from the sky.
"Listen to me! If mother is arranging a marriage for you, absolutely refuse. If you can't handle it, come to Gujia Village and find me, I'll speak for you!"
Lin Qingping said this firmly, then looked back at her frail sister working in the fields, tears welling up in her eyes. This time, she was determined to change her sister's life.