Framed at the beginning: Female educated youth forced to marry disabled military officer

Meng Xiaoman was also happy to give her advice.

"Of course, it's better to choose something lighter and smaller."

Among the three, Xiao Xiangmei has the most flexible mind and is most suitable for doing business.

"Then I'll pick out some hair flowers, hairpins, hair oils, and vanishing creams that girls like."

Xiao Xiangdong only has three days of proper vacation at his company, plus the unused home leave, it adds up to half a month.

Before leaving, Meng Xiaoman finished making the clothes for the tailor shop and closed the shop. The clothing store also closed after paying the employees their salaries and bonuses.

Xiao Xiangdong had already sent a letter to Xiao Tiezhu and others in advance, asking them to help clean the house.

Meng Xiaoman was packing the things she was going to take with her.

Excluding the time spent on the journey, they could only spend six or seven days at home. There weren't many things they needed to take, so Meng Xiaoman bought some specialties from Hai City, including cakes, spiced beans, pear paste candies, milk candies, etc., as well as useful and light items such as vanishing cream and soap.

Meng Xiaoman picked out a few pieces of cloth from the store and took them with her. She also took some scarves and hair ornaments from her own store, preparing to give them to Fang Jie and the others.

Meng Xiaoman also thought about buying ready-made clothes, but the clothes that were popular in Hai City were out of place in the countryside and were not as practical as cloth.

In the past few years, they have helped to take care of the house and yard in my hometown, and also sent mountain products.

Life in the village is not rich, and the things they sent were all saved from their own pockets. This friendship is very precious.

On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Xiaoman's family of four boarded the train. Xiao Xiangdong asked someone to buy them a sleeper berth, so the journey was not too difficult.

Four days later, the group arrived at the station of Nanyang Commune.

As soon as I got off the car, I saw Zhang Dongliang and Xiao Tiezhu. They were squatting beside a mule cart, looking around.

The mule cart was bought jointly by Zhang Dongliang and Zhao Erlei. They were running a peddler business, buying things from the city and selling them in the countryside, and then buying things from the countryside and selling them in the city.

Zhang Dongliang put the luggage on the mule cart and explained, "Erlei had a daughter two years ago. The little girl fell into the water and had a high fever. Erlei and his wife are taking care of her in the health center."

The health center is in the town, and Meng Xiaoman plans to visit it.

Qinghe was much colder than Haishi. Meng Xiaoman put hats on Anan and Cuicui and wrapped scarves around them, leaving only their eyes exposed. Xiao Xiangdong hugged Anan, and Cuicui snuggled up to Meng Xiaoman.

When they arrived at the entrance of the health center, Zhang Dongliang and Xiao Tiezhu were outside watching the luggage and mule cart. Meng Xiaoman took out some special pastries and went into the hospital with Xiao Xiangdong.

Sun Xiu'e was holding her daughter while she was receiving an IV drip. Looking at her daughter's thin and pale face, her eyes were filled with heartache.

Zhao Erlei squatted aside with his head down, his eyes dark and unclear.

I get up early and go to bed late, walking the streets, just to earn more money so that my wife and children can live a better life.

Most of the money I earned was given to my parents to cover family expenses.

Who would have thought that a whole family would spend the money he earned and treat his daughter like this.

Because of a piece of candy, Xiao Ya was pushed into the river by her nephew.

My younger brother and his wife, as well as my parents, all protect my nephew.

"She's just a little girl, what's the big deal? She can be drowned. How can she be compared with my grandson? She just has a fever, can't she be cured by sweating it out? Why go to the hospital? It's a waste of money!"

Zhao Erlei was still trembling when he thought of his father's words. He didn't notice Xiao Xiangdong and his friends coming over for a moment, and only reacted when Sun Xiu'e poked him twice.

Xiao Xiangdong saw that he was worried about something, so they went outside to talk alone.

Meng Xiaoman was talking to Sun Xiu'e.

Meng Xiaoman put down the things she brought and looked at the child in her arms, "Are you feeling better?"

Sun Xiu'e touched her daughter's face lovingly. "The fever has subsided. It was not severe. The doctor said we need to observe her for another two days. You have worked hard along the way. Thank you for coming to the hospital."

"No trouble, it's just on the way."

"It's so cold, and you have a child with you. The hospital is full of patients. Go back quickly. I'll go to your house and chat with you when Yaya is discharged from the hospital."

Meng Xiaoman and her husband had been traveling for several days and had no time to go home, so they came to visit. However, Yaya had been in the hospital for three days and no family member had come to visit.

Sun Xiu'e felt a chill in her heart.

I don’t know what Xiao Xiangdong and Zhao Erlei said, but Zhao Erlei’s face looked better.

After leaving the hospital, Xiao Xiangdong went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some rice, flour, grain, oil, condiments and other things.

I use this time to cook at home.

As the Chinese New Year approaches, there is nothing to do in the fields and everyone is staying at home for the winter.

Except for those who had been told in letters, most people in the village didn't know that Xiao Xiangdong's family had returned.

The mule cart bypassed the village and headed straight for the old house in the back village.

From a distance, Meng Xiaoman saw several people standing at the door of her house. When they got closer, she could see clearly that they were Sister Fang's family, Grandpa Zhang, and Xiao Xiangshang and his sister.

The yard and the house were cleaned up, the firewood pile in the corner was full of dry firewood, and the kang in the house was already lit.

I haven't seen Sister Fang for a few years. She looks whiter and fatter than before and younger. It's obvious that she is living a good life after marriage.

But Grandma Zhou and Grandpa Zhang looked visibly older.

Grandma Zhou's legs and feet were not as nimble as before, but she still took small steps to Meng Xiaoman and looked at her and An An with loving eyes.

"Yeah, everything is fine. The child is well raised."

"An An, call me grandma."

An An called out "Grandma" in a baby voice. Grandma Zhou looked at her fair and cute appearance and liked her very much. She touched her head and praised her, "Good child, such a good child, so well behaved."

Xiao Xiangshang looked much stronger and more stable, and was moving things with a few others.

"You've worked hard on this journey, take a rest first, and have dinner at my house tonight."

After Grandma Zhou made the final decision, she took her people home.

Xiao Xiangmei told Meng Xiaoman that she would have lunch at her house tomorrow at noon, and then she went back.

Zhang Dongliang stayed until the end and told Xiao Xiangdong what had happened in the Xiao family in recent years so that he could have an idea of ​​the situation.

It was still the same thatched house and yellow mud yard as when I left, but the thatch on the roof and the yellow mud in the yard had been repaired.

The bedroom, shower room and kitchen were all cleaned spotlessly. There were also some dry goods and grains in the kitchen, which must have been brought by them.

"Wait a couple of days until everything is ready and invite them over for dinner. They must have put a lot of effort into this house."

Even in the cellar, there were more than a dozen cabbages and some radishes and potatoes.

The quilt in the closet was also soft and clean, and you couldn't tell at all that it had been there for several years.

As soon as Meng Xiaoman picked it up, she knew that the quilt had been restuffed and the quilt cover had been washed, and the stitches on it were not hers.

It must be Sister Fang and Grandma Zhou.

A warm feeling passed through Meng Xiaoman's heart.