WBSGVS Chapter 72 V2

In the yard, there were chirping little chicks and lively puppies. The yard was kept very clean, and when the kitchen door opened, it revealed a variety of ingredients and seasonings neatly arranged inside.

Qingli started the fire, and once it was burning well, she had Xiaoyu sit by the stove to warm up while she began cooking. She rarely prepared meals, but she cut some fatty meat to render the fat, then stir-fried a bit of lean meat, and finally added water to cook some noodles, which was the quickest option.

In just a few minutes, the noodles were ready.

Qingli carried them to the main room, letting Xiaoyu sit there to eat, while she went to prepare food for the puppy, and only then did she start eating herself.

At that moment, the neighbor, Aunt Xiuhong, came over with a bamboo basket containing some eggs and fresh vegetables from her garden. “Ah, Qingli is back! I’ve saved the eggs you wanted for you, and these vegetables are from my garden—they look really good, so I’m giving them to you.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Qingli replied, taking the basket. She counted the money and even added an extra dime; there were plenty of vegetables—enough for two or three days.

Seeing the money, Aunt Xiuhong’s eyes crinkled in delight, but she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she intended to sit down and chat with Qingli.

However, as she approached the main room, she noticed the girl inside and was surprised. “Whose girl is this?”

Xiaoyu stood up awkwardly, trying her best to greet her. “Hello, Auntie.”

Her voice was still a bit hoarse and nasally.

“Hello! This little girl is really pretty,” Aunt Xiuhong praised, then turned to Qingli, “Is she sick? Has she taken her medicine? Should I go get some cold medicine from the barefoot doctor?”

“No need, she got an injection and the hospital prescribed medicine,” Qingli shook her head and explained, “This is a child from a friend of my dad. Her parents aren’t around, and there are no adults at home. I just happened to go to her house and brought her back with me.”

After her wash, Xiaoyu looked so lovely that no one could guess who she had been before.

Aunt Xiuhong accepted this without much thought but was a bit worried. “But you’re still a young girl yourself. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be a stepmother? Why take in a child? Can you manage?”

“I can manage,” Qingli said with a smile. “Auntie, please sit down. Is there something you want to tell me?”

Aunt Xiuhong immediately dropped the topic and whispered, “Let me tell you! The Xiang family you were matched with is getting married! The girl is from Songjia Village, and I’ve heard she has a good reputation. She’s quite a big girl, but she had to help at home, so it was delayed. Now that her brother has grown up, they need the betrothal money, so she’s getting married. It’s a pity—an unmarried girl going to be a stepmother!”

Qingli was also a bit surprised, but not about the marriage itself; she asked, “So they’re not having a trial marriage?”

“They probably won’t,” Aunt Xiuhong waved her hand. “I heard they met a few times and thought it went well, so they decided right away. After all, the man has already been married once.”

“Well, that’s good,” Qingli nodded, not planning to say much.

Aunt Xiuhong looked at her oddly. “What’s good about that? That girl is just as foolish as you were! What’s so great about being a stepmother? You can’t scold or hit someone else’s child, and it’s a real headache. Plus, Xiang Lifeng has retired from the army and is just a simple country guy. Besides the money he saved while in the army, what else does he have?”

She shook her head, puzzled. “But I happened to see that girl at work yesterday, and she seemed quite happy. What’s that all about?”

Qingli coughed lightly and tactfully replied, “Maybe she’s looking to avoid having children.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Aunt Xiuhong countered. “How could she not have kids? It’s not something you can just choose. I didn’t want to have kids at first either, but look at how many came after that…”

Qingli was speechless.

At this time, contraceptive methods existed, but they weren’t widely known.

Aunt Xiuhong seemed to realize she was saying too much in front of a girl who wasn’t married. She quickly shut up, got up, and left, but not before asking one last time, “Do you still need eggs, dear?”

“Yes, I do,” Qingli nodded. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Aunt Xiuhong laughed and replied, “Not a bother, not a bother at all.”

Once she left, Qingli went to close the door to prevent the curious puppy from running outside. When she returned, she found Xiaoyu had finished her noodles and was cleaning up the dishes, carefully wiping off a bit of broth she had spilled on the table.

Qingli handed her a cloth. “Use this to wipe it down. After you’re done, you can sit for a bit. You probably got cold washing up in the hospital and didn’t get clean, so I’ll boil some water for you to take a hot bath.”

“Okay!” Xiaoyu replied brightly.

Now that she was full, she felt energetic and worked much more efficiently. After wiping everything down, she washed the cloth and then happily followed Qingli around.

Behind her was a plump little puppy.

The three of them created a cheerful scene together.

In stark contrast, the Xiang family was quite different.

In their small house, Dabao, Erbao, and Sanbao were all gathered together, their expressions far from pleasant.

Except for the youngest, Sanbao, who seemed a bit dazed, Dabao and Erbao were both pouting.

Erbao said, “I tried, and it didn’t work. Dad saw right through it and said it was my fault for running around and falling.”

Dabao gritted his teeth. “Are we just going to watch them get married? Once they’re married, Dad won’t be our dad anymore. If that woman has a baby, we’ll be in even worse trouble!”

Usually the one with ideas, Erbao didn’t say anything.

They had tried various methods, but ultimately, they were too young, and every time, Xiang Lifeng figured them out before they could even put their plans into action.

During this time at home, Xiang Lifeng had indeed witnessed the three kids’ clever antics, but he was always one step ahead, ensuring the three of them couldn’t pull off any tricks.

So, his relationship with Song Dongyun deepened, and both their families found the match suitable—one needed money, and the other a reliable stepmother.

Their marriage was already a done deal.

Even if the three children were unwilling, there was nothing they could do about it.

Dabao was even afraid to express his disagreement in front of Xiang Lifeng because after Xiang Lifeng dealt with the neighbor who was gossiping last time, he had seriously cleared things up with them when they woke from their afternoon nap.

But Dabao didn’t believe Xiang Lifeng’s words.

Being led astray was one thing, but she was old enough to see with her own eyes. Initially, Du Qingli had been very nice to them, but then she suddenly changed, not only deliberately provoking them but also hitting them.

This new stepmother was treating them nicely now, but she would surely turn bad in the future, especially after she had her children.

Dabao wiped his tears and said bitterly, “Shouldn’t we cause a scene at their wedding? I heard that if the bride’s clothes get torn off, she can’t get married.”

Upon hearing this, Erbao’s expression brightened with excitement. “Right! I’ve heard that too!”

The two exchanged glances and then turned their eyes to Sanbao…