Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 150

Zhao Da'e dislikes heat, but she doesn't particularly like cold either. Winter is a comfortable season for her; she likes to heat the house very warmly, then leave a crack in the window for ventilation, making it more comfortable to live in.

Therefore, Zhao Dage became Zhou Chunwen's "little spendthrift".

Although her cousin Zhou Chunwen was very obedient and made Zhao Da'e heat the kang (a heated brick bed) very well, she couldn't help but feel that Zhao Da'e's habit of leaving a crack in the window in the middle of the night was a bit unusual.

Early in the morning, the outside was covered in snow. Although the snow was not heavy, the cold weather still made the yard a vast expanse of white.

Zhao Da'e had just woken up when she heard her cousin Zhou Chunwen fiddling around outside the window, seemingly trying to find a way to keep the window open without cooling the room down. But clearly, Zhou Chunwen's intelligence didn't allow her to think of such things…

That's simply impossible. It's around -20°C outside, and it's hard to stay inside at 17 or 18°C. If you open a crack in the window, it'll barely reach 7 or 8°C. 7 or 8°C is cold for Zhou Chunwen. Although she can bear it, she still has to cover herself with a thick blanket.

“Big sister, don’t bother. Let me tell you, if we just put up a frame outside the window and cover it with plastic sheeting, that’ll be fine. It’s such a simple method, so easy,” Zhao Da’e said, his head tucked under the covers. “But that’s like putting up a greenhouse. It’ll be warm, but you won’t be able to see the real sun. If there’s plastic sheeting behind it, I won’t be able to see the world clearly…”

“Today, I’ll have my dad set up the scaffold and cover it with plastic sheeting,” Zhou Chunwen said. “Given you, the goose should go outside to see the world. What’s the point of looking at the world from inside? I heard early this morning that your dad and grandpa had a fight yesterday.”

Zhao Da'e lazily rubbed his eyes: "Let them argue. It's just that little thing. My grandpa must think that my grandma is uncomfortable squatting by the fence because it's snowing. But obviously, my grandpa is overthinking it. Even if it's not snowing, squatting by the fence is uncomfortable..."

Zhou Chunwen was clearly stunned: What the goose said makes a lot of sense. Who the hell can enjoy squatting on a fence? But it's even more miserable on snowy days.

"My grandfather must be using filial piety to pressure my father. But my father can't handle this. Even if it were me, I couldn't handle it. Wang Guixiang brought this upon herself. Why would she frame me for nothing?" Zhao Da'e was displeased, recalling what happened that day: "Sister, do you think Wang Guixiang is crazy? Just say the passbook is lost. Wouldn't that leave no evidence? If it's lost, it's gone. Call the police, do whatever you want. It's all fine. As long as she says the passbook is gone, no one can do anything to her."

But she's malicious. She insisted I stole it. Now she's tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. She should go to jail and reflect on her actions. Otherwise, if she keeps causing trouble, our family will be ruined. Who can live with such a muddle-headed old man and woman?

The saying goes, "It's not scarcity that's worrisome, but inequality." For the first two years, we were incredibly poor, and my dad and my third uncle came to help. Now that the money is gone, they didn't make a scene that day. Instead, my grandma claimed the money was missing and accused me of stealing it. It turned out she lent it to me… no, she gave it to my aunt, and my aunt denied it. That's why the two brothers are fighting.”

Zhao Da'e got up and put on his clothes. Unable to sleep in because of Zhou Chunwen's noise, he got up.

Go out to get firewood to start a fire. In winter, most of the time is spent heating the kang (a heated brick bed) or on the way to heat the kang.

Zhou Chunwen is in charge of cooking.

It must be said that Zhou Chunwen's cooking is quite good; at least it's flavorful. Better than Cheng Jinxiang's cooking.

When Zhao Da'e thought of his mother's cooking, although it wasn't particularly bad, Cheng Jinxiang only knew how to stew dishes, and everything she cooked was stewed.

Potatoes stewed with green beans, potatoes stewed with potatoes, green beans stewed with green beans, cabbage stewed with potatoes...

"Big sister, buy some tofu and freeze it. I want to eat frozen tofu."

Zhou Chunwen was stunned for a moment: "The tofu maker's family makes tofu whole. We provide the soybeans, and he doesn't charge us. We give him the tofu residue. That's how we save money."

"Making one is a bit too much, what if I don't want to eat it anymore in a few days?"

Zhou Chunwen said helplessly, "Don't make a fuss. You eat more than anyone else. When there are no vegetables, you even pick up green onions and start gnawing on them."

Zhao Da'e gave an awkward chuckle.

"I can make tofu too. What's so difficult about that?" Zhou Yuren suddenly came out of the house and said, "This isn't a TV show. Anyone can make tofu. It's just taking some soybeans, boiling them, mashing them, adding some brine, and you have tofu. It's not difficult at all."

"Do you have any brine, Uncle?" Zhao Da'e asked helplessly.

Zhou Yuren lowered his head awkwardly: There's no brine.

You have to make the brine yourself. I don't know exactly how.

"Oh right, didn't you say you used brine to make tofu? Is that brine poisonous? Then why are you eating tofu?" Zhou Chunwen suddenly remembered.

Zhao Da'e once complained that brine is poisonous and that eating too much of it is bad for you.

Zhao Da'e did indeed mention that there wasn't much to eat in winter. It was mostly potatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, and radishes.

There's nothing else.

Dongtaizi Village doesn't have vegetable greenhouses, so there are no fresh vegetables. And then there's meat; it's quite expensive. Zhao Da'e hasn't achieved meat freedom yet, and she's lucky if she eats cabbage stew with vermicelli every day. She was thinking of eating some frozen tofu, but Zhou Chunwen almost vetoed it.

"Let's go to the tofu maker's house to make some tofu another day. Otherwise, it'll be New Year's in a couple of days, and we won't be able to get a turn." Zhao Da'e concluded, "Let my second sister go. My second sister doesn't do much work anyway."

Zhou Chunhong, who was still half asleep, had no idea that she was suddenly given an extra job.

"Big Goose, is something wrong with your dad? He's been working for six or seven years, and the old lady and the old man have squandered all his money. Could he be thinking of doing something rash?" Zhou Yuren asked with considerable concern.

"No," Zhao Da'e said calmly.

Zhao Tiesheng was actually a pretty strong person; the Zhao family couldn't withstand such a huge blow. However, that person wasn't Zhao Tiesheng; it should be Zhao Tiegang.

The money for building the house for Old Zhao's family is gone, and Zhao Tiesheng suffered the biggest loss. He'd worked for nothing for many years. Zhao Da'e knew this perfectly well, but the money was long gone, and he'd never hoped for it again.

Zhao Da'e was also worried about having a home in her new house, but despite her worries, she wasn't too concerned for the time being. For Zhao Da'e, all she needed was to be independent and have her own place. Even just one room would be enough.

That's not a big problem; after all, what Zhao Da'e's family needs is a place to stay. Nothing else is involved.

Moreover, Zhao Da'e is now able to earn some money, and things are gradually getting better.

Most importantly, Zhao Da'e was a girl. So Zhao Tiesheng wasn't in a hurry. And now that Zhao Da'e's younger sister is also a daughter, Zhao Tiesheng is even less in a hurry. He doesn't need to build a house or help his daughter get married, even if that's many years from now, but Zhao Tiesheng certainly doesn't have that worry in the short term.

Zhao Da'e didn't know if she would have a younger brother or anything like that in the future, but that wasn't something she was considering. It was all too early to think about.

But Zhao Tiegang was different; he had a son.

They have a son, but no new house.

This is not a good situation, but a particularly bad one. Zhang Cuilan has gone back to her parents' home, and Zhao Tiegang is now in the most distressed position.

Moreover, he desperately needs a new house. Putting aside the fact that he doesn't work, if Zhao Tiegang doesn't have a new house, will Zhang Cuilan be able to come back?

Putting aside the issue of his son finding a wife in the future, Zhao Tiegang is already worried because his own wife has run away. How could he not be anxious?

Before she left, Zhang Cuilan said that she would never come back without a new house.

Zhang Cuilan's return to her parents' home was completely different from that of Zhao Da'e's mother, Cheng Jinxiang. Zhang Cuilan had set conditions; if Zhao Tiegang couldn't meet those conditions, how could Zhang Cuilan return?

Therefore, Zhao Da'e was not worried about Zhao Tiesheng at all, but was worried about his third uncle.

Uncle San's character isn't great, especially when he's drunk. He's not exactly a model citizen either, but relatively speaking, he's much better than Zhang Cuilan.

Zhao Da'e thought that her third uncle was alright, at least better than Zhang Cuilan, her grandmother Wang Guixiang, and her grandfather Zhao Tingxu.

Zhao Tiegang was just okay with Zhao Da'e, always treating him like a child, so there was no question of good or bad.

“My third uncle is really upset. You’ll see in a few days, he’ll definitely make a huge scene. Zhang Cuilan is so ruthless, she can’t do anything to anyone, let alone my third uncle. She doesn’t even care about her own son.” Zhao Da’e said with a sigh, “Zhao Yongbo is only four years old, and she’s already willing to leave the child behind and go straight back to her parents’ home.”

When my mother went back to her parents' home, she wanted to take me with her; she couldn't bear to part with me. It was my own decision not to go back. Zhang Cuilan didn't consider my younger brother at all. He's a heartless person. She won't be back anytime soon.

If Zhang Cuilan doesn't come back, and my third uncle can't live without his wife, he'll die without her. That's his love... ugh. That's Zhao Laosan's lifeblood. My third uncle is such a good-for-nothing, he can't live without women, so he's always drinking. He used to drink three times a day, now he drinks six. After drinking, I reckon Zhao Laosan and the old man will explode soon.”

Thinking of this, Zhao Da'e chuckled: "Just you wait and see. My third uncle is the one who can cause trouble. The Zhao family will never have a peaceful day again. Zhao Laosan and Zhang Cuilan, those two can drive the old folks to their deaths ahead of time. The Zhao family is basically ruined. They don't need to do anything else, they can just fight every day from now on."

Zhou Chunwen was stunned for a moment: "Then what are you going to do? If you don't go to school after the New Year, you'll have to go to school in the fall. Your family is always fighting, how are you going to watch the excitement while you're at school?"

Zhou Yuren glared at Zhou Chunwen, thinking to himself, "You two sisters, how come your thought processes are so convoluted? You're always thinking about other people fighting."

Zhao Da'e tended the fire, and once the water boiled, he poured it in. Then he made tea.

A cup of tea in the morning keeps you awake all day.

“I’m taking leave to go see the show.” Zhao Da’e chuckled. “Of course, that’s possible. My aunt eventually took out the money and gave it to my third uncle, without telling my dad.”

"But it's no use. I still have to teach my third uncle another day. The old man and woman didn't get 30,000 yuan. It was 40,000 or 50,000 yuan. Speaking of which, I forgot to tell my second aunt about her dowry and the money for the house. It seems that after I finish this, I'll find some time to sow discord between my second aunt and Wang Guixiang."

"Goose, keep going! You're driving the old folks crazy," Zhou Chunwen said with a laugh.

Zhao Da'e scoffed and took a sip of tea.

“They just bully me because I’m a girl. If I were a son, my dad would stand up for me, and my mom wouldn’t have to suffer like that,” Zhao Da’e said confidently. “Of course, that’s not true.”

"They're inherently bad. In their eyes, I'm a girl, and I'll get married eventually, right? Just like you, eldest sister, you'll get married too. That's why my older cousin never worries about you inheriting the family fortune. Of course, besides having plenty of firewood, your family doesn't have much else to inherit..."

Zhou Yuren, standing to the side, looked embarrassed: "..."

Zhou Chunwen was also extremely embarrassed: "Big Goose, don't talk about my family. My dad is listening."

Zhou Yuren quickly said, "I'll go do the work."

"Bring back more firewood."

"Hmm... Hmm???" Zhou Yuren walked away looking unhappy.

“Everyone thinks about what happens to girls after they get married, without considering their studies. What if they get into university? But look, they clearly won’t let me go to university.” Zhao Da’e sighed. “In their eyes, there’s only my aunt, who is also a woman. But she got into university and got a job. Wang Guixiang and Zhao Tingxu are just sucking up to their daughter. They’re completely out of their minds.”

My aunt is the most uncouth person in the whole family. She's a true descendant of my grandmother, Wang Guixiang. She's utterly despicable. She's the kind of person who'd suck the marrow out of a bone. A complete ingrate.

"As for me, they won't even let me go to school. They can't even bear to spend the 120 yuan tuition and fees per semester," Zhao Da'e complained.

For Zhao Da'e, studying doesn't guarantee success, but learning some words is good too. At least if he's ever sold off, he'll know how much he was sold for.

Besides, many people say that knowledge changes destiny, and reading is also a way of learning knowledge.

Zhou Chunwen also sighed: "My dad didn't let me go to junior high school either."

Zhao Da'e blew on the tea leaves in her teacup, rolling her eyes: "Cousin, you really didn't pass the exam. If you had passed the junior high exam, we would have let you go to school."

The snow was still falling, and Zhao Da'e wasn't in a good mood either. After breakfast, he ate lunch, and after lunch, he planned to take a nap.

Xiangzi has been working exceptionally well these past few days, almost like he's possessed. He hardly needs Zhao Da'e's help and has taken on the entire water delivery job by himself.

Perhaps because Zhao Da'e promised Xiangzi he would visit Cai Xiaofeng in a few days, Xiangzi worked more.

The power of love!

Zhao Da'e curled his lip: This woman is so beautiful, even though she's divorced, she's still so sought after.

Xiangzi's family was alright, but in the countryside, when it comes to finding a wife, anything that comes along is fair game. The standards for a wife weren't too high: a woman who could bear children.

As for other things, it seems that no one cares about appearance or figure.

The most common saying is: "As long as you know how to manage your life, that's enough."

For men in rural areas, finding a wife and having children is already incredibly difficult, so being too picky is unlikely. Although Xiangzi is a young man, Zhao Da'e thinks his family wouldn't object if he married a divorced woman.

Besides, Cai Xiaofeng seems to be quite pretty.

The snow was still falling outside the window. Zhao Da'e had no intention of going out to play in the snow; it was too cold. Living in this icy and snowy environment every day, why would he want to go out and play in the snow?

You've lost your mind!