The cleansed face made Zheng Bajin's eyes light up.
As expected, she is not black, just dirty.
As the stains were removed, a fair face appeared in front of him. Her appearance was also very upright, and she looked like an extremely pure girl. She was worthy of being his wife.
Nian Jianan looked happy and stopped pulling coal. He planned to take time to spend more time with Qingqing.
At this time, the food was already on the table. Zheng Bajin didn't care much and started eating as soon as it was on the table.
Nian Jianan wanted to put Qingqing to bed, but Zheng Bajin stopped him: "Don't touch her yet, let her rest where she is!"
Nian Jian'an didn't dare to move anymore, but brought a blanket and covered Qing Qing.
After finishing all this, Nian Jianan came to the table and ate with Zheng Bajin.
On the table, there are three dishes and one soup, including meat and rice. In this era, it is considered quite rich.
Zheng Bajin, who hadn't even eaten breakfast and didn't care about being half-immortal or not, had already swallowed a bowl of rice and was putting a piece of fat meat into his mouth.
The oil and water whetted his appetite!
The body that has been short of oil for a long time is replenishing nutrients at this time, just like the land that has been dry for a long time, absorbing nectar like crazy.
This is also the reason why, as of 1992, fat meat is extremely valuable and is more valuable than lean meat.
Xiaocao also whetted her appetite. She ate a piece of meat and praised it profusely, temporarily forgetting her sister's suffering.
Suddenly, her little face moved, her eyes rolled, she put a few pieces of fat meat into an empty bowl, and said happily: "I have to save some for my sister. She hasn't eaten such delicious meat for a long time."
Zheng Bajin was startled, and then he understood in his heart that although Nian Jianan made money outside every day, most of the married women lost out, so naturally he was not willing to buy meat for his stepdaughter Qingqing to eat.
Nian Jian'an frowned and looked at Mrs. Bao.
Mrs. Bao's face froze for a moment, and she hurriedly explained: "Well, I usually don't want to buy food with the money you give me. Most of it is used to treat Qingqing. Now that she is better, her disease has improved, it is time to save Come with the money and give her some nutrition.”
After saying that, he glared at Xiaocao.
Nian Jian'an's expression softened a lot, and he nodded and said, "As long as Qingqing gets better and buys more meat to eat, we can make more money."
Zheng Bajin sneered in his heart, expecting Mrs. Bao to give her some meat? That's really a widow whose son is dead - Wu Zhi (Zi) Wang!
Pork now costs a few bucks per pound, which is almost a person’s day’s wages.
Zheng Bajin put down his bowl and felt sad. He was eating and drinking so much that his mother and grandmother at home might not even be able to eat potatoes.
Of course, there is another reason: I am too embarrassed to eat anymore, otherwise, I will be robbed by Xiaocao for a few words, and my face will not be improved.
Besides, I earned seventy yuan easily. Isn’t it easy to eat meat? Never let a woman sit on a stone slab at this time - it's a small gain but a big loss!
…
After dinner, it was already past four in the afternoon.
Seeing that Qingqing hadn't woken up yet, Nian Jianan stopped going to make money and stayed at home. Zheng Bajin felt relieved and said, "Uncle Nian is watching at home. I'll go out and get some medicine for her."
"I'll go with you. Qingqing can be with her mother."
"No, it's useless if Uncle Nian goes there. I can do it alone. Aren't you afraid that I'll run away? Don't worry, if you say you'll do your best to treat her, you will do your best and you won't give up halfway." Zheng Bajin said with a smile.
"No, it's nothing. I just want to give you a hand." Nian Jian'an said with some embarrassment. He didn't know that Zheng Bajin used to be a gambler, he only knew that he loved drinking. But now it seems like I really don’t drink anymore.
Seeing that Qingqing has improved again, I feel really happy and just want to do my best to do something for her.
"I'll go with you!" Xiaocao said naively.
"No, I can go alone." Zheng Bajin said, pulled a handful of grass, took it aside and said softly, "Your task now is to help me watch over my sister and stop letting others bully her. Otherwise, the gods will not be able to cure her disease."
Xiaocao is a smart child. He glanced at Qingqing, nodded, and said softly: "Okay, you can go with ease. As long as I am here, I will never allow anyone to bully my sister."
After saying that, he looked at his mother warily.
Zheng Bajin nodded, reached out and gently stroked Xiaocao's head, then looked at Nian Jianan and nodded, went out, picked up the basket on the ground, picked up a small hoe, and went up the mountain.
Behind Nianjia Village, a few miles away, is a large mountain, and there must be medicine on it.
In this era, no matter how high or steep the mountain is, no one is afraid. There are people cutting grass on it all day long.
As soon as the hair grows, people cut it off, which is called cutting leeks!
Pick them back home, feed them to livestock, or make bedding grass. Giving poultry a clean and comfortable home can also help them accumulate fat for the coming year. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
Zheng Bajin went up the mountain and stared at the bare mountain in a daze.
However, he did not give up and continued deeper into the mountain.
The sun was scorching hot, and the two men who were mowing the grass wiped their sweat and looked at this uninvited guest, looking at him strangely.
Zheng Bajin glanced at the piles of grass on the ground, with a few Shouwu vines mixed in among them. His eyes lit up and he said happily: "Brothers, are you cutting the washer grass?"
"Yes, young man, what are you looking for?" The two men were also very kind. Unlike people a few decades later, they would be wary of strangers when they saw them and would not even dare to say a word.
"Hey, that's it. Do you know a man named Nian Jian'an?"
"We know each other, not far from us, but he has a daughter who has been crazy for many years." The two men looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
Zheng Bajin suddenly became interested. He took out half a pack of low-quality cigarettes in his arms, smoked two and gave them to the two of them. He sighed and said, "Yes, that person named Qingqing is really pitiful. What a good girl." , I don’t know why it became like this?”
The two men took the cigarettes and their liking for him increased a bit. Although this kind of cigarette only costs a dime a pack, most people in rural areas cannot afford to smoke it.
When someone gives them a cigarette, it becomes a way of conveying kindness invisibly.
The two of them lit up their cigarettes, nodded, and one of them said: "You don't know, Qingqing was originally a good child. She studied well, had a good family background, and was a good student. Unfortunately, her mother ran away with someone..."
The two of them seemed to have been holding back a story for a long time, and finally found an audience, and told them all they knew.
It turned out that when Qingqing was ten years old, her mother suddenly left the village for unknown reasons and ended up unknown.
Qingqing was too young, so she accompanied Nian Jian'an to find several relatives, but there was no trace of her mother's whereabouts, and she had no choice but to shed tears.
From that time on, her mind was hit, she became a little dull, her brain was no longer so flexible, and her learning naturally plummeted.
In the same year, Nian Jian'an married Bao Juan, who Zheng Bajin called Mrs. Bao.
At first, this woman was very kind to Qingqing. Everyone said that she wanted to make up for the maternal love that Qingqing had lost. People also said that Qingqing had a kind stepmother.
Two years later, Bao Juan gave birth to Xiaocao. Nian Jian'an was very happy and did not let her do heavy work. She drove the car to support the family by herself, and sometimes had to work in the fields.
However, one day, Qingqing's real nightmare begins.
Early in the morning, Bao Juan carried Xiaocao and Qingqing on her back, saying she would take her to the street to buy clothes.
However, in the afternoon, word spread throughout the streets of Shangyu Township that Qingqing had stolen someone else's things and was paraded through the streets.
Before Qing and Qing came back, people going to the market in Nianjia Village brought the news back to the village.
At that time, Nian Jian'an, who had just finished selling coal, heard the news and felt that Qingqing had lost his face, the entire Nian family, and his ancestors, so he went out on the street without shame.
Bao Juan, crying all the way, her eyes like peaches, returned home, crying for Nian Jianan to rescue Qingqing.
Nian Jian'an couldn't calm down at that time. He couldn't let go of his dignity and went out without face. He just paced back and forth at home.
It wasn't until evening that Qingqing's uncle heard the news and rushed to the street from Sanjia Village a few miles away and brought back Qingqing who was unconscious.
Zheng Bajin already knew what happened next. What he was wondering was, did Qingqing really steal something?
The two men were not sure about this. After all, apart from Bao Juan, only Qingqing knew it best. However, she is silent now.
Seeing that both of them sympathized with Qingqing, Zheng Bajin took the opportunity to make a request: "To be honest, I think Qingqing's disease can be cured, but you two have to endure the pain and part ways."
"Us?" The two of them looked at Zheng Bajin strangely, not believing that they could still help, and hurriedly said, "You said, as long as we can do it, for the sake of the people in the same village, we will definitely help her. "
"Okay, actually I don't want you two to do anything big. Just give me the vines you are cutting. I will use them for my own use." Zheng Bajin said and picked up the Shouwu vines from the grass of the two of them.
"Oh, you said this is it. There are more mountains above. We will take you there." The two of them were very enthusiastic.
Zheng Bajin couldn't believe that the enthusiasm of two people who were neither relatives nor friends was even more enthusiastic than Qingqing's relatives.
At the same time, Mrs. Bao regretted it endlessly.
She never dreamed that Qingqing, which had been going on for several years without any signs of improvement, would actually settle down in the hands of Zheng Bajin, a gambler, no longer making troubles, no longer afraid, and fell into a deep sleep.
And this gambler was brought in by her, which really led the wolf into the house.
She wanted to stimulate Qingqing several times, but Xiaocao stayed by her side and couldn't move away. She didn't dare to force herself, otherwise, Nian Jianan would definitely know what she had done.
She had no choice but to endure the merciless torment of painful waiting in her heart. She could only pray that this bastard Zheng Bajin accidentally fell to death when going up the mountain, or was killed by a thief! Even if you take the money and run away, you can accept it.
However, this time, things didn't go as planned. Before dark, Zheng Bajin came back with a small basket of vines.
Nian Jian'an was extremely happy and hurriedly asked Bao Juan to soak him with water.
Bao Juan was stunned, unwilling to accept the fact that this kid was back.
So she didn't hear clearly what Nian Jianan asked her to do?
It wasn't until Nian Jian'an cursed: "Are you stupid!" that he came to his senses and said hurriedly: "Okay, I'll go cook right away."
Nian Jian'an looked at the lost Bao Juan and couldn't help but frown. He was about to curse a few more words, but he saw Zheng Bajin carrying a basin himself, putting the Polygonum multiflorum vine in it, and hurriedly went to help fetch water.
Zheng Bajin was quick with his hands and feet. He quickly washed the Shouwu vine, put it in a sand pot, and boiled it over a slow fire.
Once again, Bao Juan's outlook on life was ruined, and she even had some doubts that he was not a real gambler, and that treating and rescuing people was his specialty.
After she saw that it was just an ordinary Shouwu vine, she was lucky. This broken vine could not cure the crazy Qingqing.
