Chapter 7

During this period of time, her daughter had become diligent and quiet. There was no longer a trace of arrogance in her.

Du Hongmei saw this and felt happy. She had also wondered why her daughter had changed so much.

Could it be that she had offended someone and wanted to invite the village's flower watchers to take a look? She had just muttered this to Old Xia in the room when Old Xia scolded her for being superstitious!

Xia Chenxi wanted to change herself. If it wasn't for the fact that the time was not right, she wouldn't have wanted to use the name Xia Juan!

She knew that her actions had comforted the Xia family, but at the same time, they had some doubts.

However, she couldn't care less. The most important thing was to get rid of the label on her and let everyone know that she had turned over a new leaf and become a good person.

Xia Chenxi woke up early in the morning. While Du Hongmei went out to fetch water, she busied herself with the kitchen stove.

Xia Dongsheng would wake up in the morning and smoke a cigarette. Then, he would go out and walk around the village before finally returning home.

Xia Chenxi observed for a few days and knew that this was Xia Dongsheng's habit. He wouldn't go out unless it was raining.

Seeing that he had already woken up, Xia Chenxi hurriedly brought some water for him to wash his face. Xia Dongsheng looked at her and asked, "Where's your mother?"

"Fetching water!" Xia Chenxi said. Then she looked up and asked, "Dad, shall we have handmade noodles for breakfast?"

The Yiliang Brigade was relatively poor. They worked in the fields all year round. The national grain that they handed over was deducted and the remaining grain that was given to the brigade members was barely enough to keep them from going hungry.

Even though Xia Dongsheng was a village leader and received a subsidy of three yuan a month, there were only a few mouths to feed at home. Their lives were still tight.

Xia Chenxi ate salted vegetables, all kinds of coarse grains, and sorghum noodle soup every day. Everything tasted so bland in her mouth that it was almost tasteless.

Even the thought of noodles made her salivate.

Xia Dongsheng looked at his daughter's sparkling eyes and couldn't help but nod.

Xia Chenxi got the nod and immediately ran to her mother's room with the basin.

All the food at home was kept in a cabinet in her mother's room. If she didn't prepare it when Du Hongmei came back, she would have had sorghum noodle soup again this morning.

When Xia Dongsheng saw that she was so happy after eating a bowl of handmade noodles, he also smiled. However, this smile was just a glimpse. Xia Dongsheng sighed and knocked the pipe in his hand on the chair. There was still not enough food to eat.

The two brothers, Xia Zhiyuan and Xia Zhigang, lived side by side, separated only by a piece of cloth. One lived inside, the other outside, and they both entered through the same door.

Xia Zhiyuan had already gotten up and put on his clothes. Xia Zhigang was lying in the outer room. He turned over and mumbled without opening his eyes, "There's no work today. Why did you wake up so early?"

It was rare for him to have some free time today. Xia Zhiyuan couldn't understand why Xia Zhigang insisted on waking up early.

Xia Zhiyuan got dressed and looked out of the small window. He said expressionlessly, "Go back to sleep. The sun is already shining on your butt."

Xia Zhigang, "…"

Xia Chenxi came out of Du Hongmei's room with flour and bumped into her brother. She said, "Good morning, Big Brother." Xia Zhiyuan just nodded and walked out.

She had been here for quite some time. Xia Chenxi had also figured out the temperament of the few people in the family. Xia Dongsheng was the head of the family, Du Hongmei was hardworking and capable, and occasionally liked to nag. As for her two cheap brothers, they were two extremes. One of them was like a monkey in the sky, there was no time for him to stop; the other one was like a stick that could not produce a fart, he would carry on silently until the end.

Her cheap brother, Xia Dongsheng, although not Xia Dongsheng's biological son, he also grew up in the Xia family. Xia Wanwan also treated him like her biological son. However, he was like an invisible person. She didn't see him say much. Even when he spoke, his face was serious and he acted like an old man. He was like a replica of Xia Dongsheng. He had the style of an old man.

He didn't speak much and often pretended to be deep. Xia Chenxi looked at him and felt tired.

Du Hongmei went back and forth a few times to fill the water tank at home. When she saw her daughter making handmade noodles, she suddenly felt her heart ache. She said, "I say, girl, there's only that little flour at home. Don't think about it all day."

Xia Chenxi didn't stop moving her hands and said, "Mom, I'll eat it early or late anyway. Besides, Dad told me to make handmade noodles in the morning."

Du Hongmei didn't believe her. "Your dad said that?"

Xia Chenxi nodded calmly. "Of course. If you don't believe me, you can ask Big Brother."

"Big Brother, do you think it was Dad who told us to eat handmade noodles?"

Xia Chenxi turned her head and looked at Xia Zhiyuan, who was chopping firewood in the yard. She blinked at him and thought to herself, Don't expose me.

Du Hongmei was a little reluctant. It wasn't that she was afraid that her child would eat it. However, she only got so little this year. If she didn't plan carefully, she wouldn't be able to survive!

Xia Zhiyuan looked at the two women talking about a meal. He pretended not to hear it. However, when the topic was thrown at him, Xia Zhiyuan stopped what he was doing.

Xia Chenxi kept making faces at him. She didn't know if he understood. Xia Chenxi didn't know how to get along with this big brother of hers.

He was too quiet and too boring. She didn't know what he was thinking at all. It was hard to figure out.

Xia Zhiyuan said, "That's what Dad said."

Du Hongmei believed him. Although she still felt sorry for him, she said, "Your dad still loves you dearly."

Xia Chenxi smiled and said, "Who asked me to be his youngest daughter?

Of course my dad loves me. "

Xia Dongsheng really liked this daughter of his. To be precise, in this village where the preference for boys was extremely serious, Xia Dongsheng didn't have this trait.

He was very good to all the children in the family. However, Xia Dongsheng seemed to be more patient with the youngest child.

Xia Dongsheng got married late. After he started a family with Du Hongmei, they had a few children. In the end, only two of them survived. Perhaps this was the reason why Xia Dongsheng valued his daughters as much as his daughters.

Xia Zhigang didn't come out until it was time to eat. He looked sleepy and was scolded by Xia Dongsheng. Xia Zhigang was used to it. When he saw the steaming bowl of noodles on the table, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Xia Chenxi was picking out a bowl of noodles for Xia Dongsheng. When she saw her second brother coming over, she took the bowl and chopsticks. Xia Chenxi patted him lightly and said with a smile, "Second Brother, you're too unhygienic. You don't wash your face or brush your teeth before eating breakfast. If you're so unhygienic, no girl will dare to marry you in the future."

The two of them were only a year apart in age. Although the relationship between the siblings wasn't very harmonious in the past, Xia Chenxi was now trying to reconcile with her family.

During this period of time, her relationship with Xia Zhigang had improved a lot. She intended to repair the relationship with the Xia family.

Xia Zhigang was hit by his sister, but he wasn't angry. He smiled and said, "What unhygienic? If it's dirty, you won't get sick."

Xia Chenxi rolled her eyes at him. "Be careful of worms in your stomach!"

"I don't have any oil in my stomach. Worms can't grow."

In the past, the siblings were like nails and holes. They would fight whenever they got together. Neither of them liked the other. Although they often bickered now, they were very different from before. They were much closer. Du Hongmei didn't have any other thoughts in her life. She just wanted her family to be harmonious.

In the past, her youngest daughter had a strange personality and couldn't get close to anyone in the family. Du Hongmei was very worried.

Now, it was the eldest son who was worrying.

Du Hongmei looked at her eldest son, who was squatting silently at the door, and sighed in her heart.

"Okay, just eat the noodles. Don't talk so much."

Du Hongmei glared at Xia Zhigang. "I think your sister is right. If you don't wash your face and brush your teeth, who would want to marry you?"

Xia Zhigang pursed his lips. "It's still early for me. Don't I still have Big Brother? Mom, if you want to marry a daughter-in-law, you can marry one for Big Brother."

Although they were laughing, Xia Chenxi also looked at his eldest brother, Xia Zhiyuan, who was squatting at the door like an invisible person. Speaking of which, Xia Zhiyuan wasn't young anymore. He was in his twenties. In this era, it was rare that he hadn't married yet.

The original novel didn't describe the Xia family very much. It only said that Xia Juan's father was a village official, and his second brother wanted to be a soldier. The eldest son's name wasn't even mentioned.

Xia Chenxi couldn't understand sometimes. Xia Zhiyuan wasn't bad looking, had a good family background, and was strong at work. How could he still be single?

However, Xia Chenxi didn't want to ask about this at the moment.

After breakfast, Xia Chenxi and Xia Zhiyuan followed Du Hongmei into the city.

This was Xia Chenxi's first time entering the city. Moreover, this was still the seventies. Everything was so unfamiliar, but there was a sense of surprise.

Du Hongmei had a few bills in his arms. On the way, he had already thought of what to buy.

His eldest brother's age couldn't be delayed any longer. He was already 25 years old, but he was still single. If he didn't marry a wife soon, who knew how much gossip would come out later.

Xia Chenxi's eyes were wide open as she looked at everything in the city. Compared with the big cities with tall buildings and flashing neon lights a few decades later, the city now was very old and dilapidated. However, entering the city was still a grand event for the villagers.

Coincidentally, today was the day of the market. There were many people on the streets, and it was a hubbub of voices. Even Xia Chenxi, an outsider, was affected by the joy.

Xia Zhigang didn't seem to be interested. He had some money in his pocket, but after walking around with his mother and sister, he still didn't know what to buy.

After a while, Xia Zhigang was a little annoyed. He said, "Mom, I won't go shopping with you. I'll look around and go home by myself."

Xia Chenxi saw that her second brother had run away. She also wanted to walk around and look around.

However, she didn't have any money. Moreover, she didn't have any tickets and didn't know the way. Although she was envious, she still followed Du Hongmei angrily.