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After finally sending off Uncle Aiguo, Wen Qian was drenched in sweat; being too enthusiastic wasn't necessarily a good thing. She turned around and shot a glare at Lu Zheng, who was as silent as a wooden block, not uttering a word but just following behind and listening.
Selling the house to Uncle Aiguo was a good choice; he held a position in the village, and the old Lu family wouldn't dare to act recklessly. She intended to take half of the proceeds, but which half would depend on how she decided to divide it.
There was still a good show to come in the afternoon! The old Lu family still owed her two hundred yuan, and it was time to collect the pots, pans, and other items. Now was the best time for it.
She led Lu Zheng and Lu Chen into the house to rummage through their belongings. The red flower ceramic basin was part of her dowry and had to be taken. Most of the items in the kitchen were things Ding Cuihua had taken from the Wen family, and she intended to take all of them.
If it weren't for the fact that the Wen family's house was uninhabitable, Wen Qian would have wanted to move out immediately. This teacup also came from the Wen family; she would take that too.
All sorts of items were piled up in the courtyard, most of which were brought over by Ding Cuihua from the Wen family, along with some that were part of her dowry. When Wen's parents were alive, they had started preparing her dowry early on, hoping their daughter would have a good life and marry well.
They only had this one daughter and feared she might be bullied after marrying into another family, with no one from her maternal family to support her.
Wen Qian stared blankly at a handkerchief on the ground; she had lost this handkerchief on the second day of her marriage and had searched for it for a long time without success. She never expected it would end up being used by Zhang Yan to wipe the table.
She crouched down slowly to pick it up, looking at the small red flower embroidered on it. This was stitched by her mother back in the day, and she could still remember that scene vividly.
Her mother sat by the bed stitching flowers while Wen Qian leaned against her shoulder munching on snacks that her father had specially bought for her. Her mother raised her hand and playfully tapped her nose, looking at her with affection. "Little lazybug, what will you do when you get married? Your mother can't take care of you anymore."
Wen Qian looked at her mother innocently and said, "Mom, what if I don’t get married? I’ll stay with you and Dad forever."
"Foolish child, who doesn’t get married? Your mother and father can’t be with you for a lifetime," her mother replied while pointing at the handkerchief in her hand. "I embroidered this flower for you; my daughter’s life must be as bright and flourishing as this little red flower."
Wen Qian felt a pang in her nose as tears welled up in her eyes, as if she were speaking directly to her mother.
"Mother, who says that after getting married I’m still a little lazy? I’ve become quite diligent, so much so that it’s almost taking my life away.
I understand all your repeated warnings; I should have understood them in my past life. I’m doing well now because of the relationships I’ve built.
I’ve become quite capable; no one can bully me anymore, so you can rest assured! Don’t worry about me; my future will definitely be bright and prosperous, just as you envisioned.
Two glistening tears fell from the corners of my eyes, landing heavily on the small red flower that had been dirtied.
Lu Chen looked at Wen Qian with concern, frowning as he glanced helplessly at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng ruffled his hair, knowing that Wen Qian was missing her family. They had grown up in the same village and had seen how she was cherished throughout her upbringing.
He felt guilty towards her, towards Xiao Chen, and even more so towards his in-laws.
Wen Qian walked into the house and picked up a pair of scissors to cut off the small red flower. It was the only thing left by her mother; everything else had been taken away by Wen Mu.
Looking around the yard, she thought that even if she discarded these things, she wouldn’t leave them for the Lu family. Some items couldn’t just be bought with money; they required tickets as well.
They couldn’t take them away, but surely someone in the village would need them. Although trading wasn’t allowed right now, people could discreetly come and go without anyone interfering.
Ding Cuihua had been hearing noises from the yard but hadn’t gone out to check. However, she urgently needed to relieve herself and couldn’t delay any longer.
As soon as she stepped out of the living room, she saw a pile of things in the yard and her eyes widened in shock, her mind racing.
Forgetting her urgency, she hurried over and angrily questioned, "What are you doing? What’s going on here?"
Wen Qian’s eyes were still red, but there was a coldness in her gaze as she replied indifferently, "Is there a problem with me taking my own things?"
"What do you mean 'your'? This is all our Lu family’s!"
"Take a good look; is this really your Lu family’s stuff or my dowry and items from the Wen family?"
"You... you..." Ding Cuihua was so furious that her face turned beet red, stammering without being able to articulate her thoughts.
She couldn’t bring herself to say it; all these items were either secretly brought back by her or coaxed from Wen Qian. Yet she had long regarded them as her own.
Wen Qian seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh right! I almost forgot; you still have things inside your house!"
She walked directly toward the inner room. Ding Cuihua tried to block her but was stopped by Lu Zheng. Furious, she wanted to hit him but he dodged out of the way."
"You ungrateful wretch! How could you side with those despicable people to bully us? I truly regret raising you! Heaven, open your eyes! Why don't you strike down this heartless creature?"
When Wen Qian came out again, she was holding several items, including a water cup belonging to Lu's father, all taken from the Wen family. In the village's words, it was said that using something unpleasant or even something belonging to the dead was not a taboo.
After rummaging through, Ding Cuihua heard Lu's father's cough from inside the house and hurriedly rushed in. "Old man, our family is being bullied to death!"
They piled the things they had taken into a corner of the thatched hut. She didn't even give up on the broken pot from the kitchen and brought it along too. Even if the villagers didn't want it, they could sell it for a little money at the recycling station.
It took quite some time to gather everything, but now that the Lu family was emptied out, she felt a sense of accomplishment. Seeing that it was already noon and Lu Zheng hadn't had time to cook yet, there was a knock at the door.
When she opened it, she was surprised to see Uncle Ai Guo and Jiang Liye standing there. Uncle Ai Guo took a basin from his son and shifted his body to push his son behind him, looking at Wen Qian with a cheerful smile. "Little Qian, this is something I had your aunt make just now. It smells wonderful; take it home and enjoy!"
Wen Qian looked at the basin thrust into her arms and saw meat inside, knowing that her aunt must have killed a chicken. At this time, every household had regulations about raising chickens; killing one was akin to a significant loss.
She smiled and said, "Alright then, Uncle Ai Guo, I'll accept it. Please thank Auntie for me; this chicken smells so good; it must be delicious." Since it was already delivered to her doorstep and thrust into her arms, it would be better to graciously accept it rather than return it. When it came time to settle up later, she could just ask for a little less.
There were still important tasks to do in the afternoon! They definitely needed to eat well.
Jiang Aiguo was also pleased. "Good! Your aunt will be happy to hear that." He nudged his son standing beside him. Jiang Liye glanced helplessly at his father before stepping forward to look at Wen Qian and Lu Zheng.
"Brother, Sister, thank you so much for helping my family out. If there's anything in the future, just let me know; I'll make sure to take care of it properly."
Wen Qian smiled at his words and patted his arm. "Alright then, Liye has grown up. I do have something to trouble you with in the future; I'll let you know."
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