I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel

Chapter 419 - 358: Bumpy Journey Home

On the way back, Jiang Mingyue kept thinking about a question. There were no signs of forced entry on their door locks, so how did Xu Ya and her daughter enter the courtyard? The main house and kitchen weren’t locked because she thought she would be back soon.

Could it be that they climbed over the wall?

But their home’s wall had been renovated, with her cousin having someone build it higher. With Xu Ya and her daughter’s physique, it’s impossible for them to climb over.

This isn’t right; there must be something she doesn’t know. Could there be an accomplice?

"Sister, what are they doing?"

Along the roadside ahead, a group of children was climbing a tree using a ladder, some supporting the ladder from below, two receiving the picked fruit, and the tallest one reaching for the remaining peaches from the top.

Only greedy children would make such a fuss for two or three peaches.

A light bulb went off in Jiang Mingyue’s head—ladders!

If Xu Ya and her daughter used a ladder, climbing over the wall would be easy. Once on top, they could jump onto the pool deck inside the yard.

So that’s why she didn’t see the ladder, and the door was still locked. To remove traces in time, the one outside must have promptly taken the ladder away.

Ladders indeed!

When she got back, she decided to ask Ms. Ren which family on Magpie Street had a ladder.

"Picking peaches, there are peaches left? I wonder if they are edible." The little one swallowed unconsciously as he spoke, making Jiang Mingyue chuckle. But she didn’t cheat by handing him fruit; kids should not always have their wishes fulfilled right away. Sometimes they should have something to strive for.

"Yes, you can eat them. Wild peaches in this season, having grown longer, tend to taste sweeter. If you want to eat some, you can go with Gouwa and look for them near Baihua Forest. I remember there are a few trees there."

"Sister, I want to go to school and learn, but I also want to stay with you. What should I do?" Xiao Ran asked, his head drooping, feeling uncomfortable.

Jiang Mingyue couldn’t see his expression from the bike’s back seat, but she could hear the emotion in his voice.

"It’s not that you can’t. You can study at home with Shu as your tutor, and I’ll visit often to check on you. If you work hard, there’s a chance you could soon study in the city." This, of course, depended on when the city schools would resume.

This was merely her guess, but she was almost certain. Zhu Hongwen, handling the revolutionary committee, would likely look at things from the citizens’ perspective.

Nowadays, all four primary schools in Nanxi City have suspended classes. The children run wild all over the city. Some help their parents with chores, while the naughty ones play outside all day, only returning home around mealtime. Some have even picked up bad habits like petty theft. People believe that if Zhu can see these issues, the solution isn’t far off.

The path was still difficult to walk on, though the siblings managed to reach home in a wobbly manner.

They still need the village to fix the road!

"Ming Yue is back?" At the village entrance, they ran into their granduncle, who seemed younger not like someone in their late seventies, appearing vibrant and full of energy, something that might even make young people envious.

"Hello, Granduncle. Are you coming back from outside?"

"Yes, the cement factory over at Liu Village held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today. We old folks went over to join in the excitement. The country has become more prosperous, and I want to see as much as I can before I sleep one night and never wake up."

"That won’t happen! Granduncle, you’re still hale and hearty; you’ll live to a hundred. Someday, you might even get to go to the capital and watch the flag-raising ceremony."

At the mention of the flag-raising ceremony, the Granduncle’s old face filled with longing, which was a good thing. When people have something to care about, their spirits change.

"Granduncle, why don’t you come to our house for a while?" Given that we’re near the soap tree, with the soap pods already harvested by Mrs. Jiang, dried up and ready to use when needed for laundry, extracted into the water for washing clothes.

Jiang Mingyue thought they didn’t clean well enough and suggested to Mrs. Jiang to use the soap Yan Jinzhi sent, but Mrs. Jiang was reluctant to waste it.

The granduncle waved his hand, "No, you go on home. I still have some things to do." It wasn’t really an excuse.

The Jiang family courtyard had indeed changed. The walls were no longer made of woven sunflower stalks but constructed from defective bricks from the brick factory, and the gate was an unpainted newly made wooden door.

"Wow! I almost don’t recognize my home," Xiao Ran exclaimed like a little adult.

Jiang Mingyue laughed, setting him down, "Go inside and see if anyone is home?"

Of course, there were people at home. Hearing the noise from the entrance, thinking it was a neighbor, Xia Xiaosi, being cautious of her already showing belly, came out from the backyard.

"Sis-in-law!" Xiao Ran’s cheerful voice rang out, and Xia Xiaosi immediately spotted her friend, hastening her steps with joy.

"Yueyue, you finally came back. If you hadn’t, I would have gone to the city to find you. I missed you so much."

Xiao Ran watched as his two sisters embraced; he quickly pulled back his outstretched hands.

Sigh! He might as well play with his coal.

"Coal, come out."

As soon as the lid was lifted, a black mass leaped out, darting towards the backyard.

Xiao Ran sighed, "Even the coal ignores me; that’s too much." But as he said this, his small body had already begun to chase after it, "Stop there. I’ll get you whatever you want to eat."

Evidently, the sights of the Magpie Street courtyard made a profound impression on his little mind, but the coal must not learn to cause trouble like Jiang Zhenzhu.

"Wow! The carrots have matured. Do you want some? All right, I’ll pull some out for you to eat."

In the front yard, the two friends were engaged in a lively chat under the eaves, hardly sparing a thought for Xiao Ran.

"This cotton fabric is perfect for making children’s clothes. I’ll ask my third sister to make some for the kids; I can’t sew myself."

Xia Xiaosi laughed heartily, knowing that whenever her friend tries to sew, she doesn’t even want to look at the needlework.

"Okay, okay, with such soft cloth, only the kids deserve it. But why do you have so much? I said you’re such a spendthrift. You should save some money too; you’ll need it when you get married!"

Jiang Mingyue: "... I still have money, so don’t worry about me. Besides, if I do get married, Yan Jinzhi is quite good at earning money, so no need to worry about those things."

Thinking about her brother-in-law’s status, Xia Xiaosi realized she was being overly concerned, though she was used to worrying about her friend over the years.

"Okay, okay, I can’t argue with you."

"And this, since you and big brother both need to study more for your jobs, I got pen and ink for both of you. Tell me if you like it? Take Big Brother’s too."

Xia Xiaosi liked it a lot, having never seen such beautiful pens before.

She was simply in love with them.

"Was it expensive? Does it require a lot of industrial coupons?"

"Not much, just go ahead and use it. Oh, and I bought you a bottle of snow cream. Make sure to use it; I noticed your skin has gotten rougher."

Xia Xiaosi instinctively touched her face, realizing she hadn’t used snow cream for a long time. Her last bottle had long run out and was never replaced.

"Just in time, thank you, Yueyue."

Just then, chaotic footsteps were suddenly heard at the door...