When Gu Zi led the kids out of the school, they ran into Jin Long, who mentioned that Su Shen was quite occupied and requested him to pick up Gu Zi and her sons in his truck.
Gu Zi felt sorry for the trouble caused, considering he had carsickness and yet came to pick them up. Jin Long reassured her, mentioning that he took motion sickness medicine and was accustomed to driving, so it wouldn't be an issue. During the ride, Su Li proudly displayed his stationery box while Gu Zi asked about the collaboration between the pig farm and Xinghua Department Store in the city. She also gave him a brief account of the morning's events.
Jin Long did not hide anything from Gu Zi. He said that both parties were indeed in a cooperative partnership, and it was the other party who begged them to cooperate.
He also had information about Chen Fu and his mother. He said, "Brother Shen might not know that woman, but I'm quite familiar. Chen Fu's mother is named Chen Die. She's from Chen Village, the village next to Daqing Village."
Gu Zi was surprised to learn that Chen Fu's mother's name was Chen Die. "She's from a village too?"
How could she belittle villagers and constantly use that term? It was quite astonishing!
"That woman is like that, born in the countryside but looks down upon it. She and Chen Fu's dad are from the same village, but neither of them is decent. After Chen Die married, she had Chen Fu, and not long after childbirth, she got involved with a wealthy man from the city."
Gu Zi raised an eyebrow. Despite her appearance not being exceptional, she managed to get involved with a wealthy man?
Seems like in this era, there were already rich people with abnormal tastes.
Gu Zi listened intently, treating it as if she were hearing a story.
"Are you curious how someone like Chen Die managed to hook a rich man with that kind of demeanor? Well, that man had a quirk; he liked to smell a woman's breast milk scent. He particularly sought out women who had just given birth. The two quickly got together, and the man even said he wanted to support Chen Die and her child."
Gu Zi blushed slightly at the explicitness of the conversation but didn't blame Jin Long. In this era, words like "breast milk" or "old lady" weren't considered crude in the village, and Jin Long wasn't saying it with any malicious intent.
"With this newfound confidence, Chen Die kicked out that lazy father of Chen Fu's and moved with her son to the city. But not long after, the man grew tired of her and broke up. Chen Die protested, so the man arranged for her a job as a saleswoman. She continued to secretly maintain contact with Chen Fu's father behind the scenes. Anyway, when you run into those people from Chen Village, be a bit cautious, and you'll be fine."
Gu Zi assured Jin Long that she'd be careful. Soon enough, the car arrived at Su's house. Gu Zi helped her two sons out of the car, and Jin Long drove away.
After opening the door, Gu Zi picked a small gift from the stroller and went over to the neighboring Zhang family's house.
She came to pick up Lele and also brought a small windmill as a gift for Aunt Zhang's grandson, Shi Tou. Shi Tou looked especially delighted, running around with the windmill, bringing smiles to Lele's face.
Just as Gu Zi was about to bring Lele back home, Aunt Zhang brought out a basket of vegetables. She said, "These are from our own fields; they aren't worth much. Take them, cook porridge, or make soup, they're delicious! "
Winter melon greens were considered the king of vegetables by rural folks, and loved by many city dwellers too. It was thought to be especially beneficial, especially for women during the lactating period.
Zhang Cuihua believed that the best thing she could offer from her fields was winter melon greens, so she filled a whole basket.
Gu Zi, catching sight of the winter melon greens, recalled her mother in her past life often making porridge with winter melon greens for her.
She really wanted to eat it, so she did not reject Aunt Zhang's kindness. She prepared to pay for it. However, Aunt Zhang frowned and said, "If you keep doing this, I won't dare to help you take care of Lele in the future, nor will I allow Shi Tou to accept things from you."
Gu Zi was left with no choice but to accept the vegetables. Seeing her struggling to hold Su Le with the basket, Aunt Zhang carried it to the doorstep, where Su Bing and Su Li quickly came to help.
Gu Zi noticed that Shi Tou was trailing behind Aunt Zhang, so she discreetly slipped two White Rabbit creamy candies into his hand and gestured with a "shh" expression.
Shi Tou looked as his unaware grandmother and obediently hid the milk candy. He made a gesture of sealing his lips. This was his little secret with Fairy Sister.
He extended his pinky finger, indicating that he wouldn't tell his grandmother about eating candy from Fairy Sister again. Gu Zi reciprocated by linking pinkies with him.
Observing her mother and Shi Tou sharing a warm moment, Su Li felt a pang of jealousy. His mother was so affectionate toward Little Shi Tou! She hadn't even made any similar gesture to him yet.
After Shi Tou and Aunt Zhang left, Su Li approached Gu Zi and said, "Mom, I want to make a pinky promise too."
Gu Zi was momentarily surprised but quickly grasped the situation. So, Su Li was feeling envious.
She extended her hand and hooked her pinky finger with her son's. She spoke rather formally, "Mommy will cook delicious meals for Su Li from now on. The pinky swear remains the same.. If I fail, I'll become a big turtle!"
...