Quick Wear Dream Qiqi

Chapter 408: Passerby in the Period Literature 4

The setting sun stretched the shadow of the old locust tree at the entrance of the village very long, and Meng Qiqi walked towards the village carrying a cloth bag full of New Year's goods.

In her hand, she was still holding the water bottle that Lu Ye had forced upon her. The bottle still retained her body temperature, and from time to time it made the crisp sound of water.

As soon as I turned the corner, I saw Wang Yuwen standing at the gate of the Wang family courtyard, applying cold cream in front of the mirror.

Hearing footsteps, Wang Yuwen glanced back.

After seeing who it was, she squeezed some more vanishing cream into her palm, deliberately spreading the fragrance far away: "Hey, whose eldest daughter is this? She went to the city for a stroll and looks so noble all over?"

She looked up and down at Meng Qiqi's blue cloth shirt, which was washed so much that it looked white but smooth, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Meng Qiqi was stunned for a moment before she realized that the other party was targeting her.

She lifted the cloth bag onto her shoulder and said calmly, "Sister Wang, what are you talking about? I just went to the county town to buy some things for the New Year. How did I become a young lady?"

"Why are you pretending to be stupid?" Wang Yuwen slammed the bottle of vanishing cream onto the windowsill, causing the glass to tremble. "You're just pretty, and you think you can seduce a lot of men. You don't even consider your own background, and you're trying to act like a spoiled brat."

Her words were full of thorns. She not only mocked Meng Qiqi's background as a capitalist lady, but also implied that she relied on her looks to attract attention.

Meng Qiqi now understood that the resentment towards Wang Yuxia was being directed at herself.

She put down the cloth bag and patted the dust off her hands: "If Sister Wang is unhappy, it's no use taking it out on me."

She looked up at Wang Yuwen's red eyes and said, "Marriage is your own choice, sisters. If Lin Jingyang doesn't care about you, you should go and talk to him. Why make things difficult for someone who has nothing to do with you?"

This remark hit Wang Yuwen so hard. She took a step forward, her nails almost poking Meng Qiqi's face: "What do you know! If it weren't for that bitch..."

Before he could finish his words, tears started falling.

She wiped her face carelessly and suddenly sneered: "You are just a wild girl without a father or a mother. Why did you come to the village to pretend to be a good person? Do you really think you are innocent?"

Meng Qiqi took a half step back and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

She remembered what her mother had taught her: "The angrier someone is, the more you should let them vent first." After Wang Yuwen ran out of energy, she slowly spoke: "Sister Wang, I know you feel wronged. But we have a long life ahead of us. We can't just bite everyone we meet."

She bent down to pick up the cloth bag and softened her tone. "If you're really upset, come to my house for a cup of tea someday and I'll listen to you."

This made Wang Yuxia stunned.

She opened her mouth, but the sarcastic words she had prepared suddenly couldn't come out.

Looking at Meng Qiqi's back as she turned and left, she suddenly felt that the girl in front of her was as pitiful as herself - one had her marriage taken away by her sister, and the other had no parents to rely on.

Not long after walking out, Meng Qiqi heard the sound of a glass bottle breaking behind her.

She didn't look back, but just quickened her pace.

The cold wind blew up the dead leaves on the roadside. She hugged the cloth bag tightly in her arms. The peanuts and candies inside hurt her chest.

This was the first time she faced the malice of the villagers, but she also understood that in this era, no one could shelter her from the wind and rain except herself.

When I got home, it was already dark.

Meng Qiqi lit the oil lamp in the dark and put the New Year's goods neatly into the cabinet.

She placed the kettle that Lu Ye gave her on the windowsill. The moonlight shone on the aluminum sheet, giving off a soft glow.

She suddenly remembered the smile of the young soldier during the day, as if the softest part of her heart was gently touched.

The fire in the stove gradually went out. Meng Qiqi lay on the kang, listening to the wind outside the window.

The quarrel with Wang Yuwen in the evening kept replaying in my mind.

----

After the Kitchen God worship on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Linjia Village fell into a festive and busy atmosphere.

White smoke billows from the chimneys of every household all day long. The sweet aroma of steamed buns, the greasy fragrance of fried meatballs, and the sound of chopping stuffing interweave in the cool air to create a strong sense of the New Year.

Meng Qiqi stood in her own yard, watching the newly pasted window grilles of Aunt Liu's house next door swaying gently in the wind, and the sound of children's laughter coming from the window from time to time.

She rubbed her red, frozen hands and turned back to the house.

The iron pot on the earthen stove was bubbling with cabbage and tofu, and a few peppercorns taken out from the space were sprinkled on it, and the aroma suddenly became stronger.

The dough I kneaded this morning was placed on the chopping board. I wanted to learn how to make steamed buns, but the shapes I kneaded were all crooked, so in the end I just kneaded them into sugar triangles.

"It's quite comfortable to spend the New Year alone." She said to the empty main room and brought the hot dishes to the table.

On the altar were apples bought specially in town, glowing red under the oil lamp, as an offering to my grandparents.

Just as I was about to pick up my chopsticks, sporadic firecrackers suddenly rang out outside. The crackling sound startled the sparrows under the eaves.

Meng Qiqi put down her bowl and chopsticks and took out a romance novel that she had hidden for a long time from her space.

The cover was a little worn. She had bought it from a used bookstall in the county town. It told the love story of a young lady and a poor scholar during the Republic of China period.

There was a yellowed bookmark between the pages. It was an orchid that the original owner's mother had drawn when she was young. She had used it as a save file.

Curled up on the kang, I opened a book by the dim oil lamp.

The hero and heroine in the story met in a rainy alley in the south of the Yangtze River. Their gaze under the oil-paper umbrella made her heart warm.

The noise outside gradually faded away, leaving only the rustling of pages turning and the sporadic sound of firecrackers in the distance.

I don’t know how long it took, but my eyelids became heavier and heavier, and the book fell onto the quilt with a "click".

On the morning of New Year's Day, Meng Qiqi was awakened by the deafening sound of firecrackers.

When I opened the door, the ground was covered with red confetti, like a layer of falling clouds.

Aunt Liu came over with a bowl of dumplings. Seeing her messy hair, she smiled and joked, "Oh, why are you so lazy, girl? Hurry up and put on new clothes and go to pay New Year's greetings with your aunt!"

Meng Qiqi then remembered the new clothes she had specially prepared yesterday.

If someone else in the village wanted to buy a Dacron shirt with a blue background and white flowers, they would have to use the cloth coupons they saved up through their frugal life to exchange for it.

She had simply used up her soon-to-expire cloth coupons, and now she looked clean and fresh wearing them.

She followed Aunt Liu to visit every household to wish them a happy new year. Although they were just polite words, her pockets were filled with peanut candies, which made the atmosphere quite lively.

When passing by the Wang family's yard, the door was closed and the sound of quarreling could be heard faintly.

Meng Qiqi paused, and Aunt Liu pulled her along, urging her to take two quick steps. "Don't mind your own business. I'm afraid those two sisters of hers won't have a good New Year."

It turned out that Wang Yuwen and Lin Jingyang had a big fight. It was said that Lin Jingyang was sent to study outside the factory before the New Year and did not go home for the entire twelfth lunar month.

By evening, the village returned to peace.

Meng Qiqi sat in the yard, looking at the starry sky.

Sporadic singing could be heard in the distance, as if the educated youth group was holding a party.

She took out the novel hidden in her arms and suddenly thought of Lu Ye.

I wonder if he has a happy New Year in the army?

Just as I was thinking about it, the kettle in my pocket bumped my hand. It was the one he had stuffed into me before he left, and it still had a faint scent of soapberry.

In the next few days, Meng Qiqi helped Aunt Liu take care of the children during the day and stayed at home reading at night.

She had already read the second half of the novel, and her eyes were filled with warmth as she watched the hero and heroine finally get together after going through so many twists and turns.

Once I was so engrossed in watching that I didn’t even notice it was snowing outside. When I opened the door, the whole world had turned white.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a stage was set up in the village.

Meng Qiqi brought a small stool to join in the fun. The actors on the stage were wearing heavy makeup and singing "Mu Guiying Takes Command" in a low voice.

She was watching intently when suddenly someone called her name from behind.

When I turned around, it was Lu Ye. He was wearing a neat military uniform, holding an oil-paper bag in his arms, and a bright smile on his red face from the cold: "Finally found you!"

It turned out that Lu Ye took advantage of the holiday to come and bring her roast chicken, and also brought white sugar cakes from the army canteen.

The two hid behind the stage and shared the roast chicken, with oil stains on the corners of their mouths, and smiled at each other.

Lu Ye talked about interesting things in the army, which made Meng Qiqi laugh.