Chapter 109 - Zhuang Zhuang's Odd Behavior Part 1

“Why haven’t I seen Li Zhaodi recently?”

“Who knows? I heard that Widow Song splashed urine all over her that day.”

The woman covered her mouth when she heard this. Her face was filled with glee. “Are you serious?”

“Of course! I heard it from Widow Song!”

The other woman was also snickering and gloating, as if Li Zhaodi’s misfortune was their joy.

As the two women spoke, they walked into the distance. They were always hanging around Li Zhaodi and fawning over her. Would Li Zhaodi know that these two were talking about her behind her back?

Xiaoguo and Mrs. Yang were nearby when they overheard the conversation. They looked at each other and shook their heads. Li Zhaodi was quite pitiful, but she had brought this upon herself. She didn’t deserve any sympathy.

Xiaoguo continued to bend over and cut the grass. Mrs. Yang sat on the donkey cart and chatted idly. After the two women had walked away, Mrs. Yang said, “Mrs. Song has done what I wanted to do. It’s perfect. Haha.”

Xiaoguo looked around helplessly. Fortunately, no one was nearby. Otherwise, there could be dire consequences.

Mrs. Yang looked around. There were quite a number of people spending their time outdoors. Li Zhaodi was no longer among the group gathered under the trees. It seemed that she was behaving herself now.

“Do you think Li Zhaodi got scared? That shouldn’t be the case. With her personality, how could she succumb to Widow Song?”

Mrs. Yang had not seen her for the past few days. It seemed rather strange.

Xiaoguo nodded. Li Zhaodi didn’t seem like the type to hold back. Besides, wouldn’t she be thinking of ways to get back at Widow Song for treating her like this?

“Maybe she’s planning revenge secretly at home.”

After Xiaoguo finished saying those words, Mrs. Yang thought it was probably true and continued with their conversation.

“Sister-in-law, since Brother Yang and your brother-in-law are coming back, shouldn’t you prepare some good food?”

Xiaoguo put down her scythe. The basket was already filled with grass. It was time to go back.

When Mrs. Yang heard this, she blushed. She was obviously looking forward to her man’s return. “I had already made preparations!”

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mrs. Yang had bought a lot of things from the market. As they didn’t eat much during the festival, there was enough food at home to last for another ten days.

Mrs. Yang had been looking forward to her husband’s return. When her mother-in-law heard about the news, she was overjoyed and looked forward to the return of her two sons.

Xiaoguo continued to talk to Mrs. Yang. She couldn’t help but feel happy for her. She had two men in her family, and they had both returned safely. This was a joyous occasion. Other men had lost their lives, but Mrs. Yang’s husband, Yang Feng, and his brother, Yang Jia, were still alive.

Xiaoguo turned the donkey cart around and looked for Zhuang Zhuang. They had come out together just now. She went to cut some grass while Zhuang Zhuang herded the cows on the other side. Now that she has finished cutting the grass, Zhuang Zhuang should be done too. It was time to pack up and go home.

Mrs. Yang’s eyes were sharp. She saw Zhuang Zhuang walking back slowly at a glance. She pointed him out to Xiaoguo. When Xiaoguo saw him, she called out to him loudly.

When Zhuang Zhuang heard her, he led the two cows and quickened his pace towards Xiaoguo.

Mrs. Yang exclaimed as if she had discovered a new continent. “Xiaoguo, your cows are growing too fast!”

Xiaoguo was curious about what Mrs. Yang was exclaiming about. When she heard what Mrs. Yang was saying, she looked at the cows. Usually, Zhuang Zhuang was in charge of herding the cows. She had not paid much attention to them. Now that she was looking at them, it really seemed the case. Zhuang Zhuang was walking in the middle with two cows on either side. They were becoming twice as tall as Zhuang Zhuang.

Zhuang Zhuang, who was chubby, looked much smaller in contrast beside the cows. It seemed that Zhuang Zhuang had to stop herding the cows soon. The cows were getting bigger and bigger, but Zhuang Zhuang definitely could not grow as fast. Xiaoguo was afraid that if the cows got much stronger, Zhuang Zhuang would not be able to hold on to them. He could fall badly if the cows charged forward.

Since she had time, she would take over the herding herself. After the new year, it was also time for Zhuang Zhuang to enter school.

Speaking of going to school, Xiaoguo suddenly remembered something. She didn’t know if Su Hui and Tang Zhu were home. She had tried visiting them twice, but no one was there. She wanted to ask them about Teacher Kong.

“Why don’t I make another trip to the county in the next two days and pay her a visit?” Xiaoguo made up her mind and Zhuang Zhuang had just walked to her side.

The three of them went back together. Mrs. Yang was extremely happy along the way. She chatted non-stop with Xiaoguo. Nowadays, she looks like a young girl in love with her constantly rosy cheeks.

In fact, it wasn’t just Mrs. Yang. Recently, all the other women in Peach Blossom Village seemed to be glowing with happiness. Xiaoguo thought that it made sense. It had been more than three years since anyone saw their husbands. It was definitely something that they should look forward to.

However, there were a group of women who were sad. About half of the female population in the village were widows. At the beginning, things were fine. Knowing that the men were all on the battlefield with their fates unknown, all the women were able to find comfort in each other. But now that all the surviving men were coming back, the dynamics in the village was completely broken. The widows were all upset. Even friends who were usually close to each other have stopped hanging out because of this reason.

There was almost no one who shared a relationship like Xiaoguo and Mrs. Yang.

Along the way home, they could tell that those who were sitting under the trees were definitely widows. This was because those with returning husbands should be busy packing up to welcome their men home.

Mrs. Yang, who was looking all glowy, walked alongside Xiaoguo. As expected, the women seated on either side of the pavement looked in their direction with hatred in their eyes. However, their gazes were directed at Mrs. Yang.

When Xiaoguo noticed this, she slowed down and tried to block Mrs. Yang, who was behind her. When the other women saw Xiaoguo, they rolled their eyes and looked away. Qin Xiaoguo was also a widow like them.

Xiaoguo didn’t care. So what if she was a widow? She had a son. Why would she need a man?

When they got home, Xiaoguo had just tied up the donkey cart when Zhuang Zhuang followed her and asked the question he had been wanting to ask. “Mother, why does Aunt look so happy today?”

Xiaoguo stopped in her tracks and continued walking towards the kitchen. Her mouth was slightly open as she thought about how to explain to Zhuang Zhuang that Mrs. Yang was happy because her husband was coming back.

“Because… because Aunt is just happy.”

This was as good as saying nothing…

Looking at Zhuang Zhuang’s gaze, Xiaoguo said again, “Of course, that’s not the only reason. There’s also the fact that Xiaohua and Xiaohu’s father is coming back.”

When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he only responded coldly and returned to the house.

Xiaoguo was already prepared and waiting for Zhuang Zhuang’s question. But what was that?

She stopped cutting the chives and looked at the boy’s departing figure. She was puzzled. What was up with him?

Xiaoguo rubbed her head hard and lowered her hands softly. She had been thinking about the same question for the past two days. What was wrong with Zhuang Zhuang?

This kid hasn’t even reached puberty yet. Why is he so difficult to understand…

She opened her mouth, wanting to call Zhuang Zhuang back, but in the end, she didn’t. Even if she asked him, he definitely wouldn’t tell her the reason. This kid’s mouth was tight. If he didn’t want to say it, she wouldn’t be able to pry it out even with a crowbar.

As Xiaoguo cut the leeks, she thought about Zhuang Zhuang’s abnormal behavior. When did he start being like this…