Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 364

Cheng Jinxiang's eyes welled up with tears. She gripped Wang's hand tightly and said emotionally, "Mom, I know. You don't need to worry about me. I know what's important and I won't wrong myself. No one can bully me now."

Looking at Wang's pale face, Cheng Jinxiang felt sad. "Mom, please stop talking. You should rest now and enjoy your retirement."

Even Zhu Yufeng couldn't help but say, "Yes, Mom, don't worry. With Rongguo and me here, Jinxiang won't suffer any injustice. The Zhao family is really too arrogant; they can say anything they want. I think only the village chief is reliable among the Zhao family. The others, especially Zhao Tiesheng, are utterly useless. They even doubt their own wives. If Jinxiang really goes back to the Zhao family, who knows how much injustice she'll suffer. Just because she met a construction worker, she's accused of having an affair. If Wang Guixiang goes to town to buy things and meets a strange man, will she also be accused of having an affair?"

Zhu Yufeng said indignantly that if she were there, she would have torn Wang Guixiang's mouth apart.

Cheng Jinxiao was even more helpless, but she felt that her second sister was much luckier than herself. At least her second sister's husband cared about her, unlike her ex, who didn't like her at all and even beat her. Besides, her second sister's new house was about to be built. With the new house, she could get away from that hateful mother-in-law and live a much happier life.

Wang shook her head with a wry smile. She knew her own body well and was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

She was grateful that her second daughter had really changed a lot recently. At least she wouldn't suffer so much anger for no reason, and she could fight back when she felt wronged. This was what truly pleased Wang.

Wang had something else to say to Zhao Da'e. She looked at Zhao Da'e and said, "Da'e, I heard that you've been making money lately and are doing well. Remember to take good care of your mother and don't let her suffer any grievances."

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's name, Cheng Jinxiang's expression softened considerably. She pulled Zhao Da'e over, patted her head, and smiled, "Mom, Da'e is very well-behaved. She helped me with most of the house construction. Don't let her small size fool you; she's actually very clever."

Zhao Da'e is pleasing to the eye, and with the good food she's been eating lately, her face is round and plump. She hasn't done much housework at her aunt's house, so she's earned quite a bit of money.

Zhao Da'e grasped Wang's hand. The small hand was very strong, a touch that felt like a blood connection. Wang felt much more at ease. With Da'e around, she wasn't afraid that her second daughter would have a hard life.

Only then did Mrs. Wang smile, "Good child, good child."

That night, Wang's children stayed with her, chatting to keep her from getting bored. They could all sense that Wang's health was deteriorating day by day. During the New Year, Wang could still manage to get out of bed and eat in the hall, but now she couldn't get out of bed at all, and even lifting her arm was difficult.

Therefore, all of Wang's children stayed by her side, hoping to spend as many days as possible with her and avoid any regrets.

Two days later, Zhao Da'e got up very early. She had to get up early today because she had an important task in the next few days: to go to Jinzhou to buy clothes to sell. Clothing is the most important thing for a clothing store, but where can you find good-looking and cheap clothes? It must be Jinzhou. It is not only a coastal city with developed transportation, but it is also more open than the city where Zhao Da'e is located. It is known as the "fashion capital".

This trip will definitely take about one or two weeks. Just the train journey will take two days and two nights, not to mention the time spent finding manufacturers to discuss sourcing and other things. I don't have any connections in Jinzhou, so I'll have to rely on myself to figure things out there.

Zhao D'e is sleeping at Cheng Jinxiang's place tonight. Cheng Jinxiang knew that Zhao D'e was going on a long trip today, so she specially arranged for her to stay here.

Cheng Jinxiang was reluctant to see her daughter for the next week or two, and thought that she should spend as much time with her daughter as possible.

Cheng Jinxiang got up very early this morning to make breakfast for Zhao Da'e.

This morning, Cheng Jinxiang specially cooked noodles, adding tomatoes, eggs, and greens, along with some seasonings. The aroma immediately wafted out, smelling incredibly delicious. Zhao Da'e couldn't help but swallow, feeling a bit greedy.

Seeing Zhao Dage get up, Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Oh, you finally decided to get up. Have you packed your things?"

Zhao Da'e nodded and said she was all packed. She even brought her schoolbag with her. Zhao Da'e was going to start primary school this year, so Cheng Jinxiang had bought her a schoolbag in advance.

The backpack has a Mickey Mouse pattern. It looks new and is quite large, so it can hold a lot of things. Sometimes it would be a good choice as a small luggage bag. It also looks sturdy, after all, it cost Cheng Jinxiang a lot of money.

Cheng Jinxiang thought that her daughter would look very cute wearing a red, pleasing coat and carrying a red Mickey Mouse backpack. Cheng Jinxiang felt that she had a good eye for fashion.

The backpack contained a change of clothes for Zhao Da'e, some cash, food, a water bottle, and so on—it was quite well-equipped.

Cheng Jinxiao also came over, carrying a small bag containing a change of clothes and other items. This time, Jinxiao was going on the trip with Zhao Da'e.

This was also Cheng Jinxiao's suggestion. After all, Xiangzi and Cai Xiaofeng had their own things to do. One had to deliver water, and the other had to oversee the shop's renovation. Although Chai Zhiyong was a very reliable person, the workers with him might not be. Besides, if no one supervised them, the workers might become lazy and the renovation would not be done properly. They would have to redo the renovation, which would be time-consuming, laborious, and manpower-intensive. Where would they go to complain then?

Having someone supervise the renovation makes a big difference compared to not having anyone supervise it.

As a result, the two of them didn't have time to accompany Zhao Da'e to Jinzhou. Zhao Da'e told Cheng Jinxiang that she originally wanted her mother to go with her, since she was a child traveling alone without an adult to watch over her, and it was easy for her to be targeted by human traffickers.

But Cheng Jinxiao, upon hearing this, took the initiative to suggest going with Zhao Da'e, saying that she wanted to broaden her horizons by following Da'e. As the saying goes, there are more opportunities in big cities. Cheng Jinxiao is currently stuck in this small rural village, and apart from doing some farm work, there's not much else she can do. She thought it would be better to go to the big city and see if there are any opportunities for her to work.

Since Cheng Jinxiao was going along, someone had to stay at home to take care of Wang Shi. That person was Cheng Jinxiang. Besides, she also had to take care of Xiao Juan and couldn't leave for the time being. So, Zhao Da'e and Cheng Jinxiao went to Jinzhou together.

The noodles were cooked, and Cheng Jinxiang scooped them out. There was still half a bowl of noodles left in the pot, which was reserved for Zhu Yufeng and Wang Shi.

Zhao Da'e couldn't help but exclaim as he smelled the noodles, "They smell so good! I could eat two big bowls of this!"

Zhao Da'e picked up his chopsticks and was about to slurp up a few bites when Cheng Jinxiang ruffled his hair and said with a smile, "Eat more. There's plenty of this noodle. You won't be able to get this hot food on the train later."

Zhao Da'e said with a grin, "I'll be back soon, maybe in less than a week."

Cheng Jinxiao also sat down and started eating noodles. To be fair, Cheng Jinxiang's cooking skills have improved recently. The family bought some seasonings in the county town, and now they eat quite well, especially these noodles, which are delicious and have a great color, aroma and taste.

It also contains pork, which makes it very delicious.

Seeing that the two of them were enjoying their meal so much, Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but feel happy too. After all, it was noodles she had cooked, and it was good that someone liked them.

After Zhao Da'e and Cheng Jinxiao finished their noodles, Cheng Jinxiang thought of getting them another bowl. After all, they were about to leave for Jinzhou, so they needed to eat their fill so they wouldn't get hungry on the way.

Cheng Jinxiao called out to Cheng Jinxiang, "Second sister, don't give me another bowl. Xiangzi will be picking me and the goose up soon. I'm afraid if I eat too slowly, I'll delay Xiangzi's work."

Xiangzi will come to pick up Zhao Da'e and Cheng Jinxiao later to take them to the county town to catch the train. This will be faster. If they take a bus, they will have to transfer in the town. There are buses that go directly to the train station there, but it takes more than half an hour to get to the town, which is very troublesome. It is more convenient to take Xiangzi's van for more than an hour. Besides, Cheng Jinxiao and Zhao Da'e have to carry luggage and some food, which is quite heavy.

After finishing the egg in his bowl, Zhao Da'e couldn't help but lick his lips. This noodle dish was really delicious!

Seeing that Cheng Jinxiao was worried about missing the train and refused to eat, Zhao Da'e smiled and said, "Auntie, you can eat if you want. It's okay to leave a few tens of minutes late. Besides, Jinzhou is a big city with many trains going there. Don't worry about not being able to catch a train. And Mom is right, Jinzhou is far away from here. It takes a whole day and night to get there by train. You have to eat well at home, otherwise you'll easily get hungry on the train. No matter what you eat on the train, it's not as delicious as home. You have to eat more at home."

Cheng Jinxiao couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Zhao Dage spouting such a long and rambling lecture. "Alright, alright, I get it. You're so full of道理 (principles/truths). You're only seven years old, but you speak so formally, like a little adult."

Cheng Jinxiang chuckled beside her and tapped Cheng Jinxiao on the head, just like when they were children, "You, you know less than a little kid."

As she spoke, Cheng Jinxiang brought Cheng Jinxiao's bowl and filled it with noodles, topped with an egg, shredded meat, leafy greens, and tomatoes. Cheng Jinxiang was worried that Cheng Jinxiao wouldn't have enough to eat, so she filled it with more noodles.

Seeing this, Cheng Jinxiao became a little scared. "Okay, Second Sister, please take less. I can't finish all of this. I just ate an egg and so much pork. Please leave this for Sister-in-law."

Cheng Jinxiang said irritably, "Don't worry, when I said there's plenty, I really meant there's plenty. There are still eggs left here for your sister-in-law. There are more eggs and pork left for the two of you. We're all family, no need to be so polite. I'm paying for this myself, and your sister-in-law won't say anything."

"Besides, you're an adult, you should eat your fill so you'll have the energy to watch over the geese. Be careful on the way to Jinzhou, don't get kidnapped by bad people." Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but start nagging, talking about some precautions for the journey.

Cheng Jinxiao felt a warmth in her heart. She was already so grown up, but her second sister still treated her like a child, afraid that she would be kidnapped like a goose.

Cheng Jinxiao couldn't help but say coquettishly, "I know, Second Sister, please don't tease me. I'm a grown woman, how can I not care about these things?"

Zhao Da'e couldn't help but say, "Mom, please stop talking. Let me and Auntie eat our noodles in peace. We don't want to be left waiting for Xiangzi to arrive before we've finished eating."

Cheng Jinxiang agreed, and decided to wait for the two of them to finish their noodles, so she stopped nagging.

Not more than ten minutes later, Xiangzi drove his van to the door and called out, "Little Aunt, are you ready yet? I'll take you to the train station in the county town."

Xiangzi called for help from outside. Cheng Jinxiao and Zhao Da'e had just finished eating their noodles and were checking to make sure they hadn't left anything behind. They packed up and were ready to leave.

Before leaving, Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but nag a few more times, "Big Goose, Jinxiao, don't be stingy with money when you're out and about. Buy what you need to buy, don't go hungry. When you get to the big city, don't get scammed. Remember, nothing comes for free. If you really encounter something good, keep your eyes open, because it might be a trap. Also, there are many people and things on the train, so keep your money safe. Don't let any thieves steal it, or you'll have nowhere to cry."

Cheng Jinxiang tried to persuade her daughter earnestly, but she was also a little scared. She was worried about this and that, and thought that her daughter should not go far away. What if something unexpected happened? But Cheng Jinxiang knew that she could not keep her daughter from going far away. Her daughter had a talent for doing business, so let her do it. That way, she could make money and live a better life.

Zhao Da'e hugged Cheng Jinxiang and said, "I know, Mom. I will pay attention to what you said. It's getting late, and Auntie and I need to leave early."

Cheng Jinxiao said from the side, "Second sister, you can rest assured that I will take care of the goose."

As the two were about to leave, Cheng Jinxiang could only sigh as she watched them go. Her daughter was only seven years old and was already traveling far away. As the business grew, she might have to travel far away every day. She would have to get used to it.

After picking up Cheng Jinxiao and Zhao Dage, Xiangzi's van slowly drove out of the village and headed towards the county town.

Along the way, Xiangzi kept chatting and laughing with Zhao Da'e, "Little Aunt, Xiao Feng has recently closed a few more deals, and more and more people want to buy water from us. We'll be able to earn a little more money this month!"

Xiangzi's eyes were full of excitement. Since he started working for Zhao Da'e, he had earned more than three times the money he used to. With extra money in hand, he had more things to do and was living a happier life.