I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Evening was bustling with activity.

Zhou Xiaowei refused to let Hu Xiaomei feed her and insisted on eating by herself.

Hu Xiaomei told him to eat by himself, but most of the bowl of minced meat rice fell to the ground. Hu Xiaomei felt sorry for the meat and wanted to feed him, but Zhou Xiaowei knocked the spoon away.

Zhou Wenhui was furious. He picked up his chopsticks and slapped Zhou Xiaowei several times, making Zhou Xiaowei wail loudly.

Hu Xiaomei felt sorry for him and tried to comfort him, but Zhou Wenhui insisted on throwing him into the "pigsty" to let him cry his heart out.

Qiaoqiao fiddled with the rice grains, her mind elsewhere.

"Qiaoqiao, is something on your mind?" Luo Meiyun asked with concern.

"Mom, there's something I find hard to say."

"What's there that a family can't say? Tell us, and we'll analyze it."

"We had a math test a couple of days ago, and the questions were exactly the same as the college entrance exam. Do you know why?"

Why?

"To investigate students who took exams for others."

"Yes, that's a good method, and it should be done this way. Comrade Deng made it clear that we must rely on real talent and learning, and not take shortcuts or engage in crooked practices," Luo Meiyun said approvingly.

"One of us in the Wuzhou group of four took the exam for someone else. He got sick from the shock and doesn't want to go back. He wants to find a job in the city. I'm his friend and I want to help him, but I don't have a good job either." Qiaoqiao looked down at Zhou Wenhui.

"This is a difficult situation. There's one radish per hole, and a large number of educated youth are going back to the city. Even cleaning the toilets is something everyone is scrambling to do."

Zhou Wenhui looked at Qiaoqiao gently and said, "However, I can ask the editor-in-chief to see if our editorial department needs any staff. Don't get your hopes up too high; those cleaning ladies are all permanent staff members who were squeezed in from other units."

"Oh, so all the people with official positions are sweeping floors."

"Sweeping the floor in the editorial department is quite easy," Zhou Wenhui said with a smile.

Hu Xiaomei coaxed Zhou Xiaowei, not forgetting to interject, "Jobs are hard to find. Before I came to your house, I pasted matchboxes on the street. I earned 0.5 yuan for 10, and I pasted a thousand a day. That was only 15 yuan a month, just enough to eat."

"Then forget it, we can only let him go back. There's a lot of gossip in the countryside, I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it." Qiaoqiao picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth.

Zhou Xiaowei won't eat this delicious meat; he'll have to be beaten.

"What kind of person is that child?" Luo Meiyun asked calmly.

"He's very honest. His grades weren't good, so when we were working on our projects, he would get us meals and buy us soda. Taking exams for others is wrong, but people from rural areas will take risks for a way out. Yao Xing just can't accept being expelled right now. He'll stay in the city for a while, recover, and then go back home. He'll probably feel better about it then."

"Sigh, everyone makes mistakes when they're young. As long as they learn from their mistakes and don't repeat them, they're still good kids. Qiaoqiao, ask him if he'd be willing to come to the hospital for soiling removal. It's physical labor, requires a man, and it only costs 35 yuan a month."

"Really? Mom, you won't put me in a difficult position, will you?"

"No problem at all. I performed a heart repair surgery for the surgeons, and they were very impressed with me. They happen to need waste disposal workers, so I'll recommend them. They'll surely give me some face, right?" Luo Meiyun said with a smile.

"What if they don't give you face?" Zhou Wenhui teased.

"If you don't give me face, I won't do the next major surgery. I'm Dr. Chen's attending physician now, specializing in heart repair, so I can completely refuse." Luo Meiyun also showed her arrogance.

"Mom, you have a special kind of elegance when you're proud," Qiaoqiao praised.

"My mother has always had a very elegant demeanor," Zhou Wenhui said with a smile.

"You two are making fun of your mother, aren't you?" Luo Meiyun glanced at the two of them, secretly amused.

"Mom, how is Mr. Chen's condition?"

"It's all good. He's had a first-stage repair surgery on both hands. However, his condition can't be rushed; it needs to be treated slowly."

"With Mom's help, there are no difficulties at all. After dinner, I'm going to call my brother and tell him the good news."

"Stop hitting him, you won't find him anyway."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He makes prosthetics in a professor's studio every day."

"My brother is also very outstanding." Qiaoqiao said with a hint of pride.

"What? So your brother's the only one who's good enough, but your husband isn't?"

"You're even jealous of my brother."

"Don't forget, I'm your brother too."

"You are excellent, the most excellent."

Men, once they get the hang of it, have more flirting skills than women.

With Yao Xing's matter resolved, Qiao Qiao was inexplicably happy. After dinner, she took Zhou Xiaowei to play in the "pigsty".

Zhou Wenhui and Luo Meiyun sipped their tea, looking at the mother and son with doting eyes.

"Xiaowei, from now on you're not allowed to eat with your hands, you have to use a spoon, okay?"

Zhou Xiaowei nodded obediently, "Okay!"

"Mom will only love you if you behave well."

"good!"

"So you'll sleep with your mom tonight?"

"good!"

It seems Zhou Xiaowei has only learned the word "good".

Qiaoqiao pinched his cheek and smiled, "What an obedient child."

Unfortunately, Zhou Xiaowei's obedience only extended to the word "good." In the evenings, only her mother, Hu, was there.

Perhaps, if Hu Xiaomei's son were still alive, he would probably be married.

"Mom, when are you going to the provincial capital to see Dad?" The mother and son chatted idly on the wooden sofa.

"Your dad won't let me go; I can't disturb his work."

"So busy? You need to take care of yourself."

"He's not really busy, he's hiding from debt collectors."

"Hiding from debt collectors?"

"Your father took all the new wheat seeds, corn seeds, piglets, and Angora rabbits from the Agricultural University to Tonggang County. The other counties are unhappy about this and are besieging your father every day, demanding an explanation."

Luo Meiyun sighed helplessly. The Minister of Agriculture, a man of great stature, was now like a beggar, hiding everywhere.

"Why not develop the entire province together?"

"The Finance Bureau only allocated 100,000 yuan, which isn't even enough for Tonggang County. They still owe the Agricultural University a huge amount of money. Only if Tonggang County succeeds will your father have the confidence to ask for more money."

Zhou Wenhui chuckled: "Only my dad would do something like that."

"If he hadn't joined the army, he'd probably be a swindler and a good-for-nothing," Luo Meiyun laughed.

"Carrots are delicious." Qiaoqiao spared no effort in teaching Xiaowei to speak in short sentences.

"Hu...bu...chi".

What's wrong? My tongue seems to be acting up; I can't seem to say anything properly.

"Carrots are delicious."

"Hu... Bu... Hu's mother..."

Zhou Xiaowei was so annoyed; he didn't want to eat carrots, he wanted Hu Mama instead.

Hu Xiaomei came out after washing the dishes, and Zhou Xiaowei jumped around excitedly. Hu Xiaomei hugged Zhou Xiaowei with a big smile, and the two of them laughed heartily.

Zhou Xiaowei went to bed early, Luo Meiyun went back to the second floor to look up medical information, and Qiaoqiao and Zhou Wenhui went back to the third floor.

Helping Zhou Wenhui remove his prosthesis and cleaning his amputation wound are tasks that Qiaoqiao must do every day.

"Qiaoqiao, if I didn't have to take off my prosthetic leg every night, I would forget that I'm disabled." Zhou Wenhui lay comfortably on the bed.

"It is a noble quality to be physically disabled but mentally disabled; what is most terrifying is to be physically healthy but mentally disabled."

"Hey, Qiaoqiao, your education level has really improved. I can't understand anything you're saying."

"Wang Min, you know her, right? I said I'd help Yao Xing find a job, and she actually said that even if there was a job, Yao Xing shouldn't be given it; her husband should do it. I'm so angry I'm speechless. How could she say something like that?"

You know, every time Yao Xing treats us to a meal, Wang Min always orders braised pork, the most expensive dish. You're beholden to someone who treats you, and she stabbed you in the back after accepting their hospitality.

"Perhaps she has real difficulties?"

"Everyone has difficulties. Yao Xing's situation is just a matter of bad luck. I really feel sorry for him. We studied together every day, and suddenly he was expelled. It must be hard for him."

"Qiaoqiao is very kind and knows her limits. We will definitely help if we can, and we know how to refuse if we should."

"I refused right away. The next day when I went to school, I told Yao Xing to leave quietly and go find her mother. That way, Wang Min wouldn't find out and come to me for help again."

"Yes, you did a great job. Go to sleep."

Qiaoqiao lay down next to Zhou Wenhui, hugging his neck, half asleep. Zhou Wenhui whispered, "My mother prepared so many contraceptives, we can't waste them. How about we use one?"

The voice was urgent yet gentle, which to Qiaoqiao sounded like a seductive whisper.

"Okay, we'll use one."

Qiaoqiao rolled over and pressed her cheek against Zhou Wenhui's, thinking to herself, "How can a man's skin be so delicate?"