The dinner left for him was on the stove, and Fang Fang was helping to decoct medicine.
Peng Fei drank the noodles in a few gulps and went to the yard to take a shower.
After washing clean with two basins of cold water, he changed into a clean vest and shorts, and brought hot water for Zhan Jingchun to drink.
Zhan Jingchun knew that she had been drinking too little water recently, which was not good for her health, so she did not refuse and drank it from his hand.
The two faced each other, very close. Seeing that his lips were dry and peeling, and his fingers were wide and rough, she couldn't help but ask him.
“Have you eaten?”
She actually cared about him.
Peng Fei smiled, revealing a row of big white teeth.
“I ate, they saved dinner for me.”
“Noodles?”
“Mm. Fang Fang said you only ate half a bowl. Are you full?”
He was a man who worked all day long and only drank one bowl of noodles. She was lying down, doing nothing, and half a bowl of rice should be enough to fill her up, shouldn’t it?
Zhan Jingchun sighed silently in her heart, “I’m full.”
“What are you doing this for? I can really give you a lot of money, enough for you to buy a house in the city and start a small business. You don’t have to live so hard.”
“Really, Peng Fei, as long as you let me go…”
When it came to this, Peng Fei stopped talking.
Just then, Fang Fang brought the medicine over.
It was too hot. Peng Fei helped to hold the bowl and blew on it slowly. Seeing that both of their complexions were not good, Fang Fang識趣ly said that she would go to do her homework.
The whole courtyard was quiet, with only the sounds of frogs and cicadas chirping outside the window.
After a few minutes, the two were still silent, and Fang Fang timidly walked over with her homework book.
“Brother, I don’t know how to do this problem.”
Peng Fei held the medicine bowl in one hand and took her notebook with the other.
He glanced at the problem and began to explain fluently.
Zhan Jingchun was surprised to find that he had actually been educated and could write word problems! Then why was he so ignorant?
“Fang Fang, what grade are you in?”
Fang Fang said she was in fourth grade.
It seemed that Peng Fei had studied higher than her.
“Did you study too?”
Fang Fang liked to talk to her sister-in-law, and she quickly answered.
“Yes. My brother went all the way to high school. He was very good at his studies and was admitted to the key high school in the county town. It’s a pity that father got sick later…”
He could get into a key high school?
Zhan Jingchun wanted to ask further, but Peng Fei seemed unwilling to mention it and interjected.
“Okay, you can drink it now. Hold it yourself, slowly.”
Fang Fang識趣ly left again.
The two of them had nothing more to say. They sat there and drank. After a while, Peng Fei said hesitantly.
“I know our family is poor and not good enough for you. But since you’ve come to our home, and we’ve already… please don’t think about leaving, okay?”
“I promise I will treat you well and won’t let you work. If you don’t want to go out in the sun, you can stay at home every day. I’ll cook, and you just need to take good care of the child.”
“I’ll farm well, and I’ll buy you a TV, a refrigerator, and a washing machine in the future.”
Perhaps, to him, this was a great goal, a sincere promise.
But to Zhan Jingchun, it was a joke.
A mere TV and refrigerator required him to try his best to earn, so what was the point of having a child?
To suffer hardship with them, not to see the world, and then to repeat the same mistakes?
Of course, she had become smarter. She knew he didn’t like to hear it, so she didn’t argue with him about this topic.
She planned to use a soft approach, take good care of her health first, then slowly get familiar with the surrounding environment, and she would always find a way to leave.
“Who said I don’t like the sun? I like sunshine the most. Don’t you know that if people don’t get enough sun, their resistance will weaken? No matter how much medicine you drink, it’s useless.”
Peng Fei understood this reasoning. Seeing that she liked the sun, he made a sincere promise.
“As long as you don’t think about leaving, I won’t lock you up. You can go out in the sun, you can do whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Of course. In a couple of days, a friend’s child is having a full moon banquet. If you like it, I can take you.”
Zhan Jingchun seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline.
A village banquet, wouldn’t that gather many people? Noisy?
For her, wouldn’t that be a good opportunity?
She pretended to smile gently and sweetly at Peng Fei.
“That’s great. I quite like eating at banquets. It’s a deal, I’ll go with you then.”
The two seemed to have sworn eternal vows. That night, Peng Fei was extremely happy, leaning against her tightly like a stove.
Although they didn’t do anything, she could feel that he was very sweet.
Zhan Jingchun endured the urge to push him away and lay down obediently. The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Peng Fei discussed with his mother about going to the market.
Indeed, the family hadn’t bought anything for several months, and they needed to stock up on laundry detergent, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
In addition, Zhan Jingchun had no clean clothes to change into. It wasn’t good to continue like this, so his mother approved.
Peng Fei happily ran into the room to ask her what she wanted. Zhan Jingchun did not stand on ceremony.
Her beautiful hair had been well-maintained since childhood. Coming to their home and washing it with laundry detergent was unbearable.
Shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, body wash, body lotion, face cream, she listed a lot of things.
Peng Fei frowned slightly as he looked at these unfamiliar terms, calculating the money in his mind, but he still did not object to her.
“Okay, I’ll be back early. If you’re thirsty or hungry, tell Mom. I’m leaving.”
He was gone for the whole day. During the day, only Mother Peng and Zhan Jingchun were there.
The two of them had nothing to say. Mother Peng used the leftover chicken soup from yesterday to cook noodles for her and decoct medicine. After putting them down, she went out.
Zhan Jingchun enjoyed the peace and quiet, like a child looking forward to the New Year, eagerly waiting for Peng Fei to return with gifts for her.
As the sun began to set, the person finally returned.
Peng Fei first went to talk to his mother and was scolded by her. Then, he returned to the room with a bag, a smile on his face.
Although Zhan Jingchun’s list was discounted, they were all bought.
The clothes were a common set from the market, a pink T-shirt and denim shorts for young women.
A packet of baby cream for one yuan, used to wipe her face.
A nine-yuan-and-ninety-nine-cent bottle of a generic brand of body lotion, shampoo with an unpronounceable name, a pink toothbrush, and even a pink hair tie with two cherries hanging from it.
Peng Fei, like a child seeking praise, eagerly waited for her to compliment him.
Zhan Jingchun, however, thought with disdain, with such living conditions, they dared to promise to buy her a refrigerator, TV, and washing machine?
The total cost was less than fifty yuan, and he was scolded by his mother.
Sigh!
After eating three chickens and drinking two doses of Chinese medicine, Zhan Jingchun’s complexion finally recovered, and she had the strength to get out of bed and move around.
Tomorrow is Sunday, and Fang Fang is very happy, as she can also go to the banquet.
Listening to them discuss the grand banquet, Zhan Jingchun’s heart pounded.
She was both looking forward to tomorrow and filled with worry.
After dinner, lying on the bed in a daze, Peng Fei came over early.
He blew out the lights, lay down beside her, and his hand began to grope in inappropriate places.