sinovels Chapter 1739 Baoyu's Change and Liu Mei's Rescue
Chapter 1739 Baoyu's Change and Liu Mei's Rescue
Chapter 1739 Baoyu's Change and Liu Mei's Rescue
Zhao Youcai emerged from the house with an undisguised look of disappointment on his face, muttering to himself.
To this day, Zhao Youcai has killed two adult Siberian tigers and one sub-adult Siberian tiger, but people in the forest area and those who run in the mountains do not recognize his nickname of "Tiger-Hunting King".
On the contrary, the mere mention of the "ox-slaughtering cannon" would give people plenty to say. They'd say things like Zhao Youcai kills an average of one ox a month, or that he'd successfully hunted old oxen at both the dog-hunting and the stray-hunting spots… All sorts of sarcastic remarks would emerge endlessly.
Zhao Youcai admitted to hitting the old ox, but he denied hitting three; he only admitted to hitting half an ox.
According to Zhao Youcai, the old ox that Zhang Lifu's family originally owned was slaughtered by Zhao's gang of dogs, and those dogs all belonged to Zhao Jun. Therefore, Zhao Youcai believed that the death of the old ox had nothing to do with him.
And Wang Fu's old ox was killed by a motorcycle. No, it was the ox that ran into the motorcycle, except he was the driver at the time.
As for Da Qingmang, whom he killed, Zhao Youcai also had something to say. He said that he wasn't the only one who fired the shot; Zhao Weipeng was also among them.
Therefore, Zhao Youcai believed that his record was three tigers and half oxen, but he was not good at arguing and could not silence the gossip in Yong'an.
Under these circumstances, Zhao Youcai decided to vindicate himself by updating his record of tiger hunting.
Zhao Youcai had known about the tiger in Daqinggou, Lingnan for a long time.
On the day of Zhao Jun's wedding, four generations of the Shao family attended the banquet. When the Zhao family saw the guests off, the Shao family mentioned it to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Youcai, who was almost blacked out from drinking, couldn't remember giving all the red envelopes to Ma Ling, but he remembered this incident, which shows how deep his obsession with fighting tigers was.
This is why the Shao family couldn't get the permit to hunt tigers; otherwise, Zhao Youcai would have to pack his things and leave right now, even if it meant digging through the mountains overnight to get to the Shao family.
But reality is often disappointing. Frustrated, Zhao Youcai went out for a walk to clear his head, with Zhao Jun following behind.
As soon as Zhao Jun stepped out of the house, he heard Li Tongyun and Zhao Youcai greeting each other.
"Brother Jun." Seeing Zhao Jun come out, Li Tongyun greeted him and handed him a long, thin aluminum box, saying, "Brother Jun, here's the syringe you wanted."
"Okay, Xiaoyun." Zhao Jun took the aluminum box, and then saw Li Tongyun glance at the next room and ask, "Brother Jun, is my brother up yet?"
"You're up!" Zhao Jun laughed. "You got up around five o'clock. Your sister-in-law even helped your sister-in-law Ma Ling put out the dog food."
Today, Zhao Jun wasn't needed to feed the dogs; Ma Ling and Liu Mei did that job.
"Ah, hehe..." Li Tongyun smiled upon hearing this and ran towards the wall separating the two courtyards.
Reaching the wall, Li Tongyun gripped the top of the wall with both hands, craning her neck to peer into the yard.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun smiled and shook his head. For the two weeks before Liu Mei entered the family, everyone would tease Li Baoyu whenever they had free time.
After Liu Mei entered the room, only Li Tongyun and Li Ruhai were left teasing Li Baoyu.
Zhao Jun opened the aluminum box in his hand and saw a syringe with a needle inside.
Zhao Jun closed the lid, took the aluminum box, and walked towards the second warehouse located on the east side of the courtyard gate.
Zhao Jun entered the warehouse and saw a row of gallbladders hanging from the rafters. From east to west, first were bear gallbladders, then five pig gallbladders, and finally three badger gallbladders.
Zhao Jun removed the gallbladders from the badger and then removed a pig's gallbladder. He took it outside and sat sideways on the low wall of the east vegetable garden.
Zhao Jun brought an aluminum box, took out a syringe, inserted the needle below the pig's gallbladder where it was tied, slowly extracted the bile, and then pushed it into the vegetable garden.
As Zhao Jun continued his work, the bile inside the pig's gallbladder was completely drained. Then he inserted a syringe into the badger's gallbladder, extracted the bile from it, and injected it into the pig's gallbladder.
The bile from three badger gallbladders is not as much as the bile from one pig gallbladder.
Looking at the small amount of bile in the pig's gallbladder, Zhao Jun didn't mind. He used the thin string used to tie the gallbladder to lower it, tied the injection site, and then hung it back in the warehouse.
As Zhao Jun was hanging the dantian on the roof beam, he heard hurried footsteps coming from outside.
"Brother!" Immediately afterward, Li Baoyu's voice reached Zhao Jun's ears.
After hanging up the gallbladder, Zhao Jun turned around and saw Li Baoyu come in. Zhao Jun asked with a smile, "Have you seen Xiaoyun?"
“I saw it.” Li Baoyu pursed his lips and said, “I was thinking of coming to find you, but as soon as I came out of the house, she saw me and ran away as fast as she could.”
"Hehe..." Zhao Jun chuckled upon hearing this and asked, "Baoyu, what do you want from me?"
"Brother, I was thinking we should go into town?" Zhao Jun was taken aback by Li Baoyu's words and asked, "What do you want to do in town?"
“I was thinking of buying Liu…and my mother a couple of outfits,” Li Baoyu said, and then he saw Zhao Jun looking at him and laughing.
Li Baoyu chuckled, a little embarrassed, and said, "Brother, what are you laughing about? I really am buying it for my mom."
"Then who else will you buy it for?" Zhao Jun asked. Li Baoyu smiled and said, "I'll buy it for my dad."
Zhao Jun laughed heartily, and then Li Baoyu said, "Really, brother. Even though we've separated the family, my dad and mom raised me all these years, so I still have to take care of them."
Hearing Li Baoyu's words, Zhao Jun looked him up and down and laughed, "That's right. Our Uncle Zhao and Jin Hui came later. If we don't count them, you're the oldest in our village. You have to be filial to my uncle and aunt."
After saying that, Zhao Jun continued, "How about this, we'll ask around tonight and see who's willing to go. Then tomorrow... no, you two are going back to your parents' home tomorrow, so let's go the day after tomorrow."
If things are arranged as Zhao Jun suggested, then all the families who don't work or go to school will have to go. In the end, Zhao Youcai will be the one staying home to oversee things and cook lunch for the children.
But as soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Li Baoyu stepped forward and said, "Brother, let's leave now, just take Liu Mei and my sister-in-law with us."
Zhao Jun was taken aback: "So you're not taking other people?"
“No.” Li Baoyu shook his head and said, “I want to buy clothes for my mom, my dad, Ruhai, Xiaoqiao, and Xiaoyun, to give them a surprise.”
"Oh!" Zhao Jun looked at Li Baoyu with a hint of surprise in his eyes upon hearing this.
To Zhao Jun's surprise, Li Baoyu had grown up after getting married.
Li Baoyu's respect for Li Dayong and Jin Xiaomei, and even his affection for Li Xiaoqiao, were all within Zhao Jun's expectations.
To Zhao Jun's surprise, Li Baoyu was able to recall Li Ruhai and Li Tongyun.
Zhao Jun remembered the first time he and Li Baoyu went down the mountain to sell goods. The two brothers ate at a small restaurant. After the meal, Zhao Jun wanted to buy a few bottles of soda to take home and share with the children in his family. At that time, Li Baoyu disagreed with giving them to Li Ruhai.
"Good job, you're starting to act like a big brother." Zhao Jun praised Li Baoyu. Li Baoyu grinned and said, "Brother, you're always so good to us, I have to follow suit."
Li Baoyu's words sounded nice, but Zhao Jun felt increasingly strange. He looked Li Baoyu up and down, then smiled and asked, "What's wrong, Baoyu? Is my sister-in-law giving you a lecture?"
"Huh? Hehe..." Li Baoyu was taken aback, then scratched the back of his head shyly and said, "Well, Liu Mei told me not to keep getting angry with Ru Hai. Having a younger brother and sister from the same mother is a blessing for both of us."
Hearing Li Baoyu say this, Zhao Jun laughed.
Compared to Li Baoyu's troublesome wife in his previous life, Liu Mei was simply an angel.
This pleased Zhao Jun greatly, and he laughed, "Okay, my sister-in-law is right. We brothers can't always be like Black Eye Wind."
After saying this, Zhao Jun remembered something and said to Li Baoyu, "Alright, if you're going into the city, let's go. I'll go back to the house and get the film for our wedding photos. We can go to the photo studio in the city and have them develop them."
After Zhao Jun finished speaking, the two brothers left the warehouse and split into two groups. Zhao Jun went back to the house to get the film and call Ma Ling, while Li Baoyu went back to the west courtyard to call Liu Mei.
The four met in the jeep. Li Baoyu drove, Zhao Jun sat in the passenger seat, and Ma Ling and Liu Mei sat in the back, holding hands and whispering to each other.
"Are you taking Baoyu back to his parents' home tomorrow?" Ma Ling asked. Liu Mei nodded in response, but seemed to be in a bad mood.
Compared to Liu Mei, Ma Ling, having been through similar experiences, seemed to understand why Liu Mei was like this, and immediately asked in a low voice, "Missing home?"
After nearly twenty years at home, if you suddenly go to another family, no matter how good the man is to you, you will inevitably miss your parents.
Just as Ma Ling had predicted, Liu Mei nodded and whispered, "I'm a little worried about them."
"What are you worried about?" Ma Ling tried to comfort Liu Mei, saying, "My Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu are both in good health. Besides, we all live in the same village. After these two days, it will be convenient for you to go back whenever you want."
"Sigh." Liu Mei sighed softly and said to Ma Ling, "My dad and mom are not as fortunate as my Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma. Sister-in-law, you still have my brother Ma who is married, and you still have Ma Yang at home. Unlike me, once I left home, my dad and mom had no one by their side."
Hearing Liu Mei say this, Ma Ling sighed and then asked, "Oh? I just remembered, when Baoyu was handling things that day, I don't think I saw your eldest brother."
Liu Mei has an older brother, but back then, Liu Mei's uncle and aunt were unable to have children, so they forcibly adopted Liu Mei's older brother.
The couple claimed they wanted their son to support them in their old age, but in reality, they wanted Liu Mei's older brother to bring over a child.
According to the older generation, couples who cannot have children will adopt a child. After a few years with the child, the couple may be able to have their own child.
There was a saying at the time that the later children were brought by adopted children.
Sure enough, after adopting Liu Mei's older brother, Liu Mei's uncle and aunt actually had their own child.
But once they had their own children, they started to dislike Liu Mei.
Brother Liu Mei isn't very bright. He's not stupid; he just reacts a little slower than normal. But people like him are simple-minded and very honest.
When the Liu family held their wedding banquet before, Liu Mei's older brother and sister-in-law were both present.
But on the day the Li family held their event, not only did Liu Mei's older brother and sister-in-law not come, but even Liu Mei's uncle and aunt did not come.
When a girl gets married, her brothers and uncles don't even see her off. This behavior is not only a slap in the face to the Li family, but also a slap in the face to Liu Yunfeng and his wife.
Others didn't know why, but Zhao Jun knew it was Liu Mei's uncle and aunt causing trouble. Around this time next year, Liu Mei's older brother and sister-in-law would be forced back to Yong'an Village.
This was also an indirect reason why Liu Mei hanged herself in Zhao Jun's previous life.
In Zhao Jun's previous life, Liu Mei married Zhang Laibao. At the time, no one expected Liu Mei's older brother to return, and Zhang Laibao began to think about inheriting his father-in-law's business.
Zhang Laibao expressed his opinion to Liu Yunfeng and his wife, and the elderly couple agreed.
But to their surprise, just two months after Zhang Laibao and Liu Mei got married, Liu Mei's older brother and sister-in-law returned.
In the two months since their marriage, Zhang Laibao only brought two bottles of wine and two packets of pastries to Liu Mei's parents on the day he returned to Liu Mei's home for her wedding.
Besides, he not only didn't spend a single penny on the elderly couple, but also borrowed a thousand yuan from Liu Yunfeng under some pretext.
Back then, his family only gave Liu Mei four hundred as a bride price!
Under these circumstances, Liu Mei's elder brother and sister-in-law returned, and Zhang Laibao was still thinking about inheriting the Liu family's property.
But since the Liu family had finally reunited, the elderly couple wanted to make it up to their eldest son.
Besides, their own son is back, so what use is Zhang Laibao?
But Zhang Laibao said that the old couple didn't keep their word. Liu Yunfeng was just afraid that his daughter would be mistreated, so he gave Zhang Laibao two thousand yuan.
After receiving the money, Zhang Laibao stopped causing trouble at Liu's house, but he still scolded Liu Mei when he got home.
Before Liu Mei was born, her older brother was taken away. She was the only child in the family all these years, and Liu Mei was spoiled by her parents.
She was already angry because of Zhang Laibao's behavior. When Zhang Laibao scolded her, Liu Mei stole the two thousand yuan and returned it to Liu Yunfeng.
However, Liu Mei didn't dare to say that she stole the money; instead, she said that Zhang Laibao had a change of heart.
But after Liu Mei got home, Zhang Laibao started arguing with her.
Arguing is nothing to worry about. In a marriage, every couple has its disagreements.
At the time, Liu Mei and Zhang Laibao were aware of the shame, so they deliberately kept their voices down so that their neighbors wouldn't hear them.
But while they were arguing, Xu Meihua arrived.
Upon hearing the reason for the argument, Xu Meihua immediately slapped Liu Mei twice across the face. Liu Mei, who was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), slipped and fell to the ground, immediately bleeding from her lower body and losing her one-month-old fetus.
Miscarriage can also cause postpartum depression. Liu Mei felt increasingly aggrieved after her miscarriage, and then she started making a scene at home.
At that time, there was no concept of depression; the villagers simply said that the young woman was not in good spirits.
Liu Mei's sister-in-law is a very good person. She suggested that her parents-in-law bring her sister-in-law back. However, Zhang Laibao and Xu Meihua disagreed, and Xu Meihua was particularly demanding of the Liu family throughout the village.
In a moment of despair, Liu Mei hanged herself in the storeroom.
Thinking about all this, Zhao Jun couldn't help but feel emotional, realizing that he had not only changed Li Baoyu's life but also saved Liu Mei.
……
Around noon, the jeep drove into Shanhe County.
The four of them first found a small restaurant for lunch, and then headed straight to the No. 1 Department Store, which was most familiar to the Zhao family gang.
There's a photo studio right across from the No. 1 Department Store; Zhao Jun even brought Ma Ling there to have her picture taken before their wedding.
When the jeep stopped in front of the two-story building of the photo studio, it was clear that although the photo studio was open, there were two small blackboards hanging on the wall to the right of the door.
On the small blackboard above, four large characters were written: This house is for sale.
The small blackboard below reads that Xinmin Photo Studio will be moving to No. 53, Lingong Road next month due to the expiration of its lease.
As Zhao Jun got off the bus, he looked at the "This property is for sale" sign, then looked back at the No. 1 Department Store where people were coming and going, and then looked back at the two-story building where the photo studio was located.
The building has an external staircase; the upper floors are residential, and the lower floors are a photography studio. But at this moment, red paper is pasted on the upstairs windows, with the words "For Sale" written in calligraphy on it, clearly indicating that the entire building is for sale.
Zhao Jun's eyes lit up. He was just thinking of opening a supermarket in the city, and now there was a ready-made place for him.
Sorry, guys, I can't add an extra chapter today because of the late update.
My neighbor gave me a bag of corn, and since I've been feeling better these past few days, I tried to grab it over the wall, but it aggravated my herniated disc, and now I can't sit still.
But after applying the medicinal wine, I felt much better that night. I'll update at the normal time tomorrow, and try to add an extra chapter.
(End of this chapter)