Qiao Mei nodded after hearing her concern. “I understand now. As long as you return, I’ll find you a place to stay. Just come back.”
This made Li Gui assume that there were still empty houses in the village.
If she would be able to find a house just by giving notice to the village, then that would take care of her very last concern. She wanted to discuss it with the Zhang family immediately as she felt like moving back as soon as possible.
Li Gui took out a small cloth bag from her pocket and placed it on the table, revealing the money inside. “This is the dowry that mom saved up for you. There’s not much but that’s because I don’t have money. When I have money in the future, I’ll make it up to you.”
Qiao Mei smiled sweetly and replied, “Thank you, Mom!”
Li Gui was also overjoyed. It was already a very good thing that Qiao Mei was willing to call her mom. The mother-daughter relationship that had been delayed for so many years had finally started again today.
“Take a rest first. Mom is going back, wait for news from me!” Li Gui said.
“You can leave after dinner!” Qiao Mei stopped her.
“No, no, I still have to walk 10 miles. Otherwise, I won’t be able to catch the train back today.” Li Gui insisted on leaving.
Qiao Mei turned around and walked into the kitchen. She then said loudly, “I’m going to cook now and I’ll send you there on my bicycle after dinner. You’re not allowed to leave.”
When Li Gui heard this, she had to stay.
She did not want to leave either. It would be great to be able to eat a meal that was prepared by her daughter.
As soon as the food was served, Li Gui knew that Qiao Mei had excellent culinary skills.
Li Gui ate happily. She felt that Qiao Mei’s culinary skills were so good that even at her in-laws’ place, people would look up to her because of it.
After dinner, Qiao Mei wanted to give her a ride on her bicycle but Li Gui was unwilling to accept it. “You’re currently pregnant so don’t mess around. I’ll just walk back.”
Li Gui looked at Qiao Mei’s stomach and felt a greater urge to return.
Now that her daughter was pregnant, she naturally needed someone to take care of her. She also needed a female elder by her side to guide her and this should fall under the responsibility of her mother.
Qiao Mei nodded in agreement and asked Auntie Dong from the neighboring house to send Li Gui off instead. Then she turned around and went back.
Although she could not ride the bicycle herself after she got it, she still got a few of the older women to bring it out to learn how to ride it. Given that knowing how to ride a bicycle was a skillset, the gesture made the older women more willing to be friends with Qiao Mei.
Qiao Mei was generous and nice.
Besides, not everyone could borrow this bicycle. She would only lend it to people who were close to her and she did not let herself get bullied into lending it to just anyone.
When Li Gui reached home, she was more than 20 minutes later than usual. This made the Zhang family very unhappy.
The Zhang family members were sitting around the table. Zhang Qian and his eldest son, Zhang Cong, sat at the table and drank water out of boredom with no food on the table. Clearly, the family was waiting for Li Gui to cook dinner.
Everyone was upset by her late return.
“Why are you back so late today?” Zhang Qian slammed the cup in his hand down with displeasure in his eyes.
Li Gui quickly took out a bundle of vegetables and squatted down to pluck them to prepare dinner. She lowered her head and said, “I’m late today as I ran into some issues.”
“Your team doesn’t work overtime. What important issue can you have?” Zhang Cong, the eldest son borne by Zhang Qian’s ex-wife, sneered.
The entire Zhang family worked in the food factory in town.
When Zhang Cong was getting off work, he saw her team leader, Wang Qiu, passing by. She had said mockingly to him, “As an elder brother, you have to give your younger sister a dowry when she gets married.”
He asked around and found out that Li Gui did not go to work today, but had gone back to her ex-husband’s village.
How outrageous!
The Zhang family helped her raise her children, yet Li Gui still missed that worthless daughter of hers.
As soon as Zhang Cong got home, he told Zhang Qian about it.
Now, Zhang Qian looked at Li Gui angrily with regret and disdain in his eyes. The “village belle” he married with expensive betrothal gifts back then had actually become so old and ugly now.
How unlucky!