Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 139 - 0139: The Wild Goose Delivering a Letter 3_1

Chapter 139: Chapter 0139: The Wild Goose Delivering a Letter 3_1

After seeing off Ouyang Zijin, Feng Qingxue felt somewhat relieved, hoping that everything would safely reach Lu Jiang, and that it could help him stay safe and reduce the chance of getting hurt.

As January passed and spring began to bloom, a sprinkling of green emerged everywhere in the mountains and fields.

All the women who went hungry throughout winter carried baskets, going out to forage for the wild vegetables of early spring. They would come back, clean the vegetables thoroughly, then cook them into vegetable soup or vegetable gruel. If they were in good conditions, they could mix the vegetables with flour and knead it into cornmeal cakes.

You occupy this patch of land, I occupy that patch, no one infringes on anyone else’s territory. Everyone digs in and starts to work.

Wild vegetables are great, as they’re rich in nutrition.

To avoid arousing suspicion, they should add some new flavors to their meals after a winter of eating nothing but radish and cabbage.

Feng Qingxue and her sister joined the throng of villagers foraging for wild vegetables.

She was fully equipped, with a small bamboo basket, a large back basket, and two sizes of iron shovels.

Feng Qingxue only knew of two types of wild vegetables, Shepherd’s purse and dandelions. Dandelions have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, so she only digs for these two, their sparkling and tender appearance brought a sense of clarity to her mind.

Hongling’s mother and Feng’s stepparent moved closer to the sisters, digging for wild vegetables while making small talk.

Of course, Feng’s stepparent greatly benefited without saying a word.

It is only natural for Hongling’s mother to appreciate Feng Qingxue for the brown sugar and eggs she sent earlier. These two items greatly contributed to their daughter’s nutrition and health, so their gratitude towards Feng Qingxue is immeasurable.

"Xiaoxue, have you heard of it?" It was Hongling’s mother who started the conversation.

"What are you referring to, ma’am? I rarely go outside, just staying at home every day."

Feng’s stepmother, who enjoys lively scenes, also asked what they were talking about.

"It’s about your cousin from your uncle’s side, Wang Jiao. She’s supposed to marry Zhang Yuejin, a man who sells pork in the food store in our county. From then on, they’ll never run out of meat," said Hongling’s mother, full of envy.

Wang Jiao has a suitor? Feng Qingxue expressed her ignorance.

As for the meat, it does make sense. In the documents she read, it was mentioned that skilled pork butchers were held in high regard, more so than minor officials. Everyone wanted to take advantage of their position to buy meat.

The term "backdoor" originated from this very practice.

Feng Qingxue asked with a smile, "I haven’t been to Wanglou for a while. I’m not aware of my uncle’s affairs. How did you come to know about it, ma’am?"

"Your aunt’s maternal home is in Wanglou, and she went to visit the relatives on the third day of the lunar year!" Feng’s stepmother clearly knew of Hongling’s mother’s relationship with Wanglou and immediately clarified her niece’s confusion.

"So, ma’am, your maternal home is Wanglou as well? What a coincidence."

"It is indeed. Who would have thought your marriage would somehow involve my relative?" Hongling’s mother laughed, her face crinkling. "Our family was once a tenant of Lu Family too. To be honest, the Lu Family is kind. Every year, they received less rent than other landlords by twenty to thirty percent. It may not seem like much, but those twenty to thirty percent could keep almost eighty percent of the tenant farmers from going hungry. Back in the day, everyone hailed Lu Family as great benefactors. It’s just that they came into misfortune. They owned too much land, got classified as major landlords, and suffered the consequences."

Feng Qingxue simply smiled at the mention of the classification issue and did not comment. "Has my cousin’s marriage been arranged? How did the news reach here so quickly?" Her engagement was only confirmed when Lu Jiang came to fetch her.

Hongling’s mother thought for a moment, then said, "It’s practically settled. My sister-in-law said that your aunt has accepted the marriage proposal from the Zhang Family."