Chapter 51: Being a Stepmother 18
The time left for the candidates to review was not much. Others were anxious to finish their studies while studying. They had put down their textbooks for too many years and could not finish their studies in a short period of time. Only Ye Zhiqiu had already reviewed several times. He just reviewed step by step every day. Not only was he not anxious, he was also in the mood to make delicious food to comfort himself.
In Han Xiaoqin's eyes, Ye Zhiqiu was self-aware and gave up trying because he knew he was not good at studying. She despised him and was glad that there was one less competitor. Of course, she only dared to think about these in her heart. She envied Ye Zhiqiu's leisurely life for a while, but she still had to continue working hard.
Ye Zhiqiu was already married, and whether she could go to college would not affect her future life, but she was different. She wanted to move to the city and marry a city person. She didn't have the chance before, but if she didn't seize the opportunity now, she would be stupid.
After the big meal, it was time to leave for the exam. Ye Zhiqiu left Han Yue to Han's father to take care of him and let him stay at his grandfather's house for a few days. Even if he had a stepmother, he didn't have to worry, unless Han's father didn't want Han Dalin, a promising son.
Han's father had some objections to Ye Zhiqiu going to take the exam, but he would not refuse to take care of his granddaughter. Han Yue was not a noisy child, and he was naturally happy to be a good person because he didn't have to cook and had to use an extra pair of chopsticks.
The step-grandmother would not be a mean person in vain. She did not like living with her adult stepson, but she had no ill will towards the child. It was just a matter of cooking more rice, not to mention that Ye Zhiqiu was a good person and gave him gifts. In view of the good gifts, she would also be nicer to Han Yue, so that such good things would not fall into other families in the future.
It was winter and it was hard to walk because of the cold weather. The village chief decided to arrange a bullock cart to take everyone there for the exam. Except for Ye Zhiqiu, everyone else was very happy. The less distance they had to walk, the better.
Ye Zhiqiu refused this kindness. She would rather act alone and eat and live alone than live with everyone else. It was better to be careful before the exam than to regret it later. She had already decided to live alone and did not plan to eat outside. The space had already prepared light meals, and it was just right for her to eat quietly behind closed doors.
The conditions of the village chief's family were not bad, but they would not support Han Xiaoqin living in a single room alone. She had to squeeze with other people, not to mention her envy of Ye Zhiqiu.
It's not like she hadn't thought about asking for help, but Ye Zhiqiu didn't give her the chance at all. Before she even asked, he said he wanted to live alone and that he couldn't sleep in the same room with other people. So in order not to affect her exams, she was willing to pay a high price to live alone.
Having said that, no matter how thick-skinned she was, she was too embarrassed to bring it up in public. As for bringing it up in private, Ye Zhiqiu didn't even give her a chance. From the time she left home to the town, everyone didn't know where Ye Zhiqiu was hiding except for the one time they met in the examination room.
Ye Zhiqiu didn't hide, she just chose a guesthouse that was farther away from the examination room but with better conditions. She didn't take the same route as other candidates in the village, and she handed in her papers early after each exam, so how could she meet him?
After taking several exams in a row, even though Ye Zhiqiu had already reviewed, the questions were not difficult. After finishing the last exam and walking out of the exam room, her brain felt tired. At this moment, she just wanted to have a good meal and then have a good sleep.
However, she still remembered that Han Yue was still in foster care at Han's father's home, so it was better not to go to the state-owned restaurant to eat alone. She could pack a portion of braised pork to take home.
Meat and vegetables are hard to buy in state-owned restaurants, but Ye Zhiqiu was lucky today. Not only did she buy braised pork, but she also bought bamboo shoots buns that were just out of the pot. If she waited a few decades, they would be more expensive than meat buns. But bamboo shoots were not valuable now, at least not as valuable as meat, so it was a bargain for her.
Ye Zhiqiu bought a dozen bamboo shoots buns. If she wasn't afraid of arousing suspicion, she would have bought them all. If she couldn't finish them, she could put them in the space and take them out when she wanted to eat them. It was more convenient than keeping them in the refrigerator.
The weather was cold, and the steamed buns and braised pork had already frozen when they were brought back to the village. Despite this, Han Yue was still very happy to see the delicious food. There was no meat or eggs at her grandfather's house, so her own home was better, and Aunt Ye could cook a lot of delicious food.
The granddaughter who had been taken care of for a few days didn't even look at her stepmother when she saw him. Even though Han's own granddaughter was not very close to him, he still felt uncomfortable. He waved his hand and muttered to Han Yue: "Hurry up and leave, you ungrateful little bastard."
Han Yue was not afraid of him either. He ran to Ye Zhiqiu and then turned back to make faces at him, "You are not a good grandfather. I will tell Dad that you don't give me meat or eggs."
"Stinky girl, fish is not meat?" Han's father was really angry. In the middle of winter, he found a way to go down to the river to catch fish, just because the little girl didn't eat well and complained about the food at home. As a result, she ate the fish and drank the fish soup, but still complained about the lack of meat. If it were twenty years ago, according to his temper, he would definitely catch the little girl and spank her.
Ye Zhiqiu was afraid that Han's father would really do it, so he quickly pulled Han Yue away. He laughed as he ran. He didn't expect that Han's father was quite nice to his granddaughter. The fish in the river was free, but cooking fish consumed a lot of oil. He didn't know if her stepmother-in-law would be angry that the oil tank at home was empty.
No matter what, she could be angry, it wasn't hers to eat. She also shared the braised pork and buns she brought back with the old mansion. It didn't matter if Han Yue ate a little of their fish and used a little oil. In the end, they still got the better deal.
Han's father was not happy at all. He received Han Dalin's letter and found out that Ye Zhiqiu had not told him about taking the college entrance examination. She didn't tell him about such a big thing. This daughter-in-law must be wild.
As a father-in-law, it was not easy for him to teach his daughter-in-law a lesson. The mother-in-law was only the stepmother-in-law, so it was not easy for her to intervene. The Ye family had to intervene. He went to the Ye family to chat with Ye Changtian, the head of the family.
The moment Ye Changtian saw him, he knew that it was no good, but he still had to be polite to him. After all, Han Dalin had abilities, which he might need someday. As an old man half buried in the ground, he didn't care, but for the sake of his children and grandchildren, he couldn't offend anyone.
Huang Lamei couldn't believe it: "What? You said my Qiu girl is taking the college entrance examination? Second brother, did I hear it right?"
Ye Erniu shook his head. He had heard the same thing, but Zhiqiu from his family had never been to school for a single day. When would he be able to take the college entrance examination? He would not fail.
No one in the Ye family believed it, not even the brothers who had lent books to Ye Zhiqiu. They paid money to sit in the classroom and study seriously. They had already returned what they learned to the teacher over the years.
It would be embarrassing for Ye Zhiqiu to take the college entrance examination with just a book, which is a waste of money. He would be better off buying two pounds of meat and bringing it home for them to eat.
Father Han felt better when he saw that the Ye family didn't know anything. Forget it, there was no one in this family who understood and was reliable, so he said nothing more and decided to go back early.