Chapter 41 I'm home. I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then...

"dad!"

Two crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously. Chen Yongliang was tightly embraced by his two daughters, one on each side. The brush in his hand suddenly stopped, and a blob of ink fell onto the red paper, like a lake that had been still for many days being awakened by the chirping of sparrows.

He didn't have time to think about anything else, so he hurriedly put down his brush and gently stroked his daughters' hair. The two fluffy heads rubbed against him at the same time.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

These days, he and his wife look forward to their children coming home almost every day.

Mu Bai is in the army; it's unknown whether he was injured.

Kapok lives far from home and doesn't know if she has enough money to spend.

Muhe is the most obedient person, and we are afraid that she will be bullied outside.

Chen Mian couldn't wait to show off to her father, her eyes sparkling: "Dad, guess how much money I made outside?"

Chen Yongliang gently shook his head: "Dad can't guess."

Chen Mian pouted in disappointment, "Ugh, you're so boring."

"Never mind, I'll tell you and Mom when we get home. Let's keep it a secret for now."

"Okay, what do you want to eat? Dad will cook it for you when we get home."

...

"What do you want to eat? I've asked you that so many times."

Li Cuiping's shoulder was nudged. She snapped out of her daze, her eyes still filled with envy.

"Oh, I'll have some mutton soup with bread." Her tone was somewhat downcast.

"Want some mutton? It'll cost three yuan if you want, but only one yuan if you don't."

Li Cuiping felt the money in her pocket, took out three banknotes, and said, "I want them."

"Okay, come in and have a seat. It'll be ready soon."

The steaming hot food soothed Li Cuiping's slight sadness; after many years, she finally got to eat what she had been longing for.

The taste was just so-so.

I really want my dad to try it too.

"Cuiping, you've already started eating? I was just looking for you."

Chen Mian lifted the curtain and walked in. "Boss, please pack three servings of mutton stew for me."

She paused, then said, "Four portions."

"Okay!"

Li Cuiping, still holding chopsticks, looked up in confusion: "Aren't you going to eat?"

“We’ll take it home and eat it with Mom.” Chen Mian sat down. “It’s okay, you can continue eating.”

Li Cuiping took a bite of garlic, ate a few bites of stewed bread, thought for a moment, and then silently pushed the bowl over, saying, "You should eat something to tide you over first."

Chen Mian waved her hand in refusal, "Really, no need. My dad brought two steamed buns with chili peppers. I'll just eat those later. I'll be going back soon."

In the Chen family home, Lin Huijun was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun, holding a shoe insole in her hand and occasionally embroidering a few stitches.

Judging from the style, it looks like a pair of men's shoe insoles.

I don't know if my son will be able to come back this year. It's already this late; he should have come back to visit long ago.

He's about the right age; it's time for him to find a wife.

She has carefully saved all the money he sent home over the years, intending to use it for his wedding.

But... he's rarely home, so once his daughter-in-law is married, will she stay home with him and his wife every day?

"Huijun, look who's back!" Her husband's voice came from outside the door.

Didn't he go to the county to sell Spring Festival couplets? Why is he back so early today?

As if she had thought of something, Lin Huijun suddenly stood up and threw the things in her hands into the sewing basket.

She pushed open the door and looked around, but all she saw was her husband and the food hanging on the handlebars of his bicycle.

"Are you not living frugally? Buying so much!" she scolded playfully.

"mom!"

Chen Mian suddenly rushed up from the side, picked up Lin Huijun whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and bounced her up, saying, "Mom, have you lost weight?"

Lin Huijun was flustered and struggled to get down. "Nonsense, put Mom down quickly."

Looking up, I saw Chen Muhe, who was standing quietly opposite me, also secretly smiling. And there was Li Cuiping, whom I hadn't seen for a long time either.

A blush crept onto her face, making her even more embarrassed.

After being put down, she quickly pulled her two daughters into the yard.

Li Cuiping was the last to arrive, and quietly helped Chen's father carry their luggage inside.

Inside the house, Lin Huijun was holding her two daughters' hands, looking them over. When they were little, the two daughters looked exactly alike, both incredibly cute.

Who would have thought that as they grew up, their appearances would become different? Muhe looked more like herself, while Mumian's face shape resembled her husband's more. Only her almond-shaped eyes were exactly like hers.

She pinched Chen Mian's cheek. "Have you gained weight?"

"I've been worried about you at home every day, and you little ingrate, you've been gone for so long and only sent one letter. You must have been having a blast out there."

Chen Mian rubbed her head against her mother and said coquettishly, "No way, I think about you every day, really."

"I missed you so much I cried."

Chen Yongliang lifted the curtain and walked in, putting down the bags he was carrying in the corner. He teased, "I think you're so happy you've forgotten all about home. You've completely forgotten about your parents."

...

"Are you out of your mind? Ever since Kapok came home, you've been completely distracted."

Yu Xiaoyue waved her hand in front of her son's eyes, but when he still didn't react, she had to push him away. "Stop rubbing it. You'll ruin the sticky rice cakes in no time."

Ji Yu snapped out of her reverie, picked up a small piece of dough again, and lowered her eyes to cover it up, saying, "No, I was just thinking about work."

Yu Xiaoyue pouted, "You'd better be thinking about your lousy job. I can't even be bothered to talk to you."

"Look at Batur, he's going to be a father in a few months. When will I ever get to hold my granddaughter..."

Ji Yu flattened the dough in his hand, scooped a spoonful of red bean paste into it, and muttered to himself, "My dad's back now. If you're really bored, you can always have another one." Why does he keep nagging me? I'm annoyed enough already.

That's the downside of being far away. Even if he wanted to sneak over to see her, he couldn't. What good would it do to get her address? He still wouldn't be able to see her.

If only... Chen Mian's family could have a telephone installed.

Ji Yu's eyes lit up, and she began to silently calculate her salary.

Yu Xiaoyue only heard his last sentence, "Can we have another one?", and couldn't help but raise her hand and slap him on the head.

She's already so old, her friends are almost grandchildren, and she's still trying for a second child.

If word gets out, where will we put our faces?

That wretched child.

"Hurry up and wrap your sticky rice dumplings. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll have your dad deal with you."

"knew."

"I'm going out to catch a chicken; I'll stew some mushrooms for dinner."

"Cluck cluck cluck..." A plump old hen was desperately jumping up and down to avoid a cleaver behind her.

Chen Mian: "Don't run away! I'm quick, it won't hurt."

She chased after the hen, circling the coop twice, but still couldn't catch it. She had no choice but to ask for help, "Dad, come quick, I can't catch it."

Chen Yongliang was helping his wife boil water and couldn't leave for a moment, so Li Cuiping went out when she saw this.

She was quick-witted and agile; as soon as she entered the chicken coop, she caught the old hen.

Li Cuiping, holding a chicken by the neck in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, walked to the wood stump where she was chopping wood, blew off the dust, and gestured for Chen Mian to get a basin.

With each swift stroke of the knife, bright red chicken blood flowed continuously from the chicken's neck, dripping into the enamel basin below.

The water in the pot was ready, and after draining the blood, she deftly plucked the chicken's feathers.

Chen Mian carried in an enamel basin full of fresh chicken blood for her mother to knead dough. Before leaving, she reminded her mother, "Please save a few intact feathers for me."

"Okay, I'll make you a shuttlecock tonight."

Inside the house, with the help of her two daughters, Lin Huijun quickly kneaded the dough until it turned a light pinkish-brown color.

After the dough had risen, she took out a long rolling pin from the cupboard and quickly rolled the whole piece of dough into a large circle.

The rolling pin folds the dough multiple times, and it is then skillfully cut into thin strips.

Lin Huijun picked up a handful of light pink noodles. "We can steam them now."

On the other side, Li Cuiping had also cleaned the old hen in her hands. She chopped it into pieces and put it into another basin to wash.

Lin Huijun took the enamel basin from her and said gently, "I'm so sorry, Cuiping, you're a guest in our home, and we're making you do chores."

"You go and rest, I'll take care of it."

"It's nothing, Aunt Lin. I'm used to doing this at home; it's just something I can do easily!"

After washing, the chicken pieces are put into a pot to blanch, skimming off the foam. Then, fresh water is added, along with scallions, ginger slices, and other seasonings, and the mixture is simmered over high heat.

The chicken blood noodles were steamed and poured out of the steamer onto the wooden board, where Chen Yongliang took them out to the yard to dry.

Once the chicken soup is ready, you can cook it in a pot for a little longer before eating.

The leftover chicken blood noodles and chicken soup will be stored in the cellar and taken out to eat later.

However, there are many people in my family this year, so we might finish it in a day or two.

The time was almost up, and Chen Mianmian couldn't wait to lift the lid of the pot, put in the goji berries and red dates she had brought back from Xinjiang, and then poured in some pepper powder.

She sat on a small stool in front of the stove, her hands supporting her chin, waiting for her mother to cook noodles.

A rich aroma of chicken soup wafted out, slipping through the crack in the door and reaching the neighbor's house.

Before long, Li Huandi arrived, drawn by the smell. Counting the days, her wretched daughter should be back from Xinjiang by now.

Her eyes darted around. The Chen couple were usually too stingy to kill a chicken for food, so it must be their daughter who had come back.

"Sister-in-law Chen, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good!"

Li Huandi lifted the curtain and immediately saw her own brat. "Oh, look how timely I am! Isn't this my Cuiping?"

"Why didn't you tell Mom you were coming back?"

Her eyes darted around, and when she saw the large and small bags in the corner, a hint of joy appeared in her eyes.

Li Cuiping shrank back and hid behind Chen Mianmian, without saying a word.

Chen Mian: "Aunt Li, Cuiping will be spending the Spring Festival at our house this year."

Li Huandi said in a loud voice, clearly displeased, "What are you trying to do? You're back now, what kind of behavior is it to stay at someone else's house?"

As she spoke, she walked towards the corner of the wall, saying, "These are the gifts you brought back, right? Let me take them home for you first."

Li Cuiping spoke up to stop her: "Mom, don't touch it, those are Chen family things. I'm not going back with you."

Li Huandi put her hands on her hips, frowned, and glared angrily: "You go out to work, and when you come back, don't you bring anything home with you?"

"I shouldn't have been soft-hearted back then..."

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Author's note: I learned some new transition and ending techniques, hehe.