How could Shi Rushuang not understand the meaning of her daughter's words? With a smile in her eyes, she teased, "Not only has Qinglie grown up, but our Qingqing has grown up too."

"Yes, our beloved Gu family's baby has grown up." Zhang Cuifen felt a little uncomfortable, but when she saw her granddaughter's fair and tender face blushing, she smiled with relief: "It's good that she has grown up."

Gu Bao didn't understand what his sister-in-law and mother were talking about. He had been fascinated by the Construction Corps for a long time. In previous years, Qing Lie would mention the scenery of the desert in his letters, and he also wanted to go and see it!

"How can we let you go, Qingqingbao! You are a girl who has never been away from home, and your grandparents will be very worried about you." Gu Bao's dark eyes rolled around, and he patted his chest and said, "Qinglie just wants to eat candied green plums, uncle will take it!"

Han Lianxin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She poked Zhang Yuqing's arm and said, "I finally know why Abao can't find a wife. Is his head made of wood?"

"Okay." Shi Rushuang added fuel to the fire: "Abao can go and send her off. Qingqing, you just stay at home with your mother."

"No, my second brother's letter is for me," Gu Qingqing was furious, stamping her feet, "Mother, don't worry, I can find the place, I won't run around."

Shi Rushuang couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, and said in an awkward tone: "But Abao wants to go too, and he's always been smart, so I can be at ease when he's away from home."

"Mother..." Gu Qingqing was almost crying, her big watery eyes looked at Zhang Cuifen pitifully: "Grandma, I miss my second brother."

"Okay, okay, you go, you go. Don't cry, dear." Gu Bao was a little at a loss, and looked at Gu Xiong beside him for help. He actually didn't really want to go, he was just curious.

Gu Xiong pretended not to see it and continued to knead the dumpling skins.

I don’t know what’s going on, but the dumplings made by my uncle look like willow leaves, while the ones he made are just lumps of dough.

The filling is still exposed.

"Okay, stop teasing her. Our girl looks so pitiful. It makes grandma feel so distressed." Zhang Cuifen sat down in front of the stove and took some firewood to light a fire, preparing to light the pot and cook.

Gu Cai kicked his brother and said, "What are you still standing there for, Abao? Hurry up and catch a duck for us to eat. We will be away for more than half a month to visit our relatives. The food in the army is definitely not as good as what we have at home!"

After saying that, he glanced at his mother's face. Well, everything is calm and there is no quarrel between them. I can catch her!

"Eh?" Gu Bao reacted and slapped his thigh fiercely: "Hey! I'll go right away, Yuan Chao, come and help my uncle, I can't hold them all by myself."

“Ah hey hey!!!” When he heard about catching ducks, Gu Yuanchao remembered the dish of stewed duck with snails that his father had mentioned. His eyes lit up and he rolled up his sleeves and went to the vegetable garden in the backyard.

Gu Bao followed him out of the kitchen, mumbling something.

"My dear, mother is just teasing you." Shi Rushuang hugged her daughter and patted her back gently. "Qingqing, if you miss your second brother, go see him. Tomorrow, mother will take you to the mountain to pick green plums and make a few more jars for your second brother to take back, okay?"

I used to think that the girl was thick-skinned and never hesitated in anything, which was a bit like her uncle. Maybe it was because they were both about the same age and grew up following A-bao, so the uncle and nephew have similar personalities.

Unexpectedly, her daughter Qingqing was so teasing today. It seemed that she wanted to see more than just her second brother...

Thinking back to when I first fell in love, I was probably not much better than my daughter.

Shi Rushuang coaxed her with a few sweet words, and only when Gu Qingqing confirmed that her mother was willing to let her go to the army alone to visit her relatives did she smile.

"Mother, I'm going to help my uncle catch ducks!"

Before Shi Rushuang could react, Gu Qingqing put the photo in her pocket and ran away like a gust of wind. Han Lianxin joked, "Our Qingqing has a dog-like face, she can change at any time."

Gu Xiong looked at the dumplings in his hand, which looked somewhat like dumplings, and said helplessly, "Mother, how can you say that about my sister Qing?"

"It's okay. Your mother is right. She has a dog-like face." Shi Rushuang smiled with curved lips: "Even rice can't change its face as well as she can."

She was crying one second and very happy the next. She is so heartless.

How could such a silly little kid be born?

"My dear, come and see what this is."

Before Gu Jinren arrived, a laughing voice had already penetrated the courtyard wall. Gu Bao missed the duck and a duck feather fell on his head.

Gu Yuanchao was quick to act. He grabbed the duck by the neck and held it in his hand, laughing: "Uncle, hurry up, bring a bucket of hot water and pluck the duck's feathers."

"Sister, bring me a knife. We are going to kill it today."

"Okay." Gu Qingqing just ran to the front yard and threw herself on Gu Jin. She looked up blankly.

"You miss dad so much," Gu Jin said with a silly smile, "Look, dad promised us some pork belly!"

Gu Qingqing then noticed that her father was holding a piece of meat. She rubbed her forehead and said, "Uncle and Aunt are back! They brought some meat."

"That's perfect. Let's have a good meal today." Gu Jin was in a good mood. He, Qin Mengzi and Lao Yang had finalized the production team's regulations before the end of the year at the brigade headquarters. Now he could focus all his attention on increasing grain production and cash crops.

With the support of Qin Mengzi and Lao Yang, he felt much more at ease.

The Gu family kitchen was extremely busy. The three large iron pots were always on fire. One pot was boiling raw soy milk, and Gu Cai stood between the other two pots. One pot was boiling snails and duck, and the other was stir-fried loach with green and red peppers. The spatula in his hand never stopped cooking.

It is now past four in the afternoon. We just had two steamed buns for lunch. The boys from the Gu family are gathered around the stove, rubbing their hands, waiting for the dinner in the evening.

"Xiongwa, go and wash the big wooden barrel in the utility room and bring it over. Once the starch water is boiled, we can make some tofu." Zhang Cuifen took out the big firewood from the stove, leaving some residual fire. "Your grandfather is really a slow-witted person. I asked him to go to Old Man Xu's house to ask for some plaster powder. He hasn't been seen in the afternoon."

"I'm here, just chatting for a while." Gu Tiezhu walked in slowly from the door, throwing a handful of plaster powder on the table. Seeing an envelope next to it, he exclaimed, "Whose letter is it?"

"Your grandson Goudan." Gu Bao helped make mooncakes under the guidance of his third sister-in-law, putting crushed peanuts and winter melon strips into them one by one.

There was a stove for boiling water on the stove, which could be used to bake mooncakes. He sprinkled white sesame seeds on them, glanced at his third sister-in-law's mooncakes, then looked at his own, and thought they were really good.

"Qinglie." Because he mentioned this name, Zhang Cuifen glared at Gu Tiezhu again. He touched his nose and changed the subject: "Did he say when he could come back from vacation?"

"No, I'm busy. Dad, please stand aside. Xiongwa is coming in with the bucket."

As he was talking, Gu Yuanchao opened the lid of the pot and scooped out the cooked pulp with a wooden ladle and poured it into the bucket. The kitchen was filled with white steam. Zhang Cuifen sat in front of the stove and gave instructions: "Stand away and let your grandfather order the tofu. Don't crowd the edge of the bucket. If earwax falls into it, the tofu won't be made."

Every year when making tofu, Zhang Cuifen repeats the same old words. Gu Bao moves aside to make room for Tie Zhu: "...Who has nothing better to do than pick their ears next to soy milk?" he muttered softly.

Gu Tiezhu is an expert at making tofu. If there is not enough gypsum powder, the tofu will not be cooked, and if there is too much, the tofu will be too tough. The tofu he makes is always just right.

Gu Cai served the dishes and set his eyes on the piece of pork belly that his eldest brother had brought back.

"Qingqing, Uncle San will make you some stir-fried pork and some Mapo tofu?" He rubbed his niece's head.

"Okay." Gu Qingqing didn't have time to hide. She raised her hand and touched her hair. It was indeed a little greasy. She sighed and said, "Uncle San, please help Uncle Xiao next time."

Gu Cai stood aside with his hands folded and a strong smile.

After a while, the slurry slowly solidified. Gu Tiezhu took a bowl and scooped some to test it. He grinned and said, "It's done. If you want to eat tofu pudding, come and eat it yourself. You won't be able to eat it later."

Clever Gu Heping had already brought in all the tofu boxes made by his father. Everyone was served a bowl of tofu pudding and stood by the stove to eat with their bowls in hand. The smooth and tender texture had a strong bean fragrance. Gu Qingqing added two large spoonfuls of sugar to the bowl.

"Rushuang will take Qingqing and Yuanchao back to her parents' home tomorrow. They will go to bag the grains in the evening. Lianxin will take Xiongwa with her. Yuqing will go back with Weiguo, and the rest of you will continue to work."

Although it is a festival to visit relatives, there is work to do in the fields, and rice planting has to continue tomorrow. Generally, only one or two people from each household will go back.

In addition, work points are now paid according to labor, and young and strong people who are quick and strong can earn more than 20 work points a day. Everyone is eager to earn more work points and have a prosperous year.

Gu Qingqing's mind was full of the plum forest behind her grandfather's house, and she couldn't help swallowing.

Didn’t her second brother say he wanted to eat candied green plums? So she picked some more and sent them to him.

Maybe his comrades... also like to eat it.

Gu Xiong finished eating the tofu pudding first, wiped his mouth, and helped his grandfather scoop the tofu pudding into a wooden box lined with cheesecloth, closed the lid, and carried it out to the yard.

"Go find two stones to press down the water. After dinner, send a few stones to Grandpa Xu's house, and send two more stones to Qin Wu. I heard that his daughter has returned. Qingqing, don't you miss your sister Qin Li? It's a good time to go and talk to her." Zhang Cuifen put the dishes and chopsticks away and helped her third daughter-in-law prepare moon cakes.

"Grandma, let Dad go. He and Uncle Qin are partners now and have something to talk about. I have to deliver tofu to the educated youths' place. I promised Sister Yuanyuan yesterday." Gu Qingqing held the bowl and ate the tofu pudding with a satisfied look on her face. The sweetness made her want to have another bowl.

"No, we still have dinner tonight." Gu Tiezhu didn't take the bowl handed to him by his granddaughter, and coaxed her, "Let's make tofu pudding during the Chinese New Year, and then we can have enough."

"Okay, I'll listen to Grandpa." Gu Qingqing put down the bowl and went to his uncle's side to watch him cut meat, peppers and crush garlic.

"I have finished talking to your Uncle Qin about everything. Let the satellite take it off. Children walk fast." Gu Jin stood in the corner eating a steamed bun. He didn't want to see Qin Mengzi.

"I'll go." Gu Bao suddenly came over with a smile: "Brother, I'll go and give Brother Qin some tofu."

Zhang Cuifen's eyebrows jumped, and she couldn't help but look at her son a few more times, and said calmly: "What are you doing? I don't usually see you hanging out with the Qin family."

It's too abnormal. She knows her own daughter best. Gu Bao has always been a dodger and has never been one to fight for it.

"Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, Hu Zi is back, we two brothers have something to talk about." Gu Bao looked normal, and Zhang Cuifen could not tell anything from his face.

"Okay, then you go." She didn't know what was wrong with this old man in her family. Not only did he call other people's dad "brother", he also treated him as a brother.

This will mess up the generations!