Chapter 197 Recalling the Past and Looking Forward to the Future

The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve consists of twelve dishes, most of which are hearty dishes. The staple food includes jujube steamed buns and a rice dish made by cooking rice and millet together.

The children can eat whatever they want; it's all up to them.

"Oh dear, we'll just have to wait until next year. Next spring, Xiping will get married, and there will be more people in the family for the New Year, making the house even more lively."

Watching her family enjoying a lively meal, Zhang Shuzhen looked forward to what next year's Spring Festival would be like.

"If we have two more little ones in the family in the future, we'll be a generation older and become grandparents."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to hold our grandchildren during the Lunar New Year, beaming with joy?"

This is the kind of scene that people like Zhang Shuzhen and her peers long for.

"No rush, no rush. The eldest son has a wife and children, so how can we not hurry? Look at Haining and Fengying, aren't they already several months pregnant?"

Just wait a few more years, and your second and third sons will also get married. By then, you'll have so many grandchildren running around that you won't be able to hold them all.

Oh my, that would make our house so lively!

Sheng Liancheng was quite happy today, and he and his wife were also imagining what it would be like a few years from now, when all the older members of the family would be married and have a lot of kids.

The couple was quite beautiful, but Sheng Xi'an and Sheng Xikang were only teenagers, so how could they listen to such things? They were so embarrassed that their faces turned bright red.

"Dad, let's drink, let's drink."

Seeing his younger brothers' embarrassed and ashamed expressions, Sheng Xiping couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. He quickly picked up his wine glass and interrupted Sheng Liancheng.

"The second and third children are still young. Who knows what policies will be implemented in the future? Maybe the college entrance examination will be reinstated someday, and they'll be able to go to university or something."

That way, you and my mother will be even more proud.

Whenever he had the chance, Sheng Xiping would instill this idea in his family so that they would be mentally prepared.

People change gradually, and if you say it often enough, they will eventually accept it.

Sheng Xiping didn't have any other hopes; he just hoped that his younger siblings would all be successful in the future.

Although Sheng Liancheng and his wife didn't have much hope for these things, they couldn't refute what their eldest son had said.

Sheng Liancheng also picked up his wine glass and nodded, "Yes, no matter when, you have to have some culture."

Let's not talk about others, but look at your father-in-law, that's a highly educated man, he's even gone abroad for research.

"That's quite a prestigious title! Our forestry bureau only has one like that."

Although Sheng Liancheng was a rough and uncultured man, he had absolute respect for intellectuals.

The father and son clinked their glasses and each took another sip of wine.

After taking a sip of fine wine, Sheng Liancheng half-closed his eyes, hissed as he inhaled, and then nodded with satisfaction.

"Oh my, back in my hometown, who would have thought I'd be living such a good life?"

Back then, our family was so poor that we could barely afford to eat.

I was only twelve or thirteen when I went to collect manure from the lake with my neighbor, Uncle Kuan. We drank lukewarm water on a hot day and got eye infections.

"If it weren't for the other people staying at the inn with me who noticed and put two needles in my elbow, I would be dead." Sheng Liancheng began to recall those bitter days of the past.

The lake that Sheng Liancheng mentioned is not a lake in general, but the ancient town of Nanyang Lake, which is 80 miles away from Jining.

Nanyang Lake, together with Dushan Lake, Zhaoyang Lake, and Weishan Lake, is commonly referred to as the Four Lakes of the South, and sometimes collectively as Weishan Lake.

The people there live by the lake and make a living by fishing; they don't farm.

There was a lot of animal and human excrement scattered around. People from Sheng Liancheng's hometown would go and pick it up, dry it, and haul it home by cart to use as fertilizer for their crops.

Sheng Liancheng was young at the time and did not understand the dangers of lukewarm water. It was too hot, so he gulped down a lot of it, which made him dizzy and he kept gagging.

The other guests at the hotel noticed that the child's expression was off.

After inquiring, he used a large needle, the kind used for sewing burlap sacks, to poke twice at the carotid artery in Sheng Liancheng's elbow crease.

A spurt of purplish-black blood shot out, and Sheng Liancheng felt much more energetic.

When he got home, he told his parents about it. The elders in the family said that it was fortunate that blood was drawn, otherwise Sheng Liancheng would have lost his life.

Not only did he encounter danger this time, but back in his hometown, Sheng Liancheng was almost captured by the Nationalist army.

In those years, life was hard for ordinary people. Forget about becoming rich and powerful; just being able to live peacefully and safely was considered a good thing.

So now that Sheng Liancheng is living a good life, he is filled with all sorts of emotions whenever he thinks back to those days.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot something if you hadn't mentioned it."

"Xiping is getting married, shouldn't we inform our hometown? Whether anyone comes or not, the child's grandparents should at least know."

Zhang Shuzhen doesn't like to talk about the past. Those days were too hard, and it makes her heartbroken whenever she thinks about them.

However, when Sheng Liancheng mentioned his hometown, Zhang Shuzhen remembered that she needed to write a letter back home.

Sheng Xiping's marriage is a joyous occasion for the second wife's family. Regardless of whether people from their hometown come or not, they must be notified.

"Ah, yes, yes, we should write a letter home. Our parents will be overjoyed if they know Xiping is getting married."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Liancheng slapped his forehead. Indeed, his brain was useless; he had even forgotten something so important.

"Second son, after you finish eating, hurry up and write a letter to your grandparents and your uncle."

Sheng Liancheng has been in Northeast China for many years, and he rarely speaks his hometown dialect anymore. Besides, the children wouldn't understand anyway, so he addresses them according to the customs of Northeasterners.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuzhen pursed her lips.

She didn't care whether the people back home were happy or not; informing them would simply be considered impolite.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!