Chapter 60 Reunion.

Rural people don't have to go to work in the twelfth lunar month. Brother He and Brother Two were unlucky this year and couldn't find temporary jobs in the city, so they simply stayed at home during the winter.

The only thing I'm thinking about this month is probably waiting for the time to go to the train station to pick up my third brother's family, my younger sister, and my brother-in-law.

Not only do they care about it, but other people in the family also care about it, especially my parents.

Just after lunch, their mother urged them to set off for the county town. He Da Ge rode his bicycle to take He Er Ge into the county town, and first went to the third brother's wife's mother's house to borrow a bicycle. The two brothers rode to the train station and waited.

When they heard on the radio that the train that their third brother had telegraphed was about to arrive, they pushed their bicycles to the platform. The train whistled into the platform and stopped, and the two of them kept looking around for people.

The two brothers, the eldest and the second, are a little homesick. They are worried about their third brother who has been away from home for a year, and their youngest sister who has been away for half a year. They are also curious about their brother-in-law whom they have never met.

He Erge had good eyesight. He saw Xiaomei waving at him in the crowd, so he pointed and shouted, "Big brother, look! Xiaomei and the others are there."

Brother He immediately pushed his bicycle over.

He Susu walked over and shouted with a smile: "Big Brother, Second Brother, we are back."

He Lianzhou and Su Yu greeted them with a smile with their two children.

Brother He and Brother He nodded with a smile, saying that it was good that they were back.

He Susu took Cheng Shi's hand and introduced him: "Big brother, second brother, this is my husband Cheng Shi."

Cheng Shi smiled and called out, "Big Brother, Second Brother, hello."

Brother He smiled innocently: "Hello, hello."

He Erge smiled and said, "Hello, I've heard you mentioned many times in my sister's letters before, and I've also seen your photo. Now I finally meet you in person."

The platform was crowded and not the place for small talk, so they walked out and discussed how to get back.

He Susu said, "Cheng Shi and I are going to the department store to buy some things. Big brother and second brother, you guys can take third brother and the others back first. The kids can sit on the front bar, so they can be carried all at once. You can come back and pick us up later."

Cheng Shi is unfamiliar with the place, so if he wants to buy something, she must bring it with her. It is impossible for two bicycles to carry them all back at once, so this arrangement is just right.

When Brother He and the others heard this, they thought it made sense and didn't say anything about not buying anything. It was normal for the brother-in-law to bring something when he came to their house for the first time.

"Okay, be careful on the road. My second brother and I will take my third brother and his friends back first, and then we'll come to the department store to pick you up and take you home."

He Susu smiled and agreed.

Qinghe Production Team, He family at the entrance of the village.

He's mother was very cheerful since she got up in the morning, smiling at everyone she saw. She checked Susu's room and the third child's room again and again, and confirmed that the quilts had been hung out to dry, the bed, table, wardrobe, etc. had been wiped clean, and the floor had been mopped and washed with water. Everything was the same as usual, and only then did she feel relieved.

After lunch, when the eldest and second sons went to the county town to pick someone up, she couldn't sit still. She moved a chair and sat at the gate of the yard, looking towards the direction of the village entrance, waiting for her daughter and son to come back, not afraid of the cold brought by the wind.

He's father was also restless. His usually dark and expressionless face was often grinning. He could neither sleep nor fall asleep, so he just sat in the yard and weaved bamboo baskets.

On days when he didn't have to work, he loved to weave these bamboo products. It not only helped him pass the time, but he could also send them to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy them and get some money.

Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe reluctantly went back to the room and lay down for a while, but they couldn't sleep deeply and woke up soon to wait for their aunt and third uncle's family to come back.

The children at home didn't like to go out to play anymore, and all stayed in the yard waiting. They hadn't seen their aunt for a long time, and they missed her a lot.

Mother He glanced toward the entrance of the village from time to time. This time, she finally saw two bicycles coming over. She immediately shouted happily, "Hurry, hurry, Susu and the others are back!"

Hearing the news, He's father quickly put down the half-woven bamboo basket he was working on, walked to the gate of the yard with a pace that was not at all like someone his age, and opened his eyes wide to try to see who was coming.

Zhao Miling, Qian Chunhe and several other children also kept moving towards the gate.

When the two bicycles got closer, He's mother saw Dabao and Erbao sitting on the front bar, the eldest and third sons riding the bicycles, the two grandsons sitting on the front bar, and the third son's wife and the second son sitting on the back seat... Hey! Where are Susu and Cheng Shi?

"Third brother and third brother's wife, you are back. Dabao and Erbao seem to have grown taller and fatter. Where are Susu and Cheng Shi?" He's mother couldn't wait to ask after greeting them with a smile.

Father He also smiled and nodded to greet the third son's family whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He was naturally concerned about his third son's family, but he was more concerned about his daughter who had never left home and got married half a year later. He was also wondering where his daughter and son-in-law had gone.

He Lianzhou called his parents before explaining, "My younger sister and Cheng Shi went to the department store to buy things, so they asked my older brother to pick us up first and then go back to pick them up."

He's mother heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. It was good that nothing happened on the way. She turned around and urged the eldest and second sons: "Then you should go to the county town to pick up Susu and the others. Don't keep them waiting for too long."

Brother He and Brother Two didn't even stop. They said ok and turned their bikes around and rode towards the county town.

Mother He then paid some attention to the family of the third brother who had just returned: "Third brother, third brother's wife, you must be tired after coming back. Please bring all the luggage into the house and put it away. I have cleaned your room. It is very clean."

He Lianzhou agreed with a smile, then took the package back to his room and put it away.

Su Yu greeted her mother-in-law with a smile: "Mom, we haven't been home for most of the past six months. You have worked hard."

He's mother was polite and kind to the third son's wife: "It's not about hardship or not, life is like this. It's hard for you to take care of the whole family with two children in the army. Seeing that Dabao and Erbao are raised so well, your father and I are very happy."

Father He had already asked his two adorable grandsons about their days in the army. He was extremely happy to learn that Dabao was already in primary school and had ranked first in the class in the final exam.

Guifang and her friends are one year older. Even though they haven't seen Dabao and Erbao for a long time, they still have a good relationship. They ask each other what they have been doing recently. Soon the strange feeling disappears and they play together.

Su Yu was in good spirits. She chatted with her parents-in-law for a few minutes and then started talking with her two sisters-in-law.

Zhao Miling smiled and said, "I heard that you guys are coming back today, and mom and dad have been looking forward to it since this morning. It's finally going to be a lively time at home during the New Year."

"Yes, Lianzhou can only save up a long vacation to come back to accompany my parents during the Spring Festival, otherwise I should come back occasionally." Su Yu smiled. She looked at Qian Chunhe's slightly bulging belly, "Second sister-in-law, how many months have you been pregnant? I didn't hear any news before."

Qian Chunhe touched his belly and said, "It's been more than four months. I thought it was no big deal so I didn't tell anyone."

He Lianzhou's family sent money home every month, and occasionally sent a letter back to say hello to his parents and report that he was safe.

My younger sister often exchanges letters with my hometown, but I haven't heard her mention this matter, so she probably doesn't know about it. Su Yu thought about it and didn't care too much.

Su Yu: "Congratulations, second sister-in-law, the family will be more lively with the addition of a baby."

When Qian Chunhe thought about having another baby in six months, his smile became softer and he was very much looking forward to it.

When the three sisters-in-law get together, they have a lot to talk about.

Su Yu knew that the family had already bought the New Year's goods. Knowing that they would come back, she specially used all the meat coupons she had saved to buy meat. She also asked her aunt to use her connections to buy more pork. She also went to a place like that and bought a four-pound chicken. She also bought some fish from the grocery store and kept them in barrels of water. Anyway, there would be no shortage of meat during the New Year.

He's mother cherished her two most beloved grandsons. When she found out that Erbao often went to her daughter's house to play, she thought that he was accompanying her daughter, and her eyes became more loving.

She hugged Erbao and asked how she got along with her aunt, wanting to know more about her daughter's life in the army.

She waited and waited, and finally two more bicycles came back.

He's mother rushed out and hugged her daughter who got out of the back seat of the car: "Susu, you're finally back. I missed you so much!"

Falling into the warm and soft embrace, He Susu felt a sour nose when she heard her mother's words that she was thinking about her. She reached out to hug her mother and patted her back: "Mom, I missed you too. I finally came back to see you."

The mother and daughter hugged each other for a while before letting go. He's mother's eyes fell on the only young man who looked strange yet familiar.

She had seen the photo her daughter had sent back a long time ago and was deeply impressed by her son-in-law's appearance. Now seeing him in person, she felt that he was straight and upright in his olive green military uniform, and his handsome face, standing with her daughter, made people think that they were destined to be a couple.

Mother He greeted with a smile: "You are Cheng Shi, right?"

When Cheng Shi saw his mother-in-law, he found that she had a kind face and looked very similar to Su Su. He smiled and nodded to greet her: "Hello, mother. I'm sorry that Su Su and I came to visit you at home just now."

Mother He was naturally satisfied with her son-in-law. She waved her hand and said nonchalantly, "Don't be so polite. I understand that you have no control over your military leave. As long as you and Su Su get along well after marriage, I will be satisfied."

He Susu had already come to He's father's side, holding his arm and calling him dad, which made He's father very happy. After meeting Cheng Shi and his mother, she smiled and introduced him to her father: "Dad, this is my husband Cheng Shi, your son-in-law."

Cheng Shi also came over and nodded to greet him seriously: "Hello, Dad, I'm Cheng Shi."

Father He was more and more satisfied with his son-in-law. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Hi, hello. I finally see you. Come in and sit down."

He invited his son-in-law to sit in the main hall, took out the tea he had prepared long ago and brewed it for him. He and his second brother were tired from going back and forth to the county town several times, so they followed him in and sat down, and He Lianzhou also sat down to join in the fun.

Cheng Shi took out the things he had just bought from the department store: "Dad, here are two pounds of Tieguanyin, one pound of mung bean cake, one pound of jujube paste cake, and two pounds of White Rabbit candy. Susu said you like to drink tea, so you can try this Tieguanyin and see if it tastes right."

Hearing this, Father He smiled and said, "Well, you are thoughtful. This Tieguanyin looks very good."

He Susu carried the package into the room and found that everything was still arranged as it was before she left. Thinking that her mother must have cleaned the place a lot, she suddenly felt nostalgic.

She put the package of clothes aside first, picked up the package of dried seafood and walked to the main room.

"Mom and Dad, Cheng Shi and I wanted to bring you some local specialties. We happened to come across a supply and marketing cooperative in the county next to the army that was near the sea and had dried seafood, so we bought some and brought them back for you to try. Look, this is abalone, this is prawns, and this is scallop meat."

He Susu took out bags one by one and showed them to everyone.

He's mother was surprised: "We have never seen abalone before. The shrimps are big and meaty. The scallops are even shelled and dried into jerky. They look quite big."

Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe couldn't help but come over to take a look. Even Su Yu didn't expect that the quality of this batch of dried seafood was so good.

Father He said repeatedly: "Cheng Shi, you guys are so thoughtful that you bought so many dried seafood for us to eat."

Cheng Shi smiled and said, "It's all as it should be."

He's mother said, "Son-in-law, we will accept it without hesitation. It's just right that you are all here during the New Year, so let's cook it for everyone to try."

Originally she was worried about the large number of people in the family and wondered if the meat she prepared would be enough. Now with these dried seafood, it should be enough.

After giving the dried seafood to her mother to put away, He Susu sat with her sisters-in-law to chat. She was also surprised by her second sister-in-law's pregnancy, and she was very happy to think that she would have another nephew or niece in six months.

Several children were playing hopscotch in the yard. Guifang quietly stepped aside and came to her mother's side. She hadn't seen her aunt for a long time and missed her.

He Susu noticed her and waved with a smile: "Guifang, come over and sit next to me."

Guifang's eyes lit up and she quickly walked over and sat down next to her aunt.

"I see Guifang has grown a lot taller. It's good for her to have long hair. She looks better than before." He Susu admired Guifang's changes. There happened to be a new hair tie on her wrist. She took it off and gave it to her. "I don't have any other gifts, so I'll give you a hair tie. It's new and nice. I hope you like it too."

Guifang smiled and said, "Thank you, aunt."

After her hair grew long, her mother bought her two or three hair ties to tie it up. But her favorite was the hair tie her aunt gave her, which had a different meaning.

Everyone gathered in the main room to talk, and it became quite lively.

Seeing that it was getting late, He's mother asked the eldest and second daughters-in-law to go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Su Yu and He Susu wanted to go in to help but were refused.

He's mother: "You two must be tired from taking the train, so don't bother. If you want to help, wait until tomorrow. Leave dinner to us tonight."

He Susu and Su Yu had no choice but to agree.

The men chatted about major national policy issues, things that the army could talk about, or things happening in the fields.

Finally, it was He's father who said, "Cheng Shi, you must be tired after the car ride, and you talked to us for such a long time. Susu, take him back to his room to rest."

He Susu said, "Let's go, I'll show you my room."

Cheng Shi then stood up and said, "Then Dad and Big Brother, you two can talk slowly."

He followed his wife to her room.

As a soldier's reconnaissance instinct, he roughly understood the layout from the moment he arrived at the He family's house. Although the house was a red brick house, it was large and neatly renovated. In addition to the main hall, there were five rooms, a kitchen and a grocery room, a well in the yard, and a vegetable garden.

Entering Susu's room, a clean and warm atmosphere hits you. The layout is similar to that of a military room, with a wardrobe facing each other and a desk near the window. I think Susu used to sit here to read and write when she was in school. The bed is not big and there is a white mosquito net. Inside, there is a set of navy blue sheets and pillowcases, and even the quilt cover is navy blue, which is a complete set.

Looking at all this at this moment, it is as if I have crossed the long river of time and vaguely glimpsed Susu's life in the past, and have intruded into her youth.

This secret thought made Cheng Shi happy.

He Susu smiled and said, "My room is not bad, right? There are not many girls like me who live in a room by myself here. It's just that the bed is a little small, so you and I will have to squeeze in a little bit for a while."

Cheng Shi smiled and said, "It's okay, I can just hold you while sleeping."

He Susu gave him a coquettish look and asked, "Why don't you lie down and rest for a while?"

She knew that Cheng Shi had to get up very early in the morning to get breakfast in the canteen.

Cheng Shi shook his head: "No, wait until night time before going to bed."

Since he was already inside, he was in no hurry to go out, so he simply picked up the package and sorted out the clothes and hung them in the closet. He opened the closet and saw a lot of clothes hanging inside, at most winter clothes and one or two summer clothes.

He Susu smiled and said, "I have a lot of clothes. Even though it's hard to save up cloth coupons these days, my mother would give me some every year so I could buy clothes to wear."

I had felt that my father-in-law and mother-in-law loved Su Su very much before, and this feeling was even stronger after meeting them, so Cheng Shi was more willing to respect them. He smiled and said, "My father and mother treat you very well, I envy them."

Hearing the joking meaning in his words, He Susu said, "Why are you envious? Aren't my parents also your parents now?"

Cheng Shi nodded in a serious manner: "Yes, so I still made a profit."

The two of them put their clothes into the closet, and He Susu took him to look at her treasured books. When she pulled out the desk drawer, there were some ideas and drafts from previous articles she had written.

She said: "I submitted articles to magazines before, and I also wrote an article about the rush to harvest during the heavy rain last year and submitted it to newspapers for publication. They sent me the magazines and newspapers that were published, but my father kept them."

Cheng Shi said, "Then I'll ask Dad for these newspapers and magazines and take a look at them later."

He cherished every opportunity to learn about Susu's past.

He Susu naturally agreed. Who knows, before Cheng Shi could even speak, her father would not be able to help but take out these newspapers and magazines and show them to him.

After not staying in the room for long, He Susu and Cheng Shi went out to the main room to sit and chat.

The three women in the kitchen worked quickly, and it was not dark when dinner was served. There was no other way, the village had no electricity, and dinner for guests had to be served before dark, otherwise it would be inconvenient to light a kerosene lamp.

Even so, there were six dishes for dinner, including stir-fried chicken with sauerkraut, braised pork, braised fish with green onions, scrambled eggs with leeks, stir-fried pickled spicy cabbage, and dried vegetable, fig and pork bone soup. The portion of each dish was very generous, and even the rice was cooked with only refined rice, which was a rare occasion.

As there were so many people, they were naturally divided into two tables. The children sat at one table alone, and meat dishes were picked up for them.

Everyone sat together, and the usually quiet father He said happily: "Today is a good day. Susu brought Cheng Shi to our house for the first time, and the third brother's family is back. We are all together and having a good time. We are all happy to eat."

Mother He smiled and nodded: "Yes, yes, everyone, eat it while it's hot."

In front of the fragrant meat dishes, everyone was not shy about picking up the meat with their chopsticks. He Susu and Cheng Shi sat next to each other, and occasionally Cheng Shi would help her pick up the meat when she couldn't.

Although Mr. and Mrs. He were eating, they noticed these small details and felt more and more satisfied.

The He family did not have the habit of not talking while eating or sleeping. They talked about whatever they thought of and took care of Cheng from time to time, so that he would not feel out of place.

Everyone enjoyed the meal very much. The children at the other table also ate to their heart's content. It was rare to have such delicious meat dishes at home, so even the eldest and second child couldn't help but feel full.

When I was full, the sky just began to darken.

The family lit up the gas kerosene lamp, and the women began to clean up the dishes and wash them by the well in the yard. This time He Susu and Su Yu wanted to help, and they had every reason to do so: "I can't leave the cooking to you, the eldest and second sisters-in-law, so I'll leave the washing of the dishes to you, right? The third sister-in-law and I can work together very quickly."

Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe looked at their mother-in-law, and only stood up and gave up their seats when they saw her nod in agreement.

He Susu and Su Yu cooperated in the same way they did in the army. One of them used a loofah to scrub the dishes, while the other rinsed the dishes with clean water and put them into the bamboo basket next to them for draining. They moved quickly.

He's mother, Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were almost stunned by what they saw. It turned out that the two of them worked so fast together. It was not like they usually each took a loofah to scrub and rinse and were slower.

After all the dishes were washed, everyone sat down in the main room to chat. From time to time, they went to the kitchen to see the water being boiled, and brought out buckets of water for people to take a bath.

The He family did not have a dedicated bathroom, so they either had to carry the bucket into their room to wash, or carry the bucket to the utility room to wash.

He's mother smiled at Cheng Shi and said, "Our family is limited. Cheng Shi, please don't mind. It doesn't matter whether you want to carry the bucket to the room or the utility room to wash it."

Cheng Shi smiled and said, "Mom, you don't have to be so polite. We all live like this."

He asked He Susu and learned that she used to carry a bucket of water to the utility room to take a shower at home. So this time, she just carried the bucket to the utility room, then went back to the room to get clothes to take a shower.

He Susu had already washed and hung up her clothes to dry. While Cheng Shi was taking a shower, He's mother came to her room to talk to her.

Mother He hugged her and sat on the bed, stroking her daughter's soft hair: "Susu, you've grown up a lot since you came back this time. I saw you and the third son's wife working together to wash the dishes just now, and you washed clothes after taking a bath. I know you do a lot of these jobs on a daily basis."

He Susu smiled and said, "I used to live in my third brother's house. Sometimes when there were too many dishes for entertaining guests, I would go into the kitchen and wash dishes with my third sister-in-law. When I got there, who could help me wash clothes like you do? I got used to washing clothes by myself and found that it was not a difficult task."

Although He's mother was reluctant to let her daughter work, she had to say: "It's good to be able to do these things. If you can do it yourself, you don't need to ask others for help."

He Susu nodded: "That's right, but Cheng Shi does most of the work at home, such as cooking, frying and cleaning. I just prepare some dishes in advance, which makes it very easy."

Mother He was relieved: "That's good, tell me about your situation in the army."

He Susu picked out some of the things and told them to her mother. She was very happy to see her mother today, but unfortunately there were many people outside, so she finally found a chance to talk to her mother in private.

When Cheng Shi came back from taking a shower, He's mother stopped the topic: "Cheng Shi, you guys must be tired after taking the train today, go to bed early."

"Okay, Mom, you should go to bed early too." Cheng Shi nodded.

After He's mother left, he closed the door. The kerosene lamp in the room emitted a dim light, which was enough to illuminate most of the place. Cheng Shi was a little uncomfortable when he first came in, and it took him a while to get used to it.

Cheng Shi walked to the bed and sat down, then heard Su Su ask, "How was the bath, are you used to it?"

He nodded: "Not bad, the parents are very hospitable, and it is more convenient to take a shower in the utility room."

He Susu smiled and said, "That's good. Let's go to bed early. We are exhausted after tossing and turning all day."

Cheng Shiying agreed and waited for Susu to lie on her side in the bed, then he followed and slept on the outside.

This bed is indeed a bit small. It is spacious enough for Susu to sleep alone, but with two people, their arms are almost squeezed together and their legs are touching each other. There is no space to turn over.

Cheng Shi simply held Susu in his arms, so that they both slept comfortably and warmly.

The couple talked for a while and soon fell asleep.

He Susu felt at ease returning to the room she had lived in for more than a decade, and fell asleep in a short while. Cheng Shi was not used to his bed, and could fall asleep in any harsh environment when on a mission in the wild, so he naturally fell asleep quickly this time.

Have a good night.