Chapter 65: Going to my husband’s house.

He Susu had heard people say before that one must be careful when traveling on the train.

There are all kinds of people on the train, apart from pickpockets who steal money and kidnap children, there are also shameless uncles and aunts who try to take advantage of you by ordering food from you or occupying your seat.

She had never encountered this on the two previous train rides and thought it was an exaggeration, but she didn't expect to encounter it this time as soon as she got on the sleeper berth.

He Susu said bluntly, "I'm sorry, Auntie. My husband bought two sleeper tickets because he thought it was too tiring to sit on a train for more than 20 hours, so he wanted me to sleep more comfortably. If you can't buy a sleeper ticket, there's nothing I can do. I can only ask your grandson to be patient."

She had no intention of sacrificing herself to help others. Since the grandparents were willing to get on the bus, it meant that they could accept the full-trip seat ticket. If she gave up her bed to them, she and Cheng Shi would definitely be uncomfortable squeezing all the way to Shanghai. That would be a waste of money.

The old lady frowned when she heard this. Her deliberately disguised kindness disappeared, and her deliberately hidden harshness came out. She said pitifully, "Why are you so cruel, girl? You've taken up two beds but you're not willing to give up one to us. My poor grandson has to suffer with you..."

Before He Susu could respond, Cheng Shi stood up and said, "Auntie, please take your grandson to the corresponding seat for the ticket you bought. Please don't make a fuss here and disturb our rest. If you have anything else to say, I can take you to talk to the conductor."

Cheng Shi stood up with an upright posture and spoke politely without any expression. The aura of an officer he displayed was enough to threaten the old lady.

The old lady is also a person who knows how to deal with the times and is good at picking on the weak.

She had just gotten on the bus and was looking for it along the way. When she heard that a couple in this carriage were sleeping in two beds, she couldn't help but come in. She picked the girl who looked the easiest to talk to and made her request.

Who would have thought that the girl who looked like a weakling could be so tough and rejected her outright.

At this moment, the young man stood up with an even more frightening aura. It was obvious at first glance that he was no simple man. He frightened her into giving up her plan of throwing a tantrum.

The old lady muttered, "What kind of people are you? If you don't want to borrow the bed, just say no. You even want to threaten me. I, an old lady, won't bother with you..."

As she said this, she pulled her grandson away.

The grandson is also a restless person. Just now, his eyes were rolling around when he followed grandma. Now that he saw grandma was about to leave, he couldn't help but yelled: "I don't want to, grandma, I want to sleep here, you said you want to sleep here!"

Seeing this, the old lady slapped him and said, "I told you to leave, but you dare not obey me? Do you think anyone would be so kind as to give you a bed to sleep on?"

The child was beaten into silence and had to be pulled out of the small room by his grandmother.

Cheng Shi didn't care about the old lady's sarcastic remarks. He felt relieved after seeing the restless person being driven out.

The young man on the bunk couldn’t help but give a thumbs up: “Brother, you are this!”

The man on the lower bunk also nodded continuously: "Very impressive!"

They all couldn't help but feel lucky that the man on the bed opposite was strong enough to reject the old lady, otherwise two more people would have to be squeezed into the small room.

Seeing that old lady trying to take advantage of them, if they lived in the same room, she might even take advantage of them. It would save you a lot of trouble if you reject them.

Cheng Shi said indifferently: "It's a small matter."

He would not be polite to such an unreasonable old lady who tried to take advantage of him. He bought the sleeper ticket just to let Susu sleep more comfortably, so how could he let the old lady take it for nothing? It would be fine if the other party was really in trouble, but it was obviously not the case.

He Susu was also relieved. Fortunately, she and Cheng Shi cooperated to drive the old lady away, otherwise this position might be taken. She gave Cheng Shi, who was standing and looking over, a praise look and took out a military canteen to drink a few sips of water.

Cheng Shi took out a thick coat from the package: "Susu, cover yourself with it first. If you feel sleepy, take a nap."

He Susu usually has the habit of taking a nap, and today she is waiting for the bus, so she hasn't taken a nap yet. She took the clothes and smiled and said, "You should take a nap too."

Cheng Shiying was relieved. He watched Susu take off her cotton-padded jacket and lie down. He opened the jacket and covered her body with it. He also covered her feet with the coat he had just taken. It seemed that she would not be cold, so he sat on the lower bunk with peace of mind.

He was in good spirits and had no intention of taking a nap.

He Susu slept for just over two hours. When she woke up, she felt a little cold, so she immediately put on her cotton-padded jacket and folded the coat that covered her feet and put it beside the bed.

After drinking the water, He Susu leaned on the upper bunk bed rail and looked down. Seeing Cheng Shi was awake, she asked, "Aren't you asleep?"

Cheng Shi: "No, do you want anything?"

He Susu thought that it was okay anyway, and the light in the small room was good, so she simply said, "Give me the ball of purple wool and the crochet tools in the package."

Cheng Shi didn't move, but asked: "Is your finger feeling better?"

He Susu looked at the middle finger of her right hand. She had applied medicine twice yesterday, once before going out in the morning, and again while changing cars in Yu City at noon.

At this time, the fingers are no longer red and swollen, and even the small blisters that have appeared have mostly deflated and disappeared.

She stretched out her right hand and pointed to the lower bunk: "Look, it's almost healed. The ointment is really good. That's why I thought about continuing to knit sweaters."

"That's good." Cheng Shi was relieved. He took out the wool and crochet tools from the package and handed them to her. "Don't be too tired. Make sure to rest."

“Yes.”

He Susu took the wool and continued to work, crocheting along the area where she had already done one-third of the work.

The woman on the opposite bunk saw her actions and couldn't help but say, "Sister, you are really smart. It's boring to sit on the train. It's nice to knit a sweater to kill time."

He Susu looked over and smiled: "It's just a coincidence. I just happened to have a sweater that I haven't finished knitting yet, so I wanted to catch up on it on the way."

The woman nodded. "That's great. Next time I take a train, I'll bring some yarn and crochet tools to knit a sweater."

Her man couldn't help but say, "Come on, you're still knitting sweaters. It's amazing that you can knit a piece of cloth."

The woman was so angry that she stretched out her hand and twisted his thigh fiercely: "You can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth!"

The man immediately begged for mercy: "It hurts, it hurts... I was wrong, I was wrong..."

He Susu smiled and didn't look at the flirting between the young men and women. She lowered her head and concentrated on crocheting a sweater, occasionally saying a few words to Cheng Shi.

Around six in the evening, it was already dark when I looked out of the carriage window, and I could vaguely hear the sound of the conductor pushing a cart selling lunch boxes next door.

After the flight attendant came over with the cart, Cheng Shi took the food coupons and money and bought two boxes of lunch.

Cheng Shi: "Susu, it's time for dinner. I bought two boxes of lunch, take a look and see which one you want to eat."

As he said this, he opened two lunch boxes. One box of rice was covered with stir-fried potato shreds with chili peppers, stir-fried pork belly with green peppers, and half of the amount of kimchi. The other box of rice was covered with stir-fried eggplant, stir-fried pork with sauerkraut, and half of the amount of kimchi.

Of course, you have to return the lunch box to the flight attendant after eating. You mortgaged it when you bought it. If you don’t return it when the time comes, the deposit will be gone.

He Susu looked at it and said, "Let's take turns eating. There will be more varieties."

As she spoke, she placed the sweater that was half finished and the crochet tools beside the bed, and walked down the escalator, intending to eat with Cheng Shi on the lower bunk.

Cheng Shi thought Susu's suggestion was a good one. After Susu came down and took the two lunch boxes, he took out two pairs of chopsticks from the package, and the couple picked up the food from each other's mouths.

The boxed lunches sold on the train are relatively expensive, but after He Susu tasted them, she felt that they were justified in cost, as both the meat and vegetables as well as the rice underneath were all hot and tasted very good.

The couple on the opposite bunk bought only one box lunch to share, and the man on the lower bunk also bought a box lunch, but it was a vegetarian one. After sharing it with his child, he took out the dry food he brought from home to eat.

They were eating in the same room, the aroma of food wafting around. The child on the lower bunk opposite was eating vegetables, his eyes constantly glancing towards He Susu and Cheng Shi, taking a deep breath from time to time as if to inhale the aroma of meat.

He Susu and Cheng Shi noticed it, but they couldn't do anything about it. It was unrealistic to share it with the children, and it was also impossible to eat a vegetarian lunch box to prevent the children from being envious, so they just pretended not to see it.

He Susu tasted all the meat and vegetables in the two boxes of lunch, and ate half a box of rice before she was almost full. She gave the rest to Cheng Shi to finish.

Cheng Shi took the two empty lunch boxes to return them, while He Susu stood up and walked a few steps in the small room. She was tired after sitting on the bed for the whole afternoon, so she took this opportunity to walk around and stretch her muscles.

When Cheng Shi came back, He Susu stayed with him on the lower bunk for a while, went to the bathroom, and then climbed up the escalator to the upper bunk. It was impossible to take a shower on the train, so at most she washed her face with a towel, and then she went back to the upper bunk to continue knitting.

Time passed quietly, and the person on the upper and lower bunks had nothing to do, so he lay down on the bed, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Cheng Shi was reading a book on military theory. When he thought it was almost time, he stood up and reminded her, "Susu, it's time to go to bed."

He Susu looked at her watch and realized it was already past nine o'clock. She nodded, "Okay, I'll clean up and go to bed, you should go to bed too. Take out your clothes and cover yourself with them, don't catch a cold."

She put away the sweater and crochet tools that were almost finished and placed them at the end of the bed where they would not be touched when she slept. She then took off her cotton jacket and covered herself with it as she had done at noon, then took her coat and covered her feet before she lay down.

When Cheng Shi saw her fall asleep, he also sat back on the lower bunk, took off his military coat and lay down to cover himself. He closed his eyes and prepared to rest, but he also remained alert as when he was on a mission, ready to wake up at any time if there was any movement.

Although the door of the small room was closed, there were all kinds of people on the train, and someone might take the opportunity to cause trouble while people were sleeping at night. He had to protect Susu.

This night was destined to be an uncomfortable sleep. The hard bed was simply covered with a piece of cloth, which was very uncomfortable. He Susu woke up several times during the sleep. She turned over and changed her position to be more comfortable before continuing to sleep. She woke up early the next day.

Cheng Shi woke up earlier than her and consoled her: "The conditions on the train were bad, you must have worked hard. We will arrive in two hours. Let's go home and have a good rest."

"I know." He Susu nodded.

She got out of bed and followed Cheng Shi to get a towel to the water pipe, wet the towel and washed her face, then went to the bathroom to wash up. Then she went back to the small room to fix her hair and tie it up, while Cheng Shi went to buy breakfast.

"There were only steamed buns and meat buns for breakfast on the train. I bought a few meat buns."

"It's pretty good." He Susu didn't have too high requirements for the food on the train. It was already very good to have something to eat.

She took a meat bun and started eating. It was hot and tasted slightly worse than the ones made in the army canteen. The dough was fluffy and thicker, with only a small piece of meat filling inside.

I ate two in a row and drank a few sips of water, and then I finished my breakfast.

Thinking that the time would arrive in less than two hours, she breathed a sigh of relief, took the escalator back to the upper bunk to continue crocheting the sweater, and finished the finishing touches.

The sweater I knitted for my mother-in-law is bigger and took longer to make than the one I made for my mother.

I don’t know if it’s just practice that makes perfect, but the time is pretty much the same. Especially when I’m knitting on the train, there’s nothing else to interrupt me, and I can focus all my attention on the yarn in my hands, so I can knit pretty fast.

She showed the knitted sweater to Cheng Shi: "Cheng Shi, the sweater for mother is finished."

Cheng Shi took it and looked at it. The sweater was crocheted smoothly and the wool felt comfortable. Judging from the size, it would definitely fit his mother. He felt sorry for Su Su for working so hard to knit this sweater, and smiled and praised: "It's very beautiful. Mother will definitely like it when she sees it."

"That's good, you can put it away first." He Susu instructed. She moved her hands and shoulders, and she was a little stiff from keeping the same posture while crocheting the sweater.

After a short rest, He Susu and Cheng Shi began to pack up, folding their sleeping clothes and putting them into their bags. She also sat on the lower bunk, put on her shoes, and waited for the train to arrive.

With a whoosh, the train entered the station and slowed down until it stopped. He Susu and Cheng Shi got off the train with their packages on their backs.

When they arrived in Shanghai, Cheng Shi was more familiar with the area, so He Susu just followed him.

Cheng Shi: "I didn't ask my mother to pick us up. In Shanghai, there is a bus just a few steps away from the station that takes us directly to our home. It's very convenient."

He Susu agreed and followed him out of the station. About five minutes later, there was a bus stop where many people were waiting for the bus.

Then the bus arrived at the station and they followed the crowd to get on the bus. Cheng Shi paid the fare and the two of them found a seat and sat down.

The small county town in my hometown can be walked around, there are no buses. There are no buses in the county town where I work in the army either. This is He Susu's first time taking a bus.

After all, it is a car. Even though its speed is controlled by the crowds that appear from time to time, it is still very fast, at least faster than a bicycle.

From the station to the staff quarters of the Shanghai No. 1 Food Factory, they passed many places. Cheng Shi, a native Shanghainese, introduced them to Susu.

He Susu felt that Shanghai was worthy of being at the forefront of fashion and even leading the trend in selling all kinds of things. From the bus window, she saw that the clothes worn by pedestrians on the road were very novel, with more design sense than ordinary clothes. The skirts worn by women had a waist-pinching design, which made their waists more prominent.

The buildings we encountered were nothing special. There were many people riding bicycles, and occasionally cars passed by. A group of people in work clothes walked to work together, talking and enthusiastic. In addition to the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores that were crowded with people, there were also tailor shops, delicious pan-fried bun shops, and Liangcai glasses shops...

Soon we arrived at Donghai Road Station. After getting off the train, Cheng Shi led Susu into the No. 1 Food Factory's staff quarters, introducing: "My family lives in a building allocated by the factory, on the third floor, with four families living on one floor. The No. 1 Food Factory is a factory with 10,000 people, supplying food to half of Shanghai. The staff quarters are very large, with supporting primary schools, hospitals, supply and marketing cooperatives, and non-staple food stores."

He Susu nodded: "It is indeed a large scale. There are not many state-owned factories in my hometown that have thousands of employees."

She knew that her parents-in-law were very busy. Her father-in-law was the deputy director of the food factory in charge of external orders, and her mother-in-law was the director of the street department. But she had never expected that this food factory was a large factory with tens of thousands of employees.

It took the couple more than ten minutes just to walk from Donghai Road Station to the tube-shaped building where they lived. There was nothing they could do because the family compound was too big.

On the way, he met many old men and women from the family compound. Some of them who knew Cheng Shi were happy to greet him, saying, "Cheng family boy, you're back?"

Then he cast his eyes on her curiously.

When they came to Shanghai, it was Cheng Shi's turn to hold Su Su's hand and introduce her generously: "This is my wife He Su Su. I will bring her back to visit my parents during the Chinese New Year holiday."

After hearing this, the uncles and aunts congratulated him one after another, and were very surprised. This girl is pretty and a good match for the Cheng family boy, but she doesn't look like a local.

The Cheng family's kid has a good family background. His father is the deputy factory director and his mother is the director of the street department. He himself is also very capable and is said to be the deputy regiment commander in the army. Many girls with good conditions are eyeing him, but the Cheng family says they will not arrange any blind dates for him. The Cheng family has always insisted that he has no intention of getting married for the time being.

Who knows? They got married so quietly that no one even heard a sound.

It didn't take long before the news that Cheng Shi got married and brought his wife back to visit his parents spread throughout the First Food Factory's staff quarters. Countless girls were secretly heartbroken.

But at this moment, Cheng Shi brought He Susu back to his home, and then went up to the third floor and knocked on the door: "Mom, are you home?"

As he was about to take the key to open the door, after all, his parents were busy people and he might not take a day off to rest and wait for them to come back today.

The door opened the next second, and Cheng's mother smiled and said, "You're back. I calculated the time and guessed you should be here."

She looked at her son and saw that he was still the same. She felt relieved and then set her eyes on He Susu. She said enthusiastically, "Is this Susu? I think she is more beautiful than the photo I sent you before. Cheng Shi is so lucky to marry you. You must be tired from the car ride. Come in and sit down."

When He Susu saw her mother-in-law, she smiled and said hello: "Hello, mother. Cheng Shi and I are both good people, so we can be together. It is a blessing for both of us."

My mother-in-law is about the same as what Cheng had said when he reported the sweater size. She is a little plump, has a blessed face, and has kind eyes and a natural affinity, which looks pretty good for her job as the director of a street office.

After hearing this, Cheng's mother liked her daughter-in-law even more and pulled her into the house: "You are such a good talker. Cheng Shi's father and I are busy with work and can't leave. We haven't been able to visit you in the army since you got married. You should not mind it. And you are so polite. You sent us so many delicious foods. The milk lumps are very good."

He Susu took the opportunity to sit down on a chair in the living room: "Mom, we understand that you are busy with work, and it is only right that we send you some delicious food to try. Don't you often send us things? I haven't thanked you for the skirt you sent me before. It fits me very well and I like it very much."

Mother Cheng smiled and said, "As long as you like it."

Cheng Shi couldn't help but smile as he watched his mother and Su Su talk to each other. He felt relieved that they could get along well.

Seeing that they wouldn't notice him for a while, he simply took the package into the room and put it away before coming out. He finally found a gap and asked, "Mom, are you taking a break today or did you ask for leave?"

Mother Cheng reluctantly gave him some thought: "Please ask for leave. This is Susu's first visit and I must be at home to welcome you. Your father has no choice. The factory has been busy since last year and he can't leave for a day."

Cheng Shi nodded to show that he understood.

Mother Cheng took He Susu to introduce them to her: "I have bought toothbrushes, towels, washbasins, and slippers for washing. I tried to choose pink colors. I don't know if you like them."

He Susu smiled and said, "Thank you for buying these, mom. I like them all."

Cheng's mother: "That's good. If you feel tired from the car ride, go back to your room and rest. I have washed the sheets and quilts. I will go out to buy some things later."

He Susu nodded in agreement.

When Cheng Shi asked him to go out and buy something, Cheng's mother waved her hand and said, "I'll go, you can just look at what Su Su needs at home and help her get it."

Then she said softly, "Susu, I'm going out for a while and will be back soon."

After seeing his mother off, Cheng Shi couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Mom has a fiery temper. You'll get used to her after a few days. Shall I show you the room?"

He Susu should be fine.

The house is not big, or rather, the houses allocated these days are not big. Many people live with seven, eight or even ten people in a house of 30 square meters, and even the living room becomes a sleeping place.

When this house was allocated to Cheng's father, he was only the director of the purchasing department of the food factory. The house was considered large in the family building. There were two rooms, one for the couple and one for Cheng Shi. Fortunately, it was enough for his only son, and it had an independent kitchen and bathroom. The kitchens and bathrooms in other tube buildings were shared in the corridor.

This house has been lived in for more than 20 years. It is not old but not new either. However, it is decorated very warmly. In addition to the necessary furniture, the balcony is planted with flowers and plants, as well as potted onions, ginger and garlic. On the wall opposite the dining table are photos of Cheng's father and Chen's mother when they were young, as well as later family photos.

He Susu just saw Cheng Shi's childhood appearance on the wall. As expected, handsome people have been handsome since childhood. Now Cheng Shi wanted to take her to the room to have a look, and she naturally agreed.

Cheng Shi's room was about the same size as the one he lived in in the army. It still had a bed, wardrobe and desk. The sheets and quilt covers were both earth-gray. On the desk were many books he had read before, and in the wardrobe were many clothes he had worn before. Even though he couldn't wear them anymore, he still kept them as a souvenir.

Walking into this room is like walking into Cheng Shi’s youth, just like how Cheng Shi felt when he first walked into her room.

He Susu smiled and said, "It seems that when you were not at home, your parents took good care of the room."

Cheng Shi smiled and said, "My mother comes in to clean my room every now and then, and everything is kept in its original state. They won't touch my things easily, and it's been like this since I was a child."

He Susu nodded: "That's good. There are not many parents who respect their children so much."

Cheng Shi couldn't help but smile as he looked at the bed he hadn't slept in for a long time. "Fortunately, when my father made this bed, he thought that I would live here after I got married, so he made a big bed for me so that we don't have to sleep in a crowded space anymore."

He Susu thought back to the days she spent at her mother's house, when she slept in his arms every day. Although the natural heater was very comfortable, there was no space to turn over, and the slightest movement would wake him up, which was really uncomfortable.

"Then it seems that Dad is quite foresighted."

He Susu unpacked her clothes and put them into the closet. She suddenly felt a sense of belonging here. Cheng Shi also hung his clothes next to hers, right next to them.

"Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

"No, I'm very energetic. I'll go to sleep after lunch."

After a while, Cheng's mother came back hurriedly, holding a roast duck she had just bought from the state-owned restaurant.

It was the first time that the daughter-in-law came to visit, so the lunch had to be more sumptuous. She went to a state-owned restaurant and bought a roast duck. The roast duck made in this restaurant tasted the best.