The three men wandered around the market again. "Uncle, there are also pine mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Shall we buy some?"

“Let’s buy it. I didn’t go up the mountain this year either, so let’s just buy it directly.” The seller knew Liu Aimin, and since he bought everything, he even got a two-cent discount.

"Uncle, do you still need to buy scallions, ginger, and garlic?"

"No need, just buy a few pieces of ginger. There's plenty in the cellar, and chili peppers too."

The three of them bought the whole set, and also some small odds and ends.

Looking at his wife, Liu Xu, who was not far from him, Shi Tou thought that Liu Xu was good in every way, and that she was very patient with the children.

They even bought sesame seed cakes for the children, since there weren't many food options at the market. The three of them were just there to experience the crowds.

It was almost noon when the six of them finally went back, and the van was completely full.

"Second Uncle, so much stuff!"

"Not much, still a long way off. I have to go grind flour this afternoon. Uncle, shall we buy a pig in the village?"

"No rush, we'll slaughter it on the morning of the 14th. Once we've decided, we'll go back and ask Da Shan's dad if anyone wants to sell a pig."

"Uncle, isn't one pig enough?" Stone really didn't understand this and had never paid attention to it before.

"That's enough. Buying a 200-pound head will yield 120-130 pounds of meat."

"Uncle, why don't we buy two? We need to eat at home too. We're not going back right away."

“Okay, then let’s have both ends, that way we won’t have to worry about not having enough cold dishes.”

When the six of them arrived home, Hu Aifen had already prepared lunch. The three children had eaten snacks at the market and weren't too hungry, but seeing the oily meat pies, they still sat down at the table.

"Grandma, there are so many people at the market," Zhiyuan said to Hu Aifen with a smile.

"The next few market days will be like this. Now that it's December, everyone doesn't have to work in the fields anymore, so there are naturally more people at the market. Zhiyuan, do you think it's fun?"

"It's so much fun! I've never been to a market before. Grandma, home is the best."

"Hehe, is that so? When you have time after the autumn harvest, you can tell Grandma how things are at home."

"Grandma, I do want to come back, but the adults at home don't have time. We're just waiting for my third brother to bring me back."

Hu Aifen looked at Zhiyuan, who was precocious despite his young age, and thought the child was interesting.

After the meal, Liu Jianguo and Shi Tou each pushed two bags of wheat to the mill.

Liu Qingshan was too old to herd sheep, so he worked at the mill. Seeing the two brothers approaching, he asked, "Stone, are you getting married?"

"Yes, Third Master, we're here to grind flour today."

"Okay, I'll grind it a couple more times for you. This way the flour will be whiter and the steamed buns will be more fragrant."

Liu Xu stayed home supervising her three children's studies. Looking at Ping An's level, she felt he could go straight to sixth grade. However, he was only seven years old, and would only be eight after the New Year; starting sixth grade at that age was too young.

Even Zhiyuan is already at a third-grade level. He feels this is all thanks to his wife. These children are all so outstanding; he'll definitely send his own children back to his wife when he has them.

He knew that the leader allowed so many children in the family because he was afraid his wife would be lonely, but his wife genuinely loved the children.

By the time Shi Tou and his brother brought the bran back, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Liu Jianguo lit a fire at home; all three rooms had heated kang beds (traditional heated brick beds). His parents were supposed to be back the day after tomorrow. It was better to keep the rooms warm.

The next day, the two brothers went to find Da Shan's father. "Uncle, which family in our village sells pigs?"

"There are several. Come on, I'll take you to see them."

In the end, two were selected, and we just waited for them to be weighed and slaughtered on the morning of the 14th.

I bought six more chickens in the village. That, plus the eight I already had in the yard, should be enough.

They went to Zhu Zi's house at noon.

The two brothers went to visit the old man the morning after they returned.

"Grandma, my parents will be back tomorrow," Shi Tou said, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) and talking to the old woman.

"Okay, everything's ready? Is anything else missing?"

"Grandma, everything is ready. We're just waiting for my parents to come back so we can arrange the good news."

The old woman held Liu Xu's hand. She felt it had all been worthwhile; she only had two granddaughters who weren't married yet. If she could wait until then, she could close her eyes in peace.

Liu Xu took the old man's pulse and sighed inwardly, thinking that he could only endure it.

Zhu Zi's mother was preparing dinner in the kitchen; she had to make sure the children ate there.

The old man was truly happy when Jianguo arrived with his three children.

"Stone, is your brother Zhuzi coming back this year?"

"Grandma, the three of them will definitely come back."

"Grandma, my eldest brother called and said they'll definitely be back this year. They've already taken leave," Zhu Zi's youngest sister quickly reassured the old woman.

"Well, I can wait for them."

Everyone then comforted the old man.

"Jianguo, you haven't been to your eldest and second uncles' houses yet, have you?"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and they actually went to their house to say hello, but didn't go back.

"Grandma, we'll let you know as soon as we get back."

"Yes, it's their business if your dad and his family don't get along. As the younger generation, you shouldn't let others find fault with you."

"Yes, we've got it."

My maternal grandmother's family hasn't separated yet, but they still eat together.

"Grandma, where are my two younger cousins?"

"They all went to work at Hongmei's company in the city."

Liu Xu knew this. "My cousins ​​went to a logistics company to learn how to repair cars."

After dinner, the six of them went home. The two brothers lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting. "Shitou, I really forgot to ask my uncles for help."

Stone didn't take it to heart. "I've forgotten too. If I've forgotten, I'll forget. Otherwise, I'm afraid my aunts won't be happy."

"But this allows them to find fault."

"We don't see each other much, so what's there to complain about?"

That's all we can do. Suddenly, Shi Tou remembered that Sister Hongmei had mentioned introducing potential partners to his older brother.

"Brother, how was the girl you met the other day?"

"He's alright, a straightforward person. He's the director of the county's supply and marketing cooperative. He's free tomorrow, so I'll take the three kids to the county in the morning to let Pengfei meet him. If Pengfei agrees, then I'll let my parents meet him."

"Okay, I'll take you there."

"No need, it's not troublesome for us to take the car, you don't need to worry about it, it's a good opportunity to take the three kids out for some fun."

Pengfei wasn't actually asleep. He had just started to feel sleepy when his father and second uncle started chatting. Hearing what his father said, Pengfei smiled to himself. Even though his father didn't visit him, he still cared about him the most.

My second aunt and Aunt Hongmei have both talked to me about this issue. I really hope that my father can find a companion. Just like my second uncle said, I will live with my grandparents in the future, so as long as my father can have a companion, that's fine.

I probably won't come back in the future, so I won't have much contact with my father. He shouldn't have any problems with me. Besides, maybe this stepmother is a good one.