Chapter 183 The Good Years (1)

Song Xi and Song Zhi, father and son, reconciled.

Everyone stayed in Song Xi's villa for a few days in a lively manner.

Tang Liren rushed over from Song City.

She wanted to persuade Xingxing to stay in Nandu to take care of her pregnancy, so she bought a lot of Xingxing's favorite food from Song City, and also prepared a lot of things for Xingxing to give birth, and came to Nandu carrying large and small bags.

Song Xi sent a car and asked Song Sui to go to the train station to pick up Tang Liren.

Tang Liren was still quite uneasy, and said to Song Sui: "Ah, actually there is no need to drive over to pick me up, this is so bad!"

Before Song Sui could say anything, the soldier driving the car said, "Don't worry, Auntie. This is not against the rules! Besides, seeing that the leader is in good spirits and in a good mood, we will be more motivated to work!"

Tang Liren didn't know what was happening here and didn't dare to ask more questions. She just stared at Song Sui.

Song Sui quickly told the whole story of what happened in the past few days.

Tang Liren was surprised and delighted, "If I had known this, I should have come earlier!"

Song Sui smiled and said, "Then you have to complete the retirement procedures first!"

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye, Tang Li is already in her fifties and has reached retirement age. Although she had already completed the retirement procedures, she felt that her physical condition was still good and she could work for a few more years, so she signed a re-employment contract with the company and worked for a few more years.

The college entrance examination was resumed a few years ago, and the first batch of college students (the one that included Xingxing and Song Sui) have graduated. Each unit has been replenished with fresh members. After Tang Liren's re-employment contract expired, the unit did not renew her contract.

So this time, Tang Liren waited until the handover procedures were completed before coming over.

After arriving at Song Xi's villa, Tang Liren understood why Song Sui came to pick her up.

Because he is the only one who is free!

——Song Zhi was cooking in the kitchen wearing a floral apron. The yard was filled with a rich, mixed aroma. I guess he must have cooked a lot of delicious dishes!

——Bai Zhenggan and Song Xi were competing in weightlifting in the yard. The two foolishly carried a bag of 50 kilograms of rice from one end of the yard to the other, and then stopped the clock. They also had to compete in a best-of-three game to see who was faster...

——Taotao was squatting in the backyard planting vegetables. Song Zhi had already turned the soil early in the morning. She planted some ginger, garlic, onions, as well as tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, mustard greens, and so on. It will be convenient for Xingxing and Song Sui to be at home in the second half of the year. If they don’t want to eat in the cafeteria, they can just come to the vegetable garden and pick some vegetables for a meal.

——Xingxing sat aside and watched Feifei, Momo, the cat and the dog running around...

Seeing Tang Liren coming, Feifei and Momo ran over and shouted happily:

"Grandma is here!"

"Mom! Grandma is here!"

The usually solemn and cold villa immediately became lively.

Bai Zhenggan quickly put down the 50-kilogram bag of rice on his shoulder and ran out to greet Tang Liren; Song Zhi also ran out waving a spatula; Taotao popped her head out from the backyard...

Seeing the luggage Tang Liren brought all over the floor, the family was amazed.

"My dear, why do you even bring a wash basin? Are you here to beg for food?"

"Oh my God, Mom, how did you bring so many things?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Mom!"

"Hello, Grandma! Did you bring Brother Potato?"

"Grandma, I miss you so much!"

Tang Liren was both amused and angry. She scolded a few naughty ones and praised a few well-behaved ones. Finally, she hugged her two grandchildren, kissed them, took out candies from her pocket and handed them to them.

Taotao ran out carrying a hoe and protested, "Mom! Don't give them candy... Feifei is already changing his teeth!"

Tang Liren, "Objection is invalid!"

Then he told Feifei, "My dear grandson, just eat the candy with your mouth, don't bite it with your teeth!"

Feifei nodded with a candy in her mouth.

Tang Liren glared at Taotao proudly and said, "Look, my good grandson is so well behaved!"

"That's also my child!" Taotao put down the hoe on her shoulder and ran to pack the luggage brought by Tang Liren.

Xingxing also went over to take a look.

Tang Liren quickly stopped him, "Xingzi, you can't squat. Xiaosui, quickly bring a stool over for her to sit on!"

Bai Zhenggan pulled Tang Liren over and said, "Say hello to your father-in-law first!"

Tang Liren then looked at Song Xi, "Father-in-law, hello! Oh...Father-in-law, you and Xiaozhi look so much alike!"

Song Xi smiled and shook hands with Tang Liren, "Mother-in-law, you have worked hard on the journey!" Then he explained: "Song Zhi looked like his mother when he was a child, and he looked like me when he grew up!"

Then he pointed at Feifei and Momo and said to Tang Liren, "These two little ones look like Song Zhi now... but they don't look like Song Zhi when he was a child! So their appearance is a bit magical."

Xing Xing interrupted, “Fei Fei looks like my sister!”

Song Sui said: "Fei Fei's facial features are still like my brother, but her eyes and temperament are like my sister-in-law..."

Bai Zhenggan, "Okay, okay, actually you all look like me!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Song Zhi stood at the kitchen door and shouted, "Dinner is ready!"

Everyone greeted the old ones with a smile, teased the young ones, and went into the kitchen together, lined up to wash their hands, and then lined up to carry bowls, dishes, rice, soup bowls, etc. from the kitchen to the living room.

Tang Liren looked at Song Xi secretly.

She was originally quite worried, fearing that Song Xi would be difficult to get along with.

But seeing that the atmosphere at home was so harmonious, Feifei Baibai's behavior was very normal, and Song Xi also had a smiling face... Tang Liren finally felt relieved.

Song Zhi is a very good cook.

There are many people in his family, so he cooks many dishes.

Tang Liren is coming today, so a few must-have dishes are required: braised pork, pork with pickled mustard greens, and fried crispy meatballs. There are also children's favorite candied sweet potatoes, steamed egg with minced meat, and colorful soup made of loofah, black fungus, tomato, egg drop and wolfberry; as well as vegetarian dishes such as braised eggplant, stir-fried beans with garlic, steamed cabbage with vermicelli, plus two cold dishes: cold cucumber and old vinegar peanuts.

Braised pork is pure meat without any side dishes. It is stewed until it is tender and delicious. It is also a popular dish suitable for all ages.

In order to make this dish, Song Zhi bought a total of five pounds of pork belly. As soon as he started eating... in just three to five minutes, the whole bowl of pork belly was sold out!

Fried pork is also very popular.

Because Taotao made several dipping sauces: sweet and sour tomato sauce, sweet and spicy, spicy garlic sauce, and fermented bean curd with wine flavor; Taotao even brought a portion of washed lettuce, so that she could dip it in the fermented bean curd sauce and wrap it in lettuce leaves to eat directly...

Dipping the crispy pork in different sauces can create completely different flavors, and it is a dish that everyone likes very much.

Song Xi praised his son's craftsmanship, "...How did you train yourself?"

Song Zhi said modestly: "Everyone in Taotao's family can cook. If you can't cook well, you won't be ashamed to be the son-in-law of the Bai family... Xiaosui's cooking skills are not bad either. He is especially good at stewing fish. While there are many people at home, let him cook more in the next few days."

Song Sui smiled and said, "No problem! Let's do it tomorrow... arrange a fish feast!"

Song Xi asked curiously, "Can Howard cook?"

Tang Liren's face immediately fell, "Why mention him!"

Xingxing and Song Sui shrank their necks, lowered their heads to eat from their bowls, and dared not say a word. Bai Zhenggan also slowed down the pace of eating the crispy pork and looked worried.

Taotao had just returned from the Northwest and had no idea what had happened to Sister Li Zi, and Song Zhi knew even less.

"What happened to my third sister?" Taotao asked.

Tang Liren: "Nothing serious!"

Taotao looked at Xingxing.

Xing Xing held the rice bowl and said hesitantly, "That's...that's Huo Huaen's brother and his wife Huo Huachu who returned to China!"

"So what?" Taotao asked.

Xingxing glanced at Tang Liren and didn't dare to say anything.

Tao Tao asked Tang Liren again, "Mom, Huo Huachu and his wife are back...so what?"

Tang Liren thought that Song Xi was not an outsider, so she said directly, "Didn't Huo Huachu go abroad to recuperate? His wife followed him, leaving their son Mingcheng behind, who has been raised by Lili?"

Taotao nodded.

Before my third sister married Huo Huaen, Xiao Mingcheng and Xiao Mingyong had always been following Mrs. Huo. Later, the third sister married Howard, and Xiao Mingcheng and Xiao Mingyong followed Sister Li Zi.

Tang Liren continued, "When the couple was abroad, they had another son named Huo Minglun. After the three of them came back... Mingcheng didn't get along with Minglun. They had a small quarrel every three days and a big quarrel every five days! Her eldest sister-in-law said that it was your third sister who didn't teach Mingcheng well!"

"We didn't know about this at first. But one time, Howard came to your house to look for your third sister, and I thought it was strange. First, your third sister didn't come back at all, and second, your third sister never talked about what happened between her and Howard... What's going on?"

"After the last question, I finally understood. It turned out that Xiao Mingcheng and Minglun had a quarrel. Minglun had a bloody cut on his leg. His sister-in-law scolded Mingcheng and Mingcheng ran away. After Mingcheng ran away, no one could find him. His sister-in-law went to find your third sister. I don't know what they said, but your third sister took Mingyong and Mingchan and ran away from home!"

"The old lady couldn't find her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, so she was so angry that she was admitted to the hospital. She called Howard, and Howard thought that Li Zi had taken the children back to her parents' home, so he came directly to look for them..."

At this point, Tang Liren was so angry that her eyes turned red, and she slammed her bowl heavily on the table, making a "bang" sound.

"Tell me, how could I not be angry? I beat Howard severely with a broom, and then went to Kyoto to find Lili..."

Tao Tao quickly asked, "Is Third Sister okay?"

Tang Liren wiped her tears, "It's okay! It was because Mingcheng ran away, and Lili was afraid that something might happen to him, so she wanted to chase him. She was also worried about Mingyong and Mingchan at home, so she took the children with her to chase him... But Mingcheng ran to the mountain and said he wanted to shave his head and become a monk! Lili persuaded him, and then she took the children down the mountain. It was mainly because I was too anxious at the time and didn't tell anyone..."

Taotao breathed a sigh of relief and asked again, "When did this happen?"

"It was just last month, at the beginning of July, when summer vacation started!" said Tang Liren.

Tao Tao said: "Why don't you write to tell me? It would be nice to let Ming Cheng and Ming Yong come to my place to relax!"

Tang Liren said indignantly: "Why should I relax? When I went there, Mrs. Huo pulled me to cry, saying that she had to consider Huo Huaen's face, so the family affairs could not be made a big deal..."

Song Xi was alone, and suddenly a big family appeared. She was feeling very happy. Also because of Song Zhi, she fell in love with the big family of Bai's.

After hearing what Tang Liren said, he immediately said, "What the hell is this! Don't be angry, mother-in-law, I'll call Howard this afternoon!"

Tao Tao immediately said, "Dad, please don't make trouble!"

Song Xi: ...

He felt a little aggrieved.

Why is it that wanting to do something for the family is considered causing trouble?

Doesn't he deserve it?

Song Zhi explained: "Dad, Taotao, Xingxing and Lili are sisters. They can solve the problems themselves. If they can't solve them, they can ask you elders to step in."

Xing Xing also nodded and said to Song Xi, "That's right, Dad, you are our trump card! When you were playing cards, did someone play a small four or a small five, and you just used the trump card?"

Song Xi then turned from anger to joy and nodded repeatedly, "Okay! I'll support you. If you can't win the argument, I'll intervene again!"

The children also laughed.

Then Tang Liren asked Xing Xing and Song Sui, "What are your plans?"

——Song Sui was lucky because she had a job before she was admitted to university. After being admitted to university, he became a targeted student and even his tuition was paid by his unit. Now that I've graduated, I'll just go back to the company and get promoted based on my diploma.

——Xingxing, she didn’t have a job before, and had been working as a temporary worker in a small shop in the Municipal Party Committee compound. Now, university graduates should be assigned jobs by the state. But her personnel file ended up in the Song City Vehicle Management Office. Because she was not there and her physical examination report showed that she was pregnant... the leaders of the Vehicle Management Office came to Bai Zhenggan and Tang Liren several times, trying to get Xingxing to give up this job, both openly and secretly.

Bai Zhenggan arrived a week earlier, and I think he has already told the children about this...

This is also the thing that Tang Liren is most concerned about at the moment.

Xing Xing glanced at Song Sui and said, "We have made the decision!"

"Mom and Dad, I must get the job at the DMV! I got into college based on my own abilities, and this is the job the country assigned to me. Whether I like this job or not is another matter, but I can't just give it to someone else!"

"But Song Sui and I really want to try our luck in Shenzhen..."

Xing Xing smiled and said, "So, I have to keep my job! Mom, Song Sui, my dad and I have already discussed it. I will stay here and take care of my health, and then give birth to the baby... But I'm not disabled. During this process, I plan to learn how to do business with Song Sui."

"After the baby is born, I will go back to work at the vehicle management office!" Xingxing said.

Tang Liren was relieved. "I feel relieved when you think so! Don't worry about work or anything like that. You have an idea. Your father is back. He and your brother will help you! The most important thing for you now is to take good care of your body and give birth to the baby smoothly!"

Xing Xing nodded.

Tang Liren thought of another thing, "By the way, are you two planning to... do business? What kind of business?"

Song Sui said, "I've already inquired about it. The Nandu Municipal Government is currently preparing for the Nantong Fair... This Nantong Fair is our government's invitation to foreign merchants to come to our country to purchase goods. We decided to promote local specialties, one is the bamboo shoots products from Ruyi Village in our hometown, and the other is the No. 1 melon grown by our fourth sister in the northwest! Mom, do you have any suggestions?"

Tang Liren, "My suggestion is... can you two hire me? I'm in good health and strong! I can do eight points of work in a day!"

Everyone laughed.

The meal was finished in a lively atmosphere with singing and laughter.

In the next few days, the family had a good trip around Nandu.

The reason why they are called a family is because... the two sons-in-law of the Bai family are all from the Song family, and the two daughters-in-law of the Song family are all from the Bai family...

Speaking of which, Song Zhi didn't have much time to go back to Nandu. Taotao and Tang Liren were here for the first time, and Xingxing and Bai Zhenggan had been here once but were not familiar with the place. So Song Sui led the team and took everyone to visit the attractions near Nandu.

Song Xi also played along.

What surprised everyone was that when Song Sui took everyone on the trip, Song Xi had never been to any place? ? ?

Every time Song Sui took everyone to a tourist attraction, Song Xi was happier than others; every time Song Sui took everyone to eat some local snacks, Song Xi liked them more than others... He was so excited that he was even happier than Feifei and Momo.

Song Xi was a little embarrassed. "I've been busy working these years, and I really don't have the mood to go out and walk around."

Everyone understood him.

Bai Zhenggan comforted Song Xi, "It's almost the same. Before Taotao went to college, the farthest she had ever been was her grandmother's house!"

Taotao:? ? ?

Everyone burst into laughter.

After several days of eating, drinking, playing and strolling in Nandu, it was time for Taotao's family and Bai Zhenggan to leave.

Bai Zhenggan came here on leave, and now it was time to end his leave; Song Zhi and Tao Tao also had plans - they planned to go back to their hometown in Song City first, and then go back to Kyoto. After all, Song Zhi had just returned from abroad and needed to report to his unit.

Everyone agreed that because Xingxing was pregnant and could not move around, everyone would go to Nandu to celebrate the New Year.

On the night before Song Zhi was leaving, Song Xi called Song Zhi to his room on the third floor.

"I was a jerk in the past, I'm sorry for you, and I didn't care enough about your brother," Song Xi said, "... Fortunately, it's not too late for us to reconcile... Over the years, I have no place to spend my salary. In the past 30 years, I have saved almost 30,000 yuan. You and Xiaosui should share it!"

Song Zhi, "Take it. Taotao and I are not short of money. Your daughter-in-law is very capable! We have a house in our hometown of Song City and another one in Kyoto. A few days ago, she told me that she likes the climate in Nandu very much and plans to save some money to buy a house in Nandu. When we get old... it will be nice to live here in our old age."

Song Xi thought for a moment and said, "In that case, why don't I buy you and Xiao Sui a house each in Nandu! My villa may look big, but if I die, the house will be reclaimed and won't belong to you brothers."

"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about!" Song Zhi frowned.

Song Xi explained: "I just said that..."

"You can't say that," Song Zhi said unhappily, "Xiao Sui and I are not as good as Tao Tao and Xing Xing. They have parents, brothers and sisters, but we brothers have only one father and no other relatives! There were misunderstandings in the past, but that's fine... In the future, Tao Tao and I will stay in the Northwest for a long time, and it will be difficult for us to see you even once..."

Song Xi smiled, "It's okay! We can still meet. You two are free during the winter and summer vacations. Come back to see me often. Besides... I also have a home visit leave! But I didn't know what to use this home visit leave for before, but now I know!"

Song Zhi nodded.

The father and son suddenly looked at each other in silence.

After a long while, Song Xi said, "Son, I heard that the northwest is very windy and sandy. It's the poorest place in the country. You and Taotao must be suffering!"

Song Zhi smiled, "I'm fine. The benefits of my company are good. I don't have to worry about food, drink, defecation, and urination. I just need to focus on my work. Taotao is working very hard..."

Then he told Song Xi about Taotao's environment in the northwest, and also told her what work Taotao had done.

"...But, I've been away for two years, so I don't know what Lingxi Oasis is like now, but I don't plan to ask her. I think I should wait another year, until the beginning of next spring, and then she and I can go and see it in person. I believe that Lingxi Oasis must have undergone earth-shaking changes."

Song Zhi said with a smile.

Song Xi nodded, "From your wish book, I can tell that Taotao is a child with great ambitions!"

Song Zhi smiled and said, "She is small and thin, but she has big dreams. Thanks to her and her family, I..."

Here he stopped.

Song Xi patted her son's shoulder and said, "Then you have to treat her well! I won't say anything else. Look, you've been gone for two years. Feifei and Momo have been with Taotao. The two children are well-behaved, smart and sensible! If she has even the slightest bit of bad intentions, your family will never be well!"

"I will." Song Zhi said with a smile.

That night, the father and son chatted until the early hours of the morning.

The next morning, Taotao's family and Bai Zhenggan were about to leave.

Song Xi didn't say anything, but his eyes kept lingering on Song Zhi, Tao Tao, Fei Fei and Mo Mo...

Finally, he made up his mind and said to Song Zhi, "Let Xiaosui take you there! I, I'm going back to work!"

Song Zhi nodded.

That being said, when Song Zhi and his family were leaving the military compound by car, Song Zhi was sitting by the car window, lost in thought, when he suddenly saw...

——Song Xi was standing on the side of the road outside the compound, staring at the cars coming out of the military area one by one.

He even has a telescope in his hand? !

The father and son met eyes unexpectedly!

Song Xi looked embarrassed, while Song Zhi was both angry and amused.

However, the soldier driving the car did not notice and drove away...

Song Zhi rolled down the car window and looked back through it.

He saw that his father had picked up the telescope and was looking towards him!

Song Zhi's eyes were a little red.

He waved back.

Soon, he saw that his father was also waving at him.

Song Zhi smiled.

Tao Tao said, "I heard from Uncle Zhao that the winter in Nandu is very warm. Sometimes you can celebrate the New Year by wearing a short-sleeved shirt... When it's coldest, just wear a sweater under your jacket! Song Zhi, let's come to Nandu for the New Year this year. I'll grow some melons in the Kyoto laboratory and bring them over to eat during the New Year!"

Bai Zhenggan, "Isn't it Melon No. 1? No. 3 is out already?"

Tao Tao explained: "Melon No. 1 has been planted on a large scale, and No. 3 is still being cultivated... and these two are completely different varieties!"

Bai Zhenggan said absentmindedly, "How many months are there from now until the New Year?"

"Only more than five months." Song Zhi replied.

Bai Zhenggan, "More than five months... Hey, it's so hot here, I don't know if your mother is used to staying here..."

Taotao and Song Zhi looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

——The parents are very loving, but they have to separate to take care of their children. But out of love for their children, parents are willing to compromise and separate temporarily.

Taotao and Song Zhi couldn't help but hold each other's hands tightly.

The group took the train back to Song City.

What Feifei and Momo want most is to play with their cousins!

Bai Dongsheng, Tan Fenghui and Hongdou were also very happy to see Taotao and Song Zhi!

We had a great time for a few days.

Hongdou is twenty years old this year and is preparing to study abroad for a master's degree. She now really hopes that Song Zhi can tell her about the situation and study atmosphere of foreign universities.

Song Zhi always tried his best to answer the questions raised by his children and nephews regarding studies.

He immediately recommended several schools suitable for Hongdou and analyzed them one by one for Hongdou...

Tao Tao ran to ask Tan Fenghui, "Sister-in-law, how is your health lately?"

Tan Fenghui smiled and said, "What else can I do? Just listen to the doctor and take conservative treatment! But, things have been pretty good in the past two years. I have a physical checkup and follow-up every year, and the doctor always says things are pretty good."

Taotao looked at Tan Fenghui carefully.

——When Hongdou was clamoring to date Fan Heng a few years ago, Tan Fenghui was in the worst mental state. At that time, Tan Fenghui was emaciated, pale and skinny, and her face exuded a gray and lifeless look that did not belong to a living person.

Perhaps because she has taken good care of herself in the past two years, Tan Fenghui has gained some weight and immediately looks younger. Her skin was fair, and although there were wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, her face was rosy and healthy, and her eyes were bright, and her smile contained obvious happiness...

She looks like a beautiful and calm middle-aged woman.

Tao Tao felt relieved and asked Tan Fenghui, "Sister-in-law, how is my third sister doing recently?"

Speaking of Lili, Tan Fenghui's smile faded.

"You've heard about the Huo family, right? Huo Huachu and his wife came back from abroad with their little son, and there was a lot of chaos. One time Mingcheng ran away from home, and Lili took the children to chase him... Then his sister-in-law made a big fuss, and his mother-in-law was so angry that she was hospitalized. Huo Huaen came to our house to look for him, but was beaten by my mother with a broom and kicked out..."

"My father sent me to Kyoto to bring Lili and the children back to stay for a while to relax. The main purpose of doing this is to let Howard know that our Lili is supported by her parents! But who would have thought that even my mother-in-law came to apologize to me, but Lili refused to come back, saying that the children had to go to school..."

"That happened in July, when schools were closed!" Tan Fenghui sighed. "She refused to come, and I had no choice but to talk to Howard. He was very sincere in front of me, saying that Lili had been wronged because of his busy work... He would definitely take better care of Lili in the future..."

Taotao frowned.

Tan Fenghui continued, "I had no choice but to come back alone, and then I told your eldest brother... Lili grew up under my watch, and I knew from a young age that she was the one who cared most about her family. She was willing to sacrifice her life for her family, but... Oh, I really can't describe how I feel, I just feel uncomfortable!"

Taotao's family stayed in Song City for half a month.

In mid-August, the family of four said goodbye to their father, brother, sister-in-law, nephews and nieces and returned to Kyoto.

The whole family was very excited to return to their lovely little home.

Especially Song Zhi.

Although he and Taotao also have a small home in Song City, strictly speaking, this small villa in Kyoto was built bit by bit by him and Taotao from purchase to decoration.

Everything in the house holds memories of him and Taotao.

The neighbors were also very happy to see Song Zhi coming back after two years abroad. Many people came to greet him and brought him watermelons and grapes they bought, peppers and beans grown in their own gardens, and even eggs laid by their own chickens and ducks...

Song Zhi was very happy.

When he came back from abroad, the Xu family prepared many gifts for him.

The big thing is all kinds of candies.

It is just to make it convenient for him to bring it back and share it with his neighbors and relatives and friends.

Song Zhi asked Taotao to give everyone gifts in return, one candy bought from abroad for each family...

Everyone was very happy.

Taotao also harvested a large basket of various fruits, eggs, vegetables and so on.

She looked through the things in the basket, ran to wash two lunch boxes, and handed them to Feifei, "Feifei, go to the cafeteria and buy two boxes of white rice. Mom will use the vegetables sent by the aunts to cook. We just came back today, so let's keep it simple."

Song Zhi said: "I'll go!"

Taotao disagreed, "Let Feifei go, you stay home and clean the yard and the living room, I'll go cook! Momo will be responsible for opening all the rooms in the house for ventilation, and then move out the quilts and pillows in mom and dad's room, as well as your and your brother's quilts and pillows, and let your dad spread them out in the yard to dry in the sun!"

Feifei and Momo immediately saluted Taotao!

"Okay mom, I promise to complete the task!"

"Don't worry, Mom. Momo will definitely complete the task!"

The two children turned and ran away.

One ran upstairs to open the door and get a quilt; the other took the lunch box and went out to get food.

Taotao carried the basket to the kitchen.

Song Zhi looked at his two sons jumping around, then looked at Taotao's background, then went to clean up with a smile.

Taotao made stir-fried beans with bacon, stir-fried water spinach stems with tomato cubes, cold cucumber salad, and vegetable leaf, egg drop and shrimp soup. After thinking about it, he was afraid that there wouldn't be enough, so he simply cut three or four kinds of fruit, put them on a plate, and served them out together.

Feifei had already bought rice and returned early in the morning. Song Zhi and his two sons took out the quilts to dry in the sun, cleaned the yard, and also cleaned the living room and the rooms upstairs and downstairs.

As soon as the two children saw her, they took credit for it.

"Look, mom! We've already cleaned it! Aren't we quick?"

"Mom, I dried the quilt, washed the rags for my brother, and took out the trash for my dad!"

Taotao said with a smile: "Okay! Then go wash your hands quickly, we're ready to eat!"

The children laughed and ran to wash their hands. Song Zhi took advantage of the children's inattention and quickly pecked Taotao hard on the cheek!

Tao Tao was startled, staring at him with her almond-shaped eyes, and cursed softly: "You stink of sweat, it stinks!"

Song Zhi nodded with a ulterior motive, "I understand! I'll take a shower after lunch..."

Tao Tao was stunned for a long time before she turned around and looked at his back, and said angrily: "What do you understand?"

Later, the family had a light but appetizing lunch.

After lunch, Song Zhi watched his two sons take a bath. Since the quilts had been taken out to dry, he let the children take a nap on the sofa in the living room on the first floor.

Song Zhi dragged Taotao upstairs.

I dragged Da Baitao to take a bath again...

Then the two of them went from the bathroom on the second floor to the house, but found that there was no quilt on the bed, so they went back to the bathroom...

Then Dabaitao was exhausted and started to curse. Song Zhi then washed Dabaitao and picked her up, and took her to the sofa in the living room on the first floor so that she and her two sons could take a nap together.

Song Zhi walked around the house and then rode his bicycle out to buy rice, flour, various vegetables, pork ribs, ginger, onions, garlic and other items.

After returning home with his bicycle loaded with things, he hummed a little tune while stewing a pot of lotus root and pork ribs soup. Then he took a hoe to the backyard to weed and tidy up the vegetable garden.

When Taotao and the children were in Nandu, they wanted to travel quickly and visit more places, so they kept taking the bus and walking; taking the bus and walking. I didn’t get enough rest after arriving in Song City, and even went back to my hometown, Ruyi Village, to stay there for two days. When I was in Matsushima, I also went out every day, and finally took a long-distance train for a day and a night to return to Kyoto...

But I'm exhausted.

I took this nap until the sun set.

The mother and her two children were finally woken up by Song Zhi!

Song Zhi knew that his wife and children were tired, so dinner was simple and light.

A big pot of clear lotus root and pork ribs soup with the fat skimmed off, a plate of scallion oil dipping sauce, a serving of plain noodles, and a big plate of sliced ​​watermelon that has been chilled by cold water.

Pour a small spoonful of scallion oil sauce on the bland plain noodles and you will have delicious scallion oil noodles! If you pour the clear and slightly sweet hot soup over it, it will be delicious pork rib noodle soup!

The ribs are very soft and tasty when dipped in scallion oil sauce, or a piece of lotus root that has been stewed to be soft, sweet and refreshing...

After eating mixed noodles or noodle soup according to your preference, you can have a few pieces of cool and sweet watermelon. Why is this summer so comfortable?

The whole family enjoyed the meal with smiles on their faces.

Everyone was full.

So Song Zhi cleaned up the dishes, picked up Momo and put him on his shoulders, then carried Feifei on his back and dragged Taotao... the family of four went for a walk in the courtyard.

The rest home has an affiliated sanatorium, which is not big but has a gently sloping grassy area. In the hot summer, many people like to bring their children to this grass slope to walk, chat and cool off.

Occasionally there are some short bushes on the grass slope, and flickering fireflies fly around.

Feifei and Momo became happy all of a sudden, and went chasing fireflies with other friends, screaming and laughing.

Song Zhi held Taotao's hand and walked slowly along the hillside.

"When I was at my grandfather's house, my eldest cousin chatted with me and said that the old man wanted to return to China several years ago... But the environment in our country was not very good at that time. First, they had no way to return, and secondly... they were a little scared to return. Now that they see that I have gone abroad, they asked me a lot of questions and decided to come back to build a factory..."

"I asked the old man why he wanted to come back so much. After all, the economic conditions and environment in China are still far behind those in foreign countries. Do you know how the old man answered?"

After a pause, Song Zhi continued, "...The old lady was the old man's child bride. In fact, the two families were well matched and had been engaged since childhood. Because my great-great-grandfather was seriously ill, he married the old lady, who was only seven years old at the time... That year, the old man was only nine years old."

"The old man said that he still remembers that the day after the old lady got married, she stood under a persimmon tree in the yard, drooling at the red persimmons on the tree. The old man asked the farmhand to climb up the tree and pick the two most ripe persimmons, but those persimmons were not edible, they were still hard..."

"The old man didn't want the old lady to eat raw persimmons, so he pretended to fall and deliberately pressed the persimmons to the ground and crushed them... The old lady felt very wronged at the time, but she was a new daughter-in-law and was young, so she didn't dare to say anything. As a result, before they could eat the persimmons, their great-great-grandfather died of illness. There was a war that year, and the family took them to flee to Southeast Asia, and later went to Ouzhou."

"The old man said that for so many years... around October every year, the old lady would always say that she had never eaten persimmons from her hometown, so he must bring the old lady back to let her taste a bite of persimmons from her hometown..."

Tao Tao was very envious after hearing this. "They have been supporting each other for a lifetime! Although we can't eat the persimmons in our hometown,