"Dad, winter is coming soon. Please ask Mom to make me a cotton-padded coat. I'm pregnant now and I'm afraid of the cold."
Zhang Hongmei felt a pang of envy and jealousy upon hearing Lu Zhaokun's words.
A new cotton-padded coat is not cheap; it's something you can't buy even if you have the money.
“Hongmei, you had a new dress made when you got married to the second son. Now that the family is not well-off, let’s wait until next year.”
Yang Cuilan couldn't bear to see it and took the initiative to refuse on behalf of the old man.
"Not well-off? Didn't my sister-in-law send me sixty yuan? And food coupons too. Mother, I'm a member of the Lu family now, so please don't show favoritism."
As soon as Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, the table fell silent.
Last month, the family received a letter from Lu Fangfang. As soon as the letter was opened, money fell out and she happened to see it.
She's been bringing it up intentionally or unintentionally lately, but this is the first time she's said it so bluntly.
Beside him, Lu Zhaokun glanced at Zhang Hongmei, then at his second son.
After a long pause, he shook his head and said, "That was Fangfang's travel money for Xiuxiu, and also the money for my and your mother's retirement, not money for making clothes for you!"
“Hongmei, after you move out next year, I won’t ask for more of the annual pension for your mother and me. Just give us the same amount as the eldest son’s family.”
Zhang Hongmei opened her mouth, but suddenly didn't know what to say.
She lowered her head and secretly pinched the man next to her.
"Dad, Hongmei and I just got married, and the baby is due soon. We're short on money..."
"You don't need to pay for the first three years of retirement. After that, it will be the same as your eldest brother's family."
Lu Zhaokun tapped his pipe, said nothing more, picked up his bowl, and started eating.
After the meal, Yang Cuilan sat at the table and sewed a cotton-padded jacket by the light of an oil lamp.
Beside him, Lu Zhaokun held a pen and wrote a letter to his daughter.
It was Xiuxiu's first time going on a long trip, and he was worried about her, so he had to write a letter to his eldest daughter in advance so that she could pick her up.
The elderly couple didn't say anything and quietly continued working.
After a while, low arguing sounds came from the west room.
Lu Zhaokun listened for a moment, then couldn't help but pick up his pipe again.
Living in the same courtyard inevitably leads to unpleasantness; it's better to separate quickly, otherwise this couple will continue to argue.
"We still need to split up."
With pen in hand, he wrote down the matter of dividing the family property in the letter.
Across from them, Yang Cuilan was sewing a cotton-padded jacket, just like the old man, seemingly unconcerned about the argument outside.
Right now, her heart is filled with thoughts of her eldest daughter and her youngest daughter who is about to leave.
Inside the room, Lu Xiuxiu was packing her things.
The farthest she had ever been in her life was the commune; she had never even been to the county town. She felt a mix of anticipation and fear about the two-week trip.
...
The next day, after breakfast, the Lu family members went to work one after another, leaving Zhang Hongmei alone at home.
She glanced into the inner room and saw that the door was locked, so she couldn't help but let out a soft hum.
"elder sister?"
"Red Flower? What brings you here?"
Zhang Hongmei beckoned and called the person into the house.
"Sister, how did things go with me?"
As soon as Zhang Honghua entered the room, she couldn't wait to ask.
In the past few months, her family has introduced her to several men, but she hasn't liked any of them.
She's been longing for this for a long time, and now all she wants is to find a military officer so she can have a government-subsidized job. She's had enough of staying in the countryside.
Especially after learning about the salaries of battalion commanders and company commanders, she became even less willing to stay in the countryside.
Working a year in the brigade, the work points she earns through hard work don't even amount to two or three months' wages for others. If she were to marry a man from the countryside, she would end up like her sister now, having to stay home and cook even while pregnant.
She wants to learn from Sister Fangfang, marry a regimental commander, and find someone to take care of her after she gets pregnant.
Zhang Hongmei shook her head, directly interrupting her sister's fantasy, "My father-in-law doesn't agree, Honghua, you can forget about it."
"What?"
The smile on Zhang Honghua's face immediately vanished.
After a moment of stunned silence, she grabbed her sister's arm. "Sister, ask her again, ask her again. You're my own sister."
“It’s no use. My father-in-law is a stubborn mule. Once he’s made a decision, no one can change it. Honghua, don’t even think about it. Just find a good partner in our commune and live a peaceful life…”
Zhang Honghua bit her lip, her face full of resentment.
After thinking for a moment, she immediately leaned close to Zhang Hongmei's ear and whispered something.
After a long pause, Zhang Hongmei looked at her sister in astonishment, "This...this won't work."
"Sister, you have to help me. I'll definitely repay you after I marry a cadre."
Zhang Honghua tugged at her sister's arm, looking at her pitifully.
"Let me think about it, but this matter needs my parents' approval, otherwise I dare not make the decision."
Zhang Hongmei hesitated.
I secretly followed Xiuxiu there. They were all relatives, and even if her sister-in-law disagreed, it was too late.
However, this was done in a rather improper way, and it also required the consent of her family.
"Sister, don't worry, Mom and Dad will definitely agree. They also want to find a cadre as their son-in-law."
Zhang Honghua nodded quickly.
Now, everyone in the commune knows that Lu Zhaokun's family in Houpo Brigade has a regimental commander's son-in-law, and everyone who sees him has to look at him with more respect.
Her parents are envious too; if she asks, they'll definitely agree.
...
A few days later, seeing that the autumn harvest was less busy, Lu Zhaokun took some time to take his little daughter to the county town and bought train tickets for late October.
Incidentally, he sent out the letter he had written, which included the date Xiuxiu would arrive.
Worried that his daughter wouldn't be able to ride a train, he even took her to see one.
This was Lu Xiuxiu's first time visiting the county town, and she found everything fascinating.
Once back home, the Lu family began preparations again.
The cotton-padded jacket she brought to Fangfang was almost finished, just missing a sleeve. Yang Cuilan wiped away her tears as she worked diligently on it.
Lu Zhaokun took his daughter to the brigade leader's house to calculate his work points, and then went to his eldest son's house to borrow some peanuts, intending to fry them up. He asked Xiuxiu to take them with her.
He even went to the river to dig up some clean sand, dried it, and used it to roast peanuts—these were all the flavors of his hometown.
The elderly couple from the Lu family were very busy, and Zhang Hongmei was also busy.
After seeing the time and location on Xiuxiu's train ticket, she secretly told her younger sister.
As for what happens afterward, she doesn't care.
If anyone asks her about it later, she won't admit it, since it has nothing to do with her anyway.
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