Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Jinjiang exclusive, plagiarism will be investigated (catch...
"Dad, you know that my relationship with mom is just like that! I will give you a few dollars a month for retirement and two hundred kilograms of fine grain a year. I can't do anything else. This house and bicycle are given to Mengyao by you and mom. They have nothing to do with me."
Xia Dayong still had a clear mind. He had long been extremely disappointed with his mother, Old Lady Xia.
Now they live separately, and visiting her every month will show his filial piety as a son.
"I feel relieved when you say that. Remember, Mengyao has her own family. She is the daughter of your mother and me, and she has a younger brother, Mengzhi, who will make the decision for her."
"Dad, and I, your sister."
Hearing that his father had let him down, Zhang Mengyu quickly interrupted.
"Yes, and there is also our sister Mengyu. If she is wronged, we will stand up for her."
Mr. Zhang's tone was very serious when he said this. When Xia Dayong heard it, his hands were sweating from nervousness. He didn't even dare to put his hands on the table, but placed them on his knees.
"Dad, don't worry, you and mom! And my brother-in-law and sister, I will definitely treat Mengyao well, she is my life."
Xia Dayong made his own promise, "Of course, no matter how nice I say it now, no one will completely believe me. Please just wait and see how I perform in the future!"
It has to be said that his words made the Zhang family very satisfied. Even Zhou Guilan, who was used to seeing unfaithful people, could hear the sincerity in his words.
"Then let's wish Mengyao and Dayong a happy housewarming today."
Zhou Guilan raised the white water in her hand.
“Happy housewarming.”
Everyone followed suit and raised their glasses, some holding wine, some holding drinks, and everyone drank them happily.
Not long after Zhang Mengyao moved, the Zhang family’s shop was also packed up, and it was also only a few days away from the Chinese New Year.
The Zhang family began to prepare New Year’s goods.
"Dad, we are going back to the countryside to visit grandpa tomorrow. I bought two sets of clothes for grandpa and grandma. Do you think there is anything else we need to prepare?"
Zhang Mengzhi shouted while standing outside her parents' room.
“Here I come.”
Mr. Zhang came out of the room.
"These two sets of clothes are great. Next year, your mom and I will get two sets from them."
Mr. Zhang's face was full of smiles as he looked at the four sets of clothes for the elderly prepared by his son.
The son remembers his grandparents. As their son, Zhang's father was very happy! His parents treated him very well and often asked people to bring him things from the countryside.
Even at his age, his parents still care about him. Dad Zhang feels very happy.
“Grandpa and grandma have them too.”
Seeing Zhang's mother coming out, Zhang Mengzhi immediately said.
"That's right, let's do the same next year."
When Mother Zhang heard what her son said, she immediately smiled.
"Dad, besides clothes, there are some milk powder and food. Do you guys need to prepare anything else?"
Zhang Mengzhi will not go back to her hometown this time. Zhou Guilan is still recuperating at home, and she cannot be left alone in the city.
"These are enough. Your mother and I will be unable to carry any more."
Father Zhang looked at the ten kilograms of fat meat and a bag of candies. These were New Year's goods that his parents would like, and his son had prepared them very well.
"Sister can also take some, she will be staying in the countryside until the first day of the new year!"
Zhang Mengzhi stuffed a bunch of things into the bag and soon filled it up.
"Mengzhi, does your wife really not want to go back to the countryside? There's no point in staying in the city for the New Year. There are more people to know in the countryside, and it's more fun."
Father Zhang glanced at his daughter's room inadvertently. Zhou Guilan went back to her room after dinner today and rarely came out.
"Dad, what are you thinking? My eldest wife has nothing to do with the Zhang family now. She and my eldest grandfather have separated. It would be so embarrassing for her to go back to her hometown and run into old acquaintances!"
Zhang Mengzhi looked at his father speechlessly. What kind of brain would allow someone to say such a thing?
It would be fine if Zhou Guilan didn't meet any acquaintances when she went back to her hometown with them. But if she met acquaintances, how would she face her former sisters-in-law or elders?
In the final analysis, it is the grandfather who has wronged the grandmother. Now that she has finally come to terms with it, he wants her to go back to her ex-husband's hometown. How stupid a person must be to say such a thing?
Didn't you see that Uncle Lian Ming and the others didn't come to his house? He just didn't want to face the eldest wife. What the eldest father-in-law did made the people in the Zhang family too embarrassed to see her.
"I was wrong, I should be punished."
Father Zhang slapped himself in the face. He deserved to be punished for saying such a thing on impulse.
Didn’t you see how Zhang’s mother rolled her eyes at him? She thought her husband was too stupid, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked such a stupid question.
"You, just watch what your son does and don't make assumptions. Since your son didn't ask Aunt to go back to the countryside with us, it means it's not appropriate. Just do what he says. Why are you asking?"
It wasn't enough to just talk, she even slapped her husband a few times before she calmed down.
"Hey, I didn't expect this!"
Mr. Zhang smiled apologetically.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and pack up, we have to catch a bus early tomorrow morning!"
Mother Zhang glared at her husband again and then helped her son pack up.
Soon a pile of things were packed up, only the pork was covered with a basin and put into the bag tomorrow.
Fortunately, the weather is cold now, so the pork will not go bad if you rub it with salt and leave it outside. In fact, it is fine if you don't rub it with salt, but just rub it in case of emergency.
After everything was cleaned up, the family of three quietly went back to the house to sleep.
Early the next morning, Zhang Mengzhi got up and made breakfast for her family, and then sent them to the station to catch the bus.
"Mengyu, don't fall asleep after you get in the car, look after mom and dad."
Zhang Mengzhi gave instructions to her sister in the car.
"Got it, bro."
Zhang Mengyu stuck his head out of the car window and answered.
"Put your head back, it's dangerous."
Zhang Mengzhi pushed her head back.
"Hehe, got it."
Zhang Mengyu didn't stick his head out again this time.
Only after the car drove away did Zhang Mengzhi jog home.
Zhang Mengyao has already taken her two nephews back home, and her and Xia Dayong's factories have also been on New Year's holiday, so they can now take care of the two children themselves.
When Zhang Mengzhi returned home, Zhou Guilan had also gotten up.
"Grandma, you're up!"
When Zhang Mengzhi saw her get up, he hurried to the kitchen to get some hot water.
"Mengzhi, don't bother. I've already washed up."
Zhou Guilan saw him going to get hot water and spoke hurriedly.
"Then are you using hot water? It's cold now, Grandma, please don't use cold water."
Even though their well water is warm in winter, he does not recommend that the women in the family use the well water directly to wash their faces or rinse their mouths.
"Don't worry, it's hot water."
Zhou Guilan smiled and nodded. She still cared a lot about her health.
"Are your parents already in the car?"
"Yes, everyone is out of town now!"
Zhang Mengzhi said.
"That's good."
Zhou Guilan felt relieved.
"I'll go get you breakfast. I made some wontons today. I'm sure your wife will like them."
"Yes, I like it. Add some red oil, but don't make clear soup for me. I don't like it."
When Zhou Guilan heard this, she chased her nephew into the kitchen.
"Okay, I fried it with non-spicy red oil so that the eldest wife can eat a little."
Zhang Mengzhi knew that she was tired of light-flavored food, so when frying the red oil, she specially picked non-spicy peppers and fried another can of red oil.
It just so happens that we are having wontons today, so this red oil comes in handy.
"That's great. Wonton wontons don't taste as good without red oil."
Zhou Guilan was not from Sichuan, but her hometown also loved spicy food, and she loved spicy food even more than the people in Sichuan. So after eating bland food for half a year, she was ravenous.
"When grandma gets better, I'll cook hometown food for her."
Zhang Mengzhi promised.
"No, even if I recover, I'm too old to eat any of my hometown food."
Zhou Guilan originally wanted to agree, but then she thought about the cuisine in her hometown, where peppers were not counted by the root, but by the scoop!
There were only a few slices of meat in the bowl, and the rest was all very spicy chili. Not to mention that she was old, even when she was young, she didn't dare to eat more.
"Then I'll put less."
Zhang Mengzhi didn't expect Zhou Guilan to say that, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.
"It's better to cook Sichuan cuisine, which is delicious."
Zhou Guilan thought about it and felt that if we really talk about taste, Sichuan cuisine is famous, and she still likes to eat delicious food.
"good."
Even if the person himself said so, Zhang Mengzhi certainly would not refuse.
"Grandma, the dumplings are ready."
Zhang Mengzhi had already wrapped the wontons, so all she had to do was boil some water and put them in to cook. With the help of the big fire, a bowl of wontons with red oil was soon placed in front of Zhou Guilan.
"Wow~ It looks delicious." Zhou Guilan picked up a wonton with chopsticks. The skin was rolled by her nephew himself, and it was so thin that you could see the meat inside.
In addition to the red oil, the bowl was also sprinkled with a few chopped green onions. This bowl of wonton with good color, aroma and taste was so attractive.
"Grandma, eat slowly. Be careful of the heat."
Seeing that she bit it without even blowing it, Zhang Mengzhi quickly said something.
"fine."
Fortunately, Zhou Guilan only bit the skin and did not dare to bite the filling directly, otherwise the lining of her mouth would have been burned.
Phew~
Zhang Mengzhi breathed a sigh of relief.
With his advice, Zhou Guilan never dared to rush when eating wontons again. She would blow on them first and then eat them.
After eating a bowl of wonton, there was a little sweat on my forehead, so I wiped it gently with a handkerchief.
“I feel comfortable all over.”
Zhou Guilan was not in good health, and her hands and feet were cold all day long. But after eating wonton, her hands and feet became warm. However, this warmth did not last long. If there was no external help, her hands and feet would soon become cold again.
"Grandma, I got you a baking basket to warm yourself up."
After she finished eating the wonton, Zhang Mengzhi came out from behind the stove carrying a baking basket.
The baking basket is a bamboo basket with a ceramic basin inside. The unburned charcoal is placed inside and covered with a thin layer of wood ash to keep it warm.
This is one of the most common ways for people in Shu Province to keep warm. Almost every household has one or two baking baskets in winter. The Zhang family is no exception. One is for Zhou Guilan, and the other is for Zhang's father and mother.
It can not only warm your hands, but also your feet. Some elderly people even put it in their quilts to warm them, and its function is similar to that of an electric blanket.
It is said that someone slept with the quilt in his arms at night and burned it, almost causing a fire. Therefore, most people take it out of the quilt before going to bed to avoid burning themselves.
"Phew~ It's so warm."
Zhou Guilan took the baking basket and covered it with her apron. The warm air instantly warmed her whole body.
"Grandma, you just rest in the room. I'll go clean up the kitchen."
Zhang Mengzhi was also busy. He had cleaned up other parts of the house, but the kitchen was the only thing left. Now that his family was not at home, he was the only one cleaning, so it would take some time.
"Okay, go ahead!"
Zhou Guilan also knew that her body could not be strong enough, so she did not say that she wanted to help.
"yes."
Zhang Mengzhi went to clean the kitchen.
First, move the pots and pans out of each cabinet, clean the cabinets from top to bottom and inside and out, then wash the pots and pans that were moved out, let them dry and put them back in.
After all these were done, he began to scrub the stove, etc. After the countertops, stoves, and cabinets were cleaned, he cleaned the floor.
First tidy up the room where firewood is stored on the other side to make it look tidier.
Then sweep the floor first, and then mop it with a mop made of rags, and the kitchen is finally clean.
I looked up at my wrist and it was already eleven o'clock.
I took out the lean meat that I didn't finish yesterday and kneaded it with sweet potato starch to make Sichuan soup meat. I added pea tips that I grew at home.
While pinching the tips of the peas, I also cut some spinach and used it to eat noodles in the evening.
"Grandma, it's time to eat."
Zhang Mengzhi carried two bowls of Sichuan meat soup to the main room.
"Is the baking basket still hot? I've put some charcoal in the other baking basket. I'll replace it for you later."
Zhang Mengzhi said as he looked at his wife who was sitting on the chair and almost falling asleep due to boredom.
"good."
Zhou Guilan stood up slowly and walked towards the table.
"Slow down, big wife."
Zhang Mengzhi hurried over to help the person over.
Just as the grandparents were having lunch, Mr. Zhang and his family got off the bus and were taken home by their grandparents.
In the afternoon, Zhang Mengzhi went to her grandparents' house to help them buy New Year's goods.
The Zhang family had already bought the New Year's goods, and they only needed to buy some fresh meat on New Year's Eve. But their grandparents were old, so they couldn't buy too much at one time.
"Grandma, is this enough?"
Zhang Mengzhi came over carrying a basket of New Year's food. The Zhang family had sent the New Year's gifts long before his parents returned to the countryside, and of course the gifts for his grandparents as well.
They had a reunion dinner with their grandparents yesterday, otherwise Mother Zhang would never have been willing to leave her parents and return to her husband’s home in the countryside.
"That's enough. It's just me and your grandmother. We can't finish any more."
The grandmother nodded happily. The yard became more lively with the arrival of her eldest grandson. The neighbors around were so envious when they saw this scene. The grandmother nodded to them and went back.
"Mengzhi, please sit down and take a rest."
Grandpa came over with a bowl of fermented glutinous rice and eggs.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Zhang Mengzhi was thirsty, so he took it and ate it without hesitation. Now both families had enough eggs, so Zhang Mengzhi didn't share them.
He couldn't divide it even if he wanted to. There were only two eggs in the bowl. Should he give it to grandpa or grandma? If he gave both to the elderly, he would definitely be willing, but the two elderly people would not be willing to eat it.
"Life is better now than before. We buy eggs by the dozens. In the past, a few eggs were like treasures to us."
The great-grandfather sat with his wife and said with a sigh as he looked at his grandson eating eggs.
"Yes, I wanted to buy eggs but had nowhere to buy them before, and I often worried about having a few eggs. Now when I go to the market, I often see many people selling eggs, and their baskets are full of big, white eggs, which makes people happy."
Grandma nodded. The two old people had money in their hands, so they could buy not only eggs but also meat whenever they wanted to eat, unlike before when they couldn't buy them even with money and tickets. In the city, they had quotas for staple food, meat and eggs, and many things were not as free as in the countryside.
During those difficult years, the Zeng family relied entirely on the support of the Zhang family and the in-laws in the countryside, otherwise life would have been much more difficult.
"The days ahead will only get better and better, they will definitely not get worse."
Zhang Mengzhi said with certainty that he remembered that the area where his grandfather's family lived and his family lived would be developed by the government in the future, and many places would be demolished and rebuilt. Apart from anything else, no one would dare to tamper with their demolition fees.
Zhang Mengzhi still has this confidence. After all, this is no longer the world in the books.
Even though he was very busy this month, the Gu family was always paying attention to him. Now Gu Yan's life was not easy, because Wang Lingya became his official fiancée, so they would no longer date secretly, but at the same time, Gu Yan also lost his freedom.
Because Wang Lingya started to control him, no matter where he went, Wang Lingya followed him. But Wang Lingya also knew that she couldn't push people too hard, so she would occasionally loosen the reins for Gu Yan and let him go out to relax.
Wang Lingya still did not change her old habits and met with men who liked her from time to time. It was just that she was really good at controlling men. Even though she had a fiancé, many men were still attracted to her and thought she was the most perfect woman they had ever seen.
Zhang Mengzhi no longer wanted to complain about these men's thoughts.
Wang Lingya's tricks only work on young people. Any older and more knowledgeable man will not be fooled by her.
Wang Lingya also knew that she could only control those young people who were not very experienced, so she was relatively well-behaved in front of her elders and did not act up.
Chinese New Year is a good day, when the whole family sits together and has a reunion dinner.
However, not everyone celebrates the festival well today, such as the Wang family.
"No money at home?"
Wang Lingya’s elder brother’s face almost turned red with anger when he saw the reunion dinner with only one meat dish on the table.
"Xiaoya has used all the money in the family to buy clothes and gifts. Where does the money come from to buy meat?"
Wang Erge looked at his sister. Ever since she broke off the engagement with the Zhang family, the Wang family had a hard time. They didn't get any benefits at all, and all the money they had saved up was invested in her.
"Brother, I am also doing this for my family. After all, the Gu family is different from ordinary families. If the gift is too light, they will look down on us."
Wang Lingya bit her lip. If she could, she didn't want to do this! But there was no other way. The Gu family didn't care about the few dollars. So she took the last few dozen dollars in the family and bought some precious supplements for the Gu family as a gift.
"You also said that if you hadn't insisted on breaking off the engagement with the Zhang family, we could have enjoyed other benefits. We wouldn't have to calculate even for a bite of meat like we do now. Those people who gave us gifts in the past are now nowhere to be found. It's all your fault."
Mother Wang pinched her daughter's arm. In previous years, during the New Year celebrations at their home, not many people came and went, but some people who wanted to curry favor with the Zhang family gave them gifts.
Unfortunately, after they broke off the engagement, none of these people came. They were all snobs.
"Then I want to break off the engagement with the Zhang family. Didn't you all agree with it? Why are you blaming me now?"
Wang Lingya was pinched by her mother until her eyes were filled with tears, and she said unconvincedly.
"Why do you blame me? If you had objected in the first place, I would not have been able to cancel the marriage."
"You also said that if you hadn't come back and told us how good the Gu family is, we would have agreed? I don't know how good the Gu family is now. I only know that when we were engaged to the Zhang family, our family was doing very well."
Mrs. Wang looked at the dish of fried cabbage with oil residue on the table. It was the only meat dish on the table. It was nothing compared to the big pot of meat in previous years.
Yes, the only meat dish was actually greasy residue. How incredible! In just one year, the Wang family had become like this.
"That's right. The Gu family said they were better than the Zhang family, but in the end our Wang family didn't get any advantage. We sent holiday gifts to the Gu family, but they didn't even give us an egg in return."
Second sister-in-law Wang and eldest sister-in-law stood on one side.
She had agreed to marry into the Wang family because they were doing well and had a capable in-law. Now, not only had her sister-in-law's fiancé changed, but the Gu family was apparently stronger than the Zhang family, but the Wang family didn't get any advantage at all!
That's not as good as the original Zhang family. At least the benefits the Wang family got were real.
"You all blame me, you all blame me, is this what I want? That's not what you said at the beginning. When I said I wanted to cancel the engagement, you ran away faster than me."
Wang Lingya saw that both sisters-in-law blamed her, so she immediately quit. She was not someone who was willing to suffer a loss, so how could she not fight back when her two sisters-in-law said that?
"Don't you blame me? If you had been honest and not made trouble, and stayed with Zhang Mengzhi, our family wouldn't be like this now."
The Wang family quarreled. To be more precise, except for Wang's father, everyone else had opinions about Wang Lingya. Wang Lingya was not convinced by being criticized by the whole family, so the quarrel started.
"Okay, everyone shut up."
Father Wang yelled, and the whole family fell silent.
"Dad, look at what my brother and sister-in-law say about me, you should take care of it."
When Wang Lingya saw Wang's father come forward, she immediately complained to him.
"You shut up too."
Father Wang glared at his daughter. He no longer had much patience for this troublesome daughter.
He thought that after breaking off the engagement with the Zhang family, the Wang family would have a good life by currying favor with the Gu family. However, the jobs that were promised to be arranged for his two sons have not yet been implemented.
It was these two jobs that tempted him to agree to cancel his daughter's engagement with the Zhang family. Now the engagement has been cancelled, but there is still no sign of his son's job.
Not to mention that his wife, son, and daughter-in-law all had strong opinions about his daughter, he was also dissatisfied with Wang Lingya.
"What did you tell us at the beginning? Your eldest brother and second brother haven't found a job yet. When will you ask Gu Yan about his job?"
Now that Mr. Wang had spoken, Wang Lingya no longer dared to act like a troublemaker.
"Oh, I'll ask after the Chinese New Year. It's not a good idea to ask during the Chinese New Year. What if the Gu family doesn't have a good impression of our family when we talk about work during the Chinese New Year?"
Wang Lingya didn't dare to treat her father in the same way as she treated her brother, sister-in-law and mother, because Father Wang was the one who had the final say in the family and his opinion was very important.
Therefore, she could only speak to him softly and try to postpone the matter. She didn't even dare to mention her two brothers' jobs. Except for Gu Yan, no one in the Gu family liked her.
"I hope you can bring back good news to our family after the New Year, instead of one bad news after another."
Father Wang glanced at his daughter. If it weren't for the fact that she could still control Gu Yan, Father Wang would never let it go so easily.
When Gu Yan wanted to break up with her, it was Wang's father who gave Wang Lingya advice to turn the situation around and make her get engaged to Gu Yan.
In fact, as a father and a man, he looked down upon his daughter's methods. If she had been smarter, she would not have ended up breaking up.
When the Wang family was talking about the Gu family, they didn't know that the Gu family was also talking about them.
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