At lunch, the family of three ate with their mouths full of oil.
Chicken soup with rice, even Qiao An ate a big bowl.
The tender chicken spreads out as you chew it, and the rich, fresh flavor keeps stimulating your brain, like fireworks exploding in your brain. You can't stop eating it. The more you chew, the more delicious it becomes, as if even the bones have a charming, fresh flavor!
Qiaolu felt that her cooking skills had improved. She never could cook a chicken so well before.
When they were halfway through the meal, a few little radishes suddenly appeared at the door of the room, pried open the door of Xu's house and peeked inside. After they finished puffing, they took a deep breath of the rich aroma in the air.
Seeing this, Qiao Lu waved to the children and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
The carrots nodded and stood obediently at the door without entering.
"Aunt Qiao, we have all eaten." This is Lin Caihe's eldest daughter, Chen Nannan. She is ten years old this year. She has two smooth pigtails and single eyelids, which makes her look playful and cute when she smiles.
"Are you here to play with An An?" Qiao Lu asked with a smile.
Everyone knew that Qiao An would not go out with them, so Chen Jingkang changed his excuse: "I came to thank Qiao An."
"Oh? Thank him?" Qiao Lu raised her eyebrows with interest.
"Thank you, our An An?" Xu Haizhou was also curious and picked up a piece of chicken neck and chewed it in his mouth.
Qiao An was also a little confused and a little embarrassed, scratching his head: "Why are you thanking me?"
Chen Jingkang said: "The candy you just gave me is so sweet, so I thank you."
"Oh." The boy looked up at his mother and pursed his lips shyly: "You're welcome."
This is the courtesy his mother taught him, but it was really embarrassing to say it to other children for the first time.
After receiving Qiao An's response, Chen Jingkang seemed overly excited, his eyes curved with laughter: "So do we know each other now? Can we play together?"
As they spoke, several children took a step toward the door at the same time. They smelled the stronger smell of chicken soup in the air and their mouths watered.
But the Chen family has a rule that no matter whose house they go to, as long as they see the owner is eating, they cannot go in, and they cannot shamelessly eat for free, because food is tight in everyone's home these days.
Everyone looked at Qiao An, and Qiao Lu and her husband also looked at him.
The young man looked confused and stammered, "Mom, me, my brother and I, have we met?"
This child actually already has the answer in his heart, why is he so timid?
"What do you think? Do you know your brother?" Qiao Lu asked him back, her tone gentle and soothing, comforting the little guy's slightly uneasy heart.
Qiao An bit her lips, twirled her fingers, and said slowly, "Well... I know him a little bit."
"Now that we know each other, do you want to play with everyone?"
"Hmm..." Actually, I thought about it, but I was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"Come on, come on, Qiao An, we all want to play with you." Seeing his confusion, Chen Jingkang hurriedly tempted him.
"Qiao An, we all really want to play with you, we are not lying." This is Chen Nannan.
"Qiao An, I want to play with you too." This is Song Qingping's son, Chen Baitao.
They were all interested in Qiaoan, this fair, clean, cute little boy, and had wanted to get along with him since he moved into the compound. However, the little guy was timid and had been afraid to interact with them even after two months of moving in.
Seeing that he wanted to go but didn't dare to speak, Qiao Lu rubbed her son's shoulders and said with a smile, "Okay, Kang Kang, you take your sister and brother home and wait. Qiao An will go out to play with you after he finishes his meal."
"good!"
After getting the consent, the little radishes ran out of Xu's house happily. Looking at the little one in his arms, his face was filled with anticipation and a hint of timidity.
…
In the end, little Qiao An still went to the appointment with full of courage. His left hand was held by sister Chen Nannan, his right hand was held by brother Chen Jingkang, and little brother Chen Baitao followed behind him happily.
Qiao Lu stood behind the children, reminding them to be careful. The aunties in the yard said that the children had never had any accidents when they went out to play, so she could rest assured.
Less than three minutes after the kids left the hospital, they ran back home, smiling brightly: "Mom! My brothers and sisters want candy!"
"Want candy?" Qiao Lu was amused and helpless. It turned out that these little radishes had other purposes.
Qiao Lu turned around and went into the room to get a handful of candies for her son, and told him, "Nuo, take it and divide it equally. Mom taught you to count. Everyone gets the same amount, right?"
The young man was full of energy and nodded firmly: "Yes, I can!"
Outside the yard, several children were eagerly waiting, and finally Qiao An, who was late, came. Seeing Qiao An holding a handful of fruit candies in his palm, they stared at him eagerly with their pupils wide open.
Qiao An counted slowly, without making any mistakes.
"1, 2, 3... I give you one, one for you, and one for you." There are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... There are 5 candies left, but there are three people.
Then he gave one to each of his brothers and sisters, and put the remaining two in his pocket.
The fruit candies were evenly distributed to everyone and everyone was very satisfied. Qiaoan herself was also particularly happy because not only did she divide the candies evenly, she also showed off her counting skills in front of everyone!
Several children couldn't wait to tear off the sugar coating and eat the candies. The sweet taste could be savored all day long!
"Qiaoan, let's go! I'll take you to our secret base!"
…
The Spring Festival was in three weeks, so Wu Guifang took Qiao Lu to the farmers' market to buy some Spring Festival foods, such as dried goods, sweets and wine, snacks, etc., and stocked them up in advance to avoid missing them when the time came.
Not to mention, there are still three weeks to go, but there are still long queues forming at various stalls in the market. It seems that everyone is very enthusiastic about the Spring Festival.
Qiao Lu couldn't help wondering if Xu Haizhou's stall was also so popular. He had just made a net profit of 1,800 yuan in the previous two months, and during the Spring Festival, he was making a lot of money.
Hiss——Why does it feel like buying a house is not a dream?
Thinking about owning a suite with a private bathroom in the near future, Qiao Lu was in a very happy mood.
After buying New Year's goods and returning home, Qiao An and his friends had not returned yet. Qiao Lu went into the kitchen to cook. Halfway through, she heard a familiar laughter ringing out.
As soon as little Qiaoan's short legs stepped into the yard, he started shouting "Mommy" halfway through, which attracted the surprised looks of the uncles and aunts in the yard.
When has this child ever been so lively?
"Mama Mama!"
Little Rocket rushed into the kitchen and hugged Qiao Lu's thighs tightly.
"Mom, Mom, let me tell you!" He couldn't wait to share his happiness with his mother today!
Qiao Lu stopped what she was doing, wiped her hands on her apron, squatted down and kissed his face.
After playing for half an afternoon, my face was cold.
"What are you talking about, baby? Where did you go to play with your brothers and sisters just now?"
"We went to the secret base to play!" Qiao An's little hands moved in coordination with his mouth, opening and closing: "Mom, I just played hide-and-seek with Brother Kang Kang and the others! They were always the last to find me!"
Seeing her son's joyful expression reminded Qiao Lu of how timid he was when he first arrived in the city... In contrast, Qiao An was now like a completely different person, completely different from before.
He became more confident, spoke louder, his mouth corners were often raised, and his eyes were bright.
Qiao Lu's heart almost melted when she saw this.
She lovingly stroked her son's head and kissed his forehead: "Wow, you are so amazing, where did you hide?"
Qiao An covered her mouth and lowered her voice, looking mysterious: "Mom, I will only tell you one person, I am hiding in..."
After hearing this, Qiao Lu raised her eyebrows in surprise: "In an iron barrel? That's amazing."
"Yeah! Mom, I think I'm pretty good too." The boy became more and more confident, and he was not at all shy when he praised himself.
"Mom, I gave my panda ear hats to Kang Kang, Nan Nan and Tao Tao. They all wore my panda ear hats! They said I have become their good friend!"
"Wow, An An is so generous, he deserves praise." She reached out and flicked his panda ears: "Then mommy congratulates An An for making three good friends."
Qiao An didn't know what congratulations meant, she just clapped her hands happily: "Yeah! Congratulations to Mom too!"
Qiao Lu laughed: "Congratulations on what?"
Qiaoan's head tilted, and his eyes rolled around: "Congratulations, Mom... Congratulations, Mom, make me something delicious later!"
Puff——
"You little brat."
…
The sun was setting and it was time to get off work. The streets were filled with bicycles and gray cotton jackets. The dim afterglow fell on everyone's face, very red and very intense.
In half a month, it will be the Spring Festival and the office workers in the compound will be able to take a three-day holiday.
In fact, as early as the 1960s and 1970s, there was a period of about ten years when there was no holiday for the Spring Festival. At that time, the most common activity for a family during the Spring Festival was not to post Spring Festival couplets or give out red envelopes, but to eat "bitter rice" and actively participate in labor, even turning the winter "farm idleness" into "farm busyness".
After such a busy and hard year, there was no holiday for the Spring Festival, which caused public outrage and public resentment. Fortunately, reforms have finally been made and we can now have a three-day holiday for the Spring Festival.
In the evening, Qiao Lu brought her son and several little kids came up to talk to Qiao An.
Children speak in childish language, and their words are funny.
"Joan, are you eating meat tonight?"
Qiao An: "Well, we didn't finish the meat we had for lunch, so Mom is heating it up in the pot."
The chicken I ate once was also delicious!
Chen Jingkang's eyes sparkled with envy: "That's great, your family has so much meat that we can't finish it all. My dad even said that your dad runs a street stall and is very poor."
Qiao An was puzzled: "Brother Kang Kang, what does poor mean?"
Chen Jingkang said: "It's because we have no money. I'm saying your family has no money!"
Qiao An pouted and said unhappy: "Yes, my father has money. My father is not poor."
No one can refute this. His father gave him money to buy meat, candy, and new clothes. His father is very rich.
Chen Jingkang sighed, thinking of the meat and candy from Qiao An's family, and he could no longer laugh: "I really envy you."
If only he had a stepfather as rich as Uncle Xu, alas——
The two children were chatting when a baby suddenly walked in from the gate of the courtyard. It was a two-year-old girl from Old Shen's family in the outer courtyard. The child was developing slowly and could not walk properly at the age of two. She often needed an adult to lead her to walk farther.
As soon as the little girl entered the yard, she ran to the loquat tree to play in the mud. When Qiao Lu approached with Qiao An, the little girl noticed him, her eyes lit up, and she reached out her hand tremblingly to touch Qiao An's panda ears.
Qiao An covered her head in fear and took a half step back. Immediately afterwards, Chen Jingkang rushed in front of Qiao An. The eight-year-old boy was half a body taller than the little girl, standing like a wall between the two children.
"Hey! Hey! You, don't come over here! I just saw you touching the mud!"
The little baby stopped and stood there in a daze, looking aggrieved and a little scared.
Chen Jingkang becomes the guardian of the panda hat. No one’s dirty hands are allowed to touch it. He swears to defend his good friend’s hat to the death!
The little girl squinted and turned to her mother, "Mom! I want to wash my hands!"
"Look, there's a basin next to the water pump. Go and wash yourself." Her mother was chatting happily with a group of old ladies and had no time to help her daughter wash her hands.
The little girl was unhappy and raised her voice: "Mom! The water is cold, you wash it!"
"You are an adult, wash it yourself!" he replied unhappily.
The girl's mouth clenched, and she cried aggrievedly as tears fell from her eyes.
Ever since she raised the child, Qiao Lu couldn't stand seeing children cry, so she quickly rolled up her sleeves, carried the child to the well, pressed water to wash her hands. The water was indeed very cold, but the little guy didn't shout or cry, but just looked at Qiao Lu curiously.
Although this child's eyes are not as big as Qiao Ann's, her facial features are not as delicate as Qiao Ann's, and her skin is not as white, she is also a rare cute baby. When Qiao Lu looked at her, her heart almost melted.
The little girl stretched out her hands and looked longingly at Joan's head. The fine fur on the panda's ears swayed in the breeze, and when the head moved, the ears moved with it. It was so soft and cute!
"An An, let your sister touch the hat."
Qiao An took off his hat obediently, and just then a gust of wind blew by, causing a strand of hair to stand up on the whorl of his hair.
The little girl just touched the panda's ears twice and stopped crying. Qiao An looked at her and suddenly felt a little proud.
The panda ears made by my mom are so cool! They can actually be used to appease children!
After the touch, the little girl was satisfied. She smiled with her tiny teeth, raised her chubby face, looked at Qiao Lu, and said in a crisp voice: "I like you!"
Qiao An: “!!!”
Like a frightened rabbit, he held Qiao Lu's hand tightly and said, "I am the only one who can like my mother!"
After saying that, he took a big step forward with his short legs and started running: "Mom, hurry up! Let's go!"
If you are any slower, your mother will be taken away!
After saying that, she quickly pulled her mother and ran under the loquat tree. There were many people here and she felt safe. Besides, the little girl's mother was there too, so she would not want to rob his mother!
Qiao Lu couldn't help laughing.
…
In the 1980s, material life was much richer than in the 1960s and 1970s. People used to eat simple but delicious food during the Chinese New Year, but now they can eat delicious food, but only on New Year's Eve.
Therefore, the Spring Festival is definitely the biggest happy event of the whole year.
In order to have a good New Year, residents are willing to spend money on New Year's goods, and those who have no money are willing to save money in advance for the New Year. In the past few evenings, the topic of conversation has been related to the Spring Festival.
"There are less than three weeks left. Have you bought all the dry goods?"
Wu Guifang smiled and said, "I bought some. I took Qiao Lu to the market this afternoon. It was so crowded that my ribs still hurt."
In order to compete with everyone for a piece of pork fat, Wu Guifang really tried her best to squeeze it. Qiao Lu was foresighted and did not follow suit. Compared with the greasy pork fat, she preferred the lean meat and some pork offal that no one liked. She planned to make it halogen-flavored, fragrant and crispy, not to mention a great way to eat with rice.
"I bought something nice, but it squeezed my ribs."
Wu Guifang laughed triumphantly: "Pork fat! It's a big piece, three pounds!"
Oh my goodness! How much fragrant lard is needed to make this?
Everyone was so envious that they couldn't help it. Auntie Tian glanced at her complainingly: "Why didn't you take me with you? Let me squeeze my ribs and hurt myself, so that I can at least get a few pounds of pork fat."
"Hahahaha—you're so funny."
Everyone was joking with each other, and soon the topic turned to Qiao Lu again.
"Hey, you and your son, are you going back to the north with Xu Haizhou for the New Year this year?"
Qiao Lu shook her head: "I don't know, I haven't asked him yet."
"Of course you have to go back. Your husband goes back to the north every Spring Festival."
Qiao Lu was a little surprised, but she didn't show it on her face: "Oh, then I think we should go back."
Lin Caihe stitched the sole of his shoe and said with a smile, "It's good to go back. It's lively there. He should have many relatives in the north. It's a good thing you haven't met his parents yet."
Song Qingping agreed with her: "Yes, I haven't met my parents yet after getting married. How can I justify this? I must go back."
"Then I'll ask him tonight." At this moment Xu Haizhou went to the bathroom to take a shower again. I wonder if people in the northern part like to go to the bathroom.
Some things are so weird. I was just discussing whether to go back to the north when I heard someone outside shouting, "Mail No. 88 from the Xu family! Mail No. 88 from the Xu family! Is anyone from the Xu family there? Come out and get the mail. There's a letter for you!"
Liu Xiaohong and her son went to the grocery store to buy vinegar. As they returned with the jar of vinegar, they ran into the postman at the door.
"Whose mail is this?" she asked.
Fang Youwei glanced at the postman and said, "I don't know. They said it was the Xu family. Which Xu family?"
In the 1980s, when someone received mail, it would often alarm the entire compound of neighbors. When they heard that the letter was from someone's family, everyone with the surname so-and-so would run out, fearing that the letter they received might be theirs.
"Xu family? Are you talking about Xu Simiao from the outer courtyard or Xu Haizhou from the inner courtyard?" Liu Xiaohong asked the postman.
"It's the Xu family at No. 88! Xu Haizhou." the postman replied.
"Oh..." Liu Xiaohong felt something was wrong: "But our entire yard is number 88, how come you don't know? You must be new here."
The young postman was stunned for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "He is indeed new."
"Where is that Xiao Luo?" Liu Xiaohong asked again.
"I broke my leg and I'm in charge of the class."
"Oh..." Liu Xiaohong looked at him from head to toe, thinking, and suddenly grinned and said, "You look so young, young man. Do you have a date?"
Forgive Liu Xiaohong for having an occupational disease.
The young man was in his early twenties. When asked this question, his face turned red.
She asked all kinds of questions about her family conditions, and when she saw that her entire family was about to be questioned, her son Fang Youwei quickly grabbed the person.
"Oh, Mom, stop talking. I'm busy delivering mail."
The little postman looked at Fang Youwei with gratitude. Xu Simiao from the Xu family in the outer courtyard came and found that the letter was not for her, so she sent someone to the inner courtyard to call Xu Haizhou.
After a while, Qiao Lu came out with her son.
"I'm coming!" She ran out jogging, not wanting to keep the other person waiting. "Excuse me, is this a letter from my husband? Xu Haizhou."
The postman looked at the envelope and confirmed, "Yes, that's right."
Deliver the letter.
Qiao Lu took it with both hands, smiling brightly: "Thank you for your hard work."
The young postman had only been on the job for a few days and had seen all kinds of customers, but he had never seen such a polite comrade. His face turned red and he glanced at her face unconsciously, which made his face turn even redder.
Whose daughter-in-law is this? She is so pretty.
Qiao Lu didn't pay attention to him. After receiving the letter, she turned around and went home with her son.
The young postman hesitated, stood for a moment, then got on his bicycle and left. He was gone in the blink of an eye. Liu Xiaohong was left staring at his back and muttering absentmindedly: "He looks like a very honest child, young, with a stable job... Yeah, suitable for the youngest daughter of the Zhou family!"
Fang Youwei: "..."
…
The letter was sent from the north. The sender was not written on the envelope, but it was easy to tell that it must have been sent by Xu Haizhou's brothers, sisters or parents. If not, then it must have been his friend in the north.
Qiao Lu was very curious about what was written in the letter. After all, it involved privacy and it was not convenient to open it directly. During the twenty minutes that Xu Haizhou did not come home, Qiao Lu felt itchy inside.
Until the man walked into the yard carrying a towel and clothes, Qiao Lu hurried to meet him, took his arm and led him into the house. The neighbors saw this and teased her for a while.
"Ah! Look at this clingy girl, she misses you as soon as I'm gone."
"Hahaha--"
Qiao Lu smiled awkwardly and closed the door, finally blocking those teasing gazes outside.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry." Qiao Lu walked to the dining table and sat down. She pushed the letter to him and said, "There's a letter for you!"
Xu Haizhou found a hanger to hang the towel, looked at his anxious wife and said with a smile, "Who sent it to me?"
"I don't know. They're from the north. They're your family or friends from your hometown."
"North?" Xu Haizhou raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Really? Let's take a quick look." Qiao Lu was extremely curious about Xu Haizhou's hometown!
The person involved, Xu Haizhou, did not show much curiosity about the letter, but seeing his wife's impatient look, he said with a smile: "If you want to read it, go ahead and open it."
"This is your privacy after all, it's not a good idea." Qiao Lu said hesitantly.
Xu Haizhou smiled calmly: "It doesn't matter, it shouldn't be something shameful."
If you don't do anything shameful, you won't be afraid of privacy leaks.
"You come and read it," he said.
"Okay." Qiao Lu happily opened the envelope "reluctantly".
"Ahem, the sender is Xu Haiping."
Xu Haizhou nodded: "My eldest brother."
Qiao Lu smiled and read out the text word by word.
"Dear Haizhou: I haven't contacted you for a long time. How are you? Everything is fine at home, and my father's condition is very stable. Don't worry. I have a lot to say to you, but I don't know where to start when I pick up the pen..."
After reading the first paragraph, Qiao Lu glanced at Xu Haizhou's expression, which was calm, and continued:
"Then let's start from here. Haizhou, my family received the news of your marriage two months ago, but we haven't replied to you for such a long time. I think, as smart as you are, you should be able to guess the reason. You have made many wrong decisions in your life, and our whole family knows this very well. But now, in our opinion, your marriage is the most wrong decision, no doubt about it..."
"Um... cough cough cough..." Qiao Lu was choked and quickly pulled the brakes. She hurriedly stuffed the letter into her son's arms and said, "Hey, An An, you read it. Didn't mom teach you a lot of words a few days ago? It's time to put them to use."
The little guy was listening attentively, raised his head, and his clear dark pupils were full of confusion: "But mom, An An is only three and a half years old, An An can't read the letter."
Qiao Lu smiled awkwardly and spread out the letter paper. The crisp sound of paper pages echoed in the room: "Hey, let's give it a try. Come on, come on."
"I don't want to, I won't..." Qiaoan pushed her mother's hand away, giggled and ran away.
Qiao Lu ran to catch him, and the mother and son ran around the dining table, round and round, fighting and making noises, but they just refused to finish their mission.
Xu Haizhou felt helpless and amused at the same time. He stepped forward and grabbed both mother and child into his arms.
The warmth from his chest continuously penetrated Qiao Lu's back through a layer of sweater, making her feel comfortable and safe for no reason...
"I'll see for myself."
Qiao Lu stuffed the letter into his arms, bent down, picked up her son and ran into the house, closing the door tightly.
Xu Haizhou took a quick glance and read the letter quickly, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.
"——But now, in our opinion, your marriage is the most wrong decision, no doubt about it. How many times can a person get married in his lifetime? Shouldn't you discuss marriage with your parents in advance? Your recklessness and impetuosity make me feel that you haven't fully grown up, but you are already 25 years old, and you are no longer a 15-year-old boy. Why can't you be more mature?"
"Haizhou, I heard that you are doing well in the south, and you send 30 yuan to your parents every month. It seems that your income is higher than that of a college student like me. So, under such conditions, I don't understand why you want to marry a remarried lesbian with children, and a rural woman at that...Haizhou, if you still feel guilty about the past, I don't think it's necessary. I have forgiven you, and you are still my good brother. We brothers should not blame and resent each other for things that happened so long ago. Haizhou, those words were just angry words from my brother. You don't need to be angry with me, and there is no need to joke about the most important thing in your life."
"Haizhou, the New Year is coming, and I miss you so much after not seeing my parents for a year. Since there is no room for maneuver, I know that it is useless to say anything at this time. I hope you can bring your wife and children back to Ancheng before the New Year, at least let us see what kind of charm this lesbian you are so determined to marry is a woman."
——Your elder brother Xu Haiping."
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