Chapter 41 Social Event...
The two of them were talking about their hometown, and their hometown was also talking about Miya and the other two.
Ren Fugui opened the package that the postman had just delivered in front of his whole family.
As soon as the packaging was torn open, the dark red air-dried chicken immediately caught everyone's eye.
"Meat!"
"Air-dried chicken!"
"My third brother sent meat back from the army! It's a good thing it was sent in this kind of year, otherwise I don't know if it would even get home."
Everyone found the youngest son, Ren Qinghe's, words to be very reasonable.
A few years ago, there was a nationwide drought. If you sent some food, it was hard to say which family it would reach.
Last year it snowed a little, and then it rained in the spring. The year looks much better now, and I don't have to worry about my mailed packages being stolen.
Ren Fugui placed two dried chickens, three dried rabbits, and dried pig intestines on the kang table and continued searching for other items.
Soon, the dried mushrooms came into view.
Mushrooms are not so easy to find here, as the land is mostly flat.
In particular, Ren Fugui discovered many mushrooms he had never seen before.
The three daughters-in-law saw the mushrooms and immediately took them from the container, examining them carefully.
"Dad, what kind of mushroom is this? I don't recognize it."
"Isn't it written on it?"
The younger daughter-in-law glanced at her two sisters-in-law, proud as a peacock, raised her head high, and turned the jar in her hand to check the side with writing on it.
"It says 'chicken mushroom oil' on it. My goodness, Third Brother is really living a good life, he actually has so many fried mushrooms."
Ren Qinghe snatched the jar from his wife's hand with dissatisfaction and carefully read the words marked on it.
"It was my mother who said that chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms taste the best in Yunnan Province, and that they are best eaten fresh. Deep-frying them is better than drying them, so she sent canned ones home."
"Okay, okay!"
Ren Fugui nodded smugly, "It's good that the third brother hasn't forgotten his hometown while he's in the army."
"Let's also try some of the good things from Yunnan Province. Tonight we'll have noodles. Tomorrow we'll have chicken stew with mushrooms and cornbread, and enjoy the filial piety of our third son."
Upon hearing that there was delicious food, everyone was overjoyed and forgot all about anything else.
*
In the family compound, Miya and Cui Dani continued working in the afternoon.
The two of them spent two whole days removing all the vegetables from the garden.
Only after finishing the farm work at home did Cui Dani have the energy to do other things.
Early in the morning, as usual, Miya ate breakfast and prepared to finish the homework assigned the night before.
Cui Dani changed into a clean and tidy set of clothes and went out as if she were going to do something important.
When Miya saw this, she couldn't help but ask a question.
"Mother, where are you going? Do you need me to come with you?"
"No, no, no need. Your mother and your sister-in-law Liu have things to do. You can stay home and take care of your own things."
Cui Dani wasn't ready to tell herself about her plans to find a partner for Miya, so she was inevitably hesitant to speak about it.
Miya noticed her mother's strange behavior, but figured nothing would happen in the family compound, so she didn't press the matter further.
Cui Dani arrived at Liu Limei's house nervously.
The two had already discussed their plan. They exchanged a glance, smiled knowingly, and headed towards Qin Yueru's house.
"Director Qin."
Qin Yueru was about to leave for work when she heard the shout and looked towards the door in surprise.
She knew both of them very well; one was her subordinate, and the other was the mother of a soldier whom her lover valued highly.
"Officer Liu, Aunt Cui, what brings you two together?"
"We have some personal matters we'd like to discuss with Director Qin. Is now a convenient time?"
With two people in Cui Dani's household needing help, she immediately took the lead and expressed her thoughts to Qin Yueru.
"Of course it's convenient, but there are too many people and too many eyes in the family compound. How about we go to the office to talk?"
Seeing the two of them acting suspiciously, Qin Yueru assumed it was something they couldn't talk about, so she quickly led them to the office.
A beautiful misunderstanding thus formed, and the three of them left the family compound together.
Chen Zhenzhen, the last member of the Chen family to go to work, frowned deeply and looked worried after seeing the people who left with her mother, including Ren Qingsong's mother.
In her memory, Cui's mother was a problem in the work of the Women's Federation, and she didn't know if her mother could handle it.
Chen Zhenzhen went to work with worries and was absent-minded all morning.
Little did she know that she had no worries at all, and the three of them chatted happily in the office.
Qin Yueru was surprised that before she had even thought about her work that much, the people spontaneously offered her suggestions.
"Auntie, your idea of organizing a social event is really brilliant!"
Cui Dani waved her hand sheepishly and shook her head, saying, "This was all Li Mei's idea. I just wanted to ask her to help me solve a major problem in my family."
Upon hearing the words "Ren Qingsong" and "a major problem" linked together, Liu Limei and Qin Yueru both wore bitter smiles.
Both of them had hoped that Ren Qingsong would become their son-in-law.
Now that their hopes have been dashed, it won't stop them from helping Ren Qingsong find a partner, and they might as well help their own family members find one too.
"Auntie, if you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have thought of a social event," Liu Limei said, looking embarrassed.
Qin Yueru watched the two of them backing down, and her smile deepened.
"Auntie, you and Secretary Liu shouldn't be modest, the social event was really great!"
"The situation has finally stabilized a bit, and the family housing has been built. The personal issues of both family members and soldiers cannot be ignored, and your suggestion is just right."
Having made up her mind, Qin Yueru quickly began to take action.
Her first thought was to approach her husband, "Old Chen, what do you think about our Women's Federation team teaming up with your military unit to organize a social event?"
Commander Chen glanced at his wife in surprise, wondering why she had suddenly decided to organize a social event.
Qin Yueru met her husband's gaze and rolled her eyes. "Have you forgotten that our Zhenzhen is still unmarried?"
“You said you would introduce me to Zhenzhen and the Battalion Commander Ren you liked, but he hasn’t agreed yet. My daughter can’t put all her eggs in one basket.”
Speaking of this matter, Qin Yueru's usually gentle face couldn't help but show anger as she scolded her husband for his poor performance.
"Okay, okay! It's my fault, it's my fault."
Commander Chen immediately admitted his mistake and decided to discuss it with everyone at the meeting.
The moment I said it, I got an immediate response; there are just too many bachelors in the military.
"Commander, personal issues are a major problem for many people in our army, and they urgently need to be addressed!"
“I think there are too few people in the family compound compared to the number of single officers in our unit. Could we contact other factories in Mianning County or the city to gather more people?”
"Old Ma, you've finally said something sensible!"
"Pah! Pah! Pah! What do you mean by having the surname Zhang?"
...
A group of people began to discuss the scope of the social gathering in a lively and boisterous manner.
When he got home that evening, Commander Chen told Qin Yueru about the discussions they had made.
After thinking it over, Qin Yueru felt it made sense, but before starting, she still needed to count the number of people before deciding whether to cooperate with the city.
Soon, the news that the unit was about to hold a large-scale social event spread throughout the entire unit.
Immediately, the cloth from the supply and marketing cooperative became the most sought-after item.
Every family wants to prepare new clothes for their children, hoping that their children can find the most suitable partner.
Cui Dani sensed the tense atmosphere in the family compound and couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Oh my! You've worn all these clothes before, I never thought to buy you a nice set of clothes first."
The sudden words caught Miya off guard. Soon, she realized what was happening and abruptly looked up.
"Mom, do I want to attend the social gathering too?"
Now, Mia knows what a social event is, but she never thought she would participate.
Cui Dani nodded. "That's right, not only you, but your third brother will also participate."
"Of course, your third brother is the main one. If he doesn't find a partner soon, people his age will be grandfathers. Miya, you're still young. If you meet someone you like, you can get to know them first. There's no rush."
Suddenly, the topic of marriage came up, and a burst of hot air shot out.
Miya lowered her head shyly, but also looked at her mother with some nervousness about the future, unsure of what to say.
"Mother, I..."
"Don't worry, just think of it as going to make a name for yourself. It's okay if you don't find anyone you like."
Even so, Cui Dani was well prepared to find a good match for Miya and try to make her a military officer's wife, so she wouldn't have to toil in the fields for a few dollars.
Hearing her mother's words, Miya felt a little more at ease.
She didn't know how to describe her current feelings.
If it were when she first arrived, she would definitely have agreed to her mother's arrangement.
But now, she has a vague, inexplicable resistance in her heart and is unwilling to get married so soon, but she can't explain why.
Influenced by the social event, the literacy class, which had gradually cooled down, once again became lively.
Most of the attendees were young women who wanted to learn more characters, hoping it would be an advantage during social gatherings.
Cui Baozhu was surprised to find that everyone's purpose was this, and as the number of people increased, she became more and more enthusiastic.
Time flies, and soon it was time to graduate from the literacy class.
Miya held her pen and focused intently on leaving her mark of hard work on the test paper.
Today the exams are over, and she won't be able to go to school anymore; from now on, she'll be studying on her own.
As the exam time drew to a close, Miya finally finished writing on her test paper and nervously handed it to Cui Baozhu.
"Teacher Cui, I've finished writing."
Cui Baozhu took the test paper, flipped it over briefly, and glanced at it quickly.
"Miya, very good. Your writing is very neat. You've finished everything. You'll definitely get your certificate of completion."
"Thank you, Teacher Cui."
Miya bowed repeatedly with excitement, and hurriedly left after Cui Baozhu waved her hand shyly.
The following day, Miya arrived at the Cui family's house as agreed.
Looking at the unique courtyard, Miya couldn't help but feel envious.
She had never seen this courtyard before. The entire gate frame was entwined with unknown flowers, which decorated the gate frame and fence in a variety of colors.
The yard was half the size of her house, and there wasn't a single grain or food in it, but it was full of all kinds of flowers she had never seen before, bright and dazzling.
Miya felt her eyes couldn't take it all in, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Teacher Cui, your house is so beautiful!"
When Cui Baozhu heard Miya praising her mother, her eyes narrowed with laughter.
"If you like, you can take some home and display them; they'll look nice too."
"No need, no need, it looks better growing in the ground."
Miya immediately waved her hand in refusal. She thought it was alright, but she had no experience with such delicate work as growing flowers.
Seeing this, Cui Baozhu stopped talking about it and pulled Miya into the house.
“Now that the literacy class is over, I am no longer your teacher. We are about the same age, so you can call me Baozhu and I will call you Miya.”
"Teacher Cui, how can that be?"
Respect for teachers is ingrained in Miya's bones; to call a teacher by their given name is a great disrespect.
Cui Baozhu was surprised that Miya wouldn't dare to do that either, and immediately put on a cold face.
Even when she tensed up, her chubby little face didn't look very dignified.
The two men locked eyes and remained silent for a long time.
In the end, Miya gave in and softly called out, "Baozhu."
Cui Baozhu's voice became much louder as she excitedly pulled Miya towards her room, chattering all the way.
“Miya, let me tell you, these books are all collected from my nephews and nieces. Feel free to read them. If you don’t understand anything, just come and find me.”
"Thank you, Baozhu."
Miya hugged the book tightly to her chest, not daring to let go for even a moment.
Cui Baozhu continued explaining, "Miya, based on your level when you graduated from the literacy class, I gave you fourth-grade books. After you finish learning them, I'll give you fifth-grade books, and we'll gradually increase the difficulty."
Miya was so moved she almost cried; she truly didn't know how to repay Cui Baozhu's kindness.
She soon found out during lunch.
Cui Baozhu and her mother Xu Qingyan usually ate at the canteen. When they occasionally cooked at home, it was always Commander Cui who did the cooking, and they could only make soup, not many dishes.
Today, Miya came to visit, and Cui Baozhu subconsciously wanted to invite Miya to have dinner at her home.
Miya discovered that Cui Baozhu wasn't just cooking, she was practically burning down the house, so she took over and used plenty of ingredients from home to make a delicious and visually appealing meal.
Cui Baozhu gave a thumbs-up as she ate, exclaiming in amazement as she ate.
"Miya, you're amazing! Your cooking is the best I've ever had!"
"It's even better than the cafeteria chef's cooking!"
"It's because your family uses a lot of seasonings and meat, it has little to do with my cooking skills."
"Miya, you're too modest, that's not good."
Cui Baozhu shook her head helplessly, then shoved all the food in her bowl into her mouth and ate heartily.
Miya is happy whenever she sees everyone enjoying their food.
After lunch, Miya returned home with the candies from the Friendship Store that she couldn't refuse.
Inside were chocolates that Nurse Chen had given me, as well as several fruit and milk candies of various flavors. Even before opening the packaging, you could smell a rich milky aroma that was unforgettable.
Cui Dani also took a bite; it was a little bitter, yet also a little sweet.
"This chocolate tastes weird. I wish it could be made purely sweet."
"Teacher Cui said that this is what chocolate tastes like, but I don't like it."
Cui Dani nodded in agreement, thinking to herself: Why do foreigners always like these strange things?
Miya put down the sugar and opened the book she had finally managed to borrow.
With the foundation laid by the literacy class, plus the Xinhua Dictionary, it wasn't very difficult for her to learn.
It's a math problem; some of them require a teacher's explanation to fully understand.
It was nearing the beginning of July, and the social gathering was scheduled for this weekend, creating a restless atmosphere throughout the military camp.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
