Er Zhuang's family must be struggling financially since they just separated from the family. When they separated, his parents didn't even give him cabbage or potatoes. Song Yan, along with Chang Xiaohu, pushed a cart full of cabbage and potatoes, with a few frozen fish underneath and half a bag of cornmeal, to Er Zhuang's house.
"It's your sister-in-law!" Erzhuang was very surprised.
Wei Erzhuang is older than Wei Aiguo.
"Little Tiger, come here! This is my mother's godson. I brought him here to introduce him to the family. I also brought you some vegetables. Little Tiger, call him Brother Erzhuang." From today onwards, Little Tiger officially became Aunt Wei's godson.
Xiao Hu kowtowed to his godmother at home.
"Come in quickly!" Erzhuang told them to go inside first.
"Second Brother Zhuang!" Little Tiger smiled broadly. From today onwards, he has a godmother!
Song Yan: "My mother-in-law asked me to bring you some vegetables. Let's bring them in first!" These are cabbages and potatoes from the garden that we haven't eaten yet.
Erzhuang was moved: "How did you bring so much? Do you...do you have enough to eat?" The cabbages were covered with a cotton curtain, but it wasn't very tight, and cabbages were peeking out from all sides. It looked like the cart was full of vegetables.
Song Yan: "There are a lot of vegetables planted in the garden this year." Even if you throw these cabbages into your spatial dimension to feed the ducks, they won't eat them.
Erzhuang carried most of a sack of potatoes on his shoulder. These were good stuff; they could be used as a vegetable or a meal.
When Erzhuang saw the fish and cornmeal, his eyes reddened.
Seeing Erzhuang like this, Song Yan felt a little embarrassed. These things really meant nothing to him. They weren't worth his emotional reaction! Just like when Wei Aiguo mentioned receiving packages in his letters, he was happy and touched, but he was also worried that his family was spending too much money on him.
Song Yan: How can you not be moved? I have so many!
…
Our family was truly struggling to make ends meet. My parents didn't give us much food back then; they knew what our situation was like. They were so heartless as to give us nothing.
I used to listen to my parents about everything at home. But when I started living my own life, I realized that I couldn't be like them at all.
Er Zhuang felt a mix of emotions.
When Erzhuang's wife returned and saw these things, she was quite moved.
Erzhuang's wife said, "We can't behave like your parents in the future."
Erzhuang just wanted to live a good life. His aunt's family had given him so many things, but his own family hadn't given anything in return.
There are quite a few families like Erzhuang's.
Using the excuse that Chang Xiaohu knew the neighborhood, they took him to see Grandma Wang, a recipient of the Five Guarantees (a government welfare program for the elderly and disabled). They gave Grandma Wang a fish and a rabbit.
Grandma Wang smiled broadly, "They're all good children. Last time Song Yan even brought me some apples, and the time before that, red dates. I'm just an old woman living alone, with no one to rely on, and these children are so kind."
…
The women in the weaving group worked hard and produced quite a few products before the New Year.
Li Yuanzhao sent it to the county again.
The women saw Li Yuanzhao off with expectant eyes.
Once this batch is all finished, there will be no more materials. So many materials were wasted on those substandard batches; I can't bear to think about it! It hurts to think about it.
Seeing the women's conflicted expressions, Song Yan could pretty much guess what they were thinking.
Although there are bad people in this small village, there are also many kind people. Song Yan hopes they are all doing well, and she tries her best to consider their needs.
I discussed it with Li Yuanzhao yesterday. There's still some time between the Lunar New Year and spring plowing. We can still do some work during this time.
After completing this task, there's not much cattail and corn husk left. To get work done, we'll need to find new materials.
Song Yan guessed that a lot of soil baskets would probably be needed during spring plowing.
The earthen basket is a semi-circular, open-mouthed tool woven from willow twigs, with a handle; it is quite a practical item.
Song Yan had never participated in spring plowing and didn't know where the brigade's soil baskets came from.
Li Yuanzhao confirmed that it was bought by the brigade.
This year, the brigade doesn't need to buy baskets; the weaving group will make them. These things shouldn't be used for nothing. The brigade will just give work points. Work points can eventually be exchanged for grain or money, so it's not a bad deal.
Also, ask Director Liu at the supply and marketing cooperative if they accept it. If they do, then everyone will have something to do.
The earthen baskets were woven from willow branches, and there was a large willow grove right next to the production brigade. Materials were certainly not lacking. But this information could not be leaked.
We'll talk about this after the New Year, once everyone gets back to work.
Li Yuanzhao went out, and Song Yan wandered around for half the morning before returning to the knitting workshop.
Now, even without supervision, everyone is so diligent. They've truly learned their lesson from last time.
When Song Yan returned home to cook, he was surprised to find that relatives had come to visit. Song Yan had no idea that Wei Aiguo had an aunt. It was his aunt's eldest son, Liu Shitou, who was twenty years old.
The two families haven't been in contact for many years.
This year, Wei Aiguo's aunt has been in poor health, and she wanted to see her sister-in-law and nephew. So she sent her son, hoping that Wei's aunt could visit her. However, Wei's aunt is simply too unwell to come.
Aunt Wei sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) without saying a word for a long time. Aunt Wei was rarely known for her good temper; it was uncommon for her to look so unwell. Neither Wei Ping nor Wei An dared to approach and disturb their grandmother.
Liu Shitou: "Auntie, look at my mother! She really misses you. The last time she saw you was when my uncle passed away!"
The young man stood there awkwardly, rubbing his hands. His shirt was somewhat shiny, clearly unwashed for a long time. His trousers had several patches. His hands were calloused, the cracks running deep and uneven.
It seems like life isn't going too well for them!
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