Chapter 93
After the parents said a few words to Meng Mingxia, their attention was attracted by the little one in Pei Xingzhi's arms who had caught up with them from behind. Even Meng Wanqiu was only briefly questioned.
She took the chubby and soft little guy from her son-in-law's hands, and kept calling him "little darling" and "little Xixi" and was very affectionate to him.
Afraid that Xixi would be cold, he hurried into the house, called out to Pei Xingzhi and the four siblings, and then went in without looking back.
Now that she has a child, her status in the family has declined, and Meng Wanqiu has gotten used to it.
He looked at Meng Mingxia, the two brothers in distress, and spread his hands, thinking that they were relatives of different generations.
Pei Xingzhi smiled lightly and held Meng Wanqiu's hand. "Let's go back to the room first."
Meng Wanqiu nodded. It didn't matter if she didn't care. Anyway, she still had Pei Xingzhi, and he would always love her.
Holding hands with Pei Xingzhi, he walked into the house right under Meng Mingxia's nose.
Meng Mingxia: Getting married is amazing! He'll get married tomorrow too.
As for Meng Fengdong, who had been staying at home and could often go home, he was even more miserable. Meng Yanchun went to lock up the cowshed, and Meng Fengdong was moving things beside him miserably. Meng Aiguo and Li Lanxiang didn't even look at them.
It is true that things far away smell good, while things nearby stink. Children cannot compare to the dream of granddaughters.
This was said jokingly. On days when the children were not at home, Meng Aiguo and Li Lanxiang's nightly conversations were almost always about their children.
However, they are not parents who like to show their emotions. Now that their children are back safely, the two parents are happier than anyone else, but their happiness is buried in their hearts.
The couple went back to their room first.
Pushing open the door, the familiar red lacquer furniture came into view, the air was filled with a faint wood fragrance, the washstand at the door, the dressing mirror next to it, the large mahogany wardrobe inside the room...
The bed was already covered with sheets and quilt covers. Meng Wanqiu threw herself directly onto the quilt. The scent of the sun still lingered on her nose, softening her eyes.
Pei Xingzhi put the clothes in the closet. The clothes inside did not smell old, but fresh with the scent of soapberry. He raised the corners of his mouth and turned to Meng Wanqiu and said, "It seems that mother helped us wash the clothes too."
"Yeah, the quilt smells nice too." Buried in the quilt, Meng Wanqiu's voice was buzzing.
"Get up and have dinner." Pei Xingzhi walked over and pulled Meng Wanqiu up.
"Yeah, I'm so sleepy, I want to sleep~" Meng Wanqiu's voice was soft and delicate, and she stretched out the ending tone. She pulled Pei Xingzhi and acted like she didn't want to get up.
Pei Xing's heart almost melted at this spoiled girl. He sat beside her bed, caressing her back lovingly. "Can you sleep later? You didn't eat much on the train today. You'll be hungry tonight. Besides, if you don't get up, Mom will come and call for help."
Meng Wanqiu whimpered, looking extremely spoiled. She pouting, clutching Pei Xingzhi's hand, she said pitifully, "But I'm sleepy."
She got up early in the morning, took a train for a whole day, and then rode a bullock cart for four or five hours. The mountain road was bumpy and swaying, and Meng Wanqiu was already tired.
It was almost eleven o'clock. Normally, Meng Wanqiu would have gone to bed at this time, but now, lying on the soft bed, she felt a little drowsy.
Pei Xingzhi smiled, his hand sliding from her back to the side of her face, and he understood what his little sweetheart was trying to do.
He leaned down swiftly, covered the delicate red lips with his thin lips, and blocked the words that the other party had not yet uttered in his throat.
The big tongue entangled with the small tongue, pressed against the upper palate, and stroked the wall of the mouth, and their breath began to blend.
Meng Wanqiu didn't know when Pei Xingzhi turned her over. His hands were always around her waist, and one hand was holding her chin. The air in her chest was being plundered, and her body gradually lost strength.
She weakly tugged at the clothes on his chest, her head becoming dizzy. Silver threads appeared between her lips and teeth, but were licked off by Pei Xingzhi.
After a while, Meng Wanqiu's eyes were moist and misty, with pink tinge at the corners of her eyes, her long eyelashes trembled, her lips slightly opened, and she looked like she was loved.
Pei Xingzhi chuckled, his fingers running across the lips that had turned crimson after being kissed, touching them lingeringly. Estimating the time in his mind, he reached out with his big hand and picked up Meng Wanqiu from the bed.
Meng Wanqiu exclaimed softly and put her arms around his shoulders.
"Do you want to walk by yourself or do you want me to carry you?" Pei Xingzhi smiled and gave her two choices.
Meng Wanqiu was now completely sober. With a red face, she patted her chest and said shyly, "I'll go by myself."
The child has already been born, and Meng Wanqiu is not so shameless as to let Pei Xingzhi take the child away like this. Her mother will definitely scold her to death.
Pei Xingzhi raised his eyebrows, "Do you have the strength?"
Meng Wanqiu slapped him angrily, "Who are you looking down on?"
"Then let's do it again?"
"Go away, you rascal."
In the end, the scoundrel succeeded.
The dinner was rich and the family sat around the table in the main room. After so many years, this big round table was finally full again.
Grandma Meng sat in the seat of honor, holding the chubby little one in her arms, and in front of her was a bowl of egg custard, which was specially made for Xixi.
The little one was able to eat some complementary food at seven months old. Before that, she only drank milk.
Now the egg custard cooked by Li Lanxiang herself has completely conquered the little guy's tongue. The little guy sits in his great-grandmother's arms, and she trembles with excitement every time his great-grandmother feeds him a bite.
He even closed his eyes and touched his face with his little hands, looking intoxicated, which made everyone laugh.
Meng Wanqiu smiled and said she was a little country bumpkin.
As a result, Li Lanxiang, who was protective of her, hit back, saying that she was a country bumpkin a few years ago, and that her son-in-law Pei Xingzhi also looked ignorant when he bought a box of White Rabbit milk candy.
Meng Wanqiu was helpless. This was her biological mother and she couldn't refute it.
Meng Dongran changed his seat today. He usually sat between his parents, but today he moved next to his little sister. Zhuangzhuang was particularly fond of his little sister. Seeing that she only ate egg custard, he picked up a piece of chicken and fed it to her, wanting to give her meat.
Zhuangzhuang moved so quickly that the food entered Xixi's mouth before anyone could stop him. Xixi was also very brave. When she saw the meat in front of her, she grabbed it without thinking. Fortunately, it was winter, and the meat cooled down quickly after being taken out of the pot, so it was not hot to the touch.
But it still scared the elders a lot. Fortunately, Grandma Meng reacted in time and did not try to snatch the meat from Xixi's hand, but directly blocked her mouth.
Then Grandpa Meng Aiguo quickly snatched the chicken from the little guy's hands, and without any disgust, Xixi grabbed it and put it directly into his own bowl, yelling, "Good boy, we can't eat this."
Pei Xingzhi stood up to get a handkerchief and wiped the little girl's hands. While wiping her hands, the little girl angrily complained to her father that her grandfather had taken her flesh.
Pei Xingzhi squeezed her hand unhappily, then gave it to Meng Aiguo to wipe his hands.
Meng Aiguo smiled and said, "Our Guaiguai is quite strong, just like Xiaowan."
"Uncle, can't Sister Xixi eat meat yet?" Seeing everyone's anxious look, Zhuangzhuang realized that he was in trouble, and grabbed the corner of Pei Xingzhi's clothes and asked in a low voice.
Pei Xingzhi curled his lips, touched the strong head, and said softly: "Sister is still young and can't eat meat yet. When she grows up a little, she can eat it."
The elders didn't say anything about Zhuangzhuang. He was the only two grandchildren in the family. Loving the younger one didn't mean not loving the older one. And Zhuangzhuang also had good intentions. As elders, they didn't interfere in the affairs of the younger ones.
"Zhuangzhuang, eat by yourself. This little fat boy can't eat meat yet. Eat more. Your aunt and uncle brought you a gift. Come to the house after dinner."
Meng Wanqiu picked up a piece of meat and put it in Zhuangzhuang's bowl. She was naturally very fond of her nephew who she had watched being born. This time when they returned home, they did not bring anything other than the necessary things, but brought him a gift.
Zhuangzhuang pursed his lips and smiled lightly, "Thank you, aunt and uncle."
"And your second uncle, Zhuangzhuang, brought you a gift too, right?" Meng Mingxia added.
To be honest, Meng Dongran looks like his parents Meng Yanchun and Dong Hanyun, but if you look closely, he looks very much like Meng Mingxia. When Meng Mingxia saw this, she couldn't help but sigh at the wonder of blood relationship.
What Meng Mingxia prepared for Zhuangzhuang was a tank model made of bullet shells. Pei Xingzhi was surprised after looking at it for a long time.
Boys, no matter how old they are, are curious about these things.
"It's a good stuff, Zhuangzhuang. Your uncle likes it very much." Meng Wanqiu added.
"Okay, okay, let's eat quickly, or it will get cold." Dong Hanyun smiled and urged everyone to eat quickly.
Dong Hanyun also grew up in the Meng family and has a very good relationship with her brothers and sisters. She did not say any polite words when her brothers and sisters gave Zhuangzhuang gifts.
"Ahem, Zhuangzhuang, your uncle will take you to catch snow rabbits tomorrow." Meng Fengdong coughed awkwardly. He came back in a hurry and gave away all his belongings, not to mention any gifts.
"Really?" Zhuangzhuang opened his eyes wide, anticipation flashing in his eyes.
"Of course, it's a small matter."
The Meng family has only one youngster, Zhuangzhuang. Unlike other families in the village, who have several children and the older ones take care of the younger ones, the Meng family only has Zhuangzhuang.
Although other children would take him out to play, Zhuangzhuang would study hard at school and rarely go out. After the holidays, Tiezhu from the Liu family would also take him out to play, but Zhuangzhuang still wanted a younger brother or sister to accompany him.
Now he has a younger sister, but she is still young and cannot play with him. When Zhuangzhuang heard that his uncle was going to take him out to catch rabbits, he was of course very excited.
"Let's go to Shanwan. I'll go too. Dad, has our village still gone hunting in recent years?" Meng Mingxia also became interested and turned to ask Meng Aiguo about hunting.
Qinghe Village is a village located deep in the mountains, surrounded by mountains on three sides. The nearby mountains and forests are not high, but as you go deeper, you will find deep mountains and dense forests with many wild animals.
When Meng Wanqiu and his friends were children, they could hear the howling of wolves at night when they slept. At that time, after the autumn harvest every year, the village would organize a hunting team to go to the mountains for a month-long hunting in winter.
However, when Meng Mingxia was a teenager, he heard that some people from other villages had gone hunting and were killed by blind bears, so the hunting trip was cancelled.
When Li Lanxiang heard Meng Mingxia say this, Meng Aiguo hadn't even opened his mouth when his face fell. "Why, you still want to go hunting in the deep mountains? No, I'm telling you, tomorrow you can just take Zhuangzhuang and trap rabbits in the bay. If you dare to go deeper, I'll kill you when I come back."
After hearing Li Lanxiang's words, not only Meng Mingxia, but also Meng Wanqiu, Pei Xingzhi, Meng Yanchun and Meng Fengdong became disappointed.
Li Lanxiang looked at the expressions of these people and clenched her fists.
"You guys, can't be——"
"No, of course not, mother. I'm just asking." Meng Mingxia interrupted with a smile, and the others followed suit.
Li Lanxiang snorted, "That's better."
The people who were bitten to death by the blind bear that year were from Li Lanxiang's hometown. She went to the banquet at that time and saw the appearance of the corpse, which made her panic for a long time.
Seeing her sons and daughters wanting to run away one by one out of recklessness, she clenched her fists.
"Okay, they know their limits." Meng Aiguo is also a man, and he certainly knows what these guys are thinking.
To be honest, he really wanted to.
But he didn't dare say this out loud. His mother was still around. If he dared to mention it, Grandma Meng would hit him with a shoe in front of her children.
As he said this, he couldn't help but glance at Grandma Meng.
Grandma Meng fed the little one egg custard and glanced at her eldest son indifferently.
Meng Aiguo immediately looked away.
Don't dare to mess with me! Don't dare to mess with me!
After dinner, the men in the family used kerosene lamps to wash dishes and boil water, while the women gathered around the fire, warming themselves and chatting. Meng Wanqiu even ate a roasted sweet potato. By the time they finished and returned to their room, it was already past one in the morning.
Pei Xingzhi held his daughter in his arms, and Meng Wanqiu pushed open the door and turned on the light in the room. The dim light of the kerosene lamp could not illuminate the entire room.
But for the room where they have lived for several years, the couple can find a place with their eyes closed and put the little one on the bed. The little blanket has been warmed by grandma and it is not cold at all.
The little hands are placed on both sides of the face, and the long curly eyelashes cast a row of shadows under the eyes under the effect of the light. A little tiger doll is placed there to help, and there is a furry hat on the head.
There was no kang in my hometown, and the temperature in the room was colder than the house on July 15th. So I didn't take off her hat, and she kept wearing cloth shoes. Anyway, they hadn't touched the ground, so there was no need to worry about them getting dirty.
Meng Wanqiu took off her clothes and got in the car first. The bed was still a little cold after no one had slept in it for a long time. She held the little guy in her arms and shouted to Pei Xingzhi, "Hurry up and get in! It's so cold!"
"Right away." Pei Xingzhi nodded.
He took the thermos from the room and filled it with hot water. If the little one was hungry at night, he would have to make milk powder for her.
After finishing all this, Pei Xingzhi quickly changed his clothes and went to bed, holding his cold-fearing wife in his arms, while his daughter lay in her mother's arms and slept soundly.
It was getting late. Not long after lying down on the bed, Meng Wanqiu curled up in Pei Xingzhi's arms. There was a small heater in front of her and a large heater behind her. She closed her eyes with contentment.
Pei Xingzhi kissed the top of her head, whispered good night in her ear, and then hugged his babies and fell into a sweet dream.
The next day.
When Meng Wanqiu woke up again, the bed was empty and she was the only one left.
She took a look at the watch beside her pillow and saw that it was almost ten o'clock. After reading it, Meng Wanqiu huddled back into the warm bed, not wanting to get up.
Early this morning, the brothers Meng Mingxia, Meng Fengdong, and Meng Yanchun took Zhuangzhuang out to trap rabbits. Pei Xingzhi was a little interested and asked Meng Wanqiu if she wanted to go with them, but Meng Wanqiu was already tired of hunting rabbits.
Before she married Pei Xingzhi, she often went out to hunt pheasants and rabbits, so she had no interest in this. Last night, she slept late and didn't go with them, so the men in the family went out to catch rabbits.
As for Xixi, she was taken out to visit neighbors by Li Lanxiang and Meng Aiguo. Xixi in their family was the most beautiful and lovely girl in Qinghe Village.
Meng Wanqiu stayed in bed for a while longer. Feeling extremely hungry, she curled up in the quilt, slowly changed her clothes, and walked out the door.
"Meow~~"
A big fat orange cat rubbed against Meng Wanqiu's legs. Meng Wanqiu exclaimed in surprise, "Big Mi, you're back!"
Da Mi rubbed against Meng Wanqiu, then raised its front legs and supported itself on her knees. Meng Wanqiu immediately picked up the big orange cat and held it in her arms, stroked its fur with skillful techniques.
Big Mi squinted its eyes and made a purring sound, and it was obvious that it was very satisfied.
After petting it for a while, Meng Wanqiu carried it to the kitchen. Only Dong Hanyun and Grandma Meng were sitting by the fire pit, knitting with sticks.
Seeing Meng Wanqiu, Dong Hanyun put down the half-packed clothes and stood up. "Get up, I'll make you a bowl of noodles."
"Sister-in-law, please sit down. I can do it myself." Meng Wanqiu put the cat down, walked to Dong Hanyun, and pushed her to sit back.
"Hanyun, you sit down and let this lazy girl sit by herself." Grandma Meng was not very happy that Meng Wanqiu slept until almost noon.
Noticing her grandmother's unfriendly look, Meng Wanqiu smiled and went over to rub her shoulders. "Grandma, I ran into the old Taoist priest you took me to see before. He accepted me as his apprentice."
Grandma Meng nodded and said, "Just accept it and do your best. That person has some abilities, so you can deal with him as you see fit."
So calm?
Meng Wanqiu turned to her grandmother and asked, "Don't you have anything to ask?"
"Why are you asking? You're already an adult. If nothing happened, why are you asking so many questions?" Grandma Meng was quite cool.
Meng Wanqiu was shocked. She had lived for two lifetimes but still couldn't catch up with her grandmother's magnanimity.
Dong Hanyun laughed and said, "Go downstairs quickly. I can hear your stomach rumbling."
Meng Wanqiu nodded and took out some noodles from the cupboard. Dong Hanyun helped her boil water.
"By the way, Xiao Wan, do you know about Jiang Xiuxiu's situation?"
Jiang Xiuxiu?
Meng Wanqiu dug out traces of this person from her memory and remembered, "What's wrong? What happened to her?"
Dong Hanyun: "She got married. I heard she married into a provincial cadre family. She got married last year, but they didn't hold a wedding banquet in the village."
"A provincial cadre, how did she know him?" Meng Wanqiu asked. She remembered that Jiang Xiuxiu seemed to be adopted by the family of Jiang Hai, the brother of the team leader Jiang He.
But the other party is just the leader of the town’s commune. How could he care about anything related to the province?
Dong Hanyun went on to explain, "I heard it was introduced by her eldest brother."
"Jiang Wen?"
"No, it's Jiang Bo."
Meng Wanqiu dug up this person's memories again. "Jiang Bo is her uncle's son, right? Doesn't he work in the county?"
"I heard that the man Jiang Xiuxiu married was Jiang Bo's classmate. When he came to our county for an inspection, he reminisced with Jiang Bo and eventually became friends with Jiang Xiuxiu." Dong Hanyun also heard the story from others. She didn't know the details.
"Because of this relationship, Jiang Bo has been promoted several times in the past few years." The women at home were discussing this matter, and Meng Fengdong outside also told Pei Xingzhi that Jiang Bo's care for him had led him to prepare to resign.
Meng Fengdong was still a little worried. He didn't know much and thought that Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu were just ordinary machinery factory workers. If Jiang Bo attacked them, he was afraid that they would not be able to resist.
Pei Xingzhi pondered for a moment, then smiled and patted Meng Fengdong on the shoulder, "If you're not happy with your job, just quit. Come with me in a couple of days and I'll take you to meet someone. As for this matter, don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Jiang Xiuxiu married a provincial leader, and Jiang Bo took this opportunity to get promoted.
Pei Xingzhi held his hand and looked at Meng Mingxia who was setting a trap in the distance, and he had a plan in his mind.
I'll go to town tomorrow to find Brother Sun and find out what's going on with the Jiang family.
As for Jiang Bo, Pei Xingzhi's eyes darkened.
He is really still having evil intentions. He even wants to use Feng Dong's relationship to find out the whereabouts of Meng Wanqiu. It is simply wishful thinking.
Putting this matter aside for the time being, Pei Xingzhi had just returned home when Pi Jingxuan and Sun Yating came to visit.
Pei Xingzhi and Pi Jingxuan hugged each other and patted each other's shoulders. "You've become a lot stronger."
Pi Jingxuan smiled brightly, the childishness on his face gone. "Brother Xingzhi, I heard from Uncle Meng that you and your sister-in-law have children. Where are the children?"
Pei Xingzhi smiled and said, "My parents took me out to visit some friends."
"Is that so? Then come see the little guy again tomorrow." After saying this, Pi Jingxuan started chatting with Pei Xingzhi about other things.
Meng Wanqiu and Sun Yating, who were also talking nearby, said with a wicked smile, "Tell me, what's going on between you two?"
She saw that when the two men came in, Pi Jingxuan was holding her hand.
Sun Yating blushed and gently pushed Meng Wanqiu: "We, we are together."
"Ah!" Meng Wanqiu covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise.
"This time I came here to ask Uncle Meng for a letter of introduction. I plan to go home to meet my parents. If all goes well, we'll get married next year." As she spoke, Sun Yating's voice became smaller and smaller.
Pi Jingxuan couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
"Oh, this is good news, congratulations!" Meng Wanqiu congratulated the two.
Pei Xingzhi heard this and warned Pi Jingxuan, "Now that you're married, you have to take on responsibilities. Be good to your partner, and don't fall behind in your studies. Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, I see, Brother Xingzhi. By the way, Brother Xingzhi, how did you communicate with Uncle Meng and the others back then? Teach me."
Cough cough——
Pei Xingzhi cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment. When he first came to propose marriage, he only remembered that he was quite arrogant.
If the Meng family hadn't been worried about Meng Wanqiu, he would have been lucky not to have been kicked out by Meng Yanchun when he rashly came to propose marriage.
Of course, this cannot be told to Pi Jingxuan.
After thinking for a while, Pei Xingzhi said, "Be sincere, talk less and do more. Dress yourself up a bit..."
G Province, cadre compound.
“I’m back!”
Hearing the door open, Jiang Xiuxiu went forward attentively and took off the man's coat.
Her hair was neatly draped over her shoulders. She wore a long woolen skirt and leggings, which were similar to yoga pants in the future. She had a dark green shawl on her shoulders, and her whole body was full of gentle temperament.
"Yeah." The man simply hummed.
He was wearing a black suit with a long coat on the outside. He had ordinary facial features, narrow eyes, and his mouth was always pursed, but there was a coldness in his eyes.
If Pei Xingzhi were here, he would definitely recognize this person at a glance.
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