After dinner, everyone went home.
This courtyard house has returned to its former bustling state.
Some children simply moved back with their belongings and stayed for a while.
This prompted Qin Jingru to sigh, "Isn't it true that distance makes the heart grow fonder? Laifu."
The dog wriggled restlessly in Qin Jingru's arms; it really wanted to run away.
As a dog, it never considered why its owner was more excited than it was.
It's outrageous; all they do all day is play it.
"Give it a break, it's exhausted." Wang Shouren couldn't help but say, he really didn't know how he would cope if he had to get used to this intensity again.
"No." Qin Jingru lifted Laifu high.
Laifu stuck out his little tongue in the air, looking utterly dejected.
"Look how energetic it is."
Wang Shouren: ...
That's spirit, isn't it?
An old man's house.
Upon returning, the elderly couple were initially excited, as usual, but after a while, they returned to their usual calm. The old man would often stroll around outside, while the old woman rarely went out, spending her time chatting with the other elderly ladies in the yard. Occasionally, she would join a group of old ladies in the park to see what they were doing.
After watching it, I lost much of my interest.
"Hey, Auntie, you look better and better, like a young girl!" Auntie San chatted happily with Auntie Da in the yard.
"Indeed, her skin is getting even rosier," an older woman nearby chimed in.
"Hey, what's so good about it? It's just because there's less work." An older woman waved her palm-leaf fan.
Since Yi Xiaochuan started working, she brought a washing machine home, basically saying goodbye to hand washing. It wasn't expensive, around 180 yuan. It's not exactly cutting-edge, but it's enough for the couple's laundry. Before, her daily routine consisted of grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, and housework.
Now the important task of doing laundry is solved directly. It saves a lot of time.
“We have less work to do, so why aren’t we blushing?” the third aunt retorted. “If you ask me, you’re just in a good mood, that’s why you’re all rosy-cheeked. Unlike the rest of us, oh dear, let’s not even talk about it…”
When the older women get together, they just chat to pass the time.
Seeing that it was almost time, the group dispersed, heading home to cook.
Yesterday, we had some leftovers, and now that we have a refrigerator, everything is much more convenient. We took some leftovers out of the fridge. The elderly couple aren't too fussy; they just stir-fried them and steamed a few white flour buns. By the time the old man leisurely strolled home, the dishes were just on the table. There weren't any fancy dishes—just one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a few white flour buns.
"Tsk, who would dare to eat like this before?" An old man held a steamed bun in one hand, fed himself a bite of vegetables, and ate a bite of vegetables, a sip of wine, and a bite of steamed bun, all while talking to an old woman.
“That’s right,” the middle-aged woman said cheerfully. “Back then, even when we wanted to eat meat, we had to hide it from others.”
"Yes, the third brother is right. With the improved conditions, there are fewer dirty tricks."
In the past, we wouldn't dare eat meat like this. We all lived in the same courtyard, and if anyone had meat—no, they didn't even need to have meat—just using pork fat for cooking would attract jealousy. If you only ate meat once every few months, that was fine. But if you ate a meal with lots of oil every few days, you'd definitely be targeted.
This kind of "targeting" doesn't mean robbing someone at their door; it means secretly watching you to see if you're doing anything illegal, and then reporting you.
All that talk about policies and other reasons is nonsense; it's just jealousy.
Why is it that your family can eat so well?
The old man had no offspring, so even if he occasionally wanted to eat meat, he would do so secretly late at night, not daring to be discovered.
Unlike now, meat?
Cook whatever you like; it's not like we can't afford it. If you're willing, you can eat it once a day, if not every meal. Most of the people living in this compound are former factory workers who have been rehired. They're all rolling in money; eating meat is nothing to them.
“That’s right.” An older woman also took a bite of meat.
In the past, she dared not eat meat; any meat that was available would almost always be given to the eldest son. It wasn't necessarily a matter of male chauvinism. It was mainly because everyone was starving, and the men needed to be fed well so they would have the energy to work hard. Many people in later generations believe that this era was oppressive, but that's a misconception.
Most of the time, it's really because they don't have enough to eat and therefore don't have the strength to work. If they don't have the strength to work, they have no source of income, and the whole family goes hungry. It's that simple.
Now, she can eat as much as she wants.
After taking two bites, she suddenly put down her chopsticks.
"What's wrong?" the old man asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
The woman paused for a moment. Just now, she had felt a pang of heartache. She shook her head and said, "It's nothing. Tell me, when will Xiaochuan and the others be back? I'd love to see their baby."
"What's the rush? Xiao Chuan is going abroad to study. When he comes back, he'll be able to move up in the ranks. I've asked Shouren, and when Xiao Chuan comes back, even if he wants to teach at a school, the school will want him. These days, overseas returnees are in high demand."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's attention was immediately diverted: "Then isn't Xiao Chuan going to follow Shou Ren down there?"
An old man swallowed the large white steamed bun in his mouth: "That's not a big deal. Shouren's idea is that it depends on Xiaochuan. If Xiaochuan wants to continue his research in this area, then it's best for him to stay here. If not, then he'll probably have to go to the national level. After all, he can't support too many research projects on his own. We'll see what Xiaochuan chooses then. Don't worry, whatever he chooses won't be bad."
"Our country is developing now, and what we lack are knowledgeable people like these."
"That's good, that's good..."
The older woman seemed to remember something and stood up.
"where did you go?"
"You wait."
After a while, an older woman appeared out of nowhere and pulled out a large box. The box looked quite old, like an ancient box used for storing cosmetics.
"Wow, where did you get such a thing?"
"There's a lot you don't know," the older woman said proudly.
"Hey, you old woman." An old man chuckled, put down his chopsticks, and tried to come over and take them.
It was slapped away by an older woman.
"Eat first, then I'll show you."
"Okay, I'm not in a hurry at all."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
