Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Isn’t it strange?
The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month is New Year’s Eve.
Lu Chongfeng's application for home leave was approved.
Liang Xin had already cleaned the house in advance, and went to Xia Xia's house holding Xiaoju and Xiaobai.
"Sister-in-law, please take good care of these two dogs during the New Year."
"Don't be polite, don't worry."
Liang Xin did not choose Li Mao's family because even though Li Mao had a salary of 30 yuan and Deputy Battalion Commander Lei was promoted to battalion commander and had his salary increased, they still had elderly parents on both sides of the family and three children below them.
My two sons have reached a critical developmental period where they can eat a bowl of rice at one meal. The food ration may not be enough to feed one person, let alone have leftovers to feed dogs and cats.
Xiaoju and Xiaobai, it's not just the New Year holidays. She will go to college soon, and Lu Chongfeng will be busy and come back late, so he has to ask them to send some leftovers.
According to the long-term plan, Liang Xin chose to give it to Xia Xia for the first time.
Xia Xia was very excited about Liang Xin's choice.
After Xia Xia repeatedly refused, they sent over the prepared New Year gifts, a bag of Fuqiang flour and yellow croaker sent by Xiahe Brigade.
Lu Chongfeng had already packed his luggage at home. Liang Xin returned home, put on a black scarf, picked up the package, went out and locked it.
The training department's car took the two to the train station.
It’s the same sleeper compartment I used to stay in last December.
He then drove the two of them to Jiangjing Railway Station.
"charge!"
As soon as I got off the train, I saw Chief Lu’s bodyguard Xiao Wei standing on the platform waving at me.
Lu Chongfeng, with his hands full of luggage, stood in front of Liang Xin, forcing Liang Xin to hold the hem of his military uniform and squeeze out of the crowd to get on Chief Lu's military vehicle.
The military vehicle drove into the military compound, and the guards at the compound's sentry post saluted the military vehicle.
Lu Chongfeng opened the car window and returned the greeting.
The car drove into the west courtyard, and the familiar two-story building with crimson doors and windows, green tiles and gray walls came into view.
Hu Fenglian was standing at the door, waiting for who knows how long.
“I’m back!”
Liang Xin heard her mother-in-law shout happily, and Chief Lu slowly walked out of the door and looked over here.
"Oh! It's Liang Xin!"
Hu Fenglian looked at the steps, walked down quickly, and saw her son and daughter-in-law in the car window, smiling, "Liang Xin is back, are you tired from the journey?"
"Not tired, Mom."
Liang Xin got out of the car, held her mother-in-law's cold hand, and helped her walk home. "Mom, it's so cold, why are you standing at the door waiting?"
"I can't sit still in the house, so I might as well stand outside and wait."
Hu Fenglian looked back at her son who was going around the trunk to get his luggage, and covered Liang Xin's hands with both of hers. "Come into the house quickly. I'm warming up the red date and old hen soup on the honeycomb coal stove for you. Have a bowl to warm yourself up."
Liang Xin went up the stairs and looked at Chief Lu, who was obviously very happy but still looked very dignified, "Dad, we are back."
Chief Lu then smiled and said, "Go inside and rest."
The familiar living room, the sofa covered with a white lace sofa cloth, the mahogany floor, the fireplace photo frame... has been cleaned spotlessly.
There were plates of nuts, roasted snacks, and candies on the coffee table in the living room.
The cook, Xiao Shi, brought a pot of chicken soup to the table and smiled, "Chongfeng, Comrade Liang Xin, would you like a bowl of chicken soup first?"
"Wait a moment."
Liang Xin took off her black scarf and said, "We've been in a bumpy car for a long time, let's take a break."
"Then have a cup of hot tea first."
Hu Fenglian picked up the enamel teacup that Liang Xin had used at home earlier. "I have washed it several times. I didn't know when you would be back. After knowing that you would be back today, I didn't dare to make tea in advance, for fear that the tea would be cold by the time you got home."
Lu Chongfeng came in carrying two large bags, "Why is Xiao Wei leaving again? Who is he going to pick up?"
"Pick you up, Brother Ping!"
Hu Fenglian picked up the kettle and poured hot water into two enamel teacups, her smile almost spilling out of her face. "You and Brother Ping have also been admitted to university. They took the train the day before yesterday and will arrive home today as well."
Lu Chongfeng smiled, "I knew he would be able to pass the exam. How about Yue Ji?"
"good."
Hu Fenglian placed the enamel teacup in front of Liang Xin and said, "He was admitted to the university at the bottom of the list."
Liang Xin stood up, rolled up her sleeves, and went into the bathroom to wash her hands.
Lu Chongfeng followed and used a piece of soap with Liang Xin.
“We haven’t had so many people gather together for Chinese New Year in ten years!”
Liang Xin came out after washing her hands and heard her mother-in-law's words. She then saw her mother-in-law looking at the photo frame above the fireplace. In the middle of the frame was a family portrait. The tallest boy had died.
Chief Lu walked in and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Liang Xin said to wait a little longer before eating."
Hu Fenglian's attention was successfully diverted. She looked at Liang Xin and Lu Chongfeng, "Your seventh uncle from your hometown sent some fried rice. Do you want to eat the fried rice with chicken soup, or use the chicken soup to cook noodles?"
"Dumplings on the bus, noodles on the bus."
Chief Lu looked at the cook and said, "Cook the noodles."
Liang Xin said, "No hurry, we've already eaten in the car, we can wait for Brother Heping to get home and then eat together."
"That's okay too."
Hu Fenglian sat down next to Liang Xin and moved all the snacks and candies on the coffee table over. "I have washed all the sheets and quilts in your room, and I have also mopped the tables, chairs and floors every day. I have also bought new toothpaste and towels for you. Go upstairs and take a look later. Tell me if you need anything. If the service center can't find it, I will go to the department store outside to buy it."
Lu Chongfeng looked at Liang Xin and asked, "Do you want to go upstairs and take a rest?"
"No, I haven't seen my parents for a year. I want to talk to them."
Liang Xin's words brought out the smiles in Chief Lu and Hu Fenglian's eyes.
Hu Fenglian held Liang Xin's hand and continued, "Look at the daughter-in-law I found. She is not only brave and resourceful, famous all over the world, but also extremely talented and the top scorer in the imperial examination! The genealogy of your old Lu family is so glorious because of Liang Xin and me!"
The corners of Chief Lu's mouth twitched noticeably twice.
Lu Chongfeng raised his chin slightly, "Not only will the family tree be glorious, but even the ancestral graves will be smoking. Once Liang Xin graduates, she will be a state official!"
This time, Chief Lu nodded, looked at Liang Xin and said, "Study hard and become a good cadre in the future."
Liang Xin wanted to explain, but then put down the teacup and said nothing.
After chatting for more than half an hour, the sound of a car was heard at the door again.
Hu Fenglian stood up again and walked out quickly.
Liang Xin followed and supported her mother-in-law.
A man in military uniform, who was about the same height as Lu Chongfeng, got out from the back seat of the military vehicle. He turned his head to look at the door and smiled, as warm and dazzling as the morning light on fresh snow.
"Dad, Mom."
Lu Heping took off his velvet military cap and looked at Lu Chongfeng and Liang Xin, "Chongfeng, sister-in-law, hello."
Tears appeared in Hu Fenglian's eyes, and she looked at Lu Heping and nodded repeatedly.
Liang Xin smiled and said, "Hello, Brother Heping."
Lu Chongfeng walked down the stairs, patted Lu Heping on the shoulder, and walked on the snow to get the luggage from the trunk.
"Second sister-in-law."
With Lu Chongfeng, Lu Yueji didn't take anything. She ran to Liang Xin and put her arm around Lu Heping's arm. "Sister-in-law, this is the brother Heping I always mentioned to you. He was admitted to the same university as you. I can go to your school and play with you guys in the future!"
"Mom just told me, congratulations."
Liang Xin helped her mother-in-law turn around, looked at the two of them and said, "It's cold outside, let's go inside first."
Chief Lu saw the sun setting and said, "Eat less noodles, we'll have the New Year's Eve dinner soon."
The cook Xiaoshi cooked a pot of chicken noodle soup.
People who rushed back to celebrate the New Year sat at the dining table and ate noodles.
Hu Fenglian was busy running around, bringing dried radish mixed with sesame oil from the kitchen, and asking Xiaoshi to cut the salted duck and bring it to the table. Although she was busy, her mouth was not idle. She asked one child how the car was, and then asked another child whether the unit had released them smoothly.
The Lu family’s living room hasn’t been this lively in ten years.
After eating a bowl of noodles to fill their stomachs, Liang Xin and Lu Chongfeng carried their luggage upstairs.
The bed in the room was covered with a peony-printed bed sheet produced by Shanghai Bed Sheet Factory No. 2. Two red and green brocade quilts with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes were folded into squares and piled at the head of the bed. On the quilts were two pillows, and on the pillows were covered the familiar pillowcases with patterns of mandarin ducks playing in the water.
Liang Xin first glanced at the single sofa at the corner of the floor-to-ceiling window, and thought of Lu Chongfeng's cold and aloof look when he sat on it. Then she turned around and looked at the man squatting beside the bed and taking out her clothes one by one from the luggage, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Lu Chongfeng looked up, "What are you laughing at?"
"Mom also bought some vanishing cream."
Liang Xin sat in front of the dressing table, looking at the bottles and jars that had not been opened yet, Friendship brand vanishing cream, Pechoin lip balm, Yongfang beauty cream, Seagull brand shampoo... everything was available.
Lu Chongfeng squatted on the ground. He could see all the bottles and cans without looking up, but he didn't recognize them. "We can buy whatever we need. You have been with the army for so long that you haven't had a chance to go shopping in a department store. Buy whatever you need this time."
Liang Xin nodded.
After Lu Chongfeng packed up his luggage, he walked over to Liang Xin and said, "Do you want to take a nap? Dinner will take another hour or two."
Liang Xin shook her head. "I've been traveling all day, and I'm covered in dust. The sheets are all new, so I won't go to bed."
Lu Chongfeng sat on the sofa in the corner, took Liang Xin's wrist and asked her to sit on his lap. "On the first day of the New Year, let's go for a walk in the city. On the second day of the New Year, let's go to Huaihua Village together."
Liangxin was startled.
"What's wrong?" Lu Chongfeng grabbed Liang Xin's waist and turned her around to face him. "Have you ever thought about going back?"
Liang Xin yawned.
"When I mention Huaihua Village, you yawn."
Lu Chongfeng kissed Liang Xin's open mouth and said, "I have to go this time. You got into college and became the top scorer in the county. I also got a rare leave to visit my family. I have to go back."
"Go down and help mom prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."
Liang Xin stood up and folded her scarf. "By the way, didn't mom say that every household will hang red lanterns this year? Let's go hang up the red lanterns too."
Lu Chongfeng: “….”
After going downstairs, Liang Xin and Lu Chongfeng walked to the door of the small building holding red lanterns.
Lu Chongfeng stood on a stool, and Liang Xin held on to it, watching him hang the red lantern under the eaves.
"Wow, once the lanterns are lit, it feels like Chinese New Year!"
Lu Yueji came out wearing a bright red sweater and looked at Liang Xin's black corduroy sweater. "Sister-in-law, why are you wearing so much black? There are so many brightly colored fabrics in the department store in the city center. I'll go with you to buy some tomorrow!"
Lu Chongfeng jumped off the stool and asked, "You're sending me off?"
"I'll deliver it!"
Lu Yueji patted her pockets and said, "We wear military uniforms every day. Apart from making clothes for Brother Heping, all my cloth coupons are useless! Second sister-in-law, I will use them all to make new clothes for you tomorrow!"
Liang Xin shook her head and smiled, "No, school is about to start, you can keep it for yourself."
"There are so many cloth coupons. I haven't seen you make one for me in all these years." Lu Chongfeng looked at Liang Xin, "It's okay, go and make it. She took a lot of cloth coupons from me a few years ago and gave them all to Brother Heping."
"You wear military uniform every day, and you won't wear new clothes when I make them for you. It's a waste to buy them for you. It's not that I won't make them for you."
Lu Yueji hooked Liang Xin's arm and said, "Sister-in-law, let's get up early and go shopping. Department stores are different now. Dad said that it's a thawing period now."
Liang Xin nodded, "Then let's go out for a walk tomorrow morning, but you don't have to buy anything. I'm your sister-in-law and you're your sister-in-law. I'll buy it for you."
"Then I won't be polite to you!"
When the New Year's Eve dinner was served, Lu Chongfeng sat next to Liang Xin, pushing away Lu Yueji who still wanted to stick to Liang Xin.
Chinese sausage, salted fish, bacon, salted chicken, pressed duck... In addition to the preserved and salted food, there are also hot stews, braised pig heads, pig ears, pig intestines, braised eggs... and fresh stir-fries, celery fried squid, carrots, corn, green beans and shrimps, cold dishes, and the must-have mixed dishes in Jiangjing during the Chinese New Year, roasted black fungus bran, smoked fish...
There are still lard rice cakes and eight-treasure rice pudding in the pot that have not been served yet.
Perhaps it was because it was rare for so many people to gather together, or perhaps it was because the thawing period was different, Chief Lu looked at the table full of dishes, not only did he not say anything, he also took out a very limited supply of red wine and placed it in front of Liang Xin and Lu Yueji.
"If you had told me to get this wine earlier, I would have gone to the Friendship Store to buy some wine glasses."
Hu Fenglian took a white porcelain wine cup from the cabinet and said, "This is the only thing I can use now."
Liang Xin took the wine cup and said, "This is good."
Lu Chongfeng took the wine glass from Liang Xin again, got up and went to the kitchen to wash it.
Lu Heping looked at Lu Chongfeng with extremely surprised eyes.
Lu Yueji immediately asked, "Isn't it strange?"
Lu Heping smiled slightly and said "hmm".
"Second sister-in-law, you don't know." Lu Yueji sat opposite and complained, "When I was in elementary school and my second brother was in junior high school, I followed him to take the bus to school every day. He always just walked ahead and never looked back to see if I was alive or dead. No matter how crowded the bus was, he would always take care of himself. Only after we got on the bus did he look back at me, and when he was sure I was on the bus, he would leave me alone again."
Before Liang Xin could say anything, Lu Yueji shouted, "He was already in the car, and he only looked back at me. What's the point! If I hadn't gotten in the car, the car was about to start, and he couldn't get out and pull me in, what do you think of this person..."
The following words came to an abrupt end when Lu Yueji saw Lu Chongfeng coming out after washing the wine cup.
Liang Xin also looked at Lu Chongfeng in surprise. She never expected that he had such a personality when he was a child.
"Luckily Brother Heping is here." Lu Yueji picked up the Maotai and helped Lu Heping pour the wine. "Since Brother Heping came, he not only helps me carry my schoolbag when I go to school, but also holds my hand every day. When we squeeze into the bus, he squeezes out a seat in front of me, then protects me and always finds a seat for me. This is what a brother should do!"
"whispering sound."
Lu Chongfeng suddenly said the catchphrase he learned from Liang Xin, "Big brother has been treating me like this since I was a child. I can do it, but why can't you do it when it comes to you?"
Liang Xin pushed him.
Lu Chongfeng looked at his parents and said, "Dad, Mom, I plan to go to Huaihua Village on the second day of the Chinese New Year. If you have enough money, please help us prepare some New Year gifts."
Liang Xin: “….”
"I've already prepared it."
Hu Fenglian also wanted to taste the wine herself. "I wanted to send it before the New Year, but your father has meetings every day and he is only free today. I also want to visit you for the first time. It's better if you are here. Let's go together on the second day of the New Year."
Liang Xin: ".......Mom, do we want to go see grandma too?"
"Grandma? You mean Charge Grandma?"
Hu Fenglian saw Liang Xin nod and sighed, "She died a long time ago. There is not much left in my family."
Liang Xin hurriedly picked up the cup, "Dad, Mom, Brother Heping, Yueji, happy New Year's Eve."
The whole family raised their glasses and said, "Happy New Year's Eve!"
Lu Chongfeng picked up a piece of roast chicken and put it in Liang Xin's bowl. After watching Liang Xin finish eating, he picked up the bone dish and waited for her to spit out the bones.
Liang Xin pushed the bone dish away from his hand and said, "I have my own. I don't need yours."
"Okay, okay." Hu Fenglian said with a smile, "You are more considerate than when Liang Xin first got married."
Lu Yueji watched as Lu Chongfeng picked up another piece of salted fish, carefully removed the fish bones, and put it in Liang Xin's bowl. She blinked and said, "I almost don't recognize my second brother anymore."
Lu Chongfeng was just about to pick up a piece of pig ear that his little sister loved to eat, when he saw Lu Heping picking it up for her, "Eat your meal."
Liang Xin picked up the serving chopsticks, picked apart the pork knuckle with ginger sauce, first put a piece of lean meat for her mother-in-law, and then put a piece of skin and meat in her father-in-law's bowl.
Chief Lu looked at the soft pork knuckle skin in his bowl, then looked at the lean meat in Hu Fenglian's bowl. A smile appeared on his dignified face, and he said to Liang Xin, "Eat more."
"There's plenty of bacon you'll like today."
Lu Chongfeng picked up a large piece of mixed vegetables made of more than a dozen kinds of vegetables and said, "But you should eat more vegetables, too."
Liang Xin looked at the dishes piled up in the bowl and said, "Eat yours first, no need to pick any for me."
Lu Chongfeng then picked up the wine, took a sip, and ate the food with big mouthfuls.
After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, Lu Chongfeng found some red paper and wanted to cut paper-cuts with Liang Xin like they did last year.
Based on last year's experience, Lu Chongfeng cut better than anyone else present. Under Liang Xin's guidance, he cut out pictures of fish leaping over the dragon gate, magpies climbing branches, and a family reunited, which won him continuous praise.
I stayed up till twelve o'clock and almost couldn't get up in the morning.
Liang Xin opened the door and met Lu Yueji, who also got up late.
The two went downstairs together and saw Lu Chongfeng walking in from outside.
"There's your telegram."
Liang Xin was surprised, "Mine?"
"Yes." Lu Chongfeng handed the telegram to Liang Xin.
The whole family looked over.
Ordinary letters are usually received within three days to a week, unless they are sent to remote areas, which may take half a month. Telegrams are usually used for emergencies and can usually be delivered to the recipient in about three hours.
On the first day of the New Year, a telegram arrived.
Even Lu Chongfeng felt a little nervous.
Liang Xin opened the email and saw four words written on the telegram: Lu Wei political review.
Liang Xin folded up the telegram calmly and looked at the worried eyes of her family. "It's nothing. You'll know when you go back tomorrow."
"I'm glad you're okay."
Hu Fenglian breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the red envelope in her hand. "It must be that your family knows you're back and is looking forward to your return. Here, I couldn't give it to you in person last year, so I'll make it up to you this year."
Liang Xin didn't say anything to refuse, and took the red envelope with a smile, "Thank you, Mom, Dad."
All four of them received red envelopes.
Lu Chongfeng received the red envelope and handed it over to Liang Xin.
Liang Xin took the thick red envelope and said, "After breakfast, let's go shopping."
During the Spring Festival of 1978, firecrackers, spring couplets, and flowers appeared in the shops on the main streets for the first time in a long time.
The earth is filled with red firecrackers. There are all kinds of red firecrackers, double-kick firecrackers, flash bombs, etc. that children like. Passing by the alley, I saw a group of children holding incense in their hands, lighting firecrackers, throwing them on the ground, and then running away while covering their ears.
The loud sound of firecrackers bids farewell to the old and welcomes the new, ushering in the real flavor of the New Year.
Fireworks do not require tickets. Lu Chongfeng spent one dollar to buy a bunch of Liuyang River firecrackers, yellow smoke firecrackers, and flash bombs, and also bought a box of incense.
Liang Xin didn't stop her because she wanted to play too.
"Sister-in-law, look how beautiful these flowers are!" Lu Yueji ran to a pot of Phalaenopsis at the door of the store and sniffed it, "I wonder if we can buy some."
"The stores are already selling them, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Liang Xin walked over. There were not only Phalaenopsis orchids at the door, but also bright red wintersweets and auspicious kumquats. There were also Chinese characters for "Fu" and Chinese knots hanging on the kumquat trees. The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up slightly.
Lu Chongfeng also remembered that he had reminded Liang Xin last year when he was cutting paper-cuts for the Chinese New Year, not to cut patterns related to the Eight Immortals of Fortune and Luck, so he pointed at the kumquat tree and said, "Move one back."
Liang Xin shook her head and said, "Let's buy Phalaenopsis and Wintersweet."
Lu Heping turned around when he heard the voice and said with a smile: "Liang Xin is very cautious."
Walking into the department store, you'll see colorful and eye-catching fabrics, which is a prelude to the color explosion of the 1980s.
Before Liang Xin made a purchase, Lu Chongfeng bought a bunch of colorful items.
Liang Xin reminded, "I don't wear it."
Lu Chongfeng was just about to persuade her, but suddenly he thought of something and put the things back one by one more actively than when he took them. After putting them back, he didn't know what he thought of and wanted to pick them up again.
Liang Xin walked up to the glass counter and held his hand, "Put it back and don't take it."
Lu Chongfeng said: "I still want to see you dressed beautifully."
Although she was worried that Liang Xin was already so pretty, if she dressed even more beautifully, she would attract a lot of attention in the university and attract many men.
But he couldn't deprive Liang Xin of the right to wear beautiful clothes just because he was worried.
Liang Xin really didn't want to wear colors that were so bright and saturated that they were almost exposed. "I really don't like it."
"Which one do you like?"
Lu Chongfeng pointed to a row of fabrics and said, "Pick your own."
Liang Xin picked tea white and ice jade colored fabrics.
Lu Chongfeng looked at the plum-colored and pumpkin-colored fabrics in his hand and said, "Are you sure you don't want this? It looks so pretty."
"The colors my second sister-in-law picked are so beautiful!"
Lu Yueji came over and said, "It's very similar to your temperament."
Liang Xin shook her head at Lu Chongfeng, "Just these two colors will do."
Although Lu Chongfeng felt sorry, he didn't force it. He remembered that when Liang Xin bought wool before, she only chose black and gray. After comparing the two colors, these two whites were already very bright.
Liang Xin looked at his reluctant eyes, then looked at the red and yellow fabrics on the glass counter, and suddenly felt that they were not so bright. "How about getting two more pieces of orange-red and yellow-and-white plaid fabrics?"
Lu Chongfeng's eyes lit up immediately, "Here, your skin is so white, it will definitely look good on you, trust my judgment!"
Liang Xin took out the cloth coupons and money and paid for what Lu Yueji had selected.
She also selected a few feet of bright fabrics and shoes for her sisters-in-law at home.
When the Phalaenopsis orchids and wintersweets were placed in the Lu family's small building, the festive atmosphere suddenly became stronger.
When Liang Xin came back, she happened to meet Chairman Liu of the Parent-Teacher Association.
Chairman Liu came up and shook Liang Xin's hand. "I saw that Comrade Liang Xin had an extraordinary appearance, a shining character, and his words and deeds showed the brilliance of party spirit. He will definitely achieve great things in the future. Looking at it again today, I was right!"
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