Chapter 78

Everyone in the yard laughed when they heard Shuangshuang's pretentious words, especially the little kid calling an eight-year-old boy "nephew", which was really funny.

Looking again, the boy called cousin blushed and was a little embarrassed.

He felt embarrassed to accept the special payment from a two-year-old kid, so he retreated after calling for help and ran away.

Shuangshuang found that her eldest nephew was missing in the blink of an eye. "Mom, where is Dazhi?"

"Go find his mother." Jian Lu understood the little boy's feelings very well. Whoever is older and gets low marks will feel bad.

Especially since my cousin is only two years old!

Cheng Zheng was talking to his uncles and aunts beside him, and he smiled when he heard that both of them were concerned about his nephew. Ever since he had a daughter-in-law, he was often amused by her. There was nothing he could do about it, the little girl was so adorable.

But after coming back, he has a lot of things to do. Now, he is answering questions from fellow villagers in the army, all of which are about military service.

Nowadays, everyone thinks that being a soldier is glorious, and if one person serves in the army, the whole family will be honored, but being a soldier is not that easy.

Jian Hualin was not the only one who wanted to ask Cheng Zheng to use his connections to arrange his enlistment. In recent days, Cheng Zheng had been talked about by his fellow villagers several times, openly and secretly, but he remained unmoved and only said one thing, that he would go through the formal procedures to register for the conscription.

Everyone was unwilling, but they didn't dare to force it.

Jian Hualin came over from the house and also went to this crowded and lively place. He didn't sleep well the whole night, and he was so angry about his adopted son that his heart ached, but he was also thinking about arranging for him to join the army. He thought that it would be easy to do it on the first day of the new year, and as long as he said it, nothing would be impossible.

He planned to ask directly in front of everyone so that Cheng Zheng, the son-in-law of the group leader, would not be able to refuse him. After all, so many people were watching, and he couldn't just turn down his father-in-law's request on New Year's Day.

Just as he arrived in front of He Hongmei's yard, Jian Hualin was about to say a few words of greeting and get down to business when he heard his son-in-law talking loudly to an uncle in the team.

"Uncle Li, it's not that I won't help. Recruiting soldiers must follow the formal process. As long as you meet the physical requirements, you will definitely have a chance to be selected. I treat everyone the same. Even if my father-in-law came today and asked me to arrange a place for anyone to join the army, I would do the same."

Jian Hualin: ???

I haven't even opened my mouth yet!

"Xiao Cheng has a point." Captain Wei Xingde couldn't bear to see everyone grabbing people and pulling them hard, "Do you think anyone can join the army? Soldiers are there to protect the country. If everyone wants to use backdoors and connections, who will be harmed? Isn't it harming the country and the people? Listen to me, the spring conscription will start soon. If you have an idea, go and sign up, don't chase Xiao Cheng around."

Once the captain opened his mouth, everyone was at a loss for words. Indeed, this was the relationship between neighbors and fellow townsmen, and no one had much hope at all, especially when they heard that even the father-in-law's visit didn't help, they were even more hesitant.

Cheng Zheng slowed down and said, "But if you have children who want to sign up, you can come and I will take a look at their basic qualities. You can also practice more on a regular basis."

"That's great! Goudan, come here and show your Uncle Cheng!"

"Erzhuzi, come here quickly!"

The team leader was willing to give some advice, and everyone was happy again. They felt that Cheng Zheng had not forgotten his roots even after becoming the team leader, and still treated everyone as fellow villagers and took care of them.

Wei Xingde saw Jian Hualin standing by and hesitating to speak, so he asked him, holding his cigarette stick, "Jian Hualin, what are you doing standing there?"

Someone nearby joked, "Are you also planning to ask the Cheng family's eldest brother to arrange for you to join the army?"

"Your cheap son can't be a soldier, so forget it."

"That's right. How can you train and fight when your legs are lame?"

Jian Hualin's face turned pale and he left without saying a word.

Jian Hualin was upset when he got home. He kicked over the bench beside the table as soon as he entered the house. With a clang, Zhang Cuixia came out from the inner room and shouted excitedly, "Boss, Junhong is back!"

Are you back?

Jian Hualin spat, "This son of a bitch still knows how to come back?"

His steps became quicker, with a hint of joy on his face.

After walking a few steps into Jian Jun's red room, Jian Hualin saw his son, whom he hadn't seen for half a month, sleeping soundly on the kang.

"Jian Junhong, get up! You still remember to come back? Don't you know what day it was yesterday? You were hanging out outside during the Chinese New Year, and now you are sleeping in the broad daylight on the first day of the Chinese New Year. Do you want to piss me and your mother off to death?"

Jian Junhong was half asleep, and when he was woken up, he looked at Jian Hualin in a daze, "What the hell are you yelling about!"

"How do you talk to your father? You really deserve to be punished!" As he said that, Jian Hualin looked around for something, trying to pick up the broom that was leaning against the wall behind the door.

"Boss, it's New Year's Day, don't do anything!" Zhang Cuixia persuaded, and winked at Jian Junhong, "Junhong, talk to your father nicely, don't make him angry."

"Making me mad? He wants to piss me off to death!" Jian Hualin became angrier and angrier as he spoke, with a fierce look on his face. "You also stole a hundred yuan from me. If I don't break one of your legs today, you really won't be able to remember your last name!"

"Hey." Jian Hongjun sat up straight with a wrinkled face, took out a handful of money from the pocket of his cotton jacket that was thrown randomly on the kang and threw it on the kang, "Here you go! You're so annoying, and you still recognize me as your son. Taking a hundred dollars from you is like asking for your life."

Jian Hualin looked at the large clusters scattered on the kang. At first glance, there seemed to be quite a few of them. He picked them up carefully and counted them. There were actually eleven of them, one more than he had!

"Junhong, what did you do with the money? Why did you bring back an extra bill?"

Jian Junhong smiled complacently, leaning on the kang with a smile on his face, "Dad, don't worry, we won't ask that damn brother-in-law for help in the future. He's useless and pretends to be a decent person. He says he's a regiment leader, but he doesn't even help with the slightest favor. I won't call him brother-in-law anymore in the future!"

"Junhong, what are you talking about?" Zhang Cuixia felt that her son had a problem with his thinking. As peasants, who else could they turn to if not relatives who were in the army? "Your brother-in-law is the head of the regiment, and he's very powerful."

"What a fool!" Jian Junhong was angry when he thought about Cheng Zheng's hesitation. "Being a soldier is nothing but a waste of his ability. What's there to be proud of? A poor soldier might die outside anytime soon. Ugh!"

Looking at Jian Hualin again, he said mysteriously, "Dad, I won't be a soldier anymore. There are better ways! I can make money quickly!"

"What method?" Jian Hualin was nervous as he held the 110 yuan in his hand.

"Dump the stuff!"

Jian Junhong said it lightly and proudly, and Jian Hualin actually took a deep breath, "You went to the black market?"

Seeing that his son did not deny it, Jian Hualin got angry and sat down on the kang. Just as he was about to speak, he pushed Zhang Cuixia out, "Cuixia, go out first. I'll talk to Junhong."

"Boss, I can't listen?"

"We are talking about serious matters, what are you listening to? Get out and close the door."

After sending the people away, Jian Hualin licked his dry lips and said anxiously, "Junhong, you can't go to the black market! It's too dangerous!"

When Jian Hualin was taken to the police station, he saw with his own eyes people who were reselling things on the black market being arrested for the crime of speculation.

"Dad, you are too timid, how dangerous can it be? I have only been doing this for a while, and I have earned fifty dollars! Look at the speed at which I make money."

Hearing that he had earned fifty in such a short time, Jian Hualin was excited, but also afraid, "What if I get caught..."

"It's not that bad!" Jian Junhong didn't believe it. "Dad, if you work with me, our grandfathers will take care of you. It's a steady profit!"

"No, no, I can't do this!" Jian Hualin felt uneasy, as if he was walking towards a cliff.

"This is not possible, that is not possible, how are you going to live like this?" Jian Junhong got off the kang, took out a cigarette from the cabinet next to him, lit a match and put it in his mouth, and then continued to persuade, "Look at your four daughters, is there any promising one? Several sons-in-law, they are not very useful, who can you rely on, isn't it me? Now I have to find someone to partner up with to run the black market, and the two of us will go into battle as father and son! Do you still want to ask your son-in-law, the head of the regiment, to do something for you?"

After being persuaded by Jian Junhong, Jian Hualin pondered for a moment and finally nodded silently.

=

During the Chinese New Year, the production team was bustling for a few days. Except for the father and son of the Jian family who left on the first day of the New Year, everyone else stayed in the team most of the time.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the team organized another hunting trip into the mountains. Team leader Wei Xingde selected a group of strong young men to go into the mountains, and the three brothers of the Cheng family were among them.

Cheng Zheng, Cheng Liang and Cheng Jun went into the mountains with other members.

The two were led by their mother and looked at their father in the crowd, "Dad, grab some meat!"

Cheng Zheng waved to the lady and said, "Okay!"

He moved his gaze to the side and exchanged glances with Jian Lu in the crowd, and both of them raised the corners of their lips.

"Mom, when will Dad come back?" Jian Lu held her daughter in her arms and watched the troops go into the mountains.

"It's hard to say, it should be soon. You can sleep for a while or two and then you'll be back." Probably one or two days, two or three days at most.

Both of them were excited, "Let's go back to sleep now!"

Jian Lu: "...Not a nap!"

"Comrade Jian Lu!" A voice sounded beside her. Jian Lu heard someone calling her. She turned around and saw that it was the educated youth Dong Danqin, the heroine in the original text.

"Hello, Dong Zhiqing."

Dong Danqin is still working in the Daxing Production Team as an educated youth, and now she has entered the commune women's federation. According to the plot of the book, she should be able to return to the city in one or two years.

"Your daughter is so pretty." Dong Danqin teased Shuangshuang and looked at Jian Lu who seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

"Dong Zhiqing, what's the matter?" Jian Lu was not stupid. She could tell at a glance that he had something to do with her.

"Nothing." Dong Danqin shook her head and walked away again.

Since no one said anything, Jian Lu didn't take it to heart and went home with her daughter.

The three men in the family all followed the team up the mountain, and now only Aunt Wang, her three daughters-in-law and four children are left in the Cheng family.

The mother-in-law and her two daughters-in-law were eating dried beans, dried eggplants, and picking cabbage. Next to them were the four children who were tired from playing and were sitting on small stools.

Because everyone has to return next week, especially the eldest brother Cheng Zheng and the third brother Cheng Jun and their family, they have to go back to the local troops.

The children also understood. Yuanbao and Xiaohua had just played with Shuangshuang and Miaomiao for a while. The two who were originally having a lot of fun immediately looked depressed when they thought about their grandma leaving again.

Look at Shuangshuang again, the little girl is playing in the snow carefreely.

Wearing gloves, he scooped up a handful of snow from the ground and carefully rolled it into a ball.

Yuanbao was so angry that he yelled to Shuangshuang, "Shuangshuang, we don't like you anymore!"

Shuangshuang, who was making snowballs seriously, raised her head and looked at her cousin in a daze, "Huh?"

Xiaohua pouted and accused Shuangshuang, "That's right, I don't like you, you're annoying!"

She blinked her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow, "Why?"

There are actually people who don't like Ji Ji? !

Both were surprised!

She pinched her little face, making her chubby cheeks puff up. She looked at her cousins, waiting for their answers.

"You want to take grandma away! You're so bad!" Xiaohua said straight to the point without hiding anything. She really didn't want to let her grandma go.

Shuangshuang pouted and explained seriously, "No, the nest can't take grandma away."

"You..." Yuanbao and Xiaohuaer were just about to say that Shuangshuang was lying, they heard it all, and grandma was going to the south with uncle's family again.

Then I heard Shuangshuang continue to say, "It was grandma who took Wo away. Wo couldn't hold grandma, so grandma had to hold Wo."

Yuanbao and Xiaohuaer were speechless. What was this little cousin saying?

"Then grandma won't go with you, stay with us!"

Her eyes were clear, like a stream flowing after the snow melted in spring. She really didn't understand, so she asked again, "Why?"

Yuanbao snorted, "Because we miss grandma!"

"I miss it too." Shuangshuang replied in a baby voice.

Miaomiao watched her cousins ​​and younger cousins ​​"quarreling" with each other. She looked to the left and then to the right, feeling very strange.

She was raised by her grandparents since she was a child, so she did not join the battle for grandma.

Peanut's cheeks puffed up with anger. "No matter what, we want grandma too. Grandma can't leave you alone!"

Shuangshuang's pupils were beautiful. She stared at her cousins ​​and came up with a good idea. "Well, then you can play with us! That way, we will all have grandmothers!"

What a great idea! Both of us are so happy!

Yuanbao & Xiaohua: "..."

"We're not going, we have our own home." Who wants to go somewhere else with her!

Shuangshuang counted on his fingers and introduced it to his cousins, "There is a sea over there. Wow, a big sea. There are also coconuts, this big one. You can drink the water inside, it's sweet, and you can eat fish and shrimp..."

......

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who were busy preparing dinner not far away, glanced at the children on the other side.

Aunt Wang saw that everyone had their mouths open. "I wonder what they are saying? Look at them, they are all very excited."

"He must be talking about food!" When the second son's wife saw the look on her own Yuanbao's face, she knew that he must have heard about food, otherwise he wouldn't have had that expression.

Jian Lu also looked at Shuang Shuang, with her fingers stretched out, mumbling something, but she said it very seriously, "Shuang Shuang is also excited when we talk about food, she just likes to eat."

"They are all hungry." The third daughter-in-law found that her daughter Miaomiao was the quietest, so she moved her head left and right, looking at her cousins. "The adults are all hungry, let alone the children."

"The New Year has passed so quickly. Tomorrow, Cheng Liang will go back to work in the commune. There is really no rest. Even during the New Year, we can't have two more days off." The second son's wife muttered, and then remembered that the other two families would leave next week, "Mom, when will your train leave?"

"Next Saturday morning."

Cheng Zheng also asked someone to buy the return train tickets. Cheng Zheng, who had many comrades-in-arms all over the world, had enough connections to buy three sleeper berth tickets.

"Where is Third Uncle?" the second son's wife asked.

"We'll be a few days late."

"Ah, time goes by so fast. I wonder when you will come back next time?"

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, come visit us when you are free. The beef and mutton there are delicious."

"That's great, I'll go check it out if I get the chance."

Jian Lu really wants to go to the border. It's not easy to travel these days, but she doesn't know if she has the chance to do so.

"You can come to our place when you are free. The scenery on the island is beautiful and there is plenty of seafood!"

"OK!"

Everybody was talking excitedly, as if they could go to the border today and to an island tomorrow, but I didn't know if I would ever have the chance to actually go there.

"Mom!"

Yuanbao and Xiaohua ran towards Feng Nianjun, both of their little faces filled with anxiety.

"What's the matter? Are you in such a hurry?"

"Mom, we want to go to Shuangshuang's place!"

"I want to go to the island!"

Feng Nianjun frowned, wondering what the two kids were thinking. "Why do you think so? Do you know how far it is to the island?"

Aunt Wang smiled and said, "Yuanbao Xiaohua wants to go over and play? That would be great!"

"Mom, they are so young, they will only cause trouble if they go there." Feng Nianjun first replied to her mother-in-law, and then asked her children, "What are you thinking about?"

"But Shuangshuang said the island is very nice."

"There is a sea." Although they didn't know what the sea was, "there are also fruits this big, very sweet! And there are endless fish and shrimp to eat."

Sounds really good!

Jian Lu didn't know that her daughter had fooled her cousins ​​so deeply, so she just smiled and welcomed them, "Come anytime you want. You can even go with us, but can you bear to leave your parents behind?"

"We're willing to give it up!" the brother and sister said in unison.

Feng Nianjun: "..."

"You two! Wait until your dad comes back and takes care of you!"

Yuanbao and Xiaohua were moved by what Shuangshuang said and wanted to go to the island with their grandma. But they got scared when their aunt told them that it would take five days by train.

When the hunting team came back and the three brothers of the Cheng family were going home, Cheng Liang heard that he had gone hunting in the mountains and the two children were about to run away from home, so he started to punish them one by one.

"Go ahead. Your mother and I will feel more relaxed if you go. We can eat meat at home. Come back with your uncle and his family to visit us in four or five years." Cheng Liang took a sip of water and started to scare his son and daughter.

"Ah? Four or five years?" Yuanbao and Xiaohua looked downcast again. How could it be so long?

The brother and sister went to find Shuangshuang, "Shuangshuang, we're not going!"

"Why?" Shuangshuang really wanted her brother and sister to come to her home so that they could play with her.

"It's too far. We won't be able to see my parents then."

"My dad said it would take four or five years for him to come back! I don't want it!"

They both nodded. That was not possible. She couldn't miss seeing her parents. The little girl held brother Yuanbao with one hand and sister Xiaohua with the other, expressing her understanding. "Okay, then we'll play first. You guys, come and play with us when you grow up."

"Okay!" Yuanbao and Xiaohua agreed!

They ran to look for their parents. Yuanbao and Xiaohua looked at her small back, scratching their heads, wondering why she said she wanted to go to the island at the beginning.

They seem to have forgotten something?!

Forget it, I can’t remember!

=

It's been a long time since they returned home, and now they are facing separation again. Jian Lu's three sisters came to Cheng's house and saw that the fourth sister had packed her luggage and would be leaving by train tomorrow morning.

"It's the New Year, the food is much better than usual." The third sister Jian Xin sat on the kang, stretched out her hands, and saw that the two large packages in the room had been packed, and there was another package that was open and had not been fully packed yet.

"Take those pieces of bacon with you," she reminded her fourth sister.

"Know."

Each of the three sisters brought two pieces of bacon. Although each family was not very wealthy, the total amount they brought together was actually quite large.

Eldest sister Jian Yue also brought some extra herbs, which were picked from the mountains before. They were dried and stored so that they could be carried easily and could be preserved for a long time.

"Take them all with you. I don't know when you'll be back next time."

"Okay, that's all. We can't carry any more." Jian Lu rarely experienced the annoyance of being cared for by her relatives. She refused but curled the corners of her lips, as if she was a student about to go to college and her family members were trying to force her to take more things away.

The second sister Jian Meng smiled and said, "Take what you can. Otherwise, we may not have what you need in the future. Just call you stupid. Isn't it better to take more things?"

"Second sister, you don't know that there are still a lot of them over there with Brother Cheng!"

Jian Meng smiled even more happily, "I see. That's good. You and your family can slowly go back home."

There were many things to do during the Chinese New Year, so the four sisters only met twice after the New Year. One of the times was when they all went back to their parents' home to have lunch together. On weekdays, Jian Yue, Jian Meng, and Jian Xin also have to visit relatives, so they were able to come here today because they found time.

As the four of them were talking, Jian Xin thought of her parents' home.

"Dad seems a little weird lately." The Meng Fan family she married into was closest to her mother's family and they were well-informed about the news.

Jian Meng, who married into the production team next door, looked up and asked her in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"I heard from Aunt Liu and the others that Dad and the fifth son of the He family went out every day. They would go out before dawn and would not come back until dark. One time, Uncle Liu woke up from a nap and saw them coming back."

"What are you doing?" Jian Yue thought it was unusual. It was freezing cold outside, so why was he running outside?

"I don't know. I just find it strange."

Jian Meng sneered, "It's not a good thing anyway. What can an old man and the fifth son of the He family do together? Just don't cause any trouble and thank God."

"That can't be enough." Jian Xin couldn't figure out what the two of them could come up with.

Jian Lu pondered over it and felt something was amiss. The most important thing was that Jian Hualin had not come to see her and her husband recently, and he no longer mentioned arranging for Jian Junhong to join the army. "Could it be that he arranged a good job for the fifth child of the He family?"

"Impossible?" Jian Meng's eyes widened and she shook her head. "That person is lazy and has weak legs. How could he get a good job?"

——

While the four sisters of the Jian family were talking, the three brothers of the Cheng family were also talking in another room.

Cheng Zheng was packing his luggage. Just a few days after returning, he took the dried seafood that Liang Haisheng asked him to bring back to Liang's house. Now that he was about to leave, Cheng Zheng packed the things that Liang Haisheng's parents wanted to bring him into his own luggage, preparing to pack them all up and take them away tomorrow.

Cheng Liang had just returned from work at the commune. He had to come and see his eldest brother Cheng Zheng and his family as they were leaving tomorrow.

Cheng Liang often stuffed Cheng Zheng and Cheng Jun with things, mostly food, and even a ginseng.

"This is a good thing!" Cheng Liang stuffed one into each person's pocket and said with a smile, "I found it last year when I went up the mountain. I was lucky! I put it there after drying it in the sun."

There are dense forests on the mountain, and there are many things, including precious things, and this ginseng is one of them.

Cheng Jun took the ginseng and took a bite of its root. "Tsk, it still tastes the same!"

Cheng Jun brought beef jerky, dried grapes, etc. from the frontier to his eldest and second brothers' homes, and also took away various dried seafood, some bacon, and herbs.

In short, you can't come back empty-handed, and you can't leave empty-handed.

After finishing his work, Cheng Zheng took out a Daqianmen cigarette from his trouser pocket, shook out three cigarettes from the cigarette box, gave them to his two younger brothers, and kept one for himself.

Cheng Jun lit a match, lit cigarettes for his elder and second brothers, and finally it was his turn.

The three brothers walked to the door of the house, feeling the cool evening breeze. Three sparks flickered in the night.

"Remember, we were standing here too!" The second oldest, Cheng Liang, recalled something, his eyes full of memories, as if he was seeing the past, "Dad has been gone for two years, and Mom couldn't even have a full meal with the three of us."

Cheng Jun nodded, "Remember, my eldest brother said that if he went out to join the army early, he could save some food for the family."

Cheng Zheng joined the army at a young age because he had a natural respect for soldiers. Not only him, but nine out of ten children in the village had the dream of becoming a soldier.

However, not everyone can pass the rigorous screening process.

The second reason why Cheng Zheng joined the army was very simple: to save some food for his family. With one less person at home, Cheng's mother and two younger brothers could have more to eat.

"At that time, mom didn't want my eldest brother to join the army, but he signed up secretly and mom only found out after he was approved. You said you didn't want us to join the army, but in the end, all of you joined." Cheng Liang thought that he was the only one who didn't take this path.

He is different from his eldest brother and third brother. His eldest brother is ruthless and stubborn and wants to go to the battlefield to kill the enemies. His third brother is a young and naive person who thinks that being a soldier is glorious and he also dives into it with great enthusiasm.

The two of them were stationed in different parts of the world in the army, and they might not even come back once, so I, who seemed to have no future, was left alone in my hometown.

Fortunately, I was able to become a regular employee after working as a temporary worker at the grain station, so it wasn't so embarrassing after all.

"Second brother." Cheng Zheng held a cigarette in his mouth, puffing out smoke and patting his second brother's shoulder. "Before, Mom didn't want to leave here. She wanted to stay at home alone, so you had to look after her more. Now she has come to her senses and is willing to go out. It's a good thing. I'll look after her more from now on."

"I'm reluctant to let mom go to your place, especially Yuanbao and Xiaohua, ah."

"Let mom come live with us then." Cheng Jun was like a child who wanted to be favored. He always felt that his mother had never been to the frontier, and that he needed some evidence after all his years of struggle. "In a few years, when my two children grow up, I will definitely bring mom over."

Cheng Zheng smiled, thinking that his third brother was already a battalion commander, but he still had a childish temper, just like before.

Cheng Liang was not happy, "Mom will be old by then, she will definitely come back to take care of me, why would she go to the frontier?"

"Why can't you come?" Cheng Jun would not let his second brother go at this time, "We have almost completed the reclamation of the land there, it's really good."

Aunt Wang, who was passing by, heard that her three sons were already arranging their retirement lives. She couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and shouted, "Don't bother me, an old woman! I'll take care of your children, and I'll make my own plans for where to go when I get old!"

"Mom, are you still giving up on us?" Cheng Jun shouted over and smiled playfully at his old mother.

"I'm too lazy to bother with you!" Aunt Wang smiled and left to see her daughter-in-law.

=

When the luggage was almost packed, Cheng Zheng talked to his second and third brothers for a few more words before they separated. Standing under the eaves, Cheng Zheng lit another cigarette and blew smoke rings in the moonlight. A cold wind blew, and the chill seeped into his clothes. He waited until the sparks flickered and finally died out before returning to the house.

The three sisters of the Jian family have already left, leaving only Jian Lu and Shuangshuang.

The mother and daughter each had a basin and were sitting on two stools, one high and one low, soaking their feet.

"Ah~" Shuangshuang was scrubbing her feet hard, her two little feet stepping on each other.

"Are you washing your feet or playing in the water?" Cheng Zheng asked the lady with a smile as he closed the door.

"Wash your feet~" Shuangshuang waved to his father, "Dad, you are fat~"

Seeing this, Jian Lu leaned over and whispered something in the lady's ear. Cheng Zheng didn't know what his wife was doing, but soon he heard the lady's loud voice.

"Daddy is smoking, stinky, go brush your teeth!"

As he said this, he put his hands on his hips, puffed up his little face, and mumbled something, looking like a little supervisor.

Cheng Zheng was amused by the lady's serious look and walked over to tease her, "Who did you learn this from? You even know how to put your hands on your hips?"

"I learned this from my uncle!"

Cheng Zheng: "..."

It is really strange to see this two-year-old baby talking about his nephew.

"Why don't you hurry up?" Jian Lu pushed the person outside. "Didn't you hear what the young lady said? Hurry up."

Cheng Zheng, who was rejected by his wife and concubines one after another, turned around and walked out again.

This time, Cheng Zheng stood under the eaves brushing his teeth with a toothbrush, feeling the cool moonlight and listening to the whispers of the girls in the room, and he actually smiled.

Shuangshuang said loudly: "Dad, you, you hurry up, Mommy is nagging, if the debt is not paid, you won't get on the bed~"

Jian Lu covered the girl's mouth with her hand: "Why are you shouting so loudly? Be careful or people will laugh at you."

Cheng Zheng smiled, quickened his teeth brushing movements, gulped down cold water to rinse his mouth, spit into the yard, put the mouthwash cup and toothbrush on the windowsill, and then pushed the door open to enter the house.

=

The next morning, before daybreak, Aunt Wang was the first one to get up in the family.

This morning, the whole family got up. There was still half of the noodles we brought back from home. We were going to cook them all, make a pot of porridge, and steam some steamed buns.

"Mom, I'll make a fire for you."

A tall figure passed by the kitchen door. Aunt Wang looked and saw that her eldest son had gotten up.

"Why are you up so soon? Go to sleep a little longer. I am old and I don't need to sleep much. You young people should sleep more."

Cheng Zheng sat on a pony in front of the stove and made a fire. The firewood was stuffed into the stove. Cheng Zheng blew air into it and watched the flames grow bigger and burn more vigorously. He looked up and saw his mother adding water to the pot with melon pulp.

"I'm still young, eh? I'm already in my thirties, and my daughter is already two years old."

"What's wrong with being thirty? Aren't you all young compared to me?"

Aunt Wang asked about Jian Lu and her mother again, and Cheng Zheng just said they were still asleep.

When the sky turned pale, the kitchen and the living room became bustling with activity. There were dozens of people in the family, some eating porridge with steamed buns and pickled vegetables, and some eating noodles. Everyone held a bowl and enjoyed the meal heartily.

The three Cheng Zheng brothers stood at the kitchen door holding their bowls while eating. The second and third brothers' wives ate with their children at the dining table in the main room. Jian Lu and her daughter-in-law ate in the kitchen, each sitting on a pony. They couldn't hold the hot bowls, so there was a high stool in front of them. They scooped up the porridge and ate happily.

Aunt Wang leaned against the stove, holding a chipped porcelain bowl in one hand and a steamed bun with mixed grains in the other. She would take a sip of porridge and a bite of steamed bun, looking ahead, watching the whole family eating lively and noisy meals.

After breakfast, Cheng Zheng and Cheng Liang's family were going into the city. Cheng Zheng's family was going to take the train back to the southern army, Cheng Liang was going back to the commune to work, and Cheng Jun's family of three stayed at home and would leave after a while.

"Brother, sister-in-law, second brother, second sister-in-law, please come to our place if you have the chance in the future!" Cheng Jun and his wife Xie Shuqin were seeing them off with their daughter Miaomiao at the door.

"Okay!" Cheng Zheng agreed immediately and stepped forward to pat his third brother on the shoulder, "Pay more attention to your own training and combat."

"Let's go, Third Brother!" Cheng Liang also said goodbye to him.

Aunt Wang talked to the third son's wife for a while, squeezed the third son's hand, and then left.

After not seeing each other for several years, they had a quick reunion and had to go their separate ways again. Cheng Jun felt a little sad watching his eldest brother and his second brother's family leave.

After arriving at the county town in a donkey cart, Cheng Liang helped his eldest brother's family carry the packages. There were three packages when they came, and four when they left, as if they were filled with a lot of care and longing.

Several large packages were carried onto the train. Cheng Zheng and Cheng Liang each carried two packages and put them in the sleeper compartment. Only then did Cheng Liang get off the train and leave.

"Let's go, second son!" Aunt Wang seemed reluctant to let her son go.

"Mom, slow down."

"Greetings, Second Uncle!" Shuangshuang waved to Second Uncle while sitting on the lower bunk bed.

"Goodbye, Shuangshuang! Ask your parents to bring you back next time!"

"How many!"

The green train rumbled again. The two of them sat on the berths, looking at the scenery outside the window, watching the silver-white world of ice and snow gradually change its appearance.

The houses and trees revealed their true appearance, and both of them felt nostalgic.

"Mom, there's no more snow~" With her chin resting on the small table in the carriage, Shuangshuang missed the white snow very much.

"Yes, we are in the south now. It doesn't snow much here."

"It's okay, I filled it with snow!" Shuangshuang remembered the glass jar that Brother Chenchen gave her. There was snow in it!

Jian Lu couldn't bear to tell her daughter such a sad fact until she saw her asking her father to take out the glass jar from the military bag, with only a thin layer of water stains left inside.

"Ah!" Shuangshuang was completely stunned, crying, "Where is my Xue?"

"The snow has melted into water." Jian Lu held up the glass jar and told the girl, "The temperature here is not low enough, the snow melted immediately, but it is also snow, you can take it back and show it to your brothers, and you can say that this is what snow turned into."

"Really?" Shuangshuang sobbed a few times, holding the glass jar with both hands, feeling very sad. She had clearly put it away, but the snow was gone! "My snow, wuwuwu."

Jian Lu felt sad after hearing what happened, but she came up with an idea when she looked at the glass jar. While she was taking a nap in the afternoon, she took the pen and paper she carried with her and started to act.

——

After a long journey, the green train finally stopped at the station.

Cheng Zheng's orderly Xiao Zhao came to pick up the leader and helped carry two packages.

The group boarded the ferry back to the island.

Both of them lay on their mother, still holding the glass jar, looking at the rippling blue waves outside, listening to the sound of the waves, blinking their eyes, and feeling as if they had had a dream.

Have you ever really left? Have you ever seen snow?