Chapter 162
After selling the boxed lunches for the 25th day of the lunar year, Jiang's father and his friends packed up their things and took a train close to the early morning of the same evening. They returned to the neighboring city on the night of the 28th day of the lunar year, and then took a bus back to Shuibu Town from the neighboring city. Because it was too late, they did not stay at Aunt Jiang's house for long. They just asked Uncle Jiang to call a tricycle for them to take them to Tanshan. The two of them walked through the wind and snow and returned to Jiangjia Village.
They went to the old house first.
No one had lived there for two years. The roof of the kitchen in the old house had started to leak, and the stove was covered in dust. It was obvious that not only had they not returned home this year, their three children had also not returned, otherwise the old house would not have become so desolate.
This was obviously uninhabitable and there was no hot water, so they went and knocked on the door of Uncle Jiang's house not far next door.
Uncle Jiang is still working outside for others. The end of the year is the busiest time for these bricklayers because many people usually go out to work. At the end of the year, when they have earned some money, they come back to build houses. After the houses are built, they go out to work again in the spring.
Uncle Jiang and his three sons usually have to work until the 29th day of the lunar year, and they can only take a break from the 30th day of the lunar year to the 3rd day of the lunar year. Some of them are in a hurry to finish the work, so they have to go out to build houses for others on the 2nd day of the lunar year.
Although Uncle Jiang has many feudal flaws that are common among rural men, such as favoring boys over girls, he is very hardworking and pragmatic. Just like many old oxen who work diligently for future generations, he fulfills his mission and responsibility for future generations bit by bit.
It was Aunt Jiang who opened the door. Seeing the two people coming back covered in snow, she quickly turned on the light and invited them in: "Hey, what brought you here so late? Come in, come in."
He took out the brazier and put it in the fire bucket: "Come and warm yourself up in the fire bucket. Have you eaten yet? I'll make you some noodles."
Uncle Jiang's mother's family has a one-year-old granddaughter, so they have to wash diaper pads every day. Diaper pads are not easy to dry in winter, so the brazier at home is always burning. Several braziers are burned at home every day. The brazier that Uncle Jiang's mother brought is the one used to bake diapers for the little ones at home at night.
All the diapers on the brazier were dry. Aunt Jiang quickly put away the diapers and used the brazier to keep Jiang's father and mother warm.
As she got older, Aunt Jiang became more plump, and her whole body exuded a kind and stable aura. She seemed more and more calm and kind, especially after having a little granddaughter. She was content with her granddaughter and would hold her lovely granddaughter at home and play with her every day.
It froze at night and there was a thick layer of snow. Jiang's father and mother didn't have as much difficulty walking on the muddy road as usual, but they were cold and hungry after carrying the load and walking such a long distance along the embankment.
In the evening, Dad Jiang wanted to buy a box lunch on the train, but Mom Jiang thought the box lunch on the train was too expensive. They would be home soon, so they could just eat at home, so they skipped dinner. Dad Jiang had a big appetite, and as he was in his prime, he could fill a stainless steel rice bowl in one meal.
Aunt Jiang fried two eggs for Jiang's father and mother, and they ate homemade rice noodles.
The couple hadn't eaten the authentic rice noodles from their hometown for a long time, and they missed it so much that they wolfed it down. Dad Jiang finished a large bowl quickly, and then filled two more bowls and ate them, and only then did he feel warm all over.
The winter in Shenzhen is not as cold as in my hometown, and the cotton-padded jackets and down coats are not as thick as the clothes in my hometown. In the past two years, they have adapted to the climate and temperature of Shenzhen. When they came back, the cotton-padded jackets they wore were not very thick and they were very cold.
Father Jiang also lamented: "Why is it so cold in my hometown this year?"
This year is indeed colder than in previous years. When Jiang Bai and his friends asked Wang Yong's uncle to send them clothes, they were sent to Tong Jingang's home in Wucheng. The two of them took the clothes from Tong Jingang's home to the town below to sell them. Because of the cold winter, the clothes sold very well.
Aunt Jiang was wearing a thick double-layer cotton-padded jacket. She didn't feel cold when she was cooking noodles in the kitchen, but now she felt cold. She put on her clothes neatly and said, "I don't know what's wrong with the weather this year. It's snowing two feet deep outside. If it keeps snowing, the wheat will freeze to death."
Uncle Jiang's family planted several acres of winter wheat on the mountain. It is said that auspicious snow means a good harvest. Moderate rain and snow can freeze the insect eggs generated in the wheat to death, but if the snow is too heavy and thick, it will damage the seedlings.
Aunt Jiang said, "Your eldest brother is always on guard against floods and food shortages. This year he planted a few acres of sweet potatoes and wheat on the mountain. There are a lot of sweet potatoes in the cellar. This year he made some syrup to make rice candy, and there is still a lot left. I'll leave some syrup for you. If you want it, we'll move out tomorrow."
Uncle Jiang's family, apart from having some bricklaying skills, are honest old farmers who make a living by farming. The main source of their food throughout the year comes from farming. If there is a flood, the ones who will be most hurt are the farmers who stay in their hometown to farm.
After Jiang's father had eaten his fill and felt warm, he asked Aunt Jiang, "Are Songzi and the others still not coming back this year?"
Aunt Jiang said, "He hasn't come back yet. Tomorrow is the 29th day of the lunar year. He should be back soon, right?"
She still remembered that Jiang's father and mother spent the New Year's Eve in silence last year, and asked them, "Will Baizi and Ningning come back this year?"
Father Jiang had called to confirm earlier, nodded vigorously, and said with a smile: "Come back, Baizi is working outside during the winter break, and should be back the day after tomorrow." He was most afraid that others would say that his children would not come back after they were admitted to college. He sighed and said: "The children are too sensible. They were scared by the debts at home in the past few years. They all worked outside during the holidays just to earn more money."
Aunt Jiang nodded in agreement: "Yes, Baizi and Ningning have been sensible since they were young." She then asked the couple: "Has Songzi not been found yet?"
Jiang Song was not new to love. His current girlfriend was still a student. She was extremely shy. The school had strict rules and she never spent the night outside. He respected her.
He was at the age of full of vigor and vitality. He had been holding back for a long time. How could he resist the teasing of a young girl?
His girlfriend is not here, and he had originally planned to go back to his hometown this year. Now there is a girl pestering him day and night, how can he still think about going back to his hometown? They even forgot to call home, and the two of them lived a sweet life together.
The girl is also reluctant to return to her hometown. She is afraid that after returning home, she will not know who to marry in exchange for a dowry. She is not opposed to a dowry, but she is opposed to staying in the countryside.
In every aspect, Jiang Song is the best person she can meet right now, and he is so generous.
When Jiang Song is nice to people, few people can stand it. The girl is the same. She came to the big city and stayed in places with bright lights and wine like dance halls. She met all kinds of people, but she had never met someone like Jiang Song, who would give her gold, silver, clothes and jewelry, accompany her shopping, protect her as long as she asked, and he was so handsome.
Even though she knew that he was someone else's boyfriend and that he had a partner, she still didn't want to give up and wanted to hold on to him tightly.
However, she knew from their conversation that he did not consider her as his girlfriend, and she did not care, because she knew that he was deeply in love with her, and because he could not give her the official status of girlfriend, he felt guilty towards her. He was willing to satisfy her with the gold and silver jewelry she asked for.
But the more he did this, the more she couldn't let go.
From her childhood to adulthood, no one has ever been so nice to her.
They were just like a real couple or a newlywed couple. She washed clothes and cooked for him, stayed with him every day, called him brother, and were very loving. This kind of life was exactly what she had imagined in her dreams. Sometimes she lay beside Jiang Song, looking at him sleeping, and could not help but put her face in his arms, full of joy.
Jiang's father and mother slept at Jiang's uncle's mother's house at night. Jiang's mother slept with Jiang's uncle's mother, and Jiang's father slept in Jiang Hongbing's room.
The next morning, Aunt Jiang held her granddaughter in her arms, gave the key to Jiang's father and mother, and brought them to the new house.
I have to say that Uncle Jiang is worthy of being the best bricklayer who builds houses in his hometown. He is also a worldly-wise bricklayer who has built new streets. Although the house he built cannot reach the level of those luxurious villa-type houses in the new rural areas of Shenzhen, it is still a very luxurious big house for Jiangjia Village.
The house has three floors in total. The first floor serves as a waterproof layer and can basically only be used as a warehouse for storing firewood and coal briquettes. Because it is a waterproof layer, the entire foundation is very solid and reliable. After all, they are next to a river and there are often floods. Even if it is not a super flood, this place will often be flooded during the irrigation season.
The second and third floors are where people actually live. Between the irrigation ditch and the main house, there is a flat stone bridge formed by two prefabricated cement slabs. After climbing a dozen steps, you will reach the Jiang family's main hall.
At this height, floods basically won't reach here.
The main room is very large, because when Jiang's father was building the house, he had the idea that he could open a shop in his hometown when he got old, so he conceived it as a shop, so the main room is about 60 square meters, facing southeast, facing the main road. There is nothing wrong with it except that it is a little dusty.
The main room on the left is where Jiang's father and mother live. Now it is paved with large floor tiles and is about 30 square meters. The main room on the right is where Grandpa Jiang lives. It is also about 30 square meters and has excellent lighting.
The room at the back facing northeast is the kitchen. There is a staircase behind the kitchen that leads directly to the vegetable garden in the backyard. Aunt Jiang also planted some coriander and green vegetables for Jiang's father and mother to eat in winter.
The kitchen drain pipe leads directly to the ditch next to it, and the water used in the kitchen can flow into the ditch.
The two rooms at the back, the middle room is divided into a bathroom and a small room. The small room is currently empty and has nothing in it. The other room is for Grandpa Jiang to live in. It has two large windows and is open from north to south.
Outside the room is a long corridor where you can hang clothes to dry.
The layout upstairs is similar to that downstairs. There are three large rooms in the front. The middle room is the reception room upstairs, the room on the left is the room of the eldest son Jiang Song, and the room on the right is the room of the second son Jiang Bai.
Father Jiang walked upstairs and pointed to the room behind Jiang Bo, which also had good lighting, and said, "This room is for Ningning."
He is very satisfied with this house.
There are ten vacant rooms upstairs and downstairs, which will be enough for the grandchildren to live in in the future and there will be no shortage of rooms.
He went upstairs to the attic again.
The highest part in the middle of the attic is about two and a half meters high, and the lowest part of the edge is only about one meter high. It is all covered with brand new large red tiles. Unlike the small green tiles in the past, there is no need to worry about broken tiles causing rain leaks. These large red ceramic tiles are thick and large, and can be used for ten or eight years without the possibility of breaking.
This is absolutely unique in Jiangjia Village. Other families in the village still use the old green tiles in their houses.
According to Jiang's father's request, the house was covered with tiles inside and out. Even the kitchen was built with brick cabinets and installed with sliding doors by Jiang's uncle. On the stove was a large stove with two pots, one large and one small. In the middle were two iron cans that could be filled with water while cooking. The heated water might not be drinkable, but it was very useful for washing face, taking a bath, and washing dishes.
The house was cleaned very cleanly by Grandma Jiang.
Although Grandma Jiang was assigned to Uncle Jiang's house, her youngest son built such a nice house which was not far away, so she definitely wanted to show the house to her youngest son's family. After the house was built, she often came to her youngest son's house to clean. Of course, she also wanted to show off to the villagers.
Father Jiang's face was full of pride and he sighed, "In this village, the best person to build a house is the eldest brother!"
In fact, after this house was built, people from the surrounding villages who passed by Jiang's house would all stop and sigh at the big house which was completely different from the current village.
Young people who come back from other places all think about building such a big house to live in in the future, but people of the same generation as Jiang's father in the village all lament that Jiang's father is still the same as he was when he was young, and he gets carried away after making some money. He has just paid off his debts, and his three children are still working during the summer vacation, and his two sons are about to get married. He doesn't know how to save money, but is so wasteful by building such a big house. In the eyes of many people at this time, this is completely unnecessary.
Is it possible that the two sons will live together in the future? I built such a big house for one son, so should I build one for the other son as well? How much will that cost?
This was the reason why Jiang's mother had opposed Jiang's father building such a big house before. But when she saw her own house now, even though it was empty and there was nothing inside, Jiang's mother couldn't help but feel it was really nice, especially the big kitchen. Even the water tank was covered with white tiles, very clean, and there was a plug underneath. If the water was not needed that day, or the water below was turbid, just pull out the plug and let the water flow into the ditch through the sewer pipe. There were also so many cupboards and cabinets, all covered with white tiles, so there was no need to worry about mice or having no place to put pots and pans.
Both couples were very satisfied.
The next step was to move, moving the old furniture from the old house to the new house. Although the old furniture was old, they were all good furniture made of solid wood back then. The couple was reluctant to throw them away, so they moved them all to the new house. However, the two sons' rooms could not use the old furniture, because if the two sons were going to get married, they had to use brand new furniture.
Thinking that his children would be back today and would need a bed to sleep in at night, Jiang's father rode his bicycle to the next mountain early in the morning. An old carpenter in the mountain brought him three large beds.
Jiang's mother was used to being frugal. Her two sons were going to get married, so they had to have new furniture. This was the rule, but her daughter didn't need it. She originally wanted to move Jiang Ning's old bed from her previous room and let Jiang Ning sleep in it. But Jiang's father glared at her and said, "You want that broken bed in such a nice new house!"
The main thing is that his grandmother, the one with bound feet, and Jiang Ning's grandmother, Jiang Ma's mother, all died on this bed.
When Grandma Jiang passed away, she was sleeping with Jiang Ning. Jiang Ning got up at night and her feet touched Grandma's feet, which were ice cold. Jiang Ning pushed Grandma Jiang and called her to get up. She touched her body and felt that it was cold all over. Then she realized that Grandma might have passed away.
She was only in elementary school at that time. Perhaps because she was young, ignorant, and not afraid, in the middle of the night, when it was dark and cold, she calmly got up, put on her shoes, went to the next room to call Grandpa Jiang, Jiang Bai, and Jiang Song, who ran to his childhood friend's house to sleep.
It was the end of the year at that time. The money that Jiang's father and mother earned in a year was not enough to pay off the debt. In order to avoid those debt collectors, the two of them slept in the small house on the mountain where Grandpa Jiang lived at night.
Grandma Jiang may have realized that she didn't have much time left. In those years, Jiang's mother worked outside every year. Grandma Jiang hadn't seen her eldest daughter for several years and missed her very much. It happened that Jiang's mother came back at the end of the year, so she took her to live with her for a while. The old lady died in the Jiang family.
At night, she and Jiang Bai braved the wind and snow and went to the mountain to call Jiang's father and mother. Grandpa Jiang had to find the elderly in the village to arrange other things.
Therefore, Dad Jiang didn't want this old wooden bed at all.
Jiang Ning is the only one who is brave and not afraid. In the past, there was no other way because the family was poor and Jiang Ning could only continue to sleep on the old wooden bed. Now that the family is well-off, Jiang's father will definitely not bring the old wooden bed to the new house. Jiang's father plans to take the old wooden bed to his grandmother's grave and burn it for the old woman during the ancestor worship tomorrow.
In addition to the beds, there are also tables, chairs, benches, etc., all of which need to be replaced with new ones, as well as the large wardrobes in the two sons' rooms.
He thought of the floor-to-ceiling wardrobe he saw at his landlord's house in Shenzhen. When preparing rooms for his two sons, he decided not to buy cabinets but to make that kind of large wardrobe.
He imagined the excitement of his children when they came back and saw the big house and the big rooms, and he became excited as well, and was full of energy.
Jiang Bai and Grandpa Jiang returned on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year.
Even though Grandpa Jiang is eager to go home, in his heart, Jiang Ning's study and work are still the most important. There are no computers or internet in his hometown, so Jiang Ning is typing on the computer every day. Even though Grandpa Jiang doesn't understand many things, he knows that his granddaughter bought so many houses and all the money she earned was earned by using the computer.
Grandpa Jiang wanted to go back to his hometown. He just wanted to go to the mountain to worship his ancestors on the morning of New Year's Eve and meet his old friends. As long as he could return to his hometown before New Year's Eve, he would be able to stay in his villa in Shanghai even if he felt anxious.
But he had packed his luggage early and kept looking out the floor-to-ceiling window, looking in the direction of home.
They packed up their things early in the morning and set out from Shanghai to Wucheng, then from Wucheng to Shuibu Town, then took a bus to Tanshan, and walked from Tanshan back to Jiangjia Village.
Because of the thick snow, the snow has been trampled flat and solid by the pedestrians coming and going. As long as you don't slip, such a snowy road is actually much easier to walk on than a muddy road.
Even so, it was already afternoon when they got home.
Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai were both carrying big schoolbags. Perhaps because of his roles in movies and GG, Jiang Bai looked more dazzling than last year. He was totally out of place in this old mountain village, like a city kid who had come to a mountain village.
Many people sitting on a high platform at the entrance of the village to bask in the sun saw Jiang Bai from afar, but they couldn't recognize him and said, "Whose boy is this? He is so handsome!"
Seeing Grandpa Jiang walking in the middle, supported by Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai, he clapped his hands and shouted from a distance: "Oh my, the old daddy of the big guy's family, how come he is getting better and better, he looks younger! The two beside him must be his grandson and granddaughter, they are so cute, this college student is different, if they were walking on the street, I wouldn't dare to recognize them if they were not told that they were the son and daughter of the big guy's family!"
Jiang Ning's current height has grown to 1.68 meters. In her previous life, Jiang Ning was 1.68 meters tall. But now she is only 16 years old. If she can grow to 18 years old, she will probably be over 1.7 meters tall.
Jiang Ning is so happy!
Jiang Ning didn't know if it was because of her poor digestion. She and Jiang Bai both had a good appetite and a balanced nutritional diet, but all the nutrients went into their height. Their height was visibly increasing, but they didn't gain weight.
The high platforms in their village are connected to each other for flood prevention purposes, and the houses are also built together, the only difference being their heights, age and age.
At present, Jiang's family is the only one that does not use a waterproof platform but directly builds a house as a waterproof platform.
Everyone living in the three houses downstairs knew that Jiang's father and mother had returned. After all, Jiang's father and mother got up early in the morning to move furniture from the old house to the new house. Those furniture were not easy to move, so many neighbors they met on the road went to help. When they saw Jiang Bai and Jiang Ning supporting Grandpa Jiang and walking back, they all stood on the high platform and shouted to the people below: "Big guy! Ailian! Your old man and two college students are back~!"
The neighbors all heard the shout. Jiang Qin, who had been at home for the winter break, also heard it. She climbed onto the terrace of her building and waved at Jiang Ning vigorously, "Ning Ning!"
Everyone in the village knew that the eldest son and daughter of the big man's family had become successful. Two of them were college students, and one of them was from Peking University. Not to mention the relatives in the same room, even the people from the first and second rooms came out of their homes, stood on the edge of their own high platforms, and greeted Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai cordially. When they saw Jiang Bai and Jiang Ning's outstanding faces that looked like they came out of a movie, they were all amazed. Some people would not dare to approach Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai to talk if Jiang Ning hadn't taken the initiative to greet them with a smile and called them "Aunt, sister-in-law, Daddy, Third Uncle, Second Uncle" one by one. It felt like they were from two different worlds.
She called them first, and they nodded to Jiang Ning in a friendly manner: "Is Ning Ning back?"
"It's grown so tall."
"I don't even recognize you when I go out, how can I dare to recognize you?"
For a while, all the discussion in the village was about Jiang Bai and Jiang Ning from the big guy's family.
They never imagined that the two most inconspicuous children of the Jiang family would now look like the stars on TV.
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