"That's good, that's good. Erdan, you and Chengcheng go visit your grandparents too, and come over for dinner tonight."
After the famine years, the land they secretly cultivated on the hillside was never planted by them again. Although they had less food than before, they couldn't afford to do so because both of their sons were now workers.
He's still the most enviable driver; his family is never short of food, and he occasionally invites the Zhou family elders over for meals without feeling any financial burden.
"Okay, then Xiaoxiao and I will go check on Grandpa and the others first, and we'll come back to help them in a bit."
Grandma Qian waved her hand: "Go on, there are so many people at home, do you two need to be here? Take a good rest, how can you not be tired from work?"
I noticed both kids have lost weight; it's clear their classes aren't easy at all.
Grandma Zhou held the money and smiled happily for a long time. Looking at the things the two children had bought for them, she accepted them with a smile. This year, she would make the red envelopes for the New Year even thicker, so that the children wouldn't always have to make up for their expenses.
The two old folks are really not short of money, and they didn't have anywhere to spend it here, so they just kept finding ways to subsidize the two little ones in front of them. They did it willingly, because the two kids are so sweet and filial, and they never forget their old folks.
"Why does Erdan look thinner? Is he working too hard?"
Qian Xiao touched her face and didn't feel thin. With her space, she had no shortage of food. Qian Xiao had never deprived herself and always ate her fill, no matter what she ate.
Sun Kaicheng also took a good look. Qian Xiao's face was obviously much bigger. These two old ladies must be seeing things. She's obviously gained weight, so why are they saying she's thin?
"It's not hard work. There's less work in winter, so I just sit all day with nothing to do." That's really true. How could the machines keep breaking down? Besides, unless it's a very complicated problem, the technicians in each factory can fix it themselves. There's no need to call them.
"When you get back, make sure you have some good nutrition. I raised two ducks last summer, and they were really fat. I'm just waiting for you two to come back so we can slaughter them and have some meat."
After the elderly couple came here, they took a liking to farming and raising poultry. If they weren't allowed to raise more, they would find other ways. In any case, the number of poultry they raised was definitely excessive, and no one came to see them.
The old man in the cowshed has been well-fed these past few years; he's gotten quite fat, and he has to hide it every time he goes out so no one can tell.
"Really? How about we make sour duck soup?" Qian Xiao didn't know how to make this dish, but Grandma Zhou did. She had tried it once and thought it was delicious.
"Okay, I'll make it for you tomorrow."
The old lady liked Qian Xiao's unceremonious manner; if family members were too polite, they would never get close.
When the old lady heard her grandson say that Erdan had agreed to marry her that evening, she was overjoyed. Did this mean they would be able to hold their fourth generation in a year or two? The two of them would have to take good care of their health so they could look after their great-grandchild.
As for the children of my eldest grandson's family, I've never even seen them, so I don't think about them much. They're not as close as the children right in front of me. Shouldn't I try to exchange more cloth and cotton for them? These things are hard to come by, so I need to save up a lot.
Sun Kaicheng never expected that his maternal grandmother would start thinking about the birth of the child as soon as he mentioned preparing for the wedding.
The next evening, Qian Xiao looked at her parents who had returned in the heavy snow and hugged them one by one: "Why didn't you say you were coming back for the New Year today? If you had known, I would have come to pick you up today."
Qian Jiefang patted his daughter's head. His daughter was already so tall, but she was too thin. He felt he was an unqualified father to his eldest daughter, as he spent far too little time with her.
"It's so cold to go pick someone up in this heavy snow. We didn't plan to come right back. We went to your house first, and when no one was home, we came right back."
"Don't stand outside talking, aren't you cold? Come inside and talk," Grandma Qian was overjoyed. This year was another rare family reunion.
"Mother, Father, your son is back," he said. He was not only a bad father, but also a bad son.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. As long as you're safe and sound, your father and I are at ease." The old lady's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Grandma, Grandpa!" Sandan and Sidan quickly called out.
"Oh my, my two grandsons have grown into big boys, and they look so energetic. Come on up and warm up on the kang (heated brick bed) since they're cold!"
"Grandma, we're not cold," they said, not feeling cold at all despite being covered in sweat from the walk.
Old Man Qian looked at his eldest grandson, who had grown into a man, and squinted with joy. It was wonderful that the third generation of their family had grown up.
The family was talking inside the house, and their laughter seemed to carry far through the wind and snow.
"What? You're so young, what's the rush to get married?" Qian Jiefang's loud voice made everyone in the room's ears ring.
Grandma Qian slapped her across the face: "What are you yelling about? Can't you keep your voice down?"
Qian Jiefang pouted. It wasn't that she saw him cry when he first came back; he'd only been back for a whole day, and his mother was already annoyed with him.
“Our Erdan will be nineteen after the New Year. Isn’t this the perfect time for him to get married? What? Are you going to keep your daughter as an old maid before you’re satisfied? The two of them have been engaged for more than two years. Hurry up and discuss getting things done for them. That way, they can take care of each other in the future and no one will gossip.”
If the two children hadn't been so young when they got engaged, they would have gotten married that same year.
"I'm just worried about my daughter getting married and taking care of someone else so early. Wouldn't it be better if we let Erdan stay a few more years so he can have some peace and quiet?"
"That's you. Ren Chengcheng isn't that lazybones. I've been there so many times, and every time Ren Chengcheng is busy working with Erdan. What a good kid. Aren't you worried about something going wrong? Why don't you hurry up and fix up your own house?"
She saw it all; those young women in the alley were standing outside watching their future grandsons-in-law. Don't think she didn't know what they were up to.
Qian Jiefang... it's as if he's a lazy bum. He spends all his time working with his wife.
Grandma Qian didn't hesitate to talk to her son and pulled her eldest daughter-in-law aside to discuss the matter. She said that the two families would come over on the second day of the Lunar New Year to discuss the betrothal gifts, and they needed to agree on a plan first.
My second and third aunts came along too. This was the first wedding of the third generation in their family, so they had to make sure it was a proper one.
Qian Xiao didn't get involved in this matter. Every time she heard about it, she would feel sleepy. She would take the six eggs to her room to talk. Her younger brothers had all grown up, and the opportunities for them to get together and talk were becoming fewer and fewer.
Qian Xiao looked at her two younger brothers, who were almost a head taller than her: "How come you two have grown taller again? You look almost 1.9 meters tall now, don't you?"
She is already 1.72 meters tall, and those who are a head taller than her must be incredibly tall. It's clear that her two younger brothers are not hungry at all.
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