Some women nearby heard the noise and came over.
"It's really Huiying. Why are you alone? Zhenhai didn't come back with you?"
"No, I finally managed to get about ten days off. Apart from the time I spent on the road, I only stayed at home for four or five days at most."
"It's good that you're back. Come to my house for dinner today. We'll share the fish today and stew some fish at home later."
Li Lianhua stepped forward and pushed the woman away: "What are you doing? Huiying will eat lunch at my house, why are you joining in the fun?"
"Oh, oh, oh, I'm your real sister-in-law. If I don't come, will you think I don't exist?"
At this time, Wang Daya had just received some fish and was walking over with them. They were two big grass carps that looked to weigh more than ten pounds.
"Third sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for so many years and I really didn't recognize you. Let's go home and cook. Your eldest brother and the others are still there dividing the fish. He won't be back for a while, so let's go home and talk."
When Wang Daya got home and saw the things they brought back, she knew that they came back to worship the child's grandparents and didn't say anything.
I filled a basin of water in the kitchen and started to kill the fish. The weather was too cold and the fish could not be kept in the tank, so it was better to kill them and freeze them in the snow.
Luan Huiying and Li Cuiying helped out. They both agreed not to let Jiang Mengxue do anything and moved a chair for her to sit on the side and watch.
"When are you guys going to have your holiday? Will you be back for the New Year this year?"
In previous years, Li Cuiying and Gu Zhenjiang were just the two of them. If they came back, they would celebrate the New Year with Wang Daya's family, or they would celebrate it alone in the city.
But this year Jiang Mengxue is here, so they want to spend the New Year alone.
"The holiday is the same as in previous years, on the 29th. I may not come back this year. Xiaoxue is here too, so maybe I'll stay in the city."
"Why don't you leave after the New Year when the third daughter-in-law is not home? Qingbei Xiaoxue and her two children didn't spend their first year together after their marriage. Who knows when they will do it next time."
Hearing this, Luan Huiying turned around and looked at Jiang Mengxue who was sitting on the side basking in the sun, feeling very guilty.
But there is no way, a soldier's duty is above everything else, and everything has to be done closely.
"It can't be helped. Zhenhai and I are in the same unit and sometimes we can't even celebrate the New Year together."
Soldiers also have to stay at their posts on New Year's Eve. Luan Huiying is lucky. She is free most of the time because she is not scheduled for night shifts. She only has to work a night shift on New Year's Eve for several years.
However, Gu Zhenhai started to get busy at the end of the year, attending the army's consolation party. As the highest leader of the military region, he had to hold meetings every day at the end of the year to comfort the soldiers under him. Sometimes he would eat dumplings with the soldiers in the cafeteria during the New Year.
"But maybe Peking University or Tsinghua University can make it to spend the New Year with us this year. He's been transferred to another military region now, and it's only two days' train ride away from us. If that doesn't work out, we can go to his place."
Gu Qingbei previously served in the Southern Military Region, guarding the country's border, and had made countless military achievements, both large and small.
This vacation was also because I was transferred to the Western Military Region, which gave me two months of vacation.
It was very dangerous at the border before, but it is a little better now. At least I don’t have to worry about any danger in the army.
Until now, no one knew that Gu Qingbei's family had such connections. His father was the commander-in-chief of the military region, so he could just lie down and not struggle.
"If Xiaoxue gets her holiday early, she can come to your place to celebrate the New Year. After all, it's the first year, and it's best for the whole family to be together."
Luan Huiying's eyes lit up, but after thinking about it, it didn't work. Xiaoxue was almost three months pregnant now, so how could she endure the trouble of running so far?
Li Cuiying naturally noticed that Luan Huiying wanted to go to Jiang Mengxue. She smiled, pursed her lips and said nothing.
"I don't know if I have time. If my uncle and aunt also have a holiday, we can go together. If not, I'd better spend the New Year with them in the city."
Li Cuiying didn't expect Jiang Mengxue to consider her and Gu Zhenjiang. After all, they were just the second uncle and second aunt of Peking University and Tsinghua University. After all, they were not her biological parents-in-law, and she couldn't let the child worry about them.
Luan Huiying's personality is not one of those who thinks too much, and she didn't care at all that Li Cuiying was in a bad mood just now.
"Then, sister-in-law, do you and brother have time? If you can take a holiday early and come to our place to celebrate the New Year, our family can also have a reunion this year."
"That should be fine. I've already applied for retirement and can leave anytime. Your second brother is also in retirement at the company, and all the work is done by the younger people below him. It's no problem for him to ask for leave in advance."
Luan Huiying was happy. This year, they no longer had to eat New Year's Eve dinner alone.
"Then don't write to Qingbei and Zhenhai to tell them. You might as well scare them when you get there, hahahaha."
Wang Daya is not envious. Among her brothers' families, hers has the most children. Every Chinese New Year, her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren all come back, and the tables are full of space for them all.
"Haha, wait a couple of years until the boys from Huai'an, Huainan, and Huaiyang get married, and then our house will be even more lively."
In this big family, including the uncles from Gu Qingbei's second and third grandfathers' families, only Gu Zhenjiang and Gu Zhenhai have the fewest children.
Every other family has three, four, five, or six children, and some have eight, nine, or ten.
Every family has older children taking care of younger children. The adults are busy outside all day and don’t even notice if a child is missing until after dinner.
Some children were playing hide-and-seek outside and fell asleep in the haystacks, so they couldn't hear the adults calling them.
"Auntie, I heard that Er Niang and Xiao Xue are back. I came to see them."
Gao Yuzhen walked in from outside holding the child.
She had just taken her children to divide the fish when she heard someone say that Li Cuiying had returned.
Although she was not very familiar with Jiang Mengxue when she was at her mother's house, she often took Jiang Mengxue and other girls younger than her to play together when she was a child. They were from the same village, so how could they not know each other?
"Here I am, here I am, come in."
Gao Yuzhen was holding her fourth daughter in her arms. She was not yet three years old. The youngest was still too young to catch a cold if she was brought out, so she asked the older ones to look after her at home.
"I heard Xiaoxue is back too. The last time I saw her was when she got married."
There were many people there at the time, and Gao Yuzhen was pregnant, so she just joined in the crowd for fun. She watched Jiang Mengxue enter the house, but did not go into the bridal chamber.
Jiang Mengxue couldn't remember who this was, nor did she remember when she had seen him.
After all, there is an age difference of almost ten years between the two. When Gao Yuzhen got married, Jiang Mengxue was just under ten years old, so she really couldn't remember it.
In addition, Gao Yuzhen didn't often go back to her parents' home after getting married, so the two never met again.
Li Cuiying saw that Jiang Mengxue didn't remember it, so she introduced it to her.
"Your sister Yuzhen is also from the Taoyuan Brigade. You two should have known each other when you were young, but you haven't seen each other for many years."
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