Chapter 188: Family Harmony Brings Good Fortune
After dinner, Lu Dongping took out a handful of loose change from his pocket, counted them in his hand, gave them all to Zhang Hongying, and stuffed the remaining change into his own pocket in front of her. He said, "Wanwan and I are going to the county tomorrow. Is there anything you should bring?"
Going to the county town?
Zhang Hongying thought for a moment and said, "I don't need anything. I'll just bring back some matches and two pounds of salt. The county supply and marketing cooperative is probably cheaper than the ones back there. If so, buy some brown sugar. Take the sugar coupons." Then she called out to Lu Chun'e, "Help me see if there are any sugar coupons here. If there are, give them to your brother. My eyes don't work well at night."
Lu Chun'e took it, flipped through it, and gave a ticket for half a pound of sugar to Lu Dongping.
Lu Dongping didn't hesitate and put it away directly.
After washing up and warming up, Lu Dongping took the kettle and went into the house to light the lamp. Wen Wan came over only when she saw the light.
As soon as the two of them left, Lu Chun'e and Lu Donglin could no longer sit still and went back to the house one after another.
Only Lu Mingjiang and his wife were left in the kitchen. Zhang Hongying said, "I don't know if she has anything else besides flour. It's not easy to ask."
Lu Mingjiang said, "If it's not easy to ask, then don't ask. If there is no money, then don't tell me. If there is money, then use it in your own room, not elsewhere."
Zhang Hongying sighed, "From the time she got married until now, she's said to be receiving a salary, but I've never seen how much it actually amounts to. I'm not greedy for her money, but everyone lives like this. Even if they want to save a little, they do it quietly. I've never seen anyone so openly spending money like this. If she spends so lavishly, how will she live after she has a child?"
Lu Mingjiang had caught a cold the past few days and was constantly running a nose. He reached out and grabbed a handful of it, rubbing it on the muddy ground. "Just pull it, she earned it herself. Why are you bringing it up? Now that brat Lu Donglin doesn't want to go to school anymore and is working at home, he's working full time all year round. Next year will be better than this year. As long as we have a good life, that's all. Why do you care how she lives?"
Zhang Hongying glanced at him and said, "You seem to be more open-minded as you grow older."
Lu Mingjiang chuckled, "It's impossible not to accept old age. Before Dongping got married, I always felt that I was still young. Now that I'm married, I feel that my children have all started families, and I'm almost there. I've suffered all kinds of hardships in my life. At this age, I have such a big family. I'm content! There's nothing much to say. Let's not talk about those far away. Let's talk about those nearby. Let's talk about the big brother next door. Dongcheng is in the army. It's said that he has a position. It's so glorious. He sends money back every month. Come on, it's just the same, but life at home is still tough. This year, we didn't have enough work points, and we had to make up for it with the production team. I haven't even recovered from this, and Dongcai's wife is pregnant again. I'm thinking next year will be even harder. Although we get a share of the extra rations for each additional person, it's annoying when the rations are averaged out, and it's not pleasant to talk about. A few days ago, my eldest brother told me that after this year's work, he doesn't want to be the production team leader anymore. We'll have a meeting at the end of the year after the rations are distributed, and let the team members make a new election."
"You're not going to be the captain anymore? Why are you going to quit out of the blue?"
Lu Mingjiang said, "After all, he's old, in his fifties, almost sixty. Being a production team leader doesn't bring any benefits. He has to worry about a lot of things. No one remembers your kindness when you're good, and people criticize you when you're bad. It's a thankless job. Besides, his family is unstable this year. When Dongcai's wife has another child, Chuyi may not be able to leave him alone. Now there are two children now. Dongcai's wife didn't realize how difficult it is to get along with others. With the family in chaos, how can he have the energy to manage the members?"
"That's true." Zhang Hongying sighed, not realizing that the topic had strayed off topic. "Before, their family had the easiest life in this area, but this Dongcai wife gave birth to one child, and she caused a lot of trouble. If you don't choose the right wife, it will bring disaster to the whole family. I'm waiting to see if it's a boy or a girl. If it's a girl, I wonder if she will just ignore it like she did with Chuyi. If it's a boy, I think she'll be crazy. How can this person be like an old hen laying eggs, lifting her butt and then leaving them alone? Is this still human?"
No matter how dissatisfied Lu Mingjiang was with his niece-in-law, he couldn't comment casually. He just said, "So, a harmonious family is the foundation of everything. If there's someone with bad intentions in the family, they'll be like a shit stirrer, causing unrest in the house. So, our family is good the way it is now, and I'm quite satisfied. We don't go hungry on weekdays, and we can improve our lives every now and then. We have new clothes to wear in winter, and we can kill a pig and eat white flour dumplings during the New Year. This is a blessing that many people can't envy."
Zhang Hongying sighed, "Everything changes. Nothing stays the same forever. Li Laiying was fine for the first two years after she came into the family, but she completely changed after giving birth this year. Seeing her like that scares me. Are all young wives like this when they get pregnant? I'm hoping Wanwan will get pregnant soon, but I'm also afraid that if she does, she'll change like Li Laiying. That would be fatal."
"What nonsense are you talking about! How can people be the same? Li Laiying is not the only young wife in our team. She is not the only one who gave birth this year. Liu Chaoxing's wife Daquan and Zhou Mingqing's Lanhua have all given birth. They should just live their lives as usual. I haven't seen them jump so high." After saying this, he looked at the steaming lid of the cauldron hanging there and said, "Oh, it's boiling, the water is boiling. No more nonsense, I'll go get a basin, soak it, and go to bed!"
The couple was about to wash their feet, but Lu Dongping was already lying in bed with his wife in his arms.
Wen Wan was afraid of the cold, and Lu Dongping was as warm as a stove. She curled up in his arms and stepped on his legs without any hesitation.
Warm and sleepy.
"Lu Dongping."
The man hummed.
"You gave all the subsidies from your commune to your mother. Shouldn't you give her the subsidies from mine as well?"
"No, you keep it for yourself. I didn't give it all to her. I just gave it to her to put her mind at ease. We don't have much income at home, and we rely on the work points converted at the end of the year."
Wenwan blinked her eyes and said, "Okay!"
If they were going to the county town, they couldn't leave too late. Knowing they were going, Zhang Hongying got up before dawn to cook for them, and it was already bright after they finished eating.
Wen Wan wrapped herself in a scarf, and gave gloves to Lu Dongping. She carried a bag on her back, which was filled with soap, towel, shampoo and lotion.
The weather was good today. It was foggy in the morning, but soon the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the entire earth. Wen Wan followed Lu Dongping to the commune. The road surface was frozen hard overnight, and the dead grass on the side that had not yet regained its vitality was covered with white frost, making a crackling sound when stepped on.
Lu Dongping took the bag from her and put it on his shoulder. Wen Wan was wrapped up like a ball, stepping around with her bare hands. She looked like a little girl who had not grown up yet, not like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old who had already become a wife.
By the time we reached the commune, the sun had already risen completely, but the mountain wind was still blowing, and even with the sun, we couldn't feel any warmth.
Tomorrow is the 30th. Compared to usual days, there are still many people going to the county town these days. Liu Dacai parked the tractor on the side of the road and squatted there. He rolled some tobacco leaves with a palm-sized piece of straw paper, lit it, and smoked it until a lot of smoke came out.
There were already several people in the car, both men and women. They had arrived early and were freezing cold. Some people couldn't wait any longer and called out to him, "Liu Dacai, when are you leaving? I'm almost frozen to a pulp."
Liu Dacai took a puff of his cigarette and said, "It's almost time. What were you guys trying to do by climbing up here so early? It's so much warmer on the ground. Why did you have to go through that suffering?"
What's the point? I just want to occupy a spacious seat.
Liu Dacai finished smoking the leaf cigarette in his hand and it burned his mouth, so he threw it away reluctantly. Then he saw Lu Dongping and his wife coming to the intersection.
From a distance he waved and shouted, "Here, here!"
As soon as the other person arrived, he started complaining, "Hey, why are you two taking so long? Didn't you say you had to get up early? The sun's already shining on your butts."
While Lu Dongping was talking to him, Wen Wan looked towards the car and actually saw someone she knew: "Director Wang, are you going to the county too?"
Wang Chunmei sat at the very back of the tractor, wearing a green headscarf and a red cotton jacket with black and white patterns. Her hands were tucked into her sleeves, leaving only her eyes exposed. Seeing Wen Wan, she pulled her hands back, pulled her headscarf aside, and waved to her, "Yes, yes, let's go to the county. Come on, let's sit together."
No one noticed her until she spoke. Everyone in the car noticed her. Oh wow, there was a cadre with them, and he was a director.
Wen Wan wanted to, but she was wearing too many clothes, so it was a bit inconvenient to climb up.
Liu Dacai looked at Lu Dongping and said, "You're wearing so much, why are you sitting in the front with me?"
Lu Dongping refused rudely: "There's plenty of room in the back, why should I sit up front with you? My wife and I can't sit comfortably, so why should we sit with you?"
"Hey! Brat, you're talking as if I haven't sat down long enough."
Lu Dongping grabbed the edge of the tractor, climbed up nimbly, and reached out to pull Wen Wan up.
There was a thick layer of wheat straw inside the tractor. Knowing that she was particular, Lu Dongping took out a clean sack to put on the straw before letting her sit down.
Wen Wan sat down next to Wang Chunmei, and Lu Dongping sat next to her. A woman sitting next to them looked at him with complicated eyes, and hurriedly moved to the side, as if he had some infectious disease and she was afraid of getting hurt.
Lu Dongping didn't care and turned to talk to Wang Chunmei: "Director Wang, are you going to the city to buy New Year's goods?"
Wang Chunmei said with a smile: "I went to the County Women's Federation to report on my work. Why would I need to buy New Year's goods? Our commune supply and marketing cooperative has everything. Besides, nowadays, just having a meal of meat is the New Year's celebration. It's much better than in previous years. I don't care about those things anymore."
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