Chapter 267 Reunion
Lu Dongping is used to getting up early, especially when he first arrives in a new place, it is impossible for him to get up late.
Coincidentally, Wen Shihua was the same. It was a habit that had been passed down for decades. Even when he was not in the army, he would get up at five in the morning, run two laps around the compound, and come back hot just in time to cook breakfast.
The father-in-law and son-in-law went out together and met many acquaintances along the way.
Those who live here are all heavyweights in the military region. They are used to life in the army. Whether they are still serving or retired, they all have the habit of jogging in the morning.
Wen Shihua jogged non-stop, introducing Lu Dongping to people he knew. After two laps, he knew everything he needed to know. He believed that he wouldn't need to bring his son-in-law to visit relatives anymore. In less than half a day, everyone in the military compound would know about it. What they knew was that the little girl from the Wen family had returned and married in the countryside, and the two of them had returned together.
Breakfast was simple, but for Lu Dongping, it was quite special: boiled eggs, white bread, and a bowl of soy milk for each person.
Wen Shihua added sugar to Wen Wan, and then told Lu Dongping: "She has liked this since she was a child, but she must add sugar. She won't drink it without sugar." The sugar was white granulated sugar, which Lu Dongping had never seen before. What can be bought in Lujiazui are sugar cubes and brown sugar powder, which are very sweet.
But it also has a medicinal smell.
Lu Dongping recalled the time when she was in confinement after giving birth. The soy milk made from soaked soybeans at home tasted bad when brown sugar was added to it. After adding it once, she didn't want to add it anymore and just poured it into her stomach without any taste.
Wen Shihua asked him, "Do you want some?"
Lu Dongping didn't refuse. He scooped some sugar and stirred it in the bowl. He took a sip and it was very sweet, but not the sweetness of brown sugar.
After breakfast, he went to clean up the dishes. Wen Wan called Lu Chun'e: "Chun'e, we are going to my uncle's house later. Let's go together?" This is the military compound, where Xu Guoan's family lives. Xu Guoping and Xu Guoliang do not live here, but because the old lady is here, they have to gather here for the New Year and other festivals.
Lu Chun'e shook her head: "I won't go." She didn't know anyone there, and it felt a little inappropriate to rashly go to someone else's house during the New Year.
Wen Wan didn't force her: "You don't know my seventh brother very well, why don't you go over and take a look?"
Lu Chun'e smiled and said, "We'll talk about it when we have the chance. I always feel it's not a good idea to go to someone during the New Year."
"Then why don't you just stay home? Or let Zhang Qianfeng drive you around?"
Lu Chun'e waved her hand: "No, no, I can go out for a walk if I want. I don't plan to go out. I haven't recovered from sitting in the car for such a long time. When I sleep at night, my ears are filled with the sound of wheels grinding on the tracks, boom, boom, boom."
In this case, Wen Wan took her to the kitchen and gave her some instructions.
There are both coal stoves and gas stoves at home. They probably won’t be back at noon. Zhang Qianfeng wants to stay with Wen Shihua and always has to eat alone at home.
After giving everything, Wen Wan went upstairs to pack. Actually, there was nothing special to pack, just put on a camel coat, a hat, and a scarf.
It's still very cold outside.
When Lu Dongping came, he was wearing an old military coat and a Zhongshan suit made of gabardine by Wen Wan. He wore this over his sweater. Wen Wan felt cold just looking at him, but Lu Dongping was still wearing this when he went out in the morning.
Now they added another scarf and walked to Xu Guoan's house carrying the New Year gifts that Wen Shihua had bought long ago.
The two families were separated by half a military compound, and it took about ten to twenty minutes to walk at Wenwan's pace.
It was very lively in front of the Xu family's house. After the gathering yesterday, the adults went back home, but the children stayed here. They got up early in the morning without feeling the cold and chased each other on the avenue outside the yard.
Inside the room, Xu Qingming was still coaxing the old lady and doing some final ideological work on her.
"Grandma, let me tell you, Anbao and her lover have a very good relationship. They have a deep affection for each other. You can't make things difficult for them for a while, okay? Otherwise, Anbao will be sad and cry."
The old lady scowled: "You're talking about me, a wicked woman!" Liking someone, can liking someone be a livelihood? Young people are ignorant of the immensity of the world, unaware of the hardships of life, and only care about appearances.
Xu Qingming quietly rolled his eyes, saying something disobedient and unfilial. The old lady was really acting like a "wicked woman" now. He didn't ask for anything else, just that today would be a good day, and everyone could have a happy reunion dinner together.
As he was speaking, voices were heard outside, and Xu Guoan invited Wen Shihua into the living room.
Wen Wan and Lu Dongping walked together, introducing him to the Xu family members, and then introducing them back and greeting them one by one.
Arriving in the living room, Xu Qingming stood up and greeted them, "Uncle, come here! Sit down!"
Wen Shihua looked at the old lady and called out, "Mom, Anbao is back!"
The old lady snorted, and her cloudy eyes looked at Wen Wan, slowly turning red.
Wen Wan called out "Grandma," and the old lady stood up tremblingly. Wen Wan hurried forward to support her: "Grandma, I'm back!"
"Anbao! My sweetheart!" The old lady burst into tears as soon as she opened her mouth. "Girl, why didn't you come to grandma when you were wronged? You ran away quietly. There's no place for you in the Wen family, but there is in the Xu family! You've been gone for so many years, and I've been waiting day and night for you to finally come back."
Wen Shihua said nothing.
People of all ages in the room looked at each other in confusion, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
The children were ignorant and didn't understand the arguments between the adults. They just took a look and then ran away quietly, pushing and shoving each other, leaving the remaining adults feeling embarrassed.
The old lady had been disliking her son-in-law, Wen Shihua, for a long time. Ever since Xu Ruyin died, she had been treating him with contempt. Especially after Wen Shihua remarried and Wen Wan left home, her dislike reached its peak. She was almost about to hit Wen Shihua with her cane. But no one expected that during Chinese New Year, when he came with his daughter and son-in-law, the old lady would be so disrespectful to him.
You have to know that Wen Shihua is no longer the Wen Shihua of the past and does not need to rely on others at all.
Xu Guoan shouted, "Mom, it's good that Anbao is back, why are you crying? Your crying is making her feel bad too."
He spoke, and Aunt Xu Zhou Ping also followed suit, saying, "That's right, aren't you back? From now on, we'll be close to each other, so going back and forth will just be a matter of lifting a foot." After saying that, she pulled Wen Wan away from her arms.
She is almost eighty years old and has always been in poor health, but now she is very energetic, as if someone is trying to snatch the baby in her arms from her.
Wen Wan breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the old lady's eyes with a handkerchief, and then said to her: "Grandma, that's my lover, Lu Dongping!"
The old lady wiped her eyes without even looking at him, and said "hmm" in a muffled voice.
Lu Dongping also called out "Grandma."
The old lady then looked at him.
In terms of looks, she is barely worthy of her An Bao, but——
"What does your family do?"
Lu Dongping answered honestly: "My family are all poor and lower-middle peasants. We farm and earn work points."
Xu Qingming added two sentences to him: "His grandparents are martyrs, and he works in the armed forces." Lu Dongping probably didn't understand. Although the status of poor and lower-middle peasants is the best now, they can't get a chance with the old lady.
Zhou Ping saw that everyone in the room was standing, and gently pulled Xu Guoan. Xu Guoan came back to his senses: "Ah, sit down, sit down and talk. Shihua, Dongping, you sit down, why are you standing? Dongping, don't be restrained, treat this like you're at home." As she spoke, Zhou Ping had already taken out a set of white porcelain cups printed with red plums to make tea for the guests.
Lu Dongping thanked him and sat down next to Wen Shihua.
Yet, he couldn't relax even a little, his nerves pounding. He was treating this like his own family? He couldn't even do that at the Wen family, let alone here. He wasn't stupid; he could tell that Wen Wan's grandmother disliked him, and it seemed she didn't like his father-in-law either.
After comforting the old lady, Wen Wan finally spoke to Zhou Ping, "How's your aunt?" Zhou Ping was fifty-five this year. When Wen Wan passed away, she was still full of energy, with a perm, and a very elegant demeanor. But after not seeing her for a few years, she had some white hair on her head, was a little heavier, and seemed less energetic than before.
Zhou Ping sat down next to her and said, "Good, very good!" But how good could it be in reality?
In the past few years, their children were sent down to the countryside one after another, and Xu Guoping and Xu Guoliang followed them. The old man and the old lady followed them to the military region. They were worried about something there and their health had been poor. In addition, their daughter-in-law had given birth again, so she had to be busy with work, take care of the elderly, and look after the children. She was like a spinning top all day long. Later, after sending the old man away, she also fell ill.
Rest, it's impossible to really rest.
When the old man passed away, only Xu Guoan was there. Xu Guoping and Xu Guoliang were unable to come back, not to mention the younger ones. The Xu family was in turmoil at that time. It can be said that the old man left with great reluctance.
The old lady collapsed just after he left. Zhou Ping dragged his exhausted body to take care of her. Later, the old lady's health improved, but her temper became worse and weirder.
These past few years have been the most difficult years of her life following Xu Guoan. She didn't have this feeling even in the turbulent early years. She felt like she would die at any time because of the trivial matters at home.
"Girl, it's good you're back." She had initially thought Wen Wan was spoiled and overthinking things, but then she realized Wen Wan's departure was actually a good thing. Voluntary relocation to the countryside was always better than forced relocation. Fortunately, everyone had made it through and returned.
Zhou Ping and Wen Wan were accompanying the old lady, while Xu Guoan chatted with Wen Shihua, not neglecting Lu Dongping. Both of them had been in the army for many years. Although Lu Dongping had never been to such places, he had been hanging out with the old hunter in the team since he was a child. He was quite skilled, and after spending many years in the armed forces, he could still find common topics.
Without the old lady's cold face, and without thinking too much about it, coupled with Xu Qingming's jokes, the atmosphere was very harmonious.
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