After arriving home, Xuemei finally realized why she had gone to the county town. As soon as she entered the yard, she saw Liu's father weaving baskets.
"Dad, we're back. Dad, I want to tell you that I won the essay competition." Xuemei ran over and said to Liu's father.
"Really? What place did you get?" Father Liu put down the basket and asked Xuemei.
"He won second prize, and this is the certificate. Their principal also praised him." Liu's mother put down the backpack, took out the folded certificate from her pocket, opened it and handed it to Liu's father.
Then she said to Xuemei, "Xuemei, go take out your prize from my backpack and show it to your father." Mother Liu gave her a look.
Xuemei understood, put her hand into the backpack, pretending to take something out of it, but actually took out a pen and a red envelope from the space.
"Mom, mom, you're back. Did you bring anything delicious?" Qingya, Ruirui, and Feifei ran out of the kitchen upon hearing the sound. Their three little faces were covered in soot, and they were holding roasted sweet potatoes in their hands.
"You three little ones only care about delicious food. Do you know that your eldest sister won the essay competition today? There are prizes and money to be won. You should learn from your eldest sister and study hard." Mother Liu said to the three little ones.
"Look, this is the reward from your eldest sister. It's a Hero brand pen, which is a good thing." Father Liu raised the pen in his hand.
"Sister, is that true? This is really a Hero brand pen." Qingya asked, holding Xuemei's hand.
"Of course it's true. I won second prize in the essay competition and it was a reward from the county. There was also a red envelope with one dollar in it. Mom said it belongs to me." Xuemei said as she opened the red envelope.
"Sister, you are so awesome. You have a lot of money now. Sister, I will study hard in the future." Qingya said.
"You're just talking big but not doing anything. I asked you to read more every day, but you didn't. After finishing your homework, you took your brothers out to play."
"I'm only in the first grade. I just need to study hard in the future." Qing Ya said angrily.
"Okay, have you seen enough? The pen won't run away. Are you still going to eat today? I bought half a pound of meat today. Can you go and call mom and dad over for dinner later? And call your second brother's family over as well!" Mother Liu joked as she saw Father Liu staring at the pen in his hand.
"I can't get enough of it. This is my daughter's prize. It's time to call my parents over for dinner and tell them the good news. I'll go now and get a pot of wine. Tonight, the three of us, father and son, are going to have a good drink."
After saying this, Father Liu took a wine jug from home and left. The place where Father Liu got his wine was right next to Grandpa Liu's house. It was the home of Grandpa Liu's eldest brother, Liu Guilai. The rice wine made by Grandpa Liu's eldest brother was a specialty in several nearby villages. Whenever there was a happy event at home or during the New Year, the villagers would come here to get some wine.
As soon as the little ones in the family heard that they were going to eat meat, they followed behind Liu's mother.
After Liu's mother cooked the corn porridge and fried the fat, Liu's father came back, and Grandpa Liu and his family also came.
As soon as Grandma Liu came in, she handed Liu's mother a small basket. "Lao Da's wife, these are a few eggs for the children to nourish their bodies."
"Mom, why did you bring eggs? Save them for Dad." Liu's mother refused to take them.
Grandma Liu put it on the kitchen table and said, "Save it for your father. Xuemei won a prize, so she deserves something delicious."
"Xuemei's mother, you go ahead! It's for the children to eat. Only if the children are like Xuemei can they bring honor to our Liu family. Listen up, the rest of you children too. Study hard in the future, and you will have eggs to eat." Grandpa Liu said on his second son's back.
"Okay, Mom and Dad, I'll keep it. Dad, take Mom and Dad to the main hall and sit down first. I'll cook the dishes and then we'll eat."
Liu's mother was cooking in the kitchen when Xuemei and Erniang came in with a cloth bag. "Sister-in-law, this is our family's food supply. It's on the table. I'll light the fire for you. Xuemei, take your younger siblings to find your older brothers and sisters. Erniang will stay here to help. If you stay here any longer, the kitchen will be flooded with your saliva," Wang Shuihua joked.
Wang Shuihua took over Xuemei's seat and said while washing spinach, "Sister-in-law, Xuemei has brought honor to you this time. My son Mingwen is in the same class as yours, Xuemei. He used to be okay with his brother studying in the commune, but now his grades are much worse. In the last midterm exam, Xuemei was first, and he was only in the teens. I want Xuemei to help his second brother study from now on."
"As for boys, they are young now and cannot concentrate. They will be better when they grow up. If he is willing, he can come to my house with Xuemei after school to finish his homework before going back. I heard that Mingzheng of yours has good grades and is a good seedling." Liu's mother said.
"That's good. I'm worried about Mingwen now. I'm afraid that he won't be able to pass the junior high school entrance exam. Now workers generally require junior high school graduates." Wang Shuihua said with a smile.
…
"Xuemei, clear the table in the main room. It's time for dinner." Liu's mother shouted outside.
The children stared at the dishes on the table. Mother Liu had fried fried chopped peppers, pickled beans and minced pork, chili and eggplant, and a spinach and egg soup. While there wasn't much meat in the dishes, it had been ages since anyone had seen meat.
As soon as Grandpa Liu picked up his chopsticks, everyone started eating with a slurp. After the meal was finished, Liu's father and his two sons started drinking. Liu's mother brought them a small bowl of fried peanuts to go with the wine.
Grandma Liu and Wang Shuihua helped Liu's mother clean up the dishes and then took the children home.
"Xuemei, your father and the others will need to drink for a while. Take a bath with your brothers and sisters first. After that, take them to bed early. I'll take you to grandma's house tomorrow."
Liu's mother hadn't been back to her parents' home for several months. The last time was during the Mid-Autumn Festival when Liu's father came to give her gifts. He planned to take the children back to visit their grandparents tomorrow since they didn't have school.
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