When Ma Hua returned home with bags and packages, his mother had already prepared dinner. The family was chatting at the table when his sister-in-law heard the noise and immediately said, "Is that Xiao Hua back? Quickly wash your hands and eat!"
She was about to take the two children out for a meal when she glanced up and noticed that Ma Hua was carrying many bags and the two children were waving their snacks at her with a showy air.
The eldest sister-in-law gave Ma Hua a reproachful look. These two younger brothers didn't like to eat properly to begin with, but after all, he was her uncle. She could only say helplessly, "Xiao Hua, you can't spoil them like this anymore, understand? Ziming, Zishan, you two, hurry up and wash your hands and get ready to eat."
Only then did everyone look up at Ma Hua and his two companions who had just returned. Ma Hua's mother glared at him and said, "You brat. You spend your salary recklessly. Why did you buy so much stuff today? Is there some happy occasion?"
"Hehe, Mom knows me best." Ma Hua chuckled sheepishly as he pulled two bottles of liquor from his net bag and handed them to his father. "Dad, this is the liquor I bought for you." It wasn't that Ma Hua was reluctant to take out Moutai; he simply couldn't explain it—the supply and marketing cooperative in their alley didn't sell Moutai at all.
“Sister-in-law, Mom, this is the clam oil I bought for you, and also some candy, pastries, and school supplies for the children. As for... brother, you can forget about it,” Ma Hua ignored her brother’s resentful gaze.
He ran straight to his mother's side, and pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket with a look of envy, but he covered it with his fists: "Ta-da! This is my salary for this month. Mom, guess how much money I got this month?"
The mother said irritably, "With your meager salary, you still have the nerve to show off? Keep it for yourself."
Ma Hua scratched his head sheepishly, realizing that his monthly salary was only a dozen yuan. After deducting the money he spent on shazhu's things each month, he was left with at most ten yuan of pocket money.
Ma Hua persisted, pleading with her mother, "Mom, just guess!"
Having just received a benefit, the eldest sister-in-law chimed in, "Mom, just guess! Judging from Xiaohua's attitude, her salary this month must be high. Otherwise, she wouldn't be showing off like this."
"Okay, okay, okay, I guess you made fifty this month, right?" The mother rolled her eyes at Ma Hua, somewhat speechless, and said indifferently. Ignoring Ma Hua's surprised look, she continued, "Looking at you like this, I think I guessed right. Then hurry up and sit down to eat."
At the dinner table, Ma Hua finally couldn't contain his surprise and looked at his mother. His sister-in-law chuckled at Ma Hua's resentful expression. Seeing this, his mother said, "Don't you have a Level 6 certificate? Nowadays, factories determine wages according to worker level, as per regulations."
You told us before that you were planning to make things difficult for you, assigning you to level eight, but seeing how happy you are today, you must have paid the real amount. A level six cook only gets forty-eight and a half yuan a month. We already guessed it before you even said it.”
"Really?" Ma Hua looked up and glanced around, somewhat speechless. Seeing his elder brother and sister-in-law nodding in agreement, he realized that he had been seen through all along, and he felt both annoyed and amused.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and eat. When you're happy, your eyebrows just keep raising," the mother said definitively, explaining the situation.
After the whole family finished eating, the mother called Ma Hua aside and said, "Xiao Hua, is there something you haven't told me? I noticed you seemed hesitant to speak at the dinner table. Is there something you can't tell me?"
"Mom, the factory has allocated us housing." After thinking for a moment, Ma Hua decided to be honest with her mother.
The mother frowned, then feigned great joy: "That's wonderful! Why are you hesitant to say anything? Oh, I see, is the house a bit far from here?"
“Yes, it’s at No. 95 Nanluo,” Ma Hua nodded.
"It's alright, this is a good thing, it's not far from here. You're all grown up now, it's not good to always squeeze in with Ziming. It's alright, silly child, now that you have a house, it's time to find you a wife. Xiaohua, have you seen any girls you like?" The mother pretended to be indifferent and directly changed the subject.
"No, there isn't a suitable one yet," Ma Hua's face flushed instantly. Why did her mother suddenly bring this up? She was only nineteen, not old enough to be considered legally old.
“You’re not getting any younger. When your dad was your age, he’d already been married to me for two years. Alright, now that you have a stable job and a house, all that’s missing is a beautiful daughter-in-law for me. I’m still waiting to give you a grandson,” the mother glared at Ma Hua, her eyes wide with anger. “Two years ago, I said I’d find you one, but you said you were too young. Last year, you said you didn’t have a house and your job wasn’t stable. Let’s see how you’re going to refuse this year.”
"Well, okay, I'll tell you when it's appropriate!" Ma Hua said somewhat helplessly. Having lived two lives, this was the first time he'd been pressured to get married, and it was quite embarrassing.
"Alright, you should go back to your room and rest too. Remember to keep an eye on Dianziming tonight, don't let him play too late," his mother instructed before leaving.
When Ma Hua returned to the room, Ma Ziming was sitting on the table playing with the new toys Ma Hua had bought for him. When he saw Ma Hua return, he immediately rushed over excitedly: "Uncle, Uncle, will you play with me?"
An hour later, Ma Huasheng looked at the energetic Ma Ziming in front of him with utter despair. Why wasn't he asleep yet? Why wasn't he sleepy and was still playing?
Even after his sister-in-law finished helping Ma Ziming wash up, he was still lying in bed chatting with himself; "Uncle, Uncle, do you think my classmates will be really envious if they know I have a new toy?" "Uncle, Uncle, why is the moon so bright?" "Uncle, Uncle..."
"Ma Ziming, if you don't go to sleep, I'll tell your mom and she'll beat you up!" Ma Hua, having reached her limit, resorted to her ultimate weapon: calling the parents. Only then did Ma Ziming reluctantly mumble a few words and go to sleep.
At this moment, Ma Hua felt a mix of emotions. After all, he had always been a loner. He had always slept alone, disliked crowds, and had never experienced the warmth of family. How to put it... though his heart was warm...
But I still feel a little uncomfortable. Actually, it's quite nice to live in my own room; it's quiet, especially since I have so many secrets to keep.
That night, Ma Hua couldn't sleep. She was exhausted but couldn't fall asleep no matter what she tried. When Ma Hua appeared beside her mother with dark circles under her eyes, her mother's heart tightened. "Oh dear," she thought, "it seems Ziming caused trouble again tonight. This kid... whatever happens, happens."
She's a real taciturn person, keeping everything bottled up inside and unwilling to talk about it. Thinking about my conversation with Jianguo yesterday, sigh, although I really want Xiaohua by my side, moving out to get some exercise would be good too.
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