The next afternoon, Du Jiang, who was sitting on the porch washing clothes, finally saw Yu Chunxiao's family, who had come to celebrate the Lunar New Year. However, looking at the packages carried by the three of them, Du Jiang was unsure. Was this really the Lunar New Year? If she was not mistaken, the middle-aged woman across from her was carrying an iron pot.
Not only Du Jiang was suspicious, Guan Chuan, who was washing clothes in the yard, also stood up in surprise.
The two looked at each other and walked towards him with suspicion.
"Chunxiao, this is your uncle and aunt, right?" Du Jiang asked first.
Yu Chunxiao's smile was the same as always. She immediately pulled her sister Yu Chunyue, who had been following behind her for a while, and stepped forward and said, "Sister Jiang, this is my sister Chunyue. Behind them are my parents. Well, I'll take my parents to look at houses first. You guys can come over for dinner later. Is everyone else here?" Yu Chunxiao looked past Guan Chuan and Du Jiang at the empty yard with some surprise, "Is everyone else here?"
Guan Chuan: "Brother He and his wife are going home to get a certificate from the village chief. They will probably leave soon. The others are following Brother Xu to collect firewood in the mountains."
Hearing this, Yu Chunxiao nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take my family back and settle them down first, and then I'll find you later."
Seeing this, Du Jiang made way for the door and said, "Uncle and aunt, please come in quickly. Guan Chuan, please help aunt with some things." Looking at the large and small bags, Du Jiang felt that they were really heavy.
Just as Guan Chuan stepped forward, Yu's mother dodged her aunt and politely declined Guan Chuan's help, "No need, young man, it's okay, I can do it myself, you guys go ahead and do your work, I'll go with Chunxiao to settle it."
Uncle Yu exuded a scholarly air, but his personality seemed cheerful at the time. He looked at the apron around Du Jiang's waist, then at the basin under the porch, and said, "You must be Du Jiang. I always hear Chunxiao mention you in her letters." Then he pointed to the washing basin under the porch, "The water is getting cold. Go wash your clothes first. Everyone will come to our house for dinner tonight. We'll treat you tonight."
Hearing this, before Du Jiang could reply, Guan Chuan jumped up happily, "Okay, then I'll bring some preserved vegetable pot cakes over. My parents mailed some to me a few days ago. Don't mind, uncle and aunt."
"No, no, your own food is also in short supply, no need to bring anything, I brought plenty this time."
Seeing that Uncle Yu was about to continue chatting with Guan Chuan, Mother Yu coughed a few times and finally stopped him. Father Yu seemed to react and immediately laughed and said, "Young man, wait until I settle down. All these bags are tiring."
Upon hearing this, Guan Chuan did not continue to block the door. He immediately moved aside and watched the family of four walk towards the alley before looking away.
"Sister Jiang, did you say Uncle Yu is here to visit relatives? Why did he bring the pot with him?" Guan Chuan leaned close to Du Jiang and whispered, "I feel a little strange about this. And her sister looks gloomy and silent."
"Shut up! If Chunxiao hears you, I won't forgive you," Du Jiang gave him a cold look.
But Guan Chuan shrugged disapprovingly, "Isn't this something you only say when people are far away?"
Just when Du Jiang was about to say something, Qian Meili and He Jiefang walked in from outside. As soon as they entered the yard, they saw Du Jiang and Guan Chuan talking together. They were immediately surprised and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Guan Chuan: "Hey, Brother He, you look so happy. It seems that the village chief has approved your leave. How much leave is it and when will you leave?"
He Jiefang: "Hehe, it's half a month's vacation. I'll be back on the fifth day of the New Year. Meili and I will leave soon. We'll go to the town first and take the bus to the city, and then take the late night train. If we catch the daytime train, we'll waste a whole day."
Qian Meili said with a bitter face, "There's nothing I can do. The journey is too long and we don't have much time off. It will take five or six days to go back and forth."
Du Jiang had no idea about the journey, "Then you have to rush back on the second day of the New Year."
"Yeah," Qian Meili became even more worried. "Forget it, let's go back first. After all, it's not appropriate for us to get married this year without seeing anyone."
"That's true," Du Jiang said with sympathy. Knowing that the two were anxious, he immediately stepped back and said, "Okay, stop chatting here. Hurry and pack your things."
"We packed everything this morning. The postage is too expensive, so we might as well carry everything ourselves," Qian Meili immediately walked into the house, and He Jiefang followed closely behind.
Watching the couple enter the house, Du Jiang let out a breath and raised her foot to continue washing clothes. You know, the temperature outside is low, and if she continues washing any more, the hot water in the basin will become cold.
Sitting back on the stool, Du Jiang reached out to test the temperature of the basin. Fortunately, it was warm. Seeing this, Du Jiang quickly rubbed it with chopsticks.
Looking at Du Jiang's nimble movements, Guan Chuan came over again nonchalantly, squatted in front of Du Jiang and whispered, "Sister Jiang, why don't you rub my sweater as well? Don't worry, I won't let you rub it in vain."
Looking at the number Guan Chuan was pointing at, Du Jiang replied directly with two words, "Dream on," and at the same time, he didn't forget to chase him away, "Hurry back to your place, it will be embarrassing if someone sees you."
"That's right, Guan Chuan," Qian Meili came out of the house carrying a package. Seeing Guan Chuan squatting next to Du Jiang, she immediately said, "Hurry up. Although there are fewer people in winter, there are still people around. Don't let Du Jiang get in trouble, otherwise Brother Huo will not forgive you."
"That's right, Guan Chuan, it doesn't matter if you are careless, but Du Jiang can't do that."
Guan Chuan was very depressed by the couple's back-and-forth. "Can't I even talk to Sister Jiang? I didn't do anything."
He Jiefang shook his head. "You don't know what you are like. People in the village say you are a slacker and a loser, so you should be self-aware."
Seeing that He Jiefang was talking more and more nonsense, Du Jiang quickly stood up and said, "Brother He, Sister Qian, I'll walk you to the door. It's getting late. I guess if you rush to town now, you can catch the last bus."
"That's true, Jiefang, let's go quickly." Qian Meili became anxious when the bus was mentioned, and immediately pulled He Jiefang out.
Before leaving, he asked Du Jiang to help take care of their house. "Du Jiang, thank you very much. When Jiefang and I come back, we will bring you some delicious food."
Standing at the gate of the educated youth center, watching the two figures disappear at the end of the road, Du Jiang turned back into the yard. Guan Chuan was squatting beside her laundry tub. Seeing Du Jiang come back, he did not forget to look up and show a flattering smile, "Sister Jiang, I want to talk to you."
Seeing this, Du Jiang couldn't chase him away, so he could only sit on his bench and rub clothes as if he didn't exist. "Go ahead, what do you want to say?"
Who knew that as soon as he finished speaking, Guan Chuan stretched his neck slyly and looked in the direction of the alley.
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