For several days in a row, Liu Meiyu went to the shabby courtyard to ask Yao Shunliu for pork ribs and pork, and sometimes asked them to help bring some other things to Lu Changzheng to improve his diet.
Because Yao Shunliu still had to work on the black market, Liu Meiyun traded with his wife Jiang Xiulan most of the time.
It was only after they got to know each other that Liu Meiyu found out that Yao Shunliu got married within two years of going to the countryside. His wife was from the local farm. She was the only daughter of the family, known as a "lost family" in the village. His parents wanted to find a son-in-law, and they searched for many years. Those with good conditions were unwilling to marry, and they looked down on Jiang Xiulan, who was poor and incompetent. In the end, Jiang Xiulan chose Yao Shunliu, who had the worst conditions in the educated youth team and walked with a limp.
At first Jiang Xiulan's parents looked down on them. Not only were Yao Shun and his six companions cunning, but they also had unsteady legs and could not do farm work. Moreover, how could a man from a big city be willing to live with them? But in the end, they could not change their daughter's wishes, so they had to accept a son-in-law who could not do farm work.
Since Yao Shunliu got married, he has lived and ate at his father-in-law's house, and his son also took his father-in-law's surname. He himself didn't care at all.
On the last day of improving Lu Changzheng's food, Yao Shunliu knew he was leaving, so he and his wife cooked a table of dishes at home to entertain him. Liu Meiyun did not refuse. She sat in the yard to help Jiang Xiulan look after the two-year-old baby and casually said, "I thought you would marry the female educated youth in the state-owned hotel last time."
"No one would think highly of me." Yao Shunliu smiled bitterly.
Liu Meiyu didn't know how much sadness was mixed in that smile, but it was definitely an unpleasant memory.
Although Liu Meiyu was curious about Yao Shunliu, she didn't plan to ask him any more questions. After drinking two sips of wine, he started to shake.
"In 1972, we had just confirmed our relationship when the educated youth center suddenly had two university places for workers, peasants and soldiers. She went with another male educated youth, and broke up with me as soon as the places were announced. I had nothing and was half-crippled, so how could I compare to the students at Renmin University?"
Yao Shunliu laughed at himself, teased his son, and looked at his wife who was busy cooking in the kitchen. He said contentedly, "Don't even mention Renmin University students. I'm poor and disabled. It's hard for me to find a partner in the village. Only Xiulan, I don't know if her eyesight is not good or what, can actually like me."
"Brother Yao, don't look down on yourself." Liu Meiyu felt that Jiang Xiulan's vision was a bit poisonous.
Yao Shunliu was able to find a way to start a pork business in such a short time after showing houses to people. This person is destined not to work in the fields for a lifetime.
"I think Sister Xiulan is a very honest person and has good vision." Nowadays, it is rare to find a wife who knows that her husband is engaged in speculation and is not only not afraid, but also unconditionally supports and helps him do it.
Liu Meiyu actually likes Jiang Xiulan's bold character.
After dinner, Liu Meiyu slipped a small red envelope into the child's clothes while the couple wasn't paying attention. She didn't even take the pork ribs and the pork, and just left.
Watching Yao Shunliu working in the countryside for several years, from getting married to having children, Liu Meiyu felt that time had passed in the blink of an eye.
There were only two years left until the college entrance examination. After 1977, everything started to rush forward as if on an accelerator. Liu Meiyu lived a stable life for several years, but when the tide of the times was about to hit, she didn't want to be a salted fish on the beach anymore. She just wanted to ride the waves and take advantage of the opportunity given by God to be a trendsetters.
Liu Meiyun went around to the scrap recycling station and spent a long time, bending her waist until she was tired, before she finally collected two sets of old high school textbooks and some discarded reference books.
For one of the sets, she did not forget her promise. As soon as the college entrance examination results were announced two years later, she would send one set to Song Hongying's younger brother.
Lu Changzheng had been providing Liu Meiyun with good food and drink over the past few days, and not only did her body recover quickly, but she also gained some weight.
Even the doctor was surprised at his speed of recovery. After a full-body check-up and confirming that all other injuries had almost healed except for the plaster on his leg, he was approved to be discharged from the hospital. He was allowed to go home to recuperate for half a month, and then he could have the plaster removed directly at the island hospital.
After returning home from the Changzheng period, Lu felt much more at ease.
There is one thing: his and his wife’s world of two is gone.
During this time, the triplets could only go to the city hospital to see their parents with their aunt and uncle on weekends. Now that their parents were finally home, Dabao was very clingy and almost followed Liu Meiyun's every step.
The two brothers Erbao and Xiaobao also competed with each other, telling their mother what happened in the kindergarten in the past few days like duck mouths.
Liu Meiyu was the only one in the family who was the most patient. Every day she would talk to the three brothers about what they played in kindergarten, who wet their pants, who got beaten, who was lazy while playing games. Lu Changzheng had heard it several times. Every day it was the same boring content, but the children just kept talking and you had to respond.
Lu Changzheng and Lu Wanjun didn't have that kind of patience anyway, and often got annoyed after just a few words. Only the mother, Liu Meiyun, could communicate with her child smoothly while working.
Dabao: "Mom, Erbao and Tiantian had a fight, and he lost one of Tiantian's favorite colored pencils."
Liu Meiyun: "Did Erbao apologize?"
Erbao: "I apologized, Mom, and I even gave her my crayons. Tiantian said she's not mad at me anymore."
While sweeping the yard, Liu Meiyu said, "That's good. Erbao did a great job."
Xiaobao was chewing on boiled corn, and when his brother finished speaking, he couldn't wait to say, "Mom, I picked up four cigarette boxes outside the day before yesterday, and I shared them with Dabao and Erbao."
"Well, Xiaobao is really generous." Liu Meiyu praised.
Dabao was not to be outdone: "Mom, the teacher said that next month is Children's Day, and we have to perform a show, and let me be the lead singer."
"Dabao is so amazing, then sing a song for mommy and I'll listen." While speaking, Liu Meiyu had finished sweeping the yard and went into the house to cook dinner for Xiaohei.
The three brothers followed closely again.
Dabao stood by the stove with a very positive attitude, just as the teacher taught him, with his body straight. Just as he was about to start singing, Erbao and Xiaobao beside him also came over.
"Mom, Erbao can do it too."
"And Xiaobao."
Liu Meiyun calmly put the pot of water on the stove and said, "Okay, then you guys sing together, Dabao will lead the singing."
So in the house, the uneven "ghost howling" of the three brothers was transmitted again and again into the ears of Lu Changzheng who was lying on the kang recuperating from his injuries.
Since I returned home, I have rarely had any quiet time with my wife, let alone time alone.
Liu Meiyu listened to the three brothers singing, the corners of her mouth twitched. She resisted the urge to cover her ears and forced herself to listen to the end. In order not to undermine the children's self-confidence, she had to praise them against her conscience.
"Well, Dabao looks so handsome standing in the front as the lead singer."
Liu Meiyu sincerely felt that with her son Dabao's bass voice, it was a bit of a stretch for him to be the lead singer. The teacher who made this decision was probably just looking at the appearance.
Her eldest son is really getting more and more handsome as he grows up, completely surpassing his father's handsomeness.
"Erbao remembers the lyrics so well!" But not a single one of them is in tune.
"Xiaobao has such a loud voice!" He even roars when he sings, completely drowning out the voices of his two older brothers.
After listening to the three brothers singing and talking about many interesting things at school, Liu Meiyun really felt that the job of a kindergarten teacher was not easy.
It's not only difficult, the teachers in the school are almost going crazy.
The triplets are in kindergarten. They seem disobedient, but they are actually very obedient and will reason with you about everything.
The teacher originally didn’t plan to have the triplets perform together on Children’s Day, but Dabao refused to dance and said, “Teacher, girls dance. Dabao is a man and won’t dance.”
Okay, the teacher will let Dabao sing.
Erbao had a good reason for not dancing: "Teacher, dancing looks better when you wear a skirt. Erbao doesn't have a skirt. I'll go home and ask my mom to buy me a skirt before I dance. I want to wear the same skirt as Tiantian."
When the teacher heard this, he thought this was not going to work and he had to persuade the child to sing with Dabao.
Xiaobao is willing to dance, but... he moves too hard and is very active, so he always accidentally hits the children next to him, and then they all cry loudly.
When the choir teacher heard the effect of putting the three brothers in the choir, he was even more confused.
There was no other way. For the Children's Day arts performance, the military kindergarten had received instructions to ensure that every child participated, without any discrimination.
Finally, the teacher had no choice but to try to submit a chorus for the triplets individually, and unexpectedly, it was passed.
So in the past few days, the triplets were forced by their teacher to practice singing in kindergarten. They practiced every day, but their singing got worse day by day...
The kindergarten teacher was at a loss and finally had to seek help from the child's family.
"Comrade Liu Meiyun, we have no choice. We have already signed up for the show, and it will be performed in a few days. Our teacher was wondering if you could help practice at home to improve your progress."
The teacher wiped the sweat from his forehead with a nervous look on his face.
"I understand. Teacher, I will give it a try in the next few days, but I can't guarantee the effect." Liu Meiyu poured a cup of sugar water for the teacher. Although she was her biological mother, she didn't dare to issue this military warrant lightly.
She observed her three sons and was afraid that they were not born with the talent for singing.
I'm afraid that the path to pursuing art has been blocked since I was young due to Lu's Long March.
When people hear Lu Changzheng playing the harmonica, they want to beat him up. So it is not surprising at all when his three sons sing out of tune.
"Thank you for your cooperation. It would be great if you can make a little progress." To be honest, the teacher didn't have high expectations.
After seeing off the sweaty teacher, Liu Meiyu saw her three sons howling in the yard again. They were in a good mood and wanted to perform well in front of the teacher, so she went back to the house and found two balls of cotton to plug her ears.
When I returned to the room, I saw Lu Changzheng sitting on the kang with cotton stuffed in his ears, reading a military book with great interest!
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