Chapter 191: Hot and Booming
Gu Qingqing held her left hand in his palm, and her right hand was still touching something to eat. Qin Li brought two cups of tea over, one for Chu Dai and one for Shen Sui, and said helplessly, "You just finished your meal, aren't you full?"
"I can't stop eating." Gu Qingqing crunched the sweet potato chips and said with a smile: "I will be returning to the military area in a few days. Cherish the time I am still at home."
Qin Li ruffled her hair and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, okay, don't you like eating snails? Last night your uncle and his friends went to eat half a bucket of snails and spit out mud. I'll talk to my third brother and fry them for dinner tonight."
Gu Qingqing couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "You used to call me uncle, but now you change your way of addressing me, are you not used to it?"
Gu Bao is an old man, about the same age as Gu Xiong. They are the same age, but they are not of the same generation.
"It's okay. I've gotten used to it after a while." Seeing Gu Qingqing and Chu Dai holding hands tightly, she smiled knowingly: "You two should have a cup of tea together. I'm too lazy to make tea. I still have to help my second sister-in-law with some work. You guys can chat."
Chu Dai nodded slightly, and Gu Qingqing narrowed her eyes and smiled: "Okay."
After she left, Gu Qingqing said, "I suspect that my uncle has had feelings for Qin Li for a long time, but he delayed it for so long because he was afraid that my father would not agree."
"No way." The man put her left hand on her lap, played with her slender fingers, and said, "My uncle doesn't seem to be someone who would care so much about others."
"That's right." Gu Qingqing thought for a moment. Gu Bao was indeed quite heartless. Besides, although Dad liked to argue with Uncle Qin, they actually had a very close relationship.
In the main room, there was the sound of the TV and the noise of two children playing around. Shen Sui watched TV quietly, occasionally listening to his sister and brother-in-law chatting.
In the evening, it started to snow outside. By the time they finished their meal, the snow was getting heavier and heavier, leaving pits wherever they stepped.
Shen Sui was a child from the south. He had only seen snow when he came to Datunzi Village. He took his two little nephews to play in the snow in the yard.
Tuantuan wears a tiger-head hat every year and a longevity lock around his neck. The lock makes a jingling sound when he walks, and his tiger-head look is particularly adorable.
Looking at their red faces, Gu Qingqing asked worriedly, "Will they catch a cold?"
"It's okay." Chu Dai retracted his gaze, "Let them play for ten minutes and then come in."
Shen Sui started rolling snowballs to make a snowman. Gu Bao, who had just finished his work, was bored and just helped to push it. The snowball became bigger and bigger. Gu Xiong and others also joined in. In the end, there was only a thin layer of snow left in the yard, and the snowball was taller than Shen Sui.
Gu Weixing found two branches to use as the snowman's hands, and Gu Bao broke off a piece of carrot to use as the snowman's nose. Zhang Cuifen scolded them for wasting things.
The curse stopped only when he heard that it was Shen Sui who wanted to play.
The two little guys clapped their hands and grinned as they watched their uncles making a snowman, the silver bracelets on their hands jingling.
Ten minutes later, the man stood up and strode out, carrying the two little guys in each hand and into the house. Tuantuan and Niannian kept kicking their little feet as if in protest, and the snow on their bodies was shaken off by themselves.
Gu Qingqing touched the hands of the two boys, which were still warm, so she held them in her arms and warmed them by the fire. Seeing that they were struggling to get down to the ground, she took two pieces of date mud cake from the enamel plate, and the two brothers behaved themselves this time.
After playing for a while, it was already past eight o'clock, and the light in the kitchen was still on. I forgot to give these two little guys a bath in the morning, and they slept very late in the afternoon, so I had to carry them to the kitchen and give them a quick bath by the stove.
Shi Rushuang handed over a dry towel and said, "Hurry up and dress them, don't let them get frozen. You young people are such a worry to be parents, and you let them play in the snow."
Gu Qingqing ignored the request and dressed the child. "I know, I know, I won't do it next time!"
Seeing that the eldest daughter-in-law was about to say something, Zhang Cuifen came to the rescue: "It was the same when Canyang and his friends were little. We had to work in the fields in the ice and snow, while they played on the edge of the fields. It was much colder then than it is now."
"The physical constitution of children nowadays is not as good as before..." Shi Rushuang said a few words and was called away by Han Lianxin again.
Tonight, water has been boiling in a big iron pot. Since there are so many people in the family, boiling water in three big pots is not enough.
Gu Cai prepared tomorrow's dishes. There was no need to put them in the refrigerator in this cold weather. He rubbed his hands and sat by the stove. "If our family takes a bath first every year, we will definitely have good luck in the coming year."
This is also their emphasis. On New Year’s Eve, children are the first to wash, which means it will bring good luck to the new year.
Gu Qingqing moved aside a little to make room for her uncle, and threw a piece of firewood into the stove: "Should we go to my great-grandfather's house tomorrow morning to pay New Year's greetings? Should we bring Tuantuan and Niannian with us?"
"See if it's cold. If it's cold, don't bring it. We're at home, so we don't care." Gu Cai finished preparing the dishes and heaved a sigh of relief. Then he suddenly remembered something and his expression froze.
Gu Qingqing noticed it and asked, "What's wrong, Third Uncle?"
"I forgot to fry the tofu, and it's still in the tofu box. I had too much to do today and forgot about it. Look at my memory." He muttered again and got up to get the tofu box.
Gu Qingqing found it a little funny. Just then Shen Sui came in and said, "Ah Sui, go get a bucket and fetch some water for a bath."
Shen Sui nodded and was about to leave when Chu Dai noticed a red blush on his cheeks. He frowned and said, "Come here for a moment."
The boy stopped and turned to walk towards them. Under Gu Qingqing's puzzled gaze, the man raised his hand and touched his forehead. Sure enough, it was very hot.
"I have a fever." He took his hand back and stood up holding Xiao Niannian: "Wait a moment, I'll ask Dad to help take the child down, you go back to the room and put on a thicker coat, I'll take you to the clinic."
Gu Qingqing understood this time. She touched the back of the boy's hand and found it was really hot. She was shocked: "Did you catch a cold while playing in the snow this afternoon? Go put on some more clothes and go to the toilet with your brother-in-law."
The little girl looked at him with her big dark eyes, questioningly: "Uncle~Uncle!"
Shen Sui came to his senses at this moment. He had seldom been sick in the past two years. When he was a child, he had always endured illnesses on his own and had never been cared for so much.
He felt sad, but when he met his elder sister's worried gaze, he was filled with warmth. He nodded, turned around and went upstairs.
Knowing that he had a fever, the Gu family was also very worried. Gu Jin held his little grandson in his arms and said, "Adai, do you know how to get to the clinic? It's in Dagouzi Village, not far from your uncle Qin's house." Then he simply called out, "Abao? Come here."
"What's wrong, big brother?" Gu Bao came out from the storage room at the back. He and his mother were just taking out dried vegetables from the vat. They were going to make steamed pork with pork tomorrow, so the dust from the vat got on their bodies.
"Ah Sui has a fever. Take them to Hao Yizhen to get some medicine and see if they need an IV drip."
"Okay." Gu Bao brushed off the dust on his body and didn't ask any more questions: "Let's go, it's not far."
Chu Dai nodded, put his arm around the boy's shoulders and followed him.
It was white outside, but Gu Bao still took a flashlight and gave it to Shen Sui. He led the way in front of them with ease: "Today is indeed colder than in previous years. It rarely snows on New Year's Eve in recent years. You should wear more clothes."
Shen Sui followed him quietly, listening to his uncle's chatter. The cold wind had made the tip of his nose red. Chu Dai didn't think anything of it, as his neck was exposed, and walked forward as if nothing had happened.
Gu Bao rubbed his face and muttered: "I should have worn a hat when I went out. The wind was like a knife blowing at my face. It was unbearable."
Shen Sui deeply agreed with this.
It took them about fifteen minutes to reach the village entrance, then they crossed the bridge and headed towards Dagouzi Village. The footsteps they had just left were quickly covered by the wind and snow, leaving no trace.
Another ten minutes passed before they arrived at Hao Yizhen's home. Gu Bao was very smart. It was the middle of the night and it was New Year's Eve. It would be so comfortable for Old Hao to stay at home. Who would want to go to the health center?
"Bang, bang, bang--" He raised his hands and knocked on the wooden door.
"I'm coming." It was the voice of a middle-aged woman. "Who is it?"
"Sister-in-law is me, Gu Bao."
Mrs. Hao unbolted the door, squinted her eyes, and then smiled: "Abao, come in quickly, why are you here when it's snowing so heavily outside?"
"My nephew has a fever. Bring him to Brother Hao for a checkup." Gu Bao pulled Shen Sui over, and Chu Dai stepped into the yard.
Every household in Datunzi Village and Dagouzi Village built a two-story red brick house on the original foundation, and the layout is the same.
"Old Hao? Where are you? Come out quickly, Abao is here." Mrs. Hao shouted at the top of her voice.
"Here he comes. I came here right after I went to bed. This old man from the Gu family is really..." Hao Yizheng muttered to herself. When she went downstairs and saw Gu Bao and the others, she greeted them. He also knew Chu Dai.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"My nephew has a fever, and I thought you would be at home, so I brought him here to see if I could get some medicine."
"Come in, I'll take his temperature with a thermometer." Hao Yizhen yawned, buttoned up her coat, and said to her wife, "Go to the kitchen and get a charcoal stove, and pour three cups of boiling water."
"I know!" Mrs. Hao rolled her eyes at him and went to the kitchen.
Taking them to the main hall to sit down, Hao Yizhen went back to her room to get the medicine box, took out the mercury thermometer and shook it a few times, then signaled to the boy: "Open your mouth."
Shen Sui did as he was told.
After he put the thermometer in his mouth, Hao Yizhen sat down next to Gu Bao: "How many days can you stay at home? I haven't seen Qingqing for a long time."
Chu Dai realized that he was talking to him and said with a smile, "About a week."
"It's convenient to take a bus now, and it's good to come back from time to time." Hao Yizhen rubbed her face to wake herself up: "Abao, how are your fruit tree planting going? Grafting and so on, will we be able to eat peaches next year?"
"Of course, of course." Gu Bao took the porcelain cup handed to him by Mrs. Hao, thanked her, took a sip and put it on the table: "I heard from Meng Nan and the others that the fruit here is big and sweet, much better than the original hairy peach tree."
They were planning to do this together with the Red Flag Production Team. The two production teams' back hills would be connected, making it more convenient for them to plant together.
The collective economy of the Invincible Production Team is in full swing. Now the Beijing News has praised this approach, and other production teams have also boldly decided to join in.
"Really? I'll pick some and try it then." Hao Yizhen saw that the time was almost up, so she took out the thermometer and looked at it. She frowned and said, "It's 39 degrees. You have to go to the health center with me."
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