Gu Qinglie's loud and piercing voice woke up all the members of the Gu family who were taking a lunch break. When Shi Rushuang heard her youngest son's voice, she ran out without even wearing socks and cloth shoes.
"Qing Lie?!"
"It's me." Gu Qinglie smiled and shook his head: "Mother, my son is back!"
Shi Rushang's eyes were red and she held her son tightly.
Zhang Cuifen also rushed out, "It's really my Goudan, where's your sister? Did she come back with you?"
"It's on the ox cart at the back. I just happened to catch up with my grandfather when he went to deliver food today. Is my brother Xiong at home? The Chu family has received a lot of gifts, including a TV, refrigerator, washing machine, and sewing machine. I guess they will be here soon. Shall we go and move some?"
"Your father took Axiong and the others to clean the fish pond." Shi Rushuang touched her son's thin face, "Why is it so dark now?"
Gu Qinglie: "The sun is strong in the border town." He didn't dare to say that the girl was darker than him.
"Hurry up," Gu Tiezhu kicked the old man on the butt as he walked out of the room in a daze, rubbing his eyes, "Qingqing is back, go and get her back for me!"
The Gu family was walking towards the village entrance in a great procession. A neighbor who didn't know what was going on asked them what was going on. Zhang Cuifen held her head high and said proudly, "Oh, my Qingqing is back with her grandson-in-law. The in-laws brought a cart of gifts, including a TV, a refrigerator, and a washing machine. Oh, we have to go and welcome them and give them a hand."
Qian Guihua was originally sitting under the tree chatting with others and exchanging recent gossip about Datunzi Village and Dagouzi Village. When she heard this, she couldn't sit still anymore and said, "I'll go take a look too."
Some of the Gu family members were working in the fields, while others were catching fish in the fish ponds. Gu Jinhao summoned the members of the production team to plant the medicinal herb ramie on the wasteland. In places with poor soil, they dug ponds and stocked them with fish fry, which they raised for a few months before closing the ponds at the end of the year to provide additional food for the members.
Hearing the commotion at the entrance of the village, Qin Wu wondered, "What's going on?"
Xue Jianshan held Da Huang and said, "I'll go over and take a look." There must be no fighting or trouble.
"Uncle Gu! Uncle Gu!" Zhao Yu ran and panted: "Uncle Gu!"
Gu Jin was watching the falling water level. He turned around and laughed, "Calm down your breath first, girl."
"No, Uncle Gu, Qingqing, Qingqing is back!" She spoke incoherently, breathing heavily.
This time Gu Jin was not calm anymore. He turned and ran away: "Qin Mengzi, I leave this to you. First, catch all the fish and ask Abacus to weigh them. I'll come later."
"You should go quickly." Qin Wu said unhappily, "I am much more reliable than you." Why do I need you to arrange anything?
Gu Jin didn't say a word and ran away.
The Gu brothers who were helping to catch fish by the pond could no longer stay. Gu Xiong came out of the water and threw a big grass carp into the bucket: "Jianguo, Yuanchao, go pick up your sister."
“Hey!”
The three brothers and the cousins from the five families of Gu, Gu Tiezhu and Gu Tieshi gathered together and rushed to the village entrance.
Xue Jianshan shook his head and laughed: "The Gu family does everything in a rush, as if they were going to a fight."
Qin Wu put his finger in his pocket and waved at the rest of the people fishing: "This is because the beloved of the old Gu family has returned. Didn't you see that Gu Hanzi, who is usually calm and never in a hurry, almost lost his shoes just now?"
They both laughed out loud.
There must be about 40 or 50 Gu brothers gathered at the entrance of the village, looking around. Han Lianxin squeezed over from behind and said, "Sister-in-law, is Qingqing back? Why didn't I see her?"
Shi Rushuang also stood on tiptoe to watch, "The ox cart is slow, you know my uncle's temper, he's very slow."
In fact, she was more anxious in her heart. Her daughter had been away for three or four months. She had never been away from her for such a long time before.
Gu Qinglie put his hand on Gu Bao's shoulder and said, "Uncle, why do you look thinner?"
This shouldn't happen.
His uncle is already very lazy, so why would he rush to do heavy work?
"Don't mention it. It was my eldest brother, your father, who dragged all the young men in the village, aged between 18 and 60, to work on the river digging the reservoir. As soon as Qingqing Bao left, your uncle was taken to the mountain to move rocks."
Gu Qinglie grinned, "Let's make up for it this time. Qingqing has a lot of meat coupons. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy more meat."
Gu Bao stopped yawning and rubbed his hands: "Okay, I'll tell Qing Qing Bao later."
"Qinglie." Gu Xiong came over and punched Gu Qinglie on the shoulder, "You've grown a lot taller."
Gu Qinglie grinned and hugged his brother: "It's because you eat a lot and the food is good. You are getting stronger and stronger."
"Of course not, where is our sister?"
"In the back, I didn't even dare to take a breath while pedaling my bike before I came back to report the news. They weren't that fast."
After waiting for another half an hour, they finally saw the shadow of the ox cart in the distance. The Gu family could not wait any longer and went straight to meet it.
"Grandma! Mom." Gu Qingqing jumped directly off the ox cart. Chu Dai reached out to grab her but failed. Fortunately, the ox cart was moving slowly.
"Hey, grandma's darling! You're finally back." Zhang Cuifen felt sad. She hugged her granddaughter in her arms and looked her up and down: "Why are you so dark and thin..."
The words got stuck in my throat, it seems I have gained some weight.
Shi Rushuang and Han Lianxin were talking to Gu Qingqing, asking her if she had a good time and how she had eaten. Gu Qingqing answered patiently and looked around: "Where's the third aunt?"
"Your uncle and aunt won't be back until around four or five in the afternoon. That's just in time for your uncle to cook for you, this little glutton." Shi Rushuang hugged her daughter, not wanting to let go.
Gu Qingqing rubbed her body in A Niang's arms. The familiar smell made her feel at ease.
"Uncle-in-law." Chu Yuan was helped down from the ox cart by the guards. He roughly understood what his daughter-in-law called these people. He went up to Gu Tiezhu and said, "I'm really sorry to come here just now. My brat is so unruly."
Gu Tiezhu glanced at Chu Dai, feeling very satisfied. He was confident that his Goudan had chosen the right person for him. "That's not the case. My Qingqing is wild and insisted on going to the Corps to visit relatives. When she came back, she also wanted to see her eldest brother. No one can stop her from doing anything she wants to do. It's none of your business, nephew."
Chu Yuan thought to himself that it was no wonder that she had a taste for his brat. But could anyone be wilder than this bastard?
The eyes of the Gu family brothers never left Chu Dai. Chu Zhao got off Zhang Bufan's ox cart and rubbed his buttocks: "A Dai, my bones are almost broken."
Chu Dai said: "Go back and train well."
Gu Qingqing pulled Chu Dai over to her, with a hint of girlish shyness on her face, but it was soon replaced by happiness: "Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, uncles, aunts, and brothers, let me introduce you solemnly. This is Chu Dai, my man."
Chu Daihun tensed up and called out, "Father, Mother."
"Yeah!" Shi Rushuang responded. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. This guy was much more handsome than her daughter.
Gu Jin also smiled and nodded.
Seeing the lady smiling like a flower, she tapped her little head with her finger and scolded with a smile: "I know, I know, are you ashamed, girl?"
Then he said to Chu Dai: "Xiao Chu, our Qingqing has this kind of personality. I'll leave it to you from now on. Don't stand here, let's go home."
"Yes," Zhang Cuifen just told her grandson and nephews to unload their things, "let's go home."
Gu Tiezhu and Gu Tiezhu had already gone ahead with Chu Yuan, and Chu Zhao ran to Gu Qinglie's side.
After entering the Gu family's yard, Chu Zhao took a few looks and said, "It's well-kept." The ground in the yard was paved with blue bricks. Although the house was a thatched house, it was clean and tidy. There was a stone table and stone benches in the yard. There was a wooden washstand and a large round table under the shed outside the kitchen.
"My second uncle is a carpenter." Gu Qinglie hooked his shoulder, "I'll take you out for a walk later. My youngest uncle said that we're going to clean the pond today. We'll go get some fish later. When my third uncle comes back in the evening, we'll prepare a fish feast."
"Sure. I've heard from my sister-in-law that our third uncle is the chef of a state-owned hotel. I've been waiting for this since I was hungry."
Gu Tiechuan asked the Gu family's boy to put down all the electrical appliances and take the person back. This huge area takes up too much space. He said to his brother: "If there is anything, let Abao call me. We will all come to help with the wedding."
"Okay." Gu Tiezhu didn't bother to be polite: "I'll go and invite you in person when the time comes."
After twenty or thirty people left, the yard was finally less crowded. Qian Guihua had been mingling in the crowd to gather information, and her presence was particularly noticeable when they left.
"Aunt Zhao?" Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. Come and sit down. I'll pour you a glass of water."
"No, no, you just came back so clean up first. I'll go home and make lunch." Qian Guihua was overwhelmed by the TV, refrigerator, washing machine, sewing machine and bicycle outside the door.
No wonder the Gu family forced Qingqing's marriage to be decided by her brothers. She has found a good family and they care so much about her.
"I'll go to your house to look for Xiaoyu later that evening."
"Okay." Qian Guihua helped her close the gate before leaving.
This is also Gu Qingqing's fault. If it were someone else, she would definitely hide in the corner and eavesdrop. However, these betrothal gifts are enough for her to negotiate for the next half month.
Only the old Gu family were left in the yard. Chu Yuan and Gu Tiezhu were drinking tea under the shed. Although Gu Bao was lazy, he was smart and had already made the tea.
Gu Yin went on planing wood silently, thinking that he would hurry up and prepare Qingqing's dowry in the next few days.
Zhang Cuifen took her two daughters-in-law to the kitchen to cook. They had just returned from working in the fields and went to the house to take a break, thinking that they would make lunch later and it would be a good time to eat together now.
Gu Qingqing looked at the TV and refrigerator on the ground, feeling a little depressed: "Dad, where do we put these?" There was no electricity in the house yet.
"Why would we leave home?" Gu Jin didn't know what his daughter was thinking, so he scratched his head and said, "Adai, Dad has something to do on the team, why don't you let Qingqing take you back to your room to rest first."
Chu Dai saw Chu Zhao winking at him from the other side, and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.
"Shall I go with you?"
"No need." Gu Jin smiled. "Dad can just ride his bike there. It's at the fish pond at the end of the village. You can come and call me home for dinner."
Gu Bao and Gu Qingqing looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Chu Dai was a little confused.
Gu Bao put his arm on his niece's shoulder and said with a smile: "Big brother wants to show off to Brother Qin that his son-in-law bought him a bicycle."
Gu Qingqing couldn't help but say: "Father, are you still trying to compete with Uncle Qin?"
"How can I do that? My father left first. I have to keep an eye on the fish pond. Your uncle Qin is a careless person. I don't trust him to take care of the fish pond."
After saying that, he said hello to Gu Tiezhu and his father-in-law, then went outside the yard and rode away on his Red Flag bicycle.
Gu Qingqing laughed quietly and explained to Chu Dai, "Uncle Qin is my father's childhood friend. The two have been friends since they were little. In the middle of this year, Brother Huzi bought Uncle Qin a Feige bicycle, and he has been showing off in front of my father."
Chu Dai understood this time, "Father is going to get his revenge now."
"That's what I mean." She teased the man, "You call me daddy, and it's easy for me to say that."
Chu Dai laughed softly.
The atmosphere in her home is really good.
"Don't forget, go call dad back for dinner later."
"Know."
Gu Jin was riding his bicycle with great momentum. In the past few months, he had borrowed Qin Mengzi's bicycle when he occasionally went to the commune and had to listen to him bragging about it. Now he doesn't have to do that anymore, as his son-in-law bought him one.
In fact, it was his father-in-law who borrowed money from the Chu family to buy it, but he didn't know it, but he couldn't help feeling happy in his heart.
The fish ponds were still bustling with activity, with villagers from Datunzi Village and Dagouzi Village gathered together waiting to be divided among the fish. There were more than a dozen such ponds, and several others were also releasing water.
"Mengzi." Gu Jin rang the bell, stopped in front of Qin Wu, and propped himself up on the ground: "Look at my bicycle, it's a Red Flag brand."
Qin Wu rubbed his nose and said, "It's just two steps away, and you're riding a bike. Aren't you afraid of hurting your waist?"
"I've been walking too much lately, and my feet hurt." Gu Jin sat on the seat and sighed, "You don't know, my daughter brought back a boy, who is so tall and handsome, and she and her father-in-law took a train from the south and brought a lot of gifts, such as panda TVs, washing machines and refrigerators, as well as sewing machines and radios. Fortunately, we organized hydroelectric power generation with the Red Flag Production Team some time ago and now we have electricity, otherwise we would have nowhere to use these things."
Qin Wu held back and said, "If you want to show off, just say so. And you have to brag about yourself in the end. What's wrong with you?"
"Have I ever boasted about myself?" Gu Jin still had that silly smile on his face.
Qin Wu was so angry that he was confused. "It was you who first proposed hydroelectric power generation and organized our production team to repair the river, dig reservoirs and build power storage stations. The idiot next door knew about it."
"Oh." Gu Jin scratched his head, "That's what happened."
Seeing that he was pretending to be stupid and letting himself brag, Qin Wu almost took action. Fortunately, Xue Jianshan was there to stop him.
It seems that this old customer has been oppressed by Lao Qin for too long and now he can't help but fight back.
Gu Jin finally got off his beloved bicycle, put his hands behind his back and watched the fishing, and occasionally went to the abacus to check the account book.
He doesn't know yet that his in-laws have prepared a Dongfeng watch for him. He would be overjoyed if he knew.
The Gu family was bustling with activity. From the dazzling array of betrothal gifts, one could tell how much the Chu family valued his young lady. Chu Dai now understood his father's intention.
It helped him a lot at the critical moment.
His attitude towards Chu Yuan also softened a bit.
Smoke was rising from the kitchen as Chu Dai was chopping wood with an axe.
Chu Zhao helped to pick up the sawn wood pieces and put them on the pile, then walked away: "I didn't realize that you are also good at chopping wood."
Chu Dai raised his hand and chopped down, and the wood broke in two.
"There are so many things you can't see."
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