Chapter 10: Educated Youth Abandoning Their Wives and Children
Chen Chunya sliced the meat and stir-fried it with garlic sprouts and chili peppers. She also stir-fried a plate of bok choy and cut some chives from behind the house to make a stir-fried egg with chives.
Knowing that Huaizhi liked to eat rice, she steamed the rice that had been saved at home for Xiaotian to make porridge.
She wanted the man to come home and have a full meal.
Reading is inherently a mentally taxing activity, not to mention that he also takes time out to earn money.
Thinking of all this, Chen Chunya pressed down the rice when serving him.
After cleaning up, Ji Huaizhi saw the table full of food and his stomach started growling: "Home-cooked meals are the best."
Chen Chunya's eyes crinkled with laughter when she heard his words: "Eat up, you must be starving."
Ji Xiaotian eats slowly. When Ji Huaizhi saw her feeding the child, he took the initiative to wash the dishes, which surprised Chen Chunya.
"Put it here, I'll come back in a bit."
Thinking of the original owner's personality, Ji Huaizhi said, "Chunya, you don't need to argue with me. You've had a hard time this year while I was away."
“I used to be arrogant and conceited, always feeling trapped in this little world. I wasn’t very good to you and Mom and Dad, always feeling that you were lucky to have me.”
"But it wasn't until I got out that I realized how wrong I had been." Ji Huaizhi sneered, "Now I understand who is truly good to me."
Chen Chunya felt a pang of sadness as she watched his retreating figure.
He must have been injured outside, otherwise he wouldn't have said these things.
Remembering that he said he would go back to his parents' house before he left, but he didn't mention it at all in his letter or after he returned, something must have happened.
"Huaizhi, no matter what happens, you will always be my husband and Xiaotian's father."
Chen Chunya went over and hugged him.
Feeling the touch behind him, Ji Huaizhi paused for a moment: "I'm sorry, Chun Ya."
"You are very kind, really."
Ji Xiaotian looked at his parents sullenly, then turned around and picked up his small bowl, stuffing it into his mouth.
When they went to bed that night, Ji Huaizhi was actually a little nervous, while Chun Ya was a little shy because the two of them hadn't seen each other for so long.
Unexpectedly, just when the atmosphere between the two was getting a little awkward, Ji Xiaotian came in carrying his rice husk pillow and insisted on sleeping between them.
Seeing his shameless behavior, the two exchanged a helpless glance.
Before turning on the lights at night, Ji Huaizhi glanced back at Chun Ya. Under the soft yellow light, she appeared serene and reassuring.
~
The next morning, when Chun Ya woke up, the man was no longer beside her; Ji Xiaotian was sleeping soundly on his back.
She went outside with her hair down and found Ji Huaizhi already working in the yard.
Looking at the pile of firewood and the water in the water tank beside her, Chun Ya felt as sweet as honey.
As I packed up to go to the old house around noon, I was still humming a song:
"The eagle spreads its wings and takes flight"
Even in the face of fierce winds and rain
"Shouldering the heavy burden of revolution"
"Keep the Party's teachings in mind"
Looking up, she saw Ji Huaizhi looking at her with a smile, and her face flushed: "It's time to go, let's get there soon."
Now that land is distributed to individual households based on the number of people, farmers no longer work collectively as before, and can arrange their own working hours and production plans.
When Ji Huaizhi comes back home, we'll definitely have a meal together.
However, Chen Chunsheng and his wife were still at work and would have their reunion dinner later that evening.
"Oh my, look who's here? Huaizhi's demeanor has only gotten better since he returned to the big city," Zhang Pandi greeted him familiarly.
Ji Huaizhi smiled and said, "Really? Didn't my sister-in-law used to say that my demeanor was that of a poor and sickly person? She said she would avoid me when she walked around."
In my memory, this sister-in-law had always been at odds with my wife, and I didn't want to give her a nice look so that she would take advantage of me.
Zhang Pandi laughed awkwardly when she heard this: "You're mistaken. How could your sister-in-law be such a snob?"
His eyes lit up when he saw all those things in his hands.
"You've come all this way with so much stuff, let me help you carry it." She thought she'd take it directly into her room.
Unexpectedly, Ji Huaizhi went astray and missed him, going inside instead.
"Mom and Dad, I'm back. I brought some things back for everyone."
"Why did you come back to buy anything? You've had a hard time out there too. You're not allowed to do that anymore." Mr. Chen said, pretending to be angry with a pipe in his mouth.
But there was joy in his eyes.
After killing the chicken in the backyard, Chen Chunhua came back and saw her brother-in-law: "Huaizhi, you look much more energetic. The city's environment really does nourish people. You seem to have gotten fairer."
"I've been studying and attending classes in the library and classrooms all the time, and haven't been exposed to the sun much, so of course I'm fair-skinned, right?"
The family was enjoying a happy time together. Ji Huaizhi gave some pastries and candies to Ji Xiaotian: "Go and share them with your older brother, older sister, and younger sister."
Then he handed everything else over to Chun Ya.
"Mom and Dad, these are the shoes and local specialties that Huaizhi bought for you. He said they are all suitable for people your age to eat."
Chen's mother's eyes were already practically closed with laughter. This was the first time her son-in-law had bought them these things, and she had thought that he would look down on them even more now that he was in college.
The result is much better than before.
"It's really too much trouble for Huaizhi. Keep the money for yourself from now on. When you take your wife and children to the city, you'll definitely have to spend even more money." Chen's mother said this to try and gauge Ji Huaizhi's opinion.
Fortunately, Ji Huaizhi understood and did not disappoint her.
“I’ve already rented two rooms near our school. They’re quite big. I’m coming back this time to bring Chun Ya with me.”
Mr. Chen nodded; they only had one daughter, and they wanted her to have a good life.
“The city is not like the village. If anything happens, just call home. Although we can’t help much, your mother and I have saved up some money for our funeral.”
Upon hearing her parents' words, Zhang Pandi quickly chimed in, "Even my brother-in-law doesn't think much of us. We'll have to rely on him for help in the future."
"You agree, right, Huaizhi?"
As soon as Zhang Pandi said that, Chen's mother became unhappy. "What are you doing? What are you doing?"
After Huaizhi's family became successful, they treated their family well. It's just that she's short-sighted and wants to take advantage of them.
"Eldest daughter, go and keep an eye on the pot, lest it burn."
Zhang Pandi had no choice but to reluctantly go to the stove to watch the fire.
Just then, Chen Chunhua came in after finishing processing the chicken: "How's it in the city? It's definitely better than the countryside, huh?"
Ji Huaizhi: "Everything is fine. The main thing is that we've caught a good time. The country's policies are getting better and better, and in the future, we will definitely pay more attention to education and economic development."
Mr. Chen nodded and sighed, "Yes, I've been allocated land now, and life is getting better and better."
"By the way, eldest brother, these are some school supplies and shoes for the two children. We still need to make sure they study hard in the future." After saying that, he took out another set and handed it to Chen's mother: "This is for my second brother's family."
Chen's mother carefully put the money away, saying, "You're really spending too much! The child even thought about how much it would cost!"
Ji Huaizhi: "It didn't cost much. The main problem is that I used to cause you a lot of trouble, didn't I?"
His words made everyone feel comfortable.
He no longer looked down on her like before; on the contrary, he spoke much more humbly.
Ji Xiaotian shared the things with Er Ya, Gou Dan'er, and Chen Xiao, and the children carefully ate the pastries they brought back from City A.
Gou Dan'er said enviously, "Ji Xiaotian, I really envy you. Your dad is so good to you."
Several children nodded at the same time.
That look was both cute and funny.
"Chen Erya, what are you eating? Your little brother is growing, so give him all the food. You're the older sister, so be considerate of your brother."
Zhang Pandi's voice came from the kitchen.
Chen Erya looked at the white pastry in her hand and felt sad.
Dog Egg's eyes lit up when he heard that: "Give it to me, give it to me!"
"No, we'll eat our own food!" Ji Xiaotian frowned.
Chen Xiao muttered quietly beside him, "Auntie is biased."
Zhang Pandi's voice was quite loud. Ji Huaizhi and Chun Ya exchanged a glance, and Chen's mother's face darkened again when she heard it.
"Eldest daughter, the kids are playing happily, why are they making such a racket? Do you really want Er Ya to stand here like a fool?"
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