Xia Mingxi laughed at that time: "Dad, you see, this uncle is also like you, not looking for a wife, you must be laughed at."

The waitress laughed secretly, "This child's words are really funny, look at these adults, they are not as sensible as the child."

Lu Qing: "..."

Lu Xuan: "..." The impulse to kick the child became stronger.

Lu Qing and Lu Xuan looked at each other and nodded. Maybe because they were both teased, they felt a little bit of mutual sympathy.

...Yes, mutual sympathy.

Later, when Lu Xuan asked him if he was willing to be Xiao Ming's stepfather, the whole state-owned hotel seemed to have collapsed.

Oh my God! ! !

"What...what?"

"Who and who?"

...

Anyway, everyone in the state-owned hotel thought it was outrageous.

Qin Rou and his group entered the hotel. Xia Mingxi was already very familiar with the menu and took the initiative to order three or four special dishes. Qin Rou and Ye Mingxiu ordered a few more and waited for the dishes to be served.

When Lu Qing heard in the back kitchen that classmate Xiao Ming came to the hotel again, he was very nervous and went to get a towel to wipe his face. Lu Qing thought that Xiao Ming's mother brought him to the restaurant to eat again, but when he went out to see them, he realized that it was not the case.

Xia Mingxi greeted him warmly: "Hello, Uncle Lu."

"This is my uncle and aunt, and Uncle Zhao and Aunt Ye..."

Lu Qing was stunned for a moment. It turned out that they were Lu Xuan's brothers and sisters. His voice was a little trembling: "Hello, everyone, hello..."

The group simply exchanged a few pleasantries.

Qin Rou found that the chef surnamed Lu was about the same height as her third sister, but he was bigger and stronger. He was a retired soldier who had made contributions in the army before and injured his leg. Later, he was assigned to the state-owned hotel.

He had a simple and upright appearance, with a scar on his face. He looked a little fierce. He seemed a little nervous when talking to a table of people. He seemed not good at speaking. He was a silent and down-to-earth man.

The third sister had a good eye and thought that he was a reliable man, but the two of them were not destined to be together.

Qin Rou glanced at Lu Yan and thought to herself that only magic could defeat magic. Captain Lu's "silence is golden" rule would be useless when he met a truly silent and down-to-earth man.

"The dishes are served, have a try, this sausage is delicious!!" There

was a table full of dishes, and they ordered chicken and duck, but no fish, because no one wanted to eat fish. There were boiled chicken, duck stewed with ginger, and large intestine stewed in a casserole. This was the sausage that Xiao Ming was talking about, as well as a dish of barbecued pork with honey sauce, stir-fried eggplant with beans, two vegetarian dishes, and a bowl of Jidi soup.

Lu Qing gave them some chicken cakes, and after the meal, Zhou Zhou and Dumpling took a chicken cake and ate it slowly.

Back at the guesthouse, Zhao Jianghong deliberately teased Xia Mingxi: "Everyone is worried about having a stepmother, but don't you worry about having a stepfather?"

He saw Xia Mingxi happily greeting people just now, and couldn't help but feel curious.

Xia Mingxi was also eating chicken biscuits. Although they were a little oily, they tasted especially delicious: "What are you worried about? There are biscuits to eat."

"Tsk tsk, what if your mom and your stepdad give birth to a younger brother, and the whole family bullies you?"

Zhou Zhou and Dumpling said at this time: "Protect brother Xixi and don't let him be bullied."

Xia Mingxi was suddenly very moved: "Uncle Zhao, look, I have so many good brothers."

Zhao Jianghong: "..."

This picture of brothers being friendly and respectful to each other was a little dazzling.

"Brother will protect you too."

"Brother Xixi, you are really a good brother."

Zhao Jianghong was bored and asked casually: "Why do you say brother Xixi is a good brother?"

Dumpling said: "Brother eats bitter melon, and brother eats meat."

Xia Mingxi: "..."

Xiao Ming thought to himself, I don't want to be a good brother who eats bitter melon.

Zhao Jianghong: "...Is it still like this?"

He turned around and said to Ye Mingxiu: "In the future, we will teach our children this way. Look, how friendly and respectful they are."

"The elder brother should love the younger brother, and the younger brother should protect the elder brother."

Ye Mingxiu: "..."

"I didn't like bitter melon when I was a child, but my sister forced me to eat it."

Xia Mingxi thought to himself, I don't like bitter melon either.

Xia Mingxi and his group came to the hotel, which was like a spring breeze in Lu Qing's heart. He was surprised to find that he was looking forward to Lu Xuan's arrival.

After learning that she didn't come, the disappointment lingered on him for a whole day.

Lu Qing mustered up the courage to call Lu Xuan and told her that Xiao Ming and his uncle's family came to the hotel for dinner today, and also introduced in detail what dishes they ate.

——This is a habit he developed when he was writing letters.

Lu Xuan felt sour when she heard this on the other end of the phone, thinking that these men, big or small, were all here to torture her, including Comrade Lao Lu at home, who ate fresh Spanish mackerel dumplings in May and June, and even ate them for several meals. He would call her and tell her how delicious the fresh Spanish mackerel dumplings were, saying that this was the fish her son-in-law bought for his father-in-law, and asked her when she could find a son-in-law to bring fish home.

Lu Xuan's mind was in a mess when she heard him talking about the chicken and duck barbecued pork with honey on the other end of the phone, especially the honey barbecued pork. Lu Qing read out in his flat and heavy voice: "I made the honey barbecued pork. I remember you said you liked it last time. Today happened to be the morning when Xiao He just delivered the pork belly. We kept the best piece and marinated it for two hours..."

How to bake it in the oven, how to brush it with honey sauce...

Lu Xuan just wanted to hang up the phone after hearing it. She thought that this man just said it in the letter, but now he had to call her to say it, which made her want to eat them alive.

Hungry Lu Xuan changed the subject and asked, "How are my brother and Xiao Ming?"

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment. He could not think of anything else to say except the menu, but he also heard the group of female waiters in the hotel talk about it. If you want to talk to a good person, you must praise her relatives in front of her.

Praising Xiao Ming is a bit too attentive and ambiguous. Lu Qing is a big man and he will not say anything about other people's brothers and sisters. Obviously, he only has one candidate who can't make a mistake.

Lu Qing immediately said: "Your brother is a good man, I... I have never seen such a good man as him..."

Lu Xuan: "......???!!"

My brother Lu Yan is a good man? !!!

...

The two chatted on the phone for a long time about what kind of good man Lu Yan is.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Xuan touched her forehead, always feeling that something was wrong today.

She thought vaguely that even her younger brother has become a caring and considerate good man, and can also give advice to people about dating... Is it really true that a man should be treated with new eyes after three days of absence?

But why did she chat with Lu Qing on the phone about recipes and her younger brother?

Lu Xuan: "..."

Did my brother say a lot of good things about her in front of Lu Qing?

Otherwise, why did Lu Qing inexplicably praise her brother? Could it be that Lu Yan was still trying to bring them together? It

was still unknown what Lu Yan said in front of Lu Qing that made Lu Qing change her mind about him so much and even made Lu Qing call her on her own initiative. The feeling of receiving his call was completely different from the feeling of receiving his letters before.

Lu Xuan raised her hand to wipe her face, her cheeks slightly red, and she looked up at the white clouds in the sky. She secretly sighed:

- This poor brother is sometimes quite useful.

I don’t know what he praised his sister about?

Lu Xuan turned around and called Comrade Lao Lu. Lu Zongyi was very surprised when he received the call: "What's the matter?"

"I just think that our brother is really different after getting married."

Comrade Lao Lu yawned: "What's different? He has been married for several years, and it's time for him to become mature and down-to-earth."

"Don't worry, you'll know when you see him. My brother and his wife will be here in two days with the children."

"I know, I know, I really want to see my three grandchildren." Lu Zongyi rubbed his hands. Thinking of meeting his grandchildren soon, he was excited and worried: "What do you think of the relationship between your brother and sister-in-law? I'm really afraid that they will quarrel. Old Xu's son and daughter-in-law are divorced, and the two children are pitiful..."

"When they first got married, they had a great relationship. Xu's son loved his wife very much, and the two of them were inseparable. Who would have thought that after just two or three years, they would have fallen into such a mess. Since they had a child, they have had a small quarrel every two days and a big quarrel every three days, and they are almost fighting."

"Your mother and I have tried to persuade them to stop fighting several times, but they just wouldn't listen. There was no use in persuading them. They were a good couple, but now they are getting divorced."

"Your mother said that I am old-fashioned. If we can't live together, we should get a divorce... Hey, I have been worried about Yanzi since he got married. He has a bad temper. If he quarrels with Xiaoqin, what will happen to them..."

Lu Xuan said calmly: "Comrade Lao Lu, even if you have nothing to do after eating, I advise you to ask Uncle Lao Wang to go fishing and fly kites if you have nothing to do every day."

Lao Lu: "..."

"What else do I have to worry about now? You have all started your own families and careers. If you don't want to find another one with Xixi, then don't look for one. I won't force you. I, Lao Lu, now just hope that the family will be harmonious and everything will be prosperous."

"I'm going to ask Lao Xie to write a calligraphy for me, and write "A harmonious family brings prosperity" to put in the house."

Lu Xuan asked tentatively: "What if I bring you a son-in-law who delivers fish?"

Comrade Lao Lu sneered, and he didn't even raise his eyebrows, thinking, you little bastard, are you walking the dog? I don't believe you anymore.

Every time you say you're going to see him, you fool me over, and every time you walk around, who believes you?

"You'd better leave. I, your father, have let it go. Let's just leave our family like this. A harmonious family brings prosperity. Stop quarreling and live a stable life. Your mother and I will be content. People should learn to be content and cherish the good days and good life now. You'd better not do anything to trouble me." Old Lu has now given up on having a son-in-law and granddaughters. Be content and cherish the present.

It's nice to go fishing when you have nothing to do.

I just hope that a harmonious family brings prosperity.

Lu Xuan: "..."

Okay, Third Sister Lu didn't say anything, and the father and daughter hung up the phone.

Not long after Lu Qing hung up the phone, his mind was still imagining the call just now, and he tried hard to recall what he had just said. There shouldn't be any problem, right? It won't annoy the people over there.

He touched his face and felt like a young man in his twenties, full of energy.

Tomorrow he will get off work early, so he decided to go to the cinema to watch a movie, so that he would have something to talk about in the letter.

Lu Qing used to be a boring and dull man. When he was in the army, he had to do repetitive training every day and was not allowed to contact outsiders. He was surrounded by comrades who were tired of training. In such repetition day after day, his brain seemed to be rusted. He didn't need to think and didn't have much curiosity about the outside world.

After retiring from the army and coming to Guangzhou, a big city that is different from the deep mountains and old forests, a man of his age seems out of place everywhere and can't integrate into the life of ordinary people.

However, something unexpected happened in his life now. He began to pay attention to all kinds of things in this city, pay attention to the surrounding food and scenery, pay attention to the gossips of those parents who are full of fireworks, he would also go to the cinema, to the Cantonese Opera... He recorded many things in words and shared them with another person.

Thinking that another person would read the letter and understand everything described in the letter, all the words became meaningful.

In the past, Lu Qing only attended the army's anti-blindness class. Now he looks up the dictionary every day, and he also goes to the library in the city to borrow books. Every day he cooks, reads and studies, and tries things that he has never tried in the city. Life has become a lot easier and happier, full of positive and sunny meanings.

Lu Qing's life is very energetic, and he has begun to make some plans for himself.

After coming back from the movie, his colleague told him that his hometown called him and asked him to find a time to call back.

Lu Qing called home.

As soon as the call was transferred to someone, he heard his mother's voice: "Second brother, why haven't you sent money back yet?"

"I have, and I will send fifteen every month from now on."

His mother Ge Dafang was obviously stunned: "Only fifteen? How can we live with fifteen?"

"How much do the other brothers give?"

"They still have families to support, but you are different. When you were serving in the army outside, your brothers took care of the family. Are you worthy of your parents?"

Lu Qing said, "The family built a new house, several brothers got married, and the younger sister's dowry was paid for by whose money?"

Ge Dafang said anxiously, "The money was saved by the family for you. You haven't started a family yet, so you should help your other brothers and sisters first, your nephews, your cousins, which one doesn't cost money. Your younger cousin is also getting married and is looking for a partner. Nowadays, people have high requirements for their partners. The village also pays attention to the four major items. You must save a set for him."

"Your father asked you when you can help your cousin and let him get a job in the state-owned hotel. Your third uncle is gone, and it's not easy for his family..."

Lu Qing: "I won't send money from this month."

"Shouldn't my family return my pension and other money to me?"

Ge Dafang said, "Why are you in such a hurry? You are going to drive your mother to death. When you come back, I will definitely scold you."

"Our family has been divided for a long time. Several brothers embezzled my money. They wrote IOUs before. When I go back to collect the debt, if they don't pay, don't blame me for being rude."

Ge Dafang said, "How dare you!!"

"You have been scolding me as a wolf cub since I was a child. You know what kind of temper I have. I remember exactly how much money you took from me. I don't care about other things. You must pay me three thousand yuan."

"If the money is not transferred by next month, I will go back to my hometown with a kitchen knife. You know I have seen blood. If you don't have money, you can pay it back with something else. Whoever uses my money and doesn't return it, both men and women will have their heads shaved and eat feces. Whoever comes up to persuade me to chop them will be killed... If things get out of hand, I will sue them for embezzling pensions for retired disabled soldiers. You can handle it."

...

Qin Rou and his group got on the train to Lu Province. They bought six sleeper berth tickets, which happened to be in a carriage, facing the six berths. As soon as Zhou Zhou and Dumpling got on the train, their emotions were extremely high, and they crawled around like caterpillars.

They were also unwilling to stay in the lower bunk, "We want to sleep high! Sleep high!"

"High!"

Zhou Zhou and Dumpling were clamoring to sleep in the upper bunk, and Lu Yan carried the two little guys to the upper bunk, "Be careful not to fall."

"Hey hey..." The two naughty kids grabbed the fence and looked out to see their mother below.

After Lu Yan accompanied the brothers to kill off their energy, the two little kids fell asleep in each other's arms. Lu Yan carried them to the lower bunk, and the brothers slept on one end each, holding their little fists, and slept very soundly.

Mom Qin Rou had already slept like a dead pig in the middle bunk.

Next door, Mr. and Mrs. Zhao Jianghong slept in the middle bunk and the lower bunk, respectively. Little Xia Mingxi occupied the upper bunk alone and was also sleeping soundly.

Most people in the carriage were very tired. Apart from the clanking sound of the train moving forward, the carriage was exceptionally quiet. The windows were half open, and the summer breeze blew in, taking away the summer heat.

Lu Yan stood up. His two sons were sleeping soundly in the lower bunk. He half leaned over to look at Qin Rou, who was sleeping in the middle bunk.

She fell asleep on her side, facing him. Her usually charming and gentle face was like a bud closing, with layers of complicated and gorgeous petals folded up. Her eyelids were thin, and her long and straight eyelashes trembled slightly with her breathing. Her

cheeks pressed against the pillow were puffed up, revealing a bit of cuteness and tenderness.

——This is his wife.

He is going to take his wife and son back to his hometown.

Lu Yan's eyes were filled with doting tenderness. He kissed her on the cheek and covered her belly with the blanket.

When Lu Yan was about to sit down in the bunk and watch his two sons take a nap, he turned around and saw Zhao Jianghong looking at him with his chin in his hand.

Zhao Jianghong's expression was particularly strange.

Lu Yan: "..."

A curse flashed through his mind. If he had known earlier, he should not have gone back with this guy.

Zhao Jianghong sighed and lamented, he sat up and whispered to Lu Yan: "I've only seen you and your son together a few times in your house before."

"After spending these two or three days together, I suddenly realized that you really are a father."

Lu Yan said coldly: "If there is something wrong with your eyes, you can go to the hospital for treatment."

"To be honest, I'm becoming more and more emotional now. Time is merciless. In a blink of an eye, we are both at this age, thirty years old. As the ancients said, at thirty, one should be able to stand on one's own feet..."

Lu Yan said: "Note, you are thirty and I am twenty-nine."

"Aren't they the same? Can you interrupt me less? I still remember that when our school held a kite-flying competition, I was the only one who brought a kite to school without a schoolbag. I was scolded by the teacher, and you were still laughing beside me..."

"Time flies so fast. When I have children and they grow up, we will be old men."

"Let's go fishing together then."

"The old man in our family fishes all day long. He also flies a few kites throughout the year..."

"As for you, by then, old man Lu will probably be at home worrying about your two sons not getting married. You will be so angry that you say these two brats don't listen to your work arrangements or your partners. You want to go east, but they want to go west. You want to go west, but they want to go east..."

Lu Yan raised his eyebrows: "Are you my son?"

Zhao Jianghong: "..."

Lu Yan patted his shoulder: "It's not easy for your father to be at home. You should take your partner back and spend more time with Uncle Zhao, otherwise he will be so angry that he will get sick from being angry."

Zhao Jianghong: "..."

You really want to piss me off to death, Lu Yan.

"You have ruined the good sad atmosphere."

Lu Yan smiled brightly: "I am a young man in my twenties, I will not share the sadness with you."

"Have some shame, Lu Yan."

The train drove northward, Zhao Jianghong and Ye Mingxiu got off the train first, and Lu Yan and Qin Rou got off the train with their children at Jiaodao Railway Station.

August is the height of summer, but the temperature here is very comfortable. It is not as hot and sultry as the central part. Many places where the train passed by were filled with surging heat waves. Now getting off the train at Jiaodao, I feel that the temperature is particularly pleasant and the wind is strong, which is particularly comfortable when blowing on my face.

Knowing that their youngest son and his family were coming, Lu Zongyi and Jiang Ping came to the train station to pick them up.

"Grandma, grandma!" the eldest cousin shouted the loudest. "

Grandpa, grandma!" Zhou Zhou and Dumpling, the brothers, called out in a childish voice.

"Xixi, you've grown taller, thinner, and stronger."

Lu Zongyi and Jiang Ping each held a child, "You are so good, grandpa and grandma's good grandchildren, come, tell grandpa, who is Zhou Zhou and who is Dumpling?"

Little Dumpling said in a baby voice, "I am Zhou Zhou!!"

No matter what, he took his brother's position first.

"Oh, it's my brother, you have such a loud voice."

Brother Zhou Zhou rubbed against grandma's arms and said softly, "Grandma, I'm a little dumpling..."

"Hey, good dumpling, grandma will make you a dumpling later."

"Give our little dumpling the biggest dumpling."

Lu Yan and Qin Rou: "..."

Comrade Lu stared at the child in his arms and looked at the dumpling. He suddenly said, "My dear grandson, why does grandpa think you are a dumpling?"

Dumpling: "...Grandpa?"

Little Dumpling froze for a moment. He was found to be wrong so quickly.

Qin Rou and Lu Yan looked at each other, and both of them were a little surprised. They didn't expect that after not seeing each other for such a long time, Lu Zongyi could still tell Zhou Zhou and Dumpling apart.

"I'm just teasing you, silly Zhou Zhou." Comrade Lao Lu grinned.

The guilty Dumpling: "..."

He turned his head to look at his brother in grandma's arms, and couldn't help but say: "Ding ding..."

The werewolf blew himself up.

He was afraid that grandpa would catch him and eat grandma's sweet potatoes.

It's better to be a younger brother.

Lu Zongyi's eyebrows trembled: "Tell grandpa, who is Zhou Zhou and who is Dumpling?"

Dumpling said subconsciously: "I am Zhou Zhou!"

Comrade Lao Lu: "..."

Jiang Ping: "..."

Qin Rou: "..."

Lu Yan: "..."

"Look at these two children, they are so funny. Take them back and let Lao Wang next door to recognize who is the older brother and who is the younger brother."