All they had to do was remove the bedding and blankets. Cuihua then found some bedding and blankets from the southeast that had been there for a few years. She and Xuemei took them out to air them for a few days before laying them on the bed.
Grandma Yan opened the package sent by her eldest son. Inside were malted milk powder, milk powder, dried meat, a piece of dark blue serge cloth, and a little girl's hat.
I put the hat on Nan Nan. The pink woolen hat was very cute, with two little balls dangling on the top.
This was the first time Yan Xiaonan had seen such a youthful color in this era, and she liked it very much, grinning from ear to ear.
"The malted milk powder is for Nan Nan. Nan Nan drinks a cup of milk powder every day. We need to hide the meat well so that Nan Nan can eat it once her teeth have grown in."
The hearts of those in the southwest and north are broken. They all belong to the south. Grandma, do you even care about your grandson?
Grandma Yan seemed to have heard her grandson's words: "Everyone can drink a cup of malted milk powder on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, but don't even think about milk powder."
The two of them immediately brightened up, forgetting about the milk powder. Nan Nan was still little, and malted milk powder was a precious thing; she could drink it in a few more days.
Southeast smiled and shook his head, then went out to help his father gather firewood. His second uncle was coming, and there might not be enough firewood. He would go to the foot of the mountain tomorrow to see if he could collect some dry branches.
I opened the package sent by my second son. There were two old cotton-padded jackets, one big and one small. I guessed the big one belonged to my second son, and the small one probably belonged to his son.
He gave the two cotton-padded jackets to Xuemei and asked her to take a look. Xuemei took them. The larger one was okay, but the smaller one had a strange smell, probably because it hadn't been washed in a long time.
Disdainfully tossed it in a corner of the main room, to be dealt with later after finishing the household chores.
Yan Erqiang, along with his wife and two sons, walked out of the town's train station. Looking around, he couldn't find his third brother and was unsure if his mother had received the letter.
He said to his wife with some resentment, "I told you to send the letter earlier, but you insisted on sending it on the exact date. Would it kill you to do it a day earlier? Look at the mess you've made now."
His wife's surname is Cai, Cai Min, and she is from Chuncheng. Back then, Yan Erqiang left his hometown to find a way out and came to Chuncheng, where he met Cai Min.
Cai Min's father introduced Yan Erqiang to a temporary job at a machinery factory. Over the course of more than ten years, Yan Erqiang's business has grown. At the time, he was planning to go back to his hometown to visit his mother, but his workplace did not offer holidays.
When I had a holiday, I was going to focus on getting married first, thinking I'd go home to see my mother after the wedding. But not long after, my wife got pregnant, so I had to abandon the plan and wait until after the baby was born before going home.
In order to become a permanent employee, I dared not take leave and devoted myself to my work. Finally, I became a permanent employee, but then I had to struggle to get a house.
We finally got the house, but then my wife got pregnant again. We haven't been back for over ten years. Not only have we not been back, but my mother's retirement money has been inconsistent, sometimes available and sometimes unavailable.
There's no other way. My wife has parents to support, and two children to raise. My salary and allowances are so meager; I can't deduct anything from them even if I wanted to.
I finally managed to send back my best cotton coat this time, as a way of showing my appreciation.
After waiting for more than half an hour without anyone coming, Yan Erqiang knew that his mother and younger brother probably hadn't received the letter, so he could only walk towards Mushroom Village based on his memory.
There were oxcarts and donkey carts along the way, but not many people rode in them. Only people with lots of luggage would ride in them. It cost three cents to ride in one of them, and the donkey cart was even more expensive, costing five cents.
It usually takes about half an hour to walk from the town to Mushroom Village, but for someone like Cai Min, who is wearing leather shoes, carrying a suitcase, and has two children with her, it takes less than an hour.
At first, Cai Min refused to ride in the oxcart, finding the strong stench emanating from it utterly disgusting. However, half an hour later, the two children sat on the ground, wailing, their feet aching terribly.
Yan Erqiang suppressed the throbbing in his forehead and finally waited for an oxcart to return to Mushroom Village, which he then waved to stop.
After the two children got into the car, Cai Min looked back and saw that her wife was still dawdling. She got into the car without looking back. Cai Min got anxious and quickly chased after her.
Fortunately, the oxcart wasn't much faster than walking, and after a few quick steps, Cai Min got on. Smelling the stench, Cai Min covered her nose, but thankfully, it freed her feet.
The old man driving the carriage recognized Yan Erqiang but couldn't quite place him. Yan Erqiang smiled wryly and said, "Third Uncle, it's me, the second son of the Yan family."
Third Uncle was taken aback for a moment: "Yan family's second son, he hasn't been back for more than ten years, where has he gone to make his fortune?"
Yan Erqiang was even more embarrassed. He couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone make a fortune.
Third Uncle glanced again at Cai Min and the children's clothes, especially the leather shoes on Cai Min's feet, which made him even less impressed with Yan Erqiang.
That young man Yan is ungrateful. His wife is dressed in a smart Lenin suit, a woolen overcoat, and her leather shoes are so bright they're blinding to my eyes, while his mother and brother are struggling to survive in the village. What an ingrate!
There was no more talk along the way. When Yan Erqiang saw his third uncle looking at his wife and son, he knew something was wrong. He had told his wife to dress in shabby clothes, but she had refused to listen.
They even said there should be a difference between city dwellers and country folk, but they themselves are from the countryside, so why don't they treat people differently? They're stupid and vain.
The oxcart stopped near the Yan family's house. Uncle San asked for two mao without any politeness. Cai Min was furious. "Two mao for such a short distance? You wouldn't be able to rob someone this fast!"
Yan Erqiang stopped Cai Min with a stern look, and obediently took out two cents and handed it to his third uncle, thanking him profusely. His third uncle glanced at Yan Erqiang, took the money, and called for the old ox to go home.
Before Cai Min could say anything more, Yan Erqiang said in a low, menacing voice, "They're just trying to extort you, you idiot, shut up."
They've been married for over a decade, and Yan Erqiang has always been henpecked. But today, he's been throwing tantrums at me several times. Could it be that he's finally gotten more assertive back in his hometown?
But now is not a good time to argue. Looking up at the row of tiled houses with blue bricks in front of them, although old, they are the best among the houses in the vicinity.
Cai Min felt a little relieved. As long as it wasn't a thatched hut, it would be fine; people would freeze to death in this cold weather.
Yan Erqiang went up and knocked on the door. His younger brother Yan Xiaoqiang's voice came from inside: "Who is it? Come in. The door isn't locked."
Pushing open the door, everything before me felt both familiar and strange. The building on the west side must be newly built; previously, there were only the main house and the east house.
There was a teenage girl standing at the door. Could that be my third brother's youngest daughter?
Cai Min followed behind and saw Xue Mei standing at the door of the main house. She also assumed that Xue Mei was her third brother's daughter. She straightened her back and thought, "Hmph, I am the meritorious one who gave birth to two sons for the Yan family."
Yan Xiaoqiang, who hadn't heard a reply, came out. "Who is it? Why is there no sound?"
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