Chapter 159: Housewarming
The person Zhou Yi bumped into was Lu Xiaoshuang. She was still the same, wearing simple clothes and a ponytail.
He just held a bag in each hand.
"Oh, Brother Zhou, you're back." Lu Xiaoshuang said with a smile.
"Why are you in my house?"
"Auntie said you guys were moving today and asked if I was free to come over for dinner. I figured moving would definitely require help, so I came to help."
At this time, Zhang Qiuxia came out from the inner room. When she saw what Lu Xiaoshuang was holding in her hand, she hurried over.
"Xiao Shuang, this is heavy, put it down quickly."
"It's okay, Auntie. I can carry it."
"Zhou Yi, why are you so clueless? Hurry up and help Xiaoshuang get it." The mother complained.
"Oh, come on, give it to me." Zhou Yi picked up the bag from her hand. It was really heavy. "Mom, what's in this? It's so heavy."
"The salted fish I pickled are the ones your uncle sent me last time. I saw that you couldn't finish them, so I pickled them all."
Zhang Qiuxia finished speaking and went back into the house: "Hey, Dad, sit down. You don't need to pretend. Don't fall down again."
Zhou Yi lifted the heavy bag in his hand and sniffed it. An indescribable smell caught his eye, and he frowned. He said to Lu Xiaoshuang, "My uncle gave me this fish over half a year ago. Even if it was pickled, it would have gone bad by now. I'll secretly throw it away later."
Lu Xiaoshuang chuckled.
"Mom, where do I get this?" Zhou Yi shouted into the house.
"There's a small truck downstairs. Do you see it? Your dad borrowed it from someone at the factory."
Zhou Yi looked down from the balcony and saw a small truck parked downstairs.
Zhou Yi's father can drive. He drives a large forklift in the factory, specializing in transporting steel coils.
Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang each carried a bag and went downstairs. Zhou Yi said the garbage station was at the back, so he went to throw away the salted fish first.
"Auntie, you won't be angry, right?" Lu Xiaoshuang asked.
"Let her be angry if she wants to. If one day the whole family gets food poisoning and ends up in the hospital, we'll see what she'll do."
As Zhou Yi spoke, he turned his head and saw Lu Xiaoshuang laughing.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Yi asked.
"No, I just think your family has a good relationship and is full of life." Lu Xiaoshuang shrugged. "I almost forgot what my parents looked like. I haven't seen them in six years. I wonder how much older they have become. The wind and sand over there are so strong that it makes people look old."
Lu Xiaoshuang said it easily, but the bitterness behind it was something that others could not understand.
Those days were not like later when we could make video calls and see each other wherever we went.
The place where her parents were able to settle down must be very backward. It would probably be difficult for them to even call their daughter. Most of the time, they could only communicate through letters.
"How about this, when you have summer vacation this summer, please invite me to travel to your place. I have always wanted to see the Loess Plateau, but I have no guide. Now I have you." Zhou Yi said.
"Ah?" Lu Xiaoshuang was stunned and didn't react.
Zhou Yi then added, "Of course, I'll pay for it."
Zhou Yi certainly knew that Lu Xiaoshuang was reluctant to leave and might not be able to afford the travel expenses, otherwise she should have gone back during the summer vacation after she was admitted to university last year instead of going to the hospital to work as a nurse.
"That won't work..."
Before Lu Xiaoshuang finished speaking, Zhou Yi pretended to sigh sadly: "Ah, it seems that I am not welcome to go."
"No, no, Brother Zhou, you misunderstood. That's not what I meant." Lu Xiaoshuang had never encountered such a thing before and waved her hands repeatedly.
"Then it's a deal!" Zhou Yi said, extending his little finger towards her.
Lu Xiaoshuang's face suddenly turned red. She hummed softly and hooked her finger with Zhou Yi.
"We'll make a promise and stick together for a hundred years." Zhou Yi chuckled, "My mom taught me that."
After throwing away the smelly salted fish and putting the remaining bag on the truck, the two of them headed back.
Zhou Yi knew that this agreement might be a bit abrupt, even a bit like teasing Lu Xiaoshuang. But he wanted to plant a hope in himself and Lu Xiaoshuang, hoping that by that time, the boat would have crossed the mountains.
On the stairs, Zhou Yi's parents were walking down carrying large and small bags.
"Mom, let me do it." Zhou Yi took the bag from his mother's hand.
Zhang Qiuxia had such sharp eyes that she spotted Lu Xiaoshuang, who was blushing and following behind Zhou Yi, at a glance.
He grabbed Zhou Jianguo and said, "Give the things to Zhou Yi, and come back with me to get the rest."
"Why? Zhou Yi can't get it all by himself."
"Isn't there Xiaoshuang here? Xiaoshuang, please help Zhou Yi."
"Okay, Auntie."
Zhang Qiuxia dragged Zhou Jianjun back, and Zhou Jianjun complained, "How can you have the nerve to ask a young girl to move things? Helping someone is a courtesy, so why are you doing this?"
Zhang Qiuxia pinched her husband's arm and said, "You're such a stubborn fool! What do you know? It's a blessing your son didn't follow you. If he did, he wouldn't be able to find a wife in the future."
After packing up all the miscellaneous things in the house, Zhou Yi looked at the one-bedroom apartment that had become much emptier, and felt mixed emotions.
Even though he was a 50-year-old middle-aged man in his previous life, he still felt lonely and uneasy after being reborn and separated from his parents.
It turns out that we are always children in front of our parents.
"Brother Zhou, Auntie said everything is ready and we can go. She's calling you downstairs." Lu Xiaoshuang poked her head out and said.
"Okay, I'm coming." Zhou Yi closed the door, and Lu Xiaoshuang, who was walking in front of him, jumped up and down like a happy rabbit.
…
When we moved into the old house, in addition to Zhou Yi's family and grandfather, my aunt's family also came.
Zhou Yi's uncle is Zhao Tiesheng, a small contractor who does painting. He has a good job and is a kind person.
The key is that I don’t get carried away just because I made some money. I listen to my wife about the money and affairs at home.
Zhou Yi’s cousin is called Zhao Min, yes, the same Zhao Min in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
The little girl is in her second year of high school this year. She is quirky and has a playful and cute personality. She does have some of Zhao Min's charm.
Zhou Yi didn't know where his mother got so many strange things from. She performed a lot of weird rituals, some for protecting the family's safety, some for blessing them with wealth and honor. It was almost like she was bringing out an entire opera troupe.
Lu Xiaoshuang stood beside Zhou Yi and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
Zhou Yi smiled and said, "It's okay, let her play. My mother loves playing these."
Zhao Min, wearing a blue and white school uniform, walked over and asked Zhou Yi with a smirk, "Brother, is this my sister-in-law?"
Zhou Yi glared at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense, little kid."
Zhao Min made a face at Zhou Yi, then said to Lu Xiaoshuang, "Hello, sister-in-law. I'm his sister. My name is Zhao Min."
Lu Xiaoshuang blushed and was about to explain when her aunt pulled her over and complained, "We're burning paper for our ancestors. Don't talk. It's unlucky."
Zhao Min pouted and shook off her mother's hand.
Lu Xiaoshuang shrank back guiltily, feeling as if she had broken some rules.
Zhou Yi sighed helplessly. Although he was a people's policeman, he had two elders in his family who believed in superstition.
After burning the paper, Zhang Qiuxia invited Zhou Yilai to kowtow to the ancestors, muttering to herself, asking the ancestors to bless her son with promotion and wealth, to bless him to get married and have children soon, to carry on the family line, and to bless the whole family with good health.
Zhou Yi thought to himself, with so many requests, our ancestors would be very busy.
After going through all this, we can officially move in.
Grandpa still lives in the original room, but this time grandma's photo is placed in the living room, and there are incense burners and candles.
This was suggested by Zhang Qiuxia. She said that if they burn incense for their mother-in-law frequently, her spirit in heaven will bless the family.
Although this was her superstition, Zhou Yi could see the emotion in her grandfather and father's eyes.
Although my mother is nagging, gossipy, and likes to show off and spread rumors, she is kind-hearted and has no ulterior motives. She is good to the elderly and relatives.
No one is perfect, everyone has shortcomings, but the person who can tolerate your shortcomings and appreciate your strengths is the one who truly loves you.
My mother and aunt started to make dumplings, and Lu Xiaoshuang also took the initiative to help. My cousin started playing with flour, throwing it all over the room, and was scolded by my aunt.
Although the furniture nowadays looks very cheap, the whole house is filled with a strong sense of life, and old neighbors come to visit and chat from time to time.
The old man sitting in the recliner couldn't stop smiling.
Zhou Yi chatted with his father and uncle. His uncle was a kind man, but not good at speaking. He had only two words to describe Zhou Yi's ability to work at the Municipal Bureau: very good, very good, very good.
After chatting for a while, my aunt asked my uncle to help boil water.
Only the father and son were left standing on the balcony.
Zhou Jianguo rummaged in his pocket for a long time and took out a Daqianmen cigarette box. Then he took out two cigarettes from it and handed one to Zhou Yi.
"It's a good cigarette. Our leader gave it to me, but there are only two of them. Your uncle was here just now, so I couldn't bear to take them out." My father said with a smile.
Zhou Yi took it and saw that it was a Zhonghua cigarette.
"Dad, isn't it just a Zhonghua cigarette? I'll buy you one tomorrow. We've solved a lot of cases recently, and our leader said there's a bonus."
Zhou Jianguo waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, how can a family like ours afford to smoke such expensive cigarettes? They are only smoked by rich people like leaders and bosses."
"Besides, don't waste your money. Just enjoy it. You haven't even married yet, so you need to be frugal." Zhou Jianguo lit a cigarette for his son, then for himself. He took a puff and carefully savored it. "Hmm, it's a good cigarette. It doesn't burn my throat."
Zhou Yi looked at his father and decided to buy a pack and say it was a gift from the bureau boss. He couldn't buy just one. If he did, he'd definitely be reluctant to smoke it and probably save it for his wedding.
"Dad, let me ask you something."
"What's going on?"
"Is your steel mill in trouble?"
Upon hearing this question, Zhou Jianguo sighed, "Ah, it's not just No. 2 Steel, No. 1 Steel is also in trouble. Didn't your mother tell you last time that the factory hasn't paid wages in three months? The higher-ups keep saying there are difficulties and hope the workers can overcome them. Fortunately, we still have some savings. Some people can barely afford to eat. A few days ago, some workers went to the factory leaders to make a scene, but there's no result. I don't know when this will end."
"Dad, if things go wrong, you might be laid off soon."
"Ah? Son, have you heard any news?"
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