In the Beijing Railway Station Square, many passengers can be seen coming and going. As the capital of the country, there are a large number of passengers here every day. At the south gate exit, many people are waiting for their relatives and friends to return. At this time, two trains arrived at the station, and passengers came out carrying large and small luggage and packages.
Xiao Zhou glanced at the exit, squeezed through, and finally caught up with a staff member. He learned that Lin Lishan's train wouldn't arrive for another hour, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He thanked the staff member, casually showing them his work ID and receiving permission to enter the platform. He found a sheltered spot, cleaned the floor, and then reclined against the wall to rest.
After waiting for an hour, the train arrived at the station and Xiao Zhou immediately stood up and ran to the stop. He walked towards the sleeper car, looking for Lin Lishan. Before he found her, he saw the staff at the front car door carrying out a lot of large packages. He knew they were packed by Zhang Guoqing at a glance. He hurried forward and saw her talking to the staff, "Sister, the old man asked me to pick you up."
Lin Lishan was overjoyed to see Xiao Zhou and said to the train conductor, Liu Ming, "Comrade Liu, look, someone from my family really is here to pick me up. You really don't have to worry. My child is a bit troublesome, and I'm grateful for your care along the way. You still have a lot of things to take care of when this train stops, so just focus on your business first. We'll contact each other later."
Liu Ming looked at the young man in military uniform and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're here. This time I've finally completed my mission. I'll go arrange the work first. When a cart comes over, you can leave the station later."
Xiao Zhou quickly stepped forward to express his gratitude. "Thank you very much. You can go ahead and do your thing. I'm here so you won't have to worry about anything. If you need anything, you can always ask the staff nearby."
Lin Lishan watched Liu Ming leave and asked curiously, "Did Xiaowu send a telegram?"
"Well, they said they had 500 kilograms of stuff to pick up. Last night, the commander was worried about letting me pick you up today. I think these things weigh more than 500 kilograms."
Lin Lishan saw the cart coming from the front and said hurriedly, "There must be more than that. There are a lot of things, everything. We'll talk about it when we get back. The cart is coming."
More than an hour had passed by the time the luggage and packages were loaded into the car. The lights of the old city were already shining, and the car drove along the road towards the military compound.
Lin Lishan looked out the car window and sighed, "Suddenly seeing all the bright lights and noise is a bit strange. Jiaojiao has already had dinner in Zhangjia Village, and the Zhang family will be going to bed soon. Without electricity, there's no entertainment. Although life there is simple, it's very peaceful."
Xiao Zhou smiled after hearing this and quickened his pace.
The car drove into the courtyard and headed towards the small yard at the back. As soon as the car stopped, the old man came out of the yard with Li Jianjun. When he saw Lin Lishan, he laughed out loud, "Shanshan is really back. Let me see what you have."
"Haha, Dad, there are a lot of rare things that Xiaowu found for you and Mom. You will definitely like them. Don't worry, move them all to the living room and open them first. There are too many things, I can't tell them apart."
Old Master Lin laughed heartily and ordered repeatedly, "Jianjun, come and help move in. Xiao Zhou, don't be impatient, take your time. Wow, these bags are packed tightly, there's a lot of stuff. Xiao Wu has spent a lot of money this time."
Mr. Lin's laughter aroused the curiosity of the old ladies sitting in the living room. After a while, a large package was brought in and filled the empty space in the living room.
Jianjun sat down on the sofa, picked up his tea, and gulped down a few deep gulps. He laughed and said to Lin Liying, "I now believe that Zhang Guoqing has supernatural powers. I heard from my elder sister that he pulled all these things into the car by himself, and he did it with ease. Each package weighs over 100 kilograms, so there must be more than 500 kilograms here. I don't know what it is, it's so heavy. I can smell meat and mushrooms, but nothing else."
Lin Xueling had been waiting there with a pair of scissors in her hand, eager to make her own move. When she saw everything being moved in, she went forward and started to cut them open without being told.
Lin Lishan hurried forward, stopped her, and took the scissors. "Little Ancestor, you should take a break. Don't cut it carelessly. There is a very valuable wolf king fur in it. Xiaowu asked for it to be given to your grandparents. If you cut it with the scissors, it will be finished.
Dad, Xiaowu said you're constantly touching your knees even though it's not winter yet, so he thinks you must be suffering from cold legs. He went to the old hand and shamelessly snatched two wolf king furs from him, saying that sleeping on them would help your legs stop hurting this winter. It's also good for my mom to sleep on them, as she's weak and won't feel the cold.
Grandpa Lin took the wolf skin and motioned his son-in-law to pull it open at the other end. "Well, Xiaowu, you're thoughtful. This is the wolf king. The fur is very thick and large. One bed is enough for your mother and me, and I can keep one bed for yourself."
Lin Lishan took out a box and a small bottle of wine and handed it to him. "No need. Xiaowu asked for it specially for you. I can't accept it. Don't worry, he will forget me again." There are two ginsengs in this box. I found the largest one here. The other one was also bought from someone else.
I don't want it. He said there's still some left after Jiaojiao's birth, so there's no shortage at home. He said one for you and Mom, and one for Big Brother's health. The other is for her dad, and it's for me. This wine is tiger bone wine I found, and it's yours, Dad. Everything else in this package is mine."
After saying that, Lin Lishan took out a ginseng wrapped in red cloth, turned over the cloth to show the old man, and put it in his hand.
Old Master Lin kept shouting anxiously, "Oh, you are so rough, girl. This is a hundred-year-old ginseng, and every hair is a good thing. Isn't the wine too little?"
Old Mrs. Lin touched the wolf king's skin, the fur on it had been treated. "These are all good things that you can't buy. They are really thoughtful. This child bought so much, it must have cost a lot of money. You didn't bring much money with you. Do they have other income?"
"I offered them money but they refused, saying they were rich but had no place to spend it at home. The young couple had quite a bit of their own savings. It was earned by Xiaowu from hunting, and Jiaojiao didn't like to spend it.
"Well, besides these things, the rest is food. They said that Jiaojiao's aunt, uncle-in-law, and you all will each get a portion, so I asked them to divide it up. Second brother has already sent two sacks of food, enough for them to eat for two years. Besides these, there will be more packages sent in a few days, and I will pick them up then." After Lin Lishan finished speaking, everyone over there opened the packages, took a look, and gathered around, looking at each other in surprise.
Old Master Lin looked at everyone gathered in a group and asked curiously, "What's going on? Is there something else going on inside? Come out and show me." After everyone dispersed, the old master looked forward and glanced at everyone nonchalantly.
"Don't look at them. These things are nothing new. If they were sweet potatoes, Jiaojiao and I wouldn't even glance at them. Why would we ask her mother to bring them all the way here? This wild boar must have been hunted by Xiaowu himself.
Don't just stand there, the kids gave it to you, so just accept it. This is a thank you gift from them for sending you packages over the years. Haha, these two kids, this is a give-and-take thing, I'm afraid I'll owe them a favor."
Lin Liying frowned and said softly, "That's too much. Are you planning to settle it with us?"
Old Master Lin looked at her, shook his head and said, "No, if we had settled the matter clearly, we would have waited for her father to return and let him handle it. We wouldn't have bothered to look for the things and asked her mother to bring them here. I've said that they think money is something outside of their body. They really don't care about those things.
This time, when the Zhou family's relatives were arrested, they returned all their belongings, but the couple refused to take any of them. Instead, they entrusted them to the village secretary to sell and donate them to the elderly and widowed people in the village. The Zhang family, from top to bottom, did the same, with no objection. There were even valuables like bicycles, and even Xiaowu's second brother wouldn't ask for one, even though he didn't have one himself. The Zhang family was upright and honest, and they were well-known throughout the area for their kindness.
Their nature is to not take advantage of others, and they treat others equally. Your mother gave Jiaojiao a gift for her son's third-day baptism, and Xiaowu prepared a wolf king skin and ginseng as a return gift. You sent something to the Zhou family, and now that Xiaowu and Zhoujiao know about it, they often mail local specialties. Given their nature, this is a natural thing to do."
Lin Lishan smiled and nodded. "Well, Jiaojiao's mother-in-law is very interesting, very straightforward and enthusiastic. This time, she and Xiaowu saw me off to the train. She always told me to go back and see Jiaojiao when I have time. She treats Jiaojiao like a daughter, but she's partial to Xiaowu, the eldest son. We're building a new courtyard at home right now, and we'll split up and live separately after the New Year and the beginning of spring.
A very sensible family, the brothers are very friendly. My two brothers and their wives are very protective of the young couple. They didn't touch the rice and flour we brought over, saying it was from Jiaojiao's mother's family. Or, I was anxious, so I made some porridge, but they usually don't touch it.
Xiaowu advised me that even if I said more, it would be useless. Her mother was very clear about these things, she was just afraid that if the family got caught up in the conflict, the rules would be disrupted. Unless Jiaojiao was out of confinement, she could personally send her to her two sisters-in-law.
Their family atmosphere is particularly good; they're all very hardworking and don't gossip. They share Jiaojiao's personality: they like to keep things to themselves and are very low-key. They buy these local specialties privately, keeping them hidden. I finally understand why our Jiaojiao married into this family; they're all just like her.
Lin Liying laughed out loud. "This family is really nice. Jiaojiao has married into a good family. Just be sensible. What's wrong with being in the countryside? I still think that old farmers are simple, sincere, and easy to get along with."
My mother-in-law is like this. Every time she sees me, she says that I have been wronged, but I don’t feel wronged at all. She has her eldest son in her heart, and she will often send local specialties to our family even if we have no money.
These are just thoughtful gestures, so why feel wronged? Haven't you seen my colleagues constantly complain about how difficult their mothers-in-law are? Big sister, you should be relieved now. You won't have to worry about it anymore.
Tell us, is Jiaojiao affectionate to you? Does she ask you to do anything?"
Grandpa Lin looked at the children with a smile and interjected, "Did Xiaowu say anything when he returned from the provincial capital?"
Lin Lishan laughed heartily, poured herself a cup of tea, and took a few sips. "Dad, you're so cunning! Did you know that Xiaowu would become unstable when he came back after following you out?"
"Well, I think the kid has a good character. I'm just afraid he'll change if I see too much, so I took him out to see the outside world. He realized that his exposure is still not enough and he's still a long way to go to reach the goal he set. Tell Dad if he looks smug when he goes back home? After all, he's only 18, so it's understandable if he does."
Lin Lishan smiled apologetically at her sister, then said to the old man, "Xiaowu came back that day with the same expression as usual. After dinner that day, I was holding Jiaojiao and chatting, and he came in and sat there watching us, distracted, his heart absent. Jiaojiao asked him what was wrong, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he asked if I was free to go home, and if they didn't see me and her father often after coming to Beijing. After I finished speaking, Jiaojiao noticed it and asked him if there was anything wrong or if he was worried about something.
Seeing how happy we were together, and how happy Jiaojiao was, Xiaowu was worried that his decision to stay in the county town for a few years had been a mistake. He said he was a little lost after returning from the provincial capital, feeling that time was running out, and that his mind and emotions were wavering. He needed Jiaojiao's guidance. Haha, I was so happy at the time. I'd never seen such an interesting couple.
At that moment, Jiaojiao's face darkened, and she said, "You need to first determine your role. Grandpa showed you people in high positions, why are you so anxious? Your unstable mentality means you've wavered in your plans. Think rationally about what we should do if we leave Grandpa and our parents. Remove those external factors and think about what we should do best right now. How can you make yourself better? How can you make yourself take one step at a time with your feet firmly on the ground? Even if no one is supporting you, you can still make your own way. That is your confidence."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaowu nodded seriously. Finally, Jiaojiao talked about her and Ping'an's household registration. She said that they would all be moved to the village or the county town. Only by moving here and cutting off the retreat would you have the motivation and work hard to get into college. Our whole family will go to Beijing, and we will fight for our son.
After Jiaojiao finished speaking, Xiaowu said happily that he would no longer be confused. After Jiaojiao said this, he made up his mind to take them back to Beijing on his own. He also said to me, "Mom, give me two years, and I will personally bring Jiaojiao and the child to find you. From now on, you two can go out on the street whenever you want, and we will never be separated again."
Dad, I felt so sad at that time. Even if I didn't have a son in the future, I would be content with Xiaowu and Jiaojiao. When I left, I wanted to leave all my money behind, but they were so anxious that they took out all their savings and counted them for me, saying that they really didn't need money. If they needed money, they would definitely ask me. They said that I only had Jiaojiao, so who else could they ask? They said it didn't make sense to ask Grandma for money when I returned to Beijing and ran out of money. Only the young ones were filial to the old ones, and if the old ones had no money, they would still support the young ones. Wouldn't that make Grandma worry? There was no way to win over them.
Haha, Xiaowu is really smart. Look at all the stuff he has. As soon as he arrived at the station, he went straight to the stationmaster himself, brought the train conductor over, and took it straight to the carriage. In no time, the two of them became good friends. The train conductor ordered my meals to be prepared for me the whole trip. He was so enthusiastic, saying that his brother asked him to take good care of his mother-in-law. He didn't worry about losing her things, but he must take care of her. Haha, oh my, I'm so happy."
The nanny brought a bowl of noodles. Lin Lishan was eager to eat and quickly said, "I'll eat first. I'll talk to you when I have time. Don't worry, they are all fine."
Lin Liying smiled and sat down beside her. "Sister, even if you didn't tell us, we all knew it. Seeing how proud you are, there's no need to tell us. Just take your time eating."
After hearing this, Mr. Lin and Mrs. Lin smiled at each other. Now their eldest daughter was settled and they didn't have to worry anymore. Mrs. Lin looked at the pile of things on the ground and quickly asked the aunt to come up and clean them up, while she stood by and gave instructions.
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