Before coming, Mrs. Cheng and others handed Zhang Guoqing two packages. As he was in a hurry to get on the car, he didn't have time to refuse again and again, and it was inconvenient to open them in the car.
After finishing his noodles, Zhang Guoqing opened all the luggage he had brought back, which startled Zhang's parents. They had been taking care of their two eldest sons and had not had time to take a closer look.
"Xiaowu, why are there so many things?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head. "Those two bags were given to you by your aunt, and the rest were given to me by my father-in-law. I asked my brothers in the compound to give me these old clothes."
Mother Zhang was at a loss for words and patted him, "Silly boy, how dare you ask that? We don't lack clothes at home."
Zhou Jiao knew about these old clothes—he was asking for them on behalf of the villagers. Several families were better off and couldn't pass on their childhood clothes to their nephews and nieces, so Zhang Guoqing took them all.
"I told everyone that if anyone didn't want all their rags, they'd give them all home. I picked out some and brought them back with me. I'll give them to Third Grandpa tomorrow and let him divide them up."
Father Zhang smiled and nodded repeatedly. There was nothing to be ashamed of; there was nothing shameful about coming from a poor family. The children were so thoughtful; at least they were doing their bit for the village.
"I have to pick out some good ones for later."
Zhang Guoqing didn't stop her, as long as his mother was happy.
Zhang's mother was indeed very happy, especially when she saw the dry food that the young couple bought without using food coupons. She was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.
The family chatted for a while, then Zhang Guoqing grabbed two boxes of preserved fruit and two boxes of pastries and took Zhou Jiao to visit the neighbors. Now that he was back, they had to maintain good relationships. A close neighbor was better than a distant relative. His parents were back home, so he had to ask these neighbors to take care of them.
As news of Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao's return spread, by evening, the courtyard was packed with people rushing to the scene. Regardless of who they were, in this era, there was an indescribable admiration for the capital.
In the living room, everyone looked at the photos, listened to the latest news in Beijing, and chatted cheerfully. They dispersed one by one just before dinner.
Now, with only the family left, Zhou Jiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. With so many people around, the chatter was lively, but the smoke filling the room was a little uncomfortably heavy.
Compared to Zhang Meihao, who is only two months pregnant, Lin Juhua's pregnancy is already obvious, she has lost a lot of weight, and her personality is still as cheerful as ever.
Seeing her trying to help in the kitchen, Zhou Jiao quickly grabbed her and said, "Second sister-in-law, you and Second Sister sit down. There are several of us at home, do you really need to go into the kitchen with your belly bulging?"
"It's okay. I still work as usual at work. I'm used to it. I'll go with you. Here, let their men chat with their father."
Zhang's mother led the women to the kitchen, and the children followed. Rather than listening to the adults chat, they preferred to go to the kitchen early so they could maybe get a bite.
Zhou Jiao patted her forehead when she saw this. She still had something for the children. "Xizi, go find your uncle. He has saved a lot of food for you."
The children jumped for joy when they heard this and rushed to the living room to find Zhang Guoqing.
Zhou Jiao smiled and shook her head. Even the youngest Mai Sui ran after them with a look of surprise on his face. It seemed that the children were having a hard time.
In the kitchen, Zhang's mother directed her daughter-in-law and daughter to cook. She was also very frugal. Two-thirds of a steamed bun was filled with pickled wild vegetables.
Seeing her hesitate for a long time, Zhou Jiao finally started cooking two meat dishes. She finally understood why she said they couldn't finish what was left for them. If they hadn't gone home, she thought Zhang's mother might not even be willing to add another meat dish.
She didn't stop him, because she couldn't let him take over the show. She had to establish her mother-in-law's authority. She would rather persuade her privately and leave more supplies than contradict her in front of her sisters-in-law.
"Mom, please sit down and rest for a while."
Mother Zhang smiled and shook her head. "I'm not tired. I'm just happy to see you. Don't be so busy. Go and rest for a while. I'll call you for dinner."
Zhou Jiao felt ashamed after hearing this. "Mother-in-law, is it okay for you to be so partial?"
"I'm not tired at all from the car ride, so I'm just here to chat with you. Mom, do you think we should go to my uncle's house?"
Zhang Meili laughed and said, "If I don't come back during the first month of the year, I have to go there first. The last time my aunt came over, she mentioned you two and asked if you were doing well."
Zhang's mother nodded and said, "Go back to the village tomorrow to pay your respects, and then go to your uncle's house before leaving. It's okay there. They know you're busy, so they won't mind."
Zhou Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. She just needed to change the subject. She had to go to her two uncles' houses early. In this day and age, honest relatives should help out if they can.
"Third Grandpa will be so happy when you return to the village. Did Xiaowu calculate that the village will go hunting before the New Year?"
Zhou Jiao laughed in silence. If Lin Juhua hadn't mentioned it, she'd actually forgotten about the annual village hunting event, but who has the time to remember such trivial matters?
Zhang Meili said worriedly, "Xiaowu hasn't hunted for half a year, so he might be rusty. It's better not to go up the mountain. It's freezing cold, what if something goes wrong? Juhua, do you know when the villagers go up the mountain? Let's avoid them and return to the village later."
"The kid's father said this week. We didn't get any big guys last time we went up the mountain, so this time Third Grandpa plans to send more people up the mountain."
Zhou Jiao listened to their conversation, a new calculation brewing in her mind. They wouldn't be staying in their hometown for more than a few days before leaving, and they had to visit the provincial capital. They really didn't have time to spend a few days with everyone in the mountains. Their original plan was to use the trip back home as an excuse to bring meat back to Beijing. It seemed they had to discuss this further.
Zhou Jiao saw that apart from Zhang Meili who tried to stop her and Zhang's mother who nodded repeatedly, no one else had any opinions. She smiled inwardly, thinking that everyone who wanted to eat meat was targeting her man.
Whoever's man is the one who feels sorry for him. Well, I saved on milk powder and food coupons. Zhang Meili is still the most thoughtful, this time the elder sister gave me an extra gift.
Zhang Guoqing chatted with everyone in the living room, gathering some information. Seeing that his parents were indeed as described, he felt relieved.
As for how his two brothers fared, he didn't care. If the jobs at the grain store and the police station couldn't support the family, then it would be a hopeless situation. Furthermore, both he and his wife were working.
He listened to what Zhang Laoer told him in private and smiled.
There are no fools in this world. His parents were able to give birth to such a smart son as his second brother. Apart from this accident, there was no reason why his eldest brother should be stupid. He was just used to obeying his parents and his wife. After being in the city for so long, hasn't he become smarter?
No matter how many tricks the Huang family has, no matter how many methods they use, if his eldest brother ignores them, they will be powerless. If the Huang family is short of food, then who else is short of food?
His elder brother had done a great job this time! It was a good idea for the whole family to go to the company for dinner. If Huang Cuilan wanted to contribute, she could. As long as she could endure the hunger, no one could stop her from being filial. And now, within three months, she couldn't bear it anymore.
Zhang Guoqing didn't comment much on his second brother's disdain for his eldest sister-in-law. As long as she fulfilled her duties to Zhang's father and mother and didn't act like a demon, that was all that mattered. Other people's character had nothing to do with one's own.
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