Father Zhang carefully put the note away. He had to go back to the village and show it to his brothers and sisters, to see that his grandson was so educated at such a young age.
When they reached the intersection, the three in-laws said goodbye to each other and went home.
On the way, Father Zhang saw someone carrying breakfast. After thinking for a while, he went back and bought two fried dough sticks. He chatted with the restaurant chef for a few words before going home.
Before he reached the door of his house, Wang Dasheng from next door heard Zhang's father greeting someone, so he quickly came out of the yard and waved to him.
Father Zhang's eyes lit up, and he walked quickly towards him, looking at him happily.
"Brother Zhang, come over with Brother Chen tonight."
“Brother, that’s awesome!”
Wang Dasheng looked at him and gave him a thumbs-up, laughing happily. He said modestly, "It's nothing. They are just some leftovers. I'm glad you don't mind them."
"Oh, you're being modest again."
Zhang's father disagreed. Meat coupons were so scarce these days that it was impossible to buy these offal without someone close to you. He'd waited months just for this.
Alas, if I hadn't promised my second son not to go up the mountain, he wouldn't have lacked meat. Fortunately, my wife raised a lot of chickens, otherwise, life would have been really hard with that little supply.
"Then I'll go have breakfast first, and see you at the factory later."
Zhang Dad smiled and nodded, watching him enter the house before swaying two fried dough sticks into the yard. He was thinking that if there were more, he could braise more and send it to Brother Guang in the provincial capital. Hmm, bring some vegetables over too!
Zhang's mother had already placed a circle of steamed bread in the pot, waiting for her husband to come back to eat and return to the village together. When she heard the noise outside the yard, she had already arranged two vegetarian dishes and grabbed a plate of steamed bread.
Standing at the kitchen door, she saw the fried dough sticks in her husband's hand and didn't say much.
Normally, she would have resented her husband's extravagant spending. But thinking that youtiao don't appear often, and still having oil in the soup, she happily accepted it.
Father Zhang entered the kitchen, glanced at the stew on the table, and jokingly said, "You've really thought of everything. Be careful not to let the oil get smelly."
Mother Zhang laughed heartily. "It won't stink, I've seen it. I'll go back and bring some back for my eldest sister-in-law and my younger sister-in-law. It's a precious treasure, perfect for giving as a gift."
"We kept the oil Xiaowu prepared for us for our own use. We gave away the cottonseed oil we collected two months ago. The oil is black, and I didn't notice it before, but now it has a strange smell no matter how I smell it."
"Okay, I'll do as you say. Let's eat quickly and go before the sun comes out..."
"Dad, Mom..."
Hearing the shouts outside, Zhang's mother quickly stood up and said, "You eat first. I'll go see what's going on with the second son."
"No need to go. My courtyard door is not closed. He will come in."
Zhang's mother thought the same thing and responded loudly, asking him to come in.
When Zhang Laoer came in, he was also holding two fried dough sticks in his hands. Seeing the fried dough sticks on the table, he grinned and said, "I thought you didn't know, so I bought some extra for you."
Father Zhang smiled and said, "I just came back and saw someone carrying it, so I went back. Have you eaten yet? Your mother made a lot, sit down and eat something."
"I was thinking of coming here for a free meal. Dad, how long will you stay this time? Do you want the kids to accompany you?"
Father Zhang shook his head and said, "Come back before dark."
Zhang Laoer took the bowl his mother handed him and asked, "Do you want me to find a car?"
"No need. We've already made an agreement. The team next door has an ox cart at the city gate. We can take his cart."
Zhang Laoer knew immediately that it must be someone from the team coming to the city to pull a manure cart. He wanted to say no, but then he thought better of it, thinking he'd definitely get scolded. His father treasured the manure very much.
"Is your eldest brother coming back this weekend?"
Zhang Laoer nodded and said, "It's been almost a month, it's time for him to come back." After saying that, he paused with his hand holding the steamed bun, thinking that it would be better not to spoil the fun so early in the morning, it would not be too late to talk about it in the evening.
After finishing breakfast, Zhang Dad glanced at his face and asked, "What's going on? Is there something wrong? Is it about the staff reduction?"
Zhang Laoer asked in surprise, "Dad, you know everything?"
Father Zhang nodded and said, "I went to exercise in the mornings these past two days. I heard those old men mention it."
Zhang Laoer asked in surprise, "Dad, aren't you surprised? Why didn't you tell me about it last night?"
Zhang Dad rolled his eyes at him and said disdainfully, "What a surprise! When arranging your eldest brother to work, didn't Xiaowu say that he and Jiaojiao had analyzed it? It was inevitable. Do you think your brother would talk nonsense?"
Zhang Laoer slapped his forehead with a loud snap and said in frustration, "I forgot. Dad, don't you think this is weird? After 1958, everyone went back to the countryside to work, but my eldest brother and I were not on the right track, especially my eldest brother, who arrived a few days early. Uncle Zuo said we were lucky, otherwise we would have to go back home to farm."
Father Zhang smiled and said, "So I'm going back to the village today to burn some incense for your grandparents."
Upon hearing this, Zhang's mother nodded quickly. "Yes, it's all thanks to our ancestors. After you left last night, your father went to see your Uncle Chen, and he said this would be a good thing for your eldest brother. Don't tell anyone about this."
Zhang Laoer smiled bitterly and said, "Mom, I'm not stupid. But, have you forgotten that both of your daughters-in-law are going to be unemployed?"
Father Zhang patted his son and said, "It's good that you two brothers can stay. People should not be too greedy. You have to think positively. If you two brothers don't transfer their household registration, they will have to return to the village and even the food supply will be gone.
I've already made inquiries for you. If they lose their jobs, they can still find work on the streets and take it home. It just so happens that the two of them can stay at home to take care of the children."
Zhang Laoer nodded. "I have less burden. Even though Juhua doesn't have a job, she can still help people knit sweaters or make clothes to supplement the family income. I'm not worried about that. But as for my eldest brother..."
Mother Zhang smiled and said softly, "That's even better. Do you think your sister-in-law gave your salary to your brother? If you don't have a job and just stay at home, there won't be any trouble."
Father Zhang agreed with his wife's idea, and the old couple must have discussed this matter privately many times.
He also continued, "This policy is useless no matter who pleads for mercy. Her family has given up and asked Xiaowu for help. I have the same idea as your mother. She has to stay at home and rely on your brother. She dare not make any trouble.
Don't worry about your eldest brother. I think he's quite capable now. He should get a promotion and a raise when he comes back this time. He'll have a yard to live in, and the children's schooling won't cost him much."
Zhang Laoer looked at his parents' faces and realized they really didn't take it seriously, so he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that they would be worried.
Zhang's father smiled with relief. His second son was a selfish wretch, but he still had one great virtue: filial piety to his parents and friendship with his brothers. He didn't ask his son to change his ways; this was enough for him.
These past few days, he's seen those old men worrying about their children's jobs, but he's been very open-minded. Back then, when they were so poor, he and his wife were able to raise their children. Now that they have such good conditions, what else should they worry about?
Perhaps this is a good thing. Since ancient times, it's easy to share adversity, but difficult to share prosperity. The same is true between husband and wife. Why did the eldest son's wife change so quickly?
It was because I gave her too much money, and my eldest son arranged jobs for my two older brothers at once.
Now that she had no worries, her mind naturally became active. She started to tremble when she had money, but in the end, it was because she was unstable and short-sighted.
A blessing in disguise. Right now, it's best to be patient with that child. Otherwise, given my eldest son's temperament, if an honest man is pushed to the limit, no one will be able to stop him from making a decision.
That family, ah, can't be broken up! He watched with cold eyes for so long, and the child was still a good child, accompanying his family through such difficult days without any complaints. Just based on this, he is indeed worthy of being the eldest daughter-in-law.
You can't condemn people with one blow. Everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay if they correct them. A wife is the best, and a son is also his own son.
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