The two aunts were eating white noodles with poached eggs. They had initially wanted to be polite and share half of the noodles with a small bowl, but then they saw that it wasn't just them; the eldest sister-in-law and the nephew and his son had also had some.
Finally, no one pushed and shoved each other, and the two sisters-in-law smiled at each other. This nephew's wife is really wonderful! They felt very comfortable as a guest.
After snacking, it was already getting late, and the two aunts were anxious to get home before dark. Zhou Jiao, who was standing nearby, saw them bringing two large baskets full of eggs and sighed inwardly. There must have been at least sixty, if not eighty. Who knew how much effort they had put into collecting them?
She winked at Zhang Guoqing, asking him to prepare more return gifts. As a daughter-in-law, she couldn't say some things, and she couldn't be present. Only he, as her son's mother-in-law, didn't mind and wouldn't feel embarrassed.
It wasn't that Zhou Jiao was cautious, but she also didn't like having others interfere with her own affairs. This had nothing to do with elders or juniors, but was a matter of courtesy and respect for others. Especially with Huang Cuilan, the daughter-in-law who had moved in with her parents. If her daughter-in-law stayed here and refused to leave, wouldn't her mother-in-law be worried?
Thinking of the two cousins who had been sending things to Ping An for the past two years, and the two uncles who sent some local specialties from time to time, Zhou Jiao's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Mom, please hold on to the two aunts first. I have something for the two cousins."
"Run slowly and don't rush."
Zhang Guoqing looked at his mother's worried cries and smiled happily. A harmonious family is the key to success. A good mother-in-law and a good daughter-in-law are essential. He was very proud of his daughter-in-law!
"Mom, pack more meat for uncle. If there's no one else, I'll beat him up."
Mother Zhang glanced at the two sisters-in-law and younger sisters from her mother's family who were being entangled by Ping An in the main hall, and whispered, "Don't give too much. They won't want it even if you're being polite."
"It's okay, I'll take them halfway. Mom, take out the eggs first. Put the other things in the basket later. I'll find a bag to put the meat in."
Zhang Guoqing had just finished packing 20 kilograms of meat when his mother grabbed him tightly. Seeing that she was still glaring, he smiled at her and gave up. He figured Zhou Jiao would go back and prepare the fabric.
Because she had brought back a large amount of fabric from abroad, and adding to the pile she had bought earlier at Haishi, the total amount was staggering, and she was using it as a favor.
Given her reluctance to owe favors, she might even give quite a bit this time. Plus, if there were too much meat, it would really scare the two aunts, making them afraid to visit for at least five years. That would be a case of good intentions leading to bad results.
These two uncles were good people, but the balance couldn't be lost. Human greed can change with external stimuli. Zhang Guoqing didn't want to disrupt this friendly relationship.
Not long after, Zhou Jiao came in carrying a cloth package. Zhang Guoqing was a little surprised to see this, but also very happy. His wife was now very good at dealing with people.
Zhou Jiao lifted one leg to reveal the blue fabric underneath and quietly gestured to him. Zhang Guoqing nodded knowingly. This was just right for the two uncles.
Zhang's mother rolled her eyes at the couple, but didn't stop them. Her son and his wife were trying to save face for her, so even if she felt bad, she couldn't speak. The guests were still there.
Zhang Guoqing really had to carry the bags and send his two aunts out. Now each production team was harvesting wheat one after another, and even ox carts were not available.
After walking for a long distance, Zhang Guoqing finally saw a favorable oxcart. He breathed a sigh of relief. He waited until his two aunts got on the car before putting the bag on the car and pointing to the driver.
This bad boy just said he was going to the county town, but it turns out he was waiting for them here! Glancing at the two baskets full of things, the two aunts were a little amused and helpless.
If I had known, I wouldn't have come to give her eggs. This wasn't a visit to relatives, more like a visit to move things. Because there were outsiders present, some things couldn't be said, so they could only ask their nephew to come over to their house as a family sometime.
Zhang Guoqing waved as they left and hurried back. He had things to deal with that evening and was quite anxious, so he almost dropped them off at the door.
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily in the old courtyard. "Mom, if I bring so many eggs to the capital, they will definitely break. Please be kind and don't embarrass me."
"Your father and I can't eat so much."
Zhou Jiao smiled cheerfully and said, "Let's eat together. Let the children know how much my two uncles care about us. Giving so many eggs is no ordinary favor."
How could Zhang's mother not hear that this was her own Jiaojiao showing the Zhang family how her family was? She was deliberately treating her own portion as three. Oh, how could this child be so thoughtful.
The little drama queen stepped forward with great tact and said, "Grandma, you and my grandpa should eat more. Eggs are nutritious. When I grow up, I will buy you lots of eggs."
Mother Zhang was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling, hugging her precious grandson and shouting.
Xiao Ping'an was so happy that he immediately patted his chest and made a promise: "Grandma, I'll buy more meat for you in a few days. You won't be short of meat in the future."
Zhang's mother held him in her arms, not caring about the flesh around his feet. She warned him, "Grandma, as long as we grow up safely and well, that's more important than any meat. You can't listen to your father and run off into the mountains."
Ping An rolled his eyes, hugged Zhang's mother's neck, and said in a baby voice, "Okay. I'll listen to my grandma. Dad and I won't go to any dangerous places."
Zhou Jiao watched speechlessly as he coaxed Zhang's mother into a state of utter nonsense.
"Mom, should I pour out the meat?"
"Oh, this meat will go bad if it's not processed."
Ping An tactfully asked to come down.
"Grandma, are we going to give this meat to Brother Tiedan and the others?"
Mother Zhang shook her head. "Grandma, you should dry these and store them at home to eat slowly. You can't just waste food all at once. You have to learn how to save money over time."
Ping An finally found a soulmate. He looked at Zhang's mother beside him with shining eyes and said, "Grandma, you know so much. Isn't this bad?"
"It won't go bad. Just rub it with salt and let it dry, and it'll be good enough to keep until the New Year."
"Is salt expensive? Do you need a ticket?"
Zhang's mother replied nonchalantly, "Eight cents a pound. You need a ticket for everything these days."
"You want a ticket? It's not worth it."
Zhang's mother became interested. "Oh, what do you mean?"
"Each ticket has a limited supply. If you don't have enough, you have to exchange tickets. This requires a lot of favors." Ping An looked at the meat that Zhang's mother and Zhou Jiao had picked out. "With so much meat, doesn't it need a lot of salt? Ten pounds of meat costs one pound of salt, and fifty pounds of meat costs 40 cents. 40 cents can buy over 300 pounds of cabbage."
Seeing that he converted fluently without stopping for a breath, Zhang's mother looked at Zhou Jiao in surprise.
Zhou Jiao nodded and said, "He can figure it out within a hundred."
Of course, this was just a modest statement. But it still made Zhang's mother happy. "Our Ping'an is so smart! Jiaojiao, you can have a baby right after graduation, and we'll raise the child the same way."
"good."
Ping An frowned, "Can it be faster? I want to have a younger brother soon. And grandma, there's no other child in the world as smart and sensible as me."
Zhang's mother was laughing her heart out today. How could her grandson be so funny? She nodded immediately and said, "Yes, there is no other child as good as you."
Ping An was satisfied. He smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter. I will teach my brothers to be smart. My dad said that I am the eldest and they must obey my orders from now on."
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