The night sky was dotted with stars. The heat of the day was gone, and the breeze brought a slight coolness. Apart from the croaking of frogs, everything was silent.
Zhang Guofu came out of the main house, stood in the yard, and looked up at the sky.
Huang Cuilan waited eagerly for the familiar footsteps to approach. After a long while, she realized that the person had not yet entered the room. She hesitated for a moment, then walked out of the room with a palm-leaf fan in hand.
As soon as she walked out of the room, she saw her man looking up at the sky. She looked at the sky in confusion, then moved closer to Zhang Guofu, stood beside him, and used a fan to drive away mosquitoes.
"It's going to be a sunny day tomorrow."
Zhang Guofu nodded: "Yes, it's a nice day."
"The wheat in the team has been stored in the warehouse, and I see that several teams around us are also busy harvesting. Your unit doesn't have to worry about food shortages this year."
Zhang Guofu felt warm in his heart as he listened to her words expressing her concern for his work and saw her frowning slightly as she drove away mosquitoes for him.
In the moonlight, Huang Cuilan's face reminded him of when she first married into the family. The familiar courtyard, the familiar atmosphere, and his father's words tonight made him think deeply.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Guofu looked at his wife pushing his right hand and shook his head.
Huang Cuilan followed his gaze, quickly withdrew her hand, and rubbed it on the side of her pants, as if this could rub away a trace of embarrassment.
Seeing this, Zhang Guofu's eyes dimmed and he quickly reached out and grabbed her right hand.
He touched the palm of his hand with both hands. The thick calluses there were accumulated over time after marrying him. The scar on the back of his hand was caused by cutting flesh and bones when he first got married. There were also several small scars. Even if he couldn't see them, he remembered them clearly - they were all injuries suffered for this family and for him.
"The child's father? You...you..."
Zhang Guofu listened to her surprised and panicked voice, looked up at her face, and smiled comfortingly, "Did you just cut your hair? It looks good. It's getting late, let's go to bed early."
Huang Cuilan's eyes sparkled in the dark after hearing this, and she nodded repeatedly, "Hey. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something before going to sleep? Why do I think you've lost weight again?..."
Zhang Guofu saw her excitedly blurting out a string of words. He chuckled softly, didn't reply, and hugged her back to the room. It had only been a short time since she finished eating, how could she be hungry? He didn't refute this.
Just like his father said, teach your wife from behind. As long as the woman in front of him still loves him and this family, he doesn't believe that he can't change his wife's mind if he works hard.
In the east wing bedroom, after a passionate moment, Zhang Guofu touched the top of his wife's head in his arms. He could not remember how long it had been since he had hugged his wife like this.
"Dad, I still have the money you gave me last time. Our family's expenses aren't big, and I've saved enough for the children's tuition this year. Don't be stingy with your money when you're in the provincial capital."
Zhang Guofu patted her gently and said, "Yeah."
Huang Cuilan knew that her man was a taciturn person, so she smiled disapprovingly.
But Menhulu understood her meaning perfectly. His wife was telling him she hadn't given any money to her parents. He had no objection to giving money to her father-in-law, as long as it didn't ruin their own family.
But Zhang Guofu had no intention of explaining these things to his wife. He knew her thoughts too well. If he said this now, the silly woman would immediately relapse into her old habits, like a dyeing room.
Xiaowu came back with a lot of game this time. As his wife's partner, how could he not understand the look in his wife's eyes as she stared at the string of meat that his mother hung in the warehouse?
If this were his own family, he would definitely agree to give a few cuts of meat to his father-in-law. As for whether his father-in-law would give it to his brother-in-law, that was none of his business, but this was his younger brother's way of honoring his parents. Absolutely not!
Especially this brother-in-law, who was now very restless even at the village supply and marketing cooperative. He had no intention of telling his parents and brothers about these things. As long as he was there, no one would think of using his own Xiaowu as a cover to order him around.
Thinking of this, Zhang Guofu sighed inwardly. He always seemed to take his anger out on his wife because of certain people and things. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help but get angry.
"Will you come back this Mid-Autumn Festival? My dad wants us to have a meal at his place as a family."
"OK."
Huang Cuilan looked up at him happily, "Then I have to write back to my father. My eldest brother and second brother are all coming back that day. It's really great. What do you think we should bring?"
Zhang Guofu patted his wife's hand for a moment, then continued patting her gently and said with a smile, "What do you think is suitable?"
Huang Cuilan cautiously glanced at his face and asked softly, "I see how much tiger wine Dad has today. Can you pour some for him? Not much, just half a pound will do."
Zhang Guofu looked at her in silence for a moment, then shook his head. He had no intention of accepting his father's money. That was his younger brother's filial piety. How unfilial he must be to take food from his own father's mouth.
Huang Cuilan sighed in disappointment.
Zhang Guofu was furious when he saw this. "Your father is a father, but my father is not a father?" He said quietly, "My father's weight was only two kilograms at most. I can't say it."
Huang Cuilan noticed his expression was off, and she quickly said with a smile, "Forget it. Then let's think about what to bring. Xiaowu and his family brought us a lot of cakes when they came back this time. It's a pity that my daughter kept them. Otherwise, it would have been quite presentable."
Zhang Guofu couldn't bear to blame his daughter. She was his sweetheart. Thinking of what his daughter Mai Miao had whispered in his ear when he got home, he smiled and said, "Give those to the children. Mid-Autumn Festival is still a while away, so there's no rush to bring gifts. Go back to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some cakes and pastries. We'll have four gifts."
Huang Cuilan wanted to tell her parents that all she had given them for the holidays in recent years were two sets of cloth, two bottles of wine, and some cakes, but she knew she couldn't bring herself to say it. Now that the family depended solely on the child's father's salary, she couldn't afford to go to great lengths.
Zhang Guofu had thought of this, and he tried to persuade her: "At home, it's customary for your elder sister, younger sister, and younger brother's wife to give New Year's gifts. You should just follow their example."
Huang Cuilan lowered her eyes and nodded, but inwardly she disagreed. However, there were some things she didn't intend to tell her husband again. There were several different types of pastries, and what good ones could you buy at the county supply and marketing cooperative? It was expensive and costly. After the child's father left, she would talk to her daughter a few more times.
Zhang Guofu's eyes flashed when he saw this. He thought of the three little girls in the house today, only his daughter was wearing washed-out clothes, and then he thought of the new clothes he saw on the children of his brother-in-law last month.
He was silent for a while, then said softly, "I will bring gifts back from the provincial capital during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"good."
Zhang Guofu pressed his solar plexus, looked at his wife in his arms, and sighed secretly. How should he teach his wife behind her back? If he spoke too harshly, she would feel wronged, and if he spoke too lightly, she would just brush it off.
"The children are all grown up now. We as parents can no longer meet their material needs. Don't use the things their uncle and aunt give you. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I agree that you want to honor your father-in-law, but you can't force the children, especially since all the Mai Miao fabrics are worn by her cousin. Do you think you should be filial to your niece?"
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