In the main hall, Zhang Dad saw Zhang Guoqing had already sent them out, and saw his wife coming in. "Mother, please tidy up the room and let the old man rest first. He hasn't had a good lie down yet after a busy day. Tidy up the other rooms as well."
Zhang's mother said cheerfully, "Don't worry, everything is packed. Big sister, these two rooms in the main hall are prepared for you and Grandpa. The quilts were just made when Jiaojiao got married. You and Grandpa can lie down for a while and chat with Jiaojiao after you've rested. You should have a good rest tonight. Xiaowu won't be home tomorrow, so we'll stay with Jiaojiao. Let Grandpa know how to arrange it for you. I've packed two rooms in the east wing outside, which will be enough for the young men to live in."
Hearing this, Lin Lishan stood up and followed Zhang's mother to the room. "Sister, I'm really sorry to trouble you. Is the kitchen clean? Do you want my help? This room is for the old man. I'll sleep in the inner room. Let the young men make their own arrangements."
"No need, everything's cleaned up. I didn't help, they did it all. Boss, you've come all this way and you haven't rested yet, do you want to rest first?"
"No, it's harder in the army. You have to follow the group everywhere. The conditions are not as good as this. I'd rather chat with Jiaojiao. My daughter is so sweet. It makes me happy to hear her talk. We are all family. I won't be polite with you. Just go and do your thing."
After saying that, Lin Lishan walked towards her father and said, "Dad, do you want to lie down and rest for a while? My eldest sister has cleaned up the room, that one."
"No, I'll chat with Lao Zhang for a while. I'll let Xiao Zhou come in later, and you can accompany Jiaojiao."
Lin Lishan nodded, said hello to Zhang Dad and the others, and walked towards the west wing. When she got inside, she saw several children there, talking to Jiaojiao and her son.
"What are you guys talking about? It's so lively, Xiao Ping'an hasn't gone to bed yet?"
Zhou Jiao saw her come in and said happily, "Mom, you're in. I thought you were going to chat with grandpa. I haven't had a good chat with grandpa yet, and I can't go out. Did grandpa drink? How much did he drink? Who is with him now?"
"Haha, take your time. Your grandpa and your father-in-law are chatting. I asked him to take a break, but he said he wanted to chat with me first and asked me to accompany you. He didn't drink much. I saw Xiaowu staring at him the whole time."
Mai Miao said to her happily, "Grandma, my uncle just took some lamb bones to the kitchen, saying he wanted to make some soup. There's so much meat in them, it's a big bag full of meat. Grandma, please don't leave. Just stay here. We have rice and meat to eat."
Shitou looked at her foolishly and smiled, "Sister, our uncle told us to behave ourselves so that we can drink the soup and eat the meat, but I'm so full, what should I do?"
Xizi looked at the two of them and said, "It's okay. I'll be hungry after I go to the toilet. Those things will take a long time to cook. I can eat them after Ping'an falls asleep."
"Brother, you are the best. You know what your uncle just said about barbecue? Is it delicious? Is it like the sweet potatoes and corn we roast? I don't like roasted sweet potatoes. I wish your uncle roasted meat. I like meat the most." Xiao Zuo looked at Xiao You and decided to ask his elder brother.
Xizi frowned, thought for a moment and asked Zhou Jiao, "Aunt, barbecue means roasting something over a fire and eating it. Anything can be cooked?"
Zhou Jiao and her daughter laughed out loud, and Zhou Jiao nodded: "Xizi is so smart! Just roast and eat it. You can do anything, just cut it into pieces, skewer it, and roast it on top. But you can't touch it by yourselves, it's too dangerous."
Mai Sui looked at everyone and said, "Aunt, can't Ping An eat it? It's so pitiful. I'll save it for him."
"Okay, wait until Ping'an grows up a little bit, and becomes your size, then you can eat it. Little Wheat Ear is such a good sister."
Shi Tou looked at Lin Lishan, Zhou Jiao, and then Xiao Ping'an with envy, "I like Xiao Ping'an the most. Xiao Ping'an has a beautiful grandma. My grandma is not pretty at all. She is as old as my grandmother. Xiao Ping'an also has beautiful parents and a lot of delicious food."
Lin Lishan and her daughter laughed out loud. This child is so funny. "Then you can ask your aunt for whatever you want to eat. Little Ping'an can't eat what your aunt has here yet."
Shitou jumped for joy, "Oh, I have something to eat. I still have 5 candies in my pocket. I don't want to eat them now. I'll go back and give them to my dad."
Xiao You touched his pocket and said, "I want to give some to my grandpa and grandma. I ate all their candies. Big brother, you give it to grandpa and grandma, and second brother, you give it to our parents. I won't eat any of it, so you can have it."
Seeing the children were so happy, Lin Lishan stood up, opened the drawer, and took out a handful of candies. "There are more, you can have some too, but you can only eat two a day to protect your teeth. Open your pockets and I'll give you 10 candies each. Don't eat them before going to bed. Eat them tomorrow morning. When you're done, ask me for more. If you run out, I'll buy you more."
Mai Miao looked at his eldest brother Xizi, and the other children also looked at Xizi. Xizi looked at everyone and said, "Thank you grandma for this time, but you can't ask for it next time. If you have it in your pocket, you can't ask for it. Wait until you've finished eating. Don't waste it. Save it. Our grandma said it's hard to find sugar tickets. Last time, my uncle got married and he had to worry about two kilograms of sugar tickets."
"Big brother agreed, thank you grandma. Don't buy it next time. Grandma said it's hard to find candy tickets."
"Brother, how much sugar is two kilograms? Is it a lot? Compare it with us and I'll save it for grandma, so she won't have to worry about it anymore."
"That's right, I've made up my mind. Every time I want to eat candy, I'll just take a small bite and eat it slowly. If I have too much and can't finish it, I'll give it to my mother."
Xizi thought, "A pound of hard candies has about 80 pieces, but milk candies are heavier, so there are only 50 pieces. We ate 80 pieces of hard candies per pound. Grandma gave each of us 10 pieces, so there were 60 pieces for the six of us. 80 pieces minus 60 pieces equals 20 pieces, so if Grandma gave us another 20 pieces, we would have eaten a whole pound of candy."
"Wow, brother, you are so awesome. How do you know there are 80 pearls in 1 jin?" Xiao Zuo looked at Xizi with starry eyes.
Xizi rolled his eyes at him. "Last time, your uncle told you that you didn't remember. Our grandma asked your uncle why he bought candy again, since we already had some at home. Your uncle said there wasn't much candy. A pound of hard candy only had 80 pieces, and a pound of toffee only had 50 pieces. One person could grab a handful and it would be gone. Is that right? Remember what your uncle told you to do, and think about it."
Xiao Zuo thought about it and shook his head. "I wasn't paying attention. I was just playing with Xiao You. Big brother, you're as smart as my uncle."
Xizi smiled and said to Xiao Zuo, "This isn't cleverness. Our eldest uncle isn't clever and always forgets things. Our grandma always calls him a pig-head. Our eldest uncle works at the supply and marketing cooperative, selling things every day, so you'll understand once he becomes proficient. Only our youngest uncle is clever. You see, he doesn't even need a ticket to buy meat. He buys it when others can't. Grandma asks him for a ticket when she doesn't have one, and he buys it for her when he goes to the city to visit his classmates. You too should learn to be clever. If someone asks you outside, you can't say you have rice, meat, and candy at home. If you do, you'd be a fool."
"We are not stupid. My grandma said I am smart. Goudan asked me for candy, but I said I didn't have any. I never bring candy when I go out."
"I'm smart too. During the Chinese New Year, I went to my grandpa's house. He asked me what we had for dinner. I told him we had nothing to eat. We only ate steamed buns with wild vegetables and porridge. My dad came back and praised me for being smart. My grandpa always asked my mom for food, and I knew it all."
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