Thousands of miles away in a county town in the northeast, not far from a small courtyard, men, women, old and young gathered to enjoy the cool air, with a palm-leaf fan, a pot of tea, and a long pipe, chatting in groups of three or five.
As we were chatting, someone asked, "Brother Zhang, will your Xiaowu come back this year?"
"Yeah, can you bring something back if you come back?"
"I didn't come back last year because I gave birth. I should be back for summer vacation now, Otomo brother, right?"
Zhang Dad had been suppressing his wife for several days, telling her not to spread the news unless others asked, so as not to make people jealous. Of course, if someone brought it up, she could say a few words.
The men were talking loudly, and Zhang's mother, who was chatting with a few women nearby, wanted to reply on her husband's behalf. But she also knew that when the men were chatting outside, it was not her place as a woman to interrupt.
Father Zhang replied cheerfully, "This year, they can't come back even if they want to."
"What's going on?"
Father Zhang didn't beat around the bush and said with a smile, "It's graduation time. My son Xiaowu has been assigned to the army as a soldier, and Jiaojiao has been assigned to work at the Planning Commission. They wrote to say they'll start work this month, so they can't come back even if they want to, so we old couple have to go over there."
"Oh my, this is incredible! This is double happiness for your family. Congratulations."
"Old Zhang, you have to treat us all to a drink on such a happy occasion."
Father Zhang nodded cheerfully, "Of course, of course! I'll prepare some wine and food tomorrow, and we'll get together."
Several women nearby heard this and asked Zhang's mother, "Big sister, you've really kept it a secret. I was wondering why you two didn't mention when Xiaowu would be back?"
"If I remember correctly, Xiaowu's twins are almost a year old now, right? Their family can't come back, do you two want to go to the capital?"
Mother Zhang was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She said, "It's one year old. My daughter Jiaojiao writes to me every day asking me and her father to come over, saying that children can already speak and call people."
"Oh, really? That's comparable to Xiao Ping'an. Your daughter-in-law even let you go. You are so lucky."
Mother Zhang suppressed her pride and said with a smile, "You're talking as if your daughters-in-law are unfilial. Our children are all good children. We are all blessed."
That's true. Those who can live in this circle are all well-off families in the entire county. The elderly have status and pensions. Which daughter-in-law doesn't worry about the elderly being partial to them, and who doesn't compete to be filial?
Praising people always makes people happy, and these ladies are really happy.
When Zhang Laoer led his family for a stroll, he heard his mother's hearty laughter from afar, which made him feel cheerful too.
"Hey, your second oldest is here. I don't think it will be long before the older ones come over too."
"That's right, my eldest sister has raised her children well and they are all very filial."
Zhang Laoer came forward to greet everyone, and the family members found their own companions to chat. Sure enough, within half an hour, Zhang Guofu and his family also came over.
The families were not far from each other, and even in the snow and rain in the winter, not to mention the summer, the brothers and sisters would come every night to see their parents settle down and rest before they left.
This move made the neighbors envious and happy. Their children followed suit. Some children who lived far away would come to visit their parents after work without waiting for the weekend.
Over the years, the houses in this community have become so priceless that they are in high demand. Apart from the location, who doesn’t want harmonious neighbors and a happy family?
Zhang's father had once calculated the cost of his eldest son's house change, and he had made a fortune! He felt that his brother Zhou had a sharp eye and could spot the right place at a glance.
The whole family said goodbye to everyone, and the two Zhang Guofu brothers carried stools for their parents and followed them into the courtyard.
Under the moonlight, the jujube tree in the yard that Zhang Guoqing had planted to please his wife in his early years has grown into a healthy and vigorous tree, the grape trellis has also grown to a certain size, and the small vegetable garden that Ping An had always cared about is full of fruits and vegetables.
These also became a paradise for the children of the neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were not the kind of people who would care about trivial matters. What's more, if the child eats a handful of dates today, the parents will give him a handful of pears tomorrow.
Zhang's mother lit the match in the yard. Just as the whole family sat down on the long bench, Zhang Meili and her sister appeared at the door, strolling in with their respective husbands.
Mai Miao was very smart and pulled Mai Sui to move the bench, then washed the grapes and served them. Mother Zhang was so happy that she pulled the two little sisters and just called them good granddaughters.
It's no wonder Zhang's mother doted on the two sisters so much. Eleven-year-old Mai Miao and nine-year-old Mai Sui looked like their grandmother, and were already beauties at a young age. They were especially capable of managing both the household and the outside world, far more impressive than their mother.
Even Lin Juhua, who favored boys over girls, had to admit that her eldest daughter was much better than herself. Compared to the steady Mai Miao, the lively Mai Sui was even more skillful and eloquent.
On the day when her little girl turned 100 days old, Lin Juhua's mother's old illness came back. She was in the house urging her daughter to ask her son-in-law to find a job for her beloved son.
As soon as Lin Juhua opened her mouth to refuse, she was scolded by her mother.
Mai Sui, who had just walked in, was so angry that he yelled on the spot: "Oh, Grandma, are you really my grandma? How could you harm your daughter like this? My mom finally has a few days of peace and quiet, can you let her breathe a sigh of relief?"
"You're so frivolous asking for a job. How come I didn't know my dad was so capable? You're deliberately trying to make life difficult for my parents, right? Oh, when my mom goes back to her parents' home, will you support her or earn some more money for the bride price?"
"You stupid girl! That's your uncle. Your father is incompetent, but don't you have your younger uncle? Your younger aunt's family is a high-ranking official." If Mother Lin hadn't been afraid of her mother-in-law, Lin Juhua would have definitely taken action.
"Oh, you also said that she is my aunt. Don't say that my aunt doesn't have such great ability. Even if she did, her surname is Zhou and yours is Lin. We are related in eight lifetimes. Why is that?!"
"She still has to call your mother Second Sister-in-law, how can it be okay?"
"If you calculate it that way, then my aunt has to call you mom too? Come on, just say that in front of me. If others hear it, they'll laugh at me! It's true that my uncle and my dad are brothers, but they're not siblings to my mom. You made my parents divorced because of you, and yet my aunt still calls my mom sister-in-law?"
"Isn't this your mother still her second sister-in-law?"
"Oh, so you're harming my mother and my brothers and sisters just for your son?"
Finally, it was Lin Juhua who interrupted and said something about her biased mother, and the old man and the child stopped quarreling.
Lin Juhua was too lazy to say more to her biased mother.
Do you really think we haven't been liberated yet? If one person succeeds, everyone around him will benefit.
The higher the official, the more hesitant he becomes. There are countless people watching him from behind. Don't you see that Xiaowu and his wife can't even interfere with the work of their own sisters-in-law, let alone outsiders?
Lin Juhua took the grapes handed to her by her daughter, and then looked at her husband who was just chatting with everyone. It turned out that what her mother-in-law said made sense, and her daughter was really thoughtful.
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