After leaving the basement, Zhang Guoqing saw that there was still some time before the end of get off work, so he climbed onto the roof without saying a word, poked the chimney, and checked the fire wall and kang.
"We just renovated the kang last year, so these are all good. Come sit down and rest for a while. What do you want to eat tonight? Mom will make it for you."
"Everything Mom cooks is delicious." Zhang Guoqing said with a smile, "Dad, I'm going to say hello to my eldest and second brothers. Let's have a drink tonight."
"Okay, don't buy random things."
Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile.
He drove around the county twice before finally buying some ice cubes from the meat processing plant. He couldn't help but sigh that the county was too small, and that big cities had dedicated places to sell ice cubes.
Zhang's father had no idea what his son was up to, as he kept coming in and out. Anyway, judging by the situation, if he didn't spend some money, this brat wouldn't be able to sleep.
After making an appointment with Zhang Guofu and his brother for a five-person reunion that evening, Zhang Guoqing thought for a moment and went to see Zhao Dashan first. While the strike had nothing to do with him in the short term, he still wanted to offer some advice out of gratitude for their support. Furthermore, his good friend Zhang Yuntao was his son-in-law, saving him the trouble of having to make time to meet the couple.
As for Zuo Lin, after bidding farewell to Zhao Dashan, he also went to the Zuo family. The Zuo family was full of people, so some things were difficult to say directly. But he thought that if he said it was better to stay in the county, the other party would probably understand.
After taking care of these chores, when Zhang Guoqing returned home, even his two sisters and brother-in-law had arrived.
"Uncle, why didn't you inform me earlier when you would arrive? Where is my aunt?" As soon as Zhang Ziwen saw him, he immediately rushed up to him, causing several children to rush forward and hug Zhang Guoqing.
"I'm passing by on a business trip, and your aunt still has to go to work. How's your work going? Is no one bullying you?"
Zhang Ziwen laughed and said, "My uncle is Zhang Xiaowu, who doesn't know that?"
"You little bastard!"
"Uncle, you haven't asked me yet."
Zhang Guoqing patted Zhang Ziwu's forehead. "What are you asking? Your aunt said she really likes the gifts you two brothers gave her. Don't spend money recklessly in the future. Save it for getting married."
Shitou chuckled with joy, "Uncle, a matchmaker has already come to ask Auntie about it."
Zhang Guoqing picked him up and weighed him, "Not bad! Our little Shitou has grown up!" He still remembers the first time he saw his nephews and nieces who were so thin that their necks were almost broken.
The two brothers on the left and right slowly walked up to him and said with a smile in unison: "Uncle."
Zhang Guoqing patted the brothers and said, "Seeing you grow so tall, I always feel old."
"You've been the same for ten years, just like my aunt, you haven't aged at all."
"Uncle, have you seen my brother?"
"No time to go over there. Miss your brother?"
Xiao You shook his head and said, "He was talking about you the last time he came back."
"I'll go to his place tomorrow."
Seeing them gathered in the yard, Zhang's mother waved and said, "Aren't you guys hungry? Let's eat first."
The small vegetable patch in the corner of the yard near the wall is planted with fruits and vegetables. Next to the green, there is a chicken coop, and many kinds of dried vegetables are hung in the corridor.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were able to stop their eldest son without consuming much of their stockpile, and this also gave them great confidence.
How can you not eat rice dumplings in summer?
Appetizing and easy!
All you have to do is simmer some rice, stew some egg sauce, go to the garden to get some green onions, chop them with a knife, sprinkle them directly on the leaves, spread the sauce, add rice, roll it up and start eating!
Normally, Zhang's mother is reluctant to cook rice, but now her eldest son has returned.
At this time, bowls of barley porridge were placed on the table in the living room, accompanied by salted duck eggs cut into four small pieces, greasy steamed bacon, and colorful pickled vegetables.
People who are used to the stuffy kitchen in the summer and just want to eat a simple meal will drool when they see it, not to mention the children.
Little Liu Taozi sat obediently on the kang, sipped his saliva, stared at the dishes on the table, and shouted happily, "It's good that my uncle is back. We have meat to eat."
Zhang Laoer scolded him with a smile, "You little bastard! Last night, your brothers and sisters couldn't bear to eat that bowl of braised pork. Almost all of it went into your little stomach."
"I want to eat more."
Zhang Guoqing found the child's greedy look quite amusing and teased him, "Next time, if you want meat, cry loudly. If I don't give you meat, I won't let your dad go to work."
Little Taozi looked at his father, then at his mother, and shook his head at Zhang Guoqing, "Mom knows how to beat me."
"Don't listen to his nonsense. This year, our family can buy meat every month. Shitou and the others pamper him and don't let the little guy go hungry at all."
Zhang Guoqing smiled at his second sister-in-law. He believed this. His mother still had a lot of things saved. If her grandson was really greedy, she wouldn't let him give them away.
A large table that was temporarily set up was filled with women and young people, while Zhang Guoqing, his father and his two sons, along with his two brothers-in-law, were also drinking at the octagonal table in the living room.
Unlike ordinary families, the Zhang family drank only fine wine. In addition to the tonic wine that Zhang Guoqing had previously stocked up on for his father, Zhao Chuangguang and others would also give it to him during festivals.
The whole family gathered together with good food and wine. No one talked about serious topics, not to mention that there were several young children, so they would not bring up sensitive topics.
The women at the table were busy taking care of their mother-in-law and the children, while the men were chatting about so-and-so's family and what embarrassing or funny things happened to so-and-so's colleagues.
During the conversation, the second brother-in-law Chen Xiaobin noticed something and suddenly remembered a topic he had heard his buddies discuss.
For this reason, he took a few more glances at his brother-in-law, especially the bright red, brand new five-star cap badge and the two red collar badges.
How could Zhang Guoqing not notice? He poured wine for his father and said to his second brother-in-law with a smile: "This is the new 65 type."
"Why haven't our soldiers changed their uniforms yet?"
Zhang Guoqing from the General Logistics Department is well aware of this. "We need to use up the previous stock first, and new ones are being rushed into production. We expect the entire army to be fully equipped in two years."
The eldest brother, Zhang Guofu, touched his chin. "I was just about to ask this. This grass green is much better looking than the old one, especially the red five-star cap badge and the red collar badge."
Zhang Laoer, who had touched it earlier, laughed happily, "How come you didn't notice that our Xiaowu has four pockets and is wearing the brown sandals he was assigned?"
Zhang Guofu looked at his younger brother in surprise, "Even sandals are provided?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. Indeed, if it weren't for the assignment, he wouldn't have come all the way to his hometown. Being too conspicuous isn't necessarily a good thing.
Not only do they find it attractive, but even after receiving it, Yi Jiefang couldn't bear to take it off. This classic winter and summer uniform is made of cotton, features a stand-up lapel, and five polished buttons. These cadre uniforms have four pockets, with the chest pocket buttoned inside, making them perfect for storing tickets and other items.
In the summer, I feel so cool with this pair of brown sandals. Needless to say, I really feel like I stand out from the crowd.
However, of the three soldiers in his family, the best dressed one wasn't him, nor his mother-in-law, but his father-in-law. That style—it instantly killed everyone.
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