On New Year's Eve, with so many guests, both big and small, celebrating the occasion, Zhou Xiaozheng waved his hand, saying, "Of course, he couldn't go in person." Secretary Chen had no idea where he'd brought back two large boxes of fireworks and firecrackers.
With these young men, Zhang Guoqing no longer worries about the twins having difficulty going out. He wraps himself in a military coat and takes his three sons and nephews out every day.
The Zhou family had good genes, so it was likely that Zhang Guoqing's father and mother, who gave birth to such a handsome boy, wouldn't be ugly. Especially in this era, a string of handsome young men, each with an imposing presence, and their conspicuously tall, long-legged, and muscular physiques, became a sight to behold, truly catching the eye.
Of course, in addition to these advantages, there is also a fatal flaw: an appetite that is too voracious. He is a big eater. He is eating me to death, little brat. This is not just talk.
Zhang Guoqing, who considered himself a skilled eater, only sliced five pounds of mutton to make the mutton pot. He figured the children had been away for so long that they were craving meat.
He specially picked up a big leg of lamb and started to slice it. There were about fifty kilograms of lamb slices in total. He also planned to slice more. Whoever was hungry in the middle of the night could do it himself.
A large plate of fish balls, a large plate of potato chips, a large plate of stewed meat bones, a large plate of frozen tofu, a large plate of cabbage slices, and a large bundle of vermicelli.
Why is it called a large plate?
The table couldn’t hold all the plates, so we put another folding table there to accommodate them. You can imagine how big the plates are.
After seeing off Zhou Xiaozheng, who had left earlier, Zhang Guoqing returned...
As a result, even the twins were full, not to mention the other children who were drunk and eating too much, and they were all burping.
He and Zhou Jiao were so scared that they cooked hawthorn and took the children's pulses, worried that the children would have to go to the hospital before New Year's Eve. Then, they all shook their heads and said, "Uncle, aunt (old uncle, old aunt)", and finally they had eaten their fill.
Yes, they are really full.
I went to the toilet to pee, and went to the yard to get some cool air. Within half an hour, they all started playing with firecrackers again. After an hour or so, they returned to the living room, picked up sticky rice dumplings and steamed buns, and started stuffing them into their mouths.
Zhou Jiao felt sick to her stomach watching this; she felt so bad for the kids. A few days later, she learned that they had spent all their food coupons, except for the free meals they had taken during their time away. Otherwise, they wanted to go on a trip south.
These children are relatively sensible. After New Year's Eve, they started to control their food intake early on the first day of the Lunar New Year. But since Zhou Jiao already knew their appetites, how could she just let them taste some miniature dumplings?
From that day on, the Zhou family began to buy steamed buns from the canteen every day. Even Zhang Guoqing could only eat one of those solid buns, which weighed about 4 taels.
But even if the children added more oil and water, they still needed three, and the younger ones like Shitou and Zicong needed two. Zhang Guoqing was so worried about his brothers and sisters that he ate so little.
Who can afford to raise a son who loves to eat like this?
There was no temple fair this year, so Zhang Guoqing could only take his wife and a group of children to the city to stroll around and take some photos.
The process was full of joy and sorrow, often making people laugh and cry. I played with them until the fifth day of the New Year. Then not only Zhang Guoqing, but also Zhou Jiao had to go to work.
For the next three days, it was Miao Lishan who took them to broaden their horizons.
This woman is different from her daughter and son-in-law. She pays more attention to taking the children, big and small, to eat at Western restaurants like Lao Mo and go to the cinema.
Of course, Lao Mo is still there, but it lacks the charm of the past; the theater, with its movies and model operas, is still good, but this experience is enough for the young boy to remember forever.
The night before their departure, Zhang Guoqing finally found time to ask about his nephews' inner thoughts. He didn't offer much, simply asking about their feelings and insights over the three months since they left home.
He very much agrees that children should go out more often and broaden their horizons, but that doesn't mean he likes his nephews and nieces to just sightsee, play and eat.
Of course, if they can understand and comprehend, he doesn't mind giving them guidance; but if they don't mean to be annoying, he won't interfere.
Fortunately, these children have a good relationship with their uncles, and they have gradually expressed their ideas and future goals.
Even when Zicong said he wanted to be a train conductor when he grew up, Zhang Guoqing encouraged him. It's okay to just think about it. You can't walk around and still be thinking about going back to the village to work.
The ninth day of the first lunar month was the train on which Huang Xiaomi worked.
After a whistle, the train took away the children, as well as the three Ping An brothers and their appointment.
The next day, Zhang Guoqing's family in Northeast China received a telegram from him, which put their worries at ease. After seeing their grandchildren and watching how playful they were, the old people finally felt at ease.
However, Father Zhang still kept a straight face and pointed at them a few times. Without the authority of the head of the family, these naughty kids would be fearless.
Shitou hadn't been out for nothing, and he hadn't been staying at the Zhou family for nothing either. He quickly slid over to Zhang's father and said, "Grandpa, I really miss you and my grandma."
"Go away, you're such a grown man now..." Father Zhang slapped his forehead in disgust. If he continued to have a stern face without a smile, Shi Tou would probably believe it.
"Master, let me tell you about our travels. We first went to Hai City. It was just as prosperous as my uncle described. We stayed there for a week and then boarded a ship to Jiangcheng..."
Brothers Xiao Zuo and Xiao You, Zi Wu and Zi Cong looked at each other and immediately moved all their luggage and belongings into the empty study. They all moved the tattered quilts and military coats they carried with them first.
Huang Cuilan, Lin Juhua and Zhang Meili were busy cooking noodles in the kitchen, but Zhang Guofu and his friends were in the living room. They didn't say anything when they saw them, thinking that the children wanted to stay with their grandparents and chat, so they just smiled and helped move things.
Zhang's mother was delighted as she listened to her grandson's endless chatter. She saw that they were all busy moving their luggage and quickly said, "Don't throw the dirty quilts and clothes in there. We still have quilts at home."
Upon hearing this, Father Zhang glanced at his grandchildren, paused with his pipe in hand, and then continued to listen to Shitou's "story" in silence.
He is not his wife. His grandchildren are usually naughty, but they have been doing housework since they were young. There are no rules like boys are not allowed to go into the kitchen or wash clothes.
He didn't believe that she was so anxious to hide the junk in the house without some secret. He even less believed that she was hiding the package entrusted by her old son.
There is no rule in their family that prohibits rummaging through things without the consent of the elders.
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