"My dearest child, he really misses me so much. Let me touch him. His face is so thin and pointed, and his complexion is so sallow. Did he not eat well in school?"
As soon as he got off the car, Jiang Yiliu was hugged by the old lady, who kept calling him "my dearest daughter". As for Jiang Erni and Jiang Sanni who got off later, the old lady simply treated them as invisible people and didn't even look at them.
Jiang Yilu did not resist, but thought that he seemed to be whiter and fatter than when he went to the capital.
Jiang Wencheng watched as Jiang Yilu was hugged by a skinny old lady just after he got off the car. She coaxed him like a baby. He suddenly felt that his parents' attitude towards him was not so weird after all.
"Grandpa, grandma."
Jiang Erni and Jiang Sanni had long been accustomed to the old lady's attitude and did not feel heartbroken at all. They even wished that the old lady would treat Xiaobao better, which was better than when all things depended on his second uncle's family when he was a child.
"They are all back. These two must be the classmates Xiaobao mentioned in the telegram."
Jiang Cheng still had a stern face, but his eyes showed joy, and he was pleased to see his grandson grow taller.
"You are all good children. It's time for dinner. Grandma has prepared a table of delicious food. Let's go home quickly." Old Mrs. Miao greeted them warmly. Her grandson had said that these two were his classmates from the city, and that he might need help from these friends if he stayed in the city in the future. She had to help her grandson take care of them.
The group thanked Mo Dashuan and returned to the Jiang family's yard carrying their bags.
Because they were going to welcome the classmates from the capital, Grandma Miao took her wife and granddaughter to clean the house inside and out early in the morning. The chicken and duck manure in the yard was quickly cleaned up, and the chickens and ducks were put in cages. The floor and tables in the house were scrubbed clean and looked brand new, and even the walls were repainted with lime.
Jiang Aiguo and his brother moved back to their own home as early as after Jiang Dachuan came back. Jiang Yilu was getting older and could no longer live in the same room with his sisters, so he moved back to the room that originally belonged to him a long time ago.
A few days ago, while the weather was good, Old Mrs. Miao washed and starched the quilts and mattresses in the house, and dried them in the sun to make them smell fragrant. She also had a master craftsman fluff the cotton wicks again, making them soft and comfortable.
In short, in order to welcome her grandson's two classmates, Grandma Miao almost put the whole house together, making sure that her precious grandson's two classmates felt at home.
"Ninety-nine, ninety-nine, it's Niuniu's ninety-nine."
When her younger brother came back, Jiang Dani also took a day off and took her daughter back to her parents' home. After not seeing her for half a year, Niu Niu had gained some weight and looked more plump. But even though she spoke more fluently, she still couldn't pronounce the word "uncle" correctly.
Jiang Yilu was somewhat delighted that his beloved niece still remembered him. He put down his luggage and hugged the fat girl in his arms.
"Ninety-nine, ninety-nine."
The little girl in Jiang Yilu's arms kicked her legs happily, and the weight of his hands almost made Jiang Yilu unable to hold her.
"Look at the way our Xiaobao coaxes the child. He will definitely be a good father in the future. In a few years, I can also be a great-grandmother." Old Mrs. Miao came out of the kitchen with food in her hand. She smiled so hard that her teeth were exposed when she saw her grandson holding his great-granddaughter skillfully. She began to imagine the scene of her little grandson giving birth to her great-grandchildren.
"Hurry up and put your things down." Old Lady Miao said enthusiastically to Xia Ai and Jiang Wencheng who were standing by, "Si Ni, go get some cool well water for the brothers. It's so hot, you must have sweated a lot. You should wipe your face before eating."
Si Ni responded and said that the well was right in the yard, just a few steps in and out, so it would not be difficult at all.
It was now mid-July, the time when Summer Tiger was in power. Xia Ai and his companions felt sticky. They felt a little embarrassed when they saw the old lady ordering a girl younger than them to do something.
"You are guests, there is no reason for me to let you do anything."
Old Mrs. Miao hurriedly stopped the two people who wanted to follow Sini to fetch water, and winked at her grandson, asking him to take people into the house.
"This must be a heated bed. I have never seen one in my life."
Jiang Wencheng followed Jiang Yilu into the house, looking at the row of earthen beds, and said with a sigh. Although Xia Ai didn't say anything, her eyes also revealed a little curiosity.
"Okay, put your things down. You'll have plenty of time to study after dinner." Jiang Yilu said with a smile as he looked at Jiang Wencheng, who was about to crawl into the stove.
"If you're willing, you're welcome to come anytime." Jiang Yilu put the gift in the cabinet and said without turning his head.
Jiang Wencheng thought about how he would only be returning home a few days late, but his parents were so worried that they couldn't eat. He shuddered and shook his head.
When they went out, a sumptuous meal had already been set outside. Jiang Dahai and Gu Dongmei, who had just returned from work, looked at their son and daughter, whom they hadn't seen for many months, and couldn't take their eyes off them.
"Wash your faces, dinner will be served soon." Old Mrs. Miao brought the last pot of chicken soup, and the table full of dishes was finally ready.
Three fresh vegetables, sweet and sour pork, boiled pork slices, hot and sour fish fillets, vinegar and potato shreds, braised eggplant, mapo tofu, spicy rabbit cubes, boiled chicken, wild mushroom and pheasant soup... Grandma Miao used almost all the ingredients at home to make a table of dishes that would not be inferior even if they were served in the city.
"They are just farm vegetables, not good stuff." Although Old Mrs. Miao said this, she couldn't hide the smugness on her face.
"I have never eaten such delicious diced rabbit in my life. No wonder Xiaobao always praises the delicious food you cook at school, saying that the food in our cafeteria is fed to pigs. I didn't believe it before, but after eating the food you cook today, I realized that I was wrong. The food in our cafeteria is not fed to pigs at all. Pigs won't eat it."
Jiang Wencheng was talking nonsense, eating the rabbit cubes as if he had eaten some delicious food, which made the old lady laugh so hard that she couldn't stop smiling.
"If you like it, eat more. Our little treasure is too honest and likes to tell the truth." The old lady was so happy to hear her grandson often praising her in front of his friends that she kept picking up food for the children and didn't eat much herself.
Although Jiang Wencheng's words were a bit exaggerated, one thing was certain, that is, the old lady's cooking skills were indeed good. Even Xia Ai, although still expressionless, saw how quickly he picked up the food, and it was clear that this foodie was satisfied with the meal.
The wine on the table was brewed by the old lady herself. The ingredients were wild grapes from the mountains. It was very sour and a little bitter. Even the greediest children would not want to eat it. Old lady Miao tried to pick some wild grapes to make wine. Unexpectedly, it tasted surprisingly good. It was clear and mellow, with the fruity aroma of grapes.
The alcohol content of this wine was not high, and even Jiang Yilu was allowed to have a small bowl of it.
"Ninety-nine, ninety-nine."
Niuniu refused to get down from her uncle's arms, so Jiang Yiliu simply held her. Long before everyone had dinner, the eldest sister had fed her daughter a small bowl of rice porridge, and now Jiang Yiliu fed the greedy little girl some soup that she could digest. Unexpectedly, the little girl stared at the bowl of wine in front of him, drooling, and her eyes were not open.
How can such a young child drink alcohol?
Jiang Yilu picked up the chopsticks, dipped one of them in the chicken soup, dipped the other in the wine, and then put the chopstick dipped in chicken soup into the little girl's mouth.
"Smack your lips." This method is more than enough to fool an ignorant kid. Niuniu smacked her lips, her chubby face revealing a confused expression. Why does this red thing taste like soup?
"How's the house you and Qianjin are doing?" Gu Dongmei suddenly asked Dani during the meal.
It's not just the capital that's distributing welfare housing now. Several profitable factories in the county started planning years ago, acquired several plots of land, and now have half of the houses built.
When Jiang Dani and Xiang Qianjin got married, the factory only allocated them a house of more than 20 square meters. They didn't feel it when they were just the two of them, but now that they have a lively and active daughter who can't stay still for a moment, the small house suddenly seems a bit crowded.
According to information revealed by Meng Pingchuan, the welfare housing built by the machinery factory this time, the smallest of which is 30 to 40 square meters, has a total area of 1.37 square meters. The young couple has started to think about moving their current house.
But it's easier said than done. There are only so many houses, but there are many more. The most important thing is that although Xiang Qianjin and Jiang Dani are both workers, they are from two different units. The machinery factory will definitely allocate houses to couples who are from their factory, and the same is true for the textile factory. In this way, the allocation of houses for the two seems a bit mysterious.
"It depends on fate. Anyway, Qianjin and I have applied, but we don't know if we can get a share." Jiang Dani is not a pushy person. Over the years, she and Xiang Qianjin have lived in harmony. Every month, they save all their earnings, except for spending the bulk of their daughter. Jiang Dani thought that even if they could not get a house in the factory, they could buy a slightly larger house if they saved for a few more years.
"You are just too honest." Gu Dongmei was anxious, but she couldn't think of any solution. She could only glance at her husband and her parents-in-law. Pingchuan and Dazhen had considerable power in the machinery factory and the textile factory. Didn't they have the energy to seek some benefits for their niece and nephew-in-law?
Old Man Jiang and Old Lady Miao were both very shrewd. They could easily see what their daughter-in-law meant. However, the textile factory and the machinery factory were not run by the eldest daughter and her husband. To ask for a house for their granddaughter, they would not only risk being reported, but also have to use favors. If they were asking for a house for their grandson, the old couple would have already done it without their daughter-in-law's hint. There was no need to waste this favor on a granddaughter who had already been married off.
The two old people have always been confident in favoring boys over girls.
"Big sister, aren't there any private houses for sale in the county now?" Jiang Yiliu asked doubtfully. The welfare housing distribution depends on connections and qualifications. Obviously, my big sister's family doesn't have that ability. And the first time the houses are distributed, everyone is watching. My aunt and uncle are embarrassed to intervene. In Jiang Yiliu's opinion, if possible, it would be better for my big sister's family to buy a few houses while the houses are cheap now.
"Yes, your brother-in-law and I looked at a few privately. There is one that we are both quite satisfied with. It is a bungalow of more than 70 square meters, with two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom." Jiang Dani saw that her brother and she were thinking the same thing, and she forgot her original plan to wait until they bought the house before telling them about this.
"It's a bit small. Isn't there a bigger one?" Jiang Yilu was used to courtyard houses that were often four or five hundred square meters in size. When he heard that the area was more than seventy square meters, he felt that it was too small.
Jiang Dani felt a little embarrassed after hearing what her brother said: "It's not small anymore. This house of over 70 square meters costs more than 1,100 yuan. Plus the house needs to be renovated, so the total cost will be 1,200 to 1,300 yuan." She and her husband's salary is pretty good, especially Xiang Qianjin, whose current salary has increased to 67 yuan a month. The couple lived frugally for two or three years to save up 1,500 yuan.
"What's the point of wasting that money?"
When the old lady heard such a large sum, her eyes almost popped out. She looked at the unfilial eldest granddaughter, who had spare money to buy a house but didn't know how to take the money home to honor her elders and younger brother. However, because there were outsiders present, the old lady couldn't say much. She glared at the eldest granddaughter, and the second, third and fourth granddaughters were not in a good situation either.
When she sent Dani to school, she said she would give half of her earnings to her family. But except for the few years before they got married, she never gave any money to her family. She only gave some fruits and cakes to her family when she came back. When Mrs. Miao thought about how she let Dani go after being coaxed by her precious grandson, she immediately felt regretful.
The matter of Dani was over, but the matter of the other girls could not be let off like that. The old lady made up her mind.
Jiang Dani knew that her family would definitely stop her from buying a house, so she kept it a secret, thinking that once she bought the house, her family would have nothing to say. She knew her mother's thoughts and wanted her aunt's family to use their connections, but they were too embarrassed to do so, as the small house they lived in was due to her uncle's face.
Just like Jiang Dani thought, Gu Dongmei felt that her daughter was out of her mind. She didn't want a free house and instead wanted to spend a huge amount of money to buy a shabby house.
"I think your idea is good, big sister. Now everyone is eyeing welfare housing distribution, those private houses can't be sold at all, and the price is not that high." Jiang Yilu fed Niuniu a bite of fish paste that he had picked out and crushed with a spoon. "The premise of welfare housing distribution is that there is no house. Now those people are eyeing those welfare houses, so naturally they won't buy private houses. But once the welfare houses are distributed, those who didn't get a house but are in urgent need of a house will naturally buy those private houses. If more people buy, the price of the house will be higher. I think it's a good time for big sister to buy now. If you have money, you can buy a few more and sell them when the price goes up later."
The last sentence was just something Jiang Yilu added casually. If you really have the money, you can buy a few more houses. Of course you can't sell them casually. Wait for a dozen years after the Chongqing-Sichuan reconstruction, and people will get rich through demolition everywhere.
The grandson is now studying finance, which seems to be some major related to buying and selling. Old man Jiang doesn’t understand it, but he thinks what his grandson says makes sense, and he is convinced all of a sudden.
"Can the price of this house really go up?" The old lady was puzzled. Doesn't everyone have a house now? Why would anyone still want to buy a house?
"Grandma, you don't know this." Jiang Wencheng wanted to perform, and couldn't help but answer for Jiang Yiliu, "Look, the population is increasing now. For example, my eldest sister's house is only 20 square meters. If they have more children, they will definitely not be able to live in it. What should we do if the factory doesn't give us any housing? Naturally, we can only buy houses ourselves. There are more people buying houses, but there are only so many houses. Isn't the price going up?"
"That's right." After thinking about it carefully, Old Lady Miao felt that it made sense. When they had sons and grandchildren in the countryside, they would try to get a homestead to build a house. Now that there are so many people, it's hard to get a homestead. City people don't have their own land, so they can only buy a house. City people also have sons, so they have to buy a wedding house for their sons.
"It's not that Dani can't get a house." Gu Dongmei still wanted Jiang Dazhen and his wife to help her. She thought, why not take the free house? It's just a matter of asking.
However, no one paid any attention to her voice, which was not much louder than a mosquito's buzz.
Jiang Dani thought carefully about what her brother and his classmates said, and decided to discuss it with her husband when she got home in the evening and buy the house as soon as possible.
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