Lu divided the remaining items into three parts and said, "Qian Mao, put the things in the car and we'll go now."
Qian Mao glanced at his father, who was still struggling with his decision, and felt helpless. He wanted to stop him, but when he saw the determination in Lu Jiang's eyes, all he could do was sigh and resignedly load the things into the car.
Lu drove to the cowshed. It wasn't his first time here, but it was always at night. Fortunately, he knew the way and didn't get lost.
He and Qian Mao delivered the items to the first two families as a gesture of goodwill, and also said some words of encouragement to them.
When Qian Mao arrived at the Lu family's residence, he looked at the familiar gate. It wasn't his first time here, and he hadn't felt anything before. However, as Lu Jiang's right-hand man, the two of them had been inseparable lately, so Qian Mao could still sense Lu Jiang's different emotions.
He knew that the family living in the cowshed also had the surname Lu, but he wasn't quite sure if it was Lu or Lu (a different surname), since they had been living in Beian Village for several years.
Lu asked Qian Mao to knock on the door, and Wen Ya opened it.
Wen Ya smiled gently when she saw Qian Mao. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Lu Jiang standing not far behind Qian Mao. She opened her mouth in surprise, but her years of revolutionary life had given her a touch of caution. She looked at Qian Mao and said, "Qian Mao, is there something you need?"
Qian Mao said, "Aunt Lu, our Secretary Lu has come to visit everyone in the cowshed. We've already been to the two families in front."
Wen Ya immediately said, "Thank you, Secretary Lu."
Lu stepped forward and said, "May I go in and take a look?"
Wen Ya glanced at Qian Mao, but Qian Mao didn't speak, so Wen Ya could only step aside and say, "Secretary Lu, please."
Lu Jiang said, "Qian Mao, I forgot something at your house, could you go and get it?"
Qian Mao looked at him with surprise, then nodded and said, "Okay, Secretary Lu."
Wen Ya watched Qian Mao leave, then welcomed Lu Jiang into the house: "Lu Jiang, is it alright for you to come over like this?"
Lu Jiang smiled and said, "It's nothing, Second Aunt. I had my reasons for coming here this time."
Lu Lang was also taken aback when he saw Lu Jiang coming over. This kid usually came over at night, and this was the first time he had come over so openly in broad daylight. He immediately asked, "Were you seen?"
Lu Jiang smiled and said, "Grandpa, it's alright." He helped Grandma Lu sit down before saying, "I came here mainly to talk about two things. One is that I spent the Spring Festival in Beian Village, and the second is that your family should be able to return to Beijing around April or May next year."
The Lu family members were extremely excited: "General Lu, is this true?"
Lu nodded: "Back in August this year, when I went to the provincial capital for a meeting, we already discussed this. You all came here voluntarily, and you are all highly educated intellectuals, especially Grandpa, who was a founding general. If he hadn't been framed, Grandpa and Grandma wouldn't have come to this desolate place."
Lu Yiheng said, "If we get back to Beijing this time, I'll definitely give that kid Qiao Dongwei a good beating!"
When Lu Lang heard this name, his expression wasn't good either. But he had worked hard here for so many years, and it was all thanks to him. So, Lu Lang tacitly agreed with Lu Yiheng's words. There's a saying: "Give back what you took from me, spit out what you ate from me, make up for what you owe me, and hand over what you stole from me."
Qian Duoduo had no idea what Grandpa Lu was thinking. Otherwise, she would have told him that there was a parallel universe with a Little Flower Band, and there was a song with lyrics like this!
When Qian Mao returned, he saw Lu Jiang sitting in the house, holding a somewhat broken bowl.
However, he remained calm, placed a bag at Lu Jiang's feet, and then stood behind Lu Jiang with great tact.
Lu Jiang reached out and picked up the bag, placing it on the table. He said, "General Lu, the country needs development, and it needs pillars like you to stabilize the nation. Therefore, returning to the city is inevitable."
When Qian Mao heard this, his heart skipped a beat. This old man was actually a general! Goodness, no wonder his younger sister said that this old man looked like he was destined for good fortune!
Even after following Lu Jiang home, he was still in a daze. When Qian Duoduo returned from the educated youth compound, Qian Mao was still in a daze.
Although Qian Duoduo thought her older brother was a bit silly, she was a little hungry.
As she entered the main room, she saw a strange man standing there. Hearing footsteps, the way he turned around reminded Qian Duoduo of the image of a refined gentleman. It was truly a pleasing sight to see such a detached and aloof person standing in her own courtyard.
Qian Mao and Qian Sheng walked over and said, "Old lady, go cook, I'm getting a little hungry."
Qian Duoduo said "Oh," and called Qian Mao to carry firewood for Zi. Then she whispered, "Third Brother, is this your Party Secretary?" Seeing Qian Mao nod, she turned her head slightly to look at Lu Jiang and whispered, "This Party Secretary Lu should be quite powerful in the future."
Although Qian Duoduo was gossiping, her hands never stopped working. She finished preparing the meal before dark. The four of them sat at the table, and Lu Jiang finally understood why Qian Mao was saying how amazing his younger sister was. Her cooking skills were truly impeccable.
Thinking of the county annals on his bookshelf, he said earnestly, "Qian Duoduo, thank you for helping Qian Mao organize the county annals this time. I've read them all, and they're very well organized and easy to understand. It would be great if all the county annals could be organized in this way in the future!"
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Secretary Lu!"
Seeing this, Qian Sheng felt a surge of pride and greeted him with a smile, "Secretary Lu, have some food!"
Lu Jiang didn't mince words. Tomorrow was Chinese New Year's Day, and Qian Duoduo and Qian Mao had prepared a lot of paste for Lu Jiang, making him, who had never made it before, quite excited for the upcoming Spring Festival!
On the afternoon of the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, Lu Jiang watched as Qian Duoduo arranged the dishes on the table one by one. Lu Jiang looked at the eight dishes in front of him. You know, it's considered good if an ordinary family can have four or five dishes, but Qian Duoduo actually had eight. How could Lu Jiang not be curious?
Qian Duoduo smiled as she took off her apron and put it aside before returning to the dining table. Qian Sheng, the eldest member of the family, shared his hopes for the coming year. Following him, Lu Jiang also gave a speech, which made Qian Sheng think that the secretary was truly capable. Even if he were given a lifetime, he wouldn't be able to utter so many four-character phrases, and they sounded pleasant. It's good to be knowledgeable; no wonder he could become the secretary!
Lu took a bite of braised pork with preserved mustard greens, then looked up at Qian Duoduo and said, "This preserved mustard greens aren't from around here, are they?"
Qian Duoduo said, "Then you are really wrong. These dried plum vegetables were grown by my mother. I just dried them!"
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