Winters in Northeast China are long, but by early March, the whole village had started to return to work. The team leader was very pleased to see the squad leader and the scorekeeper busy. However, he thought back to the meeting he attended at the commune yesterday, where the commune secretary expressed his hope that every village could have its own sideline business.
This was the same conversation he had with Secretary Lu when they spent the Spring Festival at his home, but it also gave him a bit of a headache.
When he got home that evening, he said to Qian Mao, "Your mother wrote a letter. I've been so busy I forgot to read it. Hurry up and check if your mother is coming back."
Qian Mao immediately opened the letter, read it, gave Qian Sheng a complicated look, then handed it to his younger sister. He then found a quiet corner so that Qian Sheng wouldn't be able to reach him if he wanted to explode. He knew his father wouldn't say a harsh word to Duo Duo anyway.
When Qian Duoduo saw her third brother's action, her heart tightened. Of course, this had nothing to do with her health; her third brother's actions meant that their mother was unlikely to return.
After reading the letter, she said to Qian Sheng, "Father, don't wait anymore, Mother won't be back for a while."
Qian Sheng was taken aback. He had been waiting for the answer he was expecting, but what he got was this: "What? What do you mean? Your mother has been detained by your second brother?"
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "Pretty much."
Qian Sheng immediately said, "That won't do, Third Brother, go ask for leave and go to your Second Brother's place. Ask him to find a way to redeem your mother!"
Qian Mao was practically screaming in his heart: Dad, you're a grandfather now, and you still can't live without your wife? How can you be so shameless?
Qian Duoduo calmly replied, "Dad, what are you going to use to ransom him? Your little bit of savings?"
Qian Sheng immediately said, "What secret stash of money? I've lived with your mother my whole life, and I've never hidden any secret stash of money." Seeing Qian Duoduo's expression of "So this is what kind of father you are," he was about to reach out and hit the third brother who was slandering his father.
He never imagined that the instigator of this incident was his beloved daughter. He only remembered that his third son didn't trust him. Since he had this idea, it wouldn't be right for him as a father not to act on it. So, he grabbed the broom next to him and threw it at Qian Mao.
Qian Mao dodged to the side perfectly, but he was still annoyed. He had already dodged so far away, so why was he still hit?
Qian Duoduo smiled as she looked at Qian Mao. No matter how powerful her third brother was outside, he dared not resist under the suppression of his bloodline.
Qian Duoduo said, "Dad, my mother was indeed tied up, but it wasn't a bad person, it was your eldest granddaughter!"
Qian Sheng was still looking for something to give to Qian Mao, but when he heard Qian Duoduo's words, he paused, turned around, and said, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Qian Duoduo said, "My second sister-in-law was accidentally bumped into by someone in the late stages of her pregnancy, and the baby was born prematurely. It's a girl. My mother is there taking care of my second sister-in-law during her postpartum period. Since the baby was born prematurely, her body is relatively weak. My mother has decided to let my second sister-in-law have a double postpartum period so that she can recover her health."
Qian Sheng nodded and said, "That's a must, she must take good care of herself. But have they caught the person who hit your second sister-in-law?"
Qian Duoduo shook his head and said, "It's not written on it, but I think my second brother over there should be able to handle this. If he can't even take care of his own family, all those years of military service have been for nothing!"
Qian Sheng said, "When you reply to the letter later, tell the second son to have his wife bring the children back. The mountains and rivers here are beautiful and good for people. My eldest granddaughter is not in good health. If she comes here to recuperate, she will get better!"
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "Okay, I'll write to my second brother. By the way, my second brother said that your eldest granddaughter, my niece, has already been named. It was my second sister-in-law's grandfather who named her. Her name is Qian Yufei."
Qian Sheng muttered the name, then nodded in final agreement: "It sounds nice."
Qian Duoduo looked at the name and said, "My second sister-in-law's grandfather was a learned man. This name should come from the Book of Songs, 'The north wind blows loudly, the rain and snow fall heavily.' My second brother is from the Northeast, so this name reflects that my second brother's roots are in the North."
Qian Sheng and Qian Mao nodded in agreement when they heard Qian Duoduo's words. It's true that none of the four boys in the family are as good at studying as their sister. Just by looking at her name, you can imagine how amazing she is!
Qian Sheng said, "Third brother, Yixuan from your eldest brother's side forgot to tell your uncle the good news. Now that the second brother has also given birth, you should go with him! Also, while you're at it, bring some food to your uncle's family."
Qian Mao nodded: "Okay, I understand!"
Qian Duoduo said, "Third Brother, go to Uncle's place and talk to Big Brother and Little Brother. Ask them to take a look at the high school textbooks, especially Little Brother, who hasn't learned anything. Ask Big Brother to teach him something."
Qian Mao glanced at Qian Duoduo: "What? Are you implying something?"
Qian Duoduo whispered, "This is what Sister Niaoniao told me. Her family and Brother Yunyi's family are both in Beijing. In particular, Sister Niaoniao has a distant relative who works in the education department. She received news from her family that the college entrance examination may be reinstated. It's just a matter of time now. But it's much better for us to act in advance than to cram at the last minute!"
Qian Mao nodded, then suddenly said, "Duoduo, what do you think? Should I go and take the college entrance exam?"
Qian Duoduo thought for a moment and said, "I definitely want to go to university. Third Brother, do you still want to continue in politics?"
Qian Mao remained silent.
Qian Duoduo said, "If you still want to go into politics, then you can study political science."
Qian Mao asked, "What is this?"
Qian Duoduo thought for a moment. It wasn't appropriate to be too specific right now, and besides, Feng Niaoniao's excuse couldn't be used here. So she said vaguely, "It should be a specialist who is familiar with the policies and basic principles of government departments, has strong research and problem-solving abilities, and strong written and oral communication skills. I think you, Third Brother, possess all of these qualities, which is why I recommended this to you."
Upon hearing this, Qian Sheng said, "Third brother, this really works! Look, this is exactly what you've been doing by Secretary Lu's side. I think it's a good idea!"
Qian Mao said, "Then I'll give it a try?"
Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "Third Brother, you should also talk to Secretary Lu. I don't think he's a rigid person. As for the college entrance exam, you should not mention it yet. After all, Sister Niaoniao's situation hasn't been announced yet, so don't cause her any trouble."
Qian Mao nodded: "I understand."
Nothing happened that night. The next day, when Qian Mao went to work, Secretary Lu sent him to the transportation department to learn to drive. This decision caught Qian Mao off guard, but it was something he had agreed upon with Secretary Lu during the Spring Festival, so Qian Mao could only focus on learning to drive.
It's not that Qian Mao is particularly smart, but men are naturally more sensitive to driving. After the experienced driver took him for a few spins, he dared to take the wheel. Even with some minor issues, Qian Mao's driving skills improved under the experienced driver's guidance, and the experienced driver gradually gave him less and less instruction.
After spending half a month in the transportation department, Qian Mao finally faced a new challenge: repairing vehicles.
There are many principles involved, which gave Qian Mao a headache. He had never been exposed to these things before, and learning them always felt like scratching an itch through a boot. What's more, he could sense that these experienced people were holding back some secrets, and it was this holding back that made him extremely frustrated.
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