As soon as the group stepped out, they ran into Grandpa Shang.
He was carrying a vegetable basket, looking like he was going to the market to buy groceries.
"Uncle Shang, time to go out."
Xiao Weiguo greeted him with a smile.
When Grandpa Shang turned his head, his eyes lit up.
Xiao Weiguo's family, along with Liu Ye, were all good-looking and lovable.
"Oh, it's Xiao Xiao. I'm just going to the market to buy some groceries. What are you guys doing here?"
"We just moved, and we're still missing a lot of things. Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to get some supplies."
"Oh, is that so? Then hurry up and go. By the way, when are you having your family's traditional hot pot feast?"
Grandpa Shang asked casually while smiling.
"Warm the pot?"
Xiao Weiguo was taken aback. If it weren't for Grandpa Shang bringing it up, he would have completely forgotten about it.
In the north, especially in their hometown, warming the pot is a particularly important custom.
This mainly refers to the custom of warmly inviting relatives and friends to come and get to know the new home when moving or dividing the family property and moving into a new house. Everyone gathers together to have a meal in the new house, which is called "warming the pot".
The oldest member of Xiao Weiguo's family is only eighteen years old; no one would even consider such a thing.
"Uncle Shang, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten about it."
On second thought, the kids are starting school tomorrow and probably won't have much free time in the near future. Since this matter has been brought up, I might as well take care of it today.
"Shanshan, how about we have a hot pot dinner today? You won't have time starting tomorrow."
Xiao Shanshan nodded.
"I'll do whatever you say, big brother."
Seeing that his sister had no objections, Xiao Weiguo made up his mind.
"Uncle Shang, we're having a hot pot dinner tonight. Don't forget to come and join the fun!"
Grandpa Shang was the person who introduced him to the rental and was also his neighbor, so it was only right and proper for him to invite him.
"Okay, I'll definitely be there tonight."
Grandpa Shang agreed with a smile.
As he walked, Xiao Weiguo made some plans in his mind.
He didn't know many people in the county town, and could only invite a handful of them.
First, there's Minister Liu from the Armed Forces Department, Xiao Jiang and Xiao Yue's godfather. A while ago, when Xiao Weiguo was busy, he and his wife visited their home two or three times to see their godson and goddaughter. Each time, they brought many nice gifts.
It's only right to inform them.
Then there's Liu Ye's father, who works in the county town. As Xiao Weiguo's future father-in-law, he's someone Xiao Weiguo absolutely has to invite; it wouldn't be good if he found fault with him.
Then there's Liu Ye's uncle's family. They were a huge help with her younger siblings' schooling, and since they live so close by, it wouldn't be right not to invite them.
Besides, the younger children might need your help with something at school someday.
After considering all the options, there were only a few people. Xiao Weiguo decided to personally cook a meal that evening so that everyone could have a good meal.
I found a public phone and called Liu Changhe, telling him that my family had moved to the county town and inviting him over for a home-cooked meal that evening.
Upon receiving the call, Liu Changhe excitedly slammed his hand on the table.
“Great, haha, I was saying it was inconvenient to visit your house to see the kids every time. Now that you’ve moved to the county town, it’s so much better. If I want to see the kids, it’ll only be a short walk away. Besides, my old lady is in the county town now, and after seeing the photos of the two little ones, she’s been asking to visit them every day.”
"Grandma Liu is here too. How is your recovery going?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Weiguo recalled his recent hospitalization. If he hadn't discovered her in time, and if the old lady hadn't been alone, she would likely have met with dire consequences.
“She has recovered and has been discharged from the hospital for a long time. We didn’t dare let her live alone in the countryside, so we brought her to live with us.”
"Okay, let Grandma and Auntie come over tonight, and we can have a good family gathering."
After giving Liu Chang his home address and house number, Xiao Weiguo hung up the phone. He then called Liu Ye over and asked her to call her father and also to tell Liu Erzhu to invite He Shaoxin's family when he came over.
First, I went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought all the things my family was missing. I also bought some spare clothes for my younger siblings, because they would need to pay attention to their personal appearance when living in the city.
Liu Ye also picked out two dresses, but refused to let Xiao Weiguo pay for them.
His family has made a lot of money during this period, and Liu Erzhu would never mistreat his precious daughter while he is away from home.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Xiao Weiguo didn't insist. In his words, they were all family; it didn't matter whose money they spent. His wife knew how to save money for him; wasn't that showing she cared about the family?
If there's nothing missing, then the next thing to do is find the ingredients for dinner.
After delivering the items to their home and letting the others set things up, Xiao Weiguo rode his bicycle out again.
In those days, resources were relatively scarce, and there were only a few places that sold food ingredients.
It's nothing more than grain and oil shops, butcher shops, and vegetable markets selling local vegetables grown by nearby farmers.
Xiao Weiguo went around in circles for a long time before he finally got everything he wanted to buy.
To his surprise, he discovered a seafood shop in an inconspicuous corner of the market.
Inside, there are not only live fish and shrimp, but also fresh large crabs, scallops with their tongues sticking out, and more.
Xiao Weiguo went in to ask about the prices, and thankfully, they weren't too expensive. He didn't hesitate to buy a little of everything.
After a whole morning of fussing around, I finally returned to the courtyard, completely satisfied.
After lunch, the family got busy.
There was a large table of dishes to prepare for dinner, so Xiao Weiguo needed to make preparations in advance.
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