Father Xia said, "Why are you leaving? Stay and have dinner together. It's not easy to come all this way."
Secretary Zhao smiled and said, "Uncle, if you're fine, we'll stay in town. We won't bother you today. We'll definitely have dinner here next time you come."
Without giving Xia's father time to react, he dragged Xiao Wu out, and no matter how Xia's father shouted in the yard, it was useless. After watching them get in the car, Xia's father stopped shouting and went into the house with the cardboard box.
Father Xia came in with something and put it on the small wooden table where they usually ate. Xia Jin had already helped Grandpa Xia into the house. At that time, the countryside still used earthen kangs, and usually they entertained guests in the sleeping room.
Father Xia put down his things and followed in. Seeing Xia Jin standing there without sitting down, he thought she disliked the kang because it was dirty. He quickly walked to the kang, wiped it with his clothes, and then said carefully: "Xiao Jin, sit down. It's not dirty."
In fact, Xia Jin was just looking at the room and forgot to sit down. She didn't expect her father to misunderstand her. Xia Jin sat on the kang and said, "Dad, I don't mind the dirtiness. I just wanted to take a good look at this room and forgot to sit down for a while."
Father Xia smiled and said, "Well, look. You grew up here when you were little. You were so lively as a kid, running around the house like crazy."
Xia Jin looked around the room carefully, seeing the cracked walls, the missing wardrobe, and the few pieces of furniture in the room. Only then did Xia Jin truly understand what the villagers had meant by "poverty."
"Xiao Jin, are you thirsty? I'll go get you some water." Before Xia Jin could finish her words, Father Xia hurried out. After a while, Father Xia brought in two glasses of water and handed them to Xia Jin and Gu Jingmo.
Father Xia said honestly, "Xiao Jin, have a drink. I put sugar in it, so it's sweet." After that, he sat aside and kept looking at Xia Jin, his eyes fixed, as if he wanted to engrave Xia Jin's appearance deeply in his mind.
Xia Jin took the water that Xia's father handed to him. Although he was not thirsty yet, he still picked up the cup and took a sip. The water was not hot and tasted sweet. Xia's father watched Xia Jin drink it and asked, "Is it sweet? When you were a child, I would pour you a glass of sugar water to comfort you whenever you were unhappy. You loved it the most."
Looking at her father's cautious look, Xia Jin understood that the more than ten years that she was taken away by Liu Xiu had become an unbridgeable gap between the two of them. No matter what happened to them as father and daughter in the future, the gap of more than ten years would always exist.
Xia Jin took another sip of water and found it very sweet. Xia Jin wondered if his father had been more persistent and selfish at that time, his childhood would have been happier.
Xia Jin said, "It tastes great. I like it now too."
When Father Xia heard this, he smiled and said, "That's good as long as you like it. That's good as long as you like it."
After Xia Jin finished drinking, he put the cup aside and said, "Dad, Grandpa, I bought a lot of gifts for you this time. I'll bring them in later."
When Gu Jingmo heard what Xia Jin said, he put down his cup, stood up and said, "I'll go. You stay here and spend more time with your uncle and grandpa." Then he walked to the outer room and moved the gifts in boxes one by one and put them on the kang. After everything was moved, Gu Jingmo sat next to Xia Jin.
Xia Jin looked at the several large boxes that Gu Jingmo had brought over and started looking through the ones next to her. After seeing the things inside, Xia Jin said to Grandpa Xia, "Grandpa bought these for you. I originally wanted to buy you ready-made clothes, but I didn't know your size, so I bought you fabric. I'll buy you ready-made clothes next time I come back."
Grandpa Xia looked at the big box and the cloth in Xia Jin's hand and said, "It's too much. It's not worthy for an old man like me to wear such good clothes. You can keep it for yourself."
Xia Jin smiled and said, "Grandpa, these are all made of cloth for men's clothes. I can't wear them. Besides, I bought them for you."
"Then give it to your father. He has never been willing to buy himself new clothes all year round."
Xia Jin pointed to another box and said, "Grandpa, I also bought one for my dad. You both have one. You said I haven't been with you for so many years, and this is my filial piety to you. Don't you want to accept it?"
As soon as Xia Jin finished speaking, he heard noisy voices coming from outside. Xia Jin looked out through the small window in the house and saw a large group of people coming. Xia Jin guessed that this was his uncle's family.
My aunt heard the voice before she saw the man, and she shouted in her loud voice in the yard: "Dad, I heard that Xiaojin is back. Is it true? Come and let me see it."
After saying that, the people also entered the house. Xia Jin got down from the kang and opened the door, and saw the family who had just entered the outer room. The aunt looked at Xia Jin who opened the door and said, "Oh, my dear, you are so beautiful. Look at your little face, so small and white. You were cute when you were a child, and you are even more beautiful now."
As she spoke, she nudged the man next to her and said, "Xiao Jin is the only good-looking one in your Xia family. Although Liu Xiu's character is not good, her appearance is really amazing."
Xia Jin looked at the aunt who spoke. Perhaps due to long-term farm work, her skin color was a healthy wheat color. She was plump and looked very friendly and comfortable.
After looking at his aunt, Xia Jin looked at the man next to his aunt, his uncle. He looked very similar to his father and seemed to be an honest and simple man.
And although he should be a little older than his father, his face looks younger than his father's. Because although they both do a lot of farm work, the two children of the Xia family have grown up and can help share the work. It can even be said that most of the housework is done by them.
There are also wives who take care of the housework for them, but it is different for Xia's father. Although his nephew will help with the work, he does it himself most of the time. He is embarrassed to trouble his sister-in-law all day long, and he does it all by himself. The more tired he is, the faster he will age.
Xia Jin looked back and saw his two cousins. They both inherited the Xia family's good genes and were tall and handsome. They saw Xia Jin looking at them and gave Xia Jin a big smile, revealing a row of neat white teeth, making the two of them look a little dazed.
Father Xia came out after Xia Jin and said to his sister-in-law and brother, "Brother and sister-in-law, you are here. Come in quickly."
Aunt Xia said to Father Xia, "Why don't you introduce us? Since you, as a father, don't introduce us, I will introduce myself."
Father Xia looked at Xia Jin who was standing at the door and said, "Xiao Jin, these are your uncle and aunt, and those behind them are your two cousins."
"Hello, uncle and aunt, hello, cousins."
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