During dinner that evening, Sheng Xiping told his grandparents and uncle that he was leaving, and the Sheng family members were reluctant to see him go.
Sheng Han cried again, and it took a lot of persuasion from everyone to calm her down.
The next morning, Sheng Xiping bid farewell to everyone and set off.
Before leaving, Sheng Xiping also slipped fifty yuan to the old man of the Sheng family.
He had almost spent all the money he brought with him when he left home; aside from the fare to return, this was all he had left.
The old master of the Sheng family naturally refused to accept it, but Sheng Xiping forced it on him and then turned and left.
The Sheng family saw them off, and Sheng Xizheng, as usual, borrowed a bicycle and took Sheng Xiping to the long-distance bus station.
To get back, I first took a long-distance bus to Yanzhou, and then took another bus from Yanzhou to Jinan.
In Jinan, there is Sheng Xiping's fifth uncle, Sheng Lianqing, and his aunt, Zhang Shuxiu.
Sheng Lianqing already knew that Sheng Xiping had returned, and it wouldn't be right not to visit him while passing through Jinan.
Sheng Xiping needed to transfer trains in Jinan, so he decided to delay for a day or two to see his relatives.
Sheng Lianqing is the youngest son of the Sheng family, eight years younger than Sheng Liancheng.
Back then, the family was poor, and the third and fourth children were in school, but when it came to Sheng Lianqing, there was no money left to support them.
Sheng Lianqing pleaded with his parents in vain. In the end, it was Sheng Liancheng who sent money back from work, and Sheng Lianqing was eleven years old when he finally started school.
However, Sheng Lianqing was very smart. He skipped three grades after starting school and had excellent grades in junior high school.
With Sheng Liancheng's support, he attended high school.
He did well in the college entrance examination and was admitted to Shandong University. He was quite lucky; after graduation, he was directly assigned to work in the municipal party committee, where he had a good job.
After graduating from junior high school, Zhang Shuxiu was recruited to work in the city. Later, she was introduced to a man and got married. Her man was transferred to Jinan, and she moved there with him.
Both of them were the youngest in their families, and they were quite fortunate to be at home, with jobs and comfortable lives.
Sheng Xiping spent a day and a half in Jinan, staying overnight at his fifth uncle Sheng Lianqing's house, and then visiting his aunt.
Then I took a train from Jinan to Shenyang, and then took a bus from Shenyang back to Songjianghe.
After several days of arduous travel, Sheng Xiping was almost sick of the train ride, but he finally returned to Songjianghe.
After returning from Shanghai, Sheng Xiping naturally had to visit his father-in-law's family, so he took a donkey jeep straight to Baishan Street.
It happened to be Sunday, and Zhou Mingyuan and Zhou Qingyue were both at home. They were quite surprised to see Sheng Xiping walk in.
"Oh, you're back from Shanghai? Come on, sit down. You must be tired from the journey."
"Qingyue, quickly go get your brother-in-law some water. Has he eaten yet? I'll heat up some food for you."
"Dad, don't bother making dinner. I just grabbed a bite in the car, I'm not really hungry."
"Qingyue, just give me some water, I'm dying of thirst."
Sheng Xiping took a bus back from Shenyang. For some reason, the bus was quite crowded. In order to save his seat from being taken by others, he dared not drink water for fear of having to go to the toilet. Now he was extremely thirsty.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingyue poured a mug of cooled boiled water and handed it to Sheng Xiping, who gulped it down before feeling a bit better.
"Dad, this is what I bought for you in Shanghai: Phoenix brand cigarettes and a pair of leather shoes." After finishing his water, Sheng Xiping started rummaging through his pockets looking for the items.
He had been wandering around Shanghai for so long, visiting all the bustling commercial districts, buying a lot of things for his relatives and friends, and also buying quite a few for his own family.
Everyone said Phoenix cigarettes were good, so Sheng Xiping tried to buy some, only to find out that they required a ticket and couldn't be bought without one.
Where would Sheng Xiping, an outsider, get tickets?
Later, with the help of Xiao Peng and the hotel staff, Sheng Xiping bought a lot of cigarette coupons and returned with four cartons of Phoenix cigarettes.
“These are for my mom. They’re the same brand as yours, just different styles.” Sheng Xiping then pulled out another pair of leather shoes from his pocket.
Having bought one for his father-in-law, Sheng Xiping couldn't forget his mother-in-law, so he pulled out a pair of women's leather shoes as well.
As for the shoe size, he asked Zhou Qinglan by telegram.
"Oh dear, look at you, you're even thinking about buying things for us when you go out. These things must cost a lot of money."
Zhou Mingyuan fiddled with the Phoenix cigarettes and leather shoes, his eyes filled with joy.
A son-in-law who thinks of his father-in-law and mother-in-law even when he goes out is rare. How could Zhou Mingyuan not be happy?
"It's alright. It's only right to show filial piety to our parents, no amount of money is too much. Dad, why don't you try on these shoes and see if they fit?"
Sheng Xiping smiled. Spending a little money to please his father-in-law was worth it.
Zhou Mingyuan didn't stand on ceremony and immediately put on the shoes to try them on. "Oh, they're perfect! You really have to be my son-in-law. The shoes you bought are just perfect. Hmm, these shoes are comfortable."
How could something bought by her son-in-law be anything but good? Zhou Mingyuan was so happy that he walked back and forth on the ground several times with his shoes on.
"Qingyue, these are your clothes."
Seeing his brother-in-law staring at him, Sheng Xiping was delighted and quickly took out a beige shirt he had bought for Zhou Qingyue.
"Thank you, brother-in-law." Zhou Qingyue was overjoyed and quickly put on the shirt. "Hmm, it fits perfectly. My brother-in-law is such a good shopper."
"Look, why buy him clothes? He's still growing, and they'll be too small after a few wears."
Besides, given how lazy and unkempt he is every day, it would be a waste to give him any nice clothes.
Zhou Mingyuan glanced at his youngest son, who was jumping around happily, and deliberately poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Dad, what are you saying? You can't do that!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingyue was so angry that she almost jumped up. How could anyone talk about their own son like that?
"It's alright, Qingyue's size is too small, I'll buy her another one." Sheng Xiping was amused by the father and son.
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