"Oh my, your older brother is impeccable when it comes to getting things done. If it weren't for his leg injury that delayed his career, he would probably be a high-ranking official now."
Zhang Shuzhen took the brown paper package and opened it. Inside were three bundles of brand-new 10,000-yuan notes. Zhang Shuzhen didn't count them, just held the money and remarked with emotion.
"Don't give it all to me. Keep two thousand for yourself. One thousand is enough for the family." Zhang Shuzhen kept one bundle and gave the remaining two bundles to Sheng Xiping.
"There aren't many expenses at home now. My second and third children are in school and the university is taking care of them, so they don't need any money from the family."
I think it's unlikely they'll get married anytime soon.
It's uncertain where they'll end up; they certainly won't be able to return to our forest farm.
"I used to think about saving money to build a house, but now it seems unnecessary. Once they get their jobs, their work units will probably provide them with housing," Zhang Shuzhen muttered, holding the bundle of money.
"Only the fourth and fifth children in the family are in school, so it doesn't cost much. Your dad has a salary, and you've contributed a lot to the family over the years, so it's enough."
Your two kids are still young, and they're both boys. Who knows what they'll be like in the future? You should save up some money for them.
Parents who love their children will surely plan far ahead for them.
Zhang Shuzhen loved every child in the family, but as the eldest son, Sheng Xiping was always the most favored by his parents.
There are some things that Sheng Xiping may not have considered, but as a mother, Zhang Shuzhen must plan ahead and think about her son's future.
Since his mother said so, Sheng Xiping didn't insist anymore, and put away the two bundles of money.
At noon, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei, along with Sheng Xitai, returned home. They were all happy to see their eldest brother return, and Sheng Xitai was overjoyed to see so much delicious food at home that he jumped for joy.
Sheng Xiping's trip took five or six days, as the work on the mountain couldn't wait.
So he stayed home for one night and went up the mountain to work early the next morning.
As December arrived, the temperature dropped day by day, and the mountains were covered in snow every few days, gradually thickening the snow to thigh-deep in some places.
On the mountain, frontline workers braved the wind and snow to work, felling large trees one by one, and transporting them to log yards and storage yards by hand and machinery, and then sending them to various places.
Down in the mountains, during the harsh winter, people rarely leave their houses, keeping them warm and cozy, with the heated brick beds scalding hot.
The women sat on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) doing needlework, preparing their New Year's clothes in advance.
Zhang Shuzhen learned to use a sewing machine from Zhou Qinglan.
She found a tailor, cut out all the children's clothes, hemmed them, and then took them home to make them herself.
Clothes weren't so fancy back then; there weren't many linings or shoulder pads, so making clothes was simple.
The Sheng family had a sewing machine and an iron, so Zhang Shuzhen would make a little bit every day to prepare in advance, so as not to be caught off guard as the end of the year approached.
Besides making clothes, all that's left is making food.
This year, the family planted land, and they have all sorts of grains and beans. Zhang Shuzhen has to put in some effort to cook more food.
Pancakes need to be made, and both soft and hard pancakes are essential.
You can make firm tofu, cut it into cubes, and freeze it. Frozen tofu stewed with cabbage is delicious.
There are also sticky rice cakes, sticky fire buns, and other similar items.
Zhou Qinglan was not at home, and the Sheng sisters, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei, were also busy studying, but this did not pose a challenge for Zhang Shuzhen.
These people, who usually got along well, joined together and set up a griddle at the Sheng family's house, taking turns making pancakes.
Once the pancakes are all cooked, we'll wrap and make sticky rice cakes and steamed bean buns together.
The New Year isn't over yet, but everyone is busy and having a great time. Groups of women gather together, chatting and laughing all day long, and they don't neglect their work.
In the blink of an eye, December passed, and New Year's Day of 1980 arrived.
History has turned a new page, officially ushering in the 1980s.
Sheng Liancheng, Zhou Qinglan, and others were not at home, and Zhang Shuzhen didn't put much effort into making anything for New Year's Day, just preparing a few simple dishes and that was it.
On January 10th, Sheng Xi'an, who was studying in Harbin, was the first to return home, followed by Sheng Xikang.
As for Zhou Qinglan, she returned with Zhou Qingyue and settled down in Songjianghe.
When Zhou Mingyuan was transferred from elsewhere to Songjianghe Machinery Repair Factory, he lived in a temporary house provided by the company.
Last year, the company allocated housing, and Zhou Mingyuan and his wife met the housing allocation criteria and were allocated an apartment in the corner building.
At the time, Zhou Mingyuan and his wife were thinking that Zhou Qingyang would come back to get married, so they discussed giving the new house to their son, which is why they hadn't moved in yet.
As it turned out, Zhou Qingyang had an urgent mission and couldn't come back to get married. The new house was finished but they didn't move in; it was just left there.
Isn't this Zhou Qingyang sending a letter saying he'll be back to get married soon?
When Zhou Qinglan and Zhou Qingyue returned, they went over and tidied up the place inside and out, and bought everything that needed to be bought.
Zhou Qinglan stayed at her parents' home for a week, helping to decorate the new house, before returning to the forest farm.
Just in time for Sheng Xinhua's fourth birthday, Sheng Liancheng found someone to take his place and went down the mountain with Sheng Xiping. The whole family gathered together and had a lively time.
The winter logging operations at Qianchuan Forest Farm have gone very smoothly this year, and it is expected that most of the logging tasks will be completed before the end of the year.
Everyone on the team was of one mind, and no one was willing to let things fall apart and delay production at this crucial moment.
So Sheng Liancheng and his son only stayed at home for one night, and went up the mountain again the next day.
On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhou Qingyang returned to Songjianghe. This time, he had taken a wedding leave to come back and get married.
It wasn't until Zhou Qingyang returned with his second-class merit medal that Zhou Mingyuan and his wife learned that their son had almost died on the battlefield and had spent several months recovering from his injuries.
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