"Can't compare to my older brother? I heard you got promoted again for your merits?"
Last year, Zhou Qingyang was unable to return home for the Spring Festival due to an emergency mission. It was during this mission that Zhou Qingyang made a contribution, which is why he is now a regimental-level cadre.
"What's the big deal? Soldiers are just doing their duty, nothing to brag about."
Zhou Qingyang laughed heartily, put his arm around Sheng Xiping's shoulder, and they went into the house together.
"Happy New Year, Uncle." Zhou Qingyang's son, Zhou Xudong, rushed over to offer his New Year's greetings as soon as Sheng Xiping entered the room.
This boy was born in the winter of 1980, and he is six years old this year (by Chinese reckoning). He has a chubby face and is very energetic and clever.
"Hey, Dongdong, Happy New Year. Here, your uncle has a red envelope for you, it's your lucky money."
Sheng Xiping chuckled and patted the little guy's head, then took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Xudong.
Sheng Xinhua and his family were quick and entered the house before Sheng Xiping. Zhou Mingyuan and his wife, as well as Zhou Qingyang and his wife, had already given the children New Year's money.
So when Sheng Xiping gave Zhou Xudong a red envelope, no one stopped him.
Chinese New Year is all about having fun and making the kids happy. There's no need for family members to argue and create drama.
Of course, the red envelope that Sheng Xiping gave was quite substantial, but since it was wrapped in red paper, no one saw it.
Zhou Qingyang hadn't been back for two years, so naturally, his brother-in-law and brother-in-law had a lot to say to each other when they met.
Together with Zhou Mingyuan and Zhou Qingyue, the four of them sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting and laughing, getting warmer and warmer as they talked.
Sheng Xinhua and Sheng Xinyu were playing with their younger siblings in the yard. Zhou Xudong, despite his young age, was quite bold and kept clamoring to set off firecrackers.
Sheng Xinhua and Sheng Xinyu haven't done anything else these days. From the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, they've been out playing all day long, carrying a bag full of firecrackers.
The clothes I bought for the Chinese New Year have started to show signs of tearing in the pockets after just a few days, from constantly taking out firecrackers and fiddling with the bottom of the pockets.
This morning, the two children each packed two bags of firecrackers.
Seeing their cousin jumping up and down, ready to set off firecrackers, the two kids got creative. They pulled out a piece of thin firewood with a flame from the stove, then took out a few red firecrackers from their pockets, placed them on the snow, and lit them one by one.
Firecrackers exploded, and paper scraps flew everywhere. Sheng Xinyue and Sheng Xinqi, being a bit timid, covered their ears and watched the excitement from the sidelines.
Zhou Xudong is a fearless kid. When he sees firecrackers going off, he claps his hands and jumps for joy.
"Xinhua, be careful. Stay away from your younger siblings and don't scare them."
Hearing the commotion outside, Zhou Qinglan went out and called out to her son, giving him instructions.
"Okay, Mom, we'll be careful."
At eleven years old (by Chinese reckoning), Sheng Xinhua, who was only nine years old in actual age, was quite bold. He responded with a "yes" and then pulled out a few more woodpecker cannons.
These are louder than regular firecrackers and also have flashes of light; they're very pretty.
This year, my family bought a lot of firecrackers, including more than ten boxes of these woodpeckers.
Even so, it wasn't enough for the Sheng brothers to wreak havoc. It was only the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and they already had only two or three boxes left.
Hearing the bangs and pops of firecrackers outside, Wang Chunxiu laughed, "It's more lively when there are more children. Dongdong has been saying that it's boring these past few days since he came back, and no one plays with him."
From now on, each family will only be allowed to have one child, so the children won't even have a sibling.
“Yes, I really envy my second sister’s family. Four children, how wonderful!” Chen Jie echoed while working.
"Now that things are more strictly regulated, Qingyang and I don't dare to be so cocky as to have another child."
Luckily, we lived in a military compound, where all the kids played together. Dongdong had several good friends, and they spent all their time playing together.
Chen Jie works at a military hospital, and Zhou Qingyang is also a cadre. Given the precedent set by Sheng Xiping and Zhou Qinglan, the couple really didn't dare to even think about having another child.
After all, Zhou Qingyang has been in the army for over ten years. If he were to leave now, he wouldn't know what he could do.
The couple didn't have any grand ideals or ambitions. They didn't seek great wealth or status; they were content to stay in the military peacefully.
"Okay, you two should raise Dongdong well and help him grow into a successful person. That would be great."
"You're different from Qinglan. She has her in-laws to help her. Your father and I haven't retired yet, so we can't help you much. Raising one child is enough; more than that would be too much of a burden for you."
Wang Chunxiu is definitely a good mother-in-law in the new era. She is very empathetic and considerate of her daughter-in-law, instead of putting on airs and bossing her around.
The mother and her two children chatted while their hands were busy frying, stir-frying, and cooking in the outer room.
The aroma of food wafted out of the kitchen with the rising steam, making everyone's mouths water.
Inside the house, the four men were chatting quite animatedly.
When Zhou Mingyuan learned that Sheng Xiping's business partner and Sheng Xikang's brother-in-law had come to Songjianghe, he couldn't help but complain to Sheng Xiping, insisting that Sheng Xiping invite Wu Yucheng over so that they could all have some fun together.
Sheng Xiping thought that Wu Yucheng must be bored at home by himself, so he drove home and picked him up.
The three Zhou family members were exceptionally warm to Wu Yucheng, inviting him to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and chat over tea.
Wu Yucheng has a good personality, is easy to get along with, and can chat with anyone.
The Wu family originally came from a military background, and Wu Yucheng had also served in the army for several years, so he and Zhou Qingyang got along very well and became quite familiar with each other after chatting for a short while.
Around 1 p.m., all the food was ready and served.
Zhou Mingyuan and his two sons, along with Sheng Xiping and Wu Yucheng, ate on the kang (a heated brick bed).
The table was set up with people standing aside. Wang Chunxiu, along with her daughter, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter, sat at this table.
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