In late October, the weather in the forest area was already quite cool, and it got dark earlier.
Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the students left school one after another, and Zhou Qinglan led Sheng Xitai and Chen Feng home first.
As soon as he entered, Sheng Xitai smelled the aroma of scallions and meat.
"Mom, what are you making for dinner? I smell minced meat on the food."
Sheng Xitai ran towards the east room with his schoolbag on his back, asking loudly as he did so.
Zhang Shuzhen had just finished chopping the meat and vegetables and was mixing them together to make the filling.
Hearing her youngest son's words, Zhang Shuzhen said irritably, "Eat, eat, all you know is how to eat! Didn't you see your second brother is back from Xilin River?"
"Huh?" Sheng Xitai had just stepped into the east room when he looked at the north kang (heated brick bed) and sure enough, his second brother had returned.
"Second brother, oh my, you're finally back! I've missed you so much!"
As he spoke, he threw his schoolbag onto the kang (a heated brick bed), jumped onto the kang, and reached out to hug Sheng Xi'an.
"Oh dear, don't make a fuss and scare Xinhua. I've only been gone for a few months, is it really necessary for you to be like this?"
Sheng Xi'an is introverted, but she couldn't resist her younger brother's enthusiasm.
Besides, he was holding his little nephew, afraid that Sheng Xitai's sudden outburst would frighten Xinhua.
Unexpectedly, Sheng Xinhua was a reckless fool. When he saw his uncle rushing over, he was overjoyed and sat on his uncle's lap, giggling happily.
They actually thought Sheng Xitai's appearance was funny.
At this moment, Zhou Qinglan and Chen Feng entered the east room.
As soon as Sheng Xinhua turned his head and saw Zhou Qinglan, he immediately became angry. He struggled to break free from his second uncle's arms and quickly scrambled to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Then he sat there and stretched out his little arm towards Zhou Qinglan. "Mom, Mom."
This little thing could utter single syllables when it was about seven months old, but at that time it was uttered unconsciously.
Now, he can consciously call out "Dad" and "Mom," and occasionally he can even say "Nai."
When he told her that day, Zhang Shuzhen was overjoyed. She kept saying that it hadn't been in vain to coax her grandson, as he could now call her "Grandma."
Zhou Qinglan took off her coat, stepped forward and hugged Sheng Xinhua, who weighed just over twenty pounds, then looked at Sheng Xi'an sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Oh, the second brother is back? Oh dear, why are you so tanned? You're so dark and thin."
"Building railways must be tough work, right? Look at you, I told you not to go in the first place, it would have been so much better to stay in the forest farm!"
Zhou Qinglan is a very qualified eldest sister-in-law. She cares for and looks after all her younger brothers and sisters-in-law.
Of course, Sheng Xi'an and the others also held their sister-in-law in high esteem.
"Sister-in-law, you're off work?" Sheng Xi'an greeted his sister-in-law with a smile.
"It's alright, not too tiring. You'll get used to it. Forestry work is easy and pays less, while railway construction pays more."
Sheng Xi'an scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
Zhou Qinglan nodded, holding the child and glancing towards the south side of the kang (heated brick bed). "Mom, are you making dumplings?"
"Yeah, the second brother is back from Xilinhe. Look how thin he is. Let's make some dumplings for him to help him get better."
It's been a while since we made dumplings at home; we've been so busy lately, we haven't had the time.
Zhang Shuzhen mixed the dumpling filling well, set it aside, then took a cutting board and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed). She sprinkled a thin layer of flour, placed the dough from the basin onto the cutting board, and kneaded it vigorously until smooth.
"Yes, we made dumplings on the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it's been almost a month and a half now."
Zhou Qinglan nodded, put her son on the kang (a heated brick bed), and asked Sheng Xitai and Chen Feng to watch over him. She then went to the outer room to wash her hands and came back to help her mother-in-law knead the dough and divide it into portions.
Just then, Sheng Yunfang, Sheng Yunfei, and Sheng Xikang entered the room. They were all quite happy to see their second brother return.
Upon seeing that they were making dumplings at home, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei quickly washed their hands and came over to help.
Zhang Shuzhen kneaded the dough and divided it into small pieces, Sheng Xi'an and Sheng Xikang rolled out the wrappers, and Zhou Qinglan, Sheng Yunfang, and Sheng Yunfei made dumplings.
Sheng Xitai and Chen Feng did their homework while keeping an eye on Sheng Xinhua, mainly to prevent him from getting too close to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed).
But Sheng Xinhua, that little rascal, was quite mischievous. When he saw something being played with on the south side of the kang (heated brick bed), which looked like a very fun thing, he wouldn't stand for it.
It kept making noises over there, insisting on going over there.
Chen Feng was shocked. He quickly put down his pen and went to comfort his younger brother.
But Sheng Xinhua didn't appreciate it at all. He kept shouting towards the south kang (a heated brick bed). When no one paid attention to him, the brat started to pout and squeeze out tears.
"Sheng Xinhua, shut up! If you cry again, I'll beat you up!"
When Zhou Qinglan saw her son acting like a spoiled brat, she became furious and her face darkened. She made a move to hit the child.
Despite his young age, Sheng Xinhua is quite adept at reading people's expressions. As soon as he saw his mother was unhappy, the boy immediately stopped crying.
However, she still looked aggrieved, with two tears still clinging to her face.
When Zhang Shuzhen saw her grandson's pitiful little face, she immediately felt sorry for him.
"Oh dear, why are you scolding such a young child? Let him come over if he wants to. There are so many people here, can't you keep an eye on him?"
Few grandmothers don't love their grandchildren, and Zhang Shuzhen is no exception. She especially dislikes her daughter-in-law scolding the children.
"Sixth brother, quickly bring Xinhua over here, don't let him cry, crying too much will make the child feel hot and bothered."
Zhang Shuzhen glanced at her youngest son and spoke.
"Mom, don't spoil him. This brat knows how to read people's expressions. He needs to know he's wrong so he won't dare to cause trouble."
Zhou Qinglan was quite helpless. Her mother-in-law doted on the child too much, and every time she tried to discipline the child, her mother-in-law wouldn't allow it.
"Look at you, how old is he? What does he know about right and wrong?"
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