Looking at Guan Yiming who had grown into a young man, Zhou Xiang was about to express his feelings when six more people came in. Guan Zanli looked like a strong woman, holding her twelve or thirteen-year-old son in her hand, and Liu Hui followed behind her with a gift in his hand, looking embarrassed.
Guan Zanqiang was holding a two-year-old girl in his arms, and a woman about twenty-five or twenty-six years old was standing next to him.
The six people called out for help as soon as they entered the low door. The little girl's voice was the clearest, perhaps because she didn't have the fear that the adults had in their hearts?
Zhou Xiang smiled. This was all arranged, right? Maybe they were all waiting outside early, and when they saw that their godfather didn't chase them away, they all came in together.
She stood up and reached out to the little girl in Guan Zanqiang's arms, "Come, call me auntie. I heard it clearly just now. You were the only one who didn't feel guilty about calling me auntie, but you only called me grandpa and grandma."
The girl looked at her father and when he nodded, she stretched out her little arm and said, "Auntie."
"Hey!" Zhou Xiang took the doll and said with a smile, "She's still someone who has done nothing wrong. Her eyes are bright and her voice is clear."
"Think about it, sister." Guan Zanqiang pleaded and called out awkwardly.
Zhou Xiang ignored him and sat down on the kang holding the baby girl. "Hurry up and find a place to sit. Now that you're back, those who need to cook should cook, and those who need to prepare the table should prepare the table. We want to eat ready-made food."
Aunt Guan smiled, and the tears in her eyes fell down.
Zhou Xiang held the little girl's chubby hand and went to wipe her godmother's tears. "Godmother, you should be happy. Time has taught them how to behave. Since they are willing to change, give them a chance. If they do it again, you will be expelled for another ten years. Don't you still have me? I am your and godfather's backer. I don't think they dare to do that."
Aunt Guan's tears flowed even more fiercely, and her smile became even wider. She reached out and hugged the little girl who was wiping her tears, "Okay, okay, godmother is happy."
Guan Bo coughed dryly and shouted hoarsely, "What are you all standing there for? I just wanted to tell you to, didn't you hear me?"
"I heard it, I heard it," Guan Zanxiang turned around, pulled Yu Na and Guan Zanli, and said to his younger sister-in-law Peng Qiu, "Let's go to the kitchen to cook lunch."
Ma Zhao pulled Guan Zanfu over and said, "Come on, go get the table and stools from your place."
Liu Hui put down the gift in his hand and quickly followed. Guan Zanqiang also turned around and followed.
With eight fewer people in the room, the main hall, which had been packed just now, could finally be opened up. Zhou Xiang sat down on the stool next to his godfather, "Godfather, you won't blame me, will you?"
"No, no," Guan Bo sighed, "I understand your thoughts. In the past few years, they have come to my house every year, hoping to restore the relationship we once had, but the broken mirror has finally cracked. I feel uncomfortable and don't want to accept them.
But I can't ignore your godmother's thoughts, so let it be! We'll just keep a distance and observe. Like you said, you're our backer, so let them do whatever they want. It won't get any worse than before, right?"
Aunt Guan, who was coaxing her granddaughter, rolled her eyes. She was soft-hearted but stubborn, using her as a shield. Go ahead and shield her! As long as her children were obedient, that would be enough. She didn't ask for anything else, just that these grandchildren could be happy in her lap.
"Haha," Zhou Xiang chuckled when he saw his godmother's sidelong glance. "That's right! With me here, I bet they won't dare to act so recklessly anymore. Aren't they all coming back to be filial to you?"
When the room was crowded with people, the three babies took off their shoes and got on the kang. At that time, they were playing with their little sister. When they heard what their mother said, they covered their mouths and laughed.
Aunt Guan asked them amusedly what they were laughing at. Ling Xiaotong looked at her mother and whispered, "Grandma, Mom was talking about monkeys, right? They were jumping up and down."
"You kid!" Aunt Guan gently tapped her granddaughter's forehead, "Be careful or your mother will spank you."
Ling Xiaotong's hand subconsciously covered her butt, then retracted, "My mom doesn't spank me anymore, saying I'm a grown-up girl."
"Girls don't make mistakes, do they? Whenever they make a mistake, they get beaten."
Ling Xiaotong thought about last summer vacation when her mother spanked her older brother and younger brother. She felt pain just watching it. She thought about how her mother said she wouldn't spank them, but she smiled so timidly. Could it be that she could spank them anywhere except their buttocks? "Grandma, don't complain. I won't say anything."
Aunt Guan laughed and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, grandma won't tell."
We didn't have lunch until one o'clock. There were quite a few people, but there was only a wood stove and a coal stove in the kitchen. With more than a dozen people and two tables of food, wouldn't it be slow?
When they were almost done eating and drinking, Ma Zhao used the excuse that the room was too small to ask his father-in-law about building a new house.
Guan Bo shook his head firmly, "No, if you find the house shabby and small, you don't have to come back."
Zhou Xiang put down his chopsticks and said, "Godfather, the reconstruction on both sides of the town's Second Street has been completed. The reconstruction plan after the new year is to extend east to Dawangzhuang, west to Xiaoxiezhuang, and north to Guanjia Village. Even the land south of the provincial road will be expropriated for reconstruction. You have no choice but to build a new house."
Ma Zhao stood up excitedly. "No, no, how come Xiaoxie Village is only in the west? Where is our Majia Village? Are we just going to leave it alone?"
Zhou Xiang glanced at him and said, "Majia Village is in the northwest corner of Xiaoxie Village, not close to the provincial road. How can we control it? The entire market town has more than ten villages, and only these two are close to the provincial road. If Majia Village is included, the rest of the villages must be counted. The market town's finances are tight, and I don't have that much spare money. You should know that the town bank forced me to deposit money, and all the money was used for loans. Once my money was deposited, it would be like a stone sinking into the sea."
Guan Bo pulled his eldest son-in-law to sit down. "Don't talk nonsense when you get out! I heard the New Rural Areas Plan is already being implemented, and it's almost here too. Villages with inconvenient transportation will be relocated to the vicinity of township, county, and provincial roads. Villages like the rest of the town will probably be moved to the vicinity of the provincial road, occupying previously cultivated land. These are all provincial plans, not something the town or Xiangxiang can intervene in."
Zhou Xiang raised his eyebrows when he heard that the new rural plan had already begun. "I think Dawangzhuang and Xiaoxiezhuang should also be left to the city and county to operate. It would be better to renovate Guanjia Village and Provincial Road South first."
"Ouch!" Ma Zhao slapped his thigh. "Think about it, sister, don't try to trick me. I'll be beaten into a pulp by the villagers of Dawangzhuang and Xiaoxiezhuang."
"Why?" Zhou Xiang pursed his lips to suppress his laughter and pretended to be confused.
"Why do you think so?" Ma Zhao said anxiously. "I've seen what the new countryside looks like on TV news. It's nowhere near as impressive as the four-story villas in our town. I argued with you just now, and you changed your plan. I, I, I'm sure they'll think I'm the culprit."
"Serves you right!" Guan Bo said with a gloating double entendre, "This is the result of fighting."
"Think about my sister!" Ma Zhao looked at Zhou Xiang pitifully.
Zhou Xiang blinked, "This matter still needs to be discussed with the town. I just made a suggestion. How to do it is entirely the town's decision."
Zhou Xiang said this, but Ma Zhao didn't believe it. Without her support, no plan in the town could be implemented.
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