Grandma Xu: "What's inconvenient about it? It's not far. But living in the countryside has its advantages. We can just pick whatever vegetables we want from our own garden. Unlike you, we have to buy everything we want to eat. Qiu and his wife are both working, that's true, but their daily expenses are high. And their combined salary doesn't last long!"
After Grandma Xu finished speaking, Xu Xinning felt a little uneasy under the gaze of her aunt's younger sister. Looking at her, she asked, "Your aunt has been living in the commune for several years now, hasn't she? Where does she work now?"
Xu Xiaogu's sister-in-law is actually quite straightforward. When Xu Xinning asked her this, she replied curiously, "I'm not at work."
Fearing that her sister-in-law might say something detrimental to them, Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law immediately chimed in, "My daughter is of marriageable age. She'll marry when she finds a suitable match. After all, once she's married, she'll stay home to be a wife and mother. Not everyone is as lucky as Qiu, who only has to give birth and doesn't have to worry about raising children."
Miao Miao: "Grandma, weren't my sister and I raised by my grandma? Even now, the aunties at the factory still say that my grandma used to carry one of us to work by the hand and the other on her back."
The old lady was displeased when Miao Miao exposed her, and glared at Miao Miao fiercely, saying, "What are you doing, a child, interrupting when adults are talking? You heartless thing! Your grandfather and I have wasted our love on you sisters. We should just say that we still need to have sons in this family, otherwise it would be a real loss to let these two married-out daughters take over our jobs in the future."
Grandma Xu was already very unhappy to hear this, and said coldly, "In-laws, you may love your own daughter, but other people's daughters are precious too. It's only natural for parents to let their children take over their jobs." Then she affectionately patted Miaomiao and her younger sister's heads and said, "This is the home your parents created for you. You don't have to be subservient to others. In the future, your parents' jobs will also be taken over by you, but you must study hard. Only when you have your own abilities can you stand tall."
Miao Miao loves her maternal grandmother's family the most; she only feels important when she goes to her grandmother's house.
Miao Miao looked at Grandma Xu with bright eyes and nodded firmly.
As they were talking, the door opened, and the uncle and his father walked in carrying steamed buns. Seeing Grandma Xu and Xu Xinning, they said happily, "Grandma, Xinning, are you here for the early market?"
Grandma Xu: "We don't go to the early market, and we don't lack anything at home. If we really need something, it's convenient for your older brother to bring it back after get off work."
Uncle-in-law: "Absolutely! It's more convenient to buy things in this county town than in the commune! By the way, I heard that my eldest brother has been promoted to head of the Public Security Bureau?"
Speaking of Xu Yaozu, Grandma Xu is genuinely proud, because her eldest son has never caused her any worry since he was a child.
Grandma Xu nodded and smiled happily; this was the first smile she showed when she entered her aunt's house.
Grandma Miaomiao: "Really? My dear in-law, is that a very high-ranking official? Your Xu family must be incredibly lucky!"
My uncle-in-law knows his mother very well. He can tell what she's thinking just by looking at her. She's just using Xu Yaozu as a stepping stone to let his good-for-nothing sister climb the social ladder.
My uncle-in-law, not wanting his mother to continue the topic, immediately said, "Auntie, Ningning, have you eaten? The steamed buns in the cafeteria were pretty good today."
Grandma Xu: "We ate before we came. You guys eat, and then you can go to work or school. My daughter and I will sit for a while and then leave. The third son is still running around in the market."
Suddenly, Miao Miao's younger sister called out "Brother".
Grandma Xu patted her little granddaughter's head and smiled, "Missing your brother? We'll have your parents take you to Xu Family Village to play tomorrow when they're off work."
Miao Miao nodded excitedly, "I want to play with my brother."
My aunt's mother-in-law suddenly interjected, "Have your parents give you a younger brother, then you can play however you want."
No one inside the room responded to that question.
Grandma Xu and Xu Xinning had to say goodbye after sitting for only a short while, as there were so many people in the room that they couldn't even have a proper chat.
That younger sister-in-law probably really liked Xu Xinning. Seeing them about to leave, she hurriedly stuffed the last bite of steamed bun into her mouth and stood up as well.
Sister-in-law: "Grandma, I want to go to the early market too."
Seeing that her daughter was going to go with her, the old lady quickly stood up. She thought that Xu Yaozu was such a high-ranking official, and it would definitely not be a loss to get closer to their family.
My uncle-in-law is a good man. When he saw the eggs and soybeans that Grandma Xu brought, he said, "Grandma has gone to so much trouble again."
Grandma Xu: "What do you mean by spending money? You live in this commune and have to buy everything you need to eat. You have a heavy burden on your shoulders!"
After leaving her aunt's house, Grandma Xu and Xu Xinning went to find Wang Ying first.
Wang Ying brings things to sell from a fixed location, which is much more convenient than finding Xu Laosan and his gang who have gone crazy somewhere.
Mountain products are actually not easy to sell at the market. They are all from the countryside. When they are not busy, the women in the family will go into the mountains to dig some wild vegetables and pick some mushrooms to dry and store. So when Xu Xinning and the others arrived, Wang Ying had not sold much.
However, Wang Ying wasn't short of this income; he always felt that coming to the early market without exchanging something seemed like something was missing.
Wang Ying: "Auntie, Ningning, why are you back so soon?"
Grandma Xu glanced at the mother and daughter who had followed her and replied, "They're both busy. They eat breakfast and rush to work or school. They don't have time to chat."
Wang Ying was a smart woman; she could tell what was going on as soon as she saw the mother and daughter.
Wang Ying: "Is this auntie Qiu's mother-in-law? I'll take some mountain produce back with me later. I dried it myself, so it's very clean!"
The younger sister's mother-in-law, who had gotten a good deal, smiled so much her eyes were practically slits: "How embarrassing!"
Wang Ying: "They're all worthless things. Qiu is practically a daughter to my family. As long as my aunt doesn't mind, that's fine."
The younger sister's mother-in-law said, "Thank you so much for saying that."
As they were talking, Xu Laosan, Mu Jingheng, and Chen Jianguo ran back.
Mu Jingheng was holding some food he had just bought. When he saw Xu Xinning, he came over and said, "Xin'er, these are fried dough sticks I bought for you at the state-run restaurant. They smell so good."
Xu Laosan smiled obsequiously: "Of course, Brother Mu treats these fried dough sticks like treasures, afraid they won't taste good if they get cold."
Xu Xinning didn't stand on ceremony and took a bite.
Xu Xinning likes sweets, but not too sweet ones. She has tried this oily fruit a few times and thinks it is pretty good.
Xu Xinning glanced at Mu Jingheng, who was covered in sweat from running, and said, "Thank you!"
Mu Jingheng felt inexplicably happy watching Xu Xinning eat the food he had bought, and he smiled foolishly as he watched Xu Xinning eat the fried fruit.
Every time Xu Xinning sees Mu Jingheng like this, she always doubts his age. Is he really a year older than her?
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