Chapter 43: Marrying at Sixteen? (Page 1/2)
The commander-in-chief of the island army is Lu Zheng, an old comrade-in-arms of Huo Li who has known him for life and death.
It was Lu Zheng who suggested that Huo Li send Huo Qingci to the island. After all, Beijing was the political center, so the riot would naturally be extremely fierce.
He was afraid that his eldest grandson would be affected one day, so he simply tried to transfer him away, as if he was supporting the construction of the island, and then transferred him back when the situation was not so tense.
Moreover, going to a backward place like an island makes it easier to achieve results and strive to make more contributions and get promoted soon.
Huo Qinghuan didn't want to hear such a heavy topic, so he asked Huo Li, "Grandpa, do you want to eat bayberries? I'll go get some."
"Little monkey, we just took a break, why are you greedy again?"
"I'm growing up, growing taller and bigger. I want to be an outstanding soldier like my grandfather."
Huo Li looked at Huo Qinghuan with a loving face, as if he saw his dead second son. His second son was also so lively and active.
"You're promising, go ahead! Eat whatever you like."
Huo Qinghuan got off the bamboo bed and ran away. Huo Li said to Huo Qingci and Lin Man, "You should have children soon. Next year is my 70th birthday, and I hope to see your child by then."
Huo Qingci said: "Grandpa, Manman is still young."
Lin Man said, "I'm not young anymore. We'll have a baby next year."
Seeing his grandson embarrassed, Huo Li laughed heartily, "Your grandmother gave birth to your eldest father when she was seventeen. Xiaolin is obviously nineteen, and you are twenty-five. You are old enough to have children."
Lin Man’s idea is to complete the task as soon as possible while she is still young, because when she gets older, she won’t want to take care of children anymore.
You don't need too many children, just three, two daughters and one son will be enough.
At this time, Huo Qinghuan brought over a cup of washed bayberries in a large enamel cup, "Grandpa, what are you talking about? Are you talking about having a baby?"
"Go away, you little monkey, what do you know about giving birth to a child?"
"I don't know how to give birth, but I can help my eldest brother take care of the baby."
Lin Man smiled and said, "Okay, after the baby is born, I'll ask my brother-in-law to help take care of it."
Huo Qinghuan grinned, "No problem, no problem. Come on, come on, have some bayberries."
Huo Li took a bayberry from the cup and tasted it. "This bayberry is good. It's big, fleshy, and not sour. It tastes better than dried bayberries."
"Grandpa, I also think fresh bayberries are better than dried ones. I heard there are a lot of tropical fruits on the island. When we go there, we can eat as much as we want."
So, did Huo Qinghuan go to the island with Huo Qingci because there were a lot of fruits on the island?
Huo Qinghuan also left Beijing, what about grandpa?
Before going to bed, Lin Man asked Huo Qingci, "If we all leave, what will happen to grandpa alone?"
"After we leave, Grandpa will go live in the military compound and eat in the cafeteria. Uncle Zhang will go over and help him wash his clothes."
"Don't your fourth uncle and younger uncle also live in the military compound? Why doesn't grandpa eat with them?"
"I guess grandpa didn't want to bother them and thought it was more convenient to eat in the cafeteria. Besides, the house they were given isn't that big, and there are so many people in the family, so it wouldn't be a bother for grandpa to run around just to get food."
Huo Qingci also understood that since his grandfather had divided the family property among them, he had no intention of living and eating with them, except during the New Year and other holidays when they could all get together to have some fun.
If Grandpa lives in any of his sons' houses, Fourth Aunt and Younger Aunt will definitely say that they have no right to rent a house and that they will have to rely on him for his retirement.
At my grandfather's level, he earns a few hundred yuan a month. It would be easy for him to hire someone to take care of him. He can give Uncle Zhang a little subsidy every month. Not only can he fetch water and food, he can also help wash his clothes.
"After lunch tomorrow, we'll go to my uncle's house in the afternoon. We'll stay in the countryside for one night and return the day after tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, we'll pack up and send Grandpa back to the military compound."
"You're not going to visit your aunt?"
"Tomorrow morning, do you want to come with me?"
(This chapter is not yet finished, please click on the next page to continue reading) Chapter 43: Getting married at the age of sixteen? (Page 2/2)
"No, I'll starch the quilt shell tomorrow morning, wash the quilt cover, dry it in the sun, and then nail the quilt in the afternoon."
"Okay, it's fine if you don't go. I'm afraid someone will go there and cause trouble during the day, so I'll go by myself."
Early the next morning, Huo Qingci asked Uncle Zhang to take him to his aunt Xiao Rong's house.
When Liao Hongyuan heard the knock on the door, he thought someone had come to his house to make trouble so early in the morning. He asked his eldest daughter to open the door, only to find out that it was Huo Qingci.
This time, Huo Qingci came with a bag of rice, a bucket of oil, and a basket of vegetables, including beans, eggplants, bitter gourds, and water spinach.
By the way, he also brought the half bag of sweet potato leaves that Li Yong gave them last night, and left the other half bag of peanuts for grandpa to eat slowly. In addition, he went to the street to buy four pounds of meat and two pork bones.
Adults and children were afraid to go out to buy vegetables, for fear that people would throw vegetable leaves at them on the street. Huo Qingci had no choice but to bring them some food.
Xiao Rong saw Huo Qingci coming over early in the morning and asked him what was the matter.
"Qingci, why are you here again?"
"I'll bring some vegetables and food so my cousin doesn't have to go out for the next few days."
"I heard that the higher-ups are sending us down to the northwest to open up wasteland. Even though we haven't severed our ties, our children have to go down with us."
"Are you going to the Northwest? Aunt, Grandpa asked me to ask if you want to go to the island with us. But the weather there is very hot, and we will either be planting bananas, tapping rubber, or growing pineapples."
"Are you going to farm?"
"Yes, if you go to the Northwest, the conditions there will be even worse. You will definitely have to clear the mountains to create farmland, and there won't even be a place to live."
At this time, Liao Hongyuan climbed out of bed and said weakly, "It probably won't be easy to farm on an island farm, but if you go there, at least we'll have someone we know. I heard they can't even get enough food over there, and they just eat small seafood they pick up all day."
"Uncle, the conditions for growing rice over there are a bit tough, but as long as you're diligent and capable, you can still have food to eat.
The commander-in-chief of the island military region is my grandfather's comrade-in-arms. The farm you're going to is under the management of the Construction Corps. The militia gets paid, but you might only get work points."
The work points earned in exchange for food are probably only enough for food, so it is indeed difficult to save money. One advantage of going to the Northwest and the islands is that there are acquaintances there, and the people there should not make things too difficult for them.
"Thank you, Commander Huo. I don't know how to thank you."
Xiao Rong was also very grateful. Her sister had married well, and she also benefited from it. Even if her parents were worried about her, they couldn't help her at all.
What's more, the Liao family is not as good as her mother's family, and can't help them at all.
"The higher-ups asked our whole family to be sent down to the countryside. I wanted Sijie to get married early so she wouldn't have to suffer with us. Weiming and Weihao are boys, so they should get some exercise.
Siyu was only eight years old when she went there to help with the laundry, so she didn’t have to work in the fields.”
"Aunt, my cousin is only sixteen and she's already married?"
Xiao Rong looked at her graceful eldest daughter. She didn't want her daughter to go down to the farm to grow bananas. It was better for her to marry a worker in the city than to go to the island and marry a local.
"Get married first and then get the certificate when you're old enough. That kid is a temporary worker in the factory. If you marry him, you won't have to be sent down with us."
"Mom, I'm not getting married now. You two can go and plant bananas, and I'll go with you."
"You think farming is that easy? The island is so far away, the language is a barrier, and the ultraviolet rays there are so strong that you'll be tanned into charcoal in a month."
Liao Sijie really didn't want to be separated from her family. Given the current situation at home, she didn't want to get married. If her parents were not in Beijing, even if she broke off relations and married into the family, she would be drowned in spit.
Although going to an island is tiring, at least the whole family is together. It’s so nice to be together as a family.
She can learn the language if she doesn't speak it, and it doesn't matter if she has dark skin. She doesn't have to perform on stage.
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