Chapter 32
After a rain, Dongxi Village was wet, and the air was mixed with the smell of grass and soil. Zhong Xing and Yu Hangyuan had already moved back to the educated youth site from the Lin family.
This was originally a landlord's stone mill. After the landlord was overthrown, this place was smashed to pieces. There were several big cracks on the walls and it had been abandoned ever since. The grass grew taller than a person. Two years ago, the team leader Zhou Youquan had this place repaired and transformed into a youth training center to accommodate the educated young people who had received high school education and went to the countryside to work in the fields.
Zhong Xing came back from work, covered in sweat. He took a quick shower, and water dripped down his forehead and into his eyes. Zhong Xing picked up a towel beside him and wiped them.
"Brother Xing, I just passed by the village primary school and saw a letter addressed to you, so I brought it back to you." Yu Hangyuan came back from outside and put a letter on the table.
The residents of the production team did not have house numbers, so the postman usually delivered letters to the primary school in Dongxi Village.
"A letter for me?"
Zhong Xing glanced at the words "Zhong Xing (Dearestly)" on the envelope. The sender's address was the county party committee compound.
"Who wrote this for you?" Yu Hangyuan came over to take a look.
"It's Jiang Jiang. Her birthday is on the 28th of the month, and she asked if we were free that day."
The content of the letter was not long. Jiang Jiang talked about her current situation. She was already in school and was in the first grade of the county primary school. She asked him how he was doing recently and whether he had adapted to the life in Dongxi Village. Finally, she mentioned that she had a birthday at the end of the month and wanted to invite them to her house for a party and celebration.
This letter was probably written by Jiang Jiang himself. From the handwriting, it can be seen that although the writer wrote it very seriously, he is very young and his wrist strength is not good enough.
Zhong Xing was also a little surprised. He didn't expect Jiang Jiang would write to him.
"After she followed Secretary Lin and his wife to the county town last time, there has been no news since then. I thought the little girl had forgotten about us long ago."
"We haven't been home for more than two months. Let's take a leave to visit our family and go there."
Zhong Xing had originally planned this in mind. He put away the letter Jiang Jiang wrote to him and threw the used towel aside. "I'm going to go out for a while."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find someone. I'll write her back later."
Fengzhen is nine years old and is in the third grade at Dongxi Village Primary School. Her grades are a little poor and she is always on the edge of passing. She is the child who looks most like the late Grandpa Lin in the family. She has a hardworking and simple nature. When she was very young, she could already do everything from feeding pigs to washing clothes and making fire.
When Zhong Xing arrived at the Lin family, he saw Feng Zhen and Shuan Zhu peeling black beans under the jujube tree at the door.
"Brother Zhong Xing?" Feng Zhen hadn't seen Zhong Xing for some time after he and Yu Hangyuan moved back to the educated youth site.
Zhong Xing went over to help them peel the black beans. "Jiang Jiang's birthday is on the 28th of this month. She wrote to invite me and you to celebrate. Yu Hangyuan and I are planning to take a leave and go back to the county to celebrate Jiang Jiang's birthday. Do you want to go with us? You can stay at Secretary Lin's house for two days, and then we will go back to Dongxi Village together."
After hearing what Zhong Xing said, Feng Zhen was a little confused for a moment.
The farthest places she had ever been to since she was a child were the commune and the county town, which were very distant and unfamiliar words to her.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to go, but my parents may not agree." Feng Zhen looked embarrassed. Jiang Jiang remembered her and she didn't want to disappoint Jiang Jiang. However, her parents had never liked Jiang Jiang and she was afraid it would be difficult for them to talk to her.
Zhong Xing helped them peel the black beans. "It's okay. As long as you're willing to go, I'll help talk to your parents."
It was Zhang Yueju's turn to cook at the Lin family today. The staple food was black bean porridge and cornmeal pancakes. The black bean porridge was cooked thick and fragrant. A plate of home-grown vegetables was stir-fried, and there was also an old pumpkin left over from last year, which was boiled in water and then a little oil and salt were added. In fact, the older the pumpkin is, the better it tastes. Not only will the old pumpkin taste sweeter, but it will also have a softer and more glutinous texture.
It's time to eat. According to the Lin family's rule, the first bowl of rice is always served to Old Mrs. Lin before others can start eating.
Zhang Yueju served the meal to Old Lady Lin and said with a smile, "My third brother's wife sent me a letter saying that she wants Fengzhen to stay in the county for two days at the end of this month. It just so happens that Zhiqing Zhong will take a leave to visit his family in the county for two days at the end of the month. So let Xiao Zhong take Fengzhen with him when he returns to the city, and come back with Fengzhen when he returns to Dongxi Village. This way, he won't be late for school."
"Why did the third brother's wife let Fengzhen go to the county town to live for two days for no reason?" Old Mrs. Lin's face looked unhappy. The third brother and his wife didn't even mention taking her to the city to enjoy a good life, but let Fengzhen go to live there. What did this mean?
"Also, how did the third daughter-in-law know that Zhong Zhiqing would be returning to the city at the end of the month?" Old Mrs. Lin glanced at the eldest daughter-in-law suspiciously.
Zhang Yueju was stunned for a while before she forced a smile. "It's probably because Zhong Xing saved the third brother during the last avalanche. The third brother and his wife have been in touch with him."
"Second brother, Hongmei, what are your opinions?"
"I have no objection." Lin Lao Er buried his head and slurped the black bean porridge in the bowl without raising his head. He hoped that Feng Zhen would go to the city so that she could take advantage of the third brother and his wife. It would be best if the third brother and his wife could keep Feng Zhen by their side.
"It's settled then." Zhang Yueju breathed a sigh of relief.
"Aunt, I also want to go to the county with my sister." Fengxia looked up at Zhang Yueju.
Last time she injured her foot and stayed in the commune hospital for two days. When she came back, Lin Youqing's family of three had already gone to the county town. Feng Yin felt so choked up that she wished she could bite her teeth to pieces. It was a pity that she had never had the chance to meet that bastard Jiang Jiang again. Now that the chance had finally come, she couldn't let it go.
"This..." Zhang Yueju looked a little embarrassed. During the New Year period, she could see that the third brother and his wife didn't like Feng Yin very much. She also didn't like the fact that the child was too scheming and materialistic. There was always a kind of shrewdness that didn't suit her age. Not to mention that Feng Yin had been targeting Jiang Jiang. She must have thought that they didn't want Feng Yin to be their guest.
"The place where the third brother lives isn't very spacious either. I'm afraid there won't be enough space for them to live in."
"With Jiang Jiang, there are three children, right? Why can't they have enough space? Feng Yin is also their niece. Why should Feng Zhen go alone? Isn't this treating Feng Yin unfairly?"
"That's right." Li Hongmei agreed, thinking that if Feng Yin went with them, she could get some extra benefits.
"Aunt, is it that Third Aunt doesn't like me..." When Feng Yin looked up again, there were tears in her eyes.
"Feng Yin, you think too much. Your Third Aunt doesn't dislike you." Zhang Yueju felt very tired after eating this meal. She sighed, "Then you can go to the county with Feng Zhen when the time comes."
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