In the early morning, the road was covered with fog and one could only see three meters away. Chen Yitang and his family drove on the road.
"Drive slowly. It's foggy and the road is not clear. Don't worry. We'll arrive late so we can just eat later." Zeng Yike was worried about the whole family in the car. She sat next to Chen Yitang and kept talking.
"Okay, okay, I know. Safety is the most important thing. My parents will understand. Why don't you take a rest first?" Chen Yintang asked immediately, as his ears were almost callused from hearing so much.
"I won't rest. If you get tired later, I can take turns driving with you." Zeng Yike said with some concern, and then turned to Zeng Wenjuan and the others and said, "If you feel sleepy, take a rest first! There are blankets in the car, you can use them to cover yourself."
"Mom, I get it. But we're not sleepy, so this is a good opportunity for us to chat." Zeng Wenjuan said as she looked at the father and son who were excitedly playing with the Rubik's Cube.
"Okay, we have brought food in the car. If you are hungry, eat first. There is also a water bottle next to you. If you are thirsty, just get it yourself!" Zeng Yike said, lying on the back of the seat.
"Okay, I understand." Zeng Wenjuan nodded.
Slowly the car drove onto the muddy road carefully, the sky gradually brightened and the fog dissipated.
"Your grandparents' house is almost here, only half an hour away. Your grandparents and your mother's relatives will all be here." Zeng Yike turned around and said to Zeng Wenjuan, Zhao Jianguo and the others.
Zeng Wenjuan didn't know why the relationship between the two families was so close, but she nodded after hearing it.
Finally, the car drove into a tall courtyard. Although the outside of the courtyard was covered with spots, one could still see its former glory.
"We're here, let's get off!" Chen Yintang said to Zeng Wenjuan, Zhao Jianguo and Goudan while unbuckling his seat belts.
Zeng Yike got out of the car after it stopped, and stretched out his tired body. After all, he would not be so free later, and might even get scolded.
"Oh! Is it my eldest granddaughter who's back?" An old lady jumped out of the yard as briskly as a young person and said with a smile.
She moved precisely and came in front of Zeng Wenjuan: "Similar, so similar." Looking at Zeng Wenjuan's appearance, she seemed to see the handsome appearance of her man when he was young, mixed with a few traces of the handsomeness of her good friend (great-grandmother)'s husband.
"You've suffered all these years. It's good that you're back." Great-grandmother also came over from the side, grabbed Zeng Wenjuan and said.
"No one is suffering. Everyone has gone through this." Zeng Wenjuan smiled, and all the sadness and grievances were blown away by the wind in her smile.
"Our Chen family's granddaughter doesn't learn from others. They survived because they love to endure hardships. Our Chen family's granddaughter can't endure hardships. It's all your father's fault! He was so careless. Fortunately, you are back." Grandma Chen said with relief, holding Zeng Wenjuan's other hand.
"Don't let the children stand outside in this cold weather. Don't let them catch a cold. You must not have had breakfast after driving down the road! Come inside and have a meal to warm yourself up." Grandpa Chen said with his hands behind his back while standing on the steps.
After a group of people came to recognize each other, they went into the house again. Goudan was frightened by the noisy crowd and he snuggled into Zeng Wenjuan's arms.
"I cooked distiller's grains eggs this morning and gave each person a bowl to warm themselves up. Children, don't drink them! They'll make you drunk." Grandma Chen took a bowl and served a bowl of distiller's grains eggs to several people.
Zeng Wenjuan and Zhao Jianguo looked at each other, then picked up the bowl and tasted the rice wine, which was sweet and had the pure aroma of rice wine. She took the chopsticks and tasted the egg, her eyes sparkled, it was delicious!
"Don't eat too much. Rice wine can make you drunk easily." Zhao Jianguo leaned over and whispered in Zeng Wenjuan's ear.
"Don't just eat the eggs cooked with distiller's grains! Eat the vegetables too. What's the name of this little kid?" Grandma Zeng stopped Goudan and looked at Zeng Yike and asked.
"The child's nickname is Goudan, and his full name is Zhao Pingjin." Zeng Wenjuan said quickly as he looked at him.
"Goudan, right? Come and have a chicken leg. You two can have one each." Grandma Zeng picked up a chicken leg for Goudan and put it in his bowl, and also picked up two calves for Zeng Wenjuan and Zhao Jianguo.
"The nickname is a bit vulgar, but it's better to be coarse. I see that the child can carry off this name. Write down your names here later, and we will go to the head of the village to enter them into the family tree in the evening." Grandpa Chen said as he stood by.
Zeng Wenjuan was a little surprised: "Do we want all of our family members? I'm a girl!" In her impression, women would not be included in the family tree, unless after getting married, only one Zhao Zeng would be left.
"Whether it's a son or a daughter, they all have to be included in the family tree. Otherwise, a hundred years later, when the family grows bigger and separates, where can they find their own family members?" my great-grandfather explained while standing nearby.
Zeng Wenjuan seemed to have refreshed her impression of family tree. A family tree should be a list of the population of ancestors, including their marriages and births. In this way, when tracing back to the roots, family members would not become enemies.
Great-grandmother stood nearby and said, "You two should sit further away. You are disturbing their meal. We have plenty of time to chat today."
"Oh! Then you guys eat. Yike, you and Yitang can take care of Wenjuan, her husband and Goudan." Great-grandfather also reacted and gave a reminder, then stood aside.
Zeng Yike nodded: "Don't worry! You won't feel constrained at home. You guys are going to practice Tai Chi at this time, so go ahead!"
"Well, it's just right that we can sit together and chat after the fight." Grandpa Chen said with a smile.
For the elderly, being surrounded by their children and grandchildren is the happiest thing.
After breakfast, all the aunts, uncles, cousins and wives had finished their work and they sat together in the living room.
"Yike, this must be Juanjuan! She looks a lot like you!" said the aunt who was sitting next to Zeng Yike.
"Yes! This child looks like me. As soon as I saw her in class, I felt that this was our child. In order to confirm, I asked a friend to help me with an identification." Zeng Yike explained.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. This red envelope is the New Year's money I've given you over the years. I've saved it and I'm giving it to you today." Aunt handed a particularly thick red envelope to Zeng Wenjuan. Looking at the generous red envelope, Zeng Wenjuan was embarrassed to accept it, so she looked at Zeng Yike and sent a distress signal.
Zeng Yike walked over and said with a smile: "My daughters are embarrassed to accept red envelopes, you can give them to me and I will help them collect them, so that they don't have to waste time making excuses."
The second aunt put the red envelope in Zeng Yike's hand and patted her other empty hand: "You! You have been stubborn since childhood."
"If you weren't so stubborn, how could you have been called a big fool when you were a child!" The aunt also handed the red envelope to Zeng Yike and said with a smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
