Because of the heavy snow the day before, there was no break on the 4th, and classes continued until the 10th. Previously, school would end at three or four in the afternoon, but this time the school was very kind and let us have a holiday after the last class in the morning.
The weather was nice and clear, but it snowed for three consecutive days from the 3rd to the 5th. So even after a week, there was still snow on the roads. The melted snow made the roads muddy and the ground was frozen in the mornings and evenings.
Xiao Jiu really didn't want to take the car, but there was no other way. Although the train was closer from L City to Y County, taking only about twenty minutes, it didn't stop at Y County because it was a small station.
If I ride my bicycle home, my butt will probably get chafed raw, and besides, the road isn't easy to travel on!
Going back is difficult, but if she doesn't go back, she still wants to see her grandparents. It's really worrying me to death.
Sister Shengnan and Sister Mingxia invited her to their homes for the weekend. Zhu Hongqi, in particular, was very grateful to her and really wanted her to come home with him. The whole family wanted to treat her to a meal, but Xiaojiu politely declined.
"Sister Hong, we have plenty of time, no rush. My grandma isn't feeling well, I need to go back and check on her to be at ease. I'll definitely visit you sometime when I have more time."
Even though she gets terribly carsick, Xiao Jiu still ran to the bus stop as soon as school was over. But while she was waiting for the bus, a military-plated jeep pulled up in front of her, and a familiar yet unfamiliar head popped out from the passenger seat: "Xiao Jiu?"
After a few seconds of reaction, Xiao Jiu ran over with a look of surprise on her face.
"Oh my god, Xing-gege, it's you? Weren't you in Shancheng?"
Once Zhou Xing realized he hadn't mistaken the person, he opened the car door and got out.
He was wearing a conspicuous military uniform, and he had grown quite a bit taller over the years. Everyone says that the military is a great way to train people, and that's absolutely true.
The boy, who was once somewhat immature, has now grown tall and strong, and his dark face reveals the unique fortitude of a soldier.
“We’re here to take care of some business. I heard from A-Yue that you got into Luoyi High School. I was planning to come see you after I finished what I was doing, but I didn’t expect to run into you like this. Are you… going home?”
"Yes, Brother Xing, we didn't have a holiday last week because of the heavy snow. That's why I got out of school early today and wanted to go home to visit."
Upon hearing that she wanted to take a car home, Zhou Xing lowered his head and pondered for a moment before walking to the driver's seat and saying a few words to his comrade.
Then he walked around the car and said, "Come on, have some wine. Get in the car, I'll take you home. It's been a while since I've seen Grandpa and Grandma Tao. Stay at home tonight, and we'll go take care of our business tomorrow morning."
Xiao Jiu hesitated for a moment, and Zhou Xing patted her head. "It's okay, it won't delay you. Come on, get on," he said, and reached for her backpack strap.
Xiao Jiu had no choice but to get into the car obediently. After Zhou Xing got in, he introduced his comrades to her.
"This is Niu Feng," she said, then added to Niu Feng, "This is my Tao family's younger sister."
Niu Feng, who was also dark-skinned and muscular, and about 1.9 meters tall, spoke in a thick Shandong dialect: "Hey girl!"
Xiao Jiu quickly bowed and said, "Hello, Brother Feng." She couldn't bring herself to call him Brother Niu.
She thought the journey would be awkward, but she didn't expect Comrade Niu Feng to be such a chatterbox, constantly going on and on.
Of course, it was also thanks to his talkativeness that she and the taciturn Zhou Xing could have gotten along.
Zhou Xing, sitting in the passenger seat, repeatedly reminded Niu Feng to be careful while driving.
Because this guy would glance back while speaking, it really annoyed Zhou Xing.
However, Xiao Jiu also learned that Niu Feng was sent by the provincial military region to contact Zhou Xing and carry out a joint mission.
Despite being from the provincial military region, Niu Feng seemed to know the counties and cities under his jurisdiction very well. He didn't need to ask for directions, and his driving skills were also quite good. At least she didn't get carsick, perhaps because she was talking so much that she didn't notice her dizziness.
Niu Feng is not only a good talker, but he can also talk fluently about local delicacies, which shows that he is a complete foodie.
What should have been a two-hour drive took less than an hour and a half to reach the village.
They are all ordinary people who have lived their lives honestly and lawlessly, and they have never seen any important figures in the village.
Previously, when the town mayor came down to inspect the work, everyone felt that a higher-ranking official could crush them. The village chief, team leader, and accountant all fawned over each other, flattering and serving him.
Even so, they came by bicycle and had never seen a car before, let alone a military vehicle.
So when the car drove into the village, it was followed by a large number of children who came to watch the spectacle.
Boys, in particular, are naturally interested in all military equipment and get incredibly excited when they see military vehicles.
While the children were excited, some villagers also saw the car and instinctively followed it, wanting to see whose important person it was.
The car eventually stopped on the road between the Zhou and Tao families, next to the back door of the Zhou family's house.
When Xiao Jiu and Zhou Xing got out of the car, the villagers were all surprised, especially the other members of the Zhou family. Their expressions were, well, as if they had swallowed a fly.
However, Zhou Xing didn't even glance at them. He simply carried the gifts, nodded and greeted the people he knew around him, and then followed Xiao Jiu into the Tao family's house.
Seeing that the people who should have been bringing gifts to the Zhou family to offer their greetings had instead entered the Tao family, the faces of each branch of the Zhou family were extremely unpleasant.
However, only the second branch of the Zhou family came to watch the spectacle; none of the third branch showed up.
It makes sense. When the two elders of the eldest branch of the Zhou family passed away, the old lady of the third branch bore a heavy responsibility. If she dared to approach Zhou Xing when he returned, wouldn't she be asking for death?
As for Zhou Dashan, the third son of the Zhou family, after he was shot, his wife divorced him and remarried. His sons became hooligans, sometimes starving and sometimes full. The third son's family didn't support them either. Now, no one in the village knows where he is. Anyway, it's estimated that he won't have a good ending.
But just when you thought the Zhou family's third branch could hide, some nosy villagers immediately found them and started openly mocking and insulting them.
It's no wonder that the Zhou family's third branch has a bad reputation and few friends. Whenever something happens, people who don't get along with them will stand up and mock and curse them, until the old lady of the Zhou family's third branch stands in her own yard and starts cursing back.
While they were hurling insults at each other, the Tao family remained harmonious.
I thought it would just be my grandparents' little wine at home, but I didn't expect my mother to be home too, although my brother Tao An hasn't come back yet.
Zhao Lingli looked surprised when she saw Xiao Jiu, Zhou Xing, and Niu Feng, who had come along to freeload.
"Oh my god, Xiaoxing, why did you come back with my daughter? You're home, but why did you buy so much stuff? You're wasting money again!"
“Auntie, it’s been quite a while since I’ve come back to visit, so it’s only right. As for Xiaojiu… I happened to see her at the bus stop on my way to L City, so I brought her back. Our work is temporarily suspended, so we’d like to stay at home for the night and leave early tomorrow morning.”
The Zhou family has several daughters living in the house, so they will definitely be staying at the Tao family's house. Zhao Lingli happened to be cleaning at home, wiping her apron as she spoke.
"Okay, I'll get you two a place to stay right away. Come on in, there's a kang (heated brick bed) in your grandparents' room, go in and warm up."
Grandpa Tao came out and saw two handsome young men in military uniforms. He happily went up to shake hands with them and touched their dazzling uniforms with tears in his eyes.
“Good, good, that’s great, Ah Xing, if your grandparents knew how capable you two brothers are, they would rest in peace.”
“Grandpa Tao, it’s not just the two of us brothers, there’s also Tao Zui and Tao Ran, they’re both in military academy too, so our uncles have successors.”
Why did Grandpa Tao cry? It was because he was thinking of his two sons who had sacrificed their lives.
Zhou Xing and Zhou Yue joining the army and attending military academy can be seen as following in the footsteps of their uncles.
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Niu Feng opportunely changed the subject.
"Hello, Mr. Tao. I am Zhou Xing's comrade-in-arms. My name is Niu Feng. I am from Qingdao, Shandong Province. I am 25 years old and currently serving in Z City."
The old man exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, so you came all the way from the provincial capital? You're from Qingdao in Shandong Province, so you must love fish, right? You're in luck! My goddaughter just sent us two big mackerel. She's so clever. We'll make dumplings tonight to welcome the two kids back."
Upon hearing that he could eat mackerel dumplings in Henan Province, Niu Feng from Qingdao was overjoyed!
"That's wonderful, old man. It's been a long time since I've had mackerel dumplings. I never thought that we people who don't live by the sea could actually get mackerel."
Xiao Jiu quickly explained, "Don't underestimate my fourth sister just because she's hard of hearing. She's incredibly strong. Years ago, she saved a minor official at the county grain station, so every now and then she gets some information about where to buy good things."
These are lies that the sisters have woven over the years, and everyone in the family knows them, so it doesn't seem out of place for Xiao Jiu to say them now.
Xiao Jiu was initially worried that there wasn't enough wheat flour at home and was thinking about how to replenish it when she saw Zhao Lingli bring out a 30-jin cloth bag, which was full of refined grains. She asked in surprise, "Where did this come from?"
“Your father and I have saved this over the past two months,” Zhao Lingli said. She receives 30 jin of grain per month, and Tao Changyi receives 42 jin, totaling 72 jin. They can only receive 30% of the fine grain, which means less than 22 jin per month. So, they can indeed save this much over two months.
As for the grain they had previously hoarded, Xiao Jiu and the Tao family said they had hidden it away.
Although she went to school, her older sisters would help her get it.
This was thanks to the trust the Tang sisters had in their family, who never inquired about the food.
It was mainly thanks to their care that the elderly couple's complexion improved significantly.
Moreover, every time they come back, they can eat food made from pure refined grains.
Every now and then, Cuihua and Cuiju would bring them food, including coarse grains, various pickled vegetables, and salted duck eggs. It was thanks to their family's help that they were able to save a lot of food at the factory.
Sure enough, upon hearing that guests had arrived, Cuihong came over with her basket, only to bump into Niu Feng, who was coming out of the Tao family's toilet, as soon as she entered.
Niu Feng, dressed in a crisp military uniform, looked quite respectable if he didn't speak. He could joke around with his brothers, but when he suddenly encountered a serious-looking girl, especially one whose skin wasn't fair and who, though not particularly pretty, looked strong and easy to take care of.
"Fourth Sister, what brings you here?" Xiao Jiu heard Niu Feng's greeting and peeked out before quickly running over.
Cuihong understood what Xiaojiu meant as soon as she saw her gesture.
"I heard you had guests, so I came to deliver some things."
As he spoke, he went into the kitchen, opened the basket, and placed the prepared eggs, fresh chives, pork cracklings, and five or six pounds of cornmeal on the cutting board.
“Yesterday, my godmother said she had some wheat flour, so we brought some cornmeal over. We can make dumplings in two different colors. These chives are from our heated kang room. Godmother can make a meal with them, along with mackerel and pork cracklings.”
Without waiting for Zhao Lingli to refuse, he said to Xiao Jiu, "I'll come over and help again later."
When Cuihong left, she saw the big guy standing in the yard, but she walked away without looking at him.
As soon as she left, Niu Feng came over and asked, "Hey, Xiao Jiu, who's this?"
"Oh, my mom knows her goddaughter. I usually call her Fourth Sister. She lost her hearing due to a high fever when she was little, but it doesn't affect her speech. And my Fourth Sister is incredibly strong."
Zhao Lingli looked at the things Cuihong brought over, but she didn't have a single temper.
"This child, fearing I would refuse, left as if his eyebrows were on fire."
Niu Feng immediately said "Oh," and then added, "So she's the strong, hard-of-hearing older sister you mentioned. I must say, this girl looks quite robust, and most importantly, that dark, edgy vibe is a bit like mine, haha!"
Xiao Jiu glanced at Niu Feng speechlessly, "Who said that? My fourth sister isn't as dark-skinned as you!"
“Oh dear, I just got a tan from the sun, but your fourth sister’s tan looks like it was natural.”
"No way. You soldiers are exposed to the wind and sun, and our fourth sister also works in the fields every day, and she gets sunburned too."
Even with her, she refused to admit that her fourth sister's dark side resembled that of the wicked old woman who died in Peach Blossom Village.
Of the nine sisters, the fourth sister was the most unlucky, just like that bastard old lady.
As Zhao Lingli listened to Niu Feng and Xiao Jiu arguing, their conversation revolving around Cui Hong, she suddenly asked them a question.
"Niu Feng, I just heard you're twenty-five. Are you engaged? Who's in your family?"
"Auntie, my family is from Qin Island fishing village. My father and grandfather went out fishing when I was ten years old. They encountered a big storm and never came back."
My mother later remarried my widowed cousin. I was raised by my grandmother, who passed away a few years ago. Now I live a life where I'm all alone.
As for my mother, she later had a son and a daughter, and long ago she had no feelings for me anymore. I could only see her once when I went back to pay respects to my grandparents, but that relationship gradually faded away.
When talking about his family, this usually cheerful person suddenly became depressed, which made people feel sorry for him.
Zhao Lingli was a kind person, and she felt compassion for the poor child.
"So what kind of partner are you looking for?"
Niu Feng couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Auntie, how could I dare to think about that? With my background, city families wouldn't look down on me. But if the girls in the village don't mind that I'm a soldier who's always on missions and never home, as long as they're willing, I'm fine with anything."
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