Shen Yumengtao left the capital with Xiao Yunhai and Xiao Wangcai three days before the Double Ninth Festival. The couple first flew to another place to collect some goods, and then flew to the northeast to meet up with Meng Zhehan, Ding Hao and the four brothers of the Xu and Liu families who had arrived in the capital of S Province in advance.
Zhu Chunlin also took a special leave and came to the provincial capital with his cousin Zhu Chunjiang to pick them up.
Considering that Xiao Yunhai was too young and it was hard for Meng Tao to take care of him, they originally planned to rest for one night in a guesthouse in the provincial capital. However, Meng Tao said that the mother and son did not feel tired, so they did not need to rest and could just continue on their journey, which would save some time.
After everyone discussed it, they specially decorated a carriage to be soft and comfortable, ensuring that they would not bump into anything even if the road was bumpy, so that Meng Tao could take Xiao Yunhai and Xiao Wangcai to rest in it, either sitting or lying down.
The others took turns driving, and all of them were experienced drivers with excellent skills. They had a smooth journey and arrived at Heilingzi Village in the afternoon before the Double Ninth Festival.
When Zhu's cousins, aunts, and other children saw the chubby, pretty little Yunhai, they were so happy that they all rushed to hug him. They stuffed him with boiled eggs, candies and cakes that they had prepared earlier. They were so enthusiastic that although little Yunhai was not afraid of strangers, he was a little scared. Fortunately, he had a strong ability to adapt. When he saw his parents and several familiar uncles around him, he was just a little panicked, but soon calmed down.
His little foodie nature was revealed. Seeing that the small pocket of his clothes was stuffed full, he knew it was something delicious, so he covered it with his hand to prevent the food from falling out.
His elf-like appearance made everyone laugh, and they all surrounded him for a long time, and they were very fond of him.
After entering the village, Xiao Wangcai was put in a leather harness and led. He would not attack people at will, but he looked stronger and more majestic than other dogs. For fear of scaring children, it was better to restrain him.
This time, Meng Tao and his wife were arranged to live in the house of their second cousin Zhu, because the courtyard house of their second cousin had been renovated and rebuilt, with three new brick and tile houses. For the sake of the baby, their family of three, oh, and Xiao Wangcai all lived in the new house.
Xu Yuting, Liu Jicheng and Zhu Chunshan's brothers unloaded the things from the car, including food, various dried meats, clothes and fabrics, candy, cigarettes, alcohol, malted milk, canned sauces, etc. The onlookers were dazzled by the sight.
Among these people were Zhu Chunzhi and her in-laws, but they didn't dare to make trouble this time. Even though they were so jealous that their eyes were about to pop out, they didn't dare to say a word - Xu Yulin and Liu Jianye were wearing uniforms, and their cold and silent look was really scary.
In the evening, several families gathered together for dinner, including Captain Wang's family, Chun Xing's family, and the elderly and old friends in the village. Fortunately, the courtyard of Uncle Zhu's house had been expanded and could accommodate four or five tables.
After dinner, the children rushed to take little Yunhai to play. Meng Tao was a little worried at first, but then she saw that little Yunhai was quite happy to do so. He pointed outside the house with his little hand to indicate that he wanted to go to the yard. Chuncao and Chunni were following closely to take care of him, so Meng Tao let them go and told Chuncao and Chunni to bring him back after a while to help him pee.
Chuncao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister Taotao. I have helped my second sister take care of the baby before. If the baby is hungry, thirsty, or needs to pee, I will take care of it."
Meng Tao touched her pigtails and said, "Okay, then you show me your braids. You've tied them very well. I think I brought some hairpins and colorful silk in my bag. I'll give them to you later."
Chuncao said happily: "Yes! Thank you, sister!"
Chunni yelled: "Sister Taotao, I want one too!"
Chunni has short hair that reaches her ears, so she can tie it up in the summer. Meng Tao said, "Yes, there are some for you. There are also headbands. You can use a headband with your current hairstyle. It's very fashionable and beautiful."
"Ah? Okay, okay! Thank you, Sister Taotao!"
The two little girls laughed with joy, and Meng Tao was also amused. Meng Zhehan bought her boxes of hairpins, headbands, ribbons, and glass ribbons, but he couldn't use them himself and it would be a waste to keep them, so he would sell some to girls he liked.
Meng Tao and Zhu Chunhong went into the house and sat down to chat with everyone. Only then did they realize that the three newly built houses of their second cousin were actually for their cousin Zhu Chunjiang's wedding.
Last year, Chunlin went to work in the woodworking factory, while Chunhe and Chunyan joined the army. In the early spring of this year, Chunjiang and Chunhong's husband Wang Laixi were recommended by the commune to go to the county to participate in agricultural science training to learn fruit tree and medicinal material cultivation techniques for three months. After assessment, both of them performed well. Zhu Chunjiang stayed in the county agricultural bureau, and Wang Laixi returned to work at the commune's agricultural technology station. Later, Zhu Chunhong joined the commune Women's Federation, and the couple now both work in the commune.
Zhu Chunxing and his wife also joined the county cement factory in July, and Zhu Chunshan worked in the county supply and marketing cooperative.
Meng Tao learned all this from Zhu Chunlin's letter, but she didn't know that Zhu Chunjiang was going to get married.
Zhu Chunhong said: "The girl's name is Huang Liping. She works in the county health bureau. She and Chunjiang were junior high school classmates and have known each other for a long time. The girl's parents used to work in our commune police station, but later they were transferred back to the county. Now Chunjiang works in the county agricultural bureau. The two classmates met and became a couple after talking. It can be considered their fate."
"My classmates are pretty good and we know each other. Are we going to have a wedding this year? Then we have to be prepared to attend the wedding." Meng Tao said.
"The date hasn't been set yet. I think my parents are too impatient. The couple is in love and happy, but they keep urging them to get married. They have built a new house, but they work in the city and can't come back to live in the countryside after they get married."
"We still have to come back. The girl married Brother Chunjiang, so she has to come back to stay for a few days during the holidays. It's great that my second cousin and my aunt built this new house."
Meng Tao smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Chunjiang would get married first. I remember that Chunlin got married last year. He still doesn't have a partner now, right?"
Chunhong laughed, "Let's not talk about that. Before Chunlin left last year, Wang Aixiang made a scene and tried every possible means. She took a rope and ran to the gate of my uncle's house and hanged herself. I don't know if she was too fat or she used too much force, but the gate collapsed and became a big joke. My aunt sued them and asked them to pay for the gate."
"Did you win the lawsuit?"
"We have to win. The Wang family paid ten dollars. After Chunlin went to City Z, Wang Aixiang knew that it was useless to make a fuss, so she went back to look for the man surnamed Zhong, but he got angry and didn't want her anymore. Later, I heard that she got married secretly. Her relatives acted as matchmakers, and she married to the county seat of a neighboring county."
“…”
Meng Tao chatted with her relatives for a while about family matters, and her cousin's mother reminded her that it was time to go to bed as she had important things to do the next day.
Little Yunhai was also brought back. The cousins fetched hot water in a large wooden basin. The weather was not too cold at the moment, so Meng Tao stripped little Yunhai naked and put him in the basin to wash him. The chubby and chewy little meat ball was attractive and cute. Adults and children all gathered around to watch, and they all wanted to take a bite. Now they knew why they all wanted to eat Tang Monk's flesh.
After taking a bath and getting dressed, little Yunhai was also sleepy and wanted to drink milk and sleep. Everyone went back to rest. Meng Tao called Chuncao and Chunni and took out two boxes of colorful ribbons, glass ribbons, exquisite hairpins and headbands from her bag and gave them to them.
The two little girls were delighted. Under their aunt's scolding gaze, they put the box in their arms like a treasure and ran away quickly.
(End of this chapter)
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