Chapter 64 Chapter 64 What a big deal

"I wish our comrade Wang Nian good luck every year..."

"You are so polite." Wang Nian took the cake from Zhou Yuying and passed the plate on the table to her: "I know you just like fruits. I just picked them this morning."

"You're still nice to me."

Zhou Yuying had a difficult pregnancy with her first child. From the beginning of the second month, she could not eat greasy food and had to eat fruit every day to stimulate her appetite before she could eat.

Most of the fruits grown by Wang Nian went into her stomach; even the children knew to save some for Aunt Yuying first.

"Why didn't Meng Cheng come?"

"Hasn't the whole country been cracking down recently? Meng Cheng was called out on a temporary mission and should be back before dinner."

Shi Shuwen quickly brought a recliner over, and Zhou Yuying lay down on it, eating strawberries while talking.

If you don't know, you might think this is her home...

"Then you sit down first, I'll take out the seafood I bought yesterday and wash it."

"You are celebrating your birthday today, why are you still cooking?" Zhou Yuying said, and then she shouted towards the living room, "Why is Chief Engineer Shi hiding at home when the guests are here?"

"Today I feel like a guest."

As the saying goes, you will be tired the same way no matter how you cook. But for Wang Nian, this doesn’t seem to apply to cooking. She really enjoys making delicious food out of various ingredients.

The regret of having no one to share with in the previous life has been fulfilled in this life, which makes me feel very energetic.

"I spent a lot of money to buy you a cream cake, and you still can't be my guest!" Zhou Yuying smiled, and with the corner of her eye she saw that the oysters Wang Nian brought out from the kitchen were each as big as a palm, and she swallowed her saliva immediately because of the greed.

"I also bought a sea bass. You can eat more later."

Wang Nian was scrubbing oyster shells in the sink, with his right hand facing Zhou Yuying. He only scrubbed two when he heard her chuckling.

"I was wondering why things looked different today. It turns out some people received gold rings as birthday gifts!"

A thoughtful man can remember even the smallest things. Shi Xiangming, the famous "cold-faced" man at Factory 431, is so meticulous that no one can match him.

Gold rings may look ordinary, but they are more convenient for household chores and are not easily deformed.

It didn't look like the ring she and Meng Cheng bought when they remarried. Both of them disliked wearing it to hang clothes, so they put it in the drawer and haven't seen the sun for half a year.

“Yo——”

Wang Nian just smiled, raised his hand and turned his palm to show the ring, and then when he saw Hu Wenli and her son, he quickly put his hand down and walked over.

Xiao Kangping was leaning on a crutch, hopping down the stairs, which made people tremble with fear.

"Why don't you let your dad help you!"

"Auntie Wang Nian, happy birthday."

The boy's lips were pale, his face was thin, and his skin was so dull that he didn't look like a sixteen-year-old boy at all. However, his eyes were sparkling and full of vitality.

Wang Nian smiled and patted Xiao Kangping on the shoulder, feeling very relieved.

"Looks like he's recovering well."

Even though he looked thin, he was much better than when Wang Nian first saw him.

At that time, Xiao Kangping was like a lifeless puppet, looking so gloomy that it was heartbreaking.

"The plaster can be removed before the New Year, and things will be better in the future," said Hu Wenli.

"Sit down and play for a while. Aunt Wang Nian has made some chicken soup. Eat more later."

"Don't worry." Hu Wenli smiled and grabbed Wang Nian's arm: "Kangping has a birthday present for you."

"I carved this myself, I hope you like it."

A palm-high wooden sculpture depicts Wang Nian running with a young boy on his back.

"You can also do wood carving?" Wang Nian was surprised.

The running figure is sculpted vividly, and even Wang Nian's anxious expression is portrayed in great detail.

"I learned the craft from an old carpenter in Dingtai Village." Xiao Kangping smiled shyly. Seeing Wang Nian like it so much, he finally felt relieved: "I carved it based on my imagination. I didn't know what happened at the time."

"Your imagination is much richer than mine." Wang Nian gave a thumbs up and praised sincerely: "I'm afraid it will take me ten years to learn it."

"Bring it here for me to see." Zhou Yuying called.

Wang Nian helped Xiao Kangping sit down, and then went back to the pool to process the mandarin fish that Shi Guizhi had just bought that morning.

"Kangping, you have to take some time to make a little wooden horse for Aunt Zhou. When your sister is born, I will tell her that it was given by Brother Kangping."

"Okay." Xiao Kangping nodded shyly.

"Kangping is here..." Shi Guizhi heard the noise and walked out of the kitchen to greet him.

The fact that Hu Wenli found her long-lost son was not new in Guanghua Street. Countless neighbors came to her house to give her gifts.

No matter how much they disliked them, most people were happy for Mr. and Mrs. Xiao from the bottom of their hearts when good things happened.

"Hello, Aunt Shi."

"Shuwen... get a bottle of soda for your brother Kangping." Shi Guizhi called.

In the past, sugar water was used to entertain distinguished guests, but it is not like now... Children don’t want to drink white sugar water, only soda dolls like it.

Shi Guizhi naturally classified Xiao Kangping as a child and asked him to get both candy and soda.

Both father and son walked out of the living room, with the same faint smile on their faces that looked 70% alike, and walked at a leisurely pace, holding candy or soda in one hand and... a book in the other.

Other boys' rebelliousness and aversion to learning during puberty create a generation gap between them and their parents.

And her eldest son...seems to be more and more like Shi Xiangming.

Not only Wang Nian thought so, Zhou Yuying also had the same opinion in her heart. She laughed and said, "I think your family will have two engineers in the future."

The truth is out...

Shi Shuwen's interest in mechanical engineering had already begun to emerge at Factory 431, and engineering books actually became his child's extracurricular reading material.

Wang Nian was the first to discover it. After telling Shi Xiangming about it, he asked someone to bring many engineering enlightenment books from Anhuai to Changshenggou.

Thus, interest gradually sprouted and grew into a seedling.

After arriving at Anhuai, the Design Institute specially arranged a laboratory for Shi Xiangming, and Shi Shuwen would practice what he had learned in the textbook during the weekends.

When the knowledge became concrete, Shi Shuwen immediately confirmed the future path.

The seedling began to wash its hands frantically and then grew new leaves, gradually taking on the shape of a small tree.

When Wang Nian plants fruits and vegetables now, she has to focus on those that are good for the eyes first, for she is determined not to have any more myopic people in her family.

"Brother Kangping."

Shi Shuwen is half a year younger than Xiao Kangping, but a whole head taller than him. When they sit side by side, it seems like they are several years apart.

laugh--

The soda was passed to them, Xiao Kangping took it and said, "Thank you." The two shy boys didn't know what to talk about for a moment.

The slight awkwardness was soon broken.

Shi Feiying rushed out of the living room like the wind, leading two dogs, dragging a branch in her hand. If she was not mistaken... it was another pear tree left by the previous owner.

"Shi Feiying!" Wang Nian's face darkened.

"It's not me, it's Xiaobai."

"Xiaobai doesn't have wings, how can he fly up the tree?"

Shi Xiangming's sudden voice startled Shi Feiying, and she turned around and ran towards Xiao Kangping.

"Brother Kangping, is your leg better?"

"You're so smart. You know you won't get beaten if there are guests around." Zhou Yuying laughed.

"Shi Feiying, where is your second sister?"

Shi Shuwen is a science and engineering guy, while Shi Wan is a typical liberal arts girl who likes everything beautiful.

Although she didn't want to admit it, Jiang Feng did have a knack for aesthetics. Shi Wan was even more sensitive to dressing and matching than Wang Nian.

"My second sister is singing upstairs!"

Shi Feiying, who had run to the other side at some point, was now helping Shi Xiangming to massage his shoulders.

"What?" Wang Nian didn't hear clearly, and asked again in confusion: "What did you say?"

"It's an opera!" Shi Feiying replied even louder: "It's just like the people on TV. She and Sister Shasha play the role of a mean mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law who is bullied."

He had just overheard all this at the door of his second sister's room. He had thought his sisters had gone crazy.

Wang Nian: “…”

"Go and ask your sister to come down and eat the crispy pork. It tastes better while it's hot."

"Got it!" He stood at attention and saluted, then quietly kicked the pear tree branch to the side. Then he happily ran into the house, with the two dogs wagging their tails following him.

Wang Nian shook his head with a smile.

Although the third child, Shi Feiying, is naughty, he will never cross the line. Every time he gets into trouble, it is just to the point of making people laugh or cry.

Moreover, Wang Nian discovered that this boy had a natural ability to read people's expressions, and he could chat with anyone, young or old, male or female.

A quirky personality... unlike anyone else.

Put the chopped chicken directly into cold water. If you raise your own chicken, you don’t need to remove the blood, just add two slices of ginger.

Every time when stewing, Wang Nian would think of the stone pot that he had carried home with great difficulty.

As soon as the lid of the casserole was put on, the whirring sound started again, and this time it was even more exaggerated.

"Mom... this is terrible... my second sister has turned into a ghost!"

“…”

"My second sister has turned into a ghost and wants to eat Sister Sasha!"

Seeing that the adults were indifferent, Shi Feiying screamed even more miserably, like a duck with its neck pinched, and her voice broke in the middle.

"Speak nicely..."

Well... talking nicely probably isn't enough, because Shi Wan and Qiu Shasha, who followed after them, had faces painted like ghosts.

"Shi Feiying, stop talking nonsense!"

The two of them were wrapped in bed sheets, and their hair was tied up like the female characters in period TV dramas, but it was done in a weird way, hanging down like crazy.

Especially those two faces... lipstick was applied on the lips and eyebrows, and the whole face was made snow-white.

"Xiao Wan!" Wang Nian's hands were dirty, so he could only use the back of his hand to stop Shi Wan who was trying to grab Shi Feiying. He asked in confusion, "Where did you get the cosmetics?"

She is the only adult woman in the family and she doesn't wear any cosmetics except vanishing cream.

Zhang Hongyan's face is even thicker than Wang Nian's, and nothing but clean water can be seen on her face all year round.

"In the drawer." Shi Wan tilted her head back and answered innocently with her ghostly face.

Shi Xiangming stood up and said in a low voice: "Is it the drawer on the left side of my desk?"

"Yes! The lady at the music store said that putting on lipstick will make you more beautiful..."

No one listened to what Shi Wandu said, and several lesbians looked at Shi Xiangming in unison.

Found it in the drawer of Shi Xiangming's desk.

The woman's cosmetics were hidden in the desk, and it seemed that Wang Nian was still unaware of the situation. No matter how he looked at it, something was wrong.

"I asked someone to buy these cosmetics from Hong Kong..." Shi Xiangming held his forehead helplessly, his fair face quickly flushed, "Didn't I have time to give them away?"

That set of cosmetics took several months to arrive at Anhuai, and unfortunately, Xiao Kangping's incident happened on the day I received it, so I put it in the drawer and never had the courage to give it away.

"So it's just an old married couple being romantic!" Zhou Yuying joked with a smile, pushing Hu Wenli's arm and saying, "Old Hu, don't you think so?"

"Yes." Hu Wenli also laughed: "He is a hundred times better than Old Xiao in our family who can't even do anything with a stick."

Shi Xiangming sighed and beckoned Shi Wan: "Take me to see what you have done to me."

It looks... not cheap.

"Shi Xiangming." Wang Nian suddenly thought of a question and stopped scraping the fish scales: "Where do you get the money to buy cosmetics?"

“…”

Several eyes were focused on Shi Xiangming again.

"Is there another project bonus?" Wang Nian asked again.

Shi Xiangming nodded and walked into the house at a much quicker pace. Soon, only his back was left for the others to laugh at.

"Go wash your face. Won't you be beaten when your mother comes?" Wang Nian smiled and let Qiu Shasha go wash her face.

She believed that Shi Xiangming would not lie. Most likely, the bonus had not yet been received, and the money must have been paid in advance...

Authentic squirrel fish should be seasoned with sugar and vinegar, but Wang Nian prefers the taste of ketchup, so he specially made several jars of sauce and put them in the refrigerator when the tomatoes were ripe.

This dish is the most challenging for knife skills, as you have to make sure the frying doesn't fall apart while also being continuous.

After the fish was marinated, it was put into the pot, and oil splashed all over the place. However, Wang Nian seemed to feel no pain at all and kept holding the fish's tail to shape it.

Meng Cheng and Lao Xiao walked past the oil pan and gave her a thumbs up to show their admiration.

The crackling sound completely covered up the sound of Shi Xiangming educating his children in the room.

"Since today is your mother's birthday, I won't punish you, but you have to wash your school uniform yourself this week..."

"Got it." Shi Wan lowered her head and admitted her mistake.

Fortunately, the two uncles who walked in from the door became saviors, otherwise Shi Wan knew that there would definitely be more punishments waiting for him.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm going out to help Mom."

"I rarely see you scolding a girl. What mistake did she make?" Meng Cheng smiled and only touched the back of Xia Shiwan's head. The child had already run away.

Shi Xiangming pointed helplessly at the unrecognizable cosmetics on the tea table.

“It’s still Hong Kong goods.”

Meng Cheng had been to Hong Kong on business before and was quite familiar with the language there, so he could tell at a glance that it was something bought from there.

"Things worth hundreds of dollars were all wasted by the kids." Shi Xiangming shook his head helplessly.

"Do you still have connections in Hong Kong?"

"Second Senior Brother's daughter works at Hong Kong University."

"Hong Kong University is a good school. Now it is also open to recruiting students from the mainland!"

Shi Xiangming nodded.

After Lao Xiao entered the room and sat down, he seemed to be listening to the two people chatting, but in fact his eyes were always wandering, and it was obvious that he was thinking about something.

The two had finished their conversation, and Meng Cheng didn't respond even after calling him several times. It was only when he was pushed that he came back to his senses.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I have a younger brother in my hometown..."

Old Xiao sighed. When the man who was like a mountain mentioned family matters, it was like a lump of iron being melted and turned into a pool of molten iron in the blink of an eye.

Lao Xiao's real name is Xiao Gui. He is a child from a northern rural area. After he was discharged from the army, he came to Anhuai to work according to the organization's arrangement.

At first, I was working the night shift in the security department of the design institute.

Later, because he caught thieves many times during work, he was promoted several times before becoming the deputy chief of the security department.

Seven years ago, Xiao Kangping went missing. The couple had no plans to have more children. When his parents in his hometown found out, they insisted on adopting their younger brother's son to him.

No matter what the plan was, in the end, it didn't come true due to Hu Wenli's fierce performance.

Just a few years passed peacefully, and recently I learned that Xiao Kangping had come back, and trouble started again.

"My mother wants my brother's eldest child to go to No. 8 Middle School. I think going to school is not a big deal..." Old Xiao paused, as if he was embarrassed to say: "My mother wants my nephew and niece to be registered under my household registration."

Old Xiao didn't tell them all in order to save his parents' face. They wanted more than just their nephews and nieces to be registered in their household registration...

However, the simple-minded Old Xiao only needed an embarrassed expression to let the two smart people on the opposite side realize that it was definitely not that simple.

"I think it's not just my nephews and nieces who are studying!" Meng Cheng smiled.

"Could it be related to your brother and sister-in-law?" Shi Xiangming directly guessed the main reason.

"They wanted me to fake a divorce with Wenli and get married to my brother's wife... I would remarry Wenli after she got a hukou in Anhuai City."

Lao Xiao himself felt ashamed to say it out loud, let alone the two people who heard it.

"Your mother is so confused." Even Shi Xiangming, who had a good temper, frowned when he heard this.

Meng Cheng was even more direct: "If you agree... I will immediately end my friendship with you."

"I definitely won't agree." Old Xiao waved his hands quickly, and then sighed fiercely: "I received a letter from them yesterday saying that they would come to Anhuai to spend the New Year... How can I tell Wenli about this!"

"You're not stupid." Meng Cheng said.

"Are you worried about how to tell Hu Wenli about the divorce or are you worried that there will be conflicts in the family after they come?" Shi Xiangming asked.

“We are all worried.”

"Your team should have a phone, right?" Shi Xiangming said calmly, carefully wiping the dirty lipstick shell as he said, "Call them back and tell them that I won't answer the phone when they come, and let them handle it themselves."

"My mother will never listen to me!"

"It's her business whether she listens or not, but you have to make your attitude clear and not answer it if it really comes!"

"Isn't that unfilial?"

"Unfilial?" Shi Xiangming sneered, his eyes were cold and without any emotion: "Does listening to her and causing the family to be destroyed mean being filial?"

Lao Xiao: “…”

"I finally understand why Hu Wenli is so fierce. How can she not be fierce?" Meng Cheng shook his head and poked Lao Xiao's forehead with his index finger: "Foolish filial piety!"

"You haven't encountered it, otherwise you wouldn't say it so easily." Lao Xiao explained with tears on his face.

The first book I learned when I was a child was Three Character Classic. Filial piety is almost engraved in my bones. How could I disobey my parents so easily?

Half of the lipstick had been wasted, so Shi Xiangming tore a piece of paper from his diary, folded it up and used it as a knife, slowly sharpening the lipstick back to the same shape it was when he first bought it.

Hearing what Lao Xiao said, Shi Xiangming laughed contemptuously: "No?"

These words seemed to be mocking Lao Xiao, but also seemed to be whispering.

"Are you in trouble?" Meng Cheng saw it immediately.

"I experienced my parents' ruthlessness when I was seven years old. I'm afraid I'll have to experience it again soon." Shi Xiangming chuckled.

It was only half a month late for the money transfer, but my parents had already called the office of Factory 431.

I guess his parents have already known the news that he was transferred back to Anhuai City.

"You and I are not worried." Meng Cheng raised his chin towards Lao Xiao, meaning that the honest man in front of him was more important at the moment.

The honest man grabbed his hair in distress and curled up into a ball.

“It’s actually quite simple.”

The shape of the lipstick just barely met Shi Xiangming's requirements. He curled the corners of his lips, closed the lid with satisfaction, and wiped it with his sleeve.

"Hurry up and save Lao Xiao." Meng Cheng smiled.

"Tell Hu Wenli everything in detail. She will find a way."

Shi Xiangming pointed to the door of the living room. Hu Wenli put one hand on her waist and held a pair of chopsticks in the other, staring at Lao Xiao fiercely.

Wang Nian was holding a colander and smiling meaningfully.

"Wen Li!" Old Xiao was so frightened that he almost jumped up.

"What are you afraid of?" Hu Wenli looked at Lao Xiao with disdain on her face. "Am I afraid of your mother? It just so happens that she has never experienced my ability to scold people, so I will give it a try during the New Year."

She used to feel a little guilty towards her husband's family because her child was lost, but now that her child is back, she is not afraid of anything even if it means protecting her son's interests.

Old Xiao's head is bigger...

His mother was a notorious shrew in her hometown, but her ability to cry, make a fuss and even commit suicide was only useful to her family. If she met Hu Wenli... she would be silly with a few slaps in the face.

"Alright!" Hu Wenli hated the look of a grown man shrinking his head the most. She glared at Lao Xiao and turned around and said, "It's no big deal."

Old Xiao is foolishly filial, but Hu Wenli is not a soft persimmon that anyone can bully.

If the mother-in-law talks nicely, she will talk to her reasonably. If she talks nonsense, she will not be afraid.

Wang Nian's eyes met Shi Xiangming's for a brief moment before separating.

"The crispy meat is ready, come out and try it."

Hu Wenli heard what Lao Xiao said, and Wang Nian naturally heard what Shi Xiangming said.

My husband's family...seems to be a den of wolves and dragons.

***

Kwong Wah Street No. 8 Secondary School.

A tall and thin young man looked around blankly. In his memory, before he left Anhuai, things were not as prosperous as they are now.

The streets are wide and flat, and there are as many cars on the streets as in Guangdong.

Moreover, the pedestrians on the street were dressed quite fashionably, and there was even pop music playing on the streets.

"When did Anhui City develop into this state?"

"He Liang, are we on the right track?"

The young man in the stylish denim jacket was Shi Guizhi's son He Liang, and the young woman who was waiting with an impatient look on her face was his girlfriend Ren Zi.

"Let me ask for directions." He Liang was unsure, so he could only put his bag down and ask a passerby for directions.

Ren Zi rolled her eyes fiercely and hugged her arms tightly because of the cold.

The temperature in Guangdong in winter is at least 20 degrees Celsius, which is not comfortable at all... As soon as I got off the train, a gust of cold wind blew and I almost froze to death.

She had hurriedly taken the coat out of her bag without even taking the tag off.

"Go straight ahead from number 15, and that's the house with a pointed top." The passerby quickly pointed out the specific location.

He Liang thanked him with a smile, then turned back to pick up his luggage.

"Didn't you say your family is poor?" Ren Zi looked casually at the street and found that the houses here were all small Western-style buildings, which did not look like something ordinary people could afford to live in.

"My parents live at my second uncle's house." He Liang smiled and took his girlfriend's bag. "Besides, the public housing units allocated by the work unit are for several families to live in one house. They just look big from the outside."

On the phone, Shi Guizhi just mentioned that she was living at her second uncle's house, but she never said what the living environment was like, so He Liang had never thought about what his second uncle's house would be like.

Public housing for employees... an average area of ​​five square meters per person is considered a lot!

"I thought so!" Ren Zi pulled the hem of her coat and used her fingernails to comb her long hair which was messed up by the long journey.