Chapter 66 Chapter 66 New Year Greetings

The second day of the Chinese New Year

Guanghua Street, which was always bustling in the past, was now deserted, and the music store that used to play music every day was also closed today.

Spring couplets were posted on the doors of every household. Children who had received some New Year's money squatted in groups on the roadside, playing with firecrackers or sharing snacks that they could never eat on ordinary days.

Life is better now, and parents are willing to give their children some New Year's money.

For example, Wang Nian's three children all received a huge sum of five yuan as New Year's money on New Year's Eve to reward the children for their outstanding performance that year.

Shi Shuwen's money went into a piggy bank without even being turned over during the year. When Wang Nian bought New Year's goods, he bought one for each of his three children. From then on, they managed their own money.

Shi Wan deposited three yuan of her five yuan into the account, and used the remaining two yuan to buy hairpins with Qiu Shasha on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

As for Shi Feiying...

"Tsk, tsk, tsk—take my shot."

He spent three yuan to buy a toy gun, and the remaining two yuan was confiscated by Shi Xiangming and stuffed into the piggy bank, who also glued the cash access hole at the bottom of the bank.

"Shi Feiying, the car is coming!"

In the blink of an eye, Shi Feiying had already run with the gun to show off to the children on the street. Wang Nian could only helplessly call for help over and over again.

Under the envious gazes of the children, Shi Feiying ran back quickly.

“Here I come——”

A new bus station has been built on Guanghua Street, and bus No. 19 can just reach my in-laws’ home where I’m going to visit them for the New Year today.

Wang Nian caught Shi Feiying who was throwing herself at him, looked at the bus that he couldn't even squeeze onto, and sighed helplessly: "Let's wait for the next one."

"Aunt, how about we take a taxi?" He Liang suggested.

I went back to my parents' home on the second day of the Chinese New Year. It was full of people going out to pay New Year's greetings. They had been standing here waiting for half an hour but there was still no vacant car.

"Then let's take a taxi!" Wang Nian looked at Shi Xiangming and motioned him to hold the leader of the Fei family, Shi Feiying, and turned to hold Shi Wan's hand: "We will each take a taxi."

Nowadays, there are taxis everywhere that can carry passengers, and you can get in just by stretching out your hand.

"Master, let's go to Haizhuang."

The door closed and the car started quickly.

Shi Shuwen was sitting in the front seat. During this time, he took out a book and opened it, determined not to waste any opportunity to absorb knowledge.

There were four people in the back seat. Two children leaned on the windows to look at the scenery passing by, while the parents sat in the middle, each with their own thoughts.

"Don't read in the car. It hurts your eyes." Wang Nian patted Shi Shuwen first, then grabbed Shi Feiying who was curious about the door handle and said, "It's for shaking the windows. If you open it for a while, cold wind will blow in."

"Mom."

Shi Wan, who was so dizzy after watching for a while, fell on Shi Xiangming's legs to relax for a while, and then took out a red envelope from her pocket: "This is the red envelope that Uncle Liao Guang and Mom gave us this morning."

The custom in Changshenggou on the second day of the Lunar New Year is to eat pork trotter noodles. Wang Nian was busy cooking in the morning and didn't know that Jiang Feng and Liao Guang came to the door.

"When you were changing your clothes, they put down the New Year gifts, gave red envelopes to the children and left," Shi Xiangming explained.

Who could have expected that the former couple's relationship is now so harmonious that they can even have New Year's greetings and chat with each other happily.

"Then we have to give gifts back tomorrow."

Well... Wang Nian still has to think about returning the gift!

"No, they are leaving for a trip to Beijing next afternoon. Today we just came to ask the children if they want to go with them."

Both children were in the car, and had evidently refused to go.

"Mom, please keep this money for me." Shi Wan stuffed the money in her hand, her big eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled: "I'll give you half, and put the other half in the piggy bank."

"Give me back half?" Wang Nian smiled and pinched it casually. He immediately looked at Shi Xiangming in surprise: "So much."

Even if it's only 50 cents, it's not a small amount for this thickness. It's too much to say it's New Year's gift.

When I took the money out of the red envelope, I couldn't keep calm anymore, it was all ten-yuan red envelopes.

Just counting casually, it’s at least 500 yuan...almost as much as several months’ salary.

The huge sum of five yuan I gave yesterday was eclipsed by the comparison.

Even the driver's eyes widened in shock when he saw a corner through the rearview mirror.

What conditions! I just gave my child 500 yuan as a New Year gift.

"Shi Feiying, did you also get a red envelope..." Wang Nian thought of an important question again. Shi Shuwen, who was sitting in front of Yu Guangzhong, also handed over a red envelope: "Mom, this money is for you to keep for living expenses."

"We don't lack money." Wang Nian pushed the money back: "You keep it and use it when you need it."

"I don't like snacks. They're not as delicious as the ones my mom makes." Shi Shuwen smiled, but still stuffed the money in his pocket: "Then save it for me. We can use this money to travel in the future."

"You heard that, didn't you?" Wang Nian raised an eyebrow at Shi Xiangming, took the money and stuffed it into his bag: "The child is worried that we don't have money to travel."

Shi Xiangming held his forehead and smiled bitterly.

Could it be that the couple's image of being frugal is so deeply rooted in people's minds that their children also think their family is poor?

Don't you even look at how big your house is or how you live your life? You must be the only one on this street...

"Mom, Uncle Liao Guang seems to like Feiying very much." Shi Wan suddenly blurted out something inexplicable, and with a worried look on her face, she walked over the two of them and grabbed Shi Feiying's sleeve: "He won't take Feiying away, will he?"

"What's wrong?" Wang Nian grabbed Shi Feiying who was trying to secretly put a red envelope into her pants. He still had a smile on his face and did not slow down at all in taking the red envelope.

"Uncle Liao Guang also gave Feiying a toy gun today." Shi Wan said, pointing to the gun at Shi Feiying's feet: "It must have cost a lot of money."

Shi Wan was very attentive and could sense that Liao Guang was always smiling when he spoke and he would always pat Shi Feiying on the head gently, just like an elder in the family.

"Where is the toy gun you bought yourself?" Wang Nian asked.

"It's under the bed. I'll take it out when I break it." Shi Feiying chuckled twice and immediately jumped into Wang Nianhuai's arms: "Mom, I want to buy you many, many beautiful skirts, which are prettier than Aunt Zhou's."

He Liang is worthy of being the owner of a clothing factory. Zhou Shanxiu changes her clothes every two days, and the styles and patterns are rarely seen by An Huai.

Today, Shi Feiying even specifically asked Liao Guang about the market that specializes in selling clothes. After receiving the New Year's money, she planned to buy new clothes in a few days...for both her parents.

Unfortunately, the money was taken away by Wang Nian before I could even warm it up.

"When you can earn money, buy it for me. For now, just put this money in the piggy bank."

"No, then use the money to buy a car for the family." Shi Feiying said hurriedly. Shi Wan's eyes lit up when she heard it: "Buy a car."

"Then you may have to save for another ten or eight years before you can afford it." Wang Nian smiled and scratched Shi Wan's nose: "Besides, no one in my family can drive a car."

“I plan to learn.”

"Hmm?" Wang Nian turned to look at Shi Xiangming and asked, "Are you planning to take the driving test?"

"Not only me, you should also learn together." Shi Xiangming smiled: "Our unit organizes registration and learning, and family members can also learn together."

"Do we really want to buy a car?"

The current driving learning process is quite complicated. If you can really learn with the unit, it will certainly save you a lot of trouble. However, according to Shi Xiangming's personality, since he has made up his mind to learn to drive, he must have planned to buy a car.

"Buy." Shi Xiangming said, just one word.

"The office is so close to our home, there's no need to drive."

The workplace is close, the children's school is close, and even the market where Wang Nian buys daily necessities can be walked within 15 minutes. There is no need to buy a car.

"You drive. From now on, you can drive to Baoshan Bridge to buy seafood." Shi Xiangming's eyes narrowed, and he was suddenly full of tenderness: "It's enough for the child's mother to drive."

The driver withdrew his gaze, silently saying in his heart, "Don't be jealous, don't be jealous!", and saw the sign of Sea Manor from a distance. He immediately shouted loudly, interrupting the affectionate gaze between the couple.

"We have arrived at Haizhuang."

Haizhuang Food Factory was once the largest food supply factory in Anhuai, with more than 10,000 employees and 20,000 family members, a total of more than 30,000 people working and living there.

The factory living area covers an area of ​​more than 10,000 acres, and the employee housing is connected in a group. It takes more than ten minutes to walk from the gate to the end.

With the advancement of reform and opening up, private business has flourished, supply and marketing cooperatives have been gradually abolished, and the efficiency of the factory has been much lower than before. Now, half of the public housing has been sold.

The factory name that was once written in red paint at the factory gate has become faded as the factory has declined.

When Shi Xiangming was in college, he came to his parents' home twice to get his household registration book when he went abroad for further studies. The last time he came was to pick up his two children.

My memory was so vague that I stood at the door for a long time and couldn't remember which way to go.

"Let's wait for my second sister and the others to arrive and then we can go in together," said Wang Nian.

Soon, another taxi stopped in front of them. Shi Guizhi couldn't wait to open the door and got out of the car, squatting in the corner and vomiting.

Zhou Shanxiu hurriedly chased after her and patted Shi Guizhi's back.

For people who suffer from motion sickness, riding in a small car is torture.

Fortunately, Shi Guizhi didn't really vomit it out. After a while, she pointed to the right of the intersection and said, "Go this way."

"Don't take my mom's words to heart. She's a mean-spirited person."

Along the way, Shi Guizhi also gave Wang Nian a vaccination in advance.

After explaining this, he quickly turned around and told Zhou Shanxiu: "Don't tell grandma that you're divorced. She's old-fashioned."

"My mom and dad both value sons over daughters. Just don't let them bully Shi Wan." Shi Xiangming specifically mentioned Shi Wan.

Wang Nian immediately nodded tacitly.

"Shuwen, do you remember where your grandparents live?" He Jian originally asked casually, but unexpectedly Shi Shuwen nodded solemnly: "They punished me to wash clothes for Jun by the well, I remember it all."

When I saw the shared well at the intersection, my vague memories from childhood immediately became clear.

Not having enough to eat, not sleeping well, and having frostbite on my hands from washing clothes in the winter, all of these have left scars in my heart.

It took Wang Nian several years to heal the frostbite on his hand. The painful memories are not so easy to disappear.

He Jian's face immediately darkened, and he felt a little regretful that he was talking about something irrelevant.

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the place they wanted to go.

The gate was open, and one could hear a quarrel going on in the yard, accompanied by the sound of opera singing, which was quite eerie.

Shi Xiangming and Wang Nian looked at each other and took the lead to step in.

There were indeed people quarreling in the courtyard, and both parties were from the Shi family. The other neighbors in the courtyard were just watching the fun.

Shi's mother Luo Yunxiang was clearly at a disadvantage. Hu Xiumei's saliva sprayed a lot on her face. She could only wipe the saliva with her sleeve while cursing "you are shameless".

"How can I be shameless? My Xiaojun is the eldest grandson of your Shi family. What's wrong with him spending some of your money?"

"Are you a beggar? That's stealing! He's stealing money," Luo Xiangyun shouted.

"Who said it was stolen? Didn't you and dad give it to me?" Hu Xiumei remained calm.

"Puh!" Luo Xiangyun was speechless and could only spit fiercely: "Fortunately, my third child's two children were well raised. If they were all like Shi Jun, it would be really over."

"You're still thinking about the third child!" Hu Xiumei folded her arms and sneered, "I didn't even tell you when I was transferred back to Anhuai. You must have already given up on such biased parents."

“…”

Suddenly, they both looked towards the door at the same time. After all, seven or eight people were walking in at a rapid speed, so it would be hard not to notice them.

"Mom." Shi Xiangming's voice was cold and indifferent. Shi Guizhi and He Jian also quickly followed suit and called for help.

Shi Wan threw herself into Wang Nian's arms and buried her head tightly.

Wang Nian patted Shi Wan's back soothingly, called out "Mom" and then stood there, without asking the children to call out as well.

"Xiang Ming?"

Luo Xiangyun wiped her eyes, as if she couldn't believe that the person in front of her was her own son.

As for her daughter and son-in-law who were also calling out, the old lady ignored them as if she hadn't heard them, and her eyes were fixed on Shi Xiangming and Wang Nian.

After a long while, he pointed at Wang Nian and said, "Is this the wife you later married?"

"Sister-in-law." Shi Xiangming nodded and then greeted Hu Xiumei.

Eight years ago, Shi Xiangming had a complete falling out with his elder brother and his wife, and the fact that he spoke up to them was considered as letting bygones be bygones.

Hu Xiumei sneered coldly and didn't want to pay attention to Shi Xiangming's meaning.

Just a meeting, no one can continue to happily send New Year's greetings.

Shi Xiangming signaled to Shi Shuwen: "Bring the New Year gifts into the house."

"Shuwen? You've grown so big!" Luo Xiangyun finally responded, smiling and holding Shi Shuwen's arm: "Come in quickly, your grandfather is watching TV in the house."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were quarreling in the yard, while the father and son were watching TV in the house.

The room was still furnished with the wooden-framed Luohan bed that was the most popular wedding venue in the 1950s and 1960s, and a sofa was placed on top of a few dirty cotton mattresses.

A girl in a blue coat was dozing off, and her chin looked like it would hit the table at any moment.

"Mom, she is my cousin Yuehua who used to bully me."

Shi Yuehua's appearance has not changed much since she was a child. She has a round face, small eyes, and compact facial features. You can recognize who she is at a glance.

Memories of being bullied as a child came flooding back to Wang Nian, and Shi Wan immediately whispered in his ear to complain.

Wang Nian nodded, put his arm around her shoulders and smiled.

Shi Guohua's hearing was probably not very good, because as these people walked into the living room one after another, they didn't take their eyes away from the TV at all.

Shi Xiangqian had turned around a long time ago, but for a long time he didn't recognize that the man standing in front of him was actually his own brother.

"Guoqiang, stop watching TV!" Luo Xiangyun was very decisive. She walked over and turned off the TV, then yelled into Shi Guoqiang's ear: "Xiang Ming and the children are back, look..."

Shi Xiangqian's eyes narrowed, and the hair on his face stood up visibly.

Wang Nian felt that it was probably because Shi Xiangming had given him a severe beating when he went to pick up the child eight years ago.

Shi Guoqiang turned his head slowly, his eyes were dull and his face was flushed...obviously he was drunk.

"Xiang Ming, the third brother?" Shi Guoqiang asked.

"It's the third son." Luo Xiangyun pulled Shi Guoqiang up and pointed at Wang Nian and the children with a smile: "Look, the third son's wife is here too."

"Dad." Shi Xiangming walked over and handed over the wine in his hand, saying without any unnecessary expression: "We wish you a happy new year."

Then he turned around and asked the children to come forward and wish them a happy new year.

It is also customary for younger people to greet their elders with auspicious words and for the elders to give them New Year gifts.

Unfortunately, Shi Guoqiang and Luo Xiangyun had not prepared any New Year's money, so after the children said their auspicious words, they just stared blankly.

Shi Xiangming had never thought about what kind of gift his children would get from their parents. He took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Luo Xiangyun: "This is for your respect. I will personally deliver it on the second day of the Lunar New Year every year."

"You..." Luo Xiangyun took the envelope without hesitation, rubbed it with her fingers, and the smile on her face instantly collapsed.

The next second, she opened the envelope in front of everyone and took out five ten-dollar bills.

"How come it's only fifty!"

"Then how much do you think I should give?" Shi Xiangming smiled, still indifferent: "How much did big brother give?"

Luo Xiangyun: “…”

"My parents eat at our expense and live at our place, yet they still ask us for money." Hu Xiumei interrupted unwillingly, smacking her lips with a look of disdain: "It's not like you siblings who just come back from Chinese New Year to talk and it's so easy!"

Wang Nian handed Shi Wan to Shi Shuwen and walked a few steps to Shi Xiangming.

"Look at what my sister-in-law said..." Wang Nian also imitated her and put his hands on his waist, looking around the room with a fake smile: "Isn't this room allocated from my father's factory? How come you can live in it?"

Hu Xiumei: “…”

He turned around and waved his hand. Shi Guizhi and others who were blocking the door immediately made way. Wang Nian ran to the door and waved to the neighbors who were watching and laughing outside: "Then let's let everyone judge for themselves."

"Whose daughter-in-law are you?" a neighbor asked curiously.

"Sister-in-law, I am Shi Xiangming's daughter-in-law." Wang Nianhui said loudly to everyone, "Everyone knows that Shi Guoqiang has two sons... But you definitely don't know how the third son, Shi Xiangming, grew up!"

"Wow! I've moved here for five or six years, and this is the first time I heard that Mr. Shi has two sons!" The neighbor's face was full of surprise.

"Big sister, you don't know... my husband has a hard life..."

Everyone knows how to embellish things. Wang Nian is an intellectual who has read a lot of excellent news. Even when he wants to complain, he can make the story full of twists and turns.

It starts with Shi Xiangming witnessing his sister being sent away, then how his parents focused all their energy on his older brother, and finally how he worked hard and got into college on his own.

Cheng Ze was arranged to marry by his elders after returning from studying abroad. His parents sacrificed their younger son's happiness just to protect their older son's reputation.

In his peripheral vision, Wang Nian suddenly noticed Hu Xiumei walking towards him angrily, so he took a step back and closed the door.

No matter how angrily Hu Xiumei banged on the door, Wang Nian leaned against it and continued to complain.

The turning point was of course the abuse of the child by his sister-in-law and her parents-in-law. Shi Xiangming had no choice but to take the baby to the mountain gully in advance.

"Think about it! In 1974, the monthly living expenses were only 30 yuan. That amount of money was not enough to even feed the children!"

"Thirty yuan!"

The neighbors were shocked, because that was 30 yuan eight or nine years ago, which was equivalent to a month's salary for a man in their family.

Not to mention feeding two kids, it's enough to support the whole family.

Those who have lived in this courtyard for a long time immediately recalled the two poor grandsons of Shi Guoqiang's family, who were often slapped by Hu Xiumei and Luo Xiangyun.

"When you mentioned it, I remembered it. No wonder they had meat every now and then in those years. I thought it was the eldest son's gift to them, but now I think it must have been the money sent back by the third son."

Wang Nian raised an eyebrow and immediately came forward: "Auntie is right, you didn't see it, when the two children came to me, they were so thin that they caught a cold every other day, and Shi Xiangming used all his monthly salary to buy meat for the children to nourish their bodies."

"Poor thing."

"No wonder I remember both kids loved to run outside. If they didn't run, they would stay at home and get beaten!"

"What a cruel heart."

While everyone was talking and denouncing the Shi family, Wang Nian pulled hard again and the door suddenly opened.

Hu Xiumei staggered out.

Wang Nianchong waved to Shi Shuwen and Shi Wan and said, "Come out and let the aunts and uncles hear how your aunt treated you at that time."

The children came out obediently, with Shi Xiangming being the last one to come out.

Hu Xiumei got up and just as she stretched out her hand towards Wang Nian, Shi Xiangming immediately pushed her back towards the door.

He Liang grabbed Zhou Shanxiu and took the opportunity to squeeze out from the gap, but the next moment the door was pulled shut by Shi Xiangming.

With Shi Xiangming around, Wang Nian turned his attention back to the house and looked out the window with some surprise.

The Shi family is really weird.

Shi Guoqiang sat in the chair in a daze, as if he could neither hear nor see anything around him. He was so drunk that he had completely lost his five senses.

Luo Xiangyun also sat sideways on the chair, with a smile on her face.

I guess he was feeling proud of himself seeing his two daughters-in-law quarreling, and he would be happy no matter who suffered the loss.

Shi shrank his head forward and kept glancing at Hu Xiumei with a look of fear.

As for Shi Yuehua who was dozing off beside the bed, Wang Nian was sure that this girl... was also drunk, as she was making so much noise without even blinking an eye.

"Just wait and see how I deal with you, a country bumpkin. You little bastard, are going to die a miserable death..."

Hu Xiumei was so anxious that she even spoke in Anhuai's local dialect. After knocking on the door to no avail, she immediately walked towards Shi Xiangqian with great momentum.

Then Wang Nian witnessed the specific manifestation of the man with a groin with his own eyes.

After being hit by Hu Xiumei's claws several times, he didn't dare to say a word and could only shrink his neck and pretend to be dumb.

From the time he entered the room to the time the quarrel broke out, it seemed as if the eldest brother had not said a word.

"You loser, why would I marry a loser like you..."

She could ignore all the quarrels and noises with others, but she could never scold Luo Xiangyun's precious son. Hu Xiumei's words immediately angered her.

"My son is so stupid that he married a jinx like you. You have ruined our family and our brothers!"

"You are the star of death..."

So, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the room started swearing at each other again, and they almost poked each other in the forehead with their fingers, but they never fought.

Outside the house, Shi Wan was already talking about how the old lady had asked them to go to the alley entrance to fetch water in the heavy rain.

Shi Xiangming stood there quietly like a mountain, giving his family a great sense of security, but his heart was boiling like boiling water.

Not caring about what others think and protecting your family are two completely different things.

Now he also has a family that stands firmly with him, happy about the same things and angry about the same people.

He also has a preference...