"Dad, Mom, you're finally back! If you're any later, the dumplings will get cold!"
Seeing the two of them hugging each other, Xiao Nuan staggered towards them, and was picked up by Tang Zhan and held steadily in his arms.
The little girl naturally wrapped her chubby arms around his neck, pouted her lips and gave him a sweet kiss on the face, making the man's face covered with saliva.
Tang Zhan raised the corners of his lips, looked doting, and helped the little girl tidy up the loose hair on her forehead.
Watching the loving interaction between the father and daughter, Lan Guoer smiled and took the man's arm, "Come in quickly, I can smell the delicious food at the door! Mom must have cooked a lot of delicious dishes."
Tang Zhan nodded with a smile, held the little girl in his arms with one hand, freed up his other arm to embrace his young wife on the side, and walked towards the main room.
The main room was bustling with activity.
The table was filled with food.
Qinghe and Yamei were setting the table with dishes and chopsticks. Xiaoling and Xiaolie were chatting and laughing around Old Lady Lan. Old Man Tang had just learned how to play Xiangqi recently, and was sitting next to him playing against Xiaogao.
When Tang Zhan and the others came in, Old Man Tang had just realized that he had made a wrong move in chess and was arguing with Xiao Gao in a heated debate about destroying the chess set.
"No regrets after your move! Uncle Tang, you have no moral principles in chess!"
Xiao Gao held high the chess piece he had just captured and refused to give in!
He is the only one in the family who can play a few games with Old Man Tang. There is still a long way to go in the future, and he cannot tolerate this bad habit of regretting his moves.
"Hey, Guo'er is back!"
Liu Guiying passed by them, carrying two bowls of steaming dumplings, and greeted everyone with a smile, "Everyone is here, go wash your hands, dinner is about to be served!"
Hearing this, Xiao Lie quickly turned his gaze to the door. Seeing his parents just coming in, he grinned and quickly pounced towards them.
"Mom, Mom! Dad is back, are you happy?"
Lan Guoer rubbed her son's soft hair, smiled and nodded at him, "Of course Mom is happy!" Turning around and seeing his little hands that looked like they had just played in the mud, she urged,
"Go wash your hands, dinner will be served soon."
"Okay! Lie is the most obedient!" The little guy boasted and ran out.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going to the backyard to call Uncle Bu Ku to come for dinner."
Xiao Ling greeted them obediently, then ran out with his short legs.
"Old Four, it's rare for you to come back. Go open a bottle of wine! Let's drink a little to cheer us up!"
Seeing his son and daughter-in-law come back, Old Man Tang took the opportunity to push the chessboard away, raised his eyebrows at Xiao Gao in denial, and walked happily to the dining table.
"Brother Tang, look at him! How can anyone play chess like that? He insisted on dragging me along to play with him. Not only did he ruin the chess set, but he even refused to admit his loss! This is such a bad chess player!"
There is no father and son in the chess field!
Xiao Gao was so angry at Old Man Tang's rogue behavior that he glared at him and complained to Tang Zhan in a wronged manner.
Tang Zhan never thought that his honest and serious old man would be so shameless when playing chess. He couldn't help but feel ashamed for him!
But this is his own father after all. He coughed dryly and took sides without hesitation.
"Hasn't he just learned it? You should be more tolerant of him and wait until he gets used to it!" After saying that, he quickly changed the subject and instructed,
"Dinner's about to start, don't just stand there! Go to the inner room and get a bottle of Maozi wine, and have a couple of drinks with the old man later."
"Okay! Thatched cottage, right? I know where it is. I'll get it right away!"
Xiao Gao was still stubborn and unwilling to accept the result, but when he heard that there was good wine to drink, he immediately lost his temper and turned around and ran away.
Looking at the direction he left, the mute girl smiled and shook her head, "You're such a grown-up, but you're still acting like a child!"
"You're absolutely right!"
Tang's mother placed the dumplings and dipping sauce on the table and said,
"This man is still a child until his death! Look at your Uncle Tang, isn't he even worse than Xiao Gao? He's really getting older and older. I think he's not much older than Xiao Ling and Xiao Lie now!"
Old Man Tang glanced at her.
"I say, old woman, can't you give me some face in front of the children? It's just two chess games that were ruined. What a big deal! Look at what you've done to me!!"
"What? Can't I just say a few words to you? I'm calling you a child, and you still refuse to admit it!"
Tang's mother rolled her eyes at him, not bothering to pay attention to him, and looked at Lan Guoer with a smile.
"Guo'er, did school start smoothly today? Are you getting along well with your classmates?"
"Very good!" Lan Guoer finished washing her hands, sat down at the table, and said with a smile, "I also got a scholarship of 500 yuan! I'll treat my family to a good meal later."
"Really?" Tang's mother couldn't help but stop what she was doing, her eyes sparkling!
"Oh my goodness! How can I earn more money by going to school than by working?
Five hundred yuan! How much crops do you have to grow to earn that much money? I'll have to call my hometown later and tell my eldest, second, and third children not to be so foolish as to interrupt their studies. Going to school is the right path!"
Old Man Tang was also shocked and nodded continuously, "They should all know about this! Otherwise, they might be calculating how to spend the little money on the children's schooling!"
"The second and third sons' families should be fine, except for Xiaofeng!" Tang's mother said thoughtfully.
"Some time ago, the eldest son's wife kept telling me that the child is already fifteen years old this year, and the girl's family still needs to find a good husband. I thought I should give the eldest son more advice, and tell him not to listen to Li Jinhua and let the child suffer again."
In that era, girls started getting engaged at the age of 17 or 18, and even earlier in the countryside. In addition, Li Jinhua was influenced by Old Lady Li and was somewhat patriarchal in nature, so it was normal for Tang's mother to have this concern.
At this time, Xiao Ling, Bu Ku and Zhao Wen came in from outside, and Xiao Gao also brought some straw. Seeing that the whole family was there, no one continued the topic.
"Wow! The food today is so rich! It's like Chinese New Year." Xiao Nuan clapped her hands and couldn't help but sigh.
"Your father hasn't been home for more than half a year, so you have to give him some good nourishment!"
Old Madam Lan smiled kindly and looked at Tang Zhan for a few seconds. "I think this kid has lost a lot of weight since he left. He must have suffered a lot outside!"
"Grandma, I'm not miserable!" Tang Zhan filled everyone's glasses with water and replied with a smile, "I just feel that learning opportunities are rare, and my foundation is not good, so I study harder!
But, I also learned a lot, so it was all worth it!"
"It's a good thing to be motivated! It never hurts to learn more!" Old Lady Lan nodded! "How long will it take you to graduate?"
Tang Zhan lowered his eyes as he poured wine into his glass. His expression paused for a moment before he spoke, "Grandma, this depends on the organization's arrangements! But... it should be soon!"
Lan Guoer's eyes followed him intentionally or unintentionally, and she noticed something amiss in his expression. Her brows furrowed again, and she felt that this matter might not be so simple...
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