Chapter 27 Chapter 27
In Xijia Village, Jia Kaiqian’s house, the yard was bustling with people talking and laughing.
...
In the dark little storehouse, the noise outside could be heard faintly.
Jia Kaiqian sat on a bench in the storehouse with his back bent, and had been in a daze for a long time.
He frowned, took out a pack of tobacco from his pocket, and slowly rolled it up with a piece of paper.
Today he turned fifty, and prepared two tables of food.
Originally, he didn’t plan to hold a banquet, after all, everyone was busy now, but the old woman found a blind fortuneteller to tell him that he would have a disaster this year, and he needed to have a birthday banquet to scare away evil spirits.
He didn’t quite believe it, but he couldn’t persuade Lin Fei, so he went along with her.
The guests were all very close to him, including his sister, brother, several nephews and nieces, Youqian, Feng Fengping and his wife, and two granddaughters...
Since early morning, everyone has arrived one after another, and there is constant laughter in the yard.
Jia Kaiqian didn't want to go out to entertain them. He smoked intermittently, feeling very upset.
The busier it was outside, the more uncomfortable he felt.
......
"Dad." Jia Youqian walked in and said with a smile, "So you are here. I was wondering why I didn't see you."
She said, "Shiyu and Shili are looking for grandpa, and my aunt and uncle are here too. Why don't you go out?"
"Qianqian is here."
Jia Kaiqian smiled slightly, with some reluctance.
He waved his hand, indicating the cigarette between his fingers, took a puff, and said, "Wait, I'll go out after I finish this one."
Jia Youqian looked at her father's slightly decadent expression, and vaguely guessed that her father might be thinking about Ruirui again.
All the relatives were here, and everyone was busy and noisy, but her father was sitting alone smoking.
With her father's temper, he must be very upset to see the little girl he loved and doted on the most become like this.
Thinking of the miserable situation of her younger sister's marriage, Jia Youqian hated Jia Wenqing, that beast.
She frowned and said to Jia Kaiqian, "Dad, I'll go out to help mom prepare the meal, you come out early."
"Okay, go ahead." Jia Kaiqian said gently.
Jia Youqian turned around and sighed.
Oh, I don't know if Ruirui will come back today.
...
"Mom, where is grandpa?"
Jia Youqian walked into the yard and was hugged by her little daughter.
She took Shili's hand and said, "Grandpa is busy now. Let's go to the kitchen to help grandma when he comes out later, okay?"
"Okay."
...
The closer she got to home, the faster Jia Yourui's heart beat and the slower her steps.
Excited, excited, afraid, timid...
Jia Guoye was beside her, walking at her pace, silently accompanying her.
...
"Yourui?"
Jia Yourui looked up and saw a middle-aged woman.
She didn't know how to address women, but calling her "auntie" was always right.
"Oh."
The woman's tone was extremely warm: "I haven't seen you for half a year. You came back to attend your father's birthday party. Wow, how can you be more beautiful? You are really pitiful." "
Yeah."
Jia Yourui smiled, but felt ironic in her heart.
When she and Jia Wenqing were "caught cheating", she didn't dare to go out, because there were only mocking and gloomy eyes outside, and no one was kind.
What did everyone say about her at that time?
Shameless, fickle, slutty, whore, relying on her good looks to seduce men...
The woman has been secretly looking at Jia Guoye.
That face is really too curious, but Jia Guoye's temperament is too gloomy, she dare not look at him openly.
The woman recalled the past.
In the past, everyone in the area knew that Jia Kaiqian's third daughter looked like a fairy from heaven. When she was young, she looked like a doll in a picture book, and when she grew up, she looked like a star in a movie. Everyone guessed how lively it would be when this girl got married, and the threshold of Jia Kaiqian's family would probably be trampled down.
No one was sure who would marry Jia Yourui in the future. Some people guessed that it would be a wealthy family, some guessed that it would be an ambitious young man who was admitted to a junior college, and some guessed that it would be the son of the mayor of a town...
Everyone agreed that this girl had a good life, was spoiled at home, and would marry into a particularly good family in the future.
...
But who would have known that the person standing next to her now was Jia Guoye, who had little money and had crawled out of a fire.
This makes people sigh, and also makes people secretly feel saccharine.
How could it be that Jia Yourui has all the good things in this world?
That's why Jia Yourui's scandal was widely known in the village. Most people who heard the rumors immediately scolded her for being shameless and seducing people with her face.
...
In the next short distance, Jia Yourui met many people. Some greeted her with a smile, and some just glanced at her with their peripheral vision without looking at her.
But more scrutiny was on Jia Guoye.
Jia Guoye could certainly feel those unfriendly eyes, but he didn't think it was a big deal.
.....
He carried the net bag in one hand and the chicken in the other, and accompanied Xiaorui to see his father-in-law's house in the distance.
Jia Guoye respected Jia Kaiqian from the bottom of his heart, not only because he handed Xiaorui to him, but also because this old man was a rare good person who cared and was kind to him, just like Mingzhang Bo.
...
Jia Kaiqian has an older sister and a younger brother, the older sister Jia Kaiyun and the younger brother Jia Kaiyang, both of whom are here today.
The elder sister couldn't stay idle and helped in the kitchen, while the younger brother sat in the yard chatting with his sister-in-law.
Seeing him coming out,
Jia Kaiyang said, "Brother, where were you just now?"
He stood up, walked forward, and handed him a cigarette with a smile.
Jia Kaiqian didn't answer, but took the cigarette and asked, "Where are Youzhi and Youming?"
His sister-in-law Xu Yunyun said, "Youming took Mingliang out to play. Youzhi lives far away and is on the way with Chenning."
Xu Yunyun boasted, "This young couple is filial. They said they can't come to see the uncle empty-handed and will buy something before coming."
......
The three of them talked.
"Dad."
Jia Youzhi was heard shouting again, "Uncle."
"Youzhi is here."
"Uncle, you live longer." Jia Youzhi came over with Zhang Chenning, "Aunt, these are the cigarettes and wine that Chenning and I bought for uncle."
Lin Fei took it and said with a smile, "It's good that people are here, why bring things?"
"Chenning said he must buy good cigarettes and good wine."
"You are so polite."
...
Lin Fei exchanged a few more words with her, went into the house and put the things in the cabinet.
"Qianqian, Youzhi and Chenning are here, go out and entertain them."
Jia Youqian was tidying up the cupboard for her mother, she rolled her eyes, "I'm not going."
She imitated Jia Youzhi's words, "My Chenning gets 30 yuan a month and an award for outstanding employee, which is much better than those of us who can only farm."
"Tsk, who wants to listen to her bragging?"
Jia Youqian said disdainfully, "She married a man who works in a factory and she can't wait to talk about him every day."
Lin Fei said helplessly, "That's just her personality, you have to bear with it, just for a while, and go say hello to your aunt."
Although Jia Youqian didn't want to go, she couldn't stand her mother's pleading eyes, so she could only swallow, endure the discomfort in her heart and turned out.
Before leaving, she still asked the question she had considered for a long time.
"Mom." She asked tentatively: "Did you know that Ruirui would come back today?"
Lin Fei shook her head and said: "How would I know? Ruirui had such a bad relationship with your father and me. I haven't seen her for half a year. Usually, I let Youkai and you go to deliver things."
Jia Youqian comforted her mother in a gentle voice: "Ruirui is a good child. She won't blame you all the time. She will understand your difficulties in the future."
"Yeah."
...
Lin Fei put away the things, walked out, looked around in the yard, and found her eldest son who was playing with Mingyu.
She ran over quietly and asked softly: "Youkai, you didn't lie to me, did you? Will Ruirui really come back today?"
"Really." Jia Youkai said with certainty: "I said I would pick her up, and Ruirui said she would come back this morning."
He said with confidence: "Ruirui told me in person, she wouldn't lie to me."
Jia Youkai put down his son, and Lin Fei immediately took over his grandson.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
He was also a little confused and said, "I'll go out and take a look."
...
Jia Youkai just walked to the door and was stopped by his aunt Jia Kaiyun.
Both tables were almost full. Jia Kaiyun was setting up his chopsticks. She asked, "Youkai, dinner is almost ready. Where are you going?"
Jia Youkai found an excuse, "Aunt, I'm going to the vegetable garden."
He had only told his wife Liu Xiuli that Xiaorui would come back so that she could prepare dishes that Xiaomei would like to eat. But when the two were talking, they were accidentally heard by his mother.
Lin Fei was surprised and happy. The old man's eyes were wet. He immediately muttered that he wanted to change the menu and make dishes that Ruirui would like to eat.
He specifically told his mother not to tell his father, for fear that if something unexpected happened, or Xiaorui suddenly didn't want to come back, after all, the father and daughter had been so awkward before, it would be bad for his father to be happy for nothing.
"Let's go in the afternoon." Jia Kaiqian said modestly, "There's no rush."
Jia Youkai opened his mouth and was about to say something when he saw his father's face suddenly change.
The originally noisy yard immediately became dead silent.
He turned around with a thought.
...
Jia Youqian couldn't believe her eyes.
"Ruirui!"
She rushed towards her most beloved little sister with red eyes.