Chapter 207 Two in One
"Dad, Mom, you two are finally back. You must be exhausted from the journey!"
Seeing the people coming down, Ding Guo hurriedly went up to them and greeted them with a smile.
Shao Xunping and Pei Zhengzhong, dressed in military uniforms and carrying large and small bags, got out of the car and saw their daughter-in-law coming to pick them up.
"Guoguo!" Shao Xunping responded quickly.
Pei Zhengzhong also responded with a smile.
After sitting on the train for several days and nights, both of them looked a little haggard, but their postures were still upright.
Ding Guo didn't come alone, Xiao He was also with him.
"Hello, both leaders!" Xiao He saluted and went forward to take their luggage.
Ding Guo also reached out to help and took the bag from her mother-in-law's hands and shoulders.
Shao Xunping: "It's heavy, I can just hold it."
"Mom, I'm strong."
While receiving the things, she took off the two water bottles she was carrying and handed them over, saying, "Dad, Mom, it's hot, drink some water to moisten your throat."
Shao Xunping felt warm at heart as her daughter-in-law was so thoughtful. She said, "Guoguo, thank you!"
She was indeed thirsty, so she took the kettle, unscrewed it and took a sip. After drinking the cool and sweet water, she felt that most of her fatigue disappeared.
Pei Zhengzhong also felt relieved: "Thank you, Guoguo!"
"We are all family, there is no need to be polite."
She and Xiao He carried their things and followed their parents-in-law out of the station with the crowd.
When delivering food to various households some time ago, Ding Guo wanted to send some to the northwest, but the old man told her not to worry and to wait a little longer.
It wasn't that she was not allowed to send it, but she had to wait a little longer. Ding Guo vaguely guessed whether there were any other arrangements. Unexpectedly, she received the news last week that her parents-in-law were seconded back to the capital.
Ding Guo was not in a position to ask about the specific details of the project he was temporarily transferred back to jointly develop with the research institute.
I'm here to pick you up today.
After leaving the station, Ding Guo and Xiao He put their things in the trunk. The four of them got in the car, and Ding Guo asked them about their journey.
"Except for the long car ride, everything else went smoothly." Shao Xunping said a few simple words, asked about Ding Guo's work and Pei Che's further studies at school, and then asked about the two children. Ding Guo told her everything.
The car went back to Zizhu Bridge first, and the old couple couldn't wait to see Dabao and Xiaobao.
After getting off the car, Shao Xunping asked Xiao He to open the trunk and left only a handbag in the car. All the other luggage was taken away, two of which contained things for Ding Guo and the children.
Ding Guo: "Mom, this journey is not easy. You should travel light. Why do you still need to buy things?"
Shao Xunping smiled and said, "I have already reduced a lot, and most of the things are on the way."
Although it was a temporary secondment, I didn't know when I would return, so this trip back was almost like moving house.
It was unrealistic to carry all the things by hand, so I packed up everything that could be mailed and sent it by mail.
Ding Guo hurriedly took it and carried it.
Xiao He didn't stay, he was going to pick up the old man to have lunch here at noon.
Pei Zhengzhong and Shao Xunping noticed the changes in the yard as soon as they entered the door.
However, the old couple didn't have time to take a closer look. They immediately saw the baby carriage in the shade of the yard and couldn't take their eyes off it.
The two little kids were playing with the cloth tiger dolls that Aunt Qiao had sewn for them. When they saw someone coming in, they all looked over here.
When they saw their familiar mothers, they opened their hands and exclaimed "ahh" twice. Then, when they saw two people next to them that they had never seen before, they were stunned and stared at them with curiosity.
"Dabao, Xiaobao!"
Looking at the two little kids who looked like both their son and daughter-in-law, Shao Xunping and Pei Zhengzhong felt their hearts soften. They walked over, squatted down, and greeted them with a smile. Each smile was more gracious than the other.
Dabao and Xiaobao looked up and looked at him curiously.
Ding Guo said to the two children, "This is grandpa and grandma."
The two kids didn't understand and continued to stare at it with curiosity.
Pei Zhengzhong was a little reserved in front of his daughter-in-law, but now he didn't care about being reserved anymore and shouted, "Guoguo, give me a bag."
This is to take the things in the bag and let the two children play with them.
Shao Xunping pushed him aside and said, "Wash your hands first before you give the child anything."
"Okay, okay!" Pei Zhengzhong smiled and stood up to wash his hands.
There is a place to wash your hands in the yard, with towels placed next to it.
Ding Guo then found an opportunity to introduce Aunt Qiao and Wang Chunhua to his parents-in-law.
"Dad, Mom, these are the people Grandpa found to take care of Dabao and Xiaobao. This is Aunt Qiao, and that is Sister Chunhua."
Wang Chunhua came out from the kitchen and came over to say hello.
Pei Zhengzhong and Shao Xunping stood up and shook hands with the two men with a smile: "Comrade Qiao, Comrade Chunhua, it's great to meet you. Guoguo and Xiaoche are usually busy with work, and their families can't help the two children. It's all thanks to your careful care. Thank you for your hard work."
Aunt Qiao and Wang Chunhua were a little nervous. One of them said, "Of course, of course!"
One said: "It's not hard, not hard!"
After saying hello, Aunt Qiao said hurriedly, "You guys are busy, Chunhua and I will go cook."
Pei Zhengzhong: "Okay, thank you for your hard work!"
After the greetings, Ding Guo saw that her parents-in-law were about to squat down again, so she hurriedly said, "Dad, Mom, take the two children to play in the house, and you can sit down and rest too."
Ding Guo carried the bag, and the old couple went over and pushed the stroller together.
Dabao and Xiaobao still looked back up to look at them, so Shao Xunping lowered her head and smiled at them: "Dabao, Xiaobao, I'm your grandma."
After returning to the house and putting down the stroller, the old couple hurriedly took the bag, opened it, found the bag containing the child's clothes and toys, and started taking things out.
Wooden pistols, tanks made of bullet shells, and a bunch of palm-sized puppets.
Pei Zhengzhong was in charge of picking them out, while Shao Xunping was in charge of taking them and showing them to her grandson and granddaughter one by one: "Big Treasure, Little Treasure, take a look at this, do you like it?"
The two little guys were so overwhelmed by what they saw that they could hardly move their eyes.
Ding Guo brought a stool over for the two of them to sit on, made two cups of jasmine tea, washed a few peaches, and invited his parents-in-law to eat.
The old couple had no time to eat peaches at this moment. They were having a great time playing with their two children.
After the old couple played with the two children for a while, Ding Guo asked with a smile: "Mom and Dad, do you want to take a break first?"
Pei Zhengzhong sat on the stool, looking at the two little guys with inquisitive eyes, and said, "Not tired!"
Shao Xunping suddenly remembered something and reluctantly let go of Xiaobao's hand. She stood up and asked Ding Guo, "Guoguo, is it convenient to take a bath at home?"
After spending a few days on the train, I could only use the opportunity of going to the bathroom to wipe my body with a towel, and my body had already become smelly.
Shao Xunping didn't want to get familiar with Dabao and Xiaobao. When she wanted to hug them, the two little kids complained about her smell. She wanted to be a sweet-smelling grandma.
"Mom, it's convenient. The bathrooms in both yards have been renovated and can be used. Hot water is readily available."
"Oh, that's great. Let's go clean up first." Shao Xunping hurriedly called Pei Zhengzhong, "Old Pei, let's go."
Pei Zhengzhong also wanted to take a shower, but as a father-in-law, he didn't want to ask his daughter-in-law this question. With his wife asking him to do so, he quickly took out their clothes and went to take a shower.
After taking a shower, Shao Xunping no longer wore her military uniform. Instead, she changed into a floral shirt and black pants.
Pei Zhengzhong also changed into casual clothes.
Dabao and Xiaobao had already started interacting with their grandparents. After they changed their clothes, they started looking at them with curious eyes again. They needed to get to know each other again. Shao Xunping couldn't help laughing and had to continue coaxing them.
When the old man came over, Pei Zhengzhong and Shao Xunping already had one each, and they held them in their arms as they identified the flowers and plants in the yard.
"dad!"
The two of them hurriedly greeted each other.
"Hey, I'm glad you're back. Did you have a smooth journey?" The old man responded to his son and daughter-in-law, but his eyes were always on the two children. Without waiting for his sons to respond, he smiled kindly at the two younger ones and said, "Big Treasure, Little Treasure, do you miss your great-grandfather?"
Pei Zhengzhong and Shao Xunping: …
Well, I understand that these two little guys just have a natural attraction.
When the family sat down to eat, the old man remembered that he had not yet heard about his son and daughter-in-law's journey home, so he asked again.
This time, Aunt Qiao and Wang Chunhua were invited to sit down, but they refused to go.
It's rare for the family to get together, and they couldn't stretch their hands and feet freely in the past. It would be better for them to have a separate table and invite Comrade Xiao He, who is not a stranger, to eat together so that they can feel more comfortable.
Ding Guo saw that there was all the food on the table in the house, and the quantity was more than enough for them, so he went back to the house and moved another fan for them to use, and then returned to the main house.
As long as the two little ones are full and their diapers are dry and comfortable, they won’t cry or make a fuss and will play with their toys by themselves in the stroller.
Ding Guo also ate quietly and listened to her parents-in-law talking about arrangements at the unit.
What can be said can naturally be told to her, and as for the confidential parts, she will have to talk to the old man alone.
The old man returned to the army after lunch.
When leaving, Ding Guo gave the old man four or five peaches.
The two little ones also had their diapers changed once, and fell asleep after eating and drinking their fill.
Ding Guo took his parents-in-law around the house, visited the renovated areas, and then went to the next door for a walk. He calmly let his parents-in-law take a look at the food stored at home.
The two also knew about this year's harvest situation. The situation in the northwest was even more serious than in the capital, and the country was also making emergency arrangements.
However, when they saw the food at home, they could guess its source and tacitly said nothing.
"Mom and Dad, you can just stay here."
Shao Xunping patted her hands and nodded, saying, "I'll stay here tonight. Your dad will go back to report some other work to your grandfather. We will stay here for two or three days at most. When we report to the unit, I'm afraid we'll have to live in the unit dormitory."
Fortunately, I can take a weekend off during the early stages of work and come back to take care of the children.
At night, Shao Xunping did not go next door. She stayed in the east courtyard. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law lived together and chatted for half the night.
We also talked about the food problem. The food shortage in the northwest is more serious than in the capital.
Knowing that Ding Guo had thought about sending them food before, Shao Xunping said gratefully: "Guoguo, you are thoughtful."
She and Lao Pei are lucky, as both of their daughters-in-law are good.
The eldest daughter-in-law works in the same unit as the eldest son, so Guoguo has to support the family alone, which seems a bit unfair to her.
The family was separated into several places and it was rare for them to truly reunite once every few years.
But for work, there is nothing I can do.
Knowing that her mother-in-law would go back to the Shao family tomorrow, Ding Guo said, "Bring some food for grandma and grandpa."
Shao Xunping said, "Let's focus on the family first. Your father and I will go to your grandmother's place tomorrow to check on her. If there is a shortage of food at home, your father and I will find a solution."
Guoguo no longer has to worry about food problems at her mother's side.
I heard from my father-in-law that Guoguo's cousin is in the transport business and he had known that there would be a food shortage this year. It would not be easy to buy food from outside.
Ding Guo whispered, "Mom, there is enough food at home for us to eat. The food for grandma's family is prepared separately. You and Dad can take it with you tomorrow."
Shao Xunping was silent for a long time before she said, "Guoguo, I'm sorry for causing you trouble!"
Heart for heart, Ding Guo thought of the six bags of milk powder that her parents-in-law brought back from the northwest.
Given how rare milk powder is, I don’t know how many people my in-laws asked for help to buy so much at once.
There are also clothes, shoes, fabrics and so on that I bought for her.
The next day, Shao Xunping and Pei Zhengzhong returned to her parents' home with 300 kilograms of food.
After the grain was harvested, he came back in the evening but insisted on giving Ding Guo the money.
Ding Guo pushed the money but couldn't get rid of it, so he said, "Mom, if you really want to pay me, then I'll pay you based on the price of the grain that Dayong bought for me. What about the current market price? I want to earn this money outside, not from my family. I'll keep half of this money and you take back the other half, or I won't take it at all."
"How about this, Guoguo, the rest will be considered as wages for Comrade Qiao and the others. When your grandfather hired someone, he said he would pay for it, but you didn't let him pay for it. Your father and I will pay for it. That's settled." Shao Xunping said, "When your eldest sister-in-law gave birth, her mother went to take care of her. My mother also gave compensation, so your mother should also give some money."
She didn't help her two daughters-in-law at all, whether they were pregnant or giving birth, nor did she help take care of the children. She could only compensate them with money and supplies.
She is lucky that her two daughters-in-law are good and don't argue with her about these things.
Some daughters-in-law take money and supplies and then complain that their mothers-in-law don't help.
Therefore, Shao Xunping has a clear sense of propriety in her heart, and she tries her best to perform when it is her turn to do so.
When they wanted to hire someone to help, the old man said he would pay for it. Shao Xunping talked to her father-in-law on the phone at the time and asked the old man to take it first, and she and Zhengzhong would replenish him later.
Ding Guo did not agree, and she gave back the salary that the old man asked Aunt Zhang to bring.
Shao Xunping had originally wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Ding Guo about this matter when she came back, and to make up for the wages that had been given to Aunt Qiao and Wang Chunhua. When they happened to be talking about this, she mentioned this matter as well.
Ding Guo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why did this get brought up again?
"Just listen to me and don't let me feel bad." Shao Xunping said firmly.
Ding Guo had no choice but to answer it first.
Pei Yu rushed back from another place on the third night, bringing her husband and children to reunite with her parents.
Shao Xunping was also very happy to see her grandson and granddaughter. She also bought things for her daughter's family and took them out on the spot without avoiding Ding Guo.
The house was very lively.
Pei Che came back on the weekend and saw his parents, which was a rare opportunity.
The old couple had already reported to the new unit. They did not rest during the day on the first weekend and came back in the evening to have a meal with their youngest son.
Pei Zhengzhong rarely saw his youngest son, and the father and son talked a lot about work.
Shao Xunping was devoted to entertaining her grandson and granddaughter.
The next day, Pei Che went out for a while. When Ding Guo came back from get off work in the evening, he saw two more bags of flour at home.
"There is enough food at home, why are you buying flour?"
Pei Che said: "Let Baoguo help buy it from the factory. We can't let Dayong and you worry about these things alone. I'll buy as much as I can."
The family has prepared a lot of food, but no one knows how long this drought will last.
Ding Guo had also asked Pei Che before if he wanted to help his brother.
He didn't have many male brothers, and this was the only one in the capital, and he had helped Pei Che before.
Pei Che asked Sui Baoguo what he thought. After all, he was the owner of a flour mill and his family had no shortage of food, so Ding Guo did not send any food to Sui Baoguo.
Sui Baoguo bought a total of four bags of flour for Pei Che during this period. Pei Che sent two bags to the compound. If the old man couldn't finish it all, he would ask his sister to get a bag.
Okay, the man doesn’t know how much food is stored in her space, so just buy it, it’s all for the good of the family.
After Ding Guo got to work, he received a letter from Ding Tao, and learned that Ding Jianshe had returned to Fengning early due to a reduction in his sentence, and had gone to the staff quarters to cause a scene.
He had a big quarrel with Ding Zhigang and made Zheng Wenfang so angry that she had to stay in the hospital for two days.
Ding Tao also said in the letter that her cousin's wife had found a job for Ding Jianshe as a loader in a textile factory, but it was only a temporary job.
Ding Guo raised his eyebrows. Although Ding Tao did not say why Ding Jianshe was able to have his sentence reduced, Ding Guo could guess that it must have been with the help of Ding Nianjun.
Ding Jianshe himself doesn't have the brains to do that.
I didn't expect that Ding Nianjun and Ding Jianshe went to the same farm, and Ding Jianshe got such a benefit.
In addition to Ding Tao's letter, I also received a letter from Dazhu.
The letter was written by Dazhu, but it was written on behalf of his mother.
Peng Guihua said in the letter that she would not come for the time being.
Although the excuse given was that Grandma Dazhu was in poor health, Ding Guo guessed that Third Aunt should also have taken into consideration the reduced grain production this year.
The situation was so bad that even if she brought rations with her, she was worried about causing trouble for Ding Guo.
I'll find a chance to come back and visit Dabao and Xiaobao.
Ding Guo now knows Third Aunt's personality too well. She just doesn't like to cause trouble for others.
She also told Ding Guo in the letter not to worry about her hometown. She had sent some food back before, and Dayong later sent another batch. There was enough food at home, so she told her not to worry about it and to live her own life well.
Ding Guo sighed and put the letter away.
In mid-July, Ding Dayong passed by the capital. He sat in his house, enjoying the breeze and eating watermelon. Seeing Aunt Qiao and Wang Chunhua busy in the yard, he whispered, "Sister, it's a good thing you reminded me at the beginning. I didn't continue to collect grain. Master Xu was reported!"
Ding Guo was surprised: "Because of the food issue?"
Ding Dayong nodded: "The one who was reported by his apprentice was the one who escorted my mother back to her hometown last time."
Ding Guo: "What is the punishment result?"
Ding Dayong: "Master Xu has worked in the factory for many years and is the most experienced one on long-distance missions. He is not only a good driver, but also a good car repairman. When he is not driving, he will give lectures to the repair team. So the factory did not let the security department take over and handled the case privately, asking him to hand over the grain he purchased privately and pay a fine."
He made a sign with the hand of a number: "I was fined one thousand yuan, plus I had to pay for the over five hundred kilograms of grain that I hadn't had time to sell."
This number is not the entire number, it only represents the most recent few penalties.
If they were to proceed from the beginning to the end, the factory would be afraid that Master Xu would become desperate and drag others into it, which would paralyze the entire fleet.
After all, the factory leaders are not stupid, and they cannot be unaware of the little tricks of the drivers under them.
Master Xu can afford to pay the money, and it won't cause any major damage, but his apprentice will have no future.
Not only Master Xu wanted to kill the traitor, but other drivers were also affected.
After all, this situation has just happened and the factory will definitely pay close attention to it for a while. Who would dare to commit a crime against the wind?
Because his own company was reported, Ding Dayong persuaded his sister: "Sister, I have enough food at the moment, and we are not in trouble with the food back home. As long as you can fill your stomach, don't buy more."
Ding Guo nodded. She didn't buy food from outside anyway.
That was the only time we sold grain.
If this kind of thing ferments to a certain extent, it will be impossible for the higher-ups not to curb it.
A few days later, the old man came over and asked Ding Guo to remind Dayong not to ask for food again.
Ding Guo understood what it meant.
This needs to be rectified.
Ding Guo never went to the black market again and could not feel the tense atmosphere there.
Later, I heard from Li Shumei: "It's fine if it's a high price, but it's a way to buy it. Now I heard that I searched everywhere and couldn't buy it even if I wanted to pay a high price."
The share of commercial grain has not recovered yet, so everyone can only tighten their belts.
Throughout the summer, there were only a few light rains in the capital, but the rain stopped before the ground was even wet, let alone enough to water the crops.
But later Dazhu wrote to her again, saying that there had been a moderate rain and several light rains in his hometown, but the best time for irrigation of the corn seedlings had been missed.
Before this, due to the continued drought, the water in the nearest river had run dry, so irrigation of crops was still not ideal.
Although there will not be a total harvest in the autumn, there will still be a reduction in yield.
It was not until autumn that a heavy rain fell.
But it failed to save the reduced autumn grain production.
During this period, Ding Guo delivered food to each household several times like an ant moving house, lengthening the battle line and reducing the amount delivered each time, which did not attract the attention of others.
The black market, which had been rectified once, was dormant for a summer and then slowly became active again.
There is no shortage of brave people these days.
That day, Ding Guo passed by the alley where the mosquito was and saw the mosquito looking around at the intersection.
Ding Guo's mind also became active, and he was thinking about whether he should sell another batch of corn.
However, she still had to blend it, but she didn't have any corn bought from outside, and it was difficult to buy at this time, and the price was not cost-effective.
She bought it from the system mall.
Ding Guo started to negotiate with Haozi: "Haozi, do you have corn of lower quality and lower price?"
It's not that she wants to be a black marketeer, but the quality of the produce grown on the black soil in space is too good, and the grains are too uniform, so it has to be 'blended'.
In addition to consuming the stored food, you can also convert part of the internal consumption value into cash.
System: Its host's weird request comes again!
But there really isn’t any such thing. There’s no point asking your superiors. It’s impossible for a mall to damage its own brand.
In this case, Ding Guo can only cash in. She has compared the corn kernels in the mall and found that they are slightly inferior to those from the black soil. In appearance, they are more like the grains produced in this era, but they taste better than the grains grown outside.
The prices in the mall haven’t increased with the current environment…oh no, they’ve still increased by a penny.
But it's also worthwhile.
Before, after deducting the internal consumption value cost, the extra profit was not high, but now it is high profit.
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