Chapter 30 Come back.
The large-scale shopping spree of He Susu and her daughter naturally attracted the attention of the villagers in the car. When they got off the car at the entrance of the village and went home, people greeted them and asked, "Wow, you bought so many things?"
Although many people go to the county town to buy things for the New Year, the amount of things they buy depends on their family situation. Don't be greedy next year just to have a better New Year.
There are not many people like the He family at the village head who buy so many bags and bring back so many things.
He's mother just smiled and said, "Isn't it that the third child is coming back? The more people in the family, the more things we need to buy. It only comes once a year."
Everyone realized that the conditions of the He family in the village were better than most people. They had a son who was a soldier and sent him allowance every month. The labor force in the family also earned more centimeters. But this person had to feed one person, and more mouths meant more food.
Everyone talked and laughed about the matter a few times, and then forgot about it.
The He family was also surprised to see the full bag of New Year's goods, but Ke Rou and the younger ones counted the candies, knowing that they could eat them during the New Year's Day.
Even He's mother was surprised and happy when she found out her daughter brought back so much meat.
She originally thought that after giving each of her three daughters-in-law a pound of pork to bring back to her parents' home, there would be nothing left for her family. Who knew that her daughter was so capable that she actually brought back seven pounds of pork, leaving four pounds for herself. In addition, there were two pounds of mutton, two pounds of mutton shanks and a whole chicken.
Now we don’t have to worry about meat during the New Year.
Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were happy to see so much meat, and they were even happier when they learned that their mother-in-law planned to give each of them a pound of pork to take back to her parents' home.
Their natal family treats them well, and now that life is good at home, they often have meat to eat, and they occasionally miss their natal family. But the family can eat meat because of their sister-in-law's ability, not their own ability, and there is nothing they can do if they miss their natal family.
But this time the mother-in-law was generous. When she thought about being able to bring a pound of pork back to her parents' home on the second day of the New Year to supplement their income and make herself look good, the two of them were very happy and worked even harder on the tasks at hand.
When it’s cold, I put all the meat I bought into a bucket and sink it into the well to keep it in the fridge. It will be fine even after the New Year.
After preparing the New Year’s goods, we just wait for the New Year.
On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar year, He's mother got up in the morning and just muttered: "It's already the twenty-eighth day of the lunar year, and I don't know when the third child will come back."
When I was about to eat lunch at noon, I heard someone knocking on the door: "Mom and Dad, I'm back."
He's father and mother looked at each other, stood up and walked briskly to open the door: "The third child is back!"
When He's mother opened the door, she saw her son whom she hadn't seen for a whole year. He was dressed in an olive green military uniform, which made him look tall and straight, but his face looked a little thinner. She kept saying, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back, come in and prepare dinner."
Father He nodded: "As long as you come back safely."
He Lianzhou followed his parents into the house, carrying a bag on his back. "I came here by train this morning. When I got to the county town, I ran into my uncle who was attending a meeting there. When he saw me coming back, he enthusiastically offered to take me back to the village."
Of course, he couldn't let his elders take him back, so he rode his bicycle to bring his uncle back.
Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe heard the noise and came out to greet him: "Uncle is back."
He Susu was also happy to see the third brother: "Third brother, you are finally back. We have been thinking about you."
Several children have always loved their uncle who would buy them candies and cookies. Now they shouted enthusiastically: "Uncle, we miss you so much."
He Lianzhou looked at the familiar home, smiled and greeted his elder and second sisters-in-law, then looked at his younger sister and sighed, "My younger sister looks much more stable."
Several nephews and nieces gathered around him, and he smiled and touched their heads.
Mother He said, "Let's sit down and talk slowly later. You must be tired from the train ride. Go put down your package, wash your hands and get ready for dinner. The quilt in your room has been dried in the sun, and the quilt cover and bed sheets have just been washed and replaced. They are very clean."
He Lianzhou nodded, went back to his room to put his package, washed his hands by the well, and sat down at the dining table. He looked around and found that someone was missing: "Where are the eldest and second brothers?"
He's mother explained: "They thought it would be useless to stay at home in December, so they asked Xiuxiu to help them find a temporary job at the steel mill. They have to finish the job tomorrow before they can have a day off."
He Lianzhou nodded: "It's good to be able to work in a steel factory."
"Thanks to Chengli's help, it would be really hard to find a job otherwise." He's mother said, "Last time you helped me get a bicycle ticket and gave me money to buy a bicycle. It was much more convenient for Susu to ride to work every day. These days, the eldest brother and his family also ride bicycles to work."
He Lianzhou smiled and said, "As long as the bicycle is useful, it's fine. It just so happens that a comrade in the army has the ticket, so he gave it to me without asking for anything extra. Last time, you guys sent me some mushroom and meat sauce, so I gave him a bottle."
Mother He nodded: "As it should be, there is a future only if there is give and take. Let's eat first."
Lunch included steamed sweet potatoes, stir-fried pork slices with black fungus, and stir-fried pickled cabbage.
He Lianzhou looked at the many slices of meat in the fried pork slices with black fungus and thought that the food at home was not bad. He did not tell them in advance when he came back, and these were the normal meals at home. It seemed that what the letter said was right, and life at home was indeed good.
There was constant chatting at the dinner table, mostly He's mother asking about her third son's life in the past year. Occasionally He Susu would ask a few questions, and even He's father talked more than usual.
Faced with the concern of his family, He Lianzhou naturally answered them one by one with a smile.
After dinner, He Lianzhou asked his younger sister: "Little sister, how did you feel about working in the cinema a while ago? What are your plans for the future?"
He Susu said from her heart: "I felt good working in the cinema before. I never made mistakes in showing movies and collecting movie tickets, and I was also good at dealing with customers. I was only busy during those few hours, and the rest of the time was pretty free."
"Next, I'll wait until the spring to see if I can find a job I like. It doesn't matter if I can't find one. I often submit articles. Not long ago, two of the three articles I submitted were selected and published in magazines. I can earn royalties. I quite like this kind of life."
What He's father was most proud of was that his daughter's articles were published in newspapers and magazines. Thinking that the third child didn't know about this, he immediately went to the room and took out the newspapers and magazines he had collected and gave them to him: "These are all articles written by your sister."
He Lianzhou took it and started reading. After finishing, he couldn't help but sigh: "My little sister writes really well."
He signed up to join the army after finishing junior high school. Even if he had further education later, he went to the military academy to learn some combat strategies and knowledge. In terms of writing, he admits that he is not as good as my younger sister.
Moreover, the younger sister's expression was firm, and it was obvious that she had a clear plan for the future. He Lianzhou nodded: "It's OK as long as you know what to do next. As long as you are satisfied with your current life, that's good."
He Susu nodded: "That's right, thank you for your concern, Third Brother."
Seeing that the third child had finished chatting with his daughter, He's mother couldn't help but ask about his life: "You and your wife and children haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's go to the county town this afternoon to pick them up. A family must live together to be a family. I see that your mother-in-law takes good care of the eldest and second children. You should go to her house this afternoon and buy some more things to bring over."
He Lianzhou nodded: "I know, I'll go to the county town this afternoon. Don't worry, mother."
His wife had previously written to him about moving back to her parents' home with their two children. He Lianzhou supported it both for the convenience of work and to have someone to take care of the children.
He originally planned to go directly to the radio station to find his wife after getting off the train, but he met the enthusiastic uncle first, so he just went straight home.
He's mother urged him: "Go take a nap first, and then go after you wake up. It will be fine if you can catch the oxcart going to the county town."
He Lianzhou should be good.
After lunch, He Lianzhou asked his mother, "Mom, is there anything else you need to buy? I'll buy it later."
He's mother shook her head: "We have prepared the New Year's goods at home, we don't need anything, you can just buy things for your mother-in-law's family. By the way, I'll give you some money."
Having said that, he turned around and went back to his room to get it.
He Lianzhou hurriedly spoke up to stop her: "Mom, no need. I exchanged a lot of tickets with my comrades before I came back. It's enough."
The army would issue a fixed amount of tickets every month. Many single comrades in the dormitory would save up their money except for food and drink. Some would send it back home, and some would exchange it with others. For example, the comrades who were not going home for the New Year would exchange their tickets. He Lianzhou exchanged a lot with them.
He thought that he only went home once during the Chinese New Year, so he had to save up enough tickets to buy things for his wife, son, and family.
After saying hello to his parents, He Lianzhou went out and walked to the village entrance. He saw Uncle Dali smiling and calling people, and took out two cents to pay the fare.
Uncle Dali looked at him for a long time before recognizing him: "Oh, I remember now, you are He Yatou's third brother. You were a soldier in the army, right? You are finally back."
Knowing that He Yatou was referring to his younger sister, He Lianzhou smiled and said, "Yes, long time no see."
After getting in the car, the aunts recognized He Lianzhou and greeted him warmly. After all, in their eyes, being a soldier in the army and even an officer was a promising future.
He Lianzhou greeted them with a smile, but didn't say much because he was not familiar with them.
His cold attitude also made the aunts give up the desire to talk and turn to other topics.
Arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative, He Lianzhou went in and bought a lot of things. His mother was right. As a son-in-law, he rarely stayed at home with his wife, and he had never visited his mother-in-law. Moreover, his mother-in-law also helped take care of the two children, so he had to make up for the gift.
He bought a pound of brown sugar, a pound of jujube paste cake, a pack of Double Happiness, and a pound of white wine. When he passed by the clothing counter, he also bought a jujube red scarf.
He originally wanted to buy some things for his family, but it was not appropriate to carry all these to his mother-in-law's house, so He Lianzhou had to give up the idea and buy them next time.
He left the supply and marketing cooperative, walked all the way to his mother-in-law's house, and knocked on the door: "Mom, I'm He Lianzhou, are you home?"
A response came from inside soon, and Su's mother ran over to open the door: "Lianzhou, I calculated that you should be back soon, come in quickly."
"Mom, thank you for your hard work during this period." He Lianzhou walked in carrying something.
"Xiaoyu is busy at work, so it's my duty to help take care of the two children. It's not hard." Mother Su smiled and saw the things her son-in-law put on the table. "You kid, just come to my house. Why do you need to buy things for me? It's so strange."
He Lianzhou smiled and said, "As I should. I've been busy with military affairs for a year and only come here once. I thought of buying something for you and dad."
Dabao and Erbao, who were playing in their room, rushed out when they heard the noise. They were so happy to see their father coming back that they rushed over and hugged one of his legs and shouted, "Dad, you're finally back!"
He Lianzhou hadn't seen his two children for a long time. Even though his wife took them to a photo studio and had their photos taken and sent them to him a while ago, and they were still with him, he was still very happy.
He picked up one of his sons in each hand, looked at their fair and tender faces and said, "You have grown a little taller and a little fatter. Grandma has taken good care of you."
Dabao hugged his father's neck and nodded: "That's right, we eat a lot every day just to grow taller."
Erbao lay on his father's chest and acted like a spoiled child: "I want a hug from my father."
He Lianzhou obeyed and hugged his two sons tightly: "Dad will play with you for a while."
Dabao and Erbao smiled and said, "Then you have to keep your word."
He Lianzhou nodded and said solemnly: "Keep your word."
Su's mother was sitting nearby and saw this scene. She couldn't help but sigh that the child should be with his father. If her son-in-law could be promoted to a higher level, her daughter could take the child to join the army, and the whole family could live together.
Knowing that her son-in-law came to her house to show respect to her and her husband, and to take Xiaoyu and the two children home, Su's mother said after chatting for a while, "Lianzhou, Xiaoyu will be back from get off work at about six o'clock. I'll cook early and we can have dinner together before you go home."
"There are bicycles at home. You can ride them back. It's okay if you're late."
Having said that, He Lianzhou agreed without much thought.
Su Yu walked back home from get off work. Before she asked anyone to open the door, she heard the happy laughter of her two sons and a familiar voice inside.
Lianzhou is back!
Su Yu took the key and opened the door. She walked into the house and saw her husband, who had not been seen for a long time, was still so handsome. She was very emotional, but she still tried to control her emotions: "You are back?"
He Lianzhou was also excited to see his wife, with a smile on his face, and nodded: "Yes, I'm back. I just arrived at noon and came to pick you and the children up home."
Su Yu nodded, trying not to let the tears fall from her eyes: "Okay."
The things in the previous life seemed to have drifted away. Only the man in front of her was truly standing in front of her. Everything in the present was under her control. Su Yu showed the brightest smile since her rebirth.
Father Su got home from get off work early. Seeing his daughter and her husband looking at each other with such a sticky look in their eyes, he couldn't help but cough lightly to remind them that he was still there.
He Lianzhou and Su Yu seemed to come back to their senses. He Lianzhou sat back in his chair and talked to his father-in-law, while Su Yu went into the kitchen under the pretext of helping her mother.
Mother Su looked at her daughter's smile and said, "You look so happy. Are you really so happy that your son-in-law is back?"
There is nothing that cannot be confessed when chatting with mother. Su Yu nodded: "Of course, I haven't seen him for a long time."
Su's mother understood: "Then take advantage of the New Year to spend time together. This kind of affection is cultivated through time."
Su Yu nodded: "Mom, I know."
Su's mother said, "After dinner, your family will go back. Get along well with your mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and younger sisters-in-law. It's rare for your son-in-law to come back, so don't make him upset."
Su Yu nodded again: "I know, don't worry." She knew that her mother still remembered that she took the opportunity to quarrel with her mother-in-law last time.
Mother Su said, "It's rare for my son-in-law to come over. When I went out to buy groceries this afternoon, I also invited your eldest brother and his family to come over for dinner so that we can get together."
Fortunately, there was meat at home, so she went out to buy some vegetables. She fried fennel slices, scrambled eggs and pickled cabbage, and asked her son to buy another meat dish.
Brother Su worked in a food factory. When times were good he was allocated a house of 20 to 30 square meters. He simply moved in with his wife and children and only came back to visit his parents occasionally.
When the whole family came over, He Lianzhou greeted his brother-in-law with a smile and started chatting.
Mrs. Su carried the roast duck she bought from the state-owned restaurant into the kitchen and said, "Mom, we bought the roast duck you asked us to buy. It's still hot and we can eat it right away."
Otherwise, how can we say that the mother-in-law loves her daughter? As soon as the son-in-law came to the house, she invited him to eat and told her husband to go to the state-owned restaurant to buy a meat dish to show her face. Fortunately, the family conditions are good, both of them are working, and the father-in-law has a job and occasionally gives him some subsidies, so she didn't care too much.
Su's mother was happy to see the roast duck: "I didn't expect the supply from the state-owned restaurant to be so good today." She took the roast duck from the lunch box into the plate and told her daughter-in-law to take it out.
Dinner started, and the family chatted while eating, which made the atmosphere quite lively.
Dabao, Erbao and Big Brother Su's two children were particularly fond of the roast duck. They picked up some and put it in their bowls and kept eating it.
After dinner, Mrs. Su went into the kitchen to wash up. They sat for a while, and He Lianzhou took the initiative to say goodbye when he saw that it was getting late.
After dinner, Su Yu went back to her room to pack clothes for herself and her two children. There were quite a lot of winter clothes, so she packed them into two packages. Now they were all packed and ready to go.
Su's mother, Su's father, and eldest brother Su's family stood up and saw them out: "Come to our house often when you have time."
He Lianzhou smiled and nodded in agreement: "Then Dad and Mom, we'll leave first. See you later, brother and sister-in-law."
Su Yu and the two children waved goodbye.
On the way, He Lianzhou rode a bicycle with his wife, Dabao sat on the horizontal bar in front, and Erbao was held by Su Yu. Fortunately, He Lianzhou was good at martial arts and had enough strength and balance to ride the bicycle steadily.
Riding on the evening breeze, Dabao and Erbao were obviously in a good mood, and said leisurely: "Let's go home."
He Lianzhou and Su Yu couldn't help but smile.
As soon as they got home, the He family naturally became lively. Mother He held the first and second babies in her arms for a while, and then took turns to take a bath.
He Susu had finished washing up and was already in her room, but she came out and greeted her third brother and his wife.
She secretly felt lucky that her family had already bought the New Year's goods, and she brought the meat back under the pretext of being a classmate. At least she wouldn't have to worry during the New Year period.
After a while, He Susu returned to her room and prepared to sleep. Before going to bed, she habitually checked the shopping system. Maybe it was because the New Year was approaching, a lot of food appeared, and it was cooked food.
There were fermented bean curd fried chicken legs, crispy pork, pork jerky... I don't know if the shopping system did it on purpose, but it added pictures to the detailed description, which made He Susu drool late at night.
She barely managed to hold back, as it was impossible to take these out and bring them home. She could exchange them and put them in the storage compartment, and occasionally she would run out to the back of the mountain to find a deserted place to satisfy her cravings, and then come back after secretly eating.
After spending 1 diligence point to exchange for two fermented bean curd fried chicken legs and putting them in the storage compartment, He Susu resisted the temptation, closed the shopping system, closed her eyes, tried to forget those tempting pictures, and fell asleep.
He Lianzhou was happy to see his elder and second brothers when he came back. They chatted a lot and he was the last one to go back to the room after taking a shower.
Dabao and Erbao had already fallen asleep. Su Yu was also lying on the bed, ready to go to sleep. When she saw her husband coming back, she said, "You're back?"
"Well, you've worked hard too." He Lianzhou said. The bed was big enough for a couple and two children, so he slept on the outermost side.
Because of her previous life, Su Yu had not been with her husband for a long time. When she smelled the familiar scent of soapberries, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous and shy.
He Lianzhou thought for a moment and said, "You still have to go to work in the next few days. It's a bit troublesome to live here and go to work. I'll take you to work tomorrow morning and then return the bicycle to mom. My eldest brother and second brother will rest after work tomorrow, and I'll ride our family car to pick you up and drop you off at get off work."
Su Yu only found out after she came back that her uncle and second uncle had been working as temporary workers in the steel factory. These changes had never happened in her previous life. She just thought they were changes caused by her rebirth.
She was satisfied with her husband's thoughtfulness. He picked her up from get off work and allowed them to spend more time together. Su Yu naturally agreed with a smile.
The couple chatted for a while, and the unfamiliarity accumulated due to separation gradually dissipated, they became closer, and then fell asleep.
The next morning, Su Yu woke up at the same time as usual. Her husband had already gotten up, and the two children were still sleeping. She didn't have to worry because someone was taking care of her at her husband's house, so she got up and washed up.
The other people in the family got up earlier. The eldest sister-in-law was already preparing breakfast in the kitchen, so Su Yu could have breakfast after she finished washing up.
Mother Su scooped a bowl of mutton bone soup for each person: "It's cold in the morning, drink a bowl of soup to warm yourself up, and the soup made from mutton bones is also nutritious. Now the eldest, second and third sons' wives have to go to work, so these three mutton bones are for you."
Su Yu was surprised. She didn't expect that her husband's family could buy such a good thing as lamb shank bones, and they cooked soup for the whole family early in the morning. Three lamb shank bones were used for a pot of soup, and her mother-in-law even gave her a fair share even though she had to work.
She secretly glanced at the reactions of her elder and second sisters-in-law and saw that they had already picked up their bowls and were drinking the soup with great enjoyment. It was obviously not their first time.
Su Yu looked at her mother-in-law and thanked her: "Thank you, mother. Drinking a bowl of this soup in the morning gives me energy for the whole day at work."
"I'm glad you like it, eat it quickly." He's mother smiled. This was the first time she cooked the lamb shanks after buying them last time. Thinking that it was rare for the third son and his wife to come back, and the first and second sons had to go to work, she simply cooked it first.
Of course, my daughter’s bowl of mutton soup was being warmed in the pot in the kitchen.
He Lianzhou also didn't expect that he could buy lamb shanks at home. No wonder his mother said yesterday that they had everything at home. He drank the hot soup and seemed to be able to smell the delicious lamb meat, and his whole body warmed up.
Su Yu really ate the mutton on the mutton shank bones, which was cooked soft, tender, and sweet. He ate it in his mouth at once. After eating the mutton, he drank a bowl of mutton soup, which was really comfortable.
After breakfast, Brother He rode his own bicycle to take his second brother to work at the steel plant, while He Lianzhou rode his mother-in-law's bicycle to take his wife to work.
He Susu slept until she woke up naturally as usual. When she finished washing up, her mother had already reheated her breakfast. She had breakfast with Dabao and Erbao.
It was really a treat to have a bowl of mutton soup early in the morning. After having breakfast and killing some time, He Susu was thinking about the fried chicken legs with fermented bean curd in the storage compartment. She made up an excuse, avoided a group of nephews and nieces who were trying to follow her, and went out to the back mountain.
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