Chapter 86 April.
After He Susu sent out the 20,000-word manuscript, she took a few days to rest.
She has always been like this. She will not start writing the subsequent plot before receiving confirmation from the magazine, otherwise if the magazine does not accept her manuscript, her writing will be in vain.
Of course, with her current writing style and storytelling ability, basically all the manuscripts she submits will be accepted by the magazine. She is just trying to find a legitimate reason to give herself a vacation.
She would bring some rice dumplings at home, drink tea and chat with her mother when she had nothing to do, and occasionally go out for a walk in the staff quarters to talk to Mrs. Wu and the others, which was quite interesting.
After the spring, the lush trees planted in the family compound grew well, with tender green leaves growing on the thick branches, looking full of spring. The wives of the soldiers in their private plots all turned the soil and tended to it, sowing new vegetable seeds and waiting for the vegetables to grow and grow.
We've been eating pickled vegetables all winter and everyone is tired of them.
The same goes for He Susu. She no longer wants to eat pickled cabbage and pickled radish.
Cheng Shi took time to turn over the vegetable garden at home, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh soil during those days.
Just like last year, he divided the vegetable patch into several areas and scattered different vegetable seeds in each area, so that he could have different vegetables to eat in rotation when they were ripe.
With He's mother around, she took over the daily watering job and he felt a little more relaxed.
When she arrived at the county town, He Susu saw that the grocery store already had green vegetables, so she bought some to improve her taste. If there was a vegetable she particularly wanted to eat that was not available at the grocery store, she could also redeem it through the shopping system and take it home to try.
You know what, adding a dish of green leafy vegetables to the dinner table at home makes people hungry just by looking at it, and they actually eat a little more than usual.
About five or six days later, He Susu received a reply from the magazine. She took the reply from the mailroom home and opened it to read.
In the letter, the editor said excitedly that he had finally waited for her submission. The new story was very creative and readable, which would attract readers and was recognized by everyone in the editorial team. This time, the fee was six yuan per thousand words, and a remittance notice for one hundred and twenty yuan was attached to the letter.
He Susu smiled happily. She was quite surprised that she could get the highest royalties for the story she wrote this time.
Perhaps, as the editor said in the letter, this time the story is creative and readable, and her writing style has not become dull due to the two-month break, but has become more refined. But it may also be because she has not submitted any work for two months, and submissions this time are a bit rare, so the editor gave her a fee of six yuan per thousand words in an attempt to attract her to continue writing and submitting.
No matter what, it was a happy thing to make more money. She put the remittance notice away and exchanged it for cash when she returned to the county town.
He Susu told her mother the good news, and her mother was also happy and said, "My daughter is really talented. Who else can make so much money just by writing articles at home like you do?"
She was convinced once again that gritting her teeth and sending her daughter to school and supporting her until she graduated from high school was the most correct thing she had done in her life.
He Susu replied bluntly, "That's right, but it's also because I got a good idea this time and the story is more innovative, so I gave him a higher fee. My income will be stable for the next period of time."
He's mother smiled and said, "It's already pretty good. Look at how much the factory workers make in a month. You have nothing to do at home."
"That's true." He Susu replied.
Tangyuan, lying in the crib, also cried out at the right time, as if he knew that something happy had happened to his mother and was happy for her.
He Susu heard him calling and walked over, stretched out her hand and shook his little hand: "Our Tangyuan is really good, you are also happy to hear about mother's happy news, right?"
Tang Yuan: “Ahhh.”
He Susu started talking to the ignorant Tangyuan.
He's mother stood by and watched and laughed, not saying anything that the child could not understand. She just let her daughter talk to her son if she wanted to.
When Cheng Shi came back from training, He Susu told him the good news.
Cheng Shi was delighted to hear this: "I said that your story this time was well written. I am eager to read the next story after reading it, not to mention the readers. It is right for the magazine to increase your royalties, for fear that such an excellent author like you will run away to other publications."
He Susu laughed even more happily after hearing what he said: "You'd better not praise me too much. If you keep on talking, I'll get carried away."
Cheng Shi said seriously: "It doesn't matter if you float up, I'll always be there to support you."
Thinking of what he said, He Susu decided to keep this matter in mind for the time being.
Ever since she submitted her manuscripts to this magazine that collects long stories, she would send them directly after writing new stories, and she really didn't pay any attention to other magazines.
The mailroom can only mail simple communications. When she returns to the county town, she will have to go to the post office to check on the manuscript receipt status of other magazines.
But I'll have to wait until I get back to the county town before I can talk about this. For now I have to continue writing the manuscript.
He Susu did the same as before. After waking up in the afternoon, she drank a glass of water, went into her room, sat at her desk and started writing.
This is at the early stage of creation. As a long story, 20,000 words are just the beginning, showing the prologue of the story. There are still many plots that need to be laid out. She has a strong passion for creation and writes the manuscript quickly, so there is no jamming.
Sometimes she was full of energy and her thoughts flowed smoothly, so she could write a 3,000-word manuscript in an afternoon. She could finish the 5,000-word manuscript required by the magazine in two afternoons, leaving her with free time for the rest of the day.
Tang Yuan was probably used to not seeing his mother for a while, and he would either sleep soundly or wake up and yell at his grandmother. The wind chimes could no longer attract him, so He's mother simply used the hand-cranked rattle her daughter bought to attract the child's attention.
Tangyuan was very interested in this new toy, especially when He's mother shook it this way and that way. Tangyuan barely turned his little head to look here and there, giggling.
He's mother was relieved to see that she had coaxed him into submission. At least she didn't disturb her daughter from writing in her room.
Tangyuan is an easy kid to take care of. After shaking the rattle for a long time, He's mother put it aside when she got tired. He didn't cry or make a fuss and force her to continue shaking it. He just pouted his lips and looked unhappy, and then laughed again after a while.
"I don't know what you are laughing at."
He's mother shook her head with amusement and simply went to get a broom to sweep the house.
It’s great to have this crib. Tangyuan is happy as long as he can hear some noise while lying in it. He lies there obediently and doesn’t delay his mother’s work at all.
When He Susu finished writing the manuscript and came out to take Tangyuan for a walk, the kid smiled even more happily.
Thinking that the child had never been out of the house since he was born, and at most just basked in the sun in the yard, the weather had become much warmer since the beginning of spring, and the clothes Tangyuan wore were thick enough, He Susu simply said hello to her mother and took Tangyuan out for a walk.
She didn't go far, just walked around the residential area.
Tangyuan's eyes were round and bright. He seemed to find everything new and novel about the surroundings. He looked here and there, raised his little hands and pointed here and there unconsciously, calling out "ah ah ah".
He Susu also patiently explained what he pointed to in a soft voice: "This is a big tree. Look, it has grown so tall that it can provide shade when the sun comes out. This is a cement road. We feel very safe walking on it. This is a house, where people live. Our house is like this too..."
She didn't care whether Tangyuan could understand what was said or not, and treated Tangyuan like an older child.
Tang Yuan's whole process was: "Ahhh."
We met some military wives on the road and we greeted them with a smile.
"Susu, long time no see. You've taken such good care of your child. He's so chubby and fair, and looks so blessed."
"Thank you for the compliment, sister-in-law. He should be fairer and tenderer."
"Susu, this baby is about three months old, his little eyes are so bright and cute."
"It's been more than three months. I'm smiling at you because I see you're happy."
"Susu, why don't you take the child out for a walk? Children need to be taken out for a walk more often. The more they see, the more they will become sensible."
"Yes, sister-in-law, I thought that now that the weather is warmer and the baby is three months old, I should take him out for a walk."
When she met her sisters-in-law who took the initiative to say hello, He Susu smiled and chatted with them. The little Tangyuan in her arms was very cooperative. She was not afraid of so many strangers. She looked at them with curious eyes and smiled at them when she was happy.
Of course, the little guy also has his own requests. At home, he likes to be touched and kissed by his parents and grandma. Now some sisters-in-law enthusiastically reached out to touch his face. Tangyuan immediately turned his little head to avoid the other's hand and buried his head in his mother's shoulder.
Seeing this, He Susu smiled and said, "Tangyuan may be a little shy, sister-in-law, I'm sorry."
The other party was not angry, and kept saying that the child was cute and smart, and more sensible than an ordinary child of more than three months old.
After taking Tangyuan for a walk around the residential quarters, He Susu went straight home.
He's mother was preparing dinner in the kitchen. She heard the noise and came out: "How was your walk? Did Tangyuan make any noise?"
She was worried that Tangyuan had never been out of the house and would easily make a fuss outside, after all, it was an unfamiliar environment for the child. She had advised her daughter to take the child out just now, fearing that the child would be frightened by the wind and catch a cold, but she had no choice but to tell her daughter.
He Susu smiled and said, "No, Tangyuan is very happy. When he meets some sisters-in-law and chats with them, he will smile at them."
Seeing that Tangyuan was in good spirits, He's mother was relieved and said, "You can take Tangyuan out for a walk if you want, but don't be away for so long next time."
He Susu smiled and agreed.
By April, the peach blossoms in the yard are in full bloom again. They are particularly beautiful in pink and tender color. The faint fragrance of flowers floats in the air, bringing the unique scent of spring.
Tangyuan’s favorite thing was to look at flowers. Every time He Susu held him in her arms to bask in the sun in the yard, the child would point at the peach tree and lean forward, indicating that he wanted to go over there.
He Susu also cooperated with him and walked under the tree to let him look at the peach blossoms. The child even wanted to reach out to touch the peach blossoms, but his small hand was helpless as the peach blossoms were hanging high on the branches and he couldn't reach them. He was so anxious that he wanted to cry.
But He Susu would not spoil him. What if peach petals fell into the hands of this child and he stuffed them into his mouth and ate them without paying attention?
Children are all smart, even a five-month-old baby is like this. When there are adults paying attention to them, they will be happy and like to point here and there. When there are no adults paying attention to them, they will lie in bed and look at the mosquito net obediently.
After crying for a while and seeing that his mother did not help him pick peach blossoms, Tangyuan slowly stopped sobbing. Only tears hung from the corners of his eyes, and he looked like he was bullied.
He Susu wanted to carry him away, but he was not happy and kept pointing at the peach tree.
Okay, seeing how pitiful he looked, He Susu reluctantly held him and looked at the peach blossoms for a while before going back to the house. She also specifically told her mother not to pick peach blossoms for him when she held Tangyuan in the yard.
It is said that children only grow teeth at six months old. After teeth grow, they tend to have itchy teeth and like to put things in their mouths to grind their teeth. Tangyuan, who is only five months old, already has this tendency. We have to be careful.
He's mother wrote down: "Don't worry, I will definitely not give Tangyuan these flowers and grasses. They look beautiful but they are so dirty in your hands."
He Susu was relieved.
There was also good news in April: He Lianzhou was promoted to deputy battalion commander.
He had been on many missions this year, and the most recent one was to lead his company of soldiers to capture a kidnapping gang that had fled to the next county. The leader of the gang had committed a serious crime of slaughtering families in rural areas. When he was captured, he rescued more than a dozen kidnapped children. With his previous military merits and the successful completion of this mission, he was promoted to deputy battalion commander.
It happened to be a day off, so he invited his mother and younger sister's family to his house for dinner in the evening to celebrate in private.
He's mother was very happy to hear the news that her third son was promoted. Who doesn't hope that their son will have a bright future? When going on a mission in the army, you have to put your head on the line. You never know what might happen. You have to spend days in such dangerous times, so naturally you hope that he can make some progress.
Not to mention in the Qinghe Production Team, even in the entire commune or even in the nearby communes, there was no one who could become a deputy battalion commander like the third brother. He was the first one.
Besides, the son-in-law is now the deputy regiment commander. Although the third son is far inferior to him, it is always good for him to be promoted to deputy battalion commander. He is the one who supports his daughter.
He's mother smiled widely: "This is great news! Third brother, you have become the battalion commander. Your father will definitely be happy if he knows this news."
To say something that is not easy to say now, it is really a great honor to be here.
He Susu was also happy for her third brother: "Third brother, congratulations, you are now the deputy battalion commander."
He Lianzhou smiled and said, "Thank you, little sister. Don't worry, mother. I will go to the mail room to send a telegram to tell my father the good news."
He had already been happy with Xiaoyu at home before coming to his younger sister to tell her the good news.
He Lianzhou still remembered why he came here: "Mom, little sister, remember to come over for dinner in the evening."
He's mother looked at her daughter, and He Susu smiled and agreed: "Okay, we'll wait for Cheng Shi to come in the evening and then go to your place together. The glutinous rice balls have never been out of your place, so it's a good opportunity to take him to get to know his uncle's house."
He Lianzhou smiled when he heard this: "Then I have to clean up the house when I get home to leave a good impression on Tangyuan, so that he will be happy to come to my house to play in the future."
Knowing that he was just trying to be funny, He Susu said, "Don't worry, my uncle's glutinous rice balls definitely don't dislike them and they love them."
He Lianzhou didn't say much, just said hello and went to the mail room to send a telegram. As the old saying goes, returning home in glory, although he hasn't reached that level yet, but if he told his father about his promotion to deputy battalion commander, his father would definitely be happy.
Seeing the third child leave, He's mother came to her senses and said, "Do you really want to bring Tangyuan over tonight? This child has never been out of another family."
He Susu nodded: "Tangyuan is five months old now. I take him for a walk around our family compound every other day. He is not afraid of strangers when he meets a lot of people. It's fine for him to go to Third Brother's house for a meal."
There is an old saying that children don't have the habit of visiting other people's homes when they are young. Although she would occasionally go out with Tangyuan in her arms and occasionally run into Mrs. Shao or Mrs. Wu, she would just say hello and say a few words, and never take him to other people's homes. But Tangyuan is already five months old, and he is going to his brother and sister-in-law's house, so there should be nothing wrong.
Hearing her daughter say this, He's mother felt relieved: "Okay, then let's go to your brother's house to eat tonight. I'll prepare a diaper to take with me when I go out, in case Tangyuan wets himself and has no diaper to change."
He Susu nodded: "By the way, prepare the bottle and put some hot water in it, so that Tangyuan can drink water if he is thirsty later."
In addition to feeding the child, they also fill the bottle with water and let Tangyuan drink some from time to time. When he is older, they can add some complementary food to him.
It’s not surprising that it’s more troublesome to go out with a child. You have to bring diapers and bottles when going to a place that’s only five or six minutes away from a meal. And if you want to go somewhere far, you don’t know how much stuff you have to bring.
Calculating the time when Cheng Shi would come back from training, He Susu first fed Tang Yuan who was awake, so that he could have a full dinner first, and he would not be hungry when he arrived at his brother and sister-in-law's place, which was not so convenient. Fortunately, it was customary for adults to feed Tang Yuan before dinner, and the child smelled the rations and leaned over to suck them, eating them deliciously.
After He Susu finished feeding Tangyuan and cleaned up, Cheng Shi came back.
He's mother saw her son-in-law coming back to the living room and said with a smile, "The third son just came over and said that he has been promoted to deputy battalion commander, and asked us to go to his house for dinner tonight. Let's pack up and go over."
Cheng Shi was just off training when he heard the news in the army and was very happy. He walked back and thought about telling his wife and mother-in-law to celebrate. Unexpectedly, they knew it first. He smiled and said, "I just heard the good news too. Congratulations, mother."
Mother He smiled and responded: "Thank you very much, I am really happy to hear that."
He Susu came out holding Tangyuan and took out a baby sling to use for the child: "You're back. We'll go to my brother's house for dinner later."
Cheng Shiying said: "I'm sweating all over, so I'll take a shower and then go over. It will be quick."
Tangyuan was very happy to see his father. He waved his arms and wanted to rush over to be hugged by his father.
Cheng Shi was sweating all over, so how could he dare to hug him? "Be good, Dad will hug you later."
He Susu nodded: "Go take a shower, we'll wait for you."
When they went out, Cheng Shi was holding Tangyuan in his arms. The baby sling he took out was not used and was put back by He Susu. The whole family went out.
When I met someone I knew on the road, I asked with a smile: "Are you out for a walk as a family?"
He Susu smiled and agreed: "Let's go to my brother's place for dinner."
The other party smiled and said, "That's great. Both the brother and sister's families are in our family compound. We can get together whenever we want."
He Susu responded with a smile.
When they arrived at Building No. 3 in the second family quarters, the family went up to the third floor and knocked on the door.
Dabao and Erbao heard the noise and came over to open the door, shouting happily, "Hello, grandma, aunt, and uncle, you are finally here."
Then he gave all his attention to Tang Yuan and greeted him with the brightest smile, "Brother, do you still remember us? This is your first time to our house, come in."
Cheng Shi walked into the house with Tangyuan in his arms with a smile on his face. After greeting He Lianzhou and congratulating him, he sat down so that Dabao and Erbao could talk to Tangyuan.
Dabao and Erbao are very enthusiastic about their younger brother. Even though Tangyuan can only respond with "ah ah ah", they can still chatter non-stop.
There was no other way. The eldest child had to go to school regularly, and the second child no longer went there every day since my aunt gave birth. My mother said that he would go to elementary school in September, so she took him to school first to help him adapt to the future school days. They could only go to my aunt's house to see his younger brother on Sundays, and they had a lot of things they wanted to say to his younger brother.
After Tangyuan had eaten and drunk his fill, he looked around curiously at the new environment. He saw that there were familiar people around him, especially the two cute people in front of him who were talking to him. He also responded with "ah ah ah" and did not feel uncomfortable at all.
He Susu felt relieved upon seeing this, and went into the kitchen with a smile, thinking of helping her sister-in-law.
Su Yu was almost done preparing dinner. When her mother-in-law came over, she came in to help immediately. When her sister-in-law came in, there was no room for her. "Little sister, there is not enough space for three people in the kitchen. You should sit outside."
He Susu didn't give up and asked, "Sister-in-law, is there really nothing I can help you with?"
Su Yu shook her head: "My meal is almost ready, we can eat soon."
He Susu said: "Then I will help to heat the dishes and chopsticks."
She had lived here before and was very familiar with everything in the kitchen. Seeing that there was hot water in the kettle, she quickly counted the number of people and took out the bowls and chopsticks to blanch them in hot water, and then took out the bowls filled with 80% white rice and placed them on the dining table.
After finishing her work, He Susu took the opportunity to call up the shopping system screen and saw that the diligence value column had increased by 1 point. She smiled with satisfaction.
There aren't many projects that can earn her diligence points. When she was pregnant, Cheng Shi always helped her wash clothes. Even when she was able to wash clothes by herself after the confinement period, Cheng Shi took over the task and said that he was used to it and it was an easy thing to do.
To be honest, He Susu didn't like doing laundry, so she simply gave it to Cheng Shi to do, and thus missed the opportunity to earn 1 diligence point every day.
In addition to the hard work points she received after writing an article and submitting it for acceptance, she could only occasionally go into the kitchen to help her mother prepare food and earn 1 hard work point. But most of the time, her mother would say that the kitchen work was just a small task and she could finish it in a short time, so she didn't need her daughter's help.
Fortunately, taking care of Tangyuan, such as changing his diapers, feeding him, and playing with him, can also earn hard work points. After all, this is also work, and a lazy mother would not do these things. It’s just that the shopping system has restrictions. These things can only earn hard work points once a day, not unlimited.
Otherwise, He Susu would have become rich overnight.
After putting away the shopping system screen, He Susu called on the people in the living room to prepare for dinner. Su Yu and He's mother also brought out the prepared meat dishes.
The whole family sat around the dinner table. They took teacups and filled them with tea and placed them in front of everyone except the eldest and second babies. Tangyuan, the little one who couldn't sit at the table for the time being, was taken to the eldest and second babies' room and laid on the bed. The lights were on in the room, and they were not afraid because the child couldn't roll over yet.
Cheng Shi and He Susu looked at each other, raised their teacups together and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Third Brother for being promoted to deputy battalion commander. Let's toast to him."
He Lianzhou smiled and raised his teacup: "Thank you, I won't say anything else, I'll drink the tea first."
Cheng Shi and He Susu smiled and drank the full cup of tea.
He's mother also smiled and raised her teacup: "Third brother, I'll toast with you too. I'm so happy to hear that you've been promoted to battalion commander. I'm happy for you, too."
He Lianzhou raised his teacup again: "Thank you, mother. I'm sorry for worrying about me. I toast to you." Then he drank the tea.
Su Yu watched with a smile, liking such moments very much, which had never happened in his previous life. Lian Zhou had not been promoted since he became the company commander, until his family and he were dragged down by the revenge of his aunt's love for the educated youth, and finally he remained in the position of company commander.
Now everything is different, everything is moving in a good direction.
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