Finally, on the fourth day after they got their marriage certificate, Brother Lu and his family arrived. He Yuping pushed Lu Zhiheng to the train station to pick them up.
Old Man He was waiting outside the station in his donkey cart. It was a 40-minute walk from their house to the train station, and Old Man He was driving the donkey cart to help them carry their luggage.
As soon as Lu Qingfeng got off the train, he saw his uncle in a wheelchair and his sister pulled him toward him.
"Uncle, didn't you say you could walk by yourself? Why do you still need Auntie to push you? Why didn't Uncle's pretty sister come? Uncle, is Uncle's pretty sister your daughter now?" Lu Qingyue ran to her uncle's side, tugged at his sleeve, and kept asking questions.
The little girl's voice was clear and crisp, standing out loudly in the bustling train station.
Wu Meifang hurried over and looked at her brother-in-law, who was in excellent spirits. She was very happy and looked at He Yuping with even more joy.
"Sister-in-law, we'll have to trouble you to come and pick us up. Let's go back first and talk about it when we get back."
"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? We're all family, no need to be so polite. Sister-in-law, come this way, my father is waiting outside. Put the luggage in the car first. Thank you for your hard work on this journey, brother and sister-in-law." He Yuping wanted to come over to help with the luggage, but Wu Meifang dodged her. How could she not be able to lift such a small amount of stuff?
This time, her brother-in-law was getting married, and she emptied the family's coffers, taking out all the fabric ration coupons to exchange for a lot of small floral fabrics that women could wear.
The group put the packages on Old Man He's donkey cart, and the children were all herded onto the cart. Lu Zhining and his wife accompanied Lu Zhiheng and his wife on foot back home.
He Caiwei knew their afternoon train was early, so after class this afternoon, she told the principal and came straight back.
When I got home, I found that even my grandfather wasn't there, so I went straight to the corner of the yard to pick vegetables. Since we had guests, I had to make a more substantial dinner.
I took out a piece of cured pork and a large pig's trotter from my own space. I'll stir-fry the cured pork with green beans and braise the pig's trotter. People here love to braise pig's head and trotters with braising spices. I also picked two tomatoes so I can make tomato and egg soup later.
Now that no one is making roast meats outside anymore, she had no choice but to take a whole chicken from her own space to make poached chicken, a cabbage soup, and a cucumber salad. Looking at it, she felt it was still a bit too little, so she took a fish from her own space to steam and two pounds of prawns to boil. Just as He Caiwei brought the last dish to the table and was about to go back to her room to change her clothes, she heard the sound of the door opening outside, so she quickly hurried to finish.
Although there are no longer any shops openly operating, some people still run businesses with acquaintances through the back door of their homes.
So, items like chicken, eggs, and seafood can still be bought from familiar households, or you can barter with other goods. The most popular items are grains and meat.
"It smells so good, sister-in-law, who's cooking at home? It's not Xiaowei, is it?" As soon as Wu Meifang entered the yard, she smelled the strong aroma of braised meat, and her whole body perked up.
"It must be Weiwei who's back. Sister-in-law, put down your luggage first, wash your hands and have dinner." As soon as He Yuping smelled the food, she knew it was her daughter who had cooked it. She quickly told her to wash her hands and eat. After sitting on the train for several days, she must be hungry and tired. The food on the train was expensive and not very tasty.
"Pretty sister, I'm here! Pretty sister, you're so amazing! You can even cook!" Lu Qingyue was stunned when she saw the huge table of food. How could there be so much?
"Hello, Qingyue, Uncle, Aunt, you must be tired from your journey. Please wash your hands and have a meal. My mother has already prepared the room. Eat first and then rest." He Caiwei had just heard the sound of the door opening in the room, so she quickly changed her clothes before coming out. She had been cooped up in the kitchen all afternoon and was covered in the smell of braised food, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. So she only went back to change her clothes after serving the last dish.
"Sweetie, did you make all of this? How did you make so much? You must have worked so hard, Weiwei. Here, this is a red envelope from your uncle and aunt, please accept it." Wu Meifang's eyes crinkled with laughter as she looked at the table full of delicious-looking dishes. She quickly pulled out a large red envelope and a small cloth bag from the inside pocket of her clothes, which she had prepared at home before getting on the bus.
Just before she was about to get off the bus, she took it out and put it on her person, so that she could give it as a gift when she arrived.
He Caiwei looked at her mother, then at her new stepfather, and when they both nodded in agreement, she accepted the gifts and red envelope from her aunt.
He Yuping also prepared red envelopes and gifts for the three siblings. She gave each of the two boys a fountain pen and a red envelope, and gave the little girl a set of cheongsams she made herself and a set of princess dresses that are currently popular. She also gave her a separate red envelope.
Lu Qingyue was so happy to receive the little dress that she lost her appetite and immediately wanted to change into it, but her mother's words immediately dampened her spirits.
Wu Meifang told her that she hadn't showered for four days, and even the nicest clothes smelled like pickled cabbage on her.
The little girl was stunned for a moment and wanted to burst into tears, but when she saw the pretty older sister smiling at her, she had to hold back her tears.
Reluctantly putting down the two beautiful dresses, she followed him to wash her hands, turning back every few steps, in preparation for dinner.
The delicious meal healed her heart, which had just been hurt by her mother. Wu Meifang praised Weiwei so much that she ran out of words, and kept repeating the same sentence: whoever marries Weiwei in the future will be blessed.
Lu Zhining picked up his wine glass, stood up, and bowed to Old Man He: "Thank you, Uncle, for not looking down on my brother. I am really happy to hear that Comrade He is willing to marry him despite his leg problems. Uncle, from now on you are my uncle. If my brother does anything wrong, you can punish him without hesitation. I will support you 100%."
“They’re all good kids, there’s no question of whether they’re picky or not. Come, sit down, from now on we’re family. This old man just hopes they can live a happy and harmonious life together.” Old Man He raised his small glass of wine and clinked it with Lu Zhining’s, then drank it all in one gulp.
After so long, finally someone can have a drink with him. His son-in-law's injuries haven't healed yet, so he can't drink alcohol. Every day, the old man can only hold a small wine glass and drink a small cup by himself.
He felt lonely and isolated holding the cup, and just when he thought he could drink a few more cups, his granddaughter took the cup away.
There was no other way but to channel my frustration into my appetite, and I devoured pig's trotters with incredible speed.
After dinner, He Caiwei, with her little tagalong, returned to her own yard. The adorable little girl was determined to sleep with her pretty older sister tonight.
There was no other way, so He Caiwei brought her back, helped the little girl into her own bathroom, gave her a bath, and then gave the little girl a nightgown that she had outgrown.
Seeing the exquisite nightgown, the little girl was captivated again. Perhaps she was tired from the long train ride, for she fell fast asleep and even started snoring shortly after lying down, which made He Caiwei laugh.
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