◎Third update◎
In the winter when the wind and snow were blowing, Shanshan also put on the small cotton jacket made by her great-grandmother, a thick cotton jacket with a gray-blue satin surface, stuffed with new cotton bought with the family's cotton coupons this year, so it was warm to wear.
The buttons of the cotton padded jacket were made of plum blossom pattern buttons, and Xu Shengjie was buttoning them up one by one for the child, and the little ball instantly turned into a little dumpling.
"Xiaoya, take Shanshan's hat and put it on." Liang Baozhen asked Cheng Caili to keep a new children's tiger-head hat from the supply and marketing cooperative a few days ago. Her daughter Chuchu also bought one. It is warm and cute.
"good."
After getting dressed, the family sat around the table to eat breakfast. Xu Shengwei closed the door to block out the wind and snow outside.
Each person had a bowl of fried liver and a few buns. As the Chinese New Year was approaching, even the breakfast on the table was much richer. Early in the morning, Liang Baozhen paid for Xu Shengwei to run errands to buy breakfast.
Shanshan's breakfast is millet porridge with an egg yolk.
Xu Shengjie peeled the egg shell for the child, broke the egg white directly, and took out a complete egg yolk. Shanshan had eaten egg yolks for some time, and she recognized that this yellow, round thing was delicious.
The yolk hasn't even arrived yet, but his hands are already fluttering and he's making babbling sounds.
"Come, let me feed you." After Xu Shengjie and his family finished their breakfast, he held his daughter in his arms and fed her.
Liang Baozhen then packed up and prepared to start.
"The newspaper has arrived." Sun Zhiqiang shouted at the gate of the compound. Someone in the compound had subscribed to a newspaper, and every morning the postman would deliver it to the newspaper box on the wall of the compound.
Xu Shengjie is one of them. He buys a newspaper every day, each copy costs five cents. He started to develop the habit of reading newspaper this year. He always likes to read the newspaper for a while after breakfast before leaving.
Of course, the main reason was to get up early and clean up with his wife and have breakfast. Liang Baozhen was now the first one to get up in the family, and Xu Shengjie got up with her. Of course, when his wife asked him about it, he just said that he had been trained to get up early when he joined the army.
Liang Baozhen did not expose him.
Opening the newspaper, Xu Shengjie looked at the report on the "Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee". The densely packed text on it seemed to highlight the future development trend.
"You haven't finished reading it yet?" Liang Baozhen braided her hair, got dressed, took the New Year's gift and prepared to go back to Damian Village to urge the man who was sitting at the dinner table reading a newspaper.
"alright."
Liang Baozhen looked at the eight huge words on it - internal reform, external opening up - and realized that this society was really about to open a new chapter.
Today the family went back to Damian Village. Now that the two daughters of the Liang family have moved to the city, the house has suddenly become much quieter. They can only go back during the holidays to have some fun.
The first time Liang Baozhen and his wife brought Shanshan back, they met their eldest sister's husband and his family at the city entrance where they were waiting for the bus.
Liang Baoying has been in the city for more than a month and has apparently adapted to life in the city. However, like Meng Meng, she still can't suppress her joy at the thought of going home.
"Let me look at Shanshan. She is dressed so beautifully today."
"Shanshan, come and look, do you recognize your aunt and uncle, and Sister Mengmeng?"
Shanshan was dressed up beautifully today. Her soft hair was hidden in a tiger-head hat, with only a few strands of hair showing in front of her forehead. She had a red woolen scarf around her neck, which was knitted by her great-grandmother. When she first put it on outside, it covered her little face. Liang Baozhen took it off when she felt stuffy in the bus.
The little girl is fair and tender with a chubby face. She smiles happily at her aunt's family.
"Shanshan is so beautiful. It's up to you."
"I want to see Shanshan." Mengmeng feels like a big sister, and if her mother wasn't worried, she would want to hold Shanshan and play with her.
Shanshan became the most eye-catching child in the car. Many people would praise her for being so pretty when they saw her. At this moment, she was sitting obediently on her mother's lap, clapping her calves.
Liang Baozhen and Liang Baoying sat together, and they had endless things to talk about.
"Sister, how are you doing lately? Are you adapting well?"
Liang Baozhen was busy with her final exams a few days ago and had not taken care of her sister for two weeks.
"Not bad." Liang Baoying felt that it didn't matter where she lived. It was just that she knew fewer people here, but she got familiar with them after a while.
The house in the soda factory compound was small, but there were many neighbors. There were more than ten families on each floor, and you could see them everywhere. Many of the people there were unemployed, and several families lived in one crowded house. They all had common topics to talk about. Liang Baoying often talked and picked vegetables and cooked with the neighbors, and gradually integrated into the family.
"It's just that your brother-in-law works very hard. I was thinking about whether I could find a temporary job to reduce the burden on the family, but there is really no work in the city."
Now think about it, in the past I could at least work in the fields and earn work points in the village, but now there is nothing to do, only housework.
Speaking of this, Liang Baozhen already had a plan, "Don't worry about it in the next few months. It's really hard to do anything now that it's freezing cold. Wait until spring comes, and there will be plenty of work by then."
"Ah? What kind of work?" Liang Baoying was confused.
"Ah, ah~" The girl on Liang Baozhen's lap couldn't sit still anymore, and made some incomprehensible sounds. Liang Baozhen held the child in her arms and patted her gently, "Shanshan, be good, sister, I'll tell you when the time comes."
When they arrived at Damian Village, Song Chunhua had already prepared a table of food and was waiting for her daughters-in-law and sons-in-law to return, especially Meng Meng who had moved to the city and Shan Shan who was rarely seen.
"Oh, grandma, look, our Shanshan has grown so pretty!" It was a rare opportunity for Song Chunhua to see her granddaughter again, and the little baby had grown up a lot.
"Shanshan, look who this is? Is it grandma?"
Shanshan was not shy and did not react when her grandmother took her in her arms. She just glanced at her mother, and when she saw her mother smiling, she reacted even less.
"My dear Shanshan, let's go see grandma and your aunt."
Liang Baoling finally waited for her little niece to come back. She ran over with her braids swinging and circled around her mother, "Shanshan, Shanshan, look at me, I'm your aunt."
It was the first time that Shanshan met Liang Baoling. Seeing this lively aunt circling around her, she was instantly attracted and nodded her head, wanting to play with her.
"Sister, Shanshan likes me."
Liang Baozhen smiled and said, "Yes, I like you."
It’s cold in winter, so today we had cabbage and noodle soup at home. After a bowl of hot soup, everyone’s stomach felt warm.
Liang Zhigao was also happy to see his little grandson. Who could resist the sweet smile of a little baby?
"Shanshan is well raised." He knew at a glance at Shanshan that the Xu family raised her well. Look at how plump and fair Shanshan is. Look at the children of similar age in the village. It seems that it is right for the girls to move to the city. The food and supplies are different, and the children are growing up well.
"Yes, grandma is really worried about Shanshan. She treats her like the apple of her eye."
Song Chunhua couldn't help but feel embarrassed when talking about this matter. "We didn't do much to raise Shanshan. It was all up to your grandma to take care of her. Is the old lady in good health? You should also take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself."
Xu Shengjie just smiled and said, "Mom, grandma is still in good health. She had back pain before, but she went to the hospital a few times to get medicine, and now she is fine. Shanshan loves to take care of her and likes her very much."
"No, Shanshan is really different, she is so smart."
Liang Zhigao asked Liang Baojun to pour wine for his brother-in-law and his sister-in-law. The four men drank a glass together. Holding up the glass, he said to Song Jianguo, "Jianguo, now that you have brought Baoying and her daughter back, your mother and I are relieved. You just need to live a good life in the future and don't worry about the family."
"I know, Dad. You and Mom can rest assured." Song Jianguo was grateful to the Liang family, even if he had to say anything else. After all, they helped him when he was in the most difficult time as an educated youth in the countryside.
After dinner, Song Chunhua secretly asked Baoying and Mengmeng how they were doing in the city. She was happy but also worried that another young lady had come to the city. Baoying was more easily influenced and not as well-educated as Baozhen. She was worried that Baoying was not having a good life in the city and that Mengmeng was being bullied.
While washing the dishes, Song Chunhua put the piles of dishes into the cupboard. "Baoying, tell mom how you are doing now?"
Liang Baoying helped her mother with the chores. "It's pretty good. The neighbors are all very kind."
"That's good. As the old saying goes, keep your neighbors close when you are far away. Not to mention us, even your sister is still a little far away from you. If you have any problems, you still have to maintain good relations with your neighbors."
"I know."
"Will Mengmeng be able to go to primary school in the city next year?"
"Yes, Jianguo has asked around. Although Mengmeng is registered under my household registration, he is a formal employee of the soda factory after all, so the child can still go to the primary school attached to the soda factory."
"That's great. You can just focus on living your life from now on." However, Song Chunhua still felt a little worried when she thought of Song Jianguo's parents. "Where are your parents-in-law?"
"We went to see them the next day after we got to the city. They are doing well. Mom, don't worry about us. We are all grown up." Liang Baoying recalled the day she went to visit her parents-in-law. Her mother-in-law looked unhappy with her expression. She felt uncomfortable, but she didn't plan to tell her mother. It was useless to tell her mother. It would only make her mother worry in the countryside. She simply changed the subject and said, "You should take care of Baojun and Baoling more often."
"Baojun?" Song Chunhua became angry when she mentioned her son. "He's not home every day. I don't know what he's busy doing outside."
As for Baoling? "The day before yesterday, I wanted to go fishing by digging a hole in the river. Neither of them ever gave me peace of mind!"
Song Chunhua thought about it and decided that those who went to the city looked better. Those who stayed around were annoying.
This year the Chinese New Year came early, with New Year’s Eve arriving at the end of January.
The Xu family has one more member, and now there are six people in the family. While eating the New Year's Eve dinner, Zhou Yun recalled the New Year's Eve of the year before last, when there were only three people in this small family, and he spent the New Year's Eve with Xiao Wei and Xiao Ya. At that time, Xiao Jie had not yet returned from military service.
It was inevitable that the New Year's Eve for three people was a little dreary, especially when seeing the neighbors all gathered together as a family. Now looking at the large family sitting by the fire and celebrating the New Year, my own home is also warm and lively.
Xu Shengjie was playing with his daughter in his arms, Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengya were whispering to each other. The little girl was growing up, and there were some things she only liked to tell her sister-in-law, which no one else could hear. Xiao Wei was turning over the roasted sweet potatoes by the stove.
"Grandma, the roasted sweet potatoes are ready. This is the biggest and sweetest one for you."
Roasted sweet potatoes are the most mouth-watering food in winter. The first bite you take will warm your stomach with the soft, golden sweet potato flesh.
A roasted sweet potato for each person adds a touch of warmth to the time of staying up all night.
"Shanshan, do you want to eat too?" Xu Shengjie was biting a sweet potato when he saw his daughter standing up in a hurry, stepping on his thigh and reaching out to grab the sweet potato.
She stared at him without blinking.
"Shanshan, don't eat it. You won't be able to digest it soon." Liang Baozhen sat nearby and watched, worried that the child's father was soft-hearted.
"Did you hear me? Mom said you can't eat it." Xu Shengjie ate the remaining sweet potato in two bites, threw the sweet potato skin into the trash can, and showed it to Shanshan like a magic trick, "There are no more sweet potatoes."
Shanshan didn't believe it. It was clearly still there just now. She held her father's hand and studied it carefully. As she looked, her head lowered lower and lower, as if she wanted to burrow into her father's palm. When she raised her head, she looked at her father with her innocent big watery eyes.
Her little mouth was pouted and her brows were wrinkled, looking really aggrieved.
"Wait a little longer, when Shanshan grows up, dad will bake sweet potatoes for you. We can eat as much as you want."
"ba~ba~" I don't know if Shanshan understood it or not, but she made the sound of calling daddy, which made Xu Shengjie smile.
Liang Baozhen came over, held the girl and made her stand on her lap, "Call me mom."
In recent months, Shanshan has listened to Mom and Dad so many times that she can also make these sounds. However, Shanshan is clumsy. She has to say Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad alternately. Maybe it's because everyone often taught her to say these two names one after another, and she has heard them so many times that they have formed a deep memory.
"ma~ma~"
"My dear." The baby's voice was so sweet. Liang Baozhen kissed her soft and chubby face. "Let's wear clothes tomorrow. Grandma made you a small cotton jacket with small flowers on it."
"fafa!"
The author has something to say:
Shanshan: National Word Stacking Promotion Ambassador
Thanks to the cuties who irrigated the nutrient solution: Zoe Moon is not in business 3 bottles; Mu Ni Ge Da Chen Chen Ya 1 bottle; Gardenia 1 bottle;
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