Zhang Hongmei laughed from the side, "So confident?"
"Yes, I'm really confident."
"Okay, then I'll wait for you in the capital. If you don't pass the exam, well, you know what will happen."
"How could that be? Sister Hongmei, don't worry, I will definitely work hard. My goal is the Capital University, and if I have to settle for anything else, it's other universities in the capital."
The three women chatted and laughed. Zhang Shouyi came in to check on them, then went out and brought Zhang Hongmei a plate of fried peanuts. They were all peanuts he had just shelled.
Once only the mother and her two children were left in the house, the old lady sighed, "Hongmei is so lucky. No matter what Zhang Shouyi is like, he's truly amazing to you."
Zhang Hongmei just smiled and didn't say anything, but she felt very happy inside.
“Hongmei, why don’t you introduce a potential partner to your second sister? She’s getting old and can’t stay single forever.”
"Grandma, I'll tell you a secret: you can get married in college. My sister Er Ya and brother Zhu Zi haven't dared to tell their families yet."
Also, I have two classmates who went abroad with me. They're incredibly smart and honest. They went back to their hometown to visit their relatives during the holidays, but I showed Er Ya's sister photos of them.
"Wait for them to come back. Let Er Ya meet them. I'm just not too happy with their jobs. They both went to the military research institute, which is very strict, and to prevent leaks, they won't let them out until the project is completed. This makes my Er Ya too lonely."
"Hehe, sounds like a good offer. He's your classmate, you know him well. As for the fact that they don't see each other often, if it doesn't work out, let Er Ya work there too. I know research institutes, not all of them are research-oriented, so they can be together more often."
Besides, even if Er Ya doesn't want to go to the research institute, you can look after her outside, so it won't be a problem.
"That's true. Grandma really thought ahead. She really can let Sister Er Ya go to the research institute too. My Sister Er Ya is quiet and can sit still. She will definitely be able to adapt to life there."
I have no problem taking care of her. She can even stay at my house.
A few of us made money abroad. Two of my classmates gave me money to help them buy houses in the capital. They had already bought them when I arrived, but I haven't had a chance to see them yet.
I just don't know if my sister Er Ya will like any of them? Or maybe she won't like any of them.
Sanya, don't tell my third aunt yet! Brother Zhang said he'll install telephones in our village in a few days. I'll call back when I have news.”
Sanya's excited expression was immediately extinguished. "Sister Hongmei, I was thinking of showing off to my mom."
"What are you showing off? It's not like you're the one looking for a partner." The old lady rolled her eyes at her. This child.
Grandma, I'm leaving you my phone number. Remember to let me know when it's installed in our village.
"Okay, this way it's easier to notify people if anything happens." Liujiatun is too remote; the only reason it has electricity is because the village built new houses, and the person in charge applied for it. Otherwise, it's uncertain when it would be available.
The delicious aroma from the kitchen wafted into the house. Zhang Hongmei sniffed. "I'm hungry."
Zhang Shouyi, who was outside, kept a close eye on Zhang Hongmei. When he heard his wife say she was hungry, he immediately went to the kitchen.
By this time, the braised pork and chicken were ready.
"Auntie, Hongmei is hungry. What can she eat?"
“Give her two chicken legs and you can take them over. Also, give her a roll of bean curd stewed in chicken broth.”
Zhang Shouyi carried the bowl into the house and placed it on the kang table. "Hongmei, you eat first. This is a chicken leg and some bean curd slices."
To be fair, Zhang Shouyi was really good to Hongmei; even a picky old lady like her couldn't say anything about it.
Zhang Hongmei took the chopsticks and said, "Grandma, here's a chicken leg for you, and Sanya will have one too. I love eating bean curd sheets."
"I'm not eating, I'm not hungry. You eat, eat more, so the baby can grow faster."
"Sister Hongmei, I don't want to eat either. Sister Hongmei, are you sure? Are you really pregnant?"
"Yeah, I took it out this morning. Weren't you right there?"
"Haha, that's great, I have a nephew now."
The old lady watched Zhang Hongmei eat with a smile. Zhang Shouyi then brought in a bowl of hot water and placed it on the table.
This was Zhang Hongmei's habit: to drink water after meals. Besides, Zhang Shouyi was worried his wife would get tired of it, so he brought the water over early.
"Oh my god, this chicken stew is delicious."
"Eat as much as you like. There are three roosters at home, which we've saved for you to eat during your postpartum period."
"No way, I heard from Brother Jingze that my second uncle will bring my older brother and sister back. You should eat now. By the time I give birth, we'll have new chickens at home."
"Hmm, that works too. We still have several half-grown roosters at home; we'll save the free-range chickens to make soup for you."
My wife and I went ahead of time and everything was arranged.
"Hehe, you're still taking live chickens? You can buy them there, don't bother."
"That's right. I'll have your uncle kill a chicken later, and you can take it with you when you leave tonight."
"Grandma has everything at home, and it would go bad if we brought it back from so far away. Besides, I got to eat it now!"
The old lady fell silent. Yes, it was too far away.
"Grandma, do we have a house in the capital? I'll have someone prepare it in advance."
"Don't worry about it. I've got your Jingze brother here."
Lunch was served early today, at 11:00 AM. Mainly because we were worried they wouldn't have an appetite for dinner. We also need to leave early, and eating too much wouldn't make them feel comfortable.
When they got home after dinner, Zhang Shouyi saw that Zhang Hongmei was yawning constantly, so he quickly told her to go back and rest.
When Zhang Hongmei woke up, it was already four in the afternoon. She had been sleeping. Everyone in the house except for the two elderly people and Jinsong was packing up. More than ten other families had come to deliver gifts that afternoon. Although they were mostly grains and eggs, it was a token of everyone's goodwill, so Zhang Shouyi accepted them all.
At noon, Wang Hongxi told them that dinner would be served at five o'clock in the evening, so after Zhang Hongmei woke up, the family went to Wang's house.
Their meal was very lavish. They even made dumplings especially for them. Making dumplings, making dumplings—there's a proper way to do it.
Zhang Hongmei ate a whole bowl of these dumplings; they were made with wild vegetables and pork, and they were especially delicious.
After the meal, no one stayed long; they went home to pack their last belongings.
Stone, Sanya, and Dashan also went back together. This would save them the trouble of taking a car tomorrow.
After Zhang Hongmei finished eating, Zhang Shouyi took her for a walk in the yard, worried that she might feel uncomfortable getting in the car later.
They set off promptly at seven o'clock in the evening. The whole village came out to see them off; it was quite a spectacle.
Zhang Hongmei and Zhang Shouyi thanked everyone, got into the car, and set off.
Erlinzi sat in the back. "Hehe, I've never received such treatment before. Today, thanks to Hongmei, I can also be seen off by the whole village."
No one in the back of the truck paid him any attention; they all thought what he said was incredibly stupid. Nobody bothered to talk to him.
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