Chapter 22

Early the next morning.

Furong from the third aunt's family also ran over.

The little girl is one year younger than Da Ni'er. She just turned 17 after the Chinese New Year, but she is very tall, half a head taller than Li Ting who is 165 cm tall.

Looking at her long legs that couldn't even be covered by her thick cotton pants, Rui Ting was actually envious.

Zhang Meihua is a person of honest and simple character, but her daughter Huo Furong is just the opposite. She is quite opinionated at a young age.

She sensed something was wrong when her second aunt came home in the morning and complained to her mother that her eldest cousin did not have a loving mother's heart.

You have to know that my eldest cousin has been an honest and gentle person since she was a child. She is such a good-tempered person, but she was so angry with my second aunt that she didn't want to go home. It must be a big deal, so I hurried to find her after breakfast.

In fact, Huo Furong was not very familiar with the eldest sister-in-law, Ting Ting. They had never spoken much in the past. She always felt that she did not look like a country girl. She was aloof and difficult to get close to.

But now, seeing her bringing them food and drinks, and considerately letting them have a private chat in the room, Huo Furong couldn't help but whisper to her cousin, "The eldest cousin's wife seems to be quite nice."

Danier said shyly, "It's fine." Then she told her younger sister how her eldest cousin's wife took the initiative to keep her last night and comforted her carefully in the evening.

Huo Furong was holding a teacup and drinking maltose with her eyes narrowed. There was no such precious thing at home. Hearing this, she sighed with a stern look: "No wonder the old saying says that you can't judge a person by appearance alone... No, sister, you still haven't told me what happened with the blind date yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, a look of disgust appeared on Danier's pretty face.

She didn't want to say it at first, after all, she was really disgusted, but she thought that Furong would meet him soon, so she had to be alert, so she told him in detail.

After hearing the last part, Huo Furong's bright face was filled with anger. She slammed the table and said angrily, "Why didn't you give that shorty a slap in the face?!"

Danier...she wanted to, but she didn't dare.

Seeing this, Huo Furong was very disappointed with the situation and said in a sisterly way, "Next time I see him, I will definitely beat him up!"

Danier...how unlucky must she be to see something like that again?

"Are you starting to clean up now?" After giving the bedroom to the two sisters, Ruting went to the west room, only to find that her mother-in-law was packing clothes.

"I'm free anyway, so I thought I'd tidy up first." Hu Xiu still felt a little embarrassed. He had just said a few days ago that he would not join the army, but now he started to pack up.

Without giving it much thought, she looked at the clothes on the kang and suggested, "If there are too many things, just mail some of them first."

Hu Xiu was a little reluctant: "It costs a lot of money to mail things. I'll sort them out first, and we'll come back if it doesn't work out."

Actually, I don’t have many clothes, just bottles here and jars there, all collected over the years, and I can’t bear to throw any of them away.

Hearing this, Lu Ting stopped trying to persuade them. Just as she was about to sit down to help clean up, something small hung on her legs.

She lowered her head and met Guoguo's eyes, who looked up with his teeth showing. She pinched his chubby cheeks in amusement and said, "You smile so flatteringly, what do you want to do?"

Guoguo's eyes lit up: "Mom, let's go out and play, I want to ski!"

The skiing he mentioned was to sit in a wooden tub with a rope tied to the front of the tub, and an adult pulling the rope in front of the tub while running.

To amuse the children, Ting Ting doesn't mind acting as a sled dog, but with her physical strength, she probably can't run more than a few steps.

Hu Xiu smiled and helped her daughter-in-law out: "How can mommy have the strength to pull you? Can you go back and let your cousins ​​take you out to play?"

Guoguo didn't choose anyone, and anxiously went to pull his grandmother: "Then... let's go now!"

Children are full of energy, and it is indeed difficult to keep them at home every day. Hu Xiu put down her work in a good temper and said, "Okay, grandma will take you there now."

Seeing this, Ruting breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the thick blanket at the end of the kang to put on the little thing.

He squatted down again to help adjust his trouser legs, only to find that they were a little short.

It's still fine when standing, but if you sit down, it probably won't cover your ankles and neck: "Mom, Guoguo's pants are a little short."

Hu Xiu looked out in surprise: "Is it shorter again? Go back and find a pair of scissors to pick out the thread ends, and then let down another section."

These days, fine cotton cloth is expensive and children grow fast, so most people make clothes bigger for their children. They also roll up the cuffs and seal them, and if they are too short, they just cut a section.

Guoguo also wiggled her feet to take a look, but she was wearing too many clothes and couldn't see anything. She could only sigh and said, "Guoguo is 4 years old, but her pants are only 3 years old. They must be too small!"

Ruting was amused, pinched the little thing's nose and said angrily: "You are quite logical... Wait, mom will take you out after I take off your pants."

The young man was a little anxious, "How long will it take to dismantle it?"

Tingting: "It will only take two minutes."

"How long is two minutes?"

"...soon."

"How fast is fast?"

1. The...

After all, Ruiting was unable to take the child out herself.

Because Secretary Wang of the commune came looking for me.

After inviting people into the house, she did not rush to speak. She sent her mother-in-law and children away first, then made tea for them: "Are you here to raise rabbits?"

Wang Chunling was used to being polite, but seeing that the other party was straightforward, she stopped being pretentious: "This is what happened. I have been thinking about the feasibility of this in the past few days, and I asked someone to contact the export company in Huacheng, and they confirmed that this is true."

Information was very limited in those days, and it was only after Wang Chunling made some contact that she learned that Huacheng had been exporting rabbit fur for three or four years.

Up to now, half of the farmers in the entire county have participated in it, and there is still intention to continue expanding.

What does this mean? It means that there is still a big gap in the market, that they will not have to worry about sales, that they can create more foreign exchange for the country, and that they can increase the income of ordinary people.

I also thought that as long as I did things well, I would definitely be able to move up a level.

With so many benefits stacked up, how could Wang Chunling sit still?

She has decided to bring a few trusted people with her to go to Huacheng to investigate the market in person.

But before leaving, she wanted to meet with Ting again to ask for any suggestions.

Wang Chunling finally realized that college students were different after all, and their horizons were much higher than those of the high school students under her.

Look at him, just one of his ideas may boost the economy of the entire county. Such people are really worth making friends with.

Of course, Wang Chunling had another purpose for coming here this time, which was to hope that the other party would not reveal the breeding matter to others. She absolutely did not want the political achievement that was about to be obtained to be snatched away by others.

Lu Ting naturally agreed, but the condition was that when the factory was reopened, the Huo family and the Lu family had to be arranged to move in.

"That's no problem." The other party was straightforward, and Wang Chunling agreed even more straightforwardly. After all, this matter was nothing to her.

However... "If we decide to start breeding, it won't happen in a day or two. It will probably take at least half a year."

This was also within the expectations of the 葶, so she readily shared the details with the other party...

Time flies and another week has passed.

During this period, except for a call from Huo Xiao who had already arrived at the new unit to report safety, the lives of the four people, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, were almost uneventful.

But this day was different. Guoguo, who ran outside all day, could no longer stay still and told her mother-in-law what she had overheard when she came back.

After hearing this, Hu Xiu, who was sitting in front of the loom, stopped what she was doing and looked around the carefully tidied room.

Ruting knew that she was reluctant to leave. If this was her house, she would not leave it either, so she said, "Give the key to Auntie later and ask her to come over and ventilate from time to time."

Hu Xiu smiled and shook his head: "This house needs someone to live in it, otherwise even if it is a brick and tile house, it will fall apart if it is left vacant for two or three years."

In fact, I was reluctant to follow the army at that time, partly because I couldn't bear to leave my house.

After all, it was built as a wedding house, so not only were they willing to use high-quality materials, but they also paid attention to every detail.

Even the furniture in the house is made of good wood.

Besides, it is the place where you have lived your whole life.

Here are the roots!

Ruting also knew that what her mother-in-law said made sense, so she fed the kid who had taken off his thick clothes half a bowl of warm water, and then asked, "Did Second Aunt come to you about this?"

Since the news spread that the family of four had all gone to join the army, many people in the village have been discussing where their house should go.

Even though she had been out for such a short time, I had already heard several versions of the story.

As for not asking the third aunt, it was because she felt it was unnecessary. Zhang Meihua would rather suffer a loss than take advantage of others.

Unexpectedly, Hu Xiu shook her head: "Although Guilan loves to take advantage of small opportunities, she won't ask for something as big as a house."

But she must have pondered it a lot in her heart, but she didn't say it out loud. She just suggested: "Why don't you give Huo Xiao a call and ask?"

Hu Xiu: "No need, the boy said let me and you decide."

Ruiting had already sat next to her mother-in-law and was a little surprised when she heard this: "Ask me?"

"You are one of us, too. Why are you so surprised? By the way, what do you think about this?"

Li Ting was really surprised, but also somewhat happy. After thinking for a few seconds, she shook her head and said, "You decide. Do what you want to do."

Hu Xiu sighed: "I'm asking you because I don't know what to do."

Seeing that she was really in a dilemma, Ruting asked from a different angle: "Then tell me, what is your dilemma?"

Hu Xiu: "I think it would be a shame to sell it. When I want to come back to take a look, there won't even be a place to stay... I can't sell it, but I can't leave it empty. But if I give it to the second or third son to stay temporarily, should I accept the money or not? If I accept it, how much is appropriate?"

Actually, Hu Xiu didn't really want to accept it, but she had lived a lifetime and knew that human hearts could not stand the test. After a long time, they would turn favors into hatreds. In the end, she was really afraid that she would not be able to tell clearly who the house belonged to.

Another thing is that the families have had few conflicts in recent years and have always gotten along well. She really doesn't want to fall out over a house.

In fact, according to what Ruiting said, if it is sold directly for a few dozen yuan less than the market price, whoever buys it will be happy.

After all, Huo Xiao is only 29 years old after the age of 60, and he is already a member of the main group. His ability and future are obvious to the naked eye.

Therefore, the possibility of being transferred is not high, and in the future, just by accumulating experience, you can reach the brigade level.

If you are lucky, it is possible to reach the master level.

So the possibility of returning to the village is really slim.

Even if I visit relatives, it’s only once every few years, so there’s really no need to keep the house.

It would be better to use the money from selling the house and add some more to buy a house in Tianjing, which is much more valuable than the house in the village.

To take a step back, even if Huo Xiao were to retire from the army, given his current rank, he would most likely settle in the county.

Thinking of this, Lu Ting told her mother-in-law her analysis one by one, and then when she was thinking, she added: "If it really doesn't work, you can rent it out for a year or two, and when you have settled down in Tianjing, you can sell the house the same way."

I think after being out there for a long time, I've gotten used to it and won't be reluctant to sell it.

Hu Xiu was somewhat tempted by his daughter-in-law's suggestion, but he was not in a hurry to make a decision. He just said, "Let me think about it for a few more days."

This is a big deal, and Ting Ting expressed her understanding: "There's no rush. We still have a lot of time anyway."

A few days passed.

When my mother-in-law was in a dilemma about whether to sell the house, Ruiting was not idle either.

She fell in love with weaving.

Since cloth coupons were scarce in those days, a family would have to save for several years to make enough clothes, so most families in the village knew how to weave homespun cloth.

It's the kind of blue cloth that is not very wide, has few patterns, and is mostly plaid or printed.

When the original body got married, his family gave him a whole box of dowry.

The Lu family loved their daughter very much and they even wrapped money in every roll of cloth.

The ticket amount is not large, all are 50 cents or 1 yuan, which adds up to about 20 yuan. It is considered to be the bottom of the box and will not be moved easily.

As a girl born and raised here, I learned weaving skills since I was young, but I seldom do it.

Ruting had no idea about it, but since she had nothing to do these days, she tried weaving it based on her memory, and found it quite interesting.

Just when I was feeling excited, my second brother Wei came riding his bicycle in the snow and brought me 6 red eggs.

After the second brother carefully pushed the bicycle into the house and parked it, Tingting asked, "Did the eldest sister give birth? Is it a boy or a girl?" while helping others shovel snow with her apron.

Even though I asked this, it's most likely a boy, and 6 eggs is not a small number.

And as far as I can remember, I didn't give any eggs to my first two daughters.

Sure enough, Wei rubbed his numb hands, sat down by the fire and warmed himself, then replied, "Boy, mom asked me to ask you if you want to go see your elder sister."

Ruiting felt sorry for his second brother running around in the snow, so she turned around and made him a cup of malt milk and handed it to him: "I don't really want to go, so please bring me some money for the gift when I come back."

Looking at the malted milk in the teacup, Wei thought that his love for the girl was not in vain. However, he was still choked when he heard her refuse. So he decided to save the country in a roundabout way: "Where are your mother-in-law and your little nephews?"

Ruting could see what his second brother was thinking, so he rolled his eyes and said, "Don't think about it, we've all gone to Third Uncle's house."

Hearing this, Lu Wei was not embarrassed and talked about his elder brother's situation after work. After a while, he persuaded her again: "Brother is free today, how about I accompany you to visit your elder sister's house?"

"Didn't you try to persuade me before?"

Wei touched his sister's eyebrows, and smiled: "I don't want to meddle in other people's business, but you are going to join the army, and I don't know how many years you will be gone. How can I be proud of you guys staying like this forever?"

"I see. You are not here to deliver red eggs today. You are here to lobby for me."

Wei did not deny it either: "Then are you going?"

Ruting: "Go ahead, there's no deep hatred." She originally refused, just to be consistent with her original personality.

Ruishen got married in the town.

Although it is not as good as the county town, it is still considered a good family in the eyes of the villagers.

As for my eldest brother-in-law, Zhao Kai, after failing to get into university after two or three attempts, he used his connections to find a job as a Chinese teacher in the town primary school.

And because Zhao Kai was the fuse that caused the two sisters to fall out, the original body also didn't like him very much.

Of course, after his original university graduation ended without a cure, Zhao Kai became less polite to his sister-in-law, and during the few times they met during the holidays, they basically ignored each other.

But this time was different.

As soon as Ruting jumped off the back seat of the bicycle, Zhao Kai came out to greet him with a smile, saying, "Second brother, you have worked hard." "Second sister, are you cold?" and "Come home and sit down quickly."

My eldest brother-in-law Zhao Kai is of medium height, but he has a good-looking face, is gentle and fair, and has a very friendly smile.

Seeing his attitude, even though she knew that the other party was coming for Huo Xiao, Lu Ting couldn't turn her face away and just exchanged a few words with him with a smile.

But when they entered the house, Ruting took the opportunity to kick his second brother.

If you say that you were unwilling to come here at first in order to cater to your original body's temperament, then now it's really a bit disgusting.

After my original university education was aborted, my eldest brother-in-law's attitude towards me became cold.

But now, because she married a good husband, she became passionate again.

The eating habits are too superficial and too ugly, so it’s better not to come.

Lu Wei glanced at the footprints on her calf and knew that her sister was unhappy.

So after entering the house, he embraced the enthusiasm of the entire Zhao family with a smile, and only asked Tingting to go see his eldest sister and little nephew.

So, Ruting stuffed each of her two nieces with a red envelope for the New Year, teased them a few words, and then went straight into the west room.

As for why it was not the East Room, it was very simple. According to the rules of Zhao's parents-in-law, the East Room, which represents the head of the family, must be occupied by the elders.

Of course, there are differences between Westinghouse and Westinghouse.

For example, the Huo family's house has only three rooms, and the west room alone is nearly 20 square meters, so it is very spacious to live in.

But there is more than just Zhao Kai in the Zhao family. There are three brothers, and the rooms are really separated again and again.

So, when Tingting stepped into the closed bedroom, she felt it was difficult to turn around.

Although I know this is the living condition of most people nowadays, it still makes me feel dizzy.

"Now that you're here, please sit by the bed. There's no place to put the stool." Huo Shuang, with a headscarf tied on her head, half leaned on the bed, and greeted her sister lightly.

Since she was there to see the child, when she reached the bedside, she leaned over to take a look at the baby first.

Umm...a red monkey.

After making up her mind, Ruiting took out a red paper envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into her nephew's blanket before looking up at the man.

With such a beautiful appearance, it is natural that she would be a good sister.

It’s just that the gentian is more majestic and gentle, while the gentian is more charming and enchanting.

Strictly speaking, it is my elder sister, Lushuang, who is more in line with the aesthetic standards of the elders of this era.

The two sisters are five years apart in age, but 27-year-old Lushuang is already a mother of three children.

Perhaps because she had just given birth, her lips were pale and she looked very haggard.

Ruting frowned and couldn't help asking, "How was your diet during the confinement period?"

Hearing this, Zhui Shuang looked at her sister in surprise. After seeing the genuine worry in her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. However, she didn't want her to notice anything, so she turned her head to look at her son beside her and replied, "The food is good. Our father makes soup every day and sends it to us."

Ru Ting twitched the corner of his mouth... How unreliable must the in-laws be to make an honest comrade Ru Shengli be so defensive?

Could it be possible to snatch food from women who have just given birth?

Don't mention it...it seems possible.

But Li Ting still remembered why the two sisters had quarreled. They were both girls who cared about their reputation, so she decided not to expose the truth.

But...what are we going to talk about next? We can't just leave now, right?

However, Luo Qing calmed down and asked, "When will you join the army?"

Tingting: "About half a month later, but I'm not sure about the exact date yet."

Wei Qing: "It's fine. Live a good life. I heard from...my parents that your brother-in-law values ​​you very much."

Ruting raised an eyebrow: "I will."

Hearing this, Luo Qing finally smiled a little: "Yes, you have known what you want since you were a child."

Ruting didn't know how to respond to this and ended up just smiling.

After chatting for a few minutes, both of them ran out of topics to talk about, so Ruting took the opportunity to leave.

Tingting nodded, but when her sister opened the door and prepared to go out, she couldn't help but shout, "Tingting."

Reed turned back.

The corners of her mouth twitched, but she couldn't laugh, so she simply gave up: "It was my elder sister's fault before. You are right, a woman needs to be capable even after getting married."

Tingting frowned: "What did Zhao do?"

Her heart stagnated, but she said, "What's the surname Zhao? He's your brother-in-law."

Hearing this, Lu Ting stared at the man for a while, but didn't see anything wrong. Then he said, "Take good care of yourself," and left.

After sending off his sister-in-law and brother-in-law who were unwilling to stay for dinner, Zhao Kai hurried back to the house and asked, "How is it, what did Tingting say?"

Ruo Qing's eyebrows were indifferent: "She doesn't agree."

Zhao Kai's face was not happy: "Why would I disagree? Isn't it just asking my brother-in-law to find someone to say hello to the Bureau of Culture and Education? He was able to arrange for my elder brother to work in the furniture factory, why can't he do the same for me? It's just a matter of talking."

The eldest brother is the eldest brother-in-law of the sister-in-law, and he is willing to use his connections because he values ​​his sister. Who is Zhao Kai? How can he compare with her eldest brother? Zhuo Shuang was sarcastic in her heart, but her face remained calm: "You also know that my relationship with my second sister has been bad for so many years, it's normal for her to be unwilling."

"Then why can't you just comfort her and apologize? Can sisters really hold a grudge for a lifetime?"

"Why should I apologize?"

Zhao Kai was choked and furious: "What is the basis for apology? Just because her man is capable!"

Hearing this, Lu Qing simply stopped talking, turned around, picked up her son who had been woken up and started whimpering, and started to coax him.

Seeing this, Zhao Kai took a few deep breaths to calm down his irritation, and coaxed her: "Comrade Wang Meimei and I are really innocent. How long are you going to make a fuss? You can't ruin your man's future because of some unfounded things? Besides, when I join the Culture and Education Bureau, I will be an official. Not only can I get a salary increase, but I can also get a house. Wouldn't it be good for our family of five to move out and live there?"

It was quite innocent, just chatting and laughing, just holding hands in the corner. Thinking of the scene that she accidentally saw with her bulging belly, irony emerged in Lu Shuang's heart again, but she still kept silent.

Zhao Kai held his breath and reached out to shake her.

Unexpectedly, Luo Qing frantically hid back and screamed, "Don't touch me!"

Seeing this, Zhao Kai froze where he was with an unpleasant look on his face.

The two little girls who had been squatting at the door rushed in immediately, using their small bodies to separate the parents. The older girl even shouted fiercely, "Don't touch mommy!"

Zhao Kai was so angry that he fell backwards.

the other side.

Not long after leaving Zhao's house, Ruting tugged at his second brother's clothes and said, "Brother, ask someone to check on Zhao Kai."

Unexpectedly, Tingting also noticed that something was wrong with the elder sister. Tingwei's eyes flickered and he asked, "What did the elder sister say to you?"

"When she left, she apologized to me without reason, and said that I was right, that women should have ability to get married..." Having said this, Ruting paused for a moment and said, "It may be that I am overthinking it. Maybe the elder sister has just matured."

Wei pedaled his bike, his tone unchanged: "Okay, I'll ask someone."

But where his sister couldn’t see, those smiling peach blossom eyes were deep and terrifying.