Chapter 46

After my son and daughter-in-law go to work.

Hu Xiu calculated the time and sent the twins to kindergarten.

When he returned home, he called Lushuang and took her to the temple in the back mountain to see the fresh food.

In Ms. Hu Xiu's opinion, when you are in a bad mood, you should not stay at home, you should go out for a walk and see the beautiful scenery of the motherland.

It was her first time to travel far away, especially to a big city like Tianjing, so naturally she wanted to look around.

Hearing this, he said, "Auntie, wait for me a moment. I need to bring some water and diapers, and I need to tie the baby to my body."

Hu Xiu: "There is a kettle in the kitchen. The child doesn't need to be wrapped in it. I'm going to borrow a dolly." After saying that, she hurried out again.

Hu Xiu has been a midwife for decades, so she naturally knows a little about some minor gynecological problems for women.

Although the 1960s were much more open than in earlier years, few people were brave enough to go to the hospital for gynecological diseases.

Hu Xiu knows that he doesn’t ask for money, so he naturally has good relationships with people.

This time she went to find the only family in her family's compound that had a bamboo cart and borrowed the cart.

Zhuo Sheng looked at the cart in front of him and was very curious: "This is really a good thing, it has wheels at the bottom, it is very convenient to go anywhere. After all, this is a big city, I have never seen it in our place."

Hu Xiu was very proud: "It is indeed a good thing. I heard that it was brought from Beijing... Even if the meat buns are small, they still weigh more than ten pounds. It is not easy to carry them around. With this small cart, we can move around a lot easier. Oh, and we can also put water bottles and diapers on the cart. Look, there is another layer underneath."

Ruishen bent down to look: "Really... Auntie, please wait for me for a few minutes, I will be ready soon."

"Go, go..."

When you get tidy and go out.

Hu Xiu went next door to call for help.

Tang Wenlan, who heard the noise in the house, came out directly with a basket.

When she saw Tingting, her eyes lit up: "Oh my goodness, this must be sister Tingting, right? How do you brothers and sisters look like? Why are you all so good-looking?"

When Sister Tingting came yesterday, she was not at home. Later, she heard about it and thought that she had been busy for several days, so she did not disturb her.

Now that I see people, I am truly enlightened.

What does fair skin and red lips mean, and what does beautiful face mean? Today she finally saw it... No, Tingting is no worse than her sister in appearance. In fact, she is more eye-catching because she is more beautiful and aggressive than her sister.

Ruishen had been praised for her beauty since she was little, so she didn't shy away from hearing that. She smiled and greeted him, then said, "My name is Ruishen, and this is my son Roubao."

Tang Wenlan then went to look at the jade-like little person in the car, and couldn't help but feel happy again.

The three of them chatted and laughed, and soon reached the foot of the back mountain.

In late spring and early summer, the mountains are full of colors and the sky becomes blue and bright.

Being in such an environment, Lu Lu felt that the haze in her heart had dissipated a lot.

"There is a steep slope ahead. I'll carry the cart with you." Hu Xiu put his hand on the bamboo cart.

Ruishuang came back to her senses, smiled and worked together to lift the cart.

Seeing this, Tang Wenlan was a little envious: "Your family has such a good relationship between brothers and sisters. Earlier, Wei Wei came over specially to look after Tingting, and now you, as the elder sister, also come to take care of her. Unlike my family..."

When talking about her own family, Tang Wenlan's expression paled a little. She was the best-off among her brothers and sisters. They all praised her on the surface, but they said a lot of sour words about her behind her back.

Then again, how many people in this world would be happy if others lived better than themselves?

Especially some relatives... Never mind, it’s too bad, I just don’t want to think about it.

This was the first time that Ruoqing heard that she came here to look after her younger sister. She was a little confused, but then she realized that this must be a reason that Tingting or her aunt made up to save her face.

Thinking of this, she felt a little soft in her heart, and smiled: "Tingting and I also quarreled when we were little."

Tang Wenlan saw a small patch of wild vegetables in front of her and was about to dig them up. She waved her hand nonchalantly when she heard the words, "What's the big deal? It's normal for children to fight and quarrel when they are young."

Seeing her walk away, Hu Xiucai asked in a low voice: "What are your plans for the future?"

Looking at the spring scenery all over the mountain, Shen Shen sighed: "I originally thought that with a job in the supply and marketing cooperative, the several dozen yuan a month would be enough for me to support three children..."

Hearing this, Hu Xiu, who knew the whole story, patted the man in a soothing manner and said, "You are also in trouble."

"It's not bad luck." After complaining, she continued to talk about her plan: "Secretary Wang has started to try raising rabbits. I don't have the ability to farm, so I thought that when the time comes, I will strive for a position, and I should be able to make a living. Also, I have a good skill in making clothes. I used to... I took jobs before I got divorced, which can at least supplement the family income..."

Listening to her sister-in-law talking about her future plans, Hu Xiu felt uncomfortable and couldn't help asking, "Have you ever thought about finding another man?"

She herself has never looked for a husband. Besides the fact that her natal family and two brothers-in-law are supportive and she only has one child so the pressure is not great, the biggest reason is that she had a good relationship with her husband who passed away early and was willing to stay with him.

But my sister-in-law is only 27 years old, young and beautiful, and her ex-husband was a scumbag, so she can definitely find a new one.

There is always trouble around a widow. Although this may sound harsh, it is not an alarmist statement.

A few years ago, there was a young wife in the next village. After her husband died, she didn't want to look for a husband, and she was raped one night.

Later, the rumors spread so badly that the young wife became so upset that she jumped into the river.

This kind of thing is not an isolated case. Hu Xiu really loves her sister-in-law and can't help but worry about her.

At this moment, Zhuiqing had no idea about finding a partner, but she knew she was a good match, so she didn't say anything absolute, fearing that she would embarrass her aunt. She smiled and said, "Where to find one? My three children must follow me. Which man dares to take over?"

"Of course, the baby is the most important, but..." Hu Xiu agreed with this, but when she was halfway through her words, she saw Wen Lan coming over and immediately shut up...

Because of the arrival of family.

I have been in a good mood for several days.

This good mood reached its peak at the dinner table on Friday.

"Are you serious? Have you found a suitable house?" After swallowing the food in her mouth, her face was full of joy.

Huo Xiao helped his wife pick up an egg with his chopsticks: "Yes, it's what you want, the one with a yard."

In fact, there are always vacant houses at the Housing Authority, but none of them are what my wife likes.

In addition, good houses would not be listed in the Housing Authority, so Huo Xiao, who had just come to Tianjing, had been waiting for an opportunity.

As for the current situation, he had to ask the guards to say hello after receiving the news before it was his turn.

Ruting was unaware of the twists and turns, and immediately smiled and said, "Then let's go and take a look on Sunday?"

Seeing his wife happy, Huo Xiao was also happy: "The kitchen team has a car going to the city that day. Should we get up early and follow them?"

The kitchen team went to the market to buy things almost every other day. Tingting was not surprised and agreed immediately. Then she looked at her mother-in-law, knowing that she had been thinking about the house that was sold. She smiled and said, "Mom, we will have our own house soon."

Hu Xiu was also happy: "Yes, this person still needs to have his own family."

Then, she looked at her sister-in-law and said, "Qingqing, come with us to take a look when the time comes."

Zhui Shuang was just happy for her sister, but when she heard that, she waved her hand and said, "I won't go. It's not convenient to take the child with me."

Besides, it’s a rare day off for my sister and brother-in-law, so the young couple should spend time together. What’s the point of me just following them?

Jue Ting was surprised: "Why not go? Doesn't the child have a stroller? Besides, Huo Xiao and I were planning to go to the city hospital to check the pregnancy signs, and we took you around while we were there."

After her elder sister came, she always felt that she owed her, but was also afraid of causing gossip about her, so except for going to the back mountain, she basically stayed at home.

My mother-in-law has expressed her sympathy to me several times in private, saying that my eldest sister has taken on almost all the housework.

After hearing what Tingting said, Tingting was stunned. She had no idea what her sister's plan was.

Ruting laughed: "I'm still thinking about buying new skirts for Pingping and Meimei. As a mother, shouldn't you help them choose the sizes?"

Nowadays, people buy clothes that are bigger than they actually are. There is no need to care about specific sizes. Rui Shuang thought to herself, "Okay, let's go together."

She was thinking that the cloth coupons she had exchanged with the military families in the family compound these days should be enough to make two sets of clothes.

She has good skills, and her sister has a sewing machine at home, so this time she goes out she can just pick out two pieces of good material.

Before leaving, I made a set of clothes for Tingting and Auntie.

After dinner.

After preparing for class, Ruiting sat cross-legged on the bed and began to count the money at home.

She had only been working for two months, so naturally she didn't have much savings.

But after deducting the money spent in Shanghai from the betrothal gift and the dowry supplemented by her parents, there was less than three hundred yuan left.

It may seem small, but in this day and age, it is enough to build a small brick house in the countryside.

Of course, there was no way she could compare to Huo Xiao's savings. The money she had was not even a fraction of his.

Actually, Huo Xiao is quite frugal with himself.

Before I got married, even my underwear was patched up with patches on top of each other.

So after more than ten years, the basic salary plus the bonus for missions added up to more than 7,000 yuan.

In later generations, many people may earn more than this in a month.

But now it is 1968. In the 1980s, it was rare to have a household with a net worth of 10,000 yuan, let alone in the late 1960s?

I'm afraid that if she saves for another one or two years, by the time 70 comes, her family will have become a household with a net worth of ten thousand yuan.

However, it is not so easy to save this money.

Huo Xiao had gunshot wounds and even more knife wounds, more than a dozen in total. One can imagine that all those huge bonuses were bought with his life.

Just when the emotionally sensitive pregnant woman was feeling sorry for her man, the man pushed open the bedroom door and walked in.

With tears in her eyes, she reached out her hand: "I want a hug."

Huo Xiao was startled, and rushed forward to hug the man, asking anxiously: "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Ruting buried her face in her husband's neck and rubbed it, her voice choking with sobs as she said, "I'm not uncomfortable, I just feel bad that it's not easy for you to make money."

Hearing this, Huo Xiao was stunned for a moment, then he noticed the passbook spread out on the bed, and quickly comforted him: "It's nothing. Besides, we don't go on missions for money. Which soldier doesn't have injuries?"

I felt a little amused and helpless in my heart. My wife's mood has changed so much since she became pregnant. She cries when she can't eat what she wants, and she also cries when flowers wither, just like a little child.

Thinking of this, he kissed his wife on the side of his head and began to skillfully divert her attention: "Let me show you something."

Ruting was too lazy to move: "What is it?"

"Mom just gave me her passbook."

Hearing this, Li Ting sat up straight and asked, "Where?"

Huo Xiao took out a small notebook from his pocket and put it in his wife's hand.

Ruting opened the small notebook with the current savings passbook printed on it and turned to the last page.

Then I was surprised by the number above.

There are 4500 yuan! !

"Is our mother so good at making money?" So... the original body only took away the cash in the house?

Huo Xiao was amused by his wife: "My father used to be a very powerful hunter. Before the accident in the mountains, he saved some money. My mother's midwifery skills are well-known in the surrounding area, so she earns as much as the workers. In addition, the filial piety I sent back over the years was all saved by my mother... By the way, the money from selling the house in my hometown is also here."

Li Ting has always known that her mother-in-law should not be short of money, which can be seen from the fact that she is willing to spend money on food and drink.

But I didn't expect Ms. Hu to be so rich.

Of course, Lu Ting only sighed a few times and pushed the passbook back: "You should give it back. This is what Mom saved all her life. She doesn't have a job now, so she needs to keep some money on her so that she can feel confident."

Hearing this, Huo Xiao leaned over and pecked his wife on the lips before saying softly, "I said that too, but Mom wasn't very happy. So I thought, if she's satisfied with the house, we can give her the passbook after we buy it?"

After thinking for a while, she asked again, "What is the house like? How much does it cost?"

Huo Xiao thought for a moment and said, "It should be several thousand yuan, for a two-story building."

"......\"Can it be more expensive than a courtyard house?

In fact, it is not much cheaper than living in a courtyard house.

On Sunday, the whole family got up early.

When we got to the city, we went to the hospital for a check-up to make sure both the adults and children were fine.

The whole family went to the department store to buy things.

Because of the presence of old classmates, I inevitably bought some "defective products".

Having returned with great success once again, Ruiting invited his old classmates to have a meal at a state-owned hotel.

After saying goodbye to my classmates, it was almost time for the house viewing appointment.

Because her husband said it was an apartment with a small yard, she was mentally prepared.

But when she was actually in front of the building, she was still confused.

Because the exterior walls of this house are similar to small villas of later generations, except that they are not covered with tiles but only with cement.

No, at this time, it should be called a small villa.

What made Tingting happy the most was that there was a row of lush and flourishing sycamore trees on the road next to the villa.

Really...really beautiful!

Want to buy!

But...is the more than ten thousand yuan she has in her pocket enough?

Another plant that has the same idea as the herb is the herb.

She had never seen a more magnificent private residence.

How much does this cost?

Thinking of this, while the Housing Authority staff went to unlock the door, she quickly leaned close to her sister's ear and whispered, "I have a few hundred yuan on me. I'll give it to you first."

Hearing this, Li Ting subconsciously wanted to refuse.

But she swallowed the words back. After all, the elder sister meant well, so she whispered, "I may not buy it yet. Let me hear the price first."

Ruishuang nodded in agreement and was about to say something else, but when he saw the people from the Housing Authority calling them, he quickly shut up.

"Captain Huo, this house was not originally for sale. If you don't believe me, when you go out later, take a look at the neighbors. Most of them have been requisitioned by the government..."

The people from the Housing Authority were very nice. They accompanied the family around the floors and then started talking about the neighbors.

He was paid a fixed salary, so whether or not he could sell the house would not be of any extra benefit to him.

But such a young group leader is rare. It never goes wrong to be polite.

Huo Xiao nodded, chatted with the other party for a few more words, and then looked at his mother and wife: "Do you like it?"

Hu Xiu looked at her daughter-in-law, and then said in embarrassment: "This... this place is too empty, why is there nothing here?"

The person from the Housing Authority laughed and said, "Everyone knows what's going on outside these years. That... ahem... it's been emptied out."

藺葶...This is too much space, even the tap has been removed.

But the house is really nice.

It looks like there are only two floors from the outside, but there are actually two and a half floors inside.

Moreover, the top half-floor attic is quite high, with the lowest point being two meters, which does not affect walking at all.

In addition, each floor is more than 100 square meters, so even if there is nothing in the house now, it is still attractive.

By the way, there is also a yard of several dozen square meters.

Tingting couldn't help but feel a longing for the future, growing flowers and planting trees, and then making money by translating in such an environment. The thought of it was so beautiful.

So...let it be empty for now. They are not in a hurry to move in anyway, so they can take their time with the home decoration.

Even if you take a step back, even if you sell it in the future or rent it out, it will still be a steady profit.

Thinking of this, she looked at her husband and gave him an affirmative look.

With just one look, the thick bankbook was cleared of all debts.

Even half of the passbook that was intended to be returned to Ms. Hu was moved.

Although I feel a little embarrassed to use my mother-in-law's money, I am really lucky to have such a house.

On the way back, while thinking about returning the money slowly to her mother-in-law, she discussed with her head to head excitedly how to decorate the house.

By the time the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came to their senses from their excitement, they had already been taken to a bus stop two miles away from the military base by a swaying bus.

The only way back is to walk back.

But Guoguo and Miaomiao were already asleep from exhaustion, so they could only be held in each other's arms.

Since Ruting was less than three months pregnant, no one dared to ask her to stretch out her hand.

In the end, Hu Xiu held Miaomiao, Huo Xiao held Guoguo, and in their other hands they held the things they bought from the department store.

Even Sheng, who was pushing the cart, took the initiative to help share a few bags.

But the child was four years old after all, and Hu Xiu felt a little overwhelmed after just walking a mile.

Huo Xiao, who had been paying attention to his mother, did not feel any pressure. Just as he was about to put Miaomiao on his back, he heard the sound of running behind him.

Huo Xiao turned his head subconsciously, and then facing the dim setting sun, he gradually saw the person coming.

Cao Wenzhe also saw his own leader, and without waiting for him to speak, he reached out to Hu Xiu: "Auntie Xiu, let me hold the child."

Hu Xiu knew this young man and had eaten at her home several times, so he was not polite.

However, Miaomiao was sensitive and Hu Xiu was worried that she would be scared and cry when she saw a stranger when she woke up, so she asked her son to hand Guoguo to the other party, and then she stuffed Miaomiao into her son's arms.

Then, while taking things from Huo Xiao, he smiled and expressed gratitude: "Thank you for your great help. Did Xiao Cao go to the city too?"

Cao Wenzhe was a tall and strong man with a muscular body. The four-year-old Guoguo looked particularly small in his arms.

He obviously didn't know how to hold a child. He adjusted his posture while walking forward: "I didn't go to the city. My former comrades in the army sent me some things, so I came out to pick up the package."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiu noticed that the other party was holding a large bag in his other hand.

She suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "Why don't you give the Guoguo to me?" Then she stretched out her hand towards the person.

Cao Wen Ze dodged and said with a smile: "No need, this weight is really nothing..."

Seeing this, Hu Xiu looked at the young man beside him again. Seeing that he was indeed strong, he stopped persuading him and instead invited him with a smile: "Let's have dinner at Auntie's house tonight. Ask the kitchen staff to buy some big bone sticks this morning. Auntie remembers that you like this."

Cao Wenzhe hadn't been back to his hometown for four years and missed the taste of his hometown. He couldn't help swallowing and replied, "That's a bother."

"Hey! What's so great about this? If you want to eat, just come to my aunt's house..." In his heart, he was thinking, what a poor child. He heard from Wen Lan that Political Commissar Liu couldn't control Liu Wenyan, and the eldest daughter of the Liu family was still entangled with Xiao Cao.

Speaking of which, the magnetic field between people is really a very wonderful thing.

Hu Xiu didn't even say it out loud, she just thought about it in her heart. When she arrived at the family compound, she ran into Liu Wenyan with a gloomy face.

Liu Wenyan looked around for Cao Wenzhe, but she never expected that he actually went out with another woman.

Thinking of this, her rage grew even stronger, and she looked at Cao Wen Ze as if she was looking at a wicked man.

After a while, he turned his eyes to the other person, looked at the strange woman who looked so charming, and angrily cursed: "Shameless!"

The one walking more than two meters away from Cao Wenzhe...?