I haven't been home for a year, and now the house has changed a lot because my family has bought houses from my third uncle and the neighboring house one after another. Now the small partitions in the original main house have all been demolished.
Chen Jiandang now lives alone in his third uncle's small courtyard. Ever since he accidentally found that ancient painting at Chen Shuning's place, Chen Jiandang has fallen in love with the feeling of treasure hunting and often goes to the scrap metal recycling station.
Later, Chen Tiejun saw that he really liked these things, so he spent money to find him a temporary job at a scrap metal recycling station.
This made things even more convenient for the kid. Now the little yard is almost full of junk, and he spends all his salary on it.
The couple then renovated the two rooms they bought from their neighbor, giving one room to each of the two sisters.
Although their eldest daughter got married last year and their youngest daughter is getting married soon, the couple still reserved rooms for both of their daughters.
Firstly, it prevents the two sisters from feeling like they've become someone else's family after getting married.
We also want the son-in-law to know that although our daughters have married into your family, they still have their own families to support them. If you dare to treat my daughters badly, then our family has the confidence to bring them back at any time.
The reason the couple had this idea was because Qin Yalan, their daughter-in-law from out of town, had suffered a lot of mistreatment from the Chen family patriarch and matriarch over the years.
Qin Yalan didn't want her daughter to suffer the same mistreatment she had endured, which is why she had this idea.
Looking at the simple yet carefully decorated room, Chen Shuning felt a complex mix of emotions.
The room wasn't big, only about ten square meters, but my parents kept it very tidy.
There was a desk next to the window, and her high school textbooks were on the desk.
A quilt was laid on the kang (a heated brick bed). It was a brand new set of quilts. The blue and white checkered sheets and duvet cover were obviously starched and washed, and were not just used directly because they were newly bought.
In the original owner's memory, Qin Yalan always thought that newly bought things were clean, so she shouldn't have had this habit.
The sheets and duvet covers in my room were new but had been washed. It must be because of something I once casually said: new things aren't necessarily clean. After all, you don't know how many people or what kind of people touched them before you bought them.
I remember Qin Yalan once said that she was being pretentious. I didn't expect that although my mother said that, she still took her words to heart.
This is probably the true expression of loving someone; only someone who truly loves you will remember a casual remark you make.
The cabinets on the kang (heated brick bed) were all new, but the antique-style kang table by the window looked remarkably similar to the one she used in Qingshan Brigade; it was clearly the work of her younger brother, Chen Jiandang.
Chen Shuning sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking around the room, her heart filled with warmth and emotion.
I felt the love from my family once again.
Tears streamed down Chen Shuning's face involuntarily. She knew that every detail and every decoration in this room represented her family's love for her.
"Shuning, come over and help me pack the vegetables after you've put your luggage away. I think Chaoyang really likes braised chicken. Before you get married, hurry up and come learn how to cook from me. Don't be so clueless about cooking after you get married."
Chen Shuning, who was initially deeply moved by the sight of the room, had all his emotions vanish when Qin Yalan shouted those words.
That's just how her mother is; she loves her child in her heart, but she never shows it with her mouth.
However, Qin Yalan was at the top of the family hierarchy, so Chen Shuning naturally dared not disobey. He quickly replied, "Okay, Mom, I'm coming right now."
She secretly grumbled to herself, "He Chaoyang isn't coming today, so why make the chicken braised? Wouldn't it be better to make her favorite chicken stew with potatoes? Or his dad's favorite chicken soup? Why braise it? And the worst part is that I have to learn how to make it."
She must be exhausted after sitting on the train for several days!
However, Chen Shuning only dared to complain in his heart and dared not openly defy Qin Yalan.
So he had no choice but to get up and walk toward the room where Chen's parents were.
Although the temperature in Beijing in late autumn was much higher than in Heilongjiang Province, Chen Shuning really disliked the annoying sandstorms.
She thought that if conditions allowed, she would definitely plant many, many trees in the house where she would live in the future.
While this cannot improve the overall sandstorm problem, it can at least shield her small courtyard from some sandstorms.
Chen Shuning, trembling and clutching his head, ran into the kitchen. Before he could even catch his breath, Qin Yalan immediately assigned him the task of tending the fire.
Fortunately, after a year of training, Chen Shuning is now very skilled at using the wood-fired stove of this era.
Chen Shuning skillfully started a fire, added water to the pot, and then sat on a small stool in front of the stove, waiting for Qin Yalan's next instructions.
However, Qin Yalan only explained the process to her verbally, without letting Chen Shuning actually do anything.
They probably knew their daughter was tired from the train journey.
While cleaning the chicken she had just bought, she explained to her daughter how to make braised chicken, her son-in-law's favorite dish.
Chen Shuning was getting sleepy listening to this and couldn't help but complain to herself. You see, she owned a shop that had an endless supply of braised chicken rice. Her mother made so much braised chicken that the shop's kitchen had plenty of it. Why did she have to make it herself if she wanted to eat it? It was so troublesome.
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