A second later, a tall and slender figure appeared at the door.
It was too dark and she could only see a rough outline. Zhong Zijun's eyes instantly turned red and she was speechless. She quickly ran towards her son.
The moment Gu Lanting saw Zhong Zijun, he rushed over excitedly and hugged his mother's thin body.
The mother and son were reunited after a long separation and were very excited.
From an eleven-year-old boy to a big boy taller than his mother, Gu Lanting has experienced so much.
Why isn't Zhong Zijun the same?
Suffering makes people grow, but it is not worthy of praise.
"Mom, you've lost weight!" Gu Lanting said chokingly.
Zhong Zijun smiled with tears in her eyes and patted her son's sturdy body: "Lanting, son, you have grown up, it's great!"
I'm sorry that mom didn't grow up with you, but fortunately, you grew up to be a good child.
As a mother, no amount of words could express how sorry she was to her son. A tight hug did the trick.
"Mom, my sister and I rushed back as soon as we received your letter. Are you okay?" Gu Lanting remembered what happened in the letter and asked quickly.
Zhong Zijun shook her head and wiped away her tears.
"It's all right now. You've worked hard along the way. I brought you some simple food. Come and have some."
Zhong Luoxi and Ming Ruxue heard the noise outside and came out of the kitchen holding kerosene lamps.
"Mom, I brought back more than just Lanting. Look who this is? Ding ding ding ding!" Gu Qinghuan said playfully, and made way for Zhong Luoqing to come out with You Ran.
When Zhong Zijun was released, Zhong Luoqing had already grown up and married, so there was not much change, except that he had a more melancholy temperament.
In the halo of the kerosene lamp, she recognized her niece at a glance.
"Luo Xi? Is this Xiao Youran? You guys are here too! That's great!
Your grandpa and grandma must be very happy to see you. They just insisted to come with me, but I refused because the road was slippery. They will definitely complain to me when we go back home tonight."
Different from the guilt and sadness she felt towards Gu Lanting, when she saw her niece Zhong Luoqing again, she felt only joy and surprise seeing her own family.
"Auntie, long time no see, how are you guys doing? I am sorry for disturbing you this time. Come on, Youran, call me auntie." Zhong Luoqing patiently instructed Youran to call,
As expected, Youran followed her and learned the word "auntie". Zhong Zijun's face was full of smiles. She didn't know about Youran's situation. In these years, Zhong Luoqing only reported good news and not worries, keeping it a secret from everyone.
"Our Youran has grown up so much, and is so well behaved. I was in a hurry to go out and didn't bring anything with me. I'll give you a meeting gift next time as a compensation." Zhong Zijun touched her little face.
You Ran didn't like the touch of strangers and hid behind her mother.
Zhong Zijun just thought she was shy.
Because it happened suddenly, she didn't think too much and was just happy.
I didn't think about why Zhong Luo and his family still followed Gu Qinghuan back to the Northeast at the end of the year.
Seeing that Zhong Zijun didn't notice her, Ming Ruxue deliberately put her hands on her hips and stepped forward: "What about me? Mother Zhong, guess who I am?"
Judging from her face, Zhong Zijun really couldn't recognize who she was. This girl was pretty and dressed stylishly. She probably didn't have such relatives in her family, and there was even less who was willing to come to their hometown to visit them.
That’s why Zhong Zijun didn’t dare to admit it just now.
However, she said "Mother Zhong" without thinking, and Zhong Zijun probably guessed who she was.
In her memory, the only person who called her Mother Zhong was a little girl, Mingcheng and Nansheng's daughter.
Even though he had guessed it, Zhong Zijun still wanted to tease her.
"Such a pretty girl, I have no impression of her at all, is she a classmate of Lanting?"
Ming Ruxue didn't expect that even after she told Mother Zhong, she still didn't guess it. She shook her head in despair: "Guess again!"
Zhong Zijun couldn't bear to see her sad face.
"Haha, you are Xiao Ruxue, right? That little crybaby from Nan Sheng's family has grown up so fast. When did you come from abroad? Are your parents okay?"
Ming Ruxue realized that she was teasing her, and Ma Xiao became happy and hugged Zhong Zijun in a bear hug.
She is now taller than Zhong Zijun.
"Mother Zhong, I miss you so much. During these years abroad, I miss your family's meals the most.
Just now, when I came back, I couldn't wait to find Sister Qinghuan for dinner. She really inherited your skills. Not only is she beautiful and a good cook, she is also very caring.
My parents are very good, you know, they are busy 166 days out of 165 days a year, so they entrusted me to Sister Qing Huan! "
Ming Ruxue's wave of flattery made Zhong Zijun laugh so hard that she couldn't bear to watch. The best way to compliment a mother is to praise her child.
"Okay, now that you're all here, let's have a lively New Year together." This year, preparations were adequate, with plenty of supplies, enough firewood, and enough food. Her daughter also found ways to get supplies, so she felt very relaxed the whole time.
If it were a few years ago, with so many guests coming to my house, I would probably be worried to death. I couldn't even survive, so how could I entertain others?
"By the way, where's Huai'an? Why can't I see him?" Zhong Zijun finally remembered this prospective son-in-law.
Everyone came out, except 놛그. Zhong Zijun's heart immediately tightened. Could something have happened again?
"I have some matters to deal with in Beijing. I haven't come back yet. I guess I won't be back until after the New Year." Gu Qinghuan explained.
Zhong Zijun patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad you're okay. I thought something was wrong. I was scared to death.
It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk! I brought you some mushroom sauce and steamed buns that I made. You can eat some today, and I'll make more for you tomorrow." Zhong Zijun invited everyone to go inside.
Zhong Luoxing had just cooked a pot of corn grits porridge and stir-fried cabbage and shredded potatoes.
With the steamed buns and mushroom sauce brought by Zhong Zijun, the whole family had a full stomach.
Along the way, several adults left all the food they brought with them to the children, and ate dry food and the nasty boxed lunches on the train. They almost vomited because it was so disgusting.
Now, after drinking a bowl of sweet, soft and glutinous original corn barley porridge with some light side dishes, I feel much more comfortable in my stomach.
Gu Lanting picked up the steamed bun made by his mother, broke it open, spread mushroom sauce on it, took a bite, and ate it. He ate four or five steamed buns in one breath with rice barley porridge.
Zhong Zijun was stunned. Is this kid so hungry now?
I remember that eating was a very difficult thing when I was a child. My mother would chase me around to feed me every time.
Now I actually eat like this, eating well is a blessing, it's good.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel sad. Without the protection of their mother, the children had to suffer a lot. She was really sorry.
Mother's love is to try one's best but still feel inadequate.
-
Gu Qinghuan noticed her mood change and quietly nudged Gu Lanting on the table.
Gu Lanting saw his mother looking at him eating with tears in her eyes, and thought she wanted to eat steamed buns, so he quickly handed the steamed bun he had just picked up to her: "Mom, you eat too."
Gu Qinghuan held his forehead and said, "This silly child."
As expected, boys have poor empathy and can't understand their mother's little emotions at all. Little Cotton is still the best.
If she has a child in the future, she will have a little cotton-padded jacket, and definitely not a brat.
Oh my God, what nonsense are you talking about? What children? She must have been brainwashed by these kids, so she only thought about having children.
Raising children is a job with great responsibilities. To borrow the words of later generations, our generation was too responsible and respected children's feelings. We were the most suitable to be parents, but we were the ones who least wanted to be parents.
If a child is born to inherit one's hard work, poverty, and panic, then not having a child is also a kind act.
Zhong Zijun took the steamed bun handed to him by his son and took a big bite: "Thank you, son."
Gu Lanting showed a clear and foolish smile. Gu Qinghuan couldn't bear to watch and hurried to eat.
The family had a simple dinner. The children chattered with Zhong Zijun about what they had seen along the way. The whole atmosphere was warm and comfortable.
After dinner, it was completely dark outside and snowflakes began to fall again. When I got up early tomorrow morning, it would be a world of ice and snow outside again.
Zhong Zijun wanted to go back, but was stopped by Gu Qinghuan.
She was worried about her going back alone so late at night, and she wouldn't agree if she were to send her off, so she simply decided not to go back and just stay here for one night. After all, everyone was crowded together, so this one more night wouldn't make a difference.
The kang had already been heated while we were cooking, and everyone was tired after a day's work, so they all wanted to get into bed and warm up as soon as possible.
Gu Qinghuan boiled a large iron pot of water for everyone to soak their feet.
No one cared about hygiene at this time. On the contrary, no one had athlete's foot, so they just filled the large wooden basin for washing clothes with warm water. Several girls brought the two little girls, Youran and Beibei, together to soak their feet.
It is so comfortable to soak your feet and eat at the same time.
Gu Qinghuan added spiritual spring water into it, which made it comfortable and refreshing.
As boys, Lanting and Dabao were unanimously disliked by everyone and were forced to wash their feet in the small basin that was used for washing feet at home.
After soaking our feet, it was time to go to sleep in separate rooms.
If it weren't for the half-grown man Lanting, the two kangs would be easy to place. But now, obviously some care has to be taken, especially since there is also Ming Ruxue, an unmarried courtesan, in the house.
In the end, this is how Gu Qinghuan arranged it.
She brought Beibei, Zhong Luoxing brought Youran, and Ming Ruxue, the five of them, squeezed into the kang where she had slept before.
Although there were five children, there were only two big ones in total. The two children did not take up much space at all and were completely comfortable to sleep in. They only needed two large quilts, which Gu Qinghuan had already prepared.
Lanting shared a room with Dabao and Zhong Zijun.
There is no need to avoid suspicion between mother and son in this situation, and there is also a big treasure in the room.
It just so happens that we haven't seen each other for many years, so it's time to have a good chat.
Zhong Zijun had no objection to this arrangement. As a mother, she hadn't talked to her son about her feelings for a long time, so it was not convenient for her to say more now.
This is a good opportunity for me to have a good talk with my son, understand what he has been through over the years, and regain the tacit understanding between mother and son.
Of course, his wife had no objection either.
Che Xiao didn't sleep well, so everyone slept soundly that night.
As for Gu Qinghuan, he put the two children aside and kept silent. The older one chatted for a few minutes before feeling sleepy and fell asleep quickly.
On the other side of the kang, Dabao couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep first. The mother and son talked for a long time. From the experiences of these years to the mental journey along the way, Gu Lanting told his mother almost everything he knew.
Although five years have passed, the feelings between mother and son have not cooled. On the contrary, as time goes by, they cherish this mother-son relationship more.
Unlike those rebellious sons who were unwilling to communicate with their mothers, Gu Lanting had a natural admiration for his mother since he was a child. He was willing to communicate with her in depth and benefited from it.
But because Zhong Zijun is a teacher, she knows how to listen to children's voices and how to educate them.
In the past, she worked very hard, but in front of her children, she was always the least unhappy mother. As long as she promised to do something for them, she would find ways to do it well.
She never imposes her views on her children or forces them to do things they don't like.
So both children have a very close relationship with her.