"So, everyone can share in Comrade Ke Meiyu's joy today!"
The old lady's speech brought everyone to a fever pitch before she sat down and invited Ke Meiyu to sit in another chair to take notes.
"Comrade Ke Xianhong," the old lady called out.
The old man stood ramrod straight, took half a step forward, stood at attention, saluted, and said in a strong and clear voice: "Comrade Ke Xianhong reporting to Comrade Wu Sanxiu!"
Ke Meiyu couldn't help but burst out laughing, almost laughing so hard she wanted to crawl under the table.
"Comrade Ke Meiyu, quiet!" The old lady also laughed a little.
Ke Meiyu suppressed a laugh, made a zipping motion with her lips, and nodded in support.
"In recognition of Comrade Ke Xianhong's outstanding contributions to the Ke family, he is hereby awarded a pair of towels, a pair of enamel mugs, two enamel basins, a pair of thermos flasks, a pair of pillowcases, two fountain pens, two notebooks, two flashlights, two iron kettles, and two lunch boxes!"
As she read it aloud, the eldest, third, and fourth sons of the Ke family went to the inner room to gather the items and handed them over.
The old man chuckled and symbolically accepted the enamel mug, notebook, and pen, then looked with satisfaction at Ke Meiyu, who was diligently taking notes: "Thanks to my precious baby, Grandpa has finally tasted the joy of receiving an award."
"I must say, this enamel mug looks really beautiful. Tomorrow, I'll fill it with honey water and show it off to the old folks!"
Next was Aunt Ke, "Dahe's mother, you are the eldest daughter-in-law in our family. You have a good temper and never fight or compete. You have set a good example for your younger siblings and are a great contributor to our Ke family..."
The prizes were an enamel mug, an enamel basin, a thermos, a pillowcase, a flashlight, and a tin kettle. Then the old lady said, "Our Ke family is about to rise up. We are also grateful to our in-laws for raising such a good daughter-in-law for our Ke family. After the house is built, you sisters-in-law can take turns bringing your children back to your parents' home for a visit."
"Just bring two enamel mugs, a tin kettle, and a flashlight!"
Any one of these three things would be extremely stylish in the countryside.
The three daughters-in-law were almost crying with joy; their husbands' family was giving them face!
The grandsons and granddaughters-in-law also got a set, and an enamel mug and a pillowcase were also prepared for the granddaughters-in-law to take back to their parents' home.
The old lady made a grand display, and everyone's attention was focused on the prizes she brought out one by one. They were also deeply moved by her words.
So the old lady affectionately stroked her grandchildren's heads, which was not at all abrupt, and she completed the task even more naturally than Ke Meiyu!
The great-grandchildren, on the other hand, have an enamel mug, a pillowcase, a fountain pen, and a notebook!
Of course, the daughters of the Ke family who got married also received a share.
With so many gifts distributed, only half of them have been used up.
After distributing the prizes, the old lady chased away her excited grandchildren and gave six more of each item to the fourth branch of the family, asking Madam Ke to distribute them as a token of goodwill.
"After the house is finished, I'll go back to my parents' home. Now that my old arms and legs are so weak, every time I go back, it'll be one less time I can go back." The old lady stroked the enamel mug on the table and sighed softly.
“Grandma, I’ll come with you then,” Ke Meiyu said with a smile, leaning closer.
"Good, good, let An'nan Village share in our baby's good fortune too," the old lady nodded happily.
Everyone was incredibly excited, but the howling autumn wind and bad weather prevented them from taking their hot water to the big locust tree at the village entrance to show off.
Ke Meiyu was amused by her family's ignorant and uncultured behavior. This was nothing compared to what she had learned.
She paused for a moment, remembering many things.
She currently enjoys the united atmosphere of the Ke family, but if her own family develops independently and falls behind the eldest and third branches, then their interactions will not be as intimate and comfortable as they are now.
In the decade following the apocalypse, the bonds of friendship in people's hearts were like tiny candle flames flickering in the darkness, easily extinguished. Having witnessed so much cruelty and indifference, Ke Meiyu cherished her present days all the more.
She sighed softly. Besides taking care of her own brothers and parents, she also had to look after the eldest and third branches of the family!
Ke Meiyu's eyes darted around, and she chuckled as she put her arm around the old lady's shoulder, whispering, "Grandma, you see, my brothers and I are going to university in the provincial capital. After we graduate, the organization will definitely assign us a job, at the very least in a county town, right?"
"At that time, I had to bring my parents and grandparents over to enjoy their retirement, but my eldest uncle and third uncle's families were still guarding their small plot of land in Luofeng Village. That was a bit unreasonable, wasn't it?"
The old lady patted her hand and said, "Bao'er, if you have the ability, please help them out. Even if you don't lend a hand, they won't blame you."
"Grandma hopes our precious baby can stay the same as before, eating and sleeping, happy every day. You have your older brother and sister-in-law, uncles and aunts to take care of you, why would you need to use your little brain?"
"If all else fails, there's always your grandfather!"
Ke Meiyu couldn't help but hug the old lady and cuddle for a while: "Grandma is still the best to me!"
"However, I must say that knowledge changes destiny, and the organization will develop better and better. When the college entrance examination is reinstated, my nephews may be able to catch up with a good time."
"If they all pass the exams and go abroad, then wouldn't the families of the eldest and third uncles be able to catch up with us?"
The old lady pursed her lips. "Back when the college entrance exam was still in effect, it was considered good if even one person from the commune could get into university. How could it possibly be our family's turn?"
"Grandma, have you forgotten me?" Ke Meiyu blinked, smiled, and pointed to her nose. "I'm the auspicious flower you mentioned. As long as my nephews follow my orders, they'll definitely be able to get into Xia Hua's prestigious university!"
The old lady couldn't help but swallow, and asked softly, "Bao'er, don't scare Grandma. Can our family produce a scholar?"
Ke Meiyu was taken aback, then burst out laughing. Her grandma was just too funny.
The old lady lightly patted her, displeased. "Grandma knows she's uneducated, so don't laugh at me!"
“I think Grandma described it very well! And my answer is yes!” Ke Meiyu’s eyebrows curved and her eyes were moist. “I will collect learning materials, test questions and analysis from all over the world. If my nephews do well, they can shorten the gap with the children in the city.”
"It's okay if they're not very bright, I'll draw a talisman to bless them, but people have to be diligent, otherwise even if all the patriarchs crawled out of the palace, they wouldn't be able to carry them!"
The old lady's heart skipped a beat again, and she whispered in her ear, "Baby, how come you can perform blessing rituals? Isn't that a medical book? How come I heard you've become a demigod?"
"I've heard that being a fortune teller isn't easy. They say that taking money to avert disasters and tell fortunes for people involves revealing heavenly secrets and altering one's destiny. If you're not careful, you might even ruin your own life!"
"Baby, we're just ordinary people, we won't do things that benefit others but harm ourselves!"
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