Chapter 20: Taotao is still pure and cute (1)
Bai Taotao and her family returned to Ruyi Village.
At the entrance of the village, many people came up and said:
"I don't know what's going on, my lady. There are so many bamboos growing in your house!"
"Just now, the bamboos in your house are attracting snakes. It seems that Fuguier has been bitten. You have to be careful!"
"Dongsheng, please don't let Hui'er go back. You two have separated now, so forget about the house!"
"It's really strange. You share the same yard, but how come your house is the only one covered with bamboos..."
The whole family looked at each other.
Only Taotao knows what is going on.
Out of caution, everyone packed their luggage and sent Bai Zhenggan, Tan Fenghui, Taotao and the children to Grandma Seven's house to stay temporarily, while everyone else went back to the old house to take a look.
Taotao was clamoring to go——
Everyone tried to persuade them, but Taotao held her pot of grape vines and ran away with Song Zhi! Everyone had no choice but to ask Song Zhi to look after Taotao, and then they went to the old house together.
The scene was spectacular.
Originally, the big house only had two rooms. Later, Nansheng built another room and also partitioned off a attic, so it was actually quite spacious. But now there are countless green bamboos coming out from the windows inside the house...
The strangest thing is that outside the main house, the ground is clean and tidy, without even a single weed, let alone bamboo.
Everyone was stunned.
Taotao held Song Zhi's arm with one hand and pinched the leaves on the grape vine with the other hand, and asked, "Little Grape, is there really a snake inside?" 】
[Yes!] 】
The little grapevine made a sharp sound. [Brother Tiansun said that several times someone tried to chop down the bamboo at the door with a hatchet, and Brother Tiansun almost failed to guard the door. Sister Yangmei gave him an idea and said to let the green snake move in...]
[But we didn't know how to drive away snakes, so we asked our old grandfather, and he taught us how to use the banyan tree's vines to catch a few live mice and bring them to Brother Tiansun, and then the snakes were attracted here. However, what was attracted was a rat snake, not a green snake. 】
Taotao is afraid of all kinds of snakes, so she asked nervously, "Are there still snakes now?" 】
Little Grapevine, [No, it has been scared away by the woman, but there seems to be some mice left. 】
At this time, Li Cui'er rushed out of her room, put her hands on her hips and cursed, "Tang Liren! You are the one who is doing this. When you left, you had bad intentions and deliberately planted bamboo in your room? You are deliberately guarding against me, right?"
Tang Liren looked at her like she was a fool, "If I had this ability, I would just build a new house in Hexi!"
Li Cui'er:! ! !
Bai Xingxing, "Fourth Aunt, do you know that our family is on guard against you?"
Li Cui'er:? ? ?
Bai Lili, "Aunt Si, I heard that Fugui was bitten by a snake?"
Li Cui'er: ...
I was so angry that I couldn't speak.
Bai Dongsheng asked his mother and sisters to step back, took a hatchet to clear the bamboo blocking the door, went into the house to check, and confirmed that there were no snakes, then let his mother and sisters in.
The family was busy for most of the day and finally packed up all the bedding, boxes, clothes, pots and pans that could be moved. Bai Dongsheng and Song Zhi moved and carried them, and after more than ten trips, they finally finished moving.
Although everyone was very curious and wondered why the old house was full of bamboos, building a new house was the most important thing for the whole family at this moment, no doubt about it.
For Ruyi Village, no matter whose family builds a new house, it is never a matter of one family, but a major event for the entire village.
Besides, Bai Zhenggan and his wife have always been very popular in the village.
At that moment, Bai Zhenggan and his second uncle discussed the matter for a whole day. The two brothers divided the land on the west side of the river and decided on the layout of their own house. Then they called the village chief, several production team leaders, and several elders from the clan, and they held a meeting for the whole day.
The next day, under the command of the village chief, thirty or forty strong laborers in the village went up the back mountain together and dragged back more than a dozen large trees. Then someone started the one-stop operation: some were sawing wooden boards, making door frames and cutting window panes, laying the foundation for the new house, drawing corner lines, digging pits to build toilets, building stoves for the kitchen, pulling carts to the next village to exchange bricks... they were very busy.
On the third day, with the efforts of everyone, two small courtyard-structured houses were built!
Taotao's home is on the upper side of the mountain, and Uncle Bai's home is on the lower side of the mountain. The two families look out for each other, and their lives are both intimate and private.
Bai Zhenggan also built a house for Song Zhi.
——Actually, it is just a room in the courtyard of the big house, but it has two doors. The back door leads directly to the Bai family's yard, making it convenient for him to live with the Bai family; the front door leads directly to the outside, making it convenient for him to come and go freely.
Song Zhi was quite touched.
But he has always been introverted and not good at speaking, so he doesn't know how to repay Bai Zhenggan.
After much thought, he decided to go to town and buy some gifts for the Bai family.
When he went to the Youth Workers' Station to register for attendance, Jiang Hongzhi was very unhappy. "Song Zhi, you've only been here for less than a month. Look how many times you've asked for leave?"
Song Zhi said calmly: "First of all, I am on vacation, not asking for leave. Secondly, I am taking a vacation according to the regulations. Do you have any opinions?"
Jiang Hongzhi got angry, "You still have the nerve to say that you are following the regulations..." He suddenly remembered that the educated youth had four days of vacation every month. Although Song Zhilian had requested four days of vacation, the last time he took four days of vacation was in April, and now it is already May.
Jiang Hongzhi choked.
See Song Zhi leave without looking back?
Jiang Hongzhi hesitated for a while and chased after him, "Hey! Song Zhi... wait a minute!" He ran up to Song Zhi, took out money and tickets from his jacket pocket and handed them to him, "Since you are going to the town, please bring me... two boxes of vanishing cream and two thin silk scarves, the kind that female comrades use to block the sun."
“No time.”
Song Zhi ignored him and left.
Jiang Hongzhi's face turned blue and red.
When he arrived in the town, Song Zhi first went to the town post and telecommunications office, found the operator, said he wanted to make a call, and then reported a string of numbers.
The call was connected quickly.
Song Zhi, "Hello, I'm Song Zhi. Is Professor Huang here?"
The person who answered the phone was Guan Hailong.
He was a little surprised. "It's you... How are you doing over there?"
Song Zhi fell silent.
——His mother died early, so his father entrusted him, who was still in his infancy, to his old friend Guan Qingbai for upbringing.
He and Guan Hailong grew up together and were no different from real brothers.
But his feelings towards Guan Hailong and the Guan family are complicated.
Now Guan Hailong asked him if he was doing well?
Song Zhi avoided answering, "Is Professor Huang here?"
Guan Hailong, "...Hai Shan has always been thinking about you."
Song Zhi frowned.
After a while, he asked again, "Is Professor Huang here?"
This time, Guan Hailong finally answered, "He...is not here. Do you need to leave a message?"
"No need." Song Zhi hung up the phone decisively.
Guan Hailong on the other end of the phone had a lot of things prepared to say to Song Zhi, but he heard a beep and the line was disconnected?
For a moment, he was stunned.
Suddenly someone behind me asked, "Who's calling?"
Guan Hailong was shocked!
When I turned around, I saw Professor Huang standing behind me? ? ?
Guan Hailong thought quickly and said, "Yes, it's a call from a relative of mine..."
Professor Huang looked at him steadily for a while, then turned and left.
Guan Hailong was inexplicably frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.
He returned to his seat, sat down, opened the drawer with his key, and then took out a stack of letters from under a thick notebook.
——There were about ten letters in total, three of which were sent back by Song Zhi, and eleven were sent to Song Zhi by Professor Huang at Xiao Mao's request. He intercepted them all.
Guan Hailong lowered his head and stared at the dozen or so letters for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.
Finally, he rolled up the dozen letters, hid them in his trouser pocket, and hurriedly left the department.
As for Song Zhi, he called Professor Huang but failed. He didn't want to talk too much to Guan Hailong, so he hung up the phone, paid the operator, and left the post office.
The relationship between him and Guan Hailong is hard to describe.
The situation of the Guan family is very complicated.
Guan Qingbai married two wives. His original wife was named Du Min, and she gave birth to a son and a daughter for Guan Qingbai. His son Guan Hailong and daughter Guan Haishan are both about the same age as Song Zhi. When Du Min was still alive, Song Zhi, Guan Hailong and Guan Haishan spent a relatively wealthy and comfortable childhood.
When Song Zhi was seven years old, Du Min died of illness.
A year later, Guan Qingbai married Fang Ling.
Fang Ling is a widow, and she has a son named Fang Shenghao (who is the same age as Song Zhi) from her previous husband. Later, Fang Ling gave birth to Guan Qingbai's youngest daughter, Guan Haifu.
Generally speaking, the main family conflict in the Guan family is that the two children born to the original wife and the two children born to the second wife do not get along, and Song Zhi, the adopted son, is caught in the middle, feeling very uncomfortable and stuck in between.
Song Zhi has been boarding at school since he was in junior high school. He would try his best to find excuses to stay in school on weekends or holidays, which gave him more time to study than others. I only have to go back to Guan's house to deal with things during the holidays.
Song Zhi and Guan Hailong are brothers who grew up wearing the same pair of shorts.
I don't know since when, the two of them gradually drifted apart.
In order to avoid the war in the Guan family, Song Zhi stayed in school and refused to go back. He read all the books in the library. In order to protect his sister Guan Haishan and for his own position in the Guan family, Guan Hailong directly went to war with Fang Ling and Fang Shenghao...
A few years later, Song Zhi was directly admitted to Xidu University with excellent grades. Guan Hailong dropped out of high school and stayed at home. Finally, thanks to Guan Qingbai's relationship, he became a substitute teacher in an elementary school.
The battle song of the educated youth going to the countryside was sounded, calling on intellectuals to follow the trend and go to where they were most needed.
At that time, Song Zhi had already obtained a place to stay in school, but Guan Hailong got a rumor: he was already on the list of educated youth going to the countryside.
Guan Hailong didn't sleep for three days and three nights because he didn't want to go to the countryside and because Fang Shenghao also stayed in the city.
Guan Hailong believes that Fang Ling doesn’t have the ability to keep Fang Shenghao in the city, and it must have been the old man (Guan Qingbai) who did it! Is there such a father? Instead of helping his own son, he helps the outsider brought by his concubine? !
Finally, he came to Song Zhi, hoping to exchange jobs with Song Zhi. Then he stayed in the city and continued to fight with Fang Haosheng, while Song Zhi went to the countryside.
Of course Song Zhi didn't want to.
Guan Hailong said to him, "You should still remember how my mother treated you when you were a child, right?"
"She loves you, her godson, more than me, her biological son. When I had a fever when I was a child, she would just give me a few large glasses of boiled water and cover me with a quilt. But if you had a fever, she would send you directly to the hospital and stay by your side for days and nights, not daring to close her eyes for a moment..." Guan Hailong talked about the past.
——That’s because Song Zhi was a premature baby and has always been in poor health. When the baby was brought to Guan's house by Song Xi, his adoptive mother Du Min was unwilling to take care of him. After all, her biological son Guan Hailong was only three or four months old. But he could not resist the pleas of Song Xi and Guan Qingbai, and felt that it was pitiful that Song Zhi lost his mother at such a young age, so he agreed.
Thinking of his gentle and kind adoptive mother, Song Zhi remained silent.
Guan Hailong added, "Think about how much Haishan has done for you..."
Song Zhi got a headache when he heard the name "Haishan".
He always regarded Hussein as his own sister - he actually saw with his own eyes his adoptive mother getting pregnant, her belly slowly growing bigger, and then Hussein was born. He still remembers the first time he saw Hussein being born, the way Hussein pooped, the way Guan Qingbai clumsily changed the baby's diaper, the way Hussein lost his teeth...
But Haishan did not regard him as her real brother. She fell madly and obsessively in love with Song Zhi!
She did a lot of things for him, including but not limited to cooking and stewing soup every day and sending it to Song Zhi's school, announcing to everyone that she fell in love with Song Zhi and would not marry anyone else but him, and even tattooing a fancy English word "zhi" on her chest...
Later, Song Zhi was admitted to graduate school and joined the scientific research group under the leadership of Professor Huang, where he was closely guarded. Guan Haishan could no longer freely deliver him three meals a day, and Song Zhi deliberately avoided him and never showed up except on festivals... Guan Haishan collapsed and cut her wrists.
Even so, Song Zhi did not agree to Guan Haishan's confession.
But now Guan Hailong made such a ridiculous request to him?
Song Zhi refused again.
A few days later, the haggard and exhausted Guan Hailong went to find Song Zhi again and shouted hysterically, "Song Zhi! Are you really so cruel? Are you going to watch my family fall apart? You really have no idea how my mother died? When you were a child, you suffered from many disasters and diseases. She collapsed because she was taking care of you!"
Song Zhi was silent.
Seeing that he was unmoved, Guan Hailong continued in a hoarse voice: "And Haishan! How long have you not contacted Haishan? Did you know that she tried to commit suicide for you again last night?" As he spoke, he showed Song Zhi a fresh knife wound on his hand, "If I hadn't acted quickly and snatched the fruit knife, she..."
"Song Zhi! I don't want to be alone! I don't want my sister to die after my mother dies, and I don't want Fang Ling and Fang Shenghao to erase all traces of Haishan and me in this family! Song Zhi, I can't go to the countryside to join the production team, I must stay in the city, I must protect Haishan!" At the end of his words, Guan Hailong held his head and cried, sobbing uncontrollably.
At that time, Song Zhi said calmly, "I hope you won't regret making this decision, and you must be very clear that once I agree to this, we will be strangers in the future, including Guan Haishan."
Guan Hailong suddenly raised his head, staring at Song Zhi fiercely with his eyes red.
After a while, he nodded, "Okay, then consider it as... you repaying my mother for raising me!"
Recalling the past, Song Zhi sighed.
He went to the supply and marketing cooperative in town.
When he helped Urian translate the instruction manual in the city, Urian gave him a generous reward - three hundred dollars. With Song Zhi's previous savings, life in the next few years should not be too difficult.
So, what should we buy for the Bai family?
In Song Zhi's opinion, although he had been with the Bai family for less than a month, the Bai family was a very peculiar existence.
——Du Min regards responsibility as shackles. She promised Song Xi that she would take good care of Song Zhi, and she really took care of the other child meticulously. When her children and Song Zhi were in trouble, she would abandon her own children for the sicker Song Zhi.
She did make up for Song Zhi's deep desire for maternal love, but it also made him tremble with fear and always feel guilty towards Guan Hailong and Guan Haishan.
——Song Xi has no sense of responsibility and ignores Song Zhi.
——Professor Huang had such high hopes for Song Zhi that this hope turned into heavy pressure, forcing Song Zhi to look after several scientific research projects for Professor Huang at a young age.
Among all the elders Song Zhi knows, Bai Zhenggan is the one who makes him feel most comfortable.
He is just an ordinary working man, with both advantages and disadvantages in his character. He has a positive outlook and teaches his family to be hardworking and united. He has a positive mindset, but he can tolerate and respect other people's different opinions...
Although Bai Zhenggan might not be able to be Song Zhi's mentor in terms of knowledge, vision and overall view, the Bai family really gave Song Zhi the feeling of "home".
Each family member has their own little flaws, but that doesn't stop them from loving each other, and they all care about each other. During these days of eating and living at the Bai family, Song Zhi felt the natural and self-evident family affection in their family.
That--
After much hesitation, Song Zhi bought two bottles of Red Star Liquor for Bai Zhenggan, a few pairs of work gloves for Bai Dongsheng, a box of vanishing cream for each of the female members of the Bai family, and weighed two pounds of candy for Hongdou and Huangdou, and bought two bags of milk powder for the unborn baby in Tan Fenghui's belly.
After thinking about it, Song Zhi bought two more bags of milk powder.
Carrying large and small bags of things and preparing to return to the village, Song Zhi glanced in the direction of the post office, thought for a moment, and walked over again.
This time, he took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, took out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it, rolled a dollar into the paper, and handed it to the female operator at the counter.
"Comrade, please do me a favor. After you connect this call, if the other party asks who you are and who you want to talk to, just say your name is Xiuzhen and you want to talk to your uncle Huang Mingsong. Wait until Huang Mingsong answers the phone, then give me the phone, okay? I'll pay the bill after I finish the call."
As soon as the female operator unfolded the note, she saw the dollar.
She hesitated for a moment, nodded, quietly put the dollar in her palm, and then dialed the number on the note.
The call was connected after a while. It was answered by a man. "045 Research Institute, where can I find it?"
The female operator said, "This is Xiuzhen. I want to talk to my uncle Huang Mingsong. Is he here?"
"Yes, he is here! Please wait a moment!"
After a while, another strong voice sounded, "Hello?"
"Excuse me, are you Huang Mingsong?" asked the female operator.
"I am."
The female operator quickly handed the microphone to Song Zhi.
Song Zhi took it, "Professor Huang?"
Professor Huang on the other end of the phone was stunned, then overjoyed, "So it's you..."
Song Zhi interrupted him, "Have you been in the office? I called you just now, and Guan Hailong said you were not in."
Professor Huang was stunned again and looked at Guan Hailong who was standing beside him with a fierce look in his eyes.
He covered the microphone with his hand and said to Guan Hailong, "Hailong, um... I have something personal to do. Can you please leave for a while?"
Normally, Professor Huang never looks at Guan Hailong straight in the eye.
So friendly now...
Guan Hailong was a little excited. He said "Oh", turned around and went out, and considerately closed the door for Professor Huang.
Professor Huang then let go of his hand and said, "Okay, there are no outsiders here now. Song Zhi, why did you contact me just now? Oh, you kid, you ran away without saying a word. I wrote so many letters to you, but you didn't reply..."
Song Zhi, "Teacher, please get out of here quickly."
Professor Huang, "What?"
Song Zhi, "The situation is not right now. You'd better stop all the projects you are working on... When I left, you were in a closed meeting, so I left you a letter. Didn't you see it?"
"You left me a letter?" Professor Huang got angry when he heard it. "No! Why would I be angry with you if I received your letter? As soon as I finished the meeting, you went to the countryside without saying a word. It was only three days in total. I thought you were wronged..."
Song Zhi: "I was not wronged. I went to the countryside voluntarily."
After a pause, he explained, "After I made the decision, I found out that there was only one quota left for Laisong County, so I didn't have time to wait until you finished the meeting to have a face-to-face interview, so I wrote to you."
When he left the letter to the teacher, he was afraid that the secret would be leaked, so he only gave a few words of advice in a very obscure way. I didn’t expect that the teacher really didn’t receive it?
Think about it again, the teacher didn’t answer the call when he made the first call, but when he asked the female operator for help the second time, the teacher answered the call?
Song Zhi had already guessed who was behind this, and he couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed.
He urged again: "Teacher, you must stop all the projects you are working on immediately, immediately! Especially the two projects in the East Second Experimental Zone."
Professor Huang was stunned for a while, "You mean..."
"It's not the right time now," Song Zhi said softly, "Let's put it aside for a while, and restart it when there's a chance. Also, my fellow apprentices, if they have connections, transfer out as soon as possible. If not, find a better place to go to the countryside. As for you, it's best to... recuperate from now on."
Professor Huang broke out in a cold sweat, "Is the situation really so critical?" He has always relied on Song Zhi. This kid has a quick mind, solid professional knowledge, and a keen political sense.
Song Zhi urged again, "The sooner the better."
Professor Huang made a decision immediately. "Okay, I will suspend all projects immediately. I have spent so many years of hard work..."
Song Zhi comforted his mentor, "It's not a bad thing. My fellow students and I have been staying in the laboratory. We have solid theoretical knowledge, but we still lack practical experience. It's not a bad thing to take this opportunity to go to the countryside for training."
Professor Huang was a little discouraged. "Everyone goes to the countryside to farm! Why practice practical skills?"
Song Zhi smiled slightly, "Otherwise why would I choose Song County!"
Professor Huang was stunned, and it took him a while to react, "I understand! Song County is the place with the most remnants of Project 156. You, you are... good boy! You are really amazing!" A relieved smile appeared on his face.
Song Zhi also smiled and said softly, "Teacher, please take care of yourself."
The two of them hurriedly exchanged contact addresses and said take care of each other.
When leaving the post office, Song Zhi felt both light and heavy in the heart.
The happy thing is that he finally found a chance to warn his mentor, but the heavy thing is how Guan Hailong became what he is now.
Song Zhi was standing on the roadside waiting for the bus, holding the things he bought from the supply and marketing cooperative.
——Ruyi Village is a two-hour walk from the town. If you are lucky, you can catch a passing bus, which can shorten the walking time to twenty minutes.
As he waited, he saw a number of people sneaking in and out of a small alley. Everyone was looking around, and each of them was holding a basket or carrying a bag.
Song Zhi understood.
There must be a black market there.
There didn't seem to be any bus coming in the distance, so Song Zhi walked over.
It really is a black market, and most of the items sold are small daily necessities. Soap, matches, hair ties, needles and thread, and of course other things as well.
Song Zhi was attracted by a peddler in his forties or fifties.
A piece of cloth was spread out in front of the peddler, on which were forty or fifty old books. Some of them are the 1963 edition of the Chinese-Russian advanced dictionary, the Japanese dictionary, and the Chinese-English bilingual dictionary? ! The rest are mostly high school textbooks and some university textbooks, which seem to be language and literature?
The peddler saw Song Zhi standing there watching and became anxious - other peddlers had sold some goods, but he, after collecting these goods, had not sold any!
"Young man, do you want these books? These three big ones are three yuan each! The others are 50 cents each... or you can take them all and I'll only charge you twenty yuan..." the vendor said anxiously.
Without saying a word, Song Zhi took out twenty yuan and gave it to the vendor.
The vendor was stunned, wondering if he had offered the price too low.
Song Zhi took out another fifty cents and said, "Sell me this bundle too."
The vendor stared at the two big unity notes and a five-cent note and hesitated for a while. He then took the money without hesitation, helped pack up all the books, and handed them to Song Zhi, saying in a low voice, "Be careful, don't let others see it and get into trouble!"
Song Zhi nodded.
The vendor thought about it and asked in a low voice, "What other books do you want? I can bring them to you next month."
Song Zhi, "Are there any foreign magazines?"
Before he could say the word "mechanical" -
The peddler widened his eyes in surprise, "Foreign magazines? Are you trying to kill yourself? No, no!" Then he ran away in a panic.
Song Zhi had no choice but to carry the bag which weighed at least 20 kilograms and walked into the alley.
When it was almost dark, a passing bus finally arrived.
When Song Zhi arrived at Ruyi Village, it was already dark.
He carried a heavy bag and walked towards Bai Zhenggan's house.
It was dark and there were many stones on the dirt road, so Song Zhi focused all his attention on his feet to avoid slipping.
"Brother Song Zhi!"
A delicate voice suddenly emerged from the darkness.
Song Zhi looked in the direction of the sound and vaguely saw a dark shadow sitting on the side of the road? It was too dark and I couldn't see the person's appearance clearly, but from the voice, it sounded like Yan Naqian.
He ignored the man and continued walking forward carrying his heavy bag in silence.
Yan Naqian: ...
"Brother Song Zhi, have you been to town? Why did you come back so late? I, I've been waiting for you all day..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly screamed "Ouch!" It sounded like she accidentally stepped on a stone on the road and fell down? !
Song Zhi continued to walk up the mountain as if he didn't hear anything, taking each step very steadily!
Yan Naqian lay on the ground and cried for a long time, but Song Zhi didn't come to help her, and he even walked further away?
"Brother Song Zhi! Help! Help! Come and help me, give me a hand!" At the beginning, Yan Naqian was very careful to maintain her image. She controlled her voice to be neither too loud nor too soft, and her tone was gentle.
After all the shouting, Song Zhizhen just left without looking back? ? ?
She panicked, and her tone was filled with a hint of anger and shame, "Song Zhi! Song Zhi...are you just going to watch someone die without helping?"
Song Zhi had already walked away carrying his bag.
He walked up the winding mountain road and around a big bend. From afar, Song Zhi saw two houses, scattered on the hillside according to the terrain.
On the upper side is Taotao's house, and on the lower side is Uncle Bai's house.
There is no electricity in the mountains, but there are faint lights coming from the windows of the two houses. I guess the whole family is sitting in the house, eating, chatting, or doing handicrafts?
As he got closer, Song Zhi recognized a bright lantern hanging at the door of Taotao's house.
He stopped.
Even a fool knows that the lanterns hung outside are lit for family members who come home late.
Song Zhi felt warm in his heart and quickened his pace.
Sure enough, just as he approached the house, Song Zhi heard Tao Tao's sweet and pleasant voice, "Song Zhi?"
Song Zhi said "hmm".
"Why did you come back just now!" Taotao complained, "My mother has been talking about you for a long time! Everyone is waiting for you to eat... I'm starving! Hey, you better be careful on the steps!"
The girl's sweet and coquettish voice made Song Zhi feel as if he had eaten a large frozen white peach on a midsummer afternoon. The sweetness made his limbs feel relaxed and his mind was refreshed.
Taotao had already turned around and ran away, still yelling, "Mom! Mommy Song Zhi is back, let's have dinner quickly, let's have dinner!"
Song Zhi stepped steadily onto the stairs and couldn't help but smile.
The originally quiet home suddenly became noisy.
Bai Zhenggan called out first, "Is Xiao Song back?"
"Uncle, aunt, I'm back!" Song Zhi responded with a smile.
Tang Liren was giving orders in the house -
"Red Bean and Yellow Bean, put away your homework books!"
"Hui Er, stop doing handicrafts... Hey, don't move, your belly is getting bigger day by day, just let them carry the food!"
"Dongsheng, the food is delicious today, why don't you bring some wine and have a drink with us!"
"Pear! Remember there's soup on the stove!"
"Xingzi, go put away the lanterns and close the door!"
"Oh Taotao! My little ancestor, you have to take off your shoes before you get on the bed..."
Song Zhi carried the huge bag over and piled it next to the kang table.
Bai Zhenggan asked him, "What is this?"
Song Zhi, "My family has built a new house, and they let me live in a separate room... I know my uncle and aunt are really kind to me, but I don't have anything to show off, so I'll just give you some small gifts!"
Bai Zhenggan, "Why are you being so polite, kid..."
Then Song Zhi opened the bundle and revealed a pile of books.
Looking at the pile of books, everyone was silent.
Bai Zhenggan couldn't continue his polite words.
Song Zhi rummaged around for two bottles of Red Star liquor and handed out a bottle of Red Star Baijiu. He also gave Bai Dongsheng a stack of five pairs of work gloves. He gave four packets of milk powder to the baby in Tan Fenghui's belly. He gave Hongdou and Huangdou two pounds of fruit candy. He also gave each of the remaining female relatives a box of vanishing cream...
Everyone then smiled happily.
Song Zhi put away the books in his bag again...
Tang Liren couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Song, you... brought these books back, didn't anyone see them?"
Song Zhi, "No."
Tang Liren thought for a moment and said, "You should put these books in the cellar in our yard. I'll give you a key. You can put the books in there and take them out when you want to read them. Put them back when you're done."
Bai Zhenggan, "Listen to your aunt!"
Taotao felt a little strange, so she flipped through the thick books. They were full of words that looked like little insects crawling around? Let’s look at the others, “Advanced Mathematics (I)”, “High School Chinese”, “College English”…
Bai Taotao felt very strange, "Are these banned books?"
Xing Xing explained in a low voice, "They are not banned books, but if someone has ulterior motives, they will say that the person who keeps these books is a capitalist or a lowly person, so it is better to be cautious. Fourth sister, please don't tell others that we have these things at home!"
Taotao still didn't understand, but the expressions of the family members were very solemn, so...
She nodded seriously, "I can't say it!"
"But..." Tao Tao couldn't help asking, "It's obvious that studying is very important. Look, Song Zhi knows foreign languages, so he can help Wu Ruian. These are good things!"
Everyone sighed.
Tao Tao asked Song Zhi again, "You work on engines, right?"
Song Zhi sighed, "No, I still can't do it now... All the engines in our country are imported from foreign countries. So I really want to make our own engines. I'm still learning knowledge. I understand a little bit, but it's far from enough... I have to continue."
After a pause, he said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "I will definitely build an engine that belongs to our country!"
Tao Tao thought about it and said firmly: "I want to learn too! Song Zhi, can you teach me?"
Song Zhi nodded vigorously.
Bai Taotao stared at the three heavy books with bugs crawling all over them and made up her mind, "If anyone dares to call me a fool again, I will -"
"I just cursed them in a foreign language!" Tao Tao said proudly.
Everyone laughed.
Bai Xingxing, who knew the future, was the first to respond, "I want to learn too! It just so happens that these textbooks are for high school and college... Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law, sisters, Brother Song Zhi, think about it, even though school has been suspended now, who knows when it will resume? By then, no one else will be studying, but we are studying every day. This is called, this is called..."
Bai Xingxing racked her brains to think about it again and again, and finally figured it out, "That's what they call, opportunities always come to those who are always prepared!"
Tan Fenghui smiled, "Xing'er, what you said is really inspiring! Then, I will learn it too! I already have a junior high school education, so it's always good to learn more!"
Xing Xing took Bai Lili's hand and shook it left and right, "Third sister, you should learn too! Learn more knowledge! Learning knowledge is the most profitable because it can be used for a lifetime!"
Bai Lili was a little embarrassed. "I, I'm too stupid! Forget it, you guys learn, I'll cook for you..."
Tang Liren smiled and said, "Everyone in the family is learning! Your dad and I are all learning together! Everyone has a share in cooking and housework! Housework can't be left to women alone, men have to do housework too!"
Taotao, "Mom! Let's have a study competition. The one who loses for seven consecutive days will draw lots to be punished! Or climb up a tree and sing folk songs! Or wear your clothes inside out and button them at the back! Or wear a flower made of a pillowcase and wear it all day long..."
Everyone laughed like crazy.
"Why do you have to climb a tree to sing folk songs?"
"Oh my god, you wear a pillowcase on your head? And you have to wear it all day?"
"Wearing clothes inside out? You're so smart!"
"Hahahaha Peach you're so cute!"
Everyone was chatting excitedly while eating, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
After dinner, the Bai family went to look through the books Song Zhi brought back with great interest...
Song Zhi discussed with Bai Zhenggan and wanted to learn blacksmithing from him.
Bai Zhenggan is the only blacksmith in the two large villages nearby. I've been recovering from this injury for several months and have a lot of work to do.
After hearing what Song Zhi said, Bai Zhenggan was surprised, "Xiao Song, this blacksmithing is different from working, it's more tiring!"
As he spoke, he described the job - it didn't seem like much work, but it was actually extremely strenuous, and it was definitely hard work. But seriously, this job is a lucrative one.
Firstly, the blacksmith's time can be deployed freely. If the farm tools of the production team are broken, they will be collected and sent to him for repair. The blacksmith has the final say on when they will be repaired. Secondly, the blacksmith is counted as fully worked, and is awarded twelve work points a day.
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