As winter snow once again blanketed the entire county, the New Year quietly arrived.
No matter where you are, traditional values remain, and from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, every household starts to get busy.
Sweeping and cleaning to welcome the new year, Su Xia cleaned and tidied up the entire town...
Then, they took a few children ahead of them and rode an oxcart back to the village.
The happiest people about this trip back were Mr. and Mrs. Chen. They were already used to it, and besides, it wasn't far away.
As soon as the oxcart entered the village, Bao Bao rushed off, shouting, "Mom, we'll go back when we eat!"
"Mom, I went to play with Brother Ge!"
Su Xia.....
The little girl in my arms reached out her hand, "Brother..."
The people on the bus...
*Pfft*...
*Pfft*...
Su Xia could only suppress her anger and remain calm on the surface, but Niu Niu knew that her two younger brothers would definitely suffer when they returned.
"Su girl, all kids are like that. I never see my little one!"
Su Xia nodded, but didn't smile. She was surrounded by people, so they couldn't see her. After a short walk, they started discussing each other's mischievous kids.
"My kid, last time he played outside for half a day, and when he got home he insisted on burning the '뀙' (a type of traditional Chinese firework), and then he burned the sleeves of his cotton-padded coat and everything else!"
"His father and I were so angry that we beat him for a long time..."
Su Xia... definitely deserved to be hit; cloth coupons and cotton coupons were so hard to get!
"Hey... that's nothing! My husband and Li's son, plus several others, always insist on going to the riverbanks in the dead of winter to see if there are any fish. They all come back soaking wet!"
"That's really deserved! People have drowned in the river in our village a long time ago!"
"Hmph—of course I'd beat him up! His butt's been so swollen he can only lie on his stomach for two weeks!"
"Haha...that's how you learn your lesson!"
"And you're talking about me? Isn't your family the same?"
"No, no, we didn't have any ration coupons at home before, but the village has given us a lot in the last two years. These kids have opportunities to go out after school, and they're never idle!"
"Indeed, in the past, when we hibernated, we only dared to stay at home!"
Su Xia.....
One look at Niu Niu, and Niu Niu is speechless!
After arriving home, Su Xia breathed a sigh of relief. The villagers were really gossipy, even demanding things from the old women; they truly lived up to their reputation as the village's information hub.
"grandmother....."
"grandfather....."
Mr. and Mrs. Chen immediately forgot the fear of being dominated by their two little ones for those ten days, and happily picked up their little baby and daughter.
"Where's my baby?"
Before Su Xia could respond, Niu Niu said directly, "I'm playing in the village!"
Mr. Chen nodded, no longer worried. The village children were just playing around; there was no danger!
Reassured, Chen's mother carried the two younger children into the house, saying, "These past few days, I've felt like you've been back; you've come over every day to light the stove."
Upon hearing this, Su Xia immediately said, "Thank you, Father and Mother!"
"No need to thank me, we're all family!"
"Come in quickly, have your father take the things outside!" Chen's mother instructed, then took Xiaobao from her.
Mr. Chen... well, he had no choice but to go out and move things.
Su Xia glanced at her house and felt touched. It seemed that Chen's mother often came over to clean.
"My family sent a letter saying they're not coming back!" Mother Chen slowly recounted the events at home.
Su Xia nodded. It's only the first year, it's normal not to come back. Then she heard Chen's mother say mysteriously.
"Giya wrote to say that she's found someone and will bring him home to meet us after spring!"
Su Xia was shocked, and even Niu Niu was shocked, causing Xiao Bao and Xiao Niu Niu to take off half of their clothes.
"mother....
"elder sister...."
The two of them quickly came to their senses, changed their clothes, and let the two little ones play in the living room. The coal stove was surrounded, so they didn't have to worry about getting burned.
Su Xia opened her eyes wide and asked, "Mom, what's the situation with your boyfriend?"
Upon hearing this, Chen's mother shook her head, "It wasn't explained clearly. They only talked about it, but the girl didn't say anything. Now the old man is cursing her every day!"
Su Xia's lips twitched. Being a father is the same for everyone!
"There's something else, even more frightening!" Chen's mother said mysteriously.
Su Xia....
Immediately and promptly, giving her ample face, she said, "Mother, please tell me!"
Upon hearing this, Chen's mother raised her chin, "One family from the cowshed has been taken back!"
As Su Xia dropped the bomb, her lips trembled. Niu Niu was surprised and wondered who it was.
But what happened next surprised them even more: "You want to know, but not the Gu family!"
"That day, a car came, and it even had three wheels, and it just picked up the whole family!"
Su Xia blinked, asking incredulously, "Only the Gu family?"
Chen's mother nodded, "No one else is here, that old chief is still here!"
Then she murmured, "This guy surnamed Gu, he always smiles and greets everyone in the village. His wife is married to Teacher Zhao..."
"
Tsk tsk... I didn't expect her to suddenly go back!
Su Xia frowned, thinking that the old man was too concerned about the family, but then shook her head, dismissing the thought, it had nothing to do with them.
"Grandma, where's Teacher Zhao?" Niu Niu suddenly asked, still thinking about this teacher.
Chen's mother shook her head. "When they left, there were only 10 people left. Gu Zhiqing is still in the village, and it seems like he's become an educated youth again!"
Su Xia didn't say anything; it seemed that Gu Zhili was in a bit of a predicament!
This matter caused quite a stir in the village. Ever since Teacher Zhao learned that her parents-in-law had been taken away, she has been arguing with Gu Zhili every day.
"They're all gone, what about us?"
"Gu Zhili, you good-for-nothing! How have I treated your younger brother and sister these past few years? You left without even saying goodbye?"
"And all these years, don't think I don't know, you've been sending grain from home to your parents, and now what? You're leaving without even saying goodbye?"
Looking at the man in front of her, Zhao Yulin had long lost her initial infatuation; all that remained was the mess of the past few years.
Gu Zhili remained silent, his expression growing increasingly sinister, as if he were about to explode at any moment.
The couple's child, a tiny little one, huddled in the corner, trembling with fear, too afraid to utter a sound.
The village chief's house wasn't as lively as it had been during the New Year. Aunt Zhao was now regretting her actions and wanted to help...
But I'm afraid, afraid of what people will say behind my back...
Zhao Lin thought for a long time, and even asked his father, "Dad...they..."
The former captain shook his head. "They won't. Besides, we didn't do anything!"
Zhao Lin nodded. Compared to other villages, their village was treated like an emperor.
The Gu family, who were suddenly taken away, were quickly forgotten by the villagers, and had little contact with them.
Besides Teacher Zhao coming to her parents' house every day to ask Zhao Lin when she would pick up her husband?
Zhao Lin gritted his teeth. This damn captain, he'd had enough of being a captain...
Starting on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Xia began cleaning the room, replacing all the blankets and sheets with clean ones.
Niu Niu and Bao Bao cleaned their own rooms...
Not cleaning? Humph, get ready to serve the table.
Under pressure, 꺶宝괗宝 quickly and efficiently tidied up the room.
The two brothers only dared to breathe a long sigh of relief when they saw Su Xia nod in satisfaction.
After cleaning the room, Su Xia started preparing food. This time, she fried a pot of ribbonfish, saying she bought it in the county town, but it was actually from her space.
They even have ribbonfish, and yellow croaker—small ones are fine, these are indeed available in this county, but they don't look like Su Xia's.
Steamed buns, dumplings, steamed bread...
She even made a lot of steamed buns, and with Chen's mother's help in the village, she was able to put in a lot of effort.
The day before Chen Jianguo returned, besides the couplets, window decorations, and firecrackers...
Everything is settled at home! Just waiting for the New Year!
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