Chapter 306 Let’s Go Back

Xia Zhizhi's grandfather, Xia Bangguo, had a barely manageable family situation when he was young. He went to a private school for a few years, but was later separated from his family due to war.

At first, he made a living by carrying sacks at the dock and also did many odd jobs. By chance, he became a helper in the home of Grandma Zeng Zelan of the Xia family. He lived a stable life like this until he was 18 years old.

Later, due to the war, the Zeng family fell into poverty. In the chaos, Grandpa Xia took Grandma Xia and fled. After wandering around for many times, they finally joined the Red Army. The two of them wandered around together, but they fell in love with each other and naturally got together.

It's a typical story of a poor boy and a down-and-out lady.

Zeng Zelan gave birth to three sons and one daughter, the eldest son Xia Siyuan, the second son Xia Siwen, and the third son Xia Sihua.

The youngest daughter was named Xia Siming, and she died on the eve of victory.

Xia Zhizhi has an older sister named Xia Qingqing (guest star, come and claim her), who has gone to perform in another province with the art troupe. Her second brother Xia Zhuoran and third brother Xia Zhuoyue are both in the army, but one is with his uncle in Hainan and the other is in Xinjiang, so they can't be seen for the time being.

However, their sister had been found, and as such a big deal, the older brothers and sisters must come back. Pan Wenjun decided to send a telegram to the children when she returned, asking them to come home for a reunion this Chinese New Year.

Xia Zhizhi looked at the photo of her sister. Her thick eyebrows and big eyes were the typical oval-faced beauties of this era. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but when she looked at Xia Qingqing in the photo, she always felt that there was a bit of depression between her eyebrows.

Pan Wenjun introduced her to her eldest uncle and second uncle. Xia Siyuan lived in Hainan and had two sons and a daughter. The Xia Zhuojun mentioned above was his second son.

My second uncle is in Beijing. He got married late and had a son and a daughter, both of whom are still in school.

After roughly reviewing the relatives, Pan Wenjun took Xia Zhizhi's hand and asked, "Mom, I saw that you and your friends have been walking around Harbin for a long time. I guess there is nothing else to see. You should buy tickets to go back tomorrow, right?"

Xia Zhizhi nodded.

Some of them did plan to go back, they took photos at the scenic spots, ate what they needed to eat, bought what they needed to buy, waited for the food distribution, and then stocked up for the winter.

Pan Wenjun said, "What are your plans, Zhizhi? Your father and I still want our family to be together. It's too hard to go to the countryside. Mom and Dad want to find a job for you in the city. How about we go home?"

Xia Zhizhi shook her head: "I don't want it. I am an ambitious person. If I want to find a stable job, wouldn't it be better for me to stay in Beijing and work at a newspaper?"

Pan Wenjun and Xia Sihua looked at each other. Pan Wenjun let out a small sigh and chose to respect her decision. He then settled for the next best thing and said, "That's okay. If you don't want to be an educated youth anymore, just tell your parents."

Xia Sihua said, "I think after the autumn harvest in the Northeast, there will be nothing to do in the fields. It's like a cat wintering for half a year. During this half year of cat wintering, Zhizhi should go home and stay at home, okay?"

Xia Zhizhi continued to refuse them: "I don't want it, I have other things to do!"

Pan Wenjun was a little sad: "Zhizhi doesn't want to be with mom and dad?"

Xia Zhizhi began to tell lies to comfort her: "I am already an adult, I must have my own life. You are busy at work and don't have much time to take care of me."

"I have been an introvert since I was a child. If I really go back, I will be unfamiliar with the place and feel bored staying at home every day. If I go out to play, I will not have many friends. After a long time, I will become depressed mentally."

"You see, my brothers and sisters are all working in other places, and I am the same. I will go back to see you during the Chinese New Year, and then we will celebrate the New Year happily as a family."

Pan Wenjun was extremely reluctant to let go. How could the one who had been lost since childhood be the same as the one who had been raised by her side?

Xia Zhizhi's two brothers have been hanging around her every day since they were young. The naughty Pan Wenjun is annoyed and goes outside. As a mother, she feels comfortable.

But this little daughter was finally found, so I must want to keep her by my side and watch over her every day.

No matter how reluctant they were, it was useless as Xia Zhizhi simply refused to listen to them.

They were reluctant to make Xia Zhizhi unhappy, so they finally agreed with what Xia Zhizhi said.

Xia Zhizhi even wanted to ask them to leave immediately. Finally, after much persuasion, Xia Zhizhi reluctantly agreed to let her friend go back first, and she would stay in Harbin for a few more days to accompany her step-parents.

As for Ah Ju, she naturally had to stay and help carry the bags.

The couple stayed in Harbin for another two days and took her to visit a department store. They originally wanted to buy some clothes for Xia Zhizhi. The clothing styles in Harbin were indeed inferior to those in Beijing. Not only did Xia Zhizhi dislike them, but Pan Wenjun also felt that they were not worthy of her daughter. No matter which clothes they wore, they were not as beautiful as those on Xia Zhizhi.

After shopping around, I couldn't not buy anything, so I finally chose two sets of classic styles that were acceptable to my eyes.

Pan Wenjun doesn’t know how to make clothes. Not to mention making clothes, she can’t even knit a sweater.

I didn't know how to measure the size of the clothes, so I found a tailor shop and asked them to help measure Xia Zhizhi's size: "Mom knows a few old tailors with good craftsmanship. When you go back, let them make some clothes for you. I will see whether to mail them to you or wait for you to wear them when you go back."

No matter how good your skills are, can they be as good as Ah Ju?

But after all, it was someone else's thoughtful gesture, so Xia Zhizhi nodded indifferently.

Looking at Xia Zhizhi's thin arms and legs, and after learning about her tragic childhood, Pan Wenjun was filled with sympathy for her.

He also took her to try all the signature dishes of the state-owned hotels in Harbin.

It’s no wonder that, with Comrade Xia Sihua’s status at the forefront, the chefs were particularly attentive when cooking, and every dish tasted great.

Even though some of the dishes were not Xia Zhizhi's usual favorites, she still thought they were delicious.

As expected, no famous dish can be unpalatable. If it tastes unpalatable, then it must have been cooked incorrectly.

Xia Zhizhi is pretty and has a sweet mouth when she wants to coax people. The family of three has been having a lot of fun these days.

After coaxing her parents for two days, Xia Zhizhi ran out of patience and began to urge them: "Mom and Dad, don't worry about me. I will take good care of myself, and Ah Ju will help take good care of me."

"You've been out for such a long time, it's time to go back, Dad, you know how many things you have on your plate, and Mom, there are so many patients waiting for you in the hospital. Other things can wait, but patients can't. We have a long way to go as a family."

After seeing off her adoptive parents, when Xia Zhizhi returned to the village, all the public grain from the brigade had been paid and distributed.

This year Tang Mingli didn't have to go to dig the reservoir, and with two male comrades working together, Cui Zijin felt it was a lot easier.