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Extra – 50th birthday
The weather got warm very early this year, and it started to rain right after the Qingming Festival. The snow on the ground melted cleanly, revealing the dark back of the earth. The snow and rain moistened the black soil, making it so shiny that it seemed to be rippling. Oil and water come out.
Zhu Yongxin squatted on the ground, holding a pipe in his mouth, looking at the large land in front of him. Thirty years ago, who would have told him that in the future, you would have such a large area of fertile land with no margins, and your family would hire long-term workers, Day laborers, women and girls, they don’t have to work in the fields every day, they only eat delicious food and drink spicy food at home... He must dig over with a hoe to prevent the other party from talking nonsense.
But now all this is right in front of him, a large tract of land. Although it is not the time for farming yet, when he squints his eyes, he seems to be able to see those strong men sweating profusely in the fields during spring plowing and autumn harvest.
He lowered his head to find a stone, knocked on the pipe, kneaded some shredded tobacco from the purse at his waist, stuffed it into the pot of the pipe, took out the tinder and flint, lit it, and took two puffs, showing a satisfied expression.
In fact, Lotus brought back a lot of cigarettes and water pipes from the south. They are all new things and I have tasted them all. However, I have used this pipe and pot for most of my life, and I really can’t bear to replace it after I get used to it.
"Brother Zhu, why are you squatting on the ground? It has been raining for the past few days, and it has finally cleared up. There is moisture on the ground. Get up quickly!" Qi Laowu was carrying a big basket on his back, and he was leaning on nothing at all. He was walking down the mountain road with thick branches cut from somewhere. As he walked, he muttered and complained: "It's so warm this year. In previous years, there was still snow all over the ground at this time. This is good. The mountains are melting." It's really hard to get wet and step on mud."
"You are old now, and your children are grown up. Why are you still working so hard?" Zhu Yongxin stood up and approached him to help.
"The basket on my body is covered with mud. Don't touch it." Qi Laowu said sideways and said, "The child is getting older. Even though they are married, it will be difficult for the next generation to be born. , my body is quite strong, it would be good if I could do something to help."
"How much money do you make? Your family's life is pretty good now." Zhu Yongxin looked over and saw that the basket on Qi Laowu's back was full of small root vegetables. The small root vegetables were still very thin at this moment. The garlic below is also very small. Each white cherry-sized garlic looks particularly attractive hidden among the green clumps. I couldn't help but say: "Small root vegetables are a good thing. In those days, lotus flowers always led Bonin up the mountain. Go dig, now I haven’t done it in years.”
"Come on, your family is so prosperous now. One of your sons is an official, one is in business, and your two daughters are marrying well. Now is the time to enjoy peace and happiness, so there is no need to work hard like us." Qi Lao Wu walked down the mountain road, rubbed the mud from his shoes on the stones on the roadside, and said to Zhu Yongxin, "I don't ask for a fortune like you. I would be satisfied if I could have half of your family." .”
"Oh, the future is the result of the children's own efforts, and it is not earned by me. I can only be regarded as enjoying the blessings of the children." Zhu Yongxin took two puffs of dry smoke and said, "I went out and followed them north and south for a few years. , Now that I’m back, I still feel that the village is the best and I live comfortably.”
"Don't come here anymore. It's okay to tell me this. If you tell others, don't let others poke you in the back and scold you." Qi Laowu took off the basket on his back, took out his cigarette bag and smoked with Zhu Yongxin, " What's so good about our poor place? People say the capital or the south is better!"
"I've been living here all my life, and I'm used to it. It would be better to live somewhere else, but I always feel that it's not my own home, and it doesn't mean much. It's better to stick to my own house and land and live a down-to-earth life." Zhu Yongxin said with a smile.
"Second brother is in his forties this year? Are you starting to think about returning to your roots?" Qi Laowu chuckled twice, "It's still a little early. You should enjoy a few more years outside before coming back."
"What's forty? I'm already fifty this year. As the saying goes, you know your destiny at fifty. When you get old, it's time to come back and take care of yourself." Zhu Yongxin stood up and said, "It's getting late, hurry up and go home for dinner. I I’m going back too, so that your sister-in-law won’t nag you again.”
"Fifty is a big birthday. It seems like we have to celebrate it this year, right? A lot of words." Qi Laowu stood up after smoking and said, "Bo Rong and the others will definitely come back by then, right? A lot of words say it's been a few years." I haven’t seen it, and I don’t know if I can recognize it now when I see it on the road. There are also lotus flowers in your house. Now that I think about them, they still look like they were when I was ten years old!”
The two chatted for a few more words and then went home.
Zhu Yongxin was almost at the door of his house and sighed to himself. Although life was getting better now, his three sons and two daughters were not around, and the old couple depended on each other. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel lonely.
Just now Qi Laowu mentioned his fiftieth birthday, and his birthday is in a few days, but there is no movement at home. The boss and Hehua are still in the south, Bonin and Shuanzi are in the capital, and the closest one now is Jasmine's house. Yes, I have to go back for two days on the road.
He murmured in his mind as he walked home. He couldn't help but comfort himself by thinking that the children were so far away, and it was just a birthday. It didn't matter whether they came back or not. Each of them had their own busy schedules. The children in each family are still young, so a trip back would be tiring, expensive, and delay things, so it would be better not to bother.
Although I understand the truth, I still feel a little uncomfortable in my heart.
Just walking to the door of the house with such random thoughts, a figure rushed out of the door, bumped into Zhu Yongxin, hugged his legs and shouted: "Grandpa, grandpa is back!"
When Zhu Yongxin heard this, he was startled at first, and lowered his head in disbelief. He saw a little boy of seven or eight years old. He was pretty and handsome, with a vague shadow of Lotus's childhood shadow between his eyebrows and eyes. His big, round eyes were wide and black. Liu Liu's eyes were staring at him, with a smile on his face.
"You, are you Tuantuan?" Zhu Yongxin said in surprise, bending down to pick up the child, his mind was still full of unbelievable confusion. The last time he saw Tuantuan, he was only three years old, a little girl made of pink and jade. The baby doesn't recognize anyone he sees, and he always smiles when he is held. He is very lovable, and he has grown so big in a blink of an eye.
Tuantuan moved around Zhu Yongxin's body like candy, pouted and said: "Grandpa, I'm eight years old, I can't call you Tuantuan anymore..."
"Tuan Tuan sounds so nice, it was your mother who started it!" Zhu Yongxin hugged his grandson and walked into the house with a smile on his face. He saw the curtain on the door of the east room was hung, and He Hua and Fang were sitting on the edge of the Kang talking.
"Dad, he's back." Hehua heard the noise and got up and came over, took Tuantuan and put him on the ground and said, "He was still hugging him back and forth when he was so old. Now he is very heavy when he grows up. If you don't pay attention, How about stretching your waist?" After that, he sent his son out to play.
"How can you be so delicate? Your father is a farmer, not one of those lords in the city." Zhu Yongxin watched his grandson playing in the yard, and then he took off his coat disapprovingly and threw it on the kang to dry out the moisture. , leaning on the bed and asking, "Why did you come back without any news?"
"We have Enke in the spring this year. Brother Jintang is very busy with things. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to come back in time, so I didn't send a message. I was afraid that if I didn't make it in time, your joy would be in vain." Hehua stretched out her hand to spread out her clothes. Ping said with a smile, "Brother Jintang was very tired after rushing back all the way. When he got home, he went to the West Room to catch up on his sleep."
"Where's the child? Yuanyuan didn't bring it back?" Hehua's family hasn't come back for more than four years, but letters keep coming. Hehua just gave birth to a daughter the year before last and named her Yuanyuan, but she has never been able to go home. Until now He must be over two years old, and I haven't seen him even once.
"She has never traveled such a long distance since she was born, and she didn't sleep well on the way. She is sleeping with Brother Jintang in the west room right now!" Hehua said, pulling out a bundle from the bed, taking out some clothes and shaking them out. , "Dad, I bought you some clothes before I came back. I'm going to wear this for the birthday party. Try it on first and see if it fits you. If it doesn't, change it as soon as possible."
Zhu Yongxin was happy in his heart, with smile lines showing at the corners of his eyes, but he still said forcefully: "It would be great if you could bring your children back to see me. Why are you bothering to get new clothes? It's for the birthday banquet. Let's have a meal together with our family." The food is pretty good.”
"I have to say, birthday celebrations should be done according to dad's wishes, but after all, the eldest brother is still working as an official outside, and the village is full of villagers who know each other well. If it is not lively and lively, others will definitely accuse our children of being unfilial behind our backs. We That's all, I'm just afraid that it will spread out and delay my eldest brother's reputation, so dad will bear with it, we will prepare everything, dad just needs to wait for the good days in peace." Hehua smiled and paved the way for him.
Zhu Yongxin was satisfied with his face, and felt very happy in his heart. He felt more and more that the girl Hehua was the most considerate, and even her words made people feel comfortable, so he nodded in approval and said: "That's all, then you guys watch. Just go ahead and I won't interfere. Don't spend too much money, otherwise your mother will feel distressed and talk about it behind your back." After that, he took the clothes He Hua handed him and tried them on.
Hehua stepped forward and tugged at the skirt and hem of her clothes, pinched the fat and thin width, and looked at the cuffs under her armpits. She saw that they were generally still snug, so she pinned the hem with a pin to make a mark, as the hem was a little longer. Let him take it off and change it.
Zhu Yongxin walked out and said, "Stop showing off your skills. Let your mother change them."
He Hua was stunned by what he said, and said half jokingly, half angrily: "Dad, I know I'm not a good actress, so you don't need to remind me like this."
"I just told you in vain that while you two talk to each other, I'll go talk to your fourth uncle." After Zhu Yongxin said this, he went out with his hands behind his back.
Mrs. Fang watched him leave the courtyard and then curled her lips and said: "Look at your dad, the older he gets, the more troublesome he is. He doesn't accept good things properly and has to be urged and invited by others. Then he nodded reluctantly. You also want to show how unhappy you are, as if you only agreed to accommodate others."
"As the saying goes, it's like an old kid, an old kid, and I think my dad is almost the same." He Hua had been holding back her laughter before, but now that she saw Zhu Yongxin going out, she was finally able to laugh out loud.
"A fiftieth birthday is a whole birthday. It's rare to have all of you come back together. Although we can't be extravagant and wasteful, we shouldn't be too stingy with money. We must have a happy birthday for your father. Although he won't say it, you all will be here. You are promising, and he is very happy, wishing others would praise you!" Fang told He Hua.
"Mom, do you still have to answer for this? For this birthday banquet, you two will just wait for it to begin. We will arrange everything else properly." Hehua promised.
Although birthday banquets in rural areas are very elaborate, most of them are just to please the lucky ones and don't cost much money. After all, they are not as good as those rich people in the city.
The longevity hall is located in the yard of the house. A colorful shed is erected facing north and south. On the pillars of the shed are pasted the longevity couplets written by Qi Jintang: "When people live longer, they raise their glasses and sing the same song for immeasurable blessings; when the sky turns sunny, open the cup." Let’s enjoy the Indian summer together.”
Although the houses in the northern rural areas are also three-bay, the kitchen is right at the door and there is no main hall like in the south, so Hehua simply asked people to build a longevity hall in the yard due south and north, and hung lotus flowers on the door to decorate the house. The Su embroidered longevity curtain brought back from the south is embroidered with festive patterns such as Qunfang celebrating birthdays and five blessings holding birthdays. In the middle of the north side, there is a red background with black letters and gold sprinkled with the word "longevity". An offering table is placed under the character "Shou". In the middle is the sacred symbol of the longevity star, as well as incense burners, longevity wax, wax skewers and other items. There is room at both ends for birthday peaches and birthday cakes, and a large red felt mat and a round embroidered mat are spread on the ground in front, making it easier for children to come forward to worship and wish them birthdays.
There are two Eight Immortals tables placed in the longevity hall, which are the seats for the elders and prominent people in the village. The wedding shed outside is also equipped with tables, chairs and benches to entertain guests from the village.
After the house was packed, Qi Jintang accompanied He Hua to the city to contact the cooks and handymen, and had to go to Qijia Village one night in advance to make preparations. Coincidentally, in the city, I met the Bo Rong family and Shuan Zi who had just returned.
Everyone went home in a lively manner. Mrs. Fang, who had not seen her two sons for a long time, was happy and wiping her tears at the same time. The few people at least gave them some consolation. Shuanzi was beside her, telling jokes and playing tricks. Finally, Ms. Fang finally He made me laugh and was slapped twice.
Zhu Yongxin had already held Bao'er and Lizi in his arms and kissed them, but he was soon pushed away by Fang and said, "You just came back from the fields, don't rub against the children."
"I just went to the fields to have a look, and I didn't work in the fields. I changed my clothes in the morning." Zhu Yongxin quickly said, "I haven't seen the two children for a long time, so I'm so worried!"
Mrs. Fang patted Bao'er on the head and said, "Seeing that she is now a big girl, grandma can't hold her anymore." She turned around to look at Li Zi and wanted to reach out to hug her, but Bao'er stopped her.
"Boy, he looks thin, but actually the flesh on his body is tight. Please be careful not to stretch your waist."
"Then give it a kiss and stop hugging." Mrs. Fang was affectionate with the two children for a while and then said, "Your second aunt's family, Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, are in the west wing. You little ones can go play by yourselves. Bao'er, you are the oldest, please take good care of me."
After sending all the children away, Mrs. Fang asked, "Will the second child come back this time?"
"Of course I'm back. I've been engaged for almost a year, and neither of us is in a hurry. I'm thinking that after my father's birthday, I will accompany you to the capital with him. Firstly, let my parents Look at your new wife, it’s been a year since they got engaged, and neither of them is in a hurry. When will this procrastination end? Follow me, pick a good day this year and get married quickly. You and Dad can have a grandson soon."
"This is business, this is the best!" Mrs. Fang nodded repeatedly, and then suddenly saw Shuanzi tiptoeing to sneak out, and said loudly, "Shuanzi, what are you planning to do sneakily?"
"I...I'm going to use the toilet..." Shuanzi said with a smile.
"Didn't I go there when I first entered the house?" Fang said unmoved, "Don't think that I don't know what you are like outside because you are so far away from home. You have caused trouble for your eldest brother and second sister. ? Quite a few words”
"No, mother, I am honest." Shuanzi defended again and again, "If you don't believe me, ask my second sister, I am doing business peacefully!"
"I have long said that if you want to do business, wouldn't it be the same if you went home to do it? Now that you have land and a shop at home, why can't you run around? If you like the south, that's fine. Find a good place to settle down. What's the point of settling down and running around like this all the time." Mrs. Fang usually didn't see many of her children in person, so she could only write letters to each other, but now she finally met them. Then he said all the words he had kept in his heart.
"Mom..." Shuanzi came to Fang's side, acting coquettishly while asking Hehua for help with his eyes.
He Hua opened her mouth to persuade Fang: "Mom, our small place here is indeed far from the waterway ports in the south. It is indeed stable to buy a store or something, but it can't make any big gains. Shuanzi looks at it now He doesn't have any rules, but he is actually flexible. And he is very smart. A large amount of business is done within the jurisdiction of his eldest brother. It is naturally different if there are people above to take care of him. If he buys a shop and does it by himself, once it becomes big, You must be more filial, the little money you earn is not enough to support those officials."
"That's right, mother, you see my second sister said this. I have a sense of propriety, and there are brother Jianyu and eldest brother watching me. Nothing will happen to me." Shuanzi knew that Hehua was very talkative at home. He had weight. Seeing that Mr. Fang's attitude had softened, he quickly promised while the iron was hot, "I will never touch those messy things. I will only do my job honestly. Don't worry, mother!"
"Okay, I understand. A child cannot help his mother. You should be more careful outside. Don't do anything random by yourself. Talk to your eldest brother and your second sister more." Fang said with a slightly lonely look in her eyes.
He Hua couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable when she saw Mr. Fang like this. Now that she is a mother, she knows what it feels like. As the saying goes, a mother is worried when her son travels a thousand miles away. Even if she knows that everything is going well for her child, she still has to worry about her. What's more, her family is far apart now. No one can compete with anyone.
"Mom, I'm thinking, if you follow us to the capital this time, why don't you just settle down there?" Hehua asked tentatively, "Since Boning is in the capital, Xiaorou will have to get pregnant and give birth to a child after he gets married. Yes, my mother has someone to take care of her over there. Secondly, we are all in the south, and it is too far to go home. If you go to the capital, there are canals, and it will be much more convenient to take the waterway. Maybe every month I can come over to see you when I have time, and I can take you home to live with me when I’m free. It’s more convenient than living in the south and the north like we do now.”
Mrs. Fang couldn't say she wasn't moved when she heard this, but she also knew Zhu Yongxin's temper, so she said hesitantly: "Let me discuss it with your father. No matter how nice it is outside, it's not my hometown. You are young and can make a living." , Your father and I are so old, it’s time to think about the time when fallen leaves return to their roots.”
He couldn't help but feel a little sad when he said this. Hehua sighed in his heart and stopped talking. He couldn't force this kind of thing. He could only let Zhu Yongxin and Fang follow their children out willingly.
It wasn't until the day before her birthday that Jasmine's family came back with Boning. Everything at home had been prepared. When Shuanzi saw Jasmine, he said: "Sister, you and your second brother are really good at taking a break, knowing that everyone at home is busy." Come back when you’re done.”
Hearing this, Jasmine raised her hand and slapped Shuanzi's forehead, "You brat didn't say a good word. Do you think I'm happy to come back so late? Your second brother has been delayed in the capital for several days and made me anxious. My mouth is blistered."
Everyone took a closer look and saw that there were small blisters on the corners of Jasmine's mouth. It looked like she was really anxious.
Mrs. Fang felt heartbroken when she saw it. She stepped forward and took Jasmine to look at her, "You child, you are so old and have such a bad temper, but it doesn't matter if you come back a few days late. It's worth worrying yourself to this point."
Boning helplessly spread his hands and said: "I can't help it. Who knew that there would be problems with the book I edited before? I was working day and night." After saying that, he turned to Fang Shi and said, "Mom, you don't know, eldest sister, this It was like driving me crazy all the way, and I was going crazy.”
"If I hadn't been urging you so hard, would we have gotten home now? Do you want to wait until dad's birthday has passed before coming back?" Jasmine rolled her eyes at Bonin.
"Okay, okay, Bo Rong and He Hua have been quiet for so many days since they came back, but you two are the only ones who are busy when they come back." Fang went to the west wing to settle the two children, came back to smooth things over and asked everyone to come in and wait. After dinner, Jasmine and Hehua hurried over to help. In the evening, everyone had a home-cooked meal, arranged their accommodation, and went to bed early.
In the early morning of the birthday day, Xiao Xiu, He Hua and Jasmine got up before dawn. Sister Zhu, Lin, Zhi'er, Yingshuang and others also came to help. They made longevity peaches and birthday cakes, and took two large porcelain porcelain cakes. The plate is covered with red paper and then placed one layer at a time, stacked into a pagoda shape. The top is covered with a piece of red paper with the Chinese character "longevity" cut out, and placed at both ends of the table. The three animals, wine, food, and fruits that had been prepared long ago were laid out one by one.
There are three sons and one grandson in the family, so a total of four pairs of birthday candles have been prepared. Zhu Yongxin couldn't help but look at Boning and Shuanzi and said: "You two should also ask dad to announce your grandson as soon as possible. Next time, you can have more birthday candles for your sixtieth birthday." To my son, I think you two are filial to me!"
These words were so serious that even Shuanzi didn't dare to smile playfully anymore, and hurriedly followed Bonin and nodded in agreement.
Zhu Yongxin lit candles and incense, burned paper and fired cannons, and led the whole family to worship the ancestors of heaven and earth and the longevity king. Zhi'er hurriedly brought the cooked longevity noodles.
A bowl of noodles is actually made up of long noodles and cannot be eaten by biting them off. The whole family watched Zhu Yongxin finish the longevity noodles. Boning and Shuanzi lit the firecrackers in their hands, mixed with the laughter of the children. There was a noise, and the yard suddenly burst into joy.
Sister Zhu brought out another large bowl of noodles, and everyone in the family brought their bowls to eat noodles. Even Yuanyuan was fed by Lotus and ate less than half of the bowl, which was regarded as Zhu Yongxin's happiness.
According to the rules in the countryside, only children can kowtow to their elders. Adult men and women cannot kowtow to living people casually, as it will shorten the other person's life. So two armchairs were set up for Zhu Yongxin and Fang to sit down, and Baoer and Zaoer led the children up to kowtow first. Zhu Yongxin gave red envelopes one by one, then stood up, and then the five brothers and sisters kowtowed to the empty chairs and the word "longevity". .
After I celebrated my birthday, the chefs and busboys I invited started to prepare lunch, and people from the village also started to visit one after another. Most of the congratulatory gifts were food and rulers. Half of the food was left and half returned. Put it on the table for a while, and after eating, return all the gifts to the giver. Only the gifts from the children will be accepted.
Each table of the birthday banquet has eighteen dishes, six meat, six vegetarian and six cold dishes, which coincides with the meaning of longevity.
It was the first time Tuantuan had a banquet in the north. His eyes widened when he looked at the plateful dishes. He stretched out his hand and pulled the hem of Lotus's clothes and whispered: "Mom, one plate of dishes is three or four times better than those in the south." There’s more.”
He Hua smiled and said, "Yes, that's how it is in the north. Every meal and dish must be served with top tips to show the warm hospitality of the owner."
Tuantuan nodded to show that he remembered, blinking and looking around.
He Hua took care of the two children by herself, so she was inevitably a little overwhelmed. Bao'er was very discerning and came over to help lead the group. Jasmine praised her quickly when she saw it, and said to Zao'er: "Look at me, you are the same." As a sister, you have to learn from me."
When Zaoer saw this, she went over and insisted on helping Hehua take care of Yuanyuan.
"Come on, Yuanyuan is too small, don't make trouble." Jasmine pushed Zao'er aside again.
"Sister, why are you talking about the child like that!" Hehua glared at Jasmine, beckoned Zao'er to her side, then asked Tuantuan to sit on her lap, and said to Zao'er, "You pick something light and soft. He eats.”
Although the children rarely get together, they are not noisy or trouble-making. After two or three days together, they have become familiar with each other. Yuanyuan refuses to recognize strangers and obediently sits on the lotus lap and eats. Zaoer fed her food and smiled at her from time to time.
Lotus pulled the handkerchief to help her wipe away the occasional drool, while she and Jasmine chatted with each other.
Zhu Yongxin's five children all came back from outside to celebrate his birthday, and the people in the village all gave him honor. He could hear other people praising their children, and he was so happy that he refused to push anyone who came to toast them. Just do it, the more you drink, the more excited you are, and you shout very loudly to a few old men in the village, "I wish the second brother no ability in this life, but my son will have a good life. We don't say that he will not succeed, only that he will not succeed." I dare not say that this filial piety is the best among our families, but it is not worse than anyone else... "
Mrs. Fang frowned as she listened, and kept pulling him to sit down, "After a few sips of wine, I no longer know what my last name is. His mouth is like an open river, and he talks big things." , and not afraid of making guests laugh.”
Qi Laowu on the side frowned in confusion and said: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, what you said is wrong. Brother, what you said is absolutely right. How filial your children are! Look at this Shoutang, Shou Hall." Curtains, birthday screens... We have set up so many birthday banquets, invited the whole village, and even built a stage. Sister-in-law, what else are you not satisfied with? If my daughter could have half as many children as yours, I would , I will be content in my next life..."
Hehua listened to the side and said to Jasmine: "Dad is really drunk. If you are not drunk, you can't say such things. Although we are all from the same village, our hearts are far apart. Our family is gradually becoming more and more prosperous. There are some jealous people." , Now that dad is still saying things like this, if you are not careful, it will be easy for people to hold grudges."
"No matter what they do, I still want to tell you this time. After your birthday, take your parents to the south." Jasmine said while eating, "We are all outside, and our parents are here." Going north is inconvenient after all.”
"You and I have thought of a place together. I originally wanted my parents to live with Boning in the capital, but then I thought about it, the life there in the capital is too restrictive, and my parents might not like it, so it would be better to receive a Where am I going? It's close to mountains and rivers, with fruit trees and vegetable fields. It's not too far away from you. It's very convenient to take the waterway." Hehua said very happily when she saw that the two sisters had gone to the same place.
After hearing He Hua's words, Jasmine shook her head repeatedly and said: "Your place is a little too far away after all. I think it's better to live at my place. Yixin Mansion is close to the capital and not far from you and eldest brother. No matter whether you walk back or forth, It’s convenient either by water or by land.”
"We haven't even figured out the horoscope yet. Why are we arguing? A few days ago, I tentatively asked my mother what she meant. She didn't give me any accurate information. She said she wanted to discuss it with dad. In the past two days, I I'm busy, so I haven't had time to ask her again." Hehua sighed softly and said, "My parents are no younger than us. They have been here for decades, and their relatives and friends are also in the village. It's so difficult to go there all of a sudden. I may not be happy with the place being far away, so let’s see the situation first and then talk!”
"Well, if you go along reluctantly, it's better not to go. The worst we can do is make two more trips a year and come back to see it in turns."
Before Jasmine finished speaking, the gongs and drums started to sound again on the stage. The two sisters said nothing more and joined in the fun.
There was a birthday banquet that lasted until late in the evening. Women from the familiar families stayed to help clean up. There was no point in keeping the leftovers at home. Hehua said directly: "We are not outsiders either. If you think the things on these plates and bowls are good, you can take them home and eat them. If they are not good, you can fold them into buckets and carry them back to feed the pigs. They are all made of good things, so don’t waste them."
"What He Hua said is right. The Bodhisattva who ruins the food is to be blamed." Qi Laowu's daughter-in-law followed up and said, "Don't mess around. Each person finds a table and clears it, and the things on that table belong to that person. Be careful with your hands and feet, and the plates and bowls are all borrowed from various families in the village. If you damage the Hehua family, you have to pay for it."
"I just had her wine and listened to her drama, and now I have to carry it home. Who cares if the plates and bowls are thrown?" A woman over there who was familiar with Qi Lao's fifth daughter-in-law laughed. Said.
"If you break it, I'll let you pay for it." Qi Laowu's daughter-in-law smiled.