Her face still had so many wrinkles, but when she saw the mother and son, she immediately smiled.
Xu Xiuwen and his mother were busy moving things, while his grandmother kept muttering, "Why are you buying so many things?"
Ning Wanqiu smiled and said, "It's almost the New Year, so we should buy something."
My grandmother's house has the most common structure in rural areas, with three large tiled houses in the front, three small houses in the back, and a yard in the middle.
There are pomegranate trees and pear trees planted in the yard, and some chickens and ducks are raised.
As I walked into my grandmother’s house, I saw the portrait of the “Savior” hanging on the wall opposite me, which almost occupied the entire wall.
This portrait of the Savior is many years old.
In fact, many families in the village hang portraits, but most people just hang them and leave them alone.
Xu Xiuwen's grandfather often wiped the portrait and burned incense on a daily basis.
When Xu Xiuwen was a child, he heard his grandfather say that during the Red/Tail Army period, his grandfather went to Beijing to see the Savior.
At that time, it was free to take the bus.
When they arrived in Kyoto, the Savior personally received them, so my grandfather's admiration for the Savior was beyond words.
There is no one else in the three large houses in front.
My grandfather was a middle school teacher. During school holidays, he usually played mahjong with other old men in the village in the afternoons.
Grandma is always busy in the small room at the back.
Since childhood, Xu Xiuwen has been confused by one thing.
Grandma never seems to be idle.
She always has something to do.
After arriving at his grandmother's house, his grandmother gave him pears, then pomegranates, and asked him if he was thirsty or hungry.
Xu Xiuwen was actually neither hungry nor thirsty, but in order to make the old man feel at ease, he took it with a smile.
Then grandma and Ning Wanqiu started preparing dinner in the kitchen of the small house at the back.
Ning Wanqiu has three sisters and one brother.
The relationship between the four sisters is not very good.
Xu Xiuwen's aunts and cousins did not perform well in school at the time, and most of them dropped out after junior high school. Only Ning Wanqiu had good grades and continued to study until graduation from university.
After getting married, the aunts all lived in the countryside. They were exposed to the wind and sun and had to do farm work. They looked older and not as young as Ning Wanqiu.
In addition, the three sisters are not as good-looking as Ning Wanqiu.
Some things happened in the past, so Ning Wanqiu’s relationship with her sisters is not very good.
As for Xu Xiuwen's only uncle, the relationship was even worse.
My uncle was a very filial person before he got married, but after marriage, he met a strong wife and became like a different person. He listened to his wife's words and ignored his parents.
We have had many quarrels over the years.
Xu Xiuwen remembers that when he was a child, his aunt pointed at his grandparents' noses and scolded them, while his uncle listened beside them without saying a word.
In short, Ning Wanqiu’s relationship with her brothers and sisters is not very good.
Because of his elders, Xu Xiuwen doesn't have a good relationship with his cousins of the same generation.
Ning Wanqiu doesn't go home during ordinary holidays, and only comes back during the Chinese New Year.
Time passes slowly.
Soon it was five o'clock.
My uncle's family came back first.
Actually, my uncle lives in the market, which is the closest place to home.
The other aunts live a little further away.
But by 6 o'clock, the daughters all came back.
This is also the custom in their family. Every year, they go home to celebrate the New Year two days before the New Year. On New Year's Eve, only my uncle and Ning Wanqiu stay behind, while the other aunts will go back to the man's home to celebrate the New Year.
As more and more people came back, the originally deserted courtyard became lively.
Although he has a bad relationship with his uncles and aunts, and also has a bad relationship with his peers, Xu Xiuwen still does the superficial work.
He greeted every elder politely when he met him.
I changed the update time to the evening because I think more people read it at night. No need to worry about the interruption of updates, there are still drafts saved.
Chapter 258 "Harmonious" Dinner
In the blink of an eye, it was time for dinner.
Two square tables were put together, and nearly 20 people sat around them for dinner.
Xu Xiuwen’s uncle is Ning Zhuo.
The first two characters of the four sisters are the same, and the last characters are Chunlan and Qiuju respectively.
Ning Wanqiu ranked third, so she was called Ning Wanqiu.
While eating, my aunt Ning Wanchun suddenly said, "Third sister, is Xu Xiuwen going to college this year?"
Ning Wanqiu hummed.
My aunt then asked, "Then why didn't you notify us to attend the graduation banquet? You are not doing the right thing."
Ning Wanqiu explained: "There was no graduation banquet."
My aunt asked knowingly, "Why don't you hold a graduation party?"
My aunt and my mother have never gotten along, so this question sounded like nothing wrong at this moment.
But everyone knew she had bad intentions.
As soon as Xu Xiuwen's college entrance examination results came out, Ning Wanqiu informed his parents, so everyone in the family knew that Xu Xiuwen did not do well in the exam.
Although everyone knew that the aunt had bad intentions, no one said anything.
My grandparents have always been soft-tempered and couldn't get a word in.
Ning Wanqiu's expression was calm as she patiently explained, "Xiu Wen only got three places in the exam, so there's no need to hold a graduation banquet."
When my aunt heard this, she immediately said loudly, "A third-tier university is also a university. How can we justify not holding a graduation party? Don't you city people care about these things? When our Li Lei was admitted to a first-tier university, although we live in the countryside, we had to hold a graduation party for him even if we sold everything we had. Otherwise, wouldn't we be inferior to others?"
Ning Wanqiu didn't say anything.
The aunt finally showed her claws.
Seeing Ning Wanqiu didn't say anything, she turned to Xu Xiuwen and said, "Xiuwen, don't blame your mother. She may think it's shameful for you to take the third-tier exam, so she is embarrassed to do it. It doesn't matter."
After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Ning Wanqiu and lectured her, "You are too vain as a mother. Although the third-tier university is not as good as our Li Lei's first-tier university, it is still a university."
Li Lei suddenly interrupted, "Mom, a third-year college can't be considered a university, it can only be considered a college."
Aunt Ning Wanchun didn't understand, so she asked, "What's the difference?"
Li Lei coughed and explained, "The names of the universities are all so-and-so universities, and for the third-tier universities, the names of the schools are all so-and-so colleges. They are completely different! And their tuition fees are very expensive, it seems to be more than 10,000 yuan a year."
Second Aunt suddenly interrupted, "So, the third-tier college is similar to Wu Qiang's junior college. Their school is called xx Technical College."
Li Lei nodded and said, "There is really no difference, it's just that the score is a little higher."
When the second aunt heard this, she immediately shouted, "It turns out that he is just like our Wu Qiang, both of them are in college. I feel that he is not as good as our Wu Qiang. Wu Qiang went to a technical college, at least he can learn a skill, and it will be easier for him to find a job after graduation. A third-level college requires no knowledge and no skills, so how can he find a job after graduation?"
Second Aunt Ning Wanlan reminded her with special concern: "Third sister, you have to be careful, otherwise you won't be able to find a job after graduation, and then your four years of college will be in vain."
My aunt said, "Xiu Wen, don't be discouraged. Although you didn't do well in the exam, as long as you work hard, you can strive to get a national scholarship like our Li Lei, which can also help reduce the burden on your mother."
It was a routine for the eldest and second aunts to mock and ridicule Ning Wanqiu at the dinner table every year.
The situation has become more serious in the past year.
Because my aunt’s son Li Qiang was admitted to a top university last year.
In 2005, there were very few college students in the village, so Li Qiang's achievements brought Ning Wanchun a lot of honor. She praised her son to everyone she met, never missing a single opportunity.
Ning Wanqiu was not angry when she heard her elder sister's words. Instead, she asked in surprise, "Did Li Lei receive a national scholarship?"
My aunt raised her head with a smug expression on her face.
"Yes, although our family is not short of money, this 4,000 yuan is a national reward for outstanding students, we can't refuse it. Li Lei also used the money to buy me clothes. Mom, Dad, the wine I brought today was bought by Li Lei. It's a token of his kindness."
As soon as my aunt said this.
The grandparents immediately smiled and said, "What a filial grandson you are."
The second aunt was very jealous and didn't want her to take all the glory away.
She also immediately said, "Mom and Dad, although our Wu Qiang's grades are not good, he is hardworking. He took advantage of the holiday to earn some money from working part-time and bought you cigarettes."
When my second aunt and her family came, they brought a pack of cigarettes.
Grandpa and grandma started praising Wu Qiang again.
My uncle didn't say anything at this time, but my aunt was thinking about the wine that my aunt mentioned, and planned to bring the wine back home in the evening.