Zhu Jiaorong and Zhan Bo both had indescribable looks on their faces, but they didn't dare to ask any further questions because they were at Zhan Aiping's house and all the Gu family members were there.
Could it be that they were going to ask: "Son, have you been lazy in the countryside? Have you avoided labor? Have you not done farm work?"
Just look at Zhan Mingkang's hands... You can tell at first glance that he has never worked before.
Zhan Bo blew his beard and glared, wanting to scold but too embarrassed to do so as not to let his in-laws laugh at him; the tears in Zhu Jiaorong's eyes were dried by the wind, she wanted to squeeze them out again, but couldn't.
The couple returned to the house in silence.
No wonder my son only got darker but not thinner…
Zhu Jiaorong: "Or, let's just leave it like this."
Zhanbo: "Well - let's just leave it at that. Next year I'll try to get him a place in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University."
Zhu Jiaorong: "He doesn't like reading."
Zhanbo: "Then join the army."
Zhu Jiaorong said in embarrassment: "He doesn't want to join the army either."
Zhanbo: "As a mother, don't indulge him in everything. These are all good places, but you don't allow him to go here or there. You've spoiled him."
"I'll ask Xiaokang for his opinion later. Let him choose between studying and joining the army, or go to the factory."
In Zhanbo's opinion, since his youngest son is now an educated youth, he cannot be allowed to go to the factory directly. If he goes there directly, he will probably be a temporary worker, and the best he can do is to be a formal worker, which is not very good, and he is not a cadre.
It doesn't matter if the eldest son doesn't want to be a cadre. After all, the eldest daughter Pingping is now a cadre, and her husband is also a cadre. As for the youngest son, Zhan Aijia is not a cadre. She is a housewife and even a stepmother... In order to support his sister and not embarrass her, Zhan Mingkang has to become a cadre no matter what.
Joining the army and going to college are the most convenient ways to obtain cadre status.
His children, Zhanbo, should strive to become cadres.
Zhanbo and his family greeted the Gu family. Zhanbo and his wife called Zhan Mingkang to a small room to talk privately. They first asked about his life after going to the countryside. Zhanbo didn't dare to ask too much, as he was afraid that if he knew too much, he would get angry.
Zhanbo closed his eyes and said, "Your family background is good, and now you are an educated youth. One or two years of grassroots training is enough. I, your father, love you and will find a way to transfer you out."
"Do you want to join the military or go to college?"
Zhu Jiaorong quickly said: "Being a worker is the best!"
In today's society, being a worker is the best "way out" in the eyes of ordinary people, because being a worker is the most glorious! Even now, the country folks all say "my family of three generations of poor farmers is the most glorious", the poorer the more reasonable... The treatment of workers is envied by everyone.
Workers are much better off than public officials, such as police and public security officials. Those public officials can only get a fixed salary, but it is different in factories. Factory workers also get salaries and various benefits. They get more than just a fixed salary. If they work in a cannery... they are blessed.
A factory with 10,000 employees is like a small society, with hospitals, primary schools, middle schools, cinemas... everything.
Zhan Bo wants Zhan Mingkang to marry a relative of a government official, but Zhu Jiaorong has a different opinion. Zhu Jiaorong now wants Zhan Mingkang to be a worker. It would be great if she could marry the daughter of a factory director. Zhan Mingkang is too lazy, so he is suitable to be a factory canteen buyer... If her Xiaokang becomes a canteen buyer, she will never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of her life!
Zhanbo is a person who is blindly self-righteous. He thinks that factory buyers are not high-class and cannot compare to those senior cadres, nor can he compare to his son-in-law who has the prestigious title of group leader. However, the benefits of being a buyer are real.
"I won't go." Zhan Mingkang frowned, "I won't study, and I won't join the army."
Zhan Mingkang thought to himself that he was not an idiot, why should he go through the hardship of studying and joining the army? Studying was fine, but joining the army was out of the question. Who would stand guard? Who would go to training? He was too lazy to even hold the gun, as it was tiring.
As for studying, one can still pass the time by studying, but it will be miserable after finishing the books, as he will be assigned a job. Zhan Mingkang doesn't want to work. He has good food and drink now, so why should he go to work
Zhan Bo's anger spread to his brows: "Why don't you join the army? If you join the army, our family has connections. Your two brothers-in-law will be the regiment leaders..."
Zhan Mingkang: "I'm so tired."
Zhu Jiaorong advised: "Joining the army is not tiring, such as doing logistics and guarding the oil depot—"
Zhan Bo said: "Go guard the island. It won't tire you out and it will be glorious."
Zhan Mingkang said: "I won't go."
Zhan Bo said: "Study, go to a medical school."
Zhan Mingkang: "Then don't hurt anyone."
Zhu Jiaorong: "…The child is right."
Zhanbo was disappointed: "Go to the factory and be a regular worker."
Zhan Mingkang: "Dad, Mom, I'm going to the countryside now. I have a high level of awareness. I want to respond to the motherland's call to go to the countryside and mountains. I want to be a diligent educated youth."
"That's what you taught me when you first taught me!"
Zhan Mingkang is very satisfied with his current life. He is free and unrestrained. He has become accustomed to a free life. It is absolutely impossible for him to return to the cage of school and the army.
He wants to be an educated youth, and be an educated youth for life!
Zhan Mingkang has no big ambitions. As long as he can be lazy, he is not very picky about material conditions. As long as he can have enough food to eat and not be cold in Yunnan Province, he can spend his days lazily, and he has a sister Yanyan who cares for him and serves him wholeheartedly.
How wonderful it would be! He wanted to stay in the countryside with Sister Yanyan forever.
"Cough—" Zhan Bo almost choked on his own saliva.
Zhu Jiaorong: “…”
Zhanbo had a weird expression on his face: "You will regret it one day!"
Zhanbo felt that his son was just saying these words out of anger, so it didn’t matter, letting him stay in the countryside for a while, he probably wouldn’t suffer much, so just let him be, his son was still young anyway.
Now many educated youth have returned to the city due to illness, and the number of places in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University is gradually increasing. Zhan Mingkang will have plenty of opportunities to return to the city in the future.
Many people have been rehabilitated recently, and many university teachers and professors have returned to teach. Zhanbo guessed that universities will definitely expand their enrollment, and it should not be difficult to get places for workers, peasants and soldiers as college students in the future.
Zhan Bo said: "You behave well in the countryside."
Zhanbo had said all that. As long as his in-laws were around, Zhanbo would not make things too awkward with his son.
Zhu Jiaorong didn't say much, and said dryly: "Son, Mom knows you've been wronged..."
There were many things she couldn't say anymore.
Suddenly, there were more than a dozen people at home, and cooking became a problem. Zhan Mingzhao and Gu Sheng went to the kitchen to busy themselves. They wanted to cook a delicious meal. Zhan Mingzhao went up the mountain to pick a lot of wild mushrooms and also brought two chickens.
Seeing the two of them busy in the kitchen, Zhan Aiping went to find a clean apron and stood in front of Brother Gu.
Gu Ze'an and his wife sat with Gu Yao. Seeing Zhan Aiping took an apron, they guessed that she might also go to the kitchen to help.
Gu Ze'an was holding his granddaughter, Xiao Mianhua, and Qin Ying advised, "Pingping, you should take a rest and let the men do the work."
When Gu Yao saw the scene in front of him, he sneered in his heart and thought that the fifth son's wife was really good at pretending. If she wanted to help in the kitchen, she should put on an apron and sleeves and go quickly. Why should she put on an act in front of her parents-in-law
affectation!
A lazy wife, how can she expect to have both face and money
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Mom, you must have misunderstood. This is what I gave to my eldest brother... But you are right, we have to let the men do the work."
Qin Ying was stunned. Gu Yao was burning with anger. He stared at the apron and found it hard to imagine that he could wear it. Was the fifth son's wife crazy
Gu Yao: "Old Five's wife, say it again."
Gu Xiangyi looked over curiously, and seeing her elder brother's ugly expression, she thought her younger sister-in-law Pingping was so cool.
It's like touching the tiger's butt and pulling the tiger's beard.
She actually wanted to hand her eldest brother an apron!
What a talent.
Gu Xiangyi glanced at the kitchen. If the eldest brother got angry, he would quickly let the younger brother take over.
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Brother, the adult men of our generation who have wives are all busy in the kitchen."
"If you don't wear this, you might end up losing your wife."
"Someone who wants to get married should learn this... If they don't learn this, they will definitely not get a wife."
Zhan Aiping was secretly sarcastic. She was not afraid of Brother Gu, so she had to tease him.
When Gu Ze'an heard her say this, he immediately slapped his thigh and said, "Listen, listen to this, Pingping is right!"
Zhan Aiping: "My father-in-law still has insights."
Gu Xiangyi joined in the fun: "My sister-in-law is right!"
Qin Ying: "I also think Pingping is right!"
Little Tangyuan said: "My mother is right!"
Little comrade Yuanyuan didn't know what had happened, but her grandparents and aunt all said that her mother was right, so her mother must be right.
Little Cotton: “Wow wow wow wow—” Translated, perhaps she is repeating what her sister Little Tangyuan said.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
She didn't expect that so many people would respond to her casual remark.
Brother Gu: “…”
Under the enthusiastic cheers of the masses, Comrade Gu Yao took the shameful apron with a sense of shame and put it on.
After putting it on, Gu Yao felt it was ridiculous. Why should he wear this
Wait a few more years, with his ability, he can have a driver and a chef around him... Even if he marries a wife, why would he do it himself
Before entering the kitchen, Gu Yao warned the fifth wife: "Don't gossip in front of Zeng Xue in the future."
Zhan Aiping: "I didn't..."
Gu Yao walked into the kitchen and said to Gu Sheng with a dark face: "Keep your wife under control!"
Gu Sheng said: "Can you manage your partner?"
When talking about this matter, Gu Yao felt very difficult: "..."
They are brothers in great trouble.
Gu Yao looked at Gu Sheng with pity: "Brother, I didn't understand you before."
Sometimes men are just like that and have no choice.
Gu Sheng: “…”
Zhan Mingzhao smiled and said, "It would be great if my two brothers-in-law could understand me."
Gu Yao: “…” This family is in a mess.
Gu Sheng: “…” It’s a question of stance.
Three people cooked a large table of dishes in the kitchen. The head chef was Gu Sheng, the deputy chef was Zhan Mingkang, and Gu Yao was helping out. However, Gu Yao was a very ambitious man. He was not willing to just help out and insisted on cooking as well.
Gu Sheng only let him waste two side dishes, as he thought that he had to cook the main dishes that his wife Pingping liked.
Zhan Mingkang thought that I must also cook the dishes that my partner likes.
Gu Yao thought that the person who had encouraged him to go into the kitchen must support him.
Zhan Aiping brought Gu Yao into the kitchen. She happily took Gu Xiangyi to cook a firewood meal in the yard. Her little daughter Yuanyuan also helped to light the fire. Zhan Aiping said happily, "Isn't this pot big? I borrowed it from the kitchen staff."
Maybe there is a shortage of pots in the countryside, but in this camp, there is absolutely no shortage of big pots.
"The bigger the pot, the more fragrant the firewood rice will be..."
Gu Xiangyi said eagerly: "Sister-in-law, please stop talking. I'm so hungry. This rice smells so good. It's the Northeastern rice my second brother sent me..."
Little Tangyuan was also intoxicated and said: "Mom, I smell the fragrance of chicken soup..."
Zhan Aiping sniffed, and all kinds of tempting aromas lingered around her nose, making her stomach feel very upset. It was not only the aroma of the firewood rice, but also the tempting aroma of the mushroom and chicken soup over there.
The children from the two neighboring houses were so envious that they cried.
Jin Baoer from next door ran over eagerly, saying sweetly: "Aunt Zhan, I want to eat too..."
"Go home and get a bowl." Zhan Aiping was not a stingy person, as her daughter had eaten other people's food before. Jinbao brought a bowl and she scooped a spoonful of chicken soup for the child, which contained chicken mushrooms and one or two pieces of chicken.
Now is the peak season for wild mushrooms. There are many mushrooms on the mountain, and they are not particularly valuable. Zhan Aiping scooped some more chicken mushrooms for him.
Jin Baoer went back happily with the soup.
When the people from the Niu family next door saw this, Mrs. Niu felt suspicious. Several of her children were eager to try to go over, but she stopped them.
The Niu family has many children. What would it look like if five children carried bowls over? Wouldn't that be like begging? How embarrassing! If someone saw them, would their family still have face
Mrs. Niu said to Niu Chunyan: "If the Gu family knew how to behave, they should take the initiative to send it over."
Zhan Aiping did take the initiative to bring it over. She brought a small bowl of chicken soup. It was not a big bowl, and considering the number of people in the Niu family, each person could only have one or two bites.
"Sister-in-law, please try my chicken soup. It's fresh." Zhan Aiping was reluctant to give more. If it wasn't for her brother's upcoming birth, who would send chicken soup everywhere after killing a chicken? There were too many military families as neighbors in the barracks. If she gave it to everyone one by one, would she be able to eat it at home
If this family gives it and that family doesn't... won't that just cause trouble
However, if the relationship is good, you can still give it as a gift.
Zhan Aiping sent some chicken soup to several families and people also gave back some eggs.
In the evening, more than a dozen people gathered around the table to eat and feast. Gu Sheng opened two bottles of Moutai and drank with Gu Ze'an and several other men. The one who could drink the most among them was Gu Yao.
Gu Yao thought to himself, what a joke, if he couldn’t drink, how could he have survived until today
Compared with him, Gu Ze'an and Zhanbo were just two little weaklings. They, the older generation, ate peanuts and drank slowly.
Gu Yao was fighting two people at once. He stared at Gu Sheng and Zhan Mingzhao and was determined to get them both drunk.
Zhan Mingzhao really couldn't drink and fell down. Zhan Aiping and Gu Xiangyi helped him back to the room.
Zhan Aiping watched from the side, and after the two brothers had drunk each other to the point of knocking down the door, she helped Gu Sheng back to the room.
Gu Xiangyi got a headache just by smelling the alcohol tonight: "Sister-in-law, you are so amazing, your hands are so strong, my brother is too sturdy."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Gu Sheng and Gu Yao both vomited in the end. The two of them were competing with each other and drank a lot. Zhan Aiping fed Gu Sheng sobering soup, wiped his body clean, changed him into clean clothes, threw two Chinese medicine sachets on him, and massaged his acupoints.
Gu Sheng fell asleep quickly.
Gu Ze'an had fallen long ago, and Qin Ying and Gu Xiangyi were faced with a difficult elder brother.
Gu Xiangyi: "I'm going to explode!"
Men cannot be allowed to drink together.
She banned alcohol on her wedding day!
Qin Ying said, "You are getting married, so you should be happy. Why are you blowing up something? I didn't blow up anything."
Gu Xiangyi: “…”
The next day, the women didn't explode, but Gu Yao really exploded. His head exploded and he had a terrible headache. When he came out, he looked ten years older.
He sat in the hall and realized that he would rather not come out.
Gu Xiangyi asked Zhan Mingzhao about his well-being and said, "Don't drink with my brother anymore in the future."
Gu Sheng slept comfortably and felt full of energy: "Brother, now you know the benefits of having a partner?"
Gu Yao: "Wait until I get married, I'll drink you to death."
When it comes to drinking, no man will give up easily.
Gu Sheng chuckled: "I'll wait."
Gu Ze'an was very excited, but he kept quiet. It was good that the boss was competitive, so they should get married quickly.
*
Niu Chunyan told Niu's wife about the matter, and Niu's wife came to the door with a smile, "Congratulations, congratulations on your family's double happiness..."
Mrs. Niu said a lot of nice things and introduced herself to the elders of the Gu family. Finally, she looked at Zhanbo and his wife and said, "I have something else to do today."
"In my family, there is a sister-in-law who is pretty and not married yet. Look at your Zhan family, you have good upbringing and have produced so many talented people. Look at Dean Zhan, how amazing he is. And this Ming Zhao brother, I heard he can deal with foreigners..."
Mrs. Niu spoke highly of the Zhan family, which made Zhanbo very excited. Finally, she explained the purpose of her visit.
"You have a kid at home, right? He looks like a handsome young man. Do you have a girlfriend?"
Zhanbo was beaming: "Not yet, how old is your sister-in-law?"
Mrs. Niu gave her age evasively.
Zhan Bo was stunned. He was happy that an officer's sister liked his youngest son, but - "She's a little old."
Mrs. Niu: "Women are older and can take care of people."
Zhu Jiaorong said: "That's right."
Someone has taken a fancy to her son, and Zhu Jiaorong is happy regardless of whether it succeeds or not.
Mrs. Niu said, "Let them do it? Our Chunyan is in pretty good condition, really—"
Zhanbo called Zhan Mingkang over, thinking that the child was old and he should learn to face such situations. Even if they wanted to refuse, it should not be Zhanbo and his wife who did the first thing to do.
It doesn't matter if Zhan Mingkang's words are harsh, Zhan Bo can say that it's just because he's a child and doesn't know better, "Xiao Kang, come and listen, what do you think?"
Zhu Jiaorong smiled and said, "Our Xiaokang still wants to find a younger partner."
Zhan Mingkang said: "I like those who are older, can be my sisters, and are good to me."
"Ah?!" Zhanbo and Zhu Jiaorong were shocked. They never knew that their son's preference for a spouse would be someone older who could be his sister.
Oh my god, this is incredible.
Zhan Bo and Zhu Jiaorong looked at each other and thought that Zhan Mingkang has two older sisters at home, Zhan Aiping and Zhan Aijia are both very difficult to deal with, but he actually likes the older sister... Isn't this a bit twisted
When Mrs. Niu heard what Zhan Mingkang said, her eyes sparkled with joy. When he came to talk about marriage, she felt that he was not reliable because he was a little old after all.
But - this kid actually said that he likes older guys.
Zhan Mingkang said: "Don't introduce younger ones to me."
Zhan Mingkang glanced at Mrs. Niu and thought that she would definitely introduce a little sister to him. He didn't want that kind of ignorant sister.
Mrs. Niu: "You like older guys? What other conditions do you have? You are quite handsome and interesting."
This is the first time I heard that someone likes older people.
Zhan Mingkang said casually: "I met an old immortal in the mountains, and he told me that I'd better marry a girl with a name that has the word flying in the sky in it." For example, swallow or something like that.
Mrs. Niu said happily, "Flying in the sky? Isn't that a swallow?"
Zhan Mingkang was stunned, but at this moment, he became smart and knew that he must not mention the word "swallow" on his own initiative: "Maybe that's what the old immortal meant. We need birds that can fly, such as swallows, sparrows, cranes, larks..."
"Oh my! Oh my!" Niu's wife almost jumped up. Oh my god, is her sister-in-law finally going to get married? Today is a good day for their family. Chunyan thought he was pretty good yesterday, and today Zhan Mingkang said he wanted to marry someone with a good name.
"Good news! Very good news!" Sister Niu held Zhanbo and Zhu Jiaorong's hands one by one, "Uncle, listen to this, your family is not just having a double blessing, it's a triple blessing."
"Your little brother and our Chunyan are a match made in heaven. It's a fate given by God. You must listen to the old immortal. If you marry our Chunyan, you will definitely fly high!"
(End of this chapter)