Zhan Aiping took the letter back home, but she didn't rush to open it. When she got home, she tore open the envelope from the Provincial People's Publishing House and took out the letter inside. It was indeed an invitation to contribute.
A publishing house editor wrote to her:
Comrade Zhan... I have seen reports about you in the newspaper... You have a great influence on the people in the towns and villages... I have compiled a book...
"You really came to invite me to publish a book? My science story." Zhan Aiping was very excited, but also a little embarrassed. She was not a graduate of the Chinese department, and her writing skills were not good. She studied in a military school. Her Chinese grades were not as good as her math grades, and her teachers had never read her essays. She was surprised and happy: "I can publish a book?"
Just those crappy science stories she wrote.
Zhan Aiping writes easy-to-understand vernacular stories, without much embellishment, simple and straightforward, yet with twists and turns. Most of them are popular science stories, and the endings are "unexpected, yet reasonable."
Editor Lu wrote the letter sincerely, saying that he would contact her in the future to cooperate with the entire publishing work of "Science Stories". He also left the address, zip code, and the publishing house's phone number in the letter.
Zhan Aiping quickly contacted the publishing house over there. After a brief communication, the two sides reached a basic cooperation plan. Zhan Aiping began to organize the manuscript, unifying the scientific stories she had written in the past into a collection, and then sent the manuscript to the publishing house.
After confirming that the book could be published, Zhan Aiping was extremely excited. No matter what era she was in, no matter whether she was a literary youth or not, publishing a book was truly something to be happy about.
"Babies, your mother is going to publish a book!" When Zhan Aiping was pregnant, she had nothing to do, so she wrote many science story manuscripts. She originally planned to submit them to radio stations slowly. Now it is a good opportunity to organize all the articles and send them to the provincial publishing house.
Perhaps they felt Zhan Aiping's excitement, the two little kids waved their little paws excitedly like caterpillars, grinned and uttered some ambiguous words.
Zhan Aiping held the cubs' fists one by one. Sweet and sour pork and glutinous rice balls had slowly learned to hold things. They clenched their fists and also held their mother's index finger.
"ah?"
"Why hasn't your father come back yet?"
Zhan Aiping fed the child first. Not long after the child was full, Gu Sheng came back. Gu Sheng took a bath and changed clothes first. He was now extra careful not to touch the babies without washing his hands first, and he would also wash and disinfect his hands before changing diapers for the children.
The two children were well taken care of, never got sick, and their arms and legs were very strong.
Zhan Aiping waited for him to come out of the shower. Gu Sheng was in a casual state, wearing only trousers, with his long shirt open and unbuttoned, revealing his wheat-colored chest and strong abdominal muscles underneath. Zhan Aiping paid attention to his belly button out of professional habit and thought that the umbilical cord was cut quite well.
"Look at you, your clothes are untidy at home and you don't even wipe them clean. There's water on your clothes." The child was sleeping, so Zhan Aiping spoke in a low voice.
"Aren't you in a hurry to see your wife?" Gu Sheng saw that the two children had eaten and fallen asleep, with a smile on his handsome face. He had to find a chance to be affectionate with his wife for a while before the children woke up.
Gu Sheng sat beside the cradle, Zhan Aiping sat on his lap, wiped his hair with a towel, and patiently helped Gu Sheng straighten his collar, buttoning it one by one from top to bottom. Gu Sheng leaned over and rubbed her cheek, then unbuttoned the two buttons on his collar.
After tying it, Zhan Aiping pressed his abdominal muscles, hugged his neck, and boasted in a low voice: "Chief of Staff Gu, your wife is going to be a writer, and I'm going to publish a book!"
Zhan Aiping didn't say anything else. This good news must be shared with good revolutionary partners.
Gu Sheng raised his eyebrows, with surprise in his eyes: "You? You can publish a book with such sloppy writing?"
"Your surgical skills?"
Zhan Aiping smiled and snorted: "I received a letter from the publisher today about my science story, inviting me to submit a manuscript. They said that my science story is very worthy of publication and suitable for people to read and watch."
"Really?" Gu Sheng lowered his head and rubbed her nose with his nose tip: "My wife has really become a great writer? I am so proud of it."
"How could it be false? Besides, I am not bad at writing. I just use plain language, close to the masses and the working people. Haven't you heard of an old saying? A thorough understanding of the world is knowledge, and a thorough understanding of human nature is writing."
"—Your wife, I have seen a lot, so the stories I write are naturally interesting."
Gu Sheng laughed, rubbed his nose, turned to look at the two children sleeping beside him, and found that little Tangyuan had opened his big black eyes at some point and was listening curiously to the movements around him.
"Little Tangyuan, come here and listen carefully to your mother's bragging. Let's learn her bragging skills in the future."
When little Tangyuan saw that his father noticed him, he blinked, drooled and said "ah" happily.
Zhan Aiping hit him on the chest and said, "What kind of bragging skills are you? Don't teach your children nonsense. I am clearly telling the truth."
After Zhan Aiping finished speaking, her brother Guo Bao Rou on the other side also opened his eyes and listened curiously to the movements around him. The two little guys have begun to yearn to interact with their parents and will perceive the movements around them in a daze.
"Brother is awake too? Come and listen to mom's bragging."
Zhan Aiping: "Who is bragging? Who is bragging?"
Gu Sheng smiled and said, "You started bragging when you said you have a lot of experience and that you are 'knowledgeable about worldly affairs and knowledgeable about human nature.'"
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Gu Sheng sighed: "I remember that you didn't like to write essays when you were a child. Your brother stole the diary you wrote and showed it to me. Today you went to play basketball with the fat kid next door, and tomorrow you went to play with your classmate Xiaohong-"
Zhan Aiping covered his mouth: "You also peeked at my diary?!"
The smile in Gu Sheng's peach blossom eyes became even more intense: "Is it possible that your diary that you wrote to the teacher perfunctorily is not worth showing to others? Let's see what happened?"
Zhan Aiping: "The fat boy next door is you."
Gu Sheng sneered, "Your name is either Xiaopang, Xiaohong, Xiaoqing, or Xiaofeng. You have no sincerity in writing a diary. You can't even come up with a decent name. No wonder the teacher gave you a low score."
"The fat kid next door is arguing with someone, and you're still trying to stop them?"
"You—" Zhan Aiping glared at him: "Are you done yet? You must be making this up. I never wrote this."
Zhan Aiping blushed. She couldn't actually remember what she wrote in her diary when she was in the lower grades of elementary school, but she could guess that it must be like what Gu Sheng said, playing ball with others today and flying kites with others tomorrow. Anyway, none of it was true, it was all perfunctory to make up the word count.
She still had some impression of the little fat boy and little Feng, and she had been perfunctory in naming them in her diary.
"You are taking advantage of my poor memory and my inability to remember clearly, and you are lying to me. I don't believe you."
Zhan Aiping became angry and thought that anything she couldn't remember was fake. Could she still have kept the notebook
"You don't believe it?" Gu Sheng hugged her and laughed, "You don't believe it? I still have your notebook. Do you remember the pink little grid book? It's still at my house. When I take you to visit my parents-in-law, I'll take it out and show it to you. My mother keeps all my old things. She doesn't want to throw things away. She has kept all my books and exercise books from those years."
Zhan Aiping was stunned: "You, you bastard, do you really have my diary?"
"My brother, that traitor, stole it for you? Do you have any shame to keep it?"
Gu Sheng said, "I didn't steal it. Your brother gave it to me. You finished your own homework book and threw it away. Your brother picked it up and showed it to me."
Zhan Aiping pinched his neck: "You two are in cahoots with each other. You two are shameless. You actually peeked at my diary. You two must be laughing at me behind my back."
Gu Sheng burst into laughter: "You made up everything in your elementary school diary. You just did it half-heartedly. What do you have to be afraid of, Zhan Dapingping?"
"The teacher has already seen it, why are you afraid to show it to us? Your brother thought it was interesting, so he shared it with me."
"Your brother wrote good essays and diaries when he was a child."
Zhan Aiping continued to pinch him: "If you say one more word, I'll beat you both to death. Do you think I don't know your dark history?"
"I still have the suicide note you wrote in elementary school."
Gu Sheng denied: "I didn't write it."
"You wrote it." Zhan Aiping firmly believed that there was such a thing in her memory, but unfortunately she had no evidence. "Your sister showed it to me secretly, she must still remember it."
Gu Sheng's mouth twitched: "Then I really have a good sister."
Zhan Aiping sighed: "I also have a good brother."
What kind of useless brothers and sisters are these? They have leaky little pockets, they eat from both ends and collude with the enemy everywhere.
"I can't find the suicide note I left in elementary school, but I still have the ones before that. Some of them are for you. Do you want to see them?" After joining the army for so many years, he would write a suicide note before every special mission.
"I don't want to see it." Zhan Aiping refused. She buried her head in his chest and said sullenly, "I don't want to see it in my life."
"Okay." Gu Sheng hugged her and smiled: "I will try my best not to let you see it in this life."
"Yeah." Zhan Aiping listened to his heartbeat: "You must always remember what you said."
"I want to go see the snow with you, an old man."
Gu Sheng held her hand, his palm was hot, "You, you are afraid of cold and love to play... It will be a long time before I become an old man."
Zhan Aiping patted his handsome face and said, "Hurry up and cook. Feed me first, then feed the child."
"Yes, my leader."
Gu Sheng went to cook. Seeing that the two children were staying at home obediently and babbling to each other, Zhan Aiping took the children to the study, let them lie on the fence bed, and she looked through her previous manuscripts. She still kept every page of the original manuscripts. Zhan Aiping counted them and found to her amused that she had actually written forty-nine articles, some long and some short, which could really be pieced together into a book.
Zhan Aiping plans to write a few more articles.
After Gu Sheng cooked the meal, he simply brought it into the study to eat. Their study was now bigger than before. In addition to a row of bookshelves and a desk by the windowsill, there were also cribs for the children, and small bamboo beds and recliners for people to lie down and rest.
Gu Sheng first brought in a small tea table, laid out the dishes, and set the tableware. "Great writer, stop busying yourself and come and eat."
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "A great writer needs a good and virtuous husband like you."
"The only drawback is that the working hours are uncertain, so we have dinner late."
Gu Sheng said: "I'm hungry, just eat something to fill my stomach."
"The same to you."
"Fifth brother, when I write a medical paper in the future, I will definitely solemnly thank my husband for his support at the end..." Zhan Aiping held the bowl and chopsticks and couldn't help but make a promise for him.
We must cherish the achievements of the working people.
"You should publish a book now, don't wait until later, thank me in the preface as soon as possible."
"Okay, I have to write the preface. I want to thank my husband for his support!" Zhan Aiping finished her meal and went to breastfeed her child. She asked Gu Sheng to help her copy the manuscript. She encouraged him: "Hurry up, it's time for you to support your wife's career!"
Gu Sheng: “…”
"I won't pursue the matter of you peeking at my diary before. Now hurry up and help me copy the manuscript."
Gu Sheng shook his head and sighed. He picked up a stack of manuscripts and looked at Zhan Aiping's heroic handwriting. He couldn't help laughing, "Wife, your handwriting has become uglier and uglier since you became a doctor."
"Like a caterpillar."
Zhan Aiping said shamelessly: "So I asked you to help me copy it to give me some face."
"Okay." Gu Sheng sat in front of the desk and turned on the desk lamp at hand. At this time, the desk lamp was just a simple light bulb with a glass cover above his head. It emitted a light yellow halo, shining quietly on his face.
The night wind was blowing coldly outside the house. The weather was cool at night. Gu Sheng was wearing a white shirt and a military green jacket on his shoulders. The buttons on the jacket reflected a dazzling light under the light.
Zhan Aiping held the sleeping child in her arms, watching him quietly as he copied. Gu Sheng sat upright with his eyes lowered. Under the yellow halo, his eyelashes were clearly visible, leaving a shadow on his eyelids. His straight nose was bright and dark, making the outline more three-dimensional and profound.
Just watching him write quietly, ripples seemed to appear in Zhan Aiping's heart.
I should have gotten used to this face, but it still makes my heart beat fast.
At this time, the world was quiet, with only the whistling sound of the wind outside, the breathing of people inside, and the sound of pens scratching across paper. The wind turned the pages of the book, and the scent of a baby's milk floated in the air.
Gu Sheng stopped writing and glanced at his watch. It was time. Gu Sheng turned to look at her and said in a deliberately fierce tone, "Have you seen enough? How long have you been staring at me?"
"How stingy." Zhan Aiping smiled slightly. She supported herself with her hands, stretched, and then yawned. It was too late. She was beginning to feel sleepy.
"You helped me copy so much. Do you feel like I am the modern Pu Songling? Let's see how I write Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio."
Gu Sheng laughed: "This science story you wrote is really a bit like 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio', absurd yet scientific, I'm surprised you could come up with that."
"No way." Zhan Aiping took a deep breath.
"Like a kitten." Gu Sheng reached out and pulled the braid on her shoulder. Usually, when Zhan Aiping went out, she would braid her hair into a long braid that fell on her shoulders. The slightly fluffy braid made her look lazy and beautiful, and it made her chin look pointed. Without any loose hair to cover it, her two beautiful ears were exposed, with small and exquisite earlobes.
At this moment, she had her hair in two braids, each hanging in front of her chest. She had tied them up randomly after taking a bath. It was a little messy, but surprisingly looked like a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old.
Although she is already a mother of two children, she seems to be regressing as time goes by. Her personality sometimes acts like that of a child. She loves to play and make noises, and she knows how to act like a spoiled child.
It's really overwhelming.
Gu Sheng reached out and lifted the hair beside her ears. "It really looks better with long hair. It shows your ears."
"I know you like my ears." Zhan Aiping raised her hand to cover her right ear. "Just because you like it is not a reason for you to bite it."
"I bit you, what can you do to me?"
Gu Sheng picked her up and said, "Let's go back to the room and sleep."
Zhan Aiping hugged his neck and reminded him: "Don't forget the child."
"Move you all over there together."
"Remember to clean up the table. I'll be waiting for you in bed."
Gu Sheng smiled gently: "Okay, you comfort the child first."
He carried her and the child back to the bedroom. The lights in the study went out. Zhan Aiping closed her eyes and lay on her side. Soon someone hugged her from behind.
The winter night is quiet, gentle and hot.
*
When she met Shen Liqing the next day, Zhan Aiping told her that the publishing house had contacted her. Shen Liqing excitedly shouted, "Pingping, you are going to publish a book too. You have really changed a lot recently. You are different."
Shen Liqing whispered to her, "I've also heard a lot of secret news, saying that many novels are going to be reprinted! I'm so happy!"
Many novels stopped printing and publishing after the 1960s, and the four great classics were also disowned for a while. But this year, in 1972, many things have been gradually relaxed, and many popular novels are about to be reprinted.
Major publishing houses also solicited literary manuscripts from many young intellectuals.
The wind direction began to change, and many factories began to focus on efficiency again, and also paid more attention to academic qualifications, knowledge and skills.
Zhan Aiping smiled: "You, are you in a hurry to buy books again?"
"Of course, I'm waiting to read the novel." Shen Liqing leaned over and said to her, "I heard that some books will be made into movies, like the one about the female soldiers on the island, and that... Finally, I can watch some movies in the future."
"There are still movies to watch during the New Year, not something like "Station Story". I actually want to watch a romance movie, but I don't think I will have the chance to see it..." Shen Liqing spoke in a lower and lower voice.
Zhan Aiping clicked her tongue twice: "Wait a few more years, when our children grow up, they will definitely be able to see a lot of new things."
Shen Liqing smiled and said, "I hope so."
"You, you're pregnant and you have so many things to think about. Do you have a lot of romance novels hidden away?"
Shen Liqing sighed and said, "These must be hidden."
"Pingping, do you want to start writing novels? Then you and your sweet and sour pork and small glutinous rice balls will have a great writer mother."
Zhan Aiping said: "I am a doctor, not a writer."
"I think you who study medicine are more likely to become writers, because doctors have seen and heard of too many life and death situations. Look, there are many great writers who studied medicine. Pingping, why don't you give up medicine and pursue writing?"
"No thanks."
Comrade Zhan Aiping does not want to change her career and become a writer.
As New Year's Eve approached, the hospital slaughtered the New Year pig and distributed the meat to the doctors. Several of the pigs that they had raised with great effort were slaughtered. Zhan Aiping got some of the meat, and Dr. Zhao and Qin Yanfang each took a large basin of pork back home.
Pork at this time is more refined and precious than mutton and beef. Everyone loves pork because it is high in fat and water. People think beef is dry and tough, and pork tastes better when it is fatty. The fatter it is, the more fragrant it is.
Zhan Aiping got some pork fat and planned to go home to make lard. The lard residue after the oil was removed was particularly fragrant.
"Doctor Zhao is staying in the hospital for the New Year?"
Qin Yanfang said, "He must stay here. He still has to be on duty. He has the best luck. He will be the one on New Year's Eve."
Zhan Aiping laughed: "Oh, I forgot, it's New Year's Eve."
Qin Yanfang said: "That's right, on New Year's Eve, what luck, he stepped on dog shit."
Zhao Jing didn't care: "Why don't you stay in the hospital? We can cook a small hot pot when the time comes. It's just right now because it's cold."
"Let's eat and drink to celebrate the New Year, and drink some rice wine."
Qin Yanfang said, "Let's cook some sweet wine soup. I like this."
"Okay."
"Put brown sugar and ginger in the sweet wine soup, or roll a few glutinous rice balls into it?"
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "I still have some dried osmanthus flowers. How about sprinkling some in?"
Qin Yanfang praised: "Doctor Zhan, you really know how to eat. Give me some dried osmanthus flowers."
Zhan Aiping reminded: "Don't get drunk, both of you."
"What can you get drunk with just that little bit of sweet wine?"
Zhan Aiping: "I'm afraid you two will be intoxicated."
Qin Yanfang blushed: "Pingping, you are really a natural matchmaker."
Zhan Aiping: "...Don't talk nonsense, I just want to speak my mind."
Qin Yanfang changed the subject: "Our nurse Lanlan is almost done, all thanks to you, matchmaker."
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "If you two are successful, give me a red envelope."
Doctor Zhao said: "I will never forget you."
“That’s really good.”
Doctor Zhao's face turned red: "Can you stop being such a pessimist? Who would come to see a doctor on New Year's Day?"
Doctor Zhao was also very happy to be on duty on New Year's Eve. There were fewer patients during the New Year, and Qin Yanfang was there. The two of them chatted and talked, and it was as happy as if they were not at work.
Zhu Hui also stayed in the hospital for the New Year. She told Zhan Aiping, "It's great here. The climate is good, we won't starve, everything that moves is meat, everything that is green is vegetables. Look, the mountains are green all year round."
It’s not too cold in winter. Once you go into the mountains, there’s plenty of meat and vegetables. As long as you dare to eat them, any insect can be considered meat.
"I'd like to see some snow."
Zhan Aiping asked, "Is it snowing near Chuncheng?"
"It's just a little snow, and it's gone once it hits the ground."
"I really want to see the heavy snow in the north as described in the books. Can the snow really be that thick? It's not just a few grains of snow that disappear when you catch it in your hand."
Zhan Aiping smiled: "I must be afraid of the cold when I see you."
"Captain Luo came to see you again?"
Zhu Hui waved her hands: "I ignored him. I am living a very good life now."
Zhan Aiping returned home. After all, Chinese New Year was approaching, and their family began to prepare New Year's dishes. Zhan Aiping first refined lard and secretly ate two pieces of the crispy and fragrant lard residue. It would taste even better if it was added to the dishes, and it would be crispy and fragrant.
There was excess oil, so she used it to fry fish cakes and make fried tofu. Zhan Aiping made some meat filling and stuffed it into the fried tofu. She was also preparing to make braised pork with pork. Gu Sheng came back and prepared to cook bamboo tube rice.
"Wife, I'll go prepare the ingredients first."
Zhan Aiping said: "Go ahead, go ahead and eat something simple."
"I brought back two bags of sticky rice."
Zhan Aiping was about to take the sticky rice from his hand, but Gu Sheng motioned her to move aside: "Don't touch it, I'll take the heavy stuff."
"Okay." Zhan Aiping followed behind him and turned around to bring the two children's "bed cart" over.
During the Chinese New Year, every household has a lot of glutinous rice, and they also stockpile a few bags of glutinous rice at home.
If you go down to the village, you will see many men at the entrance making glutinous rice cakes. The cooked glutinous rice can be beaten with wood into glutinous rice cakes, and it can also be made into rice cakes. Zhan Aiping doesn't like eating glutinous rice cakes very much, so her family didn't order much.
She planned to steam the glutinous rice in a wooden barrel.
Zhan Aiping likes to eat glutinous rice. She steams a big bucket of glutinous rice and puts Chinese sausage on it. When eating, she scoops a spoonful of the transparent, white and glutinous rice. The rice is shiny with some oil. She adds sauerkraut, sour beans, spicy radish cubes, mung bean paste and Chinese sausage slices on the rice, then scoops another spoonful of glutinous rice to cover it. She wraps it with oil paper and it tastes very delicious.
This kind of glutinous rice is suitable for breakfast or as rice balls, but eating too much glutinous rice will make it difficult to digest, so you have to eat less. Zhan Aiping can't eat too much sauerkraut now.
There are many bamboos here, and Gu Sheng has long mastered the skill of cooking bamboo tube rice. He just uses firewood to cook it, and a red flame ignites in the yard. Zhan Aiping's skill in cooking bamboo tube rice is not as good as his, so he checks the heat after cooking for a while.
Zhan Aiping rubbed her nose. Apart from anything else, the bamboo tube rice tasted really good.
"Remember to grind some glutinous rice flour to make glutinous rice balls."
Gu Sheng nodded, and he changed the direction of the bamboo tube, "Wife, go feed the geese first, it will be ready soon."
Zhan Aiping made a gesture to him and turned to feed the goose. In order to celebrate the New Year, Gu Sheng asked the villagers to exchange a goose for it, preparing to eat roast goose during the New Year. She sniffed the aroma of the bamboo tube rice and looked at the roast goose, no, it was the goose that made her drool.
Gu Sheng cooked the meal and went to see the children, letting Zhan Aiping eat her meal first. Zhan Aiping blew on the food and ate a few bites, and also fed him a few bites. The two little brats sniffed the fragrance in the air and started to get restless.
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Mom will eat first and then feed you."
Gu Sheng said: "When the child grows up a little bit, he can feed other things."
He picked up the little glutinous rice dumpling with a milky flavor, let her sit on his lap and played with her. Gu Sheng picked up the plump little sweet and sour pork with his other hand. Although the two children are small now, the younger they are, the more they like the attention of adults.
Gu Sheng held them both in his arms and saw them looking at each other curiously and rubbing against each other.
It's good to have two children, they can keep each other company and relieve boredom.
Zhan Aiping: "When the time comes, we'll feed the children some mashed potatoes. Whoever likes to eat it will be like you."
Gu Sheng: "…Bad mother."
"What's wrong with me? I'm obviously a smart mother."
Zhan Aiping leaned towards him and deliberately scooped a mouthful of rice with a spoon to amuse the children. Sure enough, the two children were attracted, but Zhan Aiping fed them into her own mouths without mercy.
Gu Sheng said: "If she cries, comfort her yourself."
"I'll coax you then."
Zhan Aiping ate first, and then it was Gu Sheng's turn. She fed the two children and lay drowsy on the bed, "Old Gu, clean up the house."
Gu Sheng said: "Don't rush to sleep, it will hurt your stomach, wait a while."
Zhan Aiping: "Well, now you are more particular than me."
"My brother is going to perform tomorrow. I'm taking the kids to watch it. I'll ask him to come to our house for dinner."
Gu Sheng asked: "Do you want to make dumplings?"
"Your brother loves dumplings."
Zhan Aiping said: "Then make some dumplings, or some egg dumplings?"
"I'll do it?"
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Except for you, there is no one else in our family."
Gu Sheng: “…”
Zhan Aiping said: "Put some fried popcorn in the dumpling filling."
"I also like the one with the horseshoe."
"How about a few more corn dumplings?"
Gu Sheng: "What kind of filling do you want to eat?"
"Corn, I want to eat corn dumplings."
On the day of the consolation performance, Zhan Aiping dressed herself neatly, fed her children, and took the two little ones to sit on the stands in the family area to perform. She sat with Shen Liqing.
Shen Liqing hugged the sweet and sour pork and the small glutinous rice balls one by one, "The two little guys have gained weight again."
"Look at this fair and tender little thing."
“How cute.”
Zhan Aiping played with the child for a while with her. Her brother's performance started first, and soon it was Zhan Mingzhao's turn for a drama. Zhan Aiping didn't hear the name of their drama clearly, but she watched the performance on stage and knew that her brother was playing an advanced rural youth.
The acting was pretty good, but it was a little too ambitious and became sentimental at the end. Her brother was quite emotionally involved and his dubbing was passionate. Zhan Aiping applauded, thinking that her brother did have some acting talent.
Zhan Mingzhao left the stage, and Zhan Aiping did not watch the rest of the performance. Zhan Mingzhao came to find her, still wearing a short jacket. When Zhan Aiping saw him, she smiled and said, "Brother, you acted very well. Try to act in a movie."
Zhan Mingzhao shook his head: "I won't go. It's exhausting to rehearse a play, repeating it over and over again."
Making a movie is exhausting.
Zhan Aiping said: "You are so dazzling on the stage."
"Sister, you and your brother-in-law are more suitable for the drama troupe, don't be a doctor."
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Your sister is about to become a writer. I'm going to publish a book."
"Really? That story you wrote?"
Zhan Aiping gritted her teeth and said, "Yeah, what? Do you look down on me? You little brat stole my sister's diary when you were a kid."
Zhan Aiping kicked him and said, "You even gave it to Gu Laowu to share."
"He's my brother-in-law now, why are you still distinguishing between you and me?" Zhan Mingzhao said with a sigh, "Besides, what's written in your diary? I don't even want to read it."
"It's all because you made up the word count, sister."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
"It's true that when you've been away for three days, you should be treated with new eyes. Sister, you... you can actually publish a book."
Zhan Aiping patted him on the shoulder and said, "Knowledge of the world is knowledge, and understanding of human nature is writing. Do you understand, kid?"
"I, your sister, am well-informed."
Zhan Aiping took her brother home to make dumplings. They had just prepared the filling and let the dough rise, but hadn't started making dumplings when Zhan Mingzhao came over to make dumplings.
They made dumplings for a while, and then Gu Xiangyi came back. The three of them cooked a big pot of dumplings and ate them first. Gu Sheng came back after watching the show.
In the end he ate the dumplings alone.
Zhan Mingzhao couldn't stay long, he would leave with the troupe tomorrow. Zhan Aiping asked him, "Are you used to being in the art troupe?"
"It's quite fun, and you can visit many places."
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Be more mature and stable sooner."
Gu Xiangyi said, "Hurry up and go make a movie. If you play a sacrificial little soldier, I will definitely shed tears for you."
Zhan Mingzhao: “…Thank you, no thanks.”
Zhan Mingzhao left, and Gu Xiangyi stayed to celebrate the New Year with them. On New Year's Eve, Gu Xiangyi first had a meal at the unit to recall the past and then went to his brother and sister-in-law's house. Gu Sheng was at home during the day, and he had to go to stand guard in the evening. In the afternoon, they cooked the New Year's Eve dinner, and Zhan Aiping and Gu Xiangyi played with the children.
Now, the two children, Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Guobaorou, like to interact with adults more and more. They also try to prop themselves up and turn over. When they lie on their stomachs, they will try to raise their heads and make single-syllable words such as "ah" and "yi" like twisting little snakes.
Gu Xiangyi held up a red hydrangea to attract the child's attention: "Sister-in-law, look, they are both staring at it."
At this time, children like to stare at brightly colored things and are easily attracted by colors.
Zhan Aiping commented: "They are like two little turtles stranded on the beach."
Gu Xiangyi smiled.
Gu Sheng laughed and said, "Now he is a little bastard, and in the future he will be a little bully."
"Come and clean up and get ready for dinner. I'll give you a hand."
Gu Xiangyi said: "Okay, I want to cook too."
"Get out of here, you're only fit to burn wood and watch the fire."
Gu Xiangyi: “…”
The three of them cooked a table full of dishes, the highlight of which was the big roast goose. The crispy goose had a very crispy skin, fresh meat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it was juicy. It was fragrant and delicious.
Gu Xiangyi thought that geese were really delicious, so she suggested, "Sister-in-law, why don't you raise a few geese in your yard?"
Zhan Aiping said: "We'll see when the time comes."
After dinner, Gu Sheng went out first. Today he not only had to stand guard, but also had to go on patrol with others. After all, it was Chinese New Year, and many officers and soldiers were spending the New Year away from home, so they had to take care of their emotions.
After Gu Sheng left, Zhan Aiping and Gu Xiangyi turned on the radio to listen to the broadcast, which was a lively report welcoming the New Year. The announcer's sonorous and loud voice was also tinged with a festive flavor.
Gu Xiangyi said: "It would be nice if we could set off fireworks."
Now we can’t do lion dancing or set off fireworks, so the lively atmosphere is missing.
The ballet's interlude began to be broadcast on the radio. Gu Xiangyi and Zhan Aiping played with the children and stayed up until midnight. At night, along with the broadcast, the sound of chorus came from every household.
After Gu Xiangyi finished singing, she went to the guest room to sleep. Zhan Aiping waited for a while, and when Gu Sheng came back in the dark, she left a light on.
During the Chinese New Year, the lantern should be kept lit until dawn the next day.
Gu Sheng saw her as soon as he came back. It was still quite cold in the early morning. Zhan Aiping had a military coat on her shoulders. "Are you still waiting?"
Zhan Aiping smiled and said to him, "Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, my wife."
After the New Year, everyone went to work as usual and had no holidays. Zhan Aiping was lucky and did not have to work on the first and second days of the New Year. She went to work the early shift on the third day. Qin Lanfang went with her and her belly was already showing.
The two of them went to the hospital together, and Qin Lanfang told her, "I heard that a few patients came in on New Year's Eve."
"Really?" Zhan Aiping was curious: "What's wrong?"
"What else could it be? I accidentally dropped rat poison into the pot while cooking. Fortunately, it wasn't a large amount."
Zhan Aiping: "Is there such a thing?"
Qin Lanfang: "Maybe he was thinking of poisoning the rats in the kitchen."
"My sister said that they didn't cook their hot pot until the morning of the first day of the new year."
Qin Yanfang saw Zhan Aiping and sighed to her: "I won't be so unkind next time."
Zhan Aiping had been on duty for a while and no patients had come yet, so she was very relaxed and chatted with Qin Lanfang for a while. The two children were still sleeping.
Dean Hao called her over and said to her privately: "Doctor Zhan, please prepare the materials in the next few days. I have asked everyone in the hospital for their opinions, and everyone unanimously nominated you to be the vice dean."
"Me? Vice-President?"
"Yes, you have education and experience, so you are the best person for the position. It's better to recommend someone familiar to you than to transfer someone from above. You know the direction of our hospital's development best. You have given me a lot of ideas before. If someone else comes and doesn't cooperate, it will be bad if there is a conflict of opinion."
"The current opinion from above is to promote those with academic qualifications, and there is also a bias in the housing allocation policy..."
"The paperwork you wrote is much more formal than what we wrote."
Not to mention other materials, many township doctors can't even write a medical record, let alone any development plans. They don't even know how to develop. Zhan Aiping is a thoughtful person and has given many suggestions before.
"You should prepare all kinds of materials first. The county inspection team will come down soon. If you pass the inspection, you will be the deputy director of our health center."
"Okay." Zhan Aiping did not refuse: "I'll go prepare the materials."
Zhan Aiping was preparing materials in the pharmacy while Dr. Zhao was writing medical records. He hated writing medical records the most. There was a collection of quotations next to him and he flipped through them while writing.
Fortunately, there were few patients today, so Zhan Aiping was busy writing materials. She had to prepare her own personal materials, as well as some hospital work plans and past work summaries...
After a busy day, Zhan Aiping took the materials back and continued writing.
In the evening, she asked Gu Sheng to look after the child while she continued to write materials. Gu Sheng took a look and said in surprise, "Someone is going to be the vice president? So soon?"
"Why don't you brag about yourself for a while? We kids are waiting to hear mom brag, right, little Tangyuan?"
Little Tangyuan was drooling in his father's arms.
Zhan Aiping tilted her head to look at him and said, "I haven't even taken the position yet, so I won't brag about it yet. I'll brag about it to you once I take the position."
"Finally you admit that you were bragging."
"Don't come here." Zhan Aiping drove him away: "Take the child away first and don't bother me."
"Okay, okay, let's go far away so as not to hinder mom's promotion."
Zhan Aiping buried her head in writing materials for a while. When the child was hungry, she called Gu Sheng over, fed the child herself, and asked him to help look at the materials.
The couple sat together under the lamp, Zhan Aiping leaning on him.
Gu Sheng lowered his head and flipped through a few pages: "Isn't your handwriting beautiful?"
Zhan Aiping: "Of course serious materials must be written seriously."
"You are just bullying me."
Zhan Aiping said with a smile: "Come on, tell me whether your wife can become the vice president."
Gu Sheng smiled and pinched her face: "Zhan Da Pingping, don't be so angry, you are just the vice president of a small township hospital, what can you do? How many doctors did your small hospital have before?"
Zhan Aiping said: "I will come and step on you when I become the real one."
Gu Sheng: "Why are you stepping on me? I'm a deputy, and you're also a deputy. Why don't we compete to see who gets promoted first?"
"I won't compete with you." Zhan Aiping refused.
"Are you scared?"
Zhan Aiping: "Let's talk about it after I really become the leader."
(End of this chapter)