Before returning to her hometown, Mrs. Wei repeatedly told her eldest daughter to ask Wei Jin to take good care of Chen Xuan. After all, her eldest sister was going back with them. Although the security in the embassy area was always good, Chen Xuan was pregnant and the little girl was still young, so only Sister Liu was left. Mrs. Wei meant to let her eldest daughter come and stay for a few days and take care of the pregnant woman.
Wei Nian said, "There's no need for you to move in. We have Sister Liu. You can just come and visit from time to time." He thought that if his elder sister came to live with her family, he wouldn't know who would take care of whom.
Wei Jin muttered, "This pregnancy is really a treasure." After saying something sour, she said to her mother and brother, "Don't worry, I can come here less often. I have to come to see the little girl."
The little girl said with her little chest puffed out, "Grandma, Dad, and Aunt, don't worry, I'm here!" Originally, with the little girl's personality, she loved to join in the fun. When she heard that her parents and grandma were going back to their hometown, she packed her small bag and prepared to follow them back to their hometown. As a result, her father actually entrusted her with the important task of taking care of her mother and little brother, so the little girl had to stay with regret!
Chen Xuan packed a lot of food and daily necessities for Mrs. Wei, Wei Nian, Wei Yin, and Yun Jie'er, and changed a lot of change for them to use on the road. Because they were carrying the tomb back to their hometown, if they stayed in any county or city along the way, the coffin would usually have to be left in the temple, and the people would be accommodated in the inn, so it must be double the expenses. When you go out, don't show your wealth. Although you have to bring some dollars, you also have to have change, otherwise, even if you carry dollars casually, it will attract attention. You know, in the countryside, a family doesn't have many dollars in cash.
Chen Xuan bought a lot of dried meat, which would not go bad and could help pass the time on the way. There were also several foreign kettles, so there was no need to worry about drinking cold water in the summer. Chen Xuan also reminded them to remember to ask the store for some hot water on the way and put it in the kettle, so that it could be cooled down and then drunk as boiled water. There were also some pills and Western medicines for daily use in the summer to relieve the heat. Wei Jindu said, "You are too meticulous. You grew up drinking cold water, so it's okay."
Chen Xuan said, "Brother Anian, that's not possible. Yin has never drunk well water directly, it's too cold. Sister Yun is young, and the old lady is old, so we have to be careful."
Because the sun was strong in the summer, Wei Nian rented a horse-drawn carriage with a shed, which was called a "sedan" nowadays. It was a very good means of transportation to go back to the countryside. He also hired a carriage company to transport the coffin, a group of about ten people, and drove the carriage back to the countryside.
Chen Xuan brought the little girl, Wei Jin's family, and the two shopkeepers, all the way to Chaoyang Gate. When they saw Wei Nian and his group go far away, they turned back home.
When they were on the way back home, Wei Nian was really glad that he didn't let the little girl Chen Xuan come with him. Let's not talk about the summer weather, just the bumpy road. Wei Nian, Wei Yin, old lady Yun Jieer would sit in the car for a while, then get off and walk for a while, otherwise they really couldn't stand this dirt road, it was too bumpy. And the weather was getting hotter and hotter. You get off and walk with the car, it's sunny. Sit in the car, it's bumpy. Even a good person can't stand it, let alone Chen Xuan who is pregnant.
Wei Yin kept muttering along the way, "Oh my God, when will we get home?"
Wei Nian wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I'll buy a few umbrellas from the shops and markets later. It's too hot to walk around."
Old Madam Wei was calm and composed, and she even said that she had one son and one daughter, "Be content! Life is much better now! When your father and his friends were apprentices, they didn't have cars to ride in, not even flatbed trucks. They had to walk on foot! This car is not good, it's pretentious! Sister Yun is not as talkative as you."
The car was shaking, but Mrs. Wei was fine. She just felt that the bed was a little hard and the food was not good enough. Fortunately, she was not very particular when she was away from home. After returning to her hometown, Mrs. Wei said that her old bones were about to fall apart, so she asked Li to massage her for three nights before she recovered.
After receiving Wei Nian's letter, Li Weishi began to prepare. Wei Shi asked a Feng Shui master to find a good spot for his father, while Li cleaned the house for her brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law, and prepared bedding and mats. Li was very happy to see her daughter. She touched her daughter's fair face and talked to her mother-in-law first, "It was prepared in a hurry. I asked a few sisters-in-law I know to make a new quilt together. Old lady Yin, you can rest assured to make the bedding."
"Sister-in-law, don't bother with that. All the bedding at home can be used." Wei Yin took out the things he brought for his sister-in-law and fellow villagers and asked, "Sister-in-law, where are Ajie and Aming?"
Li smiled, "They will be back soon. After they return to their hometown, they will become little teachers in the school at home."
Sister Yun missed her brothers very much and said, "Mom, where is the school? I want to go find my brothers."
Li said, "Turn right when you get out of the door, and turn right again at the crossroads, and you will find the village primary school."
Yun Jie'er was about to leave, but Old Lady Wei stopped her and said, "Drink some water before you go. It's not hot."
Sister Yun said, "It's not hot, grandma. I'll be back soon."
Wang Damei was a little worried because it was Yun Jie'er's first time in the countryside, so she said, "I'll go with Yun Jie'er."
Mrs. Wei stopped trying to stop her and said, "Go ahead."
Wei Yin smiled, "Our Ajie and Aming are really good. They can be little teachers now."
"There are few educated people in the village, and even fewer like them who have read foreign books. I went there once, and there was an old scholar teaching some idioms in the school." Li said, bringing in a plate of red apricots from the table outside. "Ajie and Ming can teach the children for free, and they can also review their lessons so as not to forget what they were taught in school. When the middle school in the county heard about it, they wanted to invite them to teach at the county middle school, but they said that the village had just started teaching, and if they went to the county, the village would stop teaching again, so they didn't go."
"Old lady, please try the apricots this evening. They were given to me by our neighbor, Mrs. He. They are so sweet." Mrs. Li put the apricots next to the old lady.
Old Mrs. Wei said, "Among all the apricot trees in the village, the ones from our neighbor Lao He's house are the sweetest. Ah Yin, you should try some too." She asked her daughter to eat some too. After Wei Shi and Wei Nian had placed the old man's coffin in the village's Chenghuang Temple and arranged for the cart drivers to stay, Wei Shi thanked the villagers for their help and went home to see his mother. Old Mrs. Wei saw that although her eldest son was a little thin, he was in much better spirits than when he was in Beijing, and his clothes were also neat and tidy. She asked him, "Are you all right?"
Wei Shi said awkwardly, "I'm fine now. I fainted earlier and made you worried, mom."
"It's all right when it's done." In front of Li Wei Nian and Wei Yin, Old Lady Wei couldn't scold her eldest son too much. She just muttered a few words and asked if the old man's coffin had been arranged and the best auspicious grave had been chosen. After coming a long way, Old Lady Wei was old, so she went back to her room to rest. As for these things outside, she just asked about them. With a son and a daughter-in-law, why should she worry about them
In addition to burying her husband, Mrs. Wei also met with her fellow villagers and friends. Mrs. Wei used to live a very comfortable life in the countryside. She married a serious man who was very clear-headed. When Mr. Wei was young, he left home to make money and was devoted to making money and sending it back home for his wife and children. Before Mrs. Wei went to Beijing, she would play cards at home with a group of wealthy wives who got along well with her every day. Every morning, the store would deliver breakfast to her, including fried dough sticks, steamed buns, tofu pudding, etc. She could eat whatever she wanted every day.
Therefore, if she had not been kidnapped, Mrs. Wei would not have been willing to go to Beijing. She would have enjoyed the same life in her hometown.
She hadn't seen her old sisters for years since she went to Beijing. So when she came back home, Mrs. Wei had to see her old card-playing friends and old sisters. She told them that she was about to go to the foreign land with her second son to see the world!
Therefore, ever since old lady Wei returned home, the Wei family has been visited by neighbors every day.
This time, he went back to his hometown to bury his father's coffin. He needed the help of the villagers. Otherwise, the Wei family would be lonely. Whether it was a wedding or a funeral, in the countryside or in the city, it was important to have a lively atmosphere.
Of course, the Wei family also entertained the villagers with pork stewed with vermicelli every day. In the countryside, people don’t care about seven plates or eight bowls. They just serve pork stewed with vermicelli with big white steamed buns, and everyone says that the Wei family is honest. The Wei family is indeed honest. In fact, this is the food to entertain the villagers who come to help, but the old family members are not too particular. Knowing that the Wei family’s food is good, the whole village comes to eat. It’s not a free meal. As long as they are free, they come to help. The women help wash vegetables, stew vermicelli and steam buns, and the men help dig the grave and carry the coffin. On the day of the old man’s burial, everyone in the village went. It was a grand occasion, and Mrs. Wei was very satisfied.
When Li knew that Chen Xuan was pregnant, she was very happy for her sister-in-law.
Wei Nian talked to his elder brother about the days in the countryside and about studying abroad. Wei Nian said, "I will be away for at least three or four years before I can come back. Brother, the two clothing shops are all the family business that Dad saved. Now that you are better, you should go back to Beijing."
Wei Shi said, "I'm doing fine in my hometown. I used to live a muddled life. My father asked me to learn business since I was a kid, and when I got to the border, my master led me in the wrong direction, and I became a bad person right away. Now I understand that our business is just a side job after all. Look at how people in my hometown live now. They work from dawn to dusk, but still can't even afford to eat. I heard that the Yellow River flooded this summer, and Beijing was full of refugees fleeing famine. No matter how big our business is, it can save our family, but it can't save the millions of people in this world."
Wei Nian's mind moved. He was a man of quick wit and said to Wei Nian immediately, "Let's save ourselves first, then save others. If everyone in the world had people like you, we could save millions of people."
Wei Shi smiled, "You think too highly of me." He then said to Wei Nian, "You should go abroad with your sister-in-law, Yin and the others, study hard, and serve the country in the future!"
"Well, I'll listen to you, big brother." Wei Nian said, "Dad's affairs are almost done, big brother, let's go back to Beijing together this time."
Wei Shi thought about it and did not respond to Wei Nian immediately.
Wei Nian privately asked his eldest sister-in-law, "Who does eldest brother hang out with when he comes home?"
Li said, "I often stay in the south of the village."
"What kind of people are there in the south of the village?"
"People who like to go out don't really farm seriously. They either go from one village to another." Li said to her brother-in-law, "When your elder brother first quit smoking, he was quite listless. But after running to the south of the village these days, he's getting better and better. Once he's in good spirits, his body will get better too."
Wei Nian nodded, and without saying anything more about his elder brother, he asked, "Did Ah Yin tell my elder sister-in-law about the lace factory?"
We are all family, so Li has nothing to be embarrassed about. She is just a little worried. "When you were here, I always had a backbone. Now that you are gone, I am asked to manage the factory. I don't know if it will be possible."
Wei Nian said, "That's fine, sister-in-law, give it a try first. In the past few years, we have had regular customers and orders, and there is no problem with sister-in-law managing the accounts. It's the same thing, sister-in-law, it would be better for you to learn some foreign languages after returning to Beijing, so that it will be cheaper to get orders from abroad in the future."
Although Li was gentle in nature, she had her own ideas and said, "Okay, if you all want me to succeed, I will give it a try."
"There is one more thing I want to discuss with my sister-in-law." Wei Nian was thinking about handing over the Dongdan shop to Li. Wei Nian said, "This is Axuan's idea. I think the old shop in Wangfujing should be handed over to my brother, and the Dongdan shop should be handed over to my sister-in-law. Shopkeeper Zhao is the old shopkeeper of our family. He is an honest person. Our family has been in the clothing business for many years, and we have the old accounts to rely on."
Li thought for a moment before saying, "Uncle, you are going to study abroad because you want to help us before you go abroad. I understand what you, your sister-in-law, and Yin are thinking. These two shops are sold to you, uncle. We can't just take over and continue to do business without knowing the reason. There are two things you have to do."
"Sister-in-law, please speak."
"You and my second brother's wife are both kind people. First of all, you, my uncle, spent a lot of money to buy the Wangfujing shop. We now consider this money as a debt and ask your eldest brother to write an IOU. When you pay off the money, the Wangfujing shop will belong to our family. Second, I will help you manage the Dongdan shop, but I will not take a penny of the shop's income. You must agree to these two things." Li looked solemnly at Wei Nian.
Wei Nian hesitated, "How can this be possible? The store in Wangfujing is fine, but the store in Dongdan is worthless, my sister-in-law has put so much effort into it, how can I not take a penny?"
Li smiled, "Second brother, if you want to calculate everything so clearly, how much did you give us in private to buy two houses for me? You and your second brother's wife are only studying abroad for a few years, and I am just managing the business for you. We are family, if you insist on splitting the difference with me, I will not take over this shop."
Wei Nian had no choice but to obey Li.
Wei Nian secretly thought that his wife was right when she said that his sister-in-law could take over the business. His sister-in-law usually didn't talk much, but she was a person that ordinary people could never compare to.
After the business was settled, the Li couple naturally discussed it privately. Wei Shi was now willing to listen to Li in everything. Li began to pack up and prepare to return to Beijing. While she was packing, Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen came. They heard in Chenjia Village that the second branch of the Wei family had returned to their hometown and was very prosperous. They treated everyone with pork stewed with vermicelli all day long. Some villagers said to Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen, "Why don't you go and take a look? He is such a rich man. I heard that Xuan'er's husband is very handsome and very rich! He treated the villagers with big white steamed buns! Xuan'er is so lucky! As the second uncle and aunt, you should not miss the funeral of Old Master Wei!"
I have to say, he is really bewitched!
In the second year after Chen Xuan got married in Beijing, these two people went to take advantage of her, but they came back very bored. Now they dared to provoke Wei Nian. Of course, Chen's uncle and aunt originally planned to go to see Chen Xuan, but in the end, Chen Xuan did not come back. Seeing that Chen Xuan was not there, the second uncle was not worried but happy, thinking that Chen Xuan was a girl with no conscience. That year, they only got a bag of white steamed buns when they went there, without any benefit. Now seeing Wei Nian, the two of them felt that Wei Nian was easy to deceive when they saw this clean and handsome young man. They complained to Wei Nian, saying that they didn't know about the funeral of old master Wei and didn't come. Life at home was not easy, how difficult it was.
Wei Nian was talking to his elder uncle Wang and his second uncle about going abroad. If the Wang family was willing, he wanted to take older sister Wang with them.
In fact, Wang Daya had already told her family about this during the past few days when she returned home. The Wang family was not unhappy. Wang Damei had been in Beijing for the past few years. The Wei family was a kind family and they were relatives, so they had nothing to worry about. This time she came here mainly to help with the burial of Old Master Wei. Since Wei Shi's family returned to their hometown, the Wang family would come from time to time to help with farming. In addition to spring planting and autumn harvesting, the fields also had to be weeded, watered and insect repelled, and someone had to take care of it. Wei Shi and Li were not up to the task, so it was the Wang family who helped.
Just as they were talking about Wang Daya going abroad, the uncle and aunt from the Chen family came to complain about being poor.
If it were someone else, even a distant relative, since they came to visit, it seemed that they were old folks, Wei Nian would not refuse to help. After all, Wei Nian didn't need these few dollars. But the uncle and aunt of the Chen family, Wei Nian got angry when he saw them. Listening to the couple's complaints, Wei Nian thought, do they think he is stupid and easy to deceive
Wei Nian is not Chen Xuan, who still wants her uncle and aunt to raise her. Just look at the dowry left by Madam Wen and the land that should be divided among the eldest branch of the Chen family. Ten Chen Xuans can be raised well with the land in these years! It is easy for Wei Nian to deal with this couple, not to mention that he had a plan in the past, but he had never implemented it. Wei Nian first donated ten yuan to the primary school in his hometown village to repair the school, and then, in the name of Chen Xuan, he also donated ten yuan to the primary school in Chenjia Village to repair the primary school. Then, he invited the village chief and the famous elders of Chenjia Village to his home for a drink. Speaking of his wife, Wei Nian said, "Axuan is in Beijing and always thinks about the village. She had something to do in Beijing and couldn't come with me. Before I came, she repeatedly asked me to donate the ten dollars on her behalf, and said that I would discuss with everyone and use the money to build a school. In addition, the elderly over 60 in the village should also be taken care of. She said that the land left by my father-in-law was donated to the village, and the annual production would be distributed by the village chief and the elders. No matter how much grain was produced, each elderly person over 60 in the village would get a share. This is Axuan's intention. Before coming, she wrote a donation agreement, signed it, and pressed her handprint. Today, in front of the elders, I handed this agreement to the village chief."
The village chief was still a little hesitant, "Isn't this a bad idea?"
"It's nothing wrong. A Xuan reminded me of this before I came. Besides, you may not know that men and women are equal now, which means that men's inheritance rights are the same as women's. My father-in-law passed away early, and A Xuan is his only daughter. Therefore, even though A Xuan is a girl, she can inherit everything my father-in-law left behind." Wei Nian smiled, "I will be returning to Beijing soon, so I'll leave this matter to the village chief and the elders."
After Mrs. Wei learned about this, she said to her second son, "Just ignore them."
Wei Nian sneered, "They all think we are stupid, yet they dare to come to our house to cheat us. If we don't deal with them this time, they will definitely find Big Brother after we leave!"
The author has something to say: ps: Third update, good night everyone!!!