ushernet Chapter 108 Housewarming
Chapter 108 Housewarming
Chapter 108 Housewarming
The 26th day of the ancient lunar calendar is a good day for getting married, traveling, cleaning, and moving.
At noon, the yard of a bungalow at the east end of the coal factory's family dormitory area was bustling with activity. Four tables were set up in the yard, and more than 20 people came.
Most of them were relatives and friends from the village who helped move things this time. There was also one person, Aunt Zhao, a friend of Chen Suniang in the compound. Her nephew was the bricklayer and had good skills.
Although she was told that she didn't need to take leave in the morning, Chen Suniang still took half a day off and came to help early in the morning.
The villagers brought firecrackers, leaving a pile of firecracker debris at the gate of the yard. Several preschool children from the neighbors were rummaging through the debris at the gate to find duds.
After school at noon, Qiu Huoming took his older sister directly to his younger sister's school to pick her up. The three of them drove to the coal factory.
Before I even entered the door, I heard the noisy voices inside. The villagers were so lively, and I could also hear Qiu Jianshe's voice greeting people.
Qiu Huoming stuck his head out to take a look. The yard was packed full, so he simply parked his car at the door. There were also several tricycles and a tractor parked in a mess. Except for the tricycle, all the other things had the logo of the commune painted on them. It seemed that these were all borrowed from the commune.
Qiu Jianshe and his third uncle Ren Jiahe were in charge of the socializing. His second uncle also came out for a rare occasion and was sitting with his grandparents. His chair was specially made with high armrests. His second uncle's legs had been deformed, and he rested them on the shelf under the chair, with his head tilted, listening to them talk. He didn't say a word, just laughed dryly.
Qiu Huoming led his two younger sisters to their table first, "Grandpa, grandma, second uncle."
Grandpa was delighted when he saw Qiu Huoming. He immediately took out three red envelopes wrapped in red paper from his pocket, strode over, and gave one to each of the three juniors.
Qiu Huoming wanted to refuse, but Qiu Jianshe had already said, "Just accept what Grandpa gives you."
"Thank you, Grandpa." Qiu Huoming accepted it, and his two younger sisters followed suit.
"Huo Ming is an amazing guy. If he were in our village, he would probably be the tallest." The more the grandfather looked at his grandson, the more he loved him.
"You just got out of school, come in and put your bag down."
Qiu Huoming's hand was held by him, and he was in a dilemma. Should he leave or stay? His two sisters had already left, but he was still trapped there.
"This is your third uncle and third aunt...this is your elder brother Junliang..." Grandpa led him to recognize them one by one. More than three of the four tables of people here were from Jianbei Village, so they were more or less related. After going around in a circle, he finally let go.
Qiu Huoming took the opportunity to withdraw.
The kitchen door was at the entrance. Third Aunt and Chen Suniang were cooking in the kitchen. There was a fat aunt sitting on a small bamboo chair at the kitchen door, eating sunflower seeds. She looked at Qiu Huoming approaching with a smile on her face. She was Aunt Zhao, Chen Suniang's best friend in the compound.
In the early years, when Chen Suniang and others were busy with work, the eldest sister went to school and would leave Qiu Huoming at Aunt Zhao's house and bring him back after Chen Suniang got off work in the evening. Sometimes when she was on night shift, he had to come back with his sister.
Aunt Zhao has a cheerful temper and always smiles before speaking. Qiu Huoming likes her very much.
"Aunt Zhao, you're here too."
"I was dragged here by your mother. I just pulled the bellows a few times. I have to go back in soon. These fried melon seeds smell delicious. Would you like some?"
Aunt Zhao spread out her palms.
"No, I'll save room for lunch." Qiu Huoming waved his hand, declining her kindness.
The aroma of food is already wafting out of the kitchen. It seems that grandpa and the others have spent a lot of money today.
He walked into the kitchen and called out, "Mom! Third Aunt."
This kitchen still uses the old-fashioned big pot stove with a chimney. There are paintings of a bumper harvest on the wall, a fire hole below, and a bellows on the side.
At this moment, the fire under the stove was still very bright. There was a small brown stool where the fire was burning, and behind it was a high pile of firewood. It seemed that grandpa and his family had not spared any firewood from home and had moved it here as well.
"Huo Ming is out of school, come here." Third Aunt waved at him.
He walked forward a few steps and said, "Open your mouth!"
Qiu Huoming opened his mouth subconsciously, and a piece of fragrant chicken was picked up by San Gu and quickly stuffed into his mouth.
"It's delicious, isn't it? Your grandparents raised chickens, but only kept two that laid eggs. The rest were killed. You're in for a treat this time."
The chicken these days is really delicious. Just add garlic, soy sauce and salt, and it will definitely leave a lingering taste in your mouth after one bite.
"Don't spoil the child!" Chen Suniang didn't have time to stop her.
"That's not what I call spoiling. If my daughter was half as sensible as Huo Ming, I would feed her delicious food and drinks every day."
"Third aunt, where is Xiaoping?" Qiu Huoming came in and didn't see his cousin. He asked while chewing chicken.
"In the inner room, she is shy. Children from the country are not as generous as those from the city." The third aunt said helplessly.
"Sister Xiaoping is still young. Once she gets familiar with the environment, she will be braver. I'll go in and see them first." Qiu Huoming said after swallowing the chicken.
Chen Suniang nodded and said, "Go ahead, go ahead. It will take a while before dinner... Come in when you're hungry."
My mother is so hypocritical. Qiu Huoming smiled and walked out of the kitchen. The three rooms in my grandfather's house are square and look grand.
The floor inside the house was made of rammed earth, which was very flat and compacted. It was obvious that it had been swept and the floor was very clean. It seemed that all the furniture had been moved in, but some of it had not been sorted out in time and was piled directly in the room and the corridor.
Just now, I saw a lot of farm tools in the corner of the yard. It seems that grandpa and his family were reluctant to throw them away, so they brought them here from far away.
The furniture are all old-style rural furniture. They have fallen into disrepair and their colors have faded. The surfaces are dull, but they are all made of solid wood. If we find a painter to refurbish them, they will look as good as new.
The door to the inner room was open. He walked in and saw his cousin Xiaoping timidly watching her older and younger sisters playing the "cat's cradle" game. When she saw him, she obviously shrank back, but didn't call anyone.
Xiaoping is only 7 years old. After her third aunt gets her household registration, she plans to enroll her in the same primary school that her younger sister is attending now in September.
The "Rope Flip" game uses a thin rope, ties a knot at the end of the rope, and then stretches the rope with the left and right palms. One person stretches the rope and keeps it still, while the other person uses his fingers to make a pattern with the rope, and then switches the rope to his own hand. This goes back and forth until he can no longer make any patterns and he loses.
It was obvious that my sister lost this round.
The younger sister reached out and pulled Xiaoping over. "Xiaoping, do you understand? This is how it works. When sister Hongye wins, it's your turn to play with her. When you lose, it's sister Hongshuang's turn..."
The younger sister and the older sister sat sideways on the bed, and Xiaoping was pulled beside her by the younger sister. She looked very similar to the third aunt, with chubby cheeks, and looked very cute.
There was a small stool in the room. Qiu Huoming hooked his feet on it and sat down.
"You guys play your own games, I'll read a book."
He was reading the sixth issue of this year's "Wulin" magazine sent by the editorial department. He had just received it yesterday and had originally wanted to bring it to Gu Xiaoran, but had forgotten about it when he put it in his schoolbag. Now that he had nothing to do, he took it out and took a look.
"The Legend of Young Fairy Heroes" was written under his pen name "Xinghuo". He looked at it several times, a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he made a fortune quietly, just like walking in the night in brocade clothes, low-key and luxurious, and secretly happy.
Xiaoping's initial stage fright has improved a lot. The friendship between the children is very warm, especially the little sister's spirit of not considering herself an outsider at all, which can easily infect others.
"Sister Hongshuang, I understand. You can use your little finger to draw this line..."
"Sister Xiaoping is really smart. When you come to our school in the future, if you don't understand something, just come and ask me. I know you well."
Maybe it’s rare for me to be called “sister” since I was a child, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
The eldest sister played with them for a while, then gave her seat to the two of them. She sat down under the windowsill, first glanced at her eldest brother, and when she saw that he didn't pay attention to her, she quickly took out the picture book and started reading it.
Qiu Huoming bought several sets of picture books for them at one time and put them at home. He also made three rules for them: they could only read for one hour at noon every day. He was worried that the light was poor at night and reading picture books would cause their eyesight to deteriorate. Today's tungsten filament lamps have dim light, which is actually not suitable for reading and writing, but it is much better than kerosene lamps.
The older and younger sisters' grades were already pretty good, and their foundation was fairly solid. Occasionally they could read extracurricular books to relax and combine work with rest.
With Qiu Huoming at home, I can always get answers to questions I don’t understand. His explanations are better than those of the teachers at school. Especially when doing homework at night, problems can be solved on the spot. These days, my eldest sister’s homework books have become very popular in the class and are borrowed for reference as soon as they return to school.
She was absorbed in reading the comic book when she suddenly heard another burst of firecrackers outside. A moment later, Aunt Zhao walked in with a smile on her face. "The meal is ready. All of you kids should come to the table to eat today."
Qiu Huoming stood up. There was still ash on Aunt Zhao's bangs, which should have been the smoke from the fire.
In the yard, three of the four tables were full. Except for the second uncle who was sitting alone at one side, each table was occupied by eight people. Only one table was empty, and it seemed that this table was reserved for them.
Chen Suniang and Third Aunt were taking turns serving dishes from the kitchen.
The younger sister sat together holding Xiaoping's hand, Qiu Huoming squeezed in with the older sister, Chen Suniang sat with the third aunt, and Aunt Zhao was too fat, so she sat alone.
As the host, Qiu Jianshe raised his glass and said a few polite words when he saw that everyone had arrived and all the dishes had been served. Grandpa and grandma were grinning from ear to ear. Second uncle beside them looked a little tired, still leaning on the chair. He can still take care of himself when eating now, but this problem will only get worse.
Qiu Huoming glanced at the main table for a few times and then looked away. Rural people like to be lively, and after a few drinks, there was a lot of noise over there.
Qiu Huoming and his friends still had to study in the afternoon, so they served themselves some food and started eating. This table was the most peaceful.
Seeing that Xiaoping and Xiaomei got along well, the third aunt was happy and put several pieces of chicken in their bowls.
It is not easy to prepare four tables, eight dishes and one soup each. My mother and third aunt have worked really hard today.
The tables and chairs in the yard are of different styles and are obviously put together temporarily.
Chen Suniang was exhausted after working for most of the day. She drank a bowl of chicken soup first, and then she felt relaxed. "I have to take these three tables and chairs back to the villagers. I also have to take these bowls and chopsticks back."
"You can't finish your lunch, Fatty Zhao. I've left some food for you in the kitchen. Remember to bring it back after you finish your meal."
Aunt Zhao smiled and said, "I'm just craving your bowl of chicken soup, it's so delicious that it makes your teeth fall out."
"That's right, these chickens are raised by eating insects in the wild, and the meat is firm..." As soon as the third aunt mentioned things in the countryside, she started to talk more.
Qiu Huoming ate happily and did not interrupt them, letting them talk happily.
"Wait a minute, after dinner, Huo Ming and the others can rest here. When the time comes, go back to school directly to save the trouble of going back and forth."
"Yeah." Qiu Huoming nodded.
The younger sister grinned and said to Xiao Ping: "After dinner, I will teach you how to play the picture card game. It's fun."
After a while, the two children became as close as one person, and they chatted quietly while eating.
The eldest sister finished eating first, "Mom, I'm going back to my room first."
"Go ahead, go to bed and take a nap if you're sleepy!" Chen Suniang ordered.
Qiu Huoming ate two large bowls of rice. The bowls here were bigger than his own, so two bowls were almost three bowls of his own. He also drank a bowl of soup, and his third aunt forced him to eat a chicken leg.
He enjoyed the meal very much and felt very full, so he decided to take a walk around the area.
Qiu Jianshe, who was sitting at the main table, had blushed all the way to his neck as he played drinking games with the villagers.
"Hello, brothers, the top five..." Qiu Jianshe's tongue was a little tied.
But his brain was still working well. Qiu Huoming watched from the side and saw that he won several games in a row.
At another table, my third uncle was the wine director, arguing with a man next to him over a glass of wine...
He walked out the door. It was time for dinner, and the children who had been playing in the open space were nowhere to be seen.
The coal factory’s building is not big, and the dormitory area is separated from the building by a road.
There is a lotus pond further back by the dormitory wall. It is not very big. When Qiu Huoming was a child, he jumped into the water here to catch fish. He was deeply impressed.
He prepared to walk around the wall. Children who grew up in the east of the city are more or less good at swimming. There are waterways in almost every street and alley here.
In the summer, lots of children gather at the East Gate moat to take a bath.
Qiu Huoming's swimming posture is not good, it's a wild one, but at least he can swim a few times and at least tread water has no problem.
The dormitory area of the coal factory is actually a fringe area between urban and rural areas. The dormitory area is surrounded by a wall, and there is farmland outside.
The dormitory area was not big, and soon he arrived at the gate of the dormitory area. The coal factory was across the street.
This place is still better than the pure countryside. There is a row of shops on both sides of the coal factory entrance. Living here, it is quite convenient to buy daily necessities.
There are often coal-carrying vehicles entering and exiting the factory gate. When the time comes, nearby residents will wait there and pick up coal that falls from the vehicles at any time. In recent years, everyone's life has improved a little, and adults are too embarrassed to come and pick up coal, so only children are left to continue their parents' old business.
Children living in the city will bully children from the country. There is only so much coal that falls, and whoever picks it up owns it, so they will naturally dominate the territory.
Fortunately, the gaps in the fenders of trucks at that time were large, and some drivers, seeing children chasing behind, deliberately shook the truck a few times to shake out more coal.
Qiu Huoming knows the ins and outs of this so well because he was once one of these kids.
There were almost no vehicles at the factory gate at noon. The coal factory did not have three shifts and they took a break at noon. For San Gu, working here was considered an idle job.
The most important thing is that Xiaoping can study in the city. No matter what, the resources in the city are definitely much better than those in the countryside.
My grandfather's family will have commercial grain to eat starting next month, which is basically equivalent to achieving a class leap.
Thanks for the reward from the boss:)
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(Today is still a joint chapter~)