After two long years apart, there was so much to catch up on.
If it weren’t for the fact that Lianshan’s family had been on a train for two days and a night and were genuinely exhausted, they could have carried on their little drinking gathering well into the evening by candlelight without any issue.
But during the trip, Lianshan had to take care of Lian En, look after his pregnant wife, and keep an eye on the luggage.
He was so tired that he felt like he needed to keep one eye open even while sleeping. He really just wanted to cozy up to the warm kang at home. How could he be in the mood to hang out with a bunch of drunks?
After politely declining the enthusiastic invitation of his brothers-in-law, Lianshan carefully helped his wife onto the tractor bed. He started the engine with the crank and handed the driver’s seat over to Wu Yinghong, who was an excellent driver despite not being a tractor operator.
In no time, the tractor was parked steadily at the entrance of the home Lianshan and Shuzhen had left two years ago.
Because he had sent a message ahead, Liu Shouren and his brother, along with Lian Yue and Lian Hai, had come over early to clean the place inside and out. Now, the bright and clean windows didn’t look like they belonged to a house that had been unoccupied for two years. The garden was lush with various vegetables, too. The eggplants were a deep purple, the tomatoes bright red. Cucumbers, beans, yardlong beans—they all climbed the trellises.
"Afraid you wouldn’t have fresh vegetables when you got back, Brother Shouren started preparing early in the spring. Whenever he had time, he’d come to weed and catch pests. He’d also come by every few days to ventilate the house. He was worried the house would become damp if left unoccupied for too long, which wouldn’t be good for your health. Even this morning, Brother Shouren came and lit the kang in both rooms before heading to meet you at the station." Wu Yinghong noted the curious look in Shuzhen’s eyes as they focused on the vegetable garden and couldn’t help but softly tell Shuzhen everything Liu Shouren had done in her absence.
Her eyes glistened, her voice full of tenderness, making it hard for Shuzhen to ignore.
Could she possibly have feelings for my brother?
Shuzhen raised an eyebrow, thinking she should definitely have a good chat with her brother about this.
He’s already past 30, why hasn’t he taken any steps to settle down and get married yet?
Seeing Shuzhen’s thoughtful expression, Wu Yinghong knew her intention was met. So she didn’t intrude further, warmly bidding farewell. She firmly refused Shuzhen’s heartfelt offer to see her off, simply saying there’s plenty of time to visit each other moving forward, no need to be so formal.
Exhausted from the bumpy journey, Shuzhen didn’t bother with pleasantries and saw her off.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, she returned to the house, took out the bedding, and laid it on the warm kang. With some warm water left in the big pot, she washed up a bit. She and her husband slept soundly in the east room while Saozi stayed with Little Lian’en in the west room.
When she woke from a deep sleep, it was already evening with the lamps lit.
Saozi was tinkering in the kitchen preparing dinner, while Lianshan was helping and reciting the Hundred Family Surnames with Little Lian’en, who sat in his baby carriage.
Seeing her come out, Lianshan’s lips curled more softly, "Awake, wife? Slept for a good half a day, are you hungry? Saozi made mushroom and shredded meat porridge, steamed scallion rolls, I stir-fried your favorite tomatoes with eggs, cooked Di San Xian and ribs with beans. There’s hot water in the thermos, wash up and we can eat soon."
"Oh wow, all my favorites! Husband, Saozi, you guys are just too good. My stomach has been growling, singing ’Empty City,’ I’m definitely having two rolls and three bowls of porridge later. After all that trouble on the train, finally I can enjoy the warm kang and homemade food. But, we just got back, where did you get the eggs and ribs?"
"Heh, speaking of which, it’s thanks to your brothers and in-laws, they’re all great." Saozi chimed in, half admiring and half envious as she explained to Shuzhen, "When I woke up after a nap and was about to make dinner, I thought to remind Lianshan to buy some groceries. But as soon as I opened the pantry, guess what I saw. Right there, where you usually keep your grains, there were at least twenty pounds each of rice, wheat flour, millet, yellow millet, and sorghum grains, all neatly stacked.
A full canister of soybean oil, a jar four-fifths full of lard.
About a hundred eggs, two pounds of ribs, two pounds of meat. Even your favorite pickles had a whole jar, all sorts of seasonings were fully stocked. Tsk tsk, anything a household could need, there was nothing those kids hadn’t thought of.
Even the worm beds in the back garden were set up, worms have been raised for a month and can be fed now..."
As Saozi listed her discoveries, her words were filled with admiration and a tinge of sourness.
Others raised sons, she also raised sons. The sons in other families were brotherly and always helped each other. Her sons treated each other with hostility, like enemies, always making jabs, only banding together to calculate against her when thinking about the little money she held. After realizing she still wouldn’t part with a cent, their mocking faces and veiled insults would appear again.
A mother to this point, even when there’s no longer any hope in her heart, it’s unavoidable to feel bitter thinking about it.
Luckily, with Lian En still young and Shuzhen pregnant, the couple had agreed to keep her on.
If not, Saozi wouldn’t know how to face her sons and their wives’ obvious impatience, despite putting on a show to be filial for the little money in her pocket. Once it was revealed she was still as stingy as ever, their mocking expressions and all those insinuating remarks would resurface.
Shuzhen understood Saozi’s sorrow but also knew there was no way to help beside coming to terms herself. Others could not comfort her nor offer solutions.
She just smiled and said once they settled down, they should definitely bring everyone together, brothers, sisters, in-laws, for a good gathering.
Looking at how tidy the house was without them there, inside and out, this not only took effort but money too!
Though the brothers, sisters-in-law, sisters, and brothers-in-law weren’t well-off, she’d still find a chance to make up for it. Having been absent for two years, Shuzhen hadn’t realized yet how prosperous Liu family village had become.
Meanwhile, Su Hongying, Qiu Fang, and Lian Yue were also talking with their husbands. Going forward, they really should buy more for Little Lian’en, seeing how their sister/sister-in-law’s kid and themselves all had new clothes. And those tin frogs, water guns for the boys, and the doll for Jiajia with eyes that move. They must have spent quite a bit on those Beijing snacks too.
Even if the sister/sister-in-law’s family was better off, it’s not fair for them to always be at a loss .
Reciprocity must exist for relations to last long term. Even among siblings, one side shouldn’t always be the one taking the hit.