"I was right, wasn’t I? You’ve got quite a knack for embracing new things!" An Hao laughed as she stepped forward to help.
"Yeah. So, what did the newspaper say about reform and opening up? We’re going to be businesspeople now, and we need to keep up with current events to seize good opportunities," An Shuchao spoke with conviction.
An Hao couldn’t contain her joy: "Dad, when did you learn to read the newspaper? You’re pretty trendy now, aren’t you?"
"It’s all because of you! Talking about some book you read, saying greenhouse vegetables are good, so we should grow them. Then they sold really well, and Dad keeps mumbling to himself that ’knowledge is power’ is absolutely true. Then he makes me read the newspaper to him every day! My life is truly a living hell!" An Ping complained, full of grievances.
"Dad, you’re doing great! This should be recognized and praised, it’s called keeping up with the times!" An Hao said cheerfully.
"Good phrase! I need to remember that," An Shuchao repeated to himself a few times.
"Look at him, he’s getting all fired up again," An Ping shook his head helplessly.
An Hao’s heart was filled with delight.
Growing greenhouse vegetables was at least ten years ahead of its time in their region. Now, with a shortage of fresh vegetables in the winter, their greenhouse produce was in high demand.
While thinking this, An Hao started to help with sorting the vegetables.
Qin Jian saw her delicate hands turn red from the cold and immediately felt distressed: "You should stay inside the house. I can handle things here."
"I’m fine." She wasn’t that delicate, "I used to do this kind of work in the winters before."
"Be obedient. Stay inside," Qin Jian said.
"Go on. The three of us men can handle it," An Shuchao also chimed in.
An Hao nodded, "Then I’ll go inside. Actually, I really used to..."
She was cut off by Qin Jian before she could finish: "The past is the past. Go on now!"
"Sigh! I’m starting to envy women now. Sister, look how much your husband dotes on you. I, your little brother-in-law, am just feeling down... Maybe, I should also go inside..."
"Stop blabbering and get back to work!" An Shuchao threw a remark at him.
"It’s a hard life..." An Ping sighed deeply, glancing at his hands, red and swollen like carrots, "In my next life, I want to be reborn as a woman and marry a brother-in-law like you."
Qin Jian shuddered and glanced at An Ping: "I definitely wouldn’t want someone like you."
The vegetables were loaded onto the truck to the maximum extent possible, and An Shuchao was sweating from the effort.
Seeing his father-in-law exhausted, Qin Jian stepped forward to take over the ropes from him: "I’ll take care of the rest. Dad, you go and rest."
An Shuchao was getting on in years and didn’t have the energy he used to have: "I’ll leave the rest to you then."
As soon as An Shuchao left, An Ping started slacking off: "Brother-in-law, I’m going to take a leak! Carry on without me, I’ll be back in a bit."
Qin Jian finished up the leftover work alone, tying the vegetables tightly with the ropes.
After he was done and went inside to wash his hands, An Hao had already prepared hot water for them.
Noticing that Qin Jian was the only one who came back, she asked about An Ping: "Where did he go? Why haven’t I heard from him for so long?"
"He said he was going out to relieve himself," Qin Jian replied while washing his hands.
An Hao handed him a towel to dry his hands: "That An Ping is probably slacking off again."
"He’s still a kid, he’ll grow out of it," Qin Jian was very lenient toward An Ping.
"Only because he has a brother-in-law as good as you to make excuses for him..." An Hao said, warming Qin Jian’s freezing red hands with her own against her chest.