"His father, that girl really won't come back. What do you think we should do?"
Zhang Guiqin felt unhappy when she came back from the outside. She sat on the kang and thought about it for a long time, and the more she thought about it, the more angry she became.
Her voice was rough and somewhat sharp, and even just by listening to her voice, one could tell that she was a person with a strong and aggressive personality. However, in addition to anger, her words now contained more of helpless unwillingness.
"Alas!" A long sigh came from the outer room. It was obviously just a sound of anger, but it was so clear that it was a bit harsh.
"What can be done?" Lin Erchun sat on the chair, his voice was stiff. He was obviously angry, but he didn't know whether it was towards the woman in front of him or the "girl" in the woman's mouth.
The room fell into a long silence, filled with smoke, and the few cigarette leaves in the pot were not enough for the man to take a few puffs.
"As it is said in storytelling, 'The most disappointed people are scholars.' If you hadn't been blind, you had to find an educated youth from a big city for your son, and he wouldn't be like this." Zhang Guiqin couldn't help complaining.
"It's all my fault, it's all my fault!" Lin Erchun's tone was a bit self-defeating, but he was more resentful and said sarcastically: "Why didn't you stop her when she called you 'Mom'?"
Zhang Guiqin was teased so much that she could not speak, so she turned around and started scolding her again.
"It's difficult to paint a dragon or a tiger. You know people but don't know their hearts. In the past, I looked at girls who had too many responsibilities, but why did they become like this as soon as they were admitted to college?
I don’t believe it. She can live a good life just by dumping our family Chaoyang?
I was desperate, so I went to their school to cause trouble. If it weren’t for our Chaoyang family, would she have been able to get into college? Her life would have been lost!"
Seeing that his wife was talking more and more outrageously, the man shouted: "Okay!"
He slapped the pipe stem heavily on the table, "Stop being so careless. Do you think there is not enough trouble at home?"
Lin Erchun kept talking at home, and when he got angry, the woman stopped arguing, but continued to whisper all kinds of unpleasant things in a low voice.
Lin Erchun was really upset by his wife's vague complaints. He rolled up the pipe with a pipe and pinned it to his waistband before going out.
When he came to the yard, he felt depressed and picked up a shovel, intending to clean up the weeds in his vegetable garden.
As soon as he left the door, the scolding in the room became louder.
"Er Chun, what are you busy with?"
A neighbor passing by outside the fence looked at Lin Erchun standing in the yard and asked.
Afraid that others would hear his wife's chatter, Lin Erchun loudly replied: "I have nothing to do, just tidy up the garden. What are you doing?"
“Go to the sales department to get some soy sauce!”
Watching his neighbors leave, Lin Erchun squatted in the vegetable garden wielding a small shovel. He seemed to be focused on nothing, but no one knew the distress in his heart.
The women under the locust tree were still chatting, and the topic circled around and returned to Lin Chaoyang and his educated youth partner Tao Yushu.
"With Tao Yushu leaving like this, it will be difficult for Chaoyang to find a partner in the future!"
"I would say this guy is stupid. Others are afraid of running away if they find a target as an educated youth, but he is lucky. I heard that he has to contribute both money and effort, for fear that he will not run away fast enough."
"That's strange! Or why don't you find a wife who is too beautiful? Take a look, you are obsessed with me even before you get married."
"In the final analysis, I'm still not worthy of them. Once I'm admitted to university, I'm even less worthy of them."
…
The women seemed to be chatting endlessly and were very involved.
"Hey!" Everyone was chatting animatedly when someone pointed to the dirt road at the entrance of the village and said in a surprised tone, "Look!"
Everyone looked up and saw a woman in a red dress walking towards their direction with difficulty carrying two luggage bags.
"Ouch! Whose little daughter-in-law is wearing something very provocative? She has caught up with the ladies in the city."
"It's really cool. Whose family does it belong to?"
The women were talking among themselves, and the woman in the distance was getting closer and closer carrying something, and someone vaguely saw her eyebrows.
"Hey, isn't that Tao Yushu?" a woman exclaimed.
"Who? Tao Yushu?" Others stretched their necks to investigate carefully.
"Really or not? Let's take a look!"
"It seems to be true."
There were so many people who recognized it that they were no longer willing to just sit there in the distance and put down their work to take action.
"Oh, Yushu! It's really you!"
The people who gathered around were all women in their forties or fifties in the village. From Lin Chaoyang's side, Tao Yushu had to be called aunt, and some were even a generation older.
Tao Yushu carried his things and greeted everyone one by one with a smile on his face.
"Come on, let me help you carry it."
The women couldn't help but pick up Tao Yushu's things, and they kept talking and asking questions without any sense of boundaries.
Someone helped carry things, and Tao Yushu was happy and relaxed. He picked up those who were willing to answer and answered a few sentences, and those who were not willing to answer pretended not to listen.
The women didn't care either. They came forward to help, just to watch the fun, and didn't even care about the things under the tree.
I escorted Tao Yushu along the way and met many members. Everyone was extremely surprised when they saw Tao Yushu. These days, there are many educated youths who return to the city or are admitted to university and leave without any news.
Tao Yushu is actually back!
Everyone who saw her joined the team in a tacit understanding, until they arrived in front of Lin Erchun's house.
Lin Erchun was concentrating on tidying up the vegetable garden with his head down, when suddenly there was a noise at the door of the courtyard, and he couldn't help but look up.
I saw a woman with bright eyebrows and fair skin standing at the entrance of the courtyard. She was tall and wearing a red floral Bragi skirt and a pair of white canvas sneakers. She was fashionable and fashionable.
The woman's appearance and clothing were really too eye-catching in the northeastern rural areas of the 1970s. Perhaps it was because of the glare of the sun. Lin Erchun put up a curtain in front of his eyes with his hands.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
The voice was soft, with a unique Beijing flavor, and the "Dad" call was friendly and natural, as if it had been called for many years, and the depression in Lin Erchun's heart disappeared.
He stood up with surprise on his face, "Yu...Yushu, why are you back?"
Tao Yushu, with delicate features and a smile on his face, said, "It's summer vacation. Can I not go home?"
Her words left Lin Erchun speechless, right? This is the daughter-in-law of their old Lin family. Isn't it normal to come back after summer vacation?
"No, I mean, why didn't you write a letter in advance when you came back?"
The sudden surprise made Lin Erchun stutter a little. What surprised him even more was, why did he call "Dad" in public?
Immediately, something dawned on him.
Before Tao Yushu left, he checked with Chaoyang and changed his name to Lin Erchun's parents. This was a private matter and no one in the team knew about it.
She hasn't heard from her for more than half a year, and now she calls out "Dad" in front of everyone in the team to earn face for the old Lin family.
As shrewd as Lin Erchun, he figured out the reason in a moment, and the smile on his face became even brighter.
Lin Erchun was only surprised for a moment. What was even more surprising and unexpected were the members who came to watch the excitement.
Tao Yushu's "Dad" almost burned everyone's CPU.
dad?
Didn't you call me "Uncle" before?
When did you change your tone?
Chaoyang and Tao Yushu are married?
Why don't they know?
A huge mystery hangs in the hearts of everyone. A group of people are like dogs holding rice bowls waiting to be fed.
Watching Lin Erchun and Tao Yushu chatting and laughing, some members of the club couldn't help but ask: "Uncle Erchun, why do you call me daddy? When did it happen?"
Lin Erchun felt a sense of elation in his heart at this time, and raised his voice: "When do I need to report to you again? The management is quite lenient!"
His words were a disguised admission of Lin Chaoyang and Tao Yushu's marital status. Everyone was surprised and couldn't help but ridicule Lin Erchun.
"Er Chun, okay, it's hidden deep enough!"
The proud look on Lin Erchun's face was very restrained. It took careful observation to realize that he ignored everyone and stepped forward to help Tao Yushu carry his luggage.
Tao Yushu came back with a lot of luggage, two big bags, but unfortunately he was not needed at all, so the commune members who were eager to come in and watch the fun did it for him.
At this time, Tao Yushu said: "Writing a letter is not as fast as taking the train!"
Lin Erchun smiled and nodded, "That's the truth."
As soon as the two people moved, the crowd who had been standing outside the courtyard to watch the excitement also followed them into the courtyard.
As the two of them got closer and closer to the house, they heard a loud and clear voice.
Tao Yushu's expression did not change, but Lin Erchun's face showed a bit of embarrassment, and he shouted loudly: "Why do you want to do some work? Come out and take a look, Yushu is back!"
Just now, Zhang Guiqin was only focused on venting her anger and depression, and did not forget to do needlework. She was so focused on her work and kept her head down that she did not notice the movement in the yard.
After hearing Lin Erchun's words, the sounds in the room suddenly stopped, followed by the sound of shoes, which revealed a bit of panic and urgency.
Zhang Guiqin didn't even have time to put on her shoes. She leaned out of the room, holding on to the door frame. When she saw Tao Yushu standing at the door, the expression on her face was surprised and happy, and at the same time, there was also a bit of bad words behind her back.
The embarrassment of crashing.
"Ouch, Yushu is back!"
Because of that little bit of embarrassment, Zhang Guiqin's tone and expression when she said this were a bit too enthusiastic, and somewhat flattering.
"Mom!" Tao Yushu called out crisply.
"Hey!"
Zhang Guiqin responded hurriedly, pulling on her shoes to help Tao Yushu carry his luggage.
"Come back by train?"
"Are you tired? Mom will give you some water."
"Why didn't you tell me in advance when you came back so that Chaoyang could pick you up? Look at how tired you are carrying all these things!"
…
Comrade Zhang Guiqin held Tao Yushu's hand affectionately and spoke, as if the scolding just now was just an auditory hallucination of Tao Yushu and Lin Erchun.
Tao Yushu responded to her words one by one, and the two talked for two minutes. Lin Erchun urged: "We'll talk to you later. The child has been traveling for almost two days. Let's make some food first and then take a nap after eating."
, let’s chat again when we wake up.”
Zhang Guiqin said with a smile: "Look at me, I am so happy that I am confused."
As she was busy going to cook, Tao Yushu stopped her and said, "No need. Mom, I ate in the county at noon and I'm not hungry."
"Then you have to prepare some food. Besides, it's almost dinner time and it's time to make dinner."
Zhang Guiqin insisted on cooking, and Tao Yushu stood up to help, but was stopped, "You can't cook in these clothes, and you will be ruined."
"Then I'll go change my clothes."
"No, no, just sit and wait for dinner."
Zhang Guiqin pressed Tao Yushu on the chair, turned around and went out to grab firewood for cooking.
In the courtyard, many neighbors were standing in front of the window to watch the fun. Zhang Guiqin, who had been keeping a low profile in the team for a long time, was now full of energy. He raised his chin and shouted to the crowd of people watching:
"What are you looking at? Have you never seen a college student?"
Someone in the crowd replied: "Aunt Guiqin, you didn't have this attitude when Yushu didn't come back!"
Zhang Guiqin's old face turned red and became angry with embarrassment.
"Go, go, go! Go home and see your mother!"
The appearance of her daughter-in-law made Zhang Guiqin's waist harden again and she regained her aggressive nature.
The crowd burst into laughter, and those who were scolded by her were not angry. The rural people joked about eating meat and vegetables, and talked in low voices.
"I never thought that Tao Yushu would come back?"
"What will happen if I come back? I am a college student now. How will Chaoyang support me?"
"Indeed, sooner or later you will get yellow."
"Let me see, I might just come back this time to put an end to it."
…
In Lu Xun's writings, farmers are numb, ignorant, and have lost hope; in Zhao Shuli's writings, farmers are simple, hardworking, and proactive; in Shen Congwen's writings, farmers are kind, lovely, enthusiastic, and romantic.
Judging from the descriptions in literary works, the image of farmers seems to have many faces, but in fact there are not so many changes. It is nothing more than a reflection of human nature in different environments. Envy and jealousy are two sides of the same coin.
Whether the members ridicule openly or ridicule behind the scenes, it all comes from human nature.
Zhang Guiqin refused to let Tao Yushu work, so she got up and unzipped her luggage bag.
Tao Yushu brought back two luggage bags this time. One bag contained her change of clothes, toiletries and school supplies, and the remaining bag was filled with things she brought for the Lin family.
Dried fruits bought at Dong'an Market, snack boxes from Daoxiang Village, Xiangshan brand cigarettes that only cadres can smoke, Doliang white shirts...
Things were taken out one by one, and the onlookers became more and more frightened.
In the end, Lin Erchun asked everyone what they were thinking: "Yushu, how much will it cost you?"
Tao Yushu smiled and said: "It's not like I bring so many every time, these are all you can use."
"This cigarette is for you. You always smoke leaves and try rolled cigarettes. My dad smokes this cigarette. He said it tastes good. I also brought this shirt for you."
Lin Erchun waved his hands quickly, "I can't wear this thing, let Chaoyang wear it."
"He also has one, you see." Tao Yushu compared the measurements of a good-quality shirt.
Zhang Guiqin, who was cooking in the outer room, listened to the conversation between the two and entered the room. She couldn't help but be speechless when she looked at the things on the edge of the Kang. Tao Yushu took out the gift prepared for her, which was a red corduroy jacket.
"Ouch! How can I wear this?"
"How much does such good clothes cost?"
Zhang Guiqin said such words, but she couldn't hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.
At this time, another woman in the crowd joked: "Zhang Guiqin, these clothes are for nothing for you."
Hearing this, Zhang Guiqin responded: "It's my business to be blind. If you have the ability, let your daughter-in-law buy it for you!"
The man was silenced by the rebuke, and everyone burst into laughter again, chattering non-stop.
"After all, he's from the city. Look at this move, it costs more than a hundred yuan at least, right? It's enough for us to work for a year. I really couldn't tell it before."
"The votes haven't been counted yet. It doesn't look like I'm going to come back."
"This girl Yushu has a good character, but she is not like some people. They will be blessed in the second spring. She is a top student in Yanjing!"
There was a lot of fun inside the house, noisy outside, and the courtyard of Lin Erchun's house was very lively.
When Lin Chaoyang walked to the entrance of the courtyard and saw the crowds of people in the courtyard, he already had a guess in his mind.
After he entered the hospital, he was spotted by the crowd watching from the back row, which immediately attracted a lot of ridicule.
"Chaoyang, my wife is back!"
"College student wife!"
Lin Chaoyang smiled calmly. In the past six months, he had become accustomed to hearing good and bad words from the team and laughed it off.
Everyone consciously made a way for him, and when he walked into the house, he saw a familiar figure.
Compared with when he left, Tao Yushu is in much better spirits now than before, and he seems to be a well-educated person in Yanjing.
Her figure is a little thinner than before, but her cheeks have a little more flesh. She has sufficient collagen, is youthful and beautiful, and is even more beautiful than before.
Lin Chaoyang stood at the door and carefully studied Tao Yushu's features. She was joking with Father Lin and Mother Lin as if she noticed something and turned around.
"Come back?" Lin Chaoyang asked calmly.
Tao Yushu had a smile on her lips, and the sunlight reflected by the window glass shone brightly on her face.
Chapter completed!