Chapter 1185: Chapter 1185: Coming Home
Sure, here is the translated text:
```html
Red Army ran home and almost teared up upon seeing his family. Xiao Li hurried to make pancakes and scrambled eggs for him.
Red Army wanted to help with the fire, but was chased away by Xiao Li to take a bath.
Once the meal was ready and Red Army had finished his bath, he nestled beside Xiao Li, feeling a strong longing for home.
"Red Army, you’ve lost weight."
"Second Aunt, I’ll recover in just a few days."
"Of course, Second Aunt will make you good food, you must regain it back.
Red Army, you’ve come back just in time; tomorrow your brother Manjiang is going to get registered."
"My brother has found a wife?"
"Yes, it’s Wang Zhiqing from the village. Tomorrow you’ll drive the tractor home; your father bought your brother a sewing machine, so you can bring it back and also take your brother and them to the county to register."
"Alright, I’ll go tomorrow. I also miss my dad, maybe we can all return together tomorrow."
"Hurry and eat, don’t just talk."
"Second Aunt, I want to eat scallions dipped in sauce."
"Okay, Second Aunt will get it for you, just eat first."
Inside, it was just the two brothers left. "Big brother, Brother Changhe, and my sister, what about the two little ones?"
"Tomorrow we get registered, the day after there’s a celebration in the village. Dad went fishing, and the two littles ones went with him. Such a thing wouldn’t be complete without them.
Your sister is making curtains and door drapes."
Just as they were talking, Li Xue came in. "Red Army."
"Sis, I was just asking about you."
"You’re thinner, eat more, I’m busy making curtains for big brother, or else I won’t finish them by tomorrow."
"Sis, you hurry on."
Li Xue hurriedly left again.
"Brother Changhe went to the new house to light the fire."
"Our new house is finished? How come so fast?"
"Including the yard, it was only twenty days, we had more manpower."
Xiao Li came in with a bowl of sauce and scallions.
Once Red Army finished eating, he couldn’t stop yawning, Xiao Li looked at him concerned, "Red Army, quickly go to sleep, we’ll talk about things tomorrow."
Li Yungui and his sons returned at midnight. Altogether, they caught two buckets of fish, which they kept in the large basin outside soaking with water. They could go to pull up the nets again in the morning.
"Red Army and the others eight have returned."
"Really? That’s great, just missing Chaoyang."
"He can’t make it back. Forget about it." Xiao Li was optimistic, her son was too far away.
"I saw Xue’er’s room is still lit." The daughter was grown, Li Yungui couldn’t go in to look, so he just told his wife.
"Teacher Jiang and Old Yang’s wife, the four of them came over, delivered two bolts of fabric and a family gift of ten yuan."
"Mm, make sure to note it down."
"I know. By the way, I’ve told Red Army to take the tractor to the city tomorrow to bring back the sewing machine."
"Sounds good, come back later, the big brother and his family can still catch a ride. Remember to lay something thick on the truck."
"Got it."
"I have so many things to do tomorrow, the piglets have to be moved to the pig farm."
"Have Teacher Jiang come to help tomorrow, otherwise I’ll be overwhelmed. We need someone to manage the gift money and bookkeeping."
"You go ask Teacher Jiang tomorrow."
The couple finally rested. There really was a lot to do tomorrow.
At five the next day, Xiao Li got up to steam buns, using the dough she had let rise last night. Li Manjiang got up too, helping his mom with the fire.
Li Xue woke up late today; she had worked until past one in the night, just managing to finish everything.
At five thirty, Li Manjiang went to wake up Wang Menglin.
"We’ll take the tractor. Red Army came back last night. We can also bring back the sewing machine." The two talked as they walked.
"Great, I’ve never ridden a tractor before."
When they arrived home, Xiao Li already had breakfast ready; she went to wake up Red Army. The child, still groggy, didn’t wash up, just took a bite of a bun, and wandered around the room.
Xiao Li saw the child like this, her eyes turned red, regretting that she woke him up.
Li Yungui saw his nephew like this and felt quite distressed too.
Only after Red Army had eaten a bun did he fully wake up.
"Oh, I’m home." He already ate a bun before saying this, then sat down to continue eating.
Wang Menglin looked curiously at Red Army. Li Manjiang quietly said, "Just now he was still dazed; perhaps it’s the effect of working outside."
"It’s really not easy."
"Exactly, if farmers want to live better days, they have to exchange hard work for it."
After eating, Red Army was more energetic, "Big brother, are we setting off?"
"No need to hurry. Otherwise, when we reach the county, we might just be waiting."
"Let’s still go, also remember to take some photos.
Also, when you get to the county, give Uncle a call and ask him to take a leave today."
"Got it, then we’re off."
Li Yungui went to pull up the nets. After returning, he still had to arrange the pig farm matters. Hongling and Cheng Lin went along too.
Changhe got up to check the new house, came back, "Mom, the lime has dried completely, looks especially white."
"That’s good, hurry and eat breakfast. Later you go to your second uncle’s house, find a few people to move the furniture back."
Li Xue also got up, "Second Aunt, the curtains and door drapes are done. I made them in a new style I saw at Teacher Jiang’s house, no need for ropes, nailed a row of nails to hang them directly, it doesn’t let light through. I also made cloth straps, so if you don’t want to take them down, you can gather the curtains and tie them with the straps."
"Great, later let Hongling handle this. Hurry and eat breakfast."
"Alright, I know."
"You two have breakfast, I’ll go over to Teacher Jiang’s, ask him to help with bookkeeping, soon people will come." The couple in the village had exceptionally good relations with people. Wherever there was an event, they’d attend with a gift, since this was the eldest son’s wedding, there certainly wouldn’t be a shortage of guests.
Li Yungui had caught two more buckets of fish this time, and poured them back into the basin, now not afraid they’d die, they’d certainly be cooked today.
He hurriedly ate breakfast, and then went to ring the bell. Today’s work was the pigsty matter.
In the end, they followed Jiang Xinyu’s advice. Used a cattle cart to haul piglets that were bundled up, otherwise with so many, really afraid they’d run off.
Three big pigs had to be driven on foot; they couldn’t be moved.
Didn’t anticipate such speed, everyone saw the pig farm as something quite novel.
By ten in the morning, all the pigs were moved to the pig farm. The person in charge here was Uncle Li, and there was an expert in pig farming – a village elder over fifty.
"Uncles, I’ll have others handle the heavy lifting, you guys just take care of cleaning the pen and feeding the pigs. Actually, this work isn’t light either."
"Why would it be? I think it won’t be tiring, not dealing with pig manure makes it much easier."
This was settled. Li Yungui hurried home, where it was even busier.
Changhe already found people to have all the furniture arranged. Curtains and door drapes were installed as well.
Li Xue laid down the bedding, then the newly made bedding was also moved in, placed in the kang cabinet. Pillows, pillowcases, bed sheet were set in another cabinet.
Xiao Li had long prepared washbasins and everything else, already set in place.
```
