Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The parents are preparing to go to the provincial capital
Although recently, there have been firecrackers going off from time to time in the homes of some teachers at the school, especially in the courtyards of the headmasters, the lives of the students are no different from usual.
It was still very cold, but Feng Yiping still took the opportunity to study and go to the homeroom teacher's house to warm himself by the fire. After spending time together in and out of class, and because Feng Yiping had done her proud in the final exam, the homeroom teacher Wang Yumin no longer deliberately scowled at him.
Well, actually, it was useless for her to scowl at Feng Yiping, an old hand.
So he just concentrated on his studies without any distractions, and the days passed quickly. On Saturday, which happened to be the Lantern Festival, as soon as the last class of the morning finished and the teacher had left, there was a clanging sound in the classroom as the students hurriedly packed up, bumping into the tins and enamel bowls.
Some of them had already locked their desks, having tidied up during the break between classes.
The reason was simple: the home during the New Year was more attractive than the usual home.
Xiao Zhijie came to find Feng Yiping and invited him to the Xiao family compound. Originally, they were supposed to go pay a New Year's visit, but that was not possible because tomorrow, his parents were going to the provincial capital.
The school still had a bit of a human touch. Not only were they on holiday, but the second and third grade students also had the day off. Together with three other students from other compounds in the village, a rare group of seven people were going home together.
Feng Hongbing said with a hint of malice, 'The main reason is not that they gave us a holiday, but that the teachers themselves wanted a holiday, and they used us as an excuse.' Indeed, there was some truth in this statement.
Before they had even left the school gate, Feng Wen, as if he had finally shaken off his shackles, flung his school bag around and let out a strange cry, 'Wa wa,' and all the students passing by turned to look at him.
However, soon afterwards, he paid the price for his youthful recklessness. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Every summer, a makeshift wooden bridge was built across the river. A few pine trees were tied together to form the bridge, and a few wooden stakes were driven into the river to form the bridge abutments. The river was wide, and there were two such makeshift wooden bridges. Between the two bridges, there was a gap, not very wide, just the size of a normal person taking a big step.
Feng Wen deliberately walked quickly when crossing the bridge. He intended to show off, but who knew that he would make a fool of himself. At the opening, instead of walking carefully, he decided to jump. He lost his balance and stumbled, and with a 'plop' sound, he slipped into the river.
The few people accompanying him, including his classmates on the road, couldn't help laughing when they saw this scene. It wasn't really schadenfreude, they just found it really funny.
The water wasn't deep, but it was cold! Feng Wen cursed while he used his hands and feet to climb onto the bridge and then walked honestly to the shore.
This time he couldn't walk fast because his cotton shoes had gotten water in them and were very heavy.
Everyone stopped to wait for him, and since it was not possible to go barefoot, Feng Yiping helped him to twist the cotton shoes hard to squeeze out as much water as possible. Feng Hongbing rummaged in his bag and found a pair of socks to give to Feng Wen to change into, and they walked home in this makeshift way.
When they arrived home, their parents were still waiting for them to have lunch together. At the table, Mei Qiuping said to Feng Yiping, 'Yiping, what did you tell Changning? His father came to the house the day before yesterday.'
Feng Yiping said, 'Yes, I told him about your chestnut purchase and asked him to discuss with his parents whether they could do the same. Didn't I tell you guys a year ago that if someone comes and asks, and wants to do the same, we can't stop them? Mom, the provincial capital is so big, even if they go there, they won't take our business. Those who work in the village, if they find the right place, they will bring a few people with them, don't you think so, Dad?'
Feng Zhanchang said, 'In the past few days since we got back, quite a few people have asked me about it. Dongming has already decided to go to the provincial capital in the second half of the year, and we can help if we can. The more people who go, the more care there will be.'
Mei Qiuping said, 'That's not what I'm talking about. Of course I won't hide it, but I'm afraid that when the time comes, Guosheng will have a problem with it and say that we're helping the Changnings but not him.'
Feng Zhenchang said, 'Guoping and Guoxing don't need to do this. Rongrong is in school now, Ruiru is still young, and Guosheng really can't go out. If he wants to do this, he only needs to mention it, and we will contribute money or effort. What does he have to complain about?'
Feng Zhenchang knew that this was not the reason Mei Qiuping was saying this. She was a little upset because as soon as she had found a way to make some money, she immediately wanted to share it with others. He himself had some small knots in his heart, but when someone came to the door, he still told them everything. That's how a person should be.
The dinner was very rich that night, but it was a bit heavy.
Feng Zhenchang was fine. If he went to the provincial capital last autumn, he was inevitably uneasy at the time, but this time he went to the provincial capital without any worries.
Although things are not easy in the provincial capital, every night he has to prepare chestnuts, knead dough and grind soy milk, and he is always busy until after midnight. In the morning, he has to get up before dawn, and during the day he rides a tricycle, pulling a stall around, buying buns and chestnuts. He doesn't get a good night's sleep, and he doesn't eat well, but it doesn't matter, it's all nothing.
As a man, he is not afraid of hardship, but he is afraid of not being able to make ends meet all year round. Now that he has the opportunity to earn a few hundred yuan a month, he is very happy.
Mei Qiuping is different. Thinking that after they leave, she will have to leave her son with her widowed father-in-law at her parents' home fills her heart with unspeakable sadness.
Her son is still young, and this trip will last at least half a year, and she will not be able to see him until summer vacation. Of course she is reluctant to let him go. With the two of them away, they will inevitably worry about whether their son will be taken care of properly.
In addition, her elderly father in her family is already quite old, and not only does he have to take care of himself, but now he also has to help take care of her son, which is like adding to his burden. She feels a little bad about it in her heart.
Feng Yiping took the initiative to comfort his mother, 'Mom, I'm all grown up and I can take care of myself. Besides, there's still Grandpa and my uncles. Didn't I do pretty well those few months last year? I ate well, slept well, and my grades were good. There's nothing to worry about.'
Mei Qiuping got up to serve the rice. When she returned, her face had changed completely, and there was no trace of worry or concern. 'I know, you've grown up and you know what's right. You must listen to your teachers and your grandfather, get along well with your classmates, and most importantly, study hard. When we come back in the summer, we'll find you a house in the countryside.'
Feng Zhenchang was not unaware of Mei Qiuping's low mood, and he could guess the reason, but he just didn't want to mention it.
He gave Feng Yiping a piece of spare rib, 'You, thinking about these things is just unnecessary. Look at Yiping, when we come back, he is even better dressed than when we left, not to mention that he has grown taller and put on weight, and his grades are even better than before, so what is there to worry about. And then there is dad's side, he said that now every Sunday, the grandchildren all go to his place, it is very lively, and the attitudes of the daughters-in-law are better than before. So, everything is better than before, what are you still worried about?'
Mei Qiuping glared at him, 'Of course you don't understand. Children are a mother's flesh and blood. What do you think I'm worried about?'
Feng Zhenchang had drunk almost three taels of wine, which was already the limit, "So you're saying that only you are concerned about your son, right, and I as a father don't worry?'
Seeing that they were fine, but there was a momentum of choking up, Feng Yiping quickly broke the ice, "Mom, you can't let your sister hear this, or she'll definitely say that you're biased again.'
Mei Qiuping then said, 'I'm doing this for Yiping's sake, and it's the middle of the month, so I don't want to argue with you.'
Feng Yiping didn't wait for Feng Zhenchang to speak, and struck while the iron was hot, 'You really don't have to worry about this. You should make more money in the provincial capital, and buy a house there in the future, so that you can give me a provincial daughter-in-law.'
Hearing him say this so seriously, the two adults could no longer be angry, and they both laughed.
In fact, to be honest, very often, they are not really angry. It's just that at home, in front of their significant other, they are too lazy to hold back, and they always have to win. They argue back and forth, and inevitably end up getting angry.
Knowing that they were leaving the next day, after dinner, people started arriving at the house one after the other: uncles, Feng Chuntang, Feng Weidong, all came to visit.
There was still some leftover New Year's food, including melon seeds, peanuts and sweets. Feng Chuntang joked, 'Auntie, you're really selfless today!'
Feng Weidong also said, "We should save all this for Yiping.'
Feng Zhenchang grabbed a handful and said, "We've already saved a big bag for him. Come on, eat, there's more than you can finish. You can take it with you when you go.'
They were chatting and joking, all puffing away. Feng Weidong said, 'Then we won't be polite, and you don't say, these are all good things, especially these peanuts, which we grew ourselves. There's just something different about the taste when you eat them compared to the ones you buy outside.'
Uncle Feng asked, 'Are the ones from outside better or the ones we grew?'
Feng Weidong said, 'The ones sold are better than ours, they are bigger, all uniform, and have more kernels, but ours are still tastier.'
'Oh, they're not cheap, I'm afraid.'
'Of course not,' Feng Weidong said, 'in the county, for the price of a catty of peanuts, here we can buy a catty of peanut oil at the oil mill.'
Several uncles who had never even been to the county town exclaimed in amazement, 'It's so expensive, so why would anyone buy it?'
Feng Chuntang said, 'It's fine if it's a bit expensive, but I'm afraid of buying fake products. My eldest nephew from Gaojiashan spent dozens of yuan on a pair of leather shoes before the New Year and brought them home, but before he'd worn them for a day, the soles had already broken. When he looked at them, he saw that the soles were made of cardboard.'
Feng Weidong picked up the story, 'Last year, I went to the provincial capital with the sales department to contact business. We had never been to that wine and spirits company before, so we took a taxi, which cost more than 20 yuan. When we arrived, they said we had been ripped off by the taxi driver. The road in front of their door led less than a mile to the hotel where we were staying.'
In fact, as a temporary worker, Feng Weidong was not entitled to go on business trips. He must have taken the experiences of other people in the factory and put them on his own head.
These tricks were actually quite crude, but there was no problem deceiving people who were in the city for the first time. People from the village who went to the city would inevitably encounter similar things later.
After a while, Feng Yiping really couldn't stand their second-hand smoke and got up to help Mei Qiuping sort out the things she wanted to bring.