1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 284 Come on, Xiao Su, I'm really going to test your strength today.
The jeep drove towards the western part of the city.

Su Wenchen noticed that there weren't many people on the street. Even the occasional workers leaving get off work were hurrying by on bicycles, clearly eager to get home for the New Year.

The various state-owned stores on the street closed early.

The main street was noticeably quieter than usual.

However, in contrast.

It's the liveliness of the hutongs and courtyards.

The stoves in the house were all burning bright red, and the neighbors were all busy preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.

One by one, the children, in groups of three or five, began to run around happily in the courtyard and alley.

Every now and then, Su Wenchen could hear the sound of firecrackers going off in the alley, as well as the shouts and curses of the street staff wearing armbands.

obviously.

Banning firecrackers may not be a problem for adults, but it has very limited effect on children.

After the jeep entered the Ministry of Railways' residential compound area, Su Wenchen found that the atmosphere here was significantly less lively than in the alleyways he had passed along the way.

However, the power supply here is obviously much more abundant, and the family buildings and some family courtyards are all lit up with warm yellow lights.

The sound of firecrackers has almost disappeared.

Only from a great distance could one occasionally hear the sound of a rocket.

Then Su Wenchen saw that the children playing by the roadside in these courtyards would immediately look in the direction of the sound after hearing it, and their faces would show a hint of longing.

Clearly, these children enjoy a more comfortable life than those from ordinary families.

However, there are more things to pay attention to in some details than in ordinary families.

Children from ordinary families can set off firecrackers at will, and even the staff wearing armbands on the street can only shout a few words to assert their presence.

However, after driving into the residential area, Su Wenchen could smell the aromas of various dishes in the air, which were indeed much stronger than on the road.

Of course, it might be because it's located close to the residential area, which also means that the living conditions of the employees here are obviously much better.

After driving for a while, the car finally came to a steady stop in front of a small building in the Soviet style.

Su Wenchen opened the car door and got out.

Then I saw Jiang Li running out of the house wearing a red scarf.

Upon seeing Su Wenchen, he immediately broke into a happy smile.

"Ah Chen! You're here!"

"How about it?"

"Is your meeting over? Or are you going back tomorrow?"

Su Wenchen looked at his wife's nose, which was red from the cold, and squeezed her small hand.

"The meeting is over, and we'll have three days off as usual!"

"I can spend these three days with you!"

"Really? That's great! I'll show you around Beijing these next few days."

Jiang's father, who got off the bus on the other side, coughed lightly upon seeing this scene, reminding his daughter that he was also there.

"cough!"

"Cough cough!"

Hearing her father's commotion, Jiang Li turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Dad, what are you doing!"

Why are you coughing for no reason?

"You caught a cold? But you were perfectly fine at lunchtime."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Jiang felt even more heartbroken.

"They say that once a man marries a wife, he forgets his mother. I think this daughter will be the same after she gets married!"

"Alright, go back! With your body in such cold weather, you shouldn't stay outside for too long."

He then strode into the house.

Su Wenchen also took Jiang Li's hand and walked into the house together.

in the living room.

Jiang Li's stepmother, Zhou Qin, helped Jiang's father take off his coat and took out slippers. When she saw Su Wenchen come in, her face froze for half a second.

Then, an even stronger smile quickly appeared on her face.

"Is that Ah Chen? Come in, come in!"

"Take off your coat first!"

"Little Pear, you really don't know how to hang your man's clothes!"

"You were a little lazy at home before, so what? How come you're still like this after you're married!"

"Ah Chen feels sorry for you, but you can't be so unreasonable!"

"A girl's job is simply to stay at home, be a good wife and mother, and take care of her husband. Don't think about other things all the time!"

"Otherwise, if you become too ambitious, you'll suffer the consequences later."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li's expression instantly turned sour.

Just as he was about to speak, Su Wenchen squeezed his wife's hand.

Said directly.

"Auntie, let me tell you, you can't be too hardworking. If you're too hardworking, people won't take you seriously anymore."

"So we always do chores together at home and respect each other!"

"What, Ali, isn't your family one?"

Upon hearing this, before Zhou Qin could say anything, and just as she was about to hand over the coat, Jiang's father's hand suddenly froze.

You little brat, who are you calling a number on?!
Didn't I just not react at first?
Especially when he saw his wife coming to take his clothes and prepare to hang them up for him, he immediately withdrew his hand.

“It’s the same in our family. Xiao Chen, you’re right, we should respect each other.”

"Qin, I've told you so many times, I can handle this little thing myself."

"It's not like you don't have hands!"

"Alright, go to the kitchen and get the dishes! In the future, try to avoid saying things that don't make sense."

Upon hearing Jiang's father's words, Zhou Qin turned and walked towards the kitchen, but muttered something under her breath.

"How many times have I told you? I've never seen you lay a hand on me at home."

"Let me tell you another girl. She was good at housework when she was a young lady, and she's still like this after marriage. What's the point of marrying her?"

When Jiang's father heard this, his face darkened.

"Zhou Qin!"

Upon hearing that Mr. Jiang was angry, the other party immediately stopped muttering and quickly headed towards the kitchen.

By this time, Su Wenchen had a general understanding of Jiang Li's character as his stepmother.

Then, after Su Wenchen changed out of his coat, hat, and shoes...

Several steaming dishes were already laid out on the dining table.

Su Wenchen had to admit that although the stepmother Jiang's father had chosen for Ali wasn't particularly bright, her cooking skills seemed quite good.

At this moment, Jiang's father also gave Su Wenchen a displeased look.

"Come on, let's get the dishes ready. You little brat, you're just making things difficult for us."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen replied with a smile.

"Dad, what do you mean I'm making things up? I'm not lying. Ali and I are at home, and we usually cook and clean the house together."

Of course, what Su Wenchen didn't mention was that the two of them basically ate in the cafeteria, and only ate at home during their days off each month.

Therefore, the number of times they cook at home is extremely limited.

In terms of housework, the wife definitely does more of the chores, while he usually only helps with things like tidying up heavy cabinets.

When Mr. Jiang heard this, he looked at his daughter with some surprise.

Without any other expression, it's clear that what the kid said is true, meaning he really would help out at home too.
He really hadn't expected that.

This girl really did find gold in the wild!

He had thought that his daughter would have a harder time working out now that she had found such a successful man.

He was still thinking about how to subtly remind his son-in-law to stand up for his daughter!
Now it seems like it's completely unnecessary.

The son-in-law even stood up for his daughter.

It wasn't just him; Zhou Qin, who was making dumplings in the kitchen, heard this and kept muttering to herself while gently stirring the dumplings in the pot.

"That brat is really lucky; she managed to find a capable man in such a small place."

"Looks like I'll have to be more accommodating to her from now on!"

Zhou Qin felt that her son was only a little over a year old, and by the time he grew up, her husband would be old and would take revenge on her son, which she couldn't bear.

I used to just want to get rid of her as far away as possible, who would have thought that this brat would be so lucky.

She managed to come back, and even found such a capable man. If her husband hadn't been so serious, she wouldn't have believed it.

Soon, with the help of Su Wenchen and Jiang's father, a large table of dishes was neatly served.

After seeing that everything was arranged, Zhou Qin also called out to the second floor.

"Sui'er, bring Xiao Chengzi down for dinner."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion came from upstairs.

A short while later, a girl who looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old came down from upstairs carrying a chubby little baby.

Su Wenchen knew that it must be his father-in-law's youngest son, Jiang Cheng.

However, his father-in-law's naming habits are quite bizarre.

One pear, one orange.

They're really going after fruit!

Su Wenchen glanced at his wife, Jiang Li, and then spoke directly.

“Her niece came from her hometown, saying she was there to help take care of the child.”

"After all, I have to go to work during the week, so I can only find someone from my hometown to help take care of the child."

Su Wenchen nodded, not particularly surprised by this.

Because it's not possible to hire a nanny at this time, if neither set of parents can help, they usually ask a relative's niece or someone similar to come and help.

Especially in families like Jiang's father's, once the child is a little older, they usually try their best to help arrange a job or find a good partner.

This is already a good path for a girl from a rural background.

After all, jobs aren't easy to find at this time.

However, upon hearing this, Mr. Jiang expressed his dissatisfaction to his daughter.

"What about her?"

“Ali, you’re married now, I understand you don’t want to call me Mom, but you still need to show some manners.”

"Don't keep holding onto those unpleasant things from before. It's been so many years. You've suffered the consequences, and Aqin has also endured a lot of your torment."

"Anyway, you won't be staying at home for more than a few days, so you still need to show some courtesy."

After getting married, Jiang Li was no longer as confrontational with her family as before.

After all, she no longer only had her father's love and care, so she spoke directly.

"Okay, okay, be polite!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qin also spoke up directly.

"Old Jiang, it's alright, it's alright. As long as Xiao Li can live her life well, that's all that matters."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li hesitated and looked at her stepmother.

To be honest, based on her memory, this person shouldn't be saying...

If this happened where I'm from, would a girl who's this rude be slapped and punished by not being allowed to eat for several days?

After all, she had been punished by standing to eat many times before for this reason.

So this woman has changed her personality? Who taught her to be so sarcastic and unsettling?

Even Mr. Jiang glanced at his wife with some surprise upon hearing this.

"You too, why are you imitating Old Ren's wife next door? Don't try to act all pitiful like that with me in the future."

"Especially those who cry and wail at the drop of a hat, you'd think they'd suffered some great injustice!"

"Speak your mind."

"What's going on between you two? Do you think I don't know?"

"Alright, let's sit down and eat!"

Zhou Qin felt a little embarrassed after being scolded by Jiang's father, so she said that it was useless for her to learn this!

Old Ren's wife also said that men all fall for this.

How could she not understand her man? He's not like that roughneck old man next door, Mr. Ren.

Her husband is very shrewd; this trick is completely useless against him.

Over here, Father Jiang also reached out his hand to Su Wenchen.

"Xiao Su, you should try it too. Although your Aunt Zhou is just an average person, her cooking skills are quite good."

Su Wenchen almost couldn't hold back his laughter when he heard this.

What kind of talk is that?!

How can you say that in front of your wife!

But after glancing at the other person, he didn't even show any dissatisfaction.

To be honest, Su Wenchen really felt at this moment that his father-in-law seemed to have some talent.

Then, accompanied by pre-recorded news on the television in the living room, the whole family began to eat their New Year's Eve dinner in an awkward atmosphere.

While Su Wenchen and Jiang's father were chatting.

The announcer's voice coming from the television immediately caught Jiang's father's attention.

"Dear viewers, this is a special report from 'Agricultural Frontiers'."

"Today, an important meeting that will reshape the national agricultural and pastoral landscape has come to a close in the auditorium of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry."

"This meeting not only pinpointed the future growth direction of meat supply, but also outlined a strategic blueprint of 'promoting agriculture through animal husbandry and supporting animal husbandry through agriculture.'"

"Now, please watch the recorded broadcast of the meeting." When Jiang Li saw Su Wenchen, dressed in a sharp Zhongshan suit, standing on the podium and introducing various information about the white pig on the television screen.

He excitedly patted Su Wenchen on the shoulder.

"Ah Chen, it really is you!"

"And they even gave me a close-up shot specifically of you, something my dad has never done before!"

The proud look on Jiang's father's face immediately fell after seeing Su Wenchen on TV.

He also stubbornly insisted on his words.

"What do you mean I've never had one?"

"I've been on TV many times, you just haven't seen it."

Jiang Li didn't give her any face at all.

"Dad, I saw it!"

"Weren't you the one who got scanned because you were standing behind the big boss?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Jiang immediately felt that he could no longer keep this daughter, but since what his daughter said was true, he could only try to persuade her to stay.

"You don't watch TV every day. There were close-up shots of me, you just happened to miss them."

"Dad, we have a TV at home, and I watch the news every night!"

Father Jiang took a deep breath.

"So what if you have a TV? Are you going to watch it every day?"

"What if it plays while you're cooking!"

Jiang Li blinked.

"But Dad, we don't cook much at home!"

Father Jiang immediately became furious and embarrassed.

"Look at her, she's been spoiled rotten, and she hardly ever cooks."

"What, you eat in the cafeteria every day because you have too much money at home, huh!"

"They have absolutely no sense of how to manage a household."

"Xiao Su, you need to keep a closer eye on things in the future. How can life be prosperous if you don't cook?"

"Honestly, young people really don't plan ahead at all. And now that you have kids, are you two still going to eat in the cafeteria with them?"

"And with more people in the family going forward, we'll definitely run out of money."

"When the time comes, we'll need money for things like the child's wedding."

Su Wenchen could tell that his father-in-law was losing face, so he nodded and offered a way out.

"Yes, yes, Dad, you're right. I'll talk to her when I get back."

"When we get back, we'll start a lot of fires, and we'll definitely make our lives prosperous."

Hearing Su Wenchen say this, Father Jiang immediately accepted the offer and said with satisfaction.

"Xiao Su, let me tell you, a man can't disobey his wife, but he can't always listen to her either. You need to understand that, okay?"

“Like me, even though I know Xiaoli and Aqin don’t get along, when have I ever taken sides?”

"This requires you, the pillar of the family, to have a keen eye."

“Ask Xiaoli. Although she and Aqin don’t get along, she has never suffered any hardship in her life.”

Su Wenchen watched as Jiang's father drank two cups and seemed a little drunk.

Upon hearing Jiang's father's words, Zhou Qin, who was standing nearby, immediately slapped him.

"What are you talking about? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Father Jiang snorted coldly.

"Have you forgotten when we first got married?"

"You even woke Xiaoli up early this morning to cook!"

Zhou Qin immediately chuckled awkwardly.

"Didn't I not know the situation in Beijing at the time?"

"In our area, girls as young as ten years old have to get up early to cook and feed the pigs!"

But Father Jiang spoke directly.

"What, if I hadn't said anything back then, were you planning to raise my daughter, Jiang Jimin's daughter, as a country bumpkin?!"

Zhou Qin immediately shook her head.

Although that was indeed what she thought at the time, it was definitely something she couldn't say.

Father Jiang snorted coldly.

"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

"I will arrange everything that is due to you and your daughter in advance. Don't be so easily swayed by others' nonsense in the future."

"And what do you mean Ah Li would use my connections?"

"Do you think I'm dead? Or do you think this is like going to the market to buy things that you can freely exchange and use?"

“Not all the families in this compound want you to have a good life. People’s hearts aren’t always written on their faces. You should be more careful in the future.”

Then he turned to look at Su Wenchen.

"Xiao Su, let me take this opportunity to remind you that connections are indeed useful."

"But don't be too fixated on this."

"You're doing very well right now. No matter how many connections you have, they're not as effective as tangible achievements and accomplishments."

"The most you can do with favors is to give you a push when you achieve something, or to use them as a boost."

"Whether you can make it in the end depends on your own ability!"

"I'm not saying this thing isn't important, but it's far less important than your own abilities."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the television screen, and the entire audience erupted in applause.

"You should be able to sense some of it now, right?"

"There must be quite a few people surrounding you right now!"

Su Wenchen nodded immediately.

"Dad, you're right. By the end of the first day of the meeting, my notebook was basically full of contact information."

Father Jiang nodded as well.

"That's how people are. Once you achieve outstanding results, people will naturally gravitate towards you."

"You don't need to worry about connections or anything like that; they'll come to you on their own."

"If you're not good at anything, even if you take the initiative to talk to people, they might not be willing to talk to you."

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Qin beside him.

"Do you know why I've said it so many times, but I've never agreed to help your nephew find a job?"

"I can tell you definitively that your nephew is the kind of person who is good for nothing but eats everything."

"If I really get him to Beijing, I'll have to clean up his mess for the rest of my life."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qin immediately muttered something.

"Xiao Hu isn't incompetent at everything, he's just a little lazy. You can talk to him more and he'll be fine."

Father Jiang sneered.

"Hmph, a little lazy? Who's eighteen or nineteen years old and still sleeping in every day in the production team!"

"I don't even earn as many work points as I do for one child, but I don't feel ashamed at all."

"If he were as diligent as Sui'er, would I have been nagged by you for so many years, and I haven't even been able to arrange a regular job for him?"

Just as Mr. Jiang finished speaking, Su Wenchen happened to scoop up a bowl of soup, and almost spat it out after taking a sip.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Although he didn't spit it out, it still made Su Wenchen cough.

Seeing this, Jiang Li chuckled and gently patted Su Wenchen's back.

"How can you choke on your soup like that!"

Does this sound familiar?

Clearly, after getting married, Jiang Li had heard a lot of stories from Su's mother about her husband's past misdeeds.

Su Wenchen waved his hand.

"It's nothing, I just choked a little."

The main reason was that what Jiang's father said just now almost made Su Wenchen think that he was talking about him.

Because when he first arrived, he also seemed to get up around noon every day to cut pig feed.

If his father hadn't been the brigade leader, he probably would have been expelled from the brigade.

Jiang's father looked at Su Wenchen with suspicion.

"Xiao Su, have you had too much to drink?"

"How can you choke on a sip of soup!"

"That won't do. A man can't get drunk from just a small glass."

Su Wenchen looked at Jiang's father, who was clearly becoming more talkative, and was speechless.

"Dad, although I don't usually drink much, I can still hold my liquor. This small glass is nothing to me."

Father Jiang raised an eyebrow.

"Good at drinking?"

"Alright, let's add another cup."

"Let me test your skills."

Looking at his father-in-law's expression, Su Wenchen hesitated.

"How about forgetting it!"

“I heard from Ali that you don’t usually drink much, so please don’t get drunk.”

Father Jiang's eyes widened immediately.

"I don't usually drink; I only drink when I'm working."

"Can I drink it whenever I want?"

"But today is Chinese New Year, so it's a day off. I'm not on duty tomorrow, so it's fine."

"Xiao Su, I'm going to test your mettle today."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen glanced at Jiang Li after seeing that Jiang's father's neck was noticeably red.

Jiang Li said.

"Dad, that's enough. Do you think I don't know your alcohol tolerance?"

"Even if all three of you combined, you still couldn't outdrink Ah Chen!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen immediately scratched his head.

Is this her biological daughter?

This isn't persuasion, it's clearly provocation!

Upon hearing this, Jiang's father couldn't help but speak up.

"What kind of talk is that? What do you mean you know?"

"What do you know about what I do at work?"

"Come on, Xiao Su, I really have to test your abilities today."

Su Wenchen paused and touched his nose.

Looking at Jiang's father's current state, Su Wenchen felt that he could only be described with four words when it came to his father-in-law: unfathomable.

Seeing this, Jiang Li also nudged Su Wenchen's arm.

"Why don't you have a couple of drinks with my dad?"

"To save him from talking nonstop all night long, my dad is usually not a talkative person."

"But once they've had just a little bit of a drink, they're like a floodgate opening, talking nonstop all night long."

"He is aware of this weakness, so he usually doesn't dare to drink much."

Upon hearing this, Jiang's father immediately expressed his displeasure.

"What do you mean I don't dare to drink? I'm consciously controlling myself. It's because I can't find any opponents."

"So, should I drink with you at home, or with Aqin?"

Jiang Li rolled her eyes.

“I haven’t seen you go to drink with the uncles and elders in the compound.”

Father Jiang rolled his eyes.

"Nonsense, if we're drinking outside and say something inappropriate, we're just asking for trouble!"

"You think you're not causing yourself enough trouble, huh!"

Su Wenchen looked at Jiang Li with surprise after hearing Jiang's father's very logical words.

"I don't think Dad is drunk!"

"You speak quite logically!"

Jiang Li nodded.

"My dad's just drunk, how should I put it!"

"He gets excited after just a little bit of drinking, so it's more accurate to describe him as excited from drinking."

"Anyway, it's Chinese New Year today, why don't you have a drink with him?"

"Now he doesn't dare to drink with other people, for fear of saying something he shouldn't and losing his job."

Su Wenchen understood when he heard this, since the management here was definitely stricter.

So I poured another cup.

"Okay, Dad, I'll treat you to a good drink tonight."

(End of this chapter)