Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 275 The Whole Family Welcomes Him, Overwhelmed with Praise

Liu Fuqing and Liu Yiguo came to the city to pick them up, while Yang Xiuyun and her sister-in-law Gu Ping were busy cooking at home.

Yesterday, I did a thorough cleaning of the house, and everything was tidied up inside and out.

The two people were cooking meat, chopping dumpling filling, and frying dough sticks in the kitchen, while vegetables were being stir-fried in another pot.

When building the house this year, Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun tore down the old kitchen and built a bright and spacious one.

In the past, it was so crowded that two people could stand inside, but now it's big enough for a whole family to work in.

"Pingping, do you think Yimin and the others should be back by now?" Yang Xiuyun said while cooking, listening to the sounds outside.

"They should be back by now, but it's normal for trains to be delayed these days. Mom, let's not cook so fast, otherwise the food will be cold and won't taste good!" Gu Ping pulled the firewood out of the stove to prevent the fire from burning too brightly.

Do you think they would even want to come to our remote mountain village?

"Mother, of course you can!"

Yang Xiuyun wiped her hands worriedly on her apron: "City people look down on us country folk. Isn't that what it's about in 'Chaoyang Ditch'? Yinhuan's mother didn't want her daughter to come to our village!"

“Mom, the parents of the second son’s girlfriend must have agreed, otherwise why would they come at this time? Besides, the second son will be in Yanjing from now on, and he’ll be eating government-subsidized food!” Gu Ping said with a smile.

Yang Xiuyun kept thinking about the lyrics of the opera "Chaoyang Gou" in her mind: her daughter married into the countryside, and the mother ran to the countryside to take her away.

If things are like this in the city, then the second son's girlfriend is from the capital.

At this moment, the sound of a tractor rang out from the village entrance, and many people came out of their homes to see the woman from the capital that Liu's second son had brought back.

"The girls in the capital are so beautiful! Look at them, their faces are so much fairer than the girls in our brigade!"

A group of people were talking in hushed tones. Li Dashan cursed a few times, telling them to stop gossiping.

"Secretary, we're happy for Captain Fuqing!" someone said with a smile.

From afar, someone saw the tractor approaching and ran towards the Liu family's house, shouting to Yang Xiuyun, "Yimin's girlfriend is here! Xiuyun, Yimin's girlfriend is here! Oh dear, quickly put her down and go to the door to see, the girl is as beautiful as a fairy!"

"Second Aunt, have you ever seen a fairy?" Liu Xiuyun hurriedly took off her apron.

"I've never seen one, but I think this is what a fairy should look like!"

Yang Xiuyun ran outside, craned her neck to look at the people on the tractor, waved her arm, and wanted to shout, but didn't know what to shout.

Only when the tractor stopped at the door did Yang Xiuyun grab Zhu Lin's hand and ask with concern, "Child, were you cold on the way? Come inside quickly!"

Zhu Lin was ushered into the house like a star surrounded by admirers. Li Lanyong was about to go inside when Li Dashan pulled him back: "Yimin brought his girlfriend home, and you're jumping around like that. Come on! Go home. In a couple of days, you'll meet the girl your Aunt Wang found for you!"

Tian Qingping also said with a smile, "Lan Yong, we have to keep up too, Yi Min is getting married soon!"

After saying that, Tian Qingping started the tractor and prepared to leave, but Liu Yimin came out and waved to him.

"Hey, let's go, Yimin! Come visit another day!"

Inside the house, Yang Xiuyun showered Zhu Lin with concern and warmth, her enthusiasm overshadowing Zhu Lin's performance and making her feel embarrassed.

Liu Yimin came to her rescue, smiling and saying, "Father, Mother, elder brother, sister-in-law, and Linlin brought you a lot of things from Yanjing."

Zhu Lin quickly opened the box and took out everyone's gifts one by one. Zhu Lin bought Liu Yiguo a brand new pipe and mouthpiece that looked like it was made of jade, very high-end.

Liu Yimin felt that this gift was particularly appealing to Liu Fuqing's tastes, and he could already imagine Liu Fuqing showing off in front of Li Dashan with his pipe.

I bought clothes and a scarf for Yang Xiuyun.

The sister-in-law bought a coat and a red hat, while the brother-in-law bought leather shoes and a belt.

After buying all these things, Zhu Lin was almost bankrupt again.

While his sister-in-law Gu Ping was still in the kitchen, Liu Yiguo smiled and thanked her on her behalf: "Linlin, we're all family now, so there's no need to buy a gift for your return. I'll say thank you on behalf of your sister-in-law!"

"Brother, this is nothing, thank you is too much."

Zhu Lin went to the kitchen to greet Gu Ping. This sister-in-law had been married for a year and looked much plumper than before, with a rosy complexion.

Seeing that he's doing well at home, given Liu Yiguo's personality, he wouldn't treat his wife badly.

"Linlin, right? Go inside and watch TV. Dinner will be ready soon!"

"Sister-in-law, let me help you!"

"No need, it's already fine."

The newly built brick house has blue bricks paving the floor, and the white paint is applied very finely. Calendars and other things are hung on the walls as decorations, and the light bulbs are all of a higher wattage than those in the other rooms.

The new bed, made by a carpenter, still smells of wood, and the bedding is made with new cotton wadding.

A television set was placed in front of the north wall, covered with a pink checkered television cloth.

"How did the TV get into this room?" Liu Yimin asked Liu Yiguo in a low voice.

"Hey, it's all the same in every room. Your sister-in-law moved here because she said we don't usually look at it much, and it would be a waste to have it in our room. But since Linlin came, she moved it here!" Liu Yiguo said with a smile.

Seeing this, Liu Yimin didn't say anything more.

After putting his luggage away, Liu Yimin turned on the TV. Coincidentally, the TV was showing the stage versions of "Red River Valley" and "Mountains High and Rivers Long".

Liu Fuqing and Liu Yiguo went outside, leaving the two men inside.

"Are you tired?" Liu Yimin asked.

"I'm not tired, Teacher Liu. Look at this TV footage, I almost didn't recognize myself!" Zhu Lin said, pointing.

After a while, Yang Xiuyun knocked on the door and said that the meal was ready.

The eight-immortal table in the house was almost full of food, including braised pork, braised pork with preserved vegetables, and so on. Most of the dishes were meat, and there were also cold dishes such as vermicelli.

"Auntie, sister-in-law, thank you for your help!" Zhu Lin said.

"Don't say it's troublesome or not, just sit down and eat. Try it and see if it suits your taste. I'm not very good at cooking!" said Gu Ping, the eldest sister-in-law.

Yang Xiuyun chimed in, "Thanks to Pingping, otherwise I couldn't have made so many different kinds by myself. Linlin, try the fried dough sticks and see what you think!"

Under the expectant gazes of Yang Xiuyun and Gu Ping, Zhu Lin tasted each dish, and after tasting them, he said they were delicious.

After the round, Yang Xiuyun and Gu Ping were both overjoyed.

Seeing this, Liu Fuqing was so happy he wanted to smoke, but he pulled his hand back as soon as he touched the pipe.

The family ate their meal while observing Zhu Lin.

When Li Lanyong returned from Yanjing and told them, they realized that their second son's girlfriend was an actress who appeared in movies and television. And the stories she acted in were even written by their second son!

Zhu Lin's bowl was constantly filled with food, and Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Mom, give me some too, Linlin is full!"

Yang Xiuyun glanced at Liu Yimin and asked considerately, "Linlin, can you still eat? Look how thin you are, even though you're so tall. You eat like a cat. You should eat more!"

"Auntie, I've almost finished eating!" Zhu Lin said.

After dinner, Zhu Lin offered to help wash the dishes, but Yang Xiuyun pushed her out, saying that she should go inside and rest.

In the afternoon, people came to the house one after another, ostensibly to chat with Yang Xiuyun and Gu Ping, but actually to see Zhu Lin.

“If you’re sleepy, close the door and lie down in the room to rest for a while!” Liu Yimin said.

"No need, I'll just greet everyone. That's called making more friends and fewer enemies," Zhu Lin said playfully.

Everyone who came along greeted them warmly and offered them treats.

Once they stepped out of the house, everyone praised Liu's second son's girlfriend, saying she was beautiful, had a sweet voice, and was generous. Don't believe me? Just look at the White Rabbit candy in my pocket!

Zhu Lin spent the entire afternoon receiving guests, one after another, and didn't feel tired even by evening.

After the aroma of dinner filled the air in the evening, no one else came to the house. The meal was a bit simpler than lunch: five dishes and two kinds of dumplings, one meat and one vegetable.

As they finished eating, Zhu Lin's face gradually showed signs of fatigue, and his voice was not as loud as it had been in the afternoon.

Yang Xiuyun noticed this and asked Liu Yimin to take Zhu Lin back to rest.

After washing up and soaking his feet in hot water, Liu Yimin said with a smile, "This is a flashlight. If you're scared going to the toilet at night, just knock on my door!"

"Okay, Teacher Liu, you should get some rest too. Tomorrow, take me on a tour of your brigade!"

"Go to bed early, there's no rush to get up early tomorrow!"

Liu Yimin was really tired, so he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

In the room opposite, Liu's parents, Liu Yiguo, and Gu Ping were talking quietly about Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin.

“I think the second son and Linlin are a good match. Linlin is a very generous and eloquent girl. I like her!” Yang Xiuyun said.

Gu Ping tried on the clothes and hats and praised the two of them.

"Yimin's girlfriend is really beautiful. Sigh, I wonder how many people envy Yimin!"

Gu Ping was worried that she wouldn't get along with Zhu Lin, but she didn't expect that her sister-in-law was a very nice person, without any airs of a person from the capital, and always brought clothes with her.

She's still wearing the scarf Zhu Lin gave her last year, and her colleagues at school all envy her.

After the four people dispersed, they continued their discussion in separate small rooms.

Yang Xiuyun and Liu Fuqing discussed their compatibility and were thinking about marriage, wondering when they could meet Zhu Lin's parents.

"Yimin and Linlin are both handsome. If they have a few big, fat grandsons with us, they'll definitely be good-looking too!" Yang Xiuyun said happily.

Liu Fuqing rolled over: "How many more? I'd be content with two per family. The Liu family has always had two members, but unfortunately the eldest died in battle, so his branch is gone. Alas, the task of continuing the Liu family line has fallen to Yiguo and Yimin."

Then he asked, "Why hasn't the eldest son's wife shown any signs of pregnancy yet?"

"How would I know? Old man, don't speculate. These things can't be rushed!"

"That's right, but we're both getting on in years. Now that we've had one, we can even see our great-grandchild!"

Liu Yiguo, the eldest brother, and Gu Ping were in bed marveling at Zhu Lin's generosity and how down-to-earth the girl from the capital was.

“Yimin is getting on in years, it’s time for him to get married. From now on, you need to get along well with Linlin,” Liu Yiguo said.

"Of course I know, you don't need to tell me. There can't be any problems between your brothers, you told me that on the very first day we met!" Gu Ping poked Liu Yiguo's chest with her finger.

Liu Yiguo hugged Gu Ping and chuckled softly, "Haha, Pingping, you've worked hard!"

"I'm the eldest sister-in-law. Besides, given what Linlin gave and the TV that Yimin gave, if there's any real conflict, I have to give in."

That night, under a dark and windy sky, Zhu Lin put on his clothes, knocked on Liu Yimin's door, and called out softly, "Teacher Liu!"

Liu Yimin's toilet was also outside the gate, closer than the one at the entrance of the courtyard alley. Unfortunately, outside were dark ditches and small, branching groves, and further on, the outline of mountains.

Accompanied by the howling northwest wind and the occasional snapping of branches in the ditch, Zhu Lin was too frightened to go out alone.

Liu Yimin accompanied Zhu Lin outside. The lamplight swept across both banks of the river. Seeing her cautious manner, Liu Yimin joked, "You don't look like someone who has received re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants!"

"Teacher Liu, please don't make fun of me. That was so many years ago. I didn't dare to go alone back then! Later I got bolder and was transferred to the propaganda team! Compared to there, this place is actually much better. The mountains there are very high!"

The two stood outside, shining their lights towards the mountain. Zhu Lin smiled and said that they would climb to the highest point tomorrow.

The next morning, Zhu Lin got up early. When his sister-in-law heard the noise, she also hurriedly got up, thinking to herself that she would have to move her wake-up time forward by half an hour from now on.

Liu Yimin and Liu Yiguo were cleaning the yard when Liu Yiguo said to Liu Yimin, "Yimin, treat Linlin well from now on!"

"Of course, brother!" Liu Yimin laughed.

After finishing breakfast, Liu Yiguo rode his bicycle away from the brigade to work at the mine.

"Dad, Mom, I'll go with Linlin for a walk around the brigade!"

"Okay, remember to come back early at noon!" Yang Xiuyun instructed.

"it is good!"

Liu Yimin led Zhu Lin upstream along the Kuye River, encountering many team members along the way, including several of Liu Yimin's former junior high school students.

Unfortunately, as soon as the students saw Liu Yimin from afar, they immediately turned and ran down the side road.

The mountains behind Maiji Brigade are very high, with peaks that appear almost vertical, accessible only by narrow, winding paths.

"Want to go up?"

"Go!" Zhu Lin said, hands on his hips, then looked at Liu Yimin provocatively: "Teacher Liu, you're not done for, are you?"

Liu Yimin slapped Zhu Lin's butt: "Who are you slandering? Come on, you're not allowed to go home until you've gone up and down the mountain ten times today!"

Zhu Lin chuckled and took the lead in heading up the mountain. The wind was strong at the top, but both of them were covered in sweat. Apart from having some difficulty breathing, they didn't feel cold!

Upon reaching the summit, Zhu Lin stood at the highest point, looking down at the valley below and the small village nestled on the hillside: "Teacher Liu, this is your home!"

(End of this chapter)