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Early the next morning, Wang Zhenhe began cleaning the yard, clearing the manure from the chickens, ducks, and geese, and tidying up the entire area. He also filled the water tank.
In the afternoon, Wang Zhenhe was set to return to the city for work. The siblings knew their father would be leaving in the afternoon and felt reluctant to see him go, surrounding him as he moved around.
Wang Zhenhe was happy to spend more time with the children. In the morning, he took them to gather grass. Although they were divided into groups, the grass was still plentiful, and with more people at home, more kang beds were needed to be heated. The children still went out to gather grass every day to burn for the kang and cook. This helped save firewood for rainy days.
When the elders returned, they were surprised to see Zhang Weiguo there.
“Uncle,” the four children exclaimed excitedly, rushing over to greet him. Zhang Weiguo greeted each of them, and when he noticed another child, he guessed it was the one his sister had mentioned last time.
Smiling, he crouched down. “You must be Zuo He. I’m your aunt’s younger brother. From now on, you can call me Uncle too.”
Zhang Weiguo’s warmth was palpable, and Zuo He responded respectfully, “Hello, Uncle. I’m Zuo He.” The little one solemnly shook hands with Zhang Weiguo.
Zhang Weiguo took a liking to the adorable child. “Zuo He, Uncle brought seafood today. Aunt will cook it for you later.”
As Zuo He became more familiar with Zhang Weiguo, he became less nervous and began calling him “Uncle” naturally, just like his siblings.
“I have an idea, brother-in-law. Let’s go to the field and bring back the Chinese cabbage. While we’re all here, it’ll save my sister some trouble,” Zhang Weiguo suggested.
Wang Zhenhe was planning to tidy up the vegetable garden, and having his brother-in-law’s help would certainly speed up the process.
“Zhenhe, we’ll join you. There’s not much work left in the field. I’ll ask my older brothers to help out. It shouldn’t take long to finish,” Wu Changyong volunteered to gather some help, and Wu Zhanshan led the children to assist them.
There were still Chinese cabbage, radishes, and carrots left in the vegetable garden. Zhang Lan had already harvested the other vegetables and had started pickling and drying them.
With the help of Wu Changyong and his brothers, the work in the field progressed much faster. Zhang Lan took her youngest daughter out to gather some items to treat the guests. Since her husband was leaving that day and there was no meat at home, she had to take care of it herself.
After a walk in the woods, where the leaves had turned yellow and were falling, creating a soft and comfortable feeling underfoot, Zhang Lan had an idea. “Qianqian, let’s see if we can catch some game today to treat your father and Grandma Zuo.”
As she searched around, she remembered something. “Mom, how is the household registration issue going? If it’s not resolved, those people will take our quota again next year.”
She was worried that her mother might forget amidst her busyness, as there was such an important matter at home that hadn’t been taken care of. Holding her daughter’s hand, Zhang Lan smiled. Her daughter was indeed thoughtful. “Silly girl, I’ve already taken care of it. From now on, our family will have its own household registration. When it’s time to distribute the quotas, we’ll be able to buy meat for our family. Finally, it’s been sorted out. Otherwise, we would have gotten nothing if we had stayed with them.”
“Mom, we won’t share our good food with them in the future. We won’t feed the wolves,” her daughter added.
As they chatted, the mother and daughter reached the depths of the dense forest. Winter was approaching, and the pheasants and hares were out foraging in the good weather. Fortunately, Wang Qian had her space, or else it would have been difficult for an ordinary person to catch these animals.
However, Wang Qian’s space wasn’t all-powerful. She had tried and found that if the animals were too far away, she couldn’t bring them in. They had to be close for her to do so. After a busy morning, the mother and daughter finally caught two chickens and a rabbit before returning home.
At noon, Wang Zhenhe asked the elders to stay for lunch. It had been a long time since they had all gathered together, so it was a good opportunity to have a lively meal. Coincidentally, Zhang Weiguo had brought some seafood, allowing the elders to enjoy the feast.
When they returned, Zhang Lan had already started cooking the wild chickens. The rich aroma of the meat filled the house, making even Zhang Weiguo’s mouth water.
“Big sister, you’re amazing. You even caught a rabbit. I never realized you had such skills, despite your delicate appearance,” Zhang Weiguo teased his sister.
In response to her younger brother’s banter, Zhang Lan simply smiled and said, “Zhang Weiguo, your sister has some skills. I’ll show you one day. Take these to Grandma and Grandpa.”
Zhang Lan handed the pot of conch to her brother, who then cheerfully entered the room where the elders were staying. The elderly men were listening to Hao lianchun recounting past events, and everyone couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. They were grateful that they had come here; otherwise, they would have ended up like Hao lianchun and the others.
“Uncle, Auntie, come and taste this. My mom gathered it from the sea this morning. It’s very fresh. Everyone, come and have some,” Zhang Weiguo invited the elders.
Seeing Zhang Weiguo enter, Old Wu patted his shoulder and said, “Young man, have you considered joining the army? Someone like you should go to the military for training. You might even get promoted.”
Old Wu had a high opinion of Zhang Weiguo. He was hardworking, diligent, and had a keen eye. He immediately developed an affection for him. Unfortunately, Old Wu had been reassigned here. If he had still been in the army, Old Wu would have taken him under his wing and nurtured him.
Old Zuo also observed for a while and added, “Indeed, Old Wu, you have a good eye. Weiguo, you should consider Old Wu’s suggestion. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to go out and explore. Young people should go out and see the world.”
Pleased with the praise from Old Zuo, Old Wu’s face lit up. While Zhang Weiguo scratched his head and said, ” Uncle Zuo, Uncle Wu, I do want to join the army, but I just turned eighteen today, so I missed the conscription period. I plan to enlist next year.”
“Young man, you’re ambitious. Work hard in the future. Uncle Zuo has high hopes for you,” Old Zuo said, patting Zhang Weiguo on the shoulder.
Mingcheng brought some needles, and everyone began to pick and eat the conch. “It’s so fresh. I almost forgot the taste of meat during this time,” someone remarked.
As they ate, Old Zuo sighed, and Zuo He, with a grin, said, “Grandpa, Auntie made meat for you at lunch. You’ll remember the taste of meat soon. Smell the delicious aroma in the house.”
The little one sniffed the air, amusing the elders, who burst into laughter. ” Old Zuo, I envy you. You can have your grandson by your side. Our grandsons may not even remember that they have grandfathers like us,” Old Chen said with a tinge of melancholy.
Old Chen’s situation was different from Lao Zuo’s. His children had distanced themselves from him, and his wife’s poor health prevented her from visiting him. Seeing the harmonious atmosphere of Old Man Zuo Zhanshan’s family, he couldn’t help but think of his own relatives.
Lao Zhou also felt the same and patted his old friend’s shoulder. “Lao Chen, you have me to keep you company. You’re not alone. My friend, let’s have a drink together.”
“Hehe, don’t say that, you two. You’re much better off than us, who only know how to fight all day. Old Chen, you’ve spent so many years abroad, and you’ve learned more foreign knowledge than us. And Old Zhou, don’t be so despondent. After all, you were a financial official in the former Nationalist government. You’ve seen and experienced more than Old Man Zuo Zhanshan and I have. Don’t be so down. Better days are ahead of us. Our current situation is only temporary. I believe that in the future, our country’s development will need all of you,” Old Wu said.
Wang Qian, listening to the words of Old Wu, couldn’t help but applaud. She hadn’t expected that Wu Changyong, who usually seemed carefree, would have such keen judgment of the situation. He truly lived up to his background as a former reconnaissance soldier. Moreover, the backgrounds of her teachers turned out to be quite impressive. It seemed that she would have to advise her family members to learn more seriously from these elderly people. They had enough knowledge to last a lifetime.
“Grandpa Chen, Grandpa Zhou, your good days are still ahead. Grandpa Wu was right. Even if they don’t recognize you in the future, you still have us. My brother, sister, and I will definitely take good care of you. Even if they don’t support you in your old age, I will,” Wang Qian said. Her words seemed to have a decisive effect. The two elderly men, who had been worried just moments ago, now looked at her with smiles. “Qianqian, You said it yourself. If we have nowhere to go in the future, we’ll follow you. We’ll live with you when we’re old. No shirking,” they said, half-jokingly.
The children’s words greatly pleased everyone. At this point, Old Cui also eagerly added, “Don’t forget about me. I’ll follow you too.”
Old Wu punched him and said, “Old man, we can’t do without you. These children won’t leave you behind. Haven’t you heard the saying ‘better to lose a village than a household’? These children have good hearts. They’ll definitely be fine in the future. You’ll be responsible for their education. Share your knowledge with them.”
Zhang Weiguo and Wang Zhenhe chuckled on the side. With these lively characters at home, they certainly wouldn’t be lonely. A family with an elder is a good family, and they had several treasures. With these people around, the children’s future was secure. As for the knowledge they held, it was more than enough for the children to learn from.
“Brother-in-law, you two are really amazing. Where did you find these people? They all seem extraordinary. If my nephews can learn from such people, they’ll definitely have a bright future. Maybe I’ll even benefit from my nephews in the future,” Zhang Weiguo said.
Wang Zhenhe secretly advised his younger brother, “I don’t have that ability. These people were all contacted by Qianqian. In the future, make sure to have a good relationship with your niece. Our little girl is quite clever. Don’t be fooled by her small and innocent appearance. Sometimes, even I can’t figure her out.”