Chapter 55: The Liu Family Gathers (Part 1)

Wen Zhan, always one to enjoy the spectacle, spoke in a very serious tone. “Next time you write to Auntie, you should bring this up.”

Then he added, “If you find it hard to say, I can say it for you.”

Dong Chai turned to look at Wen Zhan and clicked his tongue. “Old Wen, you’re really not being fair!”

He was just talking. If he actually dared to bring this up to his parents, his old man would definitely beat him with a stick—and not just once.

Wen Zhan: “Just a reasonable suggestion. You say it, Uncle beats you—sounds fair.”

Dong Chai completely ignored his good friend’s suggestion. Instead, he hooked an arm around Wen Zhan’s shoulder. “I’ve figured it out. We’re just not destined to have little sisters. Better to think about having a daughter in the future.”

“Wouldn’t that be great? Imagine coming home, and she runs up to me, sweet as honey, calling me ‘Dad.’ When I’m not home, she’d be looking for me all over the place!”

“Ah, just thinking about it makes me happy!”

Wen Zhan let out a dry laugh. “You’re thinking pretty far ahead.”

Then, with a slight shift of his body, he shook off the arm on his shoulder.

Dong Chai: “Far? What’s far about it? Look at Old Mu. He just went home for a bit, and now he’s got a partner! If he has a partner, a daughter isn’t far off either!”

Wen Zhan: “His daughter may not be far off, but yours definitely is.”

What was the point of dreaming about a daughter when he didn’t even have a partner yet?

Dong Chai clicked his tongue. “You really have a way with words. I was just thinking out loud!”

Wen Zhan shot him a look and said calmly, “The truth is usually a little harsh.”

Dong Chai: “……”

He was completely speechless.

But having gotten used to being shut down, Dong Chai recovered within seconds. He quickly moved on and threw an arm around Wen Zhan’s shoulders again, saying with great interest, “Perfect timing. Aren’t you heading to Old Mu’s provincial city? Maybe you’ll catch his wedding banquet.”

“And you can meet our little sister while you’re at it. I’m dying of curiosity—just what does she look like? Old Mu praises her like she’s one of a kind!”

Whenever Mu Zhuo wasn’t around, Dong Chai would go on and on about “our little sister,” as if he really had one.

In reality, he had an older brother and a younger brother—no sisters at all!

Wen Zhan: “Didn’t Old Mu already say that when the two of them stand together, they look just like real siblings?”

Dong Chai scoffed and put on a knowing expression. “I think he’s making it up. First, he says our little sister looks like him, and then he says she’s really pretty.”

“Think about it. Isn’t that contradictory? He’s built like a tank. If a girl looked like him, could she really be pretty?”

Wen Zhan: “Who knows? Maybe it’s true.”

Dong Chai: “I’d bet anything it’s not. He’s totally making it up.”

Wen Zhan: “Does it matter what she looks like? She was already writing articles when she was just eight or nine years old.”

Dong Chai: “That’s true. Didn’t Old Mu say she was going to take the high school entrance exam? Our little sister isn’t even thirteen yet, right? That’s incredible. How come you guys are so smart?”

As he spoke, Dong Chai suddenly stopped smiling, leaned in closer, and lowered his voice. “Honestly, Old Mu’s brigade seems to have a pretty good atmosphere. If Teacher Yang could transfer there…”

He left the sentence unfinished.

A good atmosphere meant there weren’t a bunch of messy, troublesome issues.

In a place like that, even the cowshed would be better than some farms.

Wen Zhan’s expression grew more serious. “I’ll think about it.”

—

Mu Zhuo had no idea about the conversation happening over in Ningzhang City.

After finishing his report and making his call, he considered his mission complete.

Feeling pleased with himself, Mu Zhuo took another trip near the machinery factory to check if the recruitment results were out.

After all, three of his fourth uncle’s children had applied.

It had only been a day—actually, just half a day—so there was no way the results would be ready yet.

Hiring workers was a big deal, and the process had to be handled carefully.

Since there was no news yet, Mu Zhuo didn’t stick around for long and decided to head back to the brigade.

On the way, he chose to take a small path.

After all, since he was already here, why not?

You never know, right?

He took his time, walking and stopping along the way, which slowed him down quite a bit.

But despite all that, he didn’t find any hidden stashes of discarded goods.

Instead, the rough path snagged his clothes, leaving a tear.

By the time Mu Zhuo got back, Mu Mian had already set aside her picture books and was helping their grandmother prepare pickled vegetables.

Mu Zhuo excitedly ran over to report, “Old Wen said he still has the tickets and is willing to exchange them!”

Mu Mian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?!”

Company Commander Wen is truly a great person, such a kindhearted man!!

He was willing to exchange tickets for all three of the major items. There couldn’t be a better person than that!

Mu Zhuo beamed. “Absolutely!”

The brother and sister grinned at each other in delight.

Even Zhao Meihua was impressed by her grandson’s generous friend. “Is that young man coming to our provincial city? If he has time, invite him over for a meal.”

Mu Zhuo said, “I’ll ask later. Old Wen has relatives in the provincial city. He might not come to our brigade.”

Mu Mian was curious, “What kind of relatives?”

Someone from the capital still had relatives over here? That was quite a distance.

Mu Zhuo replied, “I think it’s from his eldest brother’s side, but I’m not too sure.”

Mu Mian tilted her head, looking at Mu Zhuo in confusion.

Mu Zhuo lowered his voice and explained, “Old Wen and his third brother share the same mother, but his eldest and second brothers have a different mother.”

Zhao Meihua suddenly understood. “Then their relationship must be pretty good, right?”

Mu Mian agreed, “Seems like it.”

He didn’t share the same mother with his eldest brother, yet he still kept in touch with the relatives from his eldest brother’s mother’s side. That said a lot.

Mu Zhuo nodded, “Yeah, they’re close. Old Wen often gets big packages from them.”

Zhao Meihua sighed, “When it comes to relationships, whether people get along depends on fate. Even family members are the same. Some biological siblings don’t always see eye to eye.”

Mu Mian grinned sweetly and leaned against her grandmother. “We get along great! Grandma and I are the closest in the world!”

Mu Zhuo pretended to be jealous. “You said the same thing about me before.”

Zhao Meihua chuckled, “You know how she is. She says that to everyone.”

Mu Mian wasn’t embarrassed at all about being caught. She laughed, “I love you all~”

Zhao Meihua watched the little girl playfully joke around. When she looked back at Mu Zhuo, her gaze lingered for a moment before she asked, “Why are your shoes covered in so much dirt?”

Mu Mian took one look at her brother and immediately understood what was going on. She lowered her voice knowingly, “Big brother, you took the shortcut home, didn’t you?”

Mu Zhuo acted innocent. “How did you notice? There’s plenty of dust on the main road too.”

Mu Mian tugged at his clothes and pointed out, “Look at these scratches. Would this happen if you walked on the main road?”

Mu Zhuo had been too focused on searching for old jars and boxes earlier to notice. Now, he finally saw it. “Where did I get scratched?”

Grandmother said, “Take it off. I’ll sew it up for you.”

Mu Zhuo waved her off. “It’s fine, Grandma. I can do it myself.”

Life in the army had changed him.

After living alone for several years, he had learned to mend his own clothes.

Though, to be honest, his stitching wasn’t very neat.

Mu Mian stared at the stitches that looked like centipede legs for a long time before tactfully suggesting, “Brother, maybe I should redo it for you?”

Mu Zhuo wasn’t too confident in his own handiwork either. “Alright, I’ll learn from you.”

Even the old lady found his stitches amusing. “Just like your father. He could never do delicate work either.”

Mu Mian giggled. “That works out perfectly! Brother and Sister Sihui complement each other. She’s amazing at sewing.”

The old lady nodded, “That girl Nie is indeed skilled.”

As they talked, they soon found themselves discussing the marriage report again, all hoping it would be approved soon.

Without it, everything else was pointless.

But no matter how much they anticipated it, it wouldn’t come any faster.

They could only wait.

—

The next day was Sunday.

They had planned to visit the Yangliu Brigade today, and Liu Dongping would be bringing her husband and child back as well.

The family got up early, hoping to spend more time there.

One bicycle wasn’t enough for all four of them.

Mu Fugui went to the brigade leader’s house again and borrowed Xu Yongshou’s bicycle.

After breakfast,

Mu Mian helped Liu Shuangcui tie up the packages they were bringing for her uncle’s family onto the bicycles.

The gifts for her aunt and Sister Taozi had already been sent over by Mu Fugui earlier, so the ones they were carrying now were for Liu Cheng’s family and their uncle.

After making sure everything was securely tied down, Liu Shuangcui looked around and asked, “Where’s your brother? Is he in the toilet? I haven’t seen him for a long time.”

Mu Mian smirked and pointed outside. “The toilet can’t hold him back. Only Sister Sihui can.”

Liu Shuangcui chuckled, “So he went to find that Nie girl?”

Mu Mian nodded, “Of course. Otherwise, why would he be out so early?”

As they spoke, they turned around and saw Mu Zhuo returning.

Mu Mian wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “Hey, hey, big brother, what did you go see Sister Sihui for?”

Mu Zhuo scratched the back of his head. “Just wanted to tell her we’re heading out today.”

Mu Fugui interjected, “Didn’t you tell her yesterday?”

Mu Zhuo paused for a second. “I did.”

Mu Mian smirked at her father. “Dad, don’t you get it? When you’re dating, you just like to find reasons to talk. Right, big brother?”

Liu Shuangcui tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Always making trouble.”

Mu Mian laughed and quickly hid behind her brother.

Liu Shuangcui waved her hand. “Alright, if everything’s ready, let’s go.”

Mu Mian announced, “I’m riding with my brother!”

Mu Zhuo swung his long leg over the bicycle. “Hold on tight. Hop on!”

Mu Mian climbed onto the back seat and waved toward the yard. “Grandma, we’re leaving~”

Grandmother urged, “Go on, go on. Stop dawdling. If you keep wasting time, it’ll be noon soon.”

Mu Mian looked up at the sun, which had barely risen.

Hmm… a whole new definition of ‘noon.’

Honestly, it wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t read the time of day by the sun. It was because her mother and grandmother always exaggerated.

To be fair, most adults did.

In reality, it was still early. Some families had probably just finished breakfast.

With that, the two bicycles left Qingfeng Brigade one after the other.

Mu Mian chatted away with her brother during the ride, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Yangliu Brigade.

For the people of Qingfeng Brigade, Mu Zhuo had already been back for over a week, so it was no longer a novelty.

For the people of Yangliu Brigade, however, it was still quite a surprise.

Before joining the army, Mu Zhuo used to visit often, especially during festivals. He knew many people here, and many people knew him.

As they entered the Yangliu Brigade, the bicycle always stopped and started.

To be fair, this happened every time they came back.

On the way, they would always run into familiar people. Today, with Mu Zhuo around, the stops were even longer than usual.

Sure enough, when they met an elderly woman along the road, Mu Zhuo put his foot down to stop the bicycle again.

“Hey, hey, hey… You’re that—what’s his name again! The brigade secretary’s eldest nephew, right? Weren’t you in the army? How come you’re back?”

“I’m on leave. Grandma Zhao, are you heading up the mountain?”

“That’s right, just going for a walk. How long is your leave? It’s been years since you last came back, hasn’t it? Do you have a partner yet?”

“I do, I do! I’ve even submitted my marriage application!”

“Oh my! You just got back, and you already have a partner? Whose family is she from?”

“It’s not that fast. At my age, isn’t it about time I find someone? If I wait any longer, other people’s kids will be running around while I’m still single. Don’t you think so, Grandma Zhao?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Grandma Zhao, we’ll get going now. My uncle is probably getting impatient waiting for us.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the bicycle shot forward with a whoosh.

Sitting on the back seat, Mu Mian tugged at Mu Zhuo’s clothes. “Brother, you even have quick responses now.”

That whole bit about how if he didn’t find someone soon, other people’s kids would already be running around—it was something she had heard countless times lately.

Mu Zhuo was quite pleased with himself. “Your big brother is quick-witted, huh?”

Mu Mian gave him a thumbs-up. “Super quick-witted!”

It really cut down on all the endless small talk.

Mu Zhuo laughed. “If we kept chatting, our uncle really would be getting anxious.”

Mu Mian chuckled. “You’re too popular. Everyone wants to chat with you.”