Chapter 102: Separation!

The next morning, Shen Zhiyu was woken by the rooster crowing in the yard.  She sat up and looked around the room, still a little dazed, she was actually home.

  Gu Ye, who had already gotten up, pushed open the door and came in, a smile in his eyes: “Dad brought back a carp, over ten pounds, he’s killing it in the yard and making fish cakes and fish balls, do you want to go take a look?” 

It was only because of the good harvest this year that Shen Dahe and the others had money to buy such a big carp.  The whole family was happy thinking about having fish cakes to eat.  Shen Zhiyu had only eaten them twice in her memory as a child.  Hearing this, she quickly nodded: “Yes.”

  Turning her head, she saw Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan had also woken up, lying in bed playing by themselves, not crying.  Shen Zhiyu smiled and held Tuan Tuan in her arms, “I’ll feed them first, help me close the door when you go out.”  Gu Ye responded and went to the kitchen, taking the clothes and shoes that had been drying overnight into the room.

 The weather was cold and damp, and it was snowing.  After being outside for two days, even if they hadn’t been caught in the rain, their clothes were still damp, heavy and not warm.  They had been drying by the earthen stove overnight, and were now dry and fluffy.

 Wang Xiulan saw him come to get the clothes, guessed that Shen Zhiyu was awake, washed her hands and said: ” Yuzo is awake, there’s still hot breakfast in the pot, let as Yuzo come and eat quickly.”  Responding, he took the clothes into the room, Gu Ye took the opportunity to tidy up while she fed the children. 

After feeding Tuan Tuan, Gu Ye took him over, put on his clothes and shoes, held him upright, patted him, and waited for Tuan Tuan to burp before putting him back on the bed and putting on his shoes.  Yuan Yuan was the same.  Every morning was the same routine, the couple were skilled and taciturn, almost like workers on a factory assembly line.

 After getting dressed, they just walked into the yard and smelled a strong fishy smell.  Thinking about making fish cakes and fish balls for his grandchildren, Shen Dahe had gone to buy fish before dawn.  He hadn’t rested after returning, and now the fish paste was already mixed and steamed.  The fish, freshly caught from the river that morning, was mixed with eggs, flour and salt, all precious things, the aroma of the steamed fish made Shen Zhiyu swallow involuntarily. 

Not to mention the two little ones.  They were staring at the steamer.  Shen Dahe laughed: “You’re up, it’ll be ready to eat when it’s steamed, we’ll have fish cake and fish ball soup for lunch, add some cabbage leaves, I guarantee our Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan will love it.” 

Breakfast was also a local specialty, bean threads.  They were simply boiled in water, salt was added before they were taken out of the pot, then a handful of garlic leaves were sprinkled on top, the soup was salty, fragrant and thick, and those with better conditions would also cut some cured meat and throw it in.  This was only something they could eat during the New Year.  In previous years, they couldn’t bear to make it, but this year, knowing that Shen Zhiyu and the others were coming back for the New Year, Shen Dahe gritted his teeth and used up most of the mung beans and rice they had saved, just to make this basket of bean threads.

 Coming home was just to eat this home-cooked food.  Gu Ye still remembered when he was a child, he had been given a small bowl of bean threads by a relative when he went to pay New Year’s greetings.  At that time, he felt that the bowl of bean threads was the best food he had ever eaten.  Eating it again today, the man ate all the garlic leaves in his bowl. 

Shen Zhiyu had just finished her half bowl when there was a sudden commotion from the front yard.  The man’s dishwashing movements stopped, Shen Zhiyu was still thinking that the sound outside was familiar, but seeing Gu Ye’s reaction, she knew that his parents had come over.

 “I’ll wash them.”  Gu Ye had said before that he would settle the matter of dividing the family property when he came back this time.  He had originally planned to go over after they had eaten, but who knew that Gu Mu and the others would come first.  “It’s okay.”

  The man quickly washed the dishes and chopsticks, walked to the yard, and saw Gu Mu, Gu Hu, Jin Fengyan and the others standing in the yard talking to Chen Cuijuan. 

Except for Gu Hu, whose face was not good, Gu Mu and Jin Fengyan were both smiling, as if nothing had happened.  “Oh, you guys are so good at being people, my son, now that he’s finally back home, he doesn’t even go to his own home first, I don’t know, I thought he was a son of your old Shen family, hehe, but seeing him get along so well with you, my heart is at ease, they say a son-in-law is half a son, you know, he’s almost like a real son, he’s almost forgotten me and his dad!”

  Gu Mu’s words were still in her usual style.  She was smiling, it sounded like she was chatting with her in-laws.  But it felt like something was wrong, after careful consideration, she realized that she was being sarcastic about Gu Ye forgetting his mother after marrying a wife. 

“Your in-law, you said that, we’re not outsiders, why are you saying these things?

 Yesterday when we arrived, it was already dark, originally Xiao Gu wanted to go back to live, but I don’t know if the new house is cleaned up, if there are beds, the children were also tired, so I just let them stay at home first, after all, the house and quilts are all ready, you don’t have to specially make room, right?”

  Before, in the army, Chen Cuijuan was not good at expressing herself, and was a little restrained.  But this was her home, the People’s Commune!  Gu Mu had even come early in the morning to be sarcastic, Chen Cuijuan was not a pushover. 

You say that Xiao Gu married a wife and forgot his mother, I’ll just say that your whole family is not kind, you’re occupying the new house that your daughter and son-in-law built with their own money.  That house, the old Shen family also put in a lot of money and effort, the wood was provided by them, Shen Guoqiang and his brothers also went to work for a few days.  Now the daughter’s wedding house is occupied by someone else. 

Even if Gu Ye doesn’t care, they can’t swallow this breath!

 Speaking of the house, Gu Mu’s arrogance immediately subsided.  Gu Hu was unhappy listening to Chen Cuijuan’s words, he didn’t want to be long-winded with them, he directly shouted: “Where’s the second son, what kind of man hides behind women, let him come out himself!

”  As soon as the words fell, a tall figure walked out of the house.  He didn’t bring many clothes back home, he was wearing that army coat.  The army coat was not very convenient to wear, so Shen Dahe took out his biggest cotton padded jacket for him to wear, and the shoes on his feet were the ones that Chen Lao Lao had knitted for them in advance for them to wear at home.

 Suddenly, the whole family was wearing the same style of woolen shoes with wrapped heels, Gu Ye’s clothes were also Shen Dahe’s old clothes, he really looked like a member of the Shen family.

  Gu Hu looked at it and was even more annoyed, “So you were in the house, this is the second time, you don’t even say hello to your parents when you come home, do you still remember how to write the word ‘filial piety’!”  Compared to Gu Hu’s jumping up and down, Gu Ye was much calmer. 

He ignored Gu Hu and looked directly at Gu Mu: “Mom, I told you in the army, I’m going to divide the family property when I come back this time, I was going to go over later, but now that you’re here, it’s just as well, let’s go together and make it clear about dividing the family property.”

  Gu Hu’s angry words got stuck in his throat.  His eyes were bloodshot, he frowned: “What?  Divide the family property, are you crazy, your parents are here, what are you dividing the family property for!”