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“Grandson, be careful not to get drunk,” Hao Lianchun said, a little worried about his drinking.
“It’s okay, it’s just a fruit wine, not very strong. This is how I like it,” Zuo Zhanshan said from the side.
Mingyuan took a sip of the wine and nodded, “Yes, it’s delicious, sweet and much better than white wine.”
Wang Zhenhe, drinking the wine brewed by his daughter, felt especially touched. No one else’s children were as capable as his. Look, she could even brew wine. He wouldn’t have to worry about his drinking in the future.
After dinner, the group went out for a stroll. Wang Qian lay comfortably on the kang and stretched lazily. “Mom, the Lunar New Year is coming soon. Shouldn’t we start preparing for the festival?”
Hao Lianchun smiled and said, “That’s right. The Spring Festival is just around the corner. Lan, we should buy what we need. We have the money, so don’t be frugal.” She was about to take out the money she had prepared, but Zhang Lan stopped her.
“Auntie, I’ve already set aside the money for the Lunar New Year. We have enough for our family. I’ll go shopping tomorrow. Let’s have a lively and festive New Year this year,” she said.
“By the way, Niece, don’t forget to buy red paper. I’ll write couplets for you,” Old Chen reminded.
“Alright, Old Chen, I didn’t know you were good at this,” Old Zhou teased, nudging Old Chen.
With the winter break in full swing, Zhang Lan began taking the children out to buy New Year supplies. Hao Lianchun finished the last small sweater and then helped tidy up the house. She even ordered the bedding of the elderly men to be brought over for washing. The entire village was filled with the festive atmosphere of the upcoming Lunar New Year.
As families began to prepare for the New Year by slaughtering chickens and geese, the Wang family unexpectedly received a group of visitors. The team leader Liu Changlin, along with a group of people, arrived at the Wang family’s home. Wang Qian remembered that one of them was the Minister of Armed Forces, who they had previously engaged with during the gun practice.
Upon seeing Zuo Zhanshan and Wu Changyong, Minister Yu Wanying was a bit surprised. “Elders, why are you living here? I was planning to invite you to provide guidance for us after the New Year.”
Wu Changyong, puzzled by their visit, asked, “Minister Yu, why have you come today?”
Yu Wanying waved a letter in his hand and said, “I received a report claiming that enemy agents were hiding here. Could it be you?”
After speaking, he handed the letter to Zuo Zhanshan. Sensing that something was amiss at home, Wang Qian quickly took Zuo He and ran to the production team to inform Guo Xing and Zhang Qiang of the situation. The two immediately dropped what they were doing and followed them.
The group took turns reading the contents of the letter, but no one recognized the handwriting. However, when Wang Zhenhe read it, his face turned almost purple, and his hand holding the paper began to tremble. However, he quickly regained his composure.
“Comrade, there seems to be a misunderstanding here. I don’t know the purpose of the person who wrote this letter, but I can assure you that their intentions are malicious. Captain, you know our family’s situation. You can also ask our neighbors,” he said.
At that moment, Guo Xing and Zhang Qiang rushed in. Seeing Yu Wanying and the others, they pulled him aside and spoke with a serious expression, “You can’t touch these people. We sent them here for labor and education. They are different from others, and we have the authority to handle them.” They handed over their work permits.
Yu Wanying had come to investigate, but seeing the serious expressions of the two comrades, he had a premonition. “Comrades, we came here today mainly to understand the situation. Since these are internal contradictions within our revolution, it’s not our concern. It’s all a misunderstanding.”
Yu Wanying was experienced and could tell that the two comrades before him probably outranked him. Moreover, since they assured him that everything was fine, there was no need for him to interfere.
“Comrades, it’s all a misunderstanding. We caused a stir based on a report we received. By the way, those two comrades are skilled with firearms. In the future, I may need to borrow them for some training on marksmanship for our militia. Rest assured, we won’t deduct their wages,” he said.
Guo Xing patted Yu Wanying on the shoulder and said, “Comrade, you’ve got a good eye. If you manage to bring those two here, you can secretly celebrate. In the past, you probably wouldn’t have even had the chance to meet them. Treat our two elders well in the future.”
With the misunderstanding resolved, Yu Wanying quickly went over to apologize to the two elders. “Gentlemen, it’s all a misunderstanding. Please don’t mind. It’s all the work of the person who wrote the report. Don’t let me catch them, or I won’t go easy on them. By the way, I’ve already greeted your comrades. After the New Year, come to the Ministry of Armed Forces to find me. I’m counting on you to train and bring honor to us.”
After seeing off Yu Wanying and his group, Wang Zhenhe invited Guo Xing and the others to stay for dinner. With the Lunar New Year approaching, he made an agreement with the two elders and Guo Xing that they would stay at Wang Zhenhe’s house during the New Year, as long as nothing unexpected happened.
“You two arrived just in time. I don’t know what I would have done without you,” Wang Zhenhe expressed his gratitude to Guo Xing and the others. If they hadn’t arrived in time, the situation could have taken a turn for the worse. He also harbored a secret grudge against the person who wrote the report.
“Brother Wang, don’t mention it. If your daughter hadn’t urgently called us, we wouldn’t have known about this. Who would do such a despicable thing? It’s just idle gossip,” Guo Xing said.
Zuo Zhanshan reassured, “It’s all good as long as everything is explained. We can find something to do in the future. Comrades, enjoy the Lunar New Year at home. We won’t cause any trouble here.”
With Zuo Zhanshan’s assurance, the two men felt relieved, as they could tell that despite Wu Changyong’s lively nature, he still listened to Zuo Zhanshan. With his guarantee, they felt more at ease about returning home.
“Uncle Zhang, Uncle Guo, have some sunflower seeds. These were grown by my brother and me. They’re delicious,” Wang Qian said, offering the sunflower seeds to the two men. She was genuinely grateful for their help in resolving the situation.
“Little Qianqian, you’re so capable. Next year, Uncle will help you grow sunflower seeds,” Guo Xing said, patting her head and taking the sunflower seeds. They were large and fragrant, much like the warmth of this family.
As noon approached, a familiar figure appeared at the gate. Mingcheng was the first to notice and ran outside with his brother and Zuo He. “Uncle Zhang is here!”
The five elders, upon hearing that Zhang Weiguo had arrived, smiled and said to Zhang Qiang and Guo Xing, “You two are lucky today. It’s almost the Lunar New Year, and you get to enjoy a seafood meal.”
Wang Zhenhe and Zhang Lan quickly took the burden from Zhang Weiguo and noticed that his feet were already wet from the snow. “Weiguo, come inside quickly. I’ll find you something to change into. Why did you come at this time? Are your feet frozen?” Zhang Lan nagged at her brother, but Zhang Weiguo felt warm inside after hearing her concern. “Sis, I’m not cold. My feet started sweating after walking for a while. But could you find me a pair of your husband’s pants to change into? The legs of my thermal pants are a bit damp.”
Zhang Weiguo greeted everyone in the house and then let Zhang Lan take him to the next room to change his clothes.
“Uncle, did you have seafood sent by your sister-in-law’s brother? We’re lucky to have arrived at the right time. Thanks to that scoundrel’s mischief, we get to enjoy this authentic and fresh seafood,” Zhang Qiang said, somewhat gleefully. At this moment, he felt grateful to the person who wrote the report. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this meal before leaving.
Wu Changyong glared at him. “You brat, all you think about is eating. When you go back, don’t forget to wish your father a happy New Year for me. I can’t go anywhere in my current condition. Also, when you have time, visit the homes of our old comrades in the area. Back then, so many people went out with your father, but only a few returned.”
As Wu Changyong reminisced, his eyes seemed distant, as if he was thinking about the comrades he had fought alongside, or perhaps he was remembering the unnamed martyrs who had long since been laid to rest.
“Alright, I got it. I’ll definitely tell my dad when I get back.”
Zhang Weiguo changed into dry clothes and rejoined everyone. Zhang Lan and Hao Lianchun quickly prepared the meal. Zhang Weiguo had brought a lot of things with him today.
Zhang Lan boiled some conches so they could chat and pick at them. Zuo He eagerly watched as the conches were cooked, then quickly took a bowl with Mingyuan to pick and eat them in the next room. Wang Qian came over with a key.
To eat the conches, you have to bite open the back. But with their small teeth, they were hesitant. “Brother, Zuo He, you can use the round hole in the key to suck the conches without having to bite them open. It’s less tiring on your teeth,” Wang Qian suggested.
Zuo He tried using the key on a conch and found it very effective. Excitedly, he showed Mingyuan, “Mingyuan, it’s really useful. Look, it saves a lot of effort.”
In another room, Wang Zhenhe was hosting, so Mingcheng and his sister Wang Xuan quickly joined them. Wang Xuan had a small basin filled with conches, and the siblings began to pick and eat them slowly with needles.
“These conches are so delicious. The more you eat, the more addictive and flavorful they become. I never thought such small conches could be so tasty,” Zuo He said, savoring the flavor.