Chapter 143

On the same day, they rushed back to the city, Han Cheng also took the opportunity to deliver a large amount of goods to Chen Bingyang’s house. 

After the family finished dinner at the state-owned restaurant, they hurried to Qingfeng Town. 

By the time they got home, the twins were already fast asleep. Han Cheng and Su Xiaoxiao each carried one and tucked them into bed first.

Xiao Doubao was also sleepy, so, Su Xiaoxiao instructed Fantuan and Zhuzi, “Go to the kitchen, heat some water for Xiao Doubao to wash his hands and face, then let him go to sleep first.”

The two older siblings took on the task and went busy. Su Xiaoxiao looked at the trunk of the car and sighed at the number of things inside it. “I don’t know when all these sweet potatoes will be moved. Luckily, there was a bumper harvest of sweet potatoes this year. My mom is really amazing.”

Han Cheng looked at his wife’s tired face and said, “You go in and rest first, I’ll handle the moving. Let’s just move half of it, leave a quarter for Zhao Xianfeng to move, and the other quarter we’ll move when Zhang Hongtu and the others come back.”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded, “I’ll take the dried goods inside first, you go get the basket and pick up the sweet potatoes underneath. It’s very late, we need to move quickly, you still have to go to work tomorrow.”

Han Cheng shook his head, “You go rest, I’ll do it.”

Su Xiaoxiao had already started to take the dried goods inside, “These things are not heavy, I can handle them.”

Xiao Doubao was actually very tired, but seeing his mother carrying things, he still went over to help, “Mom, let me help you.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “No need, Mom can handle it. Be a good boy and go find your brother. Wash your face and hands and go to bed when you’re done.”

Xiao Doubao pursed his lips in disagreement, using both hands to help his mother carry the dried goods.

The dried vegetables were sun-dried, but they were not heavy at all. Su Xiaoxiao had to let go and let him hold them, rubbing his head, “Thank you for helping, my child. Just put them in the grain depot.”

Ever since the utility room was adorned with the spring couplets depicting a bountiful harvest by the twins, it had officially been renamed the grain depot.

Xiao Doubao then squinted his eyes and carried the goods to the grain depot.

The two older brothers also came out to help after burning the fire. With more people and more strength, the work became easier, and they quickly moved a lot of stuff. After each person made two or three trips, everything was moved.

After sitting in the car all day, everyone was very tired. Fantuan helped his younger brother prepare the bathwater and let Doubao wash by himself. He was so tired that he collapsed in the chair, too exhausted to move: “If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have let Grandma know that I love sweet potatoes. Mom, do you know that Grandma dug up at least half of the sweet potatoes from our private plot? Even when we told her not to, she wouldn’t listen. I’m worried they won’t have enough to eat.”

Su Xiaoxiao felt embarrassed. The responsibility for this matter lay with her. It was because she didn’t want to take the cured meat home that Li Yufeng ended up exchanging so many sweet potatoes.

Su Xiaoxiao could only say: “Grandma is very hardworking. She has cultivated many plots of land for herself. Even without sweet potatoes, they have other coarse grains. Don’t worry.”

Zhuzi asked, “Aunt Su, can we stay longer next time we come back during winter vacation?”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “Sure, when you grow a little older, and can travel by train on your own.”

Zhuzi asked again, “But Aunt Su, when will we be considered a little older?”

Su Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, “At least when you’re in high school.”

Fantuan said, “But Mom, I feel like I’m already grown up. I can buy tickets and ride the train by myself now.”

Su Xiaoxiao sighed and said, “But Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan haven’t grown up yet. Mom still needs your help taking care of your younger siblings.”

Fantuan and Zhuzi exchanged a glance.

Fantuan said: “Okay, Mom, at least we have to wait until Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan are as sensible as Xiao Doubao.”

Su Xiaoxiao was a bit worried: “Xiao Tangyuan is okay, but Mom thinks Xiao Roubao may not grow as sensible as Xiao Doubao.”

Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Zhuzi thought of mischievous Xiao Roubao and glanced at each other again. If they were all not at home, Xiao Roubao was likely to make Mom cry.

Xiao Fantuan said, “Mom, don’t worry, we will definitely take care of our younger brother!”

Su Xiaoxiao yawned and said, “I know you’re all very well-behaved. It’s very late, let’s all go wash up and sleep.”

……………….

The next morning, Han Cheng first delivered the sweet potatoes and dry goods to Zhao Xianfeng’s house, conveying Li Yufeng’s intentions. 

When Xiao Yu heard that Fantuan and the others had returned, he said, “It’s still my grandmother who cares about me whenever she has good things.” After finishing speaking, he ran to Han Cheng’s house.

Zhao Xianfeng cursed after him, “Why does this brat always stick to Fantuan? Fantuan’s name carries more weight than mine, the father!”

Han Cheng took the basket he handed over and put sweet potatoes inside: “Maybe you, as his father, should reflect on yourself.”

Zhao Xianfeng retorted, “Hey, which side are you on? Your kid at home doesn’t seem to know that they attract all people. Children from our troop, similar in age to them, all like to hang around them.”

Han Cheng: “Fantuan loves to play and knows how to have fun with everyone, so there’s no child who can resist playing with him. Can you blame kids his age for wanting to play with him?”

Zhao Xianfeng wanted to retort with ‘Then why don’t you control him? ‘ but the thought of Fantuan consistently ranking first in his class despite attending only half a day’s worth of lessons stopped him. If not for those half-day lessons, Fantuan might have already entered junior high school. The words lingered at the tip of his tongue before he swallowed them back.

“Enough, don’t give me more things. We have only a few people in our family; we can’t eat that much. Your family has more people, save some for yourselves.”

Han Cheng replied, “It’s just a small token from Fantuan’s grandma. Last year, when Xiao Yu gave the cured duck to her, she kept remembering it. She almost wanted me to bring all our cured meat over for Xiao Yu to eat. But I declined. It’s not easy to have some meat in the countryside.”

Zhao Xianfeng stared at Han Cheng, “Are you trying to make me feel awkward? Even if you bring it over, I won’t take it. Can we even dare to take it? But honestly, your wife’s family is really something,” Zhao Xianfeng praised with a thumbs-up.

Han Cheng smirked, “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have raised a daughter like Xiaoxiao.”

Zhao Xianfeng felt a little defeated. How has Zhou Yuhua’s family managed to raise such a fierce daughter?

Han Cheng didn’t stay longer to chat and rushed to work.

Though the children had only been apart for a few days, it felt like years. Xiao Yu enjoyed the lively atmosphere at Fantuan’s house. Even if Aunt Su didn’t cook him anything special, he’d still be willing to come over. Besides, he would soon enjoy Grandma’s roasted sweet potatoes.

Xiao Yu took a bite of the sweet potato and nodded incessantly, “Delicious, really delicious. Grandma’s sweet potatoes are just delicious!”

Su Xiaoxiao remarked, “Grandma knew you would definitely like them as much as Fantuan does.”

Xiao Yu nodded, “I like everything Fantuan likes!”

Xiao Zhuzi held the sweet potato and fed her sister, Xiao Tangyuan, bit by bit. Xiao Tangyuan didn’t particularly enjoy eating sweet potatoes; she would eat a little and then stop. Xiao Zhuzi asked her, “Then what does Xiao Tangyuan like to eat?”

Xiao Tangyuan tilted her head and thought for a moment, “Eggs~~”

Xiao Zhuzi finished the sweet potato leftovers that Xiao Tangyuan didn’t want and nodded. “Wait, I’ll steam some eggs for you, Xiao Roubao, do you want some?”

Xiao Roubao, who was busy eating sweet potatoes, didn’t really hear what Xiao Zhuzi asked him and just nodded nonstop, “Yes, yes~~”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head helplessly, “Xiao Zhuzi, don’t spoil them. Let them be, they just had steamed cakes and porridge, now sweet potatoes, and now, they still want to eat steamed eggs?”

Xiao Zhuzi said, “It’s okay, the water in the kitchen is still hot, Xiao Tangyuan hasn’t eaten enough, and steaming some eggs will only take a few minutes.” With that, Xiao Zhuzi headed to the kitchen.

Su Xiaoxiao pinched the little girl’s cheek and said, “You, you always love to mess with your brother Zhuzi since you were little.”

The little girl, with dimples on her cheeks, looked at her mother and said, “Gege, good.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head as she watched her daughter, “It’s not good to cause trouble like this.”

……………….

Days passed by, and regardless of how the leadership changed or how the outside world surged with tumultuous events, it didn’t affect Sujia Village or Qingfeng Town. Su Xiaoxiao’s family smoothly sailed through the year 1975.

1976 was a year of profound disasters. Many important leaders passed away, and numerous natural calamities occurred, making it a rather sorrowful year.

The radio channels were no longer limited to local dialects; several channels could now be received. Su Xiaoxiao and her children would listen to these news broadcasts every day, their moods sinking with each somber update.

In the blink of an eye, spring of 1977 arrived.

That spring, Sujia Village experienced several joyous events. Su Weimin heeded his daughter’s advice and, after two years of effort and accumulated experience, finally established a pig farm. 

Not only did Su Weimin’s production team participate, but the scale was so vast that it directly benefited the entire commune. The old branch secretary also officially retired, and the members voted for Su Weimin to take over. 

Su Weimin naturally became the new branch secretary, and Su Zhenhua, the second brother of the Su family who has been following his father for many years, naturally became the new production team leader and manager of the pig farm.

The letter from Sujia Village also mentioned that in the past two years, there were no more educated youth sent down to the countryside for re-education, and those who had connections were starting to find ways to return to the city. 

There were even no more Red Guards roaming the streets, and people engaged in buying and selling became bolder. The scale of the black market was now comparable to that of the regular market. Though they couldn’t openly trade yet, there were no reports of anyone being arrested for speculation or profiteering.

By April, after the dissolution of a certain group, Yang Nanhuai’s family could finally return to the city openly. They hadn’t committed any offenses; they voluntarily went to the countryside to receive re-education among the poor and lower-middle peasants. 

With the acceptance notice from their original unit, Su Weimin readily stamped and approved their passage back to the city, sincerely congratulating them on their return and thanking their family for their contributions to Sujia Village.

When the Yang family returned to the city, the ones who found it most difficult were Da Bao and Xiao Bao. Xiao Bao was quick to learn things and skipped a grade in just a year. Now, like Da Bao, he was in fifth grade. Da Bao only came back on weekends and holidays to attend classes at Teacher Yang’s house. 

Xiao Bao could say that his entire primary school life was taught by the Yang family. With his current level of knowledge, even if he went to junior high school, he would definitely not lag behind. He was very grateful for the teachings of the Yang family and very reluctant to part with them, but also sincerely happy for their return to the city.

Before leaving, the Yang family thanked Su Weimin’s family for their care over the years. They also told Su Weimin a significant piece of news, revealing that they were relatives of Han Cheng’s late wife, Yang Mei, and they didn’t intentionally hide it from them but rather didn’t want to cause any trouble.

Su Weimin was shocked and never expected such a connection between their two families. He also expressed an understanding of Yang Nanhuai’s intentions.

Their own daughter diligently raised the grandsons from the Yang family, and they (the Yang family) educated their own grandson with care. 

Both families’ children flourished under each other’s education, not wasting their talents. Without them, Da Bao and Xiao Bao wouldn’t have learned so much beyond academics. 

Their horizons and thinking would have been limited. Now, they clearly had broader knowledge than the other children in the class and the ability to think independently. This was probably the fate of the two families and the best cycle of life.