Chapter 160

Han Cheng rested the next day. Early in the morning, he began rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the study. Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Doubao got up as usual to prepare to exercise with their father, only to find him rummaging through things in the study.

Rubbing his eyes, Xiao Doubao asked, “Dad, what are you looking for?”

Han Cheng said, “I’m looking for two pieces of paper. Dad forgot which book I put them in. Fantuan, have you seen them when you flipped through a book? One is a house deed and the other is a will.”

Fantuan nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen them. I even saw a piece of gold in one of the books.”

Han Cheng: “…”

“Do you remember which book?” Han Cheng asked again.

Fantuan asked, “Are you asking about the gold or the house deed?”

“House deed,” Han Cheng clarified.

After thinking for a moment, Fantuan said, “The house deed is in the 5th book from the right on the second row, on the 85th page of that general history book. The will is on page 108. When I saw them, I thought they were bookmarks. But after flipping through those two pages, I didn’t think the content was anything special. I thought they were just scraps of paper that turned yellow. If you hadn’t said that not even a hair could be moved in the book and that we should put back the book where we took it from, I might have thrown them away without looking. But when I opened them, I realized it was the house deed and the will. Dad, did you suddenly remember that Grandpa left us a house in the capital because Mom is going to study there?”

Han Cheng: “Isn’t this stinky kid a bit too smart?

Listening to the conversation between father and son at the door, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “At critical moments, we still rely on our eldest son. So, we have a house in the capital, but it’s a bit old. We plan to sell it and buy a newer one.”

Fantuan has no objections; he has never seen that house before. He lives wherever his parents live.

Su Xiaoxiao took the yellowed property deed from Han Cheng’s hand and carefully opened it. Though the edges were yellowed, luckily there were no wormholes, and the content was intact.
“Han Cheng, while I have some free time now, why don’t I go to the capital first to handle the yard and find a place to settle down? You can come with the kids when you’re on vacation,” Su Xiaoxiao suggested.

Both Han Cheng and the children shook their heads simultaneously and said, “No!”

“My heart will always be worried with just the thought of you coming to the capital alone. I’ll be able to finish my work in a few days. We don’t need these few days, and you can’t handle the property procedures alone. When we get to the capital, let’s settle down in the old chief’s house first. We can take our time to find a house. There’s no need to rush,” Han Cheng said.

Fantuan also said, “Mom, we won’t let you travel alone unless you take me with you.”

Xiao Doubao, who always clings to his mother, hugged Su Xiaoxiao and said, “Mom, wherever you go, you have to take me with you. Xiao Doubao can’t be away from you for a day.”

Han Cheng patted the buttocks of his two sons and said, “Don’t cause trouble here. Fantuan, go take your younger brother to wash up and exercise first.”

Fantuan actually wanted to hear more, but seeing his dad as unusually serious, he had to pout and lead Xiao Doubao out.

After the two sons left, Su Xiaoxiao said, “It’s not good to disturb others for too long. It’s okay to stay for a few days or a fortnight, but it’s not appropriate to stay too long. Can we ask someone to take care of the house for us? We can buy a suitable one when we’ve seen it and move in after tidying up.”

Han Cheng hugged his wife, gently stroking her arm. “Don’t worry, I’ve already asked the old chief. However, I asked him to look for a courtyard near Peking University before. If you like a big courtyard, I will give him a call tomorrow to let him know.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “Let’s buy a small yard first to settle down. There’s no rush for a big courtyard. We’ll buy one after we’ve dealt with the old yard. Besides, choosing a courtyard depends on our own preferences. We can’t find a suitable one at once.”
 
Han Cheng looked at her suspiciously. Do we have to be so particular when buying a big courtyard?

Su Xiaoxiao tiptoed to kiss Han Cheng’s lips and said, “You agree, right? Let me make the decisions.”

Han Cheng held her waist, pulling her closer. “What if I disagree?”

Su Xiaoxiao pecked his lips again. “Then I’ll keep kissing until you agree.”

Laughing, Han Cheng kissed her back and said, “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you.”

…………….

The kids were already on vacation. They had to settle in the capital early this year and wouldn’t return to the Sujia village for the New Year. Initially, they planned to go back for a longer stay during the summer vacation, and the children were looking forward to it. There were many things they could only do during the summer vacation that they hadn’t experienced yet.

Moving with such a large family was not easy. The longer they lived in a place, the more odds and ends accumulated. Su Xiaoxiao had a headache just looking at all the things they had.

After tidying up for a whole morning, not even half of the “granary” had been cleared out, especially with the help of the two older children and the mischief of the two younger ones.

Su Xiaoxiao sighed. “How come I didn’t realize we had so many things in our house before?”

Carrying a large winter melon, Fantuan came out, clapping his hands. “Our annual harvests aren’t for nothing. Our granary is always full.”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “We won’t buy groceries for now. Let’s finish the stored grains first.”

Holding a cold potato that he didn’t know where he found, Xiao Roubao disagreed when he heard his mother say they wouldn’t buy meat anymore: “We can skip buying vegetables, but we can’t skip buying meat, Mom! There’s no meat in the granary. I need to eat meat every day.”

Handing a piece of dried sweet potato to her sister, Xiao Doubao said to Xiao Roubao, “What do you mean there’s no meat? Haven’t you seen those sausages, cured meats, and salted eggs?”

Biting into the cold potato, Xiao Roubao chewed happily, “Those don’t count. I want fresh meat!” Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and turned to look at Zhou, Fen, Mian, Fan, and Hua Hua who had been changed several times, “Mom, we still have Zhou, Fen, Mian, Fan, and flowers to eat.”

“No!” both Xiao Doubao and Xiao Tangyuan said at the same time.

Xiao Tangyuan added, “Chickens are our family. We can’t eat them, especially those who are going to the capital with us, right, Mom?”

Su Xiaoxiao used to have three big roosters, and since she came to the military area, she has raised many chickens. However, except for the batch specially raised for postpartum consumption, she never ate any of the others. They all grew old and stopped laying eggs. Han Cheng would exchange old hens for young hens with others. Two big roosters had been raised for six or seven years, turning poultry into pets. They ate feed every day but did not contribute. Now, they were old and lethargic, eating less. If converted into human age, Su Xiaoxiao estimated they were already in their hundreds. Recently, Su Xiaoxiao worried that they might pass away at any time.

Xiao Tangyuan didn’t like chickens when she was young; she was even a bit afraid of them. But since Grey left, Xiao Tangyuan has been sad for a long time. Xiao Zhuzi wanted to get her a new white rabbit, but Su Xiaoxiao was afraid to raise another rabbit, so she refused. One day, Xiao Tangyuan went to the vegetable garden to pick leaves and feed the big rooster, just like she used to feed Grey. She found that the big rooster loved eating leaves, even faster than Grey did. So, she fed them every day. At that time, the fan was already old. Han Cheng wanted to exchange them for two young roosters, but Xiao Tangyuan refused, so they kept them until now.

In the family, there were four kids. Fantuan and Roubao were particularly easygoing. They considered poultry food and didn’t care how they were treated.

Xiao Tangyuan was a girl with a heart full of love, and Xiao Doubao was sensitive from a young age. These two kids were reluctant to eat the poultry they had raised themselves. So whenever Su Xiaoxiao mentioned the chickens at home, she would feel a headache.

“Xiao Tangyuan, Xiao Doubao, we need to take the train to the capital. Chickens can’t go on the train, so we can only leave them at Xiao Yu’s brother’s house. We can’t take them with us.” Su Xiaoxiao naturally couldn’t say they were being sent to be eaten by Zhou Yuhua. If she said that, the two kids would cry on the spot. So, she used the term “foster care” to hide the truth.

Today, Su Xiaoxiao helped Xiao Tangyuan tie two braids. The little girl held a sweet potato snack, shaking her head, and the braids swayed with her movements. “Mom, why doesn’t Dad drive us? Then we can take Zhou, Fen, Mian, Fan, and Hua Hua with us,” she asked innocently.

Fantuan lifted his sister, tapping her nose. “Because the capital is too far away, and we can’t drive there. Big Brother has never taken a train before. It’ll be great for our whole family to take the train together.”

The little girl tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. “Okay, let’s leave them at Xiao Yu’s brother’s house for now. But we won’t be able to see them anymore.”

Fantuan said, “We’ll be busy in the capital. You and your third brother will have to go to school. Even if we take them with us, we won’t have time to take care of them. Besides, it’s very cold in the capital, and they’re afraid of the cold, so it’s best to leave them here.”

The little girl blinked her big black eyes and looked at her brother. “Big brother, you’re lying. They have fur coats thicker than mine. How could they be afraid of the cold?”

Fantuan: “…”

Fantuan couldn’t deceive his smart sister. Xiao Roubao was easier to deceive as long as there was food.

Fantuan could only say, “Anyway, they can’t go. Xiao Roubao, take your sister to play at her brother Zhuzi’s house, and come back for lunch.”

Su Xiaoxiao picked up a bag of cured meat and some dry goods and handed them to Xiao Doubao, touching his head. “Xiao Doubao, your task now is to take your brother and sister to your brother Zhuzi’s house and say that our family can’t finish these, so we’re asking them to help eat some.”

Xiao Doubao likes to help his mother with tasks the most. He nodded with a smile and said, “Okay, I promise to complete the task.” After saying this, he happily took his younger brother and sister out.

After the three little ones left, Su Xiaoxiao pinched her aching brow and said, “Fantuan, remember to remind your brother Xiao Yu to not mention stewing the chickens. Although we can’t slaughter them ourselves, once they’re sent to your aunt’s house, they’ll be cooked on the same day. Maybe they’ll even bring a bowl back for us. Xiao Doubao and Xiao Tangyuan will cry non-stop by then.”

Fantuan sighed as he looked at the plump chickens in the coop. “Mom, I understand. Chickens are meant to be eaten. It’s strange. They eat the store-bought chicken so deliciously, and the chicken we raised should taste even better than the ones we bought in the market. Why can’t we eat them? What a pity.”

He remembered how delicious the small hen his grandmother stewed from their own farm was when Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan were born.

No wonder they say each of the nine sons of the dragon is different. Each child has a different personality. If all the children were as easygoing as Fantuan and Roubao, it would be much easier.

“There’s nothing we can do. Even if you ask me to slaughter them, I can’t do it. Well, let’s hurry up and pack. At this rate, we won’t finish packing in a week,” Su Xiaoxiao said.

Fantuan said, “It’s okay, Mom. Dad will be off tomorrow, and with his help, we’ll finish quickly. But Mom, won’t we go to Sujia Village to see Grandma and Grandpa first?”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. “We’ll be busy in the capital, so let’s not bother. We’ll visit them after we settle down.”

……….

Yali’s side is also tidying up, but their family of three has not been living in their house for very long. They had originally planned to return to the capital sooner or later, so they didn’t buy so many things like Su Xiaoxiao. It was much easier for them to tidy up.

Zhuzi was also helping with the packing. When he saw Xiao Doubao bringing his siblings over, he thought Su Xiaoxiao had something to ask him. “Xiao Doubao, does Aunt Su need something?”

Xiao Doubao shook his head and handed the things to Zhuzi. “Mom said we can’t finish these at home, so she asked you to help eat some.”

Yali chuckled and rubbed the child’s head, saying, “Your mother is really amazing. She’s sending us things to eat and saying it’s helping them.”

Yali saw Xiao Tangyuan’s mouth a little dirty after finishing the sweet dried potato snack, so she picked her up. “Our Xiao Tangyuan has become a little dirty cat. Auntie will take you to wash your mouth.”

When Xiao Tangyuan walked a little farther away, Xiao Doubao said to Zhuzi, “Brother Zhuzi, Mom said she wants to send Zhou,

Fen, Mian, Fan, and Hua Hua go to Xiao Yu’s brother’s house, but I think Brother Xiao Yu will eat them.”

Zhuzi: “…”

For a moment, he was speechless. In the whole military area, except for their family, all the chickens raised by other families were meant to be eaten. No matter who they were given to, they would definitely be eaten.

“What do you want to do then?” Zhuzi asked.

Xiao Roubao heard their conversation and said, “Then I want to go to Xiao Yu’s brother’s house to eat chicken legs!”

Zhuzi: “…”

Xiao Doubao felt a little down, but he understood everything and could sympathize. He was just a bit reluctant. Seeing his sister coming over, he said, “Don’t say that in front of your sister. She’ll be sad. She just begged Mom to take them to the capital.”

Xiao Roubao didn’t understand the thoughts of her brothers and sister, but he listened to his brother the most and closed his mouth.

Zhuzi looked at his beautiful sister with red lips, white teeth, and a chubby face and understood what was going on. His heart softened, and he smiled. “It’s okay. Grandpa’s house has a cute little dog. She’ll forget about Zhou, Fen, Mian, Fan, and Hua Hua when she sees it.”