Hua Xiucheng also arrived early. It was his first time meeting Su Laosan.
But Hua Xiucheng was a naturally sociable person. Without needing any invitation, he quickly became friendly with Su Laosan and his brother.
After chatting with Su Laosan for a while, he took Su Laosan to meet his comrade Qiu Yongnian.
Su Laosan was originally a truck driver and a genuinely capable person. Qiu Yongnian welcomed him warmly after meeting him.
He repeatedly said that he was short of talent and it would be great if Su Laosan could come and help.
After Qiu Yongnian returned from the army, he originally had a job, but he was a restless person by nature.
After working for a while and finding it unsatisfactory, he seized the opportunity of good times and decided to start his own business.
Later, relying on his connections from his time in the army, he started a trucking company for transportation.
However, there was always a gap between reality and ideals.
When he wanted to start a trucking company, he never expected the problem of finding drivers!
In this era, most drivers already had jobs with companies.
The trucking company was established, but many drivers were unwilling to trust a private trucking company.
It was rare to find someone willing to come, so Qiu Yongnian naturally welcomed him with open arms!
Su Laosan happened to not want to help in his family's restaurant, feeling that the work was tedious and inconvenient.
Thus, the two hit it off.
After a brief period of interaction, Su Laosan's job was quickly settled.
To show his sincerity, Qiu Yongnian offered Su Laosan a good salary, an increase of ten yuan compared to before.
Su Laosan was overjoyed. He could get a raise?
He had originally thought it would be good enough to have his previous salary.
He didn't know how his little daughter knew such capable people.
When he returned home that evening, Su Laosan praised her repeatedly.
However, Su Xiaotian felt that an increase of ten yuan was almost as good as no increase. Before, he was a formal employee with a pension in the future.
But now it was different. Working in a private trucking company, to be frank, there was no security in old age.
An extra ten yuan a month was indeed very little. If you calculated carefully, you might even be at a loss!
But the Su family did not rely on Su Laosan's salary for their living expenses.
As long as Su Laosan was happy.
That evening, to express their gratitude to Hua Xiucheng, the Su family prepared a sumptuous meal to thank him.
They also specifically invited Du Tonghe and his wife, and Hua's parents.
Since Du Tonghe and his wife had come, the other two families could not be absent.
Su Taohua and Shen Zizhen, along with their two children, came over.
They mentioned that they had recently received a letter from Su Xiaoliang, and that Xiaoliang would be returning for a visit soon.
"Sister Taohua, you must be overjoyed?" Liang Xiu said with a smile.
Xiaoliang had been gone for several years, and it was false to say they didn't miss him.
Su Taohua was so excited that tears were almost falling.
This child, Xiaoliang, had not returned since he joined the army. They heard he was doing well in the army, but hearing was not the same as reassuring a mother.
"You're not wrong. Speaking of which, this child has been in the army for several years. When he returns this time, I must ask him when he will be demobilized."
Su Taohua had agreed to her son joining the army because Li Changming had made things too difficult in the brigade, and she thought it would be better for her son to leave.
Now that life had stabilized, she began to think about letting her son come home to live a peaceful life.
"I heard before that Xiaoliang has already become a platoon leader. I told him to do well in the army."
Su Taohua smiled and said, "I'm just saying it casually. Xiaoliang is a very determined child, and he might not listen to me."
The two mothers laughed together.
After a few words, Su Taohua asked why Li Yuniang had come.
Liang Xiu thought it was someone else's business and it was not good to elaborate. She simply explained and added that Li Yuniang might be staying at her home for a long time to come.
Su Taohua was not a nosy person. She asked a question and had no intention of prying further.
Soon, the families gathered for dinner.
However, Hua's parents announced at this time that their matters had been settled and they should start their journey home.
They also said that Hua Xiucheng had been away for quite some time and should return to the army soon.
"There are still many things to do in the brigade. This time, we were lucky to be here to deliver things, and the captain gave us leave."
The elderly couple were very simple and honest, wholeheartedly thinking for the country and the collective.
They were very clear that if it weren't for the fact that Du's son was a martyr who sacrificed his life years ago, and that they were here to deliver the martyr's belongings, they would not have had such a long leave.
This trip to the capital had broadened their horizons.
After the elderly couple's horizons were broadened, they had privately said more than once: "We have not lived in vain in this life!"
Returning to the brigade, the honor of this trip to the capital was enough for them to boast about for the rest of their lives.
How could they be greedy and not want to go back?
They were farmers and were naturally meant to be busy in the fields!
Hearing the elderly couple mention leaving again, Du Tonghe and his wife repeatedly tried to persuade them, but they could not keep the couple whose minds were made up.
The originally warm atmosphere became somewhat stagnant.
Hua Xiucheng smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "My parents are used to living in our hometown, and they've mentioned leaving several times these past few days!"
Finally, Hua's father and mother bought train tickets and embarked on their journey home with Hua Xiucheng accompanying them.
Du Tonghe and his wife bought many Beijing specialties for them to take along, and Grandma Su also prepared a lot of braised food for the Hua family to eat on the road.
Hua's father and mother were very touched, almost to the point of tears.
Once on the train, they repeatedly said that this trip to Beijing, receiving so many good things from others, was more than their year's work points from farming in the countryside.
Hua Xiucheng smiled. The affairs of this world truly depended on fate.
Originally, they were just strangers who met by chance, but who knew they would become closer and closer?
People come and go, and life goes on as usual.
The peaceful days seemed to pass even faster. In the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
The weather was getting colder.
The maple leaves on the streets had already begun to turn red.
The Su family was developing in a good direction, and the lives of the other families were also flourishing like the red maple leaves.
Only Huo Sinian, the pitiable fellow, was an exception.
Huo Sinian didn't know why he had taken a liking to Su Xiaomei, a girl from the countryside, and had truly fallen for her.
However, when it came to pursuing a girl, this returnee from studying abroad was not very capable.
He followed Su Xiaomei's footsteps, and he often visited the old Su family.
But Su Xiaomei always avoided him, which made him speechless.
To win over his beloved, Huo Sinian even sought help from Shen Zizhen often.
Unfortunately, although Shen Zizhen was not Su Xiaomei's biological father, he treated Xiaomei like his own daughter.
Seeing a young man trying to snatch his daughter away, he was so angry that his teeth were about to grind, and he certainly wouldn't show a good face!