“I’m full,” Liu Yuemin said, putting down her chopsticks stubbornly and returning to her room.
Not long after, Gu Xingmin pushed the door open and came in. Seeing her sulking on the edge of the heated brick bed, he chuckled and leaned over, “Still angry? If they don’t go, you can go by yourself. Or I can take you.”
“How thick-skinned do you have to be not to see it?” Liu Yuemin looked up and said indignantly, “They all look down on me. Eldest sister-in-law is now managing the ready-made clothing business in the village for third brother’s wife, earning even more than before. Fourth brother is now an official, not only buying a shop but also a house in the city. The couple will move to the city next year. Only you, despite being a brother, what benefits have we gained?”
Gu Xingmin hadn’t thought that far. “Didn’t you say before you wanted to open a shop in town, which is why you stopped making clothes? Besides, even though we don’t have a shop now, I earned several hundred yuan buying grain this winter. We’re all family, I think you’re overthinking it.”
Liu Yuemin was angry at his complacent attitude and said hatefully, “You just want to get by. Don’t you see third brother and his wife have their heads in the clouds, especially that Chen. I’ve been trying to get along with her these past few days, always agreeing with her. But look at her! Just going to the township, she says she’s going back to her mother’s house. Isn’t that a clear sign she doesn’t think much of me?”
Gu Xingmin was unconcerned. “If they don’t want to go, so be it. Besides, it’s the twenty-eighth today. I guess many people have the same idea as you. It’s not even certain if you can get a number. Otherwise, let’s put the perm on hold for now.”
Honestly, he found his wife’s perm really unpleasant. Every year it just wasted money, and he didn’t see any beauty in it.
But given Liu Yuemin’s personality, if he really said it looked bad, she would probably fly off the handle. Gu Xingmin could only express his meaning indirectly.
Liu Yuemin said, “If no one else goes, I won’t have fun either.”
Hearing her words, Gu Xingmin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why don’t we go to the city after the New Year?” Liu Yuemin suddenly said, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was a good idea.
Gu Xingdong and Gu Xingye were both in the city. If they went, wouldn’t their brothers take care of them?
Gu Xingmin wasn’t very interested in her suggestion. He walked directly to the heated brick bed in the back and lay down, “What can we do in the city? I think it’s fine here at home.”
Usually, he’d farm, and in his spare time, he’d buy grain and hang out with friends playing cards. It was good.
Liu Yuemin turned her head and said impatiently, “You’re just content with the status quo. Don’t I know you? You’re just lazy and don’t want to put in any effort.”
Seeing that Gu Xingmin didn’t speak, after a while, she nudged him, “Doesn’t third sister-in-law have a shop in the city? After the New Year, fourth sister-in-law says she’s going to sell vegetables. Why don’t we discuss it with third brother and his wife? Since they’re renting it out anyway, why not let them rent the shop to us?”
Gu Xingmin rolled over. “Where would we live if we went? And what about the children if both of us go? The two older ones are in school. Are we going to leave them with Mom and Dad?”
Liu Yuemin didn’t think this was a problem. “Didn’t Mom and eldest sister-in-law say third sister-in-law’s family lives in a two-story building? Their family has so few people in such a big house. We could even help her watch the children when we’re there. They say the education in the city is good, otherwise, fourth brother and his wife wouldn’t be thinking of moving there. Once we’re settled and have a firm footing, we can bring the children over too. What does fourth brother’s daughter, Panpan, have that our Feng’er can’t have?”
Regardless of whether Gu Xingmin agreed or not, Liu Yuemin had made up her mind. They were all moving to the city, and she couldn’t fall behind.
After breakfast, when Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong returned to their mother’s house with the children, Chen Liyuan hadn’t arrived home yet.
Wu Chunmei saw the two of them coming in with the children and quickly stepped forward to take the baby. “Grandma’s little precious grandson is here! Come to the heated brick bed, we’ve burned a lot of firewood today, the bed is warm.”
Chen Lifeng quickly went to pick up the other one. The younger ones immediately gathered around them with affection.
In just a few steps, Xiao Chengzi, who was wrapped up, was very unhappy. He had grunted several times along the way. When the quilt was opened, he immediately flipped over and crawled out.
His pair of bright, dark eyes looked around. Seeing so many people surrounding him, he wasn’t shy at all. He even started ‘ah-ah’-ing and chatting with his aunts.
Xiao Bai also slowly turned over. However, unlike her talkative brother, she quietly observed everything around her.
“Xiao Chengzi’s active personality is exactly like Lishu’s when she was little. But his appearance is more like Xingdong’s. Look at this little nose; he’ll definitely have a high nose bridge in the future.”
Upon hearing Wu Chunmei’s words, Gu Xingdong turned to look at Chen Lishu, his eyebrows twitching slightly. See, you wrongly accused me before.
Chen Lishu stepped forward, “Mom, are you mistaken? Xiao Bai’s personality should be like mine.”
Chen Mantun happened to walk in from outside and chimed in with a smile, “You were much harder to take care of than Xiao Chengzi back then. You cried every night. Your mother and I didn’t get a full night’s sleep from the day you were born.”
“That’s right,” Wu Chunmei agreed. “It’s also because the conditions were poor back then. The house leaked everywhere, and there was little firewood. In the middle of winter, we could only wrap you in several layers at night and then place you between your father and me. We were really afraid to sleep soundly, for fear that we might accidentally smother you if we turned over.”
But fortunately, all of that was in the past.
Chen Mantun took off his coat and, after warming up, went to the two little ones.
Lin Qi and Chen Liyuan arrived at the train station after ten in the morning. The heavy snow had affected the train’s speed, and coupled with the increase in returning travelers near the end of the year, the two had a lot of luggage. It took quite some effort to get out of the station.
Finally, they reached an open space. Chen Liyuan put the things in her hands on the ground and panted, “I told you not to buy so much, but you wouldn’t listen. Look at us, we look like we’re fleeing from famine. With so much, how are we going to carry it back?”
Lin Qi smiled good-naturedly and said, “It’s okay. The snow is so thick. Once we get out of town, I’ll tie them together and drag them. Maybe I can even give you a ride.”
Chen Liyuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Don’t say that. They’re all food, and they can’t handle pressure.”
It was too cold outside, so the two of them rested for a while. They picked up their belongings and were about to head home when they looked up and saw Chen Mantun driving a horse-drawn carriage towards them.
“Dad?” Chen Liyuan immediately picked up her things and went over, “Why are you here?”
Lin Qi also called out, “Uncle.”
“Oh,” Chen Mantun nodded with a simple smile. “It’s cold outside. When I came, your mother specifically gave me a small quilt. Get in the carriage quickly.”
With Chen Mantun picking them up, the two of them felt much lighter, and their speed on the way home increased significantly.
At the Chen family’s house, with the younger ones helping to look after the two children, Chen Lishu, Wu Chunmei, and Chen Lifeng busied themselves with preparing lunch.
Today was the day Lin Qi was officially coming to their home, and the family attached great importance to it.