In front was a place where you could buy fruit. There were five or six shops in a row, and there were no counters inside. Everything was piled high with fruit: apples, pears, and oranges, all in bags. Outside the shop, boxes of fruit were stacked up. An acquaintance was there picking them out, and i Qiuping went up to him and asked if he had seen Feng Zhenchang. He said that Feng Zhenchang had gone over to the fishmonger's.
Further on, there were piles of red chillies that looked like a small mountain. They looked very authentic, because they slled very spicy, and many people around were sneezing from the heat.
The fish stall also occupied a large area, with rubber sheets on the floor forming pools two to three tres in diater, which were covered in plastic and filled with water, and packed with fish.
Feng Zhenchang was nowhere to be seen here either, so Feng Yiping thought, and pulled i Qiuping towards the market. Sure enough, in front of another clothing stall, i Jianzhong and Feng Zhenchang were crouching there smoking, while i Yiliang was with the owner, packing the clothes they had bought.
When i Qiuping went over to speak, i Jianzhong interrupted him, 'Don't say anything. and Qiuping will go buy the sugar, lon seeds, biscuits, firecrackers, etc. Zhenchang, you and Yiliang go buy the other things. Yiping, you carry these clothes and wait for us at the car.'
Feng Yiping carried two large bags of clothes and walked back with difficulty. The four adults split into two groups. i Yiliang lit Feng Zhenchang's cigarette. 'Brother, you don't need to be angry. You know my sister's temper after all these years. She has said it so many tis but she can't change. What can you do? You can only bear with it. You are a man! When a couple argues, do they really have to co to a winner or loser?'
Feng Zhenchang said, 'I don't even want to ntion it. You know your sister's temper. I put up with it from year's end to new year's eve. When it's new year's eve, she makes a scene in front of so many people. Tell , how am I supposed to put up with it?'
i Jianzhong was also talking to i Qiuping, 'You don't have to say anything. Let ask you this: How can you be so inconsiderate of your man's face? No matter how right you are, in public, in front of everyone, you have to lose your temper like that? Where will you put his face? How will you look in the face of this commotion? I've told you many tis, why don't you ever change?'
i Qiuping defended herself, 'It was so expensive and it wasn't delicious, so I said he shouldn't buy it.'
i Jianzhong said, 'Then did you have to make a scene in such a place during the New Year? You're not ashad, I feel embarrassed. I'm afraid that in the past two days, quite a few people will be pointing and talking behind my back, saying that I have a good, fierce daughter.'
i Qiuping was furious, but she managed to hold back and didn't say anything else.
Feng Yiping knew that this matter was not a big deal for most people, but when it ca to the two parents, they would definitely argue about it, and it would be impossible to sort it out.
Luckily, Grandpa was still alive and was able to keep them in check.
The boss of the lamb seller was right: it was the New Year, and everyone wanted to be happy. So in the following days, even though they were still angry, Feng Zhenchang and i Qiuping still brought back bags of New Year's goods, all of which were piled in front of Feng Yiping, before going back to buy other things.
i Qiuping also stuffed a handful of sweets and biscuits into his pocket. Feng Yiping wasn't really interested in that, so he found so lon seeds and sat down on the bag of apples, munching away while looking around. Well, everyone who ca and went, no matter how much they were carrying, had a smile on their face, all happy and carefree, just like his parents.
He noticed two girls holding hands and lingered for a second. Yes, one of them looked familiar. The girl had already exclaid, 'Feng Yiping.'
Oh, it's Huang Jingping. He clapped his hands and went up to her, "You're here to buy New Year's goods too?'
'Yes, all these are for your family.'
'Yes, here, have so candy." Feng Yiping handed them the candy in his pocket. The girl with long hair next to him smiled, 'Why do you treat us like children?'
'Feng Yiping, you did well in the exam and you've done a good job shopping for New Year's goods,' said soone next to him.
Feng Yiping looked over and saw that the man standing next to Huang Jingping and the other woman, holding several sacks in his hands, was none other than Huang Jingping's second uncle, Mr Huang, the political science teacher.
'Hello, Mr Huang. It's not that I did well in the exam, it's mainly because you're a good teacher,' he said, flattering him.
The three people over there laughed. Feng Yiping ran over to the pile of New Year goods and found a packet of cigarettes. He handed them to Teacher Huang, saying, 'Teacher Huang, I didn't expect to run into you here. Please accept this packet of cigarettes as a New Year's greeting. It's not a very good brand, but it's just a little sothing from .'
When he said this, Huang Jingping and the girl found it funny again. Teacher Huang, of course, knew Feng Yiping and knew that he had good grades, but he had no personal relationships with him at school at all.
Teachers at this ti were not like later teachers, who accepted gifts from students with justification, and they would even get angry if they didn't receive gifts when they should, and use excuses to discipline students. So Teacher Huang hesitated a bit now.
At this point, the girl with long hair spoke up, 'Dad, he's been so sincere, just take it.'
Feng Yiping followed up, "So this is the younger sister of the teacher, and since she said so, Mr. Huang, you should take it, shouldn't you, Huang Jingping?'
Huang Jingping looked at him with a smile, "Uncle, just take it.'
Teacher Huang took the cigarettes and said, 'Thank you, these are better than the Big Rooster cigarettes I usually smoke. Please also give my regards to your parents.'
Perhaps it wasn't at school, but Huang Jingping was much more cheerful and lively. "Feng Yiping, do you have any more of these soft candies? They're quite tasty. Where did you buy them?'
Feng Yiping smiled and brought the bag of candies over. "I don't know where I bought them, I didn't buy them. I was just here looking at things. There are so more here, you can take them all.'
Huang Jingping and Huang Shii each picked a few. 'Okay, we'll find our own way. Thanks, bye.'
Teacher Huang nodded at him and told him, "Be careful alone." He squeezed his way through the bustling crowd with the two girls.
It was past lunchti before they finally had all the New Year's goods. They still didn't want to eat on the street, and even i Qiuping was reluctant to buy a few oil cakes. 'We'll be going ho soon, why spend the money?'
This ti there was a lot of stuff, and it wasn't easy to carry it ho, so she spent five yuan to hire a tricycle to take it back to ijiawan, along with the people.
When they arrived ho, her eldest uncle's family had already eaten lunch. i Qiuping quickly made a big pot of noodles. Everyone was hungry, and the five of them gathered around and slurped it up in no ti.
After a short break, i Yiliang helped carry two big bags all the way back to Wutangwan. Along the way, they t several groups of people going to town and also caught up with several groups returning from town. Their parents exchanged warm greetings with them, but between themselves, they did not exchange a single word.
When they arrived ho, the two families next door ca out to greet them. Feng Weidong ca over to help and took the bags from i Yiliang, saying, 'You're a guest here, so let take them.'
His wife also ca over to see, saying, "Uncle, auntie, it looks like you've turned a corner this year, buying so many things.'
Feng Jiasheng's wife also said, "Yes, you're going to move the whole street back here.'
In response, i Qiuping is well-versed in handling such situations. 'Hey, these are all worthless things, unlike you, who buy only the expensive ones. The house is a ss now, so co and visit when I've cleaned up.'
Back at the long-lost ho, the fire in the hearth is lit, a pot of water is boiled, and after i Yiliang has drunk two cups of tea, he gets up and leaves. i Qiuping wants to ask him to stay for the night, but he says he has a mahjong appointnt and will co back during the New Year.
Once i Yiliang left, the house fell silent. Feng Yiping had experienced this kind of situation many tis before, so he was used to it.
i Qiuping was sorting through the things they had bought, putting away the things they had taken with them and finding the things they needed now. Feng Zhenchang sat in the back, where there was the most smoke, squinting and half asleep. Feng Yiping simply hugged the washboard and started doing his winter howork on it.
When they heard they were back, people started arriving in the afternoon. A few were here to collect debts. Feng Zhenchang and they checked the accounts and Feng paid them all on the spot. The people were very happy and said, 'It seems like you've earned a lot of money outside.'
Feng Zhenchang said, 'It's really not acceptable to owe for such a long ti. No matter what, I can't keep delaying paying you. I'll have to go out and find a way. I've earned quite a bit of money, a bit better than farming at ho, but it's hard-earned money.'
There were also many families that had slaughtered their annual pig, and ca to invite Feng Zhenchang and i Qiuping to dinner. It was the custom in the village to invite the people in the sa household, as well as those who knew each other well, to dinner after slaughtering the annual pig. So after the twelfth lunar month, it was often the case that one day I would go to your house for dinner, the next day you would co to my house for dinner, and the day after that we would go to his house for dinner together.
In the afternoon, when they heard that they had returned, Feng Zhenchang's uncle took Dongming to deliver the 20-odd catties of at, and also invited Feng Yiping's family to go to their house for dinner.
Dinner was early, with just two dishes: stir-fried at with chilli and stir-fried carrots with at. The portions were generous, and Feng Zhenchang ate quickly today, drinking just one glass of white wine and eating so dishes but not the rice, before leaving with the money and account book.
This was the first ti in several years that he had taken the initiative to pay back the money at the end of the year.
In the evening, Feng Yiping went to bed early. When he heard the front door open, it was already late. It sounded as if soone had carried Feng Zhenchang to the door. Feng Yiping heard his mother get up and go to help him. Feng Zhenchang said there, 'I'm not drunk, so you don't need to help .'
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Feng Zhenchang was still running around. He was full of energy these past two days. Although he was repaying a debt, he was always in high spirits.
Feng Yiping and his mother cleaned the house, inside and out, including the corners and crevices, as well as the dust on the walls and ceiling. They took out all the pots, pans, chopsticks and spoons and washed them carefully one by one.
On the 28th, Feng Zhenchang finally paid off the debt. It was clear that both parents had let out a sigh of relief.
At dinner that night, i Qiuping said, 'We've finally paid off all our debts, and I feel so much better. I owe it all to you, my son.'
Feng Zhenchang, who was sipping a little wine, actually smiled and said to Feng Yiping, 'Yiping, you're not bad.'
Feng Yiping suddenly felt a flood of emotions!
This was the first ti his father had praised him to his face, and even when Feng Yiping had finally built up a small business, his father had never praised him in person. Of course, Feng Zhenchang might have praised his son in front of other people, but this was definitely the first ti he had done so in person.
As far as Feng Yiping could rember, Feng Zhenchang had rarely smiled at him, probably because things had never been easy for him and he had been happy only rarely.
In short, Feng Zhenchang, who was born before the liberation, is an old-fashioned father with many feudal patriarchal practices and is very strict with his son.
Feng Yiping sotis feels that his father is very similar to the boss of the company. If you do a good job, that's to be expected, don't expect praise or recognition, let alone rewards. If you don't do a good job, he never cares if there are any other objective reasons, he will definitely be severely criticized and even punished.
Later, once, Feng Yiping took Zhang Yan and his son for a walk after dinner. When he heard the two of them talking, he was a little hesitant when he saw them, unsure whether they were father and son. It was mainly because their conversation was very different from the conversations between father and son that Feng Yiping was familiar with.
The two of them walked side by side, talking loudly. The son was very happy, 'I only asked for 20, but you gave 50. Why are you so good to ?'
His father also had a smile on his face, 'Of course I'm nice to you, because you're my son.'
The son happily put his arm around his father's shoulders, 'Dad, you're so nice! I love you so much!'
To be honest, at that mont, Feng Yiping envied this father and son, especially the son. He envied the kind of equality and love between them.
Even if he were to be reborn, Feng Yiping would not have such extravagant hopes. Feng Zhenchang has received an education and been influenced since childhood that it is already rare and not easy to be able to praise him in person like this today, smiling and saying that he is not bad.
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