"Then let’s try our best to prepare sothing nice. It is just a al after all, and I can afford this much money. Let’s make sure it’s not inferior to what they have."
"You make it sound so easy. Who are they, and who are we? Don’t be fooled by that Lin, always saying she’s from the countryside. Have you ever seen a villager like her? As soon as she arrived, she had a whole set of new furniture, a TV, and a radio. Which of our farrs is as rich as them? We are the genuine, old peasants; even if we did have sothing, we couldn’t compare with them."
"If this won’t do and that won’t do, what exactly do you want?"
Feng Dajun ran out of patience, threw his chopsticks on the table, and frowned deeply.
Sister-in-law Feng was ultimately afraid of Feng Dajun. Seeing him truly angry, she spoke in a timid and compliant manner, "I don’t have any particular thoughts, I’m just saying Mr. Qin is not as simple as you think. You should be more careful when you go to work, don’t let others take advantage. As for hosting guests, let’s forget about it. They look down on us after all. If you invite a bunch of people and no one shows up, wouldn’t that be like putting your face on the ground for others to step on..."
......
The bustling atmosphere continued until after nine o’clock in the evening.
At this ti, people had little nightlife, and not every household had a TV, with most already asleep by nine o’clock.
Minister Wei patted his belly contentedly, "Ah, I’m really full and satisfied today. Xiao Qin, you are indeed very blessed. The cooking skills of your family outshine even the State-Owned Restaurant. Little Lin has worked hard today, thank you both for your hospitality. It’s getting late, we should call it a day, so you can also get so rest."
With the minister’s words, the al officially ca to an end.
Minister Wei and Sister-in-law Gong went ho first.
Fu Shouquan with his wife and child hurried ho as well, now that their little girl was nodding off tiredly.
Jiang Hong wanted to help clean up, but was chased away by Sister-in-law Fu.
In the end, it was just Lin Chuxia and Sister-in-law Fu left to clean up the table.
Qin Yang did want to help, but Hu Qing’an, who was quite drunk today, kept holding him in conversation.
Lin Chuxia gave him a look, indicating that in this situation it was better to entertain the guest. Besides, with Sister-in-law Fu helping, it wasn’t quite appropriate for Qin Yang to butt in.
There were a lot of dishes used today, and so of them were even borrowed from Sister-in-law Fu’s house.
The two chatted idly while washing dishes, and eventually their conversation turned to Minister Wei and Sister-in-law Gong.
"Sister-in-law Gong is also quite lucky. Back when she was pregnant and giving birth, it coincided with a natural disaster. Not having enough food or drink during pregnancy was one thing, but then she had a difficult labor and nearly bled dry. Surviving that left her with barely any breath in her. I heard at that ti the couple was living separately, and when Minister Wei heard about the situation, he rode his bicycle all night long to her, feeding her the food he had saved from his unit, mouthful by mouthful. And just like that, her life was saved, though her health wasn’t fully restored. Later, Minister Wei managed to arrange for both of their jobs to be in the sa place. Over the years, he took good care of her, and that’s why she’s recovered to this point. People in the courtyard always say that a woman who finds a man like Minister Wei is lucky for life. Without him, Sister-in-law Gong’s breath wouldn’t have lasted long."
Lin Chuxia could imagine the peril at that ti and it was clear to see that the couple shared a strong bond.
.........
Hou Xiaobao ca to the city to celebrate the new business addition to Jia Liang’s Bun Shop and brought a piece of news for Lin Chuxia.
The county was going to hold the annual summary conference for various enterprises, and County Magistrate Bai specifically requested Lin Chuxia to attend.
In her past life, Lin Chuxia had also attended such etings. It was the late 1980s by then, and private enterprises were sprouting up like bamboo shoots after rain; she was just one among many erging shoots.
The current situation was entirely different. Although a few individual businesses had erged, they mostly received recognition at the town and village level.
Even though her Xiyang Food Factory had grown to so extent, Lin Chuxia didn’t think she qualified to sit with the big shots from these state-owned enterprises.
Yet it was County Magistrate Bai who had personally nad her.
"Alright, I got it. I’ll make sure to go on ti."
Lin Chuxia promised to attend first, no matter what, it would be discussed after going there.
She hadn’t been back to her hotown for quite a long ti, and she hadn’t visited her master either. She had sent him so things and written a letter last ti, but there had been no reply. She wondered if the old man had returned yet.
At dinner, Lin Chuxia ntioned this to Qin Yang, who also wanted to accompany her back. Lin Chuxia refused.
As the end of the year approached, Qin Yang’s work was also mounting, and the affairs back in his ancestral ho couldn’t be settled in just a day or two.
Qin Yang pursed his lips. Before, when they lived in different places, he hadn’t felt much, but now that he was used to their cozy life together, he surprisingly felt reluctant at the ntion of his wife leaving.
"Then co back when you are done, and if it’s the weekend, give a call; I’ll co to pick you up."
Qin Yang repeated his instructions several tis, and Lin Chuxia agreed to them all, thinking that this man was becoming more and more childish.
The next morning, Lin Chuxia went to the departnt store to buy so things before taking the bus back to An City.
After an unsteady ride of less than two hours, she arrived in An City. Lin Chuxia first went to her master’s place.
She saw the gate was locked, and the weed that had grown after autumn and turned yellow - a sign that the master had not returned.
"Where has this old man gone to play now? Is he too happy to think of ho?"
Muttering to herself, Lin Chuxia didn’t enter the yard and went directly back to the Qin Family ho.
Mrs. Qin was overjoyed to see Lin Chuxia’s return, and imdiately told Mr. Qin to go weigh so at.
Lin Chuxia stopped her, "Mom, there’s no need to hurry, I’ve brought so spareribs back ho. Let’s stew spareribs for lunch today."
Lin Chuxia was carrying a lot of bags—with spareribs, delicious pastries, and clothes bought for Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, and Little Zhuangzhuang.
"We aren’t lacking anything at ho, and it’s tiring for you to bring so much stuff from afar. You can’t buy so much next ti."
Despite saying so, the old lady was smiling so much her eyes squinted shut.
Lin Chuxia took out a fashionable padded jacket from the big bag, "Mom, try this on and see if it fits. This one is for Dad; let’s see if he likes it."
Mr. Qin did not expect to have sothing for himself, but even before seeing it, he was nodding his head repeatedly, "I like it, I like it!"
Mrs. Qin quickly wiped her hands and put on the padded jacket, fondly touching here and there, then with a bit of embarrassnt looked at Lin Chuxia, "Is this too flamboyant for ?"
The date-red padded jacket was not at all garish. Mrs. Qin was just a bit over fifty years old.
It’s just that people of their generation often wore plain clothes early on, either black or gray.
In the past, the clothes Mrs. Qin made for herself were traditional Chinese styles with big buttons and even so won of her age had bound feet.
"Mom, it looks good, you should wear it like this from now on," Lin Chuxia complinted.
Mrs. Qin then looked to Mr. Qin, who also smiled and said, "City clothes look nice, and you look good in them too."
Clearly expecting her husband’s praise, when Mr. Qin said it so bluntly, Mrs. Qin felt embarrassed.
Especially in front of her daughter-in-law.
Normally, Mrs. Qin would have glared at Mr. Qin irritably, but seeing Mr. Qin wearing the navy-blue padded jacket, he looked more than a decade younger.
Suddenly, she felt that it was quite nice to complint soone like her daughter-in-law does.
"You also look good in this, very spirited," she said, and her old face turned red with shyness.
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