??Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Chinese New Year
Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Chinese New Year
“Qiuqiu, Qiuqiu, I’m back.”
Yang Mingchao stood in the courtyard and began to shout. Lu Jingqiu, holding Hua Hua, ca out to see a man with ssy hair, a scruffy beard, and clothes that were worn and faded to the point of near unrecognizability. “Second Cousin, what happened to you?”
Yang Mingchao scratched his head. “I’ve been driving for a few days, didn’t rest well, didn’t shower, and didn’t eat well. I’m really hungry, Qiuqiu. Can you make
sothing to eat?”
Lu Jingqiu looked at him, both amused and sympathetic. “Sure, I have the day off today. How about I stir-fry a few dishes and we wait for my dad and uncle-in-law to eat together?”
“Okay, I’ll go take a shower first.”
Lu Jingqiu put down Hua Hua and went to the kitchen. In winter, aside from cabbage and radishes, there wasn’t much else to eat.
One dish of cabbage with at, one of green onion scrambled eggs, and a plate of peanuts.
Lu Jingqiu started cooking. When Yang Mingchao ca over, she first gave him two boiled eggs to tide him over. “Second Cousin, go see what’s keeping Uncle and my dad from getting off work.”
“Alright, I’ll go check.” Yang Mingchao was indeed hungry, stuffing the eggs into his mouth one after another, mumbling as he left the house. He returned about five minutes later, followed by his father and uncle-in-law.
Looking at the dishes on the table and slling the fragrance wafting from the kitchen, Uncle regretfully said, “Had I known, I wouldn’t have eaten in the cafeteria.”
“Uncle, then you can join my dad for a couple of drinks.” Auntie got off work late, Older Cousin wasn’t ho, Second Cousin was hardly ever ho, and Uncle-in-law mostly ate in the cafeteria.
“Just a little drink, can’t be greedy.”
By this ti, Lu Xianrun was already smiling and going to get the liquor. Yang Mingchao sat at the table and quickly took several bites.
Yang Pinggui looked at his son who showed no courtesy and said with annoyance, “Where have you been these past few days? Is the transport team busy?”
“Dad, with the New Year coming up, all the units need goods delivered. Our transport team doesn’t even have enough trucks; two people per truck, eating and sleeping in the vehicle. I hardly ate today.”
Lu Xianrun ca over with the liquor. “Let the kid eat first. We have no outsiders here. Qiuqiu, do we have any rice? Hurry up and let your second cousin fill his stomach.”
“Dad, I’ve got noodles on. It’ll be ready soon.”
Lu Jingqiu made scallion noodles, and Yang Mingchao ate two large bowls. He nearly finished all the dishes on the table.
Patting his full belly, he said carefreely, “Nothing beats the food at ho.”
Lu Xianrun asked, “Mingchao, won’t you have a drink?”
“I have to leave early tomorrow, just ca back today with Gao Da to change clothes.”
“Second Cousin, when do you get holidays?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“Uncle, when is Older Cousin coming back?”
“Either on the twenty-ninth or on New Year’s Eve. He doesn’t get many days off.”
“Ah, he’s coming back that late?”
Lu Xianrun said, “It’s good enough that he can co back.”
Being a soldier in the earlier years was hard, with few holidays, and sotis they couldn’t see their families for a year or two.
Yang Pinggui said, “Really, he can only co back for three days this ti. By the way, what’s going on with that Zhuang Chen under your command, suddenly being transferred?”
“His cousin got arrested for speculation and profiteering, which affected him. So, his family had him transfer to civilian life as soon as possible.”
“How could that affect him?”
“That cousin of his lost his parents when he was young and was legally adopted under his father’s na, but lived with his mother. Later, when she remarried, the cousin went with her. Under his dad’s na, that’s family. With soone in jail in the family, that can affect his future career, so it’s better to transfer early while young.”
Yang Mingchao joked, “His own good career got ruined by a cousin who was adopted into the na. Zhuang Chen’s family is probably furious.”
Lu Xianrun said, “Qiuqiu, that cousin of his seems to live in Ten-miles Village.”
Surna Zhuang, from Ten-miles Village, a no-gooder: “Zhuang Yan, huh? That guy is indeed troubleso, never doing anything proper. So he’s related to dad’s subordinate, huh.”
She rembered Zhuang Chen from her previous life—he had followed her dad for many years and was later transferred to another military region. Later, when her father got sick, Zhuang Chen had specifically co to visit, still in his military uniform and had not transferred at that ti.
“Ah, it’s a real pity,” although Yang Pinggui worked in the propaganda departnt, he knew of Zhuang Chen, an excellent soldier. “He’s been in the army for over ten years, with a decent rank. His departure will stir up so action from those around .”
“Which departnt did they belong to?”
Yang Pinggui paused from his drinking and wrote a na on the table. Lu Xianrun chuckled, “This ti, they are likely to be disappointed.”
Lu Jingqiu wasn’t familiar with her father’s and uncle-in-law’s work matters, so she stood up to clean the kitchen.
Yang Mingchao followed her, whispering, “Qiuqiu, tell , what gift would you like for the New Year? Brother will get it for you.”
Lu Jingqiu looked at her suddenly generous second cousin, with a guess in her mind. “Did you make a lot of money?”
Yang Mingchao modestly said, “Can’t say it’s a lot, but enough for your brother to spend freely.”
“Since you’ve said it, I won’t hold back.”
“I want a cara.”
“A cara? Sure, I was dealing with that recently. I’ll get you a good one in a few days.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, made quite a bit. Once Gao Da and I sort things out, we’ll divide the money.”
“Brother, thank you.”
“What’s there to thank? If you hadn’t put in so much money, we wouldn’t have gotten so much cargo. But, hearing about this from dad today was a wake-up call for . We should lie low after the New Year. If colleagues find out, they’ll be jealous, and if it gets out, there will be big problems.”
Lu Jingqiu agreed, “You’re right, Second Cousin.”
In her previous life, she had not given Second Cousin so much money. Lately, he had made quite a bit, and she feared the butterfly effect might bring trouble to Second Cousin.
…
During the days she didn’t have to go to work, apart from going out to buy groceries, Lu Jingqiu was cleaning the house.
It wasn’t until the morning of New Year’s Eve that Older Cousin returned with his future wife.
When Lu Jingqiu learned about it, she made a special trip to her aunt’s house.
ng Sining was in the sa unit as Older Cousin, stationed over two hundred kiloters away in Yangjiang City. ng Sining was a local, working in a clerical position in the unit.
Later, Older Cousin had been staying in Yangjiang City, having settled down there.
She had t Older Cousin’s Wife several tis, a very straightforward person with a pleasant personality. The only issue was she wasn’t great at cooking, having been spoiled by Older Cousin for a lifeti.
“Older Cousin, Older Cousin’s Wife.”
ng Sining was quite pretty, standing about 165 centiters tall—roughly the sa height as Lu Jingqiu—with a student haircut and straight bangs, her skin fair.
Older cousin, towering at 180 centiters, made his wife seem even more delicate by comparison.
ng Sining blushed when Lu Jingqiu called her, hiding behind Yang Mingwei.
Yang Mingwei laughingly handed Lu Jingqiu a candy, saying, “Don’t call her that just yet.”
Lu Jingqiu teased playfully, “She will be eventually, right, Cousin-in-law?”
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