Return to the 1982 Staff Compound

Chapter 93 Real Life

Qiu Huoming tightened his grip on the handlebars. There was a crossroad ahead, and his tone softened.

"Sister, what about your mother-in-law? Is she good to you?"

This time Qiu Hongling was silent. She didn't know how to start for a moment.

Qiu Huoming's anger was slowly fermenting, and he could only suppress it desperately.

After a while, Qiu Hongling said, "Actually, it's not easy for her either..."

It was unclear whether this sentence was to excuse her or to find a reasonable explanation for his own situation. "She is not in good health now. Her sister-in-law's marriage has problems. She has been living in her parents' home these days. There are many things to do at home. Your brother-in-law travels to other provinces all day long..."

As she spoke, she became a little dazed.

Qiu Huoming sneered, "Just his two-bedroom, one-living room house, with four people living in it?"

"Five people, and a baby."

When Qiu Hongling received the call from her father, she went from being worried at first to secretly happy later. She could finally get rid of this kind of life, even if it was only for a short two and a half days.

"Why don't you transfer back to Wucheng to work? Your brother-in-law is often not at home anyway, so you might as well move back. Our family is planning to build an extra house, so we can give it to you." Qiu Huoming said while keeping his voice calm.

The car was driving very fast and had already passed the old bridge. The compound was not far ahead.

Qiu Hongling sighed. She looked at the familiar scenery of her hometown and felt worried for a moment. If a married woman returned to her parents' home to live permanently, she would be afraid that her parents would not be able to hold their heads up.

"As for my parents, you don't have to worry. Dad is not popular in the compound. It doesn't matter whether others look up to him or not..."

Qiu Hongling was stunned. She didn't expect her brother to say such words as if he had guessed what she was thinking.

"I'm serious. Don't be afraid even if we get divorced. I can support you, and mom hopes for your well-being."

The car slid downhill, and in front of them was the familiar iron gate of the compound. Qiu Hongling's eyes were red, but she held back her tears.

The car turned a corner and arrived at the alley of bungalows, and the house was just in front.

The younger sister was squatting at the door, feeding the chickens with insects. She jumped up immediately when she heard the noise, "Sister, the elder sister is back!"

She ran over.

Qiu Huoming braked to a stop with a "squeak". "You reckless bastard! Aren't you afraid that I will hit you?"

The younger sister giggled, "Brother, your skills are the best in the world."

As she spoke, she tilted her head to look at Qiu Hongling who was jumping out of the car, and their eyes met.

Qiu Hongling stretched out her arms, "Come, give me a hug."

The younger sister immediately ran over and hugged Qiu Hongling's waist, "Sister, I missed you so much."

The eldest sister came out of the living room, took a few quick steps forward, stopped in front of Qiu Hongling and called out, "Sister!"

Qiu Huoming parked the car and carried the bamboo basket into the living room. "Come in, don't stand at the door." He turned his head and shouted outside the door.

Then he went into the house and made a cup of malted milk for Qiu Hongling.

Some families lock the malted milk they buy in the cupboard, but the Qiu family puts it directly outside, and whoever wants to drink it can make it themselves without any restrictions.

He brought the prepared malted milk and put it on the table, "Sister, drink some water." Then he turned around and walked out again.

Qiu Hongling smelled the fragrance. She was too tired to drink water on the way due to the long journey, but she was really thirsty. She took a sip and it tasted rich milky aroma. She immediately felt better.

The little sister licked her lips.

Qiu Hongling smiled, glanced at her younger sister and said, "Want a drink?" She was about to hand her cup to her.

All I heard was Qiu Huoming calling from the kitchen: "Hongye, Hongshuang, come in and get some cups..."

"Coming!" The younger sister's eyes lit up and she immediately pushed open the screen door and rushed out. Qiu Huoming made three cups of malted milk in the kitchen and gave one to everyone present.

The four of them sat face to face at the square table in the living room, drinking malted milk and chatting. The eldest sister even ran into her parents' bedroom and took out the "Contemporary" that Chen Suniang had treasured, and pointed to the article written by Qiu Huoming to show her to her eldest sister.

Qiu Huoming closed the book in one swoop, "Sister, please wait until I'm not around before reading. I'll be so scared if you read it in person..."

"Brother, what does social death mean?" the eldest sister asked because she didn't understand.

"Social death." Qiu Huoming sighed.

"Puchi" Qiu Hongling laughed out loud, and immediately felt much more relaxed, and the stone pressing on her heart temporarily disappeared.

Qiu Hongling is a special person in the Qiu family. She is four years younger than Qiu Huoming. As the first child of the Qiu family, she had no one to take care of her at home, so she was sent to school early. After graduating from high school, she went to work in a factory.

In 78, the country officially resumed the college entrance examination, and she also took the exam. She failed to get into university, but unexpectedly got into a technical secondary school, where she studied for two years. After graduation, she was assigned back to her hometown and transferred to a fleet, where she worked as an accountant.

While working, she met Hu Weidong, a driver who was traveling between Jiangkou County and Wucheng County. After a few interactions, the two started dating.

At that time, the driver was enjoying a good life and was one of the eight major members.

Hu Weidong promised at that time that he would take responsibility for the Qiu family's future affairs.

Qiu Hongling did not have a better marriage partner in Wucheng County. At that time, everyone got married early, and Hu Weidong was considered to be marrying late. He was three years older than Qiu Hongling, and he was the only son in the family. His mother was a widow and had been urging him to get married. In addition, Hu Weidong's sister had just got married a few years ago, so the house was empty, so he also wanted to get married as soon as possible.

The Qiu family has good genes, and Qiu Hongling's appearance is the most outstanding in the team. He fell in love with her at first sight.

In order to get married, he used his connections to transfer Qiu Hongling's job to Jiangkou County.

Qiu Hongling thought at the time that since she worked in the motorcade and Hu Weidong traveled between the two places, she could come back anytime she wanted, so she agreed.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they got married, Hu Weidong's job was transferred and he started driving long distances. The subsidies for long-distance driving were high, so he was naturally happy about it.

As a result, many of Qiu Hongling's plans came to nothing.

"Big sister, little sister, you go back to your room first. I want to talk to my elder sister about something." Qiu Huoming suddenly said after drinking the malted milk in the cup.

The elder sister pulled up the still confused younger sister and said to Qiu Huoming, "My younger sister and I will go to the door to feed the chickens."

Qiu Hongling looked at her two sisters who pushed open the screen door and walked out, then looked at her brother with a serious face, and suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Sister, you can tell me now, why is your sister-in-law living with you? Doesn't your mother-in-law have a house?"

She told Qiu Huoming about her mother-in-law owning a house when she was chatting with Chen Suniang a few days ago.

Qiu Hongling held her chin with one hand and touched her belly with the other.

Her brother's eyes were as clear as the finest glass, and his concern was almost overflowing, making her unable to say no for a moment.

She thought about it and realized that she had been feeling very depressed for some time. Why not just talk about it and let her grievances flow out.

"After I married your brother-in-law, his job was transferred and he was often not at home. My mother-in-law was in poor health..."

Qiu Huoming listened quietly, and his sister was finally willing to show him the real life in a foreign land.