Two generations of military wives compete for time

The uncle called Han Shiyan and Li Baoguo to his study, handed a property certificate and a bunch of keys to Li Baoguo and said, "This is the wedding house I prepared for you two. This building is a first-hand house with three bedrooms and two living rooms and 160 square meters. It is very close to where your parents live. As far as I know, your parents are currently living in a shanty house of only 30 square meters. Use this house to help your parents improve their living conditions. Your names are written on the property certificate."

Li Baoguo was about to refuse, but Han Shiyan took the property certificate and keys and said, "Thank you, Grandpa. I love you so much. How could you think so carefully for us?"

Han Shiyan said to Li Baoguo, "I'm just thinking about what gift to bring to meet my parents-in-law. Isn't this house deed and key a valuable gift? Let's think about it and buy some fashionable gifts."

When Grandpa Kuang heard that Han Shiyan was going to meet her parents-in-law, he personally delivered two bottles of Kuang’s old-style wine that had been treasured for many years and beautifully packaged.

Qian Yiyun and Wang Min accompanied Han Shiyan to the mall and bought two expensive new sets of clothes for Li Baoguo's parents.

Qian Yizhen took the four children to Xinhua Bookstore to purchase a large number of books, and sent them to the reading room prepared for the children at Yang Ruolan's home. Knowing that Li Baoguo's sister had two children around ten years old, he specially bought a dozen more children's books for Han Shiyan as a gift for her first meeting with her in-laws.

After Yang Ruolan found out, she went to the state-owned store and bought two cans of milk powder, two kilograms of White Rabbit and Maltesers, bubble gum, fig shreds, popping candy, etc., and asked the four children to give them to Han Shiyan as gifts for her parents-in-law.

Han Shiyan drove Li Baoguo and bags of gifts to Li Baoguo's parents' home.

Han Shiyan parked the car on the main road and followed Li Baoguo, turning around in the narrow alleys and finally arriving at the door of Li Baoguo's parents' home. She walked into the simple courtyard gate, saw three bungalows and three large water tanks filled with water in the narrow courtyard.

There is a ditch next to the water tank, and the sewage flows out of the ditch into the large drainage ditch outside the courtyard wall. The whole courtyard exudes a faint musty smell.

Father and Mother Li stood at the door, looking expressionlessly at Han Shiyan and Li Baoguo as they entered. Li Baoguo hurriedly introduced them, "Shiyan, this is my dad, and this is my mom. Dad, mom, this is your daughter-in-law, Han Shiyan. These are gifts for you."

Mother Li glanced at Han Shiyan and said, "Nizi, sit down." Li Baoguo asked Han Shiyan to sit on the edge of the kang.

Father Li sat on the chair to the right of the eight-immortal table, took a deep puff of his cigarette, and said, "Marriage is a big deal. Why didn't you discuss it with your parents and just got a marriage certificate privately? It's a foreign marriage certificate, is it recognized in China?"

"Dad, I told you this when we got our marriage certificate. Why are you saying this again now? Hong Kong is a part of China, and our marriage certificate is not from a foreign country," Li Baoguo explained.

Han Shiyan had a vague understanding of the northern provincial dialect, so she could only observe everything around her as a bystander.

Li's mother said in dialect: "Guo'er, look at this girl, she is wearing fancy clothes, has her eyebrows and eyes painted, and smells fragrant. Can you afford to support her?"

"Mom, we're already married and a legal couple. You don't have to worry about these things anymore, okay?" Li Baoguo said as he placed the gifts he brought on the eight-immortals table.

"Mom and Dad, these are the new clothes, Kuang's old-style wine, milk powder, and other gifts your daughter-in-law bought for you, as well as books, candies, and other gifts for my sister's children." Li Baoguo said with a smile on his face.

Han Shiyan found that the furnishings in Li's room were very simple. There was an eight-person table in the middle of the room, with a round chair on each side of the table. The round chair on the right was next to the big earthen kang, on which there was a wooden box in addition to bedding. There was a simple cupboard on the left side of the eight-person table and the round chair, and a small dining table in front of the cupboard.

Han Shiyan felt that since Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, and Li Baoguo were talking non-stop and she couldn't understand a word they said, she might as well go out and get some fresh air.

Han Shiyan stood in the yard, staring at the sky for a while, wanting to see what the room where Li Baoguo had lived since he was a child looked like. She observed for a long time but couldn't find Li Baoguo's bedroom. Could it be that Li Baoguo and his parents were sleeping on the same big earthen kang?

Han Shiyan ran into the room, grabbed Li Baoguo's hand and said, "Let me take a look at your room. I want to find traces of your childhood, youth, and youth."

Li Baoguo glanced at his parents, stood up, held Han Shiyan's hand, and lifted the curtain door next to the cupboard. Inside was a room of six or seven square meters, with a large earthen kang occupying most of the space. In addition to bedding, the bed was also scattered with clothes, some for children and some for adults.

Li's mother said, "Your sister's house is leaking and has become a dangerous building. There is no place to live. I will let your sister and brother-in-law sleep on your kang, and the two nephews will sleep on the big kang for us old couple."

"Mom and Dad, you old two have been urging me to get married. Now I have brought my wife home. Where do you plan to let your son and daughter-in-law live? Do you want us to sleep on the floor or in the yard?" Li Baoguo said with a wry smile.

"Mom and Dad, are my brother Baoguo and his wife here?" Li Baoguo's sister rushed into the house.

"Shiyan, this is my sister." Li Baoguo introduced. Han Shiyan called out politely: "Sister, hello, I am Han Shiyan."

"Sister-in-law, you are so pretty and your clothes are nice too. My brother is such a blessed man." Li Baoguo's sister said enviously.

"Sister, we have discussed it and decided to hold a wedding reception at the Qingfeng Hotel. We will invite you, your brother-in-law, and your nephews to attend the reception," said Li Baoguo.

"Okay, okay, obedience is worse than respect. We will definitely go." said Li Baoguo's sister.

"Go away. Go away, it's our Li family who is getting married and we are going to the hotel. Who will collect the share money from the Li family? How much will it cost to stay in such an expensive hotel? Don't you have a backache while you are sitting and talking?" said Li's father.

"You don't have to worry about the hotel's banquet money. Just go and eat, drink, and have a lively gathering," said Li Baoguo.

"Whenever there is a wedding, one has to paint the walls, change the interior and decorate the new house. Only then will we feel proud when relatives come to visit. Open your eyes and look at how poor our family is! Humph." said Li's mother.

Han Shiyan took out a bunch of keys from her bag and said, "Aunt, this is an apartment my grandpa gave to Li Baoguo and me as a wedding gift. It's very close to you. Uncle and aunt, you can move in with your luggage. All kinds of daily necessities have been prepared. If you need anything, please tell Li Baoguo. As children, we should respect our parents."

Li Baoguo's sister's eyes sparkled as she said, "Is it true? Buildings are too expensive for ordinary people like us to even think about. Mom and Dad, it's good now that you can enjoy the blessing of your son. You should move in quickly and enjoy the good life. Then you can open the eyes of our relatives."