The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Before Jiang Dapeng could say a few words to his mother, she started talking to him. He knew that his mother was really angry.

From childhood to adulthood, my mother has never said this to him, and she has rarely given him long speeches. This is the first time he has heard my mother talk about the leader.

"Qingqing," Jiang Dapeng calmed down, his mind clearing. He unhooked the buttons on his uniform collar and said seriously, "Our unit, your mother's workplace, your school, and your sister's school all have their own rules. Good work is rewarded, and mistakes are penalized. In the army, mistakes are punishable, and some are punished with solitary confinement, written self-criticisms, and criticized at meetings."

Jiang Guoqing understood: "I know, I know. If we talk nonsense in class, the teacher will call us out and criticize us!"

Jiang Dapeng nodded in affirmation. "That's right. You can't be late for school or work, you can't leave early. These are the rules. And there are also the three major disciplines and eight points of attention that are announced every day on the loudspeaker. Discipline is the rules that soldiers must abide by. A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. This is what grandma meant. Do you understand?"

Jiang Guoqing chuckled and put his hand to his forehead and saluted: "Oh my god, I understand!"

Jiang Dapeng forced a smile: "I understand. Go play after you've eaten. It's cold outside and the road is slippery. Be careful."

Jiang Zhaohui stood up quickly as if he had been granted amnesty: "I'm going back to my room to do my homework."

"Open the door gently," Jiang Furong stood up and went back to the house.

Jiang Xiaocui cleared the chopsticks and bowls on the table and felt better. "Mom, brother, sister-in-law, please sit down. I'll knead the dough and bring it out to make dumplings together."

I went to the kitchen humming a song.

Hu Xiuqing put on a cotton hat and scarf for Jiang Guoqing with a stern face and took him to visit friends.

Jiang Dapeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that everything would be fine after he finished talking.

Grandma Jiang wouldn't let him go: "Dapeng, you're not doing enough! You're just explaining things to a child, and that's it? You're not going to teach him how to do it?"

Jiang Dapeng touched his nose: "Qingqing is only seven years old. He won't understand even if I tell him more."

"I don't understand?" Grandma Jiang snorted. "The way Qingqing glared at you just now was exactly like his mother's. He almost slammed the table. Is he still a child?"

Jiang Dapeng quickly promised: "Okay, next time I see him, I will definitely tell him about it."

Grandma Jiang was still furious. "If the child doesn't understand, you have to teach him. If he does something wrong, you should spank him and scold him at home. You should teach him behind closed doors. That's family education. The next time he makes a mistake, it's just one more mistake! You spank him outside to show others. Those who don't know how to behave will see you, the parent, spank him and will come and beat him up too. You, you, how did I teach you? How did I treat you and your siblings?"

Without anyone else present, Jiang Dapeng felt less pressure and remained the filial and obedient eldest son: "Mom, I haven't done enough. I will listen to you."

Not making excuses means not finding excuses to shirk responsibility, honestly admitting that you did something wrong, and listening carefully to my teachings.

"I'm not saying anything bad about Xiuqing. You're busy with work and she's tired. I understand that. If she doesn't look right with me or says something wrong, I won't bother with her. Anyway, I can't live here forever. I'll be gone after a few days. But there are some things I have to say. You, I mean Xiuqing, no matter what, she can't take her anger out on the child. You can't scold the child for eating for free and being an idler! There's nothing you can do if you can't find a job in the countryside, but who doesn't try to earn a living? Furong has been studying for so many years and has a city hukou. You know so many people and have connections. It's fine if you don't try to arrange a job for her, but why do you lock her up at home, beat and scold her? And you don't even give her food! This is a new society. How can you bully your own children like landlords? Huh?"

The old lady became more and more excited as she spoke. In the end, she almost couldn't breathe and kept coughing.

Jiang Dapeng was so frightened that he quickly stood up and patted his mother on the back: "Yes, yes, I will correct my mistakes! I will correct them!"

Grandma Jiang panted for a while, still very excited. She wanted to speak but couldn't. After holding it in for a long time, she only said two words: "How to change it?"

Talking without doing is the same as not saying anything at all. She must hear the result today.

Jiang Dapeng said, "We originally wanted to arrange a job for Furong, but Qingqing didn't go to school and had no one to look after her. When she returned home, she couldn't even eat, so we didn't rush to arrange one. If you hadn't come this time, we would have sent Furong back to her hometown to see you, and then we would consider arranging a job for her or enlisting in the army when she came back."

Grandma Jiang didn't believe it: "You're lying to me!"

If there were such a good and stable arrangement, how could this family be in turmoil? Could Xiuqing accuse the family of being full of useless people who just eat their meals?

Jiang Dapeng was helpless and wanted to raise his fist to swear: "Mom, I'm telling the truth. I heard that some places no longer need to go to the countryside to work. I've been trying to find out the news!"

Grandma Jiang took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. The depression in her heart finally came out: "If you dare to lie to me, I will take Furong away and never recognize you as my son again!"

Through her observations over the past few days and the things she experienced over the past few days, Grandma Jiang felt that Jiang Furong was the capable and reliable person.

Jiang Dapeng smiled and coaxed his mother: "Furong is just a dull person, doesn't like to talk, and doesn't interact with people much. I know it all in my heart. I kept it in mind when arranging work."

Grandma Jiang laughed angrily: "Furong is not very good at socializing? Look at the bench in the room where I sleep, and the stool you sit on, they were all brought back by Furong. You don't even have a bed or quilt in your own home..."

Grandma Jiang couldn't even utter these words and swallowed them back.

It’s not good to always expose your son’s shortcomings.

Jiang Dapeng seemed to have made a new discovery: "That's right, I discovered it a long time ago. I wanted to ask, but I forgot. Where did you get it from? Or was it given to you by someone?"

Although it looks worn out, it has been repaired quite well. It is very stable to sit on and has no rough edges.

It's the style of the troops.

It was probably because that comrade retired and gave away the extra stuff he couldn't take with him, which happened to be given to Furong.

Grandma Jiang shook her head: "I didn't ask that! Ask Furong yourself!"

Jiang Dapeng thought of Xiao Baoying in the room and said, "Well, when Furong comes out later, I'll ask her how she knew Political Commissar Zhao."

Political Commissar Zhao is Xiao Baoying's grandfather. He holds an important position, is very serious and stern. When they meet at work, the subordinates salute him and the superiors just nod. Apart from work, by the way, they have never talked about any topics other than work.