Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

To break the silence, Li Xiangdong spoke first: "Dad, there hasn't been much chores around the house lately, has there?"

"not much."

Li Xiangdong saw his father-in-law take out a small pinch of tobacco from his pocket and a small piece of paper from another pocket, and start rolling a cigarette. He quickly took out a Daqianmen cigarette from his pocket.

"Dad, you should smoke this."

Li Xiangdong pointed to a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes on the table, "You can smoke this pack as much as you like. And these two bottles of wine, you can have a drink with my brother after work. Don't be stingy, I'll get you more next time."

"Need not."

Seeing that his father-in-law not only didn't want to engage in conversation but also wouldn't accept his cigarette, Li Xiangdong lit one himself and started smoking.

“You and Mom are getting old, so please take it easy when you’re working. If you feel unwell, please tell us. We can’t let small problems turn into big ones.”

"fine."

Rub~

Li Xiangdong was so exasperated by his father-in-law that he had no choice but to resort to his trump card!

"How are Zhou Yuqi's grades at school? If she needs study materials, I can find some for her in the city."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhou's eyes lit up!

"Okay, that's good. Remember to bring it next time you come. Don't worry about the cost, I'll pay you whatever it costs."

Seeing that things were looking promising, Li Xiangdong started a conversation with his sister-in-law, Zhou Yuqi, and gradually began chatting with his father-in-law.

“Our Yuqi is smart. If she studies hard, she will definitely get into university. When she goes to school in the city, if she can’t come back on Sundays, she can stay at my house.”

Zhou's father, unaware of what had happened, had already lit the Daqianmen cigarette that Li Xiangdong had handed him. He nodded and said with a smile, "Good, good, good, but we'll have to trouble our in-laws then."

Li Xiangdong smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's no trouble at all. My parents love daughters the most. It's a pity that there are only the three of us brothers in our family. Fortunately, we now have three daughters-in-law, so my parents can finally have their fill of having daughters."

Mr. Zhou understood the meaning behind his son-in-law's words. He knew that his son-in-law was telling him that his daughter had not suffered in her husband's family. He was so happy that his face turned red.

“Your parents did the right thing. A daughter-in-law is like a daughter. Your mother and I also treat your sister-in-law like our own daughter. No wonder I saw that you two got along well when you got married.”

Li Xiangdong nodded and said, "My father and mother also said that you seem like an honest person, and that this marriage was a good one. What was my grandfather saying back then?"

He pretended to be deep in thought, then slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, right, they said our two families are like one family of workers and peasants, and that I should take good care of you and my mother in the future. It's just that I was ignorant before, and caused you and my mother a lot of worry."

As he spoke, he got up and refilled the water in Mr. Zhou's cup, saying, "You'll see how I behave in the future, and I'll definitely correct my mistakes."

Zhou's father, coaxed by Li Xiangdong, waved his hands repeatedly while panting, "To be honest, this is also my fault. It's made you feel uneasy. You're still young, so it's inevitable that you'll make mistakes."

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past. Your father and mother didn't take it to heart. Look at you now, you're doing just fine, aren't you? You're working for the railway now."

He then changed the subject, saying with a regretful expression, "It's such a pity that I haven't met your grandparents since you got married. Once the busy farming season is over, I'll definitely go and pay them a visit."

Li Xiangdong quickly agreed, "Sure, let my older brother's family come with Yuqi. I have a childhood friend whose family has several empty rooms. We men can stay there for a few days, no problem at all."

"Good good."

Mr. Zhou is overjoyed. His eldest daughter has not suffered any hardship in the city, and his son-in-law has become more sensible.

I was so angry, it's all gone now.

It's mainly because we're in-laws, that's great!

The phrase "workers and peasants are one family" really touched his heart, making him feel a strong urge to connect with it. He had often worried that his in-laws would look down on them because they were peasants, but it seems he was being narrow-minded.

After reflecting on his actions for a while, Zhou's father asked, "Dongzi, are you rested enough? If not, let's have some water and chat for a bit. Once you're rested, the two of us will go to Dewang's house to get a certificate for your wife."

"Dad, I'm rested. We need to get down to business. Besides, we can talk as we walk."

"Yes, you're right. Let's walk and talk, just the two of us."

Now Dongzi is calling too, and he won't let me go chop wood anymore. He even asked if I've rested enough.

Li Xiangdong, who was following behind Zhou's father, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to appease his father-in-law.

Standing in the yard, Zhou's father called out to Zhou's mother, who was busy in the kitchen, "Honey, I'm taking Dongzi out for a bit. We're going to get some paperwork done for our daughter, and then we'll invite some people over for dinner."

"Okay, you can go now."

Zhou's mother responded and turned to look at her eldest daughter beside her, "I don't know what's wrong with your father again, he's suddenly getting all warm and friendly with your man."

Zhou Yuqin saw Li Xiangdong wink at her through the window, and she replied with a smile, "My dad's just happy today."

Zhou's mother nodded and said, "That's true. Anyone would be happy if their son-in-law brought so many things when he came to visit."

Li Xiangdong followed his father-in-law out of the house and walked along the village path.

Suddenly, Zhou's father spoke up: "Dongzi, don't you have a watch? Why aren't you wearing it?"

Li Xiangdong replied, "I'm not used to it; my wrist always feels uncomfortable."

Mr. Zhou urged, "If you feel uncomfortable, put it on quickly. How will people know you have a watch if you don't wear it? You can't just take it out to check the time every time you meet someone."

"It's up to you."

Li Xiangdong suddenly realized that his father-in-law was quite interesting, so he obediently took out a watch from his pocket and put it on his wrist.

Although everyone in Zhoujia Village shares the same ancestor and is related to each other in some way, there are still degrees of closeness among relatives.

Zhou's father first took Li Xiangdong to Zhou Dewang's house, where they got a certificate from Zhou Dewang's father, and then went to the accountant's house to get the official seal.

After finishing their business, he took Li Xiangdong to visit about ten households and invited them to his home for dinner later.

Nowadays, when hosting a dinner party, unless the guests are very close, the people who come to accompany them are usually the heads of the families.

Of course, those who can afford it will have these guests bring them a bowl of meat dish before the meal.

It took quite a bit of time to walk around the whole village, even though I only stopped at each house briefly.

Li Xiangdong followed his father-in-law home via a shortcut. As they passed a place overgrown with weeds, he stood there, reminiscing about the past.

Zhou's father urged, "Come on, Dongzi, what are you doing standing there?"

Li Xiangdong replied, "I've been here before."

Mr. Zhou asked in confusion, "When did you come here?"

Li Xiangdong sighed and said, "When I first came to the countryside, I came to Zhoujia Village with the villagers. This area is also a place where I once fought."

Zhou's father rolled his eyes. "What battle? You make it sound so nice. It's just cutting pig feed with a bunch of old women and babies. What's wrong? You've been back in the city for over a month and you're itching to get back to work? How about we go home and I'll get you a sickle, then you can come back and cut some more feed to your heart's content?"

Li Xiangdong: "..."