My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 181 Uncle
"Haha, Fugui, I've heard about it before. You're going to accompany your wife to her parents' home. You've brought quite a lot of things."

"Of course not, Young Master would be too embarrassed to reply."

"..."

"Oh ho, what kind of talk is this? Let me see who this young man is? Speaking so arrogantly, let's stop him."

"Stop him! Stop him! Don't let him pass..."

They were all elderly people from the Chen and Wang families. They got up very early, and when they saw the oxcart, they stopped it and joked around with it.

Wang Zhenzhen often takes the village children around, and they've been clamoring to go home for a long time, so now almost everyone in the village knows about her.

They made their way out of the village in such a lively and bustling manner.

Gradually, the morning sun peeked out, and the oxcart swayed slightly as it traveled along the mountain road. Accompanied by the tinkling of bells, the little white calf trotted along, swishing its tail and moving happily.

As we traversed mountains and crossed rivers, the sun slowly rose higher, its rays gaining warmth, and melodious mountain songs echoed through the mountains.

I'm going home.

Wang Susu was very happy. She felt that the sunshine and the morning breeze, as well as the mountains and trees, seemed to be smiling, and the birdsong in the mountains seemed to be singing joyfully.

So she smiled broadly, hugged her younger sister, and began to hum a song.

Along the way, Wang Zhenzhen and Chen Ling sang in harmony. Not wanting to be left behind, she raised her head and shouted loudly, trying to disrupt them.

The three sang and laughed, their joyful voices echoing through the mountains.

When they arrived in the township, they rested for a while. Wang Susu took her younger sister to the toilet behind the township government, while Chen Ling took the two dogs to find Wang Jusheng. When Chen Ling arrived, Wang Jusheng was washing dishes by the tap.

"Brother Jusheng, is dinner so late?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Jusheng looked up sharply and immediately smiled: "Fugui, what brings you here?"

As he spoke, he put down his chopsticks and bowl, wiped his hands haphazardly on his clothes, and walked over.

“I accompanied Susu back to her parents’ home. We just arrived in the village.”

"Ah, right, you've already visited Uncle Juncai's grave, it's time to go back."

"Here, have a smoke..."

"I'm not smoking anymore, I'm going to give the dog and cow some water."

Chen Ling waved his hand; he hadn't come to see Wang Jusheng for idle chatter.

The road to the village was not short, and the oxcart was slow. They set off at six in the morning and traveled for about three hours. The dog and the ox were thirsty.

He and Zhao Dahai had visited Wang Jusheng a few days ago and knew that it was convenient to get water in the township, so they came along the way. Otherwise, they wouldn't know anyone else and would have to take a long detour to the livestock station.

"Sure, I'll go get you the bucket."

Wang Jusheng put away his cigarette, turned around, and brought out two tin buckets from the room.

Heiwa and Xiaojin knew that this was an acquaintance, so they didn't stand on ceremony. After Wang Jusheng filled the bucket with water, they buried their heads in the bucket and drank it down in big gulps.

After the two animals finished drinking, Chen Ling took the water out to feed the cattle.

Then he jokingly said to Wang Jusheng, "Look at this guy, he really does look like a cadre in the village, he looks more high-class than us peasants."

"Come on, you're making fun of me. You're accompanying your wife to her parents' house, and you haven't even changed into something nicer to wear for tea? You should at least wear a pair of leather shoes. Going like this will only make your wife's family laugh at you."

Wang Jusheng glanced at him and immediately retorted.

"Tea-drinking clothes" refers to the decent clothes worn when visiting relatives, entertaining guests, attending weddings, etc.

I wouldn't wear them normally when I'm working, but I'll take them out for special occasions.

"It's just a joke, but I won't go next time."

Chen Linghun said indifferently.

Of course, that's just a joke. I actually prepared my clothes yesterday, but the weather didn't look good when I went out today, so I didn't change because I was afraid of getting them dirty.

The same applies to the Wang Susu sisters.

"As the son-in-law, with this attitude, if I were your brother-in-law, I would have grabbed a pitchfork and thrown you out..."

Wang Jusheng smacked his lips and said.

As the two were talking, Wang Susu and her sister returned, so they stopped talking.

They filled the water jugs meant for others to drink from, then bid farewell to Wang Jusheng and continued on their way.

The entire area of ​​Lingyun County is located in the mountains, with forests covering more than 70% of the area.

This becomes increasingly apparent as you travel west beyond Changle Township, where steep mountains and dense forests make travelers appear like ants amidst towering peaks.

Fortunately, an ancient trade route runs diagonally between Changle Township and Fenglei Town, connecting three provinces. The mountain road is wide and is said to have been developed from the special post road used by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, to transport lychees for Yang Guifei. Although it is relatively steep, the road surface is flat and is undoubtedly easier to travel than the mountain road to the east of Changle Township.

With the weather cooperating today, the dim sunlight gradually brightened, and the oxcart sped up.

As they drew closer to Fenglei Town, Wang Susu grew increasingly excited. Clinging to Chen Ling's arm, she chattered incessantly, pointing to the various scenic spots and villages along the way. Her face was filled with undisguised joy, just like a little girl who had never left home before.

Wang Zhenzhen's mind wasn't on the two of them. She was just leaning against the oxcart, swinging her little feet, holding all sorts of snacks that Liang Hongyu's family had given her, stuffing her mouth full, and directing the two dogs to run around, chasing rabbits and catching birds by the roadside, and then sharing the snacks with them.

Seeing her acting like this, Wang Susu couldn't help but pinch her little cheek and laugh at her for acting like a little landlady.

“I’m not, you are, sister. You’re the landlady of the Chen family, hehe…” Wang Zhenzhen wrinkled her nose and smiled at her.

If Chen Ling had said those words, she would have refused long ago and would have definitely fought fiercely with her brother-in-law.

However, she was very close to her older sister since childhood, so she hugged Wang Susu's arm with a smile and played with her while feeding her sister.

But the little girl was still young and restless from the moment she set off. After playing and fooling around for most of the journey, she got tired and fell asleep leaning against the bundle on the cart floor.

Wang Susu then took out some clothes and covered her younger sister with them.

And so the oxcart continued its slow journey, setting out at six in the morning until nearly two in the afternoon, when finally Fenglei Town came into view.

"Ah Ling, look! Look! We've arrived at Fenglei Town!"

Wang Susu, wearing a pink headscarf, looked ahead and pointed it out to Chen Ling.

Actually, we haven't really arrived yet. All we can see now is the stone tablet of Fenglei Town, standing in front of a mountain gorge. It's about two people tall, simple and rounded, and quite huge.

There's still a stretch of road beyond the gorge. After walking this mountain road and crossing a large bridge, you'll reach Fenglei Town.

There is a large river outside the town, which is very wide, but not particularly turbulent.

Fenglei Town was built against the mountains and beside the water.

This small town has a long history. Although the province it belongs to has changed frequently since ancient times, it is located in a remote area with mountains and water surrounding the mountains. It is situated at the junction of the north and south, and various caravans and boatmen frequently pass through this place. Because of the high mountains and steep roads, it has been plagued by bandits and soldiers all year round.

Such places have countless legends and endless stories to tell.

"The roads inside have been repaired too, that's great."

Chen Ling glanced around; this road used to be so difficult to travel. "Zhenzhen, wake up! We're almost home!"

"Wow, we've arrived in town."

The little girl immediately rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Upon seeing the stone tablet outside the town, he lifted the clothes covering his body and happily jumped off the oxcart.

With Heiwa and Xiaojin by their side, they ran happily alongside the oxcart.

As she got closer to home and saw familiar sights, she was truly happy.

Wang Zhenzhen led the dog around, but soon became restless again, running back to the car and shouting, "Sister, brother-in-law, let me go to town and call my brother out, okay..."

Wang Qingwen spends most of his time away from the village. He is a teacher, and his wife is also a teacher. The family usually lives at Fenglei Town Middle School.

Wang Zhenzhen often ran over there to play when she was little, and many teachers and gatekeepers knew her.

"Go ahead, class is about to start this afternoon. I don't know if your brother has class today, so go check first."

Wang Susu thought for a moment, and seeing her younger sister's expectant look, she nodded in agreement.

Then, seeing his younger sister turn around and run out with the dog without stopping, he hurriedly called out, "Slow down when you cross the bridge."

"Okay." Just like that, when Chen Ling and his companion drove the oxcart onto the bridge, they saw Wang Qingwen, the brother-in-law, walking hurriedly over from the other side of the bridge.

Behind them followed a bouncy little girl who seemed tireless, and two dogs with their tongues lolling out, sniffing around for urine.

"Brother, we're back."

Wang Susu was very excited to see her elder brother and waved as she got off the oxcart.

Chen Ling also came down and stood to the side holding a whip.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. The family has been preparing for this for a long time, all things for the new girl. Your parents have been waiting for this for two years, just to have you come home..."

Wang Qingwen came up to her and said to his sister with a smile.

Then he nodded and smiled at Chen Ling, patted him on the shoulder, and everything was understood without saying a word.

……

“You wrote to me without saying when you were coming. I thought you would come after visiting the graves on the first day of the lunar month. For the first few days, I really went to the dock as soon as I finished eating and class, but I couldn’t find you. I waited for a long time.”

Wang Qingwen led the way, crossing the bridge and entering the town. "I'll take you to eat first. You must be hungry after traveling such a long way. Let's eat and talk."

Chen Ling and his wife responded together, constantly looking around at the quaint little town.

A long, north-south cobblestone street, some sections worn smooth by years of footsteps. The street is lined with mostly ancient Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, small courtyards, white walls and black tiles, and black lacquered wooden doors. Although they appear mottled and desolate, they are an extremely rare and well-preserved ancient town.

Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with beautiful scenery, Chen Ling thought to himself: No wonder it is called the Jiangnan town of the North in later generations. Even though it has not been developed for tourism and extensively renovated, this original landscape is enough to have the charm of Jiangnan.

Since it wasn't a market day, there weren't many stalls selling things on either side; it was mostly ordinary people coming and going, or greeting Wang Qingwen and exchanging a few words.

Before getting married, Chen Ling had been here two or three times, but at that time she didn't think there was anything special about it.

Now that we have the memories of decades later, we find this place all the more precious.

To his regret, this year's floods caused many places to be rebuilt, and some were completely demolished.

There's no way around it; these days, people don't value their own possessions. Everyone's only thinking about building a small Western-style house to show off.

The further you go into the town, the more obvious it becomes.

Chen Ling admired the architectural style, while Wang Susu talked to her older brother.

Wang Zhenzhen, the little girl, missed her older brother terribly when she didn't see him, but when she did, she found him annoying. At this moment, because she was running around, Wang Qingwen caught her and gave her a scolding: "All you do is fool around. If you don't behave in front of your parents when we get home, you'll be in for it."

The little girl was indignant after being scolded. She grabbed the hair on Heiwa's neck, pointed at Wang Qingwen's buttocks, and muttered, "Bite him, bite him."

Heiwa stuck out his tongue and gave her a silly look, then shook his fur as if he didn't understand, and ran ahead to show off in front of the local stray dogs.

It's not stupid; it wouldn't bite its own kind, otherwise it would be the one to suffer.

“Our town has a market day on the 2nd and 7th of each month. Let’s come back in a couple of days. Even though it’s smaller than your village, there are a lot of boats here, and it’s very lively.”

Wang Qingwen led them into a small restaurant, which was said to be one of the eight famous restaurants at the dock.

As the name suggests, their specialty is dockside cuisine.

The dockside dishes eaten by caravans and boatmen were all about good quality, low prices, large portions, and plenty of food. They were often served with alcohol, and such hearty dishes were best enjoyed with a small glass of wine.

However, they needed to return to the village before dark, fill their stomachs, and rest briefly before continuing their journey. Therefore, their meal was nothing special, consisting of simple beef soup with some fried dough sticks.

That does make you eat faster.

After we finished eating, we arrived at Fenglei Town Middle School, where a boy and a girl were already waiting in front of the school gate.

She was a woman under thirty, dressed neatly and cleanly, squatting on one side of the school gate, drawing on the ground with a four or five-year-old boy while chatting and laughing.

"Sister-in-law, clear the way."

Upon seeing the two, Wang Susu excitedly shouted.

The two, one big and one small, looked up. The woman had a round face and big eyes, though her features were slightly rough, and her cheeks were a little rosy. She was a very delicate and charming woman.

The little boy had a round head and round face, just like his mother, with big eyes, a small nose, and a small mouth. He was very cute, quite different from Wang Qingwen's angular, high-bridged, square face.

"Oh dear, Susu..."

The woman was also very happy to see Wang Susu. This was Wang Susu's sister-in-law, named Su Ligai. Because she was seven or eight years younger than Wang Qingwen, she got along very well with her sister-in-law Wang Susu after she married into the family. Now that they had met, she was genuinely happy.

"You have no idea, ever since your brother came back from his trip to your house, he has been talking about you and Lingzi every day. When he received your letter a while ago, he was so happy that he couldn't sleep for several days. Every day after lunch, he went to the dock to wait for you."

"I've been waiting and waiting, and I'm so glad you're back."

The two women held hands, clearly missing each other dearly.

Su Li looked at Wang Susu's fair and pretty face under the pink headscarf, with her slightly messy hair in front of her forehead, which made her sister-in-law look even younger and prettier. She said that Wang Susu was even prettier than before she got married.

Wang Susu blushed at his words, but she didn't know what to say. She leaned down and reached out to her little nephew, saying, "It's been two years since I last saw you. You've all grown so much. Come here, let Auntie hold you."

The little nephew was looking around curiously at the unfamiliar man and woman in front of him, as well as the two majestic dogs and the beautiful white cow. When he saw Wang Susu reach out her hand, he was so frightened that he hid behind Su Li.

Su Li peeked at the unfamiliar woman through the gap between her legs.

"Hehe, he was too young to remember anything when you got married, so he definitely wouldn't know who you are now..."

Wang Qingwen smiled and pulled his son over, squatted down, and pointed at Chen Ling and Wang Susu, saying, "Tongtong, these two are your aunt and uncle, understand?"

Then, fearing he might not be able to tell them apart, he pointed to Wang Zhenzhen and continued, "The aunt who keeps taking your food is your little aunt, and the ones in front of you are your eldest aunt and eldest uncle."

"Come on, everyone, call for help."

Xiao Tongtong pursed her lips, looked at Chen Ling, then at Wang Susu, and nestled against Wang Qingwen, squirming back and forth, refusing to speak.

Wang Qingwen immediately put on a stern face: "Tongtong, how did I teach you?"

"It's alright, it's alright. The child is still young, he'll get used to it later."

Chen Ling smiled when she saw this; it's normal for a child to be shy and reserved.

He took out a handful of milk candies from his pocket and stuffed them into Xiaotongtong's hand.

"These are milk candies that your aunt and uncle brought for you. There are still some in the car after you finish them."

Hearing this, Wang Zhenzhen, who was standing nearby, became extremely proud: "Hehe, all the food is in my bag."

"Tongtong, look! There's also beef jerky, shrimp chips, rice cake candy... Do you want some?"

Actually, apart from the milk candy, all the food that Liang Hongyu's family bought for her was taken out as well.

The wide variety of snacks made it easy to win over the little ones.

The little guy grabbed this and that, and soon his shirt and pants pockets were stuffed full.

It was because he was familiar with Wang Zhenzhen, his aunt who he had grown up with, that the little guy followed behind her, eating by himself and feeding the two dogs. He then went to play with the little white cow and gave it water.

The little white calf is always friendly to the little baby. After drinking water, it gently lowers its head and lets the two of them stroke it.

While the two of them were playing around, Wang Susu followed Su Li to the school to pick up her things. Her family didn't go back to the mountain often, only two or three times a month.

There are many things to do in a woman's family.

Taking advantage of this moment, Wang Qingwen pulled Chen Ling aside and asked her how the baby-giving process was going.

Chen Ling responded by holding up two fingers.

"What? What does this mean?"

Wang Qingwen was completely baffled.

Chen Ling smiled and leaned closer to him, whispering, "It's been two months."

The brother-in-law's eyes widened in surprise.

Then he slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, "This, this is great news! Why didn't you two mention it? It wasn't mentioned in the letter either."

Chen Ling gave a brief explanation, but it's unclear whether he listened or not.

He just patted Chen Ling's shoulder hard and kept saying, "Great, great! Parents will be so happy if they know. Come on, let's pack up and go home."

(End of this chapter)