Restarting life in Siheyuan

"Xiaofeng, this is..."

Looking at the convoy parked outside the village, with even the village party secretary accompanying the convoy, the second uncle felt a little nervous. It seemed that his nephew's return this time made too much noise.

"It's okay. The city leaders are here too. They want to see our village's special fishery breeding. We can't be careless about this."

Zhugezhuang started to undertake the export task of two northern fish species two years ago. Although the quantity was not large, Dongsheng Company purchased them personally every time and airlifted them to Hong Kong. Of course, all levels attached great importance to it. These two kinds of fish were also partially supplied to the city, but the scale was still small at present.

"Oh, so that's it." The second uncle looked at Xia Yuhong behind Zhu Xuefeng again. Of course he knew this girl. This boy got married but he didn't even inform his family. This was a big deal. The child is not a child anymore, so he hurriedly stepped forward to say hello.

"Zhu Jiang, Siyuan, come here, this is your second grandfather and second grandmother, these are the parents of your fifth uncle and sixth aunt."

Old Xia helped to choose the name of the eldest daughter. He took the Chinese character "Jiang" from Hong Kong to commemorate her birthplace, and it is also easy to remember.

Several younger brothers and sisters were also sent back this time to see their family. They will leave with Xia Yuhong and Wu Qianqian in a few days. They are already grown up and many things don’t need to be explained anymore.

"Hello, Second Grandpa, Hello, Second Grandma." A pink-cheeked little girl with a tiny child opened her mouth in a crisp voice, causing the second uncle and his wife to burst into tears. They quickly bent down and picked up the little girl and the little boy.

"Okay, okay. They're all pretty heavy."

The district leaders took Wu Qianqian and his party from Dongsheng Company to visit the breeding base. This was Xia Yuhong's idea, and Zhu Xuefeng did not follow. Now the breeding base is collective and is under the responsibility of the village, and the second uncle's family also serves as technical instructors.

In the evening, leaders at all levels had left. Wu Qianqian came to the village again with her secretary to pay her respects to her second uncle and aunt. Although they had dissolved their marriage in Hong Kong, it was reasonable for them to come and pay their respects.

Looking at his second uncle and aunt, as well as his younger aunt and younger uncle with complicated expressions, Zhu Xuefeng did not explain much.

"Your younger brother and sister's studies cannot be delayed. They will stay at home with you for a few days, and then someone will come to pick them up."

"Well, we know, don't worry."

Watching Zhu Xuefeng and his party leave by car, my second uncle and aunt and my younger aunt and uncle's families returned to my second uncle's house with mixed feelings.

"We don't understand what Xiaofeng is doing." The second uncle was still muttering to himself, but the aunt reminded him in a cautious voice with a look on her face.

"Brother, don't think about it. You should be careful with your mouth. I heard from the district leaders that Xiaofeng is now a ninth-level cadre. No matter who asks, you can't tell anyone about your family affairs."

The second uncle nodded in agreement. The five brothers and sisters went out to study and had not been home for several years. Now they finally came back to stay for a few days. They have all changed and are no longer the village kids. When asked where they went to school, they all said that they were required to keep it confidential and could not tell. The eldest nephew is now a ninth-level cadre. What does he do?

The second uncle didn't have much experience, but he knew that the district official Cui, who he often dealt with, seemed to be only a clerk at level 24. Level 9, how high a cadre that was, no wonder the old branch secretary and the team leader were now more polite to their family. He didn't know that level 9 cadres were a thing of the past few years.

In his mind, the ninth-level cadre reported to the bureau immediately after returning to the capital. He was then received and reported on his work again before leaving.

“Uncle Kong, my younger brothers and sisters can’t stay at home for long. You should spend more time with them when you have time.”

While going downstairs, Zhu Xuefeng was still reminding that Lao Kong was busy all year round. After sending the two children away, he was away from home for many years. The godmother had complained about this several times in private.

"At such an old age, you are still running around, trying to show how important you are. The young comrades in the bureau also need to grow up. Your uncle Kong always says he is worried. I think he has a problem with his thinking."

Zhu Xuefeng gave some advice, but Director Wang didn't say anything else after she finished her complaints. In fact, she knew that Mr. Kong had a lot of things to do and had no time to rest.

"How's your situation going now?"

"It's OK. Since I joined this project a few years ago, I've been in charge of material research. The progress has been good and I've achieved some results. It's just that I don't have many opportunities to come back, so I don't get to see you as much and listen to your teachings as much."

Director Wang glared at her godson and said unhappily, "You, don't listen to my teachings. Don't try to fill me with words. I, your godmother, don't ask for much. I just hope that you brothers don't go astray and make contributions to the country in a down-to-earth manner."

Director Wang knew that her godson had joined an amazing project a few years ago and was working on some scientific research projects that the country urgently needed. Because it involved confidential information, she did not ask. This godson was relatively good. She could see him once or twice every year. Unlike his eldest son, Li Zhenhua, she had not seen him for more than five years since he left after the Spring Festival a few years ago, and he had not written to her. If she had not been told by her superiors that the eldest son was on a special mission, she would have worried that the child had been sacrificed.

"By the way, godmother, I met my eldest brother this time. He said that he would be able to come back at the end of this year and spend the New Year with you then."

Director Wang was a little surprised when he heard this. He was just worried about not hearing from the eldest brother for a few years, and now the fourth brother has come back with news.

"Is he also in that mysterious autonomous region?"

"Well, I happened to run into him when I came out of the research institute one day. I learned that he had also been carrying out missions there in the past few years. Don't worry, he is doing well. He was even promoted and is now at the regimental level."

Zhu Xuefeng lied without batting an eyelid. He had no other choice but to hide many things from his godmother, including the fact that he had joined the "6406 Project", of which his godmother only knew a little.

"Okay, okay, it's time to come back. He's already grown up. He'll be thirty after this year, and he still hasn't solved his personal problems. Really, no, I have to help him find some suitable girls. I'll arrange for them to meet when he comes back before the New Year."

Speaking of the boss's personal problems, Zhu Xuefeng's mouth twitched and he didn't say anything. This guy came to his house several times and somehow he fell in love with Guli Nazha. He even relied on the fact that he was his eldest brother and actually abducted Guli Nazha away. He took Guli Nazha to Golden Island for a year. If nothing unexpected happened, he, the confidential secretary, would not be able to come back. Fortunately, Lin Yilan is following him now and is making rapid progress and can also take on this responsibility.

When I returned to the compound, I accompanied Xia Yuhong and her children to meet her parents. For various reasons, the old Xia couple returned from the aid construction the year before last. Old Xia returned to the leadership position of the vehicle factory, but Xia's mother did not return to the leadership position. Later, I learned that the steel rolling mill strongly requested to transfer Old Xia back through the Ministry of Metallurgy. Only then did the old Xia couple receive the request to return to their original positions after the aid construction work was completed. Old Xia did not hesitate at all and said that he wanted to come back to shine, so Xia's mother had to come back with him. Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about the child.

"Come here, little Zhujiang, let grandma hug you!" Seeing her granddaughter coming unexpectedly, Xia's mother was very happy. She carried the child into the house and didn't even care about her daughter and son-in-law who were holding gifts at the door.

Old Xia gave his wife a strange look, took the bags from them, and complained.

"We have everything we need at home, why are you bringing these things back? Come in quickly."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and went into the house to put it down, but Xia Yuhong was not convinced and yelled, "Mom, now that you have a granddaughter, you don't even like your own daughter anymore."

From the room came the laughter of a child and Xia's mother's reply, "I've never heard of grandparents being close to each other. Come on, dear girl, let's ignore your mother and watch grandma find some delicious and fun things for us."

Then she heard the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets in the bedroom. Xia Yuhong shook her head helplessly, but saw her daughter running out happily with a piece of shaqima in her mouth and a paper pistol in her hand.

"This is a toy I had when I was a kid. Please give it to her. She is a little girl, it is not appropriate for her to play with this."

"What's inappropriate about it? Didn't you play this when you were a child? Aren't you a girl?" Xia's mother, who was following behind with a smile on her face, said to her daughter in dissatisfaction.

Xia Yuhong helplessly watched Xiao Zhujiang making a fuss around the room and shook her head, "Well, I worked so hard to cultivate some ladylike qualities, but now it's all gone."

This girl is active by nature. According to Xia Yuhong, she is very much like herself when she was a child. In order to prevent the girl from becoming like herself, Xia Yuhong has put a lot of effort into educating the child after her parents came back. But now, in Zhu Xuefeng's eyes, this girl has become a mini version of Xia Yuhong.

"Come on, forget it. It's the nature of the child. It's not a bad thing."

Seeing the little girl come out again with a slingshot in her hand, Xia Yuhong covered her face, completely speechless, "That's it, let's go back and talk about it, this little guy, ah."

"Now you know how much of a headache you have. You don't know how much I, your mother, worried about you when you were little. Only when you raise a child do you know how hard it is for parents. Haha, this is retribution. My dear grandson, come here, grandma will continue to find fun things for you." Mother Xia poked her head out from behind and cheerfully comforted her daughter in response to her complaints.

Old Xia looked at the three women from three generations of his family and just smiled. He pulled his son-in-law into the study. The study was very simple, with few furniture and few books except for a few red books. They did not buy any new books after they came back. It can be seen that Old Xia is now very low-key and cautious.

The two chatted for a while and talked about the current situation of the steel rolling mill. Thanks to the continuous increase in orders from Dongsheng Company in recent years, the steel rolling mill's foreign trade products have formed a product range that mainly consists of small motorcycles and high-power diesel trucks, supplemented by some special vehicles and a small number of cars. The foreign exchange earning ability has increased again. Lao Yang still gets up early and goes to bed late as always, and it is said that he and his partner, Deputy Secretary Gu, now have a tacit understanding.

"You plan to keep doing this?"

Old Xia nodded, "As long as I'm needed, I will continue to work. Don't tell me, I have endless energy now that I'm back. I'll do more while I'm healthy. In a few years, when I'm down, I'll accompany your mother again."

"You have to be careful. You are not young anymore. When you retire and travel around the world, you have to be in good health."

Old Xia didn't care at all and waved his arms. "With my body, I can work for a few more years without any problem. But if I sit idle like I did in Hong Kong, my body will collapse in a few years. Your mother said that I will be a hard worker in this life. I think your mother is right. We were born poor, and I really can't afford such overwhelming wealth..."

What Old Xia said and implied was that even after retiring, he didn't want to settle down elsewhere. He would visit his daughter and granddaughter when he had the chance. They prefer their current life, even though the conditions are a little worse.

"Dad, if you think so, I won't stop you. No matter how good life is outside, it's not as comfortable as home. I know what you mean. Don't worry, we will come back and settle down in the future, and my big yard will not be idle."

It's such a huge courtyard, and now there are only Mr. Xie and Mr. Zhang, and there are four guards stationed in the back house all year round.

"Okay!" Old Xia did not ask Zhu Xuefeng too much about their future plans. He only knew one thing, that his son-in-law was still working for the country, but he had changed his identity, and that was all.

"What did my dad tell you?"

In the jeep, Xia Yuhong asked in a low voice, looking at the guard who was concentrating on driving and not paying attention to what was happening outside the window, while Zhu Xuefeng was holding his eldest daughter.

"Dad said he would serve his last shift until retirement, and then travel around with mom. He might even go back to his hometown to live for a while. He also said he would go back to your mom's house to spend some time. In short, he has made plans and is very busy. I heard that Shennongjia is very mysterious, and he plans to invite a few old comrades to take a look. He also said he wanted to ask Uncle Lu's father to go with him and let the old commander take him."

Xia Yuhong was a little disappointed. The meaning of the man's words was very clear. Her father had his own arrangements. She couldn't help but pout and complain.

"At such an old age, he still wants to go deep into the mountains and forests. I really don't know what he is thinking." Xia Yuhong is still a little upset about her father's reluctance to go to Hong Kong. She longs for the company of her family, but her husband is unreliable. He has to stay in the autonomous region most of the time, and the rest of the time he spends traveling around. He can't even spend three months with her in Hong Kong every year, and he has to share half of it.

That's why she longed for her parents' company, but Old Xia left happily when he received the notice. Although Xia's mother was willing to stay, she was more worried about Old Xia going back alone. She had no way to explain it, so she had to come back with him. This time, she asked the man to help find out. She understood that her father did not plan to settle in Hong Kong in this life. With the guards around, Xia Yuhong did not ask any further questions.

"What are you doing tomorrow? Why not take the kids to the park?" Xia Yuhong only comes back once every few years. Now that she has a child, it's a good opportunity to tell her the old stories of the old city. She has a desire to revisit the old place.

Zhu Xuefeng shook his head. "There's no rush. I'll make arrangements in a few days. I have to go see the fourth brother. This guy is also a worry. What do you think of him? Hey, there are so many girls in the city, how did they get together?"

"Haha, I know this, and Sister Na knows it too. It's shameful that you, as the eldest brother, don't know it."

Zhu Xuefeng was also surprised. He had heard from his younger sister that the fourth child seemed to have a girlfriend, but he didn't expect it to be this person. Now the fourth child is the only one in his second uncle's family with urban hukou, and has a good job that makes the villagers jealous. His second uncle and his wife have high hopes for him. His eldest brother, Zhu Xuefeng's father Zhu Zhenggang, worked as a worker in a factory, which led to the birth of his eldest brother's family of three children, all of whom are very successful. His second uncle is still counting on this branch to start with the fourth child.

"How did you two know?" Zhu Xuefeng, who was confused, couldn't help but ask. Even his younger sister didn't know, so how did they know?
"It was a coincidence that one time, Sister Na and I were called to our godmother's house, and just by chance, the fourth child came to deliver something..." (End of this chapter)