1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

"Father, elder brother, this is my wife, Su Man."

Upon seeing Chen's father and elder brother enter the house, Chen Weidong introduced them to each other.

"Father, elder brother."

"Yes, I'm back."

Mr. Chen smiled and nodded, first glancing at the sleeping Chen Xiaoan, then looking at Chen Xiaosui, who was sitting cross-legged next to Mrs. Chen.

"You must be Sui Sui."

Chen Xiaosui unconsciously moved closer to Old Lady Chen. After getting to know each other earlier, she was already quite familiar with Old Lady Chen, after all, her great-grandmother had given her so much.

Just looking at the peach shortbread and candy she was holding made Chen Xiaoteng and Chen Xiaoting, who had just entered the room, extremely envious.

"This is Grandpa."

Su Man said softly.

"grandfather."

Chen Xiaosui called out obediently.

"Why!"

Chen's father smiled even more broadly, a smile Chen Weidong had never seen before in his life. In the past, he had either been cold to him or had to beat and scold him.

"Grandpa, give me a hug."

The more Mr. Chen looked at Chen Xiaosui, the more he liked her. There are four children in the fourth generation of the Chen family now, and Chen Xiaosui is their only daughter, so it's normal for him to have some favoritism towards her.

Moreover, looking at Chen Xiaosui's fair and tender face and soft little hands, and then at Chen Xiaoteng and Chen Xiaoting covered in dirt, he didn't even need to make a comparison.

Mr. Chen couldn't resist kissing Chen Xiaosui on the cheek, and the latter immediately showed a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Zha...Dad..."

Chen Xiaosui looked to Chen Weidong for help, but Chen Weidong dared not spoil the old man's mood. He had been pampered by his parents since he was a child, but there was someone he was afraid of, namely his father, who would beat him to death.

"Give me the child. Look at your stubble, don't you know how to shave? You've pricked the child."

Grandma Chen felt a pang of sympathy and immediately said a few words to Mr. Chen.

Faced with Grandma Chen's nagging, Father Chen smiled awkwardly and hurriedly placed Chen Xiaosui next to Grandma Chen. He was a little embarrassed, after all, his son and daughter-in-law were watching.

However, Chen's father had nowhere to vent his anger, since it was his mother who had spoken ill of him.

"Come here, grandpa will give you a hug."

When Brother Chen saw that his father had put Chen Xiaosui down, he came over and said with delight.

Compared to the two rascals at home who annoy him every day, he likes Chen Xiaosui more and more the more he looks at her.

In just a short while, Chen Xiaosui had become the most favored child in the family.

Chen Xiaoteng and Chen Xiaoting couldn't help but swallow hard when they saw the delicious food next to Chen Xiaosui. If it were any other time, Chen Xiaoting would definitely be clamoring for some food right now.

However, he had just been beaten by Sister-in-law Chen, and his buttocks were still sore, so he dared not speak again.

"Who's here? Why is it so lively?"

Old Chen slowly walked in from outside.

"Grandpa, it's me. I've brought your granddaughter-in-law back."

"Wei Dong!"

When Old Man Chen saw Chen Weidong, his face lit up with joy. He then looked at Su Man beside him and Chen Xiaosui and Chen Xiaoan on the kang (a heated brick bed), and immediately exclaimed happily, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! You shouldn't have to go back this time, right?"

"No need, we're not leaving again this time."

"Good, good, good. I was just talking to your dad a while ago about how to get your whole family transferred back, but I didn't expect you to come back ahead of schedule."

"grandfather."

Su Man stood up from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Please sit down, let's eat first."

With Old Man Chen back, the family finally started eating.

Tonight's dinner was quite lavish, including stewed pig's trotters, and Chen's mother and sister-in-law also fried some meatballs, made dumplings, and cooked noodles.

"Suman, have some noodles first."

Chen's mother placed a chopstick on Su Man's plate. As the saying goes, dumplings before departure and noodles upon arrival, Chen Weidong's family was back, so they definitely had to eat some noodles.

"Thank you, Mother."

"No need to thank me, we're all family. We don't stand on ceremony. If you want anything to eat or need anything in the future, just tell me or your sister-in-law anytime. Don't be shy."

"Yes, Mother."

Su Man thanked them. This was her first time having dinner with such a large family. Whether it was Grandma Chen, her parents, her older brother, or her sister-in-law, they were all very welcoming to her, which greatly eased her initial unease.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Chen Weidong and became even more convinced that she hadn't misjudged him.

Here, have a pork belly dumpling.

Chen Weidong picked up a pork belly dumpling for Chen Xiaoting, believing that eating certain foods can help replenish what you're meant to eat.

"Thank you, Second Uncle."

Chen Xiaoting happily took a bite. He felt that every time his second uncle came back, there was always something delicious to eat at home. He wished that every meal could be like this from now on!

Chen Xiaoteng looked at Chen Xiaoting with pity, thinking, "He's been sold out and he's still helping to count the money."

"Has the back room been cleaned up yet?"

Old Chen had a small appetite, and since it was evening, he didn't dare to eat too much, so he ate very quickly.

"Wei Dong cleaned it up when he came back last time, but it's been a while, so it's definitely not safe to stay here today. It needs to be cleaned up again before we can move in."

Chen's mother put down her chopsticks and replied.

"That night, Weidong and I will sleep in the east wing. Xiulan, you, Weidong's wife, the children, and your mother will sleep in the main room."

"Okay, Dad."

Chen's mother nodded.

"If there's no room, someone can sleep in our room too."

Sister-in-law Chen raised her head and said.

"This kang (heated brick bed) is big enough to keep you well-rested."

Grandma Chen replied that her eldest grandson's family of four could sleep comfortably in the west wing; if a few more people slept there, it would be a bit cramped.

However, this "crowded" is relative. For example, the gatekeeper's family, including his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, a total of seven or eight people, are crammed into a small gatehouse. Every day, someone has to sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor.

"What are your plans now that you're back?"

Mr. Chen was about to take out his pipe, but when he saw Chen Xiaosui, he held back.

"I haven't thought about it yet."

Chen Weidong shook his head. His most important task now was to finish writing "Hibiscus Town." As for work, he could only look for it as he saw fit. After all, there were so many educated youth returning to the city that they couldn't even find enough temporary workers, let alone permanent positions.

"Tomorrow you and Su Man should go to the neighborhood office to register your household registration."

"I understand, Dad. I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

"If all else fails, take Weidong to see Director Wang."

Old Chen instructed that he had originally planned to use this favor to arrange a job for Chen Weidong, and now that Chen Weidong was back, it was time to use it.

Sometimes, favors given out are automatically forfeited once the person who gave them is gone.

"I understand, Father."

……

The next morning, Chen Weidong was woken up early by his father. After washing his face quickly, he took Su Man to the Maoer Hutong Subdistrict Office. They thought they were early enough, but when they arrived, they found that the courtyard was already full of people.

Are so many people applying to return to the city?

Su Man frowned; her confidence in finding a job vanished by half. Yesterday, she thought Mr. Chen and Old Man Chen had exaggerated a bit, but now she felt they hadn't said much.

This one courtyard alone has dozens of people. Looking at the whole of Yanjing, there are at least hundreds of thousands of unemployed educated youth, and there may be some who returned last year or even the year before and are still unemployed.

For those educated youth who returned in 79, it would probably be even more difficult to find employment.

……