"Brother Hu, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble again." Cao Zhengyin said.
He was really embarrassed. He came here just to chat with Cao Zhenghu.
There are fewer and fewer people of this generation in Caojiazhuang.
Cao Zhenghu is considered the oldest of his generation.
After voluntarily resigning from his position as an accountant in Caojiazhuang, Cao Zhengyin would walk around, visit and chat with his old brothers when he had nothing to do.
They all know in their hearts that when they reach their age, they may be gone one day.
"Grandpa, what do you think this is?" Mengmeng pulled at the plastic bag that her father had put down, and she discovered that there were packages of individually wrapped bags inside, with pictures of cows painted on them.
Cao Zhenghu took it, squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully for a while, and then said: "My eyes are not working well. It's hard to read these small characters."
Cao Zhengyin was smiling when Cao Zhenghu said to his great-granddaughter: "Mengmeng, it says beef jerky on it, do you want to eat it?"
"Eat." Mengmeng nodded and asked the old man to help her open the bag.
Cao Zhenghu's hands were very strong. He tore it open and the packaging bag opened. He handed a square piece of beef jerky about two centimeters inside to Mengmeng: "Eat it quickly."
Mengmeng took it and pinched it with her hands, but couldn't pinch it.
I was still thinking about tearing it open with my hands, but I couldn’t tear it apart. How would I eat it?
After Cao Zhenghu saw it, he said: "Put it in your mouth and chew it slowly."
"Okay!" Mengmeng put a little beef jerky into her mouth, bit hard and chewed the meat. It was really hard.
But she was not discouraged and put the whole piece of beef jerky in her mouth.
Cao Shujie fried some minced meat tofu, an eggplant, and stewed winter melon with pork meatballs.
Considering that his grandfather and Cao Zhengyin were older and had bad teeth, Cao Shujie deliberately stewed these dishes for a longer time.
Then use the pressure cooker to stew a pot of spareribs, which will make them more tender and suitable for them to eat.
At the end, Cao Zhenghu asked his grandson to bring over the unfinished bottle of Maotai. Cao Zhengyin didn't even know about the wine, but he thought it tasted good.
But the degree is too high and not suitable for him.
"What kind of wine is this? Why is it so strong?" Cao Zhengyin is used to drinking local low-alcohol wine with more than 30 degrees of alcohol.
Cao Shujie said: "Grandpa, this is Moutai, 53 degrees. If you are not used to drinking it, I will get something else."
After finishing speaking, he turned around and went to the storage room to get local liquor.
Mengmeng was eating pork meatballs and stewed winter melon in a small bowl. Cao Shujie did not add heavy soy sauce, vinegar or other condiments.
The soup was still clear, and a layer of coriander leaves was sprinkled on the surface. Mengmeng's mouth was filled with oil, and she held half a piece of meatball in her mouth, which made her cheeks bulge. She kept saying it was delicious.
"Dad, your cooking tastes better than mom's cooking." Mengmeng was very honest.
Cao Shujie said to her: "Don't talk nonsense, my three-legged cat skills can't compare with your mother's cooking skills."
Cao Zhenghu squinted at his grandson, and he could tell that his grandson just wanted to be lazy, for a bunch of reasons.
Cao Zhengyin talked about something: Cao Jiangang, who was arrested last year, was about to be released.
"Grandpa Zhengyin, you said that my uncle Jiangang hasn't served his sentence yet?" Cao Shujie wondered.
"I also heard from others that Jiangang was not feeling well inside. He fell ill twice and almost died. He had to come back to recuperate at home and couldn't go anywhere." Cao Zhengyin said.
Cao Shujie understood that this should be similar to medical parole, but he also believed that there must be other reasons, but that was not something he should consider.
He said: "It's good to be back. I'm over 60 years old. How can a lot of old people do anything?"
"Yeah." Cao Zhengyin also nodded.
He was more or less responsible for Cao Jiangang's corruption charges. Although he was not a big problem when he was investigated together, Cao Zhengyin still felt guilty, so he voluntarily resigned this year.
"Shujie, we are all old and can't do anything anymore, including your Uncle Jianlong. He is not young anymore. The next development of Caojiazhuang depends on you young people." After Cao Zhengyin drank the wine,
Drunk people don't get drunk.
He said: "If Shujie hadn't come back to help you, our Caojiazhuang would still be the same as before. Slowly, when all our old people are gone, and there are not many young people in the village, maybe how many years later,
There is no such place anymore, and the name of our 'Caojiazhuang' can only be found in the county annals."
This topic was too heavy, so Cao Shujie poured tea for Cao Zhengyin again. He said, "Grandpa Zhengyin, don't think so. Without me in Caojiazhuang, there are others. Sooner or later, someone will come back to take on what they should bear."
"Don't worry, I dare say that Caojiazhuang will not disappear, we will only develop better and better." Cao Shujie said.
When Cao Zhengyin left, his face was flushed, but the smile in his eyes was particularly strong.
Cao Shujie saw that he was a little unsteady when walking, and wanted to send him back.
But Cao Zhengyin waved his hands and said it was okay. He wanted to walk for a while, which would wake him up quickly.
Cao Zhenghu stood at the door. When he saw Cao Zhengyin walking away, he suddenly said to his grandson: "Shujie, don't listen to your grandpa Zhengyin, and don't put so much pressure on yourself. If the sky falls, there will still be someone taller to bear it."
, it’s not up to you alone to decide whether Caojiazhuang exists or not.”
"This Cao Zhengyin has lived for a long time, how come he can't even see through this, and then even finds work for my grandson? He is really not an old fool."
After finishing speaking, Cao Zhenghu turned around and walked towards home.
Cao Shujie looked at his grandfather's back, thinking about what his grandfather had just said, and felt warm in his heart.
"Dad, I want to sleep." Mengmeng was sleepy.
Just now, grandpa and Cao Zhengyin were drinking, and Cao Shujie was beside them, but he didn't pay attention to her.
Seeing Mengmeng yawning all the time, Cao Shujie bent down and held her in his arms, patting her back gently.
Mengmeng also muttered that her father smelled so bad.
Cao Shujie smelled it carefully and found that it smelled like alcohol.
He was thinking about explaining a few words to his daughter, but who knew that Mengmeng's little head tilted, her mouth opened slightly, and she had already fallen asleep.
"So fast?" Cao Shujie was surprised.
When he carried his daughter upstairs, he listened carefully and saw that Mengmeng started to snore. She was really tired.
In the evening, Cao Shujie saw a message sent from the 'Fa Xiaoqun', which was from Cao Zhenfa: "Brothers, I, Cao Hansan, am back again. Let's get together when you are free."
Cao Shujie wanted to laugh when he looked at it. He had time any day and was not in a hurry to respond.
Cao Fei looked surprised: "Didn't you just leave for two months, why are you back again?"
"Don't worry about how I came back, just tell me if you have time?" Cao Zhen avoided talking.
Cao Fei said: "The shopping mall is closed now. I work during the day and have time at night. If it doesn't work, I can just take a day off and go back."
Cao Shuyang shouted: "I will work the night shift tonight, I will have a rest tomorrow, and I will work the night shift the day after tomorrow."
In that case, he can rest for a day and a half.
Only then did Cao Tiemin appear at the right time: "I don't have anything to do tomorrow night, how about we make an appointment?"
"Where are Shu Lun and Shu Jie? Why hasn't he bubbled up yet?" Cao Fei discovered that there were still two people missing.
Cao Shujie stopped diving this time: "I'm here. I just peed on my daughter."
The reasons are all ready and no one doubts him.
But it was Cao Shulun who came out slowly at the end: "Forget it, after our company was acquired, there were so many things going on. I was transferred from the workshop to the purchasing side again. I am not familiar with all aspects, and I am slowly getting used to it.
"
"Damn it, how come you, a workshop operator, are still engaged in procurement?" Cao Tiemin couldn't understand.
But he knew the ropes of 'purchasing', and then made a teasing expression and said: "Shulun, OK, if you work in purchasing for a few years, you can buy a house and a car with all the money, and maybe even have a villa next to the sea."
"When the time comes when you are facing the sea and the spring flowers are blooming, don't forget to give your brothers a helping hand."
Listening to Cao Tiemin's weird words, Cao Shulun wanted to fool him: "Tiemin, get out of here, don't let me spray you in the face."
He explained: "Our procurement is completely different from what you think. It is an online system for bill of lading, and the head office makes a unified inquiry. It has nothing to do with the people below us. You think it is a fool's errand."
"I don't believe it!" Cao Tiemin was the first to send a message.
There was a flurry of 'I don't believe it' at the bottom.
Apart from anything else, when Cao Shulun mentioned his job change just now, he still felt a bit superior compared to the past.
Moreover, since they are now being acquired by central enterprises, their benefits are not comparable to those of local private or local state-owned enterprises.
Cao Zhen didn't listen to what he said and asked him again: "Shulun, are you free tomorrow night?"
"Brother Zhen is going to treat you. You must be free." Cao Shulun made a 'hey' expression and said, "I have to go tomorrow even if I'm asking for leave. Where can I eat? Let's go back to my hometown and get together."
"Cao Fei is in the city. It's too troublesome to come back by car. Why don't we get together at the county guest house and I'll ask Shujie to drive me there." Cao Zhen said at last.
Cao Shujie had no problem, he replied ‘OK’.
Putting down his cell phone and letting them chat first, Cao Shujie turned to his wife and told his wife about going to the county tomorrow night.
Cheng Xiaolin had nothing to do, so she said, "Go ahead. If you drink too much, just stay in the county for one night and don't ask for a driver to take you back."
"It's so dark at night, it's not convenient for you to ask someone to drive you back." Cheng Xiaolin warned him.
Cao Shujie nodded: "Okay, I know."
Mengmeng was running back and forth on the bed with a yellow excavator in her hand.
Cheng Xiaolin also said to her: "Mengmeng, don't run around or fall down again."
"Mom, it's okay!" Mengmeng said without looking back.
But she didn't notice that during the period of running back and forth, the sheets were uneven due to her running.
Inadvertently, her foot was hooked by the bed sheet. Just as she lifted her other foot and was about to run forward, the inertia of her body being pulled by the bed sheet under her feet kept her body in place, and her upper body still kept running forward.
.
"Crack!"
Mengmeng fell onto the sheets without any suspense.
"Wow!"
The next moment, she started crying.
Cao Shujie was talking to his wife, and the couple didn't even notice.
Cheng Xiaolin heard her daughter crying and subconsciously leaned over to run her up. She found that the tears in her daughter's eyes were flowing down like a worthless stream. There were no other skin injuries at all. It was more like falling.
I was frightened all of a sudden.
"Mengmeng, it's okay, stop crying." Cheng Xiaolin advised her daughter.
She also muttered: "It's no good if a dog is happy. I told you not to run around just now, but you didn't listen. Now you're better!"
Cao Shujie couldn't help but want to laugh when he heard what his wife said, but when his wife glared at him, Cao Shujie turned around and went outside again.
He waited until the crying in the bedroom stopped before entering the bedroom.
Mengmeng started to smile playfully again, as if she wasn't the one crying just now.
"Mengmeng, you are so sad." Cao Shujie said to her.
Mengmeng held back her mouth and said: "Dad, you are also very worried. You will go drinking again tomorrow and make your mother worried."
"..." Cao Shujie was speechless. He didn't expect that his daughter could understand the words.
Cheng Xiaolin didn't expect her daughter to be so smart, so she hugged Mengmeng over and was very affectionate.
…
At around three o'clock in the afternoon the next day, after Cao Shujie finished his work, he called Cao Zhen, drove the GL8 over to pick him up, and the two of them drove towards Pingyuan County together.
When he came to the gas station to refuel in Qingshi Town, Cao Zhen also said: "Let me drive."
"Okay." After Cao Shujie paid the money, he opened the passenger door and got in.
Cao Zhen drove all the way to the county town and kept sighing: "Shujie, your car is really easy to drive. It's much better than the second-hand car I got in Changji, Xinjiang."
"They're all the same." Cao Shujie said modestly.
Cao Zhen ignored him and drove to the county guest house. After parking the car, the two of them walked towards the lobby together.
Cao Zhen had already called and reserved a room.
After ordering the food, the two of them took two playing cards and went to the room to wait.
Cao Tiemin was the first one to rush over. From here we can also see the advantages of the 'little boss'. For something, he does have more freedom in time.
Cao Shujie originally thought that Cao Fei was the last one to come, but he didn't expect that he came very quickly.
I took a bus from Yiling City to Pingyuan County, and walked directly after getting off the bus.
When he came in, he saw that there were only Cao Zhen, Cao Shujie and Cao Tiemin, and he shouted: "Shu Yang and Shu Lun are two 'local snakes', they are all hanging out in the county town, but they are the latest to arrive.
"
"Cao Fei, you said bad things about me again. I worked the night shift yesterday and didn't get off work until eight o'clock this morning. I can't just take a nap at home!"
"That's right, I rode an electric bike to pick up Shuyang. Cao Fei, when you go to the city, you get rid of the vulgar taste, right?" Cao Shulun came in behind to scold him.
This scene made Cao Shujie feel particularly familiar.
It seemed like he had just come back from the capital, and it was like this when he had his first gathering with this group of people. At that time, several people were fighting each other, and no one was allowed to give in.
Unexpectedly, more than a year and a half later, several people still have the same temperament.
But this does not affect the relationship between them.
When asked why Cao Zhen came back, he didn't hide it this time and told about his wife's pregnancy.
Several people started clamoring again about what gifts they should prepare in advance.
