At noon that day, Chen Min took Cheng Tianyuan and his wife, Xiao Huzi, and Wang Qing to eat vegetable soup.
Wang Qing had been working hard to stay up late and had no appetite for food. Hearing that there was vegetable soup to eat, he went with them.
Xiao Huzi sat with her in the back seat, helped her pull up her coat and put on her scarf.
Chen Min happened to see this scene when he glanced at the rearview mirror and couldn't help laughing.
"Little Huzi has started a family and started a career. He is now a grown man and knows how to take care of his filial mother.
No wonder people say that whether a man can grow up depends on whether he has a family and takes on family responsibilities."
Xiao Huzi smiled in embarrassment and whispered: "...it's not very good yet."
Without the support of his parents and the help of Uncle Yuan and Auntie, he would not be able to support his small family, let alone a big family.
"Take it easy."
Cheng Tianyuan interrupted from the co-pilot: "You are still young and immature. You need time."
Wang Qing was very tired and fell asleep soon after getting in the car.
Xue Ling, on the other hand, was sad that Liu Xing would die soon. He had no intention of chatting and kept looking out the window in a daze.
After eating the vegetable soup, everyone sat in the box and quietly discussed how to arrange the next funeral.
Wang Qing explained: "Ahu has told me that the old traditional funeral rituals have been shortened a lot. As locals, we should follow the trend.
What others do, we do.
At that time, some clan members and neighbors will have to be invited to dinner, the venue will have to be booked in advance, and the funeral location will also have to be decided in advance."
"Don't do it in the old house."
Chen Min frowned and whispered: "The place is too small."
Xiao Huzi suggested: "For the funeral, it is better to go to the funeral home and rent it for three days.
Then rent two minibuses, plus one of my own cars and two of my cousin’s cars, which should be enough for us.”
"I haven't walked around Rongcheng for several years."
Cheng Tianyuan told the truth: "I'm afraid I can't help.
Amin, you are familiar with this place. You can arrange these in advance.
Ahu is not in good health, and he has to take care of my aunt, so he is already very busy."
Xue Ling said: "A Yuan is the godson. According to the old tradition here, he should wear mourning and help with the funeral like A Hu.
We should also bear half of the funeral expenses.
We are all ready when we come this time."
Wang Qing was moved to tears and said to his son beside him: "You see, this is the benefit of having good brothers.
Whether it is a funeral or a happy event, with more people there is greater power. Not only does the arrangement look good, but the burden on each other is also less.
If you have your sister to help you in the future, your burden will be lighter.
When the little tiger grows older, you should try to have more babies so that the family does not become too thin."
The mother-in-law was widowed and raised her husband, leaving only Ah Hu alone, so the population was very small.
When it comes to their generation, Xiao Huzi and Xiao Yun'er are the only ones who can be regarded as a single generation.
In the past, the older generation had no choice but for their generation, the family planning policy was very strict. In addition, she and Ahu were too old to have more children.
Shanyou is an only daughter, and he is also an only son. They are both still young, and their financial situation is better than before. In the future, they must strive to have more children, spread their branches, and propagate the family bloodline. They cannot pass it down from one generation to the next.
Xiao Huzi said a perfunctory "Oh" and took out his mobile phone and pretended to be busy.
At this moment, Ahu called and said that Liu Xiaoyu and his wife went over to visit the aunt.
They heard that Cheng Tianyuan and his wife returned to Rongcheng yesterday, so they thought they would find an opportunity to meet them after not seeing them for many years. They asked where they were and asked them to drive over.
Chen Min looked at the time and said, "Let them go to the office on the first floor of the supermarket to find us.
It's afternoon now, so the supermarket is quiet.
Let’s drive back to the supermarket now and see aunt later.”
After hanging up, Chen Min took Cheng Tianyuan and his wife to the Jialedu supermarket.
Cheng Tianyuan drove the car he rented in the provincial capital to Xiao Huzi and asked him to take his mother back to her old house and spend more time with her.
As soon as the group arrived at the parking lot of the supermarket, they saw Liu Xiaoyu and Sister Jinhua waiting at the elevator entrance.
Not seeing each other for so many years, old friends from the past have turned gray and look like old men and women.
Liu Xiaoyu was still as cheerful as ever, laughing loudly: "As expected of someone from a big city, you look at least twenty years younger than us! Sister-in-law, how come you are so beautiful? You have been the same for twenty or thirty years!"
Xue Ling shook his head and said with a smile: "No, no! Time makes people grow old, they have to grow old, and they have to accept old age."
"where!"
Sister Jinhua said: "It's well maintained, and you can't tell your age at all!"
Everyone was happy to meet each other. After entering the office, they drank tea and chatted. The conversation almost never stopped.
Cheng Tianyuan asked: "How is it?
Are you feeling well?"
Hearing this, Liu Xiaoyu smiled bitterly and sighed: "It won't work.
When I was young, I relied on my drive to do menial work. I didn't feel anything at that time. I always felt that I could do it as long as I could kill people.
When I get older, I realize that trying too hard is too much.
A few years ago, I started to have pain everywhere, including my limbs and my waist.
Now besides being able to walk, eat and drink, I can't do anything."
The old wife Jinhua on the side sighed helplessly: "I can't do it well either... I have always been fat. I used to be fat and felt that my body was strong. As long as there was nothing wrong with me.
Later, when I became fatter and fatter, the doctor told me that I could not eat this or that, and I had to take a lot of medicine to reduce this and that.
If you don't eat it, you will get sick.
Eat, you're hungry...I always feel like I'm suffering when I get old."
Chen Min shook his head: "I'm old. How can the machine not age after decades of use? How can it not have problems! There are more or less problems. My waist is not good, and my wife's cervical spine is not good."
A group of middle-aged people in their forties and fifties gathered together and lamented that time flies by and their bodies are not as good as before, so they have to start serving their old age.
Jin Huaxiao asked how the children were doing, how old they were, what major they were studying, and when they would graduate and make money.
Xue Ling replied: "The boss is in graduate school, majoring in medicine. If nothing unexpected happens, he will probably become a doctor in the future.
The second child is in his freshman year, and now he has to participate in exercises and competitions after school.
He said he wanted to stay in college and become a physical education teacher or coach.
The third and fourth children are several years younger than them. They are still in their first year of high school and both attend Imperial No. 1 Middle School.
I usually live on campus and only come back on weekends.
Usually the house is empty, with just a few old people keeping each other company.
As soon as we come back on the weekend, we are all having fun and it’s very lively.”
She turned on her phone and pulled up a family photo for everyone to see.
Jinhua and Liu Xiaoyu were full of praise.
"The children are growing up so well! They look like you two!"
"Hey! Old aunt looks in good spirits!"
"They are all tall and handsome, just like the stars on TV!"
Xue Ling was very embarrassed by the praise. After putting away the photo, she asked: "Your grandchildren should be quite big, right?"
Are you in elementary school?
I remember you have five children, three girls, two boys, right?
?”
"right."
Jin Hua sighed and nodded: "They are all a bunch of debt collectors... The eldest daughter is better off, but the others are not at ease."