Chapter 1540: The Best Relatives

The Zhou family is a courtyard-like house with two upper and lower buildings, and a wing is built between the two floors, so the light in the alley leading into the house from the gate is slightly dark.

Due to the lighting problem, Brother Zhou did not immediately recognize who the visitor was when he came out of the kitchen, especially when a group of people were wearing coats and scarves, and the two in front were wearing hats. Wrapped tightly.

When the leading old lady came closer, Brother Zhou saw her face clearly and was extremely surprised. However, he pretended not to recognize her and looked the visitor up and down: "Whose family are you related to, right? Went to the wrong door? Who are you looking for?"

Seeing that Zhou Xialong didn't call her "aunt" and even asked who she was looking for, Zhou Shirley was a little embarrassed, but she quickly put aside her discomfort and spoke warmly. She shouted: "Eldest nephew, I am your third aunt. If you haven't seen me for three or five years, you won't remember your aunt."

When a guest came, Grandma Zhou was waiting. When she heard that her son and people As he spoke, his expression changed. Wasn't Xia Long's third aunt the third sister who had his father?

The boy’s father’s third sister’s family thought his family was poor and they had stopped interacting with her for a long time. What would he do if he came to her house now?

Listening to the debate, Grandma Zhou knew who was coming, and she also pretended to be dumbfounded: "Xia Long, who are you talking to? You are so nervous that someone else went to the wrong door. , you hurry up and give people directions, why are you talking so much nonsense, it is not a waste of people's time."

Grandma Zhou's words spread from the kitchen to the alley, and the young and old of the Song family listened. Er, Song Pengcheng's face felt as if he had been slapped, and his face burned. It's not that the Zhou family's mother and son really didn't know them, they were just pretending not to know them!

The Zhou family’s mother and son probably still resented their family’s failure to return to Meicun to see Zhou Fu off, so the Zhou family no longer wanted to be related to them.

Feeling terribly embarrassed, Song Pengcheng forced out a smile: "Sister, it's us. Xia Long, my third aunt, and I brought the children to pay you New Year's greetings."

The Song brothers were also very smart and immediately called out: "Happy New Year, aunt! My nephew wishes you a happy new year. I wish you good health all year round and happiness every day."

They said auspicious words to their aunt and quickly acknowledged their old cousin. Dear: "Happy New Year, cousin, may you have great success in the New Year."

The two grandsons of the Song family immediately followed suit and paid New Year greetings to their elders: "Happy New Year to my uncle and grandma, and I wish you a happy New Year from my nephew and grandson. I wish you good health and all the best in the new year."

Then I said hello to my cousin: "Happy New Year, cousin. I wish you a lot of money in the new year and pick up gold when you walk."

Grandma Zhou in the house: "..."

Brother Zhou didn't want to pay attention to it, but it was the first month of the year and he couldn't kick people out. He said lightly "Hmm": "Same. To get rich, please enter the kitchen firstsit. "

Zhou Xialong didn't call her "aunt" or "uncle", just because he didn't want to acknowledge his relatives. Zhou Shirley and Song Pengcheng felt extremely uncomfortable, so they forced themselves to enter the kitchen with Zhou Xialong.


Zhou Shirley entered the Zhou family’s kitchen. The interior of the house was generally the same, but new furniture had been replaced, and she was still sitting on a wooden bench.

She saw her brother’s daughter-in-law sitting on Seeing her by the fire pit and not standing up to greet her, Zhou Shirley was at a loss for a moment, but she mustered up the courage to step forward quickly, sat down next to her sister-in-law, and held her hand affectionately: "Sister, these years, How is your health..."

She only said one thing. Grandma Zhou took her hand back from her aunt on the pretext of holding the tongs to hold the fire, picked up the tongs and clamped the firewood, with the same tone. He said calmly: "His aunt, are you coming back too early? It's still early in April. Going to the mountains on the first day of the first month is a bit..., it's okay if you don't avoid that.

Xia Long, first give your cousin some fruit to eat. Then you can take out the lunch dishes first. I will cook them later. You change your clothes and wait for the children to warm their hands. Hurry up. It’s time to accompany your aunt and the others to the mountain to perform a memorial sweep for your grandma. They are in a hurry and have to go back in the afternoon, but don’t waste their time. ”

　“Okay. "Zhou Xialong agreed, taking the tea cup and pouring tea first.

Song Pengcheng took his son and grandson into the house and walked to the fire pit. As soon as he and the children sat down, he heard his sister-in-law directly talking to him and My wife said she was coming back to pay homage to her mother-in-law and father-in-law, and her face turned red at the time.

Her aunt obviously did not welcome her. Song Deyang and Song Dexu were also so embarrassed that they didn’t know what to say. This was Song Haoyu’s first time in the countryside. , it is very strange to see a fire pit, and it is not embarrassing to study the fire pit.

Zhou Shirley's face also changed color, and she continued to explain: "My wife, your third brother-in-law and I have retired. Qingming Festival Don't be busy. I'm not coming back this time to pay homage to my mother and father. I'm determined to bring the children back to pay you New Year's greetings. "

"His aunt, you don't have to be embarrassed. You are a married girl. It doesn't matter if you don't have time to come back to visit your parents' graves. It's normal to come back in the first month of the year, but you are worried about going up the mountain and being raped. I saw that it was not good for you to pass by your parents' brother's house and not even enter the door, so you came in and sat down. I am a person who covers my neck in dirt, so there is nothing to hide, so you don't have to worry about me being unhappy. ”

Grandma Zhou had one thought: no matter what the reason was for him to come back, it would not be a good thing.

The third aunt’s family had never looked down upon the Zhou family before. , because the Song family is from the working class and is relatively wealthy.The Zhou family is poor and has little money. The Zhou family is the poor relative in the eyes of the Song family.

When Zhou Fu was still alive, they were siblings after all, so they walked around from time to time. Zhou Fu had just passed away, and they were afraid that the Zhou family would stick to them and not be able to get rid of them. The third aunt and her biological brother He didn't show up even after his death, thus getting rid of this poor relative.

After so many years, the Song family came back with their whole family, which must be related to Zhou Qiufeng’s marriage to Yueqing. There is a good girl in Yueqing. I heard that the younger generation of the Chao family said that Le Yun was here. He already has a certain reputation abroad. The Song family may have heard some rumors and came back to get married.

The Song family came to the home of poor relatives to marry, of course, not because they were interested in the Zhou family, but because they wanted to take advantage of the east wind and establish contact with the Le family.

After hanging out with Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Chao and Mrs. Wu for some time, Grandma Zhou also gained experience. Now her mind is spinning very quickly. She can not only draw inferences from one instance, but also learn from the behavior of certain people. I can make some guesses.

Brother Zhou poured the tea and heard the phrases spoken by his old mother, Bala Bala, and fell into admiration. Jiang is old and spicy. My mother is just like the old ladies who have seen the world. After a long time, he became closer to Zhu Zhechi. Compared with his old mother, he was a little more tender.

With his mother in the way, Brother Zhou did not interrupt and served tea to the young and old of the Song family.

Song Haoyu was the youngest, curious, and also a foreign minister. He took the tea and asked enthusiastically: "Cousin, this... is where the fire is made. Is wood burned like this in summer? Every day Is this the case in every household?"

The young man from the Song family is about the same age as his own son. Brother Zhou is quite tolerant of his children: "Absolutely, most families have fire pits for burning firewood, and some families have fire pits for burning firewood. I am away from home all year round and usually use electrical appliances. In summer, when it is hot, villagers sometimes use electrical appliances or stoves to cook."

"Cousin, it takes a lot of wood to make fires every day. You don't have to go up the mountain all the time. Chopping firewood? How can I have time to work and farm when I have to chop firewood all the time?" Song Haoyu is very curious about knowledge and asks whatever he wants.

"There is no need to cut firewood often. Three or two months of firewood every autumn and winter is enough for burning. When the corn stalks and sorghum poles in the fields dry up, they can also be used as firewood. At home, If you don’t raise pigs, you won’t need much firewood.”

“Cousin, should we cut firewood everywhere, or should each family cut it in their own mountains...”

Song Haoyu’s book There are a hundred thousand whys, so you have to ask them, break the casserole and get to the bottom of it.

The Song family’s grandson asked questions one after another, and Brother Zhou patiently answered them for him. Over and over again, he successfully deflected the old people’s words.

Brother Zhou served the guests hot tea and Sixi dried fruits before saying, "You guys sit down first. I'll go change my clothes and find a hatchet. Then I can go back to the mountains."

Their grandson changed the subject. Song Pengcheng and Zhou Xueli took the opportunity to talk about how busy they were these years, how often they hurt, and how they sought medical advice. The underlying meaning was that they were doing something for Zhou Fu's death and their failure to come back. He explained that they had not forgotten the relationship between brother and sister, but they just couldn't get away at that time.

Originally thought that the matter was over, but when they heard Zhou Xialong mentioning going to the mountains again, the Song family was stunned: "?"

The Song family The two brothers were also shocked. The aunt and cousin still didn't want to rebuild their old relationship?

Song Dexu reacted, stood up, walked a few steps quickly to catch up with Zhou Xialong, and put his arms around his shoulders: "Cousin, we haven't been able to come back these years. Please tell me if there was something wrong in the past." Second, my mom and dad are also thinking about my aunt and cousin’s family. Today we are really here to pay aunt’s New Year greetings. During the Qingming Festival, my brother and I will accompany my mother and I to come back to pay homage to my grandparents and uncle.”
< br />"Aren't you worshiping your parents?" Grandma Zhou didn't wait for her son to answer. She took the lead and said, "Xia Long, your aunt is here to visit us. Then there is no need to go to the mountains. You can do it quickly." They have to go back for lunch. They will go back in the afternoon. If they have an early lunch and leave early, it will be safer on the road."

"I..." Zhou Shirley wanted to say, "We are not in a hurry. We will stay for a few nights before we come back. Go back." Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, Zhou Xialong answered quickly and loudly: "Okay. The road from Jiudao to Changshi is more difficult to walk. Driving at night is slippery when it snows. It is indeed safer to drive during the day. I First ask Tianming to come back to accompany the guests, and then cook."

The Zhou family's mother and son repeatedly expressed their intention to drive them away. The old Song family couple were so embarrassed that they wanted to find a place to hide, but where could they hide?

Song Deyang had no idea. His aunt and cousin treated his family as strangers. What else could they do?

Feeling embarrassed, Song Dexu still held his arms around his old cousin’s shoulders and changed the subject: “My nephew, is my nephew at home? I thought my nephew, niece and cousins ​​had gone back to my grandma’s house.”< br// She showed her face and walked out calmly: "Chunmei has to go to work on the eighth day of the lunar month. The mother took the girl back to her grandmother's house to pay New Year greetings. I was home at dawn and went to play."

"Where are we going? Are you visiting? In fact, there is no need to call him, we are not outsiders, so we don’t need anyone to accompany us." Song Dexu hugged his cousin's shoulder to express his closeness.

"You are guests and city dwellers, all of whom are wealthy. Burning firewood in the countryside is very smokey. It will be a big problem if the sparks ruin your clothes. I will ask you to come back in the morning and turn on the electric stove in the downstairs room. You warm yourself by the fire."

Brother Zhou calmly stepped out of the threshold and walked towards the door. He arrived in a few steps, then stepped out and stood on the doorstep.He shouted diagonally across the street: "Tianming, Tianming, there is something going on at home, please come back."

Zhou Tianming was watching Leshan learn to write calligraphy at his aunt's house. When he heard his father calling him, he immediately trotted away. After leaving Lejia, I quickly ran to the village road. I saw my father calling me at the door of the house, so I answered and ran home.

He ran fast, and the road was not very wide. He rushed across the village road and arrived in front of his house. He also saw a person standing behind his father. He looked familiar, so he smiled first. He smiled and asked again: "Dad, what's the matter with calling me back?"

The old cousin said that he was going to call Tianming back. Song Dexu also guessed that Zhou Tianming must have gone to Qiufeng's old cousin's house. , I originally thought that Zhou Xialong would go to Le's house to call for someone, but my old cousin didn't go at all. He stood at the door and shouted away.

Song Dexu was a little disappointed that his old cousin didn’t go to Lejia. He stood on the threshold and looked outside. When he saw the young man running back from the opposite side, he was surprised. His old cousin’s son looked really upright!

He had met the Zhou siblings when they were young. He had met Zhou Chunmei a few months ago. To be honest, Zhou Chunmei was really not that good. Not only in terms of appearance, but also in terms of temperament, she had the air of a small family. Zhou Tianming gave People's feelings are really the same as Zhou Chunmei's.

He was surprised, and without waiting for Zhou Xialong’s introduction, he greeted with a smile: “Tianming, I am your cousin Dexu from your third aunt’s grandma’s family. Do you still remember?”

When An old cousin abducted his son. Brother Zhou immediately rushed to speak in front of his son: "At dawn, your third aunt and her family came to our house to sit. They ate at noon and rushed back to Changshi. Stop playing now and go. Turn on the electric stove in the lower room and invite the guests to warm up in the main room."

"Oh, it turns out he is the cousin of the third aunt's grandmother. I haven't seen him for more than ten years and I can't recognize him," Zhou Tianming said to his cousin He smiled and spoke to his father again: "Dad, my uncle heard that my sister and my mother went back to my grandma's house. He originally wanted us to go there for dinner at noon. We have guests at home and we can't go. I'll go and tell my aunt. Ah, I'll be back soon."

He said, turned around and ran, rushing across the village road between the two houses in one breath, rushing into the eaves of the Le family, trotting to the Le family main room, and sat down with him The aunt who was warming herself by the fire winked and whispered: "Aunt, the third aunt's grandma's family is here to pay New Year greetings, so grandma and I won't come over for dinner. My dad probably wants to see off the guests in the afternoon as much as possible. You and your aunt must not go over to say hello. ."

Zhou Qiufeng was shocked at first, then laughed: "You are such a clever little kid, I know, you go back to help, and when the guests leave, you can come over whenever you want."< br />
"Well, aunt, I'm going back." Zhou Tianming smiled shyly, without stopping, trotted out of the main room, and ran again.

When Zhou Tianming didn’t give anyone a chance to speak, he turned around and ran to Le’s house. Song Dexu was helpless. When Zhou Xialong turned around and returned to the house, he followed him.Return to the kitchen.