Husband, please lend me your virtues

"Hey! Old lady, something is wrong. You've even met that female educated youth. Do you like her so much?"

There was a joyful smile on her face. She was much happier than when the second son brought his wife back. This old woman treated him differently!

"A few days ago, you were scolding your second daughter-in-law for being a troublemaker, and now your youngest daughter-in-law hasn't even been approved yet, and you're laughing like this?"

Ding Su teased Jiang Guihua, saying that even though he didn't like his second daughter-in-law, he didn't think the youngest son could marry an educated youth from the city.

"Tsk, our youngest son is as smart as a monkey. No matter what kind of wife he chooses, he can't outsmart him. Besides, our son knows it himself. He has finally fallen in love. If we mess it up, he will really be single for the rest of his life."

Jiang Guihua was full of pride when she talked about Ding Songqing. Her son had been able to hide his involvement in speculation with the brigade for so many years without telling his family. If he hadn't told them voluntarily in order to make them make up their minds to split up the family, how could the old couple have known about it?

The second son's wife married into the family and not only did she control her husband, she also wanted to be the boss of their entire family. This year, she went even further and instigated the eldest granddaughter to make a fuss about splitting up the family business.

"Unlike the second son, a foolish old man who found a wife who is stubborn and restless, sooner or later his wife will subsidize his family and send all the money to her parents' home."

After hearing his daughter-in-law's eloquent narration, Ding Su waved his hands helplessly and took the wood back to the main room.

Ding Songqing took two large cabbages and came to the yard, "Mom, I'm going home first!"

"Youngest, call the girl to the old house for dinner, don't waste your time on that!"

"No, Xu Zhiqing twisted his foot and can't move."

Jiang Guihua could only give up after hearing this. She looked through the kitchen door and saw on the chopping board the big bone that Ding Su had cut when he went to the commune to pick up the educated youth this morning.

Jiang Guihua had an idea in her mind. She sprained her foot and should drink some bone soup to replenish her body. It was just right for her to take the opportunity of the bone soup to take a look at what the girl that her youngest son loved the most looked like!

I fetched a basin of water, washed and dried the ingredients quickly, then went to the kitchen to make bone soup after washing my hands.

Jiang Guihua's bone soup was cooked in a hurry before the smoke from the new house in front dissipated. She scooped out a large bowl of milky white soup and added the bones and meat that had been cooked until soft.

Oil was quite precious in that era. Jiang Guihua looked at the oil on the soup, swallowed her saliva, and looked at the remaining bone soup in the pot.

She took out two bowls, carefully filled them with soup from the pot, and called Ding Su to come in and drink the soup.

After the old couple finished drinking, Jiang Guihua poured the remaining bone soup and meat evenly into five bowls that were larger than the two bowls.

He Guihua brought a large bowl of bone soup, walked to the front door, and shouted to the family next door:

"Jianjun, call your four sisters over here, there are some delicious foods!"

Ding Jianjun, who was squatting at the doorstep playing in the snow, heard that there was something delicious at grandma's house. He clapped his hands happily and went into the house. "Great, sister, come out quickly, grandma is calling us to eat something delicious."

"I'm not going, you go by yourself." Ding Yin refused coldly.

Ding Jianjun, who is only five years old, doesn't understand why his elder sister has become so strange recently. She is so cold to him and even refuses to eat delicious food.

Thinking of his grandmother's instructions, Ding Jianjun pulled Ding Yin's hand and acted coquettishly.

"Big sister, let's go. Grandma wants us to go together."

Acting like a spoiled child was fruitless, so he looked at the other three sisters who came out immediately after hearing that there was something delicious to eat, "Second sister, third sister, fourth sister, please help persuade the eldest sister!"

"It's a waste if you don't eat it. Grandma has called you, so she will definitely not blame you, big sister."

Ding Yin didn't know how to face her grandparents, and this little brat who she had devoted her whole life to but now regarded her as a shame.

Jiang Guihua came to Ding Songqing's house with a large soup bowl, opened the door and found it was locked, so she knocked on the door.

"Youngest, open the door. Mom will bring you some soup. It's fresh, hot bone soup."

Ding Songqing was carrying the last plate of stir-fried Chinese cabbage to the table in the main hall. "Here I am, Mom."

Ding Songqing opened the door and took the big bowl of soup from Jiang Guihua's hand. "I'll take it. Mom, you come in first."

"Why are you sending me this soup in the middle of winter? Keep it for yourself to nourish your body. If I want to drink it, I will bring it back myself."

Jiang Guihua felt comforted when she heard the youngest son's words. Over the years, she had come to realize that among her children, only the youngest son cared a little about them two old people.

Under Ding Songqing's persuasion, she no longer shared all the delicious food with her children and grandchildren as she did in the past. Instead, she shared it with herself and her husband first and then gave it to her children and grandchildren.

In order to avoid having all the good things given to them, they would think that the old couple were selfish and only cared about their eldest son and grandson, and were despised by both sides.

"Mom and dad have already drunk it. This is specially for you and the educated youth comrade."

Jiang Guihua walked into the main room and saw a girl with big eyes, thick and long eyebrows, a straight nose and a small face. No wonder the picky youngest boy liked this female educated youth as soon as he saw her. She was as beautiful as a fairy in the sky.

"This must be the educated youth staying at the youngest son's house, comrade. Hello, I am Ding Songqing's mother."

Jiang Guihua looked and behaved differently from the country people. Xu Zijin, who was pretty in every move, was a little reserved.

"Hello, Aunt Ding. I'm Xu Zijin, a newly-arrived educated youth. Because accommodation is tight at the educated youth site, I'm staying at Brother Ding's house. You can just call me Xiao Xu."

"Well, okay, Xiao Xu, come and have a bowl too. Although my cooking isn't as good as Song Qing's, I think my soup-making skills are better than those of a young boy like him. Try it. If you like it, I'll cook it again next time!"

As Jiang Guihua spoke, she poured the soup into the small bowl that Ding Songqing brought. Xu Zijin picked it up and took a big sip.

"Aunt, this soup is really good. It's rich but not greasy, just right."

Jiang Guihua was very happy to hear that, and smiled as she continued to serve Xu Zijin, "Xiao Xu, drink more if you like!"

Seeing that the two people in the main room were getting along well, his mother even occupied the bowl he brought for soup, poured out a bowl of soup, sat down directly to eat with Xu Zijin, and asked Ding Songqing to add a bowl of rice for her.

"Aunt, the bacon made by Brother Ding is delicious. Please eat more. Did you teach him how to cook?"

"Okay, youngest, give me another bowl of rice. I didn't teach him how to make this. He learned it from his grandfather when he was a kid. I'm not bragging about his cooking skills. They're even better than those made by the big guys who help in the kitchen in our brigade."

Ding Songqing smiled helplessly, turned to the kitchen to add more rice for Jiang Guihua, handed the rice to Jiang Guihua, sat down at his seat and started eating, listening to Xu Zijin chatting with his mother.

"Bang, bang, bang—Youngest, open the door! Is mom here with you?"

There was a loud slam on the door, rapid and harsh. At that time, Xu Zijin was holding a small piece of cabbage and was about to put it on her red lips. She paused, put down her chopsticks, and looked at Ding Songqing who was sitting opposite her with an inquiring look.