Three or Two Things about Rebirth

“Oh my, you’re here to pick up our third brother too!” Qiu Moshi took a long step forward, hugged Qiu Luming, and said happily, “Little piglet, did you miss me?”

Qiu Luming was strangled so hard that he couldn't breathe. He kicked his calf and said, "Let go! Your girlfriend is watching over there!"

Qiu Moshi laughed loudly, let go of Qiu Luming, turned around and stood beside her, facing Qiu Jiashu and said jokingly, "I brought this lady here, but she didn't come to see me!"

The woman was wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket, but she was still shivering all over. Qiu Luming could clearly hear the sound of her teeth chattering. "De de de de, you hello, de de, you are Lu Lu Lu..."

Qiu Luming was very happy. "You are from the south, right? Why are you so cold-resistant?"

The woman shook her head, then nodded desperately and stamped her feet.

"Brother, you can go home or to the hotel, but you can't just stand here!" Qiu Moshi picked up his big bag and dragged Qiu Luming away. As soon as he took a step, he saw Xie Zhi and shouted, "Dazhi, you bastard! Have you changed your job?"

"Tsk tsk, you can't see anyone else except your sister. I'm almost like a stone standing here!"

"Haha, you're talking nonsense!" Qiu Moshi let go of the bag in his hand, walked forward and hugged Xie Zhi. The two of them patted each other's backs hard, but it was not enough, so they punched and hit each other, and they were intimate for a while.

Qiu Luming shook his head in amazement: Men’s friendship is really puzzling.

Through her cotton hat, she heard the low, trembling voice of the southern woman, "De de de Qiu Jiashu, if the mountain is not me, I will be the mountain."

Qiu Luming burst out laughing.

I heard Qiu Jiashu sigh again, which seemed to be both happy and helpless, "You, you."

The six of them rode back to the Qiu family. Xie Zhi rode with Qiu Moshi, Xie Guang sat on the front beam, and Qiu Luming followed behind with Qiu Moshi's big bag on the back seat. A dozen meters away, Qiu Jiashu rode with his southern friend, carrying a red suitcase in his left hand, riding very slowly.

Qiu Luming's curiosity about her second brother's southern friend had reached its peak. She moved her ears, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. As a result, in addition to the chattering of the woman's teeth and faint sobbing, she also heard Xie Guang chattering in front of her, "Brother Moshi, let me tell you, your sister is not a human, she is a white-bone demon..."

Arriving at the gate of Qiu's house, Qiu Luming got out of the car and looked back but didn't see Qiu Jiashu. She called out "Third Brother", and Qiu Moshi also looked back and said, "Forget about him, let's go inside!"

Xie Zhi held the handlebars with one hand and the beam with the other, lifted the bicycle, turned it 180 degrees and put it down. Xie's bare butt, which was sitting on the beam, was shaken and he immediately let out a howl of excitement and pain.

"I won't go in. I'll come and wish Teacher He a happy new year tomorrow!" After saying that, Xie Zhi stretched out his long legs and got on the bicycle, but Qiu Luming felt as if he was riding a war horse.

"That's fine. Let's go out together to celebrate the New Year tomorrow. Ride slowly!"

"Okay! Let's go!" Xie Zhi turned around and looked at Qiu Luming.

Qiu Luming waved his hand, "Goodbye!"

Xie Guang looked over from under his second brother's armpit, "Goodbye, White Bone Demon!"

"Goodbye Xie Faguang!"

"Ah! She gave me a nickname! Second brother, stop the car quickly so I can teach her a lesson..." Along with Xie Zhi's loud laughter, Xie Guang's angry voice became increasingly distant.

Qiu Luming felt that he had won, and happily pushed open the door, "Mom! Look who's back!"

Qiu Moshi resigned himself to pushing the red Kun car up the steps and used his front wheel to knock open a door. The spring on the door was very tight and it opened a little before closing again, clamping the wheel. He had to knock it again and finally managed to push the car in.

I had just put the bicycle on its feet and had not yet had time to take off my bag when I saw my mother running out from the second door. She was only wearing a sweater and a blue apron tied around her waist. She was holding a spatula in her hand, and she was laughing and crying, "Third brother, third brother, you're back!"

Qiu Moshi's nose suddenly felt sore. He lowered his head and insisted on taking down the bag. He bit his lower lip, then looked up and said with a smile, "Mom! Come into the house quickly, don't catch a cold!"

He Manshu was hugged by her son and walked forward, looking back, "Your second brother went to pick you up, where is he?"

"Ah, he has something to do and will be back soon."

"It's Chinese New Year, what's going on?"

As soon as Qiu Moshi entered the side building, he smelled a familiar smell: a faint smell of sauerkraut, pine cones, birch bark, and the smell of old popsicles produced by the food factory. His heart suddenly relaxed, so much so that he wished he could lie down and have a sweet sleep right away.

But his mind was too excited and he had a lot to say to his family.

Very contradictory.

"The third child is back. Mom and dad have been talking about him for days." Liu Xiaomei put down the kitchen knife, wiped her hands on her apron, and went to take the bag.

"Chen, I'll do it myself." Qiu Moshi avoided the sister-in-law's hand, put the bag on the living room floor, turned around and greeted, "Sister-in-law, are you okay? Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu are all okay, right?"

"All right, everything is fine." Liu Xiaomei picked up the kettle, poured hot water into the wash basin, and scooped some cold water from the water tank, "Wash your face quickly, third brother, and have a good chat with our mother. Dad and your eldest brother will be back soon."

"Oh, thank you, sister-in-law! Where is Dabao?" Qiu Moshi asked while washing.

"He's at his grandmother's house! Your eldest brother should go pick him up after get off work."

Qiu Luming took off his down jacket, threw it on the kang in his bedroom, and then followed his sister-in-law to do chores. It was New Year's Day, and he couldn't really leave the kitchen to her alone.

The sister-in-law didn't expect her to help in any way and only asked her to do some trivial tasks like chopping onions, picking garlic and beating eggs. Anyway, there were still four or five hours before the New Year's Eve dinner, so she would definitely make it in time.

"Didn't your second brother go to pick you up?"

"Yes." Qiu Luming hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to her ear and said, "There was a woman who came back with my third brother. She said she was looking for my second brother..."

"Hush, keep your voice down!" Liu Xiaomei pointed the kitchen knife in her hand at the living room, "Let your second brother talk to our mother about this matter himself, and we should keep quiet."

Qiu Luming nodded repeatedly.

"Luming, remember this, if, I mean if, your second brother brings that woman back, you must not say anything nonsense!"

Qiu Luming nodded again.

Liu Xiaomei seemed unconvinced and emphasized once more, "It's best not to say anything. Just eat. No matter what our mother and your second brother say, don't interrupt. Remember?"

"What? I can't talk anymore?"

Liu Xiaomei glanced at her and said, "It's New Year's Day, and your words are as heartbreaking as a kick in the face!"

Qiu Luming laughed, "I'm not that bad!"

"You did!" Liu Xiaomei said, "You were eight years old that year, and your older brother and I were seventeen and in our third year of high school. I took you to buy popsicles in the hot sun just to please you. Your brother was sitting on a bench by the river waiting for us. Do you remember what you did at that time?"

"What did you do?" Qiu Luming laughed. She had a premonition that she must have made a fool of herself again.

"You, holding a popsicle in your left hand and a popsicle in your right hand, sucking on the left and the right, said to the lady selling popsicles: Hey, my elder brother is dating someone and he was afraid of gossip, so he wanted me to follow him. It's a good thing you came to sell me a popsicle, otherwise I would have died of the heat!

The lady selling popsicles still makes fun of me about this to this day!"

"I don't remember." Qiu Luming laughed.

"It's not over yet. When we were almost in front of your eldest brother, you suddenly said loudly, "Hey! Sister Xiaomei, you are quite pretty!" I was still feeling happy, and the next second you said, "You smiled with your teeth showing!"

"Hahaha! I'm too straight, but what's the big deal about teeth? I didn't say you have flat chest!"

"Shut up!" Liu Xiaomei yelled, then lowered her voice, "Your elder brother heard every word. My face was red. At that time, dating was very conservative. We didn't even hold hands, but you broke my teeth. Now your elder brother found out what was so funny about him. He laughed so hard that he almost fell off the dam!"

"I was only eight years old that year, and children speak without restraint!" Qiu Luming bowed repeatedly.

"Eight years old, you're still the same when you're eighteen! Last year, you said I looked like a woman three years older than me holding a gold brick!"

"But you don't look as young as my brother!"

"Ah! I'm going to fight you, Qiu Luming! You stab me with your knife!" Liu Xiaomei was so angry that she slapped Qiu Luming on the butt, "You little heartless guy, I will never feel sorry for you again!"

Qiu Luming quickly ran to the living room, "Help! My sister-in-law hit me!"

He Manshu hugged Qiu Luming and said, "Quick! I'll hold her down, Xiaomei, you fight!"

Liu Xiaomei laughed out loud and hugged her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

The house was bustling with activity when Qiu Jiashu came back. His expression looked natural, but if you looked closely, there was still confusion in his eyes.

"Where are the people?" Qiu Luming looked behind him.

"Who is it?" He Manshu asked vigilantly.

Qiu Jiashu patted Qiu Moshi, and Qiu Moshi stood up and gave the sofa to him.

Qiu Jiashu sat down, looked at his mother for two seconds, and said, "Mom, Zhou Lina is here."

"What?" The smile on He Manshu's face disappeared.

Qiu Luming was pulled up by his sister-in-law, and Qiu Moshi also followed him out.

"Don't leave!" He Manshu shouted. "There is nothing in our family that cannot be brought to the table. Jiashu, just speak out your thoughts and ideas! Tell me, how are we going to celebrate the New Year this year!"

He Manshu's expression seemed to have taken on a fierce look.

"Mom!" Qiu Jiashu said helplessly, "She came here without saying hello. Her parents didn't know she was coming to Jiayang. She happened to meet Moshi on the train and came back on the same bus."

Qiu Moshi nodded, indicating that what his second brother said was true.

Qiu Jiashu continued, "I know that we in Jiayang don't just let anyone come to our house for the New Year. She doesn't understand our customs. This action will definitely have a great impact on you and me. But now the buses have stopped, and I can't send her away even if I want to. I have already thought about it. I can't let her come to our house for the New Year. I sent her to a hotel far away. It is a private hotel and it is open during the New Year."

He Manshu's cheeks were flushed and her nose was covered in sweat.

"Mom, don't worry. She said she just wanted to come and have some fun during the holidays and see what my hometown is like."

"Didn't you break up? Doesn't her family look down on my son? What are you looking at?"

Qiu Jiashu sighed again, "Don't worry, Mom. I know what I'm doing. I will never do anything impossible."

He Manshu reached out and stroked Qiu Jiashu's hair, "Mom believes you, my second son is the most rational, a good horse never turns back, we can't let people call us and send us away at will, I didn't give birth to my good son to be humiliated by others!"

Qiu Jiashu said to his embarrassed sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, you guys go and do your work. Mom is fine. We have talked it out."

"Okay, Mom, no matter what happens, we can't get anxious or angry. Look, you're sweating again!" After saying that, she handed the towel over and asked Qiu Jiashu to wipe He Manshu's sweat.

Qiu Luming followed the eldest sister-in-law and the third brother out of the living room. Qiu Moshi sat on Qiu Luming's small kang, lazily flipping through the books on her desk. Suddenly, he said in surprise, "Oh my! I haven't been back for only a year. Has Luming made such great progress?"

My sister-in-law was watching from the door. "What?"

Qiu Moshi pointed at a few books and said, "Look, sister-in-law, there isn't even a single romance novel here. They're all classics. Look, Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre, How the Steel Was Tempered, The Camellia... Oh, and Six Records of a Floating Life. No, these are our dad's books! Isn't this our dad's seal?"

"Isn't this good?" said the eldest sister-in-law, "Lu Ming has finally gotten the point."

"Oh, you even remember to take notes while reading. Did you write these words?" Qiu Moshi flipped through his notebook.

"I write."

"When did you learn it? Your handwriting is like a dog crawling, how could you learn it so quickly?"

"I have been in Harbin for six months and have been transformed! But you have been in the ancient capital of Xi'an for five years and have not made any progress!"

"Hey! I've got the feeling! That's the feeling, the feeling of picking on whoever you meet!" Qiu Moshi laughed and pointed at Qiu Luming. "But you have to change your temper, or you won't be able to get married in the future!"

He Manshu walked into the kitchen from the living room and just happened to hear this, "What's the matter! Your sister is only twenty years old, and there is no room for her in this family!"

Qiu Moshi jumped off the kang with a cry and said in a pretentious tone, "Oh my God, my mother, you have no self-control at all this year! I lost my composure, mom. Where is my gentle, intelligent and generous mother?"

He Manshu immediately adjusted her mood and took a deep breath, "Having too many children is like a debt, and each one of them will stab you in the heart!"

When he looked up and saw Qiu Luming, his expression collapsed again, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "Hey, get out of the way! Don't let me see you!"

Qiu Luming was innocent and hurt, "What have I done to anyone? I don't have a boyfriend, I don't stay away from home all year round, and I don't favor my wife!"

"Say it again!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

He Manshu and Liu Xiaomei shouted at the same time.