jdhmnovel Chapter 130 These three people from all over the country actually look somewhat alike.
Chapter 130 These three people from all over the country actually look somewhat alike.
Qiao Runming plopped down in his wheelchair and asked, "Should I go and ask the captain?"
Qiao Manman asked doubtfully, "Dad, are you sure you can do it?"
Qiao Runming's face darkened; he thought to himself, "How can you talk like that? Men are always capable, no matter what."
He coughed lightly and said, "My leg is completely healed. It's just calling someone, what's the big deal!"
Qiao Manman said "Oh," and then added, "Okay, be careful on the road, and don't give yourself away!"
Qiao Runming nodded seriously: "Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
After he rolled away on his wheelchair, He Nian said with a smile, "Your dad probably wants to see what his two nephews look like!"
Qiao Manman agreed. Thinking of her two cousins, she sighed, "They're not getting any younger. I don't know whether they should settle down here or wait a few years."
He Nian couldn't possibly stay out of this.
After chatting with Qiao Manman for a bit, I went to chop the sweet potatoes. I chopped them into small pieces to remove the starch.
Qiao Manman then cooked fish, stewing all the dried fish and shrimp she had brought back from the seaside, and adding two fresh shrimp caught from a seawater fishpond.
The seafood in this pot immediately became incredibly delicious; you could smell the aroma from a great distance.
Qiao Manman placed the mixed stew next to the stove and went to steam buns.
The dough was made last night, a mixture of wheat flour, black flour, and cornmeal, so the color isn't very appealing.
Even though they knew Qiao Manman was capable and the family had no shortage of fine food, they still ate like this whenever Qiao Manman wasn't around, without exception.
Qiao Manman knew, but she didn't stop it.
Back in the 1970s, having anything to eat was a blessing. Moreover, their family ate their fill every day, and often had meat.
Qiao Manman steamed the buns and then went to pick vegetables. She picked a little bit of each: cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, and eggplants.
After washing and cutting, blanch the green beans and marinate the eggplant with salt to save some oil.
After I finished my work, I went to help He Nian. I felt that all that effort to make such a small amount of sweet potato starch was really tiring.
However, it's inconvenient to take all the sweet potatoes out of the space, since it's not the season for harvesting sweet potatoes.
Moreover, with so much stuff and such a huge workload, she also felt sorry for her parents.
Forget it, let's use these sweet potatoes as a cover. She'll use the machine in her space to crush the rest to increase production efficiency.
Time passed slowly, but Qiao Manman still hadn't seen Qiao Runming return.
Fearing something might have happened, I prepared to go out and look for him. But just as I turned the corner, I saw my father returning with my two cousins.
One person was talking to someone on the side, while the other was pushing the cart from behind. They looked very harmonious.
The three men look somewhat alike, and someone unfamiliar with them might mistake them for father and sons.
Qiao Manman leaned against the door with a half-smile, and gestured for the person to come in as they approached.
Qiao Haoyang tentatively called out, "Cousin?"
Qiao Manman nodded: "Welcome to Qingshan Brigade!"
Once the two brothers felt reassured, one pushed Qiao Runming back into the yard, while the other ran back to the educated youth settlement to get his things.
Qiao Manman asked, "How did the three of you get together?"
Qiao Runming said embarrassedly, "There's a small hill where we're working, and I couldn't climb it. Haoyang and Chengping saw it and came to help."
"What about the battalion commander? Has he been notified?"
"They've notified us, don't worry. The captain said he'll come over when he's done with his work, and we can eat first!"
We definitely can't eat first, but we can talk and get to know each other better.
"What about your cousin? Has he finished his work?"
Qiao Haoyang scratched his head sheepishly: "Not yet. Captain Uncle was worried that something might happen to Third Uncle, so he asked Chengping and me to bring him back."
We plan to go back during our lunch break and finish the work!
Qiao Manman hummed in agreement, went back into the room, and brought out the water jug containing the marrow-cleansing fluid: "Here, have a couple of sips, there's good stuff in there!"
Qiao Haoyang, unsuspecting, tilted his head back and took two sips, then subconsciously handed the water bottle to Qiao Runming.
Qiao Manman stopped her, saying, "My dad has some, the rest are for Brother Chengping."
Qiao Haoyang awkwardly put the kettle on the ground, only to see Da Huang staring at him menacingly.
Qiao Manman quickly told him to pick up the water bottle: "There's a big yellow spirit here, be careful it doesn't steal your water!"
Qiao Haoyang looked at Da Huang curiously and found that its eyes seemed to be talking, as if they were also looking at him.
"Hello, my surname is Qiao, and my name is Qiao Haoyang. I also have a brother named Qiao Chengping."
We were sent-down youths, and also Uncle San's nephews, and Manman's cousins!
He Nian laughed at him: "You actually treat it like a person!"
Big Yellow whimpered, clearly disagreeing with He Nian's statement.
Qiao Manman gently kicked Da Huang's rear end to make it behave.
Then they carried the sweet potato starch and scraps to the backyard and put them in a corner.
Just as I came out of the backyard, Qiao Chengping came in.
I gave Qiao Runming a watch, a Shanghai brand, all steel, and it didn't look cheap.
I gave He Nian a set of skincare products, packaged in an exquisite box, which looked very high-end.
What he gave to Qiao Manman was a floral dress.
"Thank you, my two cousins!" Qiao Manman generously accepted the gift and offered Qiao Chengping some water.
After he finished drinking, he said, "Grandpa and Grandma went to Northeast China. Here's their address. You can write to them if you need anything!"
The two brothers were shocked: "Did Grandpa and Grandma get their heads shaved and be paraded through the streets? Where are my parents? Did they go with them?"
"No, they went to the countryside voluntarily, and other leaders vouched for them, so they shouldn't be able to endure hardship."
My second uncle and aunt also went along; one was transferred for a job, and the other came to take care of the elderly. They told us not to worry.
The two brothers breathed a sigh of relief: "Starting tomorrow, I'll work hard and send food to my grandparents!"
Qiao Manman directly shattered their unrealistic fantasies: "Come on, you two just need to take care of yourselves. I know better than you what the situation is like for the educated youth."
Don't worry, Grandpa and Grandma won't go hungry. I have many connections in the county town; I'll exchange some grain and send it over in your names."
The two brothers felt somewhat ashamed: "Our third uncle has suffered so much over the years, how could we let you do this for us? Here, we'll pay for it!"
Qiao Manman nodded: "Sure, I'll calculate it for you based on the grain station's price!"
With that, the two brothers were relieved and began talking to Qiao Runming about things in Suzhou.
Their words conveyed one clear message: they only recognized their third uncle. As for the fake item, it was merely a decoy placed near their grandparents.
Qiao Runming nodded with emotion and asked about their marriage plans.
This embarrassed the two children: "Uncle, don't worry, we'll deal with our personal matters when things are better in the future."
Qiao Runming knew that this was something that couldn't be forced, so he nodded and said, "You've all grown up and have your own ideas."
As they were talking, Wang Defa and Ma Qiuhua arrived one after the other.
The two brothers quickly offered their seats and stood behind Qiao Runming like little quails.
Wang Defa glanced at the three of them and said, "You three, from all over the country, actually look somewhat alike!"