The story of a cook

Chapter 549
Mother's birthday is coming.

I didn't go back last year to celebrate my mother's birthday, so I must go back this year.My mother is now at Fifth Sister's house, and is busy in the New Year's shop, so I don't have to go back.

I called Lin Yan and asked her mother if she could take a few days off for her birthday and go back with her. She said she couldn't take the leave and couldn't go back, and asked me to take my son back together.Tell her to discuss with the boss, it is best for a family of three to go back together, it will look better.She came to tell you that she can't ask for leave, can't ask for leave, don't understand why?

This pissed me off, so I hung up the phone immediately.

After being away from her for a long time, I started to feel rusty.Now I have to face a reality - two people are not always together, have little communication, have not had a married life for a long time, and have become two acquaintances with documents.

The two couples who were originally married have become a pure friendship between adults.They are all struggling for this family, but there is no warmth and tacit understanding between them.

This is a red flag.

If you want to change this situation, you can only stop working in Binhai, go back to the provincial capital, find a job at home, go home every day, and slowly ease up.

Putting down the phone and sighing helplessly, it seems that it is time to make a choice about where to work.

On January 15th, [-], the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, I returned to the provincial capital, stayed at home for a short time, took my son on the bus back to Beipiao, and arrived at Beipiao Bus Terminal that afternoon.My eldest sister’s son, Lan Jun, picked me up at the passenger station by car. When I saw Lan Jun’s car, I couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. I had been working outside the home for [-] years and didn’t even have a car, but my nephew bought a car—is it wrong to go out to work?

Sitting in the car and looking at the scene outside, it is a bit close to the nostalgia.

"Lan Jun, how is this year?" I asked.

"This year I can do it. I roasted 4 acres of tobacco, and I can earn a total of 6 yuan. When the tobacco is collected, I will collect another [-] yuan. Corn is also good, and I can earn a total of [-] yuan a year. [-] yuan." Lan Jun said.

"The income is quite good, much more than what I earn from working outside." I said.

"It's okay for the past two years, with flue-cured tobacco, but it won't work without flue-cured tobacco," he said.

"How is the flue-cured tobacco at your third aunt's house this year?" I asked.

"My third aunt's family is also good. They are better than me. His family does more roasting. They have 10 acres of land and [-] acres of corn. This year they can clear [-] yuan. I heard Jin Sheng said that his family bought a car during the New Year. "He said.

"Will Jin Sheng get married during Chinese New Year?"

"Well, get married during Chinese New Year."

"What is he doing with you now?"

"Well, work with me. He can do it. It belongs to the civil servants. I can't do it. I'm a contract worker."

Time flies so fast, and the children of the third sister's family will get married soon, and he was just in elementary school when he went out to work.

"Is your child in school?" I asked.

"I'm in school, I'm already in the second grade." He said.

"Your parents are fine?"

"Well, it's good." He replied, and then asked: "Old uncle, why don't you come to my house first, and then go to my old aunt's after dinner at my house."

I said: "No, go directly to your aunt's house, your grandma is waiting."

"My grandma is in good shape. In autumn, I saw her help my old aunt pinch the millet."

What I want to hear most when I go out is that my mother is in good health. Her health is better than anything else.

The good health of the elderly is the blessing of the children.

It was almost dark when we arrived at Fifth Sister's house. Fifth Sister had prepared meals, and her father-in-law and mother-in-law were all there, chatting with her mother on the kang.When we entered the house, the fifth brother-in-law was going out to welcome us.

The son was very sensible, and when he entered the house, he was not unfamiliar at all. He called people one by one, and finally climbed onto the kang and sat beside his mother, like a little adult.

The mother asked her son: "Where's your mother? Your mother didn't come back?"

The son said: "My mother is at work, so I can't ask for leave. My father and I came back to celebrate your birthday."

"My eldest grandson is so kind. He knows it's his grandma's birthday." The mother said happily.

Fifth Sister's mother-in-law told me: "Guohua, you don't know. Your mother knew you were coming back yesterday. She is very energetic today. I will ask your Fifth Sister for a while, and ask your old brother-in-law for a while, so I will think about why you don't want to come back." home."

"She also thinks, can her eldest son and grandson not think about it?" said the fifth sister-in-law.

My mother glanced at me, and said to my fifth sister-in-law, "The son doesn't think much about it. He mainly thinks about my eldest grandson. It's something to think about."

"Then let the eldest grandson stay at home." Fifth Sister said, and then asked her son: "Jia Heng, can you stay with your grandma at home?"

The son said: "I also want to be with my grandma. I still miss my mother. I still have to go to kindergarten, and I have to learn English on Sundays. If I accompany my grandma, I can't learn English."

"Then what does your grandma think of you?" Fifth Sister asked.

The son looked at his mother, pointed to Lan Jun and said, "My grandma misses me, so I asked my elder brother to take my grandma to my house, why don't you just watch."

The son's words made everyone laugh.

Fifth Sister brought up the food.The food at home is still delicious. The fifth sister’s family killed the New Year’s pig early, stewed a pig dish, a plate of pig intestines, a pot of haggis, scrambled eggs, celery, garlic moss, fried peanuts, and stewed chicken. The staple foods are rice, millet porridge, sticky bean buns, and rice cakes.A large table is very rich, dazzling for my son.

"Grandma, why are there so many dishes?" the son asked.

"Didn't you come back, old aunt made it for you." Fifth Sister said.

"Oh, my mother cooks one dish every day, and she always frys garlic moss. Sometimes she can't come back from overtime, so I go to the uncle's house to eat." The son said.

The mother picked out a chicken shank and gave it to her son, and asked, "Master? Where did you come from?"

"I am Uncle Li, next to my house." The son said.

"My neighbor, sometimes Lin Yan can't come back after taking inventory at the end of the month, so he picks up Jia Heng, eats at his house after picking up Jia Heng, sleeps at his house when Jia Heng is sleepy, and hugs him when Lin Yan comes back." I said. explain.

"You are a good neighbor." The fifth sister-in-law said.

My fifth sister's father-in-law is 68, my name is Uncle Er, she is in good health, with a rosy face, and looks more energetic than a young person.When I was young, I worked as a buyer in the mining industry in the township. I belonged to outsiders and could speak well. After the mineral processing turned yellow, I worked as a farmer at home. Now I plant 66 mu of land and raise a flock of sheep.My fifth sister’s mother-in-law is also [-]. My name is Second Aunt. I am an educated youth who went to the countryside. My hometown is Qingdao. Before I retired, I worked as a salesperson in a store.

I said, "Yes, here's an old neighbor."

The son said: "Sometimes the uncle is not at home, so I go upstairs to Grandma Wang's for dinner, and Grandma Wang makes dumplings for me."

Fifth Sister smiled and asked, "This is another Grandma Wang, won't your mother make dumplings for you?"

"My mother also makes dumplings. On Sundays, the uncle chops the stuffing, and the aunt and my mother make it together, but it's not as delicious as Grandma Wang's." The son said.

"You are from a hundred families," said the mother.

The son didn't know what Baijiamen meant, so he asked Fifth Sister, "Grandma, what is Baijiamen?"

Fifth Sister said: "Baijiamen means eating from several restaurants."

"Oh." The son nodded half-understood and stuffed chicken into his mouth.

Looking at her son's eating habits, Fifth Sister said to me: "When Jiaheng couldn't eat well at home, you were in Binhai, and Lin Yan was at home raising the children by herself, and she was still working a shift, so it was difficult."

I said: "Even if I am at home, I work in a restaurant. When I come back at night, both of my mothers are asleep. When I wake up in the morning, those who go to work go to work, and those who go to kindergarten go to kindergarten. At most, I can make breakfast."

The fifth brother-in-law said: "You two know how to make money."

"If you earn money and don't save it, you spend a lot," I said.

The second uncle took a sip of wine and said: "It's no different in the city than in the country. You have to spend money for everything, and you have to spend money for drinking water. If Jiaheng was in our hometown, he would be able to eat everything. Both of you go to work, how can you still eat?" Not being at home all year round, Lin Yan can't do well with a child."

I said, "Yes, I've treated my children a little bit badly."

The fifth sister said to her son: "Jiaheng, tell my aunt what you want to eat, and my aunt will make it for you."

The son said, "This is delicious."

"Can I make dumplings for you tomorrow morning?" Fifth Sister said.

"Do you eat dumplings in the morning? At home, my mother gives me bread." The son said.

"Then do you like dumplings?" Fifth Sister asked.

"I love to eat."

"What stuffing do you like to eat?"

"Anything will do."

My fifth brother-in-law and second uncle and I drank and chatted, and felt uncomfortable because it was not my home after all.Every time I come back, I go back to my own home, this time it's Fifth Sister's home, which is a bit awkward.Although it is the same for girls and boys, the old man can take care of his children in any home when he is old, but as a son, he still feels uncomfortable and feels that he is incompetent and cannot take his mother to his home to take care of him.

He raised his wine glass and said to the second uncle: "Second uncle, let me drink one. I am very relieved that my mother is here. They all say that raising children will prevent them from getting old. I have been useless all these years. When my mother gets old, let my fifth sister take care of her. I have to say, second uncle, you can do it, I respect you."

The second uncle picked up the wine glass and said, "Guohua, you're going to see someone else when you say this. What are you calling a relative? Your mother is here and I have no problem with your second aunt. Don't say that, what's the age now, girl Is it different for the boy? There are plenty of girls who take care of the elderly, but you have to take care of the boy? Don’t say that, the second uncle doesn’t like to hear it like that. Come, let’s have a drink.”

My second uncle's words warmed my heart and I drank the wine.

The fifth sister is a daughter-in-law, with parents-in-law and children, and now the mother is brought in to support her.It's not that the mother has no son, and it's a bit unreasonable to have a son and go to the girl's house for the elderly.It must also be said that the fifth sister and her parents-in-law are like that, with a heart, plus the fifth sister is filial, and treats her parents-in-law well.

This is human nature.

The second uncle said: "Guohua, you don't have to worry about it. Your mother is with your fifth sister. It's not that your second aunt and I are good. You have to say that your fifth sister and fifth brother-in-law are like that. If they can't No way. If your fifth sister is not filial to our old couple and treats us badly, your mother will not be able to come, so what can we do?"

"I have to say that your fifth sister is good at everything. This is not bragging. In the entire Niujiadian Village, one of these daughter-in-laws counts as one. My daughter-in-law here is the most filial, and no one else's daughter-in-law is good."

"That's right, my daughter-in-law drove my daughter away. Guohua told you, your fifth sister and our mother get along well. She treats me like your mother. I treat her as my own daughter. My son Daughter-in-law is for this." The second aunt said with a thumbs up.

I smiled and nodded, Fifth Sister's filial piety is obvious to all.

"What should I say if I have such a daughter-in-law? Say no to us two old ones. We can eat whatever we want. When the season changes, we don't have to say anything to buy clothes. I have a headache and brain fever and call quickly. The doctor will come soon. , You said whether it is taking medicine and injections, or going to the hospital to see a doctor, better than your fifth brother-in-law, he doesn't take it seriously, but my daughter-in-law takes it seriously, and takes good care of us two elders, we can't find anything wrong."

The second uncle went on to say: "When you picked up your mother, your fifth sister told me that Dad, I want to take my mother over and ask me what I think. I said at the time that I would take it over immediately. This is a good thing." , the old lady is so old, I can’t ask her to live alone, she should have taken it long ago. But I can’t say that, they have to say it themselves. I also told your fifth brother-in-law that everyone has double parents, you A daughter-in-law calls your parents father and mother, and raises your father and mother to grow old, and the old mother-in-law is also your mother, so she has to raise your mother-in-law to grow old, which is justified."

"Your fifth sister took your mother over here not to say that you, Guohua, are not filial. You are also filial. It's just that the old lady is old and not used to living in the city. Don't talk about your mother, it's just me and your second aunt. Even if you are not used to living in the city, if you can live for ten years in our village, you can live for five years in your city, so is that still called filial piety?"

"You don't need to think too much, and don't have any psychological burden. Do your job outside. Don't worry about your mother here. My family is okay. Your old sister and your old brother-in-law both earn money, and your second aunt has retired. Jin, I still plant [-] acres of land and raise a flock of sheep. I don’t have to worry about food and drink at home. Let alone an old lady, even your family of three can afford it when you come back. You just work hard outside. Adults and children are doing well. What's wrong, it's better than anything else to go home and see your mother during the Chinese New Year holidays."

(End of this chapter)