Chapter 420: Chapter 418: Longing
The son went drinking with the village buddies. He won’t be back tonight either.
Liang Hongmei didn’t feel like eating, lay in bed, and slept till dawn.
She didn’t even know when her son came home last night.
Liang Hongmei got up and made rice wine tangyuan for two. She fried some greens.
Their place is better than the North; at least in winter, there’s greens to eat.
Liang Hongmei also thought of bringing some greens back for Lin Wan. Lin Yinghui woke up at around ten, they had drunk a lot yesterday.
Feeling a bit sluggish, just as he took a sip of the rice wine tangyuan, the first guest of the new year arrived. The eldest aunt.
Seeing Liang Weixiang, mother and son both frowned at the same time.
The eldest aunt always looked down on them. Every New Year, she visited relatives but never stepped foot in their house. What’s going on this year?
She had a big smile on her face, and her hands were carrying quite a bit of fruit.
"Sister, Ah Hui, why are you having a meal just now?" Liang Weixiang ignored the deep frowns on their faces, smiled brightly, and warmly pulled her little daughter along, saying, "Dan Dan, quickly greet your aunt and cousin."
The girl in her bloom of youth blushed and shyly called out twice.
Liang Hongmei didn’t want to be too unpleasant, stood up, and said, "Cousin’s here... Come in and sit."
Liang Weixiang glanced at their house, thinking it’s too shabby to live in. It’s so dark; she didn’t want to go inside.
With a chuckle, she said, "Sister-in-law in the front yard is already cooking; I’m here to invite you to join us. Let’s eat together today."
"No, Ah Hui and I need to visit a friend shortly," Liang Hongmei casually found an excuse.
"The second day of the New Year is for visiting the maternal home; your friend might not even be at home. We sisters haven’t seen each other for so long, it’s rare to gather, how can we miss this chance? Dan Dan, pull your cousin to the front yard, there’s food there, let’s eat together."
After Liang Weixiang finished speaking, Zhang Dan Dan hurriedly stepped forward to try helping Lin Yinghui.
Taken aback, Lin Yinghui quickly stood up, evading Zhang Dan Dan’s touch.
Though they were cousins, he wasn’t really familiar with this cousin and felt embarrassed to let her support him; after all, he wasn’t sick or drunk.
"Auntie, no need," Lin Yinghui said with a smile.
"Oh, no need, come on, Ah Mei, Ah Hui," Liang Weixiang warmly insisted, trying to take them to the front yard. Speaking as she grabbed Liang Hongmei’s hand in one and Lin Yinghui’s hand in the other, leading them out.
She didn’t forget to tell Zhang Dan Dan to close the door behind them.
Mother and son felt rather helpless.
...
The annual gala in the team is mostly to reward the soldiers. Eating, drinking, watching entertaining programs, the night just passes like that.
Sun Yu and a few sister-in-laws danced a segment, even better than the cultural troupe. She was the center of attention tonight.
Sun Yu was in great spirits during this New Year’s Eve, continuously laughing and chatting. But, things turned awry in the middle of the night.
Of course, at that time, Lin Wan was unaware; she heard about it from the sister-in-laws in the building the next day.
Apparently, her stomach hurt in the middle of the night, also had some spotting. Yang Lianzhang borrowed a military vehicle in the middle of the night to take Sun Yu to the hospital.
They didn’t return until the next afternoon; the doctor said she had over-exercised, with early signs of an impending miscarriage.
Thankfully, the child was alright.
Rumor has it that because of this, Yang Wei and Sun Yu had a row, ordering her not to go out recently and to rest well.
Last year, she fell ill in the middle of the night because of wanting to dress fancily; this year, she nearly exhausted herself to the point of risking the child due to vanity.
Lin Wan didn’t understand.
In any case, it’s none of her concern; she was just thinking about grilled fish these days. Han Yi had gone to Qin Hongbing’s place to get his barbecue equipment; Qin Hongbing went home for family visits this year. The equipment was hidden away discreetly, for fear someone would sneak away with it.
Although it was freezing, fish here are not scarce. People from the North loved to drill ice holes in the lake to catch fish.
They had a dried fish at home, but it wasn’t good grilled. To let Lin Wan eat fresh fish, Han Yi went out early with an ax and fish net to the foot of the mountain.
He was busy for three hours, catching a dozen or so big and small fish, with various kinds among them.
Two young soldiers from the kitchen joined as well, staying by the ice holes the whole day, returning with many fish.
After a net-full, Han Yi didn’t mind them and returned directly.
Using hot water, he cleaned all the fish, then marinated them with ginger and salt.
Not forgetting their neighbors with good things, Lin Wan went to Sister-in-law Jiang and Shi Lan’s places while Han Yi handled the fish, then to Sister-in-law Zhang’s. Sister-in-law Zhang was washing clothes at home, so Lin Wan went ahead to bring Pidan home.
On the way back, she passed by Wang Guihua’s place and saw Miao Miao peeking from her doorstep.
Lin Wan didn’t hold grudges against kids, so she let her in too.
In the yard, Sister-in-law Jiang and Shi Lan were already helping Han Yi.
Their small yard became lively at once.
Sister-in-law Jiang brought some homemade chicken meatballs, perfect for stringing up to grill and eat.
Shi Lan skewered slices of steamed bread on the side, grilling them.
The kids loved chicken meatballs, so most of the ones Sister-in-law Jiang brought ended up in their bellies.
Fearing they’d be thirsty later, Lin Wan poured them a pot of hot water.
Lin Wan was cautious about letting them eat too much fish, worrying they might choke. She carefully deboned the fish beforehand, allowing them to eat safely.
They had a dozen fish; Lin Wan herself only ate one, Sister-in-law Jiang and Shi Lan each had one. Han Yi worried it wouldn’t be enough and sliced a few potatoes, grilling some potato slices for them.
While they were almost done eating, Wang Guihua arrived. Lin Wan didn’t like to interact with her, but she couldn’t turn her away since she came to her home with a smile.
Not holding back, Wang Guihua grabbed a grilled fish and started eating.
When Sister-in-law Zhang arrived, she brought along two or three kids, all from the same yard, who played well together.
They were there to find Pidan and play, so she brought them along.
There were several grilled fish left, Han Yi busied himself grilling two for the kids.
After eating, they drank some hot water and went out to play when they were full.
When two were left, Wang Guihua swiftly grabbed one, took a big bite, then suddenly slapped her forehead, saying, "Look at me being careless; I just remembered I still have clothes to wash at home. Keep eating; I’ll head back first."
Speaking, she took the fish she was holding and left their yard.
Everyone knew her character and wouldn’t argue with her about it.
After grilling the last two fish, everyone moved inside; Lin Wan worried Han Yi wasn’t full, so she made some mushroom sauce and heated up two buns for them.
After eating, Han Yi cleaned up and went to Qin Hongbing’s dorm; he had to put things away for him, lest he returned and raised an issue.
At home were just the four women, sipping tea and chatting for a while. Sister-in-law Jiang insisted on inviting them to her home for dinner that night.
Unable to refuse, they agreed. Seeing time was almost up, Sister-in-law Zhang returned home to get some vermicelli to bring to Sister-in-law Jiang’s place.
Lin Wan brought a few eggs and four buns, Shi Lan brought a cabbage and three mushrooms. No one came empty-handed.
No family was wealthy; feeding a large group, three or four men with just rice wasn’t easy.
The kitchen was small, with Sister-in-law Jiang and Sister-in-law Zhang busy inside, not needing the two young women.
Lin Wan brought some sunflower seeds, and the two sat inside cracking seeds and listening to the radio.
At night, when the men returned, Lin Wan specially pulled Han Yi to get a bottle of alcohol from home, knowing the men enjoyed a drink or two when together.
But she didn’t forget to remind Han Yi to drink less on the way. In the small house, women sat cross-legged on the bed eating, while the four men set up a table at the desk.
Fortunately, it’s prepared for two.
The men drank and chatted about team matters, while the women discussed family matters.
Apparently Shen Xiao was wicked, newly promoted by the group leadership, going to be transferred after the New Year; no wonder Sister-in-law Jiang hadn’t gone home to see her children this year. So that’s what was happening.
Team transfers were normal, but Lin Wan was truly reluctant about Sister-in-law Jiang leaving.
No banquet lasts forever; in the military, no matter where, they will meet again someday.
Han Yi, having been busy all day since the morning, especially spending so much time outside in the cold, didn’t relax after returning.
Well, she had exhausted her own husband to illness, causing him to have a fever in the middle of the night, which made Lin Wan upset. She blamed herself for being too excessive.