Chapter 7 Aunt Sun is Back
Days passed one by one. After planting radishes and curing ducks, it was already the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Every family has begun to prepare for the New Year.
There is no custom of celebrating Laba Festival or cooking Laba porridge in Sunjia Village.
After getting up early in the morning, Su cooked a large pot of sweet potato rice porridge as breakfast for the family.
Just after finishing breakfast, Aunt Li from next door came running over and said hastily, "Bomin's mother, your eldest daughter is back."
Huang paused, stood up from the stool, and asked anxiously, "What? You said Chunlan is back?"
Didn't you say you wouldn't come back this year? Why did you do it so suddenly?
Aunt Li said with certainty: "It's your Chunlan. I was not mistaken. She came back in a carriage."
This morning when I went to water the vegetables in the fields, I saw a horse-drawn carriage in the distance. When I looked more closely, I found that the driver was your brother-in-law.
Besides, in this village, apart from your Chunlan, who else can afford to ride in a horse-drawn carriage?
Aunt Li was a kind-hearted person. As soon as she was sure that it was really Huang's eldest daughter who had returned, she immediately ran to the Sun family to report the news.
Huang thanked Aunt Li and said to the eldest son, "Go and see if the eldest sister is back."
After Huang finished speaking, she walked out of the Sun family's home with Sun Boming and his wife, and walked along the village path towards the village entrance.
It is the off-season and not many people work in the fields. After breakfast, the villagers squatted under the big banyan tree in the CBD of the village to chat about gossip. When they saw Aunt Li running back in a hurry, they were about to ask what happened.
As a result, he disappeared without a trace in a moment.
I saw her coming out with the Huang family again.
Nosy villager A asked, "Bomin, what happened?" Since the whole family has come out, it can't be a big deal.
Before Sun Boming could say anything, Aunt Li answered first: "Yes, Boming's elder sister is back, so I'm going out to greet her." The mother-in-law personally welcomed her son-in-law, which was a great honor for her.
Villager B widened his eyes and asked in disbelief: "Is it really Chunlan who went back to her parents' home?" I asked Huang yesterday whether her eldest daughter would come back, and she said something like her grandson was taking exams and she wouldn't come back. Did I hear it wrong?
At this time, the village chief of the Sun family came out from somewhere, pulled Sun Bomin and asked, "Bomin, is Chunlan really back?"
Sun Bomin was once again beaten to the punch by Aunt Li: "Pearls are not that real. I saw it with my own eyes. Chunlan's brother-in-law was driving a carriage."
The village chief believed it. Aunt Li was famous for her good eyesight. Even at her age, she could still thread a needle. She said that she must have seen Chunlan.
In a grand procession, the Sun Shan family and then the entire Sunjia Village went to the village entrance to welcome the son-in-law of the He family.
Sun Shan was young and could not walk fast, so his eldest sister Guyu carried him on her back.
In fact, Sun Shan had originally planned not to come out and wait at home.
But the eldest sister ran away with him on her back without saying a word.
Sun Shan sighed. He understood what the eldest aunt meant to the Sun family because of her presence.
Sun Bomin gave birth to four daughters in a row, but those people only dared to talk about him behind his back. If it were an ordinary person, the rumors in the village would have crushed Sun Bomin and his wife and devastated them mentally.
Huang led a group of villagers to the entrance of the village. A horse-drawn carriage drove over from afar and everyone stood at the entrance of the village.
The head of Sunjia Village pointed at the carriage and said to Huang: "Bomin's mother, it really is Chunlan who has returned."
Aunt Li’s eyes are indeed very good and her vision is extremely accurate.
Huang smiled and said, "Yes, it really is Chunlan. Didn't you say you wouldn't come back this year? Why is she back again?"
It is always a joy to have a daughter back. We see her once a year, sometimes once every two years, and as parents, we are always worried about our children.
The villagers of Sun family watched the carriage coming from afar, and then glanced at Huang.
Envy, jealousy and hatred. Not to mention what gifts were inside the carriage, just the carriage itself was enough to make others envious.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, there are not many ox carts, let alone horse carriages.
It's like there are few people riding bicycles in the village, but you drive a car. It's hard not to make people jealous.
Soon the carriage came over. Uncle He, who was in the carriage, was startled. He quickly pulled the horse, stopped the carriage, jumped off, and asked nervously: "Mother, why are you here, Village Chief?"
You wouldn't think anything until you see it, but it's really scary. There are so many people here. If they were strangers, they would definitely not dare to enter the village.
The carriage suddenly stopped. Sun Chunlan inside felt strange, thinking something had happened outside. She pulled open the curtain and was also shocked to see all the villagers there.
I quickly got off the car and asked, "Mom, village chief, what happened?" All the aunts and uncles were there, not to mention uncles, all crowded at the entrance of the village. Could it be that there was a village activity going on, so everyone was gathered together?
The village chief looked at Mr. He and Chunlan and said with a smile, "It's okay. We heard that you were back, so we came out with your mother to see you. By the way, your mother said that you weren't coming back, right?"
In fact, every time Chunlan returned home, those in Sunjia Village who knew about it would come out to see, but this time there were too many people gathered, so she made such a fuss.
Chunlan smiled and said, "Village Chief, I didn't intend to come back, but I really missed my mother, so I came back to visit her."
The family was extremely nervous about Jing'er's imperial examination, especially her husband, who had quit his business and spent all day revolving around his son. Chunlan rolled her eyes when she saw this.
Later, I just did what I had to do as usual, took my husband back to my parents' home, and let Jing'er relax.
Of course, I can't say this kind of reason out loud, I can only say that I miss my mother. Anyone who hears it will praise me for being filial.
The village chief was very pleased after hearing this. He stroked his beard and said approvingly: "Among the married daughters in the village, Chunlan is the most filial."
This statement did not offend any family with daughters.
Because it is true, who wouldn't be happy to have a daughter like this?
At this time, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old got out of the carriage, jumped off, and hurried to his mother and father.
The carriage stopped for a long time, and my parents were still chatting, so they had to get off.
He Shuyu greeted Sunjia Village: "Grandma, uncle, aunt, cousins, and head of Sunjia Village, hello." He bowed with a sincere attitude and gentle tone.
It's okay to be polite when there are many people around. He Shuyu still has the proper manners.
Huang walked forward and took the boy's hand, saying lovingly: "Brother Yu is here too, he has grown a lot taller." The boy grew up so fast, after just one year's absence, he had grown as tall as a seedling, it was a joy to see him.
The village chief looked at the young man from the He family dressed in brocade robes and smiled even more brightly.
As expected of a wealthy family, they are well-educated and kind to us peasants, without a trace of impatience.
He patted He Shuyu's little hand and said lovingly, "Are you tired, Yu? You must have been tired from riding in the carriage all the way."
He Shuyu smiled naively and said honestly, "Village chief, I'm really tired. I've been sitting for so many days and my butt is covered with calluses. It's really uncomfortable."
As soon as these words were spoken, the people in Sunjia Village burst into laughter.
Haner, you speak in a very down-to-earth way.
Sun Boming said to his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law, let's go back and I'll help you pull the carriage." This is a horse, and he only sees it a few times a year. He was happy to be able to touch it.
Uncle He handed the reins to his wife's brother and said, "Pull slowly, and it will follow you." He walked to Huang and supported her as she walked.
Sun Chunlan found Sun Shan accurately, picked him up, kissed him, and said with a smile: "This kid has grown taller and heavier." She held him tightly and would not let go.
Sun Shan was startled by the sudden affection. Seeing that it was his aunt, he shyly called out, "Aunt, you're back."