Chapter 132: Family Literature + Meet the Parents
Jiang Youtao glanced at the heroine named Ning Lei, and pulled Fu Shaohua out of their compartment in a heroic and confident manner. Gu Nianwei and Xu Manqiu followed behind them.
People who came to watch the fun dispersed when they saw that there was nothing exciting anymore.
After returning to the house, Jiang Youtao sat on the bed and stuffed the money into her pocket: "What bad luck."
Gu Nianwei said, "Who said it wasn't? It really affects people's mood. Let's not waste any more time talking nonsense. Let's quickly get something to eat. I'm so hungry."
Fu Shaohua also went to the dining car to buy today's dishes. He went there carrying the only remaining bowl. The flight attendant had just come to call him. The flight attendant had already come to announce that today they would have sauerkraut stewed with bones.
This is a delicious dish. Sauerkraut in the north is made from Chinese cabbage. It has an indescribable deliciousness in its sourness. When stewed with meat, the fiber in the meat is broken down by the acid. It is a delicious dish whether it is mixed with rice or eaten dry.
Jiang Youtao and the others had already made plans. This time they would eat it with rice. They would use two small bowls, one for the vegetables and the other for rice. If they put more in and pressed it more compactly, it would definitely be enough for them.
As a result, there was one less basin, and everyone was very unhappy.
Fu Shaohua felt very guilty, wishing he had refused to lend the money at that time.
Jiang Youtao patted his shoulder and said, "Who would have thought that he was such a person? It's okay, I'll go with you. It's the same if I use a lunch box."
Fu Shaohua hummed, still feeling a little unhappy. He felt that he had not performed well when facing Du Xun'an just now!
Before they reached the dining car, the sour and fresh smell of pickled cabbage wafted out, and Jiang Youtao and Fu Shaohua couldn't help but speed up.
There were a lot of people in the dining car, so the two of them lined up quickly, paid the money, and got the food. It was already more than ten minutes later. The two of them couldn't wait to go to the bed.
Just as they reached the door, Du Xun'an and the girl named Ning Lei came out. Ning Lei nodded to them, and Du Xun'an rolled his eyes, making himself look like a victim.
Fu Shaohua wanted to pour the pot of hot sauerkraut on his head.
"Eat, eat. Don't bother with this idiot." Jiang Youtao walked into the house.
The four of them sat down to eat.
After dinner, he lay down on the bed again and started to lie there all day.
The train will not stop at the Capital West Railway Station until after 11 o'clock at night, so it is still far away now.
Jiang Youtao opened the melon-eating system and swiped to the button for the bookshelf.
She haven't seen any new books on this bookshelf for more than a year. When a new book suddenly appeared, Jiang Youtao found it quite novel.
Not long after Gu Nianwei and Han Yanqing started dating, Gu Nianwei's awakening progress reached 100%. Now the book of her small world has become the same as other small worlds, remaining gray.
Among the many grayed-out books, there is still Small World No. 6, and Su Jianing's book is still glowing. Jiang Youtao feels that this book will probably not be completely grayed out until Lu Xiangqian dies and Su Jianing's two bastards grow up.
Choosing to fold the previous books, Jiang Youtao set her sights on No. 14. The cover of this book was hand-painted in a comic style.
On both sides of the book are yellow leaves all over the sky, under the yellow leaves is a wooden bench, a girl in a long white coat is standing beside the bench, and where her eyes are looking is a tall young man wearing glasses pushing a bicycle towards her.
The painting style was so beautiful that Jiang Youtao couldn't help but look at it again and again, and then she clicked on the book to read the content:
Ning Lei is from the capital. In 1973, at the age of sixteen, she became an educated youth in the Great Northern Wilderness. Here, she met, got to know and fell in love with Du Xun'an, who was also an educated youth. In 1977, they took the college entrance examination together and were admitted to Capital University together.
After they entered university, they studied together, made progress together, and got married in their sophomore year.
In her junior year, Ning Lei got pregnant. With the advice of her in-laws, she dropped out of school to take care of the baby and give birth. She originally thought that she could return to school after giving birth, but reality did not allow it.
Once a child is born, she needs to raise her. Du Xun'an's family is well-off. Both his parents are cadres and it is not time for them to retire. Their family status is not high enough to hire a nanny.
The other people in the family also had their own jobs, so Ning Lei had no choice but to continue taking care of the child. The child went to nursery at the age of three. She thought she could go back to school, but unfortunately the child had to be picked up and dropped off, and someone had to cook for the whole family. After graduation, Du Xun'an joined the Foreign Trade Department. He ran around outside all day and always reeked of alcohol when he came home.
Gradually, Ning Lei no longer thought about going to school. Most of her attention was on Du Xun'an and the children. She became one of those women who only knew how to hang around the stove, men and children.
When she was thirty years old, she met her former classmates and was invited to a student party.
At a student reunion, the female classmates who were in the same class with her are now either leaders of certain units or backbones of certain units. At the reunion, everyone is glamorous and all they talk about is work.
Only she, with unkempt hair and dirty face, could not understand what others said and could not find a way to interrupt. No one talked to her about what dishes she was good at, how to make them delicious, what time her children got out of school and went to class, when her husband came home, and what achievements she had made.
After a lot of effort, they started talking about children, but everyone was only talking about what schools the children attended. Those schools were all very good, and they were the schools Ning Lei dreamed of sending her children to, but she could never get them in.
They also talked about the interest classes their children attended, which Ning Lei's children had never been sent to.
They also talked about the history professor who taught their class.
When she was in college, the professor had just been rehabilitated. He was 38 years old that year, and his wife divorced him and remarried when he was sent down to the countryside. Their child was also taken away and his surname was changed.
He had an elegant appearance and a gentle personality, just like a gentleman from ancient society. Ning Lei had once been attracted to him. If Du Xun'an hadn't urged them to get married, and the professor's ex-wife hadn't come back to pester him, Ning Lei might have taken some action.
Later she got married, and when she dropped out of school to raise her child, the professor remarried his ex-wife. When she was about to drop out of school, he stopped her when no one was around, and all he said was words of advice.
Unfortunately, Ning Lei didn't listen at that time. She thought that she had been with Du Xun'an for so many years, and they could support each other in the Great Northern Wilderness. In the future, they would definitely be able to support each other in the days to come.
Ning Lei was very confident, but unfortunately the facts disappointed her. Just the day before yesterday, Ning Lei discovered that Du Xun'an had another wife somewhere else. The illegitimate child was only two years younger than her daughter. Her parents-in-law knew about the existence of the mother and son, and even her daughter knew about it.
When she was taken out to play by Du Xun'an, she had met the mother and son. She knew that the boy was her younger brother and the woman was her aunt and also her stepmother, but she didn't say a word in front of Ning Lei.
Thinking of her former teacher, Ning Lei drank two more glasses. When her classmates were not paying attention, she left dejectedly. When she got outside the door, she heard her former classmates talking about her.
She used to be the best in the class, with good grades and beautiful looks. Even if people knew that she had a boyfriend, it would not stop other boys from liking her.
The girls in her class are all jealous of her. Now seeing how she lives, besides sighing at the impermanence of life, some also express gloating.
Ning Lei stumbled towards home.
Passing by a bookstore, she walked in for some unknown reason and picked up a history book at random. On the first page of the book was the name of the professor. She couldn't wait to turn to the last page, which contained the professor's resume and a photo.
He was already in his fifties or sixties in the photo, but time had taken away his appearance, but it could not take away his peaceful attitude towards life. Ning Lei stared at him blankly, tears streaming down her face.
On the way back, she was in a trance and did not see the oncoming car, so she was hit and killed.
When she woke up one morning, she found herself back in December 1977, on a train back to Capital University.
This time, her family had not yet fallen into decline, her parents were still alive, she and Du Xun'an had not yet married, and the professor had not yet remarried.
The first thing Ning Lei did after her rebirth was to get rid of Du Xun'an and get together with the professor whom she had liked and who also had a good impression of her.
Jiang Youtao closed the book with a snap and took a long time to continue reading.
Ning Lei did it. She successfully got rid of Du Xun'an's entanglement and got together sweetly with the professor.
During this period, 200,000 words were written about the entanglement between Ning Lei and Du Xun'an, interspersed with some sweet moments with the professor. The next 200,000 words were about Du Xun'an's death, her war with the professor and the professor's child, and the last 100,000 words were about the sweet days of Ning Lei and the professor.
She sold clothes for several years with the help of the Prophet and bought a house. Then she became the professor's wife and lived happily with the professor's children and her own children.
What made Jiang Youtao feel even more outrageous was that Ning Lei had actually reconciled with the professor's ex-wife, and the two of them would have dinner together from time to time to talk about the children's education and daily life.
At the end of the article, Ning Lei saw her ex-husband. His life was neither good nor bad, and it was similar to his previous life. They even had a meal together. After the meal, Ning Lei let go of the past.
After reading this book, Jiang Youtao was full of questions.
Who on earth wrote this happy ending? Did someone confuse Ning Lei's brain?
What was the reason for her bad life in her previous life? First, she gave up her studies and became a housewife, which led to her embarrassment at the class reunion and being laughed at. Second, she trusted her husband and her child. Her child even teamed up with her in-laws to deceive her.
What did she change after her rebirth? First, she dumped the man from her previous life and got together with a man who was about 20 years older than her. They got married and had a child. She didn't give up her studies this time, but didn't she end up going back to her old ways in her previous life?
In the end, she actually forgave Du Xun'an.
Oh my god. This book shocked Jiang Youtao so much that she even spoke in a translator's tone.
What the hell is this? It would take at least ten years of brain thrombosis to write this plot. This shouldn't be a novel. It's such a waste of talent. It should be like those family ethics dramas on TV. No matter how much it hurts you at the beginning, in the end, it's all a happy ending for the whole family. That's the literature of relief. It's really well learned.
Jiang Youtao's mind was throbbing: [ Tongzi, the protagonist of your little world is becoming more and more eccentric. ]
The melon-eating system hadn't eaten melons for a long time, so it ate this melon with gusto: [ Don't you think it's ridiculous? The 14th heroine is so awesome. She eats everything and doesn't learn any lessons. She is very generous and tolerant, even more so than a prime minister. ]
The melon-eating system has learned to be sarcastic.
Fu Shaohua saw that she was not asleep, so he got up from the upper bunk and chatted with her: "Why aren't you sleeping? Can't you sleep?"
Jiang Youtao nodded: "Yeah, I slept too much yesterday and today."
Since she got on the train, she haven't been awake much.
Sometimes she wake up with soreness all over.
Fu Shaohua got down from the bed, Jiang Youtao blinked, turned over and lay on the bed, and Fu Shaohua skillfully massaged Jiang Youtao's back.
Jiang Youtao was tired after coming back from class before, and Fu Shaohua would always tap and pinch her when he saw her.
After the massage, she feel relaxed all over.
Xu Manqiu and Gu Nianwei, who were sleeping on the opposite bed, suddenly felt a little full. Gu Nianwei also slept on the upper bunk. She looked at Xu Manqiu and said, "Qiu'er, let me massage your back. When I get tired later, You'll massage me too."
"Okay, okay." The two of them reached a consensus in an instant. Jiang Youtao looked at the two of them massaging each other's backs and blew her nose proudly.
Before the sun set, the four of them did not go to the dining car to get food, but ate up all the remaining food they had prepared before getting on the car.
After another sleep, the train finally stopped at the capital's Xicheng Station. Fu Shaohua got up early, helped Jiang Youtao put on her coat, tidied her scarf and hat, picked up her luggage, and led her out.
Gu Nianwei and Xu Manqiu followed closely behind.
The two of them got off the bus with the crowd, and coincidentally, Ning Lei and Du Xun'an were just in front of them.
Ning Lei's pretty face was tense, and Du Xun'an walked behind her anxiously and said nice things.
Jiang Youtao was still looking, but Fu Shaohua had already seen his elder brother who came to pick them up, and he pulled Jiang Youtao towards that direction.
"Brother, brother." Fu Shaohua shouted from a distance. Fu Shaohua's elder brother Fu Shaoguo heard the familiar voice and turned around to see his younger brother walking towards him with a grown girl. There were also two little girls following behind him.
Fu Shaoguo strode towards them, took their luggage, and then his eyes fell on Jiang Youtao: "Is it Comrade Jiang? You must have been tired from the journey. My parents are waiting at home. Let's go quickly."
It was almost midnight. According to the habits of people of this era, everyone went to bed at nine o'clock at the latest. Fu Shaohua's parents were still awake, and they must be waiting for Jiang Youtao and the others.
The sincerity is already full.
"Hello, big brother. I'm Jiang Youtao." It was Jiang Youtao's first time to fall in love and also her first time to meet her partner's family. She was unusually a little shy.
Fu Shaoguo nodded at him, then looked at Gu Nianwei and Xu Manqiu: "Comrade Gu, Comrade Xu, right? Come, let me help you with your luggage."
Fu Shaoguo's different greetings from the three girls made Jiang Youtao feel respected. Fu Shaohua squeezed Jiang Youtao's hand, and Jiang Youtao smiled at Fu Shaohua with her eyes curved into crescents. Fu Shaohua said, "Let's go."
Fu Shaoguo walked in front dragging the luggage, and Jiang Youtao and the others followed.
One or two cars stopped outside the station. The Fu Shaoguo brothers put their luggage in the trunk, while Jiang Youtao and the other two got on the back seat.
Fu Shaoguo was driving and Fu Shaohua was sitting in the passenger seat.
As the car started slowly, Jiang Youtao saw Ning Lei and Du Xun'an also coming out. Ning Lei pushed her away and got on the car her father rode over. Du Xun'an stood there staring at her back in a daze, and was finally pulled over and slapped by his mother.
Jiang Youtao withdrew her gaze and looked towards the capital of this era.
She had visited the capital in her previous life. At that time, the capital was full of tall buildings and the roads were crowded with cars. On the sidewalks on both sides of the road, people were carrying bags and looking down at their phones or walking in a hurry.
Even in the middle of the night, the lights are on everywhere and there are always many people on the streets.
But in the capital of this era, it was not even ten o'clock yet, and they had been riding the car for more than twenty minutes without seeing many cars.
There were many undeveloped shallows and farmlands on both sides of the road, and the buildings were not as tall as those in later generations.
The car drove into the central city area. There were more buildings and more cars. Some people walked with their hands in their pockets wearing big cotton jackets, but there were still few car, and the few vehicle that did appear were all bicycles.
Fu Shaoguo's car drove slower and slower, and finally stopped at the entrance of an alley.
He got out of the car and said to Jiang Youtao and the others, "My home is just ahead, let's go."
Fu Shaohua had already taken the luggage from the trunk and walked ahead.
Fu Shaoguo took the rest.
Fu Shaohua stopped at the door of the third house after entering the alley and knocked on the lion pull ring on the big red date door. After a while, someone came out to open the door.
Before the person appeared, the voice came first: "Is Tao here again?"
The enthusiasm and generosity in the voice can be heard outside.
Jiang Youtao glanced at Fu Shaohua and said, "Hello, Aunt Shao, I'm here."
The door finally opened. Shao Qing didn't even look at Fu Shaohua. She accurately took Jiang Youtao's hand and pulled her to invite Gu Nianwei and Xu Manqiu into the house.
Their house is a typical quadrangle courtyard, with three main rooms, three east and west wing rooms each, and two small back rooms.
The yard in the middle is very spacious. There is a well at the door of the kitchen in the northwest corner, and there is a tree of unknown origin on the left side of the kitchen.
Shao Qing pulled Jiang Youtao into the main room. The outer room of the main room was the living room. A large round table was already filled with food, including chicken, duck, fish and meat, all steaming hot. It was obvious that it was cooked in anticipation of the time they would get off the car.
The staple food is noodles and dumplings.
Fu Shaohua's father was setting the table and asked them to sit down as soon as they entered the room. Before Jiang Youtao could react, a young girl with short hair came in carrying a large blue and white soup bowl.
"The last dish, meatball soup, is served."
The meatball soup was placed in the middle of the meal.
Shao Qing had already pulled Jiang Youtao to look around and asked about their journey. After the short-haired woman put down the meatball soup, she said to Jiang Youtao, "This is your sister-in-law, Jian Rou."
Jiang Youtao smiled and called her sister-in-law: "Sister-in-law."
Jian Rou took out a red envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into Jiang Youtao's pocket: "It's our first meeting, so this is a small token of my appreciation. Take it, take it."
Jian Rou likes Jiang Youtao very much. Her father suffered a lot on the farm. Although he has been rehabilitated, he has suffered from a chronic illness.
Last year, a doctor prescribed a medicine for her father, which required deer antlers to be used in wine. They couldn't find any, so they wrote to Fu Shaohua tentatively. Not long after, Fu Shaohua's package arrived, which contained not only deer antlers but also deer blood.
That was something passed down from the ancestors of Xu Dazui's husband, the Liu family. Knowing that Jiang Youtao needed it, she gave it to her. Jiang Youtao was the one who helped find someone to get the deer blood.
With deer antlers and deer blood, her father's illness has improved a lot.
Therefore, before they even met, Jian Rou already had a good impression of Jiang Youtao.
Seeing Jian Rou doing this, Shao Qing smiled widely and stuffed the red envelope she had prepared in advance into Jiang Youtao's pocket.
"According to our family's custom, when my son's girlfriend comes to visit for the first time, the boy's parents and elders will give her a red envelope. Take it and don't refuse." Shao Qing's words were very gentle.
Jiang Youtao looked at Fu Shaohua, who nodded at her and said with a playful smile, "Mom, I want a red envelope too."
Shao Qing was not so kind to his son: "Go, go, go away."
Everyone laughed, and Fu Shaohua was not angry.
Shao Qing treated everyone to a meal. As soon as Jiang Youtao sat down, Fu Shaohua served a bowl of soup and placed it in front of her: "It's cold, drink the soup to warm your body."