"Are you going back so late? I can't kill the pigs in the family!" muttered Li Liang's grandmother.

When she came to the county seat, she asked her eldest son and his family to help take care of the pigs and chickens and ducks for a few days, and originally thought that she would go back with her son and ask someone to kill the New Year's pig, but when she went back on the twenty-nineth, she couldn't invite anyone and didn't have time to kill it.

"Oh mom, you don't have to worry about it, we'll buy the New Year's goods and go home. You rest in the city for two days, and wait for the twenty-ninth to go back with us and Xiuyan. Wang Fagen said on the side.

"Grandma, uncle, why don't you have a good time in the city for the Chinese New Year this year?" Li Liang interjected on the side, "You see, the more my uncle's stall closes, the better the business, if you don't sell more this year, the rest of the New Year's paintings will have to be left at home for a whole year." ”

The New Year's painting business can only be done at the end of the year, and no one buys New Year's paintings and Spring Festival couplets after the New Year, which is why Wang Fagen and Li Liang will settle the salary and bonus with the salesmen half a month in advance and celebrate in advance. The rest of the time is time for retailers to make money.

"Yes, Mom, you see what Liangzi said makes sense, there are still several boxes of New Year's pictures stored in the place where we live!" Liu Juying said.

The old man had never done much business in his life, and at most he had sold his own vegetables, chickens and ducks in the polders in the township, but he still knew that his son and grandson were right.

"Then leave it up to you, but I'll stay here for two days, and I'll go back in two days. The pigs, chickens and ducks at home are all taken care of by your two brothers and sisters-in-law, and if you don't go back for the New Year, what should you do to worship your ancestors during the New Year, and do you want to give incense to your grandmother and father? What should I do if the people in the village come to pay New Year's greetings?" said Li Liang's grandmother.

The tradition of the New Year in Hek County is to offer incense to the ancestors and deceased relatives to worship the ancestors, and someone must be at home on the first day of the New Year, otherwise the people in the village come to pay New Year's greetings to your family but if the iron general guards the door, others will gossip. This is Li Liangmenqing, and this custom has not changed much until 20 or 30 years later.

"Okay, then mom, you go back two days early, and Ju Ying and I will wait for Chinese New Year's Eve to come back." Don't kill the pigs, wait for the New Year to find someone to sell. Wang Fagen made the final decision.

It was not until five o'clock that Wang Fagen and his family cleaned up the stall and locked the door of the store, and several people rushed to Li Liang's house together. When I got home, my sister Li Meng had already come back and was helping my mother Wang Xiuhua light the fire in the stove. She saw her grandmother and brother-in-law coming, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet her.

Li Liang took the initiative to take his sister's place, sat on a small stool in front of the earthen stove, and helped his mother light the fire. Wang Xiulan had already stewed the chicken, and when she saw her mother and brother's family arrive, she began to stir-fry. On the kitchen board are bacon and sausages, with bacon stir-fried with celery and sausages stir-fried with garlic sprouts. In addition, two vegetables, cauliflower and green cabbage strips, were prepared.

At this time, the winter in the south is better than in the north, that is, you don't have to eat only a few vegetables such as cabbage and radish in winter like the northerners, and the weather in the south is warmer, and there are many more types of vegetables in winter.

The family and Hemeimei gathered around the dinner table, and this year was a happy year. Li Liangjia and Wang Fagen both made a lot of money in their pockets, and Wang Xiuyan no longer had to farm at home.

Wang Fagen raised his glass and toasted everyone.

"Mom, sister, brother-in-law, Meng Meng, Liangzi, I toast everyone!"

Hearing this, everyone picked up the wine or champagne drinks in their hands and toasted.

Wang Fagen took a big sip of the Four Special Laojiao, and continued emotionally: "Sister, brother-in-law, thank you two for taking care of us for so many years, if it weren't for you, Ju Ying and I wouldn't even have the money to get married." ”

Li Liang's grandfather died for many years, and his grandmother raised the children alone, and also helped the first two sons get married.

"Fa Gen, don't say that, our sister and brother-in-law should do!" Li Shuangzhu also said as he drank the wine in his glass.

"No, brother-in-law, you have been out of the countryside for so many years, and you don't know the suffering of our rural people. Before the first half of the year before the fields were divided, no matter how hard we worked in the field, we could only barely make ends meet. After the division of the fields in the second half of the year, the grain received was enough to eat, but there was no money left in hand. There is no extra room at home, and there is no place for a relative to live. I slept in bed with Ju Young for many nights, and I could only cry silently when I thought about the days to come. ”

"Thanks to you and Liangzi, we have saved some money in our pockets now, and we will build a house after the Chinese New Year. Wang Fagen continued to say emotionally.

"Uncle, I also want to thank you for helping me make a lot of money. Li Liang said on the side, "If you want to say thank you, our family still has to thank you, without you, we can't find the right person." ”

"Fagen, it's all a family, there's no need to thank you. Wang Xiulan said.

Li Liang has a good impression of his uncle, he doesn't forget his roots, unlike some nouveau riche, who don't know who his surname is when he has a little money in his hand. In my previous life, I didn't have my own help, and my brother-in-law suffered in the countryside for several years, and only went out to work at the end of the 80s, and slowly made a fortune, which is considered early in this life.

Liu Juying is also very grateful to her sister's family, her mother's family is also poor, and she can't help herself, if she doesn't have the money she has earned in the past six months, they can't afford to build a house in a few years.

"Fa Gen, do you plan to build a house after the New Year, have you found a good relationship with the building materials such as cement and steel bars in advance?" Li Shuangzhu asked with a sip of wine.

Now is a period of material shortage, it doesn't matter, it is difficult to buy cement, steel bars and other materials in short supply. Most rural people build brick houses, buy some green bricks and lime from the earthen kilns in the surrounding villages, and then dig some sand in the river themselves.

"Not yet, there are no acquaintances in the Materials Bureau, and I can't get these things, so I'll discuss with Ju Ying and build a few blue brick houses first." Wang Fagen said.

"Uncle, since you want to build a house, don't build a brick house, if you want to build a three-story cement villa. Li Liang said, "You don't have to worry about the materials, Song Liangren, the sales section chief of the cement factory, has two stores with us, and I will go to him then." Anyway, my family is also going to build a house, and the people from their cement factory and the material bureau are familiar with it, so they will buy the steel bars and cement together. ”

Li and Chen's two partners rented two free shops in a branch of Wangkelai before the opening to Song Liangren, the head of the sales section of the cement factory. Now that area is developing very well, it has become a small market town in the west of the city, and Song Liangren's two shops are doing very well, so there should be no big problem to ask him for such a favor.