CH 8

Zhao Manzhu was holding a cigarette while sitting on the bench by the table and smoking it bit by bit. He was a genuine old farmer. He was willing to bow his head and be a cow and horse for his family. Due to working hard, his face was covered with the vicissitudes of years at the age of less than 60.

Zhang Qiaoer sat on the other side of the square table with a black face. She was not happy to see her son back two hours ago.

“Mom and Dad, let’s eat first. Let’s talk after we finish eating.”

Because her son was happy to come back, Zhang Qiaoer specially cooked a richer dinner than usual. Fried eggs with leeks, stewed bacon with cabbage, fried turnips and fried pickles. Originally, Zhang Qiaoer asked her daughter, Meixiang, to catch a chicken and kill it, but Zhao Donglin stopped her.

It was supposed to be a reunion meal, but because Zhao Donglin said that he had retired from the army, the old couple completely lost their appetite.

The glory of being a soldier these days is that if one person from your family joins the army, it will become the whole family’s honor.

In addition to the honor, the treatment of soldiers is also good. Take Zhao Donglin, for example. At the level of a company commander, there is a monthly allowance of 76 yuan. In addition, there are subsidies such as food stamps and oil stamps. The leader of the production team can’t catch up with this treatment. Only the cadres of the commune can have this kind of treatment.

“Donglin, there’s still room for turning back when you retire from the army. No, your father and I really can’t accept it. If you say you’re worried about Heidan and Yingbao, I will promise you, I’ll take them with me so as not to cause you trouble.”

“Besides, in the family, you have me, and your sister, and Donghe and Yuefen. So many people in our family are afraid they can’t bring two children?”

The three people named by Zhang Qiaoer happen to have a child. Zheng Yuefen is Zhao Donghe’s wife. They have been married for more than three years and have a son named Shitou. He is one and a half years old this year, smaller than Heidan and older than Yingbao.

Zhao Donglin knew he would not be able to pass this hurdle without explaining clearly to his parents, so he put down his chopsticks and spoke in a very solemn tone.

“I came back from the military after careful consideration. I have all the materials done. I know you can’t accept it all at once. I didn’t tell you in advance because I was afraid you would stop me. “

“I’ve been away from home for more than ten years. At first, I really wanted to stay in the army for a lifetime, but my leg was hurt last year. Later, although I looked well cultivated, I couldn’t compare my responsiveness with that before.”

“I divorced Wang Mei and have two children at home. I can throw them to you, but I don’t want to be so irresponsible. I haven’t taken good care of them since they were born. In the future, I want to take the responsibility of being their father.”

Zhao Donglin said so much, Zhang Qiaoer and Zhao Manzhu’s attention were on the leg injury sentence.

“Which leg did you hurt? How is it now? Does it affect you?”

Zhang Qiaoer touched her son’s leg and looked left and right. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see anything across a pair of trousers.

“Mom, it’s fine, it’s healed, but it’s just sore every rainy day.”

“OK, you’ve come back anyway. It’s no use saying anything. You have not let me and your father worry since you were a child, and it has accumulated to this day. “

She really does not understand how their good life has become like this.

Her proud son divorced first and then retired quietly. What does it mean to retire from the army? It means that the allowance of more than 70 yuan a month has disappeared since then, which means that her son will be a farmer in the future.

Zhang Qiaoer painfully wiped her tears. She really felt sad. For her, no matter how hard and tired she was in this life, she didn’t shed tears. As long as she can endure it. But her son was not doing fine. As a mother, it was really hard for her to see him like this.

“Mom, don’t cry. There’s something I haven’t told you.”

Zhang Qiaoer tucked her tears in her clothes and said with a frightened face, “what else is there? Just make it clear to me at one time. Don’t procrastinate!”

“I’m a retired officer. The army promised to arrange a job for me in the future. Don’t worry.”

“Ah!”

There is still this good thing about emotional retirement. It’s just that, it was a waste of her feelings.

Once she heard that the army had arranged a job, that means that when he came back, he wouldn’t be a farmer, Zhang Qiaoer instantly lost the previous sadness, and she eagerly opened her mouth and asked, “What job did your army arrange for you?”

Zhao Donglin knew his mother had such a temperament and said with a smile, “I don’t know yet. I won’t know until I go to the commune to ask.”

“That’s all right. Go and ask early tomorrow. Decide on the work first. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Zhang Qiaoer’s spirit came back in an instant and asked her eldest son to eat.

notlucia: a very short chapter?