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On the twenty-seventh day of the Lunar December, after much persuasion from Mao Na, Hu Ruoyun decided to stay an extra day in Annan County City. By the twenty-eighth, with New Year's Eve just around the corner, he finally set off for Lao Gu, taking a car that his father had arranged for Niu Huahua's research trip.
Zhang Xiuzhen instructed Mao Jie and Mao Na to each carry a large bag filled with who knows what, and told them to see Hu Ruoyun off at the station. The three of them left Shengshi Jiayuan, hailed a tricycle, and arrived at the station where they helped Hu Ruoyun load his belongings onto the luggage rack.
Mao Na was still worried. "What if you can't hold onto your things when you get off at Lao Gu?"
Hu Ruoyun reassured her, "Don't worry, there are plenty of familiar faces on the street. If it comes to it, I can just call a tricycle from Cross Street. You two should head back."
At that moment, the bus was packed with people returning home for the holidays, with no available seats. Fortunately, as they traveled, more people got off than got on, and gradually the bus became less crowded.
Upon arriving at Lao Gu, with the help of the ticket collector, Hu Ruoyun managed to retrieve both the bags brought by Mao Na and Mao Jie along with his own. They were heavy; if he had to walk home with all that luggage, he surely wouldn't manage it.
Just as he was contemplating this dilemma, someone called out, "Brother!"
Turning around, he saw Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng pushing a bicycle towards him.
Xiao Hu complained, "Brother, why did you take so long to come back? My sister and I have been waiting here for you for days!"
He then asked, "When is Sister Mona coming to our house? What's in that bag of yours..."
A barrage of questions left Hu Ruoyun unsure of which one to answer first.
Xiao Feng chimed in, "Save it for later; let's talk at home!"
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Feng was about to enter high school while Xiao Hu was nearing middle school.
Hu Ruoyun instructed the siblings to steady the bicycle while he placed the three large bags onto the rear rack. He pushed from the front while Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu supported him from behind.
Finally finding a moment to speak, Hu Ruoyun said, "There are clothes for both of you in these bags... Sister Mona will be coming to our house on the fourth day..."
He then asked, "Have you two really been waiting here all this time?"
Xiao Hu replied, "My sister and I came over after breakfast this morning. When we didn't see you for a while, we went back but came again in the afternoon..."
Hu Ruoyun affectionately ruffled his hair.
—In Jiangbei during Lunar December, even on sunny days, temperatures hovered below freezing!
The three of them returned home. As it was close to New Year's Eve, both the mill and feed processing machines were shut down. While his father didn't say much about it, Zhao Meirong immediately asked upon seeing them, "When is Mao Na coming to our house?"
Upon hearing that she would be arriving on the fourth day with Mao Weiguo's car, Hu Qihua asked, "Does that mean her father is coming too?"
Indeed, Mao Weiguo would definitely bring Mao Na over; having family visit added a layer of complexity!
Hu Ruoyun didn't seem bothered by it. "Let them come; it's good for you all to meet and chat. It's bound to happen sooner or later!"
Hu Qihua was a bit angry. "What do you know? He’s still the county head!" With that, he stood up and left in a huff.
As night fell, Second Uncle, Village Chief, Zhao Manyin, Second Master Kuei, Uncle Wei, and Brother Jie were all called to Hu Qihua's home to seriously discuss how to receive the county head.
Seeing the group sitting together looking so tense, Hu Ruoyun couldn't help but chuckle. "It doesn't have to be so complicated. When he comes to our house, he's just Mao Na's dad; it has nothing to do with being the county head..."
Hu Qihua snapped back, "Get out of here!"
The group continued to deliberate over what dishes to prepare and what drinks to serve. The family had plenty of cigarettes, alcohol, and tea, but most of it was brought from Mao Na's family. They couldn't just let him come over and drink their own stuff or smoke their own cigarettes, could they?
After discussing for a long time without any conclusion, they felt even more uncertain.
Xiao Feng, who had been listening impatiently from the side, said, "Why do you all have to care about whether Sister Mona's dad is the county head? When he comes here, he's just our relative; we should treat him normally. No matter how well you prepare, he has seen and eaten everything!"
Fine, fine. Since they couldn't think of a better way, they decided to go with the normal approach.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun went to her uncle and grandfather's house. She gathered with her aunts and uncles and brought up this topic again. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, yet everyone seemed worried.
—Is it really necessary to be this anxious?
What was meant to come would eventually come.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, early in the morning, Zhao Meirong and Second Aunt were already busy in the kitchen. Besides the beef from Old Temple and the roast chicken from Daokou, Hu Ruoyun made a special trip to Gaoqiao Town's Ma Zhuang village to buy some greenhouse vegetables like green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini. Normally these vegetables would be transported to cities far away; most rural people wouldn't spend money on such out-of-season produce at this time.
She planned to make a Cold Cucumber Salad, scrambled eggs with green peppers, stir-fried zucchini, and tomato egg soup—dishes that would surely catch people's attention.
Meanwhile, Hu Qihua was in a difficult position as Mao Weiguo was also feeling conflicted these days.
Visiting Niu Huahua was official business; Niu Huahua's manager Gao and Laogu Township's Township Head Feng had invited him countless times throughout the year. This time he came more for formality than substance; however, one shouldn't underestimate these formalities as they influenced the work of those below...
Usually busy and unable to find time for research visits, he scheduled them during the Spring Festival.
Niu Huahua's manager Gao had moved their New Year schedule to the fifth day of the new year. The leaders from Laogu Township would definitely accompany him throughout. If he finished his research visit and left right after that, it wouldn’t be an issue; however, he also wanted to meet his future in-laws... If Niu Huahua and Laogu Township officials insisted on following along, it would be somewhat inappropriate. But if he didn’t let them accompany him, they would surely have their thoughts about it.
At the dinner table, he shared this with his family. Mao Na said, "You officials really are complicated!"
...
Around eleven in the morning, they finally awaited Mao Weiguo—not just him but also Mao Na and her mother Zhang Xiuzhen.
—After leaving Niu Huahua’s place and stopping briefly at Laogu Township government office, Zhang Xiuzhen politely declined Niu Huahua’s manager Gao and Laogu Township’s Township Head Feng’s company on behalf of Mao Weiguo. She directly stated that their family needed to visit relatives... only then did they part ways.
Zhang Xiuzhen had her own motives for coming over; even before anything significant happened yet her daughter often stayed at her in-laws' house. Those who knew the situation wouldn’t say much about it; but what about those who didn’t?
He came with her father, which at least meant both sets of parents had met, and that should silence some of the gossip from the village chief's wives. Such is the heart of parents everywhere.
After sending the three of them to Hu Family Village, Chai Hongmin from the Party Affairs Office in Laogu Township took the driver, Xiao Wang, and the secretary, Zhang Qiang, away.
Things had changed; Zhao Meirong arranged for Second Aunt to call over Aunt Kui, Sister-in-law Wei Hong, and Sister Jie to accompany their guests. However, both Sister Jie and Sister-in-law Wei Hong were too intimidated to approach, while Aunt Kui confidently came over to chat with Mao Na and her mother, praising Mao Na profusely.
Second Uncle, Second Master Kuei, Uncle Wei, and Brother Jie accompanied Mao Weiguo as they smoked and drank tea, all of them looking quite nervous.
Xiao Feng performed well, showing Mao Na and Zhang Xiuzhen around the house. Zhang Xiuzhen repeatedly urged those busy in the kitchen, “It’s all family here; don’t make it too complicated. Just eat something simple!”
As things progressed, Zhao Meirong and Second Aunt became less tense; after all, leaders are just people too! Zhao Meirong wiped her hands on her apron and gestured towards the main room. “There’s not much prepared; it’s all simple stuff. The smoke from cooking has filled this room; you ladies should sit in the main room…”
The response was quite good.
Once the meal was ready, the men sat at one table and the women at another. Here, Mao Na was both host and guest. Aunt Kui fully utilized her experience and talkativeness to share everything good she had learned about Mao Na over the past two years.
Mao Weiguo heard that the Hu brothers were still running a mill and a feed factory. He nodded approvingly, saying, “Not bad! With grain prices stagnant now, it’s good to expand ideas and change perspectives!”
As the village chief and the highest-ranking leader in the village, Zhao Manyin was able to dine with the county chief. Even before they had drunk much wine, he was already feeling a bit tipsy. “County Chief Mao,” he said, “Hu Ruoyun mentioned he found an expert from our Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences who is preparing to help us acquire some new varieties of melon seeds. I think we should pursue this!”
Mao Weiguo became very interested and asked, “But melons don’t sell well locally?”
Seeing Zhao Manyin look a bit awkward, Hu Ruoyun jumped in to explain: “We won’t sell them locally; we’ll transport them by truck to Gaoqiao Town’s Agricultural Trade Market and then distribute them to Kaicheng, Anqiu, Xin Yuan… The variety is newly developed by the Melon and Vegetable Research Institute at the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It hasn’t been widely promoted yet, but we’ve tasted melons from experimental fields—they’re super sweet with great texture…”
Mao Weiguo frowned slightly. “You should have mentioned this sooner; we could promote it on a large scale!”
Hu Ruoyun replied, “This year isn’t feasible; they simply don’t have enough seeds produced yet. This small batch was only arranged through a connection with a reporter from Jiangcheng Evening News.”
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