PDLP Chapter 265: Still My Defeat
Chapter 265: Still My Defeat
Chapter 265: Still My Defeat
At noon, Qiu Huoming took a small pot, filled it with freshly baked eight-treasure porridge, and went out.
In a remote corner of the compound, the large tiled houses stood there lonely, looking a bit dilapidated. Old Mrs. Zhu sat hunched over on a bamboo chair, basking in the sun.
Qiu Huoming walked over quickly.
The old lady was very old and still didn't notice the noise.
"Grandma Zhu." Qiu Huoming half-knelt on the ground and called out to her.
Old Mrs. Zhu then opened her eyes in a daze, and when she saw Qiu Huoming, she immediately smiled, her face full of wrinkles. She leaned forward and reached out to touch the top of Qiu Huoming's head.
"Huo Ming, are you done with school? Have you seen my Xiu Min?"
Qiu Huoming was startled, and his hand holding the small pot trembled slightly, "She will be back soon, I'll bring you some Laba porridge, it's still hot."
Mrs. Zhu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses, "Oh, yes, today is the Little New Year!"
Qiu Huoming finally breathed a sigh of relief. The rest of the Du family had gone out to work and had not returned yet. It was very quiet around. He took out five yuan and stuffed it into the old lady's hand. "Grandma Zhu, this is from Xiumin. She said that when she comes back for the New Year next year, she will take you to Shenzhen to celebrate together..."
Qiu Huoming patted Ding Yu on the shoulder and said, "Does your brother know that you slandered him like this? But I think you, Fatty, are also a capable person."
"Sister Xiumin sent this with great difficulty. Grandma, please accept it first, otherwise she will be sad."
Chen Suniang stopped the spatula in her hand and turned to look at Qiu Jianshe. "Old Qiu, is this true or false?"
"Tsk tsk, you're still so ungrateful. After dinner, I'll bring some eight-treasure porridge to your godmother, and we'll go check out your brother's store together."
Ding Yu touched the back of his head, "You think so too? I thought it was my illusion."
"Godmother must be saying one thing and thinking another. I think she has always been partial to you. Your elder brother is the one who is pitiful..."
Qiu Huoming was ashamed.
There was a hint of pride on his face, but he couldn't hold it back and said, "I'm getting a promotion!"
Qiu Jianshe's voice immediately softened, "What's wrong?"
He was in a daze when Qiu Jianshe's voice came from behind him, "Why are you standing at the door? Are you stupid?"
Old Mrs. Zhu shook her head. "I don't need her to give me money."
"Alright, get out now, you're causing all the trouble..." Chen Suniang concealed her mixed feelings and chased Qiu Jianshe out...
He parked the car, took down a paper box from the back, and put it on Qiu Huoming's desk, "I brought the things back."
"Nothing, I just felt a little sad when I saw Mrs. Zhu alone."
He walked out quickly, "Grandma Zhu, I'll come get the pot later. If you have anything, just come to me. I'm very free recently."
He glanced at Ding Yu and said, "Does your godmother have any objections to you coming to my house to celebrate the New Year?"
Qiu Huoming then stood up, walked into the house, and put the small pot on the small table. The house was cold and deserted, without any smell of life.
When I got home, Chen Suniang had just returned. She put away her bicycle, rushed into the kitchen and started to get busy.
Old Mrs. Zhu took the money hesitantly.
"Alas, this is fate. Let's go inside. It's cold outside." Qiu Jianshe patted Qiu Huoming's shoulder and walked in first.
In the previous life, Chen Suniang's early death instantly broke up the family.
Qiu Jianshe simply walked in and reached out to remove a piece of wool stuck in Chen Suniang's hair. "Director Mou said that he was promoted to deputy section chief..."
Qiu Huoming's eyes turned red and he lowered his head.
"Take the radio back. This is for you. Leave the accessories with me for now. We'll talk about it later."
Ding Yu laughed loudly, his eyes narrowed into slits, "Of course, I am the only college student in our Ding family."
"Yeah." Qiu Huoming responded, then turned around and walked back.
Qiu Huoming returned to the small room, took out a book and started reading. Not long after, he heard the sound of a bicycle outside. He looked out and saw Ding Yu coming.
"My mother will definitely be happy to see you. As for my brother, he's a bit snobbish. He likes people with abilities. People like Huozi, you can fit into his snobbish eyes..."
Ding Yu curled his lips and said, "She wishes I wasn't at home..."
With Chen Suniang in the family, the family felt like a home. Qiu Huoming stood at the gate of the yard, looking through the kitchen window at his mother who was busy with work, with mixed feelings in his heart.
He was carrying a handbag, looking very high-spirited, completely different from the father in Qiu Huoming's memory who was lying in bed in a state of despair.
Chen Suniang was busy cooking and didn't bother to look at him. "Do you have any good news? Did your company distribute New Year's goods?"
When passing by the kitchen, Qiu Jianshe poked his head out and said with a smile: "Suniang, I'll tell you some good news later."
The old lady nodded and stood up by holding the edge of the chair. "I am a person who is about to be buried. What can happen? Tell your mother and cause trouble for her again... Huo Ming, you and Xiu Min are not far away. You are more capable than her. If something happens... please help her make some decisions."
"Okay." Ding Yu took out the pocket radio with a smile and stuffed it into the big pocket of his cotton coat. "This is the first thing you've given me! I have to keep it well."
Chen Suniang's eyes turned red, and the two looked at each other. Qiu Jianshe coughed and said, "Um, pot..."
Qiu Jianshe paused when he heard this, "I haven't heard of that, but..."
His heart ached and he turned away.
Qiu Huoming opened it and took a look. It was a radio and its accessories.
Qiu Jianshe hurried out, muttering, "You can blame me for this..."
Halfway through the journey, he looked back and saw the old man still standing at the door of the house, hunched over, watching him from afar.
"A technical secondary school student."
"Tsk, once I get into Beijing Film Academy, I'll be a college student."
The two of them were playing around, and Qiu Huoming's sadness was immediately forgotten.
The younger sister and the older sister came back from outside, both of their faces were red.
Ding Yu poked his head out of the hut and asked, "Hey, why is your face so red?"
"Jumping rubber rope..." the little sister wiped the sweat from her forehead and responded casually.
"We jumped all over the compound and had no rivals!"
"That's awesome, can you teach me too?" Ding Yu was eager to try.
"Okay, brother!" the younger sister shouted.
Qiu Huoming poked his head out and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Come and help me to break the rubber band..."
Damei and Qiu Huoming stood on each side with a long rubber band on their feet. It was a long rope made of rubber bands connected one by one with the ends tied together. It was very elastic and could be used to perform very difficult moves.
When my little sister talks about playing, she has a lot of ideas.
"My eldest brother and second sister are now the legs of the table. Brother Ding Yu is competing with me. Whoever loses will take turns to be the leg of the table..."
Ding Yu patted his chest and said, "Your brother Ding Yu will not lose."
The younger sister smiled slightly, "Everyone else in the compound said so, but they were defeated by me."
The little sister demonstrated it once and then started dancing with Ding Yu.
Every time he passed a level, the rubber band had to be pulled up a little bit, and soon it reached Qiu Huoming's waist. From here on, the difficulty increased.
The little sister lightly hooked the rubber band with one foot, and said the terminology of skipping rubber band, "The Malan flower blooms twenty-one, twenty-eight, two-five, six, twenty-eight, two-five, seven, twenty-eight, two-nine, thirty-one..."
(Jumping rubber band)
Qiu Huoming looked at the older sister opposite him and asked, "What is this Malan flower?"
The eldest sister was stunned and thought for a long time, "Even though no one has asked this question yet..."
The little sister finished dancing and it was Ding Yu's turn. He kicked high but the rubber band slipped down his toes.
The younger sister jumped for joy, "Great, I won, Brother Ding Yu, please switch places with me."
Ding Yu walked over grunting, took the rubber band off Qiu Huoming's waist and put it around his own waist.
Qiu Huoming watched their playing methods several times and naturally found it not difficult at all.
He tried it and suggested, "I'm tall, it's not fair for you to play this, I'd better be the table leg and let Hongye play with you..."
Qiu Huoming replaced Hongye.
The two little girls playing with rubber bands were much more pleasing to the eye, unlike Ding Yu, who looked like a fat monkey.
Several people were having fun. Chen Suniang finally finished cooking the dishes. She shouted in the kitchen, "It's time to eat. Come in and serve the dishes!"
The four people immediately dispersed in a noisy manner, some washed their hands, some served the dishes...
The Laba porridge is kept warm on the stove and is eaten in the evening. People still mainly eat lunch at noon.
Everyone was crowded around the dining table. Qiu Jianshe had to work in the afternoon, so he resisted the urge to drink. From the moment he sat down at the table, he had a smile on his face.
He had been depressed for half his life, and finally he had the illusion of being a late bloomer, and the joy in his heart almost overflowed.
Halfway through the meal, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Qiu Huoming and suggested, "Director Mou asked you if you were back today. I told him that you were back. Go check on him, he really cares about you."
"Okay, Uncle Mou is a nice person." Qiu Huoming glanced at his watch.
Uncle Mou is a wealthy man, and while eating, Qiu Huoming was thinking about what to give as a return gift.
After thinking about it, I can only show off the radio I installed myself. The speaker of this radio is special, with sound-absorbing materials added, so the sound quality is softer...
After lunch, Chen Suniang knitted a sweater for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, she hurriedly took out her bicycle with her bag on her back and called Qiu Jianshe to go out together.
After a while, the girl from Uncle Chen's family ran in with a few books to play with my little sister and the others.
Qiu Huoming had nothing to do, so he packed the Laba porridge, sat behind Ding Yu in the car, and drove towards Dingjia Lane together.
Father Ding went to work, and only Mother Ding was at home. When she saw Qiu Huoming, she was very surprised.
"Huo Ming, in a couple of days our family will go to the state-owned restaurant and have a good meal..."
She suggested as she took the Laba porridge brought by Qiu Huoming.
"Okay." Qiu Huoming hadn't been to a restaurant for a long time and still missed the taste of restaurant food.
Ding Yu went upstairs to put down the radio, then quickly went downstairs, "Mom, Huozi and I will go find my brother..."
Ding's mother was chatting excitedly. When she heard that he was going out again, her face immediately turned unhappy. "You just came back and you're going out again. Do you treat your home as a guesthouse?"
Ding Yu was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile, "Mom, it's my brother who wants to talk to Huozi about serious matters!"
Mother Ding looked disdainful and said, "Your brother has nothing to do. He just doesn't do his job..."
"Godmother, my mother said a few days ago that she missed you. How about coming to my house on Sunday to have a simple meal? You can also chat with her?"
Qiu Huoming interrupted Ding's mother's complaints with a smile.
"Your mother is a good person in every way, except that she is too polite. Okay, I will come to her on Sunday to catch up with her..."
Ding Yu winked at Qiu Huoming and gave him a thumbs up.
"Then... Godmother, Fatty and I will go see Brother Hao first, in case he is okay."
"Okay, go ahead, ride slower."
"okay."
The two of them rode quickly to the entrance of the alley and then both breathed a sigh of relief.
"You should spend more time with your mother these days. I think she seems to have reached menopause..." Qiu Huoming suddenly said while sitting in the back seat of the car.
"What is menopause?"
"It's just that her body functions can't keep up with her youth. She has some problems. You should go along with her. Your mother has had a hard time..."
Ding Yu nodded, "No wonder, this time when I came back, I always felt that she was weird..."
Ding Yu's cycling skills have improved a lot. He took Qiu Huoming to South Street in a familiar way.
Ding Hao's store was doing very well. There was an empty space at the door, where a peddler was squatting, stamping his feet back and forth in the cold weather...
Opposite him was a cart with a gasoline barrel turned into a grill on it. The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes hit Ding Yu, who couldn't resist it at first, "Huozi, shall we buy some?"
"Okay, bring some for your brother."
Ding Yu parked his car in front of the store, quickly crossed the alley, stood in front of the oven where sweet potatoes were roasted, picked out a few with soft skin and bought them.
Qiu Huoming poked his head towards the repair shop. There were several people from nearby villages standing inside. There were many electrical appliances on display in the small shop. Ding Hao was busy soldering a radio with a soldering iron. There was also a tape recorder with its lid opened on the counter. Another craftsman, surnamed Li, was checking...
"Wow, it's hot." Ding Yu walked over excitedly with a sweet potato wrapped in old newspaper.
Qiu Huoming took one out, and he and Ding Yu squatted at the door to eat it first as a sign of respect.
After eating a sweet potato, my whole body felt warm.
"It's delicious." Ding Yu praised.
The two of them then stood up, opened the door and walked in.
Master Li said to Ding Hao: "Xiao Hao, your brother is here..."
Ding Hao raised his head, carefully put down the soldering iron in his hand, and said, "Come in and sit down first." He pointed to the chair behind him.
Ding Yu put down the sweet potato in his hand and said, "You and Uncle Li each have one."
Master Li smiled and said, "I still have some. Thank you, Xiaoyu."
Qiu Huoming and Ding Yu were sitting inside the counter. There were many spare parts in the cabinet. He took a glance and found that these were commonly used electrical accessories.
Ding Hao and Master Li both put down their work, took the sweet potatoes, peeled them and ate them, enjoying the hot food very much.
Several guests waiting there swallowed their saliva and looked away.
After eating the sweet potatoes, Ding Hao said hello to Master Li, "Master, I'm going to the next door to discuss something with them. You can take care of the shop first..."
"Okay, go ahead."
Ding Hao stood up and took Qiu Huoming and Ding Hao to the tobacco shop next door.
There was a slightly plump girl in the store. Qiu Huoming could see clearly that he had seen this girl at Ding's house before.
Ding Hao smiled and said, "Just call her sister-in-law..."
"Sister-in-law." Ding Yu and Qiu Huoming shouted in unison.
The girl was a little shy and responded with a sound like a mosquito's hum.
Ding Hao pushed open the side door and said, "I want to talk to Xiaoyu and the others about something..."
"Yeah." The girl responded again.
Inside the side door was a warehouse with some drinks piled in the corner and tables and chairs against the wall. Qiu Huoming and Ding Yu sat down, and Ding Hao came over with two bottles of soda.
"Huo Ming, you just saw the repair shop, how about it? Are you interested in coming to work? I will charge you by the day."