Chapter 253
The next day, both Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun woke up early. Knowing that comrades from Beijing would be arriving today to award her, Su Xiaoxiao abandoned her military coat and changed into a peach-red jacket. Her two glossy black braids fell over her shoulders. Although the outfit looked quite plain, the bright red made her stand out in the winter, even making her complexion appear as white as snow. Especially with Aunt Guo having slightly cinched the waist when making the jacket, it made her look even more youthful and vibrant.
After the family had breakfast, the team leader led a group into their home.
“Educated Youth Su, a leader from Beijing is coming. They said you submitted something in Beijing, and now they are holding an awards ceremony and giving out rewards. The mayor and county chief are coming as well, so hurry and get ready,” Leader Chen said before even stepping into the yard.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly came out of the kitchen, her eyes lighting up as she looked past Leader Chen at the people behind him.
“Brother!” Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled with happiness, like stars in the galaxy.
Su Hongchen smiled at her. “We agreed to spend the New Year together at home. I took a leave, including vacation time, to come and take you back with me.”
He was concerned that his sister, who had only been away for a month, would have to run back home after spending another month at the production team. He didn’t want the people at the production team to object, so he came to support her. However, he had heard on the way here that the production team leader had already issued a permit for her to stay in Shanghai until mid-March.
This made him have a better impression of the production team. But seeing Jiang Yexun, the “brat,” early in the morning in his sister’s room, he still felt quite displeased.
Noticing his future brother-in-law’s cold gaze, Jiang Yexun straightened his back and explained, “Because of some conflicts with the Old Jiang family, we’ve been staying here since returning from Dai City. We each have a room in the three-room house.”
Hearing this, Su Hongchen’s expression softened a bit.
“Alright, as long as you know your place. We’ll be sharing a room tonight.”
His arrangement was quite normal, and there was basically no other option. But for some reason, Su Hongchen’s words made it seem like he was going to settle scores with Jiang Yexun. Jiang Yexun felt uneasy, thinking about the fight he had with his future brother-in-law.
Nevertheless, he maintained his composure. “Okay, I’ll prepare some hot water tonight for a good bath.”
“Mm.” Su Hongchen nodded in satisfaction.
He then walked over to Su Xiaoxiao and affectionately patted her head. “Our Xiaoxiao is really impressive now.”
“That’s right.” Su Xiaoxiao was not modest in front of her brother, proudly lifting her chin like a little peacock.
After their conversation, the comrades from Beijing, as well as the mayor and county chief, smiled and said, “Alright, Comrade Su, put down your luggage, and let’s head to the Grain-Sunning Ground for the meeting?”
“Okay.” Su Hongchen agreed with a nod.
Leader Chen then led the group out.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly took Su Hongchen to Jiang Yexun’s room. However, Su Hongchen was not in a hurry and took a look around the yard. Seeing the frozen meat hanging on the rope and a row of frozen pears on the windowsill, he felt slightly relieved.
When they arrived, he had specially inquired about the Hong Feng Production Team. Although it wasn’t poor enough to rely on government subsidies, it wasn’t particularly wealthy either. He was worried that his sister might be living poorly or not eating well. But the variety of meat and fruits was better than what most people in the city had. Moreover, the shed was not only filled with firewood but also with coal, indicating that his future brother-in-law was capable.
If his sister were to marry Jiang Yexun, her life wouldn’t be too bad.
However, Su Hongchen’s scrutinizing gaze made Aunt Guo nervous, fearing that Su Xiaoxiao’s own brother might be dissatisfied with their care for Xiaoxiao.
“First, take me to your room.”
Su Hongchen wasn’t in a hurry to go to Jiang Yexun’s room; he wanted to check on his sister’s living conditions first. But Su Xiaoxiao immediately became anxious, thinking that he was checking to see if she had been living with Jiang Yexun before marriage. This made her feel guilty and her hairs stand on end.
Su Xiaoxiao, trying hard to remember if there were any traces of Jiang Yexun left in the room, brought her brother back to the room without any pause.
Jiang Yexun was indeed meticulous. He not only left no traces in Su Xiaoxiao’s room but also made sure to clean her room thoroughly every day.
As soon as Su Hongchen entered the room, he felt the temperature rise from below zero to at least a dozen degrees. He was even more satisfied.
“Is this a fire wall?” He placed his hand on the wall, feeling the temperature.
Without waiting for Jiang Yexun’s answer, he continued, “With a fire wall and heating bed, you must be burning a lot of coal and carbon this winter. Are you prepared enough?”
“Although Xiaoxiao and I were away for a month, I asked a friend from the production team to help me collect firewood,” Jiang Yexun answered respectfully, showing no sign of his usual domineering attitude in the production team.
Su Hongchen nodded in satisfaction, his gaze falling on the radio on the heated bed table. The table also had a semi-transparent box with peanuts, melon seeds, fruit candy, milk candy, and sesame candy. There were also biscuit boxes, chocolate boxes, and a couple of palm-sized jars, presumably of pickled food.
He had intentionally not informed his sister in advance or let Grandpa Zhang tell her, intending to conduct a surprise inspection. So, the variety of items on the table proved that his sister was indeed living comfortably.
If she were at home, he would definitely tease her about eating like a little pig. But now, in front of her future in-laws, even if she consumed everything at once, he would silently buy a new batch.
His sister deserved to live well. There was no reason why their cherished daughter, who grew up being pampered, should start living a hard life after marrying into another family.
Su Hongchen’s gaze fell on the stacked blankets, and he frowned slightly.
“You’re quite diligent now, even folding blankets.”
When she was at home, she would just leave the blankets crumpled. Even if he told her off, she would say it didn’t matter since she would just sleep again. He didn’t expect her to have changed this bad habit after going to the countryside.