The Female General Dominates All After Transmigration-Chapter 211 - 208: Family Daily Life and Holiday Allowance
Then, Little Qi Bai grinned, furrowing his brow as he puffed up and spat bubbles, turning his head to look at Ling Chengyan, his face full of complaint: Not tasty, so bitter!
Ling Chengyan peeled a tangerine and teased him with a segment: "Call Auntie, call Auntie to give you a tangerine to eat."
Little Qi Bai tilted his head to look at the tangerine segment, his eyes almost crossing, perhaps the bitterness in his mouth faded, or maybe the tangerine’s aroma was too tempting. The little one finally couldn’t resist and surrendered: "...Aunt!"
He worked hard and called out.
But "Aunt" was too difficult to pronounce, so the little guy cleverly called the abbreviated version.
"Hey, hey, Qi Bai can call Aunt now, Qi Bai is the best!" Ling Chengyan put the peeled tangerine segment into his mouth, pinched one end for him to suck the tangerine juice.
Little Qi Bai tasted the sweetness and liked it very much, eagerly sucking the tangerine juice, his little mouth making smacking sounds.
Ling Chengyan fed him three or four tangerine segments before stopping, then wiped his mouth with the handkerchief.
Zheng Xiaotian was also full, washed his hands, and came to hold the still-eating tangerine Little Qi Bai, turning around to lift his shirt to breastfeed the little guy.
In rural families missing some things, breastfeeding lasts quite long, and some children even nurse until they are five or six years old.
Zheng Xiaotian let the child nurse, but spoke about Wang Liansheng’s affairs before leaving: "That old man Lian is coming to our house for New Year. We rushed to tidy up today, and early tomorrow we’ll return, so we can lend a hand to Elder Brother and Sister-in-law."
"How come he thought of coming to our house for New Year?" Ling Chengyan was old-fashioned; New Year is a big occasion where family reunions happen, generally spent at one’s own home. Why go to others’ homes?
Besides, the two families don’t interact, not even acquaintances, completely strangers, right?
Wang Lianfa responded: "He said he wanted to experience village life, requested to spend New Year at a household in the village. Our family just rebuilt a new house, more neat and clean than others’ earthen old houses, so he came to our house."
Ling Chengyan still found it very odd; she didn’t buy the excuse of experiencing village life. Moreover, Old Mr. Lian’s hometown is not Nanli Team, not even Huicheng, far away on the peninsula near the seaside. Although in the same province, it’s still seven or eight hundred miles apart!
Two places separated by a thousand miles, yet described as village life, it’s too forced.
When Lian Zhaowen came to Huicheng claiming he was returning home, Ling Chengyan had this feeling; at that time, Lian Zhaowen was only investigating investment and construction, so Ling Chengyan didn’t mind much.
Now, Lian Zhaowen not only reiterates the village sentiment but even spends New Year at the elder’s house, Ling Chengyan’s sense of oddity grows stronger, with a faint sense of unease.
This matter already involves the Wang Family, even touches on Wang Liansheng. Ling Chengyan’s mind raises a big question mark: What is Lian Zhaowen truly after with such actions? Or, what’s he plotting??
Ling Chengyan think it over in her mind a few times, no matter how she assesses, the Old Wang Family is just ordinary folks who have just got by, honest and upright, never heard of offending anyone, nor possessing anything worth scheming a rich returned tycoon like Lian Zhaowen.
Unable to make sense of it, Ling Chengyan can only suppress this question inside her heart.
She didn’t show much on the surface, as usual chatting with the Second Cousin Couple, listening to them talk about business at the store, speak about the children’s grades, and certainly asking how Jiang Province is...
Little Qi Bai has many small things, rushing to tidy them up seemed out of time. Zheng Xiaotian readily continued living in the courtyard with Little Qi Bai, while Wang Lianfa returned to tidy things himself.
Early the next morning, after waking up, Ling Chengyan called up several children and took them out to the playground for training.
After breakfast, Wang Lianfa set off with Little Qi Bai and Hongling, preparing to go home. Ling Chengyan also packed some specialties from Jiang Province for them to take back home to Uncle and Aunt.
Ling Chengyan also bought Zheng Xiaotian a baby carrier to securely strap the child to the chest, which makes it much easier for the adult, freeing up hands, and more convenient coming and going.
Zheng Xiaotian swung her hand and strode inside the house, too happy: "How do southern people think so ingeniously, fussing about and not delaying anything."
Ling Chengyan laughed: "Buying this for you is to make it easier for you, not for you to do more work."
Then whispered: "Don’t forget to take care of yourself, you might not feel much when young, but when old, you’ll be plagued by ailments."
Zheng Xiaotian glanced at her husband not far away, smiling: "Now there isn’t much work for me, don’t need to go to the fields, just watch the shop, take care of a few kids, not exhausting."
Ling Chengyan shook her head, said no more. Even after many years, today’s women are just as hardworking as during the Great Qi period, working hard for their husbands, children, and family, enduring without complaint.
Hongling wanted to stay a few more days to help Ling Chengyan take care of Little Xing and Shi Tou, but Ling Chengyan directly packed her off: "You haven’t been home for half a year, your mother and grandma must miss you a lot, hurry home, after New Year, I will bring you back."
Hongling just had exams a few days ago, did well, ranked high in her class. With this score, after a year of remedial classes, she would basically have no problem advancing to the nursing class.
With earnings from the shop, there’s more money on hand, Zheng Xiaotian bought new clothes for Hongling, Hongbing, and the family’s Hong Zhi, Ling Chengyan also bought new clothes for the children.
After half a year in Huicheng, less wind and sun exposure, Hongling, already good-looking, became even more beautiful.
Zheng Xiaotian secretly told Ling Chengyan, Hongling went to her shop a few times, attracting someone’s interest, who inquired about her, but she turned them down.
After sending off the group, Ling Chengyan arrived at the company, calculated the time difference with Jiang Province, and dialed the phone around ten o’clock.
As Spring Festival approaches, many people are calling, Ling Chengyan waited over ten minutes for the call to connect, an operator at the farm headquarters picked up, told her to call back in half an hour, then hung up the phone.
At this moment, Xu Dong walked in, handed over the New Year arrangements for Ling Chengyan to see.
Ling Chengyan scanned the literary and entertainment activities for the New Year, and daily living subsidy details, thought for a moment and said: "Our soldiers’ training is tougher, their intake is bigger. We definitely need to improve their meals for the New Year, try to find ways to increase the nutrients a bit, costs I’ll seek approval from the leaders."
Their company still follows the ground standard, with a daily meal cost of sixty-five cents per person, but the Special Service Company’s training intensity is much higher, physical consumption larger, and food standards surely need to be raised.
Xu Dong knew about this but wasn’t certain, asked: "Then what standard?"
Ling Chengyan said: "Normally there’s already a one-yuan holiday subsidy, add a little more, let’s make it two yuan fifty per person."
Xu Dong thought about it, nodded in agreement, took the modified holiday arrangements and left.
Ling Chengyan glanced at her watch, picked up the phone receiver again, and dialed Jiang Province’s number.
