I'm back in 1990

Chapter 910: Two Patches

With a tap of the finger, I was instantly transported to Chapter 910: The Wonderful World of Two Patches.

"Wow! Why are there so many things?" Yue Zhiyuan was stunned when he arrived in the courtyard.

The driver made five or six trips before finally unloading everything from the trunk.

Huang Xiaochuan didn't take it to heart. He greeted Lao Yu first, then took the wheelchair from Yu Wei and pushed his father-in-law into the house. The children followed him into the house.

Yu Wei explained to Yue Zhiyuan, "These are all gifts that my sister and brother-in-law's friends, colleagues, and classmates brought when they visited our dad. There were just too many, so Dad asked us to bring some back. They are mainly milk and fruit, for the children."

Actually, Yue Zhiyuan knew where these things came from without needing an explanation, but he was surprised that there were so many.

Old Yu was overjoyed to see his grandsons, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters surrounding him, all together in perfect harmony.

Unfortunately, his joy didn't last long. Once the food was served, he became unhappy because he couldn't drink alcohol.

"Alright! Just bear with it for a few days. Whose fault is it? You have to blame yourself!" After decades of marriage, although Lao Yu didn't say anything, Zheng Aiying still saw through it.

It's also Yu Wei's fault for being such a clueless son. He didn't care about his father at all and was having a great time drinking with his two brothers-in-law.

Without wine, the food doesn't taste as good, even though it's a really good meal.

After taking a few bites, Lao Yu put down his chopsticks and said he was full.

He was only able to stay calm because he was at his eldest son-in-law's house; otherwise, he probably would have lost his temper by now.

Yue Zhiyuan obviously saw it, and he discussed with Zheng Aiying, "Mom, how about letting Dad have a drink, just one drink, okay?" But as soon as he said this, Yu Min rolled her eyes at him, annoyed that he was being nosy.

Instead of answering or denying, Zheng Aiying asked Lao Yu, "What do you think?"

Old Yu looked at his arm, then waved his undamaged right hand: "Never mind, Shi Lei already said we can drink it on the 15th. I'll endure it for a few more days. Okay, I'm full, you guys eat slowly."

Then he said to Zheng Aiying, "Old woman, push me back to my room, I'm going to watch TV."

Everyone stood up and watched as Zheng Aiying pushed Lao Yu out of the restaurant and went to the guest room on the first floor. Not long after, Zheng Aiying returned to the dining table.

Yu Min glanced towards the guest room and asked, "Mom, is Dad alright?"

"It's alright, it's alright, you guys eat your food." Zheng Aiying gestured for everyone to continue eating.

After dinner, the women, as usual, cleared away the dishes, washed the pots and pans, and wiped the table. Huang Xiaochuan, Yue Zhiyuan, and Yu Wei sat down to drink tea and chat, while the children gathered in front of the 100-inch TV in the corner of the living room to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

"The New Year is getting less and less interesting." Yu Wei looked at the deserted courtyard and the outside of the wall. He was referring to how the New Year seemed to have lost some of its flavor after the ban on fireworks and firecrackers.

"That's because you're getting old and you've lost the fun you had as a child. Look at those kids, they're still having a good time." Huang Xiaochuan pushed a cup of tea in front of Yu Wei, gesturing for him to look at the children sitting in front of the TV.

Yue Zhiyuan agreed with his brother-in-law's words: "Yes! The more you think, the less happiness you have. Children don't need to think about so many complicated things, so they are naturally more likely to feel happy."

Yue Zhiyuan's words reminded Yu Wei of his childhood.

"I remember during the Spring Festival of 1988, I was wearing a new outfit and setting off firecrackers with a bunch of kids in the courtyard. Then he showed up, and he tore a hole in my new pants. When I got home, my mom beat me up." Yu Wei said, pointing to Huang Xiaochuan sitting across from him at the tea table.

Yue Zhiyuan immediately became interested and wanted to hear what happened next.

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and did not argue. As someone who had experienced it firsthand, he naturally knew what Yu Wei was talking about.

"Others release sky rockets towards the sky, but he did something else. He laid a row of sky rockets flat on the flower bed in the middle of the courtyard, lit them, and they flew around everywhere, scaring us so much that we had to hide everywhere. By sheer coincidence, one of the sky rockets exploded on my butt, leaving such a big hole!" Yu Wei not only said this, but also gestured with his hand to show the shape that was as big as a bowl.

Huang Xiaochuan couldn't hold back any longer: "It's not as exaggerated as you say. It's only the size of a walnut. When you asked me to pay for your pants, you even showed me your butt. I remember it clearly."

"That's ridiculous. So many years have passed. I'm not going to make you pay for my pants now. What are you afraid of?" Yu Wei glared at him, clearly dissatisfied.

After the alcohol took effect, long-buried memories surfaced, and Huang Xiaochuan seemed to return to his childhood. He argued with Yu Wei: "This isn't about compensation. Big is big, and small is small. Don't you think a skyrocket has so little power? How could it possibly blast a hole the size of a bowl?"

Yue Zhiyuan watched with a smile as his brother-in-law and brother-in-law argued. They were both approaching forty, yet they were still bickering about things from their childhood. It was quite amusing.

Yu Wei insisted on arguing with his childhood friend about the details: "You blew my own pants up like that, how could I not know how big the hole was?"

By this time, Yu Xiang and the others had finished packing and were walking over. They heard Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei arguing about something, so they wanted to hear what they were arguing about.

It turned out that the two were arguing about setting off fireworks when they were children. Apart from Tang Yuan not knowing much about this, Zheng Aiying, Yu Xiang, and Yu Min, the mother and daughter, remembered it.

At that time, the national economy had just begun to improve, but even so, a family like the Yus could only afford to buy each of their three children a new set of clothes for the New Year.

Unexpectedly, Yu Wei, who had just put on a brand new outfit, came back with a hole in his pants after going downstairs. Zheng Aiying was furious. She had been hoping to wear these pants for two or three autumn and winter seasons, but now, in less than half a day, they were in this state.

At that time, many people lived a life of "new for three years, old for three years, and patching for three years." Families with a little means generally had a sewing machine, and the Yu family naturally had one too. So, the mother and her two daughters all knew how to sew and mend.

Yu Xiang patched up the new pants that had a hole blown in them. However, considering that it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, she simply patched up the other side, which wasn't damaged, with a patch of the same size, so that it would look more symmetrical.

So Yu Xiang smiled and told the truth: "Your brother-in-law is right, the hole is indeed only the size of a walnut, but the surrounding area was charred and couldn't be preserved. I trimmed it with scissors. Besides, the location is on your butt, so I thought I might as well make the patch bigger and thicker to prevent you from rubbing it again. So the patch was made a little bigger, about the size of a bowl."

Yu Wei then realized, "No wonder there was only one hole, but there are two patches on the butt of my pants."