There was no helping it. Children had smaller lung capacities and were short, too. Stuck inside the bus, breathing in other people's exhaled carbon dioxide the whole way, it would have been strange if they hadn't felt sick.
Once the two children recovered, the family of five walked another stretch before reaching their destination.
Granny Zhuang had previously worked at the Machinery Factory, but her youngest son, Zhuang Ganmei, had later taken over her job.
They lived with their youngest son in housing allocated by the Machinery Factory: two rooms and a kitchen. The kitchen was separate, and there was also a tiny courtyard.
Zhuang Ganmei had two sons, Zhuang Zhen Dong and Zhuang Zhen Bei.
Zhuang Zhendong was about Zhou Cheng's age, while Zhuang Zhenbei was less than a year older than Zhuang Xiaoting.
There were six people on this side of the family, so space was naturally tight. Even so, it was far better than Zhou Cheng's family of five squeezing into one room and using a communal kitchen and toilet.
Chapter 4: The Chicken Drumstick Dispute
"Grandpa! Grandma!"
The moment they entered the courtyard, Zhuang Tunan called out first, making his presence known.
The elderly Zhuang couple and Zhuang Ganmei and his wife came out at the sound.
When they saw the bags large and small in Zhuang Chaoying's hands, then Huang Ling carrying a plump old hen in one hand and two large packages of walnut cookies wrapped in waxed paper in the other, their smiles grew more radiant than the next person's.
No wonder they were pleased. The things visible at a glance alone were worth almost a Great Unity ten-yuan note.
They welcomed everyone inside warmly, and Granny Zhuang took the things from Huang Ling's hands without being asked.
Zhou Cheng entered the room