After Xia's maternal grandparents finished cleaning the house and its surroundings, Li Zhonghua and Sun Erni returned shortly afterward.

Sun Erni said, "Mom and Dad, why are you in such a hurry? Why didn't you wait for Zhonghua and me to come back before cleaning?"

Grandma Xia said, "Isn't this just a simple thing to do? I cleaned it once after I came home last December, and there's no obvious dirt now, so I can just tidy it up a bit."

"Where are the two children?" Li Zhonghua hadn't seen his two children since he returned.

"Your dad took Xiaomin to make a phone call. Chunmei and Jianguo are probably waiting for the call. They have to take the train tonight. If you're free, take a bamboo pole and knock the dates down."

In the backyard of my maternal grandmother's house, there is a jujube tree that is twenty or thirty years old. Every year, the jujubes it bears are especially delicious and sweet.

In the sky, Li Zhonghua and Sun Erni climbed up the jujube tree and picked some ripe jujubes.

The other green dates were knocked down with bamboo poles. These were to be dried into red dates. After drying, Grandma Xia would steam and dry these red dates three times before slowly eating them. According to her, this way of eating is good for health.

Xia Minmin dialed the number, and the call was answered shortly after it went through.

"Hello, is this Xiaomin?" Li Chunmei's voice came from the phone.

"Mom, it's me. I've arrived at Grandma's house, so don't worry."

"Okay. When you're at Grandma's house, listen to Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt, don't be naughty, and be careful, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

"Your dad and I are taking the train there tonight. We'll call you when we get there, if we have time."

"good."

"Spend more time enjoying your time in your hometown, and don't always think about studying."

"Okay, I will."

"Your dad has a few more things to tell you."

"Dad, have you missed me?"

"Of course I miss you. Be a good boy/girl. Daddy will bring you a present when he comes back."

"Okay. Please be careful on your journey."

"You're such a little kid, you're so nosy."

"Today I bought a refrigerator, a TV, and a washing machine for my grandparents. My sister Qing and I helped out and asked the shop owner to deliver a fan and a rice cooker."

"Wow, Xiaomin is so good at this now, she has already learned how to bargain."

Xia Minmin was also very happy with Xia Jianguo's flattery.

"We'll talk about it when you get back. Your grandfather is probably getting impatient."

"oh."

After hanging up the phone, Xia Jianguo was teased by Li Chunmei, "Before they called, you were restless, worried that something had happened to them? But after the call, you didn't say much."

Xia Jianguo quickly explained, "I was worried because they hadn't called for a long time after they got home. Xiaomin said they've already bought home appliances for Mom and Dad, so you don't need to worry about them not doing well back home."

Before Xia's maternal grandparents went home, Li Chunmei would always talk to them before going to bed, thinking that they would not be used to going back to their hometown.

But as the saying goes, "You are not a fish, how can you know the fish's joy?" Sometimes what children think is good, the elderly may not like. And what the elderly like, the children may worry about.

Li Chunmei said, "I hope these things can help them live better in their hometown. It's not that they insist on going back, and I don't want them to go back either."

Xia Jianguo said, "The elderly are very sentimental, and it's really difficult for them to settle down here."

Li Chunmei said, "It's so nice to be back in my hometown. They should be preparing to harvest the jujubes now. My mom harvests the jujubes from the backyard every year, dries them, and then steams them. Do you think my mom's skin is so good because she eats jujubes like this all the time? Her complexion is much better than that of people her age."

Xia Jianguo thought for a moment and said, "That should be true. Your sisters all have very good skin and health."

"When Xiaomin and the others come back, my mom will definitely bring us steamed red dates. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I used to steam them with her when we were at my parents' house."

As Li Chunmei spoke, her eyes reddened. They had settled down in another city, but they still missed their hometown where they grew up, their childhood playmates, and those silly memories.

Xia Jianguo looked at Li Chunmei and said, "It's okay, it's just steaming red dates. When we get back, we'll buy some red dates and steam them too. You can teach me then."

"Okay, you can't go back on your word."

"Don't worry, they definitely won't renege on their debt. We also need to pack our things; we have to catch the train tonight."

...

Xia Minmin hung up the phone.

"Xiaomin, Xiaoqing, you two can buy whatever you want. It's on me today."

Grandpa Xia said this in a loud and boisterous voice.

Li Qing said, "Grandpa, I'm eighteen now, not a little kid anymore. I don't like eating snacks."

Xia Minmin didn't have these concerns and started picking out her favorite foods as soon as she entered the convenience store.

Seeing the teasing expressions on the faces of her elderly neighbors, Li Qing awkwardly declined Grandpa Xia's suggestion.

The convenience store was by the roadside, and many neighbors sat outside looking at their own millet. They were chatting, and the Li family, who had just returned from Shenzhen that day, were the main people they were talking to.

"Old Li, you're trying to please your granddaughter, but you've ended up making a fool of yourself."

“Old Li, could you please speak more quietly? These days, even young children care about their reputation. If you speak so loudly, Xiao Qing will have no choice but to refuse.”

"that is."

"Old Li, I remember my youngest granddaughter and my eldest granddaughter were in the same year. Is she also taking the college entrance exam this year? How did she do?"

When Grandpa Xia heard someone talking about college entrance exam results, the corners of his mouth immediately turned up, but he still said some modest words, "It's not that good, it's not that good. It's just an ordinary 985 university."

Many people are unfamiliar with the fact that Xia's maternal grandfather graduated from a 985 university, since this claim only came about in May of this year.

What is a 985 university?

Where is the school?

One person in the group shouted, "Don't you guys ever watch the news when you get home? 985 universities are the 39 best universities in our country. Old Li, your granddaughter is amazing. She's the first person from our village to get into a 985 university, right?"

Grandpa Xia nodded with a smile.

"Old Li, aren't you planning to hold a banquet?"

"Holding a banquet is great, it lets us share in the joy and hopefully our village can have more 985 universities."

"Hey, I heard your little granddaughter is doing well in school. What grade is she in now?"

Everyone was talking at once, and Grandpa Xia didn't have time to answer.

Xia's maternal grandfather said, "Holding a banquet is a matter for the Chinese people. I don't know much about it. The young people there find it troublesome and don't want to hold banquets. My granddaughter will be starting junior high school this fall."

As soon as Grandpa Xia finished speaking, everyone started discussing again.

"The banquet still needs to be held. It's one of the three joyous occasions in life, so how can we not have it?"

“Young people are inexperienced and naive; you should talk to them properly.”

"But it's about bringing honor to one's ancestors."

"Will it be a few years before I can eat at your granddaughter's wedding banquet again?"