Chapter 135

Jiang Ning didn't answer him, but looked outside the car. They had already arrived.

When they arrived at the gate of No. 1 Middle School, Jiang Ning got out of the car, waved goodbye to him, and went to his grandfather's shop.

Song Peifeng was still looking at her back as she turned and left.

In fact, he didn't need to get off at the Wuzhong gate, he had already arrived home a few intersections ago.

So Song Peifeng, who did not get off the car, turned around and went back.

The driver was still talking: "Young man, you could have gotten off just now. Why are you going back? Isn't that a detour? You took this detour yourself, not me. You have to pay an extra dollar."

At the end of the year, a trip costs one dollar.

Song Peifeng responded indifferently.

When Grandpa Jiang saw Jiang Ning, he sat up straight with excitement: "Ning Ning is back. I heard from others that you were admitted to Beijing University. Is it true?"

Jiang Ning nodded vigorously: "It's true, Grandpa also knows?"

Grandpa Jiang smiled and said, "I know. How could I not know? Everyone in the whole street knows it!" He was as excited as a child: "It's hanging on the gatehouse at the entrance of your school, with big characters!"

Grandpa Jiang was full of pride: "Your director was setting off firecrackers at the school gate, isn't that something everyone knows about? That guy..."

It’s a pity that Teacher Zhao’s skit had not yet appeared at that time, otherwise he might have known how to describe it. It was a scene with red flags waving, firecrackers blasting, and huge crowds of people!

“Even people from the TV station came to interview us!” Grandpa Jiang could brag about that scene all day long.

Although he didn't see the news on TV in the end, he didn't know which channel it was broadcast on.

He can't wait to go back to his hometown and brag to those old guys there! In particular, he took a photo with Jiang Ning at the gate of No. 1 Middle School with the award banner.

Jiang Ning was afraid that the photos would get damp and easily become distorted, so she asked the photographer to help her seal the photos with plastic, so that they could be preserved for many years without getting tarnished.

When Jiang Ning heard that No. 1 Middle School had put up a banner again, she was not surprised at all. After all, they had done this once in their previous life, and it had been hung for a whole year. But Jiang Ning was still very excited and said to Grandpa Jiang, "Grandpa, let's go take a photo!"

It was summer before, but now it is winter. Grandpa Jiang adjusted his down jacket, pulled down the shop door, followed Jiang Ning to the school gate, and called the people who were taking pictures to come and take pictures.

In fact, Grandpa Jiang only had one posture and one expression from beginning to end, that is, his hands hanging stiffly on both sides of his body and his face was expressionless.

But as soon as the photo was taken, he smiled and waited happily for the photo to come out.

Jiang Ning continued typing in front of the computer.

The next day, Grandpa Jiang couldn't wait any longer and asked Jiang Ning, "Have the photos been developed?"

He can't wait to go back to his hometown!

Jiang Ning ran to the photography shop to ask without hesitation, and came back to tell Grandpa Jiang: "The shop owner said that they are developing them now. Don't worry, it will take at least three to five days for the photos to be ready!"

Grandpa Jiang counted on his fingers and said, "Will it be after the New Year?"

Jiang Ning: "I'll go and urge them again."

Grandpa Jiang actually wanted to come back very much. He also wanted to brag to his old friends that his eldest granddaughter was admitted to Peking University!

Oh my goodness, that’s Peking University. Old Zhonghua, who runs a small shop, always brags to him that his eldest grandson was admitted to the university and became a college student. Could he do as well as his eldest granddaughter?

Although he didn't understand which university was better or which was slightly better, he could still understand what everyone was saying, that the school in Beijing was one of the two best universities in the country.

In ancient times, this would be called the top scholar or the Jinshi degree!

Grandpa Jiang couldn't wait to go home and pay homage to his ancestors. His family's ancestral graves were really filled with smoke.

Until New Year's Eve, Grandpa Jiang really couldn't sit still anymore and he had to go home to worship his ancestors.

Even when Jiang Ning said the photos had not been developed yet, Grandpa Jiang said he would wait until after the New Year to get them.

Jiang Ning thought for a while and said, "But Grandpa, I haven't received the university admission letter yet. If I go back to worship my ancestors now and tell them, what if people find out and I don't get admitted? I was only signed up to Peking University, and the details will be revealed in a year! Can we not tell our ancestors first and wait until I really get into Peking University next year before we tell them?"

Grandpa Jiang knew nothing and just listened to his granddaughter's words: "Yes, yes, the meat should be left to rot in the pot so you can eat it yourself." He packed his bags and wanted to go back to his hometown.

Jiang Ning, who had just returned from winter camp, had been typing away like crazy every day, just to provide more manuscripts for "Wuxia". After several days of delay, when he saw that he could not delay any longer, he said aggrievedly, "You all are going back to your hometown, what should I do?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? Of course we are going back together!" Grandpa Jiang was confused by what she said.

Jiang Ning looked at Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Bai sadly: "But, Manager Qian said that my villa in Shanghai has been renovated. Grandpa, won't you go and help me warm up the house?"

The custom here is to celebrate the New Year in the first year of building a new house. Even if the house is not completed yet, as long as the beams are put up and the roof is there, the first New Year must be celebrated in the new house.

But Grandpa Jiang really had no idea about the house Jiang Ning bought in Shanghai. He had no feeling about it. The villa was still unfinished when they went to see it last time. He had never seen the other renovated house that Jiang Ning mentioned, so he had no idea about it. It felt like someone else said they bought a house, but they couldn't see or touch it. He knew about it, and then it was gone.

He had never thought about going to Shanghai to celebrate the New Year.

In his consistent thinking, he has to go back to his hometown during the Chinese New Year. How can he not go back?

But after listening to what my granddaughter said, I felt that it was right. My granddaughter's house has been renovated, but no one is going to stay with her for a few days. How can I warm the house?

In the minds of many local elderly people, it is considered unlucky if a newly built house is not lively.

He was torn between wanting to go back to his hometown to worship his ancestors and wanting to warm the house for his granddaughter.

Jiang Bai was straightforward and said, "Then let's go to Shanghai." Jiang Bai said, "I'll call the brigade headquarters and tell my parents that I have something to do and won't be going back for the New Year."

"How can I not go home to visit the graves?" Grandpa Jiang always misses the graves in his hometown.

Jiang Ning said, "Aren't my uncle and my parents here? Isn't it okay to have them to worship our ancestors?"

Yes, of course it is possible, as long as someone offers the sacrifice.

But Grandpa Jiang still felt very uncomfortable.

Jiang Ning could naturally see that Grandpa Jiang actually wanted to go back, but as long as she thought about the end of last year, she, Grandpa, and Jiang Bai, dragging a cart of food, walking with difficulty on the narrow embankment. The road was muddy after the rain, and they couldn't get out once they stepped on it. The snow was slippery, and there were boats on that road, so it was okay on sunny days. But now there are no boats, and the water level has receded in winter, so they have to walk longer than usual to get home.

Jiang Ning didn't want to leave.

She didn't want her grandfather to leave either.

Whether it was because she was afraid that grandpa would fall, or it was out of her own selfishness, well, she admitted that she was just selfish! She just wants to stay away from people who drain her of energy. She cares more about her own feelings and doesn’t want to bear other people’s negative energy!

She sat on a small chair, head down, and exerted the spirit of green tea to the extreme, and said dejectedly: "How about... Second brother, you accompany grandpa back? I'll go to the house in Shanghai alone to warm up the house."

When Grandpa Jiang heard that his little granddaughter was going to spend the New Year in Shanghai alone, thinking of her poor little girl alone in the house without anyone around, Grandpa Jiang couldn't sit still anymore. He held Jiang Baidi's hand and said, "It's just going to Shanghai! Let's go! Let's go now! Your uncle and his family are offering sacrifices to our ancestors, so we need money for the incense. Besides, doesn't your eldest brother still stay at home?"

On New Year's Eve in previous years, Grandpa Jiang would come down to have dinner with his youngest son and his family. There were few rooms in the house, so he had one for his son and daughter-in-law, one for his two grandsons, and one for his granddaughter. It was okay in the summer, as he could sleep on a bamboo bed in the main room. But if he slept like this in the winter, he would really freeze to death.

The riverside is very humid. The bamboo bed is cool in summer but will become damp in winter. No matter how dry the quilt is in the sun during the day, it will be damp when placed on the bamboo bed the next day, making it impossible to sleep on it.

So, every year after the New Year’s Eve dinner, Grandpa Jiang would walk up the mountain alone, holding a flashlight.

Grandpa Jiang has experienced the feeling of spending the New Year alone in the mountains too many times over the years, and he knows too well the feeling of loneliness as if being abandoned by the whole world.

He couldn't imagine them all going home, leaving his little granddaughter alone in the cold house, spending the New Year all alone.

Whenever Grandpa Jiang thought of that scene, his heart ached as if it was being grabbed. He picked up his bag and urged Jiang Ning: "Didn't you say you were going to Shanghai to warm up the house? Hurry up, or there will be no car!"

Jiang Ning never expected that Grandpa Jiang would choose to go to Shanghai with her. She knew how much he wanted to go back to his hometown. His hometown was his roots that he could not abandon.

She knew that she was selfish, and she also thought that if grandpa really wanted to go back, she should let Jiang Bai take him back.

She has been alone for so many years and has gotten used to it.

At this time, Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Bai didn't know that Jiang Song still hadn't returned home this year. In their worldview, Jiang Song didn't come back for the New Year last year, so how could he not come back this year? No matter you have money or not, you have to go home to celebrate the New Year.

They called the brigade headquarters and finally arrived at Jiang Ning's villa at around 1:00 p.m. that day.

After the villa was renovated, it had been ventilated for three months, and Manager Qian had already prepared many of the home appliances in the house for her.

Although Manager Qian was given full authority, he currently has only a few projects on hand. The focus is on Jiang Ning's villa. Although the home appliances were also entrusted to him, he also made money from it, so he was also very attentive.

Jiang Ning had already told Manager Qian in advance and asked him to help her turn on the heating today.

As soon as Jiang Ning and the others arrived at the villa, a feeling of warmth came over them.

When Grandpa Jiang saw the big villa, he didn't dare to step in. He turned to look at Jiang Ning: "This, this, this... is this really your house?"

They had been here before, but the area was very chaotic back then.

The development of the Shanghai stock market can be described as changing with each passing day, and that is not an exaggeration. Although the surrounding area is still under construction, it is no longer the place where there were fertile fields and wasteland everywhere.

Especially in this villa area, many people who bought villas are wealthy people with plenty of money. They started decorating the houses right after buying them. Now this villa area looks quite presentable. Some villas are already occupied. Under the bright lights, there is already a sense of homeliness.

Of course, most of them are uninhabited.

Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Bai walked in and visited this huge mansion to them as if they were visiting a palace!

It's really huge.

Because many things have not been purchased yet, the whole villa seems very empty.

Although Jiang Ning asked Manager Qian to help buy some basic electrical appliances and turn on the gas, Jiang Ning still needed to buy many things by himself.

For example, the open bookshelf in the living room was the same as the model room in her apartment. There were still a lot of unsold books left in his brother's warehouse, as well as unsold books from booksellers. Several college students bought all kinds of unwanted books from their seniors who had just graduated from school. All of them were added to Jiang Ning's bookshelf by Manager Qian at very low prices. It was Jiang Ning's money that was spent, but the photos taken were of Manager Qian and several design department college students.

Manager Qian used good materials for the hard furnishings of the house, but he tried to save as much as possible on some soft furnishings. For example, all the home appliances and sofas in the villa are domestic brands. As for all the cabinets, they were made by his brother-in-law. His main goal was to save as much as possible.

The more you save, the more money the manager earns.

In order to get better photo effects, Manager Qian also bought some artificial flowers and green plants to decorate the house.

This was also the first time that Jiang Ning came to visit this renovated house. Although he had participated in the design of the drawings during the May Day holiday and told all his needs to Manager Qian and the college students who made the design plan, Jiang Ning had no idea what the actual result of the renovation would look like.

But as soon as he came in, Jiang Ning knew that Manager Qian was sincere.

But I don't know if Manager Qian is used to decorating "model rooms". The decoration of this villa still refers to the design plans of foreign designers for apartments, as well as the apartment designed for Jiang Ning, plus the stitching products conceived by several college students. When Manager Qian was decorating Jiang Ning's villa, he decorated it in the direction of a model room.

After all, Manager Qian had never seen what a villa looked like. When he was decorating it, he would occasionally visit several nearby villas that were being renovated to learn from them.

After all, the largest houses he had seen before were the model room in the apartment building and Jiang Ning's apartment.

Therefore, in terms of overall decoration direction, he decorated it completely in the way Jiang Ning decorated his apartment. The college students he invited and the classmates he called to help were responsible for the design and control of the details, aesthetics, and color matching.

In terms of color selection, Manager Qian and college students majoring in architectural design and interior design chose bright and soft colors and reduced the proportion of dark colors. Therefore, even in winter, the first reaction of Grandpa Jiang and others when they walked in was clean and bright.

Because the house is very big, with two floors plus the basement and attic, the total area is more than one thousand square meters.

Even though Jiang Bai had lived in Jiang Ning's apartment before, he was still amazed when he saw such a big and spacious house.

Grandpa Jiang felt tired after just touring the first floor. What’s more, he was sweating.

He took off his coat. Even his old legs, which ached when the sky turned cloudy in winter, seemed to be relieved a little in this warm house. He sat on the soft sofa, looked up at the house, and couldn't help but sighed, "My goodness, the two houses in the old family can't be as big as this one, right? This is such a big house, won't you get lost if you live in it?"

Grandpa Jiang just looked at the big house, but like Jiang Bai, he always had a sense of unreality. He felt that the old man had never had such a beautiful dream in his life. He couldn't help but smile happily, feeling that he was dreaming. If he was not dreaming, why did he feel hot in the middle of winter? When my feet stepped on the floor, it was not cold but warm.

But even if it was a dream, Grandpa Jiang still liked to watch it.

He had rested enough, and with his hands behind his back, he looked from the first floor to the second floor, and then from the second floor to the attic on the third floor.

In the attic, as Jiang Ning said, a starry sky room was built on the roof. Although it was an attic, the floor height was about two meters, and the middle roof part was more than three meters high. With the starry sky room, it did not seem cramped. You can lie on the floor and look at the stars.

But in this season, the sky is wet, and not only are there no stars in the sky, but it is also pitch black.

Grandpa Jiang looked at the wooden bookshelves built in the attic. These bookshelves can not only hold books, but also some decorations. However, everything seems very simple now. But even so, when Grandpa Jiang touched it, the real touch still made him grin with joy.

With Jiang Bai's support, he slowly walked down the stairs.

His legs didn't feel as painful anymore, but the old man's stubborn temper came back. He didn't want Jiang Bai to help him, but walked down the stairs slowly by himself, holding on to the stairs.

By the way, there is a pure wooden slide next to the third-floor stairs. If Grandpa Jiang doesn’t want to walk down the stairs, he can also slide on the serpentine slide.

Jiang Ning thought that grandpa might be happy to try it.

But you can’t try it now, because there’s no thick carpet underneath, so take protective measures.

Jiang Ning said that she could try it later.

Grandpa Jiang was very disdainful: "If I don't sit on it, who would sit on it? It's not worth it to make my old man fall down."

But his eyes were looking at this wooden, polished and very smooth slide with curiosity, and his eyes were full of eagerness to try it out.

It’s like an old child who suffered a lot in his childhood and whose childhood was made up by his granddaughter.

He really wanted to try it, but he also knew that this thing might be very dangerous, so he couldn't try it. He also wanted to keep this old and broken body, watch his grandchildren go to college, watch them get married in the future, and maybe even see his great-grandchildren.

Thinking of the beautiful scenes in the future, Grandpa Jiang was so happy that he felt as if he could already see two little kids happily sliding down the wooden slide.

His steps became lighter, and he said, "Okay, okay, it's just too hot."

Although he had taken off his thick long down jacket and the wolfskin hat on his head, he was still wearing his thick sweater and wolfskin vest. He was still wearing cotton trousers, woolen trousers, thick cotton trousers, and a layer of dust-proof trousers on the outside. Grandpa Jiang was so hot that he took off his wolfskin vest and thick sweater, leaving only his autumn clothes and a thin sweater.

He asked Jiang Ning anxiously, "Where can I take off my pants? This room is too hot. I'm wearing so many clothes and I'm almost dying of heat."

Jiang Ning quickly took him to his room.

Grandpa Jiang's room is on the first floor. There is a power switch at the door, which turns on when you press it. There are also switches on both sides of the bed. The bed is not big, only 1.5 meters wide. There is a 25-inch color TV opposite the bed, which is also the only TV in the room.

There was no cloakroom in Grandpa Jiang's room. There was only a row of closets and a bathroom. Jiang Ning came over to teach Grandpa Jiang how to use the toilet, how to use the bathroom, which side was the hot water, which side was the cold water, etc.

Grandpa Jiang was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. He was curious about everything here and eager to try.

He really has seen the world!

This bathroom and toilet alone are almost as large as the small house where Grandpa Jiang lives in the mountains.

There is also a large jacuzzi in the bathroom. If Grandpa Jiang is not used to taking a shower, he can take a bath.

Grandpa Jiang looked at all this and felt more and more that he was dreaming.

But this dream seemed very long, so long that when they walked into the kitchen, they found that there was nothing in the kitchen, no pots, pans, knives or chopping boards, but in the refrigerator there were meat, eggs and vegetables prepared by Manager Qian for Jiang Ning, and the gas was also on.

Grandpa Jiang was still thinking, this dream was so beautiful, maybe at night, there would be a large table of food automatically?

Grandpa Jiang had been sitting in the car for the whole morning and had been walking up and down the big villa for a while. He was already tired, so Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai sent Grandpa Jiang back to his room to sleep.

Grandpa Jiang was sleeping on the most popular Simmons bed at that time. Before falling asleep, he was still vaguely thinking, the emperor's bed is no more than this, right?

After Grandpa Jiang fell asleep, Jiang Ning drew the curtains, leaving only a little light in the room, and then went out with Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai remained silent as he followed Grandpa Jiang Ning to visit the villa.

After seeing Jiang Ning's apartment, he was no longer as shocked as he was the first time he visited Jiang Ning's house, but he was still mostly shocked.

Since there was nothing in the kitchen, Jiang Ning decided to take Jiang Bai to buy daily necessities needed for the Spring Festival.

Grandpa Jiang was awakened by the heat halfway through the night. After waking up, the house was dimly lit. He shouted several times, but there was no one in the room. He got up and sat in this huge house for a long time.

The house was so empty that Grandpa Jiang couldn't get used to it. It was so big that Grandpa Jiang felt like he hadn't woken up from his dream yet. His beautiful dream had turned into a lonely dream that he didn't like.

He was used to sleeping on a hard bed, and a mattress like the Simmons made him feel uncomfortable. He felt uncomfortable all over his body, and the floor was warm, so he simply lay down on it. When his legs touched the floor and the warm air from the floor reached his legs, he felt that his legs, which always felt cold and sore in winter, seemed to be relieved a little, and he fell asleep again without knowing it.

When Jiang Ning and the others came back from shopping and went into Grandpa Jiang's room to see him, the light was dim because the lights were not on. They only saw the quilt on the bed was lifted but did not see Grandpa Jiang. When they heard Grandpa Jiang's snoring coming from the floor, they realized that Grandpa Jiang had gone to sleep on the floor.

Jiang Ning was afraid that Grandpa Jiang would sleep too much in the afternoon and wouldn't be able to sleep at night, so she woke Grandpa Jiang up.

Grandpa Jiang rubbed his eyes and sat up. When he saw his granddaughter and grandson were there, a smile broke out on his face again. However, he didn't want to watch TV alone in the room. He would rather come out and watch his grandson and granddaughter busy in the kitchen.

The kitchen was built on the underground floor. Grandpa Jiang had only visited the top two floors before and had not visited the basement.

There are also many buildings in Jiangjia Village with basements, but the basements in Jiangjia Village are for flood prevention. Usually, they only store firewood and other things. Grandpa Jiang originally thought that the basement of Jiang Ning's villa was the same as the basements of the buildings in his hometown. Unexpectedly, after going down, he was shocked. It was the first time he knew that the basement could be built so... It looks no different from the upstairs, and it is as warm as spring.

One of the walls in the basement is made into a full glass wall, so even though it is a basement, the lighting is very good. This piece of glass wall is made into a living room and fitness area, where you can sit here with good friends to drink tea, chat and gossip. If it snows, you can also sit here and enjoy the snow scenery.

After Grandpa Jiang walked around the basement, he could no longer look directly at the basement of his hometown.

In the evening, the family of three had New Year’s Eve dinner for the first time in their villa in Shanghai. The dinner was prepared by Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai hasn't yet completely mastered his cooking skills, but he knows how to cook. He has been watching his father Jiang cook since he was a child, and he has learned it very well.

The three of them didn't cook too much. Just one dish of small spare ribs in garlic sauce, a braised fish, a serving of meatballs, and a combination of meat and vegetable dishes, totaling eight dishes. The portions were not big, and except for the fish that could not be touched according to the local customs, the rest basically all went into Jiang Bai and Jiang Ning's stomachs.

Originally, Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Bai were a little awkward, but as the three of them ate, the awkwardness disappeared. Jiang Ning even moved the color TV out of Grandpa's room, and the three of them ate New Year's Eve dinner while watching the Spring Festival Gala.

This year's Spring Festival Gala featured a very classic song "Spring Story", but Grandpa Jiang's favorite was Teacher Zhao's "Red Sorghum Model Team". He liked such lively and festive programs.

In fact, in those years, Grandpa Jiang went up the mountain alone after eating the New Year’s Eve dinner. It was dark and deserted. He had been alone for so many years. For the first time, he had his grandchildren by his side, and they watched the Spring Festival Gala. There was no coldness around him, but a warm atmosphere surrounding him. Grandpa Jiang felt that there were no more beautiful days than those.

Jiang Bai was the same. He thought that it was fine for him, his grandfather and his sister to be a family. His parents and his eldest brother were the real family. Maybe they didn't care if there were three of them missing from the family. Without them in the way, his mother's temper would be better and she would stop quarreling with others, right?

After all, the people she disliked were no longer around her.

After dinner, Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai set off fireworks in the yard. Afterwards, sporadic fireworks in the villa area also broke through the dark sky and lit up the night sky.

Jiang's father and mother sat at home all night. The New Year's Eve dinner was cold and their three children did not come back.