"Dog Egg! Dog Egg, I'm here!" Before he even entered the Xia family's courtyard, Da Niu's voice echoed throughout every corner of the house. Dog Egg, who was packing his luggage in his room, heard this familiar voice and his eyes lit up instantly. He rushed out of his room.
"Big Niu! I miss you so much."
He had just run into the yard when Da Niu hugged him tightly. Da Niu said excitedly, "Gou Dan, you're finally back! I thought you weren't coming back."
During the Chinese New Year, Da Niu waited for Gou Dan to come back. He waited from the start of winter vacation until New Year's Eve before he realized that Gou Dan really hadn't come back.
The two had been playing together since they could remember, and the thought that he would never be able to see Gou Dan again filled Da Niu with an indescribable sadness.
Gou Dan explained, "The train ticket alone costs a lot of money to come back, which is why we didn't come back for the Spring Festival. But Shihe Brigade will always be my hometown, and I will definitely come back."
"I see," Da Niu nodded, seemingly understanding, though he had indeed heard adults say that train tickets were expensive.
"How long will you stay this time? Tell me how you are doing in Beijing. Are the students in the city easy to get along with? Has anyone bullied you? It's a pity we live so far away. Even if someone bullies you, I can't help you beat them up," Da Niu said with a disappointed sigh.
Gou Dan didn't find Da Niu's rambling at all and patiently answered his question: "I can stay for at least half a month. My mom said we'll see how it goes then. My classmates in the city are fine; no one is bullying me."
Gou Dan didn't tell Da Niu about Tian Hongjun, worried that Da Niu would be jealous and think that he had forgotten about him now that he had made new friends.
"That's good," Da Niu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In his impression, city people were very arrogant and looked down on them, the country folk. He had always been worried that Gou Dan would be bullied and ostracized by other students at school.
"Oh, right, I also brought gifts for you and Da Shun. Come with me to the room," Gou Dan said happily, pulling Da Niu to his room.
Then he pulled out several comic books from a package: "These are the gifts I brought for you. Each of you will have one. I bought them with my allowance. Da Niu, you must keep them safe. Take them out and look at them when you miss me."
"Wow, Gou Dan, you're so kind! I'll definitely keep it safe." Da Niu looked at Gou Dan with a touched expression. The comic book wasn't the point; the point was that Gou Dan remembered them and brought them gifts when he came back.
Da Niu secretly planned to prepare a gift for Gou Dan when he went to Beijing.
Gou Dan pointed to the comic books on the bed and said, "Da Niu, you pick one first, and we'll distribute the rest to Shunzi and the others when they arrive."
These comic books were all ones that Da Niu had never seen before, and they were also the latest releases. He randomly picked one, figuring he could exchange it with Shunzi and Xiaohu later.
Zhang Hongyan moved all the straw mats and quilts out of the room to air them out, and then gave the room a thorough cleaning, wiping down every nook and cranny.
At noon, we heated up the meat buns we bought at the state-run restaurant and the family had a simple meal together.
With no vegetables or seasonings at home, it was really inconvenient to cook for the time being. Zhang Hongyan planned to go to her neighbor's house in the afternoon to exchange some, and buy the other missing items when she returned the car in the county tomorrow.
After finishing the meal, Zhang Hongyan handed the prepared items to Xia Heping: "Take these to the old house. These two packages of pastries are for my third brother's family separately, so don't mix them up."
Actually, it would have been enough for them to send some things to Grandma Xia and the others. After all, they couldn't afford to give people something to talk about. They hadn't come back for a year and didn't even bother to visit their parents. They had no obligation to their older brother and younger brother.
However, considering the improved relationship between her family and Xia Laosan's family, Zhang Hongyan still prepared a separate set for Xia Laosan's family.
As for Xia Laoda, forget about him; she doesn't really like that family.
Xia Heping nodded: "Okay, I'll take it to my third brother first."
Xia Hezhi had heard that his second brother had returned and was planning to visit him after work, but he didn't expect his second brother to come to his house first.
"Second brother, you look several years younger than I have in a year. You look like you're the same age as me. It's true that big cities are good for you," Xia Hezhi exclaimed in amazement.
You know, he's 7 years younger than his second brother. If people don't say it out loud, they might not even know who's the older brother and who's the younger brother.
Xia Heping touched his face and laughed, "It's not as exaggerated as you say. It's just that I don't need to be in the sun every day anymore, so I've gotten a little whiter."
"Second brother, please sit down. Tell me about your experiences in Beijing and broaden my horizons," Xia Hezhi said with a smile.
Although he exchanged letters with his second brother a few times that year, they were just simple chats about everyday things, and he was still very curious about Beijing.
Xia Heping waved his hand: "I can't sit down yet. I still need to go see my parents. Do you want to come with me?"
Xia Hezhi readily agreed: "Sure, I'll go with you to see my parents."
He has now moved out of the old house and built his own place. Except for visiting his parents occasionally, he doesn't go back to the old house much.
Looking at her second son, who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, Old Mrs. Xia's cloudy eyes instantly reddened: "Heping, you're finally back. I thought you'd never come back again."
“Mother, what are you saying? My roots are here, how could I not come back?” Xia Heping said calmly.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back," Grandma Xia said, wiping her eyes.
When her second son lived in the village, even though they didn't usually keep in touch, Grandma Xia didn't think anything was wrong. She knew her son was always around and she could see him whenever she wanted.
But ever since her second son's family moved to Beijing, Old Mrs. Xia has felt uneasy, especially since her second son's family didn't even come back for the Chinese New Year, which made her inexplicably sad.
She feared she would never see her second son again in her lifetime; she was getting older and older, and who knew when she might pass away.
Under such longing, Old Lady Xia forgot about her conflict with her second son and remembered more of his good qualities.
Old Man Xia kept a straight face and didn't say anything, but he was actually quite happy inside. No matter what, he was still his own son, and how could he not miss him after not seeing him for a year?
Xia Heping was pulled aside by Grandma Xia to chat, and she asked him about his life in Beijing.
Xia Heping only mentioned what he could say, never mentioning the chili sauce business, only saying that he had found a temporary job and could earn a little money each month to support his family.
It's not that he's cunning; it's just that he knows his mother too well. Although she seems to be treating him well now, once she finds out they've made a lot of money in Beijing, there's no guarantee she won't try to squeeze money out of him to help his older brother.
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