Chapter 632 Pick Up
It was just daybreak and the window paper was just beginning to show a little pale when Zhou Yimin was awakened by the crowing of chickens outside the window.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up. The residual warmth from the kang had not yet dissipated. His military coat was draped over the back of the chair. Half a cup of tea left over from last night was still on the corner of the table, with a thin layer of water droplets condensing on the wall of the cup.
As soon as I opened the door, I smelled a sweet fragrance. The eight-immortal table in the main hall was filled with food: steaming yellow corn porridge, and layers of rice on the edges of the coarse porcelain bowls.
The white flour buns were piled up like a small hill, and the rouge-red dots on the top were particularly bright in the morning light.
The pickled radish strips in the dish were cut into thin strips and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Next to them lay two golden fried eggs, and the oil droplets were shining in the white porcelain plate.
Zhou Yimin touched his stomach. The drunkenness from last night was still not completely gone, and he was really hungry now.
He didn't hesitate to scoop up a bowl of corn porridge, blew away the hot air and took a big sip. The rice aroma mixed with a faint sweetness slid into his throat, soothing him very much.
I picked up a steamed bun and broke it open. The honeycomb-shaped pores inside still had a hint of flour fragrance. I took a big bite with the pickled radish strips. The crisp crunching sound was particularly clear in the quiet room.
He knew that his grandparents must have eaten it long ago.
How can people in this era sleep in?
Even if there is no work to do in the fields, the biological clock will wake people up on time.
The old man probably went for a stroll in the village before dawn, while grandma was busy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast neatly.
I was munching on a fried egg when I saw my grandmother walk in from the yard. She was holding a handful of wet spinach in her hand and there was some mud on her trouser legs.
"Yimin, are you up?" She put the spinach into the bamboo basket in the kitchen and walked towards the table with a smile. "Is the porridge still hot? I'll give you another bowl."
"That's enough, I'm almost full." Zhou Yimin swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and wiped the corner of his mouth. "Grandma, the fried eggs you make are really delicious, even more fragrant than those in the restaurants in the city."
Grandma was so flattered that her face beamed with joy, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes knitted together. "If you like it, I'll fry two more for you later."
Zhou Yimin paused while scooping porridge: "Well, why can't I see grandpa?"
"You know, your grandfather just can't sit still."
Grandma picked up a rag and wiped the corner of the table. "He left before dawn with a steamed bun in his pocket, saying he wanted to go to the threshing ground to chat with his old friends. He was very happy after dividing the money yesterday, and he must have been telling them about this year's harvest and the excitement when you wrote couplets. I told him to go after breakfast, but he said he wouldn't be able to join in the fun if he went too late."
Zhou Yimin nodded in agreement.
The old man has just been like this his whole life, or maybe it's just that old people just like it to be lively. Whenever there's something exciting to see in the village, he'll always be there.
The other day, Carpenter Li's cow gave birth to a calf. He stayed at the family's house for the entire afternoon, and when he came back he was humming a new tune.
"I'll go find him after I finish eating." He stuffed the last bite of steamed bun into his mouth. "It's a good opportunity to hear what they are talking about."
Just as grandma was about to speak, she saw a head poking in from the gate. It was Aunt Wang from next door, carrying a bamboo basket in her hand: "Aunt, is Yimin awake? The couplet in my house is a little crooked, I want Yimin to take a look..."
Before he finished speaking, he was attracted by the breakfast on the table, "Wow, your breakfast is so rich!"
Zhou Yimin smiled and stood up: "Just finished eating, I'll go with you now."
He picked up the cotton-padded jacket draped over the back of a chair, thinking that after he helped Aunt Wang put up the couplets, he would go to the threshing ground to find his grandfather.
The sun outside the window rose higher and higher, making the snow in the yard sizzle, and a new day began again in a lively manner.
Zhou Yimin helped Aunt Wang to paste the couplets neatly, and was then asked by Grandma Zhang next door about some of the latest news in the city before he slowly walked towards the threshing ground.
From a distance, I saw a circle of people gathered around the stone mill in the threshing ground. My grandfather was standing in the middle, gesturing with his hands. His saliva flew with the rhythm of his speech, and the strap of his cotton hat swayed happily in the wind.
"Grandpa, it's time to go home." Zhou Yimin walked over and saw cigarette butts scattered on the ground under the old man's feet. Carpenter Li next to him was nodding his head as he listened.
"You've been talking all morning, grandma must be worried about you at home."
The old man was interrupted and glared at him unhappily, but still moved away from the crowd: "I was just discussing how to spend the money we distributed last year..."
Before he could finish his words, he was stopped by someone and asked how to write the couplet. He had no choice but to stop again and said in an even louder voice than before, "The word 'Fu' should be pasted upside down, do you understand? Upside down 'Fu' means good fortune has arrived..."
Zhou Yimin waited with a smile until his grandfather finally said goodbye to everyone, then he helped him walk home.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw grandma filling a bamboo basket with peanuts. When she saw them, she smiled and said, "I knew you had to go to the threshing ground to rescue someone."
The old man sat down on the kang, picked up the tea that grandma handed him and took a big sip. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said, "By the way, where's Qianqian? She said she missed you the other day."
Zhou Yimin's heart skipped a beat, and he remembered that he hadn't seen Qianqian for some time.
"Okay, this year let's do the same as last year and bring Qianqian back to celebrate the New Year!" He turned and walked towards the side room, taking out a few things from his bag.
There were also fruit candies brought from the city, and I asked grandma to add two pounds of brown sugar and a string of sausages into the bamboo basket, and on top of that, a piece of fat pork tied with a red rope.
When I arrived at the gate of Zhou Xuqiang's house, I heard a child crying from inside the house.
Just as Zhou Yimin was about to knock on the door, it creaked open. Zhou Xuqiang was walking out with a chipped enamel bowl in his hand. He was stunned for a moment when he saw him, then smiled: "Yimin? Why are you here today?"
"Third Uncle." Zhou Yimin raised the bamboo basket in his hand. "I haven't seen Qianqian in a while. I came to pick her up to celebrate the New Year."
He followed Zhou Xuqiang inside. The kang in the main room was covered with straw. Zhou Xuqiang's wife was bending over to sweep up the broken biscuits on the floor. A few patched old cotton jackets were piled in the corner of the kang.
"Kid, you just came, why bring anything with you?" Zhou Xuqiang looked at the bamboo basket, his eyes first caught by the big piece of fat pork on the top - the fat was as thick as a piece of white jade, shining with oil under the dim light. Ordinary people could not afford to eat such good pork during the New Year.
He had such a big piece coming out all of a sudden that his hands were shaking a little.
Zhou Yimin put the bamboo basket on the table, and the bag of brown sugar hit the bowl with a "bang". "These are all worthless things. Give them to Lai Fu and the others to satisfy their cravings."
"You still call this worthless?" Zhou Xuqiang quickly pushed the pork to the table, as if he was afraid that someone would snatch it away. "The money you gave me the other day to take care of Qianqian was enough. I can't take this meat."
He rubbed his hands, his face flushed, "Although I am your third uncle, I am poor, but I still have backbone."
As the two were pushing and shoving each other, Auntie San's voice came from the inner room: "Who's here?"
Then the door curtain was lifted, and Aunt San came out holding a tightly wrapped little kid, it was Qianqian.
The girl had probably just cried, with tears still hanging on her eyelashes. When she saw Zhou Yimin, her eyes suddenly lit up, her little mouth opened wide, and she stretched out her chubby little hands as she mumbled, "Yi...Brother Yimin..."
The arm that Third Aunt was holding on to her froze, and she deliberately put on a stern face: "You ungrateful little bastard, you were just asking me for candy, but now that you've seen me, you've forgotten who I am?"
Although she said that, she had a smile in her eyes, and gently pushed Qianqian into Zhou Yimin's arms, "Look at this child, I've taken care of her for almost a year, but she's still not as close to you as the one who comes over occasionally."
Zhou Yimin reached out and took Qianqian. The little girl immediately hugged his neck, rubbed her face against his cotton-padded jacket, and let out a satisfied "hum" sound from her little nose.
He took out a piece of fruit candy from his pocket, peeled off the candy wrapper and put it into Qianqian's mouth. The sweet fragrance instantly filled the room.
"Look at you, you even brought candy." Aunt San pretended to be angry, but she gave Zhou Xuqiang a look, telling him not to refuse the gift again.
Zhou Xuqiang scratched his head and carried the pork to the kitchen: "I'll go boil some water now. Let's eat here at noon today. I'll stew the meat for you!"
"Uncle San, don't be so polite. I'll be back soon." Zhou Yimin quickly waved his hand to refuse and looked down at Qianqian who was smacking her lips in his arms.
"I'll take Qianqian back home and let her get close to her grandparents."
As soon as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard from the inner room, and three half-grown boys ran out. They were Zhou Xuqiang's three sons, Lai Fu, Lai Cai and Laidi.
When they heard Zhou Yimin's voice, they all had excited smiles on their faces, with some dirt on their clothes, obviously they had just played outside.
"Brother, why are you here?" Lai Fu ran the fastest and rushed to Zhou Yimin first. He looked up and asked with sparkling eyes.
Zhou Yimin looked at the three little ones with a gentle smile on his face. He reached into his pocket and took out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies. The candy wrappers sparkled under the light.
"I'm here to take Qianqian back." He said as he gave a small handful to each of Lai Fu, Lai Cai and Lai Di. "Here, this is for you."
The three little ones took the candies, held them tightly in their hands, and the smiles on their faces became even brighter.
Zhou Yimin looked at them and warned them, "You can only eat two a day at most. If you eat too much, your teeth will fall out, and then you won't be able to eat delicious food."
Lai Fu and the other two nodded vigorously upon hearing this: "Got it, big brother!"
Although they didn't quite understand why eating too much sugar would cause teeth to fall out, they all knew in their hearts that what the eldest brother said was definitely right and they would definitely go no wrong if they obeyed him.
Auntie San watched from the side and said with a smile: "Look at you, you spoil them as soon as you get here, and now you're pestering me for candy again."
Zhou Yimin smiled, hugged Qianqian and stood up: "Uncle and Aunt, we will go back first and come to see you another day."
Seeing this, Zhou Xuqiang and his third aunt did not try to persuade them to stay and sent them to the gate of the courtyard.
Lai Fu and the other two, still holding their candies, followed behind and waved: "Goodbye, big brother. Goodbye, Qianqian!"
Zhou Yimin carried Qianqian home. The little girl had fallen asleep in his arms with a sweet smile on her face, probably because she was dreaming about delicious candies.
The sunlight shines on the path, stretching their shadows long, warm and beautiful.
As soon as Zhou Yimin pushed open the gate, he saw his old man sitting on the doorstep smoking a pipe, while his grandmother was turning over and drying peanuts in the yard.
Hearing the noise, they both raised their heads at the same time, and their eyes were instantly glued to Qianqian in his arms.
"Oh, my dear granddaughter!" The winnowing basket in grandma's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the peanuts were scattered all over the ground. She didn't bother to pick them up. She rushed over in two steps and opened her arms to hug Qianqian.
The old man also hurriedly knocked off the ashes in his pipe, put the pipe against his waist, and stood up tremblingly. His movements were several times more agile than usual.
"Slow down, don't scare the child."
As soon as Zhou Yimin handed Qianqian over, grandma snatched her away and hugged her tightly. The wrinkles on her face turned into a smile, and she kept kissing Qianqian's red face. "Look at this little girl, you've grown more handsome! Third Aunt took good care of you, you're so chubby."
The old man was rubbing his hands anxiously, and stood on tiptoe to look into grandma's arms: "Let me hold you, let me hold you!"
Grandma pushed Qianqian into his arms, but still held the child's hand tightly and said, "Be careful, don't let the child fall."
The old man carefully took Qianqian and adjusted his posture awkwardly, fearing that he would hurt the little one in his arms.
Qianqian was probably woken up by the scene. She rubbed her eyes, saw the old man's gray beard, and started giggling, even grabbing the beard with her little hands.
"Look, look, she's kissing me!" The old man was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He held Qianqian in his arms and walked around the yard twice, his steps becoming much lighter. "This girl has been getting along with me since she was little."
Grandma watched from the side, her eyes full of love: "If your grandfather and I were still young, we would definitely take Qianqian home to take care of her and make sure she is plump and white."
She really meant what she said. Ever since Qianqian was picked up by Zhou Yimin, she had been reluctant at first, fearing that she would end up raising an ungrateful person. But in the end, she couldn't escape the law of true love.
Now the old couple cherishes it very much and always think of saving a portion of any delicious food for the girl.
Zhou Yimin looked at the scene in front of him and smiled helplessly.
He knew that grandpa and grandma really loved Qianqian, but he also didn't want them to be too tired.
Both elderly people are old and their bodies cannot withstand the strain, and taking care of children is a stressful and laborious task.
Besides, this is not a difficult task. Just send more food and daily necessities to Zhou Xuqiang's family and let them take good care of Qianqian, isn't that enough?
There is no need to make grandparents work so hard.
Moreover, Zhou Xuqiang's house is so close to here, only a few minutes' walk away. If grandpa and grandma miss Qianqian, they can go over to see her anytime. It's so convenient.
As he was thinking about it, he heard his stomach growling.
I looked up at the sky. The sun had already risen above my head. It was indeed getting late.
Zhou Yimin dusted himself off and turned to the kitchen: "Grandpa, grandma, you guys play with Qianqian first, I'll go cook."
In the kitchen, the corn porridge left over from the morning was still warm on the stove, and the green spinach that grandma picked that morning was placed in a bamboo basket.
Zhou Yimin rolled up his sleeves and added a ladle of water into the pot. When the water boiled, he took out some ribs and beef.
"Yimin, what are you going to cook for lunch?" Grandma followed Qianqian to the kitchen door and peeked inside. "Boil an egg for Qianqian. She loves egg yolks the most."
"Got it, I'll cook it right away." Zhou Yimin responded with a smile, took out a few eggs from the basket and put them in the pot.
(End of this chapter)
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