Chapter 22 Returning Home
The children attending Cotton Mill No. 1 Middle School were all the children of mill workers. The school generally refused to accept children from other places. So when Bai Xue said she didn't live in the mill's living quarters, everyone was surprised.
"Who in your family works in the cotton mill?" Yuan Dabao asked again.
Bai Xue's face suddenly turned red. She lowered her eyes and kept scratching the desk with her right hand. It was obvious that she didn't want to answer this question.
But Yuan Dabao, who was not very romantic, didn't notice Bai Xue's embarrassment at all, and even asked, "Huh? Why are you silent, Bai Xue?"
Xin Tianyi saw Bai Xue's embarrassment and she wanted to cover Yuan Dabao's mouth directly.
"Well, where their family works is none of your business." Zhang Yang said quietly from behind. "Your father is still working on the railway. Why are you here at our cotton mill No. 1 Middle School?"
Yuan Dabao didn't expect Zhang Yang to speak so suddenly, and immediately turned to look at Zhang Yang: "Then my mother works in the cotton mill."
"Yes, yes, your mother works at the cotton mill." Zhang Yang said with a look of sudden enlightenment, "But, you've told us so many times to take us to your father's workplace to see the locomotive. When are we going?"
Zhang Yang winked, and Wei Ran understood, immediately saying, "That's right, you've said it so many times, but you never took us there."
Yuan Dabao had never expected to be brought up to this point, and immediately felt aggrieved: "I haven't seen my dad in a long time."
He curled his lips and the corners of his mouth drooped. He felt even more aggrieved when he thought that he was like a child without a father.
Wei Ran quickly persuaded, "Didn't you say you'd be back for the New Year?"
Yuan Dabao's mood was even more like a doll than his round face. Instantly, the sky cleared up and he said, "Yeah, my mom said he'll be back soon. When my dad comes back, I'll call you guys to come to my house for some delicious food. Canned goods, chocolates, everything!"
"Call us, of course!" Wei Ran said, looking at Xin Tianyi. "Come too. I tell you, Uncle Yuan always brings lots of delicious food every year when he comes back, the kind we rarely see."
"Okay." Xin Tianyi said, "Just don't forget to call me."
Yuan Dabao didn't refuse, but looked at Zhang Yang: "Is your brother coming back too?"
Hearing Zhang Mao, Zhang Yang's eyes flashed with anticipation for a moment, "Well, he will be back in the next two days."
Wei Ran explained to Xin Tianyi and Bai Xue: "Zhang Yang has an older brother who attends university in the provincial capital."
"I heard from grandpa," Xin Tianyi said, "that his grades were very good."
"That's really good." Wei Ran adjusted his glasses. "Brother Zhang Mao has always been my idol. He's always had good grades since he was young and has always been top of the class. He's also very handsome and tall."
Xin Tianyi's mind flashed to Zhang Mao's image. She turned to look at Zhang Yang, who lit up with sparkles when he heard his brother's name. Thinking back to what her grandmother had said to her, she felt that Zhang Yang was a truly kind child.
In contrast to the dimensionality reduction attack, his relationship with his brother Zhang Mao has always been so good and has been maintained until he later became his brother's guardian angel and most reliable crutch. All this is inseparable from his nature.
"Tianyi, Xin Tianyi?" Bai Xue's voice pulled Xin Tianyi back from her memories. Xin Tianyi's gaze was still fixed on Zhang Yang, but her whole mind was empty.
When Xin Tianyi came to his senses, his eyes met Zhang Yang's. Zhang Yang immediately turned his gaze to Yuan Dabao and Wei Ran.
"So if you want to study together during the winter vacation, be sure to call me." Bai Xue whispered to Xin Tianyi.
"Sure, but where do you live? How can I find you?"
"I'm looking for you." Bai Xue said immediately, "I'll come to your house to play with you if I have nothing to do. Is that okay?"
"Okay." Xin Tianyi thought for a moment and said, "But my cousin is also on vacation at home. He has a bad temper. We can only play in my room or outside."
"No problem at all." Bai Xue said.
After she finished speaking, she looked at Xin Tianyi again. She originally wanted to ask Xin Tianyi why he lived with his cousin, but when the words came to her lips, she remembered the question Yuan Dabao asked her, and she didn't want to answer, so she closed her mouth.
Even at the most sensitive age, people keep silent about these issues unless the other party takes the initiative to talk to you.
The students did not come to school on the afternoon their report cards were issued.
When Zhang Yang returned home, the door was open.
Pei Juanjuan wasn't a cautious person and always forgot to lock the door to her house. Fortunately, the security in the family quarters was pretty good.
The door was open. When Zhang Yang walked in, he heard a commotion in the living room.
When he opened the door to the living room, he saw Zhang Liangpeng's colleague busy wiring in the living room. There was a brand new TV on the table.
Zhang Yang hurried over, looked at the TV and asked, "Uncle, is this mine?"
"Zhang Yang is back?" One of them laughed and said, "It's yours. This is a color TV."
"Changhong?" Zhang Yang saw the logo on the TV.
"Yes," said the other, "you can watch TV after I put up the antenna. Wait a little longer."
"No rush." Zhang Yang was overjoyed. "We don't have classes this afternoon anyway."
"Is it vacation?"
"It's vacation." Zhang Yang said, looking around the living room. Zhang Liangpeng and Pei Juanjuan were not there.
Zhang Yang went back to his room, put down his schoolbag, and then came out to help install the TV and antenna.
In the entire cotton mill, Zhang Yang's family was the first to replace the color TV.
And I changed it just in time for the winter break, so I could watch some TV during the break.
"This one isn't broken." Zhang Yang looked at the black and white TV on the floor. He'd been watching it last night, but he'd never expected it to be out of service today. He felt bad, and he hadn't even heard about such a big deal beforehand. No one had told him about it.
"Director Zhang said to put this TV in their bedroom."
"Ah?" Zhang Yang said regretfully, "They asked for it. By the way, uncle, have you seen my parents? Why is there no one at home?"
Just as Zhang Yang finished speaking, Pei Juanjuan came back, carrying a freshly killed fish and a few lunch boxes.
Seeing Zhang Yang coming home from school, Pei Juanjuan called him, "Zhang Yang, come and help me wash the fish."
Zhang Yang came out of the living room, took the fish, and frowned, "Isn't it already killed?"
"It's definitely not clean." Pei Juanjuan said hurriedly, "Wash it quickly and check if there are any fish scales that haven't been scraped clean. I'll make fish soup at noon."
Zhang Yang doesn't like eating fish. When he was a child, a fish bone got stuck in his throat, and now he hates the sight of fish.
He reluctantly threw the fish into the big basin and scooped a bucket of water from the water tank in the yard and poured it in.
When I put my hand into the basin, it turned red because of the cold water. Washing fish in this water feels like holding a piece of ice all the time.
Pei Juanjuan went into the house and said a few polite words to the two people who were helping, then hurried to the kitchen.
The lunch box contains the food she got from the cafeteria. She puts it on a plate and starts eating. Then she cooks some hot tofu and fish soup and it's ready.
"Zhang Yang, are you done washing?" Pei Juanjuan called him.
"It's washed." Zhang Yang drained the water from the fish and handed it to Pei Juanjuan.
Pei Juanjuan was busy cutting side dishes, without even looking up, she just said, "Why don't you just pick some dishes and eat first, don't wait to eat together. You'll be late again this afternoon."
Pei Juanjuan said, and suddenly said: "You don't like fish anyway."
Zhang Yang doesn't like eating fish, and his brother Zhang Mao is the only one in the family who likes it.
Zhang Yang replied calmly: "I don't have classes this afternoon."
"Huh?" Pei Juanjuan turned to look at Zhang Yang: "Why aren't you in class?"
"It's vacation time." Zhang Yang said.
"So early?" Pei Juanjuan frowned slightly, then continued cutting vegetables, muttering softly, "Why is the holiday so early? There are still a few days left before the Chinese New Year..."
Zhang Yang stood at the kitchen door and didn't leave, afraid that Pei Juanjuan would ask him to do something else. But he didn't ask, just stood there. After standing there for a while, Zhang Yang finally remembered and asked, "My dad has to be back at noon, right?"
"Come back." Pei Juanjuan said, "The two uncles are also eating at home."
Pei Juanjuan finished speaking, then turned around and sternly warned Zhang Yang: "Don't talk nonsense, these are all your father's subordinates, be careful they will laugh at us."
Zhang Yang rolled his eyes and said, "Then I'll be out if it's alright."
"Okay, you can go out. You can't help much anyway." Pei Juanjuan said without raising her head.
Pei Juanjuan has always turned a blind eye to Zhang Yang's ability.
She didn't notice how cleanly Zhang Yang washed the fish. He also cleaned the black membrane in the belly and carefully removed the scales on the fish's head that were not scraped clean. He even removed the smallest scales and plucked them all out.
Finally, Zhang Yang opened the fish belly and placed it downwards to drain the water out of it.
Unfortunately, no matter what Zhang Yang did or how he looked, Pei Juanjuan would not notice.
When Zhang Yang went out, Pei Juanjuan began to hum a song.
Zhang Yang walked to the kitchen door. It was rare to see his mother so happy. He stopped at the kitchen door and turned to look at Pei Juanjuan.
While Pei Juanjuan was busy, the corners of her mouth curled up and she was humming a tune.
Zhang Yang didn't know what was wrong with Pei Juanjuan, why she was so happy. But whether she was sad or happy, Pei Juanjuan never told Zhang Yang, so Zhang Yang had no way of knowing.
He would ask this question when he was a child.
After Pei Juanjuan criticized him harshly several times and told him not to meddle in adults' affairs, Zhang Yang never asked her again.
He seemed to be forever excluded from this family.
I cannot share happiness with my parents in time, nor can I bear pain with them.
The mystery of why Pei Juanjuan was so happy today was finally solved after Zhang Yang walked into the living room.
"Your father hasn't come back yet?" one of the uncles asked Zhang Yang.
"No. My mother is cooking in the kitchen." Zhang Yang said.
"It's time to get back. Is the train late again?"
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2023-04-21 22:18:50 and 2023-04-23 15:06:23~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: XY 11 bottles; Nefertari 10 bottles; 23155266 7 bottles; Orange Tree 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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