Chapter 88 Orange Grove
"This is too sudden. How about... how about I just not go and go next time?" Chi Jinjin said. She hadn't prepared any gifts, nor had she prepared what to say when the time comes.
Chi Jinjin thought that a great man like Mr. Wang must be very particular about everything, and it would be bad if he offended her.
You'd better wait until everything is ready.
"You can go. As for me, I can just book a room there when the time comes." Chi Jinjin said.
Nan Xuqiu said, "But I've already told her you'll be there. She's usually very hospitable and should have prepared dinner by now. She's over sixty years old, and you wouldn't want her to be so happy and busy for nothing, would you?"
"What? You said it all!" Chi Jinjin said with a frown, "It's over, I didn't prepare anything."
"Just prepare some mangosteen and lychee." Nan Xuqiu said.
"But aren't these too ordinary?" Chi Jinjin was worried. Although it was unusual for her, it was really too ordinary for them who were used to eating delicacies from land and sea.
"It's okay, my grandma loves it. Let's go buy some." Nan Xuqiu took Chi Jinjin's hand and pulled her into the car.
After arriving in the county, Chi Jinjin bought a big bag of mangosteen and lychees at the supermarket.
"Jinjin, you are going to see my grandma, not to buy goods for her." Nan Xuqiu said with a smile.
"Since Mr. Wang likes it, just buy some more." Chi Jinjin took a big bag of things down from the counter.
"Okay." Nan Xuqiu reached out and took it away from her hand.
Chi Jinjin said, "I'll carry it myself."
"I'll give it to you later." Nan Xuqiu smiled and rubbed her head, saying, "Let's go."
Chi Jinjin followed him into the car.
The streetlights on both sides of the street passed by the window one by one, and the houses became shorter and shorter and fewer and fewer.
Nan Xuqiu turned a corner and entered a forest.
Chi Jinjin looked out the window and saw nothing but mandarin orange trees.
"There are so many tangerine trees." Chi Jinjin exclaimed.
Nan Xuqiu said, "You like eating tangerines, right? If you like, when they grow, you can come over and pick as many as you want."
"These are other people's tangerines. How can we pick them casually?" Chi Jinjin said.
Nan Xuqiu smiled and said, "All the tangerine trees here belong to my grandmother."
"This, such a large forest?" Chi Jinjin was surprised.
Nan Xuqiu nodded and said, "My grandma's favorite fruit is the tangerine, so when my grandpa was young, he planted so many for her. Every one of these was planted by my grandpa for my grandma."
Chi Jinjin was even more surprised when she saw the countless tangerines outside the window, and was stunned.
After passing through the tangerine grove, we arrived at Grandma Nan Xuqiu's house.
Chi Jinjin had thought that Nan Xuqiu's grandmother's house would also be an exaggerated villa or something like that, but she didn't expect it to be a courtyard house.
But it's also very big.
When Chi Jinjin got off the car, what caught her eye were the couplets pasted on both sides of the mahogany door.
There is no need to guess, you can tell at a glance that it is from Mr. Wang.
Nan Xuqiu's handwriting is beautiful, but compared to this, it is really far inferior.
"Jinjin." Nan Xuqiu handed her the lighter bag.
Chi Jinjin took it, and her awkward mood improved a little.
But I'm still very nervous.
I kept thinking about what to say next and how to say it in a way that would make me appear generous and appropriate.
She was thinking, but Nan Xuqiu had already knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly.
"Ah! You're finally here!"
When Grandma Nan Xuqiu opened the door and saw them, she clapped her hands happily.
She quickly looked at Chi Jinjin again and said, "This is Jinjin, right?"
Chi Jinjin smiled immediately, but didn't know what to call him for a moment.
Nan Xuqiu said, "Jinjin, call me grandma."
"Hello, grandma." Chi Jinjin said quickly when she heard it, and then hurriedly handed her the things in her hand and said, "Grandma, this is a little gift I brought for you."
Wang Cuiping looked down and said happily, "Oh, it's my favorite lychees! I like these the most, Jinjin, you are really thoughtful."
"Old man!" Wang Cuiping turned around and shouted into the house, "Come out quickly, Jinjin and the others are here!"
Old man?
Could it be Nan Xuqiu’s grandfather Nan Yangcheng?
Chi Jinjin didn't expect that his grandfather was there too, and he became even more nervous.
Soon, Nan Yangcheng really trotted over.
Chi Jinjin thought Nan Xuqiu was tall enough, but she didn't expect that his grandfather was taller than him.
Even though he is almost sixty years old, he is full of energy and has better spirit than many young men. He is not at all like other old grandfathers who have hunched shoulders.
He is indeed a soldier.
Chi Jinjin thought to herself.
"Jinjin, this is grandpa." Nan Xuqiu introduced.
"Hello Grandpa, my name is Chi Jinjin." Chi Jinjin quickly greeted him.
Nan Yangcheng took the thing from Wang Cuiping and said with a smile, "I know, Xiaoqiu, you've told us about you many times. We've finally seen you today."
"You must be hungry after all this journey. Come on, let's go. I have prepared the meal. Come and have dinner." Wang Cuiping took Chi Jinjin's hand and happily led him inside.
Chi Jinjin looked around their yard, which was full of various flowers.
It is true that the flowers in full bloom fill the yard with fragrance, and the rain falls on the pond with rhythm.
"Come, sit next to grandma." Wang Cuiping pulled Chi Jinjin to sit down.
The dining table is a big round table, and it is filled with dishes.
Chi Jinjin thought that there would be some exaggerated and precious food such as wild delicacies and abalone, but she didn't expect that they would be some common home dishes.
Chi Jinjin suddenly felt that she and they were not so far away.
"Here, try this." Wang Cuiping picked up a mushroom for Chi Jinjin and said, "This is something your grandfather and I grew ourselves. Come and try it and see if it tastes good."
Chi Jinjin put it in her mouth and nodded, saying, "Grandma, it's delicious."
"If it tastes good, eat more. This dish was cooked for you by your grandfather. When he heard that you were coming, he quickly brought out his specialty." Wang Cuiping said with a smile.
"Thank you, Grandpa." Chi Jinjin thanked him.
"You're welcome, you're welcome. Come, try this. This is made by your grandma." Nan Yangcheng also picked up some food for Chi Jinjin.
"Grandma and Grandpa, have you forgotten someone?" Nan Xuqiu, who was left aside, said helplessly.
Wang Cuiping glanced at him and said, "You're already a grown-up, just pick up what you want to eat."
"Yes, if you still expect us to pick it up for you, do you still have to feed it to your mouth?" Nan Yangcheng echoed.
"No, thank you." Nan Xuqiu closed his mouth and ate obediently.
After dinner, Wang Cuiping ordered Nan Yangcheng and Nan Xuqiu to wash the dishes.
"How about I go and help them?" Chi Jinjin said embarrassedly.
Wang Cuiping said with a smile, "Oh, it's okay. The grandfather and grandson often wash the dishes, so let them do it."
"Come on, sit with grandma in the yard." Wang Cuiping pulled Chi Jinjin to the yard.
The two sat down on the rattan chairs.
After Nan Xuqiu finished washing the dishes, his grandfather called him to go fishing.
Chi Jinjin accompanied Wang Cuiping to rest in the yard.
"Jinjin, do you like eating tangerines?" Wang Cuiping asked.
Chi Jinjin replied, "I like it."
"Then when the tangerines are ripe, ask Xiaoqiu to bring you to Grandma's place to pick them. I have a lot of tangerines here. Ask him to buy you a few sacks to fill them up." Wang Cuiping asked, "Have you seen the tangerine forest?"
"I saw it." Chi Jinjin said, "Nan Xuqiu also told me that every tree there was planted by Grandpa himself for you. Grandpa is such a romantic man."
"What romance? He used to be poor, never went to school, couldn't read, and when he joined the army, he couldn't even write his own name. It was me, a volunteer at the time, who taught him how to write it, stroke by stroke." Wang Cuiping laughed, "If only he understood romance. Others send flowers, he plants trees. Others play the violin to express their love, but he writes me love letters full of typos. Others on the front lines send them beautiful dresses, but he sends me opened bullet shells. What a rough man!"
"Then...why did grandma choose grandpa?" Chi Jinjin asked curiously.
Wang Cuiping waved a palm-leaf fan, smiling, and said, "I don't know either. To be honest, back then, grandma was also incredibly beautiful and charming. There were so many young men chasing after me, and every one of them was more talented than me. Their poems and essays were all excellent."
Chi Jinjin naturally believed it. She didn't need her to say it. Chi Jinjin knew in her heart that her grandmother was definitely a talented woman when she was young.
"Then why is it that only grandpa moved you?" Chi Jinjin became even more curious.
Wang Cuiping recalled those years with a happy face. She said, "Perhaps it was because his hand, which used to hold a gun, was willing to pick up my beloved pen and write for me."
"Let me show you something." Wang Cuiping got up and returned to her room. She took out an old wooden box and opened it in front of Chi Jinjin.
There are some old items inside.
She took out one of the stacks of papers. There were a lot of crooked words written on the paper, but they were all the three words "Wang Cuiping".
Chi Jinjin thought it was written by that little kid, but she didn't expect her grandmother to tell her that it was written by her grandfather.
She said that at first she didn't like her grandfather who had never attended school, so in order to make him give up, she asked him to write his name, and if he could write ninety-nine names, she would marry him.
At that time, she was just joking.
But I didn’t expect that when my grandfather went to the front line to fight, he still remembered to write while risking his life.
And it was her name that was written, ninety-nine of them.
So, among the many young talents pursuing her, my grandmother resolutely married the man she considered to be a fool.
After getting married, grandma taught grandpa how to read, and grandpa took her to see tanks and military parades.
Just like this, from youth to middle age and then to old age, the two people who were extremely incompatible in the eyes of outsiders finally became a perfect match in the eyes of outsiders.
Wang Cuiping flipped through the old letters and said with a smile, "Don't be fooled by your grandfather's tall and strong appearance. He was actually a tearful person. When he encountered desperate situations on the front lines, he wrote to me in tears, saying that he was about to die and asked me to remarry. The letters were covered with traces of his tears."
Chi Jinjin smiled, her eyes full of envy.
"Jinjin, where did you go to college?" Wang Cuiping suddenly asked again.
Chi Jinjin Hui, "Fu Hua."
"You are also from Fuhua. Xiaoqiu's parents are also graduates of Fuhua." Wang Cuiping said with a smile.
"So, uncle and aunt are my seniors." Chi Jinjin said in surprise.
"Yes." Wang Cuiping asked again, "Have you met Xiaoqiu's parents?"
Chi Jinjin shook her head.
Wang Cuiping brought out another family photo and pointed at the two people in the photo and said, "These are Xiaoqiu's parents."
Chi Jinjin was really amazed when she looked at the two people in the photo. Nan Xuqiu's father wore gold-rimmed glasses, was as tall as Nan Xuqiu, and had sharp features. His mother wore a green cheongsam and a thin white jade bracelet. She had the same cold white skin as Nan Xuqiu. She was a cold beauty, like a lotus that was pure and elegant, or a graceful white orchid.
When the two of them stand together, they are truly a perfect match, irreplaceable, and look just like the rich young man and daughter of the Republic of China era.
"Uncle and aunt, you were so beautiful back then." Chi Jinjin couldn't help but praise.
Wang Cuiping said with a smile, "Your uncle was the most handsome boy on Fuhua campus, and your aunt was the most beautiful girl on campus. Have you heard of the two beauties at Fuhua?"
Chi Jinjin nodded. She had once heard her teacher mention this by chance.
"This Fuhua Shuanghua refers to Hongcha and Bailan. Hongcha is Ji Yang's mother, and Bailan is your aunt. You know Ji Yang, right?"
"know."
"Speaking of Ji Yang's mother, it's really a pity. She was so beautiful but had such a tragic fate. Song Ci's father even pursued her, but he was so devastated by the rejection that he ran away abroad before finishing his studies and became a businessman. If she had chosen Song Ci's father, perhaps the ending would have been different." Wang Cuiping sighed regretfully, "I've met that girl a few times. She was a talented woman with a wealth of knowledge. She also liked your uncle back then, and I even tried to bring them together. It's a pity that as soon as your uncle entered the school, he fell in love with your aunt who was preaching women's independence on the podium. Your aunt has a cold personality, and he was always trying to please her. I thought the two of them would never be together, but they actually did."
"The word 'fate' is so wonderful. It can make two people who seem incompatible at all stay together for life, and it can also make two people who were originally a good match become strangers in the end. So, meeting is destiny, and having is luck," Wang Cuiping sighed.
Whatever you have is lucky.
The three words "Nan Xuqiu" immediately appeared in Chi Jinjin's mind.
Warm.
Yes, she is so lucky.
Chi Jinjin's gaze fell on the baby being held by her aunt in the photo album.
"Grandma, is this Nan Xuqiu?" Chi Jinjin asked curiously.
"Yes, isn't he very beautiful?" Wang Cuiping smiled as she looked at the photo. "When Xiaoqiu was little, he looked like a little girl. Whenever I took him out, people would come with their own boys and say they wanted to marry us."
Chi Jinjin looked at Nan Xuqiu in the photo. She really looked like a little girl, with fair skin, bright eyes, and a sweet smile.
But she found that there was a little girl about seven or eight years old standing next to Uncle Nan.
Who is this child?
Could it be Lin Shuya?
Chi Jinjin was puzzled.
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