215. Parting and reunion are common occurrences.
Who is Cheng Shuang?
Lin Ting knew many of her mother's friends, although she had never met half of them and had only seen their letters. She had never heard of the name "Cheng Shuang".
Guan Yuehe patted her round head and replied while opening the letter, "It's a friend that Mom met when she was a graduate student."
“She came to see you when you were very young.” However, Lin Ting was just a baby back then and couldn’t even speak, so she definitely wouldn’t remember that there was such an aunt who came to see her.
Lin Ting snuggled up to her mother's back, peeking out from behind her shoulder to read the letter too. "Why doesn't Auntie write to Mommy?"
"She's busy with work. Now that she has some free time, she wrote to her mother, didn't she?"
Guan Yuehe also had many questions in her mind. Why was the address of the letter from a university in the Northwest? Did Teacher Cheng intend to stay in the Northwest as a teacher?
That's really true!
"Yuehe, I've been assigned to work at Northwestern Polytechnical University. I just arrived at my new dormitory today, and I'm worried about how much stuff I'll need to buy for my new place. But the dormitory here is much more spacious than the one I got at Peking University, and there's even a room specifically for my books... I'll send you some local specialties in a while... By the way, is Lin Ting seven and a half years old this year? When I have the chance, I'll definitely visit you at Ginkgo Hutong when I go back to Beijing. I look forward to your letters."
Guan Yuehe turned the letter over to the back; there were no more words.
Cheng Shuang only mentioned the current situation, while the past seven years seemed to have vanished into thin air, and no one knew what she had been busy with in the past.
But I imagine there should be some good results.
She thought Cheng Shuang's mission was over and she could be transferred back to Beijing to work, but she didn't expect that she would stay in the Northwest again.
I felt a pang of regret for a few seconds, but then I felt fortunate that friends who had parted ways could reconnect after several years.
Thinking of this, Guan Yuehe no longer felt regretful. She had many friends all over the country whom she rarely saw. As long as everyone was doing well, it didn't matter whether she met them or not.
Lin Ting, who was behind her, suddenly pinched her ear. "Mom, you need to write a letter to Aunt Cheng and tell her that we no longer live in Ginkgo Alley. Leave Aunt Cheng the phone number of the grocery store so that she can call you."
Guan Yuehe smiled and said, "You're so thoughtful."
"Hmph! I'm the sports representative for our class!"
"You're the best." Guan Yuehe said seriously, then patted her bottom. "Get up, Mommy needs to write a reply to Teacher Cheng."
"I want to write too."
"Okay, you write it, just don't write the name as Cheng Yu..."
Lin Ting, embarrassed and angry, covered her mother's mouth and earnestly argued, "It's because the teacher hasn't taught us yet! Mom, I'm not illiterate!"
The next day, Gu Yu, who had just returned from spending her summer vacation at her grandparents' house, frowned and asked Guan Yuehe, "Auntie, Lin Ting asked me why my name isn't Gu Shuang. Why is that?"
Guan Yuehe: "......"
Guan Yuehe didn't know either. Children's ideas are all kinds of strange. For example, when Gu Yu was six or seven years old, she would insist on adding the surname to Grandpa Li's little yellow dog and calling it "Li Xiaohuang".
If she couldn't answer, Guan Yuehe would change the subject, "Auntie is going to the post office, are you going?"
Gu Yu nodded without saying a word, then turned and ran to Courtyard No. 1 to call Lin Ting.
They called Lin Ting over, followed by two even smaller ones.
Guan Yuehe felt like she was leading ducks out of their cage, with a string of them following behind her, all talkative and running around. No wonder her two mothers said that if she were to take them out alone, she would have to tie them all together with a rope.
She had just sent the letter to Cheng Shuang and was already eagerly awaiting a reply.
But even faster than the reply was Cheng Shuang's phone call.
After a brief greeting over the phone, the two were momentarily at a loss for words. Lin Ting was the most enthusiastic, calling out into the receiver, "Aunt Cheng Shuang, have you eaten?"
"Did you eat? Was it Lin Ting?"
"It's me!"
"Hello Lin Ting, next time I go to Beijing, Auntie will treat you to a Coke."
"Aunt Cheng Shuang, I'm waiting for you!" Lin said, then put the phone away and reminded her mother, "Mom, it's your turn to speak."
The initial awkwardness vanished instantly, and Cheng Shuang across from her laughed heartily, "Yuehe, your daughter looks just like you."
Just listening to Lin Ting speak, she felt that she was like Yuehe.
The two chatted for a while until someone needed to use the phone urgently, forcing them to end the call.
For many years afterward, Cheng Shuang's letters came intermittently, sometimes two a month, sometimes no news for half a year. Over time, Guan Yuehe got used to it.
But Cheng Shuang's promise of "having a chance to return to Beijing" seemed far off. It wasn't until eleven years later, when Lin Ting was admitted to the university where Cheng Shuang taught, that Lin Ting met Cheng Shuang for the first time.
But that was eleven years later.
Lin Tingcai is about to start second grade.
Juanjuan also returned to Ginkgo Hutong from Fengshou Brigade. Today was the first day of school for the factory's children, and everyone, whether it was primary, junior high, or high school, had to register today.
Guan Weiguo drove his modified tricycle and took all the children to school for registration.
Besides Juanjuan, who's going to high school, her younger brother Guyu is going to middle school, and Linting is going to elementary school. In two more years, Xiaoyu and Yaoyao will also be going to elementary school.
The adults put the older children's luggage away, and then let them climb onto the truck bed one by one.
Guan Yuehe gave an inappropriate laugh, somewhat like she was sending her family's pig to a pig farm.
Jiang Guiying slapped her lightly, annoyed. "How can you talk about your own child like that?"
“Since no one’s saying anything, I’ll start.” Guan Yuehe laughed and dodged her mother’s hand. She took two steps forward and pressed Lin Ting, who was standing with her hands on her hips, down. “Sit still. If you stand up again, I’ll tie you up with a rope.”
Gu Yu said gloatingly, "Auntie, quickly tie her up!"
After laughing for only a few seconds, Lin Ting rushed towards Gu Yu, hugged her, and said, "If I hold you, you'll be tied up too!"
"You're too heavy, get up!"
"I won't get up, I'll crush you under Mount Tai... Ouch! Mom, Guyu, pinch me!"
Guan Yuehua, who was standing nearby, was annoyed and glared at Guan Yuehe, who was cheering them on. In the end, both of them got a slap on the butt.
Jiang Guiying sighed and muttered, "They really are a dog and a cat!"
When things are going well, they're incredibly good; when they start fighting, they can beat each other so badly you'll cry your eyes out.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Jiang Guiying told her old friends to go ahead. The two old ladies exchanged a few words, then shook their heads and sighed. Whether they were talking about Gu Yu and Lin Ting, or Guan Yuehua and Guan Yuehe, no one knew.
The second half of the year flew by. Guan Yuehe went on several business trips, each time causing her family great anxiety. They were terrified that she would encounter highway robbers on her journeys, or even more afraid that she would impulsively rush into a fight.
The criminals she's dealing with now are different from those she caught before. At least those people knew how to restrain themselves, but the ones outside now are utterly lawless and don't care about human life.
Fortunately, Guan Yuehe always returned safely.
The Chinese calendar on the wall turned to 1992, and life had undergone earth-shattering changes.
To be honest, there have been quite a few changes in the past two years.
There's a lot to say about 1991 alone. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the old big brother, was sudden, leaving many veteran workers in Ginkgo Hutong with deep feelings.
Back then, the Five Star Automobile Factory also received help from Big Brother. Who could have imagined that such a large country would just disappear like that?
Also in 1991, the nation called for "every effort to generate foreign exchange," mobilizing the entire population to do so. But relying solely on state-owned enterprises was far from sufficient. Therefore, starting this year, various regions have relaxed restrictions on individual businesses.
Guan Aiguo rolled up his sleeves and announced, "I want to open a branch."
This time, Guan Canghai didn't hit him on the head with his pipe again, saying that he wanted to run away as soon as he could walk.
Two years ago, Guan Aiguo took a leave of absence without pay and worked at Guan Canghai's barbershop getting his hair permed. After the two-year leave of absence expired, the factory notified him to return and complete the resignation procedures.
Now, only Wan Xiujuan remains from the Guan family, still working at the Wuxing Automobile Factory.
In the past two years, many people, like Guan Aiguo, have voluntarily taken unpaid leave. Half of them went to work in small private factories, while the other half either went south to find work or became self-employed.
These people have made some money over the past two years.
Therefore, as soon as Beijing relaxed restrictions on individual businesses, more people went into business.
Guan Yuehe saw off two more colleagues who were leaving the company, and at the same time received the latest news from Zhu Huacai: her foreign trade consulting service company is now thriving.
When the elderly folks at the alley entrance talk about going into business, they can't help but mention, "Those who went into business back in the 80s were really smart; they must have made a fortune these past few years. Oh dear, my second son wanted to take a leave of absence to go south, but I didn't agree. What a pity!"
"It's a pity! The policies were so good back then, and there were so few people going into business," someone echoed.
That's as if going into business back then guaranteed success.
While it's true that even a pig standing in the right place at the right time can fly, not everyone has the courage to run into the right place at the right time, and even if you fly, you can't keep flying forever.
Many people have become rich by chance, thinking it's because of their excellent business skills, and then they throw money around hoping to make a big score, only to end up bankrupt.
Sitting under the crabapple tree in her courtyard, Guan Yuehe sighed, "I really envy those rich tycoons! But some money is theirs to make; we just don't have the business acumen."
Lin Sitian laughed and said, "You were once a big dog owner in Ginkgo Alley, so that's good enough."
Guan Yuehe laughed heartily. Her claim of being a "big spender" was a bit exaggerated; it was mainly because she had lured Lin Yiku into her household that her wealth had skyrocketed.
There was movement at the open courtyard gate; Ding Xuewen, Xu Chengcai, and a few others had arrived.
We were just talking about the big dog, and here comes the big dog.
The bulky mobile phone, worth tens of thousands of yuan, was tucked under Xu Chengcai's arm as he swaggered in. "Do I look like a boss?"
"They look so alike!" Guan Yuehe and Lin Sitian exclaimed in unison.
Putting aside the mobile phone, Xu Cheng's current overweight physique is quite similar to that of some business owners outside.
Once you're over forty, it's impossible to regain the upright posture and youthful beauty of your twenties. It's normal to lose your figure, get fat or thin, or develop wrinkles.
However, at forty years old, they were all in the prime of their careers, and in front of their former leaders and teachers, she was still "Comrade Xiao Guan" or "Classmate Xiao Guan".
Guan Yuehe got up to bring them chairs. "Gentlemen, please sit down, please don't be shy. There's plenty of watermelon today."
The watermelon had been chilled in the refrigerator; chilled watermelon is what summer is all about. Guan Yuehe regretted that she had only bought a refrigerator last summer, wasting the watermelon from the summer of 1990.
Xu Cheng took a big bite of watermelon and said contentedly, "It's much quieter now that the younger ones aren't here."
“You have no right to say that,” Lin Sitian said enviously. “Your two kids don’t need any supervision, but our three kids are at the age where they’re causing trouble.”
Guan Yuehe immediately stopped them, saying, "We finally have some peace and quiet, let's not talk about them."
Everyone else agreed. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who got itchy fingers from being annoyed by her child.
They've gotten some peace and quiet, but in Ginkgo Alley, the noise is probably loud enough for everyone in the entire alley to hear.
"I just dropped Fengchun off and saw Sister Hongqi's family moving. Are they moving away too?"
“They bought a house outside a long time ago, just waiting for Yuanbao to finish the college entrance examination. As soon as the examination was over, they moved immediately.” Guan Yuehe said, “Sister Hongqi was originally entitled to a small villa, but now she can’t get one even if she wanted to. However, they bought the west wing of No. 1 Courtyard, and Brother-in-law Jin opened his company there.”
Guan Yuehe also noticed that every now and then, some people would move away from Ginkgo Alley.
Like Wu Jiawang from Courtyard No. 2, who is now married with children, he has moved to a more spacious house outside.
Luo Guifang's family in Courtyard No. 2 also bought a house near the car factory and plans to move there so that it will be convenient for Baoyu and Baoan to go to work at the factory.
There's also Aunt Bai's family. Her two sons separated their households. Aunt Bai stayed in the house in Ginkgo Hutong with her second son, while her eldest son's family moved out.
......
Moving is for a better life; Guan Yuehe is used to it, and gatherings and separations are common occurrences.
Of course, there are also friendships that have never faded.
The four childhood friends were all busy with their own work, and it was considered good if they could get together with their families once every six months. Unlike when Ding Xuewen was still in college, they could get together to eat whenever they had free time, and they would go to any newly opened private restaurant to join in the fun.
They gathered together today to celebrate Lin Yiku's promotion from regimental commander to deputy division commander.
Although Lin Yiku couldn't attend the celebration, it wasn't a big problem and wouldn't interfere with their celebration.
Of the seven people, Lin Sitian was the one who laughed the most. "Next time we celebrate Yuehe's birthday, we'll invite him too."
Guan Yuehe almost thought she could predict the future.
Others, however, took it seriously.
Ye Zhi Qiu asked in surprise, "Senior Sister, you've been transferred to a different job?"
"When did this happen?" Ding Xuewen followed up with a question.
"It should be soon."
—
Indeed, very quickly, just after the National Day holiday, Guan Yuehe was appointed Director-General of the Department of European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
She had only been gloating at home for two days when she received a call from the school teacher, saying that Lin Ting had encouraged her classmates to skip class to buy snacks, and that her parents had to come to the school. The teacher emphasized that the children's grandparents or maternal grandparents could not substitute; the parents had to be present.
Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku stood side by side, too embarrassed to look up after being criticized by the teacher, and could only repeatedly admit their mistakes.
In the same office, Guan Aiguo and Chen Lizhong were also being scolded. This was because Lin Ting had encouraged Xiaoyu and Yaoyao, who had just started elementary school, to skip class together.
As soon as Lin Ting got home and closed the gate, he was hit by a double whammy from his parents, one of them catching him and the other looking for a feather duster.
"Mom! Mom! I was wrong!"
"If you're wrong, then you should just accept the beating!"
"No! Hey, you can't hit me, hehe... Ouch! Grandma, save me! Grandpa and Grandma, save me! Grandpa!"
"Even if the Heavenly King himself came, it wouldn't make a difference!"
There was a commotion in the courtyard.
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