183 Back
All told, she was away for three months.
They arrived full of enthusiasm, and on their way back, they couldn't wait to get home.
With both airplanes and company buses involved, Guan Yuehe couldn't help but exclaim "Ha!" when the car finally stopped on the familiar Changhu Street.
The driver was also considerate, turning directly from the street to the alley entrance, saving her the trouble of asking an acquaintance to help her borrow a tricycle from the neighborhood office.
After greeting her colleagues on the bus, Guan Yuehe got off with her bags and two suitcases, one large and one small.
Before she even got out of the car, some neighbors were already watching the car that suddenly turned into the alleyway, some with their arms crossed and others with their hands on their hips.
Just as they were wondering if the car had turned the wrong way, the neighbors exclaimed "Oh!" when they saw that the person getting off the bus was Guan Yuehe. "Yuehe is back from her business trip! You've been away for quite a while; we haven't seen you for months."
As Guan Yuehe moved her luggage back, she replied, "That's right. You only realize how good our country is after you go abroad. Nowhere can compare to our Ginkgo Hutong."
"Which countries did you go to? What are they like like? Yuehe, tell us about them."
Many people in the hutongs have never left Beijing in their entire lives, and anyone who goes on a business trip to another province or city can brag about it for a long time. But for Guan Yuehe, going on business trips to other provinces and cities has become commonplace, and now she even goes on business trips abroad.
That's really strange.
The elderly folks kept asking questions, but Guan Yuehe couldn't hear them clearly and just mumbled incoherent responses.
"Hey, perfect timing! Wu Jiawang, come and lend a hand." Guan Yuehe looked up and quickly pointed to a few nimble young men to help carry the luggage.
"What's in this big, tightly bound box?"
"Color TV".
"You brought back a color TV specifically from abroad? Wait a minute, didn't Yiku get a new color TV before the Lunar New Year? And it was even made by a TV factory in Beijing. Didn't you two discuss this beforehand?"
"No, it's for my sister and brother-in-law, they'll need it."
In fact, Gu Mannian had already replaced the TV long ago to stop Gu Yu from constantly running to Momo's house. She guessed that this TV was something Gu Mannian wanted to use to do a favor.
"The quality of foreign products is much better, why not keep them for your own use?"
Guan Yuehe quoted a price, and everyone calculated that the price difference between domestic and foreign color TVs was more than double.
The elderly folks' opinions changed quickly: "I've seen so-and-so using an imported color TV, and it doesn't look much different from the ones made in our own country. It's not worth wasting that money."
She moved all the luggage she brought back into the house, and seeing that more and more neighbors were coming to join in the fun, while her family remained silent, she guessed that her two mothers and Lin Ting were all at the shop.
The black and white television I'd used for years was nowhere to be found; in its place was a color television covered by a piece of floral fabric.
Guan Yuehe smiled when she saw the piece of floral fabric.
Lin Yiku has the nerve to say she wants to cover up any big purchases with a cloth? Isn't he the same way?!
On the sofa inside were Lin Ting's clothes and a rattle drum; several of the clothes were ones she had never seen before.
There were tin frogs on the sofa, the dining table, and the stools, which made her scalp tingle. She wondered how many tin frogs she would find if she did a thorough house cleaning.
"Let's chat after I've tidied up," Guan Yuehe said, inviting the neighbors out one by one.
After Guan Yuehe spoke, the neighbors didn't dare to linger and left in twos and threes, saying they would come over that evening to find out about the situation abroad.
Guan Yuehe didn't rush out to find her child. Instead, she went into the bedroom to find a bath ticket. She hadn't had a scrub in three months and felt that she hadn't washed properly outside. She needed to go to the bathhouse to scrub herself before going to find her big, chubby daughter, feeling refreshed.
When abroad, Guan Yuehe always kept in mind that "she should pay attention to her image and not bring shame to the country," and she remained very proper throughout her trip.
Now that she no longer needed to worry about her image, Guan Yuehe reverted to her usual energetic self.
—
Lin Ting is now one year and two months old and can walk steadily. The small house at home can't keep her out, and she wants to go out for a walk all day long.
Every morning, the first thing I do after waking up is to come to the store. When I get tired of sitting there, I want to drag my grandma or paternal grandma to the small restaurant in front to buy some food.
Around 3 p.m., Lin Ting had just woken up. Her hair was a mess, and a red mark appeared on her chubby face. She lay lazily on the threshold of the shop, like a kitten sunbathing on a wall in an alley.
Lin Ting looked up and saw an adult standing not far away, smiling at her. She grinned back and waved her chubby hand in greeting.
"Oh my! You turned around and you were lying on the doorstep. How dirty! Get up!"
Lin ignored her grandmother's words and continued to smile at the adults outside the shop, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Aunt Fang wiped her hands clean and was about to lift her up when she chuckled, "Who did you greet today... Yuehe?! Oh dear! Why didn't you say anything when you got back? When did you get home? Have you eaten yet? Wait here, I'll go to the front and get you a bowl of noodles to tide you over. You can have a good meal when you get home tonight."
"No need, I'm not hungry right now."
"Eat something even if you're not hungry. I've heard that food abroad isn't as good as what we eat at home. Look at you, you've lost weight, you must not have been eating well while you're away."
Aunt Fang beckoned her to come in quickly. She was about to go to Uncle Ming's small restaurant when she took a step and remembered that Lin Ting was still leaning on the doorstep.
He picked Lin Ting up and made her stand up, patted the dust off her clothes, and said with a smile, "It's no wonder your dad shows you photos every day. You recognized your mom as soon as you saw her. Come on, call her."
"A person!" Lin Ting said with a grin.
Guan Yuehe chuckled, but at the same time felt a bittersweet ache in her heart.
Before she went on her business trip, Lin Ting could only stand while holding onto things, but now she can walk.
She never thought about what Lin Ting would look like, but Lin Ting was just too cute, completely capturing her heart. Watching Lin Ting grow from a tiny little bundle into a chubby little baby, her love for Lin Ting grew stronger day by day.
This is completely different from her feelings for her parents, siblings, friends, and Lin Yiku.
He rushed forward in two strides, picked up Lin Ting, and weighed her in his arms, finding that she was considerably heavier.
Yes, look at that chubby little face, it must have been eating a lot at home.
Lin Ting, who had just been laughing happily, was suddenly picked up and brought close to Guan Yuehe's face, staring at her intently. Lin Ting's expression immediately tensed, and she kept leaning back, stammering, "Grandma, Grandma..."
"It's alright, it's alright." Aunt Fang was very experienced. Instead of immediately reaching out to take Lin Ting, she said to Guan Yuehe, "Just take her to Uncle Ming's to buy a meat bun."
"Come on, come on, I'll go with you. Do you want noodles or rice? What do you want for dinner?"
"Wow......"
In the barbershop next door, Guan Canghai was busy cutting a customer's hair. He hadn't been paying attention when he suddenly heard Lin Ting crying loudly. He told the customer and went out to see what was going on.
Lin Ting clenched her fists, tilted her head back, and cried out loud. He thought it was a stranger hugging Lin Ting, and just as he frowned and was about to scold her, the "stranger" turned to the side and it was his little daughter!
In just three seconds, Guan Canghai's expression changed from anger to surprise. "You're back? Why didn't you tell me?"
He thought it was human traffickers brazenly coming up to him.
"No one's home, so I came over as soon as I finished packing." Guan Yuehe didn't have time to say much to her father and hurried straight to Grandpa Ming's small restaurant.
"Uncle Ming, do you have any more steamed buns? Quickly, get one for this loudmouth."
When Grandpa Ming saw her, he smiled at first, then rolled his eyes at her. How could Lin Ting, such an endearing little girl, be called loud?
Before long, Lin Ting was holding up white steamed buns in both hands when her grandmother took her away. Only then did she manage to stop crying, leaving Guan Yuehe with a small silhouette.
Guan Yuehe was at a loss. The child was too young to remember anything. Let alone three months, she was afraid that the child would forget her after just one week apart.
She didn't feel uncomfortable; after all, there was plenty of time. If she wasn't allowed to hold him now, wouldn't they still have to sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with him at night?
Lin Ting started munching on a white steamed bun, which made Guan Yuehe hungry. Just then, Aunt Fang ordered her a bowl of noodles with soybean paste.
As soon as the noodles arrived, Aunt Fang sat at the door, glancing around to see if anyone was going to the agricultural and sideline products store. Lin Ting, sitting in her lap, whimpered twice and took a couple more bites, occasionally glancing curiously at Guan Yuehe, who was sitting directly opposite her in the store.
Guan Yuehe slurped up the noodles and ate two more steamed buns, wiping the soup with the bun wrappers and swallowing it all.
"Home-cooked meals are the best."
Just after they finished eating, Jiang Guiying brought Guyu, who had just finished school, over.
Gu Yu had just run up to Lin Ting and asked her if the steamed buns were good when she turned her head and saw Guan Yuehe in the shop. Forget about the steamed buns, she rushed over like a firecracker.
"Auntie!"
If it were someone less strong, she would probably knock them to the ground.
Gu Yu kept calling out "Auntie," clinging to Guan Yuehe. Jiang Guiying came over, wanting to ask her about going abroad, but couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"Close up early today and go home! Your barbershop should also put up a 'Closed' sign sooner." Jiang Guiying chuckled as she planned to go to the butcher shop later to buy a couple more pieces of meat.
Aunt Fang wanted to help tidy up the shop, but Lin Ting clung to her tightly, making it impossible for her to free her hands.
Passing by the barbershop, Guan Yuehe exclaimed, "Dad, why have you reduced your services? You're not doing perms anymore?"
The two original perming machines were gone, and the barbershop suddenly became more spacious.
"Stop talking," Guan Canghai said irritably. "The shop was robbed, and the machines couldn't be moved; they were smashed. We won't be able to buy any old, obsolete machines for a while."
Guan Yuehe glared, "Has the thief been caught?"
Guan Canghai shook his head. "All the individual businesses in this area have suffered. The thieves have been caught, but the families of the few young men who were arrested couldn't afford to pay compensation. They were put in jail for two months for re-education, and then released."
This is awful.
Guan Canghai was stuck with this feeling, unable to vent it or swallow it down.
Even their upright and just magistrate said he couldn't do anything about it.
Once the shop was tidied up, Guan Yuehe realized that she still had quite a few things to take home.
But Jiang Guiying also said that she couldn't not bring it home, for fear that thieves would come again.
There were three locks on the door.
Guan Yuehe patted Gu Yu on her back, "You're almost six years old, get down and walk by yourself."
"Hehe, Auntie, carry me!" Gu Yu refused to get down, even clinging to him tighter, her chubby face nuzzling against him, and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Auntie, I missed you so much!"
Guan Yuehe suppressed a laugh and deliberately asked, "Do you miss me, or do you want me to bring you toys?"
"Ah! What toys did Auntie bring me? Auntie is the best auntie in the world!" Gu Yu said one cheesy thing after another.
Guan Yuehe snorted, but still put her hands behind her back to support her buttocks.
On the way back, Guan Yuehe looked at Lin Ting, who was leaning on Aunt Fang's shoulder. The chubby girl looked up at her every now and then like a thief, but when Guan Yuehe noticed her, she immediately lowered her head and continued to eat her bun.
Guan Yuehe was extremely proud; she had actually given birth to such an adorable baby!
Author's Note: There won't be a second update today. I need to go to bed early tonight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
