049 Lin Yiku
The two stared at each other, remaining silent for a long time.
From initial certainty, I gradually began to doubt: Did I mistake someone for someone else?
Guan Yuehe felt uneasy and frowned as she carefully examined the person in front of her.
Lin Yiku served in the army for eight years, and the last time he came back was six years ago. He was not the same person as the monkey king in Ginkgo Hutong in Guan Yuehe's memory.
But no one in the alley was wearing a proper military uniform, and the other person had a triangular scar on their left eyebrow bone, exactly the same as the one she had scratched when she was a child.
But she was still unsure, because this person didn't look the same as the photo Lin Yiku had sent back!
Lin Yiku's smile gradually disappeared. He only spoke up after hearing someone call her "Yuehe". Could it be that there is a new person named "Yuehe" in the alley?
Looking back now, it's quite possible that I made a mistake.
The Yuehe he knew didn't look like she could grow that tall. When she stood up straight, her head could practically touch his chin.
In an instant, the atmosphere between the two changed from the surprise of meeting their neighbor's older brother/sister to the embarrassment of mistaking one another for the other.
People from all walks of life were either at work or busy buying cabbages and radishes, making the alleyway even quieter due to the awkward atmosphere.
Guan Yuehe scratched her face, turned around, picked up the basket, and walked quickly, rushing back to Courtyard No. 2 in a flash.
Lin Yi cleared her throat, pretending nothing had happened, and strode home.
After waiting for a while at the door, my mother finally came home.
Aunt Fang exclaimed in surprise, forgetting that she had rushed home to find sacks, "Why didn't you send a telegram when you got back? Oh dear, I... I hadn't prepared anything at home..."
If only I had gone to the black market with Guiying yesterday morning to buy meat, and I should have gone with her last Sunday to break ice and catch fish! Aunt Fang got so excited that she became flustered.
"What do you need at home? I'll get it for you, no rush."
"Oh right, we need to go move our cabbages and radishes. Aunt Jiang is helping to watch over them." I was going to ask Yuehe to bring a sack over when she came back, but as soon as I turned around, Yuehe was already carrying a basket and gone.
Lin Yiku quickly put her luggage away. "I'll go with you."
Aunt Fang's excitement finally subsided, followed by undisguised joy.
"Sitian just sent you a letter the day before yesterday. I thought you wouldn't be able to take a vacation and come back this year."
"Aren't you cold? I was just so happy. I got you your dad's big cotton-padded coat. It's not like the south here. Are you silly for not knowing to bring a thick coat in advance?"
"Are you hungry? Never mind, don't go out. We borrowed a tricycle and brought it all back in one trip. Eat something first. This bag of peach shortbread was just bought yesterday. Sitian has been working night shifts lately, so I'm giving it to her as a late-night snack. You eat first, and I'll go buy some more when you're done."
"Sit by the stove, it'll be warm. Okay, don't move, Mom will make dumplings for you when she gets back."
Lin Yi couldn't get a word in edgewise. He was draped in a cotton-padded coat, given a bag of peach shortbread, and made to sit by the stove, watching his mother run out the door.
He didn't just sit there; he took a piece of peach shortbread, stuffed it in his mouth, put on his cotton-padded coat, and went out.
Having not been back for several years, I seriously misjudged the winter temperatures in Beijing. On the way back from the train station, I was so cold that I felt like I wanted to curl up into a ball.
In the neighboring courtyard number two.
Guan Yuehe ran in and out of the storage room to tidy up, moved the cabbages and radishes into the cellar, and then went to borrow a hammer and nails from Cao Lili to repair the wooden door of the storage room that had a hole in it.
At the end of this semester, they were supposed to go to the military for training, but the activity was canceled at the last minute, giving the students a rare long vacation.
This is also their last vacation after three years of study.
My roommates said they'd be visiting her house for a day, though they haven't decided on a date yet. They might not have enough rice and noodles, but they've stocked up on plenty of cabbage and radishes.
Having just finished the chores at home, I was thinking I still had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative when I suddenly heard a commotion outside the yard, mixed with many "Oh dear" and "You're back."
Before long, all the sounds rushed into the No. 3 courtyard. Just as she was about to listen carefully, her second aunt, who had returned from outside, called out to her, "Yuehe, Lin Yiku, who is in the army, is back. You should go and see him. I didn't even recognize him just now. He has changed so much!"
Guan Yuehe's eyes widened, and she confirmed with her second aunt again that Lin Sitian's brother, Lin Yiku, had indeed returned.
Guan Yuehe laughed inwardly; she hadn't recognized him either!
As one of the most promising young people in Ginkgo Hutong, Lin Yiku attracted many visitors as soon as news of his return home to visit his family spread.
After all, they had seen many section chiefs, directors, and factory managers, but very few had actually seen a battalion commander in the military, so they were curious.
Some people also wanted to take advantage of Lin Yiku's visit to his family to introduce him to potential partners.
Although Lin Yiku was rarely home, many people were still visiting his house. They were thinking of getting on good terms with Aunt Fang in advance so that as soon as Lin Yiku returned, they could arrange a marriage proposal immediately after the blind date. After all, given Lin Yiku's current rank, his family could accompany him to the military base.
However, Aunt Fang refused to budge. She hoped that Lin Yiku would settle down soon, but she still wanted Lin Yiku to be willing himself.
The lively atmosphere in Courtyard No. 2 lasted all afternoon. Around six o'clock, Guan Aiguo ran over and called Guan Yuehe to come over for dinner.
"The pig's head my brother brought back is ready to braise. We're having braised pig's head tonight!"
Guan Yuehe instantly forgot the embarrassment of the day, wrapped her scarf around her neck, and hurried towards Courtyard No. 3.
The aroma of braised meat in the house was so strong that Guan Yuehe was immediately enveloped in it as soon as she entered the door. She looked down and sniffed, and the meaty smell also clung to her clothes.
"Patriotism, take this to Aunt Fang's house." Jiang Guiying took out a bowl of braised pig's head meat. "Yibun is back from his 'bitter past' trip, add a dish for them."
Guan Canghai nodded, "After being away for so many years, it's rare for me to come back. I'll send some wine to Lao Lin."
Jiang Guiying glared at him. Was he trying to play tricks on her? Without saying a word, she stuffed the half-empty bottle of wine from the cupboard into Guan Aiguo's hands, asking him to deliver it along with her.
Guan Canghai, who hadn't gotten any wine, sighed. He glanced over and noticed that his little girl was unusually quiet today, staring intently at the meat on the table. He thought to himself that she hadn't been getting enough oil and fat at school, making her crave it.
"Just hang in there for another six months, and by the end of next semester, I'll be able to go back to work at the factory."
She'll still get her salary and receipts as usual. Oh, and not only that, when she goes back to work, her seniority will increase by two and a half years, and her salary and receipts will rise accordingly. Life will definitely be good. She might even get a promotion.
Guan Canghai patted Guan Yuehe on the shoulder with satisfaction and gave her an encouraging look.
Confused, Guan Yuehe frowned instinctively. "Dad, don't even think about it. Even if I come back to work, I can't buy you wine."
What would happen if her mother found out!
"I didn't mention alcohol!"
"Oh, you were winking at me, I thought you wanted me to secretly buy you some wine."
Guan Canghai was furious. He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it in her bowl. "Eat it and don't talk."
Once Guan Yuehe and the others were all present, everyone picked up their chopsticks before starting to eat. After the first bite, one person exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, this is the braised meat you made!"
Guan Yuehe gave a thumbs up.
"I learned this from Yuzhen. If it tastes good, eat more."
Everyone was busy eating and didn't have time to wonder where Lin Yuzhen had learned the recipe.
Since Guan Jianguo was assigned to a long-distance transport team, the family's meals have gradually improved, and Weiwei and Jingjing have grown stronger than other children their age.
Although the food at home was good, Guan Yuehe still thought about going to the black market to get more meat so that she could eat better and replenish her body with oil in the winter.
Guan Yuehe had just helped tidy up the tables and chairs when Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin brought Lin Yiku over for a visit.
The main purpose was to send the Guan family some specialties from the south that Lin Yiku had brought back. The two families had a good relationship, so sending them this particular item alone would prevent other families from gossiping.
Lin Yiku greeted everyone one by one, from Grandpa Guan and Grandma Jiang to Guan Aiguo, and finally looked at Guan Yuehe sitting on the sofa.
"Don't you recognize her? That's Yuehe." Aunt Fang patted him on the back and laughed, "Yiku was just asking us at home, 'How many people in our alley are named Yuehe?' He's been away from home for so long that he doesn't know anything. I said there are only a few Yuehes in our alley, only Uncle Guan's family."
Jiang Guiying tried to smooth things over, saying, "When Yiku came back last time, Yuehe had just started working at the garment factory. Now she has been working there for six years. If we hadn't seen each other for so many years, I'm afraid she wouldn't recognize him if we met outside."
Guan Yuehe chuckled to herself, "Of course I can't recognize him!"
"Yuehe!" Lin Sitian poked her head out from behind her brother, her face saying "There's something good here," and called to Guan Yuehe to hurry up and follow.
Guan Yuehe quickly made room for Aunt Fang so they could sit and chat, while she went out to find Lin Sitian.
After Aunt Fang sat down, she noticed that her son was still standing there staring blankly out the door, so she said, "The two of them have always had so much to talk about since they were little, don't mind them. Sit down."
Lin Yiku had just sat down when he heard his sister and Guan Yuehe exclaim in surprise. Just as he was about to turn around, he heard Guan Canghai ask, "How long will you stay this time?"
"I can stay for a month." Just the round trip takes a week, and with a normal vacation, he can only stay at home for a day or two. He hasn't taken a vacation in years, and his home is far away, so his boss specially approved a long vacation for him.
"Perfect timing! Your parents are just waiting for you to come back and settle your marriage," Jiang Guiying said to Aunt Fang with a smile. "Your doorstep will be worn down from all the footsteps!"
"But he has to agree first. It's not like I'm getting married." Aunt Fang said, "Guiying, you should also help me find a good girl. If you find a good one, you have to introduce her to my Lin Yiku."
"I need to think carefully about who might be suitable."
"That would be wonderful!"
Lin Yiku felt a headache coming on when she heard this topic, so she quickly changed the subject and asked who the current leaders of the car factory were.
Meanwhile, Lin Sitian laid out all the gifts her brother had brought back. The two of them, who had never been to the beach since childhood, were most fascinated by the conch shells, as well as several round pearls wrapped in a handkerchief.
"This thing shouldn't be shown off, right?" Guan Yuehe looked at the pearl for a while, then told Lin Sitian to hide it away.
“I’ll just keep it at home and play with it myself. I’m not going to take it out and flaunt it.” Lin Sitian said, not forgetting to laugh at her, “I’m not like you, who has to carry around the alley with every certificate you get.”
"Hmph! How can that be the same? If you get an award, you won't go out and show it off?" She knew exactly what kind of people her childhood friends were.
Lin Sitian chuckled and gave her two kernels, specifically instructing her not to tell Xu Chengcai, otherwise Xu Chengcai would also come and ask.
Guan Yuehe unceremoniously put it into her pocket and giggled along with it.
"When your brother came back, I ran into him at the alley entrance, but I didn't recognize him at all, haha!"
"Really? You didn't recognize me either? I almost didn't recognize you either!"
When her brother came back last time, he hadn't changed much, but this time when he came back, he was completely transformed and was now a very reliable older brother.
When he writes letters home, he sometimes teases his parents, and people will definitely suspect that he wrote the letters himself.
Guan Yuehe immediately felt relieved. If her own sister almost didn't recognize her, it was perfectly normal that she didn't recognize her neighbor's sister!
The fact that Lin Yiku had returned was no longer a novelty to Guan Yuehe; it was far less important than her buying meat.
This time, without her childhood friends keeping watch, Guan Yuehe didn't take advantage of her speed to go to the black market alone. Instead, she went with the elderly people in the alley.
Just in case, she wore an inconspicuous old cotton-padded jacket, covering her face completely.
The butcher stalls on the black market were set up by the same people as last year. Guan Yuehe wasn't curious about how they had a continuous supply of pork. After the old men and women had finished bargaining, she joined them. "We're together. I want ten catties of fatty pork and three catties of pork belly. Thank you, brother!"
The elderly folks chimed in, "Yes, she's with us. Look how many of us there are and how much we've bought. Could you give us a discount?"
The person behind the stall lost patience and said rudely, "Are you going to buy it or not? If not, then forget it!"
"Buy it!" There was no other way; this was the only pork vendor in the black market.
The basket on her back felt heavy. Guan Yuehe pressed down on the pocket containing the money and didn't dare to look at what the other stalls had.
If she keeps buying, her savings will be wiped out.
I comforted myself: I'll buy more when I get back to work.
After leaving the black market, she and the elderly men and women dispersed, fearing that they might be targeted and captured by malicious individuals.
My steps on the way home became lighter. Passing by a state-run restaurant, I couldn't resist going in and buying two meat buns.
The meat buns she made at home just couldn't compare to those from the state-run restaurant. She asked Grandpa Ming several times, but he just told her not to bother and to just go to the state-run restaurant if she was craving them.
"Lin... Brother Yiku." She used to call Lin Yiku by his full name, just like Lin Sitian, but now that she saw his big guy standing in front of her, she called him "brother" like Lin Sitian did.
Seeing him staring at the steamed buns in her hand, Guan Yuehe looked down and saw that she had eaten almost half of the two buns. She then pointed the way for him and said, "The state-run restaurant is up ahead. If you go now, they will still sell them."
After saying that, he ate the remaining half of the meat bun in one bite.
Lin Yiku, who had been standing there for a while, watched her walk over with a basket on her back and a white steamed bun in each hand. She ate both buns in just a few steps.
Looks like he hasn't been neglecting his food all these years, no wonder he's grown so tall.
"Are you full?"
Guan Yuehe nodded and then shook her head. When can you ever be full of delicious food?! But she was out of food coupons to squander.
"Come on, I'll treat you to something." Lin Yiku said, lifting her leg to walk forward. After taking two steps, she noticed that Lin Yiku was still standing in the same spot, so she gave Lin Yiku a look, signaling her to follow.
"Thank you, Brother Yiku!"
When Guan Yuehe received the meat buns in the brown paper bag, she felt that calling him "brother" was worthwhile.
Lin Yiku raised an eyebrow. She really was as sycophantic as ever. She only called him "brother" when she was a child so she could get candy from him. When she didn't need him, she would call him "Lin Yiku" all the time.
To express her gratitude, Guan Yuehe asked Sister-in-law Zhou to fry some melon seeds and then packed a bag of them to send to Aunt Fang's house. She also brought some vegetarian steamed buns that she had made at home.
Lin Yiku took one and ate it in two or three bites. "Isn't this more delicious than the meat buns outside?"
The implication was that she should just cook it at home herself.
Guan Yuehe wanted to roll her eyes. He must have had too many good days to say that vegetarian buns were tastier than meat buns!
"Eat more." Shut your mouth.
Aunt Fang also praised, "Yuehe's vegetarian buns are more fragrant than those sold outside. They're just a little less delicious than your braised pork."
"It's alright." Guan Yuehe wasn't modest when praised. "I'll bring you some braised pork I made another day."
After all, she ate eight meat buns given to her by Aunt Fang's son.
After everyone left, Aunt Fang patted her son and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"I wasn't laughing. Mom, you're mistaken."
"The factory is holding a social event in a few days. I had your dad put your name on the list. Don't give me that sour look when you're on the blind date. Chat with them nicely, you hear me?"
Lin Yiku's hand, which was reaching for the steamed bun, was slapped. He said helplessly, "Mom, I'm not ready to date right now. Don't hold other women back."
"You're 25 and not ready to date? When is the right time? I told you to find someone in the military, but you didn't. Now you come back and tell me it's not the right time. Are you planning to stay single forever?"
"Stop talking, I can't talk to you. Wait for your dad to come back and let him talk to you. You're making me angry as soon as you get back. Get up, get up, don't block the light."
He had only been back for less than three days when he started to be disliked. To avoid upsetting his mother, Lin Yiku quickly grabbed two steamed buns and slipped out.
"Where are you going? Are you having lunch at home?"
"I'm meeting up with a friend, so I won't be eating at home today."
Before going to see my friend, I went to Courtyard No. 2 to borrow a bicycle from Guan Yuehe.
I peeked inside from the doorway. On the dining table was a large plate of steamed buns and two bright red apples. Two sweet potatoes were roasting on a small stove, and a quilt was piled on the sofa.
She's living a much more comfortable life than he imagined.
"Get the keys," Guan Yuehe reminded her again.
Lin Yiku stood outside the door, his tall and imposing figure blocking the doorway like a wall, instantly darkening the room.
He lowered his eyes and saw Guan Yuehe staring at him with her head slightly tilted back, looking at him with dissatisfaction. He tried to connect her with the thin and small girl next door in his memory, but he felt that they were two different people.
Perhaps it's because we haven't seen each other for so many years.
The next second, Guan Yuehe brought the key to his face, and he finally came to his senses, opening his palm to catch the key.
When Lin Yiku returned the car that evening, he brought some pastries as a token of his gratitude. He didn't miss Guan Yuehe's suddenly bright eyes, and then heard her say, "Thank you, Brother Yiku! You're too kind, haha. If you need to borrow the car again, just come and get it."
He couldn't help but smile. He was overthinking it; this greedy look he had from childhood to adulthood had never changed.
—
It started snowing heavily again during the night. Guan Yuehe got up and started shoveling snow. She even had to add hot water when washing up.
I yawned, just as I was thinking of taking the bus when I went out, when I heard Aunt Fang from courtyard number three yell, "You have to go to this social gathering today, whether you like it or not!"
Lin Yiku is really something; she always manages to make the good-tempered Aunt Fang furious.
"I'm going to tie you up today! Yuehe! Yuehe, come here and give Aunt Fang a hand!"
Guan Yuehe's mouth dropped open. How could this be her business?
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