The alleyways of the 1970s were full of life and warmth. It was dinnertime, and every family was busy cooking.
In the already cramped alleyway, children rolled iron hoops, leaving behind a trail of laughter. Over there, girls were skipping rope, displaying a variety of agile moves. What interested Yu Yin most was the old man repairing a large, ornate bowl—a legendary skill indeed…
Yu Yin was overwhelmed by the sights; Lu Shurui, leading An'an, had already walked quite a distance ahead. Yu Yin withdrew her gaze, deciding to deal with the immediate matter first and then slowly savor the atmosphere of Shanghai in this era later.
"Shurui's back. Is this your son?"
"Yes, Grandma Huang."
"Oh, Xiao Shurui is back?"
"Yes, I'm back."
...
Along the way, many acquaintances greeted her, but unfortunately, Yu Yin couldn't understand a word they said.
"Yu Yin, we're home. Come in."
Yu Yin did not answer, and led Pingping into the house with Lu Shurui.
"Dad, Mom, I'm home."
Lu Shurui's voice was a little choked up. Four years, more than a thousand days and nights. How many times had he dreamed of returning home, but when he woke up, it was still that same landscape.
"Shurui, you're back? Come here quickly, let Mom take a look."
Yu Yin looked around and, to be honest, the living space was really small.
It's a small, square hall. There's a staircase over there, probably leading to the second floor. Next to the staircase is a door, which should lead to a bedroom. A little further on, it looks like a small pavilion room.
"Dad, Mom, this is my wife, Yu Yin. Yu Yin, this is our dad and mom."
"Dad, Mom."
Yu Yin gave a brief and polite greeting, then said nothing more. Being new here, she knew nothing and wanted to avoid making mistakes.
"Pingping, An'an, come here and greet Grandpa and Grandma."
"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma."
The two little ones said in unison, and after they finished speaking, An'an stared at Lu's parents with an expectant look on her face.
Looking at the two bright and clever little ones, Mr. Lu was very happy.
"Pingping, An'an, come here, Mom will tidy up your clothes."
Yu Yin called the child over, knowing that An'an was preparing to receive a red envelope. Clearly, Mr. and Mrs. Lu hadn't realized this, nor were they prepared; if they continued to watch, it would be awkward.
Pingping quickly came over, and An'an, feeling a little regretful, walked reluctantly towards her mother.
Mr. Lu thought his eldest granddaughter was reluctant to part with him, and he thought she was quite beautiful.
Yu Yin wanted to say that you were overthinking it. An An was giving a final hint, but unfortunately, it wasn't received—or rather, it wasn't received correctly.
"Where are my older sister and the others? Aren't they home?"
"Shuqi and Mengyao went to Mengyao's parents' house. Your eldest sister took Xiaolei to see a doctor because of her toothache."
Lu Shurui didn't ask any more questions and placed the things Yu Yin had taken out on the table.
"Dad, Mom, these are specialties from Yunnan Province that we brought back."
Yu Yin ordered the same four items as always: tea, dried fruit, dried mushrooms, and rice noodles. This time, she added a little banana and pineapple, just a little of each, since they hadn't brought back much on the surface.
"Why are you carrying all this stuff back from so far away? It's so heavy."
Looking at each item, Mr. Lu felt sorry for his two sons, who had endured several days of travel.
Lu's mother didn't say anything, and there was no smile on her face, as if someone owed her money.
"It's alright, Shuqi helped me along the way, so it was a bit better."
Perhaps because he hadn't been home for a long time, Lu Shurui felt unsure what to say to his parents. He felt very uncomfortable staying in his own home.
Yu Yin was speechless, and the room was eerily quiet. An An, having not received a red envelope, had no interest in speaking, and instead held her mother's hand, playing with her fingers.
Yu Yin felt the atmosphere was too awkward. Could someone kindly break the deadlock?
"Mom, Xiaolei has a tooth infection. Please make the porridge a little softer tonight."
The person hadn't even entered yet, but her voice was already coming in. Judging from that confident tone, it must be Sister Lu.
"Oh, Shurui's back?"
Sister Lu led the child into the house and first saw Lu Shurui standing there, but did not see Yu Yin and her two children standing to the side.
"Yes, my older sister is back from the hospital. Is Xiaolei alright?"
"It's nothing serious, but I have a sore throat and my teeth are a little inflamed."
Sister Lu took off her clothes and hung them up before she saw Yu Yin and her two children.
"Oh, this must be Yu Yin. You didn't even say hello when you arrived. I thought you didn't like your older sister."
"Oh my god, this is going to cause trouble!" Yu Yin said. She hadn't checked the almanac before going out this time; everywhere she went, there was a tense atmosphere. "It's okay, I'm not afraid of trouble."
"You're Lu Shurui's older sister? I'm so sorry, it's our first time meeting, I was afraid I mistook you for someone else. As for whether I like you or not, it doesn't really concern me. We've only just met, you didn't eat or drink anything from me, so it's not my place to be unfriendly!"
Yu Yin thought to herself, "Even if I don't like you, you're still Wang Mengyao. You live under the same roof."
"I thought you might not be too happy that I took up Shurui's room."
"Lu Shurui's room, this house still has Lu Shurui's room. I thought that after he went to the countryside in Yunnan Province, this house had nothing to do with him anymore."
"How can you talk like that? How can you say this family has nothing to do with Shu Rui? This will always be his family."
Mother Lu shouted sternly, trying to overwhelm her with her imposing manner. She was shouting so loudly that no one could hear her.
"Really? Then where will we stay when we get back?"
"Stay, stay..."
Lu's mother was speechless. She hadn't expected Yu Yin, who came from a small town, to be so audacious and fearless.
"Alright, stop arguing, Shumin. Take the child back to the room and stop talking nonsense."
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