Chapter 92 Moving Li Rui's Grave
Wenbin has been incredibly busy lately.
As soon as Zhao Fei's cannery started operating, he worked non-stop.
Running errands, monitoring materials, and coordinating supplies to pig farms sometimes require two or three round trips between the suburbs and the city center in a single day.
When I got home at night, Han Manjuan was often already asleep, and she was still asleep when I left in the morning.
That afternoon, he looked at the calendar and calculated that Han Manjuan was already seven months pregnant. Her belly was noticeably protruding, and she was having some difficulty walking.
Wenbin felt a pang of guilt—he had been such a terrible husband.
Mr. and Mrs. Han went to the park to practice Tai Chi, leaving only the young couple at home.
"We're not going out today." Wenbin tied on his apron and said to Han Manjuan, who was leaning against the sofa, "I'll make you something nice to eat."
Han Manjuan was somewhat surprised: "Is everything alright at the factory?"
“Those who needed to run have all run, and Zhao Fei can keep an eye on the rest.” Wenbin took out minced meat and chives from the refrigerator. “You sit still and watch me.”
He chopped the filling, kneaded the dough, and rolled out the wrappers. His movements weren't particularly nimble, but he was very focused.
Han Manjuan stood at the kitchen doorway, her pregnant belly bulging, feeling a warm glow in her heart. Although this man was sometimes busy, he truly cared for her.
When the steamed dumplings were put into the pot, the whole house was filled with a delicious aroma.
Wenbin cooked two more side dishes and made millet porridge.
"Take a few for Xiaoxiao, shall we?" Han Manjuan picked up a steamed dumpling and blew on it. "You haven't seen her in a long time."
Wenbin thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Then pack your things and I'll take them over."
Around 5 p.m., Wenbin and Han Manjuan arrived at "Xiaoxiao Clothing" carrying insulated lunch boxes, just as the children were returning from school.
"Uncle!" Yizhen and Yibao, with their sharp eyes, spotted him from afar and ran over, each grabbing Wenbin's leg on either side.
Wenbin bent down and picked up his two nieces, one in each arm: "Oh dear, they've gotten heavier! Have they grown taller again?"
"Uncle, why did it take you so long to get here!" Yi Bao hugged his neck. "We all missed you!"
Zhao Yidi followed behind and saw Han Manjuan arrive as well. She quickly stepped forward and said, "Auntie, please slow down." She then said to her two younger sisters, "You two watch out, don't bump into Auntie's stomach."
Only then did Yizhen and Yibao notice Han Manjuan's protruding belly, and they opened their eyes wide with curiosity.
When Wen Xiaoxiao came out of the shop and saw the commotion, she smiled and said, "Brother, sister-in-law, what brings you here? Come in quickly."
The shop was already closed; Wu Jia had just finished packing up and left.
Wen Xiaoxiao cleared out the table at the back, and Wen Bin opened the insulated lunchbox layer by layer—steamed dumplings, stir-fried greens, cucumber salad, and a small pot of millet porridge were still steaming hot.
"Did your sister-in-law make this?" Wen Xiaoxiao asked.
"Your brother made it." Han Manjuan sat down in the chair, gently touching her belly. "He rarely has time today."
Zhao Fei also came downstairs. He saw Wenbin and nodded: "You're here? Perfect timing, want to grab a couple of drinks?"
"Have a drink." Wenbin pulled a half-empty bottle of baijiu from his pocket. "I brought it from home."
Several children sat around a small table eating steamed dumplings, while the adults sat at a large table.
Wen Xiaoxiao added two more dishes and sliced a plate of sausage.
Under the lights, the room was filled with lively people.
Wenbin and Zhao Fei clinked glasses and chatted about the progress of the cannery: "The equipment will arrive next month, and it will take more than a month to install and debug. Once the production line is running, we won't have to worry about selling our pigs."
"Yes, it's a bit tiring at the beginning, but it gets better once things are on track." Zhao Fei poured wine for Wenbin. "You've been working hard lately too. Manjuan is about to give birth, so spend more time with her."
"I know," Wenbin sighed. "I really couldn't take care of it the other day."
Wen Xiaoxiao served food to Han Manjuan: "Sister-in-law, your belly looks bigger than a typical seven-month pregnant woman."
"The doctor said the child is developing well," Han Manjuan said with a soft glow on her face. "It's just that his legs have been swollen a lot lately, and he can't sleep well at night."
"Almost there, just hang in there a little longer," Wen Xiaoxiao said, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, sister-in-law, after the baby is born, if you want to work, quit your job and work for me, okay?"
Han Manjuan was taken aback: "Work with you?"
“Hmm.” Wen Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. “Now that my shop is stable, I want to take it a step further and do wholesale business. I’ll source goods directly from the south and wholesale them to other small clothing stores in our city. This job doesn’t require standing behind a counter; it mainly involves contacting customers and managing inventory. The hours are flexible, and you can do part of it from home.”
Zhao Fei was drinking when he heard this, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Wenbin seemed interested: "Wholesale business? Are you confident?"
“Mr. Zheng is the boss who helped me before. He has connections in the south. He said if I’m interested, he can take me on a few trips to meet people.”
Wen Xiaoxiao became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, "Sister-in-law, you are meticulous and good at keeping accounts. If we go together, it will definitely work."
Han Manjuan was somewhat tempted, but didn't agree immediately: "Let's talk about it after the baby is born. My mind is still a bit muddled right now."
The meal didn't end until after 8 PM.
Wenbin helped Han Manjuan walk back slowly, the children went upstairs to do their homework, and Wen Xiaoxiao cleared away the dishes.
Zhao Fei remained silent. After taking a shower, he went to bed with his back to Wen Xiaoxiao.
After Wen Xiaoxiao finished tidying up and came into the house, she saw his expression and understood what was going on.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and gently nudged him: "Are you angry?"
"No," Zhao Fei said in a muffled voice.
"Not yet, your face is already so long." Wen Xiaoxiao leaned on his shoulder. "Is it because I said I wanted to do wholesale business?"
Zhao Fei turned over and looked at her: "Xiaoxiao, you're thirty-three already."
"What's wrong with Thirty-Three?" Wen Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled.
“No, I mean…” Zhao Fei sat up, his brows furrowed, “Aren’t we doing well now? The shop is open, the factory is under construction, we have enough to eat and wear. Why do you still have to put yourself through this? Wholesale business is so tiring, you have to travel to other places, you have to carry goods, you have to deal with all sorts of people. I don’t want you to work so hard.”
Wen Xiaoxiao looked at him and suddenly reached out to brush the hair from his forehead.
Under the light, a few strands of white hair stood out.
“You have gray hair now,” Wen Xiaoxiao said softly.
Zhao Fei paused for a moment, then turned his face away: "Isn't it normal to have gray hair when you're over forty?"
“That’s normal.” Wen Xiaoxiao’s fingers gently stroked his temples. “But Zhao Fei, a person’s life isn’t just about having enough to eat and wear. I’m only thirty-three, and I don’t want to stop now.”
She paused, her voice softening further: "You know what kind of life I used to live. I married Zhao Qingda, thinking I had found someone to rely on, but what happened? When he cheated on me, I wanted to get revenge, but what could I do besides go to you? After giving birth to Xiao Gai, I realized that a woman can't rely on anyone else but herself."
“You have me now.” Zhao Fei held her hand. “I can be your support for the rest of your life.”
“I know.” Wen Xiaoxiao grasped his hand in return, their fingers intertwined. “But I also want you to be able to rely on me. The cannery requires a large investment, and if… I mean if there are any setbacks, we still have other options. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket, nor do I want to be a woman who only asks for money.”
Zhao Fei looked at the light in her eyes and refused to admit defeat.
He sighed and pulled her into his arms: "I feel sorry for you. Seeing how much you suffered before, and how hard things have finally turned out for you..."
“Now we have to work even harder.” Wen Xiaoxiao leaned against his chest. “Life has taught me that as long as you can move, you have to keep moving forward. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, it’s the same.”
Zhao Fei didn't speak, he just held her. After a long while, he said in a muffled voice, "Then promise me you won't overwork yourself. Your health is the most important thing."
"I promise." Wen Xiaoxiao looked up, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Then you can't be angry anymore."
"I'm not angry."
"You said you weren't angry, but you were ignoring me just now."
Zhao Fei was amused by her and pinched her cheek: "Your mouth..."
Wen Xiaoxiao suddenly leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth.
Zhao Fei was taken aback. Wen Xiaoxiao was already close to his ear, her voice soft and gentle: "Are you really not angry anymore?"
Her warm breath brushed against his ear, and her fingers traced his neck intentionally or unintentionally.
Zhao Fei's Adam's apple bobbed, and he grabbed her mischievous hand: "Xiaoxiao, you..."
"What's wrong with me?" Wen Xiaoxiao looked at him with bright eyes, and with her other hand, she unbuttoned the first button of his pajamas.
Zhao Fei looked at her—a thirty-three-year-old woman with fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but the light in her eyes was brighter and more captivating than when she was in her twenties.
She was no longer a weak person who needed his protection, but someone who could walk alongside him.
This realization suddenly softened something within him.
He lowered his head and kissed her, no longer holding back.
Wen Xiaoxiao chuckled softly, went to meet him, and ran her fingers through his graying hair.
As night deepened, a few occasional meows drifted in from outside the window, quickly fading into silence. (Sigh... Fei-ge is getting old after all... Did you all understand?)
A few days later, Zhao Fei went to the outskirts of the city to check on a construction site. On his way back, his car ran out of gas, so he pulled into a gas station.
After filling up the gas tank, the staff handed him an advertising flyer: "Boss, want to take a look? This is a prime location; buy it now for future generations to benefit."
Zhao Fei was about to throw it away when he noticed the words "permanent property rights" and "beside the mountains and water" on it. He paused, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket.
He took it out and placed it on the table during dinner that evening.
Zhou Lanying was serving food to Xiao Gai when she saw the picture of the cemetery on the paper, and her hand trembled: "This is..."
“Mom, Xiaoxiao, I want to discuss something with you.” Zhao Fei said calmly, “I want to buy a burial plot and move Li Rui’s grave here.”
The table was silent for a few seconds.
Wen Xiaoxiao was the first to react: "Move over here?"
“Hmm.” Zhao Fei looked at Zhou Lanying. “Mom is getting old and wants to see her daughter, but she has to take a long bus ride. Moving her to this cemetery in the suburbs is closer to home, and you can get there by bus. Yidi… can also visit her mother more often.”
Zhou Lanying's eyes instantly reddened. She put down her chopsticks, her hands trembling slightly: "Xiaofei, you...you're still thinking about this..."
“It’s only right,” Zhao Fei said. “Li Rui is Yi Di’s mother and also my ex-wife. We lived far apart before, so there was nothing we could do. Now that we’re better off, we should let her live closer.”
Wen Xiaoxiao grasped Zhou Lanying's hand and nodded to Zhao Fei: "I support it. What do you think, Auntie?"
Zhou Lanying wiped her eyes: "Okay, okay... It's good that you're moving here. I'm too old to travel anymore. Now I can go see her whenever I miss her..."
Zhao Yidi, who had been silent all along, suddenly put down her bowl and ran upstairs.
"Yidi?" Wen Xiaoxiao wanted to follow.
"Let her be by herself for a while," Zhao Fei said softly. "This child... she's actually been thinking about this a lot."
Upstairs in the room, Zhao Yidi took out a tin box from the deepest part of the drawer and opened it.
There was only a photocopy of a marriage certificate inside, which was yellowed and worn at the edges, and the face of the young woman in it was somewhat blurry.
She has almost no memory of her birth mother.
She lost her mother at the age of three and can only remember a few scattered scenes.
A warm embrace?
A nursery rhyme being hummed?
She couldn't distinguish between what was real and what was just her imagination.
But she kept this photo for many years.
Every year during the Qingming Festival, her father would take her to visit the graves. Looking at the names on the tombstones, she always felt that they belonged to people from a distant story.
Now, that person is coming to the city where she lives.
Zhao Yidi pressed the photo to her chest, and tears fell silently.
I can't explain why I'm crying. Is it for the mother I've never really known, or for the deep affection my father has shown me after so many years, or for the unspoken concern of everyone in this family?
After a long while, she wiped away her tears, carefully put the photos away, and went downstairs.
Wen Xiaoxiao was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and gently hugged her: "Are you alright?"
Zhao Yidi shook her head, walked to Zhao Fei's side, and whispered, "Dad, thank you."
Zhao Fei patted her head without saying anything.
A few days later, Wen Xiaoxiao brought up the matter with Wen Bin.
After listening, Wenbin remained silent for a long while before finally sighing, "Zhao Fei is... truly a man of loyalty and righteousness. Xiaoxiao, you married the right person."
Wen Xiaoxiao looked out the window. In the courtyard, Zhao Fei was teaching Yizhen and Yibao to ride a small bicycle. Sunlight fell on his graying temples.
Yes, she thought.
This man may be stubborn.
Perhaps it's male chauvinism,
But his heart was filled with responsibility, affection, and his large family.
In her heart lay ambition for the future and a stubborn refusal to accept her fate.
These two people, though they stumble and fall along the way, manage to live a vibrant and fulfilling life.
That's enough.
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