Chapter 84: Chen Lang Riding a Bamboo Horse
"I can help you rent a house when you're further along in the pregnancy." She was pregnant with Han Zhang's child, and Jiang Wanwan was afraid that something might happen to her.
Qin Xiao didn't expect Jiang Wanwan to be so righteous. She choked up and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll go back first." Outsiders saw her as a man, and it would be bad for her sister-in-law's reputation if she stayed here too long.
Jiang Wanwan pointed to the things she brought: "Take the things back, we have everything at home."
Qin Xiao naturally refused: "Keep it. If outsiders ask, just say I am delivering something for Fourth Brother."
"Please come back slowly." Jiang Wanwan saw her out.
Qin Xiaoye brought a total of five oil-paper packages, including two packages of peach cakes, two packages of Fu Ji pastries printed with red words, and a package of Su Xia candy, all of which were not cheap.
Jiang Wanwan picked out two of each item and gave one to Xu Lan's room.
In addition to the pastries, Jiang Wanwan also took twenty yuan for the old lady's portion.
It was the money from selling the topaz, and she had intended to give it to her grandmother during the Chinese New Year. But everyone was in the room on Chinese New Year's Day, and she didn't have the chance.
After dinner, Mr. Shen and Shen Yejun went to help the first and second wives build adobe bricks on the foundation. After the Chinese New Year, the weather gradually warmed up, and there was about a month or two of free time before farming. The first and second wives were busy preparing to build a house.
When Jiang Wanwan came over, Old Lady Shen was sitting on the kang, making shoes: "Why are you here?"
Jiang Wanwan put the food on the table: "Qin Xiao also came over just now and brought us some food on behalf of Xingjiang." She explained first that a man from outside the family came to the house and went straight into her room.
She placed two more large pieces of solidarity in front of Old Lady Shen and said, "Grandma, this is the topaz you gave me last time. I'll sell it and give you twenty."
Old Lady Shen put down the shoe sample and asked: "Does your family deal in antiques?"
Jiang Wanwan did not deliberately hide it: "Yeah."
Old Mrs. Shen seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, her sparse brows relaxed: "Does your father do this too?"
Jiang Wanwan nodded: "He is very good at appraising treasures."
Old Lady Shen was a little excited: "...Is your father's name Jiang Beiwang?"
After Jiang Wanwan got married, she rarely mentioned her family affairs, and she never mentioned her father's name to Old Lady Shen: "How did Grandma know?"
She suddenly remembered what Shen Xingjiang said, that they had met when they were young.
Could it be that you have really seen it?
Old Lady Shen excitedly grabbed Jiang Wanwan's hand, her eyes reddened: "You... don't you remember, your father brought you here in 1951, saying he was going to investigate some Hongshan ruins. I remember you were only four or five years old, and your father got lost by the river with you. It was my family Xingjiang who showed you the way."
"You were playing with him and picked up a yellow stone by the river and gave it to him. He took you home for dinner. Your father told me that the topaz was valuable and asked me to help the fourth child keep an eye on it and make sure it didn't get lost."
"I asked him why he didn't take the yellow stone if it was valuable. He said his daughter gave it to a friend and he couldn't take it. He also checked for us and said there were things under our old house. I was afraid of digging them out, so I never dared to renovate the house."
Old Mrs. Shen became more and more excited as she spoke, and although the corners of her eyes were drooped with the traces of time, the old woman's eyes were full of spirit.
In 1951...she was only five years old.
Jiang Wanwan felt as if a spice jar had broken in her heart, with mixed emotions: "I vaguely remember that my father took me to a very barren place, and a little brother took me to the river to play. I couldn't swim and almost drowned. In order to save me, he hit his leg on a rock and bled a lot..."
"He also went to the forest and found four or five pheasant eggs. He cooked the eggs for me to eat. Because I was greedy, he lied to me and said he didn't like them, so he gave me all the eggs."
Old Lady Shen smiled and shook her head: "He lied to you. We ate from the same pot in the 1960s, and he has never eaten meat since he was born."
As she talked, the memories of that year turned from yellow to bright colors. Jiang Wanwan even remembered the sound of the gurgling river, the singing of birds in the mountains, the fragrance of wild flowers, and the mottled shade of the trees.
And... that little brother with messy hair and tattered clothes. He is dirty all over, taciturn and basically never speaks, but his eyes are black and bright, like the brightest stars in the night sky.
He looked thin, but he was very strong. He could hold her and catch butterflies, help her catch grasshoppers, and pick sour jujubes. The little brother had nothing and was even poorer than he is now, but he spoiled her like a little princess.
Old Mrs. Shen nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, that's right. I remember he liked you very much. He said you were sweet and well-behaved, like a little sugar bean."
"I was too young at the time. I don't remember where my father took me. I didn't expect it to be this..."
On the way home, Jiang Wanwan was sitting on the train. Being still young, she quickly forgot about the people and things here and only remembered the excitement and happiness of going out.
After returning home, she also liked climbing trees and catching cicadas for a while. Cheng Shiguan thought it was dirty, and it happened that he got a new mandarin duck kite, so Jiang Wanwan turned around and went to play with other things.
…How did Shen Xingjiang live after she left?
Old Mrs. Shen felt happy when she thought about how the pretty little girl had finally become the wife of her fourth son and how she was so filial to her.
"The fourth brother was still upset about his mother's affairs. He didn't like to speak Chinese since he was a child and didn't like to get close to Chinese people. I didn't expect him to take care of you. After you left, he became even less talkative."
"I thought he would fight with me all his life, but who knew that after you were sent down here, he was obsessed with you the first time he saw you. He would hang around you during the day and help you with your work, and come back at night to practice Chinese. He was afraid that his pronunciation was not correct and his speech was not pleasant, so he dared not speak in front of you."
Shen Xingjiang was raised by Old Lady Shen. He is tough and smart, but also has a very weird personality. If he hadn't met Wan Wan, his life would have ended here.
Jiang Wanwan pursed her lips tightly, trying to hold back her tears: "He never told me why he pretended not to be able to speak. I didn't expect that he was afraid that I would dislike him."
He recognized her, but he didn't tell her.
...This person's mouth is useless except for teasing her.
Old Lady Shen helped her wipe away her tears: "He is like that. Sometimes he is like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, with no air flowing at all."
Old Lady Shen endured it for a moment, but still asked, "Where's your father? How...how did he die?"
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