Chapter 55, The Second Letter
Luo Hong really didn't have any thoughts about marriage. He quite enjoyed his current life of having fun all the time, but during holidays, everyone would tease or urge him to get married, which made him occasionally feel fortunate that his family didn't have many relatives and that he didn't have to face the barrage of questions from others.
But upon closer reflection, Luo Hong felt quite unfilial. He quickly repented and bowed in the direction of his grandparents' burial site. The old folks' graves were originally in their hometown, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, his father went to great lengths to move them to a public cemetery in Beijing. Every year during the Qingming and Winter Solstice festivals, the whole family would go there together.
All Luo Hong could remember about his elders were two cold tombstones. Even his father, whose parents had died young, had only the regret of losing his father at a young age left behind a blurry image in his mind decades later.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted during the New Year holiday, and rode his bicycle toward Quanjude.
On days like these, long queues formed at the roast duck stalls, with people circling the intersection three times. Luo Hong spotted his father from afar, but when he showed a hint of wanting to go over, he was glared at by the others as if he were trying to cut in line.
He was afraid that if he squeezed forward two more steps, he might be surrounded, so he had no choice but to stand reluctantly on the side of the road, craning his neck to look inside.
As they watched, someone called out, "Brother Luo."
Luo Hong turned around and immediately recognized Zhou Xiuhe, whom he had only met once before. He politely said, "Little Zhou."
Zhou Xiuhe was initially worried that he had mistaken someone else for someone else, but after a sigh of relief, he secretly looked around for the person he wanted to see.
Luo Hong was so sizing up that it was hard for him to ignore her. He said, "Am I the only one here? Are you here to buy roast duck too?"
Zhou Xiuhe, having his secret thoughts exposed, became even more enthusiastic and said, "Yes, I bought two. Brother Luo, you can take one."
My parents came to Beijing for the Spring Festival and naturally stayed in a guesthouse, so it was inconvenient for them to cook. We had to buy food for our reunion dinner today.
No, no, no, we're not even that close.
Luo Hong waved his hand: "No need, my dad is in line."
The elders were also there. Zhou Xiuhe subconsciously stood at attention, his hands feeling awkward and unsure of what to do.
What? You want to meet your parents?
Luo Hong looked at him, thinking that he couldn't just send him away.
Fortunately, Zhou Xiuhe also realized it was inappropriate, and the next second he said, "Then I'll be going."
He said he was leaving, but he didn't take a step; his face clearly showed that he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Luo Hong thought that since it was the New Year, he should do something good and said, "She received your letter."
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone knew who this "she" was. Zhou Xiuhe was overjoyed: "Thank you, Brother Luo. I wish you, uh, you and Uncle a happy new year, good health, and all the best."
Luo Hong accepted the blessings and stared at his back for a while, unaware that his father had already strolled up to him.
Luo Xinmin: "You came here looking for me?"
Luo Hong took the things from his father's hands: "How could that be? My mom asked me to come out and buy something, and I happened to run into an acquaintance."
There isn't a single person in Beijing that my son doesn't know.
Luo Xinmin: "Okay, you go ahead and buy it. I'll take the bus back."
Luo Hong put the roast duck into the bicycle basket: "Okay, take your time."
He successfully completed his task this morning, buying red sausage and entering the house one after the other with his father.
Luo Xinmin sat down to rest in the living room, turned the TV volume down a bit, and said, "Strange, where's my sister?"
Liu Yinfeng, who was working in the kitchen, poked her head out and said, "You said you wanted to buy candied hawthorns. Didn't you see them when you came into the alley?"
Luo Xinmin: "I didn't wait for the No. 6 bus, so I crossed back from the side. The traffic was terrible today, a complete mess."
As I said before, it's Chinese New Year.
Luo Hong poured his father a glass of water and said, "I'm going out for a bit, Mom, make me a bowl of dumplings."
He was about to leave with his lunchbox when Luo Yan came in with a candied hawthorn skewer that only had one hawthorn left. She took the last bite, threw the skewer into the stove to make the most of it, and asked, "Where are you going?"
Luo Hong: "I'm not taking you."
Luo Yan deduced his true meaning from his tone and followed him closely, saying, "I insist on going."
Luo Hong didn't say no, and the brother and sister walked along the alley. He said casually, "I just saw Xiao Zhou at Quanjude."
"Little Zhou?" Luo Yan realized, "Zhou Xiuhe? What a coincidence."
It's one thing to be lucky, but Luo Hong said, "I think you seem quite regretful."
Luo Yan smiled sheepishly, looked away as if to look at the sky, but in her heart she was thinking: I should have gone.
Luo Hong could tell the difference, and said irritably, "What, is it wrong for me not to let you get windy?"
Luo Yan pledged her loyalty: "How could you be wrong? Everything you do is right."
It's good that we know who the king and queen are, but there's something Luo Hong is curious about: "Isn't he from Guangzhou? Why didn't he go back for the New Year?"
Luo Yan: "His parents are both railway workers, so they can schedule a two-day stopover in Beijing before he returns after the New Year."
The railway is a good employer, and he's the only child in a dual-income family. Just look at the major he chose; he'll be working in the same system as his parents, so at least his future will be secure.
Luo Hong had his own internal scoring system and said, "Not bad."
"What's so good?" Luo Yan glanced at her brother and asked, "Huh?"
"What? What? What?" Luo Hong said, "Why do you have so many questions?"
Who was asking the most questions? Luo Yan mouthed a curse before finally remembering to ask, "Who are we going to deliver dumplings to?"
Luo Hong: "Give this to Chengzi, he's on duty today."
Chen Cheng worked in the security department of the No. 8 State-owned Cotton Mill. He sat in the guard post and stared outside. When he saw his childhood friend, he waved to him.
Luo Hong handed the food in through the window: "It's piping hot, just have a bite."
Chen Cheng showed him how many lunchboxes he had: "I'm letting you guys eat one by one. After I finish eating today, I won't need to eat for three days."
Luo Hong, who was tall, leaned his head slightly inward and said, "You eat better than I do."
Luo Yan wasn't as tall as her brother, so she stood on tiptoe to see just how good he was.
Chen Cheng teased, "Yan'er, listen to your brother, go back and eat more, and see if you can grow taller."
Luo Yan glanced sideways: "I'll be twenty-one tomorrow, how much longer can I grow?"
Chen Cheng: "If you have the chance, don't be discouraged."
He remembered his duty and kept an eye on his surroundings as he spoke, then suddenly laughed out loud: "Another one."
The Luo siblings turned around together to see who was greeting them with different names.
Sparrow, carrying a lunchbox, said, "Well, I'm late."
Luo Hong made room for him, saying, "It's so late, and other people are having a Manchu Han Imperial Feast."
The sparrow glanced at it and said, "Your food is really good."
Khan Chen Cheng counted his troops, listing the names of his childhood friends: "The fried liver that Hongyang gave us, the one that Sanfang took..."
As he rattled off the names of the dishes, Luo Hong swallowed hard, saying, "You're making me hungry."
Chen Cheng: "Go back, everyone. Come to my place for tea tomorrow."
Luo Hong didn't stand on ceremony. He first strode forward to signal his sister to follow, then spoke to Sparrow as he asked, "How many days will your shop be closed?"
Sparrow: "I haven't stopped all day. As soon as those kids get their New Year's money, they'll have to spend it on me."
His shop is mostly filled with comic books, which are children's favorites.
The logic is correct. Luo Hong: "How come your description makes you sound like a robber?"
Sparrow: "Since you're not cultured enough, try to come up with some nice words, little sister. Let your brother learn from you."
Luo Yan shrugged and shook her head: "I can't be influenced by it."
Luo Hong thought to himself that he had no affinity with these two words. Just as he arrived at the entrance of No. 13 courtyard, he gave his childhood friend a playful kick: "Go back to your place and learn on your own."
Sparrow chuckled, glanced casually at Luo Yan, and brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes: "Want to play cards this afternoon?"
Luo Hong: "I'll call, I'll come over after I finish eating."
The sparrow waved casually and flew away, and the brother and sister went home as well.
The parents were busy in the kitchen. When they saw their children, they said, "Dinner is ready."
Lunch was simple, just dumplings.
Luo Yan ate quickly, and after taking a bite, she burned her tongue and opened her mouth to suck in air.
Liu Yinfeng waved her hand twice to ward off the wind for her daughter, saying, "Be careful."
Luo Yan gave a vague reply, but it didn't stop her from eating while listening to the adults talk.
Luo Hong can also be considered one of the adults.
He asked, "Aren't there several wedding banquets on the third day of the Lunar New Year?"
Thankfully, he reminded Liu Yinfeng, "Could you switch to a day shift?"
In the middle of the Lunar New Year, where can I be transferred?
Luo Hong: "It's okay, I'll eat first and then go to work."
"That must be exhausting," Liu Yinfeng thought, turning her gaze to her daughter.
Luo Yan replied knowingly, "I'll go to whichever one is given to me."
The third day of the Lunar New Year this year was an especially auspicious day. My family received several invitations, and it would be offensive to go to one invitation but not another.
Liu Yinfeng: "Okay, then you go to Chen Laizi's house with Aunt Xiujuan?"
Aunt Xiujuan is a very nice person, but she often makes remarks that don't align with Luo Yan's thinking, so we really can't get along.
She asked, "What about the others?"
Other? Liu Yinfeng: "How about we go to Fatty Wang's house with your Aunt Li?"
Aunt Li, Luo Yan hesitated for a moment and then nodded, but it was clear that she probably felt quite reluctant as well.
Luo Hong interjected, "Jianjun and Fatty Wang are sworn brothers, so the three of them will definitely be going."
Luo Yan was overjoyed: "Perfect, I can sit with Hongyu."
Listen to what kind of talk this is, Luo Hong: "What will you do when you have to do favors on your own in the future?"
Luo Yan: "I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and do it. It's not like I can't do it."
She was pampered at home, and everyone was willing to put her ideas first and consider her happiness in everything. However, she also knew that the outside world was not as she wished, and she raised her chin and said: "Don't underestimate me."
Luo Hong shook his head: "It's hard to think highly of you."
Luo Yan stepped on her brother under the table, swallowed the last dumpling, and put the bowl away in the kitchen.
Liu Yinfeng shouted, "Let me wash it."
Luo Yan rubbed her hands together as she walked out, giggling and saying, "Mom, you've worked hard."
Girls should enjoy their time at home and relax.
Liu Yinfeng, with her good temper, said, "Go play."
Luo Yan had nothing fun to do, so she went back to her room, spread out paper and pen, and added a few more lines to the reply she had written yesterday—"My brother said he ran into you today..."
After finishing writing and feeling quite satisfied, I smoothed out the creases and placed it securely on a book. Then, resting my chin on my elbow on the table, I looked outside and suddenly wondered: I wonder when Zhou Xiuhe's next letter will arrive.
--
Zhou Xiuhe's next letter arrived quickly, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and it was still a local mail item.
However, once Luo Yan opened the package, she knew he was already on the train back to Guangzhou, and she started counting on her fingers for no reason how many days until school started.
You're calculating so meticulously that no one knows you're doing it for someone else.
Luo Hong worked the night shift last night and spent almost the entire day catching up on sleep. When he woke up and wanted a glass of water, he saw his younger sister sitting in the living room with her back to him as soon as he stepped out of his room.
He deliberately slowed his pace to startle her, and said, "What are you doing?"
Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around to glare at him angrily: "You scared me to death."
Luo Hong bluntly stated, "Yes, I did it on purpose."
He glanced at it again: "Writing every day, you're burning through so many stamps."
Luo Yan held up one finger to indicate: "Three days later."
Luo Hong slapped her hand away and took a cookie from the table: "What did you have for lunch?"
He couldn't get up for lunch.
Luo Yan countered, "What do you think?"
With no idea how long they would eat the leftovers from New Year's Eve, Luo Hong said while his mother was out, "I need to cook myself a bowl of noodles."
His noodles were so plentiful that Luo Yan could smell the oil from the fried eggs. She put the letter away and exclaimed, "I want some too!"
She's always there wherever there's food. Luo Hong: "After you finish eating, help me with some chores."
Luo Yan moved to the kitchen doorway: "What chores?"
Luo Hong: "The factory has issued a new rule that everyone has to copy."
How come I have to help him copy books when he was a child, and now I still have to help him copy books as an adult? Luo Yan: "This request is unreasonable. How many people in your factory can't even read a few words?"
If you don't even recognize the characters, how can you possibly remember them after copying them once? It's a complete waste of paper and pen.
Luo Hong: "When the leader says so, we have to copy it even if it's unreasonable."
"What kind of leaders are these?" Luo Yan muttered to herself for a moment, then realized, "They're not going to give each person a copy, are they?"
That's wishful thinking. The factory has to pay for all the distribution. Luo Hong: "I borrowed one from someone. It's in my bag."
Luo Yan: "Okay, I'll let you copy it tonight."
Luo Hong suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Should you copy it first or write a reply first?"
Since I can't send the letter anyway, it doesn't matter which day I write it.
Luo Yan replied matter-of-factly, "It must be copying from a book."
"Very good," Luo Hong said, putting the larger egg into his sister's bowl. "Here you go."
Luo Yan picked up the bowl and blew on it to cool it down. She had just taken a bite when she heard someone come in. She quickly tried to shove the bowl into her brother's hands.
Luo Hong did not answer.
He stood facing the door and said loudly, "Mom, I'm reporting that Luo Yan disregarded our family's rule of eating leftovers until the seventh day of the new year and secretly cooked noodles."
"Who is he?" Luo Yan said coquettishly, "Mom, it wasn't me. I couldn't bear to put so much oil in."
Leftovers were actually quite meaty, and Liu Yinfeng thought they tasted just as good when reheated. However, the children always felt that they had a strange smell after being reheated. She said, "If you don't eat them, your dad and I will."
He couldn't help but change the subject: "Luo Hong, is oil free?"
Luo Hong ate his noodles with a grin, and after finishing, he said, "I'm going out for a bit."
It's still the night shift, Liu Yinfeng said: "Don't stay out too late."
Luo Hong agreed loudly, and before leaving, he told his sister, "Hold on tight."
He was more of a leader than the boss, and Luo Yan made faces behind her brother.
Although Liu Yinfeng didn't know what kind of riddle the brother and sister were playing, she encouraged them: "Why don't you just scold him to his face?"
Luo Yan touched her pocket: "I feel a little embarrassed because someone just sent me a big red envelope."
Speaking of this, Liu Yinfeng rarely asked, "Is the car dealership doing well? How much money has your brother made?"
Luo Yan zipped up her mouth: "He didn't say, so I can't say."
Knowing they were on the same side, Liu Yinfeng said, "I see he's got plenty of money now. No, we still need to let him save more."
The couple used to only have a salary, and they didn't care about their son, thinking that he was only responsible for himself and the rest of the family was not. But now that they have more money, they can't help but worry.
Luo Yan: "Then let him send more home, and you can put it away."
Liu Yinfeng: "I won't deposit it for him. He's an adult, it's his problem if he can't save it."
Another year has passed, and she still only has one worry on her mind: "When I get married, I'll have someone to take care of him."
Luo Yan chimed in for her mother, and after finishing her noodles, she went back to her room to help her brother copy things. As she was writing, she felt a pain in her neck, so she swung it as she walked to the living room.
Liu Yinfeng was watching TV when she saw her daughter looking bored: "Yanyan, can you go to Aunt Xiujuan's house to get a flower pattern for Mom?"
Luo Yan was going to move around anyway, so she agreed and headed outside. Since it was nearby, she didn't wear a hat or scarf, and the wind made her shiver. As she reached the entrance of courtyard number 21, she called out, "Is Aunt Xiujuan home?"
The shout didn't reach Wang Xiujuan, who was staying in the west wing, but it reached the Zhou family, who lived in the main house. Zhou Weifang, who was rarely home, caught it and immediately stood up: "Mom, I'm going back to the shop."
Yu Shuilang: "Finish your meal before you leave."
Zhou Weifang: "No need."
He finished speaking and was about to leave when Luo Yan, who had just received the flower pattern her mother wanted, was about to leave the hospital. He quickly called out to her.
Although he lived in this courtyard, Luo Yan hadn't seen him in the alley for a while, and she blurted out instinctively, "What are you doing here?"
After saying that, he realized he had asked a stupid question and awkwardly covered his mouth.
Look at her big, bright eyes. Zhou Weifang: "I just came back from my grandma's house with my mom."
No wonder. Luo Yan asked as she lifted her foot to leave, "Are you going back to the shop now?"
Zhou Weifang: "No, I just heard your voice and wanted to ask you a question."
Luo Yan: "You even read books during the Spring Festival, that's great."
Why does this tone sound like it's coaxing a child? Zhou Weifang thought to himself: Oh well, it doesn't matter.
He said, "I didn't look at much, there's just one part I don't understand."
Luo Yan rubbed her hands together and said, "When I get home, I'll tell you I'm so cold."
Zhou Weifang was annoyed that he hadn't noticed how thinly she was dressed, and subconsciously took off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck.
Luo Yan was so frightened that her eyes widened, and she stared at him intently.
Zhou Weifang tried to remain calm: "Didn't you say you were cold?"
Luo Yan couldn't refute it for a moment, but she still hurriedly handed the scarf back to him: "You won't be cold after running a few steps."
She ran forward, the strange feeling that had risen in her heart dissipating as she turned around: "Hurry up, I still have to help my brother copy things tonight."
Zhou Weifang followed, clutching the scarf she had used for two seconds. After entering the Luo family home, he greeted the elders.
Liu Yinfeng was surprised that her daughter had brought another child with her, and said, "Are the three parties looking for Luo Hong? He's not home."
Zhou Weifang explained, "I'm here to find Yanzi."
When Liu Yinfeng was looking for her daughter, she immediately became alert, her eyes filled with scrutiny.
Luo Yan, unaware of the situation, asked herself, "What don't you understand?"
Zhou Weifang wrote them all down in his notebook and took it out to show her.
Luo Yan opened it, thought for a few seconds, and then explained, "This item should be included in fixed assets, so..."
Zhou Weifang felt a faint gaze upon her, and after she finished speaking, she said loudly, "I understand."
"I understand," Luo Yan blinked at him, "Are you going to wait for my brother to come back?"
Zhou Weifang, knowing the situation, turned his head and said, "Auntie, I'm leaving now."
Liu Yinfeng snapped out of her daze: "Okay, slow down."
As the others approached, they asked, "What's going on with the three parties?"
Luo Yan: "Studying."
Study? Liu Yinfeng pondered the word, but her attention was still drawn to the television, and she didn't have time to think about it carefully for the time being.
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Author's note: Goodnight~
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