Chapter 248: Have you ever thought about going back?
She squatted there, turned her head and looked at the newcomer with a look of disbelief. She stood there for a long time before Wen Shihua spoke first: "Why, you don't recognize your father?"
Wen Wan felt her face getting hot. She stood up slowly, pinched herself with her hand, and her eyes never left Wen Shihua's face. She took a few steps towards him and said, "I feel like I'm dreaming. How come you're here from so far away?" Her voice became hoarse in the second half of the sentence. Her eyes became a little hot as she looked closely at Old Wen in front of her.
Her hair seemed to be a little whiter than the last time I saw her, but her complexion was better than before and she looked energetic. She was not wearing a military uniform, but the Zhongshan suit made of gabardine that she had bought that year. After all, she was thinner than before, and the clothes seemed a little loose on her body, but she could still hold it up after all, she still had the figure.
Wen Shihua looked at her. It had been several years since they last met. She seemed to have changed a bit, yet not much had changed. She was still wearing the same clothes she had taken with her when she left. It had been several years, considering. She was still busy working in the fields with a child. His little girl had been raised with care since she was young. Every letter she wrote to her only said she was doing well, but Old Wen knew that this well-being was ultimately due to being wronged.
But how can one live without suffering any grievances in this life? One must grow up.
"Let me see you, what are you doing here?"
"Today is Sunday, and I don't have to go to school. I'm at home taking care of the kids and have nothing else to do. I want to peel the garlic sprouts. If I don't do it now, they'll get old and go to waste."
Wen Shihua smiled. After not seeing her for a few years, the little girl who knew nothing about grains now understood everything. The countryside is indeed a place that tests people.
Wen Wan picked up the basket and took Chuyi's hand, greeting him and the guards behind them, and then walked towards home: "Let's go home and talk about it after we get home." Chuyi was a little confused. She didn't understand why they had to go back after just coming out. She looked at Wen Wan and turned to look at the two people following behind her. She had never seen either of these two people before.
When they got home, Wen Wan placed the basket on the eaves, opened the door to the main room and her own room, and called out to Wen Shihua, "Dad, do you want to sit inside or outside?"
Wen Shihua said, "Outside, the weather is nice right now, and the view is good and it's comfortable to sit outside."
Wen Wan brought out two benches from the house and asked the young man who came with him, who looked very energetic in military uniform, to sit down.
Wen Shihua introduced her: "This is the current guard, his surname is Zhang, and his name is Zhang Qianfeng."
Wen Wan nodded and smiled, gave him a very standard military salute, and then greeted him: "Hello, Comrade Zhang Qianfeng, sit down, sit down and rest!"
The other party returned the gift, thanked him, and then sat down.
There was a smile on Wen Shihua's weather-beaten face, and even his deep eyes were filled with mottled light. His gaze was always on Wen Wan and never left.
Chuyi was a little shy, and she ran away as soon as Wen Wan let go of her hand. Wen Wan didn't care about her until she left the yard. She took a bench and sat down on the side. She stood up again and said, "I'll pour you some hot water."
Wen Shihua didn't stop her and let her be busy.
Wen Wan walked into the room, opened the desk cabinet, took out a pair of enamel pots with "Serving the Name" printed on them, went to the kitchen, washed the pots several times, put a little tea leaves in them, rinsed them with boiling water, and took them out.
The jar was a prize she won, and she had never used it. She picked the tea leaves with Lu Dongping when they went up the mountain, and then she learned how to roast them herself from others.
Wen Shihua raised his eyebrows: "Is there any tea?"
Wen Wan sat down and said, "Dad, try this. Dongping and I made this ourselves. We made it in the mountains a while ago, and it's considered this year's new tea." It wasn't much, but it was a rare treasure at home. Lu Chun'e had learned this from someone at the textile factory and then taught her back home. It's not popular here these days, as it's considered bitter, but Wen Wan really enjoys it, especially in the summer when she steeps it; it's very refreshing. Besides, if someone comes over, steeping some is always better than just giving them plain water.
Wen Shihua said cheerfully: "That's really amazing. You can even make your own tea."
It’s still the same as before. As long as I like something, I can learn it once I learn it. If my family asks me to learn something I can learn it well.
Wen Wan smiled, and her previous excitement subsided a little. She finally felt a little real. Just now in the private plot, she felt like she was dreaming.
"It's so far, why would Dad come here?"
Wen Shihua took a sip of tea, then set the mug aside and slowly spoke, "I'm here to inspect the Southwest Military Region. I figured I'd be close to you, a rare opportunity, so I came to visit." It's too far. Unless he retires one day and has more time to travel, it'll be hard for him to come back after this visit. His daughter is married and has children. He can't go through life without even knowing what her in-laws are like or which way the front door faces.
Although we often communicate, what is written on paper is not as real as what you see with your own eyes.
"Then, how long can you stay here?"
Wen Shihua looked at his daughter's hopeful eyes and said after a while, "I'll go back the day after tomorrow, directly to the capital."
Wen Wan lowered her eyes slightly, then nodded: "That's not bad, there's still a day tomorrow, I can still talk to you and accompany you around here."
"Tomorrow is Monday, so you should be working, right?"
"I'm asking for leave!" It's too difficult to come here from afar. I don't know when we'll meet again after this time. No matter how important the work is, it's not as important as this.
Wen Shihua disagreed: "You should work hard. You can't just take leave for personal reasons. Tomorrow, um, Dad will go to school with you to see if you study hard."
Wen Wan was slightly startled, then playfully saluted him: "Welcome, Commander, to review!"
Wen Shihua laughed out loud, and couldn't help but point at her: "You, you are still like a child."
This made the guard next to him laugh.
After chatting for a while and getting to know each other's recent situation, Wen Shihua asked, "Dongping isn't going to the Armed Forces Headquarters on Sunday, right? Is he going to work?"
Wen Wan nodded: "It's not really busy these days, but there is still work to do in the fields. Now that it's warm, I won't be idle at home."
"Where is the child?" When asking this question, Wen Shihua's eyes fell on Chuyi again. The little girl got a stick and was poking hard in the gutter.
"She's sleeping in the house. This one belongs to the uncle next door. I happened to be at home today, so she didn't go to the fields with me. She's a very obedient little girl. She can play with Dandan."
As they were talking, Lu Dongping appeared at the entrance of the yard with a sack in his hand. He was stunned when he saw the person sitting on the eaves. Like Wen Wan before, he could not believe his eyes.
Wen Wan saw him and shouted, "Dongping? You didn't go to the fields?" He went out with his family in the morning, and she thought he was going to work in the fields.
Lu Dongping strode into the yard and said as he walked, "No, I had something to do today, so I went to the county town." As he said that, he walked to the eaves and called Wen Shihua with a smile, "Dad!", and then said, "You've come all the way here, thank you for your hard work." It was really beyond his expectations. He really didn't think that Wen Wan's father would come back here from such a distance.
In addition to being shocked, I was also a little nervous and even a little panicked inside.
He had met Wen Shihua only once, on a farm in the north. At that time, Wen Shihua was sent to the farm for reform and his life was even worse than theirs. So when they met that time, he was not nervous at all. But this time, it was different.
It is said that his father-in-law had returned to the capital a long time ago. Although he did not know what position he held, it must be quite high. The huge difference in financial situation between the two families made him feel ashamed just thinking about it.
Wen Shihua, however, was still as kind as before, and responded with a smile: "I didn't come here specially, I just happened to have some work here, so I stopped by to see you. After all, it's a rare opportunity."
Lu Dongping brought the bag into the main room. Inside it were the fine grains he had bought on the black market. The spring corn had already been harvested, and was only an inch or two long. It was still too early to weed, and the wheat had not been harvested yet. The autumn corn would not be harvested until some time later. The fields were not too busy, and he basically never went to work when he had free time. He would run around in the woods, and take whatever he got to the county town. He would go out early and come back late, with no fixed time.
He finished work early today, so he brought some food back with him. His family hadn't eaten meat since the Chinese New Year, and there weren't many fine grains, so he had to get some. He didn't expect to encounter such a surprise when he got home.
After coming out, he scooped up some water to wash his hands, and then sat down to talk to Wen Shihua.
He knew that his father-in-law had returned to the capital from the farm, but he didn't expect him to come all the way here.
Wen Shihua looked at the young man in front of him with a kind face. He seemed more stable than two years ago, but not as generous as the last time they met. He seemed very nervous.
Wen Shihua raised his eyebrows slightly. He was visiting a relative, so why was this young man so nervous? Could it be that his face had become uglier after so much time?
After exchanging a few pleasantries with him, Wen Shihua said, "It's still early, will you accompany me for a walk?"
Lu Dongping nodded: "Okay!" He stood up and was about to leave, then thought for a moment and called Wen Wan: "Wanwan, why don't you take Dad around the team while I clean up at home." It was getting late, and if they cooked the meat now, they should still be able to have it in time for dinner, but it would be too late if they cooked it any later.
Wen Wan glanced into the room: "Dandan hasn't woken up yet!"
"It's okay, I'm at home!"
After hearing this, Wen Wan stopped being polite with him. Zhang Qianfeng stayed to help Lu Dongping, and she took Wen Shihua out of the yard and walked along the path in the middle of the wheat field towards the educated youth point.
Taking a look at Lujiazui is one thing, but I also have to go and see Xu Qingming. Since Wen Shihua is here, he will always come to keep him company.
After walking a distance down to the wheat fields, Wen Shihua finally spoke: "You've been here for several years. Have you ever thought about going back?"
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