97.097 Going Home
The four of them spent a long time taking the bus around Harbin, focusing on visiting the Harbin Institute of Technology, which is known as the "cradle of engineers." Everyone there becomes a big shot in society. Su Yu led the two children on a careful tour, looking at the introductions of the various colleges and the profiles of famous alumni.
I returned to school in the afternoon and ran into Lao Wang, who had been waiting for me for a while, at the gate. "Sister-in-law, can you take me inside for a look?"
“You can go in, no one will stop you,” she said.
Old Wang sighed, looked at Ning Jin, and spread his hands in self-deprecation: "I have no guts. I'm a roughneck standing outside the school and I'm scared. I haven't even taken a few steps inside. I don't know what to do with my hands and feet. There are intellectuals inside. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake and offend their eyes."
"What are you saying, Brother Wang? We're all working class. Half a year ago, we were busy in the fields and factories. Now we've just moved to a different place." Su Yu led him inside and asked, "Are you here to see Ning Jin? Are you going back?"
"Hey, the truck leaves tomorrow at noon, are you in time?" Talking about the trip, Old Wang relaxed and muttered that he had already started loading the goods and that he might not be able to come again until next month.
“I’m not going with you. Xiao Yuan and Ping An have never ridden a train before. I’ll take them on one. Ning Jin will go with you tomorrow. I’ll take them to play here for a few more days, and then we’ll take the train to the capital to see the universities there, to encourage them, and to encourage them to study hard when they get back.”
"That's fine too. Sitting in the carriage is torture. It's hot at noon and a bit chilly at night." Old Wang looked at the students in the school, whose demeanor was completely different from their rough and uncultured ways, and he was extremely envious of Ning Jin. He must have been a monk for countless lifetimes and recited countless scriptures to finally marry such a wife in this life. Not only did she not make a fuss about getting a divorce after getting into university, but now her two sons are about to take the university entrance exams as well.
"Xiao Wu, you could treat Su Yu like a queen and it wouldn't be a loss. Look, you don't have to worry about your two sons' schooling at all." He was envious. His son was a good-for-nothing, and his grandson couldn't even speak yet. He wondered if he could see a college student coming out of his family before he passed away.
Ning Jin smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly, "She is Consort Su, I have to treat her with utmost respect."
"Ugh—" Ping An shook off his fat. "That's so cheesy." He said with disgust.
After strolling around the school, I had a meal with Lao Wang from Ningjin. We went to a different restaurant, located in an alley. If it weren't open, you'd think it was just a residential house.
"Can we still make this thing now?" Old Wang asked cautiously.
"If the people don't complain, the officials won't investigate. Nobody cares about these things now, just like you guys carrying goods for others, nobody cares either." In the past, the two of them would deliver goods and carry goods for others, but they always did it with great caution. Now that the Revolutionary Committee has fallen, the people below are tacitly running small businesses in a low-key manner. For experienced drivers like them, people are already daring to come to their door to collect money and deliver goods.
"Big cities change faster. Things haven't changed much where I live. I'm terrified." He shook his head.
"The food is served. Eat up! The chef here cooks delicious food. I came here on the recommendation of a classmate. The food is much better than the state-run restaurants." Su Yu asked Ning Jin to serve Old Wang some food.
Another midnight battle ensued. In the morning, Su Yu, with a rosy complexion, went to buy some things for Ning Jin to take back. When she and Xiao Yuan took the train safely, they only needed to bring their own clothes.
"When are you going back? Give me a rough time, I'll switch shifts with someone and wait for you at home," the man asked as he left.
"Today is the 10th, and we'll be home by the 20th at the latest."
"Okay, I'm leaving now." He glanced at her again, then went into the factory with his bags.
"Come on, let's take a look around here. I've never been here before either." Seeing him get into the car, she turned and left.
Harbin has many universities, so she and her two sons spent two more days there before buying train tickets and boarding the train. They went to the capital first, watched the flag-raising ceremony, and visited the Harbin Forestry University. She said to Xiao Yuan, "This school is more famous than mine, and it's located in the capital of our country. You can consider coming here; it's only a day's drive from where I am."
Seeing his reluctance, Su Yu continued, "If you study here, it will be easy for you to work in my city, but if you study in Harbin, it won't be so easy for you to work in the capital."
"Then you didn't plan to work here."
“I’m getting old. If I were under twenty, I could go to university here. Ping’an is the same. You don’t have to go to university in the same city as me. You’re both taller than me now. You’re not little babies. You’re not going to be unable to live well without your mother.” Su Yu didn’t emphasize it too much, so as not to arouse their rebelliousness. “Anyway, I will save enough money to buy two houses in the capital and live here in the future.” she said.
Xiao Yuan looked at his mother with a mixture of belief and doubt.
Su Yu didn't mention it again and continued strolling around campus, even taking them to climb the Great Wall. She only realized after starting university that Xiao Yuan was quite clingy, writing letters in stacks each time. Ping An told her that when she first left, Xiao Yuan talked about "Mom" constantly, even calling for her in his dreams. This poor kid, she worried he might become a mama's boy or a mother-obsessed man; she couldn't stand that.
She has no interest in guaranteeing anyone's entire life.
After spending three more days in the capital, the three of them boarded a train with their purchases and continued south to their small county town. By then, half a month had passed since their vacation began.
"Aww~" She stood on the road outside the gate and made a strange, high-pitched yell, attracting Little Black and Little Flower to squeeze in at the door and yell back.
"Little Blackie, Little Flower the Dog." She unlocked the door and pushed it open, watching the two dogs jump and leap excitedly, bumping into her so much that she couldn't get into the house. The two dogs seemed to be completely oblivious to the three people behind them.
"Make way, make way, or she'll leave again." Ning Jin carried Xiao Hei's collar into the house first, put the things in the yard, and said, "Every time I come back, they both look behind me, they're looking at you. I heard from Dad that when you left, they would go to the bedroom after they woke up, and if they couldn't find you, they would come out and lie down dejectedly. They used to sleep under the window at night, but now they guard the gate."
Su Yu's eyes welled up with tears just from hearing it. She squatted down and hugged Xiao Hei's head, then stroked Xiao Hua's neck. "I'm going to school now. I'll come back to see you during the holidays. Once I have a job and settle down over there, I'll bring you two over. It's a big place over there, so you won't have to stay cooped up at home anymore."
Xiao Yuan curled her lip, "Liar! He even said he'd buy a house and settle down in the capital."
"Where are Mom and Dad?" She walked inside, followed by two dogs.
“Dad went to herd sheep, and Mom went back to clean the house. Now that you’re back, the old couple wants to move back because they have nowhere to sleep. They come during the day and go back in the evening.” Ning Jin said as she entered the house, “I’ve been airing the blankets for two days, and I’ve also changed and washed the sheets and duvet covers.”
When Su Yu wasn't home, the elderly couple slept in his and her bed. When he drove back, he slept in his son's bed. Later, when Ping An gained weight, he complained that Ping An's breathing was heavy, so he moved to share a bed with Xiao Yuan.
"Home is the best." Su Yu felt like an empress visiting her family. Ning Jin had taken care of everything in the house, and she returned to her cozy home, sitting comfortably in the yard playing with the dog.
Er Ya heard a sound she hadn't heard in a long time coming from next door. Considering that the family was having a reunion, she didn't go over to disturb them. She put down her book and went out to find Xiao Hu. Usually, her older sister was not far from where Xiao Hu played.
"Is the youngest son back yet?" Old Man Su called out before even entering the door.
"You're back." Su Yu greeted him as she came out, looked the old man up and down, and nodded with satisfaction: "Old man, you've taken good care of yourself in the past six months."
"You're so disrespectful! How dare you call me 'old man'? I'm your father." Old Man Su slapped the old maid with a smile. "University has been a good education; you're much more energetic now."
Despite her advancing age, she still feels young. Approaching forty, she doesn't look like a middle-aged woman at all.
"Mom, I knew you'd gained a lot of weight. Ping An can gain weight so much, you can't lose it either." She helped the panting old lady in and scolded her, "You're not thin to begin with, you're already seventy-five or seventy-six. If you get any fatter, you'll get sick."
Yu Anxiu hummed in agreement, then stubbornly said, "It looks better when people get fatter as they get older."
"You're not just a little chubby, Dad. You need to take care of Mom. When people get old, eating too much meat and oil can damage their blood pressure and blood vessels."
“From now on, I’ll let her herd sheep with me. Now we can raise an unlimited number of livestock. I’ve already talked to Qingguo. I won’t herd the sheep in the village anymore. I’ll buy two lambs in the fall, raise them to adulthood and have more lambs. We’ll raise a whole flock, sell them in the winter, and then slaughter two more to share among you four sisters.”
Seeing that the old man had a plan, Su Yu stopped nagging.
"Oh my, it's only been half a month, how come Ping An has lost so much weight? Is the food in Northeast China not to your liking?" Yu Anxiu asked anxiously when she saw her chubby grandson had shrunk.
Ping An was embarrassed at first and didn't dare to look at his mother's face. He stammered to his grandmother, "It's to my liking, but I can't eat or sleep well in the car, so I've lost weight."
"Pfft." Xiao Yuan couldn't help but laugh, her eyes glancing down three inches below his navel.
"What are you laughing at?" Ping An blushed bright red at the laughter and couldn't stand it any longer. She chased Xiao Yuan out, shouting and cursing.
"Let's see when my sister and the others have time in a couple of days, then we can all get together at my house." Su Yu changed the subject to avoid the old lady continuing to nag about how tiring the car ride was.
"Okay, let's get together as soon as possible while you're still unemployed."
After entertaining her three older sisters, Su Yu went to the orchard and brought back some books that she found useful over the past six months to Yu Yuan'an. She said, "Brother Yu, I come back every six months. I bring back any books that I find useful. Books are quite heavy, and it's not cost-effective to mail them back." She didn't want to leave her contact address.
"Okay, how much is the book? I'll pay you." Yu Yuan'an didn't think about anything else. He couldn't take his eyes off the book and even asked, "Su-meizi, did you bring your notes back? Let me see."
"You're only a freshman, so the teachers are teaching the basics, and the focus is on forestry. It's not really suitable for planting fruit trees. You don't need to pay for the books; they're a gift I brought for you, and they're used. Don't mind them, Brother Yu."
Since she said that, Yu Yuan'an didn't ask any more questions. He said, "I don't mind at all. Of course I don't mind. It's just that I'm sorry to have troubled you to bring it back from so far away."
"Xiao Yuan and Ping An didn't come?" Qiu Fuli asked. "I was waiting for them to come and do free work."
"I went to see my classmates, Brother Qiu. This is some snacks I brought for my wife and kids. They're from Northeast China. You should try some too." Su Yu handed the things wrapped in oil paper from the basket to Qiu Fuli.
"You're too kind." Qiu Fuli was surprised, not expecting Su Yu to bring them things after returning from school. "Come on, let's go to the orchard and pick a basket of fruit to take back. It's been dry this year, so the peaches and melons are sweet, and the grapes are growing well too, though they're not fully ripe yet."
Su Yu didn't pick any fruit from the fruit trees brought back from the south, nor did she touch the grafted ones. She just picked some local peaches and a few melons. Qiu Fuli even went back to get a sack and picked five large watermelons for her, which he then tied to the back seat.
"Auntie, you're back?" Er Ya had just visited five days ago, after Su Yu had returned.
"Yes, you're back. Come and have some peaches, they're still warm. Let them soak in water for a while." Su Yu washed her face and asked Er Ya how she had been doing for the past six months.
"It's great. After my dad offered to let me go to school, my mom stopped objecting. Now I'm studying at home and no one is gossiping. I'm just waiting for school to start so I can go." She's just a little uneasy, feeling that this good life is too sudden. Her dad has never really looked at her and her sister properly before, and this sudden kindness makes her uneasy.
"Okay, go and study hard. Ask your teacher if you don't understand anything. Don't get involved in other things. You don't know how to ride a bicycle yet, do you? I'll teach you tomorrow. From now on, you can ride my old bike to school. I'll push it in the morning and bring it back after school in the afternoon." She was a grown woman, and Xiao Yuanping was not young either. It was better to keep a distance. It wasn't appropriate for a boy and girl to ride a bike with someone on it. Besides, Xiao Yuanping would graduate a year earlier than her, and she would always have to go to school alone.
Er Ya was speechless. She had no means of transportation to go to school. A bicycle was a big deal. She never expected that Aunt Su would lend her a bicycle. Her slightly elation immediately subsided. She was able to go to school not because her parents were kind-hearted, but because a complete stranger had given her all the help.
"Thank you, Auntie. I will definitely study hard."
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