131. 131 Everything is just right.
Su Yu rose to fame in the summer of 1989, and it was at this time that her published papers truly gained academic attention. The incident stemmed from Xiao Yuan's work; he firmly believed his mother's experimental results were correct and stubbornly planted other plants in the area where Pinus tabuliformis was supposed to be planted. Of the 400,000 Pinus tabuliformis trees allocated by the authorities, only about 200,000 were planted. However, after only three years, almost all the Pinus tabuliformis trees, as thick as an adult's arm, withered and died in the dry summer. Of the nearly 200,000 Pinus tabuliformis trees, only about a hundred survived. (Note: There is a real-life example.)
Nearly 200,000 pine saplings, plus labor, transportation, and years of maintenance costs amounting to one or two hundred thousand yuan, had turned a vast expanse of lush green branches into withered twigs and fallen leaves that even villagers considered too thin for firewood. This couldn't be hidden any longer, and a group of people were punished from top to bottom. Su Yuan, from another mountain, then came into the spotlight. The hard-working individual who had been suppressed for three years was now in power, followed by transfers and interviews. Su Yu, who had served as a technical advisor, and her thesis became known to the public. The two improved northwestern deserts appeared in newspapers, on the radio, and on television. Photos taken by Su Yu over the years were published in various newspapers and magazines, highlighting the astonishing change through comparison. Even the company in Ningjin, registered but without a physical entity, became highly sought after; genuine wild desert medicinal herbs no longer had to worry about sales.
"Mom, are there any parts that weren't filmed?" Xiao Yuan asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Let me see, it should be about right. When you return to the capital and write your report, remember to clearly record the green area and vegetation growth here for filing."
Xiao Yuan agreed. He didn't quite understand why his mother was so wary. Even with photos, she was still worried and repeatedly told him to compile the data and send it to the General Administration. However, the local forestry bureau already had records of these data. He thought so and asked her the same question.
“Beware of those with ill intentions. You and I have both toiled in the soil and sand. You’ve spent three years here, and your new clothes have been worn for less than a week before they’re torn and buttons are missing. You’ve put in a lot of effort to achieve this result. If there’s no solid data record, and someone takes advantage of the situation and cuts down and sells the mature forest in a decade or two, there’s nothing you can do about it.” Su Yu always trusted the data she had personally compiled more.
"When are you planning to get married? You've been dating Minmin for over two years. She's a good girl. If you're not interested in marriage, don't keep her waiting. If you are, hurry up and don't let some bad boy steal her away." On the way back, she asked about her son's private life. She hadn't inquired about his relationship in the past two years, but with Er Ya acting as matchmaker and writing letters, she knew everything she needed to know. Every time she sent something to Xiao Yuan, she would send an extra copy for him to forward to his girlfriend.
“When I get back, I will visit her parents. If they agree, I will call you and you can go back and discuss the wedding date with me. Let’s try to turn my girlfriend into my wife before the end of this year.”
Su Yu thought about it for a moment. Xiao Yuan had visited Min Min's house several times in the past two years. This didn't seem like her parents were against it. They were probably waiting for Xiao Yuan to be transferred back. This time, he was able to be transferred directly back to the capital instead of the forestry bureau in the province. Min Min's father probably put in a lot of effort.
"There's less going on in the Northwest now, so I'll go back with you. Anyway, I'm going back to see Lele at the beginning of next month, so let's just go earlier."
Su Yu and Ning Jin made two trips with Xiao Yuan but couldn't secure a wedding date before the Lunar New Year. Min Min's parents wanted her to stay at home for the New Year, saying it would be too cold for the bride in winter. After much back and forth, they finally set the wedding date for early summer next year. Min Min's family is from Shenyang, but she works in the capital after returning from studying abroad. Her family bought her a house, and Su Yu bought one in a place she liked as her and Xiao Yuan's wedding home.
The price difference between the apartment they bought in the capital and their current home in Ping An was one or two thousand yuan. Su Yu asked Ning Jin, "Do you think we should get Ping An an apartment?"
"No need to change it, what's the point? He hardly lives in the wedding house we prepared for him. He lives in the apartment his work unit allocated to him every day. Even if you get him a bigger one, he still won't be able to live there." The man rubbed his face and said helplessly, "Su Laoyao, it's true that our son is of marriageable age and has his own thoughts about starting a family. But we are a family, and we used to have a very good relationship. You don't have to be so fair and impartial, making it seem like we're two separate families. We don't have so many ulterior motives. If you keep doing this, it will never be fair. When Ping An got married, I could buy two fruit candies for one cent, but now they're one cent each. According to your calculations, the money they spent on wedding candies is different."
Su Yu listened with a smile as he rambled on, “Can a house be the same as wedding candy? The house prices in the two places are quite different now, and they will be even more different in the future. If you refuse this time, I won’t mention it again. If your eldest son has any complaints, I’ll have him come to you.”
“Let him come find me. What does he want from me? It’s not like I assigned him this job. Let’s not talk about it anymore. Anyway, each of us gets a house, and the rest will only be inherited after we die.”
Su Yu is going back to Northeast China for the Spring Festival again. Xiao Yuan is going to visit his parents-in-law. The plan is to take Min Min back to his hometown after the New Year to see his maternal grandparents and then visit his father. After getting married, they might not be able to get a long leave. Ping An and Xiao Qi are also saving up their annual leave to use after the New Year. Lele hasn't been back to their hometown since she was born.
There weren't enough rooms at home, and since Minmin and Xiaoyuan were engaged, it wouldn't look good for them to live together. So, Xiaoyuan and Ningjin spent the day in town and slept at Su Yu's third sister's house at night, while Su Yu slept with her second daughter-in-law.
“Don’t leave after we’ve all left. Stay here and find a construction team to demolish the old house and build a three-story building. Next time we come back, it’ll be just the two of us on the first floor, and Xiaoyuan and Ping’an on the second floor each,” Su Yu said to Ning Jin. She hadn’t thought about the house before, and this whole thing felt pretty bad.
"We estimate we'll only come back once or twice a year." Ning Jin estimated that after his parents-in-law passed away, they would come back even less often. Building a house is quite a hassle, and he was always afraid that his parents and brothers would come knocking on his door asking for favors whenever he came back.
Su Yu had thought of what he was thinking, but the elderly in the family weren't going to pass away so suddenly. At least six people, three couples, would be coming back, and they couldn't be without a place to sleep. His parents would come back after their passing, and they would come back quite a few times. So she suggested that he build it. The family wasn't short of money for building a house, and if no one lived there, it would be empty. If something happened, it wouldn't scatter the people and force them to squeeze elsewhere.
Knowing that their daughter, son-in-law, grandson, granddaughter-in-law, and great-granddaughter were coming today, the elderly couple woke up early in the morning, put on new clothes and hats, and Mr. Su even had Xiao Xing spray perfume on him.
"Grandpa, I didn't see you making such a big preparation for my wife's return!" Xiaoxing shouted, but his grandpa pretended not to hear him and frowned, asking, "What did you say? What happened to your wife?"
"I said you're biased."
"I favor your wife? No way. If anyone's favoring someone, it's you. You're my grandson."
Xiao Xing rolled his eyes, removed the cap from his wife's perfume bottle, and pumped it again. They were both grandsons, but his grandson from another family, whom he took care of personally, couldn't compare to his grandson from the same family, whom he only saw once a year.
"Oh, Grandpa, you smell so good!" Xiao Yuan sneezed from the strong fragrance and asked his cousin, "Did you break the perfume bottle?"
"Grandpa asked me to spray this to welcome his granddaughter-in-law, whom he has been looking forward to for many years." He looked at the two unfamiliar women and said, "Hello, sisters-in-law, please come in and sit down. We are all family, there's no need to buy so many things."
"You're here? You guys chat first. I'm cooking in the pot, so I won't go out to say hello," Su He called out from the kitchen, then turned around and told her daughter-in-law, who was chopping vegetables, to go out and talk to them.
Yu Anxiu immediately recognized which one was Xiaoyuan's wife. She took Minmin's hand and said, "You look so beautiful in the bracelet. Good girl, live a good life with Xiaoyuan."
“It’s the bracelet that makes me look good, but Grandma has good taste. If you say I’m good-looking, then I really am.” Min Min didn’t pull her hand away, but sat down next to the old woman, following her lead. Su Yuan had told her about the bracelet’s origin, and she had deliberately worn a coat with butterfly sleeves that morning so that the bracelet on her wrist wouldn’t be hidden.
"Mom, I've been here for so long and you haven't even seen me, have you? You've been praising your granddaughter-in-law, and now you're praising your great-granddaughter. When will it be my turn?" Su Yu picked up Lele, moved a stool over, and sat down, interrupting, "Did Grandma give Lele a red envelope? Lele, call Grandma, these are Grandma's mom and dad. If you call her, you'll get a red envelope."
The little girl had never seen such an old man before, and she was a little scared at first, but the fragrant scent made her feel better. She reached out and took the old man's outstretched hand, whispering, "Grandma, you smell so good."
Old Su didn't hear clearly, only a buzzing sound. He pulled a red envelope out of his jacket pocket and said like a thunderclap, "Old lady, you're hard of hearing. You have to shout loudly for me to hear you."
"Grandpa, Lele said you smell especially good." Xiaoxing habitually relayed the message to him.
Old Su smiled and said, "The perfume belongs to your aunt. I still need to use it, so you can buy it yourself."
The little girl glanced at her mother, then stuffed the red envelope into her grandmother's hand. "Grandma, buy this for me, make sure it's sweet."
"Give it to Daddy, Daddy will buy it for you." Ping An sat beside him, smiling as she teased him.
"No, you have to give it to my mom." The little girl only walked away after seeing her grandma put the red envelope in her hand, and went to look at the chickens and ducks in the yard and the few yellow persimmons on the persimmon tree.
Su Yu left the young people chatting outside while she went into the kitchen to help her third sister cook, and asked Xiao Xing's wife to go out and have a chat as well.
"Both of your daughters-in-law are quite pretty. What do you do for a living?" Su He asked.
"The eldest daughter-in-law is a doctor, and the younger daughter-in-law is a lawyer."
Su He clicked her tongue repeatedly, glanced at her younger sister, and thought to herself, "This family has really become city people, they've changed their social standing. It's truly enviable; the whole family works for the government."
"Little Wu is such a burden. Your whole family are either college graduates or postgraduates, and he's the only one who graduated from high school. He's only slightly better than a little girl who hasn't even started school yet," she joked.
“Yes, he’s not ambitious, so he’s just a gofer.” Su Yu laughed. When Lele was a year and a half old, Er Ya gave birth, and Da Ya went to help her during her postpartum period. Since there was no one to take care of the child, Ning Jin acted as a nanny for more than a month. Xiao Yuan said he wanted to buy a washing machine, but he could never find one. Every time he heard the news and rushed to the county, it was already sold out. Ning Jin bought one from the south and delivered it to him without needing a ration coupon. Like this time, when the family was building a house, he stayed behind to supervise the construction.
"It's all good, it's all good. You've risen up, and your future will be bright. Your descendants will also be successful."
“You’re doing just fine, with your son and daughter by your side. Our family of seven lives in three different places, and it takes more than 20 hours by train to see each other. Unless we arrange a time, we can’t get together.”
Compared to this, Su He also came to terms with it. People should only do what they are capable of, and it is already a blessing for ordinary people like them to be able to live a peaceful and simple life.
"Tell your third brother to set the table and get ready to eat."
Su Yu washed her hands and went outside. As soon as she reached the yard, she heard Xiao Xing's wife ask in surprise, "Second sister-in-law, you came back from studying abroad? How did you two meet? Classmates? Long-distance relationship? That's really not easy. Who pursued whom?"
"We met through a friend's introduction. It wasn't a long-distance relationship. I only met Su Yuan after I returned to China. It was me..."
“I pursued Min Min, and it took me a lot of effort to win over this beauty. Before she became your second sister-in-law, she was extremely popular.” Xiao Yuan interrupted Min Min, and seeing her surprised expression, he took her hand. The smug look on her face lingered, and he smiled along with her.
Su Yu chuckled. Men can be quite something once they get it, especially those with a stubborn personality.
"Dinner's ready! Are you even able to eat? Did you get too full from watching someone confess their love?"
"I'm so hungry I could cry, but I still have to eat something to fill my stomach." Qiao Lili pinched her husband, only feeling relieved when she saw him wince in pain.
"I'm not envious, but the aroma of Auntie's cooking is making my stomach rumble, but I can still eat it." Cui Qizi handed Lele to Ping An and washed her hands to prepare to serve the dishes later.
When teased by his future mother-in-law, Min Min was too embarrassed to speak, but the corners of his mouth remained turned up in a smile.
On the way back, Minmin asked in a low voice, "Why did you say you were the one who pursued me? You're lying."
“If you lie too much, it becomes the truth. You’ve lived abroad and think it’s a beautiful story for a girl to pursue a boy. But in a small town in China, if someone doesn’t like you, they’ll gossip about you being a gold digger. No matter who pursues whom, we’re going to get married, so just say I pursued you.” Xiao Yuan patted his eyes lightly, annoyed, and said, “It’s all my fault for being blind. Sister Er Ya introduced me to such a cheerful and beautiful girl, and I actually had to refuse.”
"You bet, he's got terrible eyesight." Min Min said arrogantly with his hands behind his back, but he still thought it was good that he was blind. If he wasn't, he'd probably be like his brother, dating in school and getting married right after graduation.
The next day, Xiao Yuan bought paper money, wine, and a basket of fruit. He then rode his bike to take Min Min to see his father, saying that he was there to show him the family now, as he wouldn't be coming back for the wedding.
He was startled as soon as he arrived. Next to his father's grave was a new grave, the wreaths on the mound still brightly colored, and there was no tombstone. He couldn't tell whether it was his eldest uncle or his youngest uncle who had died. There was another grave to his left and behind, that was his grandmother's.
"Aren't you going to say anything? Are you going to weed?" Min Min asked the person kneeling and burning paper money.
"I won't say anymore. He should have been reincarnated long ago. If not, I'll bring you here so he'll know what it means." No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't remember what the man looked like. He only vaguely remembered that he was a man of few words. A child who doesn't cry gets no milk, and a man of few words is often bullied. Others make a fortune in silence, but he suffers a great loss in silence. "He had a short life in this life, but he'll definitely be a long-lived and lucky person in the next."
“Then let me tell you, give me two pieces of paper and I’ll kneel down.” Min Min walked over and knelt down next to Xiao Yuan. “Hey, Dad, I’m your son’s fiancée, we’re getting married this summer. Hearing someone else call you ‘Dad’ makes you feel like you’re floating on air, right? Or are you always floating? You’re probably floating right now and want to dance. I’ll burn more money for you, you can eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want, learn whatever you want, learn a foreign language, learn to dance…”
"Stop, stop, stop, kowtow twice and get up." Xiao Yuan was exhausted. He was worried that if he looked up, he would find that the sky above was full of souls. She could talk a lot about a tombstone. If he didn't interrupt her, she could probably go on and on about the smoke coming out of the village chimneys.
Min Min glared at him with puffed-out cheeks, and while kowtowing, he didn't forget to complain, muttering, "Dad, your son isn't sincere. Remember to curse him in your dreams, and I'll send you more money when I come back."
Xiao Yuan kowtowed three times, helped her up, and after the embers of the paper offerings had died down, he put his arm around her and walked back. Just before turning the corner, he glanced back at the dark blue tombstone. "If you can hear me, don't worry about me. I've grown up. And don't wait for my mother anymore. Go and find me a stepmother without worry."
Two well-dressed strangers entered the village and headed towards the back mountain. Before they returned to the village, a child came to inform them that this was Ning Lao Er's son, and the person walking beside him was probably his wife.
"It's a good thing he left with his mother back then; if he had been left with his grandma and uncle, he would have been destined to be a farmer."
“Dazhu’s mom, didn’t the police say that Ning Laosan remarried in the north? If you can’t find him, you can ask his nephew to look for him.”
"My family has no shortage of troubles. There's no need to call him back to pay for his funeral and take back the gifts." The old woman, whose hair was half white, glared at the gossipy old woman who wanted to stir up trouble, picked up her sewing basket, and stood up to walk back. That damned Ning Laosan might as well die out there and never come back. I wonder which blind woman married a convict.
"How have you been all these years?" Min Min asked the man who had been silent since they left the village.
"Very good. Why did you ask that? Do you want to use me as a research example?" Min Min said some time ago that she wanted to study psychology and research the authenticity of the behavior of her clients.
“I’m not learning anymore, I’ve given up. Every time I go out and meet someone, I can’t help but analyze their behavior and psychology. I can’t control it, it’s too weird, so I don’t want to learn anymore.” She hugged his waist and asked cautiously, “I feel that Auntie and Big Brother have a pretty good relationship, they talk and laugh together, but she interacts with you less. I read a sentence in a book: 90% of children from blended families have psychological problems, so I wanted to ask if you have ever felt wronged.”
“No,” Xiao Yuan answered firmly. “You didn’t see what I looked like before I was eight years old. To be precise, it was the two years between my father’s death and my mother’s remarriage. I was timid and gloomy back then. I was afraid my mother would abandon me, afraid she would cry, but I was also afraid she wouldn’t cry. I was afraid she would be driven to suicide.” He told her about how his grandmother, his eldest uncle, and his third uncle bullied his mother. He said, “After my mother remarried, my life became much more stable. After that, my mother’s personality changed drastically. She became resilient and gentle. She worked very hard and read books every day after get off work. She changed jobs and got a raise. I never felt inferior when I remarried into the Ning family because my mother could support me without spending their money. Even if I was given the cold shoulder, I could still stand tall and say 'Pah!'”
"As for Ping An, we've hardly ever had any major conflicts or arguments. We've lived in the same room since before we even started school, and even in college we occasionally slept on the same kang (heated brick bed). He's my stepbrother and also the friend who understands me best. We've never been lonely growing up; we always had a constant companion. Even if we were in a new environment without friends, we wouldn't feel awkward. His dad is also good to me, though not as affectionate as he is to Ping An, but my mom is much more affectionate towards me, so it evens out."
“Why do I feel like Auntie has more to say about Ping An?” Min Min suspected he was deceiving himself.
“If you have two close friends at school, one a chatterbox and the other a quiet one, and the chatterbox talks to you all the time, would your friendship with the quiet one fade because of the chatterbox? Ping An is the chatterbox. He talks a lot, is very talkative, thick-skinned, and slick. If my mom were to try to be fair and drag me into the conversation, it would make me feel like an outsider.” He thought for a moment and continued, “We haven’t known each other for very long yet. Over time, you’ll find that my mom and Ping An maintain a physical distance. When we were little, she would pull his ears and hold his hands. After we went to high school, she would at most put her arm around Ping An’s shoulder, maintaining the distance between a stepmother and stepson.” But he was different. When he went to the Northwest for graduate school, she would carry him on her back. When they were working on the Loess Plateau, she would hold his arm as they crossed ditches. She didn’t deliberately keep her distance.
"You're quite observant." Min Min stuck out his tongue. He said he wasn't jealous. How could he have such keen observation skills if he wasn't jealous?
Xiao Yuan didn't refute or say anything more. When he was little, he used to worry that his mouth wasn't as good as Ping An's. But when he grew up, he realized that his mother was his mother, and he didn't need to fight for her. She would always be his mother. As for Ping An, he would act cute and make excuses to talk because he wanted his stepmother to forget that she was his stepmother.
As things stand now, his mother is independent, while Ping An and his father rely on his mother, and of course, he also relies on her.
“My mom’s greatest protection for me is that she’s there. With her around, I can stand up for myself. Whether it’s Ping An, his dad, or other relatives, I’m equal to them. She never gave me the chance to live at the mercy of others. I must be one of the lucky 10%.”
“Then I have to thank your mother. She protected you so well, and that’s how I was able to marry this outstanding man.” Min Min plucked a withered blade of grass and said, “You talk so much about your mother. When did you start talking so much with me?”
"Are you jealous?" Xiao Yuan turned to look at her, startling her so much that she yelled at him to watch where he was going. "You're the one who started this conversation, so I'll only tell you this once. There's nothing to say about my family; it's just like any other family. Don't overthink it. As for you, I'm talking to you right now. I wouldn't say all this to anyone else."
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