Just one week after Nan Nan got married, Grandpa called back to Chenjia Village.
Tell the village chief that the elderly couple won't be coming back for the time being, and ask the village chief to tell the eldest and second eldest sons.
The village chief was stunned. The old man and woman said they were going to the capital to attend Nan Nan's wedding, but they never expected that they would not come back.
Old Man Chen raised so many sons and daughters, but only his daughter Cuihua was the most promising, marrying into a good family.
But this was something he could only envy. He could only go to Da Long and Er Long's house to tell them not to worry about their parents anymore, as they had flown away.
When Da Long and Er Long heard the news, they almost jumped for joy. They looked at each other, relieved that their parents had finally decided to stay in the capital.
While thanking the village chief, Da Long and Er Long thought about going to the capital to find their parents. They also wanted to take their families to the capital to live as city dwellers and eat commercial grain.
The village chief spoke again: "Your father said he went to live with his daughter because you were unwilling to take care of them in their old age, and even unwilling to break pots for them."
The two were startled when they heard this. They couldn't just say things like that, or the villagers would gossip about them.
“Village chief, we never said we wouldn’t take care of our parents in their old age. When they’re gone, it’s our responsibility as their sons to break the pot,” Da Long quickly interjected.
The village chief chuckled. Of course he believed Old Man Chen's words. These two cunning and lazy fellows were already doing well enough by not sponging off their parents. How could anyone expect them to support them in their old age?
He coughed and said, "Your father also said on the phone that you shouldn't go to Beijing to look for them, or you'll starve to death and don't blame him."
What does this mean? It means their parents won't care whether they live or die. The two brothers are a little unsure.
The village chief glanced at the two of them sideways. He believed that the old man from the Chen family was capable of doing it. Thanks to Cuihua, the old man had been living a good life these past two years.
But regardless of whether it's Da Long, Er Long, or their two daughters, who benefits the most?
Even when his three grandsons and two granddaughters wanted to come and celebrate the Autumn Equinox, the old man scolded them all away.
Da Long and Er Long were not giving up. The two went back to their room to discuss it, knowing that going to the capital was no joke.
Because Xiaolong and his womanizing wife have their eyes on Nannan, Cuihua has stopped associating with them.
Aside from the old man and woman, no one can take advantage of Cuihua and her family, so if the old man really doesn't care about them, going to the capital is really pointless.
Even though you can clearly see the broad road ahead, you can't walk on it; you still can't get over this hurdle in your heart.
Da Long's wife was fairly honest. She took out a handkerchief bag containing money from the cupboard, opened it, and counted it. There was about a hundred yuan.
“Dalong, why don’t you go and find out what the situation is like in the capital? If it doesn’t work out, come back. This money should be enough for you to make a round trip.”
Looking at the stack of money in front of him, Da Long felt a little reluctant. This money represented more than two years' worth of his family's income.
But if I don't go, I'll feel resentful. Even old men can go to the capital, so why can't I, a grown man, go?
If he actually went there, he didn't believe that Cuihua would really abandon him. Otherwise, he would stand guard at her doorstep and see if she would care.
The same idea was happening in Erlongfang's house, except that Erlong's wife also wanted to go.
Her family had a little more money, nearly two hundred yuan, because her son wasn't married yet.
“Erlong, I’ll go with you. I don’t believe Cuihua will abandon us. I’ll make a scene, then threaten to hang myself, and see if they dare not take us in.”
Chen Erlong was more quick-witted than Dalong. He wasn't swayed by his wife's words and didn't think Yan Xiaoqiang was a dead man or that he could act shamelessly at someone's doorstep.
"After the New Year, I'll go visit my daughter on her wedding day. You stay home and keep an eye on the two boys. Don't let them steal chickens or dogs and ruin the reputation of the Chen family."
Erlong's wife pouted. Ever since it was revealed that Sanlong's wife was a womanizer, does the Chen family still have any reputation?
The two boys can't find girlfriends at all. They finally managed to get a matchmaker to come to their door, but the girls shook their heads as soon as they asked a little bit. They would rather marry a pig or a dog than a thief.
Before we knew it, the New Year had passed, and Erlong's daughter got married. She married into a family in the same village. The two had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, and she should be able to live a good life after marriage.
After the Lantern Festival, Da Long and Er Long carried bamboo baskets, along with their changes of clothes and a small amount of food, and boarded the train bound for the capital.
The train was packed with people. I finally found my seat, but someone had already taken it.
He showed the ticket to the person who was supposed to leave, but the person wasn't going to listen obediently. He just sneered and said, "Don't even think about it."
The two were no pushovers either. They glared at each other, looking like they were about to devour someone, as if to say, "If you dare not give me back my seat, we'll make you regret it."
The two men weighed their own size against the other's and figured they wouldn't be able to win if a fight broke out.
He could only stand up cursing, but with Erlong staring at him fiercely, he dared not utter any vicious words.
Life on the train was tough; going to the toilet involved squeezing and pushing, and getting a cup of hot water took forever.
It was cold, and the car windows were all closed. The smell inside was indescribable. Fortunately, the smell of composting in my hometown was even more pungent, so I just had to bear it.
Most importantly, when sleeping at night, sitting up causes back pain, lying face down causes neck pain, and there's no room to lie down sideways.
The corridor is now impassable; people are even lying across the seats, and you could easily step on someone if you're not careful.
After eagerly anticipating it day and night, I finally arrived in Beijing. Following the flow of people off the train and out of the station, I excitedly looked around. Beijing is so beautiful!
Watching the crowds go their separate ways, they were shocked to realize that they didn't know where their father and Cuihua lived.
The two were dumbfounded. No matter how beautiful the place was, it was still unfamiliar, and no matter how many people were there, they didn't know them. What should they do?
Erlong's eyes darted around, and he spotted an old woman with a red armband on her arm. He quickly went up to her and asked her what was going on.
The old lady couldn't quite understand his Northeastern dialect, and Erlong couldn't quite understand her Beijing accent either.
Fortunately, Erlong had been to school and could write a few words. When he saw a small notebook sticking out of the old lady's pocket, he quickly gestured to write it down for her to see.
The old woman suspiciously took out a pencil stub that was so short she could barely hold it; it was a precious gift from her grandson.
Erlong wrote in his notebook, "I lost my father's and sister's addresses."
The old woman frowned when she saw it. She looked at Erlong's letter of introduction, which indeed stated that he was visiting relatives.
The capital city is so big, we can only look for them at the police station. The old lady took the two of them to the police station.
The officers at the police station were very helpful, asking them about their relatives' names and where they lived.
Erlong almost rolled his eyes. If he knew where she lived, why would he need to ask her? Honestly.
But he didn't dare to be presumptuous and wrote down Chen Cuihua and Yan Xiaoqiang's names: "These are my sister and brother-in-law."
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