Chapter 63
On a crisp, clear autumn day, it's perfect for flying a kite.
Gu Xi stood in front of the eaves, gazing at the autumn sky. After a drop in temperature a few days ago, the temperature has started to rise again in the last two days. The pleasant weather is perfect for an outing to the countryside.
Gu Xi made two kites by hand, shaping them into rabbits and dragonflies, and painted them with vibrant colors that were very appealing to the children.
When Gu Tuantuan saw the rabbit kite, she immediately hugged it and wouldn't let go.
She asked expectantly, "Auntie, when are we going to fly kites? I want to fly a bunny kite."
“Let’s wait until Sunday,” Gu Xi said. “You don’t have class on Sunday, so we can go to the hillside by the river to fly kites. I’ll also make some wraps to take with us, so we can eat them when we get hungry.”
"Yay!"
Gu Tuantuan jumped up, eagerly anticipating Sunday's arrival.
That evening, when Yu Xiaoyue came over to teach Gu Xi the dialect, Gu Xi asked, "Xiaoyue, do you want to go fly kites with us on Sunday?"
Then I told her that I had made a kite and that I would be flying it with my niece Gu Tuantuan on Sunday.
She picked up the brightly colored dragonfly kite and asked, "Xiaoyue, what kind of kite do you like? Auntie will make one for you."
Yu Xiaoyue paused for a moment, then said nervously, "I... I need to go back and ask my mom. If I have time, I'd like to go too."
Yes, she wants to go.
She wanted to fly kites with Aunt Gu. As long as she was with Aunt Gu, she felt happy no matter what they did.
Gu Xi patted her head and said, "Then go back and ask around. If they're free, they can come along! Tomorrow I'll invite a few more people and make more kites so we can play together and celebrate your enrollment."
Yu Xiaoyue has successfully enrolled in school and is now a primary school student in the military primary school.
Every evening, Yu Xiaoyue would spend an hour coming over to teach Gu Xi the local dialect.
Although it was just an excuse Gu Xi made up at the time, the little girl took it seriously and really thought that she wanted to learn the local dialect. So she decided to teach her, and for the past few nights, she would come over for an hour.
When Ma Chunling found out about this, she didn't say anything, but helped her with the work so that she could come to Gu Xi's place.
Grandma Yu was very unhappy. She didn't like her granddaughter always running around outside, worrying that if the girl became too wild, she wouldn't take care of the family and would become rebellious. However, since her granddaughter went to Gu Xi's place, and Ma Chunling had finished her chores, she didn't say anything in the end.
If it were anyone else, she would absolutely not allow her granddaughter to go to their house. What would she do there? There's no benefit to it.
But if it were Gu Xi, there would be no reason to stop her. On the contrary, she would think it would be good if her granddaughter could be close to her. She would hope that her granddaughter could learn more from her and learn some woodworking skills.
Even though Gu Xi is currently unemployed and staying at home, her carpentry skills are so good that she's reportedly made money from it, proving that she's not the kind of delicate, useless wife who can't do anything.
Grandma Yu was also puzzled, muttering, "Why would city people learn a dialect? What's the use of learning this? What a strange person."
In her opinion, Gu Xi's standard Mandarin was exceptionally pleasant to listen to, while her dialect, with its strong rural accent, was often incomprehensible. Dialects represented backwardness in the countryside, and people longed for the city, for a stable job in the city; no one yearned for the countryside, much less would actively learn a dialect.
Ma Chunling explained, "The people here all speak a dialect. If you learn the dialect, it will be easier to buy things at the market and you won't get ripped off."
Vendors and villagers would give fair prices because everyone spoke the same local dialect. Only outsiders who spoke Mandarin would sometimes deliberately raise prices, making people pay more than they should.
After hearing this, Grandma Yu felt that it made sense.
Her hometown isn't here. When she first arrived, she went to the town market to buy things and found that she spent more money than those who could speak the local dialect. She was furious, thinking that the people here were too difficult and deliberately raised prices to bully outsiders.
Actually, this kind of thing is very common. It's the same in Grandma Yu's hometown. People from the same hometown who speak the same dialect will take care of you, but if you're a stranger from another place who speaks a different dialect, you don't feel guilty about cheating them.
Grandma Yu, being the one who was bullied as a newcomer, was simply not happy.
When her granddaughter returned, Grandma Yu asked, "Did Comrade Gu really learn the dialect from you? Is she able to learn it?"
Learning a language is not easy, let alone a dialect, which has nothing to do with Mandarin and is very difficult to learn. I heard that the educated youth from the farm stayed here for several years, and they were still at the point where they couldn't even understand the dialect, let alone learn it.
Yu Xiaoyue said, "Aunt Gu is very smart. She can understand now and can even say a few words."
"Really?" Grandma Yu was skeptical. Could someone really learn that?
Yu Xiaoyue nodded vigorously, her face full of admiration for Gu Xi. "I only said it once, and Aunt Gu remembered it. Aunt Gu is really amazing!"
Aside from Dr. Ji Ya, Gu Xi was the most formidable female elder Yu Xiaoyue had ever met, as evidenced by how quickly Gu Xi learned the dialect.
Yu Xiaoyue was able to master the language because her mother spoke it to her in dialect since she was a child, but if she were to learn a dialect from another region now, she definitely wouldn't be able to.
This shows just how terrifying Gu Xi's learning ability is.
That evening, Yu Xiaoyue told her mother about going to the suburbs to fly kites with Gu Xi on Sunday.
"Mom, I...I want to go," she said softly. "I won't be gone for too long, and it won't interfere with my work. I can start working again when I get back, okay?"
Seeing the longing and pleading on her face, Ma Chunling felt a pang of sadness for some reason.
If she had two sons, there would be no need for her to come and ask her so carefully. Every holiday, they would ask their grandmother for money early in the morning and then disappear without a trace, only returning after dark.
Where is your daughter?
He could only stay at home and help her with chores. After finishing the chores at home, he would go outside to collect firewood. After collecting firewood, he would make paper boxes and do other handicrafts to earn money...
“Go ahead.” Ma Chunling patted her daughter’s frizzy hair. “No need to rush back. You’re a child, it’s okay for you to play a little longer.”
Yes, my daughter is younger than her two older brothers; she's at the age where she loves to play.
From a young age, her parents and elders always told her that if a girl is not diligent, she will not be able to get married in the future, and her husband's family will also look down on her.
Ma Chunling has always thought so, so she never felt that there was anything wrong with her daughter doing chores at home since she was a child. Even now, she doesn't think there's anything wrong with what she's saying, and her mother-in-law often says the same thing to her.
But when I saw my daughter's bright, sparkling eyes on her first day of school carrying the old schoolbag her brother left behind; when I saw her eyes overflowing with joy and confidence as she taught Gu Xi dialect; when I saw her expectant yet nervous expression as she wanted to fly kites with Gu Xi...
She suddenly couldn't bear it.
**
Gu Xi made several more kites, all shaped like small animals, and painted them with extremely bright colors.
After making the kites, she took several kites to the Miao family next door and asked, "Sister-in-law, I'm taking my Tuantuan and Xiaoyue to fly kites on Sunday. Would your Cuini and Cuiyu like to come along?"
Ye Fenghua and Commander Miao have four children together.
The eldest daughter, Miao Cuini, is fourteen years old; the second daughter, Miao Cuiyu, is ten years old; the eldest son is twelve years old; and the youngest son is seven years old this year. Although the couple values their son more, they treat their two daughters quite well, providing them with education and making them new clothes. They don't mistreat them, and their home is always lively and bustling.
When Ye Fenghua saw the kite she brought over, she exclaimed, "Wow, this kite is so beautiful! Where did you buy it?"
"I made it myself." Gu Xi said shyly, "I just thought the weather was nice lately and I wanted to take Tuantuan out to play. I figured it would be more fun with lots of people. I was wondering if your Cui Ni and the others would like to come?"
Ye Fenghua praised it again, saying that the kite was so exquisitely made, it was truly amazing, and she wondered how Gu Xi had made it, as it was really beautiful.
She turned to her two daughters and asked if they wanted to go fly kites with Aunt Gu on Sunday.
Before Miao Cuini and her sister could speak, their youngest son, Miao Jianshe, jumped out and said, "Mom, I want to go too!"
"Where are you going!" Ye Fenghua smacked his head. "Your Aunt Gu is looking for girls to fly kites with. It'll all be girls then. Aren't you ashamed, you're just a boy?"
Gu Xi said, "Let's go to Jianshe too."
Ye Fenghua wouldn't spoil her youngest son, so she grabbed him by the ear and pulled him aside to discipline him.
Miao Cuini glanced at her younger brother, who was being disciplined by his mother, and said to Gu Xi, "Aunt Gu, we want to go. We'll be bothering you then."
Miao Cuiyu nodded, staring at the kite that Gu Xi had brought, clearly liking it very much.
The two families were neighbors and often visited each other; both sisters liked Gu Xi very much.
Being young and beautiful is secondary; more importantly, Aunt Gu has a great personality and knows so many things. The chicken coops and rabbit hutches she makes are so beautiful, and she can even style her hair nicely.
Once, Ye Fenghua took her two sisters to visit their neighbors. Gu Xi styled their hair into beautiful updos, making them feel like princesses in an opera. When they went out, many girls in the residential compound envied them, and they were reluctant to mess up their hair...
They were all happy to play with Gu Xi, and when they learned that she was going to take them kite flying, they definitely couldn't miss it.
After leaving the Miao family, Gu Xi went to Political Commissar Xu's house to invite Xu Xiaoyin to fly kites on Sunday.
"I want to go!" Xu Xiaoyin jumped over, hugged Gu Xi tightly, and turned to her mother, saying, "Mom, I want to go fly kites with Aunt Gu, and nobody can stop me!"
She likes Aunt Gu and wants to play with her.
Xia Xiuxiu rolled her eyes at her, "Did I say you couldn't go? You can go, but you can't cause trouble for your Aunt Gu."
Xu Xiaoyin assured her, "Of course! I always listen to Aunt Gu. I'll help Aunt Gu take care of my sisters!"
When Xu Yongzhi heard that his sister was going to fly kites with Gu Xi, he immediately ran over and shouted, "I want to go too! I want to go too!"
"Where are you going? Stay home and do your homework. You're not allowed to go out and play!" Xia Xiuxiu reached out and pinched his ear.
Xu Yongzhi cried out, "If my sister can go, why can't I?"
"Because your sister always finishes her homework a day early, unlike you who always procrastinates."
"Then I'll finish writing it a day early, let me go!"
“No, if you go, you won’t be able to help take care of your sister, and your Aunt Gu will have to take care of you too.”
"No, I promise I'll listen to Aunt Gu and won't run around. Please let me go, please—"
Seeing that his mother was about to give her youngest son a one-on-one challenge again, Gu Xi said, "Sister-in-law, Yongzhi can go if he wants to. If he finishes his homework in advance, he can go with her."
Xia Xiuxiu felt extremely embarrassed seeing her son rolling on the ground: "Fine, if you finish your homework like your sister, I'll let you go."
Xu Yongzhi jumped up with joy.
**
Sunday arrived in the blink of an eye.
Gu Xi got up early in the morning, took out the ingredients she had prepared the night before, and made egg rolls.
Just then, Yu Xiaoyue came over, carrying a basket in her hand, which contained several fried dough cakes made by Ma Chunling.
Seeing that Gu Xi was busy, she offered to help.
The young girl was very efficient, and with her help, Gu Xi had a much easier time.
Soon after, Miao Cuini, Miao Cuiyu, and Miao Jianshe from next door also arrived. The three siblings carried a basket filled with food, including rice cakes, which Ye Fenghua had prepared early that morning for them to eat while playing outside.
Then Xu Xiaoyin and her brother arrived, also carrying a basket filled with many things.
Seeing this, Gu Xi realized that they had brought quite a lot of food, so it seemed that she didn't need to make egg rolls.
However, she did it anyway. When she finished making the egg rolls, she gave each of them a piece to eat on the spot, filling the children's stomachs to the brim.
Then she took out a basket, put in egg rolls, candy and dried fruit, and filled a military water bottle with water. Then she led a group of children on a grand procession.
With so many children and so many people carrying things, Gu Xi didn't have to lift a finger.
They carried brightly colored kites and headed towards Gu Yuanyang's house to pick up Gu Tuantuan.
**
Gu Tuantuan was waiting at home early in the morning.
Knowing that she was going to fly kites with her aunt today, she had been looking forward to it since last night. She was so excited that she could hardly sleep at night, but her mother had to suppress her and make her fall asleep.
She woke up very early today, kept looking outside, and kept asking her mother, "Mom, when is Auntie coming?"
Dr. Ji brought out the breakfast that was still warm in the pot and asked her daughter to come and eat, saying, "She will be here after you finish your breakfast."
Gu Yuanyang went to a meeting at the regimental headquarters early in the morning and wasn't home, so Gu Tuantuan went to bother her mother.
After breakfast, Gu Xi still hadn't arrived, so Gu Tuantuan asked again, "Mommy, when is Auntie coming?"
"Your aunt might not be up yet. Let's wait a bit longer and not disturb her."
"Alright." Gu Tuantuan sighed. If her aunt hadn't gotten up yet, going there would disturb her rest, so she decided to continue waiting.
As the sun rose, there was finally a knock at the door. Gu Tuantuan rushed to open it and was overjoyed to see a group of people standing outside.
She threw herself into Gu Xi's arms: "Auntie, you're here!"
Ji Ya walked over, carrying a basket in her hand. Just as she was about to hand it to Gu Xi, she noticed that Gu Xi and almost every child around her were carrying baskets and water. She couldn't understand why.
She chuckled slightly, but still placed the prepared food from the basket into the basket in Gu Xi's hand, saying, "Xi Xi, I'm entrusting Tuan Tuan to your care today."
Gu Xi asked, "Sister-in-law, would you like to come fly a kite with us? I heard the scenery by the river is quite nice."
Ji Ya smiled and said, "I won't go. I have to go to the hospital later."
Although it was Sunday, doctors don't have normal rest time. In the past, if she had to work overtime on Sundays, she would take her daughter to the hospital with her. However, today Gu Xi was taking her daughter to fly kites, so she didn't need to take her to the hospital.
After saying goodbye to Ji Ya, Gu Xi left the family compound with a string of children.
I met many people on the way and asked them where they were going.
Just then, a group of children raised their brightly colored kites and said in unison, "We want to fly kites!"
When the adults saw their kite, they couldn't help but praise it and asked where they bought it.
"I didn't buy it, my aunt made it!" Gu Tuantuan said proudly. "My aunt is amazing!"
The other children, seeing these beautiful kites, naturally liked them too, and immediately begged their families to make them some.
The parent, exasperated by the commotion, said, "How could we possibly make such a beautiful kite?"
"If Aunt Gu can do it, why can't you?"
"She can do it because she's skillful. Is your mother that kind of person? Want to eat your words?"
"Waaah—I want a kite too! I want a pretty kite too! I want to fly a kite too—"
…………
Seeing the children over there start to cry, Gu Xi quickly led the group of children away.
The children who followed her exchanged glances and then burst into laughter, thoroughly enjoying the envious looks from the other children.
Their kites are so beautiful!
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