July in Beijing is always changeable. The sweltering heat at noon can be fatal, but in the blink of an eye, a heavy rain comes, both crazy and unrestrained.
It was during such a sudden rain that Mr. and Mrs. Zhang arrived.
The three Ping'an brothers stood on the platform and took over their grandparents' luggage, including the quilt.
Wuyi jokingly said, "Grandma, how do you know that the place I'm going to is as cold as our hometown in Northeast China?"
"Really?"
Faced with his grandmother's surprise, Wuyi no longer dared to laugh and said, "Thank you, grandma. I knew you loved me the most."
"Hahaha..." Zhang's mother's usual hearty laughter echoed throughout the platform. She patted her grandson, who was carrying his luggage and supporting him, and asked, "Have you prepared any thick clothes?"
"Both." Wu Yi felt inexplicably happy when he heard her laughter. "I can't bear to leave you. How about you leave my grandfather and we go abroad together?"
"Silly child, grandma doesn't speak foreign languages."
Zhang Dad, who was supported by Liuyi, smiled and looked at them happily, "Wuyi, just like your dad, you will make your grandma happy."
Liuyi turned his head to look at his eldest brother, seeing him carrying his luggage and following him, and then replied: "Yes, he is sweet-talking. My grandpa often says that he is the happy pill of the family."
"Our Children's Day isn't bad either. When do we report? Will it be tiring?"
"No, I'm used to it. My brother and I will go abroad on May Day and report for duty. During this time, I can go out with you and grandma."
"We are both fine, it's important for you to do your business."
"I've been at home all holiday, so I don't have anything to do." Liuyi looked at the heavy rain outside and frowned. "Grandpa, wait a minute. I'll carry you to the car."
"No need. I'm in good health and can handle snow, so why should I be afraid of this little rain?"
During the shoving and pushing, Liuyi and Wuyi put down their luggage and asked Ping'an to take care of it. They picked up their raincoats and covered Zhang's father and mother with them, then picked them up and ran to the car.
This action made Zhang's father and mother laugh out loud. They kept complaining to the child why he thought he was really old, but in their hearts they got rid of the regret of not being able to see their eldest son for the first time.
“Grandpa and grandma…”
When we were almost at the parking lot, we suddenly heard a shout. We looked up and saw that it was Shitou who was waiting there with an umbrella.
The Liuyi brothers didn't bother to reply to him. They arranged for Zhang's father and mother to get in the car first. "Brother Shitou, you stay with grandpa and grandma. I'll be back soon."
"Do you need help?"
"No, I'll be back soon."
Shitou didn't bother to be polite with the two brothers. He closed his umbrella, got into the car, and took out a handkerchief to wipe his face.
Father Zhang looked at him puzzledly, "Why are you here? Didn't I tell your father that there's no need to send you a telegram? I'll be there in a couple of days?"
"Hehe~" Shitou smiled, "We missed you and grandma. Grandpa, grandma, you must be exhausted from the journey, right? Are you hungry? I packed some food."
"Silly boy." Father Zhang waved his hand dismissively. "Your uncle has arranged a sleeper berth. Your grandma and I will sleep and eat all the way through. We won't get tired."
"Then lean over there and calm down. The child's mother and Mai Sui are all at my uncle's old house now. They wanted to come over too, but I saw Ping An and the others were already here, so I didn't let them come. I took the bus and just happened to catch a ride back, but there were too many people and no room."
Zhang's mother asked in surprise, "You're all here? Don't have to go to work?"
"Xiao Tao is on vacation, so I switched shifts with a colleague. My older sister happened to be on night shift last night, and my wife has to wait until school starts before going back to work, so we're all here."
"That's good. Business is more important. Don't change your shift next time." After giving Zhang's instructions, Mother Zhang asked, "How's your workplace? Is anyone bullying you?"
Shitou laughed when he heard this, "Grandma, who would bully a newcomer like me? Besides, he came to my unit on May Day. He has a lot of connections, and many people know who my aunt is. They don't dare to pick a fight with me."
It's the same with my eldest sister. The dean of her hospital is my aunt's junior nephew. He wants my eldest sister to invite my aunt to his hospital for a few days, but my aunt is very busy and really doesn't have time."
"Oh, our Jiaojiao is so amazing." Mother Zhang laughed out loud.
"Grandma, my aunt is not inferior to my uncle. I didn't know it before, but I heard that my aunt was a famous top student when she was in school. She and my uncle went to the same university and I still want her to go over and take a few classes."
Shitou was quite excited when he spoke. "It is said that my aunt is fluent in eight languages, and Wuyi inherited this from her. My aunt also led her classmates to improve the first generation of generators. Do you think Wuyi and his friends have inherited this as well? They even made TVs and motorcycles."
Zhang's father nodded in agreement. So the mother of a child is very important, just like what his little five said, about genetic factors.
"My aunt has achieved more than just this. I heard an old professor at our school say that she looks like both her grandfather and grandmother."
Father Zhang gestured to his grandson with interest to speak quickly.
"He didn't say anything specific, just that my aunt is a pioneer in everything she does. A couple of years ago, she was frustrated with the lack of vegetables to eat during the winter, so she started tinkering around at home. Now she's famous at the Agricultural College. There's an experimental field outside Beijing dedicated to greenhouse vegetables, and she's the one who spearheaded it."
Zhang's mother couldn't help but interject, "What's that? Is that what your uncle said about being able to eat summer food in the middle of winter?"
"My uncle told you," Shitou rubbed the back of his head. "That's it. Grandpa, do you think we can do it in our village?"
Father Zhang looked at him meaningfully, "You want me to mention this to your aunt?"
"Well, Xiao Jiang wrote to me saying he wants to go out and try his luck, but I don't think it's safe. If our village could grow vegetables in the middle of winter, everyone in our tribe would have a much better life."
The Xiao Jiang that Shitou mentioned is Zhang Qingfeng's youngest son. His eldest son, Dajiang, was among the first group of people to be admitted to university with Shitou and has now graduated.
Father Zhang pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "It's definitely not suitable. If it were feasible, your uncle would have thought of it without me even asking. The juice workshop in the village was run by your uncle."
"I see."
"Well, if we really want to grow this kind of vegetable in our hometown, people will inevitably accuse your aunt of using her power for personal gain, which is inappropriate. Don't bring up this topic in front of Yinsuo and the others, or it will embarrass your uncle."
"I understand."
Mother Zhang waited until the two of them finished their conversation and asked curiously, "You and Xiao Jiang also wrote letters?"
"Yes, the Dajiang brothers often write to us. Yinsuo and the others are in contact with the big brother and his family more often. Grandma, when you came this time, didn't Xiaojiang say he wanted to come with you?"
Zhang's father and mother looked at each other and shook their heads. This time they hurried out and only sent a message back home.
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