The next day, Bling's biological clock woke her up.
When I opened my eyes, the kang (a heated brick bed) was empty. I lingered in bed for a while before slowly getting up.
The door opened, but no one was in the living room. "Auntie?"
No one answered.
She looked around and found that she was all alone in the house; not only was her aunt not there, but even Little Star was gone.
After thinking for a moment, she washed her face and brushed her teeth first. After she finished, she went out of the yard and knocked on the door next door.
"Aunt?"
"Hey, Lingling, you're awake? Are you hungry? There are still some steamed buns warming in the pot, I'll go get them for you." Auntie immediately stood up.
Bu Ling quickly said, "No need, no need, Auntie, I can take it myself." She nodded to Jiang Wanying in greeting, then looked at her eldest daughter before saying:
"Aunt, I'm going to visit a colleague this morning and I might not be back by noon. I just wanted to let you know."
"Visiting a colleague? Then I'll go prepare something for you. How about eggs?" Auntie said, standing up.
Eggs are a hard currency; whether you're asking someone for a favor or visiting a sick person, eggs are the most common thing you prepare.
"I can do it myself, Auntie, please don't bother. Go play with Sister-in-law Jiang. I'll be going now." Buling isn't a child; she doesn't need to trouble others with such a small matter.
"Goodbye, Sister-in-law Jiang," Bu Ling said politely.
Afterwards, he left the yard, went home for breakfast, grabbed a basket, counted about twenty eggs, and then, fully equipped, rode his bicycle out the door.
The road to Grandpa Tan's house was against the wind, and Bu Ling pedaled so hard that his feet were practically on fire before he finally arrived.
When she arrived, Sister Ma and the other two were already there. To avoid being criticized, she preemptively asked, "You're here so early? Weren't we supposed to meet at nine o'clock?"
As she spoke, she deliberately raised her arm and showed it to the two of them: "That's right, it's exactly nine o'clock."
Sister Ma actually believed her spiel: "We just arrived early."
Bling readily agreed and didn't press the matter further: "Let's go in."
The four of them, pushing three bicycles, attracted the attention of everyone in the courtyard who stopped to watch.
"Comrades, who are you?"
“We’ve come to visit Grandpa Tan,” Sister Ma replied.
Upon hearing this, the neighbors all looked enlightened; it turned out they had come to visit Old Tan.
Upon noticing the three young women in the group and the bicycles they were pushing, one of the unmarried young men had an idea: "Shall I take you there?"
“We know the way,” Sister Ma politely declined.
Then they led the way through the narrow passageway and into the third courtyard.
This courtyard house is different from the one where Bu Ling lives. It's bigger and has more residents. What used to be a courtyard and garden has been completely replaced by houses. The entire courtyard house now only has a narrow passageway for passage.
It was difficult for Buling and the others to push their bicycles across, and the passageway was not only narrow but also dark. If it weren't for Sister Ma's familiarity with the courtyard, they might not have been able to find Grandpa Tan's house.
Grandpa Tan was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the four of them, and even his wife was very welcoming to them.
"Uncle Tan, how have you been lately?" Sister Ma asked.
Bling glanced around the room discreetly and couldn't help but nod in approval.
Although there was a slight odor in the room where Grandpa Tan was staying, it was still quite clean. Grandpa Tan was also in good spirits, and it was clear that he was being well taken care of.
Judging from this, Grandpa Tan's two sons are quite good, a hundred times better than his daughter.
"Good, good, good." Grandpa Tan smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles.
They didn't stay at Grandpa Tan's house for long. After putting down their things and chatting with Grandpa Tan for a while, they said goodbye amidst the reluctant gazes of the Tan family.
"It's almost Chinese New Year, and we have a lot to do at home, so we won't do much. We'll come to see you again when we have more time," Wu Yuanyuan said.
"Are you leaving already? Why don't you have a meal here before you go? Old woman, go cut up the Jinhua ham my old friend sent over, make some soup, and let them have some before you leave," Tan Daye said immediately.
Grandpa Tan's wife was about to stand up when Bu Ling quickly stopped her, saying, "Auntie, don't bother. We won't eat. We still have children at home. Let's do it next time, next time."
“Yes, Master, we can’t leave our children at home alone, so we won’t stay any longer. We’ll come to wish you a Happy New Year later,” Wu Yuanyuan echoed.
As he spoke, Buling, fully armed and dressed, was the first to step out of the house: "Auntie, please don't see me off. It's cold outside, don't come out."
Mr. Tan's wife insisted on seeing them off, so the group went with her.
Just like when they came, they pushed their bicycles on as they left, walking along the long corridor until they said, "Ling, look at that person, why does he look so familiar?"
Upon hearing the sound, Bu Ling looked up and followed Wu Yuanyuan's gaze: "Indeed, she looks familiar too."
"Is that Ling Wei?" Wu Yuanyuan was still not quite sure.
“It’s her,” Bling said with certainty.
"What's she doing here?" Wu Yuanyuan asked, puzzled. "This place is so far from our compound."
“Who knows?” Bling shrugged. “But who cares? It’s none of our business.”
It's best for them to stay out of the female lead's business; they might just become cannon fodder at any time.
"Aren't you curious?" Wu Yuanyuan glanced at her friend sideways: "This isn't like you."
Bling rolled her eyes at her: "I'm curious, but I'm more afraid of the cold!"
"Let's hurry up and leave, we're freezing to death." There isn't as much environmental pollution as in later years, and global warming hasn't happened yet, so people can easily freeze to death in winter.
In addition, Buling is physically weak and even more afraid of the cold. Every winter, she wishes she could wear a bearskin on her body.
"Okay!" Wu Yuanyuan knew her friend was afraid of the cold. "Let's go back."
The four continued walking out.
After leaving the compound, Wu Yuanyuan looked at Bu Ling and said, "Ling, why don't you come back to the compound with me? My mother-in-law and Aunt Tian were talking about you yesterday, as were Aunt Lan."
"Grandma Lan misses me too?" Why couldn't she believe it?
“Really.” Wu Yuanyuan conveyed her sincerity with her eyes: “If you don’t believe me, go ask my mother-in-law. They all heard it.”
"Then I must go back to the compound to take a look!" Bu Ling said excitedly. "And while I'm at it, I'll go to Aunt Lan's house for a free meal to ease her longing for me."
Wu Yuanyuan suppressed a laugh: "Great! Aunt Lan will definitely be very happy. She's mentioned you more than once."
"It seems that Aunt Lan really loves me deeply." Bu Ling stroked his chin, feeling that he had lost in terms of feelings for Aunt Lan.
"Of course!" Wu Yuanyuan nodded seriously. "Shall we go?"
"Let's go back to the compound." After saying goodbye to Wu Yuanyuan and Zhu Zhizhi, Bu Ling got on her bicycle and rode proudly towards the compound.
Seeing this, Wu Yuanyuan quickly followed on her bicycle...
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