Not long after the Chinese New Year, Liang Genfa took Qiuhua to Shanghai.
When Liang Genfa was sent down to the countryside, his younger brother Liang Gensheng stayed in Shanghai. He later got engaged to a local Shanghai girl named Xiao Niangyu and is now a worker.
Qiuhua's chickens and ducks had started laying eggs, and they had gathered twenty chicken and duck eggs, along with some vegetable sprouts. It took over an hour to get to Shanghai by train.
This was Qiuhua's first time riding a train since he started writing his diary. The train was crowded, noisy, and not very pleasant. Some people had taken off their shoes and were putting their feet out, while others were eating. In short, the air was a mixed bag, with notes of fragrance and stench.
But Qiuhua was very excited. She and her father squeezed together. There were many people around them who got on the train with them and they all had the same accent. Her father chatted happily with them and when they got to the exciting part, he would keep talking about "ce na" non-stop.
She looked out the window at the scenery rushing backwards, feeling a sense of unreality. She suddenly thought of Wu Xin and his book How the Steel Was Tempered. Perhaps he could become a railway worker, and then he would know how steel was tempered.
Qiuhua thought his idea was very good. He would definitely tell Wu Xin about it the next time he saw him. Maybe he would also think it was right.
When they got out of the station, the uncle and his family were already waiting outside.
My uncle has a son and a daughter. The son is one year younger than Dahua, and the daughter is one year younger than Qiuhua. My aunt dresses fashionably and speaks Shanghainese, which is very pleasant.
"It's good that you're here. What else are you bringing? If it's heavy, don't bring anything."
My aunt is very warm and Qiuhua likes her. They came to the countryside last year and brought a lot of things with them.
"It's not something good. I'm just giving it to you to eat. Please don't be disgusted."
"What are you complaining about? Life in the countryside is not easy these days. Just eat your own food."
The uncle took Qiuhua's belongings and carried them on his own. He was about to take Liang Genfa's belongings, but he quickly pushed his hand away and said, "I can do this myself. Why would I need you?"
"Hey, let me get it!"
"No, no."
One of them tried to grab it, while the other pushed it hard. The funny look of the two made Aunt and Qiuhua laugh. Liang Jian and Liang Ping attacked their uncle from behind while he was not paying attention, snatched all his things and carried them themselves.
My uncle and aunt's home is also in a more remote area of Shanghai. People here also farm, but they look different. Like my aunt, her hair is very curly and fluffy, and her clothes are different from theirs. She looks very Western.
The food in the evening was also good, much better than at home. There was braised pork trotters with plump soybeans, old duck soup with bamboo shoots and a layer of clear yellow oil floating on top, and stir-fried mushrooms with vegetables, and shredded pork with garlic. Qiuhua was so greedy that his mouth was watering.
Aunt served Qiuhua a big bowl of rice and put a big pig's trotter on the rice.
"Qiuhua, eat more. You can't be polite when you come to your aunt's house."
After saying that, he was about to pick up some duck meat. Qiuhua quickly said, "Aunt, let me eat first. My bowl is full."
"Yes, yes, eat quickly." Auntie turned around and gave Liang Gen another helping of duck meat. "Is sister-in-law home okay?"
"Good, good, everything is fine. Another little mermaid was born. She's almost five months old."
Speaking of Chunhua, Liang Genfa felt a little embarrassed. It was embarrassing to have a daughter in his old age.
"Oh, this is a good thing! It would be great if Qiuhua had another sister. After she gets married, she can go to her sister's house and talk to her. It's great!"
"We have too many children and can barely afford to eat. It's best to have one son and one daughter like you."
Liang Ping was as enthusiastic as her aunt, and kept asking Qiuhua to eat more.
Qiuhua and Liangping slept together at night, and the two little girls were very excited.
"Sister, I'm so envious of you because you have a girlfriend!" Liang Ping's eyes revealed envy. "I only have one brother. After he gets married, he won't be close to me anymore."
Qiuhua also found it strange to hear her speak. Shanghai people don't say "matchmaking", but "getting married", which sounds more Western.
"How could that be? He is your elder brother, and he will be your relative after the marriage."
"Oh, it's different. I'm afraid it's just politeness. You see, my uncle and my parents are very polite, but you and I are very close."
The two of them laughed as they talked. Qiuhua said, "Shanghai is good. You guys also farm here, but it looks much better than where we are."
"It's all the same. My sister will be in junior high school in a year, and she has to learn English in junior high school."
"English? What foreigners speak?"
"Yes, gibberish, hahaha!"
Liang Ping is lively and speaks in a clear and loud voice. She smiled brightly and said, "Then I have to learn this gibberish well so that I can go to high school."
"By the way, I just heard from my uncle that my sister can make money now?"
She looked at Qiuhua with curiosity, mixed with admiration. Since she was a child, her nanny had praised her elder sister for being sensible and hardworking, and being a good little girl.
Qiuhua smiled faintly and said a little embarrassedly: "Nothing, I just do some embroidery to sell when I have time."
"Embroidery? Sister, can you embroider?"
Liang Ping was so surprised that she almost jumped out of bed. She had never thought that her cousin could be so talented. She had seen embroidery in department stores, and her cousin could make such beautiful things.
"This is not a strange thing. All the little fish in our village can do it."
Qiuhua's words were not polite or modest, but the truth. The little fishermen in the countryside would always do something, whether good or bad. It was a common thing for them.
"Sister is too modest. Even if they can do it, they certainly can't do it as well as you. You are really amazing." Liang Ping lay back down next to Qiuhua and said, "Will you become an embroidery master in the future?"
Qiu Hua laughed and said, "You think too much. How could I have such skills?"
"Even if you don't have it now, you will have it in the future."
Qiuhua felt warm in her heart when she heard Liang Ping's words. She didn't expect that she was so optimistic about her.
"I've had this idea since I graduated from junior high school. I want to study embroidery seriously." She thought for a moment and couldn't help but share, "Last time, when I collected the money for embroidery, the master said that if I paid, he would take me to a place that specializes in embroidery to learn."
"Sister, you can do it. Believe me. I saw that embroidered fan in the glass cabinet in the department store. It's so expensive. Only high-ranking officials can afford it. You will definitely be good at making this."
The two of them were laughing. Liang Ping's bed was soft. Qiuhua had just arrived here and everything seemed new to her. The things she had seen during the day flashed through her mind quickly. Her eyes felt more and more tired, and Liang Ping's voice became farther and farther away. She felt herself slowly sinking, and soon she fell asleep.
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