Chapter 80
"You little rascal, you missed me that much?" Unfortunately, Han Shuo's belly was too big to hold his nephew, so he could only pinch Han Ting's little face tenderly.
Next, Han Ting clung to Han Shuo like a clingy little monkey, following him everywhere, afraid that if he wasn't careful, his uncle, who had just arrived home, would have to go to school again.
There were two pots on the stove. The rice in one pot was already cooked, and the chicken was stewing in the other. Actually, the kitchen was warm, and Han Shuo's cotton-padded coat was thick enough, but Han Hong was always worried that his younger brother would get cold, so he moved a chair behind the stove and let Han Shuo sit there to warm up.
Han Ting saw Han Shuo go over and followed.
Han Hong had told the five-year-old boy many times that his uncle had a baby in his belly and that he must not run around recklessly.
So Han Ting kept it in mind. After Han Shuo sat down, he would at most rest half of his body or head on Han Shuo's lap, occasionally wriggling a little to express his longing for his uncle.
Han Shuo was chatting with Han Hong when he suddenly felt something touching his stomach. He looked down and saw Han Ting's small fingers tapping his protruding belly.
When Han Ting saw Han Shuo looking at him, he instantly grinned from ear to ear, revealing his uneven teeth.
He looked up at Han Shuo and said, "Little baby."
Han Shuo smiled and gently rubbed the whorl of his hair with his fingertips.
Mencius' mother said to Han Ting, "Tingting, you're going to be a big brother soon. You'll have to play with Xiaobao then."
Han Ting had never seen the child in Han Shuo's belly, so she felt both unfamiliar with and curious about it.
Hearing Meng Mu's words, especially the part about becoming a big brother, Han Ting, a child of that age, became so shy that he immediately wedged himself between Han Shuo's legs.
Han Shuo was both amused and exasperated. "What's wrong? Are you embarrassed to be a big brother?"
Han Hong said to Han Ting, "Don't let your little uncle's baby be born and you become the older brother, and you still cry every day."
"Ugh!" The little boy was also concerned about his image. He stomped his feet after being scolded by his father, and then reached out to push his father.
Everyone was amused.
"Alright, alright, are you a little ox? You're so strong." Han Hong laughed as he grabbed his son's two thin arms that were flailing about. He pointed to Meng Yuxiu sitting at the dining table and said to his son, "Tingting, did you call for help just now?"
Han Ting looked over.
Meng Yuxiu is different from Han Shuo. Han Ting has had Han Shuo by her side since birth, so even though they were separated for half a year, they were still close when they returned.
Although he used to call Han Shuo "Brother Meng" all the time back in August, he felt a little unfamiliar with him after not seeing him for so long, so he clung to Han Shuo, too embarrassed to speak.
Han Shuo asked him, "Have you forgotten who he is?"
Han Ting lowered his head and kept twisting his butt between Han Shuo's legs, then whispered to Han Shuo, "Brother Xiao Meng."
Han Shuo laughed, "You know who he is, why didn't you call him?"
Han Ting glanced over discreetly, and Han Shuo nudged his shoulder.
Meng Yuxiu hurriedly got up and rummaged through the woven bag in the living room to get toys and a schoolbag, which he then took into the kitchen.
He called Han Ting: "Tingting".
When Mencius' mother saw it, she exclaimed, "Oh, Tingting, hurry, here's your gift!"
Han Shuo patted his nephew's bottom and urged him with a smile, "Aren't you going over there? Your brother Meng bought this especially for you."
Unable to resist the temptation, Han Ting ran over to Meng Yuxiu, grabbed the toy, wrapped his other arm around Meng Yuxiu's leg, and then affectionately called him "Brother Meng."
Before dinner, Han Shuo personally untied the two large bags he had brought back from Hecheng and distributed them to his parents and brother.
"Dad, these are the clothes and pants I bought for you." Han Shuo felt tired after squatting for a while, so he let Meng Yuxiu sort the things while he took charge of talking.
"Mom, I bought you a wool sweater and a scarf." Han Shuo then grabbed a set of clothes from Meng Yuxiu's hand and looked at them. He said to Han Hong, "Brother, this is for you. And all these toys and clothes are for Tingting."
The parents originally thought the two large bags contained clothes for the young couple, but it turned out they were all bought for them.
"Why did you buy so many?" Meng's mother asked Meng Yuxiu in surprise, touching the fabric of the clothes. "It must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Han Hong was also puzzled.
Meng's father frowned and asked his son, "I sent you the living expenses, and you returned them untouched. Where did you get the money to buy so many things?"
Meng Yuxiu told his father the truth: "We opened a tutoring center in Hecheng, and business is quite good."
Meng Yuxiu spoke succinctly, but Han Shuo found it boring. Such a joyous occasion shouldn't be glossed over so quietly. Shouldn't we make a big fuss and get everyone in the family excited?
So, in front of the parents, he spoke animatedly and fluently, saying that what they did was not a tutoring class, but an educational training institution, probably the first of its kind in Hecheng, with sales staff, teachers, and dozens or even hundreds of students.
After hearing this, the parents, though they had never actually seen what Han Shuo's educational training institution was like, were at ease as long as their children weren't using crooked methods to make money.
Han Hong was so happy to see his younger brother and brother-in-law so successful that his mouth almost stretched to his ears.
However, the passbook wasn't given to him immediately. Instead, after dinner, Han Shuo called Han Hong to a guest room on the second floor and handed him the passbook.
Just now downstairs, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu bought so many things for them, and Han Hong felt that their educational institution was already very profitable.
Upon seeing the numbers on the passbook, Han Hong was stunned into silence.
"Brother, you keep it."
Han Hong felt proud that his younger brother could earn money, but he couldn't accept it. Not only now that Han Shuo was married and had his own family, but even if Han Shuo wasn't married, Han Hong thought that the money Han Shuo earned should stay with him.
"How could I possibly take your money?" Han Hong hurriedly pushed it back.
Han Shuo then stuffed it into his hand.
"Brother!" Han Shuo exclaimed anxiously, "This is money I earned myself, you take it!"
Han Hong was pleased, but he still said, "I'm not one of those old fogies in the village who expect you to repay them for raising me. You and Xiao Xiu are running that educational institution now, so this money will definitely be useful in some way. You can keep it for yourself."
He then joked, "Now that you're married, I have one less person to support, and I've saved up some money. Keep it for yourself. Seeing that you and Xiao Xiu are doing well, making money, and having a good relationship, I'm very satisfied."
While in Hecheng, Meng Yuxiu asked Han Shuo whether they should tell their families about their impending departure. Han Shuo couldn't bear to see them heartbroken, and he was also deeply conflicted.
He wanted to say a proper goodbye. He wanted to tell his brother that he was leaving and that he hoped they could live well in the future. He wanted to tell his brother that he would miss them. He wanted them to feel how intense and heart-wrenching his longing and reluctance to leave were.
But he didn't want to shatter this beautiful reunion; he feared that in their final days, everyone would be trapped in the torment and pain of loss.
Han Hong noticed Han Shuo's expression and asked, "What's wrong, Shuo?"
Han Shuo suppressed his indescribable distress, grabbed Han Hong's hand, and placed the bankbook in his brother's palm.
"Brother," he pleaded, his eyes almost begging, "can you please accept this? The organization will still be making money in the future, and we'll have enough to live on."
"Brother," Han Shuo said with difficulty, looking at his brother, "accept it. It's not a matter of giving or receiving."
"But..." Han Shuo raised his eyes and smiled slowly, "because we are family."
Han Hong eventually accepted the savings book. This tall, strong man, over six feet tall, had raised Han Shuo alone since he was a tiny little bean sprout, enduring more than ten years of hardship. Yet, on the day his younger brother was so successful, he cried his eyes out.
After crying, he couldn't stop praising his son Xiao Shuo for being so capable, getting into university, and making so much money.
Seeing his brother like this, Han Shuo couldn't help but smile through his tears.
Today, the family is reunited. Meng's parents boiled a lot of hot water, and Meng Yuxiu came upstairs to call his two brothers to wash up.
Han Hong took Han Ting to the courtyard, and Han Shuo asked Meng Yuxiu from behind, "Did you give your bankbook to your parents?"
Meng Yuxiu said he gave it to him.
What was your parents' reaction?
Meng Yuxiu smiled but didn't say anything. However, Han Shuo saw him raise his eyebrows slightly and could tell from his undisguised smugness that the boy had been praised by his parents.
After washing her face, Han Ting clung to Han Shuo, wanting to sleep with him that night. Han Hong wouldn't allow it, and the little guy fussed for several minutes.
Han Shuo advised his brother, "Just let him sleep with me, the bed can fit three people anyway."
Han Hong frowned and said to Han Ting, "Your uncle and brother Meng have been traveling for two days. You're sandwiched between them, moving around all night. How are they supposed to get any rest?"
Meng Yuxiu also advised, "It's alright, brother. Let Tingting sleep with you."
"No, no, Xiaoxiu, you two get a good rest tonight." After saying that, Han Hong picked up Han Ting and carried her upstairs. He coaxed her as they walked, "Your uncle has a baby in his belly. What if you kick it and hurt it?"
Han Ting was stunned after hearing this. He asked his father, "Will the baby cry?"
"It will cry, it will cry loudly in your uncle's tummy..."
Han Ting was led into the guest room by Han Hong, and Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu went upstairs after washing their faces.
It took them most of the day to get home before they stepped into their room.
Six months later, the room was still decorated with festive cheer, as if their wedding had just happened yesterday.
The double happiness characters on the glass windows and the garlands hanging from the ceiling were still vibrant, and the bright red bed sheets and duvet covers were part of Han Shuo's dowry.
Knowing that they were returning today, Meng's mother had already aired out all the bedding and made the bed meticulously. Considering the cold winter nights, she also laid a thick Raschel blanket on top of the quilt.
"Oh~ I can finally lie down in bed." Han Shuo stretched and walked over to pull back the covers, took off his slippers and sat down in bed. He groaned comfortably, "Warm and cozy."
Meng Yuxiu walked to the foot of the bed and said to Han Shuo, "There are some baby clothes."
"Where?" Han Shuo looked over.
It really was a small outfit; it should be described as a top, a pair of open-crotch pants, a red woolen hat, and a pair of tiny cotton socks.
"Knock knock knock—" There was a knock on the door, and Meng's mother asked from outside, "Xiao Xiu, Xiao Shuo, are you in bed yet?"
Han Shuo: "No, Mom."
Meng's mother pushed open the door and came in. She filled a hot water bottle, lifted the blanket, and placed the hot water bottle on Han Shuo's feet. Seeing her son fiddling with his little clothes, she smiled and said, "Your father bought this for you."
Meng Yuxiu was somewhat surprised: "My dad bought it?"
“Yes, he bought it at the market last time.” Meng’s mother said to Han Shuo with a smile. “He even went to buy it by himself. I’m surprised. I never saw him buy clothes so frequently when I was pregnant with Xiao Xiu.”
Mencius' mother pointed to the neatly arranged little clothes at the foot of the bed and said, "I told you to put them away and take them out to wash and dry when the weather is nice. But your father insisted on spreading them out on the bed one by one to show you the little clothes he bought."
"Hahahaha!" Han Shuo laughed heartily. He said, "I didn't expect Dad to be so funny."
Meng's mother smiled and said to Meng Yuxiu, "Don't be fooled by how fierce your father is to the children and students in the village. He wants to be a grandfather now."
Meng Yuxiu smiled almost imperceptibly, which his mother didn't notice, but Han Shuo could see the fleeting emotion in his eyes.
After his mother left, Meng Yuxiu remained seated at the foot of the bed.
He lowered his eyes, his fingers touching the little clothes.
Are you sad?
Meng Yuxiu's Adam's apple bobbed slowly, his voice muffled, "A little."
Han Shuo moved closer and took his hand.
He stared at Meng Yuxiu's profile, noticing his tightly pursed lips, a result of his restraint.
He sighed deeply, pulled Meng Yuxiu by the shoulder, and embraced him.
"Let's celebrate the New Year with them."
A sour taste slowly welled up in his nose, and Meng Yuxiu buried his face in Han Shuo's shoulder, who nodded silently.
"good."
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