When I arrived at the bus station at two o'clock, I secretly glanced around and caught a glimpse of my elderly father's lonely figure leaning against his bicycle.
I quickly slipped back and wandered around the bus station several times before finally finding a toilet where no one was around.
He carried all the New Year's gifts he had prepared into his hands before happily leaving the bus station.
"Dad, I'm back!" Little Jiu'er, like an excited sparrow, chirped and fluttered her wings as she flew towards her father.
When Tao Changyi saw his daughter, the wrinkles on his face immediately turned into layers of smiles.
"Hey, if you don't come out soon, I'll go back and wait for the next trip. Come on, I'll take you home first, and then I'll come back to pick up your mom from get off work later."
"Dad, you took leave?"
Seeing that my father was still wearing his dark blue work clothes, I could smell the strong aroma of alcohol even without getting close.
"Knowing you're coming back today, your mother was worried I'd miss it, so a few days ago I switched shifts with someone to make sure today was free."
"Oh, you don't need to pick me up, I can take the bus home."
"How can that be? Your sisters are all busy at home. They originally wanted to come and pick you up, but Dad thinks you'd be even happier to see me, wouldn't you, my little darling?"
Xiao Jiu smiled like a trumpet flower, "Of course! How are my grandparents?"
"Good, all very good. Your eldest sister and the others have really made a great contribution."
Without their help, how could your mother and I have such an easy time just thinking about going to work?
"Are you hungry, my dear? Your sister made sesame flatbreads and dumplings at home..."
"How is your second sister adapting? Oh my, my daughter is really amazing. She actually managed to change her status from a rural to an urban resident. That's something so many people can't do!"
Look at your mother and me, we benefited from the official household registration we got before 1958. Your third sister had a very difficult time back then.
This is just in a county town; it's even harder in the city. These are difficult times; every extra person means an extra ration of grain.
"It's not that I'm particularly good, it's just that the family of the older sister I helped is powerful. They have connections, which is why they gave me this spot."
The main problem is that we don't have a suitable person in our family. If I were a few years older, I'd be willing to do it myself. Besides, that position only accepts women.
"What, you think I'll be unhappy? Your sister is also my goddaughter. If my goddaughter gets a good job, I'll definitely benefit from it too!"
Tao Changyi's words reassured Xiao Jiu, "How's my brother's studying lately? Have they taken their final exams?"
"Just like you, I went to pick up my report card today. I haven't had a chance to ask yet. I'll check when I get home to see if I've made any progress."
Anyway, I guess it was because of you that he became so motivated to study in his third year of junior high. His teacher even praised him for his great progress!
"Perhaps he'll be able to get into high school. If he can get into high school, he'll be halfway there, and he won't have to worry about finding a job after he goes to a vocational college."
That's true. Back then, it was hard to get into university, and getting into a vocational college wasn't as easy as it is now.
Many people who graduate from high school fail to get into a vocational college, and the jobs they find are not as good as those who do go to vocational college.
Each stage presents a seemingly insurmountable class divide, which underscores the importance of academic qualifications.
On the way home, I occasionally run into someone I know, since my parents have traveled from the town to the village, and then from the village to the county seat.
Over the years, I've met a lot of people. I used to run a liquor store, and I always tell everyone I meet with a smile.
"My daughter just came back from her holiday in the city."
"Oh, this is my daughter. She goes to school in the city!"
...
As more and more people asked, regardless of whether they knew her or not, she just kept saying whatever her father told her to say.
There were all sorts of people, like uncles, aunts, uncles, and cousins, just like the scene of going back to my parents' hometown for the Chinese New Year.
Thinking of his biological parents, he let out another long sigh.
In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed since she last saw them, and she wondered how they were doing after she left.
When I returned to the village, the sun had already set, and the afterglow of the sunset shone on the road home. The feeling of rural charm was unforgettable.
Grandpa and Grandma sat on the steps in front of the gate waiting for her, while her brother turned over the soil in the small vegetable garden by the gate.
The seventh and eighth sisters were turning over the soil in the private plot of land in the backyard of the Tang family, which mainly grew sweet potatoes, and occasionally glancing towards the direction of the village entrance.
This is probably the meaning of going home, right?
I've only been away for a few weeks, but I already miss the people and things here terribly.
Before her father could even stop the bicycle, she jumped off, ran up to her grandparents, and gave them a bear hug, kissing each of them on the cheek.
"Grandpa and Grandma, did you miss me? I'm back! I missed you so much! Muah!"
"Gray~~La~~~Wax!"
Grandma's speech was unclear. After struggling to utter those three words, she looked at her and smiled, but accidentally drooled.
Seeing this, Grandpa quickly took the handkerchief he was holding and handed it to her to wipe her face, grumbling helplessly as he did so.
"Look how excited you are. You've been back for quite a while now, you're not going to run away. Don't cry, why are you crying? I didn't say anything!"
Xiao Jiu quickly took the handkerchief, wiping her grandmother's mouth while nodding in approval.
"I won't run away, Grandma. Let's be affectionate with each other every day."
As a result, she hugged the old lady and wiped her mouth, speaking softly, which made the old lady cry with excitement, scaring the grandfather half to death.
When Xiao Jiu saw the old lady crying, she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes as well.
"Grandma, I'm sorry. I can't be with you because I'm in school. If I don't go to school, I won't earn much money in the future. How will I spend it on you?"
I want you and Grandpa to eat meat, rice, and flour every day in the future. I want to take care of you in your old age.
The old woman quickly stopped crying and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her slightly rough fingertips.
"Shang, Shang, gimmick, Shang Xue!"
Xiao Jiu, sobbing, helped the old lady up, and the old lady even showed her the effects of her special training these days.
With her cane, she walked much faster than before, and her complexion was rosy; she even seemed to have gained some weight.
She must properly thank her sisters for their hard work later.
She had just greeted her seventh and eighth sisters, who waved to her, indicating that she should go home and spend some time with her grandparents.
They're not in a hurry; they can come whenever they want.
Xiao Jiu glanced at them gratefully, then helped her grandfather on the left and her grandmother on the right, returning home with a happy expression.
I saw the young man washing clothes in the yard, his fingers were red from the cold, and I started to sigh when I saw him.
"It's really frustrating to compare yourself to others. Not only is no one picking me up after school, but when I get home, there's not a single person to greet me."
There was no hot food when you got back, so I had to heat it up myself. Before Dad went to pick you up, he told me to wash your clothes, worried that your little cotton-padded jacket might get cold.
Xiao Jiu looked at the young man a little embarrassedly: "Why don't you put it there? I'll wash it later."
Tao An's lips were so pouty they could hold a wine jug: "Come on, I don't want to get beaten up. Alright, hurry up and go inside."
After Tao Changyi put down Xiaojiu's luggage, he came over to talk to her.
"Jiu'er, you stay with your grandparents for now. I'll go pick up your mother now, and we'll have a family reunion dinner together later."
"It's the eve of the Lunar New Year today. You'll be spending it with your sisters in a bit." With that, he pushed his bicycle away.
Back in the main room, Xiao Jiu quickly took out a gold bracelet from her bundle, which she had disinfected with alcohol.
Although it's not appropriate to wear it on Grandma's wrist now, it's the first decent gift she's given her.
The old lady was shocked the moment she saw the gold bracelet. "What...oh...is that?"
"Grandma, this is for you. Your son gave it to you. Does it look nice?"
Grandma nodded repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes, "Haaah, haaah!"
Turning her head, she saw her grandfather looking at her expectantly. Xiao Jiu grinned and handed him a gold ring: "Grandpa, this is for you."
She carefully cleaned the gold ring; it was a men's ring, perfect for her grandfather.
She originally wanted to give her grandfather a snuff bottle, but she needed to make the snuff ash first before giving him the snuff bottle.
After all, snuff ash is no longer available on the market. She studied traditional Chinese medicine and knew that the production process of snuff ash was quite complicated.
Snuff is made by grinding high-quality tobacco into an extremely fine powder and adding precious medicinal materials such as musk, or extracting from flowers. The production process is very sophisticated, and the flavor of the snuff is divided into five types: muttony, burnt, sour, bean-like, and bitter.
It's not something she can just do by flipping through medical books; it requires trials. So, in that case, let's just give her a gold ring.
Although it may seem a bit tacky, old-fashioned items like gold are indeed suitable gifts for elderly family members.
Grandpa glanced at Grandma's big gold bracelet, then at his own small ring. Although he felt a little unbalanced, he was still better off than his son and grandson.
So she happily tried it on, and the size was just right, making her even happier: "Not bad, not bad, my wine is so thoughtful."
After the initial excitement, the old man didn't forget to ask about the origins of the two children, one big and one small. Xiao Jiu replied mysteriously.
"Would you believe me if I said I found it?"
Such a good item is hard to believe if someone says they bought it or traded it; the only one who says they found it has some credibility.
That's why her stories are so vivid and lifelike.
"My second sister rented a house over there, right? During the day, my sister goes to work, and when I'm at home, I go out for a stroll."
Then I ran into a group of people in plainclothes who were whistling and chasing two people all over the street.
One of them threw what he was holding into a trash can as he turned the corner.
Nobody else saw it, only I did, and then I picked it up.
Inside were a gold bracelet and a gold ring, over thirty yuan, and more than a dozen grain coupons.
The old man's eyes widened. "Really?" Of course it was true, but she had said a smaller quantity.
She grinned, revealing her little white tiger teeth, and nodded excitedly.
"Whoever finds it keeps it, don't you think?"
"Oh dear, I'm afraid someone will find out about you and retaliate!"
"Grandpa, don't worry, I'm being careful. I'll make sure they don't notice me. Before the plainclothes officers even realize what's going on, I'll grab them while they're taking out the trash."
"Then we are really lucky. My wine is a lucky star. Our family has been lucky since we were young."
Grandma was also smiling and patting her head. Xiao Jiu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that neither of the elderly couple said she shouldn't have taken the thing.
Fortunately, the grandparents weren't overly sympathetic. Now that things were out in the open, they even gave a gift, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop!
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