tea party
Xu Tangmian and the other "young people" parked their car at a nearby market, bought some vegetables, and strolled back home. Today was a good day, and they really should celebrate.
Before even reaching the courtyard, they heard a melodious accordion tune, but only one note. Xu Tangmian was wondering why he wasn't playing, wondering if the accordion was broken, when she heard Yu Chunsheng say, "Tangtang bought this for me. Isn't it pretty? It's much more upscale than the one I used before."
He's so arrogant.
Faced with the teasing glances from Li Yutao and Song Weidong beside her, Xu Tangmian smiled with a hint of helplessness.
The three of them stepped into the courtyard and saw Li Youlan and Liu Xingyao, a married couple, sitting side by side on the swing set, watching Yu Chunsheng standing in front of them with great interest.
Upon seeing Xu Tangmian arrive, the couple stood up and nodded to her.
Xu Tangmian quickly invited them to sit down, saying, "Please make yourselves at home."
Li Yutao asked Xu Tangmian casually, "The three of them are putting on a show, so who's going to cook for the three of us?"
As the protagonist, Xu Tangmian should have stepped forward, but during all the time they had spent together, Yu Chunsheng had been the one cooking at home, and her cooking skills were only at the literal level of the word "cooking".
She can't do anything except cook rice and porridge.
Xu Tangmian was in a dilemma. She couldn't spoil the reunion of Yu Chunsheng and his old friends, but if she didn't let Yu Chunsheng come, it would be a waste of resources for her to cook.
Before she could figure out how to break the deadlock, the couple on the swing set were already directing their nephew: "Weidong, aren't you good at cooking? How come you're so clueless?"
As the eldest among the younger generation, Song Weidong rarely showed any boyishness in front of his uncle and aunt. He widened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Xu Tangmian, Li Yutao, and Yu Chunsheng one by one, before resignedly taking the dishes and going into the kitchen.
Xu Tangmian smiled at Yu Chunsheng and went into the kitchen. She couldn't really let the guests do all the work, could she? She had to at least lend a hand. As for Yu Chunsheng, since he was here, Aunt Li and the others would definitely be coming too.
This kitchen can't accommodate so many elderly people.
Xu Tangmian had taken care of Yu Chunsheng for a while when he was injured, and she had already learned how to prepare dishes, so it was not difficult for her.
During this time, Li Yutao also wanted to come in and help, but seeing that the two of them could manage, she thought that going in would only get in the way, so she simply moved a small stool and sat obediently next to the swing.
Xu Tangmian and Song Weidong were busy in the kitchen, occasionally peeking out to see what was happening outside, their voices filled with laughter and chatter.
Xu Tangmian was carrying several vegetables and a basin when she went to the well to wash them. Li Yutao naturally came over to help her pump the well, but her eyes were fixed on Yu Chunsheng as she grinned mischievously.
"Brother Yu, could you sing that Russian song you sang before you went to Beiping again? I didn't hear it clearly."
Xu Tangmian's heart skipped a beat. She had gone to Beiping beforehand and didn't know what Yu Chunsheng had talked about with Song Weidong and the others here. Judging from this, he sang again?
Before I knew him well, I didn't know he loved to sing so much; I only knew he loved music. When he was happy, he would hum a few lines; when he was unhappy, he would play his rickety harmonica in the yard.
Now that he has an accordion, he'll have even more opportunities to play it in the future.
Xu Tangmian looked at the only accordion player standing in the courtyard with a doting expression—Yu Chunsheng, who was standing with his hands on his hips.
Since their trip to Beiping, Yu Chunsheng and Xu Tangmian have reconciled and their tempers have improved even more after shedding their burdens. Now that he has reunited with his old friend, some of his traits from his past life are gradually resurfacing, and he agrees to Li Yutao's small request without hesitation.
He started the bellows, played a few notes to familiarize himself with the instrument, and then his left and right hands worked together at the same time, producing a lively and charming accordion melody that drifted out from the courtyard.
The piano music flowed smoothly and melodiously, and Yu Chunsheng's body swayed gently to the rhythm. Although he hadn't practiced this song for nearly 20 years, the melody seemed to be etched in his memory and he had never forgotten it.
Yu Chunsheng was wearing an ordinary white shirt today, the hem of which was casually left hanging out of his dark blue trousers. He hummed the original Russian lyrics lightly, as if he were chatting as usual, occasionally turning to look at the figure washing vegetables by the well.
He smiled broadly, his eyes brimming with undisguised affection.
Li Yutao, standing by the well, glanced at him and then at Xu Tangmian, covering her mouth and secretly laughing. Song Weidong had mentioned this song to her before, but she hadn't taken it to heart. Although she still couldn't understand the lyrics, Li Yutao was enthusiastically shipping the two.
One family rejoices while another grieves. On one side, everyone is happy, but on the other side, Li Youlan, sitting on the swing, slowly has tears welling up in her eyes.
Yu Chunsheng's figure gradually blurred, just as indistinct as when she peeked through the grille years ago. The same song, the same posture, his charm remained unchanged, but she and her husband had reached their forties.
They were once close friends, but now they are getting old, while he is starting to relive his life from the age of twenty. Li Youlan felt a strange sadness in his heart.
Liu Xingyao saw the feelings his wife had kept hidden in her heart and said frankly, "Youlan, why don't you go up and sing with Lindi? Don't you often sing at home?"
The music stopped, and Yu Chunsheng reached out his hand to Li Youlan: "Big sister, let's sing together."
Li Youlan shook off her inexplicable gloom and gently patted her husband's shoulder: "You, you just know how to make fun of me!"
"I wouldn't dare." Liu Xingyao stood up and went to Yu Chunsheng to reason with him. "Brother Lin, do you think I'm being wronged? You don't know, your Sister Li sings so well. This song even won first prize in her unit's performance before."
"Really?" Yu Chunsheng stepped forward to pull her, "Big sister, don't refuse. I've sung this so many times. I have to hear you sing it again today no matter what."
Unable to persuade Li Youlan, he then mobilized the crowd, shouting in the courtyard in a clownish manner, "Tangtang, Xiaotao, and whoever's busy inside, give them a round of applause!"
Song Weidong, who was chopping vegetables, came out helplessly. "You've been talking to my girlfriend in Russian and playing the piano, and now you've even forgotten my name?"
Yu Chunsheng said with a smile, "I'm sorry, Comrade Weidong, let's stick to our own way of addressing each other. To outsiders I'll call you comrade, but to inside we'll call you brother."
"Go to hell!" Song Weidong laughed and raised the kitchen knife as if to chop him.
The group clapped enthusiastically, but after the sparse applause, Li Youlan was still embarrassed: "Oh, you sing, this is the only song I can sing well, and it's not even in Russian."
She pointed at Li Yutao and said, "Xiaotao loves listening to Russian, why don't you sing Russian for her?"
Li Yutao, who was pointed at, walked over, took her arm, and said in a coquettish tone, "Auntie cares about me so much? Then I want to hear you sing, any song is fine."
Several people tried their best to get her to this position, and Li Youlan reluctantly discussed with Yu Chunsheng, "Then let's stick with this song? I sing in Chinese, which I'm better at and everyone can understand."
Yu Chunsheng nodded, and the sound of the accordion drifted out again.
Russian is a deep and somber language, but Yu Chunsheng laughed from beginning to end, making the song sound like a playful whisper in the bride's ear on their wedding night.
Unlike Yu Chunsheng's Russian version, Li Youlan's soaring female voice carried a poignant beauty. The younger generation was watching them, and even if she had a clear conscience, she had to avoid interacting with the person beside her, especially given the lyrics.
"Red berries bloom in the fields and by the river, and there is a young man I truly love. But I cannot confess my feelings to him; the words I hold in my heart remain unspoken!"
The two stood side by side and, under the gaze of several people, finally sang a duet, fulfilling her dream from twenty years ago.
After finishing the song, Li Youlan quickly walked back to the swing and snuggled up to Liu Xingyao, saying apologetically, "I told you I wouldn't sing, because people would laugh at me if I did."
Yu Chunsheng raised an eyebrow, put his accordion aside, and naturally walked over to squat down in front of her, saying generously, "Sister Lin, why are you shy? You have a mouth to talk, and I sing better than I talk, so why don't you sing?"
The group started chatting and laughing for a while, making it feel like a tea party.
Peanuts, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised pork, steamed fish—these dishes were served one by one, and the tea party officially came to an end.
Yu Chunsheng raised his glass, first to Song Weidong, then to Li Youlan and his wife, and finally to Kong Lin.
The table wasn't big, and the six of them squeezed in to sit down. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they started chatting about things from the old days.
Li Youlan asked Yu Chunsheng, "What are your plans for the future? Do you still want to overturn the case?"
Xu Tangmian's expression tightened, and she looked at him with concern, feeling a little nervous.
No matter what, Xu Zhilian is her grandfather... It's a fact that he was unfriendly to her during that trip to Beiping, but it's also a fact that she has been truly pampered for over twenty years.
If it really was Grandpa who did it, although he still has some power now, he is not yet at the point where he can cover it up. Reporting him would undoubtedly ruin his career. Xu Tangmian doesn't know what impact that would have on the entire Xu family.
Yu Chunsheng probably guessed what she was thinking, shook his head and said in a low voice, "Never mind, I want to live a peaceful life."
Li Youlan became anxious, "But you've suffered so much, I...I can't forget...Ah Lin, are you really not going to sue? Xingyao and I already have some leads."
"Forget it, elder sister." Yu Chunsheng smiled faintly, though the smile was somewhat bitter: "I've already come back to life, why should I dwell on things from my past life?"
He glanced at Liu Xingyao and then looked back at her, saying with a look of relief, "I never expected that you and Xingyao could get together. Weidong told me that you have been working hard for me all these years. Thank you! Thank you so much."
"Let's consider this another chance from God. Let's enjoy this new life together from today onwards."
He suddenly remembered something, "I remember Weidong saying you guys are in the printing business? When I resigned from the supply and marketing cooperative, I had my eye on a printing factory that was about to go bankrupt and was planning to take it over, but I hadn't looked into it and was afraid of losing money. Since you two are here, why don't we go take a look together after we finish eating?"
The couple had no objections. Since they wouldn't be appealing the case anymore, they would help him as much as they could.
The group drank a few more cups when suddenly an old man appeared outside the door. He looked to be over sixty years old, but he walked with remarkable agility.
Seeing him approach, Song Weidong put down his wine glass and went to greet him: "Uncle Xu, what brings you here?"
The visitor was Xu Zhenhua, a retired barefoot doctor from the next village. Because Song Weidong had been frequently busy lately, he had been applying to send another doctor. Since the higher-ups couldn't find anyone for the time being, they rehired Xu Zhenhua, and he had been helping out at the clinic all this time.
Song Weidong took the day off today, and Xu Zhenhua was almost overwhelmed at the clinic, so he quickly slipped out when there were fewer patients to ask him to go back.
Xu Zhenhua hurried into the courtyard, about to speak with Song Weidong, but upon seeing Yu Chunsheng's face, he suddenly became much more respectful, looking him up and down before asking, "Does anyone in your family have been sent to the countryside in our village before? Is their surname Kong?"
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