Chapter 166 Who is outside
The next day, An Zhiqiu went to the canteen in the compound to get his meal as usual: thick millet porridge, a boiled egg per person, two rice dumplings, and a portion of pickled radish.
After dinner, the two of them changed into their most inconspicuous clothes that they only wore when working. The clothes were clean and tidy, and they still couldn't suppress their good looks. The cuffs and hems were a bit damp.
However, the clothes they wore inside were the warm clothes sewn by An Zhixia. They were thin, soft and warm. Compared with the cotton-padded trousers and military coats worn outside, they were particularly thin.
They prepared several gifts, placed them in sacks and put them on the back seat of the car.
After locking the door, An Zhiqiu straddled the car with his long legs and sat down, while An Zhixia got in from his brother's arms and sat on the beam. He rang a bell curiously and said, "Let's go." His brother kicked his long legs and the two of them jumped out.
"Comrade An, Comrade Xiao An, are you visiting relatives?" Yesterday, An Zhixia worked as a salesperson at Nanhua for a day. He was smiling and speaking softly. The fierce reputation he had established before seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden. When the neighbors saw them carrying sacks, they greeted them with a smile.
"Yes, go back to my hometown," An Zhiqiu said loudly with a smile.
Although they lived in Dongcheng District, close to the city center, their home was in the outer suburbs of Xicheng District, so they went to the bus station first, put their bicycles on the roof rack, and sat in the last row with their sacks.
It was cold outside and almost all the windows were closed. All kinds of smells were stuffy together: gasoline, sweat, stinky feet, onions, garlic, leeks, and poultry manure!
An Zhixia got in the car and buried her nose in her brother's shoulder, looking around with curiosity with her big eyes.
There are many more people in Kyoto than in Tsukiji, so the bus is also bigger, made of two buses spliced together. The young ticket seller in a blue hat shouted loudly: "Is there anyone going to Xicheng District? The bus will leave in five minutes!"
Most of the people who paid to take the bus were visiting relatives. They were carrying large and small bags, and their voices were more joyful and energetic than usual. They told the children around them about their childhood.
The train stopped and started, and after about twenty minutes of excitement, everyone began to feel sleepy. When the sun was high in the sky, we arrived at the Xicheng District Station.
After getting out of the car and moving the things, An Zhiqiu looked at everything familiar, took a deep breath, and said to the girl with red eyes: "We are back, we are finally back!"
An Zhixia nodded, took out a small golden orange from her pocket, peeled it, stuffed half of it into her brother's mouth, and then put a mouthful of it into her mouth, chewing it with her cheeks puffed up. Yesterday, she went to the headquarters. Although she didn't meet the big boss, she saw a few familiar people. Someone stuffed a bag of oranges into her mouth, saying that it was a welfare for the leaders and it was to make her mouth sweet.
Oranges are sweet and sour and juicy, which dispels all the discomfort along the way and instantly restores one's spirits.
"Let's go to your brother Huzi's house first to hear the news," An Zhiqiu patted the beam. After the girl got on, he pushed hard and got out of the station, shuttling through the alleys.
An Zhixia was confused and disoriented. Even if she had the original owner's memories, she would never be able to get out of this maze-like alley.
"We're here," An Zhiqiu braked, propped up the car with one leg, and patted the girl's head, "Let's see if Aunt Xue and your brother Huzi are home?"
An Zhixia nodded. The original owner's memory was very vague. She only remembered that when the brother and sister were very hungry, Xue's mother gave them some black flour and hard steamed bread. The original owner was grateful to others, but she felt nothing and walked towards the yard reluctantly.
The people living in this Walnut Hutong are workers from several nearby factories and their families. Often, there are several families living in one courtyard, just like the courtyard house bought by the An family before it was taken back. The difference is that these houses belong to the factories, not individuals.
"Is Aunt Xue here? Brother Huzi?" An Zhixia cleared her throat and called out.
A long-faced young wife came out holding a teacup and glared at her: "Who are you? Why are you looking for my Guofei? How come I didn't know that the Xue family has a relative like you? And you call me Brother Huzi, isn't that too intimate?"
An Zhiqiu parked the car and came in. When he heard this, his face became slightly solemn. He put his arm around the girl and said, "You are Guo Fei's new wife, right? We are An Zhiqiu and An Zhixia from Qian Hutong. We grew up with Huzi."
"Oh, it's you guys," Mrs. Xue pouted and looked them up and down, finally stopping at An Zhixia's incredibly pretty face. She noticed the neighbor's head sticking out of the window from the corner of her eye, and said with a sullen face, "Even if you grew up together, a girl of your age can't just call everyone brother."
"Dong Yun, who is outside?" Xue's mother asked as she strode out of the house. When she saw the two young people in the yard, she was stunned for a moment.
"Is it Zhiqiu and Zhixia?" The lady next door also came out. "Oh my, the countryside is so good at nurturing people? It's only been a year since I last saw you, how come you have changed so much? If you didn't tell me, who would have recognized you?"
"Qiuzi, Xiaxia, is it really you?" An Zhixia didn't know why she felt something was wrong with the smile on Xue's mother's face at first. Before she could think about it, Xue's mother was full of joy and enthusiastically pulled one of them into the house, "Dongyun, go make two bowls of soft-boiled eggs." She then shouted into the hut, "Huzi, get up quickly, Qiuzi and Xiaxia are here!"
Dong Yun was about to say something when her mother-in-law glared at her. She could only stamp her feet and mutter something about making soft-boiled eggs.
"When did you come back? We didn't hear anything. You've changed a lot in just one year. It's true that you can live a good life after leaving that evil-minded woman." Xue's mother looked at the brother and sister with pity and said with tears in her eyes, "You really are becoming more and more like your mother. If she were still alive, your family would be happy and no one could catch up with you. How could you be so noisy and chaotic like now, being laughed at by others?"
Xue Guofei walked out with dazed eyes while buttoning his shirt: "Mom, if you don't want to see me sleep in, just tell me, why are you making fun of Qiuzi? If they were coming, why didn't you tell me in advance..." Before he finished speaking, he stared at the brother and sister sitting in the main room and rubbed his eyes hard, "Oh my god, these two people really look like Qiuzi and Xia Xia!"
"You rascal, are you sleepy?" Xue's mother patted him on the back in annoyance. "Hurry up and wash your face. There are guests here. What are you talking about? Your sisters and brothers-in-law will be here soon. Don't let your nephews laugh at you."
Xue Guofei chuckled, greeted the brother and sister, glanced at An Zhixia, and ran out to wash up with a red face.
An Zhixia frowned slightly, then relaxed her brows. Seeing that her brother's smile was unnatural, she sighed secretly.
(End of this chapter)
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