Chapter 144 Going to the Capital
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it was the summer of 1984.
When Xiao Ai arrived at the office that day, she noticed that Cheng Lin's face looked a little strange.
She glanced at Wang Xiaofeng who was sitting on the side looking at the report, and Wang Xiaofeng made a phone call gesture to her.
Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of him, Shi Xiaoai simply asked Cheng Lin, "What's wrong? Who's calling?"
Cheng Lin, who was lost in thought, only saw Shi Xiaoai at this moment.
He wiped his face, forced a smile, and said, "Nothing."
"Is this... a relationship? And then someone kicked him out?" Shi Xiaoai looked at his face and asked tentatively.
"Puchi!" Wang Xiaofeng next to him couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What? Sister-in-law, what nonsense are you talking about!"
Cheng Lin was embarrassed. He glared at Shi Xiaoai and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not in a relationship at all!"
Shi Xiaoai rolled her eyes at him and said, "If we didn't talk about it, then we didn't talk about it. Why are you being so aggressive? Tell me, what happened to you?"
Cheng Lin's face drooped again, and after a while he said sullenly, "It was my aunt who called. She wanted me to persuade Kaikai to go back to Beijing to attend junior high school."
Shi Xiaoai was stunned for a moment.
She knew that the aunt Cheng Lin was talking about was Kaikai's biological mother. She had been living with her eldest son in the past few years, helping them take care of the child.
Although she hasn't taken care of Kaikai in recent years, she is still good to the child.
Not to mention that he always sends living expenses on time, at least he will ask the child's opinion during the holidays.
As long as Kaikai agrees, his elder brother will definitely come and pick Kaikai up to play.
During those two years, the child spent the Spring Festival with his mother and older brother.
Although this mother was indeed overly partial and did not treat her two sons equally.
But people are afraid of comparison. Compared with their father, such a mother is already very responsible.
Kaikai has been living with Shi Xiaoai and the others in the past few years. Everyone has gotten so used to it that she even forgot that Kaikai's household registration is still in Beijing and he is currently a student on loan in Yuncheng.
The learning atmosphere and school conditions in Beijing are indeed much better than those in Beijing.
"Have you told Kaikai about this?" Shi Xiaoai asked.
"No." Cheng Lin shook his head.
"I just answered the phone, and I have to talk to you and my brother first, right?"
Shi Xiaoai was silent for a moment: "This matter mainly depends on Kaikai's opinion. He is so old now, it depends on what he thinks."
Cheng Lin nodded and remained silent for a long time.
"If Kaikai goes back, who will take care of him?" Shi Xiaoai thought of a practical problem.
"My father retired at the beginning of the year and has now moved into a retirement home. He lives very close to the affiliated high school, only about ten minutes' walk away.
Besides, he is very idle now. His driver and civil servants have nothing to do every day. There will definitely be someone to take care of Kaikai if he lives at home.
Auntie just said that Kaikai's eldest brother's child is going to elementary school this year, and she doesn't plan to stay there forever. She is also going back to the capital, and if Kaikai is willing, he can live with her. "
It looks like the ex-couple must have discussed it together.
In this case, there is even less reason to stop it.
Shi Xiaoai likes the child Kaikai very much.
Although he is nominally her brother-in-law, Xiao Ai actually treats him like her eldest son.
In her heart, Kaikai's position is no different from Mingrui and Mingxi.
But when it comes to the question of where the child should go to school, she still feels that she has no right to make a decision for Kaikai.
After hearing what Cheng Lin said, Shi Xiaoai felt a little depressed the whole afternoon, and Cheng Chenglin felt almost the same, both of them were in low spirits.
After finishing her work, she called Cheng Yang and asked him to come home when he had time, saying that she had something to discuss with him.
Today was originally the weekend, and Cheng Yang was preparing to come back. When he received a call from his wife, he immediately said that he would leave now and would be home in an hour.
After hanging up the phone, Shi Xiaoai sat at the table in a daze, feeling that something was wrong everywhere.
Although no one had discussed this matter yet, she could actually feel that Kaikai's return to the capital was a foregone conclusion.
This doesn't need to be discussed at all!
If we talk about what is good for the children, Beijing is definitely more suitable.
Wang Xiaofeng couldn't stand seeing her listless look.
She said, "Sister, are you really that upset? It's just Kaikai returning to the capital, what's the big deal?
If that doesn't work out, you and your brother-in-law can go back with you to take a look. If the situation there is good and everything is suitable, we can just move up the plan and open a branch there this year."
Shi Xiaoai's eyes lit up, and she realized that she had been influenced by Cheng Lin.
Yes, why is she upset?
At worst, we can open a branch, so that whenever we want to see Kaikai, we can just take the train there.
The round trip will take at most three days.
Moreover, their family has a house in Beijing!
I've had the key to that house for several years, but I've never visited it once. It's time to go and see the house.
This way, if they go there in the future, they will have a place to stay.
"You don't just have to consider Kaikai, you also have to consider Cheng Lin. Cheng Lin is already 21 this year."
Wang Xiaofeng continued, "You didn't even ask Cheng Lin where he planned to start a family? Or whether he was willing to stay in Yuncheng?
Anyway, if I were Cheng Lin, I would definitely be willing to return to the capital, after all, I was born and raised there. Besides, there are more opportunities in the capital than in our Yuncheng, right? "
Shi Xiaoai was deeply shocked by what Wang Xiaofeng said.
She always thought she cared a lot about the two children, but she didn't expect that none of her friends could see through them as clearly.
Yes, who can say that Cheng Lin’s future will definitely be in Yuncheng?
She will definitely focus on Yuncheng for the time being, not only because her store and her roots are here, but also because Cheng Yang's unit is also here.
But it’s hard to say what will happen in the future.
Shi Xiaoai was not originally from such a world, and she had no concept of hometown.
If she finds a better opportunity in the future, she doesn't mind moving. What's more, what if Cheng Lin is promoted again and changes military regions in the future?
Aren’t they leaving yet?
Therefore, Cheng Lin's settlement there is not something that can be ignored.
If you don't plan to stay in Yuncheng, you really can't find a partner and settle down here.
Otherwise it will be troublesome in the future.
Now is not the future, so household registration is not important at all.
Nowadays, you need a household registration for everything. If Cheng Lin gets married here, it will not be easy for his wife and children to get their household registration in Beijing when he returns to the capital in the future.
Of course, it is not completely impossible, but it is better to avoid foreseeable troubles.
When Cheng Yang received a call from his wife, he clearly felt a sense of heaviness in her words.
He was dealing with something at that time, so he didn't ask much, but he was very nervous on the way back.
Even the driving speed is much faster than usual.
But he never expected that when he returned home he would find the whole house seemed to be filled with joy.
Cheng Yang was a little dazed.
Seeing him come back, Mingxi was the first to run over.
She threw herself into Cheng Yang's arms and asked loudly, "Dad, when are you going to take a vacation? Mom said that when you take a vacation, you will take us to Beijing to play!"
Shi Xiaoai also came over at this time and said, "You haven't taken your annual leave this year yet. If you're not busy recently, can you see if you can take your annual leave? If possible, let's take the children to visit Beijing together. They haven't been there yet."
Cheng Yang didn't expect that his wife called him back to discuss returning to the capital.
He thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back and make some arrangements. I'll try to start my break next week."
It was not until the evening that Xiao Ai told him the reason and told him that she had asked Kaikai's opinion.
Kaikai was also very conflicted. Seeing the child's expression, he wanted to go back but was reluctant to leave.
She did not ask the child to make a decision immediately, but just told him that the family should go back to the capital together and let him meet his parents to have a good talk.
"No matter what Kaikai thinks, we'll make all the necessary preparations. I think it's more likely that he'll stay, and I agree with that.
Adults should always prioritize what's best for the child, and returning to the capital is more suitable for Kaikai," Shi Xiaoai said.
Cheng Yang had actually considered this a long time ago.
Since the day he retired, his father has talked to him several times about letting Kaikai go home.
He never agreed and always said he would talk about it after this year.
Now that we have graduated this semester, Kaikai will be in sixth grade at the beginning of the new school year, so it’s time to make a decision.
In addition to talking to Kaikai, Shi Xiaoai also had a conversation with Cheng Lin.
The topic, of course, is developing the market in Beijing.
When it comes to this, everyone has to admit that there is no one more suitable than Cheng Lin.
The past few years in Yuncheng have been a test for Cheng Lin.
At this time, he was able to stand on his own.
This time Cheng Lin did not resist or refuse.
He knew that his brother and sister-in-law were sincerely planning for his future.
When he took his younger brother away from home, he was actually doing it out of spite. At that time, he just wanted to have a quarrel with his father so that he would not feel so wronged.
Even Cheng Lin himself did not expect that he would stay in Yuncheng because of this incident, and stay there for four years.
He also felt that it was time to go home.
After all, Beijing is where he was born and raised, and he has no way of leaving it.
Cheng Yang's work was handed over quickly, and he officially started his annual leave a week later.
The annual leave for deputy division-level cadres is one month, and since he didn't take much leave last year, he directly took a 45-day leave this time, so he can stay in Beijing for a long time.
In fact, Cheng Yang had been back several times on business trips in recent years and was not unfamiliar with the place. He even went there to attend a conference in the first half of this year and stayed in Beijing for a full half month.
The reason why I took such a long vacation is that my two younger brothers may not come back with me this time, and I don’t know when we will meet next time.
Cheng Yang didn't say anything, but he still felt a little reluctant in his heart.
In addition, he and his wife discussed that they would take advantage of this time when everyone was free to go there and have a good look around, mainly because they wanted to buy the house that they had promised to Cheng Lin.
He had previously accepted the house left by his mother, and later, at his wife's reminder, he promised to buy a new one for his second brother. Cheng Yang always remembered this.
If my second brother stays in Beijing this time, he may soon start a family and a career, and he will need a house of his own.
He knew that his father had left something for Cheng Lin and had plans for the house.
But that was a matter between father and son, and Cheng Yang felt it had nothing to do with him.
The couple should share the profits from buying a house for Cheng Lin, and this must be done.
Mingrui and Mingxi didn't know what the adults were thinking. They only knew that they had another chance to go on a family trip, which made them very happy.
You know, because everyone in the family is busier than the other, the last time they went out as a family was a few years ago when they went to Qin City.
They did not choose to take the train for this trip, but Cheng Yang drove his own car instead.
The car is public property, but they will pay for the gas themselves.
Cheng Yang usually doesn't use public cars casually, but this time the situation is special.
Whether it is looking for a house or my wife and her family looking for a suitable location for a new store, they need to spend a lot of time running around outside.
Beijing is so big, it is really inconvenient to not have a car.
Although his father had already said that they could use his car when they returned, Cheng Yang would rather show favoritism than take advantage of him.
Cheng Yang's car is an off-road jeep, and the configuration of this car is considered good in China.
The best thing is that the carriage is spacious and even a family of six can sit in it without feeling crowded.
Although the snack shop has not bought a car yet, in preparation for the future, Shi Xiaoai and Cheng Lin both passed the driving test early on, so now the three of them can take turns driving.
So the journey was relatively easy and we arrived in the capital without much fatigue.
Before coming, Cheng Yang did not tell his father Cheng Fanying the specific time of their return, mainly because he did not want to live at home.
Although their relationship has eased since Cheng Fanying went to Yuncheng last time and took the initiative to compromise with their brothers, the previous trauma cannot be completely healed.
So they have been in touch in some way over the past few years, but there has been no deeper communication.
Even though Cheng Fanying had hinted many times that he hoped to transfer Cheng Yang's entire family to the capital before he retired, Cheng Yang did not agree.
This time when he came to Beijing, Cheng Yang used his connections to book a room in the military guesthouse early on.
According to his original intention, they should first settle down in the guesthouse, and then take Cheng Lin and Cheng Kai home.
When his two younger brothers come to stay, he will definitely not live in the retirement home.
But what no one expected was that when the car had just reached the suburbs of Beijing and was still a long way from the main urban area, they were stopped by two people standing on the side of the road.
The two men were wearing military uniforms and were very surprised to see them.
After the car was stopped, Cheng Yang opened the window and recognized at a glance that one of the two men was the driver of his father Cheng Fanying.
He was about to ask why they were waiting here?
The driver pointed to a black car parked nearby and said excitedly, "Chief of Staff Cheng, the commander is here too. He's here to take you home personally!"
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