The train rumbled on the track for two days and two nights. Aunt Liu hardly slept, holding the bundle tightly in her arms.
It was not until the conductor's voice with a Beijing accent "Beijing Station Arrives" came into her ears that she suddenly woke up, her hands and feet feeling numb.
As the car door opened, a mixture of coal smoke, crowds and a strange urban atmosphere hit me in the face.
Aunt Liu was forced to get off the bus and stood in the surging crowd. She looked around blankly, and all she saw were the crowded heads and unfamiliar tall houses.
When she was so flustered that she could hardly stand, a tall and straight young soldier in a neat military uniform came up to her and asked loudly, "Mother! Are you Aunt Liu? Commander Fang sent me to pick you up!"
The stone in Aunt Liu's heart fell with a "dong" and she nodded quickly. Her throat was blocked and she could only make a "ah" sound.
The jeep drove fast and steadily, passing through the noisy streets and entering a courtyard shaded by green trees with armed guards standing guard at the door.
The road in the courtyard is wide and flat, with neatly lined red brick buildings on both sides. It is so quiet that it seems like two different worlds from the outside world.
The car stopped in front of a two-story building with a yard.
Aunt Liu had just gotten off the car carrying her heavy bag when the door of the building opened.
"Aunt Liu!" Ding Panyun came out in a few steps, her face full of joy, and took the bundle from Aunt Liu's hand.
"Oh, my dear sister, I've been waiting for you to come! Are you tired from the journey? Come on, come inside!"
Aunt Liu was enthusiastically held by Ding Panyun's arm as she walked inside, muttering, "Not tired, not tired. Qingyang said in the telegram that Mo will give birth soon. Where is she? How is she? I feel uneasy all the way..."
Before she finished speaking, her eyes had already swept into the living room eagerly.
The living room was bright and clean, and the sofa was covered with a clean blanket.
On the soft sofa, Shen Mo was slowly standing up, her face looking plumper.
"Aunt Liu, come here."
Aunt Liu stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Shen Mo, as if combining the girl who was about to become a mother with the wild monkey climbing trees in the mountains in her memory.
"My dear...my dear girl, you are finally born."
Aunt Liu couldn't help but grinning while crying. Her rough fingers carefully stroked the back of Shen Mo's hand, trying to touch her belly, and she kept muttering:
"Tall, fat, you look good... Really good... Really good..."
Shen Mo's nose was sore because of her behavior. She held Aunt Liu's calloused hand tightly with her backhand and said in a nasal voice:
"Aunt, don't cry, I'm fine. Really, I feel at ease that you can come, which is better than anything else."
"Hey, hey! Auntie, don't cry, don't cry! I'm so happy! So happy!" "Look at me, I'm so happy! Qingyang, hurry up and open the bag!"
Lu Qingyang quickly picked up the bulging bag at his feet and slid it over to the coffee table and untied it.
Wow! Once the furoshiki was opened, the contents looked like a grocery store:
Bright red sun-dried red dates, mushrooms and wild vegetables wrapped in oil paper, plump yellow rice grains, and pickled radish strips and salted duck eggs wrapped in clean white paper.
At the bottom, there were a few fresh eggs carefully padded with straw, and not a single one of them was broken after traveling so far!
"They are all brought from home, they are worthless things," Aunt Liu took out the items one by one.
"This rice is newly harvested by our team, and it is the most nutritious to cook with it into porridge! These red dates replenish blood, and the mushrooms are delicious when stewed in soup! The salted fish steamed with noodles is delicious! And these eggs are fresh! During your confinement, your auntie cooked brown sugar and egg soup for you every day..."
She picked up the bundle of green onions and held it in front of Shen Mo like a treasure, "Look, you used to be by our stove, always talking about green onions mixed with tofu to refresh your mouth, and I remembered it! I specially picked the most tender ones to bring here! The green onions in our capital are not as fragrant as those in our hometown!"
"Auntie..." Shen Mo choked up, unable to say more, and only nodded vigorously.
"Okay, okay, don't just stand there and cry. Aunt Liu must be exhausted from the journey. Sit down and rest your feet and drink some water!" She quickly poured a cup of warm water and stuffed it into Aunt Liu's hand.
Only then did Aunt Liu feel her legs were indeed a little weak, and she obediently sat down on the sofa next to Shen Mo, daring only to touch the edge.
She held the water cup, her eyes still reluctant to leave Shen Mo's belly, and asked with concern:
"Girl, when did you hear any movement? The midwife...oh no, the husband has seen it, right? What do you think?"
"The examination results are all good. I feel like I'm falling down."
"That's right! It's time to let it fall when it's ripe!" Aunt Liu immediately perked up and straightened her back a little, her confidence returning due to her "old experience".
"Don't be afraid during these last few days. I'm here with you! Eat and walk. Don't panic. I'll make sure everything goes well for you!"
Ding Panyun cleaned up a room and expressed his doubts:
"Aunt Liu, Xiaomo is pregnant with twins. You definitely can't take care of her alone. I think we should find two more people to come."
Aunt Liu opened her mouth and said, "What? You still need two people to serve you? This..."
They live in the countryside, and having a mother-in-law to take care of the child is considered the best thing.
This city is very particular. They actually want to find three people.
"Oh, you know Qingyang has been separated from us for so long, we are so distressed. Now we are grandparents, we must do everything in the best way. I intend to let my sister come, but there is still one missing, I really have no idea."
Aunt Liu just came over, so naturally there was nothing she could do.
"I can't help with this, but Xiaomo is so lucky to marry into your family."
She is happy from the bottom of her heart.
The more exciting surprise is yet to come. Ding Panyun continued, "You have come all the way here, so we can't treat you unfairly. I will give you 30 yuan every month as your hard work fee for helping me."
"How much?" Aunt Liu thought she had misheard, "Thirty yuan? Oh my God, this is unacceptable."
"That's all. I'll also give you meal tickets and other things, so you don't have to worry about eating."
Aunt Liu was speechless. "This is really unnecessary. Look, our living place is already so good. I came here to help. It's not appropriate to pay me."
Ding Panyun shook his head: "Just say how much."
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