Chapter 192 Find someone to take you out to play
I forgot to tell Chen Jingyang that they don't have handshakes as a form of etiquette here!
Sure enough, the "Lord Huaichen" froze on the spot. The old man's eyelids fluttered several times, and for some reason, a flash of inspiration struck him. He remembered a scene from a TV series, and hurriedly reached out to grab Chen Jingyang's hand, shaking it up and down forcefully: "Hello, hello."
Since he had already shaken hands with the first person, there was no reason not to shake hands with the others. Zhang Pengfei couldn't bear to watch, so he subconsciously lowered his head and scratched his forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Chen Jingyang awkwardly but politely, embarrassed but dignifiedly, shake hands with the group of people.
Then everyone froze, wondering what "project" would follow the handshake, holding their breath and waiting, letting the autumn wind make their hair shiver and become messy.
"We'll go home and pack up first, you guys chat for a bit." Zhang Pengfei forced a smile, and amidst everyone's "Okay, okay, okay" responses, he darted back like a rabbit, with Chen Jingyang naturally following closely behind.
Pushing open the door, I returned to my home, which I hadn't visited for four years.
The yard was very clean, and you could see the marks left by shovels.
The day Zhang Pengju returned, he asked him for the gate key, saying that the grass in his yard had grown to over a meter tall, and if it wasn't cleared, he would definitely be bitten by mosquitoes and unable to sleep.
As soon as Chen Jingyang entered the house, his eyes were drawn to a large jujube tree, as thick as a bowl, growing next to the eaves.
Mid-Autumn Festival is the time when jujubes ripen. Large, red jujubes hang densely on the branches, bringing boundless vitality to this quiet little courtyard.
Zhang Pengfei seemed quite surprised by the diligent jujube tree. He stopped and looked up at it for a moment, smiled happily, and then went to unlock the house.
Because there had been no signs of human activity for a long time, the house smelled of decay and mold, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of dust. Walking on it felt like stepping on a thin layer of winter snow, leaving two clear rows of footprints.
The windows, the beams, and even the edge of the bed were covered with cobwebs.
To be honest, Zhang Pengfei felt a little upset.
He was born and raised here. This dilapidated house, which could even be described as run-down, holds the memories of his most innocent, happiest, and most joyful childhood and adolescence.
The past events came crashing down like a sudden tsunami.
In winter, his dad would always lie on this bed and "sleep in." When he came back from his morning self-study, he would unhesitatingly put his hands, which were red from the cold, into the warm quilt and press them against his dad's stomach.
His dad would cooperate perfectly with a loud "Aww!" and then tuck his icy hands under his armpits to warm them.
Once his hands were warm, breakfast was served. The father and son went to wash their hands and eat together. There was usually an egg on the table, which was for him...
“Baby, is this you?” Chen Jingyang asked, pointing to the photo on the wall.
"Hmm?" Zhang Pengfei sniffed, quickly closing his eyes a few times to suppress the soreness and heat in his eyes.
Turning around, I saw that Chen Jingyang had already wiped a picture frame hanging on the wall clean, and was pointing to a picture of a chubby, pink baby.
He chuckled and exhaled, then walked closer: "Hmm, my 100-day photo."
"You were quite chubby when you were little!" Chen Jingyang teased him. "And this one?"
It was a doll standing on a chair, wearing a bright red floral cotton-padded jacket and pants, showing four little baby teeth, and its eyes were smiling into thin crescent moons.
“This is a photo of him when he was one year old,” Zhang Pengfei said readily, pointing to the child next to him carrying a gun: “This is a photo of him when he was five years old.”
Then, he showed Chen Jingyang his headshot from when he entered elementary school, his award-winning photo from a competition in fifth grade, and his group photo from when he graduated from elementary school.
“This is Liu Xin. We were best friends when we were kids.” Zhang Pengfei pointed to a photo of two little boys with their arms around each other and laughed. “I don’t know if he’s home or not. He got married when I was a sophomore in college, but unfortunately it was during final exams and I couldn’t attend his wedding.”
When Zhang Pengfei graduated from elementary school, her features hadn't fully developed yet, but she was already a beauty in the making, with a quiet demeanor mixed with a childlike unruliness.
Chen Jingyang followed Zhang Pengfei's hand and looked through the photos one by one. There weren't many photos, only eighteen in total, from birth to high school graduation, and almost half of them were class group photos.
However, it was enough for Chen Jingyang to have a good look at.
“Baby, take all these photos with you when you go back this time. Look, this one is almost moldy.”
Zhang Pengfei was a little unhappy: "We've only been home for less than five minutes, and you're already talking about leaving!"
Chen Jingyang smiled and was about to speak when a "thump" suddenly came from the courtyard.
Zhang Pengfei turned his head and looked over: "Huahua, what are you doing?"
"I'm smashing dates with a stone."
What a little foodie!
Zhang Pengfei chuckled inwardly and instructed Chen Jingyang, "Go pick some for her, so she doesn't fall on her own head."
Although the jujube tree is tall overall, some of its lower branches are quite low and bent under the weight of the jujubes, making them easily reachable by Chen Jingyang.
Hua Hua tilted her little face up and stretched out her little hand to direct: "Brother Jingyang, pick those big and red ones over here."
Just as Chen Jingyang was about to pick it, he suddenly heard Zhang Pengfei shout, "Be careful, there are thorns!"
He looked closely and sure enough, there were inconspicuous little thorns hiding on the branches behind the jujubes. If Zhang Pengfei hadn't pointed it out, he would have grabbed one immediately: "Oh, I see."
Since she didn't have anything to hold the dates, Huahua simply grabbed the hem of her skirt to use as a container, and Chen Jingyang quickly picked a large bagful for her.
Hua Hua picked up a fruit and rubbed it on her clothes: "Brother Jingyang, try it, it's so sweet."
Chen Jingyang took it, put it in his mouth, and chewed. Mmm! I must say, it's really crisp and sweet, just as expected of one that was freshly picked from the tree!
After they finished picking the dates, Zhang Pengfei had already cleaned the house. Seeing that the two children were idle, he called Chen Jingyang over to take the bedding out to air it.
After the two men worked hard, by noon the whole courtyard was filled with the warmth of life.
"Brother Pengfei!" Zhang Pengju came in carrying a rectangular wooden tray with four bowls of vegetables, two bowls of water, and several pairs of disposable chopsticks on it. He was also carrying a bag of steamed buns.
Zhang Pengfei smiled with satisfaction. He was indeed hungry and thirsty at the moment, and Zhang Pengju's food delivery was very timely.
"Just give me a call and we'll come over to eat. No need for all that trouble."
Zhang Pengju smiled憨厚ly: "It's no trouble at all. It's only a few steps. I bet you're busy tidying up the house, and the food will get cold in no time."
Zhang Pengfei stopped being polite and said, "Have you eaten yet? Let's eat together."
Zhang Pengju shook his head: "I have to go back to the mourning hall to eat. You can leave your food here after you finish eating, and I'll have Pengchao come and get it later."
"No need, I've almost finished packing here. I'll go to the mourning hall in a bit, and I'll take it with me."
After seeing Zhang Pengju off, Zhang Pengfei picked up a bowl of food, squatted down on his porch, and started eating.
Chen Jingyang followed Zhang Pengfei's example, squatting down, holding a bowl in one hand, a steamed bun in the crook of his hand, and chopsticks in the other, taking a bite of vegetables and then a bite of steamed bun.
This was the first time he had ever squatted to eat like this. He was very clumsy and only managed a few bites before he started to wobble. In the end, he fell to the ground with a thud, making Zhang Pengfei laugh so hard that he spat out his food.
"Feifei, do you all squat like this to eat?"
Zhang Pengfei shook his head with a smile: "Of course not. We also sit on stools to eat, but the table and stools weren't wiped. Besides, we haven't been eating at home for the past two days, so we're eating like this for convenience."
After finishing their meal, Zhang Pengfei put on the mourning clothes and trousers that Zhang Pengju had given him, tied on the mourning cap, and then helped Huahua put on hers before heading to the mourning hall.
Chen Jingyang stared at him expectantly, his whole body asking: Baby, what about me?
Chen Jingyang and Zhang Pengju are not related, so he definitely can't go to the funeral hall with him, but it's really pitiful to leave him alone at home.
Zhang Pengfei thought for a moment and said, "Come on, I'll find someone to take you out to have some fun!"
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