Hua Mei's belly was already showing, and early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Fang Shugen's mother still took candles and incense to the Buddhist temple.
Hua Mei is pregnant and can't go in. Fang Shugen's mother is afraid she'll say something inappropriate, so she doesn't dare take her along.
The people chatting in the small shop occasionally mentioned Fang Damiao. "I was wondering how things are going outside with Damiao, and whether I should go with him. He's not coming back for Chinese New Year this year."
"I heard he's doing business outside."
"Da Miao has a lot of ideas, but will he become the first person in the village to earn ten thousand yuan?"
"I wonder how he's doing out there. I haven't heard a word from him."
Fang Meili said that she would take her daughter back to her parents' home on the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year because she was busy with business. Fang Meixiang's mother cooked the dishes and put them in the steamer to wait for Fang Meili to come.
"Grandma, why aren't you eating it even though it's cooked?" Fang Dongqiang ran to the kitchen several times, his mouth watering.
"Second Aunt, Second Uncle brought my sister over, let's eat together." Fang Meixiang's mother gave Fang Dongqiang a piece of rice cake to tide him over. "Go and keep watch at the door. When Second Aunt arrives, we'll eat."
Fang Dongqiang held a rice cake in one hand and dragged the back of a bamboo chair to the door with the other, eating as he waited for Fang Meili.
"Ring ring!" Fang Dongqiang looked up when he heard the bicycle bell, but it was never the right one.
After finishing the rice cake, Fang Dongqiang couldn't sit still any longer and went to the intersection to wait.
Finally, we saw Yuan Xinkang riding his bicycle towards us from afar.
"Second Uncle!" Fang Dongqiang shouted as he jumped up and down and ran over.
Yuan Xinkang smiled when he saw Fang Dongqiang, "Dongqiang, what are you doing here?"
"We've been waiting for you!"
"You really wanted us to come?" Yuan Xinkang stopped the car and steadied the bicycle with his feet on the ground.
"Yes, Grandma said we can only eat when you arrive."
"Oh, you came to pick us up because you wanted to eat." Fang Meili came down from the back carrying her daughter.
"Dongqiang, do you want to sit in the front? I'll take you back." Yuan Xinkang asked.
"No need, my second aunt and I will come over. Second uncle, you go home first and ask Grandma to bring out the dishes. We'll eat as soon as we get there."
"You're quite good at making arrangements! Xin Kang, you ride over first, Dong Qiang and I will walk over."
Fang Meili tugged at Fang Qiang's shoulder, "Take a look, are these clothes all the right size?"
Fang Dongqiang's small padded jacket with a small collar and two large pockets in the front was a new New Year's outfit that Fang Meili made for him by a tailor on the street using scraps of fabric from the shop.
"Hmm, that's suitable." Fang Dongqiang nodded perfunctorily in response.
Fang Meili chuckled. "Do you even know what I'm asking? You just casually agreed without knowing anything. If you talk to your wife like that, she'll get angry."
Ignoring what Fang Meili was saying, Fang Dongqiang asked the question he wanted to ask, "Second Aunt, why did you take so long to arrive? My sister must be hungry too." Fang Dongqiang looked up at Yuan Tingting.
"We need to do business! The shop is busy during the first month of the lunar year."
"My dad is in business too."
"What kind of business does he do?" Fang Meili only knew that Fang Damiao was not coming back, and she hadn't asked in detail because she was busy during the New Year.
"I don't recognize the words on the paper, I don't know."
We're almost home. "Dongqiang, when you and your sister were this age, your second aunt carried you from your house to your maternal grandmother's house every day."
“My grandmother said it, but I don’t remember.”
"You were too young then, of course you don't remember."
“You’re too far away. You’re just as close to my house as my grandma’s house. I’ll go and bring my little sister to grandma’s house too.”
Fang Meili smiled. She had arrived home. As she walked through the door, she saw Fang Meixiang looking listless, hunched over, and expressionless.
"Sister!" Fang Meili called out.
Fang Meixiang raised her eyelids, glanced at her and her daughter in her arms, wanted to laugh but couldn't, her expression was uglier than crying.
"Tingting, this is Auntie." Yuan Tingting opened her round eyes and looked around the room curiously. "Tingting, this is Grandma's house. Mom grew up here."
"Meili, dinner's ready." Fang Meixiang's mother had already placed the dishes on the table.
“Mother, my sister…” Fang Meili looked at Fang Meixiang.
"Let's eat first, we'll talk later."
"The shop was busy, and I couldn't leave even if I wanted to, which made everyone wait until now," Yuan Xinkang said apologetically.
"It's alright, it's alright, it's rare to have the whole family here," Fang Meixiang's mother said, but didn't say it aloud because Fang Damiao wasn't there. "Come on, come on, eat first."
"Second Aunt, the food you've brought is just like what we ate during the New Year. There are lots of dishes." Fang Dongqiang ate half a bowl of rice before speaking.
"Then can I come every day?"
Fang Dongqiang lowered his head and chuckled.
After finishing her meal, Fang Meihao tied on her apron. "Mom, I'll wash the dishes. You and your second sister can chat for a bit."
"Yes, I was just about to ask you to take a shower. I need to talk to Melly about something."
Fang Meihao handed her daughter to Yuan Xinkang, saying, "Dongqiang, you and your second aunt's husband take care of your little sister."
"Oh! Okay!" Fang Dongqiang went to Yuan Xinkang's arms and hugged Yuan Tingting.
"Dongqiang, do you know how to hold her?" Yuan Xinkang held his daughter's back from behind.
"I will." Fang Dongqiang carried Yuan Tingting to the door and sat her on the small bamboo chair she had been sitting on.
Fang Meixiang's father also brought two chairs and sat with Yuan Xinkang at the door.
When a neighbor passed by, Fang Dongqiang introduced her, "Grandma, this is my sister Tingting." "Auntie, this is Tingting, my sister."
A neighbor came over and teased her, "Merry's daughter is so big already?"
Fang Dongqiang imitated the adults, lifting Yuan Tingting's chin with his finger, "Oh, oh!"
"Dad, did Brother Miao say what kind of business he's doing outside?" Yuan Xinkang offered a cigarette to Fang Meixiang's father.
"I didn't say, I just said I was looking at business opportunities."
Inside the house, Fang Meili and her mother sat behind the stove chatting. "Mom, my sister is watching..."
"You noticed it too," Fang Mei's mother said softly.
"Yes, people these days don't look energetic."
“She’s been like this ever since I told her that Da Miao wouldn’t be coming back for the Chinese New Year. A few nights ago, she was crying and screaming in the middle of the night. I slept with her and talked to her and comforted her every day.”
Fang Meili sighed, "It seems she will only be at ease when she sees Da Miao come back. Mother, what kind of business is he doing out there? He didn't even come back for the New Year?"
"The letter says to look at business, not to do business," Fang Meili said while washing dishes at the stove.
“Oh, Dongqiang said on the way here that he’s doing business. I only heard he wasn’t coming back for the New Year, but I was busy and didn’t ask carefully. So, he hasn’t found anything yet, he’s just looking and observing. What kind of interesting business could he be doing during the New Year?” Fang Meili frowned. “Mother, did he send any money back last year?”
"They sent me a bicycle when I first went there a few months ago, but I haven't received one since."
“Hiss,” Fang Meili tilted her head and thought for a while, “Why did they stop sending money back later?”
"Could it be that she wants to use this as capital for starting a business?" Fang Meixiang's mother always thought the best of things.
“He wrote a letter during the New Year saying he was looking into business. Could it be that after receiving his salary once, he decided to look into business and keep doing so until the New Year? His wife and son are at home. Where else could he take his salary if not home?” Fang Meili leaned closer and whispered, “Mom, do you think he might have found someone outside and not send his salary back, nor come home for the New Year?”
"Don't make wild guesses." Fang Meixiang's mother patted Fang Meili's hand, paused, and then said, "My dad and I were also..."
"You've had that suspicion too, haven't you?"
Fang Meixiang's mother didn't answer. Both mother and daughter remained silent for a while.
“Mother, he’s so far away, we don’t know anything about his situation. This isn’t good for him to stay like this in the long run,” Fang Meili broke the silence.
"Yes, but farming at home is just barely enough to make a living year after year. Dongqiang is already 6 years old. If we don't earn some money, we won't be able to make a living."
“That’s true,” Fang Meili said, fiddling with the fire tongs. “Meihao, go and get the letter. Look at the mailing address outside. See if we can write to him.”
"Okay!" Fang Meihao immediately washed her hands and went to get the letter.
Fang Meili glanced at the mailing address below, which wasn't detailed enough. "This haphazard address makes it impossible to send him letters. Mother, when he comes back this year, we need to tell him that while he's away, his wife and children are at home, and he needs to send money regularly."
"It would be hard to say this out loud. My own daughter and nephew are eating at home and I still have to ask him for money."
“Mom, we all know him. He eats and drinks recklessly whenever he has money in his pocket. He doesn’t know how to save money for the future. Take the money from him and save it for my sister and Dongqiang. Meihao is still in school, and there are so many people to feed at home. I know you and Dad are working hard and living a tight life.”
“You’ve brought over so many odds and ends that we need at home, which has saved us a lot of money. Meili,” Fang Meixiang’s mother lowered her voice even further, “Don’t bring so many things to the house anymore. Meihao will graduate next year. Dad and I can work now and we won’t go hungry. Xinkang is a good family and lets you have your way. We should also be more considerate and not always let you bring us things.”
“Mom, I told Xinkang about our family situation when I met him, and he accepted it. I’m also working hard to earn money. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” Fang Meili then looked up at Fang Meihao, who was still standing by the stove, and said, “Meihao, you should also tell your future husband in advance, okay? We’ll share the responsibilities of the family together.”
"Second sister, I'm still a long way from getting married. I haven't even graduated from school yet," Fang Meihao said shyly.
"I'll tell you when I think of something. You need to set rules with a man beforehand so he will respect you."
Fang Meixiang's mother nodded. "Meili, you've done the most housework among the sisters, and you think a lot too." She looked up at Fang Meihao and said, "Meihao, you've been studying at school and haven't experienced anything outside. You've read a lot of books, so it's not wrong to listen to your older sister's advice."
Fang Mei nodded as if she understood but not quite.
"Mother, we should go back early. We've been busy for too long today and we're worried about you." Fang Meili got up and walked over to Fang Meixiang.
"Okay, go back early, business is the priority." Fang Meixiang's mother went to get the eggs she had saved for Yuan Tingting.
"Sister, you see, we're all very busy with our business. We have to go back to the shop soon. Da Miao is the same; he's busy doing business outside and can't come back. When he makes money, we'll ask him to buy you delicious food, toys and pencils for Dong Qiang, and help Dong Qiang with his studies, okay?"
Fang Meixiang listened and nodded.
“If you stay home and behave yourself, he can focus on making money outside, understand?” Fang Meili patted Fang Meixiang’s shoulder.
Fang Meixiang nodded heavily again.
Fang Meili hurriedly went back to her parents' home and then back to the shop. On the way, looking at her daughter in her arms, she sighed, "Xin Kang, I was heavily pregnant on the second day of the Lunar New Year last year, and Tingting is already so big on the second day of the Lunar New Year this year."
"Okay, next year when you come, we'll put a seat in front so Tingting can sit there."
"Yes, in a few months when it gets a little bigger, we'll put a seat in front of it."
"good!"
"That's great! This way I can take Tingting back to my parents' home more often."
"You really want to go back to your parents' home that much?"
"After Tingting grows up and gets married, would you like her to come back often?"
"I'm thinking that once Tingting is able to sit in the front, I'll install the seat."
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