“People still need to be raised. Her adoptive parents were well-off and raised her to be fair-skinned and delicate, looking just like a city person.”
They've passed by, but the discussion continues.
It wasn't very cold today; the wind carried the aroma of cured meat and firewood. The stream hadn't frozen yet, and the clear water flowed around the pebbles.
He Xiaolei's gaze swept over the reeds on the beach and the round stones at the bottom of the water; this was her first time setting foot on this land.
He Xiaolei squatted by the water's edge, carefully scooping up a handful of cool water. Water droplets slipped through her fingers and landed on the sand on the bank. She gazed at the endless stream, a smile in her eyes, but also a hint of barely perceptible melancholy.
This should have been the place where she grew up, struggling and playing. Every stone and every clump of wild grass on the beach should have been etched with her childhood memories, but everything that meets her eye now is unfamiliar and new. The wind rustles through the reeds, as if telling stories of those missed moments.
They walked slowly along the stream. He Xiaolei liked the tranquility of the place, the coolness of the stream, and the scent of grass and trees carried on the wind.
Fang Huahua hasn't been here to play in a long time. She used to come with Fang Yu. Fang Yu is going to be a mother now. Will she bring her child here to play in the future?
The old days are gone and can never be returned, but new days are slowly flowing in along this clear stream.
Even before they reached Fang Meixiang's house, the aroma of food wafted out. Fang Meixiang's mother and the three sisters had finished lunch and were busy preparing for the evening's dinner.
There were many people having dinner that evening, so Fang Meixiang's father and Fang Damiao had already carried out the large round table and placed it steadily in the middle of the room.
Knowing that Bao Wenzhao was home all day, several villagers who had been treated by him brought him eggs and farm produce, and chatted with him about his recent health. He didn't sit idle at home all day.
"Da Miao, go call Shu Gen and Hua Mei, dinner's ready." Fang Meixiang's mother, wearing an apron and sleeves, poked her head out from the kitchen.
"Da Miao, did you invite your in-laws over for dinner?" Fang Shugen's neighbor teased.
"Everyone's here for dinner, let's have a lively meal together," Fang Damiao grinned.
Fang Shugen carried the wine he had just bought in town that afternoon, with Hua Mei following closely behind him. This was the first time Hua Mei had eaten at someone else's house since arriving at Fang Shugen's home, and her steps were filled with a timid anticipation.
At the dinner table, Hua Mei sat awkwardly next to Fang Shugen, unsure of what to do with her hands.
"Shugen, what does Huamei like to eat? Please put some on her plate," Fang Shugen's mother called out.
"Alright, Meixiang's mother, you all come and eat too."
Fang Meixiang's mother was still busy between the stove and the large round table. "Okay, you guys eat. There are still a few dishes to cook while you eat, so they're still hot."
"That's enough, there's already such a big table of food."
"Xiaolei, don't be shy, Huahua, Jingming, eat more." Everyone called out.
A table laden with dishes, steam rising from the central plate blurs the outlines of those around them, yet brings hearts closer together.
Looking at the people in the room, He Xiaolei suddenly felt at peace. Her lover, her family, and her blood relatives were all here.
After the Spring Festival, Lei Feng printed a stack of business cards. "Wife, look, what do you think of this slogan?" The two lines on the business card were eye-catching: "Lei Feng Water and Electricity - Doing every meter of pipeline with heart."
Fang Yu took it and glanced at it, "Very good! You kept your word!"
"That's a must!" Lei Feng pressed his hand against Fang Yu's belly. "Baby, hello, this is Daddy's business card. Please take care of me!"
This made Fang Yu giggle, "Why don't you practice discussing business with the baby first?"
Fang Huahua started working at the sales office. The materials printed with professional terminology were like gibberish to Fang Huahua, who only had a junior high school education.
She could only arrive at the sales office half an hour early every day, repeatedly studying the floor plan in the empty model room, muttering to herself, "Three bedrooms, two living rooms, north-south facing, 15% shared area." During lunch breaks, while others chatted, she hid in the stairwell memorizing price lists, repeatedly calculating the down payment and monthly mortgage on the paper with her fingers.
This sudden career change was also a challenge for Fang Huahua.
However, she didn't want to be worse off than those around her, so she gritted her teeth and thought, "If others can do it, so can I."
Time passed quietly, and in 2004, Fang Dongqiang and He Xiaolei bought an apartment at the sales office where Fang Huahua worked.
Fang Huahua took half of a business card out of her pocket and then put it back in. She would give a Lei Feng business card to any customer who had just bought a house.
Before she could speak, Fang Dongqiang said, "Let Fang Yu's husband do the plumbing and electrical work. They're all acquaintances, so you can rest assured."
“Okay, here’s his business card.” Fang Huahua took the business card out of her pocket again.
Fang Yu gave birth to a son in June last year and stayed at home to take care of the child for half a year. This year, she transferred to a kindergarten in the neighborhood.
After finishing her business at the clothing store during the year, Yu Jihong sold it off and stayed home to take care of Fang Yu's son, while also helping out at the kindergarten.
On Friday evening, the whole family was having dinner when Lei Feng's phone rang. "Hello, oh, it's Fang Dongqiang. You know him, Hua Hua's brother-in-law, right?"
Fang Yu and Yu Jihong looked at Lei Feng, who smiled and nodded slightly. "Okay, okay, I'll bring my master over tomorrow. Tomorrow is Saturday, Fang Yu and I will come together. Okay, send me the address, we'll be there at 9 am tomorrow. Okay, okay, see you tomorrow!"
After hanging up the phone, Lei Feng said, "Fang Dongqiang and Huahua bought a house and are going to renovate it. They asked me to come and check on the plumbing and electrical work. We'll go together tomorrow."
"Oh, okay." Fang Yu nodded. Although she and Fang Dongqiang both lived in the county town, they had never run into each other. No wonder, she was pregnant and staying home to prepare for childbirth in the first half of last year, and then staying home to take care of the child in the second half.
After dinner, Fang Yu called Fang Huahua and said, "Huahua, Dongqiang and the others bought a new house. They just called Lei Feng and asked him to do the plumbing and electrical work."
"Yes, they bought it last week. I was hesitant about whether to give them my business card. Dongqiang said he'd ask Lei Feng to do it, but I don't know if he'll actually do it. I haven't told you yet." Huahua hesitated for a moment. "They asked Lei Feng to do it. I gave him my business card. Is that okay?"
"It's alright! I'm just doing a good deed," Fang Yu said with a smile.
"That's good."
"Lei Feng asked me to go with him tomorrow, are you coming?"
“Come on, let me do it. We haven’t seen each other in so long,” Fang Huahua replied hastily.
"It's been a long, long time since we last met. You're such a busy person now, it's not easy to see you," Fang Yu joked.
"Stop making fun of me, are you bringing the baby over?"
"No, my mom will take care of it at home."
The next morning, Lei Feng and Fang Yu went to Fang Dongqiang's residential area and happened to run into Fang Dongqiang, He Xiaolei, and Fang Huahua at the entrance.
“We’re all on time!” Fang Huahua stepped forward to introduce, “Fang Yu, this is my sister Xiaolei.”
He then introduced her to He Xiaolei, saying, "Xiaolei, this is my good friend Fang Yu, and Fang Yu's husband is Lei Feng." "Dongqiang, you and Lei Feng have met on the phone, so I won't introduce you."
"Sister Fang Yu, Brother Lei Feng!" Xiao Lei greeted them with a smile.
“You call me brother and sister, how am I supposed to address you?” Fang Dongqiang chimed in from the side.
"Don't be so formal, just call me Lei Feng," Lei Feng said hastily.
Looking into He Xiaolei's sincere eyes, Fang Yu's initial nervousness instantly dissipated.
Lei Feng patted Fang Dongqiang on the shoulder, "Come on, take us to see the house. Leave the water and electricity to me, I'll make sure it's all taken care of."
Fang Dongqiang smiled and agreed, then led the group towards the room.
Sunlight bathed them, warm and comforting. Fang Yu took a deep breath, a relieved smile spreading across her lips. The past was past; in the days to come, they would remain familiar friends, each guarding their own happiness in this small town.
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