Guangcheng is much farther from the old ho. If anything happens, it’s hard to rush back because transportation is not so convenient now.
Mother Qi doesn’t really care about the distance. What she cares about is whether she can be with her son and his family.
In an elderly person’s heart, having a son ans relying on him for old age and end-of-life care. Otherwise, why work so hard to have a son? Besides continuing the family line, isn’t it for one’s own retirent?
But now it sounds like their eldest son’s family is about to move far away, so what will happen to the two old folks?
Mother Qi suddenly feels a pang of anxiety. The children are all grown up; now that Fenglian has remarried, naturally Xiao Bao is with her. The two who aren’t married yet are in university, leaving just the two elderly people for this period of ti. They’re so quiet and lonely, it’s beyond words.
Older people long for company, afraid of loneliness, so when Cheng Su and her family co back, Mother Qi is indescribably happy. Even if Cheng Su just lays down after returning, she doesn’t express any dissatisfaction; as long as the grandson is there, it’s fine.
So in the future, when the son’s family is far away in Guangcheng, will it be hard to even see them?
"...All of you are heading to Guangcheng, what about your father and ?" Mother Qi asks blankly.
Cheng Su says, "Dad, Mom, we haven’t gone yet. If we go to Guangcheng, you can choose to co along and settle there. If not, you can move back and forth between autumn and winter, and return to the old ho for sumr, then go to Guangcheng during winter, whatever you like."
As she says this, Mother Qi’s heart slightly eases.
"Exactly, why are you making a fuss before anything is finalized?" Father Qi glances at Mother Qi, saying, "Let’s eat!"
Mother Qi wanted to mumble sothing but knows it’s not the ti for it, so she holds it in until the two are lying in their room.
"You just can’t keep calm, your tone almost implied they’re leaving you behind without care!" Father Qi says as he rolls the tobacco.
Mother Qi responds, "I can’t stay calm, and can you? Who was it that just said it’s quiet at ho now? In the future, as they all live outside, it’s just us two in the old ho, what’s the point? Obviously having son and grandson, yet it’s like being solitary old people."
"Look at you, what words are those?"
"I surely will follow my son wherever he goes. If they do end up living in Guangcheng, we have to go too. Anyway, we have a place to stay there," Mother Qi says. "Just nice, they need to work and do business, we can help look after the grandson! Last ti we saw those other elderly people bringing their grandchildren to drink tea in the teahouse, how carefree!"
Father Qi doesn’t speak, instead he licks the cigarette paper, rolls the cigarette, lights it, takes a puff, and amidst the smoke, reveals a hint of longing.
"We’ll see, Taiguo still hasn’t been settled. This matter, it needs to wait until the daughter-in-law graduates," Father Qi says.
Mother Qi animatedly says, "I said it’s soon, but we have to wait for her. It’s been years now, when will she graduate, next year or the year after? Oh my, in the blink of an eye, years have passed, ti really flies..."
Seeing his wife’s excitent, Father Qi shakes his head, smokes his cigarette but has a slight smile on his lips.
Indeed, in just the blink of an eye, years have gone by, and the family has changed dramatically. This is thanks to having married such a good daughter-in-law, bringing about the current happiness.
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