Snowflakes fell from the sky, and gusts of wind swept by. The carriage rattled outside in the wind. Traveling against the wind, the old man on the carriage consoled his beloved horse, unwilling to whip it, letting it move whimsically sotis fast, sotis slow.
Inside the carriage sat Zhang Guoqing and his parents. Mother Zhang looked regretful that her little grandson couldn’t return to the village. Seeing the child beco more clever every day and recognizing her, she truly couldn’t bear parting from her grandson. If it weren’t for worrying about the eldest child, she wouldn’t want to go ho.
Zhang Guoqing also felt very regretful. He hadn’t expected the dayti temperature to be abnormal today. These past days he didn’t even need to wear a coat at noon; who would have thought that the planned trip would need to be changed at the last minute? A whole day off, and he couldn’t accompany his wife and son.
"You first go find your third granduncle, see if he has anything for you. Later go sit with your eldest uncle and younger uncle for a while. If there’s nothing else, co ho early," Mr. Zhang said, seeing the village entrance.
Zhang Guoqing nodded. He picked up his bag, asked the old man to stop, paid the fare to have him send Mother Zhang and Mr. Zhang back ho. Alone, he slowly walked to Old Captain’s house. On a rare day, he didn’t see anyone out wandering or playing in the village, so he could take a look at Daqing Mountain he hadn’t seen in a while and the familiar village.
Arriving at Old Captain’s house, Zhang Guoqing called out loudly for his third granduncle. Hearing a response inside, he directly headed to the outer room. Upon entering, the whole family was sitting on the kang, twisting ropes.
"Finally seeing you, young man. How co you went to Beijing and didn’t return to the old ho?" Old Captain smiled amiably, pulled him to sit down, and asked his daughter-in-law to serve hot water.
Zhang Guoqing took out four boxes of pastries and two bottles of wine from his bag and placed them on the kang, laughing as he said, "I returned and went straight to work, I really couldn’t make it back ho. Last weekend I planned for the whole family to return, but my parents went to the county town first thing in the morning. With such a delay, I could only co to see you today. Please don’t take offense."
Old Captain had high authority at ho. When he spoke, none of the descendants dared to interrupt. They all quietly listened to the conversation, even the playful children didn’t dare to co forward to grab pastries.
"Why did you bring so many things here? I called you back not for the gifts. Tell first, how are things outside? Is your father-in-law doing well in Beijing?"
Zhang Guoqing opened a box of pastries, pushed them in front of the children, and smiled, "What’s ’doing well’? My father-in-law now has a car with a dedicated driver; there’s nothing to not be doing well. Things outside are good, but still can’t compare to our ho. The familiar local speech, the familiar relatives—no place outside can compare."
"Haven’t lost face for Old Zhang’s family there, right?" Old Captain teased him, allowing the children to eat freely.
"Ha-ha... Not bad." Zhang Guoqing said with a smile. If he guessed right, by afternoon the whole village would know he and Jiao Jiao had t a great person—the thing is, they brought a large photograph ho for his parents who, going along with their wishes, agreed to hang it up. He thought it should not count as losing face for Old Zhang’s family.
Old Captain frowned at him slightly, "Don’t try to fool , quickly tell how Beijing is? You know what I want to ask. Don’t think you can hide from ."
Zhang Guoqing shook his head with a smile. Even if the other party didn’t seek him out today, he intended to call on them. It’s ti to give so advice. They were relatives from the sa ancestors, and he wanted everyone to be well.
"This ti I traveled quite far. From Beijing to S City, then went to Hang City. Everything was peaceful, the people were all happy. Big cities indeed, develop well, everything’s available. Especially so tourist attractions, many rich people, but even more poor ones. We people in Northeast are happier than those in the South; as long as we work hard, we don’t fear going hungry."
Old Captain glanced at him, chuckled, and said, "Good lad! Seems like spending ti with your father-in-law, you’ve learned quite a bit. You know what I called you here for this ti, right?"
"Really don’t know. Whether there’s anything or not, it’s nice to chat with you." Zhang Guoqing said with a smile.
He admired the other for being astute. During this period, Li Aiguo and Zuo Lin had sought him out for inquiries. When Lin Juhua brought word, he knew Old Captain was not less insightful than those people.
Old Captain had asked the questions he wanted to know, then began discussing the matter of blasting the mountain pass.
Currently, the relocation issue of more than a dozen households by the mountain had been negotiated. Besides borrowing the ancestral hall, a few households’ housing problems remained unsolved.
Such a taphor made Zhang Guoqing understand it ant borrowing houses. His courtyard was empty; it must be lent for people to live in. Without waiting for Old Captain to speak, he said imdiately, "My yard is empty, you can discuss it with my father. Apart from the main house, both sides can be arranged."
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