A week after Jiang Yan left, due to some matters, Du Yu and Chun Xia decided to go to Beijing ahead of schedule.
The time was set for four days later.
After discussing with Manman, and considering that Jiang Yan was in Beijing and that Manman had previously expressed the desire to move there, they decided that Manman would join them in Beijing this time, even if just for a few months.
Romantic relationships in their infancy can easily cool off with long-distance.
With time being of the essence, Manman went home that evening and, upon seeing that her mother and Yuanyuan were not there, immediately informed Wen Shixuan of the situation.
Upon hearing that she would leave in four days, Wen Shixuan was reluctant, “Can you handle it?
The weather in the North is not like the South.”
A father always fears that his daughter will endure more hardships away from home than at home.
Manman was thin, and he worried that she might not withstand the physical challenges.
Perhaps it would be better for her to make thorough preparations before leaving.
“The weather is warm now, and Du Yu and Chun Xia could really use an extra hand since they’ve just arrived there.
It works out that I can help,” Manman sincerely wanted to help her friends with their new venture, which is why she chose to go with them.
Chun Xia had helped her a lot in the past.
Seeing that his daughter had made up her mind, Wen Shixuan didn’t object further, “Alright.
After you leave, I’ll talk to your mom.”
The father and daughter agreed on this approach of acting first and reporting afterward.
After all, Xu Yu’e hadn’t given up on Jin Ruowen’s marriage proposal and constantly brought it up at the dinner table.
Wen Shixuan also feared that if Manman stayed at home any longer, Xu Yu’e would eventually pressure her into marrying.
He disliked the idea of his daughter marrying a wealthy boss to support her own family.
Worried about letting the secret slip, Manman only packed a few of her most commonly used items while Yuanyuan was not at home.
As for her savings, she took all of it with her, which, after years of work and high family expenses, amounted to less than ten thousand RMB.
Fortunately, Du Yu and Chun Xia had offered to cover her food, accommodation, and transportation costs, apart from her daily necessities once there, so her expenses should not be too great.
Even so, on the night before her departure, Wen Shixuan discreetly handed her a sum of money.
A thick bundle of RMB, which startled Manman.
“Dad?” Manman conservatively estimated that there must be at least five thousand in it.
The amount slightly shocked her because she was aware of her family’s financial situation.
She immediately tried to give it back to Wen Shixuan.
“I’ve been saving this behind your mom’s back for you and Yuanyuan.
This is your share; Yuanyuan has her own,” Wen Shixuan wouldn’t allow her to return the money, insisting repeatedly, “If you run short of money there, just call your dad.
I’ll tighten my belt but make sure to send it to you.”
“Dad—” Manman’s voice trembled with emotion, and inwardly she vowed to earn a substantial amount of money in Beijing to repay her father.
Wen Shixuan sniffled, as he, as a father, had to be stronger than his daughter at this moment, “Although you’re as close as sisters with Chun Xia, you’re ultimately not family.
Remember, if anything happens, you must call home.
No matter what, if you’re in trouble, your family will definitely not ignore it.”
“I’ll remember,” Manman repeatedly nodded in response.
Scratching his head and considering if there was anything else he hadn’t mentioned, Wen Shixuan said, “Before you leave tomorrow, go to say goodbye to your grandmother.”
Wen Shixuan, a dutiful son, although he couldn’t provide his mother with wealth and luxury, never forgot to teach his children to respect their elders.
Agreeing readily, Manman delivered her luggage to Chun Xia’s place early the next day, then went to visit her grandmother.
Grandma Wen lived alone in the undeveloped Niutian Village on the outskirts of the city.
This was the Wen Family’s ancestral home.
Every Chinese New Year, Manman would follow the Wen Family to their ancestral home to have the reunion dinner with Grandma, listening to her father recount his childhood.
Wen Shixuan often told her that, unlike Yuanyuan, she was born at Grandma’s house.
Grandma adored her and had tied a spiritual jade amulet around her neck to ensure her lifelong safety.
Manman has been carrying this piece of jade around since she was born.
She never takes it off, wearing it on a red cord hidden inside her clothes.
Her father never speaks of it in front of others, mainly because he worries that his younger daughter, Yuanyuan, might develop a grudge if she saw it.
Pushing open the wooden gate, there’s an old locust tree in the courtyard.
At the Wen Family’s Spring Festival reunion dinner, if the weather is fine, the table is set under this tree.
Now that spring is warming up, fresh green shoots are sprouting from the locust tree’s branches, which look particularly pleasant.
Grandma Wen sits alone on a small stool under the locust tree, picking through a handful of wild vegetables.
Speaking of the old lady’s temperament of the Wen Family, she’s standoffish and eccentric.
She doesn’t like moving to the city to enjoy life with her descendants, preferring to look after the old house that’s seen better days.
Now the old lady is still in good health, living alone with no issues, so Wen Shixuan and the other sons and daughters don’t force her to live with others.
If it weren’t for her father and that piece of jade, Manman felt that, like her sister, she couldn’t grow fond of such a solitary grandmother.
“Grandma,” Manman calls affectionately, setting down a bag of apples she was carrying onto the wooden table.
Grandma Wen slowly raises her head, slowly looks at her, then lowers it again, saying nothing.
This nonchalant attitude towards everyone has been part of Manman’s memories since she was little.
Her father said it was due to grandmother’s failing eyesight and hearing.
Touching the jade inside her jacket, Manman believed her father’s words that grandma had always been very fond of her.
She sat with the old lady for a long while, but Grandma Wen remained unresponsive.
Even someone as polite and gentle as Manman can’t keep it up indefinitely, and she finally stands up, saying awkwardly, “Grandma, I’m going back now.”
Grandma Wen still doesn’t make a sound.
Manman picks up her small bag and walks out of the Wen ancestral home.
As she’s pulling the gate behind her, she suddenly hears a heavy snort from the old lady: “Stupid girl!”
This is probably the first sentence she’s ever heard her grandmother say to her in her life.
Manman frowns, unable to decipher the meaning behind her words.
However, she does remember her mother and aunt complaining in private about Grandma Wen, a typical patriarchal figure who disdains the daughter-in-laws that couldn’t bear sons.
The issue of valuing males over females, Manman knew, still pervades in this region as an old-generation, ingrained idea.
She could only hope that her future parents-in-law wouldn’t be like Grandma Wen.
So she thought of Jiang Yan.
Probably because she was thinking of him, the idea of leaving home to go far away didn’t come with the anxiety and loneliness of being adrift in a strange place.
The fluttering in her heart, like the flame of a star, seemed to ignite the instant she saw him.
Along with Chun Xia and Du Yu, the three got on an afternoon train.
She sent him a text message, not knowing if he could receive it in the army.
Since his last message over a week ago in which he said he was returning to his unit, there hadn’t been any reply.
“Once you arrive in Beijing, find out which unit he’s in and visit him at the base,” Chun Xia suggested for her.
Manman smiled.
“What’s the rush?
I have his ring.”
Chun Xia rolled her eyes at her: “Silly girl, I don’t believe you’re not anxious.”
Resting her head against the train window, listening to the rumbling sounds, this time, the train was taking her to his side, and Manman’s smile reached the corners of her eyes.