“No way, maybe she’s still groggy from sleep? Should you ask her again?”
Changsheng was on the verge of tears.
“Grandma, I’ve asked her. I’ve been asking all morning, and she’s already annoyed with me. She even asked if it was my girlfriend. From the way she looked, she’d actually be quite happy if it were my girlfriend. But I’m only sixteen—what girlfriend could I possibly have?”
It was one thing if she didn’t recognize Xu Zhitao when they met yesterday. They could reluctantly chalk it up to her illness possibly affecting her memory over the past five years. Yesterday was like a fresh start, and they had even prepared for the worst—what if Zhang Zhaodi remembered again today and had another episode? How would they handle it if the two of them got into a fight? But no one expected that after just one night, Zhang Zhaodi had completely forgotten about Xu Zhitao again!
Forgotten again!
This was a situation no one had anticipated.
“What are we supposed to do now?”
The old man was at a loss too. He took a couple of puffs from his pipe.
“We’re not too busy these days. Maybe we should take her to the county hospital sometime?”
Xu Zhitao was completely unaware of all this. She had slept late the night before, and by the time she woke up, everyone who needed to work had already left. She simply didn’t go out. Instead, she opened the doors and windows and started tidying up her luggage in her room. Changbai and Changrui had gone out to play, while Chang’an and Changzhao came over after finishing their meal.
Every time Xu Zhitao took something out, Chang’an would exclaim, “Wow!” He didn’t recognize most of the items, but they were all things he had never seen before, and they fascinated him.
“Sis, what’s this? Can you eat it?”
Xu Zhitao couldn’t help but laugh. Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, she had already figured out this little brother’s nature—he loved to eat. When Xu Yongze returned from the mountains, he saw the sisters and brothers each sitting on a small stool, holding a small bowl, eating happily.
“Oh, having a little feast, are we? Is there a share for me?”
“Eat!”
That was Changzhao.
The one who looked reluctant, scooping out a spoonful only to shake off half of it, was Chang’an.
Xu Zhitao was nearly in stitches. The kid wasn’t even that old, yet he had so much drama in him.
“Uncle, come quick! This is saved for you—the yellow peaches you like.”
In the years she had been home before, the two of them had often snacked together in secret, so this was a familiar routine.
“It’s just us at home. The others aren’t so lucky.”
Xu Yongze didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the canned fruit, pulled over a piece of cloth from a bundle, and sat down.
“So, you’ve unpacked everything?”
“Just roughly.”
Xu Zhitao tilted her head back and drank the syrup from the can, then set the empty bowl aside.
“I asked for things that would be useful in the countryside. I never expected her to have someone buy so much. I gave some of the food to Grandma, and the rest is stored in the cabinet. The rest is all for making clothes.”
Xu Yongze was taken aback. He looked puzzledly at the several opened bundles piled in the corner.
“You mean, all of that is… fabric?”
Xu Zhitao was equally speechless. Just yesterday, she had been about to praise the person who did the shopping, but who knew it would turn out like this? Was it too much trouble, so they just bought in bulk?
“Really. Besides the food from yesterday, there are only a few books. The rest is all fabric. Oh, and a bit of cotton.”
Xu Yongze laughed in exasperation. Over two thousand kilometers, and they had gone to all that trouble to bring the child a pile of fabric? What good was that for eating or drinking?
Xu Zhitao had already steeled herself for a decisive break. Being able to leave was a good thing, and on top of that, she had gained so many items. She felt it was already a windfall. Looking at the pile of fabric, she couldn’t help but think of what she had seen as a ghost—roughly twenty years later, when many factories couldn’t pay wages, they would also use the fabric produced in the factories to offset salaries.
It was exactly the same. The thought alone made her want to laugh.
She turned to comfort Xu Yongze instead.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. She’s finally being generous for once, so it’s basically all free. If we can’t use it ourselves, we can trade it with others for other things. Isn’t that the same? Do you want to eat meat? Tomorrow at the market, I’ll trade for some meat for you.”
This promise placated Xu Yongze so much that he couldn’t even muster any anger.
“You’re so easy to please.”
Xu Zhitao pinched her fingers. Of course she was easy to please. Compared to her previous life, she just wanted to live, to live well. Only by living could there be hope for long-term plans.
“Hey, just tell me, am I amazing or not?”
Xu Yongze, “…”
“Amazing, you’re absolutely amazing! Your mom is such a penny-pincher, yet you managed to squeeze so much out of her. I’m truly impressed! So, from now on, I’ll rely on you for new clothes?”
“Hehe! Don’t say such distant things. We’re the closest—what’s mine is yours, right?”
Xu Yongze couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to ruffle her little head.
“You little rascal, you’re starting to show the boldness of a Northeastern girl.
You should keep your things properly. With so many adults around, what are you worrying about?”
Xu Zhitao protested indignantly.
“Are you an adult? You’re only three years older than me!”
“Even if it’s just three years older, Changlin is older than me, and he still has to call me uncle.”
Xu Yongze successfully provoked the little girl. With her hair all messy, she chased him from the west wing all the way to the main gate and finally managed to hit him once. Before Xu Yongze could finish laughing, she turned and ran back, loudly tattling.
“Grandma, Grandma, Uncle messed up my hair!”
Xu Yongze’s laughter stopped abruptly.
“Hey, you little rascal, how come you’re tattling now?”
Changzhao stumbled along behind, excitedly shouting.
“Fight, fight!”
Chang’an slapped Xu Yongze’s thigh with a “thwack.”
“Don’t bully Sister!”
“You two, you’re both little traitors! Traitors!”
Xu Yongze was so angry he laughed, picking up one child in each hand and running toward the house. The screams of the two children could be heard throughout the entire courtyard.
“Look at you two, always causing trouble. You’re both so grown now, yet you still love to fool around.”
Xu Zhitao snorted lightly.
“Who told him to pull my hair?”
The Old Lady shook her head helplessly. Strangely enough, she had given birth to seven sons and more than ten grandsons, but this youngest son wasn’t close to any of them—he was cold and distant. The only one he got along with was this one granddaughter. Only when he was with this granddaughter did he act like a child.
“You two, when you’re apart, you miss each other, but when you’re together, you cause trouble.”
However, after all this commotion, whether it was Xu Zhitao, Xu Yongze, or the Old Lady, they all felt much more at ease. The awkwardness of not seeing each other for years seemed to have completely vanished.
The Old Lady pulled her to sit down, gently stroking her little hands, and sighed first.
“Taotao, tell Grandma, what are your plans?”
Plans?
She wanted to live well. In the future, if there was a future, if that woman could face retribution, that would naturally be even better.
She had escaped with her life, but could she say that?
“Grandma, I don’t like it over there. I miss you all, I miss my dad.”
“I want to go up the mountain with Uncle, climb trees, catch fish. I want to plant vegetables with you, pick mushrooms, dig for wild herbs, gather mountain goods…”
“Good, of course it’s good. Coming home is always good. But if you want to go up the mountain, you have to recover well, get your body healthy first.”
Xu Yongze blinked hard, his fingers unconsciously pinching Changzhao’s cheek.
“Grandma, I want to ask… does Second Aunt hate me now?”