Chinese New Year
On New Year’s Eve, Li Lanlan’s family celebrated the Chinese New Year with Wang Caixia’s family; Jia Fanghua was, in a sense, Wang Caixia’s distant aunt.
Wang Caixia was aware of some of the family’s circumstances, but she merely greeted them without prying into the details. That’s just how it is when you’ve lived in the city for a long time—everyone knows their place.
Although they did enjoy gossiping, most of it was done behind people’s backs. After all, here, unlike in the village, people weren’t all distant relatives who had to beat around the bush—it wouldn’t do to burn bridges.
As soon as the seventh day of the New Year passed, Li Lanlan and Wang Dashan began looking for a suitable shop. The weather had been dreary lately, with a gray haze in the air, and the forecast predicted snow.
Winters in Beijing were even colder than in Ningzhou. This was a flat, open plain—though there was a mountain range to the northwest, the terrain was mostly level. The Siberian cold front blowing in from the Siberian wilderness swept across the open landscape unimpeded, bringing a biting chill.
While the two of them were out, Jia Fanghua stayed home to help look after the children. With her mother watching the kids, everyone felt at ease, and the children were happy too.
The shops on the ground floor of this office building were still in high demand, but there were some available for sublease. The couple looked at a few places. One was located on the very edge of the building, totaling about 60 square meters. The front section was roughly 30 square meters, with enough space to set up tables.
In the back was a large open kitchen fully equipped with everything they needed, plus a two- or three-square-meter bathroom. Overall, it was decent. They heard the current owner was planning to return to their hometown and wouldn’t be coming back. Li Lanlan recognized the place—it was a noodle shop, though the food was only so-so.
The couple took a close look at the shop’s facilities. Fortunately, no major renovations were needed; the previous owner hadn’t torn down the existing fixtures and had even paid the landlord a demolition fee.
The couple felt the shop was acceptable and decided to rent it. The landlord was a straightforward person and was very enthusiastic when she saw they were ready to commit.
“You can decide if you want to redo the interior—that cost can be deducted from the rent!”
The landlord was a shrewd and assertive woman. The buildings in this area were all newly constructed a few years ago, and most of the commercial spaces had been sold, unlike the area behind them, where properties were mostly for rent only.
“ “We’ll see if we want to renovate first.”
“Alright, let’s sign the contract first. You can do whatever you want, but I’ve already deducted that amount from the rent.”
The price was fairly reasonable. They split the agent fee 50-50. The agent brought a standard contract, and once it was signed, the place was officially theirs.
After the agent and the landlord handed over the keys and the utility cards, they left.
The landlord had given them the furniture and other items inside. Li Lanlan took a look and found the place was generally clean, though there were a few things that needed fixing, so she contacted Master Bai, who was helping them with the renovations.
Master Bai had been introduced to her by Wang Caixia; he was also a fellow villager from Ningzhou. People often say that “fellow villagers deceive fellow villagers,” and they’d say it with tears in their eyes.
There’s actually some truth to that saying, but not all fellow villagers are bad people. Master Bai was a good one. Li Lanlan and Wang Dashan had visited the new house’s renovation site several times and could tell he was putting his heart into it. The work there was mostly finished, and they were currently airing it out to let the smells dissipate.
So Li Lanlan planned to have Master Bai handle this job as well. The major structural work didn’t need to be touched, but things like cutting boards would need to be custom-made.
When they got home, Jia Fanghua had already cooked dinner: stir-fried noodles with dumplings. Jia Fanghua was truly a skilled cook. The dumplings were about the size of a finger, filled with tofu, potatoes, tomatoes, and minced meat.
The dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. The table was filled with the sounds of eating; there was no small talk.
After they finished eating and cleaned up, Li Lanlan sensed her mother wanted to talk to her, but she hadn’t spoken up.
She asked Wang Dashan to watch the children, then took Jia Fanghua by the hand into the children’s room. “Mom, you’ve seemed distracted these past few days. What’s wrong?”
“Your sister just called and said your father wants me to come back.” ” Jia Fanghua said this with a sense of unease, then fell silent.
Jia Fanghua knew she shouldn’t have told her daughter about this, but she really had no one else to talk to. Could she say she didn’t want to go back at all?
“Then just stay here. When the shop opens, go work there, and I’ll pay you.”
“But then who’s going to look after your father and your two nieces? Those two kids can’t cook, and your father isn’t very good at it either. I’m afraid I’ll have to go back.”
Jia Fanghua’s tone was tinged with anxiety and reluctance. No one likes being a servant in their own home, and she was no exception, but there were practical problems she couldn’t ignore.
Yet she had become thoroughly steeped in that closed-off environment. Her first thought wasn’t her own repeated suffering, but that others would be left unattended and without food.
“Then do whatever you want!” Li Lanlan had given up entirely. She knew her mother wanted her to step in and keep her here, so that all the responsibility would fall on her, the daughter.
If she were still the person she used to be, she certainly would have done just that. But people’s mindsets evolve with societal progress. Twenty-some years later, everyone was glued to their phones scrolling through short videos—and she was no exception.
The short videos were a veritable jumble of information. She didn’t know what others had gained from them, but she herself had certainly learned a few things from that vast sea of content.
The most important lesson was to respect others’ destinies and refrain from meddling in their lives.
After Li Lanlan reined in her urge to lecture, she found that her relationships with her children had improved. As parents of their generation, living through such a period of rapid development, they truly couldn’t offer their children meaningful life advice.
If the children had followed their advice, it would have actually hindered their personal growth; they simply couldn’t keep up with this ever-changing world.
The pace of change was simply too fast—so fast that Li Lanlan felt as though she had entered a new era in the blink of an eye.
Over the years, she had grown to rarely offer words of advice.
This remark slipped out unconsciously, but to Jia Fanghua, it carried a different meaning.
Her daughter was a little upset because she hadn’t listened to her, and she felt a sense of panic; subconsciously, she wanted to grasp at this lifeline.
But there were still people at home who couldn’t do without her, yet she had no desire to go back there—just like a drowning person clinging to anything that might save their life.
The mouth may lie, but the heart does not. During her few days in Beijing, she had enjoyed a peace of mind she hadn’t felt in a long time, and for a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy.
She knew she was in the wrong; this was asking too much of her daughter. It was a responsibility she should have shouldered herself, yet she was forcing it upon her.
“Then buy me a ticket. I’ll go back,” she managed to say with difficulty, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Jia Fanghua took out her handkerchief, which contained several hundred yuan neatly folded inside. Aside from giving the children red envelopes for the New Year, she had hardly spent anything since arriving.
Although her daughter had insisted on buying her a ticket, she had four children of her own, and raising them was expensive. She didn’t want to add to her daughter’s burden.
“No, I told you I’ll pay for the fare myself. I’m going over there to see the kids.”
Li Lanlan lifted the curtain and walked out. As soon as Jia Fanghua closed the door, tears streamed down her face. She didn’t cry out loud; just like so many times before, she silently let the tears flow.
Li Lanlan walked into the main room, where several children were playing with toys and snacking. The second child, seeing her approach, insisted on giving her a piece of candy that was already covered in her saliva.
Li Lanlan took it and gave it to Wang Dashan. He didn’t mind the child’s saliva; he was the one who always ate the leftovers at home.
The eldest daughter handed her a cookie, and Li Lanlan ate it. This one was cleaner—it had been taken straight from the bag.
Wang Dashan saw how gloomy she looked and didn’t know what to say at first. But Li Lanlan was the backbone of their family, the barometer of their moods.
If she was unhappy, the atmosphere in the whole house would become oppressive!
The children were all having fun, so Wang Dashan pulled Li Lanlan into the bedroom. “What’s wrong with you?”
Li Lanlan explained what had just happened. “I didn’t mean to say it like that, but I just couldn’t hold back in the moment—it just slipped out.”
Wang Dashan was aware of the situation at his mother-in-law’s house, but as the younger generation, he felt it wasn’t his place to speak up. With elders on both sides and school-age children caught in the middle, who could possibly bear the burden of this conflict?
Besides, they’d all be staying at his house. He didn’t really mind that—the new house was almost finished; it just needed a little time before it was ready to move into.
But with more people came more trouble. He didn’t want his family’s life, which had just started to get back on track, to be thrown into chaos again by these people.
Even though they were his father-in-law and mother-in-law, they were, after all, outsiders now.
“Should we talk to your dad about this? But you know, this kind of thing is bound to happen again in a while!” Wang Dashan knew his father-in-law’s temperament; in the conventional sense, he was the kind of person who valued appearances.
He was open-hearted and generous. Whenever anyone in the family faced a difficult situation, he never hesitated to help—whether it was his own family or his in-laws.
Back when they hadn’t moved out yet, the kids would receive red envelopes not only at their own home but also at their father-in-law’s.
Whether they visited on ordinary days or during festivals, they were always warmly welcomed. Although everyone joked that they were always “mooching off” their father-in-law’s family, they had actually benefited quite a bit from their generosity.
He and Li Lanlan were shy about accepting gifts, and the elderly couple knew it. Every time they visited, the couple would insist on stuffing their hands with goodies. They’d also send over fruits and vegetables from time to time, and every year during harvest season, they’d specifically invite them over to eat their fill and take some home.
Fearing they’d feel too embarrassed to visit often, the couple even planted several fruit trees just for them.
He couldn’t bring himself to say a single unkind word to the elderly couple, even if he tried.
With someone who spends money like water, there simply has to be someone who’s good at managing the household.
His mother-in-law was just that kind of person. This wasn’t actually the first time they’d had such a fight; the old lady hadn’t visited their home before either.
Their life was truly hard enough as it was, not to mention the fear of gossip in the village—people could find fault with you even when there was nothing wrong.
The weather hadn’t been great these past few days. The forecast predicted a blizzard; last winter had seen no snow at all. Looking up at the gray, overcast sky, he had no idea when the snow would actually fall.
Wang Dashan pulled back the curtain and stepped into the main room. The house was still steeped in the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The children were giggling and munching on snacks. Seeing their smiling faces, it all seemed worth it.