"Grandpa Yan." Ah Heng's Mandarin was still hopelessly clumsy, but his posture while bending over was very proper.
"Aheng, Wenheng, good! Good name!" The old man smiled, looking at Aheng with even more pity.
He was the one who orchestrated what happened back then, and he felt deeply guilty and heartbroken for this girl.
"Yan Shuai, tell me, what's so good about this name?" Grandpa Wen said with a smile.
"Good is good, I say it's good, so it's good!" Yan Shuai glared at Old Man Wen, his thick eyebrows furrowing, revealing a hint of childishness.
"There's no law or order anymore!" Old Wen mocked.
"San'er, don't try to beat around the bush with me. I'm a rough man. I've carried a gun my whole life, but I've never carried a pen!" Yan Shuai's eyes widened, and his tone was vulgar.
“Heng is taken from the book ‘Yang Quan’ in Han Feizi. It is a phrase that means ‘the balance is different from lightness and heaviness.’ In this vast world, amidst the ups and downs, right and wrong, the choice between lightness and heaviness depends entirely on a scale. My little girl is a person with a balance.” Old Master Wen looked at his granddaughter, his eyes shining with wisdom.
Yan Shuai burst into laughter—"San'er, you old fogey, who compared their own girl to a weight?"
Old Wen shook his head and sighed repeatedly.
Ah Heng's eyes lit up.
When she was young, her father named her "Heng," meaning perseverance. Together with her younger brother's name "Zai," the name "Hengzai" (恒在) means "perseverance" or "steadfastness." This was a wish for the two of them to live long lives and enjoy the company of their parents. However, when registering her birth, the police officer made a mistake and used the character "Heng" instead. In fact, it was not, as Mr. Wen said, a name borrowed from an ancient book.
However, these carefully crafted, gentle words almost made her fold away all the grievances in her heart, and even when she looked into her grandfather's eyes, she became happy.
"Old man, when are we going to eat dumplings? I'm hungry, I'm hungry!" Yan hope didn't interrupt the adults, but now that she had a moment, she looked at Yan Shuai with her big, bright eyes. She looked very obedient, but her words were anything but obedient.
"Damn it! What did you call me?!" Yan Shuai got angry and blurted out his hometown dialect. He bent down, took off his cotton slippers, and was about to hit the boy.
The boy cleverly hid behind Wen's mother, making faces and sticking out his tongue at Yan Shuai with an innocent and carefree expression.
Ah Heng chuckled softly as she watched his unusually arrogant and disdainful demeanor.
"Look, even your little sister is laughing at you. You're so naughty!" Yunyi patted the boy's slender hand with a smile, then turned to Yan Shuai. "Uncle Yan, don't be angry. Xiao Xi is just a child with a temper. He's unruly and a bit naughty. Are you really willing to hit him?"
"I'll let you off today for your sister's sake!" Yan Shuai's eyes widened.
"Old Yan, you're just good at talking!" Old Wen said with a laugh.
Old Yan was known among his old folks for spoiling the younger generation. Yan hope was mischievous as a child, and when Old Yan got angry, he'd raise his hand to hit him. But before he could even raise his hand, the child would cry like a wolf, singing, "Little cabbage, yellow in the field, lost its father at three, lost its mother at five..." The neighbors all wiped away tears, especially the older women, who pointed at Old Yan and berated him for being heartless. They said the child's appearance was a testament to the Old Yan family's good fortune; if anything happened to him, how could he face his ancestors? Old Yan looked at the child's big, teary eyes, becoming increasingly smug. He declared, "That's right! Look at whose grandson he is! Which child is as handsome as mine? The Wen family, the Lu family, the Xin family—all combined, they're no match!"
To his surprise, word got out, and Old Xin was furious. The two had been from the same village since childhood, joined the army together, joined the Party together, were promoted to officers together, and rose to the rank of regimental commander together. The higher their ranks, the greater their animosity. To make matters worse, they were assigned to the same courtyard for housing, making their enmity even stronger. They compared their wives, their children, and especially their grandchildren. When Old Yan said Yan Xi was better looking than his son, Xin Dayi, Old Xin was indignant! Holding his grandson, Xin Dayi confronted Old Yan—"You son of a bitch! How dare you say my Dayi isn't as good-looking as your Yan Xi? Look at your Yan Xi, his mouth is so small, he can't even suck on noodles properly, like a little girl, he has no manly spirit at all! I'm ashamed for you!"
Old Yan slapped his hand, also annoyed—"Your grandma's grandpa! Your Xin Dayi is good-looking, with a head of messy hair. If you didn't know better, you'd think you were holding a monkey! You got married faster than me, had a son faster than me, and your daughter-in-law waited three years after getting married before giving birth to a monkey baby! A monkey baby is fine, but he's a mute. As a friend, I'm too embarrassed to say anything to you!"
At that time, Da Yi was almost three years old and still couldn't speak. Yan hope, on the other hand, was already running around the streets at two years old, calling out "Handsome uncles and beautiful aunties" to get candy. By the age of three, he could hit high notes almost at the level of a soprano, although not a single note was in tune. However, this had already deeply hurt Old Xin's weak old heart. He would hold Xin Da Yi every day and scold the Yan family. Xin Da Yi listened with great interest. Finally, at three years, three months, and three days old, he opened his mouth. His first words were...
"Yan hope, you son of a bitch!"
One sentence made everyone in the courtyard, young and old, laugh for months, but Yan Xi's young self-esteem was hurt. She chased after Xin Dayi all over the courtyard, and when she caught him, she would scold him: "Xin Dayi, your father is a bear, your mother is a bear, your grandfather is a bear, your grandmother is a bear, your whole family are bears, and black bears at that!"
Thus, it became a classic and has been sung for a long time.
Yan hope is a lawless child who has been vengeful since childhood. If someone bullies him even a little, he will make up for it tenfold. Even if he is short a little today, he will definitely make up for it tomorrow.
Therefore, Mr. Wen did not like Yan hope, but out of respect for his old friend, he still treated him like his own child.
His biggest worry was that Siwan and Yanxi were getting too close.
"Auntie still loves me the most." On the other side, Yan hope, as if performing a stage play, exaggeratedly and affectionately knelt down on one knee, grabbed Wen's mother's hand, her red lips curving upwards, and smiled with ill intent.
"Auntie, you're being so nice to me, do you like me? Oh, I'm so embarrassed! Auntie, why don't you just dump Uncle Wen and marry me instead? Ah!"
"How old are you? You're so unserious. If your Uncle Wen hears this, he'll give you a good spanking!" Yunyi said, both amused and exasperated, tapping the boy's fair forehead with a gentle and affectionate tone.
"He's not here!" Yan hope said nonchalantly, her beautiful eyes becoming even more mischievous as she looked at Si Wan with ill intent.
Siwan was both amused and exasperated. Yan hope was only half a year older than her, and since they were little, he had always insisted that she call him "brother," but he refused, resulting in countless beatings from the little tyrant. Finally, the little tyrant threatened, "If you won't call me brother, I don't care! Wait until I marry Aunt Yunyi, then I'll make you call me 'Dad'!"
So he longed to be his stepfather for over a decade.
Ah Heng moved her lips, stared blankly at Yan hope, dumbfounded.
Why does this person always have the same expression? They're so unpredictable!
"You brat, stop messing around!" Yan Shuai's face turned red with anger. He grabbed Yan hope by the collar of his red sweater and held him up in front of Aheng, gritting his teeth, "Tell your sister Aheng, what's your name?"
Unbeknownst to Yan Shuai, Aheng and Yan hope had met several times. The two characters, "Yan" and "Xi," were etched in his heart, and he was filled with trepidation, never forgetting them.
"Yan hope." He looked at her, his words were indifferent, his eyebrows and eyes were proud, his black eyes and black hair were black, and his lips were beautiful.
"Wen Heng." She smiled, her eyes clear and her words harmless.
At that moment, she finally had a definite reason to call him by his name.
At that time, he and she had countless unintentional encounters before finally getting to know each other.
This acquaintance was something she had never anticipated, and something he had never bothered to cultivate.
One was sixteen, a difference of sixty years; the other was seventeen, a full five months old.
In the prime of youth.
Unfortunately, they met on a narrow path.
What a show!
Chapter 8
In December, the heating had already been turned on, and stepping inside felt like entering a completely different world from outside. The room was warm and cozy, and Ah Heng immediately felt a surge of heat flowing through her hands and feet.
The interior decoration of the Yan family's home was not much different from that of the Wen family's home. The antique jade artifacts in the Wen family's home were more exquisite, while those in the Yan family's home were more grand. However, the Yan family's decorative features were more noticeably influenced by the real photographs hanging on the walls. Each photograph was like a scroll painting, very clear and bright, with vibrant and exaggerated colors. But strangely, those people and objects displayed on the walls seemed to have been given a new soul, delicate and pure, with a continuous and lingering warmth and... indifference.
“Yan hope took these photos.” Si Wan smiled as she saw her staring intently at the works, her eyes shining as she followed her gaze. “Yan Xi is very talented in art. He often runs around in his spare time, sketching and taking photos, and he’s good at everything.”
"That photo in the corner was taken last year when we went out together," Siwan said, pointing to the photo in the corner. "Guess where it was taken?"
Ah Heng stared intently at the photograph, growing more and more confused. The scene was clearly shrouded in mist, as if in the clouds, yet several strangely shaped, naturally formed brown stones inexplicably appeared.
She shook her head.
Yan hope slapped Si Wan in an annoyed tone and then walked towards the kitchen.
“He took the photo while squatting in the hot spring.” Siwan looked at the photo, a smile spreading across her face. She was handsome and gentle, her eyes shining even brighter.
"That guy always comes up with some weird and wonderful things."
Ah Heng smiled, her expression gentle and calm.
She gazed at the photograph, and somewhat unconsciously moved closer, reaching out to touch the misty clouds, the brown stone, and the peaceful gaze, yet a longing and envy arose within it.
"Next time, take me with you, okay?" she asked softly, looking at Siwan.
Her father taught her that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and that one should set lofty goals when young.
She yearned for warmth, and even more so for wandering. This wandering was a bold idea, but not a rebellion.
Whether she is Yun Heng or Wen Heng, she will be conventional and proper. However, freedom is a child's nature, and she wants to occasionally go out and change the monotony.
Of course, looking into Siwan's eyes, she knew that her request was putting him in a difficult position.
"Okay." A muffled voice came from behind.
Aheng turned around and saw Yanxi squatting to the side, obediently holding a white porcelain bowl, his mouth stuffed with dumplings. His eyebrows and eyes were not clearly seen in his black frizzy hair, but his lips were red and tender.
"Thank you." Her palms were sweaty, and she felt a great sense of relief.
"Mmm." Yan hope didn't have time to pay attention to her, looking at the plump, white dumplings with satisfaction.
Siwan was a little surprised, but she still smiled.
Well, since it was Yan hope's decision, what else can he say?
"Dumplings are ready, kids!" A short, chubby middle-aged man wearing an apron came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of dumplings, smiling at the boys and girls in front of him.
"Xiao hope, go to the restaurant to eat. What kind of mess are you making squatting here!" the man said with a laugh, looking at Yan hope and kicking him.
"Oh, Uncle Li, I feel so bad that you brought this out." Siwan strode forward and politely took the bowl.
"Is this Aheng?" The man examined Aheng closely.
“Aheng, Uncle Li, is Grandpa Yan’s adjutant,” Siwan whispered to Aheng.
"Uncle Li." Ah Heng took the bowl with both hands and spoke softly with her head down.
"Okay, okay!" The man nodded, his face filled with relief, tears welling up in his eyes.
Then, he walked up to Aheng, gently touched her hair, and said softly, "Good child, it's good to be home. You've suffered."
Aheng was a little stunned, Siwan was also dumbfounded, only Yanxi continued to stuff dumplings there.
"Lieutenant Li!" Yan Shuai's loud voice came from the restaurant.
"Present!" Lieutenant Li saluted, his voice ringing out.
"Hey, you two, are you trying to stop me from eating in peace?!" Yan hope was startled and coughed violently, choking on the dumplings and tears streaming down his face, which turned as red as a peach blossom.
Lieutenant Li stepped forward and patted Yan hope's back forcefully until he spat out the dumpling stuck in his throat.
"Axi, you listen to it eight times a day, how come you're still not used to it?" Siwan handed him water and said with a smile.
"Damn it!" Yan hope sprayed a mouthful of water onto Si Wan's face.
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"Aheng, eat more, your ears will get cold in this weather." Aunt Zhang looked at the girl beside her and nagged, "Your Uncle Li and I wrapped these together, they smell delicious!"
Ah Heng nodded vigorously, taking small bites of the dumpling amidst the rising steam.
"Can everyone tell what kind of filling it is?" Lieutenant Li asked with a smile, looking at the elderly and young people gathered around the table. He was always good at creating a pleasant atmosphere.
"Hmm, there are shrimp, pork, and sea cucumber." Siwan pondered the chewiness of the meat filling on her tongue, her dimples slightly intoxicating.
"Winter melon, bamboo shoots," Old Wen said.
"Ginger powder, chopped green onions, cooking wine, chicken bouillon, and stock," Mrs. Wen said gently, tasting the soup.
“It’s bad, it’s bad,” Lieutenant Li laughed.
After carefully considering the matter, everyone exchanged glances, all quite puzzled.
What else could it be? The people sitting in front of me are all incredibly picky eaters. It would be one thing if I couldn't guess one, but to stump the whole table like this, Lieutenant Li is quite something.
"Li Ma, you're so unfair! How could anyone guess something so tricky?" Yan hope burped, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and her beautiful eyes curved into crescents, glistening with tears.