Chapter 61 Wangfu
The first day of the Lunar New Year.
The young people, who had been having a lively night, were about to go home.
After thinking for a moment, Jian Changnian still knocked on Xie Shian's dormitory door before leaving.
"Shi'an, do you want to come back to the countryside with me?"
Qiao Yuchu was also packing her luggage.
“Go ahead, Shi’an. Training doesn’t start until the fourth day of the new year anyway. My mom has called several times this morning, urging me to come home. There’s no one to play with here. You might as well stay with Chang Nian.”
Xie Shi'an looked at her, then at the boy's earnest eyes. Zhou Mu ran in and pulled him away.
"Oh, come with us! Let me tell you, our countryside is so much fun! You can go ice skating, fishing, going to the market, and watching folk performances."
"Hey, wait a minute, let me get my racket, get my racket."
Xie Shi'an was pulled a few steps, then ran back to get his precious racket.
Qiao Yuchu smiled, pursing her lips.
"Shi'an, be careful and have fun."
"You too, send me a message when you get home."
"good."
***
"Mom, I'm home."
Qiao Yuchu pushed open the door. The room was cold and deserted, without even a single window decoration.
Mom was sitting in the living room watching TV and eating sunflower seeds, and she didn't give her a friendly look when she saw her come back.
"So you finally know how to come back? You spent New Year's Eve, a time for family reunion, with other people. Do you even care about this family anymore?"
Qiao Yuchu placed the New Year's gifts, such as fruit and milk, that she had bought for her on the table.
"Mom, just say less. It's a team reunion. It's not like I'm the only one who didn't go home. Cheng Zhen went too."
"Ren Cheng is so old, and you are so old, yet you only think about having fun all day long and don't care about your own life's important matters at all."
"Why should I worry about it? You can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to. There's nothing I can do if I don't find someone I like."
"I spend all my time either training or hanging out with that jinx next door. It would be strange if I ever met someone I clicked with!"
Qiao Yuchu was about to pour herself some water when she heard this, so she slammed the cup down on the table.
"Mom! Why are you always picking on Shi'an? Why are you dragging other people into my own problems!"
Mrs. Qiao tossed the melon seeds into the fruit plate.
"Alright, alright, it's Chinese New Year, I won't argue with you. You've always protected her since she was little. Hurry up and change your clothes and get ready, we're going to your Aunt Wang's dinner party in a bit."
Although it's called a dinner party, it's mostly a blind date. Qiao Yuchu has attended this kind of gathering at least three times.
Qiao Yuchu shook her head helplessly and went back to her room, knowing that if she didn't go, she would probably cause a huge scene again.
During the Lunar New Year, she also wanted to have some peace and quiet.
At the dinner party.
Qiao's mother's relatives and friends, including all her aunts and uncles, praised her for being beautiful, having a good personality, and being promising, saying that she would definitely be a good daughter-in-law in the future.
Qiao Yuchu was so tired of hearing it.
Mrs. Qiao, on the other hand, couldn't stop smiling.
"Oh, that's true. Our Yu Chu won a championship this year. Times have changed. Not just anyone can marry my daughter. At the very least, they'll have to consider whether they have the means when it comes to the bride price."
“I’m telling you, old classmate, you’re doing better and better now, it’s enviable. Your husband is so capable, an architect, he must earn a lot of money every year. Your daughter is also so promising. You’ll find a good husband, and the young couple will take good care of you. In a couple of years, you’ll have a grandson. The whole family will be happy and harmonious, enjoying the bliss of family life.”
“Oh, that’s great. My husband is capable, and he sends a lot of money home every year, but he’s so busy. He’s on business trips all over the country, especially at the end of the year. Look at him, he’s busy renovating houses for clients and hasn’t even come home. He can’t compare to you two. When you were young, you were inseparable, and now that you’re older, you’re even more lovey-dovey.”
"Hey, you're getting on in years, why are you saying all this? Come on, let's drink."
Mrs. Qiao raised her glass and clinked it with everyone at the table.
"If you find a suitable young man, don't forget to introduce him to Yu Chu. If he succeeds, we'll give you a referral fee."
Qiao Yuchu sat there, watching them chat and laugh, like an outsider, until her mother tugged at her sleeve a few times before she stood up and toasted the elders.
"Wishing all uncles and aunts a Happy New Year! May you have good health, family happiness, and all your wishes come true."
"Look, look, look! This child is so eloquent."
Qiao Yuchu sat down and realized that her father hadn't been home for Chinese New Year for several years. She took out her phone and found that her chat history with her father was still on her birthday.
She thought for a moment, then got up and went outside the private room to make a phone call to her father.
The phone rang twice before it was answered.
"Hello?"
"dad."
The man smiled.
"Yu Chu, what's wrong? Why did you call Dad?"
"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" Qiao Yuchu said with a smile, her voice rising slightly at the end.
Are you still not coming home for the Chinese New Year this year?
There was a hint of apology in the man's voice.
"I'm so sorry, Yu Chu, this client is really pushing us. They want to take possession of the house after the New Year, and the project is at a critical stage. I just can't get away from it."
"I see..." Qiao Yuchu looked a little disappointed, but then she had a sudden urge to say something.
"If you can't come back, how about Mom and I go to the provincial capital to see you? Anyway, I'm on holiday until the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and I'm just killing time. How about we spend the Spring Festival together as a family in the provincial capital?"
Mr. Joe hesitated, as if he had some unspeakable secret.
"No, Yu Chu, Dad wants you to come too, but Dad is still living in the company dormitory. If you come, there will be nowhere for you to stay, which is inconvenient. Besides, hotels are so expensive during the Chinese New Year, so let's just forget about it. Dad will go back to see you after the New Year."
Although Qiao Yuchu was disappointed, she had gotten used to his infrequent meetings over the years and didn't think too much about it.
"Alright then, take care of yourself in the provincial capital, and remember to eat no matter how busy you are at work."
Mr. Joe smiled with satisfaction.
"Okay, you rarely come home, so spend some time with your mother. She must be very lonely at home all by herself."
"Okay, Dad."
"When Dad saves up some more money, we'll sell that old house and buy a bigger one in the provincial capital. Then we'll bring you all here, and our whole family can be together again. We can celebrate as many Spring Festivals as we want."
Qiao Yuchu smiled, pursing her lips.
"Alright, Dad, you're getting on in years. You need to take it easy when it comes to making money. I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to eat."
"Okay, I'm hanging up now."
After hanging up the phone, Qiao Yuchu took a deep breath, opened the door again, and walked into the crowd of her aunts and uncles.
***
Having not been home for several months, the gate to the courtyard was covered in dust. Jian Changnian gently pushed open the gate, revealing a courtyard filled with fallen leaves.
Afraid that Xie Shi'an would find it offensive, she quickly grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor.
"Don't mind me. I haven't been back for a while. The house is spotless. I even laid out newspapers before I left."
Grandma shakily took the broom from her hand and shooed people out.
"Go, go, take Shi'an out to play for a while, and don't forget to come back for dinner in the evening."
Jian Changnian was afraid that she would be too tired, so she refused.
"grandmother……"
"Oh, go ahead, I've been lying in bed for months, can't I even move around a bit?"
Zhou Mu also called from outside the courtyard.
"Come on, Chang Nian, Shi An, let's go ice skating."
Although Jian Changnian was still a little apprehensive about the activity, Xie Shi'an was a city dweller and couldn't resist the novelty.
The three of them walked to the riverbank. It was the best time of day in the afternoon, and the village children who had finished their lunch had all come out to play. Their laughter could be heard from afar. As they got closer, they found a group of children pulling a wooden plow and running back and forth on the ice.
Zhou Mu pulled Xie Shi'an along and ran over.
"Shi'an, let's go play too."
Xie Shi'an looked at the ice beneath his feet, where he could vaguely see the water plants at the bottom of the river, and hesitated.
"Won't this...break?"
Zhou Mu picked up a large rock and smashed it hard, leaving only a few shallow white scratches on the ice.
"Don't worry, it's very frozen solid. We come here every year and we've never fallen in more than a few times."
Xie Shi'an then stepped onto the platform with peace of mind. The rural children blinked at the stranger and soon accepted her.
A group of people were playing and frolicking on the ice, taking turns sitting on a wooden sled and being pulled along by the rest of the people.
In the icy snow, Xie Shi'an opened his arms wide, a smile spreading across his lips, embracing freedom and the wind.
After playing around for a while, she realized that Jian Changnian had been squatting on the shore, silently watching them.
Xie Shi'an broke away from the crowd and walked over.
Aren't you going to play?
Jian Changnian shook his head and moved a little further away from the ice.
"No, you guys can have fun."
Zhou Mu came over and pulled her.