"We'll be there in a few minutes. Go home and have some ginger tea," Liu Zhi said. "Don't catch a cold."
"I know." Meng Yang said, already running to the breakfast shop.
"The air must be really nice where you are." Meng Yang stopped and took shelter from the rain under the eaves. She watched the hurried crowd, her thoughts drifting to Liu Zhi.
"Why do you think that?" Liu Zhi's voice softened considerably.
“I saw many trees, lush and green,” Meng Yang said, “and endless field ridges.”
Liu Zhi had never paid attention to these things before, and only looked back when Meng Yang mentioned them.
In March, the wheat seedlings are growing vigorously, and a gust of wind creates waves of green wheat.
"I haven't breathed fresh air in a long time. Looking at this greenery has made me feel much better," Meng Yang said.
Liu Zhi stood by the roadside, holding her phone.
Would you like to come and take a look?
This is not just a polite remark, but a solemn promise.
Liu Zhi was very serious and earnest.
Meng Yang knew what kind of person Liu Zhi was, and she curled her lips slightly.
"It's a promise, you have to take me with you."
"Okay," Liu Zhi replied.
They were all holding their phones, walking along different roads.
Meng Yang stared at his toes, while Liu Zhi looked ahead.
After a long while, Meng Yang said, "My hands are so cold from holding the umbrella, and I just stepped in a puddle."
"Next time, I'll hold the umbrella for you next time," Liu Zhi said.
"It's settled."
"good."
...
After dealing with her maternal grandparents' affairs, Liu Zhi rushed to her father's place.
Liu's mother needed to prepare dinner for Liu Yi that evening, and Liu's father usually didn't get to eat until 10 PM. With Liu Zhi back, things became much easier.
Dinner was divided into three parts: Liu's mother delivered food to Liu Yi, and Liu Zhi delivered food to Liu's father, with a clear division of labor.
The mother and daughter were so busy that they didn't have time to sit down and eat until after 8 p.m.
"How's work lately?" Liu's mother asked.
"It's fine," Liu Zhi replied.
"I was so happy to see you back today that I forgot." Liu's mother put some food on Liu Zhi's plate. "Weren't you so busy that you couldn't even rest on the weekend? How come you had time to come back this time?"
"I took annual leave." Liu Zhi didn't look up.
How many days are you planning to stay at home?
Liu Zhi roughly calculated the time and replied, "About a week."
Liu's mother nodded.
“It’s not easy for you to take a break.” Liu’s mother paused, her voice lowering as if testing the waters, “I talked to Aunt Wang and Aunt Zhou…”
"Mom," Liu Zhi interrupted her, "Don't arrange blind dates for me so casually."
Liu's mother paused for a moment, then her voice softened.
“You’re so busy with work in the capital,” Liu’s mother said. “Think about it, you’re already twenty-eight this year. If you don’t start dating now, when will you?”
"Mom," Liu Zhi said helplessly, "How my life unfolds is my life. It's my freedom to choose not to get married in this lifetime."
"How can you not understand how important marriage is?" Liu's mother patted the back of her hand. "If you don't get married and have children, who will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die?"
"I know you're going to say I'm old-fashioned again, but think about it, isn't this the truth?"
“‘You only know the love of your parents when you raise your own children,’” Liu’s mother sighed. “You will only understand my feelings when you have your own children.”
After calming down for a while, Liu Zhi swallowed back the words, "I don't want to raise children."
In Liu's mother's eyes, this kind of thinking was very extreme, and Liu Zhi didn't want to upset her any further.
Liu Zhi remained silent, waiting for her mother to finish speaking.
Liu's mother felt like she was talking to a blockhead, and said with exasperation, "You little brat!"
"Yes," Liu Zhi said, "I'm listening."
"You have to be responsible for your own life," Liu's mother said.
Since their last big argument, the relationship between the mother and daughter has plummeted to a freezing point.
This time they were noticeably more restrained.
The mother and daughter stopped discussing the topic.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Still writing...
Chapter 43 Betrayal
Liu Zhi thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, her mother told her grandmother.
Grandpa needs to receive IV drips for at least three days.
The next morning, Liu Zhi went back to pick up her grandfather to take him to the health center for an IV drip.
Grandma grabbed her arm, wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
Liu Zhi had no choice but to put down what she was doing, sit down, and have a good chat with her grandmother.
"Xiao Zhi, what year were you born?" Grandma asked, holding Liu Zhi's hand.
Grandma knew her and Liu Yi's birthdays like the back of her hand, and Liu Zhi immediately understood the implication in her words.
"Don't you always remember my birthday?" Liu Zhi lowered her eyes.
"Grandma remembers you were born in 1993." Grandma patted Liu Zhi's hand. "Another generation has passed in the blink of an eye."
"I'm going to the hospital. If I go any later, Grandpa might have to have lunch at the hospital." Liu Zhiyou held her grandmother's hand, reluctant to pull away.
Grandma didn't insist and let her go.
Liu Zhi thought she had escaped a disaster, but her grandmother brought it up again at lunchtime.
"Do you remember the Huang family's daughter?" Grandma asked Grandpa.
Grandpa was so busy picking up food that he didn't hear what Grandma was saying.
"Old man!" Grandma raised her voice.
"What did you say?" the old man asked.
"Do you remember the girl from the Huang family?" Grandma leaned closer.
"who?"
"The girl from Huang San the Lame's family."
Grandpa blinked, clearly not understanding.
Grandma abandoned Grandpa's side and started talking to Liu Zhi instead.
"Little girl, do you remember?"
The term "nannan" is used by people in Yancheng to refer to their little girls. Liu Zhi was rarely called that after she turned eight.
Liu Zhi felt both embarrassed and awkward about being addressed as "Grandma."
"I don't know him," Liu Zhi replied truthfully.
"You should remember," Grandma said after a moment's pause. "She used to play with you when she was little."
“Climb the courtyard wall.” Grandma pointed to the wall outside with her chopsticks, her movements a little slow.
Liu Zhi's mind went blank.
"She was born in '94... and got married the year before last," Grandma said. "She had her big, healthy baby boy last month."
"Huang the Cripple was so happy he walked with a gust of wind."
Liu Zhi hummed in agreement.
The elderly often like to compare their children and grandchildren, firstly by how many children and grandchildren they have, and secondly by how well their children and grandchildren have developed their careers.
Grandma was very proud of Liu Zhi's profession.
When the old ladies chatted under the shade of trees in the summer and talked about their children's and grandchildren's professions, the maternal grandmother was always the proudest.
I felt a mix of pride and sadness – my granddaughter was too busy and hadn't come back in a long time.
It's a bittersweet feeling.
Now that their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are almost thirty, great-grandchildren have become a major topic of conversation among these elderly people.
This time, Grandma couldn't get a word in edgewise.
My older friends say that young people these days are overly fussy about raising children, and the grandmother just smiles along, completely clueless about all the rules.
The older women said that kids these days are under a lot of pressure. The grandmother could only manage a couple of words about how hard Liu Yi was studying, and she couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Liu Zhi could understand her grandmother's feelings, but she hated being coerced or rushed more than anything in her life.
"Grandma, I understand what you mean. You don't need to rush me anymore." Liu Zhi put down her chopsticks and rubbed her temples.
"Good, I understand," Grandma said. "Last time your mother arranged for you to meet Aunt Zhou and Aunt Wang's sons, you..."
"I'm not going," Liu Zhi said firmly.