Free Web NovelChapter 447: Chapter 446: Not Young Anymore
After leaving the train station, the two families had to part ways. No one from the Zhang family had come to pick them up.
Xue Xingzhou and his group were heading directly to Zhang Qian’s home.
"We’ll probably head back on the second or third day of the New Year," Xue Xingzhou said to Xue Yue.
Xue Yue nodded. "Okay."
She turned to Zhang Qian and said, "Please say hello to your parents for me."
Zhang Qian nodded.
He Ziqian slung an arm around Zheng Lingrui’s shoulders and gave him a shake. "See you next year, little bro."
Zheng Lingrui just glanced at him before following his parents away.
Watching this, He Ziluo could only shake her head and chuckle.
Xiao Yang blinked, pointing at He Ziluo and He Ziqian. "You two must be Ruanruan and Shiyi, right?"
He Ziniannian chuckled. "They’ve changed so much you can barely recognize them, huh?"
Xiao Yang nodded.
"I haven’t seen you in years! My god, Shiyi, how did you get taller than me?"
The corners of He Ziqian’s mouth turned up. He was finally happy.
"Xiao Yang."
Xiao Yang nodded, grabbed He Ziqian’s arm, and actually stood next to him to compare their heights.
"You really are taller than me. The food in the city must be better."
Everyone couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
Outside the station, they hailed two taxis. Xiao Nian went with them back to the village, since his father and Aunt Wang had already returned.
Xiao Yang and Xiao Ming had come on their bicycles.
They said they were there to pick them up, but really, they’d just gotten too antsy waiting at home and had rushed over.
When the cars reached the village entrance, they got out.
He Zichen said, "Third Uncle, we’re going to head home now."
He Lang nodded. "Go on."
Xue Yue said to Yun Shu, "Come over and visit when you have time."
Yun Shu nodded and agreed.
Xue Yue opened the door to their house. They hadn’t been back in years. The courtyard was so filthy you couldn’t even find a place to step.
It was covered in dust. Leaves and dirt were mixed in with the snow, and parts of the snow had melted into a muddy sludge.
He Lang found a shovel and a broom and began clearing a path.
Only then could Xue Yue cross the yard and open the house door.
The house was coated in dust. It was completely unlivable without a thorough cleaning.
They quickly wiped down a spot to put their luggage.
Xue Yue went to the kitchen to boil some water.
He Ziqian helped He Lang clean the courtyard, shoveling the snow out past the main gate.
He Ziluo and Xue Yue were in the kitchen; one boiled water while the other started tidying up.
Once the water was hot, the mother and daughter grabbed some rags and gave the kitchen a good cleaning. Then they carried the hot water back to the main house to scrub everything down, inside and out.
After He Lang finished with the courtyard, he came inside to light the stove.
Once the kang bed was warm and the stove was lit, the room finally started to heat up.
The house was unbelievably filthy. The whole family of four joined in the cleaning, which turned into a massive undertaking.
There wasn’t even a place to sit.
Wiping down the kang bed in the main room alone produced two basins of black water.
There were even spiderwebs in the corners of the ceiling.
He Lang took a broom and swept them down.
An old saying goes: a house with people in it will stand for a hundred years, but an empty house will collapse in three. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
How true it was!
Over at the old He family residence, He Nan studied his son intently. "You’ve gotten thinner, but taller."
He Ziniannian hadn’t been back for the New Year in two years. He Nan missed his son, but he knew he was busy with work and could only talk to him over the phone.
Wang Hui Fang said with a smile, "You’re a young man now. Your job must be tough, isn’t it?"
Xiao Nian smiled and replied, "It’s pretty busy, but I wouldn’t say it’s tough."
Wang Hui Fang said, "Your father talks about you all the time. When you called a few days ago to say you were coming home for the New Year, we closed up shop early and came back."
Xiao Nian looked at his father and saw the white hairs at his temples.
"The restaurant is busy. Don’t overwork yourselves. Your health is more important."
He Nan nodded with a smile. "We know. Don’t you worry."
Mr. He asked him, "Have your Third Uncle and his family gone back to their place?"
"Yeah."
"I’ll go take a look. The house hasn’t been lived in for years; I doubt they can get it clean in a short time."
Wang Hui Fang said, "Dad, while you’re there, tell Third Brother and his family to come over for dinner tonight."
He Lang’s family just got back, so they haven’t had time to buy grain or anything, and they don’t have any vegetables at home.
"Alright."
When He Ziqian saw Mr. He come in, his eyes lit up and he quickly ran over.
"Grandpa."
Mr. He looked at him and chuckled. "Good boy. You’ve gotten taller again."
He Ziqian pouted. "Grandpa, you were gone for so long, it’s like you weren’t planning on coming back at all. I missed you so much! Food doesn’t even taste good when you’re not around."
Mr. He let out a hearty laugh, looking at him happily. "But we’re seeing each other now, aren’t we? You have to eat a lot more now that you’re back."
He Ziluo also walked over to Mr. He.
"Grandpa."
"Ah, Ruanruan. Did you miss Grandpa?"
He Ziluo nodded. "I did. Why did you stay here and not come back?"
Mr. He explained, "Your Eldest Uncle’s family couldn’t get away from the restaurant. Next year, Grandpa will take you to see the restaurant they opened."
"Okay, we have to go see it."
"Dad."
Mr. He looked at Xue Yue and said, "Your eldest sister-in-law asked me to tell you all to come over for dinner tonight."
Xue Yue nodded.
Mr. He said to He Lang, "You don’t have any grain at home, and the village co-op doesn’t have any right now either. Do you want to try buying some from the villagers, or should you go to town?"
He Lang replied, "I’ll go to town. I’ll head out tomorrow morning. I need to pick up a few other things anyway."
They were short on a lot of things at home now.
Mr. He nodded.
As they were talking, Xiao Yang and Little Chen came over.
"Third Uncle."
Hearing their voices, He Lang walked outside. freёwebnoѵel.com
He saw them come in, carrying several items.
"Third Uncle, my mom asked us to bring these over. She knew you wouldn’t have any food at the house. Here’s some grain, cabbage, and radishes. Eat this for now, and if it’s not enough, just come to our place and get more."
He Lang glanced at the provisions and didn’t refuse.
"Alright. Why don’t you come in and sit for a bit?"
Little Chen said, "We can’t. My mom is still waiting for us, so we’re heading back."
"Alright. Thank your mom for me."
When Mr. He came out and saw the food, he said with satisfaction, "Your second sister-in-law is so thoughtful. You can use this for now and go to town tomorrow to buy more."
Seeing Little Chen and the others return, Gao Cuiyun asked.
"Did you deliver it?"
Little Chen nodded.
"When do you and Yun Shu plan on going to town to get your marriage certificate?"
Little Chen thought for a moment. "Tomorrow, probably. If the Civil Affairs Bureau in town is still open, we’ll get it done then."
Gao Cuiyun nodded in satisfaction. "They probably haven’t closed for the holiday yet."
That evening, Xue Yue’s family arrived at the old residence.
Wang Hui Fang looked at Xue Yue and said, "Xue Yue, you haven’t changed a bit! Look at me, I’ve got a few more wrinkles around my eyes."
Xue Yue laughed. "That’s not true. You haven’t changed much either, Sister-in-law. You’re still beautiful."
Wang Hui Fang beamed. "We’re so busy with the restaurant, up before dawn and working late into the night, we don’t have any time to get dolled up. Forget about me, your brother has aged quite a bit."
He Nan interjected, "I’m just getting old. It has nothing to do with being busy."
Wang Hui Fang nodded. "That’s true. We’re not young anymore."
He Nan was over fifty, after all. He certainly wasn’t young anymore.
Xue Yue glanced at He Lang. He was forty-eight this year. His features had matured, but he was still handsome, and his face was free of wrinkles.
He Lang looked over at Xue Yue. She was ten years his junior and still very young.
For some reason, He Lang’s heart suddenly fluttered with unease.
