It was also January 25, 1987, when Ning Weimin and his subordinates were toasting in celebration.
In order to return to the capital for the New Year, another wanderer like him, who had left the country under a building at the front gate of the capital a few years ago, had already preceded him and boarded the plane back home.
That is Mi Xiaoran, who has been married to the United States for more than four years.
And she didn't come back alone, her American husband Zhao Hanyu also used his annual leave to accompany her.
The two of them also bought a lot of gifts in large and small bags, and their checked luggage alone included two large items.
For no other reason than because Mi Xiaoran was unexpectedly pregnant for two months.
And she will complete her studies in a few months and get her undergraduate degree.
Considering that Mi Xiaoran gave birth to a child and obtained her academic qualifications, their lives were about to enter a completely new state.
I'm afraid I'll have to rush again and make a lot of new arrangements and plans.
It is very likely that I will not return to my country for several years.
That's why they jointly decided to return to the capital to visit relatives on the eve of the Spring Festival this year, so that Mi Xiaoran could reunite with his parents and relatives after being away from his hometown for many years.
…………
The super-large Boeing 747 passenger plane carried hundreds of passengers flying eastward.
This specially designed giant passenger plane flies very fast and has spacious seats.
Although Mi Xiaoran and Zhao Hanyu only booked economy class, the comfort of the seats was far superior to that of a medium-sized airliner, which made them particularly satisfied.
It's just that during the more than four years since I left, most of my contact was through letters, and there were only a few opportunities to hear my family's voices over the phone.
So since getting on the plane, Mi Xiaoran's homesickness began to overwhelm her.
Thinking of the upcoming reunion with her relatives, she never lay down at all. She always tilted her head towards the window and kept looking out.
She looked down at her watch and counted down the minutes.
She couldn't sleep, she was anxious, and she thought the plane was flying slowly.
United Airlines' departure time was in the afternoon, and the sun disappeared within a few hours. The rotation of the earth matched the speed of the plane.
After dinner, all the small lights in the cabin were turned off one by one.
Almost all the passengers in the cabin asked for blankets and collectively fell asleep.
Even Mi Xiaoran's husband, Zhao Hanyu, fell asleep on her shoulder.
In the quiet cabin, only Mi Xiaoran was still half-squinting his eyes, silently recalling the four years he spent in New York in his mind.
She has not wasted her time in the past four years. Her life has not been easy, but it has been fulfilling and very lucky.
Her husband Zhao Hanyu is a reliable and good husband, and he has fully fulfilled his promise to her.
Since finding a job in Manhattan, Zhao Hanyu has taken her away from the big family, which is completely controlled by Zhao's parents, regardless of her family's objections.
He rented a small apartment with her and lived a two-person world on his own.
Zhao Hanyu also used all his strength to support her in her studies.
Not only did he spend money to enroll her in a cram school, but he also tried his best to share the housework for her on weekdays.
Because of this, she was able to concentrate on her studies, successfully passed various relevant examinations that year, and successfully obtained admission to Queens College, City University of New York.
Although Queens College has a short history, it is not ranked high in New York, a city with many institutions of higher learning.
And in order to make it easier to get into school and make graduation less difficult, she chose the business administration major, which can be called a "one-size-fits-all" major.
But then again, this is a regular public university after all!
For people like her who would never have the opportunity to access higher education institutions in China, it is a precious opportunity that they can only dream of.
There is nothing she is dissatisfied with.
Especially because of her husband's financial and emotional support, she does not have to work hard every day to get a job washing dishes in the staff restaurant for three yuan an hour like other international students.
Even if she is working part-time, she can still earn a leisurely wage of five yuan an hour by looking after the children at her husband's supervisor's house. By the way, she can chat with her children and become familiar with spoken English.
This made her feel even more satisfied and relieved.
She even skipped a grade with excellent results due to her intelligence and hard work.
I think if she tells her parents this news, they will be as proud of her as her husband...
Along the way, she kept thinking.
After thinking about relatives, I just think about relatives.
After thinking about my relatives, I think about my neighbors, my classmates from elementary and middle school, and my colleagues at Chongwenmen Hotel...
There were so many people and she wanted to meet them.
Not for anything else, she has to let everyone know that she is doing very well now, very well, very well.
I think she was so disappointed when she left the work unit, and she even cried bitterly without anyone noticing.
Now it's finally time for her to prove everything to everyone - she didn't choose wrong, she took the right path, and she married the right person!
On the contrary, those who are willing to hold on to the iron rice bowl and earn hundreds of dollars and keep it are wrong.
They dare not strive for opportunities in life or leave everything behind and go abroad, otherwise they will have to suffer and be poor forever.
She admitted that she was vain, and coming back this time meant returning to her hometown in fine clothes.
That's why she, who usually doesn't pay much attention to dressing up, went to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue to carefully select a brand-name coat for her return to Beijing this time, so that her relatives and friends in her hometown could take a good look at it.
She also invites all her relatives and friends to dinner and chooses the most expensive dishes.
But instead of spending Zhao Hanyu’s money, she used her own money.
In New York, she worked as a nanny in her spare time for three years, taking care of children for an average of twelve hours a week, which cost her sixty dollars.
After tax, that's fifty dollars a week, two hundred dollars a month.
And Zhao Hanyu never mentioned the money to her, tacitly agreeing that it would be entirely at her personal disposal.
So in addition to buying some gifts for Zhao Hanyu on their wedding anniversary, sending some money to her family, and buying herself a coat, she now still has a total of 4,500 US dollars in cash.
This should be a huge amount of money worth tens of thousands of yuan in China. It is a huge sum of money that an ordinary person cannot earn in a lifetime.
There is no way, the gap between China and the United States is so huge!
Even if she earns pocket money as a nanny, it is enough to impress people in China.
So this time, she had to return the $1,500 to that person.
And I have to tell him face to face, don't look down on others, I can live a good life in the United States on my own.
What’s a joint venture? My aunt doesn’t care! Bah!
As long as my aunt can find a job, they will all be in genuine American-funded companies!
I felt lost in the chaos and felt a tearing pain.
Why does she still act like this when she thinks of that person?
have no idea.
…………
There are always various coincidences in this world.
Just like now, in different cabins on the same flight.
No one would know that there is another woman, just like Mi Xiaoran, whose heart is filled with excitement about setting foot in the capital and her longing to meet old friends, making it difficult to close her eyes.
However, they are different from each other, not only in age, experience, knowledge, wealth, social level, and family environment, but also in the way they perceive their homeland and old people and their emotional entanglements.
…………
There were only four or five people in the first class cabin, and a few flight attendants were sitting in the empty seats.
Among the few guests, a mother and son from New York with Oriental faces stood out the most.
The middle-aged man is over thirty and looks elegant and steady.
The old lady is dressed like a real lady, there is no doubt about this.
There is no need to tell whether the old lady’s jewelry is genuine or fake, and there is no need to verify whether the old lady’s leather bag is from the brand used by the Queen of England - LAUNER.
Just the texture of the old lady's mink coat and the smoothness of the precious fur color are enough to explain everything.
Therefore, the flight attendants paid special attention to all her requests.
After nightfall, these ladies took the initiative to provide services for him.
In addition to laying out a blanket for her and giving her fruit and coffee, I also asked her if she wanted to flatten the seat so that she could rest more comfortably.
However, this noble old lady refused help from all of them. In the end, she just asked about the time difference, adjusted her watch, and ignored everyone.
I just kept staring out the window at the gray-black sky where I could see nothing.
She even listened to her son urging her to rest, but just stared at him so stubbornly.
Seeing that she insisted on doing this, even her son couldn't rest, so he had to sit up and chat with her softly.
"Mom, you can't hold yourself up like this, it will take several hours. The conditions there can't be compared with New York. If you really get to the capital, if you don't have a good rest and you don't adapt again, this body will...
"
"What are you talking about? The capital is my home. No matter how nice New York is, I'm living under someone else's roof. I've never heard of people who go home feeling uncomfortable..."
"Mom, I didn't mean that. I just think the journey is too far. I hope you can sleep for a while. I'm afraid your body won't be able to bear it..."
"I'm not even 70 or 80 yet. It's really a waste of worry."
"Yes, mom, you are still young. What I know is that you are sixty years old. If outsiders don't know, you are only fifty years old at most. But having said that, my son is also very filial. If you just turn a blind eye
Seeing you enduring like this makes me feel uneasy..."
"Okay, okay, I know you feel sorry for Mom, but the problem is, I can't sleep even if I want to. Think about it, I haven't been back since the 31st year of the Republic of China. How many years have passed in the blink of an eye.
.I heard that even the city walls in Beijing are gone, and I don’t know what has become of the alleys and streets that I am familiar with now. Who lives in the places where I lived now? I like to visit Beihai, Jingshan, and Longfu
Are the temple, Dashilan, Zhongshan Park, and Dong'an Market still there? When I think of these and the past events, my heart feels like a knife, and my heart is in a state of confusion..."
"I understand how you feel. Don't worry, we can find all the places you mentioned as long as they don't have long legs. Then I will accompany you to have a good look. We can stay for a few more days. If you are willing, we can move around the capital.
Let’s go over all the delicious and fun things you told me about, and let me and my mother experience them together this time. This will save me from just listening to you eagerly every time and relying solely on my own imagination..."
"Okay, okay, but I have to say first, those food and entertainment activities are very lively. Firstly, I don't know if they are still there, and secondly, you will definitely not be used to it. It will not be as good as you imagined. Don't be disappointed. Don't blame Mom and Dad when the time comes.
I lured you here from afar..."
"Look what you said, no, because as long as I can remember, I can always hear adults reminiscing about the customs and customs of my hometown, and the past events of the previous generation. Those words passed through my grandfather, uncle, and mother.
The story is almost all imprinted in my mind. It is not much different from what you told me. I still remember my grandpa wanting bean paste, my uncle wanting canned mutton, and my mother wanting quince in sugar water. But the one that left the deepest impression in my memory is
In a word, it's still what you said, 'The capital has a kind and honest human touch.' As long as this remains unchanged, it will be worth my while to accompany you."
"It should not change. In China, which is so big, only Beijing is a cultural city, so it is much more humane and warmer than the one in Shili Foreign Market. Maybe my hometown is a little poorer, but there is a lot of humanity. Speaking of which, it is still warm.
It’s not that I’m always homesick, it’s that I feel awkward no matter where I go after leaving the capital..."
"Mom, then you should take better care of yourself. You are finally back. Shouldn't you look your best? If you have dark circles under your eyes, how can you meet those old friends? When the time comes, you will cry again,
It’s even more shameful. I’m afraid you will regret it later. Do I make sense?”
"You're reasonable, okay, okay, I'll just listen to you. Please help me get a glass of cherry brandy. I need to calm my nerves. I'll try to squint for a while."
The middle-aged man quickly followed the instructions, stretched out his hand to greet a blond and blue-eyed flight attendant, and lowered his head to give some instructions.
After thinking about it for a while, I finally gave a few more instructions.
"Mom, what my son wants to say is that I am thinking about everything you have been thinking about for you. Even if I try my best, I will let you visit your hometown again and explore for you those old friends you want to see. But after all, it is so far away
After so many years, things have changed and people have changed. It is inevitable that there is a big gap between reality and imagination. I am not worried about anything else but whether you are adequately prepared..."
"You are so verbose. How can a majestic man be more trivial than a woman? Mom is no longer a child. She has experienced the hardships of fleeing and fleeing in extraordinary times, and the helplessness of traveling to a foreign country alone. What has she not seen until today?
?Don’t worry, no matter what the situation is, I will accept it calmly and take it calmly..."
"Okay, okay, son, don't talk too much. You can have a glass of wine and rest later..."
In this way, the conversation between mother and son ended again, and they returned to peace.
However, even though this is said, how can it be so easy to do?
In fact, she was leaning on the large sofa seat. Even though she did feel hazy and sleepy after drinking, her heart was not stable.
Nearly forty years of expectations and forty years of crazy dreams.
The closer I get to my hometown, the more memories from the past surge up from the bottom of my heart, and I can't suppress them even if I want to.
I'm back home. After more than 40 years of going in a big circle, I'm finally back.
This is not a dream, everything in front of you can prove it.
For some reason, she remembered the song "Butterfly Loves Flowers" written by Prince Gong Sun Puru after he left his hometown because he missed the capital.
The sea is vast and the sky is far away, and clouds thousands of miles away from the Central Plains in the north are blocked. Outside the clouds, there is a line of sailing mountains, and the wild geese in Hengyang are nowhere to be seen.
There is endless spring in the sky with orchestral music, dragons are born in the mighty land of China, and there are thousands of willows in sorrow, and the world is still full of ice.
When I taste it at this time, I feel nostalgic for each sentence, especially the sentence "Going north to the Central Plains, blocked by thousands of miles of clouds", which adds to the sadness.
She is an old phoenix returning to her nest!
However, although it made people want to cry, there were no tears. ()
