"Mengmeng, look who that is?" Cheng Xiaolin also saw her mother-in-law.
She just left after celebrating the Spring Festival at home last month, and Mengmeng still remembers her grandma.
She called her grandma loudly in the car. She was still a little far away, and Wang Yuelan couldn't hear her outside.
When the car stopped, Wang Yuelan quickly walked to the back door, took a look inside, and shouted outside: "Linlin, it's cold outside, put on thick clothes for Mengmeng."
"Grandma!" Mengmeng was also jumping inside and shouting loudly.
After her mother put her clothes on and opened the car door, Mengmeng didn't care about anything else. She stretched out her hands and rushed towards her grandma.
Fortunately, Wang Yuelan reacted quickly enough and held her in her arms: "Hey, Mengmeng, you are so naughty again. If I can't catch you, you will jump into the ditch."
Next to where Cao Shujie parked his car was a cement-lined sewage ditch.
"Mom, it's so cold outside, why are you standing here?" Cheng Xiaolin said to her mother-in-law.
Wang Yuelan shook her head: "I've stewed the ribs and chicken, and I have nothing to do at home, so I went out for a walk."
After she finished speaking, she remembered something: "Linlin, didn't you just leave last month after the New Year? It's only been a month, why are you back again?"
Cao Shujie was afraid that his mother would be worried, so he did not mention in advance on the phone that he would resign and return to his hometown.
Now that I'm home, I don't care anymore: "Mom, I quit my job. From now on, I will work at home instead of going out."
"Ah!" Wang Yuelan was particularly surprised, and then she became a little angry: "What are you doing at home? Planting an orchard?"
"Yes, it's just an orchard. Don't we have a few acres of orchards on the mountain? I'll take care of those later." Cao Shujie had a plan in mind.
He was tired of the endless fast-paced life in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and wanted to slow down the pace of life and live for a few more years without dying suddenly like in his previous life.
"What about your house in Beijing? What should I do?"
Cao Shujie opened the trunk and started to take things out. When his mother asked, he said directly: "Sold, he came back after the sale. If he hadn't gone through the formalities of selling the house, he would have come back a long time ago."
"What will Mengmeng do when she goes to school? There are no good schools here." Wang Yuelan was also worried.
But Cao Shujie didn't care at all. He said, "Mom, Mengmeng hasn't even started kindergarten yet. Why do you want to go so far? Let's talk about it in a few years."
Cheng Xiaolin glared at her husband and said: "That's nonsense."
Then she held her mother-in-law's hand and said confidently: "Mom, I can teach you the courses before junior high school. It's not a big problem."
Wang Yuelan pointed at her son and daughter-in-law, not knowing what to say, so she simply stopped mentioning it: "Forget it, you can do whatever you like, I don't care."
But Mengmeng said: "Grandma, I'm hungry."
When Wang Yuelan heard what her granddaughter said, she immediately changed her attention and carried her home first: "Mengmeng, grandma specially stewed a piece of fatty meat for you. It's delicious."
"Hehe, Rourou, eat Rourou." Mengmeng hugged her grandma's neck with both hands, pouting and smiling.
It was completely dark, and his father, Cao Jianguo, came back from town on his motorcycle. As soon as he entered the door, he asked: "Son, why are you back again?"
"Why are you back again? Your son plans to grow fruits at home and will never leave again." Wang Yuelan said angrily.
I just had a conversation with my son and daughter-in-law, and what the daughter-in-law said was: "Mom, the class Shujie goes to is so tiring and he stays up late every day. The monthly mortgage payment in the capital is only six to seven thousand, and I can't even save even if I make some money."
If we don’t live here, we might as well come back and develop.”
After hearing this, Cao Jianguo had something in his heart, but he didn't know what to say.
He finally said helplessly: "Come back as soon as you come back. Let him take care of the orchard for a few days before he is tired. Then there is no need to rush him, and they will go back."
"Grandpa, where is the little dog?" Mengmeng looked at the adults talking, but no one paid attention to her. She looked around and didn't see the little dog, so she became anxious.
When Cao Jianguo heard his granddaughter's cry, he slapped his thigh with a look of anger on his face: "Mengmeng, our dog was taken away by a dog thief. Grandpa will find one for you another day."
Better, okay?"
As soon as she heard that the puppy was gone, Mengmeng grinned and cried loudly, no matter how hard she tried to persuade her.
It was Cao Shujie who hugged her and said, "Mengmeng, let's go, daddy will take you to the street to see the dogs."
In the countryside, the most indispensable thing is all kinds of dogs.
This trick worked so well that the little guy stopped crying as soon as he heard it. She couldn't wait any longer, so she grabbed her father's hand and started to walk out.
In the end, it was Cao Shujie who put her in a thick coat and carried her out. When she saw a native dog on the street, the little one stopped crying.
…
The first day that a family of three returned to the countryside from the capital city passed like this.
Early the next morning, as soon as Cao Shujie got up, he saw his father sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard with a bamboo broom.
Seeing Cao Shujie coming, Cao Jianguo shouted: "Son, come here."
Cao Shujie passed by and asked curiously: "Dad, are you okay?"
"You really don't want to go out. It's so nice outside. There's nothing at home..." Cao Jianguo tried to persuade his son not to stay at home.
But Cao Shujie made up his mind: "Dad, I won't go out anymore. It will be a different life somewhere. I can spend more time with you at home. How great."
"But the family doesn't make any money. It's all expenses all year round. You can't rest on your laurels every day." Cao Jianguo was a little angry at his son's failure to live up to expectations.
He said: "Others are running away, and the more they mingle, the better. But you are better off. The more you mingle, the more you come back. Where do you want me to put my old face?"
Hearing what his father said, Cao Shujie smiled: "Dad, why did I embarrass you? You see, at most next year, you will be the most prosperous person in Caojiazhuang."
"Forget it, it's up to you." Cao Jianguo couldn't convince his son, so he didn't want to talk to him.
Another thing was mentioned: "Your mother and I have discussed it. If you really don't want to leave, then we will leave this house to you, and your mother and I will live in the house at the foot of the mountain."
"Dad, that's the opposite." Cao Shujie quickly shook his head. He had already planned to renovate the house at the foot of their home.
He said: "Dad, give me the house at the foot of the mountain. I will find someone to take over and rebuild it in a few days. Then it will be beautiful and decorated, and it will be comfortable to live in."
Seeing that his son didn't look like he was joking, Cao Jianguo didn't say anything else. He gave a final warning: "Don't spend money randomly. If you buy this or that, you will spend all the money you have."
"Dad, don't worry, I'm not a child anymore." Cao Shujie came to his father's side and said with a smile: "Dad, why do I see you getting younger and younger? You look quite handsome."
"Go away." Cao Jianguo raised his hand and slapped his son in the face. He couldn't stand his son praising him for being handsome.
But he didn't know that this was what Cao Shujie said sincerely.
Twelve years later, Cao Jianguo's skin was tanned by the sun, and he looked extremely old, completely unlike what he should have looked like at that age.
After the two men finished talking, when Cao Shujie returned to the bedroom, his wife had just woken up and was getting dressed. Looking from the side, Cao Shujie saw a round little football, which might turn into a rugby ball in a few years.
"Close the door quickly, it's freezing." Cheng Xiaolin said.
Cao Shujie quickly closed the door and said, "Daughter-in-law, I just told our father that the house at the foot of the mountain should be demolished and rebuilt. It will be bigger and better, and it will be more comfortable to live in."