Chapter 68 Return to Hometown

  Gu Xiang finished her homework very quickly. When she came out, her mother was still chatting with the female teacher on the sofa, and they seemed to have a lot to talk about, laughing as they spoke, without even noticing that Gu Xiang had come out.

  The female teacher glanced at the paper roughly and said: "You've done a good job. Which school are you from?"

  Gu Xiang obviously felt that this teacher hadn't really looked at her, probably thanks to her mother's eloquence, "I'm from Hua Lu Middle School."

  The female teacher nodded and said: "En, the foundation is pretty good. Let's see what you have available. We usually choose one day on Saturday or Sunday, and during winter vacation, we will continue until a week before Chinese New Year, and after the holiday, we will start again when school opens."

  Gu's mother looked at Gu Xiang, meaning for her to make her own decision.

  Gu Xiang thought that there was still half a month before the New Year, and this week didn't make much sense either, so she said: "Then I'll come back next semester after school starts."

  Then Mrs. Gu followed that female teacher and chatted for a while, Gu Xiang sat beside them, bored, playing with her fingers. Her mom was really good at chatting, they had already talked about which couplet was better, where the melon seeds were more fragrant.

  On the way back, Gu Xiang said to her mother: "I'm really convinced by you, how can you talk so much. I think if it weren't for that class ending, with a pack of melon seeds and a cup of tea, we could chat for an entire afternoon."

  "Ah, that teacher is quite talkative, I'll just chat with her casually."

  "You'd better mind your own business and stop talking about others."

  "That's not because you're often not at home, I'm just bored being alone in the store."

  "Alright, my mistake. I'll keep you company for this winter break."

  The two of them were chatting when suddenly Gu's mother said: "Why don't we head back to the countryside a bit earlier? After all, Chinese New Year is approaching and there's nothing much going on at the shop."

  During the Chinese New Year, most households go to large supermarkets for shopping, and business in these small shops is generally poor.

  "Okay, let's go back and help our grandparents with their work."

  The next day, Gu's mother counted the couplets and Fu characters in the store. She didn't have many to begin with, so she simply sorted them all into paper boxes and piled them up at the door.

  A week before the Spring Festival, mother and daughter had already packed their things and returned to the countryside. This time, they didn't have to wait until New Year's Eve like in previous years, and the traffic wasn't as crowded either.

  Gu Xiang was carrying a large bag containing her new down jacket and two people's spare underwear.

  Gu's mother was carrying a bag with Brain Gold and ginseng slices, as well as new clothes for the Lunar New Year that she had bought for her parents-in-law.

  Two trains in a row and I actually got a seat both times, it's already a rare stroke of good luck.

  Grandpa and grandma knew they were coming back today, so they had already prepared dinner and were waiting. Grandma made some delicious spring rolls, just as Gu Xiang arrived, grandma put the spring rolls in the pot.

  By the time Gu Xiang and her mother had finished putting everything away in the house, Grandma's spring rolls were already done.

  At home, only Gu Xiang likes to eat red bean paste, so her grandmother fried a plate of red bean paste for her to eat first.

  Gu Xiang had just eaten half a plate when the chive and pork filling dish was also ready.

  Spring rolls may not be a rare thing and can be bought at vegetable markets, but they are completely incomparable to those made at home.

  Gu Xiang ate twenty in one breath and only put down her chopsticks when she was too full to eat any more.

  Grandma came out and asked if she had enough to eat. If not, she would fry some more meatballs for her to eat. The coal stove in Shanghai was stewing chicken, which could be eaten first.

  Gu Xiang then drank another half bowl of chicken soup and ate a chicken leg.

  Grandma looked at her eating so much and said to Gu's mom, "Look how hungry she is. Don't you usually give her good food to eat? I didn't think so before, but now that I take a closer look, why has she lost so much weight?"

  "It's not that, I'm thin from studying. My mom also made me delicious food."

  "Studying is so tiring, isn't it? If you lose any more weight, you'll get sick." Grandma was really considerate and said to Auntie Guo, "Otherwise, I'll go to the town tomorrow and buy her some protein powder to eat. They say this is especially good for kids in puberty."

  Mom Gu heard that and said, "Really? I previously gave her calcium tablets, but she didn't like to eat them. Protein powder is good, so tomorrow we'll go take a look together, if it's good, we'll buy some for Niu Niu, you, and Dad too."

  When it was mentioned that they would go out on the street, Gu Xiang hurriedly expressed her desire to go. So it became three people who agreed to go out together the next day.

  It seems that since Gu Xiang has had memories, she hasn't gone out with her grandmother. Even after she herself had the financial ability in her previous life, because she didn't want to face her grandparents' sympathetic eyes, she would rather secretly send them money than come back often.

  Now thinking about it is really regretful, compared with having relatives by your side, what does money count for?

  After eating some dim sum, Gu Xiang thought about helping her grandmother with the cleaning.

  There's still a week left before Chinese New Year, but the house hasn't been thoroughly cleaned yet. The couplets and fu characters on the door haven't been posted either.

  The grandma saw Gu Xiang washing the rag and quickly pressed her down.

  As it turned out, the old lady looked small and thin, but she had a lot of strength in her hands. Gu Xiang was pressed down by her and couldn't move at all.

  "What are you doing? Do you need to do this job?"

  "Anyway, I have nothing to do, so I'll help wipe all the doors and stick up some Spring Festival couplets."

  Grandma pressed against her while shouting to Gu's mom: "Aren't you stopping her? What if she catches a cold from the water and gets chilblains? Does she still want to do her homework?"

  "Oh no, I was just wiping the door." Gu Xiang looked at her grandmother with a mixture of fear and amusement.

  Gu's mom came over and advised her mother-in-law, "Mom, YaYa is already so big. Let her exercise a bit, this is also necessary for the school's cleaning competition, our YaYa can't be someone who doesn't know how to do anything and still gets criticized by others."

  The grandma was still worried and stood beside watching as Gu Xiang stepped on a long bench to wipe the door.

  Gu Xiang held a rag in one hand and supported the door with the other, repeatedly telling her grandmother that she was standing steadily, before her grandmother went back to busy herself in the kitchen.

  The large wooden door in the countryside is a bit larger than the gate of the town's mountain residence, and Gu Xiang has to stand on tiptoes on the long bench to wipe the top.

  She turned around and saw Xiao Hei Bao carrying a large bundle of firewood from afar.

  Gu Xiang suddenly shouted "Happy New Year!"

  Xiao Hei Pu was taken aback and smiled along with her, "You and your sister came back so early this year?"

  "Yeah, anyway the store isn't busy... Oh right, I was looking for you too. When we got our report cards that day, my mom said she wanted to invite you over for dinner at my place, but when I went around your class, I couldn't find you."

  "Oh, I didn't go get it myself. I asked the teacher about my grades over the phone, and had a classmate pick up my report card for me. His house is just in this town, and he rode his bike here, arriving in 20 minutes."

  Hearing voices at the door, Mrs. Gu came out and said to Gu Xiang: "You're so big now, why do you let your little brother carry things for you?"

  Gu Xiangcai suddenly remembered that Xiao Heipao's body had about 20-30 kilograms of firewood.

  Xiao Hei Pang smiled and said: "Auntie, don't worry, I can carry it."

  Gu's mother reached out to help him take it off and bring it in, but Xiao Hei dodged to the side.

  "It's okay, I can handle it."

  Then he went inside by himself.

  Gu Xiang was still muttering: "So much firewood, even if I took half of it, I wouldn't be able to carry it."

  Gu's mom also smiled along: "Forget it, if it were you, even if your hand was pricked by a wooden splinter, you'd still cry for two days."

  This isn't framing her, Gu Xiang is naturally not good at bearing pain, and with just a slight hit on the body, it's already red all over, looking quite frightening. If she gets poked by something, her tear glands are like automatic secretion of tears, tears flowing profusely.

  Gu Xiang's face turned red for a moment, then she deliberately drove her mother away, "Go, go, go, I'm busy, don't delay me from wiping the door, and I still have to post couplets later."

  "Hurry up with your hands and feet, can finish before dinner. Also, don't stick the spring couplets crookedly."

  "Alright, let's go, you're blocking my way."

  The auntie pinched her butt and went in with a smile.

  Xiao Hei Pao finished putting away the firewood, and her grandmother served her a bowl of chicken soup to drink, and also gave her some freshly fried spring rolls to eat.

  Spring rolls were eaten by Gu Xiang, leaving only a few left. The sweet and salty ones were mixed together on one plate.

  Xiao Hei Pang was sitting on a small stool beside the stove, eating from a plate and chatting with his grandmother.

  Gu Xiang wiped the door clean, came in to change the water, and saw Xiao Hei Bao eating spring rolls. She asked him, "Huh, so you like sweet things too? I thought only I liked them." As she spoke, she deliberately asked her grandmother, "Are there still any spring rolls at home? Won't they all be eaten by him?"

  Xiao Hei Pang listened and felt like putting the plate back on the stove, saying: "I haven't eaten many, there are still a lot left, you eat."

  Gu Xiang looked at him with that awkward appearance, and put the plate back in his hand, pressing him to sit down: "You eat, you eat, have some more, I'm just teasing you."

  Her grandmother scolded her with a smile: "You're poor, how come you get poorer as you grow up?"

  Gu Xiang felt like she had changed into a different person after leaving her hometown.

  Later she also told her mom, how could she be so gullible, believing everything that was said.

  His mother scolded him: "Country children are simple-minded, don't bully others in the future."

  Gu Xiang was still grumbling in her heart, and indeed her thoughts were simple. When she beat me up as a kid, she didn't hold back at all.

  Wiped the door, Gu Xiang let Xiao Hei Pang help watch, she came to post.

  Xiao Hei Pang said he came to post and asked Gu Xiang to come down.

  Gu Xiang said her eyes were no good and it was almost dark, she couldn't see clearly.

  Anyway, after more than ten minutes of struggling, they finally managed to stick the couplets on both doors a little higher.

  Grandma wanted Little Black Fatty to stay for dinner, but he didn't respond and ran back home quickly as if escaping.

  "Look at him, still so eager: 'How can he rush to do chores when he comes to our house? He eats and then runs away. He's too honest, if we have two more like him, we won't need to do any work ourselves.'"

  Mrs. Gu knocked on her, "What are you talking about? Don't bully people." Then she took a bowl and scooped some ribs and mutton, letting Gu Xiang take it over.

  Gu Xiang saw it was getting dark and asked her mother to turn on a flashlight for her.

  Grandpa said: "Don't let YaYa go, it's not easy to walk on the ridge, I'll go."

  Gu Xiang hastily put down the flashlight and rushed out of the door with a bowl in hand.

  Gu's mother laughed and said from behind: "What does she need a flashlight for? She's just making excuses to be spoiled."