Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 991 It Finally Faded
After breakfast, Wang Zhan took his sister back home. On the way, Wang Zhan asked Wang Li where she had gone yesterday afternoon and why she hadn't greeted Aunt Sun.

Wang Li said, "We didn't go anywhere. We just stayed at Zhang Erya's house. Grandpa Zhang bought a lot of comic books for Zhang Erya, and we've been reading them there the whole time."

Wang Zhan said, "Lili, we can't let the adults worry when we go out. You disappeared with Er Ya and Xiao Pang without even saying goodbye to Aunt Sun. Do you think Aunt Sun will be worried?"

Wang Li lowered her head and said, "Brother, I was wrong. I will definitely say hello next time."

Wang Zhan patted her head and said, "Alright, it's good that you know you were wrong. Go back and apologize to Aunt Sun, okay?"

"Okay, I understand," Wang Li said obediently.

In the morning, Wang Zhan and Wang Li discussed where to go for the day. Wang Li thought for a long time but couldn't think of a place to go. When Wang Zhan looked at the weather outside, he said, "Forget it, it's getting cold outside. Let's stay home today. I'll cook you something delicious."

Wang Li nodded, took the fruit, and went to her room to read. Wang Zhan had the fireplace burning very brightly, making both bedrooms warm as well.

Just as Wang Zhan was considering what to do, there was a knock on the door. Wang Zhan went into the yard, opened the door and saw that Aunt Li was in the front yard with her youngest son and daughter, followed by Grandpa Jin and his two grandsons.

Aunt Li's son was carrying a roast chicken, and Grandpa Jin was carrying a string of cured meat. These days, roast chicken and cured meat are hard to find in the market and are very expensive. As soon as Wang Zhan saw this, he knew that the two families had something to discuss with him. He quickly led them into the main room, poured tea, and brought fruit and candy for the children.

Grandpa Jin greeted Wang Zhan and said, "Don't bother with anything else. Your Aunt Li and I are here to have lunch with you today. How about it? Are you happy to have us?"

“That would be wonderful! You see, I’ve only had one meal with the neighbors since I moved back. I was hoping to get closer to you all, but my sister and I are both quiet people, and sometimes we’re not very polite. I’m sorry,” Wang Zhan said.

Aunt Li waved her hand and said, "We know what kind of person you are. Alright, I'll go to the kitchen. You can keep Uncle Jin company."

Aunt Li and her daughter headed straight for the kitchen. Aunt Li had helped out when they ate together in the yard last time, so she was very familiar with the layout of the backyard.

Grandpa Jin sat there, and Wang Zhan took out a cigarette and offered it to him. After Grandpa Jin lit it, he said, "I guess you've figured it out too. Our two families have come to see you about something."

"Yes, I understand, sir. Please speak, I'm listening," Wang Zhan said respectfully.

Grandpa Jin glanced at Wang Zhan and said, “You may not know, but my family is from the Northeast, and Aunt Li’s family is from the South. When Second Master Mu came back last time, we had our minds on it. Now the situation is getting worse and worse. We’re living on that little bit of subsidy here, which isn’t a long-term solution. Both of our families are thinking about returning to our roots, so I came to tell you.”

Wang Zhan was about to speak up and offer some advice, after all, who knew what their hometown was like? What if it was even worse than the city? But Grandpa Jin waved his hand and said, "I know what you want to say, there's no need to persuade us. We've already made up our minds. After all, we always feel like we're just drifting on the water outside. We're having lunch with you today as a way of thanking you for providing us with a house for so long."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan abandoned his idea of ​​persuading them and asked, "Uncle Jin, when do you two families plan to leave?" Uncle Jin replied, "We plan to pack up for a few days and take care of things here. After all, we need to process things like household registration and letters of introduction. Once we're done packing, we'll leave and go home for the New Year."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Wang Zhan then asked.

"It's nothing, we'll take care of it ourselves, and we'll return the house to you later," said Grandpa Jin.

Several children chattered around Wang Li, while Wang Zhan drank tea and chatted with Grandpa Jin. After another half hour, Aunt Li's voice came from the kitchen, "Come and get the bowls and chopsticks, we're having dinner."

The dining table was set up in the main room, with a total of eight people from the three families sitting around it. Grandpa Jin gave a brief opening speech, and everyone started eating. Halfway through, Wang Zhan went to his room, took out a bottle of Fenjiu liquor, poured some for Aunt Li and Grandpa Jin, and poured himself a glass as well, drinking with the two of them.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and both families left one after the other. Now only the Wu family and the Liu family were left in the front yard. Both families were quite emotional. The Wu family also planned to leave. There were too many people in the Wu family: an old lady, two sons, the daughter-in-law of the son who had sacrificed his life, and grandchildren. Each of the two sons had two children. This whole family could not live here at all. The only thing the family had was the second son's temporary job and the eldest son's subsidy. Although the food ration did not affect the family much, they really had no money.

The third son of the Wu family had long wanted to go back to farming, and the old lady was also homesick. Especially after Grandpa Jin and Aunt Li left, the old lady of the Wu family missed her hometown even more.

In mid-December, Old Mrs. Wu found Wang Zhan and told him about her plan to return to her hometown. Wang Zhan knew that these people couldn't make a living in their hometowns, and it was his master Qi Dasheng and Company Commander Li who brought them to Beijing one by one. If the two of them were still alive, they could have helped a few families with their living expenses. But Qi Dasheng had run away, and Company Commander Li wasn't doing well in Changping either.

A few days later, the entire Wu family returned to their hometown. Wang Zhan watched the departing carriage with great emotion, wondering if he would ever see these people again in his lifetime.

With the Wu family gone, the Liu family was in an awkward position. The Liu family consisted of the patriarch and his two daughters, one of whom was already married. The remaining family consisted of the patriarch and his youngest daughter, who was about to graduate from high school. Wang Zhan noticed the family's awkwardness these past few days, so he found some time, took a bottle of wine, and went to have a drink with the patriarch.

The old man of the Liu family was not good with words. The two of them prepared four dishes, two hot and two cold, and sat down in the main room of the Liu family to drink. The youngest daughter of the Liu family took the vegetables and steamed buns to the backyard to accompany Wang Li. Now the whole courtyard was quiet and deserted again.

When Wang Zhan found a moment, he said, "Grandpa Liu, don't overthink it. They left because they wanted to go home. Returning to one's roots is a deep-seated belief for older people. Your two daughters are here, so you should just stay here and not worry. My place is empty anyway."

Old Master Liu took a sip of wine and said, "I also have my own plans. After my youngest daughter gets married, I plan to go back home. After all, there's still land here."

"Oh, your household registration hasn't been transferred yet?" Wang Zhan asked.

The old man from the Liu family looked up at him and said, "I'm just a farmer. How could I bear to part with the land at home? I only registered the household registrations of my two daughters. Now my second daughter has found a boyfriend. After she gets married, I'll leave."

Wang Zhan sighed and said, "Alas, it's all over in the end."

(End of this chapter)