The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 9 Going Home
God was kind enough to give us a nice sunny day on our weekly rest day.

Liu Hua slept until he woke up naturally, probably because today was a day off and most of the workers in the house wanted to sleep in, so even if people were working in the yard, they were very gentle and Liu Hua was not woken up.

After waking up, I saw that the yard was already being washed.

Liu Hua washed his face and brushed his teeth, then fetched a large wooden basin from home and soaked all his dirty clothes from the week in it, soaking them before scrubbing them.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he went out to the street to solve the problem of breakfast. After coming back, there were fewer people, so Liu Hua squatted by the tap to wash clothes.

A man jokingly asked: "Hua Zi, why do you wash your own clothes?"

"A well-fed man does not know the hunger of a hungry man. I am eighteen years old this year, not even nineteen yet. If I cannot marry a wife, I will have to wash my own clothes."

Someone else joked, "Hua Zi, are you missing your wife?"

Liu Hua smiled and said, "What's wrong with thinking about it? It's not something shameful. Do you dare to say that when you were my age, you didn't think about your wife?"

"I didn't think that a real man should build a career first and then start a family."

"Who can't shout slogans?" Liu Hua said, "But if you say you don't miss your wife, then I can only say that you are abnormal. Normal people will miss their wives when they are 18 or 19."

"Hua Zi, what you said is absolutely right. Dali is indeed abnormal. If his parents hadn't urged him, he really wouldn't want to get married."

There was laughter and chatter in the yard. This is the holiday for ordinary people. Families are busy with housework, and wives will get up early to go to the vegetable market to see if they can buy meat to feed their husbands and children. The local customs are very simple.

Liu Hua found a small shop on the street to eat some braised pork at noon, and bought some snacks in the afternoon to take home. After all, he is an adult with a salary, and it would be ridiculous to go back to see his parents empty-handed.

Comrade Lao Liu said jokingly, "Hey, son, you have made progress. Didn't I carry your dirty clothes when I came back today?"

"How many times have you laughed at this?" Liu Hua asked helplessly, "I moved out and brought my dirty clothes on the first Sunday. Didn't that mean I forgot to buy a basin?"

"You are amazing. You live at home and don't even have a basin today."

"There was only a small washbasin, and I couldn't wash clothes in it. I said, Comrade Lao Liu, can you please put an end to this? Don't laugh at me in the future. That was my first time living independently in the true sense."

Comrade Lao Liu's wife, Liu Hua's mother, Ms. Chen Hongmei, came out of the kitchen with a smile: "Let's turn the page. I'm saying that, Lao Liu, you're the same. Once you've caught me, you won't let me go. Didn't you also think of buying a basin for your son?"

"Ms. Chen, we are both good at eating fat meat, so let's not criticize each other." Old Liu said with a smile: "We went to send our son off together. You see, our son has set up his own family, and we were so happy that we didn't think about this. The only thermos he used was the one I brought from home."

Liu Hua complained: "Why am I so miserable? I have such unreliable parents."

Old Liu couldn't stop laughing: "I still don't understand it today, son, you use a basin to wash your face, then what do you use to wash your feet?"

"The weather was quite hot at that time, so I used tap water to wash it." Mrs. Liu waved her hand and said, "Okay, stop talking. My son only comes home once a week. Ask some serious questions and don't make fun of him all day long."

Lao Liu put down the newspaper in his hand and asked: "How is your work recently? Is your job going to be permanent soon? Are you adapting well to life here?"

"I'll be promoted soon." Liu Hua nodded: "Why not give face to the monk and give face to the Buddha? For your sake, the factory leaders will not embarrass me."

"It's great that they can help me, but you have to be good yourself. You can't slack off in your studies."

"Don't worry about that. I read books every day and I can't put them down." Liu Hua said with a smile, "Even without the help of the leader, I can pass the assessment for regular employment."

"That's good. You are the only one in our family who has inherited your grandparents' expectations. You must make some achievements and don't let them down." Old Liu reminded: "By the way, your grandparents have a meeting today. They told me to give you two new books. They will test you when you come back next time."

"Oh my goodness, we finally have a day off, but grandpa and grandma still do this. Am I still their most beloved grandson?"

Old Liu shook his head: "If you don't learn well, you are not their good grandson. If you learn well, you are their most beloved grandson."

Ms. Chen asked a more practical question: "Are there any difficulties in life?"

"There are so many difficulties." Liu Hua shrugged. "I lack bicycles, radios, and furniture. Anyway, my house is basically the same as a bare house."

"It's shameful for a man to be unable to even afford some household items." Old Liu remained unmoved and said, "From the moment you set up your own household, you are an independent and free man. You need to work hard to get everything you want. As the saying goes, if you rely on others, you are not a real man."

"I didn't say anything. You guys are willing to buy them, but I'm embarrassed to accept them." Liu Hua said with his neck stiff, "However, you need tickets to buy these big items, if you have them. Think about your son and try not to show off your style. Give them to colleagues in need, because your son needs them too."

"Don't you have any allocations at your steel mill?"

Liu Hua shook his head: "There are thousands of people in the steel mill, and they can only get a few tickets a year. I am just an intern who has just joined the factory. It is not my turn to be ranked according to seniority."

"Okay." Old Liu nodded and agreed: "If you have enough money, I can help you exchange some bills. After all, you are only eighteen or nineteen years old. It is not easy for you to save money."

"Thank you very much." Liu Hua said happily, "After half a year of classes, I have saved about a hundred yuan. Now I need to buy a desk and a desk lamp. Can you support me?"

"Just go ahead." Old Liu smiled and nodded. "But considering that you bought those two things not for enjoyment but for learning, I will prepare the tickets for you when you come back next week."

It was then that Ms. Chen noticed the snacks on the table: "You have grown up and now you remember to bring me something!"

"Two packs of snacks, one for grandpa and grandma, and one for you two." Liu Hua said flatteringly, "When a man is away for three days, he should be looked at with new eyes. Your son is no longer a fool."

(End of this chapter)