Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

Lin's mother's original name was Su Xiaoxiao.

My family home is near the Machinery Factory in the western part of Suzhou City; it's a detached house.

Su Xiaoxiao led Lin Jianguo and the two children through the alley and stopped in front of a peeling vermilion wooden door.

Su Xiaoxiao raised her hand, but pulled it back the moment her fingers touched the door panel. She turned around and straightened Lin Jianguo's collar.

He bent down again and retied the crooked red ribbon on Tangtang's pigtails, then wiped the coal dust off Lin Tian's face from the train with his sleeve.

It is evident that Lin's mother, Su Xiaoxiao, was conflicted and nervous.

Lin Jianguo carried the bundle in one hand and held Su Xiaoxiao's hand firmly in the other, looking at her with determination.

"Wife, I will face this with you."

"The head of the household."

Su Xiaoxiao looked at him, took a deep breath, and pushed open the courtyard gate that hadn't been opened for eight years.

The courtyard is pretty much the same as it was eight years ago.

The loquat tree in the corner is twice as thick as it used to be. I remember when I was little, my father would always pick some for me to eat.

The kitchen door was open, and a clay pot sat on the coal stove, bubbling and steaming.

"mom."

Su Xiaoxiao called out from the yard, and the sound of spatulas stirring in the kitchen stopped.

An elderly woman with gray hair peeked out from the kitchen doorway, wearing a navy blue blouse with a gray apron tied around her neck, the apron stained with a few oil spots.

She squinted at the person standing in the yard, and the spatula in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Nannan?"

Han's voice trembled, as if she was afraid of mistaking someone for someone else, or as if she was afraid of seeing things.

She wiped her hands repeatedly on her apron, staggered a bit before stepping out of the kitchen, her cloudy eyes already brimming with tears.

"Is that Nannan?"

"Mom, it's me."

Su Xiaoxiao's tears streamed down her face, and she almost threw herself into Han's arms.

The mother and daughter hugged each other, and Su Xiaoxiao buried her face in her mother's thin shoulder and cried, her whole body trembling.

Mrs. Han used her rough hands to touch her daughter's hair, from the top of her head to the back of her head, and then from the back of her head to her back.

"It's good that you're back...it's good that you're back..."

Tears streamed down Han's wrinkled face as she cupped her daughter's face and wiped away her tears with her thumb.

Tangtang looked at her mother, who was crying with her head in her hands, and the strange old lady, then looked back at her father and brother. Her little mouth twitched, and her eyes reddened.

She tiptoed over, reached out her little hand and tugged at Su Xiaoxiao's clothes, speaking in a soft, sweet voice, "Mommy, don't cry, Mommy..."

Before she could finish speaking, she herself started crying.

The little girl tilted her head back, tears streaming down her face, and kept repeating, "Mommy, don't cry, Mommy, don't cry," crying even harder than Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao was awakened by her daughter's cries. She quickly squatted down, hugged Tangtang in her arms, wiped her daughter's tears with her sleeve, and turned to Han Shi, crying and laughing at the same time:

"Mom, this is my daughter, her name is Tangtang."

Then she gently pushed Tangtang towards Han Shi, "Tangtang, this is Grandma, quickly call her Grandma."

Tangtang looked up at Han Shi with her tear-streaked face and big, round eyes, and called out in her childish voice:

"Grandma, I'm Tangtang."

Mrs. Han squatted down and hugged Tangtang in her arms, wiping the little girl's tears from her face, saying "good" repeatedly, her eyes welling up with tears again.

Tangtang reached out her little hand to touch the wrinkles on her grandmother's face. She paused when she touched the deep crow's feet at the corners of her grandmother's eyes, then turned to Su Xiaoxiao and asked:

"Mom, is Grandma unhappy? She cried too."

"Grandma was happy."

Mrs. Han picked up Tangtang and bounced her around. The little girl wasn't heavy, but she felt solid and warm in her arms, like a little stove.

She kissed Tangtang's forehead. "Tangtang, you're such a good girl. Come on, Grandma will get you some White Rabbit milk candy."

Su Xiaoxiao pulled Lin Tian over again: "Mom, this is Xiao Tian, ​​your grandson."

Lin Tian stood obediently in front of his grandmother and sweetly greeted her, "Hello, Grandma, I'm Lin Tian."

Han reached out and touched Lin Tian's face, then squeezed his shoulder, saying "good" twice, her eyes full of joy.

Su Xiaoxiao turned to the side, revealing Lin Jianguo carrying a bundle behind her.

Lin Jianguo stood ramrod straight, unsure what to do with his hands, and nervously called out, "Mom, this is Jian..."

Holding Tangtang in her arms, Han took Lin Tian's hand and turned to walk into the main room, leaving behind only a faint remark:

"Alright, come in, everyone."

Lin Jianguo stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do.

There was no scolding, no chasing, and no smiling.

His response was so lukewarm and indifferent that he was somewhat at a loss for how to react.

Su Xiaoxiao walked to his side, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Jianguo, my mom let you in without hitting you with a broom or chasing you away with a rolling pin, which means she's accepted it."

Lin Jianguo took a deep breath and looked at his wife's slightly flushed cheeks from the journey: "Wife, you've suffered these past years."

"no."

Su Xiaoxiao smiled slightly, then gestured with her chin toward the main room, indicating that he should go in quickly.

"What are you two dawdling about for?"

Han's voice came from the main room, sounding somewhat urgent, "My grandson and granddaughter are still hungry."

Lin Jianguo and Su Xiaoxiao exchanged a smile and quickly entered the main room.

The main room was simply furnished with an eight-immortal table, a few wooden chairs, and a faded family portrait hanging next to a portrait of Chairman Mao on the wall.

In the photo, Su Xiaoxiao's father and older brother are still young, and her sister-in-law is holding a baby boy who is just a month old.

Su Xiaoxiao stood next to Han Shi, her hair in two braids, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Han arranged for Tangtang and Lin Tian to sit on two wooden chairs next to the octagonal table, then turned around and rummaged through the cabinet to find a tin box of biscuits.

I opened it, and inside was a box full of cookies and White Rabbit milk candies. I grabbed two big handfuls and put them on the table.

She pushed the biscuits and milk candies towards the two children, saying kindly, "Tangtang, Xiaotian, have some to tide you over. Grandma will go and make you something delicious."

Grandma will make you braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, and braised bamboo shoots... all of which were your mother's favorite dishes when she was little.

"Thank you, Grandma."

Tangtang peeled a White Rabbit milk candy and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a little hamster. She then peeled another one and put it into her grandmother's mouth, who said she didn't like it.

The sugar was truly sweet; it sweetened my heart.

In a daze, Han saw Nannan when she was a child. When did Nannan start to become disobedient?

"Candy..."

Han kissed Tangtang's little face, making the little one laugh.

Su Xiaoxiao paced around the main room, then turned around and asked, "Mom, where's Dad? Where's my older brother?"

"Your dad and older brother haven't gotten off work yet."

"Recently, the machinery factory has had a lot of orders, and the father and son have been working overtime for half a month straight, returning home after dark every day."

"But it'll be quick. Your dad should be back in about half an hour."

Su Xiaoxiao walked to the kitchen door and saw her mother busy, so she immediately went to help.

Han's movements were still as nimble as ever, chopping vegetables, putting them in the pot, and stir-frying them all in one go, just like the scenes she had missed countless times during her years in the capital.

"What about my sister-in-law? And my nephews, Gou Dan and Er Dan?"

Han poured the chopped meat into the pot with a sizzling sound and billowing white smoke. She stirred the meat with a spatula, then said without turning her head:

"Two years ago, your older brother was promoted to a level six fitter. The factory allocated him a two-bedroom apartment, and his family of four moved in."

We only come back for a meal during holidays and weekends; usually it's just me and your dad.

When your dad comes back in a little while, speak politely.

He may not say it out loud, but he's always been thinking about you. Every time someone from the factory goes to Beijing on a business trip, he asks people to inquire about you.

But I only know you're in Beijing, but I don't know your exact location. Oh, my dear girl, back then you...

Su Xiaoxiao's tears fell again. She bit her lip, trying hard not to cry out loud.

Eight years have passed, and she has imagined going home countless times.

She thought that her father might still not recognize her, might not even let her in the door, and might stand at the door with her husband and children all day without being able to get in.

But she never imagined that "he was thinking of her too."

"Okay, Mom, I understand."

Su Xiaoxiao wiped her eyes with her sleeve, her voice choked with emotion, "I'll talk to Dad properly when he gets back."

……