Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

The engine stalled.

Bai Li pushed open the car door and got out.

Those wild girls were so reckless in their actions inside the car.

His chin was red, and there was a small lip print left on his neck.

He took out a wet wipe and gently wiped away the stains.

I straightened the collar of my trench coat, patted the stray hairs off my shoulders, and made sure I was dressed impeccably.

He turned around and nodded to Chen Tingting.

Chen Tingting stood in front.

Her red ponytail swayed wildly in the wind, her gaze fixed on the red-painted iron gate in front of her.

The courtyard wall was built with mud mixed with wheat straw.

The sound of an old hen clucking came from the yard, along with the scratching of a stray dog ​​at the door.

The eldest sister's shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.

She raised her arm, her fingertips stopping half an inch in front of the brass ring handle of the red-lacquered iron door.

Dilemma.

"Knock it down," Bai Li said gently.

Chen Tingting bent her fingers and knocked on the iron gate.

Knock knock knock.

After a dozen seconds, an old, hoarse voice came from the courtyard:

"Which one?"

Chen Tingting's throat tightened, and she opened her voice wide:

"Grandma! It's me, Tingting!!"

There was a moment of silence inside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the footsteps became more hurried.

The metallic scraping sound of the bolt being pulled rang out, and with a "creak," the red-painted iron door was pulled open.

Standing inside the door was an elderly woman with a hunched back.

Her hair was gray, and her face was covered with crisscrossing wrinkles.

A pair of hands, with knuckles large from years of hard work, were gripping the door frame.

"Oh my! It really is Tingting!"

The old woman squinted her cloudy eyes, staring at the tall, red-haired girl in front of her. Her wrinkles gathered together, and she smiled broadly.

"Quick, quick, let Grandma see! Have you gained weight? Did you eat your fill outside?"

Chen Tingting put down the wine box she was holding, took a step forward, and put her arm around the old man's shoulder:

"I'm full! We eat meat every day, how can we go hungry!"

As they were talking, the curtain of the main room in the courtyard was lifted.

"Oh, Tingting's back?"

Chen Tingting's grandfather slowly moved out of the house.

The old man leaned on a homemade wooden cane. Although he had difficulty walking, he stood up straight.

The elderly couple's eyes were completely focused on their granddaughter.

After having a good time, I finally saw Bai Li and the other three energetic young women standing at the back.

The old lady froze, wiped her hands on her apron, and looked at me questioningly:

"Tingting, what are these?"

Chen Tingting released her grandmother and turned to walk to Bai Li's side.

This usually fierce and assertive woman, who never hesitates to fight with others, was now unusually blushing.

She naturally took Bai Li's arm and leaned her whole body against his shoulder.

"Grandma, this is my boyfriend, his name is Bai Li."

She didn't forget to tilt her head back and loudly emphasize in front of everyone:

"He's so good to me! And he's incredibly loyal!"

Then Chen Tingting looked behind her and found that Zhang Qian, Lin Xiaoshuang, and Li Jiaxin all had the same expression:

When the teacher calls on you in class, look at your friend's expression.

Bai Li took a small step forward, straightened his posture, and spoke politely:

Hello, Grandpa and Grandma.

The old lady froze on the spot.

Her eyes darted back and forth between Bai Li and her granddaughter.

After several seconds, she slapped her thigh and unconsciously raised her voice.

"Oh my! This...this is really Tingting's boyfriend?!"

The old lady was so happy that all the wrinkles on her face smoothed out.

She knew her granddaughter's character best; she'd been a fearless wild monkey since she was little.

She was even worried that Chen Tingting would never be able to get married.

Now look what's happened! They've brought home a young man who's even more handsome than the big stars on TV!

Chen Tingting blushed.

The usually fierce and argumentative woman was now speaking in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Yes, Grandma, this is my boyfriend."

After speaking, Chen Tingting turned her head and pointed to the three energetic young women behind her who were carrying large and small bags.

"Grandma, these are my best sisters outside. Xiaoshuang, Jiaxin, and Qianqian."

Lin Xiaoshuang's baby face was beaming with a sweet smile: "Hello, Grandma! Hello, Grandpa!"

Li Jiaxin and Zhang Qian stood up straight and greeted each other in a very gentle tone.

"Okay! Okay! Girls, come in quickly! Come in quickly!"

The old lady was all smiles and quickly made way for her.

At this moment, the old man, leaning on his wooden cane, also moved closer.

The old man sized up Bai Li.

The more he looked, the brighter the old man's eyes became, and he nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

"What a handsome young man!"

The old man smacked his lips twice, speaking very directly:

"My daughter Tingting is wild and overly lively. She used to get into a lot of trouble back in the village."

The old man paused, tapped the ground with his cane, and spoke frankly:

"Even the dogs in the village run away with their tails between their legs when they see Tingting!"

"She wasn't causing you any trouble while she was out, was she?"

Hearing her grandfather reveal her past so ruthlessly, Chen Tingting was so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Grandpa! What nonsense are you talking about!" She stomped her foot and secretly glanced at Bai Li.

Bai Li turned her head and looked at Chen Tingting's embarrassed state, a gentle smile appearing in her peach blossom eyes.

No, no.

Bai Li turned around, looked directly into the old man's eyes, and spoke with utmost sincerity:

"Tingting is a very good girl. She is efficient at work and honest with people."

"When we're out, she often takes care of me."

Upon hearing this, the old man was overjoyed and repeatedly said yes:

"Young man, are you still in school?"

Bai Li answered gently and respectfully:

"I went to university, but I've already graduated. Now I'm running my own business."

"College student?"

The old man's eyes lit up instantly, and his already straight back straightened even more.

"Studying is good! Studying leads to a bright future!" the old man exclaimed repeatedly, his face full of satisfaction.

That's all.

The old man glared at Chen Tingting again, muttering with exasperation:

"Unlike Tingting, who refused to go to school even when I hit her with my crutches!"

"Oh, Grandpa~"

Chen Tingting drawled out the last syllable, playfully swaying her body:

Why do you keep bringing up those old, messy things?

The old man didn't realize that studying and being successful are two completely different things.

But in those impoverished years he experienced, studying was definitely better than farming...

"Tingting's friends are all very pretty!"

The old man smiled kindly and offered his blessings:

"You're all good kids, and you'll definitely find someone like Xiaobai, just like Tingting, in the future!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the courtyard became incredibly tense.

Bai Li's lips twitched uncontrollably, and he coughed to cover up his embarrassment.

The three spirited young women behind them all lowered their heads.

Lin Xiaoshuang's shoulders shrugged as she bit her lower lip hard.

Li Jiaxin pinched her thigh with one hand;

Zhang Qian simply turned around, her blue hair obscuring her face.

Those who didn't know better would think they were just shy from being praised by their elders.

In fact, these wild girls were practically cramping up from trying to hold back their laughter.

Bai Li dared not let the topic continue.

He stepped forward, supporting the old man's arm with one hand and taking the wooden cane with the other.

"Grandpa, it's windy outside, standing here must be tiring."

Bai Li leaned slightly forward, her supporting movements steady and considerate:

"Let's go inside and talk."

"Good, good, good, young man."

The old man found Bai Li more and more pleasing to the eye; this young man was sensible.

The three girls behind her were also very perceptive. They quickly picked up the gift box from the ground and flanked the old lady as she walked into the house.

Chen Tingting walked in the middle, watching Bai Li supporting her grandfather's back, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

This is the man she has chosen; he can not only help them make money, but also bend down to please the elderly.

I lifted the cotton curtain and stepped over the threshold.

The room was dimly lit.

Although it was an adobe house, the elderly couple kept it very clean and tidy.

The floor was swept spotless, and a chipped grandfather clock sat on a long table against the wall, ticking steadily.

"Children, please sit down first."

The old man pointed to several wooden chairs next to him:

"I'm coming right away."

After saying that, the old man leaned on his cane and slowly walked into the inner room.

Bai Li nodded and sat down on the wooden chair.

Lin Xiaoshuang and the others quickly piled the Fenjiu liquor they had bought, the two new mobile phones, and all the good meat and vegetables on the square table.

The old lady waved her hands frantically when she saw the beautifully packaged wine box.

"Oh dear, Tingting! You're back, so why did you buy all these expensive things!"

The old lady was worried about the money:

"How much money have we wasted on this! We need to return it right away!"

Chen Tingting ran over and hugged her grandmother's neck, resting her chin on the old woman's shoulder:

"I can't return it! Those two bottles of good wine were specially made for Grandpa."

"And this smartphone has such large text! We can video chat anytime we miss you!"

Several people sat around the old lady in the house, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was warm and lively.

But a little while later.

The curtain to the inner room was lifted.

The old man walked out with a smile.

This time, however, he had an old cloth bag in his hand.

The talking inside the room stopped.

All the puzzled looks in everyone's eyes were focused on the tattered cloth bag.

The old man walked to the square table in front of Bai Li and rested his cane on the table leg.

His withered fingers trembled slightly as he carefully peeled off the outermost layer of blue cloth.

Inside was a crumpled red plastic bag.

A broken rubber band was still wrapped around the plastic bag.

The old man pulled off the rubber band, finally revealing the object inside.

It was a stack of colorful change.

The banknotes were all flattened and neatly arranged, including five-yuan, one-yuan, and twenty-yuan notes.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

"grandfather......"

Chen Tingting stood up, her voice already trembling:

"What...what are you doing?"

Lin Xiaoshuang, Li Jiaxin, and Zhang Qian also put away their smiles.

They know best how difficult it is for elderly people in rural areas to save money. This money might be the last penny or dollar they save for their coffin by selling eggs and collecting scraps.

The old man didn't look at his granddaughter.

He gently patted the stack of change twice with his calloused hands, smoothing out the curled corners.

Then, the old man raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at Bai Li.

The old man chuckled and began to speak:

"This isn't a yearly holiday, nor is it a special occasion."

"The child suddenly ran back home; he must have been upset outside and misses home."

The old man sighed and pushed the pile of loose change towards Bai Li:

"I'm an old man with no skills, and I can't be of much help."

"But I know that it's not easy for you young people out there either. Money is hard to earn in this world, and you have to see so many cold faces."

The old man fixed his gaze on Bai Li, his tone full of the entrustment and trust of an elder:

"Young man, take this money. I'm afraid Tingting will squander it."