Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1084 The Problem with Beibei's Speech

Xiao Hong laughed: "Don't you think it's crazy for outsiders to call him that? Is it Dawei or Xiaowei?"

The old man said, "Yes, it's just hard to start and hard to call out, so I simply didn't use it. Let the next generation use it."

Xiaohong said, "My brother's child is named Haitao, what's mine? Haibo? Botao?"

Fourth Uncle said, "No, it'll be like Second Brother's, with the grandchildren causing trouble. The whole world rejoices, and the sea is calm."

Xiao Wei was taken aback: "Our family's 'Fan' character is all idioms?"

Xiao Wei's mother laughed and said, "That's right, that made me laugh so hard back then. 'A bright future, great achievements, universal celebration, calm sea.' What else was it? There were two more lines, twenty-four characters in total."

Old Chen said, "This kind is relatively rare, but it does happen. I've encountered instances where ancient poems were used. However, most of them don't connect well, and I don't know what our ancestors used to determine the characters."

Actually, you rural areas have preserved this tradition quite well, but the cities have long abandoned it. Our generation, with its names like "Construction," "Founding of the Nation," "Aid Korea," "Resist America," "Revolution," and "Reform," is all about these things. We don't even dare to use the word "tradition" anymore. It's the "Four Olds."

Chen Hui casually remarked from the side, "Your family is ruthless. Xiao Wei will be formidable once your grandson grows up. Zhang Wuji."

Xiao Wei was stunned for a moment, then Xiao Hong laughed again: "No words, haha."

Aunt Chen finally picked up her grandson, not caring whether his hands were oily. Little Hui still remembered the meatball and tried to pry open Aunt Chen's mouth with his little hands to see if it was inside.

Little Beibei looked up at Xiao Xiaohui in Aunt Chen's arms with a worried expression, her two little hands outstretched: "Don't fall, be careful, be careful."

Aunt Chen smiled and bent down to kiss little Beibei on the cheek: "This little girl is so adorable. Why don't you grow up to be my wife?"

Little Beibei frowned and thought for a moment: "Grandma is Grandpa's wife, Mom is Dad's wife, I... I can't be a wife."

Aunt Chen bent down: "Don't move, open your mouth, let Grandma see."

The little girl stared at Aunt Chen with her mouth agape, completely bewildered.

Aunt Chen looked closely, and Xiao Hong asked, "Auntie, don't you also feel that Beibei's speech has a bit of a problem?"

Aunt Chen kissed Xiao Beibei on the cheek again: "Good girl. Okay." She straightened up and said, "It's nothing, she just drooled too much and choked when she talked for too long. She had to stop and swallow first. It's a little problem."

Xiao Hong asked, "Then what should we do?"

Aunt Chen said, "My teeth are fine, my tongue is fine, and my expression is normal. It must be caused by eating porridge for a long time. I should eat more hard foods in the future, like biscuits, steamed buns, dumplings, and candies. I'm just worried that my teeth might get worse again."

Everyone in the room looked at Aunt Chen. Aunt Chen said, "It's normal for little kids to drool; it usually gets better as they grow up. If a child is over two years old and still drools excessively, you should check if their teeth are deformed, if their speech is clear, and if their facial expressions are normal and varied. These factors can all cause drooling."

No, it's not that with Xiao Beibei. She's eaten too much porridge since she was little, so her swallowing ability is weak. It's okay, it's not a big deal. She'll eat more dry, harder foods in the future, and it'll get better in a while.

Wang Guifang's eyes widened: "You can get sick from eating porridge?"

Aunt Chen said, "It's not exactly an illness, it's just a little problem with swallowing. When it comes to thin, liquid food, I don't have to swallow it hard. After a while, the muscles in that area get weak, and saliva just stays in my mouth."

Grandma Beibei said, "They're all poor; the children are suffering."

Xiao Wei said, "Alright, as long as it's not a problem, you can eat whatever you want from now on. It'll be fine in a few days. Let's not talk about the past anymore."

Xiaowei's mother glanced at her watch and said, "Tell me about this, the third son's family said they were coming but didn't, and Xiaojun's family was supposed to arrive but didn't either. Ugh. They're deliberately trying to ruin my day! What are we going to eat for lunch?"

Xiao Wei said, "My third uncle said he'd come? Who contacted him?"

The old man said, "I... I sent a letter, and they replied. They left a phone number, so I called them. They said they were coming over for the New Year."

Xiao Wei said, "What exactly happened between you guys? Can you tell me?"

The old man said, "What's there to hide? Back then, people in the city didn't have enough to eat. Your third uncle was a worker in the city, and he wanted to come back to the village, but I didn't agree. Even if we were poor, he was still a city dweller, right? Looking at it this way today, don't you think I was right?"

Back then, your dad got married and moved out to live separately. My fourth brother and I lived together in our old house. If he wanted to come back, he needed a place to stay. My fourth brother and I didn't agree, so he wouldn't move back, and we had a big fight.

My fourth uncle said, "I was young back then. Our family only had two rooms, east and west. I was thinking, how would he live when he came back? Where would we get the money to build a house? He was on a government job in the city, so he got a house for free, and even paid for his haircuts and shaves. How great was that?"

The old man chuckled and said, "Back then, he was scared. Having another child meant stricter regulations in the city. The third son has always been timid. I just felt it was alright. If something really happened, would I really ignore it? We're brothers."

Xiao Wei said, "Is that all? And we haven't been in touch for so many years? We're both over twenty."

The old man said, "That's all. Your third aunt is a vengeful person, really. She came back twice before you were ten or so, and I didn't give her a good look because I found her noisy and annoying. We were young then. We were all young."

Old Chen said, "It would be so nice to have a few buddies. I've always been an only child, and now Xiao Hui is another one. It's too lonely. I'm not letting Xiao Hui work at his company anymore. Firstly, he won't amount to much anyway, and secondly, I want them to have another child in the future."

Those who have no worries about food or clothing can still achieve status and position if their business grows large. They've caught a good wave of opportunity; they don't have to put all their eggs in one basket. Back then, we had no other choice.

Xiao Wei asked, "So, what kind of transportation did my third uncle say we'd take? A bus or a train?"

The old man said, "It's definitely the train. It's safer and faster than the bus. They said they'll call as soon as we get off the train."

Xiao Wei checked the time; it was almost eleven o'clock.

Aunt Chen carried Xiao Xiaohui to the sofa, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Hey? Xiao Dong? This is Meng Fei. Could you tell me what time the trains from Beixi arrive? Um, okay. Thanks."

After hanging up the phone, Aunt Chen said, "There's a bus at 11:20, could it be this one? Or maybe it's past 3 pm."

Xiao Wei said, "That'll be soon. Never mind, I'll go wait at the station for a while, so I don't have to wait after I get off. I reckon if I'm coming, it'll be this train."

Xiaowei's mother said, "That's fine. Then we'll eat a little later. If you get hungry, just grab something to eat."

Old Chen said, "It's not late. Midnight is lunchtime, so it's fine."

Xiao Wei said, "Can we open it at home? We can go to the cafeteria this afternoon. It's a waste to leave such a big space unused."

Xiaowei's mom said, "We'll wait for you to tell us. The family reunion dinner will be held in the cafeteria; a few of us prepared there yesterday. Go on your way."

Xiao Wei put on a jacket and walked outside: "Nobody wants to keep me company?"

No one spoke. Beibei looked at everyone and said, "Dad, I'll stay with you."

(End of this chapter)