Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1202 I want to build a fountain

Xiao Wei said, "It's because you're a low-ranking official now. Once you're promoted, it won't feel the same."

Xiao Hong said, "Come on, Uncle Chen is old enough, but he's living a more tiring life than me, and he has no freedom at all. My dad will be next. Once an official goes to the provincial level, he's sold to the state and has nothing left to himself."

Xiao Wei said, "I'll let you come over for a few days to relax when the weather gets warmer. We're currently setting up a company in Hainan. Once things are settled and things are in order, we'll go there to play and spend the New Year there from now on."

Xiao Hong nodded and said, "Why don't you have a telephone in your yard? This is terrible, we can't contact Chen Xiao either, and we can't find anyone to talk to Sister Xuemei."

Xiao Wei said, "It'll be installed tomorrow. I'll give you the number after it's done. You can have Lao Xia and Geng Hui stay in the courtyard, and let Geng Hui keep you company."

Xiao Hong thought for a moment and said, "Yes, let's bring them over tomorrow and let Geng Hui sleep with me, hahaha, that's a good idea."

Xiao Wei said, "You're pregnant now, everything's fine."

"I'm not showing any signs of pregnancy. I'm not nauseous or throwing up, and I have a good appetite. I'm just a little tired and always feel listless."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "You should take it easy. You're going to be a mother soon. Take more walks around the yard. I heard it's not good for pregnant women to stay in bed all the time."

Xiao Hong snorted a few times and said, "I'm ignoring you. Give the phone to Sister Xuemei, I want to talk to her."

Xiao Wei said, "Chen Hui and I are outside by the lake. I'll give her the phone in a bit and have her call you back."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Hui said, "It seems like women start to cause trouble as soon as they get pregnant. Chen Xiao was like that too. You're lucky you live far away, hundreds of kilometers away, so you can't bother them even if you wanted to.

Xiaowei said, "They're raising our next generation. Pregnancy is so tough, but I'll endure it. I want to be there for them. I do miss home a bit. This is probably the first time in years that Xiaohong and I have been separated for so long and so far, and then she got pregnant."

Chen Hui looked at the lights gradually brightening in the distance, took out a cigarette and gave one to Xiao Wei, saying, "We're here, and Zhongnanhai is just across the water. If we shout, all those people who watch TV all day can hear us. Isn't that amazing?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Can your shout carry for a kilometer or two?"

Chen Hui chuckled a few times, looked up at the darkening sky, and said, "What man doesn't have some ideals? Which man doesn't want to stand higher? What are we running around for? I don't want to go into politics, I don't have the potential. I just hope that one day we can get there by doing business."

Xiao Wei put his arm around Chen Hui's shoulder, looked across the water that was brightening in the night, and said, "Okay, I support you, you can definitely do it."

The wind swept past the two of them, bringing the coolness of the night. The tall willow tree looked like a giant beast twisting and turning in the darkness.

Chen Hui shuddered: "Damn, this wind is so strong tonight. If we walk home, people will think we're two lunatics."

The two jogged into the courtyard. Xiaowei locked the door from the inside and turned on the corridor light. The whole courtyard looked somewhat hazy in the dim light of the corridor light. Walking along the corridor, Xiaowei said, "Actually, to tell you, I'm a little afraid of these old houses. They feel creepy."

Xiao Wei asked, "Why?"

Chen Hui said, "In the early days, in these kinds of wards, every year at least ten or eight people would die."

Xiao Wei said, "Bullshit, where hasn't someone died? You're just a coward. Go live in our village in the countryside for two years and you'll build up your courage. There's not a single house in those desolate mountains and wilderness. Walking at night is really exhilarating. Everything looks like a person standing there, and the wind blowing and the trees swaying will make you break out in a cold sweat."

Especially after summer, the sorghum and corn grew taller than a person, stretching as far as the eye could see. Walking through them, you'd hear a rustling sound, and if you added a few shouts from who-knows-where, that was the real experience.

Chen Hui said, "Oh my god, let alone at night, I'm even afraid to wear cornfield clothes during the day. I feel that when a person's vision is affected, they instinctively panic."

Chen Xiao held Xiao Hui and stood in the courtyard with Aunt Chen, looking at the night view. The lighting here was quite sophisticated, and it looked especially nice with the trees, pavilions, eaves, and upturned tiles. Of course, different people have different feelings, but to Chen Hui, it looked eerie.

"The yard is missing a fountain, Xiaowei. Would it be alright to build one? It doesn't have to be too big, just a little rockery will do, and we can even keep some goldfish there." Aunt Chen stood with her hands on her hips, looking around.

Chen Hui said, "It was too much trouble, wasn't it? I crossed it out when the construction team wanted to do it. I felt that thing was useless and took up space."

Chen Xiao said, "My God, your taste is just awful. And you didn't even ask anyone before making the decision."

Aunt Chen said, "This yard is big enough, and no cars drive in. It should be fine to put one in the middle. It will also be cool in the summer."

Chen Hui said, "Mom, why don't we just build a swimming pool in this yard? We can swim and soak for a while in the summer."

Uncle Chen, a cigarette dangling from his lips, slowly walked out of the house, stretched, and stood on the steps: "What do you need me for?"

Little Hui broke free from his grandmother's grasp and ran over: "Grandpa."

Aunt Chen bent down to shield the child, and only stood up straight after making sure the child was running steadily. She said, "I said there was no water in the yard, so I wanted to build a fountain, but Xiao Hui said to build a swimming pool."

Old Chen took the unlit cigarette from his mouth and tucked it behind his ear. He squatted down and watched his grandson run up the steps. He said, "Building a swimming pool in this yard? It's not big enough, is it? How big can it be? You can reach the top with one kick." He stretched out a hand for his grandson to hold onto for support.

The little guy is very active now, and he's especially interested in going up and down stairs and climbing on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Aunt Chen spread her arms and gestured, saying, "It doesn't need to be too big. This yard is over twenty meters wide, right? Three meters wide and five or six meters long will do."

Little Hui finally climbed the three steps, happily cupped Old Chen's face and kissed him a few times. Old Chen picked up his grandson, looked him over, and said, "He's still too small. He's so small, he'll be full of three people in a row. What can he do? Besides, he doesn't fit in with this yard."

Chen Hui looked at his mother, thought for a moment, and said, "How about I ask around tomorrow if the houses next door are for sale? We can buy another plot, enclose it with a wall, demolish all the houses, and just build a pond."

Old Chen laughed and said, "It's feasible, but you can't spend money like that. Besides, how much water would that pool need? Where would you drain it after changing the water? It's too much trouble."

Xiao Wei said, "That's a minor issue. We can use a pump to draw the water out; we don't need to drain it from below. I doubt we can drain it underground anyway. We'd have to bury a pipe next to it and pump it from above, and we'd also have to consider heating it. Should we just build an equipment room next to it?"

(End of this chapter)