Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 244 Departure (jasonn+)

December 7th, heavy snow. Weather: sunny turning cloudy, northwest wind force 3 to 5.

The wind was a bit strong today, the sky was overcast, but it wasn't snowing. Standing by the roadside and looking into the distance, everything was shrouded in mist. The distant mountains and forests were faintly visible through the mist, with a bluish glow.

The dark pine forest outlines the curves of the highway in the white world, coming from the mountains on the other side and disappearing into the thin mist on this side.

The highway forks here, descending along the roadbed to reveal a much narrower country dirt road that winds its way into the distance. Covered in snow, the country dirt road is virtually indistinguishable from the national defense road except for its narrowness, and is flattened and smooth. The only difference is that the snow on both sides of the road is deeper, rising thirty or forty centimeters above the road surface, and every now and then a piece of withered grass peeks out from the snow, trembling in the wind.

The wind here changed from a sharp whistle to a low growl, howling as it charged towards the pine forest, carrying snowflakes.

The dirt road twisted and turned, rising and falling, winding its way over two mountain ridges before finally arriving at a village.

The village was small, with a mix of red brick and tile houses and yellow-walled thatched houses lined up along a small river. The river wasn't large; even in this cold winter, it had only frozen over a surface four or five meters wide. A few mischievous kids, wearing hats and with their red, chapped faces raised, screamed and laughed wildly on the ice, occasionally falling down but quickly getting back up, raising a string of laughter.

It wasn't mealtime, but pale blue smoke drifted from the chimneys of every household. Inside the tent made of branches, an old ox chewed slowly. The fat pigs in the sty seemed to sense something, abandoning their lazy summer nature and pacing back and forth incessantly, stopping now and then to look around and grunt, as if searching for a way to escape.

The chickens and ducks, however, had no such worries. They strolled leisurely across the snow, occasionally pecking at something, looking completely relaxed.

Geese don't stray too far from their territory, unlike silly chickens and ducks that run around recklessly without regard for what's behind them. Geese circle around their territory like kings, their cold eyes fixed on any suspicious target, even if it's a dog—well, this is just my dog, almost accidentally injured. Don't blame it, geese aren't very sharp-eyed.

Creak, creak, creak—there are no thieves in the Northeast winter; you can hear footsteps from a mile away.

"Old Hai, Old Hai?" The footsteps stopped outside the courtyard gate, and a person peered through the wooden gate, shouting loudly.

As soon as the door opened, Xiaowei's dad poked his head out: "Fourth brother, come in, come inside."

The fourth brother opened the wooden gate, went into the yard, closed the gate again, and only after checking that everything was alright did he turn around and walk into the house.

Outside, the fields were quiet, but inside the house it was much more lively. The kang (heated brick bed) was warm, and seven or eight people were standing or sitting, chatting and tidying up their things.

Xiaowei's mother was tidying clothes on the kang (a heated brick bed) when she turned around and called out, "Fourth brother's here! Didn't he go into the mountains?"

The fourth brother chuckled and said, "The weather's been changing these past few days. Let's wait until it calms down before going. There's nothing to do now, it's not fun. Is everything packed up? Old Hai's really doing well now, tsk tsk, he's become a city guy."

Liu Kuazi chimed in, "Xiao Wei's really made something of himself this time. Lao Hai's got what's coming to him. Will he ever come back? What's going to happen to the house and land?"

Xiaowei's dad said, "The land was given to my fourth son, that's how Xiaowei arranged it. My brother's son, Xiaowang, is currently living with my brother in the house, so we let Xiaowang move in here to help me look after the house. If we have another child next year, there won't be enough room. Xiaowang will move in after I move out, and he's currently tidying up at home."

Old Liu chuckled and said, "This family is really doing well; all the brothers and nephews are benefiting from it. Will they come back again?"

Xiao Wei's dad said, "The future is hard to say, we'll see. This place has always been our home. Our eldest and fourth sons are all here, how could we not come back to visit?"

The fourth brother said, "Your house hasn't been built for many years, has it been more than five?"

Xiao Wei's dad looked up at the house and said, "Yes, we have it. It's been five and a half years."

The fourth brother said, "That's still worth some money, are you just going to give it to Xiao Wang like that? You don't want any money at all? Do you think Xiao Fu and the others will be happy about that?"

Xiaowei's mother turned to look at the fourth son and said, "Wang Laosi, you're like someone who needs to be kicked. When did my family say this house was given to Xiaowang? Which ear did you hear that from?"

The fourth brother said, "That's what Lao Hai just said. He gave the land to his fourth brother and the house to Xiao Wang. I'm just showing concern."

Xiaowei's mother tied the bundle tightly and put it aside, then smoothed her hair and said, "Just because I gave it to him doesn't mean it's his. Can I live in your house? If I stay for a few days, it's mine, right? It's mine now, isn't it?"

A group of older women laughed, and the fourth sister asked Xiaowei's dad, "Are you all done cleaning? Do you need any help? Is Xiaobing coming with you too?"

Xiao Wei's dad said, "It's nothing. Why don't you leave Xiao Bing here? Can you raise him for me?"

An old woman nearby said, "This can work. The fourth son is rich and can make a fortune all year round. His son-in-law is also a cadre in the county."

The fourth brother said, "I don't have a penny to my name, do you see? All you do is babble on and on all day long."

A young woman by the window looked out and asked, "Second Uncle, are these two cars here to pick you up? They're parked at the gate."

Xiao Wei's dad turned and left.

Outside the courtyard, Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang got out of the jeep. Uncle Wang said to the driver of the Jiefang truck following behind, "Liu, wait a moment, I'll go in and take a look." The driver agreed.

Uncle Wang walked to the courtyard gate and opened it. Xiao Wei's father came out of the house and said, "You're here so early? Aren't you cold? Come in and warm up."

Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang went into the yard and closed the gate. Aunt Wang walked to the pigsty, glanced inside, and said, "These pigs are really strong. What should we do with them?"

Xiao Wei's dad said, "We've sold it. We'll leave it here for a few more days. We've already paid. Come inside."

Uncle Wang looked around the yard and asked, "Is it all tidied up yet?"

Xiaowei's dad said, "That's about enough. Xiaowei's mom insists on bringing everything, and she won't listen to me. Sister-in-law, why don't you go inside and take a look?"

Aunt Wang laughed and said, "I have to do this whenever I get close to her." The three of them went into the house.

Xiao Wei's mother turned to Aunt Wang from the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Why are you here so early?"

Aunt Wang didn't say a word. She went to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked at the bundle she had packed. She said, "What do you mean you want to do? Are you planning to take all this stuff with you? Where are you going to take it? Do you know how far this journey is? Hurry up and open it. Take what you need and leave the rest at home." She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the kang.

Xiaowei's mother moved over a bit and said, "What's useless? Aren't the luggage and blankets useful? Those bags are all clothes."

Aunt Wang unpacked each bag one by one, then spread them all out, saying, "You want to bring everything? What are you going to do with all this? Where can you wear these clothes? Where will you wear them?" She picked up one of Xiaowei's old clothes and asked Xiaowei's mother.

(End of this chapter)