Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 255 A New Beginning (2018+)

After setting out the vegetables and steamed buns, Xiaowei pulled open the stool and sat down, saying, "Eat up, what are you waiting for? Xiaobing, come on." He took a steamed bun and handed it to his younger brother.

Xiao Wei's dad picked up his chopsticks and said, "Eat, eat, and then go back and clean up early." Everyone started eating. Xiao Bing, holding a steamed bun, stared at the meat and vegetables on the table with shining eyes, stuffing big mouthfuls into his mouth: "Delicious! This is delicious too. It smells so good. Mom, Mom, will we always eat this from now on?"

Xiao Wei's dad said, "Sit still, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you. Study hard and be good, and you'll get to eat this every day from now on. If you're naughty and don't do well in your studies, you'll get to eat cornbread."

Xiaobing glanced at the white steamed bun in his hand, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll do anything for meat, Dad, you have to keep your word." Everyone laughed at his serious expression.

Xiaowei's mother smoothed her hair and asked Xiaowei, "When can we get Xiaobing's school start date?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'll go register your household registration tomorrow. Once that's done, you can stay and relax for a few days."

Xiaowei's mom asked, "Is it ready to move in right away? Xiaohong's mom didn't ask me to bring anything, just a few pieces of clothing."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "It's all set up. You'll see when we get back. I asked Auntie to take care of it. You said you had to bring everything, but you don't need to. We have everything here. Besides, this house isn't even ours yet, so bringing too much stuff would be a hassle. Once the house in Fengtian is built, you can move whatever you want, okay? Anyway, it's still our stuff just sitting there."

Xiaowei's mother nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "How big is Fengtian?"

Xiao Wei said, "It'll be twice the size of our current yard. We'll build a few more rooms and renovate the yard, so you'll have space to grow some vegetables if you want."

Xiaowei's father put some meat on his youngest son's plate and said, "What's the point of growing vegetables? Once you're in the city, you're in the city. You've lost all the old rural ways. Don't let the kids embarrass themselves when they go out."

Xiao Wei said, "What's so shameful about this? We'll live our own lives and do whatever we want. It doesn't bother anyone. Mom, don't listen to Dad. Do whatever you want when the time comes, okay?" Xiao Wei's mother nodded, and the sadness caused by not bringing her things had dissipated considerably.

After finishing their meal, the three brothers even helped Xiaobing clean up the table, clearing the leftovers to the kitchen and placing them on the counter. Xiaowei's mother glanced at them and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't we going to leave these? Why don't we put them in a bag and take them home to reheat tomorrow? It's such a waste."

Xiao Wei said, "We can't just leave it here and throw it away. We're eating it ourselves, why would we throw it away? Take it if you want. We didn't buy any vegetables over there anyway, so we can take it back and eat it tomorrow morning. Then we'll go buy vegetables tomorrow morning." He found a few bags, sorted the leftovers, and also packed a bag of steamed buns in his hand.

After closing the kitchen door, giving instructions to Lao Yu, and saying goodbye to Lao Xu, the six of them left the restaurant. Lao Xu immediately started applying the paint; the enamel dries quickly, and with the heating on overnight, it would be fine after opening the doors and windows to air it out in the morning.

After going around to the back of the restaurant, Xiaobing jumped up and shouted. The sky above the dam was filled with lights like stars, illuminating the area brightly and even dispelling some of the cold.

The area was bustling with people under the lights, some coming to join in the fun, others playing ball and watching others play, a far cry from its usual quiet and deserted state.

Xiao Wei's dad took a closer look at the row of houses and said, "They've all been built in this row? How come only one is open? It looks alright, there are quite a lot of people, but these are all teenagers, they can't fight, can they?"

Chen Hui said, "The karaoke bar and dance hall over there haven't received their permits yet, but everything is ready. They'll open as soon as the permits are issued."

The little soldier pointed to the bakery and said to Xiaowei's mother, "Mom, Mom, cake, the bakery. Brother, I want to eat cake."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "It's not open yet, there are only machines inside, nothing else. If you want cake, we have some over there, I'll get it for you when we get back. Get in the car."

Chen Hui tossed the car keys to Xiao Wei and said, "You drive." He then got into the back seat.

Xiao Wei took the keys and got into the car. Xiao Wei's dad sat in the passenger seat, and the others sat in the back. Xiao Wei started the car and drove into the yard.

Now that everyone had arrived and eaten, and things were settled, Xiaowei's dad had time to look around the car. He glanced at the dashboard, touched the seat, and nodded, saying, "The Japanese really know how to make good stuff. This looks much better than what we make ourselves."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Dad, you can't compare this car to a large bus. How can you compare them? Our own cars are just as good."

Xiao Wei's dad said, "When I rode in your Uncle Wang's jeep, it was so bumpy, it really couldn't keep up with the way they make these things, you have to admit that. The Japanese aren't much to brag about, but their industrial technology is definitely better than ours."

Xiao Wei glanced at his dad and said, "You're doing much better now, huh? You've made great progress, you can even speak fluently now."

Xiao Wei's mother said from behind, "It's all because of what your father-in-law said. What does he know?" Everyone chuckled softly.

When they arrived at the courtyard, the gate had changed. The original gate made of welded iron pipes was gone, and two huge, fully enclosed iron gates stood there. Xiao Wei parked the car in front of the gate, looked at it, and turned to ask Chen Hui, "How do we get in?" The gate had been changed that morning, and none of them had come back to check on it.

Xia Maosheng leaned over and looked at the door, saying, "This is really cool. Doesn't it look like that prison? It has a certain imposing presence."

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui both stared at Xia Maosheng expressionlessly. Xia Maosheng chuckled dryly a few times and said, "Let me give you an example, just as an analogy."

Xiao Wei's dad was also looking at the gate and said, "The gate has been changed? What's wrong? Can't we get in?"

Xiao Wei said, "The automatic door was installed today, but I don't understand how to get in."

Chen Hui pushed open the car door and got out: "Wait a minute, I'll go down and take a look."

Under the car headlights, Chen Hui walked to the front gate and looked up and down. Xiao Bing squeezed to the front and asked, "What's wrong, bro? Can't we get in?"

There was still a small door left on the main gate, but it was hard to see from a distance because it was all welded iron plates. Chen Hui found the small door and saw a trapdoor on it, which was a standard feature of this type of gate. He pushed the trapdoor open to reveal an opening, reached in and felt down to find the latch. He turned his head and nodded to the car, opened the small door and went inside.

Once inside, I turned on the light in front of the garage door and easily found the button on the side wall of the garage. I closed the small door, bolted it, and pressed the green button. The main door shook and slowly opened to both sides amidst the buzzing of the motor.

Inside the car, Xiaobing pointed ahead and shouted, "It moved! It opened!" Xiaowei's dad slapped him, saying, "Behave yourself."

Once the gate was fully open, Xiaowei released the handbrake, drove the car into the yard, turned around, and stopped. Everyone got out of the car.

Chen Hui pressed the red button again, and the gate slowly closed. Xia Maosheng went over and opened the door to the second heated storage room. Xiao Wei drove the car in, parked it, came out, and closed the storage room door. The main gate also closed tightly and stopped automatically.

Xiao Wei walked over and said, "This thing is pretty slow. I feel like pushing it back and forth is faster."

Chen Hui said, "How can they be the same? This one is safer. Besides, isn't it dangerous if you go too fast? It wouldn't stop even if someone got caught in it."

Xia Maosheng said, "This small door needs to be locked from the inside, right? Anyone can open it." Chen Hui pointed to the top edge of the small door: "There's another latch there. We can put it in at night." He went over and turned it. There was a spring under the latch. It popped out when he turned it, locking the small door. Now it definitely couldn't be opened from the outside.

(End of this chapter)