Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 257 is finished, I'm late.

The wind was light tonight, the moon was bright, and the clouds turned into wisps of dark gauze under the moonlight, obscuring the moonlight.

Watching the moon drift among the clouds, Xiao Wei exhaled a long breath. The smoke and heat formed a white mist that changed shape and swirled around him before slowly disappearing.

It felt like I had thought about a lot of things, yet it also felt like I hadn't thought about anything at all. When I came to my senses, I was already outside the living room window. There were no curtains in the living room, and through the glass, I could vaguely see Chen Hui and Xia Maosheng engrossed in a TV battle. Their youthful smiles were so clear and vivid in the light from the TV screen.

Standing outside the window, watching the two people inside finish their cigarettes and throw the butts into the trash can by the wall, Xiaowei looked up and around the yard. This was all his hope, the beginning of his new life, but definitely not the end, definitely not.

He took a deep breath, reached out and opened the door, then went inside.

"Are your aunt and uncle asleep? Come on, you play for a while, I'm going to pee." Chen Hui handed him the controller when he saw him.

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then turned and walked out, saying, "Hold on for three minutes. I haven't told my dad and the others where I'm going to the bathroom yet." He then ran out.

Knock on the window, Xiaowei's dad opened the door, and Xiaowei told him where the bathroom was. Xiaowei's dad turned around, put on a coat, and the two of them went to check it out. Only then did Xiaowei return to the living room, where he ran into Chen Hui, who was running very fast. This guy couldn't hold back anymore.

Xiao Wei played until midnight, then went back to his room to sleep, knowing he'd have to get up early tomorrow.

The next morning, a little after 6:30, Xiaowei got out of bed, washed his face and got dressed. He took his toothbrush cup and headed to the kitchen, because this place was inconvenient in that respect; he couldn't brush his teeth inside.

Walking along the front of the house, Xiaowei wondered if he could add a small foyer in front of each room during the summer, so that he wouldn't feel so unsafe just walking straight in. He could also install water pipes in the foyer for convenient washing up. Or maybe a small toilet?

When I entered the kitchen, Xiaowei's mother was already up, washing the pots and pans—all brand new and needing a thorough cleaning. The steamed buns were being cooked, and the porridge in the rice cooker was ready.

Turning to look at Xiaowei, Xiaowei's mother smiled and said, "Get up! Do you get up this early every day?"

Xiao Wei said, "No, it's not that. I get up early when I have something to do, otherwise I lie down for a while. Why are you up so early? Why don't you lie down a little longer?"

Xiaowei's mother cleaned up the bowls and put them in the cupboard, saying, "I'm used to it. I can't fall asleep at this time. It's so convenient to have hot water anytime."

Xiao Wei said, "This hot water is not safe to drink. You should rinse that bowl with clean water before using it." He then lowered his head to brush his teeth.

Xiao Wei's mother was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Why can't we eat it? Was it not boiled?"

After brushing his teeth, Xiaowei washed the toothbrush cup and said, "The boiler uses circulating water. You can't change the water in this thing every day. If it's heated all winter, won't it make you sick?"

Xiao Wei's mother nodded, then frowned and said, "How can you drink the boiler water from your father-in-law's workplace?"

Xiao Wei said, "That's a boiler specifically for boiling water, unlike ours, which is for heating."

Xiaowei's mother said, "Oh, they're different? I thought they were all the same, since they're all boilers."

Xiao Wei asked, "Where's my dad? He's not up yet?"

Xiaowei's mother said, "Your dad didn't sleep well last night; he couldn't fall asleep. Let him lie down for a while. Will the household registration be ready today?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'll go over as soon as I get to work. I need to check on the restaurant first. Don't worry, it'll definitely be taken care of. Xiao Bing, you can relax for a few days, it's fine."

Xiaowei's mother wrung out the rag, wiped her hands, and asked, "Wei, now that you're staying here, what about Xiaohong?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "What can we do? There are still three and a half years left. Why are you in such a hurry? We'll see how things go by then. Who knows, maybe we'll even go back to Fengtian next year."

Xiao Wei's mother paused for a moment, then asked, "Is this business difficult to run?"

Xiao Wei was also stunned: "What's so hard to do?"

Xiaowei's mother said, "If you hadn't said anything, you might have gone back to Fengtian next year. Why would you go back? Is business not doing well?"

Xiao Wei said, "What are you thinking? Does this business just disappear if I go back to Fengtian? It's still mine, it's not like I can just run away. Can't I do something else?"

Xiao Wei's mother said, "How can you manage without keeping an eye on things? Don't you have to watch over things when you're in business?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "You can't just buy and sell things the same way. You don't need to worry about these things. My dad will take over the boiler in the next couple of days, and then I'll find someone to help you set up the canteen. Is that okay? It'll save you from having nothing to do all day and overthinking things."

Xiaowei's mother reached out and patted Xiaowei, asking, "Are there many people eating?"

Xiao Wei said, "There are about ten people now, including our family. We'll have more when the school starts classes in the spring. We'll see if there are enough people then, and we'll add more. You just need to manage them."

Xiaowei's mother asked, "Are these people eating? Do they pay?"

Xiao Wei said, "We don't accept salaries from our own workers, but we do accept some from the students. The cafeteria food is fine as long as they're full; there's no need to make anything fancy. We can improve the food every now and then, just try to make it tastier and with more oil."

Xiaowei's mother looked around and asked, "Where should we put the table?"

Xiao Wei said, "We won't set a table. We'll just cook a few dishes and let them bring their own lunchboxes to get their food. They can find a place to eat when they get home."

Xiaowei's mother frowned and said, "How can that be? There will definitely be too much or too little, and the leftovers will be scattered everywhere. What a waste!"

Xiao Wei said, "It's okay, you can give me the food. I can fill it up when I'm done eating. If I waste food, I'll just be fined. It's not as complicated as you think."

Xiaowei's mom checked the time and said, "Alright, let's give it a try. Go wake your dad and Xiaobing up for breakfast. Should I wake Xia and Xiaohui too?"

Xiao Wei took the toothbrush cup and walked out, saying, "Don't worry about them. They'll get up when they're hungry. If they don't want to, we can go to a restaurant." He went back inside to tidy up, then went into his dad's room. Xiao Wei's dad was already up, sitting in a chair with his coat on, thinking about something, while Xiao Bing was still fast asleep.

Xiao Wei walked over and patted his younger brother: "Get up and eat."

The soldier twisted his body, grunted a few times, and then stopped moving. Xiao Wei said, "If you don't get up, there won't be any meat left. Just don't make a fuss if there's no meat to eat later."

The soldier twisted again, opened his eyes groggily for a moment, and said, "Leave some." Then he closed them again.

Xiao Wei reached out and picked his younger brother up from under the covers, saying, "There are several people here, we can't keep them here. Get up and wash your face, eat your meal and then go back to sleep when you're tired. If you don't listen, I'll scold you."

The soldier instinctively twisted a few times, opened his eyes, and after a moment of blankness, asked, "What time is it?"

Xiao Wei glanced at his watch and said, "It's 7:30, what's wrong?" Xiao Bing's eyes widened. "Huh?" He wriggled out of Xiao Wei's arms and grabbed his clothes to put on, crying, "Why didn't you wake me up earlier? Oh no, I'm late!"

Xiao Wei and his father exchanged a glance, neither saying a word, silently watching Xiao Bing get dressed. As Xiao Bing dressed, he said to Xiao Wei, "Brother, do you have a lunchbox? Can you pack some meat for me to eat at school?"

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, they're all hot. You can eat a few bites first, and then I'll bring you more."

The soldier sat on the edge of the bed putting on his socks: "We're running late. Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

(End of this chapter)