TGPA Chapter 8
Entering the house, a warm feeling enveloped them, dispelling the chill from outside.
Glancing around, Chen Hao realized that his brother-in-law's words were somewhat exaggerated.
Despite the grand appearance outside, the interior of the house was not as upscale as one might expect. It was clean, but that was thanks to his mother's diligent hands.
On the right side of the main room, upon entering, there was a slightly spacious hall. The sofa set was the same old one, covered with a traditional blanket skillfully arranged by his mother. It made the sofa feel clean and cozy. There was a refrigerator, a folding table, and several stacked round chairs. At the end was a sliding door leading to the kitchen.
On the right side, within the door, was the east room, dominated by a large kang bed that filled the room. Nowadays, this kind of large kang bed was popular, offering comfortable living. Some things in the room were new, like the carpentry work, but many items were reused from before. Overall, it felt like they fell short of completely renovating the entire house inside and out. Compared to the image of home in Chen Hao's mind, this newly built house was indeed much nicer and bigger.
"Son, come up to the kang, it's warm up here. I've lit the fire," urged Qiao Xinmei, holding her son's hand tightly as if she didn't want to let go.
Outside, the voice of his eldest sister could be heard. It turned out that their mother had gone to the town service hall yesterday to arrange for broadband installation, and today they had come to install it. Chen Hao felt moved but didn't show it. He followed his eldest sister and the installation personnel to the two rooms on the left side of the main house. Upon entering, Chen Hao roughly understood why his second sister hadn't come back. In this room, there were still some traces of her life.
"Um, Xiaohao, Mom said if you're not used to sleeping on the kang, we won't put a sofa in this room. We'll buy you a bed..." Chen Xue observed her younger brother's expression. Like their mother, the elder sister was like a mother figure, and Chen Xue's care for her brother was no less than their mother's.
"That's fine. Actually, I can stay in another room. Second sister is here..."
"This room has a bathroom. Mom is worried you won't be able to shower and might be uncomfortable."
These two rooms had a separate bathroom designed at the back. At the moment, they looked clean, and many places had clearly been recently cleaned. Without asking, it was obvious that all the toiletries in the inner room were also new.
Given that the village was already close to the urban fringe and had good internet coverage, installation was effortless. By the time they sat down to eat, the installation workers had already left.
On his first day back home, Chen Hao gave up on the idea of going to the city to buy a monitor and installing his computer. He also gave up on the idea of livestreaming. Today, he just wanted the family to sit together and have a reunion dinner. For this reason, he even took the initiative to call his second sister, Chen Yu, which was something that would never have happened in the past. Seeing his son sincerely calling his sister, both Chen Yuanping and Qiao Xinmei looked pleased. After several years of experience, their son had indeed grown up.
"Brother-in-law, could you go pick up the second sister? Mom, let's tidy up a bit. Since the second sister is a girl, it's more convenient for her to shower in the room. Can't we shower downstairs? I'll stay downstairs. I'm still not used to the morning sun shining in, so I prefer the room below. The sun takes longer to shine in there."
Qiao Xinmei was about to disagree when Chen Yuanping interjected, "Alright, the young man isn't that picky. Let's go with his suggestion."
Qiao Xinmei wanted to complain to her husband a bit, but seeing him ignite the small alcohol stove and pour the wine into the pot to heat it up, she was reminded of the husband she married almost thirty years ago. He had always been a traditional man, and if he wanted to drink hot baijiu, he would never do it himself. This scene reminded her of when she gave birth to her son, and her husband hummed a folk song while heating up the wine for her.
Son, you've grown up. You've become sensible.
When Ma Defu brought Chen Yu back, the room had been rearranged. After all, they were siblings, and they had only seen each other once in the past few years. Seeing the room back to its original state made them both happy. Chen Yu's smile grew even brighter as she approached her younger brother and gave him a big hug, even measuring his height with her hands. "You're getting taller."
The reunion dinner was hearty and joyous. Chen Hao drank a few cups with his father and brother-in-law, and his mother happily had a drink too. The atmosphere of this reunion dinner, from start to finish, was filled with happiness. No one brought up the past or the future.
Chen Hao drank a bit too much. With his alcohol tolerance, half a catty of liquor wouldn't knock him out, but tonight, he was willing. He staggered into the room on the right side of the courtyard, feeling warm inside. The kang bed was already heated. On this night, for Chen Hao, it was hot to sleep. Eventually, he ended up wearing only a pair of shorts, sleeping comfortably. The spacious kang bed was all his own, and whether it was the space to turn over or the sense of space in the entire room, it was far better than the rented room in Yanjing.
"Go make some food, or it'll burn later," added Chen Yuanping.
"Hey, Xiaoxue, get some fruits and drinks for your brother. Old man, where did you hide the good cigarettes? Didn't I tell you to bring them out earlier?" Qiao Xinmei busied herself, preparing for her son's arrival. She had been looking forward to this since yesterday, preparing fruits and drinks, and even slaughtering chickens and geese. Seeing her son a bit thinner than when he left only made her heart ache more.
After shaking off his coat onto the kang, Chen Yuanping sat down inside, took out a box of Yuxi cigarettes from the kang cabinet, and threw it in front of Chen Hao. Chen Xue handed her brother a hot towel to wipe his face, then handed another one to her husband who had just entered with the luggage. "Go up to the kang and keep Dad and little brother company. You don't need to do anything," she instructed.
Seeing his brother-in-law sit on the kang, Chen Hao handed the box of cigarettes back. He gestured with his hand, indicating that he didn't smoke much anymore.
The feeling of home didn't need a long time to sink in. From the moment he entered, the furnishings, the smell, the people - everything was so familiar.
"Dad, where's my second sister?" Chen Hao asked.
"Who knows where she's gone mad this time. Don't worry about her," replied Chen Yuanping. Hearing his son address him so naturally and proactively, he felt relieved. He had worried that his stubborn son might be difficult to get along with upon his return, but now those worries had lessened.
As Ma Defu tried to return the cigarettes handed to him by his nephew, he heard his father-in-law say, "If it's given to you, smoke it." Only then did Ma Defu accept them, lit one, and said, "Xiaoyu has a good friend in the city. Sometimes she doesn't want to come back and stays there. Her unit has been busy these days, so her mom didn't let her take leave. She might have to work overtime today."
"Hmph," Chen Yuanping grunted softly, implying something understood without needing to be said. Chen Hao didn't say anything either. The distance between himself and his second sister was his own making. Well, if she wanted to hold a grudge or feel discontented, let her be. After all, it was his fault for prioritizing boys over girls, and for squandering all the family's savings back then. It was precisely because they were out of money that his second sister's job didn't materialize, and now she was just a contract nurse.
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