**Chapter 59**

  When they arrived at his grandfather’s pce, the old man was overjoyed to see them. He offered them fruit and cake, and the room was much warmer than during their st visit.

  "Auntie Zhou started coming a couple of days ago. She’s a great cook," the old man said cheerfully. Auntie Zhou was the housekeeper Zheng Sen had arranged for him.

  "That’s great," Zheng Sen said, pleased. "Grandpa, I’ve told Heizi to deliver anything I send you in the future."

  "Why bother? I have everything I need. Look at the pile of coal outside. Your dad sent a whole cart of briquettes after I got the stove installed. It’ll st me until spring."

  "You don't have to save it. You have your rationed grain, and I’ll send you some supplies every month. If you need anything, just tell Heizi, and I’ll figure it out. Even though I’m far away, I’m doing well over there. The only issue is that communication is slow. If there’s an emergency, ask Auntie Zhou to send a telegram. She lives with her son at home. Her son is married and knows how to send a telegram." Zheng Sen kept talking.

  "Alright, nothing will happen to me," the old man said, though he was clearly touched by his grandson’s concern. Living in his son’s apartment had been convenient, with its indoor toilet and heating, but he had never felt truly comfortable there. His daughter-in-w was polite, but he always felt a distance between them. His first daughter-in-w, from the countryside, had treated him like her own father, but she had passed away young. He had never met the second daughter-in-w, but he knew she was pretty, and the third, though cultured and tidy, made him feel uncomfortable no matter how long he stayed there.

  Now that he had moved out, he felt much more at ease. His son would stay over when he had time, and his grandson had even found him a cook. Life was much more comfortable now. He was even thinking of tidying up the yard next year to grow some vegetables and save a bit of money.

  Thinking of money, the old man climbed onto the kang and pulled out a small cloth bundle from the cabinet. Inside was some cash. He took out ten ten-yuan bills, leaving only some small change, and wrapped the bundle back up.

  "Shun," the old man called to Daniu, who was wiping the table.

  Daniu walked over. "Yes, Grandpa?" Although they weren’t officially married yet, it felt natural to call him Grandpa.

  "Take this," the old man said, and handed her the money.

  Daniu quickly shook her head. "Grandpa, you should keep it. I can’t take this."

  The old man’s expression turned stern. "Take it. It’s for your wedding." He pressed the money into her hand.

  "Grandpa, Zheng Sen, and I have savings. You should keep this for yourself," Daniu insisted.

  "What’s yours is yours. This is from me," the old man said firmly.

  Zheng Sen also chimed in, "Grandpa, you should keep the money for your own needs."

  "I said take it, so take it. When your older brother got married three years ago, I gave him money too. Your grandmother and I had saved up some back then, and we gave it all to him. This is what I’ve saved over the past two years. Your dad gives me an allowance, but I don’t have much to spend it on, so I saved it. It’s not much, but I’ll save up again for when your younger brother gets married. Besides, even if I don’t give anything, his mother will take care of it," the old man said matter-of-factly.

  Zheng Sen thought for a moment and nodded to Daniu. "Let’s accept it."

  Daniu understood that this was the old man’s way of showing his love. "Thank you, Grandpa."

  The old man smiled. "Just live a good life together."

  * * *

  Around ten o’clock, a car arrived to pick them up. Knowing that Zheng Sen and Daniu would be coming along, the family hadn’t sent anyone else, as the car wouldn’t have had enough space. The driver was someone they knew—Zhang Ying, Zheng Sen’s father’s attendant. He was a capable man who had been with Zheng Sen’s father for years, skilled in driving, cooking, and record-keeping.

  "Brother Zhang, sorry to trouble you again," Zheng Sen said as he sat in the front passenger seat.

  "No trouble at all," Zhang Ying replied. Once everyone was in the car, he drove toward the military compound.

  The car stopped at the building, and the three of them went upstairs, and Zhang Ying drove back directly. This year, Zheng Sen’s father was staying home for New Year’s Eve and would not leave for the army until the next day, so Zhang Ying would pick him up in the morning.

  This time, the door was opened by a girl in her early twenties. "Brother, you’re back!" she excimed happily. But when she saw Daniu, her expression stiffened for a moment. She quickly recovered and greeted the old man with a cheerful smile. "Grandpa," but Daniu’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the flicker of discomfort. She couldn’t help but feel that this girl had something on her mind.

  The three of them entered the house, and Zhang Yushuang, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen. "Dad, you're back," she greeted the grandfather first, then turned to Daniu. "Shun, come in and sit down. It's cold outside."

  Her smile was warm, as if the incident where Zheng Sen had left abruptly the other day had never happened.

  Daniu also smiled. "Auntie Zhang, happy New Year." As she smiled, she noticed Zheng Xiuli slipping into the kitchen. A moment ter, a girl came out of the kitchen carrying a pte of fruit. When she saw Zheng Sen, she seemed surprised, then her face lit up like a flower. "Brother Sen, you're back!"

  Zheng Sen was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the girl, then frowned. "Wang Ying, why are you here?"

  The girl smiled sweetly. "I heard you were back, Brother Sen, so I came to help."

  Zheng Sen narrowed his eyes and spotted his sister peeking out from the kitchen doorway. He put his arm around Daniu's shoulders and said to the girl, "Since you're here, let me introduce you. This is your sister-in-w, Ma Shun." Then he turned to Daniu. "This is Wang Ying, the daughter of my dad's comrade, Uncle Wang. She's Xiuli's childhood friend."

  His sudden introduction stunned the girl. She looked at Daniu, and her expression faltered. "Hello, Sister Ma."

  Daniu understood the implication of Zheng Sen's words—this girl was a family friend, but not someone he was close to. Now she knew why his sister had lied to get him to come back.

  Daniu wasn't upset. "Hello, Sister Wang."

  Seeing that Daniu didn't seem bothered, Zhang Yushuang smiled and said, "We were just busy earlier, and Yingying came to help a lot."

  Daniu was about to respond when Zheng Sen cut in. "Your arm isn't fully healed yet. Don't overexert yourself." Then he turned to Zhang Yushuang. "Unfortunately, Shun injured her arm recently and can't help much. But Xiuli is twenty now—she should learn how to do household chores. Otherwise, when she gets married, her in-ws might compin that she can't even cook."

  Xiuli, still in the kitchen, pouted angrily.

  After saying this, Zheng Sen led Daniu into the living room. Zheng Sen's father lived in a rge four-bedroom apartment with a separate kitchen and dining area. When they entered the living room, they saw Zheng Sen's father pouring tea for his grandfather. He gnced at Zheng Sen, then said to Daniu, "I didn't know you injured your arm. Work is important, but you need to take care of yourself. Fractures require proper care, or you'll suffer when you're older."

  Daniu nodded. "I understand, Uncle Zheng."

  "Rest well. You don't need to do anything," he said, clearly having overheard Zheng Sen's earlier remarks.

  In the kitchen, Xiuli compined to her mother, "Mom, look at my brother. He's already protecting her, and they're not even married yet."

  Zhang Yushuang gred at her daughter. "Enough. I haven't even scolded you yet. Why did you invite Wang Ying today?"

  "I thought since she likes my brother so much, I'd give them a chance," Xiuli said, not mentioning that she had lied to get her brother to come back. She hadn't expected him to actually bring that woman home.

  "You..." Zhang Yushuang stopped when she saw Wang Ying enter the kitchen. "Yingying, thank you so much for today. I wouldn't have been able to manage without you." She took a piece of ham from the kitchen cabinet. "This was sent by Xiuli's uncle from the south. Your mom makes great soup—take this home and have her make some for you. I won't keep you today. It's New Year's Eve, and your dad will be back soon for the family dinner."

  Wang Ying's eyes welled up with tears, looking pitiful. She was deeply hurt. Just now, she saw that her brother Sen was looking at Ma Shun with love but was cold to her. She was hit too hard.But she knew it wasn't appropriate to stay any longer, so she took the ham and left.

  Zhang Yushuang saw Wang Ying out, her brow furrowed. The Wang family was currently influential, and she knew the girl had liked Zheng Sen since childhood. She had allowed Wang Ying to stay today to see if Zheng Sen was interested. But it was clear now that Zheng Sen was truly devoted to that country girl. Well, maybe it's better this way; it would be better if he never came back.

  With that thought, she put on a smile and returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.

  A while ter, Zheng Jianye arrived with his wife. She was also from Beijing, and the couple had been living in her parents' home for some time.

  Daniu observed that this sister-in-w was quite capable. She was wearing a double-breasted green wool coat and had a neat, short haircut. She spoke briskly, but Daniu didn't get a chance to talk to her, as she went straight into the house after a few words.

  Around one o'clock, Zheng Sen's younger brother, Zheng Jianguo, arrived. Daniu found him to be quite cheerful. His arrival livened up the house, and it was clear he had a good retionship with Zheng Sen, calling him "Second Brother" repeatedly and addressing Daniu as "Second Sister-in-w" without hesitation.

  Once everyone was present, it was time for dinner. The family gathered in the dining room, and the reunion meal was quite vish, with eight dishes including fish, chicken, and a rge bowl of ham soup.

  Regardless of any underlying tensions, the atmosphere at the table was cheerful, with everyone maintaining a polite facade. Zheng Sen kept a smile on his face, constantly serving Daniu food, as if worried she wouldn't get enough.

  The men drank and soon became a bit tipsy. Zheng Sen's father became more talkative, saying a few kind words to Zheng Sen and encouraging him to work hard in his current position, as success could be achieved anywhere.

  Zheng Sen's thoughts were unclear, but he kept smiling. As the meal was almost over, Zhang Yushuang brought out a pte of oranges for the women. It was a rare treat, as oranges were a luxury item, usually distributed sparingly by work units. Daniu's unit hadn't handed out their New Year's benefits yet, but Director Yang had promised they would have apples and frozen pears.

  Daniu peeled an orange and was about to eat a segment when the room suddenly fell silent. She recalled that Zheng Jianguo had just said, "Brother, I've found a girlfriend and pn to get married this year. Can you lend a couple of rooms in the South Drum Alley house (Nanguluo alley)?"

  "Jianguo—" Zhang Yushuang's face changed instantly upon hearing her son's request.

  Zheng Sen looked at his brother. "You're a bit te with that. I just handed the house over to the neighborhood committee the other day. I heard it's already been rented out. We'll only be staying until the fourth day of the New Year."

  "Why are you bothering your brother about this? You can stay with your mom after you get married," Zheng Sen's father said with a stern expression.

  "But Xiaohui's workpce is closer to Brother's pce," Zheng Jianguo said, compining to Zheng Sen, "Brother, if I had known you had a house in South Drum Alley, Xiaohui and I might have gotten married sooner."

  Zheng Sen gnced at him but didn't respond. However, their father suddenly smmed the table. "Don't go coveting your brother's things. If I hear you mention this again, I'll break your legs." With that, he stood up and left.

  Zheng Jianguo, still chewing a piece of ham, muttered, "What's wrong with me? I'm just asking my own brother to lend me his house. What's the big deal?"

  Zhang Yushuang's face turned pale, and she spped her son hard. "You! Always making your father angry."

  When Old Zheng had entered the room just now, he gred at her, probably thinking she was the one who instigated it. But it wasn't her doing. Although she had talked to her son about the house, she really just let it slip; she knew he couldn't keep a secret. She had pnned to wait until Zheng Sen left before making any moves, but now, thanks to Jianguo's blunder, that pn was ruined. She knew Old Zheng well—he still felt guilty about Zheng Sen's mother, and sending Zheng Sen to the countryside had already upset him greatly.

  Thinking about her son, Zhang Yushuang felt utterly exhausted.