Chapter 12: Nine Years Old – The Summer Blown by the Wind

Old Meng came back from his late shift at six in the morning. The elderly people who were jogging in the neighborhood were full of energy, while men in their prime dragged their feet as they headed upstairs. Before they could even take out their keys, the sound of a creaky wooden door came from behind, followed by the bright voice of a little girl: “Uncle!”

“You’re up so early during the summer break?” Old Meng asked in surprise.

“Hehe, actually, I woke up automatically at 5:30,” Xuezhu replied.

The little girl’s emotions were written all over her face. Old Meng lazily asked, dragging his tone, “Oh? Did something good happen?”

“Actually, I have something to discuss with you, Uncle.”

“What is it?”

Even though Xuezhu’s expression was cute and her tone soft, nothing could stop Old Meng from blurting out, “No!” when he heard that she wanted to invite Meng Yuning to go with her to her grandfather’s house for the summer.

Xuezhu tried to persuade Old Meng, “But my parents agreed, and my grandfather also agreed.”

“I don’t agree,” Old Meng said, turning to open the door, not allowing for any objections. “Meng Yuning already has enough nerve eating at your house, and now he wants to go to your grandfather’s house for the summer? Does he really think he’s part of your family and not an outsider?”

Xuezhu frowned and said loudly, “Ningning is not an outsider! And if Ningning comes with me, it will be more fun!”

Old Meng continued to change his shoes, completely unmoved, “That’s not going to happen.”

Xuezhu was desperate, and the argument between the two of them woke Meng Yuning, who was still sleeping. The boy walked out of his room, his hair tousled, his eyelids heavy with sleep. His skin was pale, and the marks left by the cool mat on his face were very noticeable.

Old Meng didn’t care whether his son was awake or not, and directly shouted, “Meng Yuning, what’s wrong with you? Always bothering other people’s families! If you like other people’s homes so much, why don’t you just let your Uncle Pei take you as his son!”

Meng Yuning, still groggy, spoke in a tired tone, “I didn’t agree.”

“You didn’t agree, but Xuezhu comes running to me this early to talk about it?” Old Meng turned to him.

Only then did Meng Yuning turn his neck, noticing the little girl behind his father. She was staring at him, wide-eyed, and smiling foolishly.

“Brother, just go, please! I really want you to play with me,” Xuezhu said as she took off her shoes and ran in barefoot, hugging Meng Yuning’s waist. She tilted her head back, pleading, “Please, please.”

Meng Yuning, still half asleep, tried to move but couldn’t break free from her little chubby arms.

He rubbed his eyes, elegantly yawning, and said in a tired voice, “Let go of me first, I need to go to the bathroom.”

“No,” Xuezhu tightened her grip, “If you don’t agree, I won’t let you go to the bathroom.”

“I really need to go,” Meng Yuning frowned and pressed his lips together, “What if I pee my pants?”

Xuezhu didn’t believe him. Now, even she didn’t wet her pants anymore. She didn’t believe that Meng Yuning had the courage to do it: “Then you can just pee your pants.”

Meng Yuning was both angry and amused, finally using his strength to pry her arms off.

Xuezhu thought that she couldn’t really stop him from going to the bathroom, so she turned to beg Old Meng.

“Uncle! Please let Brother come with me to my grandfather’s house! Please!”

She clung to Old Meng, acting like a sunflower in full bloom—loud and full of enthusiasm.

This persistence was much like when you’re out shopping and see something small and cute you want to buy, if you don’t get it, you throw a tantrum. Those with soft hearts, like Pei Lianyi, would give in after a few pleas, while those with tough hearts, like Song Yanping, would not buy it no matter how much you cried or made a fuss.

Old Meng had never encountered this kind of persistence before. Watching her spin around in circles almost making herself dizzy, he thought to himself, everyone says that boys are noisy and girls are quiet, but how come when it comes to him and Old Pei, it’s completely the opposite?

Before, he had complained that his son was too reserved, but now, comparing the two, he thought maybe a little reserve wasn’t so bad after all.

The worst part was that Xuezhu was very good at being stubborn and coquettish. She kept circling around him, and although Old Meng found her loud and a bit troublesome, when he saw her round face with big eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a little pleased inside… this feeling.

Old Meng, his face grim and stiff, seemed to struggle with holding back his patience.

But in the end, he stuck to his decision. No matter how much the little girl begged, he would not allow Meng Yuning to trouble anyone anymore.

Xuezhu lowered her head and turned away silently, like a defeated little chicken.

Looking at her retreating figure, Old Meng couldn’t help but think to himself that he hadn’t done anything wrong to the little girl. How did it end up making him seem like the villain?

Once she left, Old Meng’s sleepiness hit him all at once.

He didn’t even bother to shower and just walked a few steps to his room and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept until nine o’clock and was woken up by someone.

“Dad,” Meng Yuning called from beside the bed, “Xuezhu’s grandfather is looking for you.”

Old Meng muttered a curse, raised his arm to block his eyes, and eventually, relying on his strong will, he sat up.

When he came out of the room, after Xuezhu’s cheerful “Uncle, you’re up!” he heard a calm, warm voice, aged with time.

“Yunjian,” the voice smiled kindly, “I haven’t seen you since your father’s funeral, right?”

Old Meng froze. His sleepiness disappeared, and he finally looked closely at the elderly man in front of him.

He was sitting on the sofa, his hair half-white, his back straight, though his shoulders looked a little frail from age. He wore a simple, old-fashioned shirt, the original color faded from washing, yet still clean and tidy. Even the cuffs, the easiest part to wrinkle, were neatly pressed, meticulous and in order.

The first time Old Meng had met his father’s old friend was many years ago, and he couldn’t remember exactly when, nor his age at the time. It wasn’t until his father passed away last year that Old Meng saw the old man again.

The elderly man, full of energy, had stood before the memorial, his sorrow slowly bending his back, releasing a long sigh from his lips.

The old man didn’t wail or shout to the heavens, nor did he mourn dramatically. After the funeral, he stood there for a long time, silently bidding farewell to his friend, before finally raising his hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of his eyes.

Old Meng politely greeted him, “Uncle.”

He sighed inwardly, realizing that this time, he couldn’t refuse anymore.

Then, looking at Xuezhu, who was smiling happily beside the old man, he thought to himself that this little girl was quite clever. She knew how to bring up the elders when speaking.

When he nodded in agreement, Xuezhu nearly jumped in excitement.

“Wow! That’s great!” she exclaimed.

She then ran up to Meng Yuning, nearly jumping with joy, “Brother, you can come with me to Grandpa’s house now!”

Meng Yuning stood quietly, not acting as wildly as Xuezhu, but instead, he glanced at his father again to ask for confirmation.

Old Meng nodded slightly and instructed, “When you go to Grandpa’s house, be good and don’t cause trouble for the elders.”

Upon receiving a positive response, the young man’s clean, gentle eyes finally revealed true joy. His usually restrained demeanor was reflected in how he let Xuezhu laugh and play around him. As he went back to his room to pack his clothes, his movements became lighter and more cheerful.

While his son was packing, Old Meng stayed in the living room chatting with the elderly man.

“How’s work going now?” the elderly man asked.

Old Meng replied, “It’s okay, mostly stable, enough to support the two of us.”

The elderly man nodded. “Good, stability is the most important thing.”

“Uncle, I’m really sorry for troubling you with Meng Yuning,” Old Meng said.

The elderly man smiled softly, “Ningning coming to play makes both me and Xuezhu’s grandmother happy. And he’s Old Feng’s grandson,” he added, “Ningning looks a lot like his grandfather. You’ve done well raising him.”

Old Meng pursed his lips, lowering his head in shame. “His personality is just like that by nature. It’s not my doing. Maybe he got it from his grandfather.”

The elderly man narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly.

The tough Old Meng, rarely flustered, awkwardly forced a smile. “When I was young, I didn’t know better. Now, I really feel like I’ve got no face talking to you, Uncle.”

The elderly man patted Old Meng’s shoulder gently. “Now you’ve brought Ningning here to live. Your father would’ve been happy if he knew. Living a peaceful life is the best thing. Let the past stay in the past.”

“Grandpa, brother’s all packed, we can go now!” Xuezhu ran out of Meng Yuning’s room, excitedly shouting.

The elderly man, upon hearing this, stood up with the help of his knees. “Alright, go say goodbye to your parents, and then we’ll head out.”

Song Yanping reminded Xuezhu several times not to forget to have her grandmother take her to the piano store every weekend. Xuezhu eagerly promised, but for her, the few hours spent at the piano store weren’t a big deal. It was the daily practice at home that made her dislike the piano the most.

For Xuezhu, the preparation for going to Grandpa’s house was the most exciting part.

It was like when the school organized a spring outing, and the excitement of packing snacks the day before, or the rush to get home after school on a Friday afternoon. The excitement and anticipation in her heart expanded infinitely.

Grandpa had come because of pension-related matters, so they first went with him to the social security office. While the elderly man took care of business, Xuezhu and Meng Yuning sat in the lobby and waited. Xuezhu couldn’t stop talking, constantly pulling Meng Yuning’s sleeve to show him everything she saw. Just as she was getting excited, Meng Yuning suddenly covered her mouth with his hand.

“Can you be quiet for a bit?”

Xuezhu pried his hand off and said, “I’m so happy today, I can’t stay quiet.”

Meng Yuning: “…”

Fortunately, Grandpa finished his work quickly, and soon they were ready to leave.

Once they were on the bus heading to Grandpa’s house, Xuezhu’s excitement didn’t last long. She started feeling a bit car sick. As the bus traveled further, the scenery outside gradually flattened, and the road became bumpier.

The best way to cure motion sickness was to sleep.

Xuezhu sat on Grandpa’s lap. The elderly man was quite thin, and as the bus bumped along, Xuezhu’s face would occasionally hit Grandpa’s hard chest, but he gently stroked her head. Despite the rough conditions, she quickly fell asleep.

Meng Yuning sat by the window, resting his chin on his hand, watching the fields and the sky meet in the distance. The flat terrain occasionally had gentle rises, passing by like a wave pattern, while the wind howled past his ears, brushing away the sweat caused by the stifling heat inside the car.

“Are you tired, Ningning? If you’re tired, take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we arrive,” Grandpa said.

“Okay.”

At this moment, a middle-aged woman collecting the fare was shouting in a local dialect, urging passengers to pay: “If you have change, use the change! We can’t break a hundred, we don’t accept coins, only bills.”

Despite the noise, the two children were sleeping soundly.

The elderly man thought to himself.

After a nap, they arrived at their destination.

Grandpa’s house was a two-story self-built house. In front of the house, there were chili peppers and vegetables planted, surrounded by a circular fence. The chickens raised by Grandma walked elegantly around the fence, eyeing the plants in the garden.

At noon, Grandma prepared a feast. Every dish was something Xuezhu loved to eat. She even specially slaughtered a chicken and bought a large grass fish. The meal was incredibly lavish.

At the dinner table, Grandma’s first words were, “Xiao Zhu has gotten thinner. You need to eat more. Here, have a big chicken leg. Ningning is also looking thin, so have one too.”

Her second remark was, “Oh, you city kids are all so thin. Eat more!”

The result was that they ate so much that by two or three in the afternoon, the food hadn’t even digested yet.

After waking up from her nap in the morning, Xuezhu was still full of energy, but Grandpa and Grandma were exhausted. The two elderly people lay on the cool mats, fanning themselves with palm fans, tapping them lightly on their bellies. In the hottest part of the afternoon, they fell asleep facing the intense heat.

Meng Yuning’s room was on the second floor. Since it was under the roof, the fan did little to cool him down, and he tossed and turned on the mat.

It was so hot that he almost wanted to take his shirt off and go bare-chested, just like his dad.

Fortunately, Xuezhu ran upstairs to call him out to play.

By the time he came downstairs, his face was already pink from the heat.

It was the first time Xuezhu had seen her brother looking so flustered from the heat.

The two of them went to the backyard. Xuezhu grabbed the lever of the water well, jumped down with all her strength, and water flowed out noisily from the pipe at the front.

Meng Yuning washed his face, and Xuezhu, feeling exhausted and sweaty, sat down.

The well water was cool, and the heat quickly faded away. Meng Yuning soaked a towel in the well water, wrung it out, and gently wiped Xuezhu’s face. He carefully wiped her neck and arms, then said, “Wipe your body too. You can do it yourself.”

“Okay.”

After everything was cleaned up, Xuezhu pushed Grandpa’s old bicycle out from the small storage room in the backyard.

The seat of the old bicycle was too high, which posed a risk for children. Even though her dad had taught Xuezhu how to ride a bike earlier, she still didn’t dare to ride Grandpa’s bike.

Meng Yuning, being tall with long legs, would have no problem.

They rode the bicycle slowly along the unpaved asphalt road. Xuezhu sat on the back seat, holding onto her brother’s clothes and urging him repeatedly, “Go faster!”

She always thought it wasn’t fast enough. Meng Yuning simply rode the bike up a small hill that wasn’t too steep, telling Xuezhu to hold on tight. Then, he pushed the pedals, riding faster and faster against the wind on the other side. The scent of soap from his clothes was carried by the wind into Xuezhu’s nose. His not-so-broad back shielded her from the strong sunlight, and together, they embraced the summer wind.

After a few trips back and forth, it was evening again. The sun in the west lazily began to set, and Xuezhu, tired, sat on the hillside, watching the “salted egg yolk” slowly sink to the edge of the horizon.

She glanced at Meng Yuning beside her.

Her brother didn’t mind the weeds poking at him as he lay there exhausted, motionless, his eyes closed in a quiet, lazy manner. Sweat dripped from his temples down his neck, flowing into his sharp collarbones. Even with the sweat now trickling down, he still looked clean.

The outline of his jawline had begun to show signs of maturity, no longer the soft, round face of a child. The handsome, refined young man was gradually changing in both his features and demeanor. Xuezhu looked at him—her brother seemed the same, but somehow, each day, he appeared different.

“You said you’d carry me up here to watch the sunset,” Meng Yuning slightly opened his eyes, smiling as he adjusted her chin and pointed toward the distant sky with his own chin. “The sun is in the sky, not on my face.”

Xuezhu hugged her knees.

At this moment, she seemed to understand why Grandpa and Grandma loved sitting on the rocking chair, staring into space, doing nothing but letting the sunlight fall on their white hair, sitting there for hours.

This comfortable silence, even if it felt like wasting life, was strangely fascinating.

“Xiao Zhu! Ningning! Come back and eat!”

Grandma, holding a frying spoon, called out from the gate, facing the setting sun.

“Eh! Coming!”

The evening sun responded from a distance.