Chapter 46

Xu’s mother bought a lot of groceries from the grocery store, fish, meat, and some snacks that Xu Mei liked.

“Sister Xu, you have guests at home, why did you buy so many delicious things?”

“No, my daughter Xu Mei came back to visit. It’s been several years since she left, this is her first time back, I have to give her some good food to make up for it.”

“Oh, Xu Mei is back, you should buy more delicious things. Go back quickly, I won’t keep you.”

Xu’s mother didn’t say much, she still had to go home and make fried sauce noodles for Xu Mei.

Xu’s mother was quick and skillful, she kneaded the dough and let it rise, then started to cut the meat and prepare the fried meat sauce.

When Xu Mei came back from the bathhouse, Xu’s mother had already cut the noodles, just waiting for Xu Mei to come back and boil the water to cook them.

“Mom, it smells so good! I missed this taste so much, there’s no shortage of rice in the south, but there’s no flour.”

Xu Mei took off her hat and sent her changed clothes to the bathroom, she would wash them later.

“Eat more later, Mom made a lot.”

“Ok, I’ll go wash my clothes first.”

Xu Mei went to the bathroom to wash her clothes, Xu’s mother started to boil water and cook the noodles.

“Xu Mei, the noodles are ready, come eat.”

“I’m coming, Mom, I’ll be right there.”

Xu Mei rinsed the last piece of clothing, wiped her hands dry, and went to eat noodles.

“Mom, there’s too much, I can’t finish it.”

Xu Mei looked at the full bowl of noodles, her tears were about to fall again.

“Then just put some in a small bowl, you can eat when you get back home.”

Xu’s mother watched Xu Mei eat noodles, she sighed at how fast time passed, in the blink of an eye, her daughter had grown up, she was going to get married.

“Mom, it still tastes the same, so delicious!”

Xu Mei ate the noodles with gusto, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

When they first arrived in Yunnan, they regretted it.

After getting off the train, they sat on a military truck for a long time before reaching their camp.

They trained together for a month, then were assigned to different places.

She was lucky, the place she went to wasn’t too remote, and she also got a relatively easy position, she didn’t have to follow the team to clear land and farm.

Yunnan was full of mountains, mountains connected to mountains, it seemed endless.

The humid and hot weather took her a long time to adapt to. As for the food, she really didn’t get used to it at first, the taste was too strange.

The only advantage was that there was a lot of fruit, many she had never heard of or seen before, all year round, without interruption.

But there were very few vegetables, mostly wild mountain vegetables.

Because of the local humid and hot weather, vegetables rotted easily, they didn’t survive well.

Beijing had four distinct seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

But in Yunnan, it was hot all year round, there was no clear distinction between winter and summer, it was only divided into dry and wet seasons.

“Eat more, you haven’t eaten it for several years.”

“Mom, I’m already full, I really can’t eat anymore.”

“Then digest your food, go back to your room and take a nap later. You’ve been on the train for so long, you must not have rested well.

I knew you were coming back, I washed the quilts on your bed.”

“Thank you, Mom, I made you worry.”

Xu Mei hugged her mother, feeling the warmth from her mother.

Xu Mei was full and sleepy, her eyelids were about to stick together.

She went back to her room, lay down on the bed, and went to sleep under the quilt.

The rest of the Xu family didn’t know that Xu Mei had already come home, they were walking home as usual after work.

Xu Di was carrying a rooster back, she knew Xu Mei would be back in a few days.

“Mom, I’m back.”

“Keep your voice down, your sister is back, she’s sleeping.”

Xu’s mother came out of the kitchen and told Xu Di that Xu Mei was back.

“When did she get here?”

Xu Di lowered her voice and carried the bag into the kitchen.

“She got here this morning, she’s been on the train for several days, she’s exhausted.

What did you buy again? You’re always spending money, why don’t you save some.”

“I met someone selling roosters again, I thought my sister would be back in a few days, I’ll give her some good food. Who knows when I’ll meet them again next time.

I didn’t expect my sister to be back already.”

Xu Di was quite curious about this sister she had never met before, in the original owner’s memory, they didn’t have much interaction.

One grew up in the countryside until she was eight or nine years old, she came back a limited number of times during that period.

After coming back, they lived in different environments, their personalities were different, they basically didn’t play together.

“You’re thoughtful, your sister has been gone for two or three years, she won’t stay for long, who knows when she’ll come back next time.”

Xu’s mother felt sad when she thought about it, her beautiful daughter was rooted thousands of miles away.

What could Xu Di say? She couldn’t say anything.

This was created by the times, no one could change it.

It was the end of 1971, the college entrance exam wouldn’t be restored until 1977, if she said anything, everyone would think she was crazy, talking nonsense.

Xu Di didn’t want any accidents, she just wanted to live a good life, even if she couldn’t live to be a hundred years old, she wanted to live to be seventy or eighty.

Anyway, she didn’t want to die young, she wanted to live, to live a good life.

“Mom, Grandma Wang downstairs said my elder sister is back, is it true?”

Xu’s mother and Xu Di were whispering, Xu Jun slammed the door shut and shouted.

“You kid, you’re really asking for it, why are you shouting so loud? Your elder sister is sleeping.

What did the door do to you, you shut it so hard.”

Xu’s mother really wanted to beat Xu Jun, he was over ten years old, why was he so irresponsible.

“Mom, I’m awake.”

Xu Mei heard the voices in the living room, she got up and walked out.

“Elder sister, you really came back? Elder sister, you seem to have gotten darker, don’t be darker than Second Sister.”

Xu Jun looked at his elder sister who looked different, and blurted out the words that would get him beaten.

“Xu Jun, you’re really asking for it.”

“Mom, I was wrong, I was wrong, Elder Sister didn’t get darker, I did.”

Xu Jun hid behind his second sister, he didn’t want to get beaten.

“Mom, Xu Jun wasn’t wrong, I did get darker, the sun is stronger there.”

Xu Mei looked at her mother, then at Xu Di, she had grown up, she looked different.

“Elder sister, welcome home.”

“Ok, thank you, Xu Di.”

Xu Mei felt a little uncomfortable, if she hadn’t been so stubborn back then, wouldn’t she also have a decent job like Xu Di.

“Mom, I’ll go change my clothes, call me if you need anything.”

Xu Di hadn’t changed her clothes yet, it was just right, Xu Mei was awake, she went back to her room to change clothes.

Xu Jun also went back to his room, he was lucky, he almost got beaten.

Looking at the things on the other bed, Xu Di thought, luckily she had already organized all the things in her space, otherwise, she wouldn’t enter her space if they were sleeping in the same room.

She hung up her clothes and heard Xu’s father’s voice and Xu Mei’s muffled cries from the living room.

Xu Di didn’t go out, she let Xu Mei and her family have some quality time together, she still felt a little strange, she really wasn’t familiar with Xu Mei.

“Second sister, come eat.”

“I know, I’ll be right there.”

Xu Di put down the book in her hand and went out to eat.

Xu’s brother and his family were also back, they were talking to Xu Mei.

“Aunt, Little Aunt, eat.”

Xu Ping’an was holding a piece of mango jerky, he reached out to give Xu Di some.

“Ping’an, eat it yourself, Little Aunt doesn’t eat it.”

Xu Di thought, this nephew wasn’t in vain, he had delicious food and still remembered to give her a bite.

“Haha…”

Everyone laughed, Xu Di was a little confused.

“Second sister, Ping’an doesn’t like mango jerky, he’s already given some to everyone.”

Xu Jun forgot about getting beaten earlier, he was happy and clapping his hands, which made Xu Ping’an’s eyes turn red, his mouth pouted, he was about to cry.

Xu’s mother wanted to beat Xu Jun again, this child, he was always testing her patience.

“Ping’an, Little Aunt likes it, give it to Little Aunt. Let’s ignore your uncle, we’ll let grandma beat him later.”

“Ok, Little Aunt hug, beat him.”

Xu Ping’an reached out for Xu Di to hug him, he could understand good and bad words.

Xu Di took Ping’an, ate the mango jerky in his hand, the aunt and nephew huddled together, giggling.

Xu Jun also came over, which made Ping’an push him away.

Xu Mei looked at the three of them making a mess, she was a little envious.

The Xu family, finally, could enjoy a real reunion dinner.