Double Life: My whole world is you

Cheng Qiao and her grandmother stood at the entrance of Chengliang Bay and watched her aunt disappear into the mountains. Cheng Qiao supported her grandmother and said, "Grandma, let's go back."

"Okay." Grandma slowly turned around and walked back with her other hand leaning on the stick. Although the snow was shoveled on both sides of the road, the weather was sunny and the temperature was warming, so the snow on both sides of the road was melting. The road was mixed with mud, ice and water. Although both of them were wearing rain boots, the road was slippery, so they had to be careful with every step...

When they got home, both sides were finishing up their work. Grandma helped them pack the fried and roasted food. All the food was divided into three portions, one for the eldest uncle's family and one for the younger uncle's family. Grandma kept one portion. Cheng Qiao helped grandma move the food into the room where they slept. Looking at the full boxes of snacks and everyone's lively day, Cheng Qiao also felt the long-lost joy of the New Year. Grandma took a lot of plastic bags and divided the snacks in the room into two portions. "Your mother should be back tomorrow. You can take these back."

Cheng Qiao remembered the custom here. Married daughters cannot celebrate the New Year at home. Cheng Ma comes back two days before the New Year every year and stays for four or five days. She comes back on the fourth day of the New Year. Cheng Qiao looks at her grandmother filling a large basket with food. She quickly says, "Grandma, let's take less back. We won't be able to eat much in a few days."

"Silly child, there are still guests coming and going during the New Year." Grandma handed her the thermos bottle and said, "It's still early today and there's plenty of hot water. Go wash your hair and take a bath. You have to go back tomorrow as soon as your mother comes back after dinner."

Cheng Qiao took the thermos and sighed softly, "There are no guests at my house."

When Cheng Qiao finished washing her hair and returned to the room to dry it with a towel, her grandmother had already rubbed her clothes. When she saw Cheng Qiao coming in, she quickly stood up and took an unused top to help her tie it around her chest, and handed her a dry towel, "It's cold now, and your hair will dry slowly, so wipe it more."

Cheng Qiao took the dry towel and said helplessly, "Grandma, why did you wash my clothes again? I don't go to school, I can wash them myself."

"You can't wash as clean as I do." Grandma smiled and said as she wrung out the clothes, "The cuffs of the clothes you washed a few days ago were not even clean."

"I washed quickly because I was afraid you would rush to wash the clothes." Cheng Qiao muttered a few words, put down the towel and followed her grandmother to wring out the clothes. She then picked up the bucket and said, "Grandma, I'll go to the well to wash them myself." (Note: When there was no washing machine, the first wash was with detergent, and then washed two or three times with clean water)

"You kid, grandma can still move now." Grandma followed her helplessly, "You have time to read more books."

Cheng Qiao came to the well with the bucket, then quickly returned to the room, took the 90-centimeter round basin to empty it, and then went to the well to empty the clothes in the bucket to wash. When she was done, it was almost five o'clock. Grandma asked, "Can you eat tonight?"

Cheng Qiao quickly shook her head, and her grandmother handed her a glass bottle of hot water, "Then drink some sugar water and eat some rice soup at night."

After saying that, she busied herself with taking two cups of sugar water, and then grabbed a bowl of rice soup from a plastic bag beside her. Rice soup is a kind of fried rice, which is crispy and delicious.

Cheng Qiao sat next to her grandmother, eating fried rice and drinking sugar water, with a happy smile on her face. Her grandmother soaked the rice in sugar water until it softened and drank it slowly. Everything was warm and beautiful. Cheng Qiao said softly, "Grandma, sometimes I hope I won't grow up, but I hope you won't grow old and I can stay with you forever."

"Silly child, everyone will grow old and die." Grandma put down the cup in her hand, her eyes a little cloudy, "I have lived for more than 70 years, and the days ahead are all earned. I hope that you, the younger generation, can live in peace, health, and everything goes well. Then I will be blessed to be alive."

"Grandma, everything will be better and better for everyone." Cheng Qiao held her grandmother's arm and said coquettishly, "An old person in the family is like a treasure."

Grandma went to sleep after eating the rice. She was used to working from dawn to dusk. Cheng Qiao took the calligraphy sticker and practiced writing. Her hair was still half dry after practicing. She took out the political winter vacation homework and started to do it. When she was writing on page 12, her grandmother's voice rang out, "What time is it? Why haven't you slept yet?"

Cheng Qiao looked at the time and saw that it was eight or nine o'clock. She touched her hair and found that it was not completely dry but almost dry. She quickly put away her homework and said, "Grandma, I'm going to bed right away."

I just lay in bed and couldn't fall asleep. I was looking forward to seeing my mother and brother tomorrow. I had been back for four or five months, and I had only seen my mother once when Sister Hong got married. I hadn't seen my brother yet. In my memory, my brother was thin, short and ugly when he was young. What did my eleven-year-old brother look like? Cheng Qiao thought curiously and fell asleep unconsciously...

When Cheng Qiao opened her eyes again, the sky was bright and her grandmother had gotten up. Cheng Qiao looked at the time and it was already seven o'clock. She stretched and got up timidly. It was really cold! She put on a set of autumn clothes and autumn pants, and then put on a warm coat on top, a sweater, a vest, and finally the yellow cotton jacket. In addition to autumn pants, she put on a pair of warm pants and a pair of jeans. She also put on two pairs of socks and the warm shoes knitted by her aunt. After she finished washing, her cousins ​​also got up one after another, and the adults had been busy for a while. Today is December 12th of the lunar calendar, waiting for her mother to come back to eat the New Year's dinner together.

In the morning, grandma helped my aunt-in-law cook a big pot of noodles. She served Yingying the first dish. "Happy birthday to our baby Yingying. May you be safe and sound, and grow up healthy, smart and happy."

"Thank you, grandma." Yingying happily took the noodles, "Wow, there are also eggs and ham sausage."

"I also wish our Yingying will become more and more beautiful." Cheng Qiao also smiled and joined everyone in the blessings. Today is Yingying's fourth birthday.

After breakfast, the adults started to get busy again. Cheng Qiao played hide-and-seek with her cousins ​​in the yard until the adults prepared all the food. Then her aunt asked her grandmother, "Mom, should we start cooking now?"

Grandma leaned on her wooden stick and looked toward the back door. Seeing that Cheng Ma was not there yet, she said softly, "Normally she would be home early at this time."

"The roads are difficult to travel this year. They probably won't have a car to get back from Lijiazhuang," said my uncle.

"That's right, this road is not easy to drive on." said my uncle.

"Then let's wait a little longer and start after your fourth sister comes back." After grandma expressed her opinion, no one said anything.

By half past ten, there was still no sign of Cheng Ma. My uncle got up and prepared to ride his motorcycle to Lijiazhuang to pick up Cheng Ma. My grandmother quickly got up and held him back, "Riding a motorcycle is too dangerous. Let's wait a little longer."

Cheng Qiao waited anxiously with everyone else. It was indeed inconvenient at this time, with no car or mobile phone, but she was not worried. Nothing happened in her memory. Finally, when it was almost eleven o'clock, the clear voice of a boy came from afar, "Grandma, we are back."