Siheyuan: Big City, Small Love

On New Year’s Eve, the dining table is filled with a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner, with a set of exquisite bowls and chopsticks placed in the most conspicuous position.

Wu Juan sat at the table, looking at her son with loving eyes. She kept busy with her chopsticks, picking up all kinds of delicious dishes and putting them into her son's bowl. She earnestly urged him, "Eat more!"

Although she usually spends more time taking care of Xiao Yushui, and her child is becoming more and more sensible and well-behaved, rarely causing her any worries, deep down she still wants her child to know that she loves him forever.

She hopes that this will make He Lai understand that no matter when or where, his mother's love will never change.

He Lai felt his mother's care and concern, and from time to time he used chopsticks to pick up food for his mother and praised how delicious each dish was.

The mother and son cared for each other, passed food to each other, and tried to create a strong and warm New Year atmosphere.

Their faces were filled with happy smiles, as if they wanted to incorporate all the good emotions and blessings of the year into this reunion dinner.

The New Year's Eve dinner was over. He Lai received the New Year's money from Wu Juan, dressed up and went out to look for Sha Zhu and the others.

Sha Zhu and Yu Shui were already playing with firecrackers over there. Yu Shui ran over to He Lai and spread his hands, "Come on, brother, Happy New Year!"

"What's going on? Shouldn't we celebrate the New Year? And I'm just a child! It's all my fault for acting so grown-up. What a sin!"

"Here, take it, give it to my sister Yu Shui as a New Year's gift!" He Lai couldn't help but ruffle Yu Shui's hair. Yu Shui immediately resisted and ran back to Sha Zhu, asking her brother to help her get revenge.

Unfortunately, Shazhu didn't care at all and was still lighting firecrackers.

The sound of firecrackers resounded throughout the city, heralding the arrival of the new year.

Wu Juan held He Lai in her arms and began to stay up all night on the bed. Wu Juan told He Lai what she said, mostly interesting things about He Lai's childhood, from a tiny baby to the present.

He Lai also fell asleep amidst the chattering, and the New Year's Eve keeping was left to his mother, after all, his health couldn't take it anymore.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, He Daqing brought Yu Shui and Sha Zhu over, and they bowed to wish He Lai a happy new year. He Daqing also gave He Lai a big red envelope.

After chatting for a while, he gave the rain water to Wu Juan and took Sha Zhu out to visit Sha Zhu's master.

The two little ones were very happy, wearing new clothes from head to toe, and started to greet the New Year and receive red envelopes hand in hand in the yard. The neighbors were also very considerate and gave red envelopes one after another. Most of them liked the two little ones very much and would take them home to be with them.

Time passed quickly, and the two kids were counting their gains in the house. The two little money-loving people had their own small treasury, especially He Lai, who was often confiscated by Wu Juan. However, there are always more solutions than problems, and their money-hiding techniques are getting better and better.

In the afternoon, Sha Zhu and his friend came back, and He Daqing also took Yu Shui away.

Wu Juan will also go back to her hometown in the countryside to visit her parents tomorrow. Fortunately, the two families are from the same village, Hejia Village.

I was packing my things, mainly bringing more food.

When we set out on the morning of the second day of the Chinese New Year and arrived at Hejia Village, it was almost morning. The villagers also saw Wu Juan and her son, and they all greeted and welcomed them. After all, Wu Juan was successful now and was living in the city.

When I got to the door, I saw the two elders. "Dad, Mom, I brought my son to see you two."

"Grandpa, grandma," He Lai also shouted.

"You've suffered a lot." The old lady of the He family pulled Wu Juan into the inner room.

"Come here, my little Laizi, let grandpa hold you." Grandpa He was also very strong. He picked up little Laizi and walked into the yard.

He kicked the eldest and second sons of the He family next to him and said, "What are you all standing there for? Go get your things and wait for the old man to get them!"

The He family has three sons. The eldest and second sons are genuine farmers, while the youngest son, He Zhan, joined the army.

The old man did not say a word to his youngest son's return to the army to fight on the battlefield, and he fully agreed with his son's dedication to the people and his own government.

Therefore, the old man loves his grandson very much and dotes on him as the only son of his mistress.

After laughing for a while, Wu Juan came out and took her son to her grandmother's house.

As soon as Wu Juan arrived at the courtyard, she saw her parents already standing by the door. Her grandmother hugged Wu Juan with tears on her face. She kept talking about the poor child. After all, He Zhan joined the army less than a year after getting married. After a two-year break, he died again.

If they didn’t already have a grandson named Xiao Laizi, the He family would not have treated their daughter badly. They would have married her long ago. It seems that she couldn’t have remarried at that time. Anyway, they would have taken the daughter back home long ago.

The Wu family has a son, Wu Shui, and a daughter, Wu Juan.

The old man of the Wu family also picked up Xiao Laizi, and he was very fond of him. After all, he hadn't seen him for more than two years. He usually only came to see him during the Chinese New Year. The little guy he had watched for more than five years had grown taller again.

The old lady of the Wu family was talking to Wu Juan, and the old man of the Wu family was listening with Xiao Laizi in his arms. He was also shocked to hear that his daughter was now working in the steel mill. It was different when she entered the city, and she could eat public grain.

Soon, Wu Juan said that she had to go back to work tomorrow, and Xiao Laizi would stay at her grandparents' house for a few days and she would come back to pick her up when the time came. The old lady of the Wu family had no choice, she didn't expect that the factory was so busy, and her daughter had to go to work during the Chinese New Year.

Get up quickly, kill an old hen, stew a table of dishes, and have a good meal first.

Fortunately, He Lai traveled through time and integrated the memories of his previous life. He became happy when hearing the calls of his grandma and grandpa.

When I returned to the He family in the afternoon, the old lady of the He family was also busy killing chickens, and the old man of the He family was helping to light the fire.

My eldest and second uncles have separated and built houses next door.

At the dinner table, the families of my eldest uncle and second uncle were all present. My eldest uncle had two sons and a daughter, and my second uncle also had two daughters and a son.

The seven children were eating happily, and their grandmother helped to look after them.

The old man of the He family invited everyone to eat.

"Juan, it's my He family who let you go after five years." The old man was helpless. After all, the Wu family didn't show any respect to his family when they met in the village, and let his daughter live a widow. After five years of waiting once, she had to wait again!

Wu Juan also shook her head helplessly, indicating that she was fine.

After dinner, Wu Juan took He Lai to clean up the room they had lived in before. Everything was still the same as before. She and her son had slept here for five years.

Wu Juan touched the edge of the bed and thought about her past. She spent her days and nights facing the sympathetic gazes of the whole village. What could she do?

After cleaning up everything, Wu Juan sat gently beside the bed, looking at the sleeping child, her eyes full of tenderness and love.

She turned around and said to her grandparents, "Mom and Dad, I want to keep Xiao Laizi here for a while and take him back when school is about to start."

After hearing this, the old man of the He family nodded repeatedly to show his agreement, and comforted her, "Don't worry about leaving the child to us! We will definitely take good care of him."

Soon, the room became quiet, with only the sound of breathing. Wu Juan gently stroked the child's hair, feeling the tranquility and warmth.

Gradually, she felt a little sleepy, so she lay down slowly and hugged the child tightly in her arms. After a while, the mother and child fell asleep in each other's arms and entered a sweet dream.