Time Travel: The Queen's Coronation

We returned to our home in Gyeongju to pick up our two children, then drove to Seomju to catch a flight to the US, landing in Boston. It was so emotional; the last time we landed in the US was four years ago, when there were only two of us. Now there are four. We drove to our rented house, and when we arrived, Aunt Wang was already preparing dinner.

"You're here!" Aunt Wang came to the door to greet us.

"Sorry, Auntie, the plane is delayed," Rong Zixuan explained why we arrived later than the scheduled time.

"It doesn't matter. We made it in time for dinner. We should be thankful that we didn't arrive at night!" Aunt Wang didn't mind it and was very optimistic.

"Auntie, can you help me make two cups of milk? The child seems hungry," I said, looking at Jiashu who was crying in my arms.

"Okay, okay! I'll go right away!" Aunt Wang walked to the kitchen happily.

After drinking the milk, the two little ones calmed down. Seeing them drinking milk obediently, Aunt Wang looked at them with emotion and said, "What handsome children!"

"Auntie, we have two children. Do you know other Chinese nannies?" I asked Auntie Wang because I was worried that she couldn't handle it all by herself.

"Yes, we have local Chinese people working as nannies. Do you want to hire another one?"

"Yes, because I'm afraid you won't be able to take care of the two children. We also need to go to school in the future, so we might need more help at home."

"What are you talking about? I have five children and I take care of them all by myself."

"Aren't you afraid that you'll be too tired? Besides, two boys will be very tired."

"Boys should be more lively. Don't be afraid. I can handle it alone."

"But I'm worried that if you go out to buy groceries or cook, the child will wander around. I didn't think about this problem at the time, but I realized it now. And it seems that leaving children alone at home is illegal in the United States."

"That's true. I can take one child with me, but I'm not sure if I can take two with me."

"Are the other aunts you know free tomorrow?"

"How many do you want? There are three of them looking for jobs recently."

"So what about them?"

"They are all my fellow villagers. They came here when they were young or when they were old and brought their children. They don't have much education and don't speak English. They just come out to work as nannies when they are free at home. Not only can they take care of children but they can also earn money. At our age, we love to take care of children. We are so happy to see the cute children grow up slowly!" Aunt Wang became more and more excited as she spoke.

"Then ask them if they are willing to come here to work as nannies."

"Okay, I'll ask them to come over tomorrow."

Our first night in Boston, jet lag made it difficult to sleep. Looking out the window, the sky resembled that of home, yet it felt different. Gazing at the scenery and streets so different from those of my homeland, I knew I was truly abroad, not just dreaming. The next morning, I was still half asleep when Rong Zixuan woke me.

"Wife, wake up, wake up!" Rong Zixuan kept shaking me. I fell asleep very late last night and was still drowsy. I opened my heavy eyelids and answered weakly, "What are you doing! I went to bed very late last night, don't bother me!"

"Don't sleep anymore. We need to adjust to the time difference. It's daytime in the United States now. You need to get up." Rong Zixuan pulled me up. I washed up and went downstairs in a daze, but I was still groggy. Rong Zixuan covered my eyes and walked outside, then let go. "Your little shark!"

My eyes lit up. It was the "Baby Shark" I'd been dreaming of, and in my favorite blue. I ran to the front to examine it carefully. Its front was still so adorable, I really wanted to give it a kiss! That waistline, that touch, that shape! My love! I excitedly ran over and hugged Rong Zixuan.

"Thank you so much, dear!" She kissed him again.

"Wife, do you want to go for a few laps?"

"Let's go!" We excitedly got in the car and drove around a few times. We wanted to drive a few more times, but Aunt Wang called us back and said that the others had already arrived. We had to stop driving and got off the car reluctantly. I really like this "little shark"!

When we got home, the three aunts were already waiting for us. They stood up as soon as we came in.

"It's okay, it's okay, just sit down!" I said to them with a smile, then sat on the sofa and started chatting with them.

"My name is Yang Guifen. I have been here for eight years and have been working as a nanny for eight years. I am a good cook. When I was in China, I cooked for everyone in the cafeteria. I also passed the chef's certificate. This is my certificate." Aunt Yang showed us her chef's certificate after saying this.

"Aunt Yang, what does your child do?"

"My eldest son is an engineer, my eldest daughter-in-law is a teacher, my youngest son is an ordinary worker, and my youngest daughter-in-law is a waitress in a restaurant. My grandchildren can go to school by themselves, so I came out to find a job. I don't know how to cook delicious meals and I can't go back to my old job as a chef, so I came here to work as a nanny," Aunt Yang said happily.

"Your son's salary as an engineer should be quite high, right? Why don't you just stay home and enjoy your life? Instead, why do you have to go out and work?"

"I'm still strong, so I'll earn as much as I can! No one wants too much money!"

"You are so hardworking! If it were me, I would enjoy life with my children."

"Our generation is all like this. We don't like to be idle. We work as much as we can!"

I looked at the aunt in the middle again, "Auntie, what about you?"

"My name is Wu Qingyue. I've been here for more than 20 years. I came here with my husband when I was young. My husband is also an engineer and is now retired. My daughter works in a company and my son just graduated from medical school. My children are all in California, leaving my husband and me in Boston."

"Wow, you've been here for over 20 years. How's your English?"

"It's too difficult and too hard to learn! Besides, my husband and children just need to know it. I usually hang out in the Chinese community, and the Chinese community can meet all my needs, so I'm too lazy to learn it," Aunt Wu replied embarrassedly.

"What if you need to do something in English, such as go to the hospital?"

"I'll let my husband and children take the doctor. There are also doctors in the Chinese community. It's more convenient now with the development of technology. You can use translation software."

“You’re quite trendy.”

"My husband taught me," Aunt Wu said shyly.

"Well, okay." I looked at the last aunt.

"My name is Zhou Xiaomei. I used to work as a cleaner in a Chinese restaurant. I came here with my husband when I was young. My husband is now a worker. My three sons all work in companies. My second son is in Boston, my eldest son is in New York, and my youngest son is in Washington."

"Do you have grandchildren? Do they need you to take care of them?"

"My daughter-in-law and I are both full-time housewives who take care of the children at home, so I don't need to do that. Besides, we don't live with them, and we'll need money when we get old, so we're thinking of earning some money. My husband and I have been away from home for so long, and haven't been back many times in decades. So, I want to save some money and return to China with him. We all believe in returning to our roots!"

"Yeah, I understand the general situation. It seems that the three aunts are quite suitable to be nannies, so if you are willing to stay, please stay."

The three aunts looked at each other, and Aunt Wang asked, "Do you want one or all three?"

"If you all want to stay, you can take all three."

"Of course we do!" Aunt Zhou said excitedly, "The conditions you offer are very favorable. Of course we do. Do we start now?"

"Uh, is that okay?"

"Of course!" Aunt Yang stood up and started looking for work. "What do you need us to do now?"

"Auntie Wang, is there anything we need to do now?" I asked Auntie Wang.

"I haven't bought any groceries yet, and I still need to mow the lawn in front of my house. I haven't even swept the floor yet."

"Then Aunt Wang, you came here first and know more about it. You can make the arrangements!"

"okay!"

Aunt Wang assigned tasks to the three aunts, and the lively house suddenly became deserted. At this time, the two little ones upstairs were crying. They should have woken up, so I hurried upstairs to check.