Starting a new chapter in life

The two let go of each other's hands and stepped forward to hold their grandmother's arms on either side. Jingyan said coquettishly, "Of course I miss Grandma."

The old lady smiled broadly, her face crinkling with wrinkles, and kept saying "good." Just then, the music stopped, and the other elderly people came over: "Old Cheng, is this your younger relative?"

The nursing home has always been relatively quiet. During that special period, many families with children were forced to separate. Although it has passed now, not many were able to return to the city immediately. Therefore, there are not many younger relatives who can visit the elderly regularly. Even fewer people like Grandma have frequent visitors. So, everyone's enthusiasm is tinged with a bit of envy.

Grandma smiled so much her eyes narrowed: "Yes, this is my grandson and granddaughter-in-law. My grandson used to be a technician in the Production and Construction Corps in Northeast China. They just came back because of the college entrance exam."

"Oh my, you're returning to the city after taking the college entrance exam? That's the most impressive way to get back! Old lady, you've really brought honor to the family." The other elderly people exclaimed in admiration. This is truly something to be envied.

Grandma's eyes narrowed with laughter, and she grabbed one of the two people's hands with each of them: "Come on, let's go back to the house with Grandma."

The two politely said goodbye to everyone: "Goodbye, grandpas and grandmas."

The elderly people happily agreed repeatedly. After watching them go upstairs and into the house, they prepared to continue dancing for a while. The weather was sunny and the temperature was just right, so it would be a waste not to get some exercise outside.

Once inside, Grandma let go of He Zhijun's hand, pulled Jingyan to sit on the edge of the bed, and pointed to a small sofa opposite the bed, saying to He Zhijun, "You can sit there."

The two of them were seated, and Grandma asked with a smile, "So, what's up? Why are you here at this hour? Shouldn't Xiaojun be starting school?"

He Zhijun nodded: "It's been about half a month since school started. Jingyan was the one who took me there when I registered."

"So, it's been several years since you left school. Is there anything different about going to university this time?" As soon as Grandma asked this question, He Zhijun had something to say. He told Grandma about the occasional funny incidents that teachers and students had made because of dialect issues since the start of the semester, as well as the white glove incident at the dance. The old lady was amused and laughed heartily.

After laughing for a while, Jingyan said, "Grandma, the house has been renovated. Two kang beds have been built in the two rooms on the first floor, so we can sleep warmly in the winter. If you've never been to the North, you've never slept so comfortably. It's so relaxing. We also built a bathroom. The kitchen has the kind of stove from my hometown, and the stews smell amazing. Why don't you come back with us? I'll be there to keep you company, so you won't be lonely."

Grandma smiled kindly: "I don't plan to go back for now. You two should enjoy some time alone. Once you have a child, it will be hard to find peace and quiet again. When you get pregnant and your belly gets big, Xiaojun will come to pick up Grandma. Although Grandma can't help much, she can help keep an eye on things and go out to find someone when it's time to give birth."

The young couple tried to persuade Grandma for a long time, but to no avail. They had no choice but to back down. He Zhijun said, "How about we take Grandma out to a restaurant for a meal?"

The grandmother didn't refuse and asked them to wait outside while she changed her clothes. Jingyan was bewildered as He Zhijun led her out of the house. Facing the closed door, she asked He Zhijun, "Grandma's clothes are fine, why do you need to change?"

He Zhijun explained gently, “Grandma was a lady from a respectable family, and she always valued refinement. Even when resources were scarce, she still maintained a certain level of sophistication. I remember her telling me when I was little that at home, she would wear comfortable clothes, like loungewear, but when she went out, she would change into something different. This was a sign of respect for others and also to make herself feel better.”

“But Grandma’s outfit isn’t suitable for sleeping either,” Jingyan said, puzzled. “Home clothes are just pajamas, and I know that people who are particular about their appearance change into pajamas before sleeping. Unlike us, we just sleep in our shirts and underpants.”

He Zhijun's voice was magnetic: "Home wear isn't the same as pajamas. Grandma's pajamas are either 100% cotton or silk, and they're very loose, so comfort is the main priority. Home wear is for wearing at home; if you're not too particular, then it's clothing you can wear out."

The only difference is that the style isn't as fashionable as the clothes for going out. Otherwise, there's no difference. I don't care much about what's appropriate for loungewear and what's appropriate for going out. These days, only Grandma in our family still keeps these kinds of clothes.

Jingyan nodded in understanding. As the two were talking, the door opened, and her grandmother was wearing a dark red corduroy long-sleeved cheongsam with a fur collar. She looked both flattering and warm, and Jingyan was momentarily stunned.

Grandma was even happier to see her reaction: "Seeing Jingyan like this reminds me of the first time I met your grandfather. He looked at me like this too. How is it? Pretty, right?"

After regaining her senses, Jingyan nodded repeatedly: "Beautiful, Grandma is so pretty."

Grandma touched her neatly styled bun with a demure air and smiled, "I'm getting old. When I was young, I had so much hair, so long and shiny black. I could easily braid it or put it in a bun. But now my hair is thinning and I can't grow it any longer. I can only put it in a simple bun. Anything more complicated is too much."

After saying that, she lifted her foot to go downstairs, but Jingyan quickly took her arm and walked with her: "Grandma, can you teach me how to do this kind of hairstyling later? You see, I have a lot of hair now, but I'm clumsy. I can only braid a simple pigtail, and I don't know how to do anything else."

Grandma chuckled and agreed, "Okay, I'll teach you when I have time. It's not difficult. Have you been practicing your calligraphy lately? Diligence leads to mastery, while idleness leads to ruin. Don't underestimate calligraphy practice; if you don't practice for ten days or half a month, your skills will become quite rusty. You can't afford to be idle."

Jingyan replied with a smile, "Except for the time when the house was being renovated, I've been practicing calligraphy all the time. I think my handwriting is much better than before. How about I copy a Buddhist scripture for Grandma so you can check my homework?"

"We don't need Buddhist scriptures, I don't believe in them. If you're willing, you could copy the Hundred Family Surnames or the Three Character Classic. If you write them well, they can be useful for your child's early education."

Jing Yan looked completely bewildered: "Then I'll go back to the bookstore and see if I can find it?"

Grandma shook her head: "Xiaojun, write home later and ask your mother to send over some children's primers from your father's study. Once your wife has copied them, you can check them and send them back. The set you have is the one your father copied when he was young."

"You copied all the books in the house yourself?" Jing Yan was on the verge of tears.

"How could that be? It's just commonly used primers and books that aren't commonly found outside. If we come across them, we'll borrow them and copy them. If we had to copy all the books in the house ourselves, our hands would be ruined." Grandma laughed even more happily.

He Zhijun said with a smile, "When we were young, we used the books at home to learn. I was very naughty back then. My older brother used the book that my dad copied. By the time I used it, it was almost torn to shreds. Now the books in our house are copied by my grandma. Now that you're copying them, even if our kids are a bit naughty and they tear something, I'll copy it to replace it. Don't worry."

Jing Yan... she wasn't worried at all, but this was the first time she had directly faced such a scholarly family with a long tradition. The books were all handwritten copies from generation to generation, which was really high-class, wasn't it?

As they spoke, their legs didn't stop, and they finally arrived at the state-run restaurant. Before entering, Jingyan couldn't help but glance at a steamed bun shop not far from the restaurant. Could they start opening a shop at this time? Suppressing this question in her heart, the group entered the restaurant.

It's too late to eat lunch now, and a bit early to eat dinner, so there aren't many people in the restaurant. The three of them chose an empty table, and He Zhijun was about to order when his grandmother instructed him, "Give me a plate of braised pork, and you can order the rest yourself."

He Zhijun nodded and patted Jing Yan's shoulder: "You stay here with Grandma."

Jingyan nodded, and he went to the cashier to order.

He came back shortly after, sat down and said, "I only ordered four dishes. Jingyan and I aren't used to the local food. Grandma will be full after we get home, and we'll cook for ourselves."

Grandma smiled and nodded: "Okay~, it's true that after being away for three years, you don't know your way around when you come back. Your tastes have changed quite a bit in the past few years, but it's not a big deal. As long as you can cook it yourself, it's fine."

"Grandma, next time we come to visit you, we'll make you the braised pork ribs and dumplings that Chef Lin from our canteen taught me when I was in the Great Northern Wilderness. Please try them and see if you like them," Jingyan recommended to her grandmother.

"Yes, Grandma, you don't know, in the Great Northern Wilderness, there's a big market in our city that's held once a month. It's for the local people to bring out their produce to exchange for money or goods. Jingyan not only supported her family by selling braised pork ribs, but also saved up over a thousand yuan with my allowance. That business is pretty good." He Zhijun also boasted.

Grandma's eyes widened: "You can earn so much just once a month? Where did you get so much meat?" At that moment, Grandma inexplicably felt a childlike curiosity.

"Jingyan is amazing. She gets along well with everyone in our cafeteria. When she got to Jiang City, the cafeteria didn't need so many people, so she volunteered to quit. Not only did Chef Lin teach her how to braise pork ribs before she left, but Sister Liu from the cafeteria also helped her find a way to get meat without ration coupons. That's why she was able to make this business successful." He Zhijun continued to boast, making Jingyan feel embarrassed.

Jingyan interrupted his boasting: "I just saw a steamed bun shop that opened not far from here. I don't know if it's privately owned. If it's really possible to open your own shop, I'd like to open a barbecue restaurant too, but I'll still have to find a source of meat and stuff."

He Zhijun thought for a moment and said, "We don't have easy access to information right now. I'll write a letter to my parents later and ask them to help me find out. If there's a real relaxation in the policy, then we can consider this matter. Safety and stability should be our top priorities."

Jingyan also felt that this matter couldn't be rushed, so she nodded. Just then, the food counter started calling out orders, and He Zhijun quickly took the number to get his food.

“I’ll ask around when I get back. Don’t be fooled by how closed off the sanatorium seems; there are actually a lot of people there with connections. The information they get is much more accurate than what you get through other channels,” Grandma whispered to Jingyan as He Zhijun walked away.

Jingyan nodded happily, "Thank you, Grandma. You're the best to me."

These words made the old lady even happier. When the food was served, she ate a full bowl of rice, which was much more than usual. Of course, she also tragically ate until she was stuffed.

The couple accompanied the grandmother for a stroll, taking a look at what had changed. And indeed, upon closer inspection, there were some differences. The grandmother pointed to a stall with a strong sense of thievery in the alleyway and said:

“These kinds of stalls never existed before. Now they exist, but they seem to be set up secretly. It’s better if they don’t get caught. If they do, they’ll be fined to death. We don’t lack food and drink, so there’s no need to take such a big risk.”

"Well, I can't run this kind of stall either. Don't let my strong appearance fool you, I admit I can't run fast. I can manage to exert my strength, but I really can't go fast." Jing Yan had a clear understanding of herself.

Grandma disagreed: "You look healthy and lucky. Other girls are all thin and weak, like they could be blown away by the wind. They don't look lucky. You are chubby and pretty."

Jing Yan... "Is it because the older generation has a different aesthetic sense than us?" she asked He Zhijun quietly.

He Zhijun took her hand and compared it to his own. "Yes, they're about the same size." He said, "You look good like this. You're tall, and if you had a small frame, it would look disproportionate."

Jingyan was comforted: "If you think it looks good, that's fine."

Grandma was in a good mood seeing the young couple's affection. After walking around twice, Grandma was a little tired. "Let's go back. I don't feel full anymore. I'm a little sleepy."

He Zhijun stood in front of his grandmother, bent down and said, "Grandma, come on, I'll carry you back."

Grandma looked at his back and patted it gently: "Even if I'm tired, I'm not so tired that I can't walk. You don't need to carry me."

“Grandma, I’m all grown up now. You’re so thin, it’s easy for me to carry you. With your grandson here, how could you get tired over just a few steps? Come on, get on.” He Zhijun insisted.

Jingyan also advised, "Grandma, just let him carry you. When he gets tired, I can take over. I'm quite big, so carrying you is easy for me."

Grandma smiled happily, hesitated for a moment and then stopped insisting. With Jingyan's help, she slowly leaned on He Zhijun's back. He Zhijun held onto Grandma's legs with both hands, stood up and lifted her up a little: "Grandma, you're too thin."

Grandma lay on him and patted his shoulder: "Xiaojun has grown up. I was only ever carried on your grandfather's back before, when we had just gotten married. In those days, men and women didn't even dare to hold hands in public, for fear of gossip. Only your grandfather didn't care about these things. He carried me home, and even if others pointed and whispered, I felt happy."