Cheng Qing walked Old Lady Cheng back home, pointing out the surroundings to her along the way, "Mom, look, this is the cafeteria. A little further down the road is a small park with a rockery inside! Then across the road is Yangyang's kindergarten."
Old Mrs. Cheng asked, "It's such a large area. Is it safe?"
Cheng Qing smiled and said, "It's safe. There are soldiers on duty at the gate. Besides, I pick up Yangyang every day, so don't worry. And Yangyang is smart. He has been in kindergarten for three years without walking with anyone else. I suddenly heard it today and thought he said something wrong. Who knew he saw you... The photos in the family album were not in vain. He was able to recognize grandma."
Old Mrs. Cheng smiled like a flower, and kept touching Mi Yang's little face. She held his hand and said, "My dear, grandma brought you a lot of delicious food. I'll give it to you when I get home."
Cheng Qing deliberately said: "Mom, you are thinking about him, what about me?"
Old Mrs. Cheng was amused: "You are already a mother, why are you still fighting with a child?"
Cheng Qing smiled and said, "That depends on who you are in front of. My biological mother is here, so I can't fight for it?"
Old Madam Cheng said, "Yes, I will spoil both of you, haha."
When they got home, Cheng Qing found a set of clothes for the old lady to change into, washed and dried her clothes quickly, and chatted with the old lady while doing housework. When the old lady Cheng wanted to help, Cheng Qing pushed her aside and said to her, "You play with Yangyang, and let him take you to see the new treasure in the house."
Mi Yang took the old lady's hand and let her sit on the only rattan sofa in the house. He patted the armrest and said, "Grandma, look, this is what my dad saved up for a year to buy. Try it. The sofa is very soft. It can be opened and you can put things underneath... All the books my dad is reviewing are here."
After Mi Zehai was admitted to the military academy, he couldn't bear to throw away those books, especially the red hardcover military theory book. He wrapped it up and kept it like a treasure. There was no furniture in his house, and this was the only thing that could be used for storage, and it was placed well inside.
Old Mrs. Cheng sat on the sofa, looking at Mi Yang as if he were a little adult and poured him a glass of water. She couldn't help but follow him to look at the coffee table. It was a black lacquered leather coffee table, polished to a shine, but probably because it had been used for a long time, there were traces of paint peeling on the four legs of the coffee table, revealing a few pieces of the original wood inside, which looked a bit abrupt.
The old lady couldn't help but watch while drinking water.
Cheng Qing wiped his hands and came over. Seeing her eyes on the coffee table, he said, "Mom, please don't laugh at me. This is an old coffee table that Mi Yang's father bought at the second-hand market. We will use it for two years. Mi Yang will go to elementary school soon, and there are many miscellaneous expenses. We want to save some money."
Old Mrs. Cheng felt distressed and sighed, "I thought you had the best life, but now look at your sisters at home, they all have more things than you. When Cheng Chun got married, he even bought a washing machine, but you still wash your clothes by hand."
Cheng Qing smiled and said, "It's okay, my hands are clean."
Old Mrs. Cheng touched her eldest daughter's head, her eyes full of pity. Cheng Qing comforted her in return, "They all joined the army because they were poor. They didn't plan to live the life of a rich wife when they found a soldier. Now Mi Yang's father is quite hardworking. He was promoted to a higher level after being admitted to the military academy. He can wait until he has enough experience and then retire and go back to civilian work."
Old Madam Cheng nodded and said, "It's good that you have made your plans. If you need any help, just ask. I have some money here. Take it if you need it."
Cheng Qing shook his head and said, "No, we have saved some money, so don't worry about it."
Soldiers' salaries were not high these days. Although Cheng Qing, a family member of a military dependent, had found a job, he was also a nurse in a hospital with only one or two years of work experience. He lived very tightly on a salary of a hundred yuan or so, and he really saved every penny to provide food and clothing for his family.
Old Mrs. Cheng asked, "Are you still in the hospital?"
Cheng Qing said: "Yes, I am preparing for the nursing exam. The exam will be in a few months. I am reviewing and preparing now."
Old Mrs. Cheng said quickly, "Don't worry about the housework. Just study hard while I'm here. I'll do the housework."
Mi Yang also missed the old lady's cooking a little bit, so he went over and leaned in her arms and said, "Grandma, I want to eat your... the sweet and sour fish on TV, the one with more syrup." He took back half of his words and almost let it slip.
The old lady hugged him and kissed him, then said with a smile, "Okay."
When Mi Zehai came back in the evening, there were already several dishes on the table, all of which were from their hometown. Old Mrs. Cheng also brought braised wild rabbits and whole chickens, which are considered the specialties of Shanhai Town. The whole wild rabbits and chickens must be cooked together in a jar and then added with a secret marinade to taste good enough. Mi Yang and his father both like to eat this, and they eat it very deliciously. Mi Yang ate a big chicken drumstick by himself, and his little mouth was shiny with oil.
Old Madam Cheng cut up half a rabbit and a chicken, put them on a plate and said, "Do you want to send some to the Bai family as well?"
Cheng Qing was a little hesitant, but Mi Yang had already finished eating and wiped his hands. He took it openly and said, "Grandma, I'm full. I'll take it back!"
Mi Yang carried the plate all the way to Bai Luochuan's house. After knocking on the door, his nanny came to open the door. Seeing him, she was very familiar with him and brought him a pair of slippers. She smiled and said, "Yangyang is here? Do you want to eat here tonight?"
Mi Yang shook his head and said, "I've already eaten it, Auntie, this is what my grandma brought from home..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard footsteps approaching from afar on the second floor. Bai Luochuan's figure soon appeared. His voice was faster than the person, and he said happily: "Mi Yang, I knew you would come to play with me tonight!"
The old man behind him said in a low voice, but one could also hear his love for the child, and said with a smile: "Slow down, Luochuan, go up the stairs slowly."
Bai Luochuan didn't listen, and jumped down the last two or three steps in one step, rushing over to hug Mi Yang, frightened Mi Yang and raised the plate high, saying: "No, there's oil!"
Bai Luochuan finally steadied his steps, looked up at the plate in his hand, and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Mi Yang said: "My grandma brought some stewed food, rabbit and chicken."
When Mr. Bai, who followed him, heard it, he twitched his nose and said, "Oh, this smell is a bit familiar, Yangyang, is this from Shanhai Town?"
Mi Yang didn't have many opportunities to see this great leader, but he could meet him once or twice a month. He was no stranger to Mr. Bai and nodded, "Yes, Grandpa, my family asked me to send some over to your house to try."
Old Master Bai was very happy and waved for him to bring it over. The nanny saw this and quickly went to get two pairs of chopsticks and let the old man and the young master eat first. It was the first time that Bai Luochuan saw a rabbit. He took a look at the black meat and didn't dare to touch it. He just picked up a chicken wing and ate it.
Mr. Bai was not as particular as he was. He washed his hands and tore off a rabbit leg to eat. After taking two bites, he nodded and praised repeatedly: "This is the taste. It's been so many years. I haven't tasted it for a long time. It's just a little salty... Xiao Wu, go and get me a bowl of rice!"
When the nanny heard it, she hurried over and brought not only two bowls of rice, but also a pot of water.
Bai Luochuan ate two bites by himself, not very much, and imitated his grandfather to tear off strips of meat and try to feed Mi Yang. Mi Yang shook his head and said, "I've eaten at home, a whole chicken leg. This one is specially salted so it won't go bad on the road. I'll just drink some water."
Bai Luochuan then started to eat, and after taking a few bites he whispered to Mi Yang to pour him some water.
Mi Yang was in a good mood. He poured him some water and got him some tissues. When he looked down, he saw that Young Master Bai had started kicking his feet again, swaying them happily.
Mr. Bai was tall, a northern man who was over 1.8 meters tall. Even at his age, he still looked quite imposing. In the time it took him to finish a rabbit leg, he ate a few mouthfuls of rice, and then tore off a piece of chicken leg and continued to eat, saying, "This is not a domesticated roe. The meat is really chewy."
Mi Yang said: "My grandma said it was a stupid chicken raised in the mountains. My family has an orchard and raised quite a few. If grandpa likes to eat it, you can come to my house next time."
Mr. Bai nodded and said, "That's a good idea. When grandpa passes away, we must go to Yangyang's house to eat more."
Mi Yang was happy and said, "Then I will definitely tell my grandma to put less salt."
Mr. Bai also laughed.
Bai Luochuan sat aside with a frown on his face, then moved closer to Mi Yang and asked him in a low voice, "Mi Yang, are the chickens in your family still divided into dumb ones and not dumb ones?"
Mi Yang said: "Ah?"
Bai Luochuan was already lost in his own imagination, with a strange expression on his face: "Are all the stupid ones caught and eaten, while the smart ones stay on the mountain?"
Mi Yang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said: "No, it's just a saying, just like the country eggs that Aunt Wu bought, stupid chicken means country chicken."
Bai Luochuan finally understood and continued to eat his chicken wings with a bit of embarrassment.