Bai Luochuan asked him: "When are we leaving?"
Mi Yang said: "I bought a train ticket for tomorrow morning."
The incident happened too suddenly. Bai Luochuan was not prepared at all and looked a little flustered, but he quickly calmed down and nodded, "Okay, I understand. Go ahead."
Mi Yang took two steps and turned to look at him. As expected, he saw the young master standing at the door without moving. He turned back and hugged Young Master Bai, patted his shoulder and said, "I'll be back soon."
Bai Luochuan hummed, still looking very depressed.
Mi Yang went back to pack his things. Cheng Qing didn't bring him extra clothes. The Cheng family also lived in Shanhai Town. Not to mention Mrs. Cheng, her three aunts prepared a lot of clothes for Mi Yang every year, so he didn't bring extra clothes. But Mi Yang misunderstood. He thought that he didn't bring extra clothes because he was staying for a short time, and he didn't worry too much.
When Mi Yang was about to go out the next day, he saw a small schoolbag hanging at the door of his house. He opened it and took a look. It was full of his favorite snacks, and there was also a small water cup with a green frog. He knew without asking that it must have been sent by Bai Luochuan.
The small schoolbag looked wet in one place by the dew. It must have been hanging there for quite a long time. It must have been delivered last night.
Mi Yang took the small schoolbag and glanced in the direction of the Bai family. Cheng Qing urged him, "Yangyang, it's time to get in the car."
"Coming." Mi Yang retracted his gaze and agreed, then followed.
This was not Mi Yang's first time taking a train, but the whole family rarely took trains together. Usually, Cheng Qing would take him home by train during the Chinese New Year. This time, Mi Zehai was also there, and Cheng Qing felt a lot more relaxed.
There were many people on the train, and they bought tickets in a hurry, so they could only buy a sleeper berth and a hard seat. Cheng Qing was worried about her husband's health and wanted him to stay in the sleeper berth to rest, but Mi Zehai refused. He settled Cheng Qing and her son and said, "I'll go to the front to find the conductor to buy another sleeper berth ticket. You wait here for me, don't walk around."
Cheng Qing couldn't stop him and could only watch him slowly squeeze to the front.
Mi Zehai was in good spirits and bought a sleeper ticket after two stops. He exchanged seats with someone else and came to find Cheng Qing.
The conditions in the sleeper car were much better than when Mi Yang went back to his hometown and sat on a hard seat. There were fewer people here, and he could rest while lying down. He could survive the three days and two nights back to Shanhai Town. Mi Yang spent most of his time on the car reading cartoons and looking at the scenery outside. Cheng Qing and Mi Zehai beside him were talking in a low voice with a worried look on their faces. Both of them frowned and did not look very relaxed.
Mi Yang heard them twice, both times they were talking about the old lady's illness, but his parents deliberately spoke in a low voice, and he was sensible enough not to ask more questions.
Mi Yang was tired of reading, so he lay down on the berth to sleep. He slept for a long time in a daze and was awakened by the shaking of the train. He saw that it was dark outside and the sound of rumbling through the tunnel was heard in his ears.
He rubbed his ear. Cheng Qing saw it and said to him, "Yangyang, open your mouth and yawn, and you will feel better."
Mi Yang yawned, and he could hear much more clearly, and he gradually became more alert.
Cheng Qing made some instant noodles and fed them to him. They tasted like noodles with soybean paste, with a salty and sweet taste. Mi Yang hadn't eaten this kind of junk food for a long time. His stomach growled at the smell, and he rolled the noodles with a fork and ate them with relish.
Cheng Qing also ate his portion and brought a bowl to Mi Zehai. Mi Zehai had no appetite, probably because he was anxious, and stood up and walked somewhere else.
Mi Yang asked: "Mom, is grandma seriously ill?"
Cheng Qing sighed, touched his head and said, "It's serious. After Yangyang goes there, we will live in grandma's house. You have to be obedient, okay?"
Mi Yang nodded.
He actually didn't have a very deep impression of his grandmother's house.
He only remembered that his grandmother died when he was very young, probably when he was in the first grade of elementary school in his previous life, which was about the same time as now. The old lady's health was not very good, and she relied on Grandpa Mi Yang's careful care. She took a lot of traditional Chinese medicine every year. There were medicine bags hanging in the old house, and the strong aroma of medicine could be smelled all year round.
The old lady was weak and often fell ill. She was unable to take care of herself, so she had to entrust Mi Yang to the care of the Cheng family. But whenever she and her husband had something delicious or fun, they would always send a portion to Old Lady Cheng. Even if she didn't say it, everyone knew that it was specially sent for her grandson. When the weather was fine, Grandma Mi Yang would come to see her grandson in person, but such times were really rare.
After his grandmother passed away, Mi Yang remembered that his grandfather rarely interacted with people, never smiled all year round, had a very strange temper, and sometimes did not even have a reunion dinner with his family during the holidays. He locked himself in the old house and ignored everyone.
A strange temperament, this was Mi Yang's last impression of his grandfather. The old man lived for another twenty years and finally passed away in the old house. However, at the last moment, he had a smile on his face and looked peaceful and relaxed.
As the eldest grandson and the only grandchild, Mi Yang stayed by Mi Zehai's side and carried his coffin to see him off for the last time.
Looking back now, it all seems like a distant thing.
Mi Yang looked at the flickering lights outside the train window, slightly distracted.
On the other side, the Bai family.
Bai Luochuan himself also felt quite bored at home, especially after school, when he got home he always looked listless.
He looked at the small toothbrush placed side by side with his own in the bedroom, and then at the empty small desk in the study. Although the desk was empty, Mi Yang's books and notebooks were still there. He felt a little more at ease when he saw these odds and ends were still there.
With so many items, he felt that Mi Yang would definitely come back.
Sometimes Bai Luochuan was distracted in class, and he seemed dazed when Teacher Wei called him several times. Wei Xian couldn't stand it anymore, knowing that he and Mi Yang had never been apart since they were young. He sighed and said, "Let's write a letter for today's homework. The teacher will teach you."
Bai Luochuan had no interest.
Ji Baian next to him asked, "Can I write to Mi Yang? With a stamp, it can be received no matter how far away it is, right?"
Wei Xian nodded and said, "Of course."
Bai Luochuan then perked up a little and started taking out paper and pen to learn how to write a letter.
Mrs. Bai was watching outside the study, with a worried look on her face. It had been like this for two or three days in a row. She was afraid that her son was sick. When Bai Luochuan finished his evening classes, Mrs. Bai took him to the small study downstairs and said to him seriously, "Luochuan, Mom wants to talk to you about transferring to another school."
Bai Luochuan looked at her with some confusion, but when he heard the word "transfer school", he immediately frowned.
Mrs. Bai respected her son and didn't fool him. She analyzed the matter to him frankly and told him about the transfer. She had always taught her son to wait until the elders had finished speaking before giving any opinions. So although Mr. Bai was angry, he waited until she finished speaking before immediately saying, "I'm not going."
Mrs. Bai thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go and take a look, okay? Isn't your school holding a spring sports meeting recently? Mom will ask for two days off for you, and we will take a look together. If it doesn't work, we will come back. Oh, you want to wait for Mi Yang, right? Mom has asked, and he will stay in Shanhai Town for a long time this time..."
Bai Luochuan was already in a bad mood because of this matter, and now he got angry again: "Who said that! He told me in person that he would be back soon!"
Mrs. Bai sighed, looking at the angry child in front of her. She knew that she couldn't persuade him, so she could only coax him, "Mom also heard about it. Anyway, it will take several days for Xiaoguai to come back by train. Why don't you go to Shanghai with mom these few days to take a look? If it's okay, we can take Xiaoguai with us, okay?"
Bai Luochuan snorted and turned his head away from her.
Mrs. Bai bent down and said seriously: "The teaching conditions there are good. The basketball court and football field are also very large. Don't you like playing football with Xiaoguai the most? You can play together when you go there. You can take a look first, and then come back and tell Xiaoguai that mommy is going to do some work with Aunt Cheng. Let's work hard together, okay?" Mrs. Bai said this with great patience and let her son nod first.
"No, I won't leave anyway." Bai Luochuan refused and was very stubborn.
Mrs. Bai asked, "What if mom goes to work in Shanghai? You don't want mom anymore?"
Bai Luochuan said angrily: "Then go ahead, I won't leave anyway!"
As he said this, he jumped off the chair and ran away.
Mrs. Bai sighed and sat there rubbing her temples to relax.
Luo Jiangyuan, who was standing next to him, was also secretly listening. When she saw the little devil leave, she patted her chest and walked out of the small room next door. She sighed and said, "I thought my kid was hard to please. I was really shocked when I saw Luo Chuan lose his temper just now. My brother-in-law looks so gentle, but why does Luo Chuan have such a bad temper?" She muttered a few words and laughed softly, "Maybe he's like you, sister. He has his own ideas since he was a child."
Mrs. Bai also smiled bitterly now and asked her, "What happened to Bai An?"
Luo Jiangyuan frowned and said, "What else could it be? Mi Yang didn't come today. He kept asking me where I was going. I didn't know, so I just said I would come tomorrow. Who knew that he went around asking around and found out that he went back to his hometown and would stay for a long time. He got angry with me for not coming back and didn't say a word to me all night!"
Mrs. Bai rubbed her eyebrows. She felt that she had found the crux of Bai Luochuan's problem. It was nothing else but two words: "Mi Yang".
At this moment, Mi Yang, after a bumpy train ride, finally arrived at Shanhai Town.
Mi Yang first went to his grandfather's house with his parents.
The old house was still the same as he remembered. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he smelled a strong aroma of Chinese medicine. Mi Zehai saw an old man in the yard bending over and pouring medicine soup. He immediately put down the luggage in his hand, walked forward and shouted "Dad", and helped carefully.
The old man was about 50 or 60 years old, with deep wrinkles on his face. He looked serious. It was Mi Yang's grandfather, Mi Hong. Mi Hong frowned and did not let his son help. He told him, "Go wash your face and come to see your mother later."
When he turned around and saw Mi Yang and Cheng Qing, the expression on his face softened a lot. He even took out a piece of candy from his pocket and gave it to Mi Yang. However, before he could say a few words, he heard a cough in the room and immediately went in with the medicine.
Mi Zehai took his wife and children in to wash their faces. Cheng Qing changed Mi Yang into clean clothes, and then the family of three went to see the old lady.