Chapter 104: National Day Homecoming

Over the next few days, Lin Lishan drove all over the place, collecting and mailing out local specialties, and busying herself with making sure Zhou Jiao ate five meals a day. As the day of parting drew near, Lin Lishan became even busier, running around non-stop. Taking advantage of having a car, every afternoon after Zhou Jiao fell asleep, she would head out to ask around for the best nourishing foods for new mothers, searching for the best things to bring back.

Finally, the day of Zhang Guoqing’s return arrived. After lunch, Zhou Jiao couldn’t even bother with her usual nap. She and her mother idly chatted in the house, both keeping an ear out for any sounds from the courtyard.

At the provincial capital’s train station, Zhang Guoqing, after seeing off Old Master Lin with the military district’s old commander, politely declined everyone’s invitations to stay and hurried home as fast as he could.

After getting off the bus from the provincial capital to the county, Zhang Guoqing didn’t rush straight back to the village. He took a detour, picking up a few more parcels, and hurried home. Finally, as he set foot on the soil of Zhangjia Village, the thought of soon being back in that familiar home, seeing his parents, wife, and son, filled him with excitement.

These past few days, following the old master around, he’d met and befriended many people, and gained a lot. He wanted to have a good talk with Zhou Jiao and share his feelings.

He hadn’t even entered the gate when he saw, not far away at the construction site, a group of people working busily. His father was working with his own hands, and his two older brothers had taken off their winter coats, working in just their shirts. His mother and sisters-in-law were helping by carrying water.

Seeing Zhang Guoqing, Mother Zhang shouted with joy and ran over. Startled, Zhang Guoqing rushed to support her, afraid she might fall.

From a distance, it looked like a mother and son running excitedly toward each other and embracing.

The men working nearby watched the scene and burst out laughing at the pair’s affectionate reunion.

Zhang Guoqing, still holding his mother, scolded gently, “Mom, don’t run like that! What if you fall? I can’t fly, you know. Just wait for me here next time.”

Mother Zhang looked him up and down, worried he might have lost weight during his days away. Hearing the concern in his voice, her heart was full of joy—her youngest son really cared about her.

“I’m fine, I was careful. Have you eaten yet? I’ll make you some noodles. Your mother-in-law just happens to be stewing an old hen for soup. Come inside with me.” Without waiting for Father Zhang, she grabbed his hand and led him home.

As Zhang Guoqing followed his mother, he greeted everyone along the way. Seeing his uncles helping out, he quickly pulled out a carton of cigarettes from one of his parcels and handed it over.

Spotting his father approaching, he said, “Mom, wait, Dad’s coming. Let’s see what he has to say.”

“Dad, I’m back. I’ll come find you after I eat. Don’t worry, everything went smoothly. I came straight back after seeing off Grandpa at noon.” He handed his father the cigarettes with a smile.

Father Zhang looked at the carton—Da Qianmen brand? Oh, this wasteful kid! Just handing out a whole carton like that. He shot his son a glare when no one was looking.

After the glare, he broke into laughter. “Go eat and rest first, no rush. We’re all here.”

Zhang Guoqing and his mother went inside. He handed her one of the parcels, then took the rest to the west wing, not wanting to shout in case Zhou Jiao and the baby were sleeping. But before he reached the sitting room, his mother-in-law, Lin Lishan, came out.

“Jiaojiao, it really is Xiao Wu who’s back! Xiao Wu, come in quickly. Jiaojiao was just counting the days last night, saying you’d be back today. She’s been waiting for you all day.”

With that, Lin Lishan left to give the couple some privacy, heading to the kitchen with Mother Zhang to see what food they could prepare to fill him up.

Zhang Guoqing grinned foolishly as he watched her go. Without even washing up, he hurried into the inner room, set down his parcels, and went to the kang bed.

Seeing Zhou Jiao staring at him eagerly, he felt like he hadn’t seen her in ages. Since their wedding, they’d never been apart for long except for work. He’d been missing her every night these past few days, and now, finally, he could see her again.

“Jiaojiao, did you miss me? As soon as I saw Grandpa off, I rushed back—I couldn’t stay in the provincial capital a minute longer. Next time, let’s go together, it’ll be more fun. Was it hard getting used to things these days? Has our son been good? Let me change first—I’m all dusty and dirty, I don’t even dare hug you yet. Wait for me, I’ll be right back.” He blew her a kiss, grabbed clean clothes and a towel, and dashed out.

Before Zhou Jiao could say a word, he was gone in a flash.

Seeing that he looked energetic and normal, she relaxed. Glancing at her son, who was staring at her with big, bright eyes, Zhou Jiao smiled and kissed him. “Baby, Daddy’s home. When he comes in, let’s ask him if he missed us.”

Zhang Guoqing went to the well, took off his coat, drew a basin of water, and started washing up.

He could hear his mother-in-law and mother chatting and laughing in the kitchen. It seemed his mother-in-law had settled in well during his absence.

Back in the inner room, after changing pants, Zhang Guoqing finally felt refreshed. He hurried to hug Zhou Jiao, kissed her several times, and reluctantly let her go. Sitting on the kang, he picked up his son, who was wide awake and staring at him with big, curious eyes, making him laugh out loud.

“Ping’an, you see Daddy, right? Do you still remember me? Daddy missed you so much. When you’re older, Daddy will take you out to play, show you cannons, tanks, and real guns. So you have to grow up strong and fast, okay?”

He played with his son, then looked at Zhou Jiao’s complexion. “Hmm, you look much better these days. Looks like you’ve been eating well. Now that I’m back, you won’t have to worry about food. I see the stove in the living room is set up too. What have you been eating these days? Anything you want to eat? How’s your sleep? Has Ping’an been giving you trouble at night?”

Zhou Jiao smiled. “Don’t rush, one thing at a time. My mom’s been feeding me five meals a day—old hen soup, rice, all the good stuff. The stove was installed the day after we bought it, and there are three hundred jin of coal outside. Ping’an is very good, just wakes up once at night to feed, same as before. Don’t worry, everyone’s taking good care of your son. My mom sleeps with me at night, your mom sleeps outside. How was it for you out there?”

Zhang Guoqing kissed his son’s forehead and smiled at his little face. “Five meals a day is just right. Otherwise, you won’t recover. We have money, no need to skimp. At noon, I saw Grandpa off with the officers—he had a soft sleeper, top standard. Grandpa said we should visit Beijing when we have time, take Ping’an to see Grandma. If you need anything, just write to him, he’ll mail it over. Don’t let yourself go without—there’s nothing we lack at home.” He winked at Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. “Now I know where my mom got her ‘we’re rich, we lack nothing’ attitude—it’s genetic!”

The couple chatted in low voices, Zhang Guoqing sharing stories from his trip, making Zhou Jiao laugh again and again.

Mother Zhang and Lin Lishan came in to find the two of them laughing together.

Mother Zhang set a bowl of noodles on the kang. “Sister, now that Xiao Wu is back, the house feels lively again. Xiao Wu, eat some noodles first. We’ll have dinner soon, but fill your stomach a bit.”

Zhang Guoqing gently laid Ping’an on the kang, covered him with a blanket, and quickly got up to take the bowl and chopsticks. He ate hungrily—he’d only had a couple of buns at noon, and after seeing Grandpa off, he hadn’t had time to eat at a restaurant, just came straight home.

Mother Zhang looked at her son. “Xiao Wu, why did you bring back so much stuff again? Did you get anything for the old master? I heard the food on the train is terrible and expensive. Three days on the train is really long. Sister, will today’s train get to Beijing the day after tomorrow?”

Lin Lishan nodded. “If there are no delays, it’ll arrive at 5 p.m. the day after tomorrow. The train from the provincial capital to Beijing takes 55 hours, about two and a half days. When I came from Beijing, there was a delay—it was supposed to arrive at 8 a.m., but didn’t get in until after 9. The old master will definitely be home the night after tomorrow.”

Zhang Guoqing quickly finished his noodles and set the bowl aside. “There’s not much fruit to buy in winter, so I just got some soft pastries. Grandpa and them had soft sleeper tickets, even better than the regular ones, probably reserved for high officials. Right, Mom?” He looked at Lin Lishan, who nodded.

Seeing his mother didn’t know what a soft sleeper was, he stood up and gestured. “The soft sleeper is really nice. From the door to here, it’s about this big, with just two small beds inside and a little table in the middle. There’s someone to bring hot water and meals. The stationmaster and train chief came to greet Grandpa personally. Everything was well taken care of. The only thing is the trip is long, but it’s comfortable.”

Mother Zhang asked all sorts of questions about the train—how long it was, how fast, how many people it could carry, and whether it was faster than a car. She’d never even seen a train before and was full of curiosity.

Zhang Guoqing patiently explained everything in simple terms.

“Mom, I’ll take you to the provincial capital to see a train someday. When we go to Beijing to visit my mother-in-law, we’ll take the train. But you should know, we can’t get sleeper tickets, just seats. Can you handle three days sitting up?”

Mother Zhang nodded eagerly. “That’s the capital! I wouldn’t mind thirty days, let alone three. When I was ten, the clan head in our village said he’d die with regrets if he never saw Beijing. He never made it, but always talked about how wonderful it was. I just want to see what makes Beijing so unforgettable.”

Zhang Guoqing laughed. “I’ll definitely take you and Dad to Beijing. But the clan head wasn’t really obsessed with Beijing itself—he wanted official rank. After ‘juren’ comes ‘jinshi’, and if you pass that, you can be an official. He had the ticket, but the road was too long. Who knows when he passed the exam—maybe the Qing Dynasty fell before he could go, so he never made it.”

Mother Zhang laughed. “Silly boy, you think your mother doesn’t know? Of course, he wanted to be an official. He passed the exam during the Qing, was quite the big shot. But after he passed, his parents died, so he had to observe mourning and couldn’t go to the capital. By the time he finished, something else happened, and then the dynasty fell. He used to tell us kids all about Beijing, what was good, where people went. I just want to see those places.”

Lin Lishan and Zhou Jiao laughed too. What bad luck! Finally ready to go, his parents died, then the world changed, and it was all for nothing.

Lin Lishan quickly said, “Sister, you’re worried you won’t get a chance to go to Beijing? We’re all there. Just send a telegram when you want to come, I’ll pick you up. If I’m not there, my mother is. I’m heading back to Beijing for a few days tomorrow, then coming back here. Why don’t you come with me? We can come back together.”

Mother Zhang shook her head with a smile. “Not this time. You go handle your business and bring the kids’ father back to see Jiaojiao soon. We’re still building the house and it’s busy. Next time, we’ll go with Jiaojiao and the family, and visit you, and have a look around Beijing.”

“Alright, you’ll have plenty of chances to come to Beijing. I won’t drag you along tomorrow—Jiaojiao still needs you here.”

Zhang Guoqing asked, “Mom, you’re really leaving? Why not just stay here? The train ride is tiring. Today’s the 20th, even if you leave tomorrow, you’ll get to Beijing on the 23rd, and then you’ll have to come back again. That’s a lot of travel. Grandpa said you could just wait here, he’d talk to Dad. Why not just go back together?”

Zhou Jiao also tried to persuade her mother not to travel so much.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Besides, I have a sleeper ticket, I can just lie down. I told you, I want to see your father’s work arrangements. If he comes back and makes a decision, we need to discuss it. If you all get into university in two or three years, there’s no point in us staying in the Northeast. I also want to see where your uncle is working. Xiao Wu made a good point last time—I need to talk to your father directly, not just rely on your grandfather to pass messages. And I need to arrange my own work before I can take more leave. Also, didn’t you say you wanted that calligraphy?”

Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao exchanged a look—she really did need to go back. “Alright then, I’ll see you off tomorrow. Do you need to book your ticket in advance?”

Lin Lishan shook her head. “No need, I can get a sleeper ticket with my credentials. The train’s at 10 a.m., just need to get there early. Xiao Wu, you don’t have to see me off tomorrow. I’ll drive back to the provincial military district, leave the car there, then go to the train station. No need for you to make another trip.”

Zhang Guoqing shook his head and looked at his mother, then said to his mother-in-law, “I have to see you off, otherwise I won’t feel at ease. How about this—Mom, you come to the provincial capital with us tomorrow, we’ll see her off together. Since we have a car, you can look around the city. I have a bunch of tickets for the provincial capital this time. You can see what’s available, Mom—big cities have cheaper goods. Since we have a car, let’s take this chance to see the city, the train, the department stores—see how they’re different from here. That’s settled then. You and your old friend can chat on the way, it’ll be great.”

Zhou Jiao smiled at his persuasion and nodded, and Lin Lishan chimed in as well.

Mother Zhang finally agreed. She wanted to see her in-law off anyway, and shopping wasn’t urgent—the county had everything she needed.

Knowing her in-law was leaving the next day, Mother Zhang quickly pulled Zhang Guoqing out to pack up the mountain goods and wild game, leaving Zhou Jiao and her mother to chat."