Chapter 122: Returning Home Late at Night

Zhang Guoqing pedaled his bicycle into the village, where everything was already quiet and still in the deep of night. At the gate of his house, the silhouette of his mother appeared. Spotting someone riding a bike from afar, she called out loudly, “Is that Xiao Wu?”

Her clear, ringing voice sounded especially sharp in the silent night, setting off a chorus of barking from the nearby dogs. But to Zhang Guoqing, his mother’s voice was the sweetest music in the world.

He hurriedly pedaled a few more times, seeing his mother rushing out to greet him. He quickly shouted, “Aiyo, Mom, be careful! Don’t run, just stay there and don’t move.”

In a blink, he was at her side. “Mom, it’s so cold—why did you come out? Next time, don’t wait for me. What if you fall in the dark?”

His mother didn’t say anything, just laughed happily. Warmth filled his heart, and even the cold night wind couldn’t chill him. He pushed his bike and followed her into the courtyard. Glancing at the extinguished kerosene lamp on the ground, he smiled helplessly—his father must have asked for it to be lit, but his mother was so frugal, she wouldn’t waste a bit.

“Mom, were you worried because I wasn’t back yet? I went to the school today for some business, then Zhang Yuntao and Li Qinglin came with me to the provincial capital to return the bike. They wanted to go shopping, so we got delayed. We had big bowls of noodles for dinner in the county, and after we finished, the chef basically kicked us out, or he’d have had to take us back to the school. Next time, if I’m not back on time, please don’t wait outside. If you fall in the dark and no one sees, what would we do?”

His mother nodded with a smile, glancing at the stack of books in his hand. “Mm, I know. You bought so many books again? Can you finish them all?”

“I went to see the county high school principal today to ask about getting a high school diploma. You need it and a household registration certificate to apply for college. The principal’s a good man—he remembered that Jiao Jiao and I were first and second in the county back then, so he helped us with the paperwork for a leave of absence. It’s still not too late to make up for it, so our hard work back then wasn’t wasted. I got the paperwork sorted for both of us. Tuition and book fees are 3.2 yuan per semester, and the new books are issued by the school. There aren’t many used books.”

His mother was surprised. “So you two have to go back to school?”

“No, we don’t need to attend classes. We just pay tuition each semester, submit a leave request, and then go back for exams each term. So technically, I’m enrolled this semester. Mom, where’s Dad?”

“That principal really is a good man. He’s come by several times before, trying to persuade your dad to get you two back in school. I don’t really understand these things, but you’re right to listen to him. Your dad’s inside—go check on Jiao Jiao first, she must be anxious.”

Zhang’s mother followed him into the small sitting room, where Zhou Jiao was standing by the door, listening intently. Smiling, she said, “Now our family has two high school students. But don’t rush to start studying—wait until you’ve finished your confinement.”

Zhou Jiao nodded happily, her eyes fixed on the books. She was really curious about their contents, having heard the college admission rate was low and not knowing what the exams would be like.

After putting his things away, Zhang Guoqing pulled his mother to sit down and took out some sheep tripe to show her. “I bought this in the provincial capital. We didn’t even finish exploring the market last time. I heard there’s a night market where they sell factory seconds from the city’s factories, all under the table. There are also a few snack shops in the alleys. The sheep offal soup at one place was so popular, the line was out the door. Li Qinglin’s been there with his grandpa before, so he took us in through the back.”

He grabbed a pair of chopsticks, split half a bowl, and stood up. “Mom, do you want to stay here or come with me? I’m going to find Dad so he can try some. Jiao Jiao, don’t eat yet—I brought soup back, I’ll heat it up for you later.”

“I’ll go with you, let’s see if your dad’s over the moon.”

Zhang Guoqing signaled to Zhou Jiao to wait for him. Seeing her nod, he watched her head into the bedroom, then he and his mother chatted as they walked to the main room.

Inside, his father was sitting on the kang, holding his pipe, craning his neck to look outside every so often. He’d already guessed Zhang Guoqing would come see him first, so he waited in the main room. Since he was little, Xiao Wu had always had the habit of greeting his parents first whenever he came home.

Seeing Zhang Guoqing come in with a plate, his father frowned. “Next time, keep the good stuff for yourself. Don’t always bring everything for your old man. You’re busy running around every day—you need to take care of yourself. Don’t think just because you’re young you can take it for granted.”

Zhang Guoqing grinned and nodded. Whether he listened or not was his own business, but he accepted his father’s concern. He picked up some sheep tripe with his chopsticks and put it into his parents’ mouths, watching them expectantly for their verdict. He really thought the tripe was tender and tasty, not too salty or bland.

His mother chewed carefully and said, “This is really good. We can’t make it like this at home. Those shopkeepers are real craftsmen, they have their own secret recipes.”

His father shot his wife a sideways glance. This woman—she should just say it’s average, or Xiao Wu will keep bringing it back from the city. Looking at his youngest son’s eager face, he knew he was dying to know if they liked it. If they did, he’d probably bring more tomorrow. Ah, this spendthrift son! He was both proud and worried about him. Luckily, he’d married the right wife, or else he’d never earn enough to keep up with his spending.

“It’s good, but you can’t eat this kind of thing too often. Just a taste is enough. Your mother’s cooking is the best—I’ve eaten it for years and never gotten tired of it.”

Zhang Guoqing laughed. “Right, I think Mom’s food is the best. Look how tall and strong we all are, and my sisters are all so pretty. Dad, do you need anything from me? If not, I’ll go rest. I have to get up early tomorrow.”

His father waved him off. “No, nothing. If we need you, we’ll call. Go rest. No need to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow—there’s no work to do.”

As Zhang Guoqing left the main room, his mother sighed. His father looked at her curiously—what could she be sighing about? Their son was filial, and their daughter-in-law was obedient.

“What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”

She sighed softly and said, “I just feel like, if Xiao Wu gets into college, won’t he have to leave? We won’t see him anymore.”

His father chuckled, coughing as he pointed at her. “You’re worrying for nothing, just like Xiao Wu says. You’re getting anxious over something that hasn’t even happened yet. Besides, even if they get in, don’t you think they’ll insist we go with them? Haven’t you noticed, Xiao Wu still acts like a kid—he always checks in with us first, coming and going. He’s never planned to leave us behind. I bet if they move to the county, they’ll find some excuse to have us come help out.

I can already guess what they’re thinking. After we split the family, we’ll officially stay with the eldest so he doesn’t feel bad, but secretly, they’ll have us live with them. With Xiao Wu and Jiao Jiao’s personalities, do you think they’d eat white rice themselves and let us eat cornbread at the eldest’s? And if they get into college, we can go stay in Beijing whenever we want—Jiao Jiao’s family has a big courtyard, so we won’t lack a place to stay. If we don’t like it, we can come back and visit the older kids. What’s there to worry about? They’ll buy the train tickets, and the train goes straight home.”

She laughed. “You’re right, there’s really nothing to worry about. If we miss any of the kids, we can just stay with them for a few days and see the grandkids. I really was being silly.”

Her husband smiled and comforted her. “Don’t worry. Our youngest has everything planned out for the whole family—he’ll never let us worry. Just keep it in mind and don’t talk about it to others. He’s more thorough than anyone. What do we have to worry about? Other people have trouble with their daughters-in-law, but our Jiao Jiao is so filial. Since Xiao Wu has spoken up, you think Jiao Jiao doesn’t know? She’s on board too. That means she’s a truly good daughter-in-law.”"