Translated by Serena Love

LF: editor~

Chapter 137

Previously, Grandma Li divided her family's treasures into three parts, one for each of her grandchildren. He Songbai's share was handed over to her granddaughter-in-law, who would take care of it. Now, as she talked, she took out a piece of paper and handed it to her grandson.

"I heard that your father-in-law likes Jinshi playthings. This is the very precious Jinshi merchandise that your grandfather had bought from others."

"Although they are not worth a few yuans now, they will slowly increase in value after a few years. After you dig it out, Grandma will help you choose one and let you take it back to G City."

Speaking of here, she was a little sad. Who knows how long the current liveliness can last. Her grandson and granddaughter-in-law are both doing business, and it's impossible to be stuck in the countryside.

Businessmen can't avoid running around, which is similar to the situation when her husband and son were still alive. She looked at the young in front of her. He had grown from a quiet man full of inferiority complex to a man who can now stand by himself.

Granny Li also realized that he was leaving her side, just like a young eagle will one day leave the nest and spread its wings to fly towards the blue sky and open up a new world.

He Songbai heard his old grandmother's worries. He smiled and said, "Grandma, come with us."

"Didn't you said that you would teach my children by herself? Tang Tang and Dahai still can't speak now, but Granny can look after them."

"You said just like you taught me, you will teach them..."

"If we are going to G City, how do you teach Tang Tang and Dahai? The development in G City is fast, and the customs are very good. Lanxiang and I have discussed buying a house with a yard, which is more than enough for my grandma to live in. If you like to raise chickens, let's raise chickens. If you like to grow vegetables, we will grow vegetables. If you like to wake up and see the mountains, we will live in the suburbs."

He Songbai was full of longing and whispering about the future plan. After listening to him, Grandma Li's eyes were hot.

She murmured, "Yes, I promised you to teach Tang Tang and Dahai... Teach them Chinese language, arithmetic, painting... just like I taught you."

"I will teach them everything in my head."

He Songbai squeezed his grandmother's dry, branch-like hands and looked at her with encouragement and warm eyes.

...

Soon, He Songbai took the "treasure map" given by his old grandmother and took his brother-in-law, Li Dali, and his friend, Liang Tiezhu, to dig the ancestral treasures.

Grandma gave him five maps. The first three are not difficult to find, but the hard ones are the treasures buried in two places near Niujiao Mountain. The landslide that year destroyed this majestic mountain and destroyed the terraced fields that everyone worked day and night diligently. After the landslide, the mountains were devastated and full of cracked ground, like spider webs. Wild grass has grown at the cracks, and there is a thriving image in front of them. When they looked back, they have to sigh.

Li Dali suffered a life-and-death disaster here, but he survived.

After they entered the mountain, they saw the memoir stone of the members who passed away here a few years ago. This mountain is the resting places of the few victims whose remains were never found, and they disappeared completely.

The earth has overgrown with weeds. If it wasn't because the deceased's family members come from time to time to clean the graves, probably the weed has grown as tall as a person.

The three stared at the memoir for a long time, bowed and paid respect, and then carefully walked up the mountain from this curved road. Niujiao Mountain is huge. What collapsed at that time was only the part of the reclaimed terrace on the mountainside. It still has a main peak and two companion peaks.

He Songbai carefully explored the terrain and found points along the map given by Granny. He recalled the grass and trees of Niujiao Mountain in the past and comparing it with the changing environment today. It took a long time to draw out the most likely hiding points.

He Songbai said, "After the reform of the land system, the village now could contract a mountain. I have to contract this mountain. There are also hills buried with our ancestors' things. So we have time to dig slowly."

Liang Tiezhu patted his head, "My brother, how much do you have to pay for these hills? Can Brother Bai's treasures worth the money?"

He hasn't mixed with He Songbai like Li Zhong in the past few years, so he did not know how this brother was going. After the reunion today, he immediately heard this big talk.

But Liang Tiezhu remembered his face was slapped many years ago, and now he was numb. The couple was unexpectedly capable, so Liang Tiezhu only needed to do blind obedience.

Li Dali has not left the village in recent years. Although the People's Commune has disappeared, his captain's title has survived.

However, because he led the members to press their red handprint and made a fortune to promote the family contract system, his status amongst the villagers could not be shaken. He was elected as the village chief of Hezi village a year ago.

He lighted a cigarette and said steadily, "I have also stamped the contract. This mountain belongs to the village collectively. Then I will open an auction later. You just need to go through the process."

He Songbai probed the treasure point of Niujiao Mountain and checked on several others. When the old landlord of the He family buried his ancestors' treasures that year, he had found the right place.

He Songbai found another mountain treasure spot. The three dug a dozen pits and spent a whole day digging out two treasure spots.

Liang Tiezhu is holding a box as tall as half a person. If he hadn't been struggling to improve his arm strength by cooking in recent years, he probably couldn't lift this big box.

He glared and asked He Songbai, "Can you open it and let me see the world."

He Songbai nodded happily.

Liang Tiezhu rubbed his hand and lifted the axe to slash the lock. After a bit of spark, he opened the box and lifted it up with his big palm. Inside is a thick box of straw covered with a whole box of ash.

There were no golden or gleaming darlings. All they could see were a pile of black ash and rotten straw. Anyone who sees this pile of things will not think there is a treasure.

Liang Tiezhu chuckled.

Li Dali reached down with his hand and touched a stone as big as a fist, which was mixed with ash to look like charcoal. He wiped it with his clothes, washed it with water, and gradually they could see a little outline.

The night was getting dark, but the beautiful jade showed itself. The flashing mutton-fat-colored jade alone is enough to make Liang Tiezhu's eyes sharp. Although jade and precious stones are not worth much these days, the top-quality goods of this color and luster are popular in any era. They are priceless.

He quickly closed the box, and his heart jumped, "It's really a treasure!"

He Songbai said immediately, "When the sky is dark, let's carry the box down the mountain."

...

Zhao Lanxiang did not eat the dinner her husband made this day. Elder sister made the dinner.

The elder sister's craftsmanship is very general, not even half of the captain's craftsmanship. But Zhao Lanxiang also ate very happy because her mother accompanied her.

Feng Lian used her experience to raise two children, taught her how to take care of the children, and gave her ways to stop sickness. Tang Tang didn't like strangers at first, but when she met Feng Lian, gentle and friendly, she didn't cry anymore.

Feng Lian hugged his grandson while her daughter was eating, and this tender little ball melted all his heart and soul.

She pointed to Tang Tang's pink lips that were moistened with saliva. "Both of them look like you. They look more and more like each other."

Feng Lian's kindness as a grandmother was full for these two babies. She frowned at her grandchildren and complained, "I don't know where Brother Bai went."

"Tang Tang has been crying all day."

Zhao Lanxiang couldn't help laughing, "Yes, Tang Tang is the most sticky to Dahai, followed by her father."

The old grandmother only implicitly said that there was something wrong with Brother Bai and Li Dali, and they may not come back to dinner tonight. After everyone had finished their meal, Zhao Lanxiang had to warm the meal in the pot for the two to come back to eat.

After everyone rest that night, she heard a slight footstep.

Zhao Lanxiang got up and opened the door. He Songbai returned in a thick night. He took off his autumn jacket and wiped his sweat.

He put a big box in his hand on the ground and wiped it away.

There was a hint of lightness and pride in the man's low, hoarse voice, "Xiangxiang, turn on the light--"

In fact, when the treasure in the rotten wood box was put down, it was not necessary to turn on the electric light. The faint oil lamp in Zhao Lanxiang's hand has reflected its luster, which made people held their breath and suffocated.

The moment the box was fully opened, the light was dazzling, so beautiful.

The box is full of gold, silver, and jade. The exquisite silverware refracts the dazzling luster and emits sparkling cold light. The white jade is shining like it was moist. When the oil lamp is close to it, and the vague ancient characters are engraved on it. There were gilded gold objects, dragon and phoenix wares, enamels inlaid with gorgeous and rich gems, etc.

There is also the life-like Guanyin statue engraved by Tian Ziyu, the white jade carving of the Qing Dynasty, the double dragon and pearl beads, and the jade carving of Xiyuan Yaji...

Why did Zhao Lanxiang recognize them so quickly?

Because in the last life, her old man's collections have all their figures, but many ancestral treasures have been lost that year, and they cannot be returned. Now what was reflected in her eyes was the original treasures of the He family.

She picked up a jade and kissed it softly.

"Brother Bai, did you dig your ancestral family property?"

He Songbai nodded, he wiped the sweat on his forehead, "Grandma said to pick a few things for us to give to Dad. Dad likes this kind of collectibles."

Zhao Lanxiang heard the words, her heart felt mixed, and her eyes gradually became red.

She said, "Grandma always remembers us."

"After worrying about this and that, she remembers my father's hobbies."

In fact, the old grandmother, who had been poor for half of her life, had nothing besides these "hot goods" that were worthless in her eyes. She took out all the most valuable things and gave them to them without hesitation, not afraid that she would old and helpless after dividing these things.

Generosity and relationship will always be more precious than money in the eyes of the elderly.

"She's so kind to us..."

He Songbai touched the corner of his wife's red eyes and comforted softly, "Don't cry. You can't cry in confinement."

"Let's remember my grandmother's goodness. It would be nice to honor her twice as much in the future."

Zhao Lanxiang snorted loudly.

Early the next morning, He Songbai raised the box of treasures he dug last night to his old grandmother's room. Although the amount of these things is quite large, most of them are small objects. They are exquisite and small, so they don't occupy space.

Grandma Li touched these familiar things, and it seemed that a scene of the old house of the He family appeared in front of her. What kind of things were left, she could even remember clearly.

There was an engraving on a finger ring that was touched by her husband all year round. The handwriting gradually became round and fuzzy.

There was also an enamel that was missing a mouth. In fact, she lost her temper one year and knocked it on the ground.

Even the name of the ancestor engraved under a golden bean made the old lady Li cried. She touched it for a long time and took out two of the most valuable, a jade carving of Guanyin and a white jade carving of Shuanglong catching beads bottles.

"You will bring these two items to your father-in-law. He will be very happy."

"The rest you can keep as a collectible, or you can sell it later to make some other investment, so you can live a better life."

He Songbai may still have the idea of ​​selling his ancestral treasures in the past, but today he saw her grandmother's attachment. He Songbai decided to save them all, leaving them to Tang Tang and Dahai to pass down from generation to generation.

He showed his white teeth, "When the hundred-day banquet at home is finished, let's go back to the city."

...

Almost everyone in the village was looking forward to the hundred days banquet of the babies of the He family. The roast suckling pig and the whole pig banquet made by the chef, Liang Tiezhu, who personally serve the banquet, hooked out the greedy insects in the belly of the village.

That banquet did not dissipate for three days and three nights, and the smell seeped deep into the bone marrow. After eating the wine and meat of the He family, it is a memory that they will never forget.

On the day when the He family held the children's hundred-day banquet, the village was emptied out. All the villagers came to eat and drink the wine of the He family. The pavilion is particularly large, and He Songbai believes that this is the last time he has held a hundred-day banquet in his life. Anyway, he has two babies in one breath.

Liang Tiezhu has also used all the skills he has learned in recent years.

From the pig farm, nine pigs were pulled over. The pig master killed three pigs every day for the banquet. There are also chickens, ducks, poultry, live shrimp, crabs, fresh fish, and so on.

Liang Tiezhu moved the "Song Lan" platoons to the countryside. The food for the 100-day banquet was delicious and rich, which made everyone in the village happy.

On the day of the hundred-day banquet, it was also the local day for burning incense to worship the land of the mountain gods and setting off firecrackers to celebrate.

Zhao Lanxiang wore a red coat and hugged Dahai, kissing him gently.

"Mother's baby, your father prayed for your blessing today. We hope that the rest of your life will be smooth and healthy."

He Songbai hugged her daughter, Tang Tang. After a full of one hundred days, she had a tender and smooth face and was fat like a soup bag.

She was wearing a little red felt hat, and she looked very foreign.

She grabbed He Songbai's clothes with excitement, babbling and drooling. Her whole body resembled twisted sugar, restless and can't stay still.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "Sometimes I think they reversed their genders. Dahai is as quiet as a girl, and Tang Tang is overbearing like a boy."

He Songbai sadly placed her daughter on his arm and took her to look around. "No, lively girls are more lovable."

"Look at yourself. Were you not naughty as a kid?"

He Songbai remembered the childhood memories they shared when they returned from the city on bicycles many years ago.

Zhao Lanxiang's rebellion is buried in her bones. She was smart, mischievous, and often violates his principles. Singing forbidden songs, reading forbidden books about love, and all sorts of "bad" habit.

And He Songbai was a kid who his grandma pressed to learn the culture. He faced fat pigs picture with head down in the brigade year after year.

Zhao Lanxiang laughed with a sneer and said cheerfully, "It seems to be true. Tang Tang is like me."

"But I hope that Dahai is not like you. If he is so honest, he might not have a good life."

The latter part of her voice was so soft that it almost drowned in the wind, so light that He Songbai seemed to hear an illusion.

"Is it hard? It's not hard at all. I'm having a fun life now, and I'm looking forward to the future." The man said energetically.

Zhao Lanxiang seemed to see the thin man who had been suffering for most of his life. He gently stroked her hair under the old oak tree, which symbolized life.

He told her to go back.

Back to "his" side.

He Songbai is both him but not him. Everything He Songbai has today is probably the best look he could have imagined in his heart. She hoped that He Songbai would continue to have a good life, to achieve her purpose to go back to this time.

Zhao Lanxiang gradually contained her tears with forbearance. The moment she lowered her head, she blinked, and the warm tears flowed to Dahai's cheeks.

Dahai giggled wildly, with a shallow pear vortex on his cheek, like his mother.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "The wind is strong. Let's take the babies back."

"There is sand in my eyes."

...

After the hundred-day banquet, He Songbai and his family packed up their bags and prepared to set off for the G City. Feng Lian and little Huzi also followed them home.

They were accompanied by Grandma Li, Sanya, Sister He, and Li Dali.

Granny's kind face smiled. She asked Sanya, "You are going to school in G City. Did you say goodbye to your former classmates?"

He Songzhi nodded vigorously. She clenched her little schoolbag, "Where Grandma goes, I will go. My favorite is Grandma!"

Grandma Li stroked the child's head, and she asked her grandson to sort out her things and send them to G city. The old woman's heavy books occupy a large box, but her clothes are pitifully scarce. It was only enough for her to change clothes two or three times a year. She was hardworking and frugal. It seems that she is indeed used to a hard life.

When He Songbai sorted out his old grandmother's pile of draft papers, he was stunned.

He said, "These are in the past. We don't have to carry every mess we wrote."

Grandma mumbled and said, "These are treasures. How can you not take them?"

"I don't know if I have a chance to come back to the village for a second time."

After He Songbai heard that, he bore his shame, took his grandmother's manuscripts and his pig comic strips, and packed them to the post office. It weighed a full thirty kilograms. Many of these old books were gradually dug out from the ground after the reform. These books was originally the grandma's heart.

After the train day and night, they soon arrived at G City. The first thing He Songbai did was to go to the hospital and change his grandmother's wheelchair to a more modern machine.

As soon as he is back in the G City, he started to work hard in the company, that had been thrown at the back of his head for more than half a year. He was too busy to spend any time with his family. When he returned home every night, he saw his grandmother holding Tang Tang and reading foreign poems.

The old grandmother coaxed two little dolls by the bed by reading the fairy tale before bed.

Days pass by, and the years are like a shuttle. The old woman's hair is getting thinner, but her spirit is still good. She could pull the toddlers in her wheelchair and encourage Dahai to stand up and walk.

She squeezed Tang Tang's hand and taught her to draw.

The bright sun shone on the old woman's body. She smiled, and the wrinkles on her face were gentler than the sun. The babies kissed her face while drooling unexpectedly.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

One day, Tang Tang and Dahai went to primary school. He Songbai traveled long distance back home early in the morning, but the grandma was nowhere to be seen.

Zhao Lanxiang poured him a glass of water, accompanied him to eat breakfast, and spoke lightly to him to take a walk in the university.

The big and clean campus is full of greenery, and the voice of the new students' morning reading is faintly audible. Zhao Lanxiang took him into a large classroom, and He Songbai sat behind rows of dark heads.

Suddenly he saw a figure, and after confirming who she was, his eyes began to blur, and his lips gradually rolled up.

His old grandmother sat in a wheelchair and she slid in slowly from the door. Her voice was kind and gentle, "Good morning, classmates."

The previously restless classroom suddenly fell silent as if the pause button had been pressed.

Zhao Lanxiang whispered to He Songbai, "They like Granny. Granny teaches math very well."

"Do you remember those papers that you felt troublesome to bring? The pile of "waste paper" was Granny's previous research. Last year it was seen by Teacher Gu who came to our house. He sorted out Granny's papers and sent them to the academic journal. It had caused a sensation."

"Look, Grandma was delayed by the three of you and our two stinky kids."

He Songbai was shocked. In his surprise, he recalled that many years ago, his old grandmother was still in tears but still insisted on writing and drawing broken symbols. He did not expect it to become a valuable thing many years later and let her stand on the glowing podium.

"Hush. Don't talk anymore. Let's listen to the mathematics class that Granny teaches." Zhao Lanxiang said.

---

Author's Note:

Brother Bai: Granny was dragged down by the five of us.

I'm guilty.

I confess.

Granny: "..."

Stupid grandson.

The story of Lan Xiang and Brother Bai comes to an end here.

---

Translator's Note:

Next is about Tang Tang and Dahai growing up and Lan Xiang's previous life.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

Back Index Next

Please support us by whitelisting this site! Thank you!!