Chapter 14: Shanhai Town
Mi Yang was quite happy during his few days in Shanhai Town.
His second aunt, Cheng Chun, was getting engaged, and the house was bustling with people coming and going. The future second uncle-in-law was the most diligent visitor, always bringing gift boxes or fruit, eager to report to the old Cheng family’s house on his bike as soon as he got off work.
The third Cheng daughter, Cheng Ru, was the most fiery. She would often stand at the door and tease him, “Yo, you just brought crucian carp at noon, how come the great engineer is here again tonight?”
The newly engaged prospective second brother-in-law was an engineer who had just graduated from university and been assigned to work in oil construction. At this moment, his face was bright red. He stood at the door, adjusting the glasses on his nose, unsure whether to stay or go.
Cheng Chun came over, holding Mi Yang. She placed him in Cheng Ru’s arms while poking her third sister’s nose. “You’re the naughtiest one in the whole family. Go on, the figs in the backyard are ripe. Mom wants you to take Yangyang over to pick some to eat.”
Her words reminded the young man at the door. He quickly handed over a bag of snacks he had brought. “I heard from Cheng Chun that Eldest Sister is back. I bought some calcium milk biscuits for the child.”
This flattery hit the mark. Cheng Ru accepted it with a grin and stopped making things difficult for him. “Thank you, brother-in-law!”
Hearing the change in address, the man at the door also broke into a wide smile.
Mi Yang, lying on his third aunt’s shoulder, looked back. The young man and woman stood at the doorway, one inside and one out, both with flushed faces and bright eyes, shy yet wanting to look at each other. Mi Yang remembered that later, his second uncle-in-law’s family helped arrange a job for Cheng Chun. After his uncle-in-law was promoted to chief engineer, they were even allocated two large apartments. After retirement, the old couple took up photography every day, taking pictures of flowers, birds, and such, and lived a very good life.
Cheng Ru carried him to pick figs, then washed them and placed them on a plate to feed him, also opening a pack of biscuits for him.
Mi Yang glanced at the packaging. It was Qingyuan Calcium Milk Biscuits. The brand was so familiar. He had been sick a lot as a child, and his grandmother, unable to find anything better for him to eat, would always buy some of these biscuits and soak them in milk formula to coax him to eat more.
Mi Yang took a piece and nibbled on it, closing his eyes to savor the taste from over twenty years ago. It seemed to have never changed in his memory.
Seeing that he liked them, Cheng Ru happily packed them all in a small cloth bag for him. By the time she took Mi Yang back, the small bag was already filled with many snacks: hawthorn fruit leather, figs, almond candy, and calcium milk biscuits.
Here, Mi Yang was staying with his grandmother. Their old house in the town was somewhat like a courtyard house, with a central patio surrounded by side rooms. The centermost room, which was the most spacious and bright, was where the old lady lived. When Mi Yang returned, his mother was talking with the old lady. Seeing him come in, the old lady immediately beckoned with a smile, “Our Yangyang is here! Come, let Grandma have a look!”
Mi Yang took off his little shoes and ran over in his socks, hugging the old lady tightly. He rubbed his little face against hers and called out, “Grandma!”
The old Mrs. Cheng adored him. She already doted on him, and Mi Yang’s sweet and endearing words made him the family’s little ray of sunshine within two days. He was the apple of the old lady’s eye, and she wanted to give him all the best things. Seeing the small bag of snacks he was carrying, the old Mrs. Cheng generously stuffed a handful of dried red dates and lotus seeds into it, saying with a chuckle, “Just in time. I went to a wedding banquet a few days ago, and they gave out some dried fruits. Yangyang, take these and eat them.”
Cheng Qing quickly said, “Mom, he can’t chew these.”
The old Mrs. Cheng said, “Then let him play with them.”
Like a little money-grubber, Mi Yang immediately hugged the bag, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “Thank you, Grandma!”
The old Mrs. Cheng loved his mischievous and cute demeanor. She stroked his little face, beaming with joy.
The lotus seeds were mainly for good luck and were too hard to bite without being cooked. Mi Yang took out a few and played a game of tossing lotus seeds with the old lady for a while.
The old Mrs. Cheng suddenly said, “Oh, look at my memory, I almost forgot.” She turned and took a red envelope from the drawer of the bedside cabinet, murmuring, “This is for our Yangyang. I was so happy to see you all come back yesterday that I completely forgot.”
Cheng Qing quickly stopped her. “Mom, don’t. It’s not the New Year or any holiday. Why are you giving him money!”
The old Mrs. Cheng said, “Aiya, this is for our Yangyang. He didn’t come back last year, so Grandma is making it up to him. I reckon you’ll be busy with work this year too, and it’ll be cold in the winter, so you won’t be able to come home. I’ll give it to him in advance, so I won’t have to keep thinking about it, hehe!”
Cheng Qing couldn’t stop her and had to accept it. Cheng Ru, who was beside them, saw this and also took out a stack of red envelopes. They were much thinner than the old lady’s, but there were more of them. She stuffed them all into her eldest sister’s arms and said with a smile, “Sis, you’ve accepted Mom’s, you can’t push ours away! This is a little something from Second Sis, Youngest Sis, and me. It’s not much, just some lucky money for Yangyang!”
Cheng Qing couldn’t refuse and had to accept them. Mi Yang hugged the eight large red envelopes, tilted his little head back, and said, “Thank you, Grandma! Thank you, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, and Youngest Aunt!” His clear little voice made all the adults laugh.
When it was time to sleep that night, all of Mi Yang’s red envelopes were taken away by Cheng Qing, with the same excuse that had been used for a million years.
Cheng Qing: “Yangyang, you’re still young. Mommy will save your lucky money for you, to get you a wife in the future.”
Mi Yang: “…”
The warm red envelopes were taken away and replaced with a small leather ball. Mi Yang thought it was alright; at least he got a toy as a consolation prize.
As he was getting ready for bed, the old Mrs. Cheng brought over a new quilt in a high-end vacuum-sealed bag. As she opened it, she said, “A student of your father’s sent this over before the New Year. They said it’s a silk quilt. It’s so thin. I think it’s just right for Yangyang as a summer quilt, to prevent him from kicking it off at night and getting a cold stomach.” The old lady murmured as she covered Mi Yang with it. The quilt wasn’t large and was quite exquisitely made. After tucking in the corners for Mi Yang, the old lady left, reassured.
But in the middle of the night, Mi Yang was sent to the hospital.
It turned out to be the new quilt’s fault. It was unclear what it was made of, but Mi Yang had an allergic reaction, breaking out in small red bumps all over his body. The doctor examined him, prescribed some allergy ointment, and advised, “Keep an eye on him, don’t let the child scratch. The silk quilts on the market these days, they say it’s silk, but they mix in a lot of chemical fibers, like acrylic and such. These are fine for us adults, but a child’s skin is too delicate, and it can easily cause allergies.”
The old Mrs. Cheng asked, “Doctor, is it serious?”
The doctor smiled. “It’s fine, it’ll get better in a few days.”
Only then did the Cheng family carry the child back. The old Mrs. Cheng was especially filled with self-blame. She stayed up all night watching over Mi Yang, fanning him and wiping him with clean water, afraid that he would scratch himself in his sleep and leave scars.
No matter how Cheng Qing tried to persuade her, it was useless. When she got up in the middle of the night, she saw the old lady making milk formula.
She went over and asked, only to find out that Mi Yang had said he was hungry. Cheng Qing was both angry and anxious. “Mom, you’re spoiling him too much. It’s just an allergy, the doctor said it’s nothing serious…”
The old Mrs. Cheng wouldn’t listen. She waved her hand, telling her not to bother, and made a bottle of milk formula for her grandson. After watching Mi Yang drink it, she asked, “Yangyang, is it still uncomfortable?”
Mi Yang opened his eyes wide, as if sensing something, and said, “Grandma, it’s not itchy anymore. It got better after I drank it.”
He looked just like a little fox tricking people for food and drink.
After finishing his drink, Mi Yang reached out and tugged on the old lady’s hand. “Grandma, I’m sleepy. I want you to pat me to sleep. You sleep here too.”
The old Mrs. Cheng smiled. “Alright, alright, Grandma will sleep too.”
Cheng Qing had been trying to persuade her all night, but nothing was as effective as a single sentence from this little rascal. She stood by, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Because Mi Yang was sick, he wasn’t taken out to play much for the next few days—not that his two legs were of much use anyway. Since returning to Shanhai Town, his aunts had been fighting to hold him, and he had barely walked on his own.
By the time Mi Yang was almost better, it was time to return to the military base.
On the last day, as Cheng Qing was packing, Cheng Chun came over. Mi Yang was very fond of this gentle-voiced second aunt and immediately ran over to give her a hug.
Cheng Chun had brought a handbag. Inside were two new outfits, especially a small cashmere trench coat that was both fashionable and thick. It looked expensive at a glance. Cheng Chun pushed the clothes to her eldest sister, saying she should take them to wear at the military base. Cheng Qing would never accept them and quickly refused. “Nonsense, these are your engagement clothes, they were given to you. What would it look like if you gave them to me…”
The second Cheng daughter was gentle, but very persistent. She smiled and said, “Sis, just take them. You’re going to be working over there. They’re no use to me staying at home. You have a job, so you should dress respectably. Don’t let those city people look down on you.”
At that time, there was still a big gap between an agricultural household registration and a non-agricultural one. Everyone wanted to “jump over the farmer’s gate,” to go out and have a job. It was a very respectable thing to say. Cheng Chun genuinely wanted her eldest sister to have a better life outside. They were sisters, and she was willing to give whatever she could to help.
Cheng Qing’s eyes reddened as she listened. It was time to leave, and the two sisters had endless things to say.
Mi Yang listened from the side, but what he was sighing about was the issue of household registration.
Back then, no one wanted an agricultural household registration, partly because they didn’t want to be farmers, and partly because of the agricultural tax. Later, the agricultural tax was abolished, and there were no more household registration restrictions. You could find a job anywhere, and a non-agricultural household registration was no longer so rare. Later still, with land development, rural areas became more desirable, especially places like their Shanhai Town, which was close to the old city. After expansion and planning, land prices skyrocketed, multiplying several times in just two or three years.
At that time, it seemed that only his third aunt, who had never left Shanhai Town, had her fortunes reversed overnight, receiving two villas in the land allocation.
Things like this, you really never could tell.
