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Back to 1988 10


Chapter 10: Tangram

Mi Zehai said, “You should buy a couple of outfits for yourself too. You haven’t gotten anything new since you arrived.”

Cheng Qing refused, chiding, “We still need to save money for the journey back!”

Mi Zehai said, “We have enough. You should buy yourself a new outfit too.”

Cheng Qing wouldn’t agree. She had her eye on a small toy deer, a style she had seen at little Bai Luochuan’s place. It was an expensive and exquisite little toy, and she wanted to buy it for Mi Yang because she liked it.

Mi Yang didn’t want the little deer. He pushed it away several times, looking completely uninterested.

Only then did Cheng Qing give up.

Mi Zehai smiled and said, “Look at you two, stubborn in the same way.”

However, in the women’s clothing section, Mi Yang pointed at a red sweater behind the counter and let out a couple of “yiya” sounds, refusing to leave. The style was beautiful, and the color was bright, perfectly suited for his mother.

Cheng Qing tried to coax him, but he wouldn’t listen. The salesclerk, seeing Mi Zehai’s military uniform, was quite polite to them. Standing behind the counter, she said to them, “This is a new style from the south that just arrived this spring. It’s selling very well! It’s just that you can’t try it on here. Your wife is beautiful; it will definitely look good on her.”

Mi Zehai made the decision and bought it for his wife. Although Cheng Qing verbally chided him, she was delighted when she received the new clothes.

In the end, Mi Yang wasn’t left without a gift either. Cheng Qing bought him two sets of colorful tangram puzzles.

Mi Zehai asked, “Why buy two of the same?”

Cheng Qing said, “There’s also Sister Luo’s child. One for him and one for Luochuan. Sister Luo never leaves Yangyang out. It’s a rare occasion for me to come out; how could I only buy something for Yangyang?”

Mi Zehai scratched his head and chuckled. He was used to being a rough-and-tumble man and hadn’t thought of that.

The couple drank a bottle of iced orange soda each at the entrance of the department store. Mi Yang, seeing the orange-yellow soda fizzing with small bubbles, couldn’t help but feel a little greedy. He reached out and touched the bottle. Mi Zehai only let him have a little taste from a straw. Mi Yang smacked his lips. He really missed the taste of orange-flavored cold drinks.

Cheng Qing said worriedly, “Don’t give it to him. It’s too cold. What if he gets sick?”

Mi Zehai was nonchalant. “It’s fine, just a drop.”

After returning from the old city, Mi Yang was carried to the Bai family’s home again.

Little Bai Luochuan was eating. He could have a lot of supplementary food now. Wearing a small bib, he was eating vegetable congee, with half an egg yolk and a few cod liver oil pills on the side.

The little young master was eating with gusto, but when he saw Mi Yang being carried in, he immediately became excited. He refused to eat the spoonful of food brought to his lips and reached out, wanting an adult to lift him out of his high chair, insisting on going to play.

Mrs. Bai had no choice but to wipe his little hands and face clean and let him go play with Mi Yang.

This time, with the new tangram toy, little Bai Luochuan was quite happy playing. Mi Yang tried his best to play a supporting role, imitating the other to be a proper baby.

Little Bai Luochuan struggled to pry off a pink circular piece, shook it in his hand, and practiced speaking: “Eat… eat eat…”

Mi Yang was much more direct, spitting out the single-syllable sound he was most proficient at: “No.”

It was unclear if little Bai Luochuan understood, but any sound from Mi Yang’s side could make him giggle for a long time.

Over on the other side, Cheng Qing and Mrs. Bai were talking about returning to their hometown. She said to her, “It’s perfect to go back in the spring. The weather is neither too cold nor too hot, so a few days on the train won’t be too hard.”

Mrs. Bai asked about her hometown. She had only heard Cheng Qing mention that she was from Lu Province before. Many soldiers came from Lu Province, so she hadn’t paid much attention. But when she heard Cheng Qing mention the place name Shanhai Town, she couldn’t help but be surprised. “Oh, so after knowing each other for so long, it turns out our hometowns are in the same place?”

Cheng Qing was pleasantly surprised. “What, you too?”

Mrs. Bai smiled and shook her head. “Not me, I’m from the south. But Old Bai’s family is.”

Cheng Qing said, “But I heard people say that Brother Bai enlisted in the old Shaan-Gan-Ning revolutionary base area?”

“Yes, the old master of the family was from the military region there. He stayed there for a long time and has a particularly deep attachment to the place, so Old Bai enlisted there. You see Luochuan’s name? The old master gave it to him specifically because he won a battle there,” Mrs. Bai said. “But before my father-in-law enlisted, he was in Shanhai Town. My mother-in-law’s hometown is also there. They went back a few years ago.”

After a moment, Mrs. Bai explained in a low voice, “It was to pay respects. The old master only married my mother-in-law. Her family was well-off in the early years, but later they encountered those movements and suffered quite a bit. Her health wasn’t good, and she passed away early. The old family home was sealed up.”

Cheng Qing was at a loss, not intending to pry into their private affairs.

Mrs. Bai waved her hand at her, her tone gentle. “It’s alright, I’m just telling you. After the rehabilitation in ’78, the higher-ups sent special personnel to return those old belongings. My father-in-law didn’t ask for anything else; he donated everything except for the old house and land in his hometown.” She sighed. “It was also because he remembered what my mother-in-law said before she passed, that she wanted her leaves to fall back to their roots. The old master personally escorted her coffin back for the funeral.”

Cheng Qing also sighed in sympathy for a while.

Mrs. Bai smiled. “It’s alright, it’s all in the past.”

Mi Yang was listening with pricked ears from the side.

He had heard some talk about it before, but the rumors had become unreliable, with all sorts of stories. Mrs. Bai spoke of it casually, but Mi Yang knew how large an area the Bai family’s old residence covered. He had always thought it was acquired by the Bai family through business, but it turned out to be an ancestral property. No wonder it was a large and prestigious family that had been passed down for so many years.

The Bai family’s old residence had been taken care of all these years, and they always went there to pay respects to their ancestors. Now it seemed it was because the old master missed his wife.

The little Bai Luochuan next to him, seeing him turn his head to look at the adults, became a little unhappy and wanted to get his attention.

Mi Yang turned to look at him. The little young master was glaring at him, probably feeling that he wasn’t getting enough attention and getting angry in a matter of seconds.

Mi Yang felt that he would be leaving the military camp soon, and the next time he would see Bai Luochuan would probably be in a few years, at least after he started school. With this thought, he generously cooperated with him, even giving him several big smiles.

The little young master’s temper came and went quickly. In his eyes, Mi Yang was a beloved toy that moved when poked. Now that the toy was “moving” on its own and smiling so beautifully, the little young master was instantly satisfied. The two little babies giggled at each other, and even the adults beside them couldn’t help but smile, their moods improving significantly.

Mrs. Bai sighed. “I’m really going to miss Yangyang.”

Cheng Qing said, “I’ll miss you all too. Ai, but my family visit leave is about to end, and I have to go back. I’ll bring Yangyang back for the New Year this winter. Luochuan will probably be able to run by then, right?”

Mrs. Bai thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. “He should be. He’s already starting to crawl now, twisting his body and wanting to go everywhere.”

Cheng Qing praised, “That’s great, so lively!”

Mrs. Bai shook her head with a smile. “You don’t know how big his temper is. Sometimes when he gets going, even I’m afraid of him.”

Cheng Qing said, “Yangyang usually looks well-behaved, but he’s actually quite stubborn too. He has his own ideas, and I can never win against him.”

Mi Yang blinked. Was he stubborn?

The little Bai Luochuan next to him started to touch his baby bottle again. Mi Yang almost immediately hugged it tightly with his little arms and subconsciously stuffed the nipple into his mouth. It was only when he tasted the milk that he realized, Maybe I am a little stubborn?

No, this is a baby’s instinct to protect its food, Mi Yang comforted himself in his heart and continued to drink with effort.


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Back to 1988

Back to 1988

回档1988
Status: Ongoing Native Language: Chinese
The day Mi Yang finished paying off his mortgage, he lay down and had a sound sleep. When he woke up, he discovered his house was gone, his car was gone, his job was gone, and his savings were gone too! =口= A young couple in old-fashioned military uniforms were even shaking a rattle drum at him, cooing, "Yangyang, are you happy?" Mi Yang was not happy at all!! But he couldn't even move to protest; he was now wrapped in swaddling clothes, having become a baby. He had returned to his childhood. —————————————————————— A "shines bright with just a little sunshine" shou X A mysophobic, domineering young master gong A tale of childhood sweethearts, bound together from a young age. The story of raising a child groom-to-be all the way into one's own home →_→ Super sweet, the kind of fluffy story you'll wish you could pickle in a ton of sugar. —————————————— Content Tags: Rebirth, Sweet Story, Satisfying Story, Period Drama

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