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Chapter 10: Tangram

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

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

Mi Zehai said, “There’s enough. Buy yourself a new outfit.”

Cheng Qing wouldn’t. She had her eye on a 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 that, you two have the same stubborn temper.”

However, in the women’s clothing section, Mi Yang pointed at a red sweater behind the counter, let out a couple of “yiya” sounds, and refused to leave. The style was beautiful, and the color was bright, perfectly suiting 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. She stood behind the counter and said, “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 very 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. Cheng Qing bought him two sets of colorful tangrams.

Mi Zehai said, “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, and since I rarely get 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 watched the orange-yellow soda fizz with little bubbles and couldn’t help but feel a little greedy. He reached out and touched the bottle. Mi Zehai only let him have a tiny taste from a straw. Mi Yang smacked his lips. Ah, how I miss 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 many supplementary foods 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, reaching out for an adult to lift him from 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 did his best to act as a supporting character, trying his best to imitate the other and 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 whether 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, “Going back in the spring is perfect. 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. Many soldiers came from Lu Province, so she hadn’t paid much attention to it. But when she heard Cheng Qing mention the name Shanhai Town, she couldn’t help but be surprised. “Oh, so we’ve known each other for so long, and our hometowns are in the same place?”

Cheng Qing said in pleasant surprise, “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 man in the family came from the military region there. He stayed there for a long time and has a particularly deep affection for the place, so Old Bai enlisted there. You see Luochuan’s name? The old man gave it to him in commemoration of a victory he won there!” Mrs. Bai said, “But my father-in-law was in Shanhai Town before he enlisted, and my mother-in-law’s hometown is also there. He went back a few years ago.”

After a moment, Mrs. Bai explained in a low voice, “He went to pay respects. The old man only married my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law’s family was well-off in the early years, but later, during those movements, they were tossed about 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 a house and land in his hometown.” She sighed. “He was also thinking of what my mother-in-law said before she passed, that she wanted her leaves to fall back to their roots. The old man personally escorted her coffin back for the funeral.”

Cheng Qing also sighed with emotion for a while.

Mrs. Bai smiled. “It’s alright, it’s all ancient history from before the war.”

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 through business dealings by the Bai family, but it turned out to be ancestral property. Truly worthy of a great family with a long heritage.

The Bai family’s old residence had been taken care of for so many years, and they always went there for ancestral worship. Now it seemed it was because the old man was thinking of his wife.

Beside him, little Bai Luochuan saw him turning his head to look at the adults and became a little unhappy, wanting to attract his attention.

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

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

The little young master Bai’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 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 ending, and I have to go back. I’ll bring Yangyang back for the New Year this winter. By then, Luochuan will probably be able to run, right?”

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

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

Mrs. Bai smiled and shook her head. “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 obedient, but he’s actually quite stubborn too. He has his own ideas, and I can never win against him.”

Mi Yang blinked his eyes. Am I stubborn?

Beside him, little Bai Luochuan started to touch his 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, Hmm, 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.