Chapter 52: Long-Distance Call
Mi Yang stayed there for a while before slowly making his way back along the small path.
Mi Zehai and Cheng Qing were not in the room. They had probably gone out to discuss the things Mi Hong had given them. Mi Yang lay back down and also thought for a while. He was not surprised by his grandfather’s cold and hard attitude. Over the past so many years, there had been many times when his personality was even stranger than now. But for Mi Hong to give everything to Mi Zehai, it made Mi Yang very uneasy.
It was like a traveler who had packed his luggage and settled all his affairs, preparing for a long journey with no intention of returning.
Mi Yang thought for a while, and with the fatigue from the bumpy train ride, he fell asleep without realizing it.
Mi Yang temporarily stayed in Shanhai Town with his parents. Cheng Qing only had time to take him to see the old Mrs. Cheng for a quick visit. Before she could say a few words, she had to go back. “Mom, I’ll go over first. My father-in-law is taking care of her alone, and there’s no one at home to cook.”
The old Mrs. Cheng put some fresh vegetables in a bag for her and also brought two pigeons for her, whispering, “Is she sick again?”
Cheng Qing’s brow was furrowed. “She’s never been well. This time, it looks even more serious. I haven’t been able to get out of bed for a single step in the two days I’ve been back.”
The old Mrs. Cheng sighed. “I went to see her a few days ago. Your father-in-law was still helping her walk a little in the courtyard. When old people get sick, once they’re bedridden, it’s hard for them to get up again.”
Cheng Qing took the things and was about to go back. Mi Yang stood there and suddenly stopped, looking up. “Grandma, can the phone at home make long-distance calls? I want to make a call.”
The old Mrs. Cheng nodded. “Yes, you can. Just add a 0 in front. Come, Little Good Boy, Grandma will take you. Who do you want to call?”
Mi Yang followed her. “A friend of mine, Bai Luochuan, the one who ate half a pot of fried dough cakes at our house last time.”
The old Mrs. Cheng chuckled. “Oh, oh, it’s him. I remember him!”
Cheng Qing was in a hurry to leave. She glanced at the time and said to Mi Yang, “Yangyang, then Mom will go first. After you’re done with your call, you can go back to Grandma’s house by yourself. If you don’t remember the way, you can have Grandma take you there, you know?”
Mi Yang nodded. “I remember the way. Just follow the stone path in front of the door to the end and turn right.”
Cheng Qing said, “That’s right. Don’t play for too long.”
Mi Yang agreed, saw Cheng Qing off, and then went back to the Cheng family’s living room to make the call.
The old Mrs. Cheng’s house was neat and tidy. She cherished everything and liked to cover them with something. Not to mention the layer of gauze on the sofa, there were also covers on the TV, the lampshade, and even the phone was wiped clean, with a simple and beautiful handkerchief covering the landline phone.
She lifted the handkerchief and pushed the phone to Mi Yang. “Do you know how to dial? Grandma will help you.”
Mi Yang said, “I know.”
He had already memorized Bai Luochuan’s home phone number. It was just that he had to go through an operator to get to the military base. When the operator asked, he gave the unit number and Bai Luochuan’s family’s extension number. This time, it went through quickly. After ringing a couple of times, it was answered. The person on the other end had just said “hello” when she heard Mi Yang’s voice and immediately said, “Aiyo! Yangyang, you’ve called! You wait, don’t hang up, wait…”
Mi Yang recognized the voice of the Bai family’s nanny, Auntie Wu. He heard her calling someone down. After a short while, he heard the sound of footsteps and a child’s panting voice, “Hello, Mi Yang?”
Mi Yang rubbed the tip of his nose and smiled. “It’s me.”
The voice on the other end immediately rose, with a proud tone, “I knew you would call me! You’ve arrived? Is your grandmother well? When are you coming back?”
The other party asked a barrage of questions, and Mi Yang answered them all patiently. But when it came to the last question, he hesitated. “It might be a while.”
Bai Luochuan asked, “Then how many days?”
Mi Yang hesitated for a moment, then said to him, “I might not be able to go back for a long time. My grandmother is very sick. My mom even said today that she’s going to ask for a long leave for me.”
Bai Luochuan said, “You’re not coming to school either?”
Mi Yang didn’t say anything.
Bai Luochuan was also silent for a while on the other end, but he still tried his best to say in a more gentle tone, “It’s fine. I’ll wait for you. No matter how long.”
The two of them talked for a while longer. Although the old Mrs. Cheng was doting on him, Mi Yang also remembered that long-distance calls were very expensive at this time. After a brief conversation, he was about to hang up.
Bai Luochuan said, “Wait! Is this your home number? Can I find you by calling this number?”
Mi Yang said, “This is my grandma’s house. You can write it down. But I’m usually at my other grandmother’s house, and there’s no phone there. How about this, I’ll come over every Wednesday, and when you’re out of school, I’ll call you, okay?”
Bai Luochuan had been very depressed. It was only when he heard him say this that he became a little happier. “Alright, then it’s a deal. You have to come on Wednesday.”
Mi Yang had originally thought that he would only be staying in Shanhai Town for a short while, but his grandmother’s condition was fluctuating. At its worst, Cheng Qing had even secretly prepared her funeral clothes. A few times, the young couple, Mi Zehai and Cheng Qing, were so scared that they wiped away their tears. Mi Zehai couldn’t leave the bedside, and Cheng Qing was even more reluctant to leave, taking care of her husband and in-laws. It was better to have the child with her than anywhere else. She had to ask for a long leave for Mi Yang and also take care of him.
Bai Luochuan soon found out about Mi Yang’s leave of absence.
At that time, they had already called each other several Wednesdays in a row. Although Bai Luochuan didn’t say it, he could feel that he was counting the days until he came back. But he had never expected that what he was waiting for was another long leave, one that even extended to the summer vacation, the kind where he wouldn’t be back at school for more than half a year.
On another Wednesday when they were on the phone, Bai Luochuan’s mood was very bad.
He lowered his voice and said to Mi Yang, “I’m sick.”
Mi Yang was very guilty but could only say in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”
Bai Luochuan had originally wanted to be a little better to Mi Yang, a little better, so that he would come back soon and not leave.
But he found that his one-sided wish was of no use.
He also knew in his heart that Mi Yang would definitely be taking a long leave and staying in Shanhai Town this time.
Mi Yang coaxed him, “You can come with Grandpa Bai. Doesn’t Grandpa Bai come to his hometown every year to have a look? You can come with him this year. I’ll be here, not going anywhere. When you come, I’ll pick you up at the station, okay?”
Bai Luochuan was silent for a while on the other end, then suddenly said, “You don’t want to come back at all.”
He then hung up.
Mi Yang called again, but he didn’t answer. It was clear that he was angry.
Mi Yang called a few times, and seeing that there was no hope, he could only put down the phone, sigh, and go back to his grandmother’s house.
Mi Yang was just a child now and had no say in whether he stayed or left. The only thing he could do was to try to bring some joy to his family. He found that as long as he pleased his grandmother, his grandfather’s expression would immediately relax, and he would even smile a few times. After discovering this, Mi Yang spent more time in the main hall.
The old lady had always been very worried about Mi Yang’s health, for fear of passing her illness to him. But seeing her little grandson healthy and lively, besides being relieved, she also grew more fond of him, doting on him no less than the old Mrs. Cheng. He was truly the apple of her eye, the treasure in her palm.
In comparison, Mi Zehai had more on his mind.
His body was already injured. Although Cheng Qing had discovered it in time and had taken care of him, it was the first time he had discovered that he was no longer the same as before. It was not just the injury to his waist and abdomen; his hearing was also damaged from time to time, which also caused him some trouble.
He would sometimes think that when he returned to his unit from his hometown, he probably wouldn’t be able to go to the front lines anymore.
Although Mi Zehai was smiling, he would always furrow his brow when he turned his head. He would place his hand on his waist and abdomen and unconsciously press down hard, as if he were making an important decision, with a struggle.
Cheng Qing saw it but pretended not to, trying her best not to mention it. Her husband was proud and wouldn’t say it, so she would wait. She would listen when he was willing to talk. Occasionally, when she saw Mi Yang’s gaze following Mi Zehai, she would just gently stroke Mi Yang’s little head and comfort him with a few words, “It’s already healed,” “Mom is a nurse, of course I know,” “It’s fine, it’s all in the past…” Her son would always nod obediently. Cheng Qing looked at the child with her eyes full of affection.
After thinking for a while, Mi Zehai finally spoke to Cheng Qing one night to discuss the matter of a transfer, wanting to transfer to a civilian post back in their hometown and not stay in the army.
“My body is really not as good as before. Even if I stay, I might not be able to do as well as before. And with Mom and Dad like this, I can’t rest assured. If I transfer back, I can spend more time with them. Even if Mom is gone, I can still take care of Dad. I really can’t rest assured with the family like this…” Mi Zehai said, but when he talked about leaving the army, his brow was still furrowed, and it was clear that he was reluctant.
Cheng Qing didn’t think much of it. After he finished speaking, she immediately nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll be with you. There are hospitals everywhere anyway. It’s even easier for me to find a job than you.”
Mi Zehai had originally been worried that his wife would object, but Cheng Qing was very supportive of him and even consoled him, “It’s just as well. Yangyang’s household registration is still with me, both in the original place. It’s good to come back. He has to come back for middle school anyway. It’s a matter of time.”
Mi Zehai was very touched. He had given up a lot, and so had his wife.
Mi Zehai held her hand and sighed. “After we go back, we might have to start from scratch. It’ll be hard on you.”
Cheng Qing chuckled and chided, “If I were afraid of hardship, I wouldn’t have married a soldier.”
Mi Zehai said again, “Marrying you is the greatest blessing of my life.”
He said it so seriously that Cheng Qing became embarrassed and pushed him, smiling herself.
Mi Yang stayed at his grandmother’s house and had more contact with the old people, and his opinion of them slowly began to change.
The grandfather in his memory had a strange temper, but now, he was still that strange old man. But whenever he was in front of his grandmother, he would become like an old child, defending himself in a low voice, and trying all sorts of ways to coax his old wife to eat another mouthful of food or drink another mouthful of medicine to make her happy. This was a side of him that Mi Yang had never seen before.
Mi Yang would also go to his other grandmother’s house to see her when he was free. After the Wednesday calls had stopped, there had been no more calls for over a month. Mi Yang would wait for a while every time he went. When he heard the phone ring, he would be the first to answer it.
When he couldn’t get a call from Bai Luochuan, Mi Yang was not discouraged. His mind was now completely occupied by his family. He would occasionally relax and leave this small empty space for this one call.
Sometimes, Mi Yang would see the figures of his former playmates. A group of children would run off, laughing and playing. He would stand at the entrance of that old alley and watch, suddenly feeling a little strange.
It was like his former self, and like something from his memory, but it was completely different from now.
He had chosen another path, not that of a carefree childhood spent playing wildly.
One time, Mi Yang waited for a long time at his grandmother’s house for a call. He waited until it was dark, but there was still no call. He was afraid that Cheng Qing would be worried, so he hurriedly ran back to his other grandmother’s house. There were many ways to get home, and Mi Yang had become familiar with many of them these past few days. He chose a small path to take a shortcut back. It was dark and there were few people. He was a little scared as he walked, always feeling like there were footsteps behind him.
Just as he was about to reach his grandmother’s house, a wild cat or something on the side of the road let out a cry. Mi Yang was startled and took two steps back, nearly knocking over an old flower pot on the side, which made a “clang” sound.
The light at his grandmother’s house turned on, and then Mi Hong came out with a coat on. When he saw Mi Yang running home on the small path, his face immediately darkened, and he scolded, “Stop right there! Who told you to come this way!”
