Chapter 59: Swallow Kite
When Mi Zehai returned from the Bai’s house, he first went to the main hall to talk to Mi Hong for a while.
When he came out, he was a little disheveled. Mi Hong had thrown two medicine boxes at him, mixed with the old man’s angry voice, “Get out! I’m not leaving this little courtyard for the rest of my life. This is my home, and I’m not going anywhere! And, if you dare to hire a nanny, if they dare to step one foot into this courtyard, I’ll beat them out with a stick!”
Mi Zehai stood in the center of the courtyard and was scolded for a long time. He didn’t dare to say a word, just lowered his head and waited for the old man to cool down. After a while, the main hall finally fell silent. After all, this was the old father who had raised him for so many years. Mi Zehai didn’t hold a grudge and even thought to himself that the old man’s voice was much louder than before, and his health was really getting better.
After being scolded, he touched the tip of his nose and went back to the room where he was staying.
Cheng Qing was holding Mi Yang and telling him a story. When she saw him come in, she put down the fairy tale book in her hand. “What’s wrong? I heard Dad was very angry just now. What did you do to provoke him again?”
Mi Zehai stood there. “It’s nothing. I just told him that I might be retiring from the army and coming home.”
Cheng Qing was very anxious. “How can you do that? You’ve worked so hard for over ten years. Was the exam easy? And your future life…”
Mi Zehai placed the file bag in his hand by her side, held her hand, and asked in a low voice, “Qing’er, you actually want this child, don’t you?”
Mi Yang, on the side, had his little brow furrowed and didn’t relax. He also expressed his opinion, “Mom, if you want to have it, then have it. I’ll raise it for you.”
Cheng Qing had been a little worried, but when he said that, she burst out laughing with a “pfft.”
Mi Zehai’s face flushed red. “You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about! Your dad is still here. It’s not your turn to speak!”
Mi Yang was about to say more when Mi Zehai picked him up and put him to the side. He himself sat on a small stool next to Cheng Qing. The big man was now showing a bit of caution, like a wolfhound that had been scolded by its master. He asked carefully, “Qing’er, if I can guarantee to take good care of you and the child, and also have a stable income, would you be willing to have this child?”
Cheng Qing herself had also thought about this “if” many times. She sighed. “If that’s the case, then I would want to.”
The light in Mi Zehai’s eyes instantly brightened. He sat there and held Cheng Qing’s hand seriously, promising her, “Big Brother Bai came today. I went to talk to him about my future work. He told me a lot and also introduced me to a very good job.”
Cheng Qing was a little surprised. In her mind, an iron rice bowl was still the best. But since Political Commissar Bai had said it himself, it naturally couldn’t be bad.
Mi Zehai said, “Look, this is the contract for the new job, for a term of three years. In any case, I can take good care of you for the first three years. Give me three years, and I will definitely handle everything well and not let you and the children suffer any hardship or grievance.”
Cheng Qing’s eyes reddened. She hugged her husband and child together and only let go after a long while. She stroked Mi Yang’s little face and asked, “Yangyang, our family will have to be a little more frugal in the future. We might not be able to buy you too many toys. In the future, when there’s good food, it will also be shared with you and the little baby. You’re the older brother, and sometimes you’ll need to help Mom take care of the little baby… Are you willing?”
Of course, Mi Yang was willing. And he was much more optimistic than Mi Zehai. Although it was not the early 1980s when gold was everywhere, there were still many opportunities to get rich in the 1990s. His parents didn’t have that many material demands, and the whole family didn’t like to compare. A couple of small apartments, some flowers, and some fishing would be enough.
Cheng Qing opened the file bag and, while reading, asked, “It’s enough for you to find a job. I’m also studying for the self-taught exam and have several years of clinical experience. It’s not easy to find a job in a hospital, but a small clinic is always possible. Life will be a little hard, but we can get through it in a few years. But if we leave, who will take care of Dad? And what about Yangyang’s schooling?”
Mi Zehai said, “I just went to talk to Dad.”
Cheng Qing said, “You didn’t say that Dad should come with us, did you?”
Mi Zehai nodded.
Cheng Qing chuckled. “You deserve to be scolded. You even dare to say that.”
Mi Zehai sighed. “Dad won’t go. I said we could find someone to take care of him, but I was also scolded. He won’t let anyone else in. He wants to stay here for the rest of his life.”
Cheng Qing also sighed.
Mi Zehai perked up a little and said to her, “Yangyang’s schooling has been settled. Sister Luo said she’ll take care of everything. When we go to Shanghai for work, Yangyang will still be studying with Luochuan. It seems to be some kind of boarding school. Sister Luo said it’s very good.”
Mi Yang was taken aback. “Dad, am I going too?”
Mi Zehai said, “Of course.”
Mi Yang hadn’t expected this. He sat there and listened for a while, then realized that the Bai family had not just introduced him to a job, but had basically let Mi Zehai join their own company. Mrs. Bai had money and connections in Shanghai, and with the Bai family’s support, she was naturally like a fish in water. What she wanted was not necessarily a very capable subordinate, but someone reliable was her top priority at the moment.
Mi Yang looked down at the contract. The words “Engineering and Construction” were particularly eye-catching. It was indeed real estate, just as he had remembered from his previous life.
Mi Zehai stayed and told Cheng Qing how to settle the little baby. With someone to help them in a foreign place, it would be more convenient than here.
The family discussed and made a decision. After they were done, the whole family relaxed a lot.
For the first time, Cheng Qing let Mi Yang touch her belly. She hadn’t wanted this child before, so she hadn’t let Mi Yang have much contact, for fear of leaving the child with some bad memories.
Mi Yang reached out and gently touched it. He only felt a small bump on Cheng Qing’s stomach. It was a little hard, but not obvious at all. If it weren’t for the fact that Cheng Qing had been feeling unwell a lot lately, there would have been no change from usual.
Mi Yang thought it was magical and touched it again. Mi Zehai said, “That’s enough. Don’t break it.” He said as he also carefully touched it. His wife had been in an unstable mood these past few days and hadn’t let him touch her little belly!
Cheng Qing was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry and shooed the two of them out. “Go on, you’re so annoying!”
Mi Zehai had only been dejected for a while. Now, he was full of energy, as if he had set a new goal. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen to wash vegetables and cook. Mi Yang also ran out and went straight to the main hall. Mi Zehai grabbed him by the back of his collar halfway and stopped him. “I heard everything that day. You little brat, you went to play the three-stringed lute again, right? And you even had Grandpa teach you to make a kite. You took a lot of string, right?”
Mi Yang didn’t blush at all and said righteously, “That’s my own grandpa. What’s wrong with taking a little string? Grandpa said I could take as much as I wanted.”
Mi Zehai thought of the scolding he had just received, and then saw his son acting like a little emperor in front of his elders, and his heart ached. He was about to reach out and ruffle Mi Yang’s head a couple of times when Mi Yang dodged him warily and even held up four fingers to show him.
Mi Zehai said, “What does that mean?”
Mi Yang’s chin was even higher, and he said proudly, “I still have a grandma and three aunts here! Dad, don’t touch me. I have a lot of reinforcements!”
Mi Zehai was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry and tapped him on the head a little. “Go on, you. Really, you’re on top of the world now that you’re back.”
Mi Yang ran to the main hall in a flash and found Mi Hong to continue to ask him to teach him to make a kite. The young master Bai’s birthday was coming up. He only had a few yuan and cents of pocket money and couldn’t give him anything else. He could only make him a pretty kite. It just so happened that at the end of July, there was a gentle breeze on the hillside. It would be nice to take his young master to fly a kite and cultivate his sentiments.
Mi Hong’s attitude towards his son and grandson was slightly different. Although he still had a sour face, he didn’t chase his little grandson out.
Mi Yang was always well-behaved in front of the old man, especially now that a weight had been lifted from his heart, and his face was full of happiness. When Mi Hong was guiding him, he unconsciously hummed a little tune.
Mi Hong leaned against the wooden bed, a thin quilt covering his legs. He suddenly said, “That’s not right.”
Mi Yang stopped what he was doing and looked at it for a long time, puzzled. He looked up. “Grandpa, I didn’t tie this wrong.”
The corner of Mi Hong’s mouth moved. “The tune was wrong. The pitch was half a step too high.”
Mi Yang looked for a while, then saw that his grandfather had just smiled slightly. He immediately curved his eyes into a big smile and went over to please him, “Then can Grandpa teach me to sing? I just heard Grandma sing a little and didn’t learn it all, hehe.”
Mi Hong glanced at him and cleared his throat. “Do your kite first. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
Mi Yang was not so afraid of him anymore. He had been coming to learn to make a kite for several days in a row, and his relationship with his grandfather had become a little closer. Now, when Mi Hong smiled at him, he felt particularly favored, and his words also became more. “Grandpa, my dad said you also know how to restore books. I want to learn too. I’ve read a book. When I was in the army, Mr. Wei gave me a very thick book on ancient book restoration. I read it for a long time and also practiced by myself, but there are still some things I don’t know. Can you teach me, Grandpa?”
Mi Hong beckoned for him to come over. Mi Yang immediately went over with sparkling eyes. The old man made a circle with two fingers and flicked him on the forehead. Seeing the little red mark on the child’s forehead, he was about to lecture him when he saw his little grandson, who was like a puppy, suddenly spread his belly and lie on the corner of his bed, rolling a couple of times, covering his head and saying, “Grandpa is a liar,” “I’m hurt,” “I can’t get up if you don’t teach me to restore books.”
The corner of Mi Hong’s mouth twitched. This time, his smile was much more obvious than before.
Mi Yang’s kite was finished, and it was also the end of July, just two days before Bai Luochuan’s birthday.
The kite he had made was a swallow kite. It was carefully colored and decorated with two small whistles that would spin and make a sound in the wind. The test flight was very successful, but the kite was too big to be packed. Mi Yang was also afraid of damaging it, so he could only hold it and go to find Bai Luochuan.
The young master Bai was at home, unwrapping things. He would always receive a large pile of gifts when his birthday was approaching. But now, after unwrapping for a long time, he was lazy and not very interested, not even bothering to open and play with the latest laptop that was by his side.
When Mi Yang came in, he stood up. When he saw the large kite he was holding, his eyes lit up, and he said impatiently, “Is this for me?”
Mi Yang nodded. The young master Bai immediately dropped the pile of things and went to look at his birthday gift. He circled it, and Mi Yang even pointed out to him that his name was written on the swallow’s tail, as if it had been specially customized.
Bai Luochuan said with great satisfaction, “It’s so beautiful. My name should be written a little bigger.”
