Chapter 20: Going Home

Chapter 20: Going Home

Time passed quickly. Ye Xiaoxiao arrived here in December 1983, and now it was already January 1984 according to the Gregorian calendar.

On the 21st day of the twelfth lunar month, there were nine days left until the Lunar New Year.

Ye Xiaoxiao had been in this place for over two months.

The weather had been gloomy recently, and Miao Fengshan was worried it might snow soon, so he discussed with Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Xiao Xiao, we should head back to Baichuan Village soon."

Ye Xiaoxiao also knew that once it snowed, it would definitely delay their trip home.

"Grandpa, I'll go and tell my master today that I won't be coming in these last couple of days before the New Year."

Ye Xiaoxiao put on her hat and went out. As the New Year approached, the temperature dropped significantly.

When she arrived at the pharmacy, she saw a man standing at the entrance.

He stood there, not entering.

Ye Xiaoxiao tilted her head—the door wasn't locked.

She asked, "Excuse me, are you here for medicine?"

The man turned around, "And you are...?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I'm an apprentice here."

The man's cold expression softened instantly, and his voice became much kinder: "You're the master's apprentice?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

This guy was odd.

Before she could say anything else, the door of the pharmacy opened, and Song Guangjing shot the man a glare and said, "Come in."

The man looked thrilled.

Once inside the pharmacy, Ye Xiaoxiao found out the man had come to ask Song Guangjing to return to the capital for the New Year.

But Song Guangjing didn’t want to go back.

"Master, I came today to ask for leave. I'm going back to Baichuan Village. It’d be too lonely for you to spend the New Year here by yourself. Why don't you go back with him?"

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t just being polite; she genuinely felt that Song Guangjing would be lonely staying here by himself.

Song Guangjing stayed quiet.

Seeing his chance, the man stepped forward, "Master, it's been several years since you last went back. The capital’s changed so much—if you don’t go back soon, you might not even recognize your home."

Song Guangjing's expression softened slightly, "Fine, I’ll go back and take a look. But let's make it clear beforehand, I'll return after the New Year, and no one is allowed to keep me there."

The man respectfully replied, "Yes, yes, of course, we'll follow your wishes."

Song Guangjing took out a red envelope and handed it to Ye Xiaoxiao, "It's almost the New Year, here’s your New Year’s money."

"Thank you, Master."

Ye Xiaoxiao accepted it without hesitation.

The man watched their interaction curiously, eager to ask why the master had suddenly taken on another disciple.

After all, since that incident, the master had always lived alone.

Several attempts to bring him back to the capital had all failed.

He patted his pocket, wondering if he should try to win over the master's new disciple.

"Quit staring and go pack your things," Song Guangjing said to the man with a different tone.

The man didn't show any dissatisfaction and immediately headed to the backyard.

Song Guangjing then told Ye Xiaoxiao to enjoy her New Year and not to come back too early.

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded, "I wish you a safe journey, Master."

...

Before heading back to Baichuan Village, Ye Xiaoxiao took Ye Changsheng shopping early in the morning.

Ye Changsheng: "Our parents have already bought all the New Year stuff, what else do you need to get?"

Ye Xiaoxiao led him to the candy section.

With the New Year approaching, the supply and marketing cooperative was packed, and Ye Xiaoxiao could hardly squeeze through.

"I bet Mom and Dad wouldn't buy any candy, I knew it..."

Ye Changsheng pulled Ye Xiaoxiao aside and got in line himself.

They spent half the day struggling inside.

In the end, they bought two big bags of candy, two cans of malted milk, two pairs of kids' shoes, two hairpins, and a bottle of wine.

The two pairs of kids' shoes weren't cloth shoes but the most popular leather shoes this year.

Ye Changsheng thought the shoes were pricey, but Ye Xiaoxiao insisted on getting them.

"These are presents for the kids."

Ye Changsheng: "They'll be thrilled with the candy, you should drink more milk."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I'm not that short, okay."

She was turning eighteen this New Year, already 165 cm tall, and likely to grow a few more centimeters.

At this height, she's definitely a sweet girl from the Northeast!

Ye Changsheng shook his head, "You're too thin."

Ye Xiaoxiao retorted, "You don't get it."

She wasn't exactly skinny, she still had plenty of meat on her bones.

And with so many people in the future desperate to lose weight, she was naturally beautiful.

Ye Changsheng couldn't win the argument and had to shut up.

"Oh, by the way... do we have a flashlight at home?"

Ye Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered the awkwardness of going to the bathroom at night in the Ye family's house.

During the day it was fine, but at night it was really hard to see.

The scary part was that there were no electric lights at home, so at night they had to rely on candles and kerosene lamps for light, but on windy days, they couldn't use them outside.

"There's one at home."

But Ye Changsheng sighed, knowing that Ye Xiaoxiao's question meant she wanted to buy one.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished, Ye Xiaoxiao said, "With so many people in our family, we should get another one, don't you think?"

Ye Changsheng: "Are you seeking my opinion?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "No... I was wondering if you still have any coupons?"

Ye Changsheng sighed and handed Ye Xiaoxiao two industrial coupons.

Finally, she chose a larger one and bought it, along with some spare batteries.

By the time they finished, it was already noon.

Back home, Miao Fengshan had already packed up, and they left the rabbits with the neighbors to look after for a few days before locking the door.

Back then, robberies might happen, but home burglaries were rare in the village.

Since everyone was so poor, there wasn't much worth stealing.

The three of them set off for Baichuan Village.

It had been two months since they last traveled this road, and Ye Xiaoxiao once again felt the hardship of a long journey.

As they walked, the sky darkened, and snowflakes began to fall.

When they reached the biggest hill on the way home, Ye Xiaoxiao spotted two people standing on the slope.

Ye Changsheng waved, "Big brother, third brother!"

Ye Xiaoxiao looked up; the snow was falling thick and fast, like free cotton, blurring her vision.

"We figured you'd come back today, so we've been waiting since morning."

Ye Changqing, with his strong features, smiled and took the things from Miao Fengshan.

Ye Xiaoxiao looked at the other man, who resembled the Ye family, standing about 1.8 meters tall, with a middle-parted hairstyle and a roguish smile.

This must be the Ye family's third son, Ye Changning.

In a way, he was a trendsetter of his time, but his recklessness led to his downfall.

Ye Changning looked at Ye Xiaoxiao casually, "So this is our new sister, huh? First time meeting her."

Ye Changqing gave him a kick, "Cut the crap. If I catch you bullying Xiao Xiao, you're dead meat."

Ye Changning cried out dramatically, "Ouch... I wouldn't dare!"

The snowstorm got worse, making them walk faster.

Luckily, they were almost home; once they got down this big hill, they could see Baishi Village.

After what felt like forever, they finally made it to the village entrance.

As they walked past a house, they ran into a chubby neighbor hauling firewood into the yard.

When she saw Ye Xiaoxiao, she said dramatically, "Is this girl still staying with you guys?"