Huaihua Village
Today was the day for the village to deliver public grain, a rare occasion when no fieldwork was required.
Yao Chunhua was chatting with neighbors at her doorstep while keeping an eye on her four grandchildren playing nearby.
The eldest was Zhuangzhuang, over three years old, the child of her second son—a sturdy little rascal. Next was Shitou, her eldest son’s child, just over two years old. Then came the two younger girls: Xinxin, the daughter of her second son, just over a year old, and Qingqing, her eldest son’s child, a month younger.
As Yao Chunhua chatted with the villagers, she occasionally glanced at the children playing.
“Hey, Wu Meili doesn’t seem to be home today?” someone suddenly remarked, mentioning their neighbor Wu Meili.
“I know about that. I heard her daughter Gu Baozhu is about to give birth, so she took the family’s big hen to make chicken soup for her daughter’s postpartum recovery.”
“Oh, so that’s why. Wu Meili really dotes on her daughter.”
Though Yao Chunhua often bickered and even quarreled with Wu Meili, she agreed with Wu Meili’s devotion to her daughter.
“What’s wrong with treating a daughter well? Daughters are caring little cotton-padded jackets.”
Hearing this, the villagers thought of Gu Jianing.
Indeed, who wouldn’t want a daughter like Gu Jianing? Who wouldn’t want to cherish her?
Mentioning Gu Jianing, someone asked, “By the way, Chunhua, your Ningning has been married for over three years now, hasn’t she come back to visit yet?”
At the mention of her daughter, Yao Chunhua’s eyes filled with longing.
“Ningning is a doctor, so she’s very busy. And she’s all the way in the northwest—it’s too far. She wanted to come back during the New Year, but something always came up, and she couldn’t make it…”
Yao Chunhua understood her daughter’s situation, but she missed her terribly.
Not only did she miss her daughter, but she also missed Xingxing and Yueyue.
When she left, the twins were only two months old. Now, they were over two years old. She wondered how they were doing.
Ningning always said in her letters and phone calls that she was doing well, but as a mother, how could Yao Chunhua rest easy without seeing it with her own eyes? She worried her daughter was only sharing the good news and hiding any hardships.
The others could see Yao Chunhua’s longing for Gu Jianing.
They sighed softly. “Children are their parents’ debts.” A lifetime of worry.
“Aunt Yao! Aunt Yao! Sister Jianing is back! She’s back!”
Just then, a young man jumped off an oxcart and ran toward them, shouting as he came.
“Isn’t that Shuanzi? He went with the village head to deliver the public grain.”
“What did he say? Jianing is back?”
Yao Chunhua immediately stood up. By then, Shuanzi had sprinted to her, panting heavily, unable to catch his breath.
“Why are you running so fast? Catch your breath first,” Yao Chunhua said, glancing around. Shuanzi had gone with her husband to deliver the grain, but now the others had returned while her husband was nowhere in sight.
As for what Shuanzi had shouted from afar, Yao Chunhua had heard it, but she thought she must have imagined it.
It wasn’t the New Year or any holiday—why would Ningning come back now?
Besides, if Ningning were returning, she would have called first.
She figured it was just her longing for Ningning playing tricks on her, especially since they had just been talking about her.
“Shuanzi, where’s your Uncle Gu?”
Finally catching his breath, Shuanzi hurriedly said, “Aunt Yao, Sister Jianing is back! Uncle Gu is coming back with her in a jeep. They should be here soon.”
Yao Chunhua froze.
“Shuanzi, are you joking with me?”
Shuanzi looked both amused and exasperated. “Auntie, I wouldn’t joke about something like this. Listen—can you hear the car coming? Look, there it is!”
In truth, the jeep Gu Jianing was riding in should have been much faster than an oxcart.
But she had made a stop at the supply and marketing cooperative, which delayed her return.
Now, however, the jeep was finally driving into the village.
Yao Chunhua quickly looked up and, sure enough, saw a familiar jeep approaching.
Though conditions had improved somewhat in recent years, vehicles were still a rare sight in the countryside.
But Yao Chunhua had seen one before.
Hadn’t her son-in-law driven a jeep when he married her daughter?
And now…
Could it really be true, just as Shuanzi had said? Was Ningning really back?
Yao Chunhua hurried forward several steps, her eyes fixed on the jeep, her heart pounding as she strained to confirm.
The other villagers also watched eagerly.
Just then, the jeep came to a smooth stop about two meters away from Yao Chunhua, and the door swung open…
Gu Jianing sat in the passenger seat, watching through the window as her mother rushed toward her.
The moment she saw her mother, Gu Jianing’s pent-up longing could no longer be restrained.
As soon as the car stopped, she eagerly pushed the door open and jumped out.
“Mom…”
The second her feet touched the ground, she sprinted toward Yao Chunhua and threw her arms around her.
“Mom, I missed you so much.”
Yao Chunhua, who had barely registered the door opening before being swept into a hug, stood frozen for a moment.
Then a familiar voice sounded in her ear.
Dazed, Yao Chunhua murmured, “Is it really my Ningning?”
“Has my Ningning really come back?”
Gu Jianing loosened her embrace slightly so her mother could get a good look at her.
“Mom, it’s me. I’m back.”
Yao Chunhua studied her daughter’s face intently, even reaching up to touch her features. The next second, tears spilled from her reddened eyes.
“It’s my Ningning. My Ningning has come home.”
“Yes, Mom. I’m back.”
“Ningning.” Yao Chunhua could no longer hold back. She pulled Gu Jianing into a crushing embrace, as if she never wanted to let go again.
This was the daughter she had cherished her whole life, her flesh, the one she had worried about endlessly.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I’ve been unfilial, not coming back until now.”
Yao Chunhua lightly rapped her on the head. “What nonsense are you saying? It’s so far away, and you have two little ones to care for, plus your work—how could you just come back whenever you wanted?”
Though she had waited and hoped for her daughter’s return these past two years…
Had the waiting and hoping been hard?
Of course it had.
But now that her daughter was finally here, she felt every second of that wait had been worth it.
“Grandma…”
Yao Chunhua froze, then looked up to see the little girl her husband was carrying out of the car.
The child looked to be just over two years old—and she was absolutely adorable.
Plump and fair, with delicate features, and most strikingly, the spitting image of her daughter as a baby.
Yao Chunhua recognized her instantly.
She rushed over to Yueyue. “This… this must be Yueyue, right?”
“Grandma, I’m Yueyue!”
It really was Yueyue!
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