In Xie Ying's memory, the real life of their Xie family as a "family" began from that day.

On January 29, 1994, the 18th day of the 12th lunar month, the old man Xie Hongxuan closed the clinic and walked calmly back to Rulin Street. The alley where the Xie family is located is distributed with four families, all of which are bungalows facing north and south. Xie Hongxuan's home is at the easternmost end of the alley. His door is larger than that of other families, and the house is also the largest in this alley.

Hearing his door opening, his wife Feng Yuzhen walked out of the main hall with a handful of soybean sprouts. "Check Xiaoying?"

"Yes." Xie Hongxuan had wiped the bicycle clean. A standard 28-bar has a red child seat installed on the back seat. Before leaving, Xie Hongxuan always wiped the seats. It is a ritual thing to pick up his granddaughter, and he has always taken it seriously.

"We have to go to the Children's Palace to pick it up today?"

"Yeah." Xie Hongxuan said: "I'm going to perform on the TV station on New Year's Eve. I'm rehearsing every day these days. The child is tired - I'm leaving, I'm cooking less food, I can't eat too much, I've gained weight again these two days."

"Okay. Be careful on the road and don't race cars with those young people."

"knew!"

"Put your scarf, if you catch a cold, you will have to cough again."

"knew!!"

"Don't buy so many snacks for Xiaoying! She needs to have a good meal."

"I know!!!"

As soon as he left the alley, Xie Hongxuan rode his bicycle very fast, gradually breaking through the encirclement from the young people, and riding far away. The young people around him were chased by him for no reason. Not only that, he also bought a bunch of candied haws at the intersection, and felt that it was not enough, so he bought another piece of roasted sweet potato.

My granddaughter has to go to school and sing again, so I'm tired! After she finishes rehearsal, she has to feed her snacks into her mouth as soon as possible. Just hold the candied haws in her hand, and the roasted sweet potatoes must be hidden in her close pocket. If the roasted sweet potatoes are cold, the baby granddaughter will not like to eat them.

The wind in winter is cold and dry. Xie Hongxuan is surrounded by a scarf, and his face is still numb. From home to the Children's Palace, he has to ride a bicycle for twenty minutes. In the season when water is dripping into ice, people's joints and bicycle parts are frozen, exerting a lot of strength and his movements are clumsy. Xie Hongxuan sweats on his head and thinks about his granddaughter in his heart, so he doesn't feel tired.

When waiting for the traffic light, a young man hummed "Xiaofang", his upper body sang together and beat the song. Xie Hongxuan could not accept the concept of "pop song", but "Xiaofang" was too popular. He listened to it many times passively and almost learned it. He muttered: "Young people must sing songs with high fighting spirit and vigor!... We cannot let these despicable sounds corrode your thoughts."

The young man was confused by the words, but fortunately the green light untied him and he quickly ran away. Xie Hongxuan sighed and pedaled hard, and then started to pedal his bicycle. Times have changed, and the streets and alleys are played with "pop songs" and songs from Hong Kong. But when he listened stubbornly to "model opera", he likes sonorous and powerful music.

When we arrived at the Children's Palace, many parents were waiting outside. Xie Hongxuan was well-known in the local area, so when he saw him coming, everyone greeted him enthusiastically. Xie Hongxuan greeted them, but his eyes glanced at the old three-story building. It has been more than ten years since the Children's Palace? Xie Hongxuan still remembers that his daughter had rehearsed the show here. After so many years, the buildings have not been renovated and the windows are in danger. If the wind is a little stronger, the glass will blow down.

Three years ago, "Donghai Town" became "Donghai Street". On the day the street office was established, all the leaders in the city came to cut the ribbon. Three years have passed, and the changes in Donghai Street are not obvious. Apart from a few more buildings and a few more traffic lights, the rest are still the same as usual. Xie Hongxuan sincerely hopes that Donghai Experimental Primary School and the Youth Palace can be repaired. He hopes that his baby granddaughter can read and sing in a better environment.

Xie Hongxuan kept paced with his arms in his arms, chatting about family matters with his acquaintances. All acquaintances knew that he had a very profitable second son, and asked him when he would move to the south to enjoy his life with his son, so that he would not have to suffer the cold in the north.

Some people are envious, while others are so sour. Xie Hongxuan said seriously: "If he buys me a heated building, I will live there; but it is impossible for me to follow him to the south. My roots are here! I am born here and die here!"

"If he buys you a house, then his ability is not small!" A middle-aged man smiled and said, "Have you heard that the family yard of the power plant is going to take out, but we still can't afford it."

My son can afford it!

Xie Hongxuan thought happily and couldn't help but shake his head. His second son was doing big business in the south, with the most grand brother around his waist, and he talked about millions of dollars in business. Oh! I don't know if it's a bragging! Anyway, he had sent a lot of money back and said boldly that money was just a piece of paper for him. Just half a month ago, he said that he would send some money to his family and install a phone number for his family. Xie Hongxuan kept reminding him--never show off, not be impetuous! You must be down-to-earth!

But how could he not be proud of his second son?

Others have started to say "congratulations" to him. Xie Hongxuan said "there is nothing", but his mouth is grinning. It seems that the trip his second son came back two years ago was very effective. He deliberately parked the car at the entrance of the alley, so that the neighbors could see his majesty. Xie Hongxuan used a small cart to push the things his son brought home. All the neighbors saw it. Xie Hongxuan shouted "blame" his son for spending money indiscriminately and causing trouble for him, but he felt so beautiful.

The gate of the Youth Palace opened, and the children rushed out in one go. Xie Hongxuan saw Xie Ying in the crowd at a glance, and a vicissitudes of life immediately bloomed on his frozen face. "Xiaoying, Xiaoying, grandpa is here!"

Xie Ying was wearing a round cotton jacket, two purple sleeves, and two long braids. She jumped and swung around. She ran quickly and moved to her grandfather almost instantly. She hugged her grandfather tightly, her big eyes flashed, and she asked intimately, "Grandpa, are you cold?"

"Not cold! Your grandfather is in good health! Are you hungry? Eat candied haws or roasted sweet potatoes?"

"Canised haws!"

Xie Ying took the candied haws from her grandfather's hand without hesitation, and then skillfully handed them to her grandfather's mouth first. Xie Hongxuan shook his head: "I have bad teeth, you can eat it."

Although she was holding candied haws in her hand, Xie Ying was still like a strong gymnast, like a vaulting horse. She jumped onto her exclusive seat lightly and raised the candied haws to the sky, as if she raised her starting gun: "Grandpa, go!"

"Okay!"

Xie Hongxuan pedaled the car hard and headed westward. The sunset completely disappeared, leaving only a circle of orange clouds. The grandparents and grandchildren were bathed in the last ray of residual light, and a vivid silhouette was reflected in the residual light. Xie Hongxuan began a routine inquiry - whether it is cold, whether it is hungry, whether it is tired of rehearsal? "Xiaoying, if your hands are cold, put your hands into your grandfather's clothes."

Xie Ying was busy eating candied haws, and only nodded or shook her head to answer her grandfather's questions, regardless of whether her grandfather could see it. Her hands were not cold, but she still reached her hand to her back. As long as the warmth of her grandfather could be transmitted to her, then her grandfather would be very happy, right? Xie Hongxuan did not urge her granddaughter to speak, because he knew that as long as the candied haws were all lactated, the granddaughter would start talking.

Sure enough, after passing a trash can, Xie Ying accurately threw the bamboo stick into the trash can. She touched her mouth boldly and started talking nonstop.

"Grandpa, today I jumped into the rubber band with Hu Baozhu. I stepped on her shoes, and she didn't talk to me for the whole afternoon. Alas, her things were sent by her parents from Shanghai, and she cherished them. I wrote her notes, but she didn't reply me. I brought her a piece of chocolate tomorrow, so she won't be angry, right?"

"Hey! Baozhu is still so cute! But of course she cherishes what her parents bought. Give her some food to apologize."

"Grandpa, Teacher Yu just told me to eat less salty food these days and drink more water. My face hurts so much that my face hurts. She also said that my expression was not vivid enough and asked me to go home and practice in the mirror. Do you think she is too strict with me? Zhu Fangting sang so badly. Not only did she go out of tune, but she often led others to go off the mark, but the teacher just didn't dare to say about her."

Zhu Fangting is the child of a leader in the city and an old acquaintance that Xie Ying calls. Her baby granddaughter has a lot of dissatisfaction with classmate Zhu. She has spoken rudely to Xie Ying several times, but Xie Ying and her grandparents promised that she would not take the initiative to conflict with her classmates, and she is a dove of peace.

Xie Hongxuan frowned and said, "Xiaoying, if she bullies you again, tell me, don't be wronged, do you know?"

"Yeah." Xie Ying played with her two braids and continued to report on the day: "Grandpa, today I went to the office, and my aunt scolded Hua Tianlong again. Hua Tianlong is so fun. He didn't do his homework and found a reason, and his reasons every day are different! Guess, how did he tell my aunt today?"

"What did you say?"

"He said that he had finished his homework, but after he finished it, he was so tired that he put it in his schoolbag. He came to his senses when he arrived at school. He wrote it in a dream."

Xie Ying laughed loudly, and Xie Hongxuan was also amused: "Oh, Hua Tianlong is really the most troublesome child in our group! His parents came to give gifts to your aunt every few days, touching her tears, begging her to urge Hua Tianlong to study hard. Unfortunately, the couple's efforts were in vain."

"My aunt has never received gifts from his family!" Xie Ying said loudly: "My aunt made it very clear at school and did not allow students' parents to give gifts."

"Well, your aunt is so poor that she is so poor that she is so proud of herself--what did she say when she will go home?"

"I went to see her when I was after school, and she was still correcting the papers. She was going to have a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow and she wanted to tell her parents about her grades, so she was going to work overtime tonight."

"Oh, the salary cannot be paid, but she is still as enthusiastic about work as ever." Xie Hongxuan sighed melancholy: "Her salary was delayed for half a year last year and four months this year. I don't know if it can be paid before the New Year?"

"My aunt worked so hard, why did the school oween teachers' salary?"

"I don't know either! Nowadays, news says that teachers should be treated more often, but why don't they pay their wages?" Xie Hongxuan sighed melancholy: "If I don't pay the salary before the New Year, I have to let her change her career anyway! Letting her go to the factory to be a clerk and a secretary is better than being a teacher! I'm so tired every day that I can't even have enough food."

Although my sister-in-law has not paid her salary for several months, Xie Ying's daily life is not affected at all, and she is not worried about it. She asked happily: "Grandpa, can I watch "Little Dragon Man" when I get home later?"

"I'll finish it when I get home?"

"There are advertisements in the middle! I will definitely not finish them when I get home, so I can watch them for a few more minutes!"

"Then just watch it for a while! I've been tired for a day, so it's time to relax."

Xie Ying cheered, shook her feet happily, and sang the ending song of "Little Dragon Man". However, Xie Hongxuan felt a faint melancholy in his heart. Xiaolong Man persisted in looking for his mother. When Xiaoying cried and shouted for her mother when she was a child. Now she doesn't remember that past, but when Xie Hongxuan thinks about it, she still feels uncomfortable.

The grandparents and grandsons were talking, and when they walked to Rulin Street, night really fell. The lights in the alleys were on, and every household was preparing supper. When passing by Wang's house, Xie Ying stretched her neck and looked into the yard, and said to herself: "Can Wang Haochuan have a meal?"

"Hmm? What's wrong with Haochuan?"

Xie Ying lowered her voice: "His mother is angry again! His father is also angry. No one cooks for him. At noon, he bought a pack of crisp noodles."

"Oh, his parents are really interesting, and quarrels can make the child hungry!"

"Grandpa, can I send him a bag of cookies? It's the sandwich cookies my mother sent me."

"That's your cookies, you can give them to whoever you want."

Hearing Xie Hongxuan’s bicycle ringtone, Song Jinquan, who lives in the middle of the alley, walked out and greeted him: “When will I have two cups to drink?”

Grandpa stopped the car, and Xie Ying jumped to the ground like a gymnast again, cheering: "Grandpa Song, do you want to drink again? Then I have extra money to make money again!"

The two old men are good friends for life. No matter whether they have any worries or happy things, they always have to get together to have a drink. Go to Huatianlong's house to buy a pound of cold pork ears, half a pound of fried peanuts, and half a pound of fried silkworm pupa - commonly known as "the third brother", they are all bought by Xie Ying. Whether grandpa pays or grandpa Song treats guests, as long as they run errands, Xie Ying can always earn 50 cents to one dollar. For elementary school students, that is quite a lot of pocket money. Therefore, as long as grandpas drink wine, Xie Ying is particularly happy.

Xie Hongxuan took off his scarf, yelled, and said, "It depends on your mood. Anyway, I have nothing to do tonight. Do you want to shout "Old Hu together?"

"I met him in the morning and he said he had high blood sugar and wouldn't drink it recently." Song Jinquan took out twenty dollars and stuffed it into Xie Ying's hand: "Xiaoying, I'll ask you later."

Xie Ying stood attentively and saluted: "Abide by the order! Please rest assured as long as you have!"

Xie Hongxuan pushed the bicycle and muttered in his heart that it was probably because his old friend missed the two sons who were suspected of being "anti-split". Since his two sons left home, Lao Song has been depressed. Although he always said in front of others that his son was excellent, only his old friend could see his loneliness. The Chinese New Year is coming soon, Lao Song must miss his son so much that he can't sleep. Xie Hongxuan thought, he must have a drink with his old friend.

But as soon as she entered her own yard, Xie Hongxuan was completely unwilling to drink.

He suspected that he had read it wrong, who were the three people who were pulling and pulling?

Xie Hongxuan murmured to himself: "I...can't this be a dream?"

Xie Ying was also stunned: "Uncle Second Family... Why are they here?"
Chapter completed!