"Are we going to eat on the street?" Wen Qing asked.
Father Wen also packed up at this time, walked out of another room with a handbag, and smiled at the mother and daughter, "Let's go to the mother-in-law's house next door to eat."
"Mother-in-law next door?" The warmth had no effect, but there was indeed a house next door. Before she entered the house, the door was closed, so she thought no one lived there.
"Well, when I was a kid, I often went to her house to play," Wen's father said with a smile.
She smiled tenderly, not having any impression of Granny Alian in her mind, "I have forgotten all about it." It was a bit of a pity and regret.
Mother Wen didn't want her to think of those bad memories, nor did she want to see her lonely and regretful look. She held her hand and comforted her, "You were still young at that time, so naturally you don't remember."
After receiving his wife's look, Father Wen agreed, "Yes, you were still young at that time, so it's normal not to remember. Dad doesn't remember things from his childhood either."
"Well, then if we go to dinner, will it cause trouble to others?" Wen Qing is the same as Wen's mother, her first feeling is that she is worried about causing trouble to others.
"No, she will be unhappy if we don't go. You see, Dad has prepared things. Let's go. Don't keep her waiting too long." Father Wen smiled and raised the things in his hands to show them to her.
"Okay" The trace of warmth dissipated under Father Wen's kind smile, and he held hands with Mother Wen and walked behind Father Wen.
Just next door, a warm night light hung at the door, flickering on and off in the dark village.
The door was open at the moment, specially left open for them. The three Wen family members still stood politely at the door, knocked on the door, and waited for the old man's "come in" voice to be heard from inside the house. Then they walked in and closed the door behind them.
"Grandma Alian, I'm sorry to bother you." Father Wen handed over the things in his hand in a simple and polite manner.
Behind them, the mother and daughter followed closely and shouted, their movements as if they were crouching in unison, smiling softly and politely.
"Grandma Alian, I haven't seen you for a long time. Are you well?" Mother Wen said.
"Hello, Grandma A Lian" is warm and affectionate.
Grandma Alian made a gesture, then raised her eyes to look at your mother Wen and nodded tenderly, "Sit down, everyone."
There was still a lukewarm expression on her face. It was hard to tell whether she was happy or unhappy, but it could be seen that she was welcoming.
Father Wen put the things on the cabinet beside him, then took his wife and daughter to sit at the dining table.
"Did you cook all these yourself?" Father Wen looked at the food on the table and was both flattered and overwhelmed by the hospitality!
"Well, let's just eat the simple meals." Grandma A Lian responded.
It's still troublesome for her old man!
"It's already very rich, thank you." Father Wen said gratefully.
There are both meat and vegetables, nutritious and healthy. Five or six dishes on the dining table in the village are already very rich.
There is even seafood, which is abundant.
Grandma A Lian put the shrimp in front of Wen Qing and said, "Try this."
She was flattered and said, "Thank you, mother-in-law." She likes to eat shrimp, and apart from her parents, she has only three or two close friends.
"Well, eat more, you're too thin!" Grandma A Lian chewed her rice and glanced at her and said.
Wen's father and Wen's mother were also as flattered as Wen. Everyone said that this old man was very strange and not close to others, but the love he felt at this moment was warm and true.
Wenqing put down her chopsticks, put on her disposable hands, nodded and responded, "Okay, my mother-in-law will eat too."
As she said this, she put the peeled shrimp on the plate in front of her, a little worried that she would be disliked, because she didn't quite understand the character of this old man who looked very serious and did not hold back on his smile.
At the same time, he was also afraid that she would reject him, so he looked at her uneasily until she picked it up with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth. The waiting worry on her face dissipated.
After the meal, although he didn't say anything, the atmosphere was still very good. This old man didn't have the rule of "eating without talking or sleeping without talking". He would respond in a timely manner to the topics of his father and mother.
.
Her face does not have the kindness and gentleness of other old people. It can be said that she is as cold as ice and does not hold back on her words or smiles.
But this old man always shows warmth and kindness in every detail, such as preparing her favorite dishes in meals.
When Wen's father and Wen's mother were hesitant to talk, they would kindly avoid the topic and not continue to talk in depth on unpleasant topics.
They didn't seem to say anything, and she seemed to know everything. Unlike those people she saw outside the village entrance in the evening who would ask all kinds of questions at a glance. In short, she felt very comfortable getting along with others.
After dinner, Father Wen ignored his mother-in-law's refusal and insisted on helping clear the tableware before leaving.
Despite his stubbornness, Granny A Lian followed him. She led Wen's mother and Wen Qing to sit on the sofa aside.
There is a TV in the house, but it is not turned on. It is estimated that the old man does not watch much TV on weekdays. Because he is a guest at other people's homes, Wenqing will naturally not turn on the TV or even do other things without the owner's permission.
But she still had good upbringing and etiquette. When she saw them sitting on the sofa and chatting occasionally, she asked about tea and made tea for them.
After receiving the instructions, Wenqing walked to the coffee table aside, picked up the hot water kettle that her mother-in-law said, took the teapot and tea leaves, and brewed tea.
The methodical movements made the old man more and more satisfied. "You have educated her very well." This was said to Mother Wen who was sitting beside her.
"She is very well-behaved." Mother Wen followed her gaze and looked at Wen Qing who was cutting tea for them, and said happily and proudly.
Wenqing came over with the hot tea that had just been poured out. One hand was fixed in the middle of the glass, and the other hand was holding the bottom of the glass. "Mother-in-law, please drink tea!" She offered it with both hands, bending slightly and being respectful and polite.
The old lady nodded, reached out and took it, "Yes." She was very satisfied, but her face still had no expression.
Wen Qing no longer felt uncomfortable with this at first. She nodded with a smile, walked back to the side, brought Wen's mother's cup over, did the same thing, and served the tea with the same respect.
Mother Wen took it with a gentle smile and said thank you. This kind of interaction seemed polite, but this was the way they had always gotten along.
The old lady didn't find it strange. She had seen it before at the dinner table, so she was more accustomed to it. She didn't expect that the little girl would be educated to be such a graceful lady and a humble gentleman.
The tea had been drunk and Father Wen had tidied up. It was getting late, it was already half past eight. After thanking Granny A Lian for the dinner, Father Wen led his wife and daughter home.
At half past eight, the village was already dark. There was no excitement and neon lights in the city, nor the hustle and bustle and flashing lights of the town. Everything was quiet, and you could even hear the chirping of cicadas and birds in the mountains.
"Dad, do everyone in the village go to bed so early?" Wenqing asked curiously.
"Well, people here have a habit of going to bed early and getting up early. During the day, they have to get up early and work all day long, and then go home to rest after sunset." Father Wen explained.
He nodded tenderly, as if he understood the reason why he fell into silence so early and fell into sleep late at night.
"They work very hard." Warmth.
"Yeah, but they are also very happy." Father Wen.
Wenqing was a little confused and looked up at her father.
Father Wen smiled and explained to him, "Most of the people sitting here are easily satisfied. They like this kind of life and like to survive in this way. They can't be said to be unhappy, nor can they be said to be very happy, let alone
It's very hard, it all depends on their own choice..."
Wenqing seemed to understand but not understand, could not understand or sympathize with her, but she learned to appreciate the difference happily.
When they returned to the house next door, Father Wen asked them to tidy up and wash up. They had to get up early tomorrow.
Because most of the houses in the village are a few years old, the decoration style has been laid out, and they are not like now. They have their own bathrooms in the rooms. They all have one bathroom on each floor, which is shared.
Father Wen tidied up the bathroom and checked that there was nothing wrong, but for safety reasons, he was the first one to wash up before letting Mother Wen wash up. The last thing was Wen Qing.
Wen Qing washed her hair, but because there was no hair dryer, she could only wipe it with a dry towel. After she came out, Wen's mother pulled her to sit on the bed and wiped her hair herself.
"Who are you here with me at night? Your father sleeps next door." Mother Wen said while wiping her hair.
"I'm not afraid, I can sleep by myself." Wen Qing turned to look at Wen's mother and said.
Mother Wen turned her around and said, "I've already told your father, be obedient."
"Okay." Wenqing responded, knowing that they were worried, and she was indeed scared. It was too quiet here, and it was so close to the mountain. She was afraid of the dark, and her parents knew it.
Father Wen packed up and came over to tell them to go to bed early and tell them what time they would get up tomorrow. If they had to call him if they had anything to do in the evening, they would go back to their rooms and go to bed.
After Wen Qing's hair dried, she also lay down with Mother Wen, but neither of them felt sleepy. Wen Qing held Mother Wen's arm affectionately, nestled into her arms like a child, and talked to her about girlish things.
Although Mother Wen was strict with her, she loved her even more. She held her in her arms and listened softly to her words, patting her back to coax her to sleep like she did when she was a child.
I didn't feel sleepy at first, and I was more aware of the warmth of the environment. Under Mother Wen's gentle and warm embrace, I slowly fell asleep.
Mother Wen listened to the even and gentle breathing coming from her arms, and chuckled under the light. She was used to sleeping with the light on, let alone the environment that was completely unfamiliar to her now.
She rubbed her head lovingly, looked at the ceiling and murmured, "That's good!"
The next day, I got up early just as Father Wen said. At dawn, about a little after five o'clock, there was a bustling sound downstairs, and the sound of a rooster crowing.
Wenqing didn't have a dreamless night, she was half asleep and half dreaming, and several times she heard Wen's mother calling her name in her ear worriedly.
She seemed to be in a nightmare. She tried to open her eyes several times but couldn't. She couldn't tell whether it was a dream or reality.
She seemed to be blindfolded, her hands and feet were tied, and her mouth was sealed. She couldn't scream, struggle, or respond. She could only cry silently.
Wenqing woke up from the bustling noise downstairs and the anxiety and worry of Wen's mother. She opened her heavy eyes, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether it was reality or a dream. There were tears rolling down from the corners of her eyes. She didn't know.