"Sister, I heard Qiuqiu has come back, is it true?"
When they were almost finished eating, they could hear their aunt's voice from afar, and before they had a chance to respond, their aunt had already walked in first: "Qiuqiu, you really came back, oh my, how your aunt has missed you."
"Auntie, I've missed you too." Jingqiu put down her chopsticks and stood up, quickly embracing her aunt. Seeing that her uncle Yang Pinggui was following behind, she sweetly called out, "Uncle."
Yang Pinggui smiled and nodded, "It's about time you came back for a visit, you've lost weight."
Everyone said she had lost weight and gotten darker upon her return, which was true, but it didn't matter. After recuperating at home for a dozen or so days, the delicate and fair young lady would be back to her old self.
With the arrival of her aunt and uncle, the house became even livelier. Her aunt, just like her parents, was afraid she wasn't eating enough, and kept adding more dishes to her bowl: "Tomorrow your aunt will bring you a bowl of lion's head meatballs, Chef Zhang from our restaurant makes them exceptionally well."
"Auntie, your restaurant has a new chef again?"
"That's right, the business is doing well, so they hired more people. Apart from me, there are also two other chefs in the kitchen."
"I want to eat the braised pork that you make."
"No problem, your aunt will make it for you."
"Auntie, my cousin hasn't come back?"
"Your elder cousin came back for a family visit not long ago and said he missed you. He just left a few days ago; you two just missed each other. Your second cousin is busy with the transport team these days; you'll see the lad in a few days."
"I miss my cousins too. When my second cousin is free, let's all go visit my elder cousin."
"Your elder cousin lives so far away; you only have a month's holiday, back and forth will take seven or eight days; better just rest up at home honestly."
Zhou Lanping explained to her sister with a smile, "Lanqin, Jingqiu wants to return to the city; she plans to come back, Pinggui, can you two keep an eye out for jobs recently?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Pinggui and Zhou Lanqin were both startled. Their niece had pursued Gao Shu to the countryside without regard for anything else; they thought she wouldn't be able to handle it and would fuss to come back, but she had been there for two years without a single complaint.
Her sudden decision to return to the city caught them off guard, and they hurriedly asked, "Why do you suddenly want to come back, Jingqiu? Has Gao Shu been making you suffer over there? Or did you have a conflict with the educated youths?"
Jingqiu shook her head; not wanting them to worry, she told them the truth, "I get along quite well with the comrades there, and I've made two close friends. My return does have something to do with Gao Shu."
Zhou Lanping had refrained from asking too many questions earlier, afraid her daughter's return had something to do with Gao Shu. Now, it seemed her suspicions were confirmed, "I thought there had to be something going on for you to come back all of a sudden. What did he do to you?"
"Mom, nobody bullied me; it's just that Gao Shu started seeing someone over there, and I thought, with them almost getting married, what would it look like for me to keep clinging on? While I like him, I also have my principles. After all these years, if he had even the slightest affection for me, he wouldn't have started dating someone else. So, I made peace with it and decided to come back."
"Good thing you've come back; this is not the only man in the world—our courtyard itself has many who are more outstanding than him.
His family situation is complicated, and we all feel he is not suitable for you. You were just being foolish before, not listening to anyone's advice, insisting on running headlong into a wall."
Yang Pinggui pulled his wife aside, "It's all in the past; if Jingqiu has realized it, don't blame her. It's good that she's willing to come back. As for the job, it won't be a problem. Jingqiu, don't be too picky now; let's first get you back, and later on, you can look for the job you want, the kind you like; we'll come across something slowly."
Zhou Lanqin agreed, "Your uncle is right; let's first get you back and go from there."
Lu Xianrun spoke up, "I heard a few days ago that the Cultural Work Troupe is short-staffed; I'll ask Old Sang tomorrow."
Yang Pinggui shook his head, "Brother-in-law, you've forgotten that last week, Old Xu from across the street had a dispute with Zhang Shun over a position in the Cultural Work Troupe."
Lu Xianrun said, "I had indeed forgotten about that. If the Cultural Work Troupe doesn't work out, the logistics would be fine."
Yang Pinggui responded, "I'll ask at the Propaganda Department tomorrow."
Just having returned, her family was already worrying about her affairs, making Jingqiu's heart warm. Knowing what she wanted to do, she didn't want them to fuss for nothing, "Dad, Uncle, ever since I was little, I've loved painting, and in high school, I was the artist for our school's Propaganda Department, so I want to find a job related to painting."
Zhou Lanqin frowned, "That's not an easy job to find."
Zhou Lanping said, "Don't worry, within a month, we'll see which unit is short-staffed. What your uncle said is right; let's find a unit that will take you, and we can come across a job you like slowly."
Lu Jingqiu nodded in response, "Mm."
Zhou Lanqin and Yang Pinggui asked her about a lot of things from her time in Ten-miles Village.
She picked out the good parts to talk about, but the exhaustion she personally experienced was indescribable.
She mentioned that she took the train for several days and didn't stay long.
After Zhou Lanping saw off her sister and brother-in-law, she told her husband to clean up the dishes while she accompanied her daughter upstairs to rest.
On the second floor, there were two rooms, and the largest one that faced the sun was her bedroom. It was exactly as she'd left it, with almost everything in the room untouched.
What had changed were the bedsheets; her mother had replaced them with her favorite pattern and even got her a new mosquito net.
"Qiuqiu, are you telling the truth to Mom, have you really given up on Gao Shu?"
Lu Jingqiu, linking arms with her mother, reassured her repeatedly, "Mom, I've hit the south wall, and not just that, but I've got a bleeding head wound to show for it. A wounded child naturally comes back to her mother for comfort."
Seeing her daughter act so coquettishly softened Zhou Lanping's heart, "Sigh, you know to come back to your mother; it seems you're not silly after all."
Lu Jingqiu smiled playfully, like a coquette, "Your daughter might be lovesick, but she's no idiot."
Zhou Lanping said, "Look how dark and thin you've made yourself. Let's see if you still have that lovesickness later."
"I won't fall sick with love ever again, Mom, I want to sleep with you tonight."
"Good, Mom will stay with you."
Zhou Lanping slept on the outside and somehow procured a palm-leaf fan, fanning her daughter lazily.
Lu Jingqiu, not minding the heat, snuggled closer to Zhou Lanping, feeling very attached.
"I heard the department stores are selling some kind of fan that's pretty cooling this year; I'll get your dad to buy one for you tomorrow."
Lu Jingqiu shook her head, "No need, I've heard about it, it's quite expensive."
Her daughter knew to save money now, and Zhou Lanping laughed, "However expensive it is, where could it be too much? Your father's and my salaries are meant for you to spend."
"Mom, save the money for a house for me. I still prefer houses." Lu Jingqiu smiled, aware of how expensive the houses in West City would become in the future.
Zhou Lanping doted on her, tapping the tip of her nose, thinking her daughter was being considerate of their finances, "Houses are in short supply, like nothing else. Are they something you can just buy whenever you want?"
Lu Jingqiu smiled silently, without arguing. She wished she could show her mother the things of the future, but she didn't know if she would ever realize them in this lifetime.
"Mom, has your health been okay lately? Is it busy at the hospital?"
"The hospital has a constant flow of patients every day. You know how it is; your mom's doing well."
"Have you felt any stomach pain or anything like that?"
"My Qiuqiu, after being away for two years, has not only become more considerate but also more filial, caring for her parents' health. Mommy is so happy."
"Mom, a daughter is like your little cotton-padded jacket, she'll only get warmer with time."
"Your words are as sweet as honey."
"Mom, I learned quite a few things there, especially about socializing with others. I've realized how naive and pampered I was before, and how the things I said could easily offend people."
"It's our fault for spoiling you, your father and I are also responsible."
"Mom, I was young then, with little experience and you both protected me too well. Going away for two years wasn't a bad thing. I've grown a lot in these two years and I'm no longer the ignorant young girl I used to be."