Chapter 1845: Side Story: The Old Lady

Side Story: The Old Lady's Mid-Autumn Festival

Early in the morning, Lin Xiuqing pushed open the bedroom door. Smelling the fragrance of porridge wafting from the pot in the main room, she originally intended to wash up first before doing the laundry. However, she saw the old lady sitting by the table, with what looked like a pile of paper by her hand.

She was a bit curious, and upon walking closer, she saw—a calendar?

"What are you doing?"

A stack of torn-off calendar pages?

What is this for?

Lin Xiuqing was completely bewildered. She took a closer look; the top sheet was yesterday's date.

The old lady was counting them one by one, muttering numbers to herself, and had no time to talk to her.

She reached out to flip through them, but the old lady slapped the back of her hand.

"Don't touch!"

"What are you doing?"

Although she had been slapped, she still managed to flip it over; underneath were the dates that had already passed.

Their calendar was hung on the wall by the door so it would be convenient to see what the date was when coming and going. Every day that passed, the next morning, a page would be torn off.

The old lady was always the first one up every day, and it was always the old lady who tore off the calendar pages. She had truly never torn one off herself, nor did she know why the old lady hadn't thrown these pages away.

"These are all dates from before yesterday. Why are you keeping them? Why didn't you throw them out? What are you counting?"

The old lady happened to finish counting and said, "Sigh, I'm counting the days. My memory isn't what it used to be. Other old men and women can't even remember people and get dementia, but I can still recognize people, yet I can't keep track of the days."

"I'm afraid of forgetting how many days Dongzi and the others have been gone, so I specifically started saving the torn-off calendar pages from the day they left. This way, I count them every day, and I know how many days he's been gone, so I won't forget."

As the old lady spoke, she wiped away some tears. "It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today, and I don't know if he'll call back. He must not be eating or sleeping well out there. It's a big holiday, yet he's still out there earning money. This child is too hardworking..."

"I don't know if he's gotten darker or thinner. He must have gotten thinner. He never suffered any hardships growing up, but he's had his fill of them these past few years. Now, he can't even come back for the holidays..."

"A while back, other people were getting arrested, and it scared me to death. I don't know if he's safe now. It's so chaotic out there; why doesn't he come back sooner? Home is so much better..."

"Goddess Mazu must bless my Dongzi. I don't know when this child will come back. When he calls, you must say more to him and urge him to come back..."

"Let other people stay out there if they want to. He's still so young, yet everyone comes to him whenever they have trouble. Isn't he tired? Isn't it a bother? I don't know where everyone else is, yet they still need a youngster like him to help..."

"You have to call him back. It's too chaotic out there. We don't need to earn this money. Let others earn it; they can earn it however they like."

"It's already been 91 days. In previous years, there was something to look forward to, thinking he'd be back by the Mid-Autumn Festival. Why is the Mid-Autumn Festival here so fast this year? Is there something wrong with the days?"

The old lady looked up at Lin Xiuqing with hope, holding a stack of neatly aligned calendar pages in her hand. "Can you take a look? Can you count and see if there's a mistake? Did I count wrong, calculate the days wrong, or tear off too many? Otherwise, why is the Mid-Autumn Festival here so soon?"

Lin Xiuqing sighed inwardly; he really was the old lady's lifeblood.

"You didn't count wrong, and you didn't tear any wrong. Today is indeed the Mid-Autumn Festival. Didn't the eldest aunt send mooncakes yesterday? My second brother came home the day before yesterday, and before returning to the city yesterday, he specifically came over to bring me two sacks of pomelos."

The old lady sighed. "Then it's correct. I'll go wait at the village committee office in a while. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today; he will definitely call back. If you don't see me later, I'll definitely be at the village committee office. Remember to lock the door when you come and go."

"Just wait at home. Who knows when he'll call?"

"That won't do. My legs are slow; if I don't go wait, it'll take me half a day to walk there, and I'll be anxious to death. I have to go early and sit there to wait. He will definitely call."

Lin Xiuqing shook her head and said nothing more. If she didn't give her something to look forward to, she would sit at the door sighing every day, which was annoying to watch, yet she couldn't say anything about it.

Otherwise, she would recite the names of Goddess Mazu, Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Tathagata Buddha, the Kitchen God and his wife, and the Earth God and his wife over and over again.

There were temples nearby; she would visit the close ones every few days, and for the far ones, she would make one of the children take her to pray whenever they didn't have school on Sunday.

After the old lady finished speaking, she gathered the calendar pages in her hand to make them neater, then felt in her pocket and took out a black-and-white photo of Ye Yaodong to look at.

Lin Xiuqing ignored her. She looked at it eight hundred times a day, taking it in and out of her pocket; she never got tired of looking at it.

After she finished washing up, she saw the old lady had looked enough and put it back in her pocket, and she took the calendar pages into the room to put them away.

When she went to serve the porridge, she saw the old lady come out of the room again, walk toward the door, and continue flipping through the calendar on the wall.

"How much longer until the New Year?"

"He can't wait until the New Year to come back, can he? That would be too long."

"What date is the New Year this year again?"

"It's gone? It only goes through December..."

The old lady flipped to the last page of December before realizing it, and only then did she turn her head to say to her, "Go out later and see if you can buy next year's calendar. I can't see what date the New Year is..."

She was talking to herself, and Lin Xiuqing didn't respond, nor did the old lady care.

"Where would there be next year's calendars now? Don't keep flipping through it. Maybe he'll be back before you finish flipping through it."

The old lady nodded happily. "Right, that's true. He'll definitely be back before I finish flipping through it..."

"If you're free and have nothing to do, stir-fry the salted vegetables. I'm going to wash the laundry first; we'll eat right after I finish."

Otherwise, she was worried that the old lady would run off and disappear; at least if she wasn't there, the old lady wouldn't leave.

As soon as she finished washing the laundry and returned, the moment she stepped through the door, the old lady immediately went out.

"I've eaten. I'm going to the village committee office."

Ye Mu had just arrived and was at the entrance when she saw the old lady going out with her cane. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the village committee office. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today; Dongzi will definitely call back. I'm going to wait. He should be awake by now."

"Do you have clairvoyant eyes? You're ten thousand miles away, yet you know he's awake?"

Lin Xiuqing laughed. "Isn't that right? He's like her lifeblood. She's been thinking about the Mid-Autumn Festival since she woke up early, and she's sure Adong will call."

Ye Ersao from next door also chimed in, "That's right, he's her lifeblood. She'd know even if he went to take a leak, let alone waking up."

Ye Mu said, "Indeed, it's a holiday today. Even if he hasn't returned, he'll definitely call. I'll hurry up and eat so I can go wait too."

Lin Xiuqing was actually very anxious too, but she wasn't as free as they were; she was needed everywhere inside and outside the house.

She had to worry about the workshop and the city; how could she have so much free time to sit and wait at the village committee office like them?

Although she knew he would definitely call today for the holiday, she could only busy herself with the work at hand. She could only run over once someone from the village committee came to notify her about the call.

Around 9 o'clock, while she was counting goods in the workshop, someone from the village came over and shouted that a call had come in for their family, and she immediately took off running.

When she ran to the village committee office, Ye Mu was on the phone, while the old lady was cursing incessantly on the side.

"Enjoying the Mid-Autumn Festival all by yourself at home while the children are all out at sea—does your conscience not bother you? Can you even sit still?"

"I don't know what kind of father you are. I've been waiting for half a day just for this useless phone call..."

"I waited and waited, and waited and waited. Sigh, he didn't come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival..."

"My Dongzi, if I had known, I wouldn't have let you listen to your father so much. The old man only thinks of himself..."

"Give me the phone, let me scold him..."

The phone in Ye Mu's hand was snatched away by the old lady. "Tell me, all three sons are out at sea, and you're at home by yourself—can you even eat?"

"I don't know why you don't care more about your sons. It's a big holiday, yet you let them stay out at sea. How hard that must be! Tell them to come back early."

"They've been gone for so many days; can the money ever be earned? Come back early. I don't know how hard it is out there; it breaks my heart. They can't even eat a decent meal on the holiday..."

Ye Fu was also cursing on the other end. "What do you know? You're old and meddling in things that don't concern you. You didn't even hear two sentences before getting excited. I already told you he'd be back in the afternoon."

"You're lying comfortably at home..."

"Is it as comfortable as you?"

"What time is Dongzi coming back this afternoon? Tell him to come back early, tell him to call early. I'll just sit at the village committee office and wait for him."

"How am I supposed to tell him to come back early? Should I fly over there? If you love waiting, just sit by the phone and wait."

"Fine, I'll just sit by the phone and wait."

Ye Fu couldn't be bothered to deal with the old lady. Since he had already spoken, he passed the phone to others to take turns.

Lin Xiuqing also asked Ye Mu; it had been Ye Mu talking to Ye Fu just now.

The old lady was extremely disappointed the moment she heard it was Ye Fu calling, and she started off with, "Why is it you? Where is Dongzi?"

It made Ye Fu furious, and he even said he must have been picked up from the street, since he wasn't even welcomed when he called home.

After Lin Xiuqing understood the situation, she said, "He'll be back at noon, but after finishing his work, it'll definitely be the afternoon. Adong will definitely call in the afternoon. Let's go back first; sitting here is just waiting in vain."

"You all go back. I'm free anyway, so I'll just stay here and wait. Waiting is waiting, no matter where I am."

"Don't worry about her. There are plenty of old men and women nearby, so she'll have company and won't have to sit at the door sighing all day." Ye Mu started walking out first.

Lin Xiuqing followed.

By evening, Ye Yaodong had finally finished his work. He couldn't even bother to eat before going to make the call, fearing that the post and telecommunications bureau would close if he were any later.

The old lady was the first to pick up, beaming with joy as she asked about his well-being. "Dongzi, did you eat mooncakes today? It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today. You didn't come back, so you must have a good holiday out there. Eat more good food; don't mistreat yourself."

"If there's any work, tell your father to do more of it; don't tire yourself out."

"They rely on you for everything, but you're not a god. Do less work, don't worry about others, and take good care of yourself..."

"It's cooled down now, and you didn't bring any thick clothes or thick quilts. What are you going to do? Come back, okay? Don't stay out there. You don't eat or sleep well out there, and you have to live in fear..."

Ye Yaodong only managed to say "Hello" when the call was picked up, and then he had no chance to speak as the old lady rambled on and on.

"Don't worry, I'm doing fine. They sell cotton clothes, cotton pants, and cotton quilts here; they have everything, all ready-made. I'll just buy them. I'll be back in a while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"Maybe two or three months. Just eat well and sleep well, and wait for me to come back."

"What? Another three months? The calendar pages are all torn off, and I can't even see you anymore?"

"When they're all torn off, I'll be back."

"Really? Don't lie to me..."

Lin Xiuqing took the phone and told Ye Yaodong about the old lady saving the calendar pages.

"She counts them every day. She counts them every time she tears one off; I only saw it when I got up early this morning. She looks at your photo eight hundred times a day, muttering about whether you've eaten enough, whether you have clothes to wear now that it's cold. The whole family's ears are suffering."

Ye Yaodong laughed. "I'll take a few photos tomorrow, get them developed, and mail them back to you. That way, it'll be like seeing me."

"Do you really have to wait until the New Year to come back?"

"Just about. I'll be back before the New Year, maybe in January. There are still three-plus months left. Don't worry, wait for me to come back and have a prosperous New Year."

"Sigh, then be careful out there..."

"Give it to me, give it to me..." The old lady snatched the phone back. "Dongzi, you have to come back early. Tell your father to help more; don't tire yourself out. It's a big holiday, eat something good to nourish your body. You must have gotten thin again..."

"I know."

"Your father has done enough work; it's fine for him to do more. You take better care of yourself."

"I know..."

"You come back early. Aqing is also very tired. A house can't function without a man. Otherwise, let your father stay out there and you come back first..."

"I have my own judgment."

"Sigh, you still have to come back early..."

Even until Ye Yaodong hung up the phone, the old lady's voice could still be heard on the other end, calling for him to come back early.

He had no choice but to hang up; it was too late, and the post and telecommunications bureau was about to close. They had already been urging him for several minutes.