Chapter 108: Do you want to be a hooligan?

Taking Xue Bing with us, we followed Guo Wei back to Hengyue City.

Guo Wei dropped us off at our doorstep, refused to come in and sit for even a moment, turned the car around, and left. After driving a short distance, he stopped the car again, poked his head out, and called for me.

I trotted over, and Guo Wei asked me, "When are you planning to return to the township?"

I hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll go back on the seventh day of the first lunar month. The township government is holding a New Year's greeting meeting on the eighth, so I need to go prepare."

He said "Oh," and then said, "I'm going back on the second day of the first lunar month to pay New Year's greetings to the township cadres and the masses. Why don't you come back with me?" He was asking for my opinion.

I gave a grateful smile and said, "I won't trouble Secretary Guo. Now that Suxi Township has bus service, I'll just take the bus back; it won't delay anything."

Guo Wei didn't say anything more, pulled his head back, and drove off.

I didn't agree to return to the township with Guo Wei because I had my own plans. Taking advantage of the few days during the New Year, I had to visit my cousin-in-law, Secretary He Zhi, and Minister Huang Shan. I also had an agreement with Huang Qishan: during the Spring Festival, I would take Xue Bing, he would take Huang Weiwei, and we would go to Guilin for two days. You, Guo Wei, are the new secretary; going back on the second day to pay New Year's greetings to the township cadres is to build your own reputation. If I followed along, I would just be a foil. I hadn't paid New Year's greetings in four years; if I followed the new secretary around like a puppy the moment he arrived, people would say I was clinging to his coattails!

Seeing that I wasn't happy, Xue Bing asked me, "What's wrong? You've got a long face."

I muttered, "Secretary Guo wants me to accompany him back to the township on the second day."

Xue Bing clapped her hands, beaming with joy, and said, "That's great! The first day for the child, the second day for the son-in-law, the third and fourth days for the daughter to visit her mother. It just so happens we can go pay New Year's greetings to my mother."

I flicked her nose and teased her, "Who is the son-in-law?"

Her face turned red, and then she buried her head in my chest and said, "The pig is the son-in-law."

After saying that, she giggled, shook off my hand, and ran forward lightly, leaving a string of messy footprints in the snow behind her.

Before we even reached my door, I saw my mother coming out wrapped in a scarf and carrying a basket, followed by Xi Meizhu. Seeing us, they both stopped and looked at each other for a moment. It was Xue Bing who broke the silence, taking my mother's hand and saying, "Auntie, in such cold weather, where are you going?"

My mother came to her senses and said with a smile, "You're both back! That's good, the New Year will be lively this year." She brushed the snowflakes off Xue Bing's shoulder and said with a smile, "Meizhu is going to the vegetable market with me to buy New Year's goods. It's a heavy snow, and vegetables are expensive."

Meizhu glanced at us and said expressionlessly, "Hurry inside; it's cold out here."

Xue Bing and I entered the house and saw my father sitting on a low stool plucking chicken feathers. The iron bucket at his feet was steaming, and three already-dead capons were lying quietly in the hot water, waiting to be plucked.

Seeing us, my father's face broke into an incredibly happy smile, and he hurriedly stood up to pour water for Xue Bing. Xue Bing obediently took the apron from my father's waist, put it on, took a chicken out of the iron bucket, and skillfully plucked the feathers.

My father wanted to stop her, but I said with a smile, "Dad, let her show off her capability. A young daughter-in-law is judged by how she handles the New Year."

Xue Bing rolled her eyes at me and said, "You come help too, let Uncle rest."

I teased, "What did you call him? Uncle?"

Xue Bing lowered her head and ignored me, and after a long time, she said, "Did I call him wrong?"

My father said happily, "No, no, call him whatever you want."

Hearing my father's encouragement, Xue Bing immediately became spirited, pouted, and said, "See? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'll change how I address him."

I pretended to be angry and said, "If you don't change it now, do you have other ideas?"

My father didn't understand what I meant and signaled me with his eyes to stop. I smiled and took out a cigarette to light for him. After my father took a puff, he inhaled all the smoke into his stomach, exhaled after a long time, and smacked his lips, saying, "Still not strong enough. It's better to smoke my own."

My father smoked dry tobacco, a type grown by local farmers and hung under the eaves to dry. He would cut it into shreds with a knife and smoke it either with a water pipe or by rolling it into a cone with calendar paper. The smoke was very harsh, bitter, and astringent when it hit the throat. Smoking dry tobacco for the first time makes one feel lightheaded, which is called "tobacco drunkenness."

After plucking one chicken clean, Xue Bing pretended not to care and asked my father, "Dad, when did Meizhu come home?"

She intentionally changed the address, not making it obvious, appearing light and casual.

My father suddenly heard Xue Bing call him "Dad" and was so happy that his eyes crinkled into slits. He took a red envelope from his waist and stuffed it into Xue Bing's hand. Xue Bing was still holding a plucked chicken and tried to decline in embarrassment, but my father stuffed it directly into her pocket without allowing any argument.

Xue Bing made a face at me, deliberately slapped the chicken's rear, and said, "If someone doesn't listen, I'll make him eat the chicken's rear."

My father found a stool, sat down opposite Xue Bing, took the plucked chicken from her hand, and said, "Meizhu, she's been here for two days."

Xue Bing smiled and said, "Dad, is she here to spend the New Year with us?"

My father was overjoyed by her calling him "Dad" and was momentarily speechless when he heard Xue Bing's question, unable to answer for a long time.

Seeing my father's reaction, Xue Bing smoothed things over herself, saying, "Meizhu is my cousin. I was just thinking of asking her to come spend the New Year with us. I didn't expect her to come first."

My father asked in surprise, "Meizhu is your cousin? I haven't heard her mention it."

After plucking the chicken feathers, Xue Bing smoothed her sleeves and was about to go to the kitchen to gut the chicken. My father instructed her, "Little Xue, leave one chicken for Chen Feng's mother to handle. The chicken for the ancestors requires a different way of cutting."

Xue Bing turned back and smiled, "Dad, don't worry, I'm from the countryside, I know."

After Xue Bing went into the kitchen, my father pulled me into my room and asked, "Kid, have you officially decided?"

I understood what my father meant, so I nodded and said, "Dad, I'm not someone who messes around. Besides, I'm a state cadre, and conduct is a very important matter."

"What exactly is going on with Miss Meizhu? It doesn't look like what you said." My father was worried.

"It's nothing. She's just a young girl who used to work at the township government's company. After the company was handed over, she opened a shop herself. Maybe she has a good relationship with my aunt and is also Xue Bing's cousin. There's really nothing going on."

"That's good." My father stooped his back and urged me, "You must be clean in your conduct; don't be reckless. You are still young and have a long road ahead; you cannot afford to make mistakes."

I nodded and watched my father leave. Looking back at my small room, there was a quilt with floral patterns on the bed, looking elegant and quiet. Under the bed was a pair of women's slippers, clearly belonging to Xi Meizhu. There was a faint fragrance in the room, a scent I had never smelled before. It wasn't the scent on Xue Bing either. It seemed Meizhu had been living in my small room for several days.

After smoking a cigarette, I had decided what to say when I saw Meizhu later, and my heart felt much calmer. Just as I was about to go out, Xue Bing, wrapped in an apron, came in with both hands half-raised, asking me to help her tie the apron strings behind her back. Seeing me sitting there blankly smoking, she shouted happily, "Chen Feng, come help me."

I got up, went over, helped her tie the apron, and took the opportunity to touch her bottom. She felt a burst of shyness and whispered, "Hooligan."

I giggled and said, "If a husband isn't a hooligan, you'll be left in an empty room! Do you want a hooligan or not?"

Her face turned red, and she kicked me, saying, "Dad is here, pay attention."

My father pretended not to hear and said happily to us, "I'm going to pick up your mother and the others."

Before he even left, my mother and Meizhu came in carrying bags. As soon as the door opened, the cold wind from outside poured in. They stomped the snow off their feet outside the door and happily called for me to take the things.

Xue Bing happily took the things from my mother's hands, didn't even look at Meizhu, and walked straight to the kitchen. I had to go take the things from Meizhu's hands. Meizhu firmly refused to give them to me, and after a brief tug-of-war, she said lightly, "It's not heavy, I'll do it myself."

My mother scolded me, "Feng, can't you see our hands are frozen? Why are you still standing there?"

Meizhu gave a faint smile and said, "Auntie, my boss just came back from the countryside and has been on the road for so long, let him rest."

My mother scolded, "He's a young man, what's a little bus ride? How could he be tired?" She looked at Xue Bing again and compared, "Look at Teacher Xue, she took the same bus, yet she's still busy running around."

Saying this, she followed Xue Bing into the kitchen, took her hand, and brought her out, saying with heartache, "Look, your hands are frozen red."

Xue Bing comforted my mother, "Mom, I'm fine."

My mother was overjoyed by her calling her "Mom" and stared at Xue Bing for a long time without coming to her senses. Meizhu, standing to the side, felt her smiling face twitch involuntarily, and she lowered her head and walked to the side. Xue Bing clearly saw Meizhu's expression, but she pretended to see nothing and greeted Meizhu, "Sister Zhu, come help me cook."

Meizhu looked up at her, nodded, and lowered her head to change her clothes.

With two young women in the house, both clever and capable, my mother's right to work was instantly stripped away. She happily found a plate, filled it with fruit and pastries, placed it on the table, told my father and me to stay out of the way, and stood by the kitchen door like a commander, guiding the two beautiful women.

One home, two rooms, five people, under this small roof, harmonious and joyful.

But I still saw the small cracks within. Xue Bing's sudden change in how she addressed my parents, Meizhu's discomfort, and my parents' awkwardness—I saw it all clearly. This New Year was destined to be anything but peaceful! ===== CHAPTER 109 =====