Chapter 21: Hometown Affection

The stone‑paved road in Xikou glistened after the autumn rain, and the air was filled with the scent of osmanthus. Li Yuxuan carried a suitcase, cradling a swaddled infant carefully in his arms, and stood before his family's familiar wooden door, feeling both nervous and warm. The door was ajar, and from inside came his mother Zhou Guixiang's familiar cough.

"Mother," he said, gently pushing the door open, his voice trembling a little.

Zhou Guixiang was sitting on a bamboo chair in the main hall, picking vegetables, when she heard him and snapped her head up; the bean pod clack! fell into the dustpan. She squinted for a while, then suddenly stood, hurried over to grab his arm, her eyes instantly reddening: "Yuxuan? You're back?"

"Yes, mother, I'm back," Li Yuxuan said, extending the swaddling bundle in his arms forward, "This is your grandson."

Zhou Guixiang's gaze was instantly drawn to the little one in the swaddle. The baby slept soundly, his tiny face flushed, eyelashes long and dense, strikingly resembling Li Yuxuan as a child. "Is this my grandson?" she whispered, her voice trembling, reaching out cautiously, afraid to wake the child, hovering in mid‑air without daring to touch. "Yes, mother," Li Yuxuan replied with a smile, nodding, "Would you like to hold him?"

Ah, ah. Zhou Guixiang hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron, mimicking Li Yuxuan's manner to support the baby's head and waist; even as she cradled him, her hands still trembled slightly. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back," she murmured, but tears welled up and fell onto the swaddle, which she quickly brushed away with her sleeve, "Look at me, old fool, I should be happy."

Li Yuxuan looked at the white hair at his mother's temples, feeling a sour pang in his heart. These past years abroad, every letter he sent reported only good news, never worries, yet his mother's concern could be felt across thousands of miles. "How many months old is this little one?" Zhou Guixiang, holding the child, couldn't get enough of looking at him, her fingertip gently tapping the baby's tiny cheek.

"In another week, it'll be exactly six months," Li Yuxuan said, referring to the child's birth date, "When we were in Germany, he was always with his mother. I never expected that, in the end, she would part ways with me."

Zhou Guixiang sighed, "What a tragedy, so young and already without a mother."

"Later she herself brought him over," Li Yuxuan continued, "We rode the ship through rough seas until we finally reached Beijing."

"By the way, has the little one eaten?" Zhou Guixiang looked up and asked.

"He was fed once this morning," Li Yuxuan said, lowering his head, not daring to meet his mother's eyes.

Zhou Guixiang said nothing, carrying the child around the room twice, then asked, "Has this little one weaned? He looks robust; I bet he eats a lot."

"Weaned, weaned, mother," Li Yuxuan quickly nodded, "He was weaned on the ship; now he drinks milk and rice porridge. I brought some with me; if it's not enough, the town should have more for sale."

"The town's foreign trade shop sells milk, just a bit pricey," Zhou Guixiang said, gently patting the baby's back with sympathy, "Alas, poor little one, just lost his mother, now he'll live with us. Grandma will make rice soup for you; it's no worse than milk."

The baby seemed to understand, his tiny mouth moved, emitting a soft cooing sound, making Zhou Guixiang's eyebrows lift and smile.

"By the way, you haven't gone to see Madam yet, have you?" Zhou Guixiang, reluctant to let go of the child, reminded him, "Madam has been coming to the house often these years; each time she asks about you, saying it's been many years since she last saw you, and she keeps saying she misses you."

Li Yuxuan only then remembered Jiang Ruiyuan's mother, Wang Caiyu. "Alright, mother, I'll go right away."

"Wait, give me the child." Zhou Guixiang carefully placed the baby into the inner room's cradle, then adjusted Li Yuxuan's collar, "Don't go empty‑handed; bring that box of German biscuits you brought back, Madam likes sweets."

"Got it," Li Yuxuan lifted the biscuit box from the table, feeling a warm glow inside.

The Jiang Family Courtyard was not far from the Li Family; it took only a short walk, about the time to finish a cigarette. Just as he reached the gate, he saw Mao Fumei holding a boy of about two years old sunbathing in the yard, who was Jiang Ruiyuan's eldest son.

"Yuxuan?" Mao Fumei exclaimed, standing up with delight, "You're back!"

"Sister‑in‑law Mao Fumei, since our last parting in Shanghai, you came back even faster than I did," Li Yuxuan said with a smile.

Li Yuxuan looked at the child in her arms, "This must be my older nephew, right? I hadn't seen him back in Shanghai; today I'm fortunate to finally meet him."

"Call him Uncle Yuxuan quickly," Mao Fumei patted the child's back. The little boy shyly hid in his mother's arms, his big eyes fixed on him.

"Is Madam inside?" Li Yuxuan asked.

"She's here, just was mentioning you," Mao Fumei led him inside, "She said if you don't come again, she'll have Ruiyuan send you a telegram."

Entering the main hall, Wang Caiyu was chatting with several women; when she saw Li Yuxuan enter, she immediately smiled and greeted, "Yuxuan is back! We've been waiting for you!"

"Madam, I kept you worrying," Li Yuxuan bowed respectfully, handing over the biscuit box, "I brought a little something for you to try."

"It's good you're back, no need to bring anything," Wang Caiyu took his hand and sat down, scanning him up and down, "You've gotten a bit thinner, but you look sturdy; you didn't suffer much in Germany, did you?"

"I didn't suffer, Madam, rest assured," Li Yuxuan replied with a smile, briefly mentioning his recent posting in the Army department and his upcoming assignment to Hunan.

"Going to Sanxiang as a section chief is fine," Wang Caiyu nodded, "Ruiyuan is in Modu, you're in Sanxiang; in the future you'll look out for each other. It's just that place isn't like Yanjing or Modu; you're straightforward, so when you get there you need to be more tolerant and offend fewer people."

"I'll remember that, Madam."

Just then, Zhou Guixiang came in holding the baby and shouted, "Madam, look—doesn't my grandson look handsome?"

Wang Caiyu's eyes lit up at the sight of the child, "Oh my, this little one is truly well‑shaped! Come, let me hold him." She took the child, brought him close and examined him carefully, "His eyebrows and eyes resemble Yuxuan, that tiny nose and mouth look like a foreign doll; no wonder he's so endearing."

The women gathered around the child, chatting and laughing, filling the main hall with merriment. Li Yuxuan watched the warm scene and suddenly felt many of the earlier displeasures melt away. No matter the child's background, seeing his mother and Madam so delighted, adding a bit of life to the household, didn't seem so bad after all.

The setting sun streamed through the window lattice, stretching everyone's shadows long. The baby, in Wang Caiyu's arms, woke without crying or fussing; instead he smiled at her, prompting even more joy among the onlookers.

Li Yuxuan knew such tranquil days wouldn't last long. With the Sanxiang appointment looming, the turmoil of the age would eventually reach Xikou. Yet for now, he could briefly set his mind at ease and savor this hard‑won familial affection and peace.

(I checked: when the principal was in Shanghai, Mao Fumei and her son Jiang Jingguo were still at the old home. Chapter 17 was written incorrectly; I can't change it now. I can only force a self‑consistency, but a little over a month should be enough to return from Shanghai.)