Chapter 1566: Reunion

“Dad, will you and Aunt Yang come back for New Year?” Jing Chu asked.

Lv Beiguang shook his head. “Probably not, it’s too far. The train ride takes too long.”

“Yeah, everyone understands that. Going back and forth, it’s almost two months gone. That’s basically spending the New Year on the train. Just thinking about it feels awful.”

“How are things for you two at school?”

“Not bad. Classes are really intense. There are a lot of women in our department, and more than half are middle‑aged. So far nothing bad has happened.”

After hearing his daughter, Lv Beiguang felt much more at ease.

“Dad, it’s the same in our department, lots of middle‑aged people. We’re just rookies in front of them, but nothing nasty has happened.”

“Not many people live off campus, right?”

Jing Chu nodded. “In our class I’m the only one not living in the dorm. But I heard them say dorm life isn’t that great either. With so many people, how could there not be any conflicts?”

“Everyone in our class lives in the dorm. They all envy me, because I get to be with my wife and kids every day. And a lot of the classmates from the South, most of them came to the Capital alone, with their wives and kids still back home. There are also some former educated youth. Their situation is pretty much the same. There are locals too, but they also live in the dorm.”

“Is it too tiring for you two like this? If it doesn’t work, we can take the five kids with us to the South.”

Lv Beiguang still couldn’t help worrying about his daughter and son.

Jing Chu shook her head right away. “We can’t. There’s someone at home cooking for the five of them. If it’s just the adults left, what’s the point?”

Lv Beiguang shook his head. Since his daughter wasn’t willing, he let it go.

Just then they heard movement outside. In a moment Guodong and Xue’er came in.

“Dad, Aunt Yang?”

They knew they were coming, they just didn’t know the exact time. They hadn’t expected them to arrive this fast.

“As long as you’re back, it’s good.”

Chaoyang stood up then. “Let’s go eat. We can rest after we finish dinner.”

The two of them and the kids had already washed up. It was just Guodong and Xue’er left.

After dinner, the kids went to preview and review their lessons.

Now there were only the six adults left in the living room.

“Jing Chu, Xue’er, this is money for you two. Don’t be reluctant to spend it. Your dad and I got more than ten thousand this year in profit shares. Don’t scrimp.”

Neither Jing Chu nor Xue’er took the money.

Yang Xiuqin simply put it on the table. “It’s fine, don’t feel embarrassed. We’re family. The four of you are all in school now. Don’t wrong yourselves, and don’t wrong the kids.”

“Aunt Yang, we’re doing okay. We all have money on us.”

The four of them kept thinking it would be another four years before they could earn anything, and there were five children at home, so they really counted every penny they spent now.

The clothes they wore were all made by people Aunt Jiang had found. They only ate one meal at school at noon, and usually didn’t have many places to spend money.

“I’m giving it to you, so just take it. And I want to ask Yiqing and the other two—do they want to come with us, or stay here?” In fact, Lv Beiguang wanted to live with the kids.

Yang Xiuqin didn’t say anything. She knew that even if it was under the banner of “it’s for the children’s own good,” it still had to be something the kids themselves were willing to do.

“Dad, Aunt Yang, I think once you’re in the South you two definitely won’t have the time, so you still won’t really be able to look after them. Besides, the three of them have their household registration in the Capital now. There are people here taking care of them together, so there’s no need for them to go with you, right? Winter break is too short. If it were summer break, and if they wanted to, we could take them back to visit you.”

To “visit” would only be for a few days anyway; the rest of the time would be spent on the train.

“We’ll ask the three of them what they think later.”

“Xue, you and Jing Chu put the money away. I still have money here. You don’t need to worry about money in the future—things will only get better. Our profit shares will keep going up.”

Jing Chu picked up the money on the table and handed half of it to her sister‑in‑law.

Even though the cash was in the two women’s hands, it would all be spent on the household.

Lv Beiguang asked Guodong and Xue’er about their situation at school, and the two gave pretty much the same kind of answers.

Lv Beiguang knew the kids were only reporting the good news, not the bad. But it seemed there wasn’t anything major going on anyway. Besides, even if there was something big, Xinyu and Wei Kaiyun wouldn’t just sit back. The two of them were strangers here, they couldn’t just talk their way through things, but they were definitely worried about the kids.

“Dad, are you going back to your old home?” Guodong asked.

“I’m taking your Aunt Yang back to have a look. After all these years, we should go burn some paper for your grandparents, let them meet your Aunt Yang too.”

“Just you two going? Are you taking Yiqing and the others?”

Lv Beiguang shook his head. “No, they’re still young. In a few years you can take them back to have a look.”

Guodong nodded.

“We brought some raw materials with us. Starting tomorrow, Chaoyang, you two come with me at night to make liquor.”

Both of them nodded. The two already knew how to make liquor, and Lv Beiguang had taught Chaoyang as well. He treated Chaoyang and Xiang Dong the same.

Just then the kids all came running over. They’d finished their homework and done their preview and review.

Yang Xiuqin took Ruoyan by the hand.

Lv Beiguang asked Yiqing, “Your mom and I are going to her old home. What do you three think? Do you want to go with us, or stay here?”

Before the three could answer, Chenxi grabbed Yixin. “Uncle, you can’t go. My mom says this is your home too. Don’t leave; you have to stay and keep Grandpa and Grandma Yang company.”

Hearing his grandson, Lv Beiguang laughed.

Yiqing thought for a moment. “Dad, Mom, are you going back to make liquor?”

Lv Beiguang nodded. “Yeah, your Uncle Han has a distillery over there now.”

“Dad, will it be the same as in Li Family Village, you two going to the distillery every day?”

Lv Beiguang nodded. “Yes. But if you come back with us, your mom will take care of you.”

The three siblings exchanged a look. Ruoyan held onto Yang Xiuqin’s hand. “Mom, what about you, do you want us to go back?”

Yang Xiuqin smiled. Her daughter and sons had really grown up.

“Speaking just from my own feelings, of course I want to live with my kids. Ever since you left us, your dad and I think about you every single day. But rationally, it’s obviously better here. Our old home doesn’t have the conditions you have here. And your brother and sister are taking such good care of you, I feel very at ease. So, I’ll go with whatever you three decide.”

Yiqing glanced at his younger brother and sister. “Dad, Mom, we’d better stay here. We want to get into university too.”

Yang Xiuqin nodded. “Okay. We’ll try our best to find time to come see you.”

Yiqing smiled. “Yes, and in the future maybe you’ll be able to see us any day you want. Our teacher said that someday we’ll definitely be able to take planes to wherever we want to go.”