Chapter 268: Chapter 247: Washing Off the Dust

They said it would be a few days, but with one thing and another, a whole week went by.

It helped that Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin weren’t making a fuss or rushing anyone. In the village, Grandma and Xiao Man took excellent care of the two boys. They ate and drank well and even had a crowd of admirers, including Liang Mingjing, Mo Yuanzhi, and Guan Er. Every day, the group was either plunging into the mountain forests to hunt for pheasants and wild rabbits or digging holes in the fields to smoke out gophers. On top of that, the production teams were continuously draining their ponds to catch and distribute fish, and every family was beginning to slaughter pigs for the New Year... They went from one exciting event to the next, and the two boys were having so much fun they were loath to leave, nearly forgetting the purpose of their trip entirely.

On the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, a second group of people did indeed arrive from Beijing—Mr. Tang and Zheng Shaojin. By this point, the preliminary work on Grandpa’s hillside plot had come to a stopping point, so he could finally take a "vacation" for the New Year with a clear conscience.

Mr. Tang inspected Grandpa’s unfinished "medicinal herb plantation" and gave his approval. He said that Grandpa had chosen a very sound project. Though he himself had no experience with herb cultivation, he had seen such plantations before. He promised that once spring arrived and the weather warmed, he would take Grandpa to visit those places to see how others did it and learn from their methods and experience.

On the afternoon of the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month, Xiao Man, Grandpa, and Grandma arrived in Beijing.

Grandpa Tang, Grandma Tang, and the two Gu elders personally came to the airport to greet them. Grandma Tang hugged Xiao Man, then grasped Grandma’s hand, so happy the rims of her eyes turned red.

Grandpa shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with Grandpa Tang and Mr. Gu, not cowed in the slightest. ’After all, Tang Qingshan was a man who could still do woodworking with him, climb mountains and tramp through forests, help Hao Hao climb a tree to get a bird’s nest or catch a grasshopper, and pick wildflowers for Xiao Man to weave into a hat. Other than a certain scholarly air, he wasn’t much different from an ordinary person. And as Xiao Man had said, Grandpa Tang and Grandpa Gu were about to retire anyway. Once they did, they’d be just like him—nothing to be afraid of!’

’Grandpa’s doing great,’ Xiao Man thought, quite satisfied with his performance. She wasn’t worried about Grandma, though. ’Some etiquette and manners, once learned in childhood, are never forgotten, even in old age. No matter what hardships she’s been through, as soon as she’s back in the right environment, she can handle herself naturally.’ And indeed, Grandma’s smile was gentle, her bearing poised and graceful. Most people would be at least a little overwhelmed on their first visit to a metropolis like Beijing, but Grandma was completely unfazed.

In fact, judging by appearance and dress alone, Grandma was in no way inferior to Grandma Tang and Granny Gu. Xiao Man had put a great deal of thought into the outfits she’d prepared for her grandparents’ trip. Grandpa had refused to wear a jacket, complaining it made him look much younger and he wasn’t used to it, so he settled for a woolen Zhongshan suit. Grandma’s padded jacket and blouse, however, were retro styles that incorporated modern fashion elements. To get those clothes made for Grandma, Xiao Man had spent a week in a war of words with the old tailor and his wife on the commune’s old street. In the end, when the garments were finished, the old tailor himself was delighted with the result.

You could say that Grandma’s unique outfit was an absolute first piece of "high fashion" on the streets of 1980 Beijing, then basking in the "spring breeze" of the Reform and Opening-Up—albeit a version for the middle-aged and elderly. While younger people paid it no mind, it drew endless admiration from Grandma Tang and Granny Gu. They stroked Grandma’s new clothes, unable to put them down. It was a style they were familiar with, but they never imagined that a few small alterations could make it so beautiful and contemporary. The two of them began planning to have a few new outfits made in the same style after the New Year.

On the very day they arrived in Beijing, the Gu family preemptively hosted a welcome banquet at a grand hotel. Grandpa and Grandma were the guests of honor, personally escorted at the front by Grandpa and Granny Gu. Grandma Tang, not having seen her granddaughter in a long time, pulled Xiao Man to the back to talk, complaining to her with discontent:

"Your grandpa just indulges Grandpa Gu. He supports whatever Grandpa Gu wants to do, without any concern for his own pride... For this welcome banquet, they’ve invited so many other guests—old friends and relatives, all of them important figures. Isn’t your grandpa worried that people will laugh at him!"

Grandpa Tang happened to turn back to check on them just then and overheard her. "Laugh at me for what?" he asked.

"Don’t you know perfectly well? Amu and Su are *our* family. They’ve come all this way; we should have been the ones to host their welcome banquet!"

"Look at you, still fussing over such things." Grandpa Tang chuckled. "The Gu family hosting this first welcome banquet is treating it with the formality of welcoming the in-laws. It’s highly significant. The goal is to announce to everyone that Manman is the Gu family’s future daughter-in-law! Amu and Su are our own family, and they’re staying at our house. That’s more than close enough. What’s there to be laughed at?"

Xiao Man grew embarrassed at her grandfather bringing up this topic right in front of her. "Grandpa!"

Grandma Tang chided him as well. "You old man! My granddaughter is still young. What’s all this talk about in-laws! Didn’t we already agree that their childhood betrothal was called off? Shaojun was the one who suggested it!"

"Heh heh. I originally agreed with you both that we should set this aside for now and wait until Manman was older. But things can always change! Our granddaughter has made her own choice, so you can’t just object anymore, you know!"

"What change? My granddaughter... Manman, what choice did you make?" Grandma Tang asked, looking at Xiao Man in astonishment.

Xiao Man shook her head and held out her hands, indicating she didn’t understand either.

Grandpa Tang laughed. "Shaojun didn’t know you were the eldest granddaughter of our Tang family when he rashly made that decision. He regrets it terribly! The boy reacted quickly, though, and immediately ran to you to beg for forgiveness. Didn’t you already forgive him? And didn’t you two agree to get married when you grow up?"

Xiao Man was flabbergasted. "I did no such thing... I only agreed to date him!"

Grandma Tang froze for a moment, then sighed. "Child, you’ve fallen for his trick. For families like ours, ’dating’ *is* discussing marriage! No wonder the two old Gu folks have been grinning at me all day. So it turns out everyone knew except for me!"

Grandpa Tang patted his wife’s back soothingly. "Try to see it from their perspective. They were just worried you’d stir up trouble. This is destiny! Even with our ancestors no longer involved, Manman still chose Shaojun. It’s a classic case of ’the path to happiness is never smooth,’ a match made in heaven. It couldn’t be more perfect!"

Seeing her grandfather’s triumphant air, as if he were about to marry her off, Xiao Man couldn’t help but blush. "Grandpa, if you keep this up, I’ll be too embarrassed to go inside!"

Grandpa Tang said quickly, "They’re all family elders, no need to be embarrassed. The Gu family has always been one to show their stance through actions, not careless words!"

’Isn’t that even more terrifying?’ Xiao Man thought, speechless.

Grandpa Tang walked into the restaurant with his arm linked through his wife’s. Xiao Man followed behind and heard the two elders muttering. Grandpa Tang mentioned that the welcome banquet tonight had six tables, which once again drew Grandma Tang’s ire. "My granddaughter comes home, and before we’ve even had a chance to do anything, they pull a stunt this big? What are they trying to prove?"

Grandpa Tang glanced back at his granddaughter with a smile, his eyes filled with pride and contentment. "It’s because our granddaughter is just too wonderful, and everyone wants her. The Gu family is getting nervous!"

Xiao Man...

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