Chapter 110: Chapter 101: Teacher Yu Comes for a Home Visit

Xiao Man thought Grandma’s eyesight would gradually clear up soon, but a trip to the hospital for a check-up would still be a good idea.

On Monday morning, after finishing math class, Teacher Yu packed up her teaching materials. Just as she was about to leave, she stopped, as if remembering something. In front of the entire class, she said to Xiao Man, "Tomorrow is Tuesday, and it’s my turn to be on duty. I’ll be staying at the school overnight instead of going home. I’ll come by for a home visit after dinner, so please let your family know."

Xiao Man agreed and extended a natural invitation. "It’s a hassle to cook for one, Teacher. Why don’t you have dinner at our place tomorrow night?"

Teacher Yu asked, "Are you inviting your teacher to dinner? So, what dishes do you have at your home?"

Xiao Man counted on her fingers. "Our vegetables have all grown in. We have Shanghai bok choy, tall-stem cabbage, chrysanthemum greens, lettuce..."

The whole class roared with laughter, and Teacher Yu’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Alright, with that many vegetables, I’ll have more than enough to eat. Thank you!"

After Teacher Yu left, Guan Ailan ran over and playfully punched Xiao Man on the arm. "Are you dense? Who do you take Teacher Yu for? You’re just going to feed her vegetables? Not even mentioning chicken or fish, you couldn’t even offer a single pork dish?"

Xiao Man replied innocently, "Teacher Yu asked about ’dishes,’ not meat. You’re the one who’s always thinking about food!"

Guan Ailan looked ready to faint, and the rest of the class laughed even harder.

When Xiao Man got home, she told Grandpa and Grandma that Teacher Yu was coming for a home visit. Grandma immediately asked if the teacher would be staying for dinner. If she was, they would need to prepare. Xiao Man said no, explaining that she knew Teacher Yu was only joking and that teachers rarely ate at their students’ homes.

On Tuesday evening, shortly after eight, Teacher Yu arrived as promised, carrying a flashlight. And surprisingly, Guan Ailan was with her.

’That makes sense,’ Xiao Man thought. Guan Ailan lived near the school, only fifty meters away, so it was convenient for Teacher Yu to ask her along for company and to show her the way.

As Teacher Yu stepped into the courtyard, she saw the light from the house spilling out onto a rose trellis so tall, large, and dense it looked like a solid wall of flowers. Her face lit up with surprise. Forgetting all etiquette, her leather shoes went CLICK-CLACK across the yard as she rushed over to it. She exclaimed in admiration, gently taking a flowering branch to inhale its fragrance, a look of pure bliss on her face. She had completely left Grandpa and Grandma, who had come out arm-in-arm to greet her, standing off to the side!

Xiao Man and Guan Ailan glanced at each other, speechless.

Thankfully, Teacher Yu soon realized her gaffe and quickly composed herself. She apologized sheepishly to Grandpa and Grandma and handed a woven basket to Grandma. Inside were two bundles of noodles and two one-pound bags of white sugar.

A teacher conducting a simple home visit wouldn’t normally bring gifts. This meant Teacher Yu was also paying a formal visit to the elders, essentially coming over as a guest.

Children weren’t supposed to linger when adults were talking. Xiao Man and Guan Ailan boiled water for honeysuckle tea, serving a bowl to Teacher Yu, Grandpa, and Grandma. So as not to disturb the conversation in the main room, the two girls went out to the courtyard and sat under the large pear tree, chatting in hushed voices.

Xiao Man asked, "Did Teacher Yu come looking for you?"

"You think my mom would’ve let me out otherwise?" Guan Ailan said. "Hey, guess what? Before we came here, I went with Teacher Yu to Mo Xiaosu’s house!"

"To Mo Xiaosu’s house? What for?"

"Didn’t Mo Xiaosu get Chen Yujiao and the others to tattle to Teacher Yu? She claimed you beat her up again and was acting all pitiful. So, Teacher Yu went to see her and brought a ton of stuff: two bundles of noodles, two cans of preserved meat, a pack of crackers, a bag of fruit drops, a few big apples, and even a new outfit. The top had little red flowers on it. I sneakily felt the fabric—it was corduroy! It must have been expensive!"

"Why would Teacher Yu give Mo Xiaosu all that?"

"Who knows? Didn’t Mo Linghui mention it? Their families are close, like relatives. Mo Xiaosu’s mom has even gone to the factory to give gifts to Teacher Yu’s family!"

"..."

Nearly an hour later, the conversation in the main room concluded. Grandpa and Grandma walked Teacher Yu out. Xiao Man and Guan Ailan stood up and went over as well. Teacher Yu placed a hand on Xiao Man’s shoulder and said with a smile, "I adore your roses. You’ve taken such wonderful care of them. I can’t believe they still have so many flowers! I’ll have to come back to see them again sometime!"

"Of course. You’re welcome anytime," Xiao Man said.

"Yes, and I’m a fan of all those vegetables you mentioned, too. Next time I visit, I’ll have to pick some of each to take home and enjoy!"

Everyone laughed. Chatting cheerfully, they walked Teacher Yu and Guan Ailan to the gate.

「In December, true winter finally arrived in the region.」 Mornings were met with a vast, thick fog that would only burn off once the sun was high in the sky. The mountain peaks wore white caps of snow. Even the stacks of rice straw in the harvested fields were dusted with a thin white layer, though it would melt away under the sun before the day was out.

The new clothes from the sewing group at the commune’s supply co-op were ready to be picked up. Now, the whole family had winter clothes. Since Grandpa said he didn’t want a heavy padded jacket, he got a lightly padded vest instead. Grandma and Xiao Man each received a new padded jacket. Following the advice of the head seamstress, Grandma had chosen the outer fabric: a dark green for herself, and for Xiao Man, a light-colored material covered in a riot of countless colorful flowers. When Xiao Man put it on, she felt like a walking kaleidoscope!

Lin Liuping had refused to knit sweaters for her stepmother’s relatives, so she’d taken all the yarn Xiao Man had bought instead. She was a fast knitter and, sure enough, finished two new sweaters in under half a month. Grandma’s was blue and Grandpa’s was gray. The two of them had different reactions when they tried them on. Grandma smiled, stroking the soft wool gently. "It’s been so long since I’ve worn such a nice sweater," she said softly. "I thought I’d never have one like this again..."

Grandpa just chuckled with delight, his face beaming. Suddenly, Xiao Man noticed something odd about Grandpa’s white hair—it was turning gray. ’Is it going back to black?’ she wondered.

She looked over at Grandma and saw it was the same with her hair. Moreover, Grandma had filled out a little, her wrinkles had faded, and her skin looked fair and smooth, with a faint, rosy blush on her cheeks.

’This must be the effect of the lotus leaf soup,’ Xiao Man thought.

To date, Xiao Man had secretly given the lotus leaf soup to Grandpa twice and to Grandma six or seven times. The first time had given Grandma a terrible case of diarrhea. The second time, her stomach still hurt, but she was much more composed about it. After the third dose, Xiao Man hadn’t heard any sounds of distress from Grandma at all. It seemed she either felt nothing now, or perhaps the toxins in her body had been completely flushed out.

’Grandma needs to keep drinking the lotus leaf soup,’ Xiao Man decided. ’And Grandpa can drink it with her a few more times.’

One sunny afternoon, Xiao Man came home from school to find Grandpa sitting in the sun, weaving a bamboo basket. She squatted down beside him, picked up some of the prepared bamboo strips, and tried to copy him. Grandpa, afraid she’d cut her hands, told her not to fool around with them. But she was stubborn, so while he gently chided her, they each continued with their own task. Meanwhile, Grandma sat under the eaves, smiling as she cleaned vegetables and occasionally glancing up at the sky.

Grandpa finished a basket and, since Xiao Man was squatting to his left, he went to place it on his right side. But then Grandma said, "Don’t put it there. It’s in the way."

Grandpa grunted in acknowledgment. But just as he lifted the basket, his whole body jolted as if he’d been struck by lightning. He stared at Grandma and cried out in disbelief, "Ayue, wh-what did you just say?"

Grandma looked a little startled herself. She pointed at Grandpa and Xiao Man. "I... I saw! I saw you two, and the things in the courtyard... all as silhouettes!"

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