West Hutong Entrance.
It was already late into the night. Dong Xuebing and Luan Xiaoping thought they would be the only ones out, assuming no one else would be walking around at this hour. But unexpectedly, Xie Huilan showed up.
“Wow, why are you still holding the baby?”
Both mother and son were stunned. Luan Xiaoping quickly moved to take the baby from Xie Huilan’s arms. Little Dong Chong had fallen fast asleep, not even stirred by the walking. His little lips pouted and softly puffed air. His sleeping face was incredibly cute.
Xie Huilan also squatted down. At this point, she had changed clothes, no longer in her pajamas, but dressed in her usual dark sportswear. “Today is Dad’s anniversary. Of course, I had to come. Mom, you didn’t call me on such an important day. Isn’t that a little distant from me?”
Luan Xiaoping quickly said, “That’s not what I meant.”
Xie Huilan helplessly replied, “There’s no such thing as avoiding anything.”
Luan Xiaoping added, “I also knew you were tired, and Little Chong needs someone to look after him while sleeping, so I didn’t tell you.”
Xie Huilan replied, “Whenever we sleep is fine, but Dad’s anniversary is such an important occasion, how could I not come? Luckily, I overheard you two talking in the evening, or else I wouldn’t have known. The courtyard is good in every way, except that the soundproofing is a bit poor, and the windows are made of paper. Any loud conversation in the yard can be heard inside.”
Xie Huilan said, “Mom, from now on, please tell me about things . Don’t treat me like an outsider.”
Luan Xiaoping nodded. “Alright.”
Xie Huilan also began burning the paper money and said, “Dad, today is my first time visiting you. You might not recognize me yet, haha, let me introduce myself. I’m Xie Huilan.”
Luan Xiaoping smiled. “Yes, this is your daughter-in-law. How’s that, old Dong? Isn’t she beautiful? I told you when we were young that our son had a lucky ear, and you didn’t believe me, saying I was superstitious. Now, do you believe it?”
Dong Xuebing didn’t like hearing that. “What do you mean I have good fortune? It’s her luck to marry me.”
Xie Huilan smiled. “Yes, my good fortune. Xiao Bing and Mom are both very good to me. Dad, don’t worry, I’ll fulfill my duties as a daughter-in-law, taking good care of my mother-in-law and husband.”
“Look at your daughter-in-law, how understanding and wonderful she is,” Luan Xiaoping said, holding her grandson. “And look, your chubby grandson came today. Take a look, isn’t he much more like Huilan? He’s handsome.”
Dong Xuebing interjected, “He looks like me, though.”
Luan Xiaoping said, “Little Chong is asleep, so we won’t wake him up to talk. He’s just over three months old and can’t talk yet. We’ll let him talk to you when he’s a bit older. Anyway, everything’s fine at home. We’re healthy, the kids are doing well at work, and now we have a grandson. Don’t worry about anything. We’ll take good care of ourselves.” Every year, on Dad’s anniversary, Mom would always end by saying that everything was fine and not to worry.
The paper burned out.
Luan Xiaoping said, “Alright, let’s go.”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “Dad, we’re leaving now.”
The three stood up, holding the baby, and returned to their courtyard.
Luan Xiaoping looked at the still-sounding sleeping baby in her arms and said to her son and daughter-in-law, “It’s already late, after midnight. You two should rest now. The baby will sleep with me tonight. Don’t worry, he sleeps deeply, so you don’t have to worry about him waking up.” She considered that Dong Xuebing and Xie Huilan hadn’t had much time alone together recently, and wanted them to enjoy some time as a couple.
Xie Huilan said, “Alright, thank you, Mom.”
“We’re going to sleep now, Mom. You rest early, too,” Dong Xuebing said.
The couple crawled into bed.
“Why didn’t I see Xiao Ran and Xiao Ling when I came today?” Dong Xuebing asked, holding his wife and enjoying the bright moonlight. He was very relaxed.
Xie Huilan smiled. “How late did you arrive? When Grandpa left, Xiao Ran and Xiao Ling saw him off. I think my uncle and aunt probably set their engagement date too late. Those two were eager and afraid the night would be long, so they moved the date earlier. They probably wanted Grandpa to say a few words for them.”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “They’re so anxious, aren’t they?”
Xie Huilan said, “Those two are inseparable. They’ve been eager to get married, and if not for family customs, they might have skipped the engagement ceremony altogether.”
“So the engagement date is still undecided?” Dong Xuebing asked.
Xie Huilan shook her head. “Xiao Ran went to Grandpa; it’s still uncertain.”
Dong Xuebing clicked his tongue. “There’s nothing wrong with waiting a bit longer. It’d be best to have it two months later.”
Xie Huilan said, “Weren’t you arranging their engagement, giving them a villa and betrothal gifts?”
Dong Xuebing replied, “That wasn’t matchmaking. The family insisted I represent them, and that wasn’t my intention. If the engagement happens later, I’ll have more time to return. Our county is busy these two months, and I can’t leave. Today, I came back, but it delayed a lot of work. Next time, I won’t be able to make it. As a county party secretary, I can’t just leave everyone busy and rest myself. I’ll be lucky to get a weekend off these two months.” Dong Xuebing sighed, “If there were no urgent matters, I’d have to leave tomorrow. It’s midnight, so I must fly back to the county tonight. It’s a situation I can’t delay.”
Xie Huilan asked, “Am I less busy than you, even though I’m a municipal party secretary? What could be so urgent in a small county?”
Dong Xuebing smiled proudly. He wasn’t afraid of being busy or tired because the rewards were huge. “It’s because the county just discovered an ancient tomb.”
“Huh?” Xie Huilan looked at him. “What’s this about?”
Dong Xuebing said, “Without an ancient tomb, there wouldn’t be tomb raiders. When I returned from Beijing, the day after, villagers unexpectedly dug up an antique on Qingluan Mountain. After that, everything was simple: sealing the mountain, bringing in experts, and confirming it was an ancient tomb. Now, the archaeology team has arrived, and excavation has already started. They’ve uncovered three tombs with burial companions.”
Xie Huilan said, “I didn’t know about this.”
Dong Xuebing replied, “It’s confidential. We haven’t announced it yet because we didn’t want Tomb Raiders to come. But yesterday, we still attracted them. If I hadn’t rushed back, the consequences would’ve been disastrous.”
Xie Huilan said, “Looks like it’s a significant tomb.”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Not just important. Wait until you see the news.”