Chapter 239: Arrival
Time flew by, and the three to five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Due to the continuous heavy snow, the mountain roads were completely frozen solid, and few households went out for leisurely strolls anymore.
With the New Year drawing ever closer, everyone was bustling inside their rooms, heating the kang and curing meat to prepare New Year’s goods.
Calculating the days, her younger brother and the others should arrive in Gu City that afternoon, so Su Ning hurried to the village committee office before noon to call Zhang Ze and remind him again about picking them up.
……
He instructed his daughter-in-law to tidy up the small courtyard and change the bedding and such, while he went to buy a batch of coal balls and black charcoal.
Seeing the time, Zhang Ze left an hour early and went to the train station platform to wait ahead of schedule.
But it was two hours later when he finally picked them up.
“Brother Zhang!” “Brother Zhang!”
Smiling as he patted Su Wei’s shoulder, Zhang Ze nodded to the group, “Good kid, you’ve gotten a lot sturdier.”
Those words were spot on. In less than one or two months, he had gone from being so skinny you could feel only skin and bones to having a rounded little face and some meat on his body now.
Su Wei chuckled foolishly. His sister had left behind so many things before she left—how could he not plump up?
Speaking of his sister… Su Wei stood on tiptoe and looked around several times but still didn’t see her figure, so he couldn’t help but anxiously ask, “Brother Zhang, where’s my sister?”
“Yeah, how come we don’t see Sister Ning Ning?”
“Ning Ning is at the First Brigade under Hongqi Commune. It’s been under heavy snow and mountain closure there, so it’s temporarily inaccessible.”
“Ah?”
Not only was Su Wei dumbfounded, but Jiang Xiaojun and the others were also stunned.
They had rushed over specifically to spend the New Year with her, but now with the mountain closure making it impossible to get in or out, what were they supposed to do?
“Hahaha, don’t stand here blowing in the cold wind. Come on, follow Brother Zhang back first. We’ll see how things are in a couple of days. There’s still a few days until the New Year, so no need to worry yet.”
……
Nanmen Street, First Street.
Bringing them to the gate of Su Family Small Courtyard, Zhang Ze smiled at their curious faces while unlocking the gate.
“This is your sister’s home in Gu City. She even named it Su Family Small Courtyard. The setup inside and all was done bit by bit by her with a lot of effort.”
“Sister’s home?!”
Su Wei, who had been somewhat uneasy, heard this, and his eyes, so similar to Su Ning’s, lit up instantly.
Although Brother Zhang was a good person, they had only met him once. With so many mouths to feed at his household for who knows how many days, it would inevitably feel awkward.
After all, no household’s grain comes from the wind, and it couldn’t withstand such consumption.
Now knowing they were coming to his sister’s home and not Brother Zhang’s, he immediately felt much more relieved.
Even Jiang Xiaojun and Jiang Xiaoman looked less uneasy and anxious.
Carrying their big and small packages into the courtyard, the group was immediately drawn to the courtyard’s setup.
Especially that uniquely styled grape trellis and the two-person swing with backrests. In the summer, sitting there swinging while hugging and eating grapes would be so comfortable and pleasant.
“Ding-a-ling～”
The wind chimes under the eaves tinkled crisply with the wind.
“Xiao Ning’s courtyard setup is so beautiful!”
“Hehe, this isn’t even the prettiest time.”
Zhang Ze felt an inexplicable pride. His already straight spine straightened even more as he set down his things and pointed to the flower wall.
Once they all followed his finger and looked over with curiosity, he continued explaining.
“That flower wall is planted with vines of two-colored flowers. When they bloom, they cover it from end to end—anyone who sees it can’t help but marvel!”
“Wow, just imagining it sounds incredibly beautiful!”
Clearly as a girl, Jiang Xiaoman was even more interested in the flower wall, feeling a bit regretful inside that she couldn’t witness such a dreamy, beautiful scene.
Zhang Ze continued leading them around the small courtyard, explaining clearly what was stored in each room.
“Alright, you all rest first. Later, we’ll go eat at that courtyard we passed earlier. I’ll come call you when the meal is ready.”
“Thanks, Brother Zhang!” “Thanks, Brother Zhang.”
They saw him off to the courtyard gate, thanked him together, and only after watching him head to the nearby courtyard did the siblings turn and enter the gate.
……
Seeing that no one else came to the health clinic in the afternoon, Su Ning seemed restless, frequently checking the time.
Wu Meng grabbed her hand, “Su Su, if there’s something… you go back first… here, I’ve got it.”
“Yeah, Ning Ning, our mother and daughter are watching the place. If you have something to do, go handle it—no problem at all!”
Noticing she had been distracted all afternoon, Jin Hua looked at her with concern and a trace of worry, following her daughter’s lead in persuading her, “If there’s anything our mother and daughter can help with, Ning Ning, you must speak up!”
“Big Aunt, Dream Sis, you’ve misunderstood. Nothing’s wrong—it’s just that my younger brother came over from Jilin Province.”
“That’s great news, great news!”
Smiling and nodding—yes, it was great news. If not for this sudden heavy snow and mountain closure…
After thinking it over, Su Ning stood up and glanced at the still lightly falling snow outside.
When the time came, she helped Wu Meng put away the Chinese medicinal materials and such from the pill shelves into the cabinets and lock them up before leaving the health clinic to find Old Master Su.
Getting the key to the village committee office, she called the Nanmen Street office, then sat in a chair waiting for the callback.
Half an hour later, the bell finally rang.
She quickly picked up the earpiece, but before she could speak, an excited voice came from the other end.
“Sis, is that sister?”
“It’s me, Xiao Wei.”
“Sister, we’ve arrived! We just finished dinner at Brother Zhang’s. Have you eaten, sis?”
Hearing her younger brother’s concern, Su Ning’s eyes softened with warmth, and her smile grew even brighter. “Sis will eat when I get back later.”
“Then sis, hurry back later and remember to eat!”
“Oh right, sister, how long will the mountain closure last there? Is it really impossible to get in or out? What if it’s still closed for the New Year?”
For her younger brother’s question, she felt quite helpless too—after all, the weather wasn’t something people could control.
But with Purple Jade’s luck being so heaven-defying, who knew if silently wishing every day for the snow to stop and melt would actually make it happen?
It was worth a try…
“We can only wait and see, Xiao Wei. There’s still plenty of grain in the kitchen. If anything’s short, remember to tell Brother Zhang—no need to feel shy, okay? He’s not an outsider.”
“Mm, got it. Everything’s here in the room, sis—don’t worry about us.”
The siblings chattered back and forth for quite a while before reluctantly hanging up.
Before, they had been so far apart across the north and south that meeting up really wasn’t easy.
Now that they were finally both in Xiangnan, they still couldn’t meet, and the closer they were, the harder it was to control the longing in their hearts.
Sighing softly to herself, Su Ning took a Purple Jade teardrop-shaped pendant from her space and replaced the peace jade token she had been wearing around her neck.
The cool touch against her skin made her shiver involuntarily. She slipped her hand inside to warm it, and only when it grew a bit warm did she let go.
Putting the peace jade token back in Peach Blossom Spring Bedroom, she got up, walked out of the office, locked the door, wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck, and plunged into the wind and snow.
After returning the key to Old Master Su’s house and finally declining their enthusiastic invitation to stay for dinner, she hurried back to the ancestral home.
From far away, she saw Yan Bei pacing back and forth in front of the gate, occasionally looking this way. Su Ning smiled and quickened her pace to meet him.
“Ning Ning, why so late today?”
Very familiarly taking her hands and wrapping them tightly in his large ones.
He rubbed her cold fingers, then brought them close to his mouth and huffed several breaths of warm air. “Godfather and godmother were worried. If you didn’t come back soon, I’d have gone looking for you along the road.”
“Wasn’t it because Xiao Wei and them arrived today? I called him, so I was a bit late.”
“They’ve arrived? They’re at the small courtyard now?”
“Yes, all at the small courtyard.”
His brother-in-law had arrived, but what about the engagement banquet?
Entering the gate, Yan Bei still held her hand without letting go, even gripping tighter. “Ning Ning, if Xiao Wei and them can’t get in, what about our engagement banquet?”
Glancing at his furrowed brow and worried expression, Su Ning amusingly pinched the palm of his hand lightly. “What are you worrying about? Maybe it’ll clear up tomorrow and the snow will melt the day after?”
“You two silly ones standing in the courtyard facing the howling wind and snow—what are you talking about? Hurry inside to warm by the fire. Ning Ning, you’re a girl and not as tough as some rough person—don’t catch a cold!”
“Hehe, got it. We’re coming, big brother!”
