Cheng Su’s parental home was in Myrica Rubra Village, just next to Huangtian Village. A fifteen-minute walk was all it took to get there.
Wearing a new red dress, Cheng Su, following the original host’s memories, led Qi Taiguo, who was carrying gifts for the return visit, unevenly back to her maternal home.
Upon entering the village, people who saw them knew they were making a return visit and curiously sized them up, their gazes lingering on Cheng Su.
When a bride gets married, those from well-off families usually give her some gold ornaments or heirlooms to bring back to her parents’ home. Brides would wear them openly for all to see, a matter of pride for both the bride and her in-laws.
The Qi family wasn’t particularly wealthy, but they had given Cheng Su a gold ring and a pair of silver bracelets to wear, which looked quite nice.
Cheng Su found it amusing and didn’t mind the looks from others; after all, it was common practice and there was no loss to be seen from it.
The Cheng family’s home was constructed similarly to the Qi family’s but housed fewer people, consisting only of a large main house with a spacious courtyard. Next to the door, there was also a pigsty housing two plump pigs shuffling around inside.
Cheng Su pushed the gate open and was about to shout when someone came out from the house carrying a plastic bucket.
She was dressed in a floral cotton shirt with a pair of dusty grey trousers, wearing slippers, her hair curled up in a bun. Her robust figure could only belong to Mother Cheng.
"Mom!" Cheng Su blurted out instinctively, and she felt surprised at how natural it felt, without the slightest discomfort.
Mother Cheng looked up upon hearing the call, "Oh, Susu and my son-in-law are back already?"
"Mother-in-law," Qi Taiguo greeted.
"Ah, come in quickly." Mother Cheng replied with a smile, then asked, "I thought you wouldn’t come until lunchtime, why so early? Have a seat first; I’ll just feed these pig feed to the pigs. Your dad, our daughter has come back on her return visit!"
Father Cheng, hearing the commotion, also came out from the house. Seeing the two, he smiled warmly, "You’ve come back so early, come on in."
"Father-in-law." Qi Taiguo greeted Father Cheng, then set down their things and explained, "I need to return to the army this afternoon, so we came over early. We’ll have to leave after lunch!"
"I see. Then let your mother-in-law cook lunch a little early. You and I can have a few drinks, and we’ll call your third uncle over too."
"Yes!"
Once inside, Cheng Su and her husband put down their belongings and looked around the room, which wasn’t much different from other homes—a square table, a big red cabinet, portraits of Grandpa Mao on the wall, and a tea caddy with the inscription ’Serve the People.’ The room was partitioned into four, plus one for the household gods.
However, the cleanliness left much to be desired. Dust was everywhere, suggesting Mother Cheng didn’t clean often. There were also scraps of firecracker paper lying around, probably leftovers from yesterday’s wedding celebration that hadn’t been picked up, along with various items still scattered in the yard.
Father Cheng casually made some tea and invited the couple to drink. Not long after, Mother Cheng came in, drying her hands on her apron.
According to tradition, the couple knelt and offered tea to her parents, and only then did they sit down to talk.
Cheng Zhi, Cheng Su’s only younger brother, also came out of his room yawning and greeted them. Cheng Su gave him a red envelope, and then Father Cheng sent him off to call the third uncle and others to keep them company.
Cheng Su chatted for a while before heading to her own room, guided by her memories.
The room was typical of a young girl’s, with posters of various stars, a mosquito net covered with dust, and a wardrobe draped with a layer of dust too.
She looked around, from outside to in. Within the wardrobe hid her diary. She flipped through it, finding entries full of youthful infatuation, mostly about Qi Taiguo.
The original host, though sharp-tongued, must have been quite fond of Qi Taiguo; otherwise, she wouldn’t have pushed to marry early, dropping out of high school. But she was not skilled in expressing or nurturing love, only in possessiveness, leading to many misunderstandings.