"They were here just yesterday," Lin Xiaoxi laughed. "One’s probably busy with work, and the other with getting their child into school."
Lin Xiaoguai suddenly realized, "Xiao Mao’s son is starting kindergarten?"
"Yeah, the couple is really dedicated, they managed to get their child registered for school in the county town. But since the child is still so young, commuting to school from so far away isn’t ideal, so they’re trying to buy a house in the county town." In his forties, Lin Xiaoxi had lost the playful joviality of his youth, his demeanor became serious in an instant, making him seem mature and dependable, though mentioning family would always soften his expression.
"Is money an issue?" Lin Xiaoguai asked, frowning.
Lin Xiaoxi nodded and noticed her concern, saying hurriedly, "Don’t you worry, Xiao Mao’s husband is quite capable, with wide connections. He’ll definitely be able to borrow the money. If they do run into real trouble, they’ll surely ask me first, not you."
Didn’t he know her? She was always particularly soft-hearted towards her own kin, sometimes without any boundaries at all.
It hadn’t changed over all these years.
"That’s good then," Lin Xiaoguai nodded and then asked, "What about Wanwan? Is she still doing the same job?"
"What choice does she have?" Lin Xiaoxi said helplessly. "That girl can never sit still and doesn’t have many talents, but she sure has a slick way with words. Being a saleswoman suits her perfectly. The last time she came back, she said her manager really valued her and was considering recommending her for a position at the headquarters in the provincial city."
"But there’s one thing about her now that’s especially unbearable."
Noticing Lin Xiaoguai’s puzzled look, Lin Xiaoxi mimicked drinking. "She socializes a lot now and can drink like a fish, even more than I can. And that girl always likes to drink with me, bringing two bottles of good liquor every time she comes back."
Lin Xiaoguai couldn’t help but chuckle at that, yet still said, "You should still tell her to drink less. It may not seem like a problem now, but as she gets older, she’s likely to develop liver issues."
"I’ve tried, haven’t I?" Lin Xiaoxi said with a pained expression. "But I don’t know, it’s like she’s become addicted to it. She used to be teetotal, but once she started, she couldn’t be stopped, even wanting a drink with breakfast."
Lin Xiaoguai was a bit embarrassed; she hadn’t expected her bright and lively niece to turn into an alcoholic. After a pause, she said, "If what you say doesn’t work, have Xiao Niao talk to her. Her sisters always listen to her."
After a moment’s pause, she looked around the house and asked, "Where are Shen Chi and Little Niangao? Are they around?"
"They went out," replied Lin Xiaoxi. "Uncle Tang at the east end is a basketball player, right? He has a basketball court in his yard. Shen Chi took the kids to play, and even Aqi went with them."
Lin Xiaoguai nodded, a thought striking her, and she said, "Let’s take a walk outside. Are there still people about in the evenings?" She remembered from her childhood that people in the village, young and old, would go visiting each other’s homes, and she wondered if now, with televisions, everyone just stayed home to watch TV.
"There are people, but not as many as before," said Lin Xiaoxi.
"We should go have a look," Lin Xiaoguai said with a stifled smile. "If I don’t take a look now, I might not recognize anyone when I come back next time."
Lin Xiaoxi naturally had no objections.
The two of them walked down the road outside the door, and indeed, as Lin Xiaoxi had said, it wasn’t as bustling as before, but there were still households with their doors wide open, lights on, and people playing mahjong inside, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
"Hey, is that Xiaoxi? And who’s that with you?" someone suddenly called out when they saw them.
"Don’t you recognize her, Brother Zhao? This is my little sister," Lin Xiaoxi called back.
"Little sister, where’s your litt..." Brother Zhao’s voice suddenly stopped as he looked at Lin Xiaoguai in surprise. "Are you Wanwan?"
"Brother Zhao," Lin Xiaoguai nodded in greeting, then called out to the others: "Fatty, Brother Xiao Zhong, Sister-in-law Hua’er, Sister Juanjuan, Dong Ya, Chongzi, Bai Mantou, Uncle Xiao Dong..."
Village nicknames were all weird and wonderful. As long as you weren’t from the older generation, formalities didn’t much matter, and many went by nicknames. Even Lin Xiaoguai was surprised that she managed to recognize quite a few.
"It really is Wanwan!" Brother Zhao came over, rubbing his hands and somewhat embarrassed, he said, "I really didn’t recognize you. How come you haven’t changed a bit? You look like you’re in your twenties."
"Yeah, it’s not that I didn’t recognize you before, but I didn’t dare to believe it. I thought, if this young girl really is Wanwan, then she must be some ageless spirit," Sister-in-law Hua’er said with a laugh.
Laughter erupted from the group.
Grinning, Lin Xiaoguai replied, "Then I’ll take that as a compliment."