On Sunday morning, Cheng Xiang put on a goose-yellow dress and carried a canvas bag.
Leading Qing'er in front, Zhou Tianxing and Zhou Yang followed, and the four of them entered the city in a mighty manner.
There was only one bus into the city, so there were a lot of people. As soon as the bus pulled up to the stop, people waiting for the bus started to squeeze in. Cheng Xiang, who was holding Qing'er in his arms, was so crowded that he didn't even get on the bus.
At this time, Zhou Tianxing stepped forward to block the door. His small body blocked the people who were squeezing in from behind, leaving a passage for Cheng Xiang to get on the car. Cheng Xiang quickly squeezed in. Zhou Tianxing turned back and pulled Zhou Yang up. Finally, everyone Got in the car.
It was probably the first time for the children to drive into the city, and they were very excited. Zhou Yang looked at the scenery outside the window and screamed in surprise from time to time. Even Zhou Tianxing, who was usually calm and serious, had a hint of excitement on his face.
Cheng Xiang looked at them and became more convinced that it was right to take them out. She wanted them to see the world outside the village. People can walk far away and see high scenery.
She thought to herself that she would definitely take them to a bigger and better place if she had the opportunity in the future.
In the city of the 1980s, there were not so many high-rise buildings, nor the constant flow of motor vehicles. Instead, there were armies of bicycles coming and going.
At that time, it was considered a matter of pride for anyone to own a bicycle.
But for the children who had never been to the city, this was a bustling city they had never seen before. The men and women everywhere they saw were all fashionable, wearing jeans, floral skirts, and high heels. It turned out that their stepmother was in Wearing that seems out of place in the countryside is indeed the most common here.
Cheng Xiang saw the children's restraint and suddenly realized that she only wanted to take the children out to see the world, but ignored their psychological gap.
She gathered the three children together and said: "Let's finish the business first, and then Auntie will take you to the mall and the park. It's not easy for you. Let's have some fun, okay?"
The children nodded excitedly.
Cheng Xiang took his children to the family compound.
The guard saw a beautiful woman walking over with three and a half-year-old children from a distance. He raised his reading glasses with a surprised look on his face and shouted, "Hey, are you just thinking about it?"
Cheng Xiang smiled at the uncle: "Uncle Zhang, are your presbyopia getting worse and worse? I've only been gone for a few days and you don't recognize me anymore?"
Uncle Zhang said with a smile: "You little girl, you are still so talkative."
"I heard that you..." Uncle Zhang thought of the rumors in the courtyard and looked at the children beside Cheng Xiang. He wanted to ask, but he was also afraid that Cheng Xiang wanted to say that he was too talkative. Talking too much was taboo when trying to make a living in this family courtyard of the military region. .
Cheng Xiang smiled with relief and said, "I heard that I married in the countryside, right?"
Uncle Zhang smiled sarcastically.
"Yes, I'm getting married. I'll bring the children to recognize me today. We're leaving first." After saying that, Cheng Xiang took the children to the family building.
In fact, there had been rumors in the courtyard that the Cheng family had brought back a daughter from the countryside and sent another daughter to the countryside.
Everyone said with emotion: "The sun is in the cave, the wind is in the cave, and the scorpion is in the tail of the stepmother's heart." A few years after the stepmother came, she took her daughter to the countryside.
In the past few days, Uncle Zhang has watched Cheng Ningning laugh and smile every day, walking in and out of the gate with her flowers blooming, and she no longer looked like the wrinkled and submissive country girl she used to be.
Uncle Zhang looked at Cheng Xiang's back and suddenly thought of an idiom, what is it called, oh, yes, the dove occupies the magpie's nest.
Cheng Xiang opened the door and entered the house with his children, startling Su Qing who was listening to a play with the opera box open at home.
"Think about it? Why are you back?" Su Qing stood up nervously and asked.
"I'll come back to get something." Cheng Xiang didn't raise his eyes to look at her. He called the children and said, "Tian Xing, don't stand there. Take the children and sit there. I'll get you some delicious food."
After saying that, he went to the cabinet and took out a pile of biscuits, cans, and candies, placed them on the coffee table, and invited the children to eat.
Su Qing stood aside with a pale face, feeling like an outsider. She thought to herself that she had to act like a hostess, cleared her throat, pointed at the children and asked, "Think about it, who are they?"
"Oh, these are Zhou Tianlei's children and younger brother. What should I call you?" Cheng Xiang pretended to be thoughtful and said, "Tianxing, call me Auntie, and Xiaoyang and Qing'er call you grandma."
The children called someone sensibly, and Su Qing responded with a smile.
Suddenly the door opened, and Cheng Ningning walked in with a cheerful face, shouting: "Mom, doesn't my dress look really good today? When I entered the courtyard today, many people looked at me?"
When he saw Cheng Xiang, the smile froze on his face and he stuttered: "Think about it, think about it, why are you back?"
Cheng Xiang looked at the woman in front of him, wearing a crimson waist-cinched shirt skirt. The skirt was made of good quality, well-made, and the style was very trendy. The waistline was slightly higher, which made the whole person look slimmer.
But crimson is very attractive, and if worn by fair-skinned people, it will make the person look even fairer. Once Cheng Xiang appeared in front of others wearing a red dress, and someone once praised her as "the flower of wealth in the world."
People with dark skin will look duller if they wear red. Today, Cheng Ningning also wore heavy makeup to give people a dirty look.
Cheng Xiang looked at her skirt for a while and said, "This is my own home. I can't come back?"
Cheng Ningning was choked and opened her mouth without speaking.
"Ning Ning doesn't mean that. Please tell me in advance so that I can buy some food and entertain you." Su Qing tried to smooth things over.
"I'm not a guest, why should I be entertained by you?" Cheng Xiang said and entered his room.
As soon as he entered the room, Cheng Xiang took a deep breath. The furnishings here had obviously been tampered with, the wardrobe had been rummaged through, and the bed had been slept on.
Suddenly, an unknown fire ran wildly in her heart. Due to the presence of the children, she suppressed her anger and started to pack her things. She packed a few clothes, shoes, and some piano learning books and put them together with the piano.
After coming out, she smiled at the children who were eating, turned back and said to Su Qing: "I want to move the piano, and someone will come to move it in two days."
"What?" Su Qing and Cheng Ningning asked in surprise at the same time.
Pianos are expensive. Not to mention in the 1980s, even in the 21st century, they are still a luxury item for many ordinary families, and Cheng Ningning still covets this piano.
She will always remember that when she first arrived in the city, her stepfather took them to a party. Cheng Xiang was dressed in a red dress, and her slender white fingers were running on the tips of the piano keys. The melodious sound of the piano was like the sound of nature. A rose in full bloom.
Later, she dreamed countless times that the person playing the piano turned out to be herself. She had been fascinated by the piano for a long time, but Grandpa Cheng Xiang gave it to her, so how could she dare to get involved with it?
Finally Cheng wanted to leave. She sat in front of the piano and stroked the keys. She thought her new life was about to begin.
Now Cheng Xiang actually wanted to take away the piano. She was anxious and kept poking at her mother to signal her to stop him.
