Two years gone by, the master’s knack for teasing has grown ever more sophisticated.
Good thing Lin Nianhe was well prepared for it, in one ear and out the other, not even a mont’s stopover in the brain.
After Rong Zhiguo zinged her, he turned his attention back to the drawings, continuing to roast her as he looked them over.
"Not bad, they’re not all worthless, a few are quite good."
"What do you an ’a few’?" Lin Nianhe pressed.
Rong Zhiguo said, "These eight."
"Master, I only gave you eight in total."
"So should I announce a factory-wide comndation for you?"
"Listen to you! If anyone should be praised, it’s you. After all, any little skill I have is all thanks to your great teaching!"
"You think buttering up will stop from scolding you?"
"Scold away, feel free, I just love it when you scold , feels so dear."
"..."
For the most part, Rong Zhiguo didn’t know what to do with Lin Nianhe.
Scold her, and she’s all smiles taking it;
Hit her, and he doesn’t have the heart.
Indulging her was the only way.
Ard with a big bag of roasted chestnuts, Lin Nianhe was sent packing from the machinery factory by Rong Zhiguo.
"Don’t wander out if it’s not necessary, the wind is strong these days, might just blow you away."
Before parting, Rong Zhiguo tenderly expressed his concern for her.
...
Staying put was impossible.
Lin Nianhe still had plenty to do.
After visiting several elders, carrying several cans of yellow peach and a pack of jujube flower cake, she went to Baishun Alley.
The courtyard gate seed to have aged even more.
The door opened, and seeing the person inside, Lin Nianhe subconsciously thought she had got the wrong door.
But the person inside recognized her in a glance: "Sister Lin, you’ve co."
Even the voice was unfamiliar to Lin Nianhe, it sounded like it had aged a decade.
Lin Nianhe fell silent for a long while before hesitantly calling out: "Brother-in-law?"
Old Wu touched his grizzled hair and smiled: "I’ve aged quite a bit, can’t recognize , can you?"
Lin Nianhe candidly nodded: "Indeed, it’s hard to recognize, I thought I’d got the wrong place."
She didn’t deliberately sidestep what Sister Manling’s illness had brought upon the small household and said, "I just recently returned to Beijing, I’m here to see how Sister Manling is doing. Has she been well lately?"
"Not bad, just that winter always seems a bit harder," Old Wu said, stepping aside to let her in, "Let’s talk inside, it’s cold out here."
Old Wu was much chattier than before. During the short walk from the courtyard gate to the main house, he had rattled off the Guan family’s affairs.
"After we ca back, we stayed at Lingling’s maternal ho. Last winter, Grandma passed away. At that ti, Lingling was very sick, and we didn’t dare tell her. Later she got really upset... it was the first ti I saw her so angry."
"Lingling insisted that I take the restored college entrance exam; we agreed that once she’s better, we’ll take the exam together... By then, you’ll be Sister Manling’s senior, and you two will have to switch the way you address each other."
No trace of defeat could be heard in Old Wu’s words.
Yet his white hair was so strikingly visible.
Lin Nianhe smiled cooperatively, nodding and saying, "Very well, I’ll organize the notes I used for exam prep for you when I get back, so you won’t have to go through the trouble again this year."
"That would be wonderful, you’re the national top scorer; your notes must be really helpful."
Old Wu smiled as he lifted the door curtain, "Lingling, look who’s here."
Guan Manling’s place also had a heated brick bed, originally used by her grandmother, but now Guan Manling had moved into it.
"Sister Manling." Lin Nianhe quickly went in and then tightly closed the door curtain behind him.
Guan Manling’s room was very clean without the sll of prolonged illness. She was dressed neatly and tidily, although she looked pale, her hair and clothes were clean.
Guan Manling had lost a lot of weight, her face so white it was almost translucent, without a hint of color.
She was reading a book when she heard the noise, and when she looked up and saw Lin Nianhe coming, she imdiately burst into a smile, "Nianhe, you’re here."
"Mhm." Lin Nianhe set down what he was carrying, sat beside her and asked, "Sister Manling, how have you been feeling lately?"
"Quite well, cough cough, it’s just too stuffy in the room," Guan Manling glared at Old Wu, "your brother-in-law won’t let go out."
Guan Manling couldn’t help coughing twice; her voice was no longer as clear as before, sowhat hoarse and a lot weaker.
"It’s been especially cold recently, with strong winds," Lin Nianhe tucked in the blanket corner for her, "when spring cos, how about I accompany you to Fragrance Hill?"
"Sure." Guan Manling smiled in agreent.
Old Wu poured a cup of water for Lin Nianhe and brought over two apples for the both of them, saying, "You sisters chat, I’ll go buy so things."
"Go ahead, cough cough, dress warmly," said Guan Manling.
"Sure."
Old Wu wrapped a scarf around his neck, donned a hat, and left the house all bundled up.
After Old Wu had left, Guan Manling breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He has aged quite a bit."
"Yeah, I almost didn’t recognize him." Lin Nianhe held Guan Manling’s hand, the palm was icy cold.
"By the way, how did Yafei perform on the exams? I haven’t heard any news about her." Guan Manling slightly furrowed her brow.
"She fell ill during the exams and didn’t do very well," Lin Nianhe explained, "but before I left, our battalion leader had already made a request to the battalion, planning to arrange for her to join a production team before the New Year."
"If the Educated youth can be eased into manual labor, she can review better."
"Yes."
Guan Manling let out a soft sigh, "That poor girl saddens , cough cough... What about Sie Yufei’s exam results?"
"He wants to make films, and this year just happened to miss out on the director’s specialty; his marks weren’t low, but he didn’t apply for college." Lin Nianhe smiled as she spoke, "Recently, he’s been filming at the Forest; he should be back in about ten more days."
"That’s great." A hint of envy appeared in Guan Manling’s eyes, "I guess I’m confined to this courtyard now, it’s just that I’ve dragged Old Wu down with , cough cough..."
Lin Nianhe didn’t want to linger on the topic of Sie Yufei and smoothly changed the subject, "I think your husband just feels heartache, he’s not unhappy."
"As for him..." Speaking of Old Wu, Guan Manling’s smile beca much gentler, "He is actually more distressed than I am. I suffer only physically, but he hurts both physically and ntally."
Lin Nianhe nodded gently rembering Old Wu’s white hair and his awkward jokes.
No matter how you looked at it, Old Wu never let Guan Manling down.
"Cough cough..."
Guan Manling coughed more violently. She picked up a neatly folded handkerchief beside her and covered her mouth.
Lin Nianhe got up to pat her back, and as her hair brushed her fingers, she belatedly realized sothing was wrong.
A spot of bright red had stained the handkerchief, and Guan Manling exhaled a long breath, her complexion seeming even paler.
"Sister Manling, about your illness... Has the doctor not offered a more effective treatnt?" Lin Nianhe asked.
Guan Manling’s doctor was found by Mr. Lin at Lin Nianhe’s request, considered a leading cancer specialist in Beijing; if so, things shouldn’t have co to this.
"The doctor is very good," Guan Manling’s lips forced a smile, though the smile didn’t look good, "The doctor ntioned a foreign dication... but it is very tough to endure, would make hair fall out, cough cough... I actually really fear injections, so I chose oral dication instead."
"The dicine prescribed by the Doctor has been very effective; I have already gotten much better."
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