CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 192: HOMECOMING

Returning to Yuequan Village on the evening of September 3rd, as soon as Tian Mantong’s car entered the village, Tian Sisi saw the familiar figure by the roadside. Her eyes welling up with tears, she asked Tian Mantong to stop the car, opened the door, and threw herself into Tian Manjin’s arms.

"Daddy, I’m back!"

Tian Manjin, who had been prepared for another disappointing return, lifted his head in surprise and saw his beloved daughter he had been yearning for day and night. Tian Manjin felt that today’s weather was simply beautiful.

"Ah Nan, you’ve finally come back, you heartless little wretch, not knowing to come back earlier, you almost killed your daddy with worry!"

Tian Manjin hugged Tian Sisi tightly; though his mouth complained, the smile on his face could not hide the joy in his heart.

He Xuewen also got out of the car and greeted Tian Manjin, but received a lukewarm response. To Tian Manjin, anyone who took his precious daughter away for two months was an eyesore.

He Xuewen didn’t mind; he just chuckled, touched his nose, looked at the affectionate father and daughter, got on the truck, and instructed Tian Mantong to drive back first. Judging by the situation between the two, it seemed it would take a while.

"Ah Nan, Daddy will carry you home. If Granny and Granny know you’re coming home today, they will definitely be overjoyed."

Tian Sisi looked at her increasingly plump figure, worried that Tian Manjin wouldn’t be able to carry her, as she had gained quite a bit of weight this summer.

Tian Manjin, unconcerned, lifted his daughter onto his back and walked home with ease, greeting the villagers along the way.

"Ah, Ah Nan is finally back. If you hadn’t come back, your daddy’s eyes would have worn out from watching."

"Your darling daughter is back, and you, Manjin, look years younger!"

"Ah Nan is getting prettier and prettier; city water must be good, look how well it’s nourished our Ah Nan, her cheeks have rounded out nicely."

"Right, isn’t that why we say Manxing is so fortunate!"

.

Tian Manjin always responded cheerfully to the villagers’ comments, his eyes crinkling into slits with a smile.

Arriving home, of course, brought another round of nagging from Granny Zhao. Seeing her granddaughter’s chubby figure, she was instantly satisfied.

"Ah Nan has gained quite a bit of weight on this trip and looks so much better now. She used to be too thin; young girls should put on some more weight to look good."

"It’s really thanks to Xuewen. Otherwise, who would have thought that Ah Nan’s lack of appetite was due to indigestion!"

The matter of indigestion in Tian Sisi’s body had already been mentioned by Tian Mantong to Granny Zhao and the others when he returned earlier. Upon hearing it, Granny Zhao was instantly filled with regret, feeling that she had been too irresponsible for not considering this.

"Granny, Daddy and I have bought lots of things to bring back; let me show them to you."

Tian Sisi affectionately cooed to Granny Zhao, showing off the items she and He Xuewen had bought in Beijing, and also took out the photographs taken at Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, Yihe Garden, and other places to show to her family.

Granny Zhao had lived in Beijing for many years and felt a close connection to the scenery in the photos. She would reminisce over each photo, turning them over and over again with the same comment, "Oh, I’ve been here before; it’s been more than a decade, and to think it hasn’t changed at all, it’s just the same."

The Old Man wasn’t home; according to Granny Zhao, he had gone to the back mountain with Tang Tieshan and Zhang Mingliu to check whether any wild animals had fallen into their traps. Recently, these three old fellows had indeed caught quite a few wild creatures thanks to the pitfall, so even in Tian Sisi’s absence, they hadn’t lacked meat to eat.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The Old Man hadn’t even entered the house when his strong and robust voice could be heard from afar.

"Old Zhang, when it comes to scheming, I concede that I’m no match for you, but when it comes to hunting skills, your Zhang Mingliu is absolutely nowhere close to my Tian Liu Jin."

"Tian Liu Jin, isn’t this you being individualistic? All you did was set a trap; that pit was dug by me and Old Tang together!"

The man who spoke had an authentic Beijing accent, his voice a bit hoarse but not in an unpleasant way. It was rather like the huskiness one gets when their throat is just starting to get inflamed, somewhat magnetic and very pleasant to listen to.

"Old Zhang, don’t try to put a big hat on me. This isn’t Beijing; no one here subscribes to that sort of ideology."

"Mr. Tian, Old Zhang, how about you two calm down a bit? You haven’t stopped bickering since we went up the mountain, just like those old ladies selling melons," Tang Tieshan said with a chuckle, playing peacemaker.

Tian Sisi found the scene amusing. It seemed the arrival of the old war buddies put the Old Man in excellent spirits, growing more and more childlike.

"Grandpa, I’m back."

Tian Sisi made a shushing gesture to everyone, then she herself hid behind the door. As the Old Man and the others approached the room, she suddenly burst out, greeting them loudly.

Tian Liu Jin had actually seen the grinning He Xuewen the moment he entered, and seeing everyone glance behind the door, he pretended to be unaware and went along with his granddaughter’s childhood game.

"Oh dear, you naughty girl, you scared grandpa half to death!" The Old Man feigned a terrified expression.

Ha ha ha! Tian Sisi joyfully hugged the Old Man tightly, acting spoiled. She had not seen the Old Man for two months and missed him more than she had anticipated. At this moment, all she wanted was to hug the Old Man warmly, making up for the lost two months.

"Grandpa, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

"If you missed grandpa, why didn’t you come back sooner? I didn’t miss you at all. Why would I miss a troublemaker like you?" The Old Man deliberately teased his granddaughter, causing Tian Sisi to tug at him and twist him around like a candy cane.

"Alright, alright, you’re making my head spin just looking at you. Ah Nan, this is Grandpa Zhang, he will be responsible for teaching you music and painting. Ah Nan, you must study hard. Once you’ve learned, you’ll become refined."

The Old Man never really understood what ’refinement’ was. He was simply repeating what Old Zhang had said before. Old Zhang mentioned that a girl would become even more attractive if she had ’refinement,’ but he thought his granddaughter was already pretty enough. With ’refinement,’ wouldn’t she be out of this world!

"Hello, Grandpa Zhang; hello, Grandpa Tang!"

Tian Sisi stood up straight, greeted them politely, and discreetly observed Zhang Mingliu, whom Mr. Yun had said was only fit to enlighten primary school children.

A tall and thin figure, with a side-parted hairstyle, prominent cheekbones, a flat nose, with rather plain features, yet he had an air of scholarly elegance about him, particularly standing between the Old Man and Tang Tieshan, it was rather noticeable.

Zhang Mingliu was also evaluating Tian Sisi, a pretty and delicate girl, seemingly pampered. This was his first impression of her, and indeed, she was quite likable.

Yet, beautiful little girls were a dime a dozen in Beijing. Before Mr. Yun took his leave of absence, countless people had paraded their young relatives before him, their intentions clear as day, though none managed to win Mr. Yun’s favor. Unexpectedly, it was Tian Liu Jin’s granddaughter who caught his eye, suggesting that some things are simply meant to be.

Even without Mr. Yun’s instructions, out of respect for Liu Jin, he would take good care of this young girl, determined to mould her into a top-notch young lady of culture, skilled in the arts and fluent in English, French, German, Italian, and Japanese. Zhang Mingliu was confident of this.

Suddenly, Tian Sisi shivered. Who’s talking about me now?